Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters
Title: Match Made Somewhere
Romance: Black Magician Girl x Dark Necrofear
Word Count: 10,964||Status: One-shot
Genre: Supernatural, Romance||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Yu-Gi-Oh Pairings, Season 11, Round 6, Black Magician Girl x Dark Necrofear, Reboundshipping
Notes: Knowledge of season 3 of Yu-Gi-Oh GX would be helpful here, but is not at all required.
Feedback: All forms eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Summary: [one-shot, Black Magician Girl x Dark Necrofear, Reboundshipping: au: duel monsters/fantasy/other] In a land ravaged by war, Black Magician Girl smuggles people to safety with little thought for her own. When someone new turns up, that could be a very large problem. Or perhaps it's the solution they've wanted?
Muffled grunting, shuffling footsteps, and sharp, hissing commands for silence echoed ever so faintly off the walls of the tunnel. Black Magician Girl considered casting a spell for silence, but the benefits of that weighed against the fact someone could detect her magic and find them. She'd gone to too much trouble already to get this group out of the dungeons and there still remained a long way to go before they were actually out of danger. They would just have to keep quieter on their own.
One quick motion of her arm brought the ragtag gaggle of humans and monsters to a halt, and one of her charges looked as if he were about to open his mouth and start squawking. The young apprentice quickly set the tip of her staff against his lips and shook her head, her voice pitched too low for anyone but them to hear.
"Keep it quiet! Guards sometimes patrol this part of the tunnels." She didn't need to say anything else. The dozen or so people at once fell silent, looking all around as if they expected Brron's guards to appear at any moment to sweep them back into slavery.
Black Magician Girl held back a tight smile, but turned her attention to the route ahead of them. She needed to get them through here before they were even close to being safe. Some of the guards she could enchant if she needed to; those spells weren't as likely to be detected as ones covering their escape would be.
Some of them she could: and some could absorb the power of her spells and either grow stronger or ignore them altogether. Until she knew who stood out there, she couldn't be certain, and she wasn't going to make any moves
"Stay here." She didn't want them surging ahead until she'd scouted the area first. She wished she could've persuaded Kuriboh to come with her; he would've made a handy scout, but he'd been busy and she couldn't tear him away from his work. She'd just have to manage on her own.
Carefully she pressed ahead, taking each step with the utmost caution. She knew most of the guards likely to turn up around here by sight; all she needed was just to know which one was there. Then she could decide on the best route out of there. Once they were in the wilds beyond the castle, it would be so much easier.
At least as easy as it could ever be in a land ruled by the Mad King. More than once she wondered what it would be like if the legends ever came true and the true king returned to bless the land with the light of the sun once more.
Even more often, she told herself not to worry about such things and just to get down to her work. She didn't need to waste her time daydreaming. Daydreaming wouldn't get group after group of captives and slaves away from here, hooked up with the rebels, nor would it get the rebels the food and supplies that they all desperately needed. Only she and the others like her could do that.
Corridor by dank corridor she made her way through, noting who stood on guard. Tonight seemed to be her lucky night; none of them were anything she couldn't handle. A simple sleep spell for this one; that one could be distracted by a simple lucky discovery of food; this one over here was one of theirs in disguise and would turn a blind eye to the lot of them as they strolled along. All in all it looked to be a good night for an escape.
Just one more to go. She peeked around the corner, spied the guard there, and blinked. Who is that?
She'd never seen this person in Brron's army before, and Black Magician Girl counted herself as being very well-versed on who fought alongside of him and who didn't. Yet there was a new person there. Tall and black armored, cradling what appeared to be a child of some kind in her arms. A second look showed the young sorceress that this child clearly wasn't alive in any sense.
Black Magician Girl pulled back, frowning hard, eyes narrowed. While she'd never seen this person before, the general look wasn't entirely unfamiliar. Had she seen someone who dueled using this monster? That seemed the most likely answer. But it also didn't seem right, either. Perhaps something her master had shown her?
That had a better feel to it. Black Magician had shown her many demons and devils that she might run into while performing her tasks for the rebellion. While many others who weren't of the demon-type could and did work for the Mad King, those were the ones who tended to hold him in the most esteem and thus were the most likely to serve. This newcomer had to be one of them.
The name clicked in her mind suddenly. Dark Necrofear. Rumor had it that many of the demons acknowledged her as their queen. Exactly why she'd work for someone like Brron, Black Magician Girl couldn't figure out.
No time to worry about it now. I need to figure out a way to get past her. She wished even harder that she'd been able to persuade Kuriboh to join her. His abilities would've made this so much easier.
What can I do about her? Dark Necrofear was supposed to be able to control beings from beyond the grave. Black Magician Girl didn't see any sign of the Ouija board that she reputedly could control, but that didn't always mean anything.
Perhaps one of the others would have an idea. She didn't think any of them had any special abilities that would help, but it would be better than lurking here fretting.
She cast a quick glance around the corner again, and held back a yip of surprise when Dark Necrofear appeared to be looking right at her. Rather than stay and be caught, the blonde sorceress hurried along, cloaking herself in a quick spell of invisibility. She'd never heard that Dark Necrofear could penetrate such magic, and even if she could, by the time she did, she herself would already be back with the others.
That didn't stop her from fearing the sound of iron-shod footsteps with every movement she made, or expecting to hear the hiss of lasers burning their way into her.
Black Magician Girl dispersed her spell as soon as she arrived where the group hid, doing her best not to look worried or frightened as she did. "The way is mostly clear. There's only one problem."
"What problem?" The man who'd almost spoken earlier did now, but at least had the sense to keep his voice down low. "Is it a patrol?"
"No, a guard. One I'm not sure of how to get by." She looked from one of them to the other. "Do any of you have any idea of what could distract Dark Necrofear long enough for us to get by?"
Blank looks were all that she got in return and Black Magician Girl bit back a sigh. She couldn't have expected very much from them. They'd all spent anywhere from days to weeks to sometimes months in Brron's cells, watching as their companions, friends, and families were led out to compete in the arena or sold off on the block. They'd expected that fate themselves, until she arrived. The idea of thinking for themselves, of thinking at all in some cases, was nearly as alien to them as the light of the sun itself would be.
