XI.

"You did WHAT?"

Guild Master Luxgor sat in a stone bench created from Knotting magic and buried his temples in his palm. The Truth Guild researcher, Arudite was more than happy to give a full report of the exploits of Madoka and Audrey.

"It's true!" Arudite twirled. "She released the deadliest Wind magic I've ever seen, and cleaved the Ruined Forest trolls' heads right off!"

"That's right!" Audrey cheered. Why was she cheering for herself? Madoka shifted uncomfortably. "You tell him, Madoka."

"Yeah," Madoka spoke with a flat tone. Audrey danced around her triumphantly but was pinned in place by her maid.

"Ceghinort's blood, don't encourage her," Luxgor glared at the pair and ignored the Truth Guild researcher's reports. "We, no, I told you both to sit still while we wait for the Truth Guild's Arcane Division to properly scout the pollution in the town out—" He pointed at Audrey — "Specifically you. And you two just... walk in just like that!"

"Just like dat," Audrey repeated. She recieved a sharp glare from both Madoka and Luxgor.

"Is your head on straight?" He muttered. Audrey gulped, while Madoka found herself pondering over the same question. Luxgor directed his attention at the maid. "And YOU. You're actually fine."

"What? Nae waah!" Audrey blurted in disbelief that Madoka was off the hook, but before she could deliver a mischievous smirk of victory the Guild Master spoke again.

"Not, fine, as in less trouble! How are you alive? How did you survive in the Mist?" He asked, though his tone was quite demanding. "As far as my reports from Drezgor say, the mist suffocates those inside within minutes."

"Sir," Arudite interrupted him. "The mist had lifted, as stated in my writing here."

"Speaking of that," Luxgor flipped through the leaves of paper. "There was signs of a heavy concentration of monster magic within the City Hall. The sight of the desecrated place was disturbing."

"Oh, yes, quite," Arudite twisted a strand of her beautiful purple hair. "A severed ogre head surrounded by Cuckoo magic strands and piles upon piles of... dead settlers. I've called for the Night Agents to come and purify them."

Night Agents? Madoka guessed they must be similar to Night Operators.

"Purification?" Audrey asked. "Mist? Cuckoo magic? I swear I didn't study hard enough in the library for these..."

"Then you and I have much to discuss," Arudite lowered her glasses and eyed Audrey. The look was mischievous at best and seductive at worst in Madoka's view. "Come, come!"

She did not give Madoka room to keep her off of her princess before shoving her out. Audrey did not resist, and stayed the maid's wrath with a look as she followed Arudite out. Jealousy roared beneath her skin, but she was left alone with Luxgor in the tent.

"So," he sighed. "Feel free to explore the town at your own peril. The four you accompanied here are out there. I suggest you follow them to see how they explore. That means protect them, please. Speak to me tomorrow. Drag your master by the... nah, no ears. I'm sick of those already. Bring her along, too."

"For what?" Madoka asked, unable to keep the shyness from tipping her voice. Luxgor shuffled more pages beneath a tome and another odd board device that looked like the mana strand measuring device back at the Guild Hall.

"Your promotions, of course," he eyed her copper tag. Madoka had nearly forgotten about the trinket. "You will be Iron rank tomorrow."

After that, Madoka found herself outside. The camps seemed empty, so she figured the adventurers must be exploring the fallen settlement. She glanced at a larger tent near the gate. Its canvas was adorned with a large cross emblem upon it, with the Truth Guild researcher's own slave standing guard in front of it. Ilalune noticed her and gave her a glare for her troubles.

Audrey was in that tent with that dreadful woman, Madoka balled her fists, but knew she would have to get busy without her princess. She hated being alone! With a sigh, she walked past the troublesome slave and ignored her. It did not take long before she came across several familiar faces and a towering hunk of armor. One was doing odd stretches, but stopped to greet her.

"Yo," Eraziror nodded at her. "I heard your cruel master brought you into the town. How horrible! You didn't even bring me along!"

Madoka had nothing to offer besides a shrug. She realized she was staggeringly awkward, unsure how to respond to such a carefree adventurer. Kanys spoke for her with a punch to his shoulder.

"Shut it, Eraziror," she scolded him. She pointed to Madoka. "You survived in the mist? How? Was it your strange master's magic?"

