Beatrice pulled back and looked at Madi.
"But why are you a ghost?"
"I used a Time Stone set that was dormant and the result of reactivating it created a spirit body separation. Is everyone still alive?"
Beatrice nodded.
"You've been gone a long time, dear. Come in, quickly, we have a lot to talk about."
The reunion was emotional. Thanks to her grandmother's magic, Madi was able to interact with her parents and other non magical relatives.
She learned that the date was October 28th, 2019, over a year had passed since she had left right after the battle.
Everything seemed to be alright now, her family was still alive, despite what was happening outside her house, but in here, it was safe
And Madi found that she didn't want to leave.
As Madi and her family enjoy their reunion none of them were aware that near by several people were watching them behind binoculars and scopes. The group used headsets and radios to communicate with each other as the snipers have clear paths to shot and everyone was prepared for the mission. Once they leader made a final check for their weapons they would tell everyone to commence with the operation.
The black fatigue, tactical gear, wearing group rushed out of their head spots and as a small group carried a batting ram went to the door and began to bang on it, breaking it rather easily. Others broke windows and threw smoke bombs and flashbangs. Once they went off they enter through the windows while others through the door. It seems every opening available in the house they were pouring through.
The group pointed the barrel and laser sights of their guns at Madi and her family as they order all of them to freeze, threatening that resistance would get them shot.
Madi stared at the people surrounding her and her family, then she slowly stood up from the barstool and took a few steps forwards.
"I have no idea who you think you are, but I'm only going to say this once. Get the hell out of my house."
She summoned her magic and the flames crackled as magical energy filled the room.
The leader of the group started laughing.
"You hear this? She wants us to leave!"
The man stopped laughing and a few of the people drew wands and pressed in closer.
"I don't think you realize what's happened here, Goodwill. The Muggles discovered us and offered us Pures a chance to get back at you lowlifes. We took the offer, and we've been granted immunity to all of the rounding up and enslaving. Ever since the day you left, it's been like this. There's a reward for you, did you know that?"
The man paused.
"Except you're a ghost right now....No matter, you'll come back home someday, and we'll get you then."
Madi aimed a hand towards the man and he took a step back.
"Get. Out. Of. My. House."
When no one moved, Madi fired a magic bolt and soon projectiles were flying everywhere.
When the magical projectile was fired it hit the wizard's shield. "You think we are wearing these just to look intimidating? You will be surprised what can be made when you mix muggle tech with magic." the lead Wizard took out his wand and fired off a sickly green bolt of energy at Madi, using the feared killing curse on her to make her. The others began to fire from their rifles and wands at her family.
Madi had no idea how long she laid there for, staring up at the dawning sky.
Her mind was blank, hollow, the world around her was silent, as if it was holding its breath, just waiting for the inevitable explosion.
-
A strangled roar echoed through the forest some time later, then the sound of trees being felled and various small creatures being slaughtered.
Eventually, the bear left the woods and found herself staring dully up at a massive manor.
The grief stricken creature hesitated, reared up on her hind legs, then crashed down onto all fours and started to run towards the house, a strange glint in her eyes.
She showed no signs of stopping, and the look in her eyes was of one that appeared to be suicidal.
Deep within the manor, chanting can be heard within the workshop of arcane formula and esoteric inventions known to most as the alchemy lab. Alex and her copy stood on a table, in front of them were four golden bracelets with sapphires on them, pearl necklace, an emerald colored ring, and two ruby earrings. These items were set on a magic circle and next to the table was a resonator creating a current of aetheric energy.
The copy held a vial of liquefied Azoth and gently applied drops of it on to the items as Alex chanted in Latin, moving her hands in slow and graceful gestures of the items. Metis stood in the room watching the two, ready to get them out should their experiment fail. As the two Ashwoods kept working on the final process of their sorcerious procedure the other members of Alex's team were either starting to wake up or were up but doing their daily routines and rituals after waking before going down to eat.
The two clones would eventually cease their work as the enchantment process was complete. The original Alex took the items and placed them on herself. She walked to a mirror and checked herself out with the items and her new attire, no longer seeing the new to be Weiss anymore and wanting to change her look. "I think we did a good job with this one me. If we got the time I may create duplicates for you." she turn to her clone. "But for now I believe your services is done."
