XIII.

The other adventurers hurried along through the field as Audrey and Madoka stayed back. The maid did not mind, since she was not in any rush at all to get into more trouble. She noticed that the scar of land was further away from them and that they exited from a different route. That crater was the reason they were in any trouble at all.

"I know, I know," Audrey sighed. She stopped to look at the damage she caused. "They think it's a monster attack, but really it's me."

Is there a difference? Madoka wondered.

"Apparently, the God responsible for red strands is the God of Language," Audrey pulled her notebook out. "The power of Domineering magic, usually cast by spoken chants depends on the language and the bloodline of the individual. Even if cast by a thought, the blood in the veins and the language they thought to cast it in still affects the spell. So like, a Noble is strong but a Royal is the strongest!"

"You used the language of the Gods to make that crater," Madoka observed. "And you're a Royal... No wonder why it was so powerful."

"Luxgor said that it depended on the individual, too," Audrey tucked the notebook away. "Apparently, Ice, Fire, Wind and Lightning are all elements inside the school of Domineering magic. The concept called Ego depends on what element someone can use. Isn't that fascinating?"

She turned to face Madoka. The maid could only give a blank stare in response, since her stance on magic has not wavered. Audrey shrugged and looked offended.

"Well, I thought the magic was cool," she muttered. "Spells have tiers, like up to Tier 5 or something as the strongest. And Lightning is the strongest element! The more I think back on what, ahem, the scholar told me, the more I know I am definitely in some kind of videogame."

"So that bear was casting the most strongest magic?" Madoka thought back to that fight. Roōon, the World Bear, she remembered them describing it as if it was a legendary being. Too bad for them, she scoffed. Its skull was inside of Audrey's portal. "I don't want to know what tier your magic fits in."

"No," Audrey scratched her chin. "The bear did not cast any magic, since it was already dead. The black parasite that controlled it cast magic, but it wasn't Domineering magic since, you know, bears can't talk. It was using some different kind of magic, probably from the Cuckoo itself."

"The God of Tomorrows, you mean," Madoka instinctively corrected her. Audrey looked at her oddly, but nodded.

"Yeah, the God of Tomorrows," she sighed, but looked contentedly ahead. The city stood tall behind her as she looked at Madoka and smiled. For a moment, the two were surrounded by a vibrant sea of flowers with the wind pushing each other's short hair onward. "Anyways, George and Boris are waving at us. Let's go!"

She moved towards the path but her glance lingered on Madoka for a moment before she took the first steps towards their next journey.

"You two are back!" Boris, Guard 1, exclaimed. "In one piece, no less!"

"You idiot!" George, Guard 2, snapped. "In less than one piece, they wouldn't be here, now would they?"

Audrey chuckled, while Madoka greeted them with a silent nod. The guards were distracted by their bickering to notice them walking past them. The town was clear of snow and the sun dipped the rain-slickened streets in a shining reflection. Perfectly chilly, she mused. It was the middle of Spring, after all.

"So, according to the Guild Master guy you're a really popular girl," Audrey chirped. She tried to stomp on a puddle, but Madoka stopped her. "We should talk to the clothes lady first."

"Lady Saze," the maid corrected her. "Use proper names, Audrey."

"Nae waaah, you're still working?" Audrey groaned. "We just got out of a terrible side quest. Speaking of that, I wonder if we get paid for that or if it's just another unpaid internship gig. Tch! We'll see the guild after visiting the clothes lady— er, Lady Saze."

"For some reason, I feel more nervous going to the Lady's shop than fighting the dragon," Madoka grumbled. She did not want to wear anything nice and certainly not anything fancy, recalling the rows of nice fabrics for Nobles behind the shop's windows. She was not fit for such clothes!

"Perhaps we should go to the Guild instead," Madoka pouted, but soon they found themselves in front of Lady Saze's illustrious shop.

"Don't be that way!" Audrey twirled. She paused before opening the door. "Besides— I think you will like it!"

The door's handle had an ornate bell that jingled as her hand latched onto it. Madoka wondered if the girl was up to something, and how she had the time if she did. For now, the warmth of waxen candle and crackling blaze on a hearth wrapped her in an embrace.

"Welcome, welcome!" A familiar and elderly voice called out. "Ah! It's you two! I have been waiting for you two! Especially you!"

