III.

The view of an arena greeted them and many gathered around it. Madoka recalled her months spent training in the Estate's yard fondly. This place reeked of desperation and certainly did not have any good memories in store for her. The sky hazed with a familiar grey, its clouds were stirred until it was about to burst with rain. She sighed. A crowd was gathered around the rickety fencing, watching the two girls approach with the rude Guild Lady.

In the center of the arena stood the mage girl and what Madoka presumed were her own team members. There was a nimble looking man who wielded multiple daggers and a pathetic grin behind her. Madoka saw that same smirk on the fat noble before she wiped it off. He made no attempt to hide his cockiness but he was not her opponent.

"A rogue class, huh," Audrey mused. "Cute."

Another taller man towered over both the mage and the rogue. He was dressed from head to toe in armor fashioned from bones of a slain creature. The man observed the girls but made no gestures or jeering. Madoka grew absentminded again. She had already forgotten the girl's name. Perhaps she was simply too weak for Madoka to remember.

The maid paused. Where did this arrogance come from? Was it because they were not dragons or bears to defeat? She heard the click-clacking of wood next to her. With a glance she noticed Audrey's hand in her talisman bag. She fiddled with the statuettes within it but stopped after Madoka bumped her shoulder. Boredom encased them both it seemed. The mage glared at them but Madoka remained stoic. She will let these rusty blades do the talking. The flapping mouths of other adventurers doubting them interrupted her thoughts.

"These scrawny kids are trying to be new trainees? Ha! Send them home!"

"Little children? What is this guild thinking?"

The bone-armored man cleared his throat and raised a hand, silencing the murmers and useless words until tunics and brown cloaks were the only things that fluttered in the wind like a wilderness in a storm. Madoka could not blame them for thinking those things for they were only fourteen. The Guild Lady bowed and walked away without a word.

"I am Juujee, Gold Rank adventurer," the bone-armored man introduced himself, pulling his necklace out and revealing a gold plate. His voice was rugged and a low growl prowled beneath it. The golden tag was similar to the plates hung above the Guild Lady's desks, only more garish. "I care not that you are mere children but I will not allow your foolishness to continue within this place!"

He roared.

Madoka sensed a semblance of intent but it was nothing like Audrey's killing intent. Speaking of that girl, she quickly glanced over to the princess. She was yawning!

"Okay," Audrey said blankly, undeterred by the offended look on the gold ranked adventurer. "Are you going to do the exam or whatever?"

Madoka said nothing but remained on guard in case her friend's stupid mouth got the both of them in trouble. She sensed no killing intent but her hand remained steady on her blade beneath her garb.

"Listen. Some here are fighting to explore the world. Some here are here to find treasure. Others for fame and glory. I do not know what has led you inside this Hall but what I do know is that this life is full of danger," Juujee said. His voice was desperate as he tried to get the maid and her princess to give up. "In this exam, you will apply all that you know about combat in a mock duel with each of us. That way you can understand what kind of danger you are getting into."

"Okay," Audrey repeated herself in the same bored tone. The crowd became restless and began to jeer. Juujee looked as if the girl slapped him in the face and then maintained his composure by cracking his neck.

"What are your names?" Juujee asked. Audrey refused to answer.

"Madoka," the maid said. She stopped herself from bowing instinctively.

"It seems that one is too spoiled, don't you think, Juu?" the rogue chipped in. Juujee looked back at him and grunted in agreement. Audrey simply kicked the dirt beneath her tattered boot. Madoka noted that they should get new equipment if they make it out of here. "The way her slave acts rubs me the wrong way too, boss."

"Very well, then," Juujee warned. "You leave us with no choice. I was trying to save you both. We will try to keep from badly wounding you but you must see the error of your ways! My companions here are on their Gold promotions. They will teach you how low you stand in this world! Rin!"

The haughty mage's name was Rin, Madoka mused. No family name must mean... She discarded the thoughts when she suddenly found herself alone with the mage as the others moved to the edge of the arena. The crowd jeered and cheered for Rin. Madoka could pick out Audrey's voice from the chaotic taunts.