Alex would sense a large spike of arcane energy coming from the pond. Metis also felt it and looking at her clone she would say. "Stay here and tell the others that me and Metis will investigate it. Tell them to prepare for a possible enemy raid." the clone nodded and the three left the lab.
The two would leave the manor and as they ran towards the forest the two would see trees cut down everywhere. The damage was getting worse and when they reached the pond they saw the true extent of the damage. "Are you fucking kidding me. Again!" the furious lich shouted as she summon her staff. "I swear if this is Kyle's idea of a joke I'm going to shove my staff so far up his ass that he would..." the lich stopped in mid speech as she suddenly felt a dark presence in the forest.
The two would go after the source but as they did they realize it was going to the manor, the two chose to retreat back to the building to await for the possible intruder. As the two awaited, Alex with her staff and Metis with a dual bladed war axe, they would see the source was a charging bear. Alex knew that bear wasn't normal. Besides the magical aura surrounding it she knew that bears weren't native to these parts. As the bear charged forward Alex stepped forward. Thrusting her left arm forward and holding it out like she was holding to a shield she would chant once more in Latin.
Should the bear strike at the lich it would find a force was preventing it's claws from reaching the woman. Alex would make another chant and those with supernatural senses would see the sapphires on the right bracelet glow as blue lines began to appear on her arm. Channeling additional power from her Outrage Arcanios the lich would throw a punch at the bear's chest. The boost of kinetic energy from Outrage mixed with the reinforcement magic provided by her new amulets meant that once her fist hit the bear on the chest it not only broke ribs but send it flying as a rippling burst of kinetic energy came off from the blow.
Metis would dash towards the bear and jump up into the air, spinning around in mid air, before coming back down with her axe bared on the bear to slice the ursine in two.
Something in the back of the creature's mind was screaming at her to stop, to give in, but the creature ignored the tiny voice and reared up to attack the lich-she couldn't attack her. Some force was preventing her from attacking.
The bear hesitated, shifting on her hind legs, before she noticed a bracelet on Alex's arm, it was starting to glow.
Madi watched curiously as blue lines started to appear on the older Witch's arm, before Alex punched her in the chest.
Pain, then she was flying through the air and she landed hard on her left side. The bear watched through blurred vision as Metis ran up to her, an axe raised about her head....
No! Wait, it's-
The axe came down and then there was only darkness.
-
Her mind came back slowly.
It hurt to breath. There was something-the axe-lodged into her right side.
Madi's gaze moved upwards from the bloody axe to Alex and Metis.
"I'm sorry."
She wanted to say more, to tell them that it hadn't been her that had attacked them, but yet it had been.
But the darkness was encroaching rapidly, Madi raised her right hand a bit, out towards Alex, it wavered, she let the hand drop and allowed the darkness to take her away.
Alex didn't flinch when Metis blade sliced into the body of the bear, nor did the automaton. Both knew that should the bear somehow survive the attack it would be too injured to fight and it would eventually succumb to blood loss. However before they can congratulate themselves on a good job they would see the bear transforming, when they saw the new shape it was in Alex's pale complexion surprisingly turn even more paler than usual.
"Oh god what have we done!" she stated in panic when she realize that they attacked Madi. "We broke her ribcage and sliced through several organs and arteries after she tried to attack the manor in ursine form." Metis coldly stated. The automaton look down at the girl. "In her current state she would have harmed or killed anyone in the manor. What was did was necessary for the safety of the others." the automaton stated as she grabbed her axe by the shaft, the weapon dissolving into stream of lights and enter the rubies located on her wrists that contain a pocket dimension for her weapons and equipment.
Alex look at the now open gash as blood was pouring out. "We need to cover that up Metis. Quick use that gel we manage to copy from AEGIS." The mechincal girl summon a spray and when she knelt down began to apply a sort of gel on the gash. The medigel was a genetically engineer organism that would not only sterilize the wound by eating bacteria and virus but would increase the bodies regeneration by acting as the missing organic matter, bonding to the user's own body like they were born with it inside of them.
