X.

"My, oh, my," the Noble cooed. "What a horrible state of affairs. Two young, lost, sweet children running around in these dangerous woods. Did your homes get swept up in that horrible snow crash a few hours ago? A noble girl and her delicious slave?"

He leaned over her, but Madoka could have been mistaken for a statue. She was frozen in place. The monstrous pig above her let out a loose laughter and his chin flapped like fish gills out of water. The girth of his stomach at least stopped the light from blinding her. A shiver covered her and she plunged into a bleary fugue. A couple of hands lifted her with ease because she did not resist.

Just what was she doing? A slave, no less, succumbing to the fate she always knew she was destined for: To be swallowed whole by the nobles. Her heart beat against her ribs as she felt her vision pull to witness the Noble again.

"At least this one's silent and obedient!" He laughed, gripping her hair. The soldiers restrained her when he let her go with a shove. "I've taken the trouble to escaping Esmerald's silly invasion efforts to preserve my men — all the way to Rustaze here, only to have a wheel break on my beloved carriage."

"My Lord, we should not be revealing any details—" The captain began to say but the noble wave his flabby arm in protest.

"Of course, of course!" He interrupted. Madoka felt his slimy and lustful gaze wander across her body. "Hurry up and fix my wheel! In the meantime..."

The captain got on his horse and barked orders, but remained to watch the show.

Madoka could not grasp a hold of herself as she watched the man's stubby fingers travel shakily towards places they should not on her body. They looked like sausages writhing in a jar of hot water but were ice cold when they touched her. A small gasp escaped Madoka but then something caused her world to go dark. What was she doing? How could anyone find her attractive?

She felt ashamed and that somehow this was all her fault. Was she destined to live this way because this is what she deserved?

"Yes, the kind gods have blessed me with these sweet, sweet girls," He cried out in joy. Madoka felt the greedy squeeze from the sausages and the panic was far more paralyzing than she could react. "House Kieron has to continue its great lineage, even with a mute slave, I guess. And this noble girl will sell for a high price! Hehehe!"

Why was she letting this happen?

She glanced to her right. Audrey was struggling against the soldier's restraint. Her world sharpened as she recalled the bird's words: ALONE.

"Look at me and react! Is it stupid?!" the Noble Kieron waved a flabby arm as he asked his soldiers. They grunted and shrugged. The arm suddenly snapped back and lashed at Madoka. Her world tilted as the swift backhand collided with her jaw. A soldier kicked her stomach and she doubled over as a sheer reaction expecting it to hurt. To her surprise, there was no pain, but only the force caused her body to move.

Perhaps she was in shock or her opponents were not dragons were the reasons why they could not harm her. He released her after she obeyed him before he noticed Audrey. He whined but then gained a sinister tone. "It's no fun if the plaything doesn't react, but perhaps I can get a rise out of it if I were to..."

He let out an evil laugh as he waddled over to Audrey. The soldiers jeered as they gathered around her, with several pulling at Audrey's clothes and breasts. The noble observed them approvingly but they scattered when he approached her and drew a knife. Audrey kept her eyes on Madoka the whole time. The captain soldier's horse shook off snow from its back. Its thoughts were telling her it was not used to its surroundings, ears perking up at every new noise in high alert. A commotion would send its spirit in a panic.

Three soldiers watched on. One crossbowman and two with their weapons sheathed. Foolish. After fondling Audrey's body and slapping her face, the noble noticed that the girl was unfazed. The noble became enraged, bringing the blade closer.

"There's no fear in her eyes," he said, cutting each string of her traveler's dress and exposing her skin. "React to me, you bitch!"

Audrey spat in his face.

"You bloody whore!" He punched the princess's face, causing Madoka to finally wake up. Audrey gurgled as blood painted her cheek and her neck. The noble was more panicked at the damage he caused. "I'm sorry, sometimes I lose myself. I shant reduce myself to such a level. Healer! Make this girl pretty while I take care of this beautiful slave!"

A decrepit man hobbled out from behind the wagon. His robe was also emblazoned in that strange emblem. He groped Audrey's small chest as he healed her with an expertly crafted talisman. The green strands of mana latched on her and spread down to her legs. Madoka had seen that crest in the battlefield before. So these are Esmerald's people? Wealthy picking on the weak, even in another nation. She swiftly tore herself out of her doubts as the fury burst inside of her.

"I'll take care of you next," Kieron said with a laugh. "It's clear you love this girl very much, so I shall just have to kill her first to get you to submit!"