Which meant she still had to think of a way to get them through there without getting caught.
"It's not easy to distract Dark Necrofear." The man's words were quiet and thoughtful and unexpected. "From what I know of them, they're generally very focused. But there's one thing that might do it."
"What?"
"Do something to their doll. Their child. No one's ever known just which it is, and the Dark Necrofears aren't talking, if they even know." His lips twitched for a heartbeat's breath. "We don't even know if they can talk at all. Some people say one thing, some people say something else. It might even be on a case by case basis."
Black Magician Girl nodded, thinking over what he said. Doing so wouldn't be the easiest thing she'd ever done, but if it could do the job, she was far more than willing to try it. "Let's go." The closer they were when she did this, the better, so they could go on through while she distracted Dark Necrofear.
"Do you know what you're doing?" She wasn't surprised that it was the man who asked that. She gave him her best and brightest smile.
"No. Let's go!"
If she knew what she was doing, she'd likely be too terrified to even do it. Winging it would work the best. It always had before.
Still, that didn't mean she didn't have a faint thread of fear weaving all through her as they worked their way past each of the guards. The one who was on her side yawned as they passed through, tilting his head back to stare up at the dusty roof overhead. If anyone asked, he could have honestly said he hadn't seen a thing.
The closer they came to where Dark Necrofear stood her guard, the more worried Black Magician Girl became. More and more she fretted over what such a powerful monster was doing guarding this area. It wasn't precisely a punishment detail, but it wasn't one of the more honored positions, either. For someone like Dark Necrofear, it should've still been beneath her, no matter how long she'd been in Brron's service.
It made no sense. And it sent shivers of worry all through her as a result.
When she hadn't been worrying about why Dark Necrofear stood guard there in the first place, Black Magician Girl wondered just how she would use the doll to distract her. So far as she knew, no one had ever tried to take the thing from the fiend queen and lived to tell the tale.
What she wouldn't have given for a few Ojamas, who were likely the only creatures that could've successfully distracted the demon and survived the experience. No one seemed to know what it would take to destroy an Ojama permanently. They were harder to get rid of than the Kuriboh line, which all but competed with one another for new and interesting ways to get sent to the graveyard.
She would have to work with what she had, however, and this group was more or less evenly split between humans who had no powers and various monsters that either had no useful abilities or none at all. Even her own special effect wouldn't do her any good here. She would have to rely solely on her own spells and abilities.
Illusions… She was good at those. Not perfect, certainly not a match for some others who'd practiced far longer than she had, but perhaps now, good enough. It didn't have to work long. Just long enough.
"Everyone stay back." She came up with a thought in a flutter of an eye. It didn't have anything to do with using the cracked doll as a distraction, but this idea might work just as well, if not better. She concentrated, fingers tightening around her staff, and formed the image in her mind. It wasn't a difficult one, not with the original right in front of her.
She made it harder by splitting her energies, covering herself and the group with invisibility while spinning out the other illusion at the same time. Now she pushed that illusion outward, sending what looked like the entire group, herself at the head of it, down the corridor to where Dark Necrofear stood waiting.
Lasers blasted, scorching the walls and ceiling, sending bricks and mortar crumbling all around. She waved them through silently, taking to the air and floating around to make certain no one was left behind. She couldn't precisely see through her own invisibility, but she knew who was touched by her magic and who wasn't. It was the best way she had to keep track of them all.
She couldn't see Dark Necrofear anywhere, and that worried her as much as getting everyone through there did. Only the fact she needed to get them all through kept her going instead of searching around endlessly for the demon. She covered their backs as best that she could, guiding them to the hidden door that would lead to the outside.
Finally the last one vanished, just as the dust and debris began to settle. She could hear movement from the other corridors now; the other guards couldn't have missed that commotion by any means.
They're too late. We're gone. She held back a giggle of triumph, promising it to herself later, and hurried on through the doorway herself. Once again, another successful escape. Or it would be once they were far enough away from the castle, but she knew enough about how Brron and his people worked to trust she'd pulled it off yet again.
And yet, that faint hint of unease didn't fade. Dark Necrofear. What was her purpose? And where was she really?
It took another two days to get them back to the rebel base. Black Magician Girl kept herself in the air for the most part, pushing herself to her limits to keep them protected from any patrols in the area. And patrols there were; just a fraction more than she expected, but not enough to actually pin them down or encircle them.
"This isn't right." The blonde stared at one of them from the protection of a thick grove of trees. The rest of her group huddled in the center of that same grove, out of sight from any sort of casual searching. She'd hidden their tracks with her best spells, certain that this patrol wouldn't be able to do more than roam around in a weak effort to find them.
They had the roaming around part down, at least. And the efforts looked weak indeed. So far, so good.
Are they giving up? The sapphire-blue comet's light from overhead was all that she had to see by, which made it difficult to tell if they were packing up with intent to keep searching or to return to Brron's fortress and report failure. She'd freed enough of them over the last several months that it wouldn't at all be the first time a group simply gave up and went back home. Every time she saw one doing that, she couldn't help a surge of triumph. Every little bit struck the evil overlord was one more that could end up bringing him down in the end.
Footsteps whispered through the leaves, heavier than any of those she traveled with. Black Magician Girl wove a spell around herself the moment that she heard them, looking around for whoever might be making the noise.
Somehow, it didn't surprise her to see Dark Necrofear making her way through the woods, silent save for the brush of leaves against her metallic skin and her feet striking the ground. The blonde breathed in silently, watching without moving, not daring to do anything that might give away her hiding place. So many more lives than hers depended upon this.
The fiend came to a stop just outside of the grove. Black Magician Girl pressed her lips together and thought as quickly as she ever had in her entire life. Almost any movement she made stood a chance of being heard from where the other stood. She couldn't, didn't trust that the other would move on to join the patrol as it began to wend its way back to Brron's castle.
What is she doing out here? The sorceress dared not even breathe too deeply. She twitched for a heartbeat as a single leaf fell gently onto her nose. Of all the times for something like this to happen. It wasn't as annoying as a twig breaking or a cough would've been, but it still wasn't something she wanted happening. One movement, any movement at all, could be enough to catch the other's attention.
