Belfast, Ireland
The nine girls start their journey through Ireland, in a few days they will be in Dublin to end that part of the Journey going after Hellene, when they leave the port city, they continue the journey, from there they stop in Belfast, where by the city everything was calm until then, they stay where one of Amanda's trio's hiding places is and there they spend the night, taking everything in a cart, where they left the horses outside, while in the hiding place, under a tree root, they were with the things kept in that hole that also serves of the house, but with the falling of the night that the things began to change, as they began to hear cries of despair of the people of the city and with that each one is between looking, thinking in how they will act in that moment.
Due to the situation getting tighter with chances of creatures appear, they decide to get the weapons and go to the city, also as an opportunity to earn a little more gold, the more by Sucy and Amanda that saw that, they were starting to leave there prepared, already starting to face some bats that are starting to attack the girls, what is relatively calm, such as floating jellyfish heads, I don't know if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea, because I'm sure it's a good idea, because I'm sure it's a good idea, because I'm sure it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea, because I'm sure it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
Akko: When we came it was safe and now out of nowhere there are going to be these creatures here.
Diana: I don't know, but let's try to find what is causing all this.
Amanda: Time to 'ave sahme foehn!
Amanda was all excited, shooting with her arrows towards the creatures of the night, already Jasminka was preparing the ammunition to shoot with her hand cannon, while Constanze was covering her with O'Neill, showing a little how they worked in a group and in sync, just like Diana and Akko that attacked together hordes of jellyfish heads that were floating towards them, an attack kind of surprise, sudden that the inhabitants of the city of Belfast were facing, leaving them without reaction.
The city was busy in the biggest rush, it didn't help much in that, but the girls made a point of trying to calm everything down, going on top of the creatures, as always Marianne was the lucky one that hit everything but the creatures and those hits ended up creating a reaction that exactly affected the creatures of the night that were hit, ironically making them be killed by the things that the whip hit by mistake.
Sucy: I love it when cities are like this, it means the reward is going to come fat.
Lotte: Sucy!
Sucy simply shrugged and shot arrows, some of them set on fire by Lotte, who lit some barrels of oil that were almost open and caused a small explosion. The same thing Croix also did, with the presence of some barrels of gunpowder, the explosions affected some creatures that were set on fire and then killed, but of course with the utmost care, since it can end up causing some fire in the city.
They still don't have the slightest idea what is the causer of all this, they just keep on with the attacks trying to get to where the centre is, but it is very well spread, there are hordes of creatures everywhere and apparently well planned, this way not even Diana can use her powers since even at night she is in the middle of the city.
They just go with the human force, walking through the streets of the city, Diana and Akko come across a Malachi, a brown colored demon, who is releasing fireballs, with small wings, capable of making him float a little and that way they already prepare to attack him, standing in a formation, since only the couple was in that part of town.
Diana: A Malachi, I recommend not getting close, that thing can hit very well.
Akko: That's if it comes near me.
Akko immediately goes running to Malachi, the same goes launching fireballs towards Kagari, but she simply uses the Katana where she can break them and that scene even left Diana a little surprised, what made the Cavendish already start acting, she in a hidden way shoots fireballs through the cape towards the creature, that tries to hit the Japanese with a paw, but it jumps over the hand of the monster and then gives a blow on the head, but ends up being thrown, with the katana getting kind of stuck on the head of the same that was screaming and with that Cavendish was the one that passed next with the sword giving a cut that ended up breaking in half that Malachi that ended up just screaming and dissolving and this way the human took the sword and got a smile for the Scottish, that also reciprocates.
Diana: I forget I can't smile, ahhh, but anyway, it was a great tactic, let's keep going, there must be others of those who are attacking the city.
Akko only agrees with the head, they keep going where the night creatures attacks are happening, already on another side of the city, Marianne, Sucy and Lotte also arrive to a Malachi and that way Yanson goes opening the book, trying to suck the soul of the same, with Manbavaran trying to shoot him down, with arrows and also potions, only that the same one keeps throwing fireballs, which Marianne uses her whip to defend herself and in this ended up ironically making a shield from a blacksmith shop fall, blocking the same fireballs and in this way the monster was slowly having its soul being sucked.
Sucy: You really were born to have all the luck in the world weren't you.
Marianne just shrugs and with that the soul of that Malachi is quickly acquired in that book of Lotte and the creature is crumbling little by little, which makes the girls continue their way. Already in another corner of the city, Croix was alone, but that didn't stop her to act even so and she made sure to show that even so, she can get around very well, jumping from corner to corner, preparing her arquebus for the best shots, always shooting where it hits not only one, but several creatures and then taking cover, besides throwing small bombs that she keeps kept in her waistband especially for that moment.
During this walk through the streets of the city, Meridies comes across one of the Malachi, the creature was devouring the body of an inhabitant, and with that the Lombarda carefully aims the musket ball, hitting a precise shot that gets right in the eye of the creature, which starts screaming looking back, spitting the human that was already dead and with half of the body broken in half.
Croix, was already hidden in a cover after throw a bomb near the Malachi prepare another shot and quickly the same was hit by it that ended up knocking him down on the ground and then when the same was going to get up, Meridies gives a shot that catches close to the creature's head which makes it undo, with that already finishing once and for all with another one of Malachi.
