II.

"Here they come!" Eraziror shouted. Lots of movement flurried through the brush but Madoka readied herself to defend the useless parties behind her.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Kanys muttered. The warhorns blasted and Madoka heard something slice through the air directly at her.

Too slow! Madoka caught the projectile. A dart? She noticed glistening substance coated its blade and released it immediately. She heard the curtain of ears rattle suddenly. Didn't Audrey kick those down already? Madoka whirled around and felt the ground quake as Armor took up defense by her. A deep rumble echoed from the helmet and the maid nodded. In addition to his heavy armor, the tower also wielded an impressive axe. She heard twanging strings in the distance.

"Above!" She called to Audrey and cast the dart aside. Another whizzed by her but bounced harmlessly off of Armor's chest plate. These goblins were clever, she supposed but the main unit was closing in from the tree line.

The princess was readying a spell when she glanced up where Madoka pointed. A volley of arrows were collapsing upon the group! Audrey's hand glowed green and a gust of Wind magic blasted the volley aside. That magic was much more deadly than her Wind Blades, Madoka noted. Smaller forms of dark green were rushing out the forest. The broken arrows raining from the sky must have forced them to attack.

"They're coming," Eraziror remarked and readied his sword. He wore a serious face when he saw Madoka's inquisitive look. "Don't let the little bastards grab your face."

"Eh?" Madoka kept her hand on the knife she took from the cocky adventurer.

"I hope your Lady has a plan to get rid of them," the man spoke behind her. Kanys grunted in agreement. Was this a circus as Audrey called it? Why were they focusing on such silly things? Madoka growled and readied herself. "Here they come!"

The creatures were hideous. They possessed disproportionate green limbs and elongated chins lined with mischievous smiles and fangs. How disgusting! Madoka nearly recoiled from the sight of their bumpy faces. Perhaps they saw the unconscious adventurers behind her and grew even uglier from their greed. Her rune still burned but did not react to these monsters. A dart whizzed by her cheek and left a small cut. She cursed herself. She did not have enough time to worry about it!

"Madoka!" Audrey screamed. Madoka scanned the charging crowd of goblins. The glint of a smaller goblin on its four flashed just as it pounced with a surprising amount of strength. It was targeting Audrey but the maid would not allow it!

Right, Madoka threw her impartial thoughts away. Now was the time for battle and for her to not hold back! She siezed the little creature by the neck. This thing did not seem to be a goblin. By contrast, it was pinkish and moved on all fours. It sniveled and gurgled out noises. Pervasive thoughts invaded her mind.

Ears.

Give me.

Make me happy!

Its small head unhinged its jaw and released a small proboscis out at her ears. Horror shook her back into combat and before the grotesque and fleshy web could reach her she slashed with her borrowed knife. The acrid smell of green blood plunged its taint scent into her nostrils but she flung the squirming body into the crowd. She determined that she should slay them quickly in order to not hear their discomforting thoughts.

"Strike! Knock 'em down!" Audrey cheered. She was too lax for this situation. Madoka did not like it but she kept it to herself. There were a lot more than just thirty, she gripped the knife in her hand.

"Marvelous!" Eraziror stabbed one and flung it into the air with an upward slash. Arrows soon ripped its body apart from Kanys's bow. The pair worked together well but they only managed to defeat four goblins. The ones before her hesitated and their chittering reeked of fear.

Such tiny creatures stood no match for me! Their thoughts shall not scare me!Madoka roared and ripped the arm off of another pink goblin. She turned and cut down several of the scrawny creatures but she felt the task at hand was mundane like sweeping a hallway. Their hungry faces shall be put to rest! The forest grew quieter with every kill the maid scored. Madoka's senses dulled as she swept up more piles of green leathery leaves when she heard familiar plucking noises gathered quietly further into the trees. Knotting strands highlighted bows being readied to shoot another volley.