At least all of her charges knew not to come looking out for her. This was all on her to deal with. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking harder. Another illusion? But would it work this time?
No. She couldn't take the chance. Most illusions didn't require anything more than the force of her will, but if she lost her focus, she could find herself falling right into the enemy's lap. If she were going to get caught, Black Magician Girl wanted to get caught in a manner not quite as ridiculous as falling out of a tree.
She pressed herself as much as she could against the tree trunk closest to her and hoped with all of her heart that the leaves were thick enough at a close range to keep her hidden. For once, she knew the shadows of this world would be useful in keeping her hidden. Her customary outfit wasn't one that blended in well, and she'd always enjoyed that before. Standing out against the shadows was a sort of symbolic thing to her. It showed which side she truly served, no matter what.
Maybe I'll get a cloak. She knew several sellers of the concealing garments who would be glad to trade for any number of her magical trinkets. Once this particular trek was over, she'd look right into that.
Slowly, after what Black Magician Girl's nerves told her was forever, Dark Necrofear moved onward, heading to the tail end of the patrol as it moved on out of sight. Black Magician Girl waited until they were completely gone before she breathed in a deep sigh of relief and sagged against the tree.
Really, what is she doing here? Why is she working for Brron? A thousand questions rippled through her mind, and she had to put them all aside to wriggle through the trees to find her companions and get moving. She'd fret about Dark Necrofear another time.
No matter how much she wanted to, she refused to look over her shoulder in the hopes of seeing the demon as well. When she did look over her shoulder, it was to watch out for anyone who might be following them, and when she flew around to guard them, it was to make certain no one got close enough to them to send out any alerts.
That was all it was. That, and the ever-present confusion over Dark Necrofear's very presence there.
"Dark Necrofear?" Freed repeated the name carefully, brow furrowed. "I've never encountered one before." The Brave Wanderer tapped his fingers on the hilt of his sword, a thousand thoughts whispering behind his eyes. "And standing as a simple guard?"
"In the deepest part of the tunnels, too." Black Magician Girl floated backwards as the warrior leader of the rebellion moved forward to check on another list of some kind. She preferred action to reports, which was why she kept herself occupied with releasing prisoners and the occasional spy trip. "It doesn't feel right, Freed."
"You're right." Freed agreed without a moment's hesitation. "We need someone to find out what is going on there."
Black Magician Girl could not help the grin that split across her features. "And by someone you mean me, don't you?"
"Perhaps." Something that might well have been a faint smile touched his own lips. She always enjoyed seeing that; Freed was far too dour in her opinion. She suspected he felt the same way, which was why he made certain to send her off on missions as often as he could get away with. He didn't like her bubbliness interfering with his brooding time.
She considered the options quickly. It wouldn't be the first time she'd spied on Brron's troops, though most of her missions along that vein hadn't involved getting very close to them. She wanted to think this would be the same. I don't think she'd be one to sit around in taverns and get drunk, though. That was how she'd gained some of her information on Brron's guards and the inner workings of his castle. Throw enough drinks into a Battle Ox and he would tell someone his life story, whether or not he could see their faces.
"There's no need to rush. We don't have any other missions scheduled for that area for a while." Freed gestured toward the door. "Take some time for yourself."
Black Magician Girl managed a small 'hmph' and headed on out. She had to admit he had a point; after an escape like what she'd pulled off, anyone in Brron's army would be suspicious of anyone. Most of them were suspicious of people on a general sort of basis as it was. Her trips to taverns had to be undertaken with extreme care, to make certain any information she picked up there didn't end up being outdated by the time they put it to use.
She couldn't help but think some more about what she'd have to do to get this information. There were a few members of Brron's army who had other interests than random slaughter (such as Blaine the Battle Ox and his love of potent liquor) but getting their bribes wasn't always easy.
There was one, though… She didn't like talking to him because she couldn't trust that he'd conveniently forget everything afterward, even though he always swore that he would, and so far nothing had happened to indicate he hadn't. But just the way he looked on occasion made her worry over what he had planned that she didn't know about.
I shouldn't. She knew Freed had been serious about not going near the castle, but now that the thought had seeded itself in her mind, she couldn't shake it. Finding him would be the most difficult part. It would take days, at least. And then persuading him to talk, if he even had anything to say, could take longer. By the time she got anything useful out of him, it would probably be time for another mission.
She knew that she shouldn't. It was risky. It was dangerous. Talking to him, even when he didn't know who she actually was, put them all at risk. But she couldn't sit around and do nothing for very long. Every part of her railed against inaction.
I'll take a few days. Not very long, no more than one or two. She did need the down time, and by the time she found him, she'd be ready for action.
Guardian Baou carefully polished the tips of his horns, making certain each one gleamed brilliantly in the dim comet's light. He didn't use them in combat nearly as often as he did his sword or his cards, but he liked having them ready in case Blaine ever wanted to butt heads in the literal sense.
He tilted his head back, looking across the table to where his companion sat, hidden in a concealing spell. He knew who she was, though he knew she didn't know that he knew. It amused him to hold such matters back, until everything was to his best advantage to reveal them. Knowledge was power. Knowledge that no one knew you had was even greater power.
"Well?" She leaned forward, and if he hadn't been able to see through that spell, he might well have missed the eager gleam in her blue eyes. She wanted this information very much.
"Dark Necrofear." He didn't bother hiding his contempt in those two words. The so-called queen of the fiends had been a thorn in his side since her arrival in Brron's forces. "Yes, she's pledged herself to Brron-sama." His taloned hands closed for a few moments as he imagined himself sinking them into Dark Necrofear's throat and tearing it out. Such a lovely image. He would have to remember it.
"What else can you tell me?" Even though he knew who it was under the deception spell, it was sometimes hard for his eyes to see all of the truth. A hint of blonde hair that sometimes faded to brown or brightened to red, eyes that he knew were blue but sometimes appeared as gray or green. Deception spells did that; that was why they were deception spells in the first place. He tried never to associate with anyone who used them on a regular basis. They didn't make enough aspirin for him to deal with that.