Once the medigel was placed in and on Madi the lich lift her up with her powers. "Now we need to find somewhere to hide Madi so no one would know what happened." the two began to turn back to the manor but both began to look for an alternative way back inside so no one would see them and ask why Madi was in her current condition.
Within a bedroom built within one if the many secret rooms Madi lay on a bed as the medigel slowly did its work. The two woman who injured her were now arguing. "That girl was in a war path towards the manor. She was clearly intending to attack us and as such is a threat." Metis told the occult specialist of the group. "I've been with Madison long enough to know that she isn't the type to just attack people randomly. There has to be a reason for why she acted this way." The lich told the clockwork automaton.
The two women would keep arguing in whether to get rid of Madison to spare her life. Right now both seem to agree on getting questions from her to determine if her reasons for going rogue is enough to keep her with the group or even spare her.
As the two argued, there was suddenly a sound that was becoming familiar to some, as it sounded like space itself was ripped apart. Two identical redheads stepped forward from the swirling hole in the fabric of reality, one carrying a giant hammer and one holding a giant scythe. The one with the hammer stopped just in front of the vortex as it closed, while the one wielding the scythe kept walking. "Move." she commanded, lacking any of the previous intonations that might have been considered friendly. She pushed forward, pushing past the two women and stood over Madi, looking down.
Dawn lowered her head slightly, closed her eyes, then sighed. It seemed she was growing ever more exasperated with those which she chose to associate. She placed the toe of the scythe's blade against the girl's forehead and her own eyes began to take on a green glow once more. All of the injuries Madi's body had sustained suddenly never existed, as if she had never been struck.
She raised her scythe, and kept her back to the two older women. "It seems that every time I extinguish one fire, someone is lighting another." she said quietly, though her words still carried her intended emotion. It seemed like this would be an opportune time for Celeste to contribute her own personal feelings that the group was a waste of time, but she was surprisingly silent.
......
........?
............I'm.....
.....Alive.......?
.....How?
Voices. Distant voices. They were talking about her, what her fate should be.
Madi ignored them and didn't think of anything for what felt to be a long time.
She felt as if she was floating, her mind was mostly blank, but she knew that she would remember everything eventually, and when she did....
No, she didn't want to remember anything right now.
But yet, she did, what had happened in London, to her family, to her in particular....
-
....Should I wake up and tell them what happened? Am I even awake? I must be, I can think, did they do something to me?
She knew that some time had passed, Dawn had done something to her, she didn't exactly feel as if she was floating anymore, she felt as if she was falling, then the sensation stopped and it dawned on her that she was lying on a bed, the space around her felt small and Madi sensed others in the room that she was in.
. Something had happened to her magic, perhaps they had disabled it somehow in case she attacked them again.
But why?
The darkness faded away, Alex and Matis were at the other side of the room, talking to each other in low voices. Dawn was standing over her, holding that scythe of hers. Celeste was also in the room but she wasn't talking. Madi couldn't hear what Alex and Matis were saying. And it was only a matter of time before they noticed that she was awake, so she merely waited.
Alex looked away in shame but Metis gave Dawn a cold and blank expression. "We did what anyone in our situation would have done. She chose to try and attack the manor and put the occupants in the building in danger and we stepped in to stop her rampage." The android looked over at Madi. "All though at the time we believed her to be either an anomalous creature attacking the manor or a creature sent by the cult, we had no idea it was Madison." The android explained as she defended their action to the two redheads. Alex looked at the two finally and sighed. "Look. Maybe me and Metis went overboard but if we knew that bear was Madi we would have restrained her without hurting her. But I still don't understand why she was trying to charge at the manor in that form? I felt so much rage coming from her aura." The lich explained
Dawn didn't return Metis' gaze, instead keeping her back towards the women. "Your motives neither move me nor do they matter to me. Time gives little consideration to intentions, for it is only focused on results." she cautioned. She glanced back towards Alex. "She's awake now, ask her yourself. It is the easiest way for you to figure it out. I've helped you this far, as much as I care to." She turned and moved away from the bed, allowing the two women easier access to Madi. "I would hurry, though. You have obligations that you do not yet know of that will arise soon."