Killing? The conversation sparked in Madoka's mind. She pretended not to notice when the princess asked her if she could kill. Will you kill for me? Audrey's voice haunted her mind with that challenging question. Snow crunched under heavy boots as they circled her like vultures. The soldiers laughed but Madoka realized their hold on her was too weak. Or rather, the flames that roared in her heart were more powerful. This first contact with humans will not put out her fiery resolve.

Madoka tried her best appear to remain unfazed. Not from nervousness, but from the sheer wrath instilled in her by this heinous man. She was waiting for the opportunity to answer Audrey's question as honestly as she could. The noble redirected his attention to Madoka, who had an intense look in her eyes. The other soldiers dragged Audrey close behind him.

"I could end her life, you know," he taunted Audrey. The crossbow was still aimed at the maid. Madoka felt a prickle on her chest, feeling the blade cut through her cloak's strings. The wind was supposed to feel cold on her exposed skin as her cloak fluttered but it did not affect her. Madoka calculated she could seize this noble and perhaps use him as a shield with a Cherish-style dodge. "But her body is warm and soft. I think I'll use it until she breaks! Then I'll kill her!"

"Madoka," Audrey finally breathed. The sight of her bloodstained cheeks being caressed by the creepy healer horrified Madoka. She sensed the killing intent rising in the girl. That healer did not realized he healed a dangerous weapon instead of a person. She switched to English with a much more invigorated voice. "Do something or I will!"

"It's babbling nonsense!" A soldier exclaimed.

The noble whirled around and punched her to the ground.

"Silence!" He belched. "See? That's what happens to disobedient slaves!"

"Challenge accepted," Madoka started. The maid finally realized something about the beam of light. There were tiny gold chains dangling within its blinding luster. They were meant to be broken! She will destroy these chains and this noble will pay for hurting her princess! The jumpy horse neighed in response to the danger Madoka posed. If the ugly noble paid attention to her fury, he would have ran away in terror, she thought. Instead, the noble spun back to her. The fat on his forehead must have blocked his perception.

"Huh? She speaks!" Kieron laughed after a brief moment of confusion. He struck Madoka with his back hand. He was surprisingly a little tougher than the soldier but the pain meant nothing to her. The man winced as if he punched a boulder but tried to appear tough. It was a summer breeze compared to the howling winds of the Wind God's summit. "A mere slave speaks in Noble!"

"No man will ever hurt my woman and get away with it!" Madoka declared without thinking. The noble went to strike her again but she was ready, his hand was as slow as his wide and bumbling gait. She easily broke out of the soldiers' grasps and caught the noble's wrist before he hit her. So weak...! Madoka felt disgusted by the amount of fat folding around her hand. It was like reaching into the center of a stuffy pillow.

"You bitch!" He roared and tried to stab her with his other hand, but his lunge was pathetic. Madoka caught his wrist and twisted the knife free. Her dexterity and training allowed this, Madoka realized that she was no longer the meek slave from back at the palace. Instead, she rose to her full height and eclipsed the man with her shadow.

"You dirtied me with that hand," Madoka said to him calmly. Everyone around her froze, so she drove a boot in his stomach to wake them up. His ugly green and gold robe became stained by the snow and blood, so the impact caused a sickening crunch in his gut. She yanked his arm to match her cold gaze. "Therefore, I shall clean it off of you."

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She cut.

In a instant, the chains of light shattered and the beam disappeared. Madoka had made her decision and answered the bird, the knife in her hand raised to defy the blinding pillar and its choking glare. Only she could hear the chains shatter and see the tower of light crumble into yellow mana strands.

Her eyes must have gleamed menacingly at the sheen reflected off the blade as his blood gushed in rivers. The hand fell on the ground like a crushed tarantula and flopped around lifelessly. A moment of silence and horror settled on the soldiers as they began to comprehend what they saw. If they were seasoned warriors they would have attacked immediately.

"Gaah!" The noble gurgled and wailed at the sight of the bloody stump where his hand used to be. "My hand! MY HAND!"

Madoka quickly jumped into action and planted a swift kick into the screaming noble's chest. The blood trailed and splattered as he tumbled into the gross healer. Both looked like a falling pile of billowing red velvet and green silky cushions. The captain's jumpy horse finally lost itself in its panic and bucked him off. She had to dodge it as it ran through the crowd of soldiers erratically. Audrey was nimble enough to make herself scarce from the combat.

She heard a sword being swung at her from behind and the click of a mechanism in front of her. The crossbow! She caught the soldier's sword arm and wanted to wince as she heard the snapping of his elbow. Using a Cherish-style dodge, she switched places with the soldier as the release of a bolt launched into his gut. The man crumpled instantly and she hurled him into the crossbow man. An odd exhilarating sensation ignited in her shoulder but she could not afford to check if she was wounded. Madoka was strangely aware of everything around her.