"Don't kill her," Audrey warned her. Weren't they only here for identification rights? How did she end up in a situation like this? Madoka wondered. Rhythmic stomps and cheers pounded the ground. "Please don't kill her, dear!"

Right, Madoka snapped out of her thoughts and gripped her sword. She was aware of how fragile people can be compared to a dragon. Red hair versus orange hair, a clash of a nobody like Madoka against a rising star. She would chuckle but the mage offered her hollow threats.

"You poor slave," Rin's voice shook with anger. No, it was something familiar to Madoka, except she could not tell what. "Being forced to do your master's bidding. I know that pain... I shall set you free!"

The mage pulled her staff out. It had an apparatus holding up a glowing red gem. The maid recalled some of the mages in the Palace would wield staffs although she did not know how they worked. She determined she would have to be extremely cautious. What if her spells were as fast as Audrey's water beams? Perhaps she could think of the mage's spells as those practice exercises, the maid thought. Her muscles readied themselves as those horribly annoying memories brought themselves to the forefront of her mind.

"Begin!" Juujee yelled and the crowd roared their approval of the duel.

"You barely even have magic!" Rin taunted. "How will you hope to defeat me! Rise! Flames!"

Red mana strands spread from the end of her staff, creating a circular rune beneath the mage's feet. After a second, the strands emitted light and a wall of fire errupted from the ground. A pillar of flame towered over her! Panic welled within the maid as the flashbacks of her burning home destroyed her ability to concentrate.

It was fire that took everything from her blissful year, Madoka almost choked remembering the ashes and smoke. It was the reason she was here in the first place! Flames and roots left charred scars and brutal wounds all over her body. No! Her eyes widened at the tower of the fire. She died in those flames! Fell into the abyssal afterlife... That was when she...

"Go, Madoka! I choose you!"

Right, Madoka remembered. That was when she got a second chance. The voice that pulled her out of that nightmare world was there for her all along! This was why she served her princess!

"Use quick attack!" Audrey yelled.

Eh? She thought. Madoka sensed an attack coming from the fiery wall. A fireball charged towards her like a furious predator. The projectile pushed the rising flames aside and revealed a spectacular rune shaped by the crystal's red mana strands. Rin's mana strands.

"I won't let fires take me away from you a second time!" Madoka growled and leapt out of the way.

Time seemed to slow as she watched the puny flames crawl lazily underneath her body. Pathetic, Madoka thought to herself. The butterflies in her heart were released by that familiar voice. Audrey was cheering for her and therefore Madoka will repay her! Madoka twisted her body into a flip and felt her feet find solid ground.

"Lucky!" Rin's voice declared from behind the wall of flames. "Y-You merely got lucky I missed! You talentless slave! Not even fit to be copper rank!"

It was true. Madoka is a slave. She rolled her eyes. A commoner with no magic to speak of — that is what she told herself all the time. Rin laughed as she unleashed a fire ball at her. Madoka jumped out the way again.

"You might be free from your master," Madoka spoke softly. She recognized why the mage hated her princess so much. Nobles have taken so much from the both of them. "But you are not free from yourself."

Just how much has Rin gone through? How hard did she work to get to where she stood today? Madoka was interrupted again as she heard the whispers among the other adventurer trainees. The crowd's eyes were focused on Madoka. She was not one to talk for she still had her fear of flames so she focused on her movements.

"How can she move like that?"

"So quick!"

"Rin is the most powerful mage here, how is she dodging those spells?"

Madoka kept her off hand on her sword beneath her cloak at all times, waiting for Rin to be done casting. Oddly, the mage was chanting before she unleashed her spells from behind the wall of flames. Incantations? Madoka dodged several more. Audrey never used incantations before she cast her spells.

The shrill voice was filled with panic and the wall of fire began to lose its height. More importantly, the mana strands seemed to shorten from the staff. They traveled from the mage's wrists and wrapped violently around the staff before they formed the rune. The strands seemed to be a double edged sword, cutting the wielder the more they used them. Perhaps that is why her own magic electrified her when she used it, Madoka would have to meditate on it later.