Lady Saze pointed a tough, red and scaly hand at Madoka. From a glance, it would be difficult to tell if the Lady sewed or made her own clothes with her tough exterior. She watched as the woman withdrew articles of clothing covered by decorative draping. She realized that there was quite a lot of dresses beneath the fabric and felt nervous.

"These," she handed the package to Madoka. "Are for you!"

"What are these?" Madoka felt the clothes. As her hands ran up the side of one of the dresses, a familiar smooth and silky feel graced her fingers. A black ribbon? She immediately peeled it off. "These are maid uniforms! To the dressing room!"

She dragged a questioning Audrey towards the dressing room with great haste. Lady Saze accompanied the girls in, but Madoka already stripped down and was in the process of putting on a uniform. The dark fabric, deceptively silky and delicate, was tough as the padded robes she already wore. It was clean and covered Madoka's unworthy self perfectly. This was a far greater reward than any golden trinket the Guild might offer. She noticed a mirror inside the room and checked herself. Audrey's beautiful and diminutive face peered from behind her as she admired the craftsmanship. The outfit was hidden perfectly underneath her cloak, which was fastened by a strapped button so she could hide and draw her weapons quickly.

"How long has it been since you last wore one of these?" Audrey asked in English, ignoring Lady Saze's presence. Though she knew the woman did not know the Gods' language, she remained silent in this intimate moment. "Since we got here? No..."

"Not since we crossed the mountains," Madoka responded in the same language. The uniform was not in the same Fiara style as the ones back in the Palace, but she supposed her days serving the kingdom were long over anyways. These new ones were much more rugged, but she wanted to forget those long days. "Since we climbed down the Wind King's Hall."

"That long, eh?" Audrey stared at the flames from the hearth. The somber mood lingered over the flames for a moment, but then the princess switched to Noble with a smile. "Happy birthday, I guess. Or Maid Day, maybe?"

"It's not my birthday," Madoka grumbled, but still threw on her robes over her new uniform. The dragon lady cleared her throat, seemingly unbothered by their change of language. "Thank you, Lady Saze."

"You are welcome, dear," she withdrew more boxes from shelves. "And you two are still lightly dressed for this weather! Take these, take these!"

"More cloaks?" Audrey asked. Madoka allowed the lady to pile many boxes on top of her arms, until she could no longer see in front of her. "H-How much will this cost?"

"No payments necessary!" Lady Saze scoffed. "I heard from the Guild of your deeds in the Circle of the Labyrinth! These clothes shall keep you from getting claimed by its tremors!"

"T-Thank you, Lady Saze," Madoka mumbled. Audrey tried to jump up and reach the top of the boxes she carried, but could not. As they prepared to leave, Lady Saze stopped them.

"I have contacts in Gladeban and the Capital," Lady Saze told them. "I have informed them of your arrival soon, so ask them for any assistance in all things dresses! They would love to work on you, girl."

Madoka gulped. She had an odd feeling that the Lady was referring to her, although she could not see her from behind the tower of boxes. Audrey simply gave a nod and helped Madoka out the shop.

"Jeez, this is what it must be like going in a shopping spree for designer clothing," she sighed. Other passersby gawked at the apparent tower, but they quickly veered in an alleyway to deposit the clothes into Audrey's portal. "Next stop is, uh, the Artisan Guild! Let's go!"

The Artisan Guild was a massive dome structured fortress residing in the middle of Livertorjan. It was carved within the hill the rest of the town sat on, prompting Audrey to mutter about realizing that the natural resources here must be the reason people settled here in the first place. It was true that they followed the river from the east outside of what she found out was named the Arcadian Forest, where they got ambushed by that fat noble, but even the river was quite a distance from this town.

As imposing as the Dome of the Artisan's Guild was, Audrey strode through the smog-filled doors with confidence, while Madoka was concerned with the dirtiness of the whole place. She shook out of it. If they were to be true adventurers then she should not be adverse to small things like ash and dust, even if the prospect of getting future stains on her new clothes irked her.