"Audrey, they're launching another volley!" Madoka warned her as she cleaved another one. Limbs and eyes from both halves of the victim sailed through the air in waves of blood. The knife in her hand seemed to glow from magic on it. It was a fine blade. "Their going to hit their allies if they launch their volley... It must be getting close to the end."

"What? Oh," Audrey snapped to attention and scanned the fray. "Okay, here I go!"

"Please, no fireballs!"

It was too late to shout since Audrey already made a sweeping motion with her glowing hand. Another massive Wind Blade sliced through trees and the onslaught of arrows alike. The goblins at the rear seemed distracted by the broken arrows. Another war horn sounded from deeper in the forest and the monsters began their retreat.

"Yeet!" Audrey made her strange war cry and launched yet another Wind Blade at the retreating forces. Green limbs and bodies scattered in a mass of putrid chaos as the blade engulfed them in its bloody energy. Only a few lucky ones escaped.

"A breather? Whew," Eraziror cut a wriggling goblin down. He looked beaten down and wounds covered his exposed skin and scales. Kanys seemed to be in a similar condition and her arrows were running thin. Armor grunted in approval.

"You two are mad!" She furiously yelled. Her green hair was tangled in knots and was matted. The maid found it difficult to tell which shade of green was her original hair color from the goblin blood. Perhaps she would take care of her hair as an apology for her twisted friend's actions.

Her arm hair raised when she noticed something was moving behind her. Madoka watched one of the goblin's corpses rapidly jiggle as its stomach became bloated. Something was writhing inside of it!

"Watch out!" Madoka moved to push her away from the corpse but it was too late. The dead goblin's rapidly expanding stomach tore open like a book of soggy and bloody pages as a pink creature ripped its way out. It let out an ear piercing scream as it launched itself towards Kanys's face. The girl paled but something emerged from her shadow and intercepted the goblin's attack.

"Are you alright?" It was Shadow! He brought his staff upon the creature and reduced it to a pink soup that sloshed on the grass.

"Thanks, Shadow," Kanys breathed but she refocused her attention to Audrey. The Night Operator shrunk back into her shadow. The incoming trouble prevented Madoka from wondering about the mysterious man. "We could have died because of you!"

"My men are downed because of her," the cocky adventurer added his useless opinion as well. Kanys stomped as she tried to approach Audrey but Madoka towered over the angry dragon girl. The both of them faltered at the threatening maid's presence.

"Mind your tongue when you speak to my Lady," Madoka hissed. "Or I will make you both join those dead creatures limb by limb."

Kanys looked like she was about to lunge out of foolish desperation. Come, then, Madoka growled in anticipation.

"Easy, girls, easy," Eraziror spoke up and stepped between the other Sovos and the maid. "We made it out alive, okay? We don't have to fight right now."

"Well—"

"I agree," Audrey finally spoke up in Noble. She nonchalantly lowered Madoka's fighting stance and took the knife she brandished from her. She did not even notice she was holding it in her anger. "We're on the same side, for now. I'm sure we have wounds to heal and later to inflict. Let's focus our hostility towards the ones who did not work with us, shall we?"

She approached the cocky adventurer with the knife and held it for him to take. Worry overtook Madoka but Audrey gave her a stern look. What if he stabbed her? The cocky adventurer breathed angrily and glared at the princess. His attention shifted to the maid and then to the battlefield of dead goblins and fallen trees.

"Damn it all," he muttered and took the dagger from Audrey. "Now would you lazy assholes get up already?"

The fallen adventurers in his command immediately stirred awake and scrambled to their feet. He was barking at the lazy adventurers but looked differently at Audrey now. Madoka could not blame him for it was difficult for her to say no to the adorable princess. Later, the princess and her maid separated with the Iron Rank leader and a fuming Kanys. Armor rested silently and she could only hear the clinking of his metal plates. Eraziror sheathed his sword and breathed a sigh of relief.

"How?" Kanys growled at Audrey. "How did you know they were awake the whole time? Why did you not tell me?"