Again, Madoka answered with a shrug.

Kanys pouted, but Eraziror knocked on Armor's plates to get their attention. The maid knew what he wanted to do, so she started to move towards the gate. The fallen headless ogre was gone and left only a large imprint in the mud where its body lay, but she dared not ask where it was. The moat of dead bodies stopped her momentarily, though several official Guild members were inspecting the pit.

"Into the spooky, reeking town we go!" Eraziror rushed past her. Kanys followed, rolling her eyes.

"Déjà vu," she mused but the thumps of Armor's boots came from behind her, prompting her to follow. At least this time, there were other adventurers with her. Several parties were clearing out some of the fallen buildings, while several cloaked figures were sealing off the large building they found the ritual in.

"Night Operators," Eraziror looked towards them. They were using strange movements, much like her own, weaving Knotting magic into the place. "They're cleaning the place for Night Agents to come and purify the dead when night falls."

"Night... Agents?" Madoka asked. "Truthfully, I don't know much about Night Operators either."

"Ah," Kanys looked down towards her own shadow. The Night Operator that resided within its umbral shape stirred.

"We worship the Moon Sisters," he explained. "The Two Lunar Mansions grant us some powers over the dead, and in our worship we stick to night's covering. We, the Night Operators, support our Sisters who come during the night."

Twin sisters, Madoka realized she must have heard of them. She remembered the tale of the Two Sisters from somewhere long ago during her Palace days. Perhaps the Head Maid told her those fairytales.

"D-Don't mess with a Night Agent!" Kanys blurted. "One day I will become one! Night Agents are kind, respected, healing those in the name of the Church."

"The dead need purity, from a pure soul," Shadow explained. "I train with Kanys in order to prepare her for her own purification."

Eraziror pursed his lips, as if he knew when she became a Night Agent he would lose her. If they found a fairy first, would she still want to pursue the religion that might take her away from him? The green scaled girl did not seem to notice his tension spike temporarily, and instead continued to observe the Night Operators' work on the destroyed ritual site. The eyeless head that was fused to the ground seemed to be gone. Madoka was relieved and thanked the kind gods no goblins or any other monster seemed to reside within the village.

She could even hear the thoughts of bird flocks above her, despite them avoiding this place before they arrived. Armor pointed uphill towards the fallen temple. It was the place she saw before, but did not have a chance to explore due to the tunnel. Madoka looked between the towers, only to find the cracked entrance completely buried by rubble.

"They probably mean to settle here after the Night Agents do their thing," Eraziror pointed to various sites below them being worked on by other adventurers. They trudged uphill after Armor, when the view of the fallen temple came up ahead. "Hopefully they add a bit more security, eh?"

"A Night Temple? It's huge!" Kanys suddenly blurted. She rushed in to the fallen temple. Eraziror and Armor followed. Madoka noticed shattered statues lay across the ground in an untidy manner, but she was obviously no mason. She realized a shadow on the ground was moving closer to her.

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A surprise attack? She gripped her axe, but realized Shadow's Cherish ears rose from the dark spot. She wondered what kind of magic that was.

"This holy place held those who worship the twin Mansions, though it has been ruined by monsters," He beckoned to her inside the building. "However, one can learn a lot about Night's Twin Mansions and how they accept any worshippers of other gods. The moons watch over us all, so we too, must shepard them all and protect them with the Sister's lunar light."

Madoka wandered in after him. Kanys was correct. This place was vast, branching out in dark corridors into leaves of large rooms. Shadow guided her over into one large hall. Seven large and worn statues solemnly stood within the hall's chambers, undisturbed by the goblins. They were seemingly left untidy for a long time! Had she worked there, Madoka would have kept this place in top condition! She stifled a scoff when the Night Operator began to explain.

"These are seven Gods in the world, though there are many more," Shadow explained. He stopped before the first statue. A skeletal figure, torn and shattered off from the torso stood above them, imposing with four appendages that were not like arms along with thousands of spiny tendrils serving as legs. "This is the God of Language, the Domineering Fire King. The Truth Guild has done extensive research on them, and I shall not dishonor its Holiness by attempting to explain it."

