The Maid and Her Princess

Journey to Gladeban (Interlude 3)

"Tournament?" Madoka asked.

"You should go attend it!" Eraziror suddenly interrupted them. Madoka was surprised that he was awake still, but the Sovos stood up and struck a pose. Kanys, who was still asleep, simply rolled over on the log they rested against. "Given your tendencies to be, ah, how shall we say it? Quite involved in battles, hmm? I think testing yourselves against other adventurers would be wonderful!"

"Not me," Audrey crossed her arms and shook her head. "PVP isn't my thing."

"I-It's not for a researcher like me neither!" Arudite agreed.

"It's a good way to get your name out there," Eraziror added. "And if you get lucky, it can influence your rank. Higher rank, means less work and more freedom. And if you're famous, even better."

Clashing swords against other people might be a good idea for training, Madoka thought grimly. They were inevitably going to be drawn into conflict with more than just evil Nobles and simple monsters. She pushed her hair back and continued to watch the flames of the campfire dance. Sparks danced to the night sky.

"Have you watched the tournament before?" Arudite asked Eraziror.

"Not yet," he shrugged. "Plan on it when we visit home back in Esmeralda."

"Home, huh," Audrey muttered.

"You're from Esmeralda, right?" Eraziror sat back down, ignoring the squeak from the sleeping Kanys as he pushed her over. "This could count as work in a different country for Gold's requirements..."

"Heh, you think Luxgor would allow that for you?" Arudite teased.

Soon the others fell asleep. The researcher retreated into the wagon, leaving just the maid and her princess. Audrey yawned, while Madoka was tempted to close her eyes. Instead, she looked up at the vast night sky that shone through the trees. Even now the stars were bright. One of those shield-sized leaves fluttered from one of the branches above them, landing on Audrey. Some fell like slow comets to the fires, but vanished in the heat. She sputtered, while Madoka silently took the leaf and placed it on the ground beside her.

She began to make a cushion to sit on with them since her bum felt uncomfortable from the crunchy bark and dirt they sat on.

"There is magic in the Stars above," the Night Operator brooded over the orange flames, startling Madoka. She realized that he was quite easy to miss. She wondered if that's why he was called Shadow. Her ears perked up immediately at the mention of stars, however, but she was trained to listen intently to her elders by the Head Maid as he continued. "Streaks of brilliant cyan light, dashing in at five points, but no matter how chaotic they seem they always find a way to meet in their peculiar patterns. In the eyes a star is formed. Fate in the super-black night, waiting to be hewn and fall upon the shoulders of observers."

He drew a talisman hanging off his coat and held it up before them. Strands of light bursted in the darkness as his eyes concentrated. Was this Mansion magic? Madoka recalled that same amount of magic strands was used back in the grotto, as more leaves gathered besides them.

"A... pentagram?" Audrey blurted, but Madoka shushed her. The star shaped cyan strands were somehow more erratic than her Knotting magic, but were true to Shadow's words. They linked together in a star-like pattern. She watched the princess's eyes brighten with excitement as they reflected the tapering strings. Each of the five points twinkled and twisted together in the waves of her irises like stars above a sea. "Say, I heard seances could be possible with this kind of magic. Is it true?"

"So as the divine falls upon the world, wicked and pure, a memory lies. Some magic carries into stones, for staffs and even catalysts, however," Shadow spoke quietly, but sharpened his voice to lower Audrey's expectations. He could not lower Madoka's, because she had none to begin with. She stretched and scooted the leaves she gathered underneath her to sit on.