He picked up his metal polisher and began to work on his claws. If he ever had the happy chance of shredding Dark Necrofear, he would have to be at his very best.
"There isn't much that I know. She's one of those who can talk, but she doesn't do it very often. She and Brron-sama had some kind of discussion in his personal quarters." He refused to even think of it as being beyond that. Brron held great personal power and led an army that dwarfed anything the rebellion ever had a chance of fielding, but he wasn't even remotely attractive in Baou's personal opinion. Baou wasn't even certain of Brron had proper skin, no matter the color.
The other flopped back in her seat, and Baou wasn't surprised to see her hovering an inch or two above it. He pretended not to notice.
"But why? What is it that she wants?" He couldn't tell if she were talking to him or not, and decided to interpret it that she was.
"What anyone who works for Brron-sama wants. Power." It wasn't as if that were difficult to figure out. She shouldn't have even asked. Serving the Mad King would gain one all the power that one could want.
Almost all the power, he amended to himself. He himself knew he would only be satisfied once he sat on the throne in his own right. To do that he would have to get rid of plenty of other people, not the least of which were Dark Necrofear and Brron themselves. That was why he let information slip to the rebels when it suited him. If they could get rid of those two for him, he would easily be able to overpower them and everything would be set up perfectly for his takeover.
"I do know that she's going to take out a patrol in the near future. I might be involved with it." His lips twitched for a heartbeat. "You'd best be careful if you plan anything with it, though. Some of the others won't be as generous to your people as I can be."
She didn't snort; but he saw the glint in her eyes that said she understood what he really meant. He considered a few other points. "She might want to destroy him and reign herself. I would suggest you watch out for her. She's powerful. She might play the servant now just to put Brron-sama off his guard." It was the kind of play that he did himself, after all. Brron had a very bad habit of not believing anyone else was as powerful as he was. Soon, very soon, he would learn differently.
Too bad he wouldn't survive it. Well, too bad, if one cared about him. Baou looked forward to seeing the end of the Mad King's reign. He had a special bottle of well-aged wine hidden in his quarters he planned to celebrate with.
"Where and when for that patrol?" She tilted forward, fingers tightening around the staff that sometimes looked like a simple twig and others like a sharp-edged dagger.
"We don't know yet. Apparently we're not going to find out until we're actually out there. I think we're going to the north, though. I heard rumors we were approaching Lord Vune for an alliance."
He wasn't surprised in the slightest by the shudder that gripped her. Anyone who knew anything about Lord Vune and his vampire clan would've felt the same. But they were a powerful ally, one he would've cultivated himself if he'd been in charge. They would probably remain so in the future, once he was in charge.
"Those are only rumors, however."
He had to smile at that. Oh, she was so innocent at times. No one could be completely so, not in this world, but she came closer to it than man others he'd ever met. "More or less. I'd treat it as truth."
Silence fell between them for several long moments. Finally she stood up. "I think that's everything." She did her best to sound as if she'd been in control of the entire experience. He let her. She dropped a pouch on the table, one with a very solid thunk to it, then another, one that chimed like crystals tapping against one another. His payment for meeting with her, he knew. It would represent a sizable increase in his personal funds. The information he gained from her, that she had no idea of, would represent his own protection should Brron-sama find out about this. Baou liked to cover all of his bases.
"Until we meet again." He scooped up the two pouches and slid them out of sight. She flashed a quick grin, more to cover the revulsion he was certain she felt, and then was out the door.
Guardian Baou waited until she was gone before he chuckled low to himself. He didn't look up before he spoke a single word. "Well?"
Dark Familiar dropped down to perch on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. The demon listened carefully, nodding briefly when his servant finished his report. He'd expected nothing else.
Well, it wasn't his problem. If the girl couldn't protect herself, then he wasn't going to take care of her.
Not without a proper payment, anyway.
Black Magician Girl hurried through the abandoned village where she'd met with Guardian Baou. Neither of them could afford to cross paths where their respective armies might find them. Hers would accept that she was paying him for information and might spare him as a useful source, but his would likely stand in line for a chance to shred her into as many pieces as they could.
With that in mind, she kept her deceptive illusion up until she was far enough away from the village that she felt safe to drop it. The whole time she looked around herself, worried that some kind of trap might be sprung on her. Meeting with Baou generally involved large amounts of bribery and equal amounts of danger, and she never felt entirely safe until she was back on what she considered safe ground.
An alliance with Lord Vune. That sent even more chills through her. Vune was one of the most powerful of the vampire lords, and if he cast in his lot with Brron, then the others of his people would likely follow suit, sooner or later.
Which meant this alliance had to not happen at all. Breaking it up after it went through might not even work. Before would be best. And the quickest way she could see to doing that was to make certain that group under Dark Necrofear never actually made it to the meeting with Lord Vune.
She was going to need Freed's help for this. There wasn't any way she could manage on her own. She didn't know the size of the patrol, but just the fact Dark Necrofear led it would put breaking it up alone out of the question.
This was likely the sort of thing Freed would really want to break up as well. She did hope he didn't ask too many awkward questions about how she'd found out about this. He knew something of how she did some of her spywork, but not all of the gory details. And she liked it just fine like that.
Getting everything sorted out with Freed didn't take nearly as long as Black Magician Girl feared it would. She ended up with her own little cadre of warriors and mages that she led to a spot one of them knew halfway between Brron's castle and the beginning of Vune's lands. It was, in his words, perfect for an ambush. It would be best to strike before the enemy crossed ito Vune's lands for multiple reasons. The closer they were to them, but not actually there, the less on guard they would be. And by taking them out before they reached Vune's property, Vune couldn't accuse them of violating his territory. He'd remained neutral in the war between them and Brron's fiends for the most part, and Freed wanted it to stay that way.
Black Magician Girl suspected that he had his own plans on where Vune's loyalties would eventually go, but he'd never said anything of that to her, and she didn't want to press him about it, since he'd deny it no matter what. Vampires weren't anyone's favorite creatures, but she couldn't argue they wouldn't make spectacular allies.
Which led right back to where they were now, trying to make certain that those spectacular allies didn't become Brron's allies.