Madoka wondered and admired the sculpture's' intricacies as she followed the man. These gods were fascinating to her, after all, she had been unknowingly sending her prayers and worship to each of them. He stopped before a bulbous sculpture of a babe wrapped within an odd, exposed cocoon-like membrane. It was difficult to tell what exactly the thing before her was due to the single coloring of the grey stone it was made from.

"This is the Child of Knotting Stars," Shadow turned to her. "Responsible for the holy Knotting magic that exists within you."

He nodded at her, expectantly. Madoka knew what he wanted her to do, so she offered the Child of Knotting Stars her sincere gratitude. The statue's babe, however, remained silent and did not respond. There was not even a trace of golden links forming near it. They moved on, past three platforms that were unrecognizable due to the damage, which both offered their prayers for forgiveness.

"The three Gods we walked past presumably are the Moth God Itfabel, the Ocean Goddess, Kesh'na and the Forest God of Sweets and Bitterness," Shadow bowed and sent his regards to each of them. "They are still among us today. Show your respect to them."

Madoka wondered what each were, but could assume they governed specific aspects of what their titles implied. Perhaps, she theorized, they were in control of everything about what their domains inferred. She hated thinking, yet, these kind gods were not giving her a headache to complain about. Perhaps Audrey's ramblings about her atheism had gotten to her finally, and infected her brain somehow and this conversation cleansed her temporarily. How could she deny their existence, even now?

Madoka found herself stopped before a large window, long broken into but still peaceful as the twin moons beamed down upon the empty altar before Shadow and her. Slowly, two woman sculptures materialized before them, seemingly locked into a dance between each other under the moonlight. Melancholy and sweetness filled her, as she observed the twin moon sculpture closely. She prayed to them and thanked them for their light, though they were locked in place, and wished them happiness.

Shadow stood silently, and prayed his own prayer to the Twin Moon Goddesses.

"The Twin Goddesses, who we worship," he gestured at his black robe. "A part of the Seven Mansions, but we will gather here for tonight, I imagine."

"Seven," Madoka mused. The thoughts of animals returning to the area must mean that whatever the dead curse that infected this town was being purified. "Are these kind gods a part of the Red Strings?"

"There are many things about the Prophecy of the Red Strings we do not know," Shadow stared at the last pedestal. He noticed Madoka's inquisitive expression and cleared his throat. "Sorry, child. It has been awhile since I've explained the kind gods to a brilliant mind such as yours."

"P-Please, no compliments," Madoka pleaded. "I am a simple ignorant slave."

"I do not believe you are simple, despite being a slave," Shadow eyed her, but moved on. "This pedestal's plaque says it belongs to the Nameless Goddess, an obscure being who has given birth to all of the races in the world."

"A-All of them," Madoka stammered. "Why would a powerful Goddess like that be forgotten or want no name?"

The gods work in mysterious ways, she remembered Audrey sarcastically saying that. Madoka would groan at the forbidden taboo of making fun of the kind gods, partly fear out of perhaps they were listening in on their conversation.

"The Nameless Goddess has been seen time and time again," Shadow bowed before the blank pedestal. "In each other's faces, our hands, our feet. We are Her, and she is Us. Or so some believe. The Sovos believe they are descendants of a Union between the Goddess and Ceghinort, while some of my kind believe in the Union between the Goddess and the long forgotten god of the Cherish-men."

"What do you believe about her?" Madoka asked after bowing to the pedestal. She hoped her prayers and worship would not be loud enough to disturb any of the kind gods, yet she thanked each one she's learned of today.

"I believe," Shadow leaned back in thought. "She is not a part of a Prophecy. She is the One who spoke it into Order."

"I see," Madoka trailed off. How could he not see her as ignorant? The more he explained things to her, the more questions she had. Luckily, she sensed familiar bickering coming from the entrance of the hall.

Eraziror and Kanys were pestering each other, yet the Sovos girl's cheeks were bright pink in contrast to her usual green scales.

"Shadow!" Kanys whined. "He says I'm not Night Agent material! Correct him!"

Eraziror huffed, but kept his watch for the darkness for someone. Armor's steps stomped heavily into the room, like a true apex predator proud of its presence, yet that was not what the Sovos was looking for.

"Say, Madoka," he started. "You don't happen to be hiding a devilish short haired Noble up your sleeves, right?"

"Who's asking?" Madoka got defensive.