Alex flinched at Dawn's tone but Metis barely reacted. Alex stepped forward to Madi and look down at her. "Madison. Did you caused that explosion that we felt from the woods? We were you a bear and why were you trying to attack the manor?" Metis chose to speak after Alex was done. "Do you still wish to attack us?"
"You...Tried to kill me....Why should I even........I.....never thought I would wake up....."
After a few moments, Madi started talking.
She told them about the current state of London, how her people were being treated-she compared it to the Jews in WW2, save for some certain events, but those could have happened by now-she told them how the Act of Secrecy had been broken, her people were being rounded up and being taken to places, wands being broken, people being killed left and right. And then she told them on the raid on her house, and how the Pure could see her, even though when the Time Stones set that she had found in the woods reactivated from being dormant for so long, they turned her into a ghost, and then the Pures had 'killed' her and sent her back.
Finally, she told them how she had felt then, how everything came crashing down around her and she couldn't live knowing what was going on with her people, not to mention the possible fate of her family. There was a desperate tone in her voice, she wanted someone to help her, to whisk all of the bad away, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't. Never again.
But. But, Madi started thinking.
Maybe one day, she could go back home, with her new friends and allies, and free everyone. But that day was far from dawning.
Alex frown when Madi questioned why she should talk to them after what they did. But soon she began to tell them what she saw from the time stones she found in the wood and it sending her back by astral projection to see the terrible state London was left in after AEGIS's war. "Jesus." Was Alex response after she heard the state of London. The witch and automaton were silent after realizing just how much damages they made to the world due to Czernobog's rampage.
Alex slowly walked to Madi and lift the girl up before hugging her, apologizing to her for what happen to her world. Metis just watch the two. "Do you wish to return to your world?" She asked. "If you do so I suggest you find a world identical to your world but not in that exact state. Because right now liberation is impossible for you as you like the resources and manpower to free your people and destroy the current government responsible for the current predicament your people are in."
Madi froze when Alex hugged her, then she hugged the older woman back fiercely for several seconds before she glanced over to Metis.
"Yes I want to go back and help, what kind of question is that? I'd go now if it was even possible to help everyone but I know it's impossible right now but I don't know how long I can't wait before I go back to help them."
"Unless you can gather an army I suggest to not return to your world to liberate it." Metis told her. Alex let go of Madi. "Metis is sadly right. You can't save your people alone Madi. I don't know if anyone in this world might help, most need strong reasons to be convinced to be involved in something like what is happening in your world." Alex explained, not seeing the point in sugar coating her words as this was a serious situation they were in. Metis turn her back on the group. "For now we should focus on dealing with the immediate threat of the Crimsonites. Once they have been dealt with you can try to gather allies for your war for liberation."
The truth hurt. But they were right.
Madi simply nodded her head and said "Okay." before asking about what was going to happen after this incident.
"We prepare for the raid. We need to meet with the cult that agreed to work with us. But for that we need Elizabeth as she got them all to agree to help with us." Alex explained as she got up, extending her hand down to help Madi up.
Madi took Alex's hand and she stood up.
"I won't be joining you just yet. Need to...Make some preparations of my own."
Alex nodded. "As we all. I need to check to see if Elizabeth is ready as well as she is the one that manage to get the cults to work with us. So she is our leader by default." Alex would say. Metis woukd be the first to leave the room so she can make preparations herself.
Upstairs the alarm clock in Elizabeth's room was ringing. The witch would reach out and after swinging a few times and missing would hit the clock and leave her hand on top of it. The witch felt the explosion of arcane energy but chose not to get up. "It's way too early for me to deal with that sort of shit." she would mutter before turning her back on the clock and trying to go back to sleep.
"BAM MOTHERFUCKER!"
Elizabeth opened her eyes just long enough to catch Kyle's face, and then promptly went back to sleep.
"What, aren't you gonna... wake up?"
She waved her hand at him.
"Well, I mean, there's a raid and all that's about to go down. I thought you'd be a little more excited about this."
The witch open her eyes to look at him. "Sure. I'm excited about going to a compound by a murder happy cult. Now if you excuse me I want to sleep a bit more." She turn her back from him. "I'll get up once I get tired of sleeping." She said as she lay out a yawn, returning back to sleep.