She wasn't the only one who could cast deceptive spells in this group, so while the other mages protected the group, she scouted from the sky, as did a few others who could fly. She co-ordinated with them, gathering all of their information and trying to work out what was going on from that. None of that was easy. More than once conflicting reports came in, likely spawned by evil spellcasters among Brron's forces, wanting to prevent them from doing exactly what they were.
But what she did gather in the end, as the closest approximation they had to the end of a day drew near, was that a group of thirty or forty from Brron's armies traveled this way, clearly making for the border between his territory and Vune's. Leading the group was Dark Necrofear, mounted on a Long-Tailed Black Horse, a fierce and feisty stallion. The others, Guardian Baou included, strode along on their own two legs, or whatever they had in place of that.
"The more of them we can take out now, the better." Black Magician Girl knew that even Guardian Baou might fall in this attack. It would deprive her of a good resource, but those were the hazards of war. For all that she knew, she could fall here. But the battle had to happen, regardless.
"Do you think we can take them all?" Birdman wanted to know, preening nervously at one of his wingfeathers. He'd been in the skies with her gathering information, and what he saw clearly disturbed him.
"I think we have to try our best." She laid out what they'd all learned, not shying away from the fact that they were outnumbered. Others of the rebellion would be busy keeping others of Brron's forces occupied so they didn't have to worry about any relief columns showing up at the last second. If everything went absolutely perfectly, then they would wipe them all out to the last, and not only end the chance of an alliance, but take out some of Brron's most powerful warriors at the same time.
Black Magician Girl would be satisfied if they just broke up the proto alliance. Anything more would be asking far too much.
"When do we strike?" Chain Slasher asked. She knew he'd account for a goodly amount of the enemy; there was something that lay between him and some of the higher ranked warriors of Brron's troops, but she didn't know what it was. Some secrets were better left unknown. That, and he'd never said a word of it.
"Tonight." It wasn't the most honorable time, but Black Magician Girl didn't concern herself with honor. She wanted to get this over with, and the sooner the better. Freed had chosen the ones to go with her carefully and she knew they'd feel much the same way. From the look on Chain Slasher's face, he would've been perfectly content to go attack right at that very moment.
Everyone settled down to rest or sharpen weapons or whatever it was they needed to do. Black Magician Girl sat beside the fire and did all within her power to keep an eye on what was going on in the distance, where Dark Necrofear and those under her command did much the same thing.
She wants power. Why? Black Magician Girl couldn't entirely wrap her head around that thought. She wanted to believe there was more to life than just dominating others. But Brron and all of those who worked for him seemed to think that was not only the best goal, but the only goal worth striving for. Most people she'd ever talked to about this just shrugged it off to 'they're evil'. Black Magician Girl didn't want to do that. There had to be something more going on, something that she didn't understand an couldn't even see.
If there was, then she'd likely not find out from Dark Necrofear. The other wouldn't see another cycle of the comet. She'd be lucky if she saw past midnight.
Moment by moment the time crept by, until the deepest hour of the night closed around them. Black Magician Girl rose up, calling softly for her people to gather, and together they swept off into the shadows, the scouts going ahead first to make certain that all was as it should be.
The first warning they had that nothing was as it should be was when the scouts didn't return. Black Magician Girl held her people back as they grew close and there was no sign of Birdman or any of the others. Fear rippled through her and she moved forward a fraction on her own.
It came without warning, a strike deadly and fierce in its efficiency, a blast of pure energy that took out three of her fellow fliers in a single blast. All around them the attacks came after that, thick, fast, and hard, each slamming into her warriors as if targeted to them precisely. They dropped out of the sky or down on the ground in moments, leaving her the only one there.
"There." The voice wasn't one she recognized, but she didn't have the time to think about that. Shadows coiled up all around her, wrapping her in smoke thicker and stronger than steel, and she could feel herself falling, and then there was only darkness.
Black Magician Girl had no idea of how long she'd been unconscious before the world began to form around her again. She only knew that one moment there'd been nothing but the darkness and then she'd been aware of everything again. Cold steel floors, the faint hint of water dripping somewhere, and a peculiar deadness to the air that spoke to her of no magic, all of those rushed through her in a heartbeat.
"I think she's waking up." Oh, that voice she knew. She clenched her teeth; how could she have been such a fool?
Guardian Baou nudged her with one foot, and she found herself spilled over onto her back. Her eyes flashed open and if she hadn't been bound in chains still, she would've lunged at him, ready to unleash all of her magic and be damned to the consequences.
His smile wasn't even close to a pleasant one, not that she'd expected otherwise. He said nothing, however, but looked up toward someone else. Black Magician Girl thought at first she'd seen Brron standing there as she twisted in the direction he looked. Instead, she saw a tall woman of black armor, cradling the broken-headed marionette in her arms.
Dark Necrofear. She realized only then that she was gagged, as she'd wanted to spit the name out with all due venom. Gagged and with her staff elsewhere; someone wanted to make certain that she held no magic at all, or at least couldn't focus what she did have.
The other took two careful steps closer to her, looking her up and down with scarlet eyes. "Black Magician Girl." Her voice wasn't the harsh shriek that the mage had somewhat thought it would be. Instead, it was deep and rich and pitched at such a level that she had to listen hard to understand everything. "What a pleasure."
Black Magician Girl shook her head harshly; this was no pleasure. The fiend queen's chuckle sent even more fear twisting through her.
"What you need to know is this: your paltry little patrol was exterminated. I made certain to keep you alive, because I find you useful. If you fail to be as useful as I need, I will correct that. Do you understand?"
Oh, she understood. What Dark Necrofear said wasn't that difficult. But agree? Black Magician Girl balanced herself as best that she could, not caring about the chains, and did her best to jump toward the other. Dark Necrofear didn't even blink (though Black Magician Girl wasn't sure if she could and now wasn't the time to ask) but knocked her back with a single smack of one hand.
"I told you that she'd need training." Guardian Baou pointed out calmly. "She's not just going to bow down to you right away."
