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The Council of Thirteen
Book Fourteen: Invasion
Chapter 2: The Battle Begins
Beta:
After the disastrous news that the long awaited and much feared invasion of their universe by the Sapphic Circle had finally arrived, though thankfully temporarily contained thanks to the barriers of Sakura-sama, Tomoyo-sama and the Twelfth, the Council of Thirteen had gathered in Sanctuary to plan their counterattack. Unfortunately, much to Dom's consternation, things were not starting off well at all.
"I refuse to participate." Omer said coolly. "If the situation spills over into Europe then I will happily do so but for the time being I will sit this fight out."
"This is a global threat, Omer." Rose reminded the lich before Iris continued in a harsher tone. "And you're being a coward."
"Call me what you will." The knight said with a shrug. "I care not."
"Calm Rose Iris," Dante said, shooting his girlfriend a pleading look. "I am sure Omer understands the scope of the threat. But there is merit in his thinking. We need a reserve. That is what you meant, wasn't it Omer?"
Again the knight just shrugged.
"Somehow, I doubt that if the rest of us fail that Omer alone can salvage the situation." Iris opined scathingly.
"Rose Iris, eno-" Dom began, only to be cut off by Omer himself.
"You should rein in your apprentices better, Assassin Lord." The Eighth Lord said whilst sporting a menacing smile. "But I'll entertain the little girl. I'll have you know, Fourth Lord, that I merely have faith that my fellow Lords will manage to resolve this on their own. And will hold in reserve, as the Ninth said, should my assistance be required."
With that summation of his position, Omer shot a quick nod to Sakura-sama and the Twelfth before teleporting away.
"Anyone want to play reserve?" Dom asked, cutting into the tense silence created by Omer's abrupt departure, her tone dripping with her disapproval of any who might follow his lead.
"No, I don't believe there will be." Eriol reassures her after taking a quick survey of their peers. "We are prepared to take the fight to the enemy."
"We can't do it alone though," Helena said with a frown. "If the reports from Yumi's scouts are accurate-"
"They are," the young Third Lord said firmly. "I've double checked their findings myself."
"Then," Helena continued. "The Circle has brought their armies with them. We will need to bring our own to bear to face them. To that end, I am already mustering an army of volunteers from among the subordinate organisations of the United Clans and Packs and have reached out to the Winchesters to see if they can gather together the same from among the Hunters."
"Jane has contacted the Volture and their rallying the Volterrans." Bella said next. "In the meantime, I've had my Dad organise my brood of hybrid creatures I've created from my biomancy to assist. Our numbers are limited though."
"Sanctuary's full military might is being deployed." Dom added. "Their submarine fleets are already sailing at full speed towards Japan and will be in position within the hour."
"Dom-chan is that wise?" A tired looking Sakura-sama asked with a frown. "If the whole of Sanctuary's forces are deployed then who's defending it?"
"It's fine, Sakura-sama." Dom reassured her foster mother. "I've left my sister Alicia (1) behind with a garrison. That should be more than enough to keep it safe from any opportunists who might seek to exploit this crisis."
Sakura-sama nodded in satisfaction and Dom signaled to Yuki that it was her turn to speak.
"Kaname-niisan has mobilized our people as well," the Second Lord said with a nod. "We Kuranians will fight for our world."
"As will Japan." Yumi said, picking up where Yuki left off. "I've already spoken to the Japanese Emperor and Prime Minister. The JSDF is mobilizing and will provide what assistance they can. Though due to the limitations of their capabilities, they'll mainly be focusing on evacuating civilians from the potential conflict zone. Something they've already started doing. The Japanese government will also do its best to keep other governments from interfering."
"The Japanese magical community is mustering and will be ready." Sakura-sama added with a tired smile, even as an exhausted Tomoyo-sama nodded.
"As is the rest of the global magical community. Those in Britain in Europe are already answering the call to arms I sent out, others will surely do the same as word of it spreads. But it is slow going and I do not know how many will reach Japan in time."
"Every able fighter counts," Legion said through the holographic projection he was using to attend the meeting.
"I'm afraid that accounts for all of us that have anything that resembles armies," Rose said with a sigh, before handing over control to Iris who continued. "The rest of us can only offer ourselves to the fight."
Rose Iris and Dante both looked a little embarrassed by that fact so Dom moved hastily to reassure them.