The Guild was larger on the inside. A massive furnace, presumably the source of the smoke they have seen rising in the air from a distance, roared with a devouring blaze. Rows of open gates allowed the various smiths to feed their projects to its heat at one time. Audrey's eyes were alight, both with the furnace's fires and wonder. There were other machines, most notably one machine consisting of two massive slabs of rocks swinging like a pendulum and colliding against each other with a thunderous crash.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She realized that this Artisan Guild was simply a glorified smithy. Beyond the busy blacksmiths, Madoka could see many Knotting strands rushing and turning into sparks. Certain men were binding the strands together, and weaving their magic into earth mounds before them. As the strands linked their chains around the piles, they grew erratic until the men made complex movements to weave them back into the piles of dirt. There were mages in a smithy?

"Whoa!" Audrey gasped over the noise. "This place is awesome! What do you make of this place, Madoka?"

Madoka found it odd that mages were working in a place like this. These were no ordinary mages, she observed. They were sturdy and rugged men, seemingly binding the electrified strands with great effort. At last, the piles became enveloped in Knotting energy. After the glowing stopped, the men once again made more movements with their arms like hands on a clock. The mound of earth shrunk into metal.

"I like it," she grunted. She meant it. The earth's transformation into metal was beautiful to her. The mages' newly formed ingots were glinting in the Knotting magic escaping into the atmosphere and in the roaring flames, before tossed on a conveyor belt to move to some more men holding hammers. "I really do!"

"I'm glad you two like my shop, Iron rankers!" A loud man's laughter bellowed behind Madoka. She turned around to see the tall and muscular form of a familiar face.

"Guild Master Koj!" She greeted him. Koj, however, laughed. His eyepatch lifted as he did, revealing a small gemstone beneath it. A magic stone? The maid did not dare to question it. Audrey was gawking at something else entirely, her eyes drawn to something he was carrying. It was true, Madoka did not notice it at first, but realized in his strong arms rested a strange creature, adorned in majestic white feathers untouched by the smoke and dirt of this place. Its black and beady eyes shot back at Madoka, startling her.

"HONK!" The creature shouted at Madoka.

"What the goose!?" Audrey gawked at it. "Those are a thing in this world?! Nae waaah!"

"HONK! You who, WHO, Blessed One stand before me, honk, hark, no, honk!" The strange bird's flippers wobbled as its master held it as it honked at Madoka. She stared at it in the short moment while Koj was busy laughing. Was she going mad? She understood a bird!

"Anser, Anser domesticus," Audrey muttered. The bird did not even look perturbed, despite being shaken in Koj's arms. It held its orange beak up with an air of righteousness. Indeed, Madoka found the bird strangely captivating. "In this world? What the—"

"Ho? This is my friend," Koj regarded the bird, who kept its eyes upon Madoka. "It was sold to me by a Būthos merchant who was in town. I could not resist its charm, you know? Now come, come. I will explain to you the tiers of weapons, and hopefully you will begin to make your own weapons when you got some Silver on you, yes?"

He laughed, while the goose honked.

"You, Red haired, honk, HONK! Hark! For the God of Tomorrows wishes for you to be loved, lo, the Stars of the Future, of your Dreams and your Thoughts He is with you!" The bird kept rambling its gospel and praises towards Madoka. As Koj headed up rocky steps, the bird craned its neck to face her again and deliver her one final message. "HONK!"

"Huh," Audrey noticed the bird's attention towards Madoka. "That little fella seems to like you, Madoka! Can you, uh, do the thing?"

The girl's strange phrase, as Madoka interpreted, must have referred to her ability of reading animals' thoughts. How was she to explain she was talking to a goose!?

"Y-Yes, I can," Madoka replied. Audrey seemed satisfied with her response, but was visibly shaken by the goose anyways. "Is there something strange about that animal?"

"I-It's nothing!" Audrey stammered. Obviously, there was something, but what could possibly be so disturbing about a round, yet glorious and majestic goose? They followed Koj up to a balcony, that overlooked the operations going on down below.

"Okay, listen up!" Koj sat down on a rock and gestured to two other slabs for the girls to sit on. On the walls, a selection of weapons rested on a mounted rack ranging from powerful blades wreathed in Knotting magic to crudely neglected and helpless scraps of metal. "We, the Artisans, are here for two things: Glory in the name of Ceghinort's Blood and the pursuit of making the most godsdamned powerful weapons and armor ever seen."

