The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

What the Goose? (Spring 13)

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."