"You'll pay for that, you commoner!" The other swordsman lunged at her but she sidestepped his paltry attack and smashed his knee underneath her powerful boot.

The satisfying crunching sound of both armor and bone being destroyed only caused the fighting spirit in Madoka to soar. With each new devestating blow she inflicted, that feeling only amplified. She roared like an apex predator searching for prey.

These solders fall like leaves in the wind! Madoka's mind sharpened at every sound. She dodged soft breezes of swords being swung at her. The weak forms and patterns from shaking grips of soldiers who have lost their homes from their march. Was she always this strong? These weaklings could never put out the fire in her spirit!

She felt no pain as she battered a soldier's breastplate in with her bare fists. He heaved and sank to the ground. Her heart was unmoved and instead focused on breaking this warband. The tingling feeling surged in her core and spurred her to fight on.

She snarled. More enemies were coming. Prey to be silenced.

Fight alone? It was not an issue. Madoka was too quick for them. The sensation within her was now a violent whirlwind of flames. She was losing control of herself, she realized. If she were to kill someone today she would not know how she would fare. The line between exacting revenge and trying to survive was a thin slope and she struggled to maintain her balance. Sure, I have broken through their defenses easily, Madoka argued with herself. Should I feel guilty now after the fact?

A blade narrowly missed her. Madoka breathed in her technique and focused. The battlefield began to grow chaotic and she felt her spirit slip into a terrible void. She halted her desire for vengeance and continued her work until all the voices quieted down. All that was left was the weakened sobs of her victims and silence between branches. She caught the last man by his throat, squeezing it until blood leaked from his lips. He gagged under her grip as fear consumed his eyes.

"M-Mercy!"

Her ears heard Reverent Noble and her eyes locked onto the soldier she held. His own eyeballs looked like they were going to pop out of his skull from the tightness of her grasp. He was a young man, in fact most of them were, with inexperienced eyes wide with fear. He stood no more than a couple of inches taller than her.

"Sorry," she apologized and knocked him out.

A wave of guilt and nausea washed over her but she knew she had to snap out of it. Madoka wanted nothing more than to get out of this mess. She had to find Audrey. The screams of men were heard from around the carriage. That was definitely her, Madoka hurried. On the way around the carriage's missing wheel, she came across the captain. He had hoof marks on his armor from being trampled. She scoffed and took his sword. The blade was almost as tall as her but she lifted it with ease.

"Audrey!" Madoka called out as she rounded the corner. She strapped the sword to her back just as she saw Audrey was standing still, breathing hard. The aftermath of her little battle was horrific. Several soldiers were unconscious from her asphyxiation spells and another lost his arm from a stray Wind Blade. A chill made her shudder. She heard a noise come from the girl unlike any sound she has made before. A low growl rumbled with wrath bursting forth from her. "Audrey?"

The growl continued to intensify like a wildfire until Madoka shouted.

"Audrey! Snap out of it!"

"Right. Well, uh," Audrey breathed heavily. The aura around her vanished. "Sorry. You probably were worried about them. I don't think I killed them. Minus the ones that might bleed to death."

"I don't give a damn about them," Madoka pulled the girl to her side and inspected her all over. "

"You're the only one who gets to touch—"

"Hush," Madoka embraced her. Audrey flinched.

"Ach, you're hot!" She felt Madoka's shoulder. The maid pulled her torn shirt down to look at it. Madoka was about to be disappointed in Audrey's comment but the glow from her shoulder blinked in the corner of her eye. "Well, yeah, you're hot too. 'No man will touch MY woman?' I am—"

Audrey swooned but Madoka let go of her.

"Forget about it," Madoka scoffed, rolling her shirt back down. She turned to the soldiers lying on the ground. This damage was definitely caused by Audrey. Madoka shuddered when she thought of the damage she inflicted on the other side of the carriage. She saw the severed hand of the fat noble through the gap of its broken wheel and winced. "What do we do about all of these soldiers?"

"Leave 'em!" Audrey said, looking at the carriage. It was trimmed with opulent gold and matched the noble's gaudy taste on the inside. Aside from the missing wheel, Madoka found it surprisingly clean and well kept. But who could have cleaned it? "You thinkin' what I'm thinking?"

Madoka was not, in fact, thinking about whatever Audrey was thinking but she nodded anyways.

"Let's check it out!"

The two climbed up on the carriage and Madoka punched the door in. The splinters of the wood pattered as they cluttered the floor. A fluffy row of seats greeted her. Audrey looked at her with concern but did not say anything. The coach was so big that the two stood inside for a moment. It sure beat the treacherous terrain of the mountains and sharp rocks littering the forest path, if not for a fleeting moment.