"Bruh," Audrey sat down and leaned against Armor's shoulder. The mountain was motionless and did not seem to mind but jealousy stirred within the maid. Madoka scoffed instead. "Does anyone hear that buzzing noise?"

"Oh, me! I hear that noise!" Eraziror chirped along. Kanys glared at him but looked at his arm.

"Your arm, Era!" She clutched it.

"Ow! Easy," the dragon man tried to pry her off of him.

"Oh," Audrey observed him. "You actually took damage from those little guys? Of course random people in LFGs would mess up somehow..."

The party was confused at her ramblings but Audrey took out the talisman she stole from the fat noble and breathed deeply. Strings of green magic gathered around from her mouth and attached to the talisman in the bag. Madoka whirled around and noticed a massive glowing green web burst from the princess's feet. Its radius extended and covered the party before releasing its power. The maid felt a pleasant yet chilling gust of energy lance through her but she has felt it many times before. Their party members looked in shock.

"Kind gods," Eraziror inspected his wounded arm to find that there was not a single scar on it. "What are you, some kind of saint?"

"Such power," Kanys checked herself over only to find no wounds as well. "Healing like this could cost a gold coin."

"A fortune," Eraziror breathed. Eh? Madoka realized all the food they could buy for only a simple gold coin.

"It's on me this time," Audrey sighed. "I need as many of you as possible in good shape."

"For what?"

Night was falling quickly, Madoka felt a droplet of rain splotch her nose. The smell of dead goblins was going to get worse in the morning. Audrey pointed at the bodies.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"For collecting the loot, of course," she smiled a devilish grin. "I don't wanna touch 'em."

"Lady," a gruff voice approached them nervously. It was the cocky adventurer but he was speaking in Reverent Noble. It was about time he knew his place before her princess! "We must talk about dividing those bodies up."

"Uh," Audrey murmured. "I don't want any of that stuff. Gross."

"Now, now, milady. You need money to live," Eraziror made his suggestion.

"Eh? Nae waah!"

"We'll split 70-30," Kanys simply growled at the now-humbled adventurer. Eraziror nodded in agreement. Madoka shrugged as the adventurer's face paled. Audrey groaned and acquiesced with a pouting nod.

"T-Thirty..." He uttered in disbelief but surrendered. "It was most of her Lady's work so I must agree."

What did Audrey do to this man to make him so submissive now? Madoka wondered.

"Madoka," Audrey's voice pulled her out of her musing. "Be a dear and pick only the intact ones up for me, please?"

The man gulped but split ways to his party. Madoka groaned but Eraziror clapped his hand for her to follow. The iron rank leader pointed at a lacerated pink pile of limbs.

"Watch out for the little ones. More could be hiding around here. The nasty buggers burrow within the fat ones," Eraziror cautioned the maid. "They must get adventurers all the time."

Madoka lifted a dead "intact" goblin corpse up gingerly and winced. Its ugly eyes were dead but its complexion and gross face reminded her that it was a monster that has committed many horrible deeds. She felt disgust and went to find more. Later, she piled several of the mostly intact ones by Audrey. The maid did not exactly know what math was so she hoped the amount matched the so-called 70-30 condition they negotiated.

"Good, good," Audrey cheered for her maid. Armor seemed to have walked off to assist his party in gathering more corpses. The portal manifested by her in his place.

"I could use a bath," Madoka complained but she flung the corpses in the portal before the party got back. Audrey plugged her nose as the bodies flew by her.

"Me too," Audrey's voice sounded nasally and funny to the maid. Silver lining, Madoka focused on that and stifled her giggles. One by one, the bodies vanished into thin air. "Though we'll have to hold off for now."

Both of them sighed at the same time. Madoka pulled a torn up cloak out the portal and rested it on the ground to sit beside her princess. Despite the horrific battle she just experienced her heart was unmoved. What was this apathy she felt?