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The fireballs were nothing compared to Audrey's water and wind spells she dodged in the past, the maid realized. The princess could sling those spells all afternoon and bother her with them. Madoka now smiled at the memory as another weak firebolt whirled by. She could throw the sword under her cloak and disable Rin's casting but she was worried. Killing's no good, she figured. It would probably lower her chances of entering the guild. How would she be able to end the fight without destroying the mage?

"Why can't I hit you?" Rin cried. "Fine! I'm done playing!"

She began to chant. The red mana strands grew jagged and her sleeves began to catch on fire as her spell charged. The adventurers panicked and scattered out of the way.

"Stop, Rin!" Juujee commanded. "You'll destroy the arena!"

"Madoka use quick attack! Tackle! Uh, body slam?"

"Not helping, Audrey!" Madoka sighed.

The spell apparently grew more chaotic as the strands intensified their light yet the foolish mage did not cease her chant. Madoka felt the pull of anxiety but she knew she had to stop the attack somehow. Just what should she do? She had to act. Those strands of mana were forming a much more brilliant and complex spell circle than the weak fireballs Rin cast before.

She growled and leapt over the wall of fire directly in front of Rin and grabbed her by the neck. The strands ceased their work. She hoped the mage would forgive her afterwards but a familiar surge of strength overtook Madoka. It dowsed any flame that would dare come her way. Fear etched itself in the mage's eyes as she screamed in pain. She could feel the power begin to fill her and the satisfying throbbing of the mage's neck in her grip.

"You're right," Madoka laughed as she brought the sword sky high. "Playtime's over."

The mage shrunk as she brought the sword down. Madoka was lying, of course. She merely wanted her identification paper. The crowd gasped as the blade stopped just inches above the mage's neck, who went limp under the sheer force exerted by her false swing. The wind sliced the staff in half and left the crystal shattered at her feet. Rin's eyes rolled back and she released her grip. Madoka simply let her drop to the ground and froze as the crowd gawked at her.

Madoka noticed the voices grow louder and saw the terrified look on the Guild Lady's face. She winked at her and stuck out her tongue, satisfied that the woman refused to look towards Audrey or her.

"Such control!"

"Who is that woman? She took Rin out!"

The adventurers murmered and praised her. The reaction from the crowd was not what she expected but she was grateful that no soldiers showed up. Juujee clapped and raised his voice.

"Winner, Madoka. Get her off the field."

Me? Madoka was worried that they were going to arrest her.

Several adventurers entered the arena and transported the unconscious mage out. Madoka was surprised and relieved that they ignored her. The rune burned her shoulder but she had maintained control over it. She did not have enough time before it was Audrey's exam. Kind gods, the maid prayed that her friend could contain her magic.

She watched Audrey as she stood at the center of the arena. The girl scratched her head and inspected the tiny wand in her hand. Her opponent was the rogue. He seemed like a powerful adventurer who relied on speed to overwhelm and defeat his enemies.

"Your turn, Audrey," Madoka chuckled as she leaned against the fence. She glared at the other adventurers and they scurried off to the other end of the fences. Audrey still had a look of boredom on her face. "Try not to blow this place up."

"Hey, have some faith," Audrey started but the light steps of the rogue interrupted her.

"So, this little girl thinks she's adventurer material, huh? Using a slave as a bodyguard, don't make me laugh," the cocky adventurer said, drawing two short daggers. "I won't kill you - the team leader told me to not do that. Consider yourself lucky."

"Uh huh," Audrey nodded without any enthusiasm. Juujee rolled his eyes. Madoka noticed a cold focus in the girl's unenthusiastic voice. She was going to learn how Audrey fought in battle although she was nervous. The girl had a storm under her bored guise and her free hand did not leave the bag's pockets.

What was she preparing?

"Real blades away, Skulk," Juujee warned him. Skulk looked angry for a moment but he sheathed them and drew the practice ones instead. The match would begin and end quickly unfortunately for the cocky rogue. "Alright. Three, two, one. Begin!"

Audrey kicked the dirt as she waited for Skulk to do something.

"Uhhh, Skulk-san?"