"That is more than enough," Dom said with a smile. "The presence of a Lord of the Thirteen on the battlefield is contribution enough."
"Yes, it is." The Twelfth cut in, sounding as he always did despite the fact he was weakened just like Sakura-sama and Tomoyo-sama were by creating and maintaining the barriers currently keeping the Circle and their forces contained. "But now that we have a tally of our available forces, I believe it is time to start planning how to use them, no?"
"Yes, it is." Dom said, offering the ancient a grateful nod for his reminder of the urgency of the situation. "Let us begin planning how we're going to save the world then."
Even as one side of the conflict planned their next move, the other was consolidating the foothold they'd gained. Something that the Circle accomplished by materializing the Witch's House into the sealed space created to contain Midori and Shiro, bringing with it the other members of the Sapphic Circle.
At long last. Ellen thought as she anchored her House into the new reality.
"Hello everyone~!" Midori greeted everyone enthusiastically as she and Shiro teleported into the drawing room where everyone had gathered once the House had properly settled into the new universe. "Welcome to Thirteen's world!"
"It is good to be here," Ellen said with a smirk.
"Yes, it is." Azathoth agreed. "Good job, finally bringing us here Midori, Shiro."
"Yes, wonderful job, my friends." Weiss said with an honest smile even as the mindless zombie of a wife nodded her head in imitation of a bobblehead to express her agreement.
"Great work guys!" Viola said, shooting their two friends a thumbs up.
"Yup. You guys did good." Frenda said, her voice overflowing with enthusiasm. "And thanks to that, our little game can finally enter its closing act."
"Frenda," Ruiko said with a sigh. "Please don't call what we're doing a game."
"I'm just calling a spade, a spade, honey." The Devil replied with a shrug. "We are above all doing what they're doing for entertainment. So in other words, this is a game."
"That is true," Weiss agreed. "But game or not, we should play to win. It would be unbecoming of their station if we didn't."
My, my, competitive as always aren't you Weiss. Or perhaps it's your infamous pride talking? Ellen thought with amusement even as she spoke to hide her thoughts. Weiss was prickly and would've likely been put out if she knew the direction her thoughts had taken.
"Yes, as Weiss says, we're Outsiders. We must have standards."
"And it looks like Thirteen is happy to oblige." Viola said, looking off into the distance. "The game's climax is at hand."
Already? Ellen thought with some incredulity. It had barely been a day since Midori and Shiro had been able to manifest into this universe and summoned the rest of them in turn, and already Thirteen was rallying their forces to counterattack? That was truly an impressive response time.
It was the truth of the situation though, Ellen found as she and the other members of the Circle expanded their senses to verify what Viola said and detected Thirteen and their minions were indeed attacking.
"To our stations!" Frenda declared dramatically, earning herself a bop on the hand from Azathoth even as they both teleported away to engage their opponents, the others following one after the other with amused grins.
"Argh! Why do we have to get assigned the worst part of the plan?" Viola said with a frown as she collapsed onto a couch.
"Because thanks to the nature of the House, we're the best suited for it?" Ellen asked as she teleported to take a seat next to her wife and pulled her into her side.
It was the truth too. Both she and Viola, herself especially, were strongest within the House. It was their little mobile fortress. So it made sense for them to wait within for the enemy to come to them, rather than head out to face them. Though if their friends needed it, they would of course be more than happy to do so. Though she did get where Viola was coming from...
"But playing reserve is boring." Viola whined, expressing their shared opinion on the matter.
"We could make it more fun." Ellen suggested playfully.
"Maybe after we're done with the game." Viola said with a roll of her eyes. "If we get distracted and spoil it, the others will be most upset."
Ellen pretended to pout even as she nodded.
We'll see how long you can hold out, darling.
"Do you think we'll get any company at all?" Viola asked after a moment of companionable silence.
"We can only hope." Ellen said with a shrug as she looked off into the distance even as she sported a mischievous smile.
A little earlier
"Why won't you all listen to me?" Dom muttered quietly to herself as she, Rose Iris, Dante and her family teleported into the mustering ground to the North of the sealed space that was keeping the Outsiders contained.
Rose Iris and Dante, as her fellow Lords of the Thirteen, as such she could understand their presence but she didn't want her wives and children there. She was loath to have her family put themselves in danger. Unfortunately, they had insisted.