"Man," Audrey heaved a sigh. Madoka felt the weight of her princess's head slump on her shoulder. "Wave defenses ain't the hype that they said they would be..."

"It's over for now," Madoka relaxed her grip on her axe. She did not know how to bring her feelings up around the princess anyways. Not since their conversation in the grotto.

"Yeah," Audrey's head rolled on the maid's shoulders. She could sense her eyes resting on her. Madoka simply wanted to hide herself. She was covered in blood and probably looked horrifying. "I'm sorry, Madoka. I caused more trouble again."

"So did I," Madoka chuckled. The two shared a laugh but the sound of footsteps interrupted them. Madoka went on high alert. What was it now? Did they hear her laugh?

"Hmph!" Kanys scoffed at them before embarrassment could swallow the maid.

"What, here to complain some more?" Audrey groaned. Madoka gestured the Sovos to sit. If they were to fight they might as well argue and bicker instead.

"No," the dragon-girl resigned her suspicions and sat. She rested on her knees and curled her tail around them. Kanys sat like a proper lady or what Madoka thought a Sovos lady would sit like. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly as if she were picking her words carefully. "I now see why you place so much trust in your guard."

"Oh, really," Audrey's brow raised. Pick your words wisely, Madoka worried for Kanys all of a sudden from the princess's change in tone.

"No, no, no! Not like that," the Sovos girl waved her hands to clear any misunderstanding. Madoka did not know what she meant. Kanys gestured at her. "She's smart, dependable, loyal and cares a lot about you. She's... everything..."

The Sovos's voice trailed off. A wave of a different kind of embarrassment washed over Madoka. Audrey chuckled and then burst out into a full laugh like a flower blooming in the sun. Except it was raining and goblin blood mixed with the petrichor. Kanys suddenly grew quiet.

"Ah, young love," Audrey wheezed. "It's him, isn't it? Love and war but all you can think about is him, right?"

"Why, you!" Kanys was blushing! "How did you know?"

"Well, hoho! How the tables have turned," Audrey laughed but piped down after a glare from Madoka. She pointed at the flustered dragon girl. "I don't get to say this often, but love is written all over your face!"

"I—" Kanys's voice was soft and held a compressed tension in it that begged to be released. "I don't know how to bring it up with him. I have these feelings in my chest for Eraziror. But he's stupid! Crazy! And prone for trouble! Doesn't he know how much he means to me?"

"Well that's just like me—"

"Jealous," Kanys continued. "I felt jealous of you two. I'm not afraid to admit it even if you are much stronger and tougher than me! Just h-how do you get someone to love you like—"

"Beats me!" Audrey chirped. The Sovos gave an impressive groan that was pregnant with exasperation. "Personally, I might be good at shipping but I'm not very good at the whole, 'love' thing. Father said I was too young for that. It's just me and her..."

There was a somber ring to her voice like the raindrops making ripples in the muddy puddles. Madoka felt eyes glance at her. Kanys eyed her differently. There was curiosity in her irises, reflecting the grey sky off of them and changing hues. She avoided Audrey's eyes because of the warmth she wanted to stave off.

"If it's beating in your chest," Madoka simply resigned herself. She did not have any idea how to love anyone either. Her slave days have taught her just that: She was to work until the end of her life. "Then concentrate on everything about it and then push it all out. No matter how uncertain you think the feeling is or how little it makes sense, you will gain confidence in each of your strokes. Even an impossible wall can be broken; a nonsensical mess can be cleaned."

She paraphrased one of Lord Leopride's teachings with a fondness towards the memories. That man broke her and brought her life. The red haired girl had to stop herself from her thoughts or else she would cry. A gasp came from Kanys. The Sovos looked at her in awe as if she said some divine revelation but the maid dismissed it. That advice helped her get past multitudes of troubles.

"Wow, that's pretty deep," Audrey mused quietly to herself. Kanys put a fist to her bloodstained leather chest plate over her heart.