"I-I mean no disrespect, but she IS quite the terror on her own," Eraziror assured her. "Though I am quite glad— happy even— that she is not in our company for now. But you should probably collect her before she detonates another town, hmm?"

With that remark, Madoka had reached her capacity for interacting with other people. She began to look for the exit this temple's wing of statues as panic welled within her. All she could think of is how she foolishly left her unattended with a strange woman from an even stranger Guild, and the Sovos man reminded her of that fact.

"I'll go get her," she hurriedly excused herself, despite Eraziror's protests. As she made her way, she immediately begin to feel something crawl upon her skin. The hallway ahead of her opened up into a cloister with exposed rafters and fallen pillars of stone. As she quickened her steps ahead, the ominous feeling still slicked her skin. She stopped in the middle of the ruins, sensing a familiar dark feeling pacing in the rafters above her.

Something, or someone, was exhibiting a dark killing intent towards her.

You think you can stop me, Madoka gritted her teeth and alternated her grip on each of her weapons. She had an axe and a sword at the ready. The formless assassin was darting quickly between the shattered remains of the ceiling. But I am not the same girl at the Estate.

As she remained still, the shadow's red glowing eyes were trained upon her. She listened towards the soft landings as it traversed, too light to detect and too quick for the Knotting strands to keep up with. Instead, the lightning chains simply faded and reconnected with reality each time the shadow jumped. Madoka realized she had another weapon, one that could counter this magical attack and will not leave a scar in her palm this time.

She placed a hand above her heart and closed her eyes. It was too dark for her to see, but the shooting sparks from her core containing the Divine Weapon within her blinded her. Still, Madoka growled as she waited for the creature's attack. Two feet landed on a wooden beam above her as she felt the dark gaze of the attacker upon her, followed by a third light patter. A tail? Madoka wondered at the new source of sound.

"Lord Leopride's shadow gave me a scar on my palm when he attacked me," Madoka growled under her breath. She had completely tracked her opponent's movements even without sight. "I doubt you can do the same."

Now! She plunged her hand deep into her core and withdrew the divine weapon into the form of a powerful sword, wreathed in golden light, just in time to block the attack. Madoka's grip did not falter as a shadowy blade connected with her guard. The force of the attack was not as heavy as Lord Leopride's techniques. She could not read the opponent before her, but she knew that she was much more powerful. The attacker retreated into the darkness after failing to connect their strike, surprise glinting off their eyes as they leaped back.

The assassin struck again with many successive strikes, and moved quicker this time. Madoka felt the attacks clash and leave divine sparks as their blades struck each other, but the deadly dance was locked in a cycle of trading rather than reaching a conclusion. She was not bothered by this, instead using it as training. Her divine weapon was guided by her movements, specifically with how she traced the Knotting magic with her arms like a flowing charge. She allowed it to feel natural, as if she was pushed by the electric strands but began to channel herself into more precise movements. Soon, Madoka figured she would be the one pushing the waves and not the other way around.

She realized that while the attacker was cloaked in black, their tail was not Lord Leopride's. It was green and reptilian. The person it was attached to was slender and quick, moving gracefully. Madoka grew bored, and quickly gathered herself in preparation for a counterattack. The assassin could not get through her defense-- she had not moved even once from her stance, parrying when the attacker tried to flank her from behind.

Madoka's hair rose as she sensed an incoming strike on her left, and dodged with a furious speed. The attacker was above her ever so slightly, and moved too slowly in Madoka's enhanced vision. She merely reached out and caught the assailant's leg. The force between her grip and the attacker's leg was not enough to move the stubborn maid. After struggling a bit, she managed to sieze her opponent by the neck and held them up.

"What are you?" She growled at the shadowy figure, though she did not intend on actually getting an answer. This creature or assassin was standing in the way to her princess! "Think you can best me!?"

She manifested the divine sword again and stabbed the shadow in the heart without hesitation. The assassin gurgled out black mist, before succumbing to Madoka's fatal blow. The figure collapsed as her sword burst into shining light as it vanished. She tore the cloak off the shadow figure's head, and began to lay the crumpled body down to identify it. As the twin moonlight dipped through the cloister's thin frame familiar green scales and hair stared back at her.

In the black, dissipating smoke, she discovered that the body of the assassin was Kanys.