Kyle stood by her beside a little while, before shrugging.
"Yeah. Sure. Have fun, Liz."
He didn't need to bring the weaponsmith to the battlefield, after all. He needed only their products.
Elizabeth would the cotton stitches of the blanket rub against her skin as she moved beneath the covers. The witch turn to face the same spot where Kyle once stood on as he look down on her to know if she would awaken from her slumber. Back then she was not as she felt more exhausted from the day before. While yesterday was not as physically grueling like some of her days the emotional spectacles from yesterday and the late night experiments did drain a lot of her energy. "Hard to believe that so much shit can happen in day. Well that is something younger me would have said anyway, I know better now."
Between her own group fracturing and the revelation of her own mother still being around Elizabeth was surprised she manage to find enough energy to stay up to work with Kyle and making those items... or that she manage to stay in the same room with him for that long. The witch placed both hands on the bed and used her arms to push the upper half of her body up, feeling the blanket sliding down in response to gravity pushing it down.
The witch looked around in the dark room as sunlight ray down through the window. "Well you delayed the moment long enough Lizzy. You have to get ready for the big day." the witch removed the blanket off her body as her sock covered feet touch on the wooden floor. The witch took a few steps and stop to glance herself at a mirror; eyes still half closed from linger fatigue, hair a shaggy mess, shoulders and back hunched, her black cropped tank top being ruffled up. Her white mid shorts were the only thing that look decently presentable. Yet for the drowsy witch she can barely care about looking presentable to anyway.
As the witch shambled to the door she peak through the opening to see if anyone else was up. She heard voices down stairs. Thinking that everyone was downstairs already she open the door and shambled to the door. When she open the door it took a few seconds for her mind to register that the room was not as empty as she thought it was. The tired eyes of Elizabeth look on to the inquisitive if slightly startled eyes of Phoenix as he turn away from the mirror. The witch look down and saw that he was still wearing the same blue suit from yesterday (poor guy probably has nothing but the clothes on his back), and a comb on his head with the other was close to touching his spiky hair.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked, her tone of voice matching the general appearance she was giving to Phoenix. Phoenix was quick to recover from the sudden intrusion to speak. "I'm just combing my hair right now. I'm almost done." he told her. The witch look at him for a few seconds "You don't mind if I brush my teeth right now?" the lawyer just gave her a shrug before he moved aside slightly to give her some room. As Elizabeth took the spot that Wright gave her she would open the mirror cabinet and get the toothbrush and toothpaste and placing the mirror back in place. As the sink was turn on and Elizabeth began to brush her teeth the lawyer would keep his eyes on his hair but occasionally look down at the woman next to him.
Wright would be the first to finish as he put down the comb while Elizabeth would take in some water to rinse her mouth. The witch would lift her head up and growl for a few seconds before bring her head down to spit out the water. "I think you should stay here Wright." Elizabeth told him as she kept her eyes on the water going down the drain. The lawyer didn't say anything as he knew that he couldn't make any reason for why he should join in the raid. Besides his own conflict over his own morals on the present situation he was in he had no means to be of actual use to the group.
As the witch began to wash her face Phoenix spoke. "I know I can't do much Ashwood. But I just can't stay here doing nothing hoping that you all come back alive. I need to do something to help you all." he told her. As Elizabeth twisted the knobs and shut off the fluctuate she reply with. "I suggest you look at some of the grimoires and memorize some of the rituals and spells on them. I doubt they would make you into a mage but knowing a few spells would improve your survival in this world, and if I have to be blunt, your use for the group." she would walk over to the towel and begin to dry her face. When she pulled it away from her face she would still be holding it when she continue to talk with him. "Your skill as a lawyer and as a pseudo-detective are great and the latter would have been useful back when we didn't know who our enemy was and where they were hiding. But now those skills can't be used and if we do everything right we may not need a lawyer to help bail us out from the law."