He waved over to the hardworking people below. As his outstretched arm moved, the goose underneath hopped off his lap and waddled over to Madoka. Its honking beak raised up to her knees, while the girls stared at it as Koj rambled.

"I am the Likeness of His Tomorrow, honk!" The goose declared. Audrey and Koj only heard honking, but Madoka heard its shrill voice clearly. "My face represents the Infinite Gaze. Behold, Blessed One! Honk!"

"Come on," Madoka whispered to it and pat her lap. "You can honk all you want later but we are talking now."

The goose considered her offer while Koj watched and laughed.

"Glory be the God of Tomorrow!" The animal hopped onto her lap and rested. Even though it was her idea, Madoka found it ridiculous that she had someone's heavy pet goose on her lap.

"What are you, a goose whisperer?" Audrey muttered.

"He has taken a liking to you!" Koj exclaimed. More like he has been preaching at me for some time, Madoka shrugged and rested her hands on the goose's soft feathers. It honked in delight, but uttered more things on the God of Tomorrows. Koj moved towards the rack and pointed at the most crudely made one. "An Iron Ranker's job is to work, explore the possibilities within each of the guild. This one found that he did not like crafting weapons, but later on made these next ones after persistence. A tier 1, a tier 2, and this—" He took the third sword, which glowed with a faint trace of magic etchings"— Is a tier 3 weapon."

The goose in her lap honked, while Madoka did not care about the weapon in Koj's hand. She looked at Audrey, who surprisingly was fascinated by the weapons. Upon noticing her glance, the princess crossed her arms and scoffed.

"I-It's not like I could use weapons," Audrey sighed. "I'm a support mage."

"The Forge of Knotting Magic, those golden chains and their sparks, is where the Child God of Knotting Stars crafts. The strands are from its eternal work, yearning to return back to its sleeping Master," Koj looked up through the dome's windows. "The Deity itself is huddle up in an impossibly large and divine star all the way in the Celestial. It sits well beyond the Twin Moons themselves. Still, we try to utilize the regular forge we have here in reverence to it. One must move precisely and feel every detail in their work, even the insignificant changes ignored will leave a flawed weapon. A sudden change in the heat could forge a blade or a disaster. I see you, red haired girl, would do well to visit the Artisan Guild to complete your training for Silver rank."

"I see," Madoka looked beyond the goose's head down at the mages. She did not see much, but could tell the men were quite dedicated. She surmised that with every movement dedicated towards moving the jagged Knotting strands, one small miscalculation could lead to the undoing of the tight ball of woven chains or worse.

"Medieval forging," Audrey muttered. She reached out to pet the goose upon Madoka's lap, but it honked in refusal. It only let her pat it, despite the odd preaching within its barking and hollering.

"This is a magic weapon, a Tier 3 weapon," Koj held the blade up. Runes were etched in its side, reminiscent of the fallen Esmerald captain that gave his axe to Madoka. She wondered if the axe Lord Leopride gave her was magical, but Koj looked at the women with a grin. "You two don't look impressed, as expected of true warriors such as yourself. Then here is this, a Tier 5 weapon."

Madoka watched as he held a larger blade, crafted from strange materials that glowed with an ominous red bundle of Knotting strands. It seemed to have a mind of its own, though Madoka could not reach its thoughts. She recognized the red aura — it matched the same ominous glow Armor's axe shined with.

"Now you're talking," Audrey examined the blade, but Koj simply placed it back on the rack. "Nae waaah! I wanna see, I wanna see!"

"You'd do better dabbling with the Truth Guild, little lady," he laughed. "They make wands, and do more than just research! Turn your monster parts in to our guild, and learn to make weapons and turn magical artifacts into the Truth Guild's Acquisitions team. Got it?"

"Hai," Audrey sighed. Koj clapped, immediately getting the goose's attention. It hopped off and retreated back into his arms, while shouting more things about the God of Tomorrows. "Does that... goose have a name?"

"My feathery companion here?" Koj laughed. "The Būthos said his name is Mizuchi. A fine name, I must say!."

"W-Water dragon?" Audrey stifled a laugh.

"I am the Honk-Herald of the God of Tomorrows!" Mizuchi honked. "Blessed One, spread the word! Honk!"

"I want out of here," Madoka grumbled. Audrey snapped out of her giggles.