"Because we refuse to let you walk into this deathtrap alone." Felicia told her firmly, clearing having heard Dom's complaint despite her effort to keep it to herself.
"I walk into death traps all the time. I'm the Assassin Lord!" Dom reminded her blonde wife. "I don't see anyone insist on coming with me then."
"We wanted to," Shirayuki countered. "But we didn't because you'd have refused to let us. This time is different though."
"How?" Dom asked, in what was very close to a whine even as she shot her other wife an exasperated look.
"Because Dom-mama, this time there's actually a good chance you could die." Fleda, her oldest biological daughter, said, shooting her a stern look even as her sisters nodded. "You're not facing just some run-of-the-mill rogue magician this time, but actual Outsiders! And we, as a family, refuse to just stand by whilst you do that."
"Exactly," Alyssa, Dom's youngest, added in affirmation to her elder sister's statement.
"And you can't convince us otherwise, Dom-mama." Chihiro, Dom's middle daughter, stated firmly.
"Give it up, Master." Rose Iris said with a frown.
"You've been trying to convince them to stay home for hours." Rose continued, before allowing Iris to finish. "And you've been failing miserably. They're not going anywhere. Deal with it."
Dom groaned.
"You know they're right, Master." Dante said, rubbing Dom's failure in.
"Okay, fine!" Dom said, resigned. "But you, all five of you, stick close to me. Or at least one of the other Lords. Got it?"
"Crystal, saiai." Shirayuki said for the rest of their family.
"Now that that's over with, Dom, I think Yumi and the others want to talk to you." Felicia said, pointing behind the Thirteenth Lord, causing her to spin around to find Yumi, Bella and Yuki standing a short distance away and waiting patiently.
"Sorry about that," Dom said, blushing terribly. "You needed to speak to me?"
"It's no problem, Dom-sama." Yumi said with an embarrassed little blush even as the other two Lords, both Dom's former apprentices, just sported amused smirks. "But is everything alright?"
"No," Dom confessed. "But I will just have to deal with it. Don't worry about it. Why don't you tell me what forces we have at our disposal in the area?"
Yumi frowned, looking uncertain of whether to proceed and allow Dom's redirection of the conversation. Thankfully, Bella stepped in to save the Thirteenth from having to rehash the argument with her family for what felt like the umpteenth time.
"As you can see, Dom, my forces are ready and waiting." Bella said, gesturing to her brood of hybrid creatures she'd created which were being given a pep talk by her mate Jane alongside a large group of druids and nature spirits that she'd managed to recruit. Standing a short distance from them were a group of Volterrans, easily identifiable by the fact that the majority were made up of the black robed Volturi guards of their kind's Kings.
"Nii-sama's army is here too." Yuki added, nodding to the army of Kuranians gathered nearby and eyeing the Volterrans with a mixture of curiosity. A feeling that was mutual if the occasional glances shot back by the Volterrans were any indication. Probably because the two breeds of vampire rarely, if ever, interacted.
"I have three units of Imperial magicians under my command as well." Yumi nodded, pointing to a group of well-disciplined, at least in comparison to the other groups present, humans before gesturing to a large mob of various youkai right next to them. "As well as some youkai that I've been able to recruit."
Some!? Dom thought incredulously, eyeing the thousands of youkai Yumi had gathered whose numbers grew even before her eyes as more and more of the creatures teleported in to join the gathered ranks. I'd hazard that she's gathered almost every youkai for miles. Yumi really undersells her influence among the creatures.
Now was not the time to address that issue however and so she just nodded in acceptance at the quick summation of their available forces. Honestly, she was a little surprised and humbled that her fellow Lords managed to gather so many troops. She herself had come alone save for her family, having decided to leave the Sanctuary forces at her disposal under Legion's command.
"When do we attack?"
"Whenever you're ready, Dom-sama." Yumi told her with a determined look. "We were just waiting for you."
Dom glanced at the others she'd arrived with and upon receiving nods from all them, turned back to Yumi.
"Then we attack now."
"Void Dragon Lightning!" Dom cast, sending a storm of black lightning in the shape of Eastern dragons shooting into the front rank of the Outsiders' army consisting of abominable forest creatures, treants and spiders before her in the sealed space, wiping out hundreds of the enemy.