"You must have a lot of experience in breaking through those walls and cleaning messes," she lowered her voice. She was not wrong, but before she could even attempt to switch subject more footsteps and loud thumping approached them.

"Yo," Eraziror sat down before them. He looked bloody from quarting up the goblin corpses and handling them into large sacks and designated packs held by unlucky adventurers. "Word is that the goblin settlement location has been discovered and the Guild Master has accepted us to investigate it with the others. However, he told us they're stopping for the night to rest and we'll be rejoining the main group tomorrow. 'Choose a night watch and get onto sleeping,' he yelled at me. He ain't wrong though but he's a bastard to work with anyways."

"Well, yeah," Audrey stretched and promptly leaned back on Madoka. "You know how middle management goes. They don't really want to do anything that gets them off their asses."

"Yeah..." The Sovos man sighed in agreement but it was clear that he only understood that Audrey was simply commiserating with him somehow. He pointed a claw at Madoka and had a horrified look on his face. The red haired girl did not sense any intent from him but his finger was shaking. He spoke with horror. "And you! You're a blood thirsty, horrifyin' and simply brutal murderer!"

Was that acting? Madoka simply shrugged in response. Eraziror looked disappointed in her reaction but lowered his pointing hand and smiled.

"Not bad," He put his hands to his hips and spun into a pace. "You flew like the wind and delivered a swift end to those fiends! Nearly took a poisonous dart to my strong arm watching you on the battlefield doing your thing! It was like art— in a twisted, lurid green kind of way."

"You did get hit with a dart, you idiot!" Kanys sprang up and threw herself on him. Madoka was convinced that this was certainly what Audrey called a circus act.

"How did you get so strong?" Eraziror pried the girl off of him. Shadow eventually emerged from seemingly thin air and separated the dragons. Was that girl pouting? Madoka wondered if she took her advice literally. "B-Both of you are mad strong! It's got inside me a bit of jealousy how you effortlessly turn things inside out, so to speak."

"T-That's a murder hobo spirit," Audrey stammered. "You're making us look—"

"Training, I guess," Madoka interrupted her princess and gave an insistent look to switch subjects. She heard the thud of logs and rocks land on the grass behind Eraziror. Armor dwarfed the dragon man. Luckily for the maid, he was a Sovos who knew how to take a hint. A large sack of stinking objects rested behind the tower. Were they going to carry that with them? Madoka cringed from the thought.

"I suppose training is the way," he pointed a finger at the logs after scooting it into a shabby circle. "Hiyah!"

Red mana strands made the veins in his wrists glow as Eraziror motioned. His efforts would have impressed the maid however the results did not come to fruition. The strands simply gathered themselves into a plain spell circle and produced a weak spark that fizzled out in the rain. The Sovos looked at his hands in embarrassment.

"What?" He sighed. "I can usually get it up and going with a wand... I-I left it back with my lyre! Just thought I could copy her spell casting!"

Audrey groaned and snapped her fingers. Madoka felt heat brush across her skin as a warm flame gathered on the pile of logs. Around them, underneath the twin moons, more magic campfires permeated throughout the Guild's sojourn.

"By Ceghinort," Eraziror muttered. He tried snapping but his mana strands split apart each time he did. "Why did you all choose to join the Guild anyways? Eh, nevermind. You two must have a real reason so I won't pry. Oh! I know! I'll tell you my, er, our reason!"

"Oh?" Madoka was interested suddenly.

She wanted to know there was something much more that prevailed over the hopelessness that she felt from this whole organization. Eraziror stood up over the fire proudly while his members listened intently. She realized by their rapt attention that the group bonded over their own journey like the maid and her princess. Perhaps tales shared around flame between souls created the bond they had.

"Ceghinort runs through my blood," Eraziror stood proudly and ran a rain slicked hand through his hair. "Adventurering is what we do! If you really want to know what brought us together it's our pursuit of..."