"Right, off to the Guild you go," Koj shooed them out. "You've business in Gladeban, we've business here. Isn't it wonderful?"

"T-Thank you sir," Madoka bowed, before Audrey hastened them down and out of the Artisan Guild.

"Sheesh, it sure feels like we've just entered a job fair," Audrey held her hands behind her back in a relaxed posed as they walked. "Do you need to sit down? It looks like that goose must've set your mind on fire, huh? Still, I find it hard that geese are actually in this world."

"I don't need to sit," Madoka protested but her steps betrayed her. Audrey held her maid's hand and moved towards a bench in a secluded spot, far from other people. She felt embarrassed that she was the one taking care of her, and not the other way around, yet they sat all the same. "Apparently, my gift can fully speak with animals and not just goblins and trolls."

"Oh, that's so awesome! Wonder if that god leveled you up or something," Audrey sat down with her. Madoka realized they have not rested since earlier that morning. Was she growing soft? She chastised herself, and decided she would train when she got the chance. "The manas surrounding that goose, ah, Mizuchi seemed to be anomalous. Warped somehow, a color unlike the normal manas."

Madoka wondered what normal manas could look like, but quickly discarded that thought.

"It seems like it truly was isekai'd," she muttered. "Sorry, Madoka. All this info must be too much to handle. I know I'll have to record the notes when we get back to the inn."

"It's not that," Madoka sighed. "I do realize my weapons are quite crude. They couldn't crack open the troll's skin even if I swung with my full power. My fists could work but..."

"Eh?" Audrey looked at her, horrified.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," the princess sighed, and the white hexagonal beams of the portal manifested. "I think I'm overthinking the whole Knotting thing, but like, you know me. I always do that. If strands are from their associated god, then Knotting strands aren't really different. Perhaps the strands are like Substance strands, except the difference is that they are from inorganic things. I've watched your eyes. They follow the magic. From what I gathered, Knotting magic travels in air, along grounds and from everywhere."

"Can you not see them yourself?"

"No," Audrey shook her head. A sword's hilt slowly lowered from the portal. "Here."

The rest of the sword fell out, and Madoka realized it was from the dead adventurer leader that went into the goblin cave first. She was shocked that Audrey stole it. The sheath itself glowed red, along with the blade hosting a deep green hue itself. The magic infused within the sword was quite potent, although Madoka was not sure how to draw its power out. Upon seeing Audrey's confused look, she responded truthfully.

"I see the Knotting magic glow different shades depending on how powerful it is," she explained. Audrey's eyes lit up.

"Whoa, you see the loot's rarity? I'm so jealous!" She exclaimed, but piped down after Madoka glared at her. "That sword's gotta be epic quality, at least!"

"Are you certain that we can have this?"

"Uh, correction: You can have it," Audrey scoffed and crossed her arms. "The fallen adventurers are honored when one takes their weapons to carry on their legacy, no? I see no reason we can't use that dead guy's sword."

Madoka sighed. She recalled the Guild Masters telling them that, after all, but could not help but think Audrey was merely stretching their honor-bound tradition by some degree of exaggeration. Still, she drew the blade and pointed it skyward. A satisfying hiss sang in the air, and its vicious curved single-edged blade held a hunger within its aura. Both of the girls stared at the ominous blade before Madoka sheathed it.

"Maybe I-I'll save it for an emergency," Madoka laughed and stammered. Audrey joined in with her nervous laughter. "I'll craft an axe for myself later on."

"Y-Yeah! Perhaps the job fair wasn't so bad after all, hah!" Audrey chuckled. Still, Madoka strapped the blade to her waist and chucked the crude Esmerald sword in the portal. Soon, she would replace the shop axe with her own. "I think I remember some ways to forge up a nice weapon, from a certain nerd at my old school who liked anime shows. His daddy was a blacksmith enthusiast, but that Knotting stuff will be all you."

Madoka sat up and smiled, extending a hand to Audrey. She was pleased that her friend cared for her still. The Spring air ferried the fragrance from the flower fields in the west and the lovely scents embraced her. She also "failed" to mention their business at the Guild, for that could wait until tomorrow.

"Shall we go now, Audrey?"

Surprisingly, the girl wrapped a warm hand around Madoka's own, tracing the scars with her thumb.

"Let's head to the inn, Madoka, I'm beat!"