Chapter 11: Merebimur
-----Lilly-----
The cart ride away from Yamaku Castle gets bumpier as we head into the mountain forest around the castle. Kenji is at the reins, his grandfather used to raise horses apparently, the rest of us milling around in the cart behind while Shin said he’d sit on the back of the cart, as far from the horse as he could get without spooking it more than he already did trying to pet it.
“So I’m magic in that universe? Coooool.” Hanako sighs dreamily in my ear. Yuuko made an ear-piece add-on for the bracelets, mostly because I can’t read text and it helps us remain a little more inconspicuous in the field.
“I don’t think kidnapping princesses can be considered cool, Hana.” Molly chuckles to my left and Shiina takes the opportunity for some good natured ribbing.
“I dunno, Hanako kidnapped Kenny. I think that’s kinda
funny at least.” She giggles and Kenji sighs.
“She didn’t kidnap me…”
“I kinda
diiiid~! And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for you meddling Fixers!” Hana cackles and my lips curl into a smile.
“So we’re sticking with The Fixers, then?” I ask and there are murmurs of agreement. “You see, Hanako? You might not be in the field just yet but you’re already helping us out.”
The girl in my ear chuckles as the cart shakes violently.
“Easy, man!” Shiina chides, punching Kenji in his back.
“Ow! Sorry, the horse is a little freaked out. There’s… a fire in the road.” His voice is full of surprise and I close my eyes to focus.
Through Kenji’s eyes, sure enough, I see a fire in the distance, stretching across the width of the road ahead. The dirt is scorched in a wide radius around it too. I pull out and rub my eyes. “Damn…”
“What’s wrong, Miss Satou?” Shin asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Just took a peek through Kenji. Just how strong is your prescription?” I ask a little incredulously.
“Shiina asked the same thing after trying my glasses once.” He chuckles wryly.
“God, it was like dipping my eyeballs in vodka.” She gripes as Molly disembarks.
“
Kusanagi. I’ve got this, guys.” She says before the sound of blowing wind indicates she’s extinguished the fire. The horse whinnies with seeming approval and Molly pats it on the side as she attaches the katana to her belt.
“Why are you smiling, Molly?” Kenji asks as she climbs up next to our chauffer.
“Because fire usually means one thing in a fantasy setting and I’m cautiously excited by the prospect…” Her tone has a lilting tease to it.
“Oh! Oh! I think I know what she means!” Hanako chimes in. “I’ll ask Yuuko about it when she gets back, Molly!”
“Wait, Yuuko isn’t there with you? Where is she?” I ask, furrowing my brow. Kenji gives a soft jolt to the reins and the cart begins moving again.
“She looked real concerned about something and opened that big green book of hers. She said she’d be back and she disappeared through the door behind the bar. That was, like, ten minutes ago.” Hanako explains and looks of confusion are shared amongst the group.
“Well that sounds {bloody} ominous, doesn’t it?”
-------
-----Shiina-----
This horse and buggy trip through the countryside is not how I imagined being a multiversal heroine would be… Still, it’s pretty serene. I could almost forget that I’m half a dozen worlds away from where I started my life, surrounded by a motley selection of weirdos.
“Whoa, I think this is it.” Molly mutters as we break cover from the tree line into an open field. Once my eyes adjusts to the sudden glare of the sun, I see a lonely stone tower, standing in the middle of the clearing.
“Looks like that Lord Me got here first. Isn’t that him trying to climb up those pink ropes?” Kenji observes, peering into the distance as we get closer. I don’t think those are ropes though… They look more like…
“Wahahaha~ Oh, Lord Kenji!” A shrill voice declares as a head of vibrant pink hair pokes out of a window, the pink ropes converging on her head. Another one? Really?
“Are all my dupes going to be fuschia-haired
loud-mouths?!” I decry into the calm open field, spooking birds from nearby trees and causing the noble man scaling the tower to lose his footing and then his grip. The others all glare at me in both shock and dismay and I quietly chuckle nervously, sitting back down.
“Okay, first things first, we check to see if Shiina hasn’t killed that guy…” Kenji begins, throwing a smirk back my way. Thanks, butthead. “And then we rescue the princess from the tower. Simple, really.”
“You know you’ve just jinxed us, right?” Lilly speaks up with a shake of her golden locks.
“Eh, what’s the worst thing that could happen?” He says, pulling the horse to a standstill and disembarking. A lot can go wrong, moron!
Whatever. I hop down from the cart and kick the grumbling noble in his side as he groans in pain. He landed on a small pile of luggage and, given their repugnant colour, I imagine they belong to Rapunzel upstairs.
“He’ll live. Now what do we do about
her?” I ask, pointing upwards for my friends’ benefit. Shin and Lilly help the nobleman to his feet and take him towards the cart.
“Lord Kenji? Are you okay?” My dupe calls down, peeking out of the window down at us. I nudge my Kenji and urge him to answer her with a rapid nod.