This created a foothold for the troops she had under her command to surge forward and engage the enemy, Dom and her fellow Lords of the Thirteen with her at their head.
Amidst the chaos of spells and varied weapons fire flying in every direction, Dom fought like a woman possessed. She disintegrated her opponents with Void Missiles, cut them apart with her Void Blades and occasionally used Shadow Step to either teleport into range of her targets or to evade their attacks. A hectic dance of death that left dozens of the invaders dead within minutes and bought her a small patch of calm in the battlefield as her allies surged around her to take advantage of the ground she'd cleared.
Taking advantage of this respite, Dom hazarded a glance at how her family were faring. There was a strange otherworldly mist that covered the entire area but thanks to the bright flashes of light given off by the multitude of magic being cast, she was quickly able to zero in on who she was looking for.
Rose Iris and Dante were fighting to their right and were having an easy time. Working together, they were slaughtering every opponent that had the bravery to face the two Lords of the Thirteen. Rose Iris' Elegant Wrath hovered above them unleashing destructive spells of light and shadow whilst its summoner used her Mystic Codes, Ebony and Ivory, to cut down any who got past the deadly run of death it unleashed. An effort helped along by Dante who sniped any Rose Iris missed with precise shots from his Anna and Maria pistols.
To her left, Fleda, Chihiro and Alyssa were fighting as one unit. Channeling her magic through her mace shaped Mystic Code, Fleda was conjuring a protective blizzard around their position, pelting any nearby enemies with razor sharp ice shards that both caused direct damage but more importantly slowed them down. An opening that her sisters readily exploited, with Chihiro swinging the dagger she used as her Mystic Code in wide arcs to send crescents of white hot flames hurtling through the air to incinerate targets and Alyssa, her headband Mystic Code glowing with the magic she channeled, launching bolt after bolt of lightning to likewise reduce the enemy to ash.
Dom was still searching for Yuki and Yori or Bella and Jane or even Yumi when her focus was pulled back to her own situation as a bolt of lightning shot past Dom's face. It had leapt from Felicia's hand at an advanced twisted amalgam of tree and giant spider, the view of which was swiftly blocked by a wall of ice courtesy of Shira-chan that blocked the sickly green fireballs that the monster had spat her way.
"Dom, the others are fine!" Felicia told her bluntly, as static sparked from the beret that was her Mystic Code as she arced a lightning bolt over Shirayuki's barrier to hit the attacking monster from earlier.
"Focus on the enemy in front of us." Shirayuki added as with a thought, she had her ice barrier shatter and sent the deadly shards hurtling towards the monster.
"Right. Sorry." Dom replied sheepishly as she added her own power to their efforts. "Void Cutter."
With her incantation and an accompanying swing of her arm, she sent a blade of void energy at the chimeric combination of plant and animal that bisected the creature, killing it and causing its corpse to rapidly decay into an unrecognisable mush.
"Void Wave," Dom cast, unleashing a tsunami of void energy ahead of her that disintegrated the mob of child sized humanoids made of twisted roots that tried to rush her position following the fall of the chimera.
"Anyone seen any sign of the Outsiders?" Dom asked as she savoured the newly bought respite.
Knowing where the Outsiders were was essential. If they could defeat them and send them back whence they came, then they could nip this battle in the bud. For as daunting as the sea of monsters before her was, without their Outsider mistresses, the Circle's armies would disintegrate in short order.
"Dom!" Felicia shouted suddenly as she used a Chain Lightning spell to fry an entire swarm of monstrous spiders and pointed to an indistinct shape some distance away in the mist. "Over there! Is that what I think it is?"
Dom turned towards the direction that her wife was pointing and in front of her eyes, she saw the mist clear suddenly revealing an Victorian era English estate off in the distance.
"The Witch's House!?" Dom hissed in disbelief as she used a Void Nova to unleash a shockwave of void energy around her position to clear the area around of her enemies, buying her some space once more. Space that was kept open first by Shirayuki erecting thick barriers of ice around it, a task she was soon assisted with as the rest of their family fell in around her and kept enemies off her.
"Message." Dom cast, reaching out to Yumi via the telepathic link created by the spell. "Yumi, I've spotted the Witch's House. I'm going to investigate. I leave the command of the local forces to you."