"I don't know what I expected," Audrey said as they observed the spacious room. "You think the fat guy survived?"

"Probably not," Madoka shrugged as she lifted the seat up. She remembered the Head Maid lifting belongings in a carriage similar to this one. That woman seemed so strong to her back then. Now, Madoka ripped the carriage to pieces as they rummaged around. Audrey went on about something called property damage but she did not care. "Nobles usually have a lot of things they carry around, don't they?"

"Yeah," Audrey looked around but something glinted in her eyes. "Wow."

Both girls stared at what Madoka uncovered. A box awaited them with bags of shining coins inside it. Gold trinkets, as far as Madoka was concerned.

"Loot for all our troubles!" Audrey said opening her storage portal up. "This will pay for the harassment we went through, huh. Right, Madoka?"

"Hmph," Madoka scoffed but hefted one bag up to inspect it. The bag was heavy like the noble, the coins clinked inside of it yet remained firm in its tightly packed cloth. "I wouldn't know. I am a servant."

"Well," Audrey put her hand up to her chin in some thought. "If money is in this world, it's better to have some than be broke."

Audrey tried to lift a bag up, but struggled as Madoka effortlessly lifted another one on her own. Madoka supposed she was right and tossed bag after bag into the portal. These trinkets were a means to an end. By the time she got all of the bags stored, Audrey had finally gotten the first one she lifted in the portal.

"That being said," Audrey murmured. "I have no idea how much money is here. Or how it even works."

"You what?"

"Don't look at me like that! I was a princess, you know! We can assume that the fat guy is rich."

The bags were divided in several types of coins but they did not have enough time to look at them. Madoka lifted the last bag and noticed it was significantly lighter than the others. The two girls looked at it inquisitively.

"Talismans?" Madoka looked to Audrey. Figurines made of materials similar to the one that creepy healer used rested inside.

"I guess," Audrey took the bag and dumped them into her own next to the Six Armed Goddess's talisman. Out of all the ones to survive their journey over the mountains, the kind Goddess emerged victorious. Only two of its arms remained. Had it always been that way? "I think I can remember how to use them based on my notes and what that healer from the palace told me."

"That reminds me," Madoka stepped out of the carriage. Her boots hitched up snow as she held Audrey's hand to let her down. She beheld the sight of unconscious and bloody men lying around the place.

"Right, I forgot about this for a moment," Audrey muttered. That harsh breathing of hers started as the bloodlust brewed but the red haired maid quelled her by grabbing her hand again.

"I don't know if we should," Madoka cautioned her. "I know it's only a matter of time before we do. I just... Don't wanna feel that yet."

Her harsh breathing halted as a tear slid down her cheek.

"Audrey?"

"T-They hurt you in the palace," Audrey said bitterly. "I've been so disconnected because of my Royal duties, I—"

"Let's get out of here," Madoka interrupted her. "No use in blaming yourself for something you could not control. I just—"

A wailing was heard from around the corner of the carriage. Was it the fat noble? Madoka and a sniffling Audrey ran to investigate the source.

"He's alive?" Madoka was astonished. Wailing mumbled beneath the noble. It was the old healer that she kicked the fat man onto during the battle.

"Y-Yeah, traumatic amputation will probably kill in a couple of hours," Audrey said through her tears. How could she say those big words with that face? Madoka wondered. She had a shocked look noticed the damage the maid caused everyone here. "Not a single armor piece is intact. You crushed every person here. You're strong!"

With a satisfied yet small smile, Audrey's bloodlust vanished. Madoka felt embarrassed. Audrey was the one who was truly strong; she was able to overcome her own problems in two lives and worried for Madoka who nearly lost herself because of the rune on her shoulder. How could she be strong? The princess rolled the fat man off the healer with her foot. The old man was out of breath from being buried underneath such a huge load and could not escape.

"P-Please, don't kill me!" the disgusting creature before them begged. "I have a family!"

Madoka gave Audrey a nod. This time, she allowed her woman to do whatever she wanted to the man who dare touched her. Audrey silently approached the man and took out her blade. Madoka shifted uncomfortably and began to worry again. Was she going to take a life so soon? The old man quivered as Audrey drew near.

"Please, kind gods!" His eyes widened as he spoke in reverent noble.

Audrey slowly descended upon him with her knife inching close to his neck. He gulped and his eyes only grew more desperate as Audrey's magic core flared to life. Madoka squeezed her eyes shut and turned away.

Then Audrey cut.