Madoka knew what Audrey did. Skulk was not breathing. He stumbled and clutched his throat as he fell to the ground. She silently walked up to the man and kicked him in the gut with a surprising amount of strength. He stumbled back against a fence, where confused onlookers gasped. The adventurer did not get up and instead fell to the ground in an unconscious state. Madoka noticed the glint of a cleaner metal than those iron tags wrapped around other adventurers' necks. Silver?

"What did she do to him?"

Wind magic, Madoka thought. She could hear the birds above her going around the zone that Audrey silently placed around Skulk. She removed all air from that zone and made it impossible for him to breathe. Madoka shuddered when she imagined herself being an opponent against that kind of magic.

"Juujee, sir," Audrey inspected the adventurer, who was passed out. "He appears to be unconscious."

"What did she do?"

"Did she cheat?"

"Yes, we'll uh, have to do another test," Juujee scowled at the near dead man and then at Audrey. Even a seasoned warrior like him could not figure out what Audrey did? "Don't pull anything weird this time."

"I didn't do anything," Audrey shrugged. "Your guy just fell over after a single kick."

"Right," Juujee said. He wasn't going to believe her no matter what. "I will test you instead."

The crowd gasped. "Is that even fair?"

"That noble is going to die!"

"Get her, Juujee!"

"You there!" Juujee pointed at Madoka. "You will call out the start of the match."

"Yes, sir," Madoka said with an odd enthusiasm. Audrey let out an amused snort. Juujee glared at her and simply took up his practice sword. This was not going to end well for this fool, Madoka thought.

"No funny business!"

"Okay," Audrey said. By her tone, Madoka automatically assumed some funny business was about to occur. Juujee did not seem to notice her odd movements. Each movement seemed to be calculated, Madoka observed. The brilliant princess was sizing the foolish Gold adventurer up and planning her next move. "Count us in!"

"Ready," Madoka said and counted down. "Three, two, one! Begin!"

Without a moment of hesitation, Juujee dashed towards Audrey. He was hoping to not give Audrey an opening to cast anything. She leapt out the way of Juujee's slash, giving him a Cherish-style kick to the side. His fighting style was unrefined, Madoka noted. He probably has never fought people before. How good is Gold rank if someone as weak as him is in its division?

When he made the foolish mistake of swinging again, Audrey jabbed the wand in his side. It was a devastating attack that would cripple a man, Madoka winced. She could hear the surprising force gush as his side bled but the adventurer was not a normal man. Juujee stumbled after pulling the wand out. He let out a warcry as he swung at Audrey again. She leapt out of the way and was simply faster than anything he did. Attrition, or something, Madoka recalled this fighting strategy was called by the princess as she let the wound tire him down.

"You shouldn't roar when you attack if you move that slowly," Audrey said as she effortlessly dodged his sloppy swings. The crowd watched in amazement. Audrey was using techniques that Madoka taught her. The Cherish sword style was not only for swords. It was designed for mobility and dodging in mind with weapons coming second in importance. Madoka had trouble catching up with the girl half the time which meant that man could not stand a chance. "It might work into scaring useless opponents like animals or monsters. But..."

Juujee roared advancing with furious attacks against Audrey but she was too quick. As he swung down his last attack, the wound on his side finally slowed him down enough for Audrey. She performed a quick side step and placed herself perfectly spaced next to his arm. The fight's over! In a blink of an eye, Madoka heard sound of a completely decimated bone. Audrey smashed his arm with her fist and flung him over her to the ground.

Her fist was glowing with green arcane magic. More wind magic? Madoka observed. She was using her talismans and wind magic to outclass the fool who opposed her. The girl kept her offhand in her bag the entire duel.

The crowd gasped but erupted in cheers for her. Audrey looked at down at the fallen bone-clad man and wore a terrifying smile.

"It won't work against smart opponents like me," she said laughing. Juujee had a defiant look in his eye, Madoka could sense his fighting spirit still remained unbroken. "You are so pathetically weak that I didn't need magic to beat you. But if you insist..."