"You did." Dark Necrofear loomed over the sorceress as she attempted to get her feet under her, and failed since the chains kept a tight grip on her. "Understand this: you are my prisoner. Brron agreed to you being spared on the condition that I train you as my slave. Your other option is death. Have I said it clearly enough?"
Black Magician Girl nodded fiercely, but still fought to recover herself. If death were her other option, then she felt no fear in taking that one.
Other questions darted through the back of her mind. Why would Dark Necrofear want her when there were so many others, human and spirit alike, who would not only gladly submit to being a slave to her, but who would be in far less need of 'training'? What did this have to do with Dark Necrofear standing guard? Or did it have anything to do with that? Why had Guardian Baou given her the information…
Oh, that one she understood suddenly, as Dark Necrofear tossed him three pouches that gave off a familiar type of clunk as he caught them. She'd paid him well enough, that was all. He'd never claimed any sort of loyalty to anyone who wasn't himself. I should've known.
Unable to stop it, she found herself dragged along behind Dark Necrofear through what she quickly realized were the corridors of Brron's castle. She'd seen them before, enough to figure out that this was one of the wings where the highest ranking of his servants and allies lived. She'd only been at the edges of it before, since this was restricted territory and if any of her disguises had fallen, it would've meant the worst for her.
Of course, the worst was what was happening now, and there were no disguises to hide behind.
She didn't fear death, but it was abundantly clear that Dark Necrofear wasn't giving her that option, at least not as of yet. They came to a single door, one with designs on it that she recognized as being meant to restrict magic of any kind. It wasn't entirely on the level of the skill draining effect, but it would definitely keep her from getting out on her own any time soon.
A click of Dark Necrofear's metallic fingers set the door to swinging open, and her captor easily pulled her inside. Another wave slammed the door shut hard behind them and she found herself knocked halfway across the room.
"You're going to have to kill me." She spoke as soon as she could get herself settled again, turning to see Dark Necrofear looking at her with an odd expression in her eyes.
"I don't want to kill you." Dark Necrofear didn't move, her fingers now moving across the shattered doll in her arms. Black Magician Girl didn't know if she'd had it the whole time or not. Her attention had been drawn away by other events. "I want you to kill someone for me."
What?
Before she realized it, she'd said the word aloud, and the metallic fiend took a step closer.
"I want you to kill Brron for me."
Another word followed this one, with ten times the confusion. "Why?" Though Black Magician Girl suspected that anyone who knew Brro for more than five minutes wanted to kill him. She'd never met him in her life and just from what she'd heard she knew she'd celebrate for days if he met his end.
"He sits on a throne that belongs to me." Dark Necrofear hissed, reddish flames glinting in her eyes.
"Then why not take care of him yourself?" Black Magician Girl did her best to wriggle to her feet. She'd cast enough spells wrong in the past to know how to move when her legs didn't want to, and it didn't take her very long to work out how to stand again once she wasn't being pulled this way and that. "You're certainly strong enough."
A faint crunching sound turned out to be Dark Necrofear's lips pressing together. "He's warded himself against demonic magic. There aren't any spellcasters of other types around here who would be strong enough against him otherwise: except you."
"Are you sure you're not mistaking me for my master?" Black Magician Girl could've told the epic tales of her teacher's skills for weeks and weeks. She'd even done so before, posing as a storyteller and bard in taverns.
"He would expect something like that from Black Magician." Dark Necrofear shook her head, a hint of regret in her words. "But you, he sees as little more than an annoying gnat, one that's had its wings clipped. That is why I wanted you spared from the slaughter. He'll think nothing more of you except as my trained slavegirl."
She snapped her fingers sharply and the chains binding the sorceress fell away. "I had to have the doors and walls here warded to bind your magic, but…" With a jerk of her head she indicated another door, one that had no such wards emblazoned on it. "There you can train if you need to."
Black Magician Girl rubbed her arms where the chains had bitten into them, gaze moving back and forth between the room and Dark Necrofear. "What exactly is it that you want?"
"I told you. I want you to kill Brron. After that, you can leave. I don't care what you do." Dark Necrofear continued to caress the doll's head. "You and your rebellion mean nothing at all to me."
Somehow, Black Magician Girl couldn't find herself all that reassured by those words. The idea of killing Brron wasn't one she generally objected to. He'd done more than enough to merit a swift end anyway. She'd just never thought that she would be the one to do it. Somewhere in her mind, she'd envisioned Freed or perhaps even her master being the one to strike the final blow.
"Does anyone else know what you want?" If she even intended to think about this, she had to know who would be safe to speak around and who wouldn't.
"No. Not even Guardian Baou. He thinks I wanted you for…other reasons." Again that grinding that was Dark Necrofear's lips pressed together, and it took a moment before Black Magician Girl realized what was meant. Heat flashed up her cheeks and she looked around for a window to stare out of, only to find there weren't any here. She swallowed some.
"Oh." What else could she say?
"For the sake of disguise, we'll have to pretend to that." Dark Necrofear didn't sound any more enthused about it than Black Magician Girl herself was.
"Oh." This one was even less enthusiastic than the first one was. Black Magician Girl wasn't sure of how she'd managed that, either. But somehow, she had. She clicked onto something else instead. "What about this… 'training'?" She wasn't talking about what Dark Necrofear meant by the room. No, something else was on her mind now.
The fiend queen didn't reply at first, and the sorceress suspected that she hadn't thought much about it herself. "No one would believe it if you simply because an obedient slave."
No kidding. And Black Magician Girl wasn't going to do that anyway.
"Therefore, whenever you're not in here with just me, I'll keep you on a leash and collar that will nullify your powers."
"…what?" Black Magician Girl knew she was getting a lot of use out of that one word, but there wasn't anything else she could think of to say for all of this. In the space of a few hours, everything she knew had been turned upside down. And if not quite everything, then more than enough to confuse her.
Dark Necrofear gestured to a collar and leash set on the wall. "No one will bother you while you're with me anyway. And I can see to it that you don't leave here that often."
Black Magician Girl suspected that was meant as reassurance. It wasn't easy to take it that way. "What else?"
"There will be people who come in here on occasion. Brron will be one of them. Servants, perhaps Baou if he wants to intrigue about something. The only time you can act any differently is when it's just you and me."