The witch placed the towel back where it belong as she finally turn to face him, placing one hand on her side. "I can tell that you were bothered by the fact that most of us are willing to break the law and I don't want force you do something you don't want. At least in here you won't have to worry about killing someone or you being killed in turn." the witch turn her head to the upper left as she began to rub her chin. "That reminds me, I need to give you a list on which grimoire to avoid. Some of them would be too advanced for a novice of magic like your and others are too dangerous even for most decently skilled mages."
The lawyer knew that he would need to tell her what he told the others yesterday back in the foyer. "I'm not entirely new to magic, nor is the supernatural new to me either." those words made the witch surprised as she return her gaze on him. "Excuse me. Are you saying that mages exist in your world?" the lawyer nodded. He would tell her on how he once dealt with a trail that involved witchcraft and how he knew a family of spirit mediums and not only had them help him with his cases but even shown and explained his magatama. By the end of his story Wright put away the enchanted item. "Sorry for keeping this a secret for so long. I've been so use to keeping this sort of stuff a secret sense most people would think I'm crazy if I told them that."
The witch crossed her arms in front of her chest, just below her breasts, as she gave the lawyer a stern look. "You were in an extra dimensional marketplace, met a ghost witch, was accosted by orcs, was kidnapped by an esper using future tech, and are now staying in an enchanted and sentient manor that was home to generations of mages in a town where it's dark legends and ghost stories are as true as it's history. Oh and the fact everyone here has supernatural powers and half don't belong to this universe. Trust me, your story won't sound as far fetch compare to the stories I have Wright."
The lawyer couldn't help but to laugh once he heard Elizabeth's explanation, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah when you put it like that I was being foolish on hiding that from you all. Though I never had a reason to share that. I only did because one of the new people sensed my magatama." being reminded of the new guests in the manor Elizabeth sighed as she glanced at the floor, seemingly vexed about about their presence. "Of course the Order would send in more people to make sure I wouldn't do something to destroy their property. Even though I have more of a right to this place than them." the lawyer seem puzzled by her statement. "I thought your mother own this place?" Wright gulped when the mention of her mother resulted in her giving him a heated glare. Yet his fears died down when her expression turn almost somber as she return her gaze back to the floor. "She does technically but that was when she was alive. After she died the Order took it from us. The reason we even went to the Merchant's Crossroads was because they took most of the furniture, leaving the basement untouched."
The witch rolled her shoulders as she put her arms down. "Either way. I can't complain about the current situation now as we have a roof over our heads and a comfy place to sleep in that so happens to be an arcane fortress. Let's just enjoy what we have now and worry what comes afterwards later." the witch told him as she turn around and began to walk out. "If you need a lawyer to fight back the deed to your home I'm willing to help." the witch stopped and look behind her to see the smiling face of Phoenix. The witch was silent, unsure what to say. "I'll think on that Wright." she told him as she resume her walk out of the bathroom.
"Both Alex and Metis are taking a long time. You guys think they are already?" Mai asked as she lay on the couch, the lower half of her legs dangling hanging loose as her knees rested on the arms.
"Maybe they encountered an assassin sent by the Crimsonites and are still fighting them?" Richard said as he was feeding a large isopod-like creature, it was making strange noises as it ate the lettuce he provided for it off his hands. Wei lean against the wall with his arms in front of his arm as he watch through the eyes of demonic familiars he sent out to look for Alex and Metis. "I see nothing. I can say that if they fought against someone they either won and are disposing of the body or they are in another dimension."
When they heard that the two were absent they turn to Nix. "I got nothing either. Somehow they vanished off the face of the Earth." the shadow woman said. "Or maybe we are just very good when it comes to hiding." the group turn to find Alex and Metis entering the living room. "I told you all that me and Metis can take care of ourselves." she scolded them. The group all had different reactions to the scolding, range from Theo and Nix who look embarrassed to Wei who barely seem phased by it.
"What did you two fight and what caused that spike in arcane energy?" Simon asked the two as he was sitting on the floor with one knee raised, his back against the wall as Samson was eating straight out of a can that held a few fruits and preserved meats. "It was a monster native to the woods and the spike was a set of magical stones that Madi found. They are dormant now after the spike and the monster got drawn to the stones." Alex told the group, fudging around with the truth slightly.