Madoka watched on as she finally withdrew her offhand from the bag. To her surprise, it was glowing with powerful magic. Fire soon flared to life and floated just above her palm. The flames were a blazing red - ready to be brought down upon the man like a hammer.

"She can use the fire element?!"

"No incantations?"

"I've never seen anyone who could do that!"

Audrey had a sick enjoyment in her eyes as she watched the shock light up in Juujee's eyes. She stomped the man's chest and kicked his broken arm. Madoka felt a twinge of guilt over her friend's savagery. More importantly, she was proud that the princess had not forgotten her Cherish style attacks that she taught her. She was a vicious and efficient fighter.

"What do you say, senpai?" Audrey leaned closer with her flames menacingly. Juujee wailed in agony but that only made her smile twist more. "Have we passed? I don't have to break your other arm to get an answer out of you, do I?"

Juujee nodded quickly and gave her a gesture of approval with his free hand. Audrey snapped, extinguishing the flames she held. Then she leapt up and celebrated, in front of a shocked crowd like she didn't just beat a Gold rank adventurer.

"Madoka!" She cheered as she out to her. "We passed! We can get our identification papers now!"

"T-That's nice," Madoka said with a sigh. "We're definitely not normal people."

"Whatever," Audrey said. "We knocked 'em all down. Not a single one got away!"

Healers marched by the girls and picked the gold rank adventurer off the ground. She winced as she saw his arm dangle in an unnatural manner. The arena was in complete disarray mostly from that mage's fire spells and blood from the broken bone-armored warrior. The carnage was enough to cause the other adventurers to scatter.

"Why would they want to see us defeated, anyways?" Madoka wondered.

"Probably because I am a noble," Audrey said. "Perhaps you and I are not the only ones who don't like those guys. Maybe I should free you!"

"F-Free me?" Madoka stammered. She hoped Audrey did not notice her insecurities over flames.

"Not like that!" Audrey waved her hands in protest. Traces of magic shimmered around her hands. "I mean, like, so we can officially be equals."

"Equals..." Madoka mused. That reality seemed a lot closer than she wanted it to be. That black haired Guild Lady was missing so the two strode by the into the hall for their registration but they were stopped by a member. It was a new Guild Lady, this time. Her uniform was like the others: It was green and white with a neat Guild Emblem pin over her heart.

"Congratulations, you two," the guild lady cheerfully said to the pair, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder. Madoka held her friend back, elbowing her before she could say anything. "We have a few things to discuss in order to enroll you two in the guild. Come this way."

Madoka looked to Audrey but she shrugged silently. The new Guild Lady marched off and the pair followed her, tossing their useless guild weapons away. An uneasy feeling settled on Madoka and she noticed that the twin moons were already out before the sunset.

As they entered, the Guild Hall was mostly empty. Only several Guild Ladies were stationed but the looks on their faces were ones Madoka was familiar with. Their rotations were about to be finished and they could leave to get rest. Standing at one of the desks stood a tall man. Power emanated from him even if his back was turned to the girls.

Where did she sense this feeling before?

The mysterious man wore a Guild Official green uniform and a matching green cap, except it was far more decorated than the Lady uniforms. He was reaching up to two tags above the desk. The Guild Lady who guided them cleared her throat and bowed to the man. Audrey grabbed Madoka's hand for attention. The maid followed her eyes and both girls were drawn to the man's ears.

They were pointed like Queen Pelé's and the defeated dragon's ears!

"Guild Master, I have brought these two as you requested," the Lady said. A grunt of acknowledgment rumbled from the old man and she quickly made herself scarce.

"I flew here after hearing some of my adventurers were beaten by mere children," he said, plucking two copper tags off the wall. He turned and had a warm grin on his face. "I just had to investigate the culprits."

His fangs showed through a white beard and wisdom through combat etched itself in the canyons of his smiling dimples. Madoka realized that this man before them was possibly a dragon but the two stayed silent. His eyes scanned them.

"Greetings," the man said with approval in his voice from whatever he saw in the girls. "I am Luxgor, Guild Master of the Rustaze Adventurer Guild. Let us have a chat upstairs, shall we?"