"Dom-sama? What?" Yumi muttered back, shocked. "Me? Why not Yuki-san?"
"Yes, you. I trust you with command." Dom reassured her as she sent a brace of Void Missiles to assist her family in keeping the enemy at bay. "Yuki, is not one for command. She'll feel more comfortable on the front. You have command."
Yumi sucked in a deep, fortifying breath before replying. "Understood, Dom-sama. Be careful."
"I will," Dom replied. "Take care of our troops."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Yumi replied, her voice full of determination.
Allowing herself a smile despite the madness of the situation, Dom cut the connection.
"Shirayuki, Felicia, children, we're heading to the Witch's House." Dom shouted to her family. "Let's go!"
Her family shouted back their acknowledgement even as Dom used Void Cannon to fire a massive purple black beam of void energy that cleared a deep trench in the ranks of the surrounding enemy hordes.
Without needing additional prompting, the assembled Tredecim family immediately began running through the gap the spell had opened up in the enemy lines. With magic enhancing their bodies they ran faster than even the best athletes could manage and cleared almost a kilometre whilst barely challenged by the enemy, disorientated as they were by the sudden attack. Sadly not all the enemy forces were reeling in confusion and they were soon forced to a stop as they found themselves faced with a group of amorphous, slime-like shoggoths and a battalion of demons.
"For Azathoth and her Reaper!" The new army of extradimensional invaders in front of them roared as one even as they charged towards Dom and her family.
"Bulletstorm!" Dante cast, sending innumerable bullets of arcane energy flying at the enemy legions.
"Judgement of Darkness and Light!" Rose Iris cast, her voice echoing with the unity of her two personalities, as Elegant Wrath clasped its hands as if in prayer and spheres of mixed dark and light energy materialized deep within the charging enemy ranks, disintegrating all they touched.
"Void Cannon Salvo!" Dom cast, adding a dozen beams of void energy to the barrage alongside the various spells of lightning, ice and fire from the rest of her family.
Faced with the intense onslaught unleashed upon them by the assembled Tredecim family, the enemy practically melted into non-existence so through was their destruction. In mere seconds, what had once been an imposing monstrous host was reduced to nothing.
"Let's go." Dom ordered as she continued the run towards the Witch's House. "Before the enemy can regroup."
A few minutes of running and the destruction of a few dozen more particularly daring contingents of the enemy that futilely attempted to bar their way later, Dom and her family finally made it to the boundary of the House.
Said infamous estate strangely sat like a veritable sea of tranquility in the chaotic sea that was the surrounding battlefield, as whilst everywhere else was crawling with some lurking monster aligned with the Circle or being secured by the Council's forces or actively contested, the immediate surrounds of the House was lacking in any activity.
"Master, this feels like a trap." Dante observed warily as he scanned the area in front of the wrought iron gates that blocked entry beyond the House's outer wall.
"I know." Dom agreed. "So keep your guard up. But we have to at least try some diplomacy. We really should at least attempt to avoid fighting the entire Sapphic Circle if we can."
"I know, Master." Rose said, sounding worried.
"But if this fails," Iris continued, her voice radiating furious determination. "We're taking this place apart. Brick by brick if we have to."
Dom shot her apprentice a nod, even as she inwardly flinched at having to even attempt such. The Witch's House was infamous across Creation for being undefeated and the Thirteenth Lord was not keen on testing her mettle against. Not if she could avoid it.
Which is why we're going to try talking first. Dom thought as she took a deep fortifying breath.
"Mistresses of the Witch's House," Dom shouted at the building through its closed front gate. "I am the Thirteenth Lord of the Council of Thirteen, a guardian of this world, and I come seeking to parley."
Dom had come expecting many possible responses to her request. Outright refusal perhaps in the form of an attack at her mere impudence. Or if she was lucky, an offer of some kind of preliminary negotiations before more formal talks. Of course, the Outsiders just had to surprise by choosing a course of action that she had not expected: easy acceptance.
"We welcome you, Thirteenth Lord of Thirteen." A sweet, feminine voice boomed from the House. "But only you. The Fourth and Sixth must leave."
Rose Iris and Dante both immediately opened their mouths to protest but Dom shot them both a stern look.
"Go," she ordered. "If these are the House's Mistresses' terms for a parley then we will adhere to them. You both know what is at stake."