Black Magician Girl bit back a sigh. As much as she would have gladly chosen death if it were her genuinely only other option, the chance to end the war in its entirety by killing Brron had an appeal to it. She could at least try. If she failed, then she would be dead, no two ways about it. It wasn't a prospect she relished, but it was something she had to try anyway.
"When do we get started?"
Learning how to act as Dark Necrofear's supposed slave wasn't any easier than learning how to be a genuine would have. While the other didn't smack her when she made a mistake, a sharp look and a few murmured words reminding her of what was at stake had almost the same effect.
She spent most of her days inside Dark Necrofear's quarters, inside the one room where her powers could flow freely, practicing every spell and ability that she possibly could. Not all that she knew, of course, because some of them she couldn't manage in these conditions, but all the ones that she could think of. Redirecting an enemy's power back at them was a favorite of hers. The idea of Brron falling to his own attack thrilled her. She spun countless illusions as well, and practiced her spells of deception over and over.
Dark Necrofear also talked with her, telling her little points about the inner workings that she would never have been able to figure out on her own. What sent more chills down her spine than anything else were just a few simple words.
"Of course I'm not just a guard. I specifically asked for that assignment because I wanted to catch you then. I've had my eye on you for quite some time, since I noticed you releasing some of Brron's captives. Someone who can deceive like that is exactly who I want as my assassin."
Somehow, that didn't make Black Magician Girl feel any better about this situation.
Brron did indeed visit Dark Necrofear in her quarters, and Black Magician Girl wished that he hadn't. The visit wasn't a planned one, or rather, they didn't have any advance warning that it would happen. Perhaps it was only luck that he found them as they did.
"Bring me that book." Dark Necrofear spoke the words even as the door opened and Brron, flanked by Range and Green.
"So this is your new plaything." Brron strode forward, his attention focused on Black Magician Girl, who managed not to throw the heavy tome in her hands at him. Instead, she carried it back over to Dark Necrofear and offered it. She was tempted to kneel as she did so, before a faint shake of the other's heard warned her differently.
She understood seconds later when Dark Necrofear scowled and swatted at her with one sharp-fingered hand. "Girl! Down on your knees before Brron-sama!"
It was a blow she could dodge, and did, but sank down to her knees after a few moments of defiant glaring. Tension rippled all through her shoulders as she did her best to look both angry and terrified. It wasn't as hard as she might've thought before Brron appeared.
"Yes, this is her. She still needs a great deal of training, as you can see. But she's becoming more satisfactory." Dark Necrofear hadn't ever had that level of smugness directed toward her.
Brron moved closer, chuckling in a thick wet voice at the way she instinctively inched more to Dark Necrofear. "So I see. So it was worth sparing her, after all?"
"I believe so. She's everything I hoped she would be, and more. The other rebels haven't given you trouble since, have they?"
"Nothing that I can't handle. They seem to view this with a great deal of anger." Brron laughed again, and Black Magician Girl wondered if this was the laugh that he used when slaughtering others. "Is there any useful information she can provide about them?"
That sent another chill through her. It wasn't something they'd talked about yet. She could indeed give away the location of their base, and so much else besides. The rebels didn't have any plans that she knew about how for what to do in a situation like this. That didn't mean Freed hadn't thought about it, she just didn't know…
"No. I already stripped her mind clean about that." Dark Necrofear sniffed. "She barely knew anything about the ambush in the first place. She was convinced we were going to make an alliance with Lord Vune."
Brron tilted his head back and laughed even louder than before. "Vune? That fossil?"
Black Magician Girl couldn't help how her cheeks turned pink and she found herself glad to focus on the floor instead of on Brron's mockery. Maybe we should tell Vune he said that. It might not do much good until later, if it could do any at all, but it might help. The vampire clans were proud and strong, no matter what Brron said. They wouldn't appreciate being insulted like this.
"She's little more than a pretty decoration, Brron-sama." Dark Necrofear declared. "But one that I find useful. She could become genuinely worthwhile on the battlefield with a little more training."
"Which I see you're giving her." Black Magician Girl didn't have to look up to know that he was looking at the training area. That made sense; why would Dark Necrofear have a place where her captive's powers were fully unleashed without a purpose for it?
"I keep her collar on her when we're in there. She can only use her powers at my command." The fiend queen blatantly lied. Having a face that could only move to a few expressions could be useful.
"Very well." Brron nodded in agreement and turned away. "Use her as you see fit, then. If she can ever do more than play with tricks of the light, let me know."
Dark Necrofear bent her head, and Black Magician Girl could see the fury burning deep in her eyes. "As you wish, Brron-sama."
Both of them relaxed a fraction when he stepped out the door, his two bodyguards with him, and left. Neither moved for a few moments, waiting.
"He's gone." Dark Necrofear murmured after what seemed like forever to Black Magician Girl's senses. The sorceress nodded and slowly stood up, brushing herself off.
"How much longer?" She wanted to get this done. Not from any bloodlust, but from realizing the longer that she stayed here, the more likely it was that someone would find her out.
"He's having a celebration in another few days. He'll be as off his guard as he gets. It can be then."
Black Magician Girl nodded. The sooner this was all settled, the better. She longed for the company of her friends and the freedom of the skies once again.
"Look here." Dark Necrofear opened the book she'd brought her and turned the pages. "Can you do this?"
Though there were a few benefits to being here as well…
Plotting to kill Brron wasn't as easy as it might have seemed to some. He not only had his own wards against many types of magic, but a huge bodyguard that would throw down their lives to protect his own. Dark Necrofear and Black Magician Girl knew that their best chances would stand in one quick strike that would burn through his defenses and take all of those who would protect him by surprise. Once he was gone, Dark Necrofear would declare herself the unquestioned queen, and it wasn't likely anyone else would argue against her. That was how leadership passed among the demons. The strongest ruled, no matter what.
Far quicker than Black Magician Girl had ever imagined it could, the day of Brron's celebration arrived. She'd heard very little of it except from what Dark Necrofear mentioned, and when the two of them stepped into the grand dining area where it would be held, she caught her breath in surprise.