“I, um, yes m’lady! Luckily this band of adventurers caught me and have offered their help!” Kenji calls up to her nervously and she lets out that booming laugh once more. I hope I get to shoot her. Just once. No one has to know…
“Excellent! Thank you so much, all of you!” She claps her hands together cheerily and I grimace.
THOOM
“What… Was that?” I ask, looking around as the ground rumbles again.
THOOM
“I don’t like the sound of that…” Lilly mutters.
THOOM
“Look out, friends! It’s Hanako the Horrible and that snarling beast!” She calls out, jabbing at the air in the direction of the far tree line with a frantic finger. We all share desperate looks as, lumbering over the horizon out of the forest, comes an azure dragon and a violet clad witch atop its back.
“Thanks for that jinx, Kenny. Stellar job on that.” I snark in a deadpan tone and he finds no comeback in between looks at the approaching dragon and me. Everyone seems pretty worried about facing down an
actual freaking dragon. All except one of us, whose laughter is escalating quickly.
“I think Molly’s broken, guys…”
“This… Is…
FAN-TASTIC!” Molly finally cries, shooting her arms up into the air and bouncing around us all. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to fight a dragon?! Since, like,
forever!”
“Okay, Molly, you take the dragon. Shiina, can you back her up while we extract the noble and his lady?” Lilly chuckles nervously before asking me. I nod and crack my knuckles as Molly bounces on her prosthetics.
“You’re not t-t-taking her anywhere, f-f-fools!” Witchnako declares, brandishing her wand menacingly. On top of a dragon. I bet if she was on foot, she’d be far less brave. “If I can’t have Lady Misha
or Castle Yamaku than I shall reduce
both to ashes!” She cackles, pointing her wand at the tower.
“Umm, guys? Might wanna get clear!” I offer and Lilly and Shin hurry to the cart. Kenji on the other hand… “Get out of there, dumbass!”
The dragon releases a thunderous roar which erupts into flame and consumes the stone tower. Kenji runs back a little, finally taking my advice, oooor so I think. Instead of running, he looks at the tower and takes his glasses off. He thrusts both his hands backwards, creating a larger barrier hexagon on the grass and one directly on his hands.
“Shiina,
catapult!” He orders and I get his game plan. Pretty balls-y, partner. I charge up and fire off a solid blast to the hexagonal platform on the floor. One powerful kinetic ricochet later and my best friend is launched through the air towards the tower’s solitary window. If I know Kenji, he’ll have done the ma--
“Fuck!” He shouts, tripping over the window sill and tumbling into the tower face-first. Well, he did
most of the math. A solid minute burns by slower than the raging inferno before us but as something explodes in the tower, Kenji and Lady Misha emerge with an buttload of fire and brimstone on their asses.
Making a slide out of your barriers? Smart move. Sliding down it standing up while holding a damsel? Big damn hero move. I cheer Kenji on as he and his damsel wind down and around the tower before falling into the back of the cart rather haphazardly. Almost stuck the landing too, buddy. The horse is startled enough to take off and I hear Shin on my comms.
“We’ll be back once we get these two to safety, Miss Mikado! I’m relying on you both!”
“We got this, Shin!” I give a hearty thumbs-up to the screen and flip to Kenji’s channel. “You! You
ever pull a crazy stunt like that again…” I growl and his face is a picture before my scowl becomes a grin. “And I’m sure Lady Misha there won’t be the only fair maiden falling for you.” I tease and his cheeks burn red as the squeaky damsel cuddles up to him.
“All done?” Molly asks over her shoulder and I nod, taking a spot by her side as the dragon and it’s master come closer to us.
“You may have saved Lady Misha but you will not stop me from destroy--”
“Ooooh! She’s
scary! You better watch
oooout!” The cheery voice of our Hanako says in both mine and Molly’s ears, distracting us both. “She’ll gobble you both up!”
“Do I amuse you, wench?” Witchnako sneers. “Do you think your imminent demise is amusing, somehow?”
“No, but your hat is.” I growl, taking a pot shot and knocking that goofy hat off her head.
“Nice shooting, Tex!” Molly smirks and Witchnako becomes flustered.
“Kill them both! BURN THEM ALIVE!”
“I don’t think so.” Molly says, rocketing towards the open maw of the dragon using the compressed air in her legs. To my surprise, it hesitates and that’s all Molly needs to pull of something that I can only describe as
amazing.
“Merebimur!”
I have no idea what she just said but the result is magnificent. Red, white and blue light envelopes her as she floats in mid-air. An ethereal British flag materialises and splinters around her, each colour wrapping around her body until a final burst of energy explodes out from her as she falls.
“Call Forth the Light:
Excalibur!” She cries and my world erupts into a blinding light, I shield my eyes as best I can as the dragon roars and stumbles back, unable to do the same. Molly lands softly and gracefully on her feet and swings the sword, as if dispelling the radiance but actually absorbing it into her blade.
“Well, Shiina?” She asks, beaming with both pride and excitement as my eyes clear and I finally take in her full regalia. She's…
Gorgeous!
“What say we slay ourselves a dragon?”