"But Master-"
"I will brook no argument, Rose Iris This is an order as your Master." She told her apprentices firmly. "You and Dante are to go rejoin our forces on the Northern front immediately."
Rose Iris looked ready to continue arguing her command but Dante grabbed her arm, causing her to look at him and his shaking head. The Summoner Lord frowned but conceded with a curt nod.
"Stay safe, Master." She said, turning back to shoot Dom a warning look. "If anything happens to you. I will find some way to get back at you for making me, us, worry."
Dom just offered her daughter in all but blood a reassuring smile. "I know. Run along. Dante, watch her back."
"I will Master," the Sixth Lord said with a nod. "We'll see you later."
With that, Elegant Wrath conjured a sphere of mixed dark and light energy around itself and the two younger Lords of the Thirteen and teleported all three of them away and back into the meat grinder that was the surrounding battle.
"I'm surprised you didn't ask us to leave too," Felicia asked as they all looked off into the distance to see Rose Iris, Elegant Wrath and Dante rematerialise in the middle of a legion of enemy demons which they promptly eradicated in a show of their fury at being forced to leave the rest of them behind.
"Would the rest of you have listened?" Dom asked, pointedly as she turned away from the sight of her apprentices off in the distance.
"Of course not," Shirayuki said bluntly even as their daughters all shook their heads. "There's no way we'd leave you alone in a situation like this."
"And that's why I didn't even bother to ask."
"You know your family very well," a new voice, this time harsher but still clearly feminine, boomed from the direction of the House even as its gate swung open. "That's good."
"Yes, it's always a good thing to see a happy family." The previous voice said as its owner, a blonde woman in a white dress with blue trim said as she walked towards them down the gravel driveway of the House, arm in arm with a purple haired woman in a matching purple dress with red trim.
"And we are more than pleased to meet with you to parley." The purple haired woman, the owner of the second voice from earlier, said with a smile that was welcoming but which also contained a tinge of bloodlust. "Thirteenth of Thirteen."
"Then let us begin." Dom said as she steadied her nerves for what was likely to be the most important set of negotiations she'd ever participate in.
Despite her words, the parley did not in fact immediately begin. Instead, the Mistresses of the Witch's House had requested a few minutes to set up some amenities first. Although impatient to begin, Dom knew better than to deny their request so she alongside her family watched with some amusement as the two Outsiders conjured a long rectangular table and chairs, that would not have been out of place in the conference room of some corporate office, and had a troop of animated mannequins and a deceptively human looking maid cover it with tea and savouries before finally inviting them all to take a seat.
"Now then, I apologize for the delay." The blonde Outsider said with a genuinely kind smile. "But now that we're all settled I think it is time my wife and I introduced ourselves. I am Viola, the Ribbon of Time and Spice (2), Mistress of the Witch's House."
"Ellen, Mistress of the Witch's House, Doll Collector (2)." The other Outsider said with a smirk that radiated menace.
They seem intent on playing good cop, bad cop it seems.
"And I am-"
"We know who you are, Thirteenth of Thirteen. Your family too. You can skip your introductions." The Doll Collector said with a dismissive wave of her hand even as her wife shot her a mildly annoyed look.
"Very well then," Dom allowed, eyeing the purple haired Outsider warily. "I take it that you'd like me to get to the point as well?"
"It would be best," the Ribbon of Time and Space said with a sigh. "Ellen is a little testy. You interrupted us whilst we were in the middle of dancing the Paphian Jig you see."
Dancing the Paphian Jig? What in the wo-
She means they were in the middle of having sex, Dom. Felicia supplied, her embarrassment radiating through their bond only matched by Shirayuki's amusement.
"V-Viola!" The Doll Collector shouted in dismay, her whole face red.
Ignoring her wife, the other Outsider just smirked and continued. "In fact, I'd just a le petite mort and Ellen was just about to as well when you arrived at our property line."
"Viola! Stop! Please!"
The aforementioned woman smirk gained a victorious edge as she turned to her wife.
"And that's for talking me into having sex whilst we waited when I was against it."
"As if not getting to climax wasn't bad enough already?" The purple haired Mistress of the House whined as she pouted. "You're being cruel, Viola."
Her blonde wife just shrugged and turned back to address Dom.