A group of people that Black Magician Girl recognized as from the rebellion stood corralled at the far end of the hall, held back a shield raised between two of the elegant pillars that held up the ceiling, guarded by various members of the Dark World army. Freed stood among them, disarmed, chained, and straining at his bonds. He froze when he saw her, eyes widening, and she couldn't look at him. Dark Necrofear had been very clear: there couldn't be any hints that she was anything other than a well-trained slave.
"We're gathered here tonight to celebrate the defeat of the rebellion and my unquestioned domination of this world!" Brron lifted a glass filled with glistening wine upward. "Tomorrow, all of these survivors will be set into the arena to battle unto the last. The ultimate victor, whoever this might be, will be granted the boon of …death at my hand!"
His warriors and servants cheered, and Black Magician Girl noted that Dark Necrofear's hands clenched together out of sight. There had always been the chance that she might change her mind at the last second, choosing to wait for a better moment to make her attack. Now Black Magician Girl knew for a fact it would be now.
"You'll never make us fight one another, Brron!" Freed declared, chained hands grasping for a sword that wasn't there. Brron only smirked, a hideous sight.
"Don't you want to be the one to survive to the end and fight me, Freed? I believe you've said multiple times that you'd destroy me yourself." Brron waved one hand casually. "Let the feast begin!"
Black Magician Girl tensed herself, waiting for the order. It had to come at just the right moment, when Brron's defenses would be down. She could feel the presence of his wards. Dark Necrofear nudged her with one finger, and she quickly began to work on the spells that would unravel those defenses. Doing so in such a fashion that Brron didn't notice was the most difficult part, which was why they'd chosen to strike here and now. Brron was so distracted by the mocking comments he exchanged with Freed and those few other rebels who dared to speak up that as each ward collapsed, he either didn't notice or paid no attention whatsoever.
"Brron-sama." Dark Necrofear spoke up as the last of the defenses fell. "I have something I'd like to say."
"Yes?" Brron drained his cup down to the dregs and set it down. "What does the lovely Queen of the Fiends have to say to me?"
Black Magician Girl braced herself. This was the moment. They'd rehearsed this more times than she could count.
"Die." Dark Necrofear's eyes beamed bright scarlet, targeting not Brro himself, but the two guards on each side of him. Black Magician Girl closed her fingers around her staff as it appeared in her hand, called by her, reaching up to pull the collar off her neck as she did.
"Black Burning!" She blasted her personal attack directly at Brron, using all of her strength. Brron fell backward, startled and weakened, but not yet defeated. His own strength wasn't anything to scoff at.
"Have you lost your mind?" Brron directed his words toward Dark Necrofear, not deigning to say anything toward Black Magician Girl. "Rein in your pet!"
Dark Necrofear laughed, a sound like metal strips clicking together. "She's doing exactly what I want her to do. Finish him!"
Black Magician Girl concentrated with all of her might, recalling one of the spells that would increase her strength. It was almost too late; Brron struck toward her with all of his own skills. She ducked down under the table, rolling away, and bit off a few curses (unfortunately, not the type that would do any harm to Brron), scrambling through her memory for something else to combat him with.
Wait… He would have to attack her again. But she didn't think that would be a problem. She could hear Dark Necrofear and her Pray-For-Death Gaze eliminating others and had to hope that she was keeping to the other Dark World monsters and their allies.
The table flew away from her, and she looked up just in time to see Brron looming over her. She had her plan ready, and the look of shock and fear on her face made it all the more believable.
"I knew I should've had you killed as well." Brron raised one hand, energy gathering into a sphere, and blasted it toward her.
Black Magician Girl stood her ground, raising one hand. Two cylinders appeared on either side of her. "Probably." Brron's sphere flew into one of the cylinders and blasted back out of the other. "But it's too late for you now." The sphere, power increased by what she'd done, slammed hard into him, and began to burn through. She didn't let it hit him alone, though. "Black Burning!"
Brron flew backwards, slamming into one of the pillars near the still imprisoned rebels. The shield keeping them out flickered and fell as he slumped to the ground, and Freed was the first one over to Brron, a slim knife appearing in his hands. Black Magician Girl didn't ask where he'd hidden it. There wasn't really a need to finish Brron off, not with his eyes fading the way they did, but Freed stood ready to do so anyway, at least until the other dispersed on the winds. Then he turned toward Black Magician Girl.
"What's going on here?" He didn't lower his knife, nor did Black Magician Girl expect him to.
"Do you have time for a long story?"
It took some time to get everything sorted out, but before the comet's light flickered back to full brightness, Black Magician Girl and Dark Necrofear worked to do just that.
"Do you plan to do what he did?" Freed got right to the point after the basics of their scheme had been laid out.
"Why would I want to rule this entire world?" Dark Necrofear sniffed at the thought. "I'll have enough to occupy myself for the next century just clearing up the mess that he made."
Freed frowned, but said nothing to counter that. "Then we can rebuild our villages and live in peace?"
"So long as you do not attack me, I won't attack you." Dark Necrofear rubbed her fingers across her doll's head in thought. "But perhaps it might be a good idea to have some sort of bond linking us together." Her attention flickered over to where Black Magician Girl stood. "I have room for a companion, if anyone would be so inclined."
Black Magician Girl looked back at her, realizing in a heartbeat just what was being asked. Staying as Dark Necrofear's slave had never interested her for a moment. But staying as something else…that held an appeal to it she hadn't ever wanted to consider until now.
It would do a lot of good, too. Dark Necrofear wasn't a saint by any imagination, nor an angel of any kind. She'd done many things that Black Magician Girl didn't like, not the least of which was the ambush when she herself had been captured. But perhaps if she had someone who could help her along, make certain that she didn't step too far in the ways that Brron walked…
"It's her decision entirely." Freed said at last. "We don't make choices like that for our people."
"Well?" Dark Necrofear tilted her head back, looking at the blonde sorceress. "Will you stay with me?"
"That depends." Black Magician Girl grinned, the first true smile she'd felt on her face since the day of the ambush. "Do I get my own room this time?"
Dark Necrofear returned the smile. It was perhaps the softest expression she'd ever worn. "I think that can be arranged."
The End