He lowered his voice and knelt before the girls. Madoka's throat constricted in anticipation.

"Fairies," he whispered. Fairies? Madoka wondered. Such beings were thought to be myths. Eraziror smirked at her confusion. "Well, there you have it. Fairies bridge the Choir and us, the divine possessed and the Deep Dark."

"Huh?" Audrey spared no effort in hiding her puzzled face. All the terminology made Madoka's head spin but she was sure that information about their goal was more than what she bargained for. The more she thought about Audrey's confusion the more concerned she had for this adventurer party.

"Well, we hope to find at least a sign of the Great River Goêt's existence before the prophecy occurs," the Sovos sighed. "Word is, Fiara collapsed into chaos in the west."

"The east, you fool," Kanys corrected him irritably. It was evident that Eraziror was tired of talking so he sat beside her. "It fell in the east over what they call the Hall of Royals."

Kanys nearly threw herself upon him in an embrace and Madoka was surprised that the Sovos allowed her to cling to him. Her green eyes, however, locked onto the maid. Awkwardness siezed her so she looked away. A dark form emerged from the shadows in the flickering flame. It was the Night Operator. Perhaps his form could only be held at night under the twin moons.

"Go on," Audrey's tone was grave and had a deadly tinge lacing her words. They no longer were an interested passerby but more like an interrogator extracting answers from an accomplice.

"Right," Shadow cleared his throat and finally spoke up. "The Truth Guild was certain of one thing about the collapse of Fiara: Regicide and the murder of all of his heirs. The Red String prophecy has begun under our nose. The blood binds that chain and seal the true evil from threatening to rise."

"Red... Strings?" Madoka tried to remember where she had heard that term.

Audrey and Madoka huddled comfortably close together by the flames while the priest set up a camp tent from the shadows he came from. He was using magic similar to Audrey's portal! The fire licked and dashed into the night, intertwined with threads of crackling sparks and air.

"There are many red strings," he said. Audrey moved to take out her notebook and Madoka held her sleeve over her to keep her dry. "Some say that damn number has significance. Seven gods, seven wonders, even seven princesses."

"Princesses," Madoka mused to herself. The iron ranked adventurer perked up.

"They're quite the beauts, I tell you!" he said excitedly. Kanys tore off of him and punched his shoulder plate. The priest cleared his throat and Madoka noticed spotted beast ears curled back as he spoke. A Cherish-man?

"The Heart of Fields, Ysmi of Halfring.

The Heart of Gold, Emmalion of Warring.

The Heart of Lake, Ruka of Crosstella.

The Heart of Darkness, Sipha of Tabruula.

The Heart of Peace, the Esmerald."

"And finally," the priest breathed deeply. He closed his eyes and made a gesture of respect. "The two late princesses —

Heart of Bird, Luciha of Chelise.

Heart of Snow, Elise of Fiara."

Audrey, formerly Elise, snorted but Madoka smacked her back.

"What happened to Chelise?" Madoka asked. Everyone seemed to know now Fiara was wartorn and no one in Her palace survived whatever disaster happened there.

"Starfall," the priest said gravely. "A falling star descended after the death of a Royal. And surely if more of the red strings— if they are indeed the red strings of the prophecy — evil will soon rise. The change of these goblins prove it."

World is getting bigger, Madoka recalled Audrey saying that to her at the top of the Wind King's Hall. Shadow smiled gently at the maid and Audrey. The girl seemed rapt in his strange proclamations of tragedies and prophecies but then she yawned deeply. Kanys had buried her face into Eraziror's shoulder and coughed up a snore. The Sovos man nodded apologetically and carried the Sovos girl into the tent. They were never to be seen until the next morning, the maid guessed.

"Get some rest," He told the two of them. "We will watch over you."

A rumble came from Armor's great helmet. Reassurance, Madoka interpreted the soft yet growling echo. She soon closed her eyes and slept sitting upright on the torn up cloak, no longer caring for the goblin smell or rain.