Despite having allowed us to stay, it's like they've forgotten the rest of us exist. Shirayuki observed, her words accompanied by mental images of the two Outsiders studiously ignoring her and Felicia, as well as their daughters.
More like she's deliberately ignoring us. Felicia countered, to which Dom offered her wordless agreement.
"Now then," the blonde Outsider said with an inviting grin. "What do you want from us Thirteenth of Thirteen?"
"Your withdrawal." Dom replied bluntly. The Outsiders had requested she get to the point quickly after all. "Preferably of the Circle in its entirety but I'll settle for just the both of you and the Witch's House."
"We can't do anything about the former even if we wanted to. We of the Circle are more a circle of like minded individuals. We are a group of friends rather than a hierarchical organisation. Whilst we are often touted as the leaders of the Circle because we often meet in the House, in truth we hold no authority over the others."
"What Ellen is trying to say is that they wouldn't listen to us even if we told them to retreat. And we honestly do not want to."
"Why?" Dom asked, on guard. Was their lack of desire to do so a sign that this whole parley was nothing but a trap?
"Because we want to let them have their fun. They can decide to leave once they've had their fair share. It would be rude of us to impose on that." The purple haired Outsider said with a shrug.
"That said," the Ribbon of Time and Space continued before Dom could express her disappointment. "We, Ellen and I, are willing to withdraw if some simple terms are met."
"Name them."
"All we want is permission for us and our House to visit your world freely." The Doll Collector said with a smirk. "That's not too much to ask is it?"
"No," Dom admitted, having expected much harsher demands. "But is that truly all you want?"
"Yes," the blonde Outsider affirmed. "Whilst we do believe in the Circle's greater goal for our meddling with Thirteen, what the two of us really want is a safe haven, of sorts, for us to 'park' our House in between forays into potentially hostile realities and your world, Thirteen's world, is ideal for that. After all, we have confidence that even with just what we've accomplished already, the Circle's goal is already well on its way to being achieved."
Dom was curious to unpack the hidden meanings in that statement. Both in regards to the Circle's broader goals and in why their world would function as a safe haven for the Witch's House. Surely, there were better places for it to seek safe harbour should it need to.
That said, she knows not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"And you would be satisfied with just my promise alone?"
"Of course." The purple haired Mistress of the House said with a snort. "Considering your influence within Thirteen, a promise from you is tantamount to a promise from the entirety of Thirteen."
Dom is a little surprised by the phrasing the Mistress of the House was using, and had consistently used, to refer to the Council. It sounded oddly suspicious for some reason she couldn't quite put a finger on but she knew now was not the time to push the issue. Negotiating with Outsider was a delicate issue and she did not want to jinx things.
"I agree to your terms, but I must warn you that whilst I will try to ensure that the Council adheres to any agreement they make, I must stress that I cannot unilaterally make any promises on its behalf."
"That is good enough for us." The more affable of the two Outsiders said. "Now let's sw-"
"Before that, I do have conditions."
"You're pushing your luck, mortal." The purple haired extradimensional invader said, her gold eyes glowing with a malevolent inner light.
"Ellen," her wife scolded, cowing the woman who nevertheless continued to glare at Dom with her glowing eyes even as the blonde continued speaking. "Please ignore her. Let us hear your terms."
"I want you two to agree that you will not harm anyone, outside of self-defense, when you choose to visit our world." Dom said, keeping a wary eye on the Doll Collector. "And I would like a binding oath to secure your agreement on this matter."
The blonde Outsider shot her wife a questioning look at that. Said purple haired woman frowned but after a moment of contemplation sighed and nodded.
Smiling, the blonde turned back to Dom.
"Then we are all in agreement. Let us make our oaths then."
"You first," Dom suggested cautiously.
"Cheeky mortal." The purple haired Outsider said with a predatory glare. "But if you insist. Viola, you ready?"
"Yes, love." The blonde said as she offered a hand to her wife who took it in a gentle but firm hold.
"We, Ellen and Viola." The two Outsiders said in unison, their voices booming with supernatural authority. "Mistresses of the Witch's House, hereby swear on our essence, magic and the life it sustains that we will withdraw from this battle in exchange for the right to freely visit the world of Thirteen as granted by the promise of the Thirteenth of Thirteen. We also promise that during our visits that we will limit ourselves to violence only in self-defense. So mote it be!"