"Should we go out and get those stones before someone else gets them?" Valeria asked which made Alex shake her head. "The stones would be brought in by one of the servants in the manor. For now we can relax until Elizabeth is ready to leave." the moment her name was mention Elizabeth came in carrying both a plate that had the food that Kyle made now reheated and a mug of steaming coffee. The witch still wore the same clothing she slept in and while her hair was not as messy as before it still look shaggy.
As the witch sat on a chair the others look at her. "I see you're very comfortable in here." Valeria said, referring to the witch's current attire. The witch was cutting a piece off the salmon as she replied back. "I think we have more pressing things to talk about besides my clothing." Elizabeth looked up. "Where is everyone? I don't want to repeat myself." The witch was aware that Kyle most likely left on his own but she still wants the others present for the meeting. She placed the piece of salmon in her mouth and began to chew as she watch for the others to appear.
"One of us will tell them your plan later." Rolo said from another chair as he was polishing his hammer. "But right now you mentioned that you found some cults willing to help us." the witch nodded as she bit down on another piece of Salmon. "Some of the cults willing to aid us are Gaia's self imposed Gardners and Caretakers, and the cyberpunk enthusiasts and computer wizards that we call Augers." Elizabeth said as her words were slightly muffled by the food still in her mouth.
"You seriously got those two to work together? How the hell did you manage that?" Valeria asked as the others looked at the witch with surprised. From their experience whenever members of those two cults were in the same room they often tried to kill each other. Elizabeth simply shrugged as she reach for her mug. "I knew a guy who was able to help me convince them to resolve their differences long enough to fight a common enemy. No doubt once the Crimsonites are gone their relationship will return back to normal." the witch began to nurse form the steaming mug.
Alex who was sitting on the air with one leg cross over the other spoke up. "We know they are hiding in a pocket dimension and the entrance is within one of the graveyards. The cult pretty much created an ethic cleansing of the local ghoul population and have captured many wraiths with others that manage to escape fleeing. But I think there are still stragglers from both groups. I think I can try to get the survivors to work with us to get revenge on the Crimsonites." Alex explained to the group.
"I.. will bring so.. som.. some of my fri.. friends to help us!" Richard excitingly exclaimed, his wide eyes gleaming with madness and joy. "I will see if a few tenebraes and shadow dwellers would heed my calls to aid us." Nix told the group. "I will see if I can get some demons and fiends who owe to join us in repaying their favors." Wui chimed in. The other members all expressed their opinions on not only preparing for the raid but trying to bring in more allies. This development made Elizabeth have a wide grin on her face.
"I freakin' love working with ancient conspiracies like you guys. You make my life so much less of a hassle." Mai would chime in. "If working with us is so great than why don't you join us?" the grin faded from the witch's face as she retorted with. "I say working with your order is great, but being a member of it would be a pain in the ass."
The witch was return back to stabbing her food with her fork. "I don't see myself surviving long with dealing with the political schemes both your order and AEGIS has, nor do I have interest in joining in that shit. I don't know what kind of bureaucratic hell most people in AEGIS go through but a group of their size it has to be a nightmare to work with. Your order has the whole everyone is scheming against each other and is ready to stab one another on the back in a moment notice just to rise up. I rather not have to deal with never ending paper work or worry about all of my allies potentially wanting to shank me from behind." the witch ranted before resuming with her meal.
With most wanting to avoiding talking about the less savory aspects of their Order the other occult specialist in the room spoke up. "I think we can call this little meeting of ours adjourn. We all should use this time to prepare ourselves and try to gather any last minute allies before we leave." the others agreed and all began to depart from the room, leaving Elizabeth and Alex in the room.
An awkward tension hung in the air as mother and daughter just stare at one another. Both didn't move as both tried to think what to say. Eventually it was Alex who broke the ice. "I know that things are... tense between us." she saw no reaction from Elizabeth. "But I want you to know that I will be there to watch your back. I will do whatever I can to make sure you walk out of there alive, even if gets be sealed or bound by them." she told her.