As they finished their oath, the entire world seemed to shudder for a moment as if the very fundamental laws of reality had been subtly altered in some indescribable way.
"Your turn, Thirteenth of Thirteen." The purple haired Outsider said as she and her wife let go of each other's hands.
Dom nodded and made her own oath.
"I, Dominique Tredecim, Thirteenth Lord of the Council of Thirteen, hereby swear on my magic that I will uphold the bargain struck today between the Mistresses of the Witch's House and myself. Within reason."
There was no subtle shift in reality in response to Dom's oath, just her body glowing as the binding magical pact was sealed but it nevertheless seemed to satisfy the Outsiders, Mostly.
"Interesting wording there, mortal." The purple haired Outsider said with a frown. "So very cautious phrasing you used there."
"Wasn't it good enough for you?" Dom asked, offering a disarming smile. "I could make another if you think it was insufficient."
"No, that is fine." The other Outsider said, shooting her counterpart a warning glare as she did. "And that concludes our business here. It was a pleasure meeting you Thirteenth of Thirteen. Come Ellen, it's time to go."
The purple haired woman didn't look pleased but nevertheless nodded and an instant later, the Witch's House and both of its Mistresses were gone leaving Dom and her family standing awkwardly in an empty space in the centre of a still raging battle.
"Well, that was anticlimactic." Fleda said, sounding relieved despite her words.
"Speak for yourself, Fleda." Chihiro snapped. "I'd rather this than having to fight them."
"Same," Alyssa added, suppressing a shiver. "Did you feel the power of their auras? It was scary strong."
"Yes, it was." Felicia agreed. "But enough chit chatting girls. Don't forget we're still in the middle of a warzone."
As if to prove this point, a flock of winged demons suddenly shot out of the cover of a cloud overhead and began diving towards them.
"Let me," Shirayuki declared as she raised a hand towards the incoming infernals and fired a cone of frost at them that transformed them into frozen statues. "Dom, Felicia, if you two would be so kind?"
"On it." "Of course." Dom said at the same time as Felicia did, even as they both unleashed spells of their own that shattered the statues, showering them and their family with a harmless rain of snow.
"We have more inbound!" Chihiro shouted as she sent a fire tornado spinning towards a group of twisted treants lumbering towards them.
Even as they burned, hundreds more abominations of every possible type under the command of the Circle moved to replace them. All of them making a beeline for the assembled Tredecims.
"Destroy them and cut a way back to our lines." Dom shouted as she and her family began unloading spell after spell against the enemy.
"Yes, Mama!" "Yes, Dom!"
Endnotes:
(1): Alicia is a character that is introduced in an planned side story entitled The Legacy of the Father in the fic dedicated to companion pieces to the main story that goes by the name Stories in the World of Thirteen.
(2): Viola and Ellen's titles here will make sense if you've read my previous fic Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs). If you're interested to find out how, please give it a read. Am I shamelessly shilling my previous work? Why, yes I am! Perhaps more pertinent to this chapter, the choice of which title they use first is important as it signifies which is more defining to them. Put simply, Ellen's use of Mistress of the Witch's House as her first title signifies that she's the House's true mistress and that this is her most defining trait whilst Viola's use of it second shows that it was something she gained by marrying Ellen.
Done!
And thus the battle begins. Hope everyone enjoyed this opening act of the climactic battle of this story. It's been a long time coming and I really do hope it lives up to everything that I've been building up to. We'll just have to see if it does, won't we? But for now, onto more current matters...
So if you're wondering why Viola and Ellen are so cavalier about everything, just remember how they're seeing things. This is a game to them. Everything that has led up to it and even this invasion itself is nothing more than entertainment for them and their friends in the Sapphic Circle whilst they enjoyed their get together. Of course, they aren't going to take things too seriously. That said, whether this attitude is shared by the other members of the Circle involved in the invasion is something you'll just have to read on to find out.
Viola and Ellen's attitude to things is also why they chose to negotiate their withdrawal rather than stay and fight. On a more meta level, I wanted to show the varied ways in which a conflict can be resolved. It's not always going to end in an epic showdown. Though that will be coming soon.
I hope to see you all there, even if it's at least a few chapters away. Anyways~! Till next chapter arrivederci!