With Elizabeth not saying a word again the lich turn around and was going to leave, just as she moved a few inches away she would hear her daughter speaking up. "The same to you Alex. I'll make sure they won't try to use you as a battery." the lich let a smile form on her lips, overjoyed to know that even in their current state she still cares about her enough to watch out for her. As the lich left Elizabeth return back to her food, she too had a smile to know that despite her mother's mistake she was still willing to protect her. "I guess somethings never change." she said before resume eating to finish off her breakfast, that way she can prepare herself on a full stomach.
"You know most people in my current predicament would think you are really into hentai." Elizabeth said as she felt the vines that bound her limbs in place slither slightly upward from her legs and downward from her arm. Elizabeth found that the Caretakers in the town were hiding in the woods and after a long trek she eventually found the Gardners. Unfortunately she only found them by falling for a trap they had set up for anyone who tried to intrude upon their grounds.
That was how she found herself trapped in place with her arms lifted up above her arms from a vines that came from the branches while vines that came from the ground warp around her legs, each one warping their cellulite forms firmly around her limbs. None of them did so to the point of cutting blood circulation or to bring great pain or discomfort but enough to prevent her from breaking free so easily. Other tendrils came down but none of them went to her, most simply baring their heads to her to let the witch know that they would strike should she try anything they would deem a threat.
"You are not the first to make a comment similar to that Ashwood. But considering what we have in our garden you should be glad you encounter our creepers instead of our other traps." a woman wearing a long brown dress with a green silk shawl told Elizabeth. Her greenish blue eyes looking into Elizabeth's own pure green eyes. Where as Elizabeth's own hair would be wavy if fixed up the woman's hair was a curly bush that also extended down to her shoulders and past them. Her sun-kissed tanned skin contrasted with Elizabeth's pale skin, a result of her always being under the moon due to her occupation.
As the woman walked around the two heard the leaves on the ground crunching with each step she took on the ground. Despite the very visible tentacles the woodland critters were still making their usual calls, each one making calls to scare off competition or calling out for mates to find their location. Elizabeth would have enjoyed the tranquility if she wasn't currently just a few striptease away from being the main protagonist in a real life hentai scene. More importantly she came to the woods for something more important. "Lady Deirdre. I came to talk with you about the raid against the cult. I need to know if you still wish to join my coalition to strike at the Crimsonite?" she asked her.
The woman now known as Deirdre stopped and turn to look at the witch. "You came here for that?" she waved her hands in the air and Elizabeth would feel the vines loosening their grip on her until the witch was finally free. As her arms came down and she began to rub her wrists she saw the other vines moving back to their hiding spots. "Well I never got a chance to talk with you and the others due to events from yesterday and I feared you may have second thoughts on helping me."
Deirdre smiled. "The fact you manage to survive the two attempts on your life proves to me that you can lead this raid of yours. As I told you before Ashwood. My mission is to care for and protect Gaia. To repair for all of the her years on neutering us and letting us grow. I will not allow this witch to force our mother world into a prison for her self deluded vision of paradise." Skye told the witch as she as the two saw sprites flying above them. The true can feel the presence of forest nymphs and wood sprites watching them. Whether they are agents of Whisperwoods or independent from them isn't clear and right now they don't quite care right now.
"Even if you have to work with the Transcendaii?" the witch cross her arms in front of her chest. Skye seem hesitant with her next words as she took a few more steps to the left. "I will admit that I have some reluctance on working with the machine cult but right now we can't let our disagreement get in the way of dealing against a common enemy. So long as they don't try to attack us we will spare them once they have been dealt with." Elizabeth nodded. "Good. I will talk with them and I will call you to let you know if they agree with you on putting aside their difference for the raid."
The woman gave her a bow. "Thank you Ms. Ashwood." when she look back at her she gave her a smile. "If you like you can stay for a while for some tea. We created a wonderful brew using leaves from a planet that AEGIS recently found that looks almost like our world." she got close to the witch to whisper. "They think we didn't find it but we used one of the routes in Agartha to find that world by accident and have hide our tracks well so they didn't suspect our presence in that world." the two woman laugh.
"I can't right now. But if we both survive this raid I wouldn't mind giving it a try." the two women both said their goodbyes and departed, Elizabeth to find the next group to join her coalition and Skye getting her forces prepared for battle.