Croix: From the looks of it we're dealing with a Malachi invasion here, I haven't seen such things since I stepped foot in Countess Cavendish's castle.
Away from there in the castle of the Countess Cavendish herself, she was watching everything and was getting a little proud, without showing too much, seeing how well everyone is working on finishing the malachis that are invading the city, while Ursula was getting annoyed watching that scene and Elizabeth was getting excited, seeing the creatures being killed, which is already a behavior that was giving a slight envy even bigger with Callistis when seeing that Lancaster was celebrating.
Ursula: How can you celebrate this? Our Malachis are being slaughtered by these girls, simply our attacks are being practically useless.
Elizabeth: How come cannae ah celebrate? they're nae wimps.
Ursula: Which side are you on anyway?
Elizabeth: A'm oan th' richt side, ah dinnae hae tae keep thinking tis guid that they're wabbit, bein' gubbed by pathetic malachis, sin unlike ye ah fought they girls heid oan, bit ye juist staun thare keekin at everything 'n' it wilnae be wi' thae wabbit creatures that ye wull guide tae defeat thaim, whilk is guid, a'm waantin' thaim tae bade alive 'til ah git 'ere, a'm th' ainlie yin wha shuid hae diana's heid as a trophy, let's see if that cursed yin kin rammy me in a real rammy.
Ursula: If I were the master I would have already thrown you in the dungeon for your blasphemies, you just can't empathise with the likes of you, poor these Malachis, they have been trained with all the experience of our best trainers for you to come here and just find it pathetic.
Bernadette: Stop you two, let's just see how these girls get on, this is still only one of the attacks, at their next stop I have already prepared something else special, anyway, let's wait and see if they are really strong.
Back in the city of Belfast, little by little the Malachis were being killed by the girls, who were lowering their numbers, especially among the green team, who with Jasminka's cannon, were a trio practically invincible at long range, having the speed of Amanda's arrows, the lethality of Constanze's shots every time and then the attack that was considered for more critical situations, in this case the cannonballs fired by Antonenko.
Amanda: That's just the easiest thing in the world.
They were walking from street to street, sweeping the bats, ghosts and jellyfish heads that passed by, the panic was slowly getting smaller, the nine girls, simply with all the ease of the world were getting around that situation, killing Malachi by Malachi, there were still many, but they were already getting a smaller number. On the
other hand Diana and Akko reached a part of the city, where they felt tremors on the ground of a square, followed by a crack, then a huge plant emerged, from that plant appeared a giant naked redheaded woman that started throwing roses and also throwing some clover shaped spells towards the two that took cover beside a building.
Akko: I've seen those in France, but not that size.
Diana: Venus weeds, that's a really big one, that must be the one behind everything here let's try to get the attention for the girls to come here.
Akko only agrees with the head, this way, they go trying to find something, to try to emit a light, they manage to find what was apparently some fires, and this way they go shooting from where they are located, to indicate that they were in that place, this way in one of the parts of the city nearby, Croix noticed the fires on the top and got a little confused, but soon started to follow the route towards them.
Croix: Itcould be a warning from the girls that they have found what is behind all this.
Croix soon arrives at the city, coming across the huge Venus grass and with that he hides with the two that are taking cover, but this cover was soon interrupted, by roots coming out of the ground, by which the two were dodging and after they were trying to run trying to find another cover, where as they passed they were almost hit by the roses full of thorns, but Marianne appears with a shield on her arm, where she was thrown by one of the Malachi and with that they had another luck.
Marianne: That was a close one, we almost got hit by those poisonous roses.
Sucy: I already told Lotte, stop trying to get the souls of the Malachis, we don't have time for that.
Croix simply shoots the head of the Malachi that Lotte was trying to get the soul of and in a matter of moments its soul goes into the book, since she wanted to get enough souls just so she could summon it, but this time, they were already in six again, near the main one, the Venus weed that was starting to take roots out of the ground to attack the girls who were dodging.
Sucy and Akko: Shall we burn this plant?
Lotte only agrees with the head and soon makes a point of throwing fireballs, Diana also does the same thing, throwing fireballs hidden, but a barrier prevented the plant from catching fire, what the girls already made a point of noticing that something could be happening, this way they again take cover and keep thinking about a plan.
Then they dodge again, having problems with those roots, which Akko and Diana are cutting each one and Sucy was taking them, leaving them in her bag, possibly to make some potion.
Soon Amanda's trio arrives, they were trying to find another Malachi to kill, but they had already finished with everyone that was in the way, leaving only the herb Venus that soon attacks the girls throwing roses towards the three, but they are protected by a magic barrier created by Lotte.
Amanda: Interesting, a naked woman inside a plant, that way I will feel sorry to kill such a thing. Jas you already know what to do.
At that moment Jasminka shoots with her cannon, but the woman inside the grass dodges the cannon ball that ends up catching on a house and this way a part of the same residence ends up going down with the potency of the shot, which makes the trio keep looking at each other and then O'Neill starts laughing scratching the back of her head, they then take cover with the other girls.
Amanda: How do you defeat something like that?
Akko: The most efficient way was fire, but she has a barrier against that, we'll need to take our chances if we want anything.
Diana: Leave it to me, I already know what to do.
Diana takes a shield in hand and her sword, then she goes out of the cover, a little forcedly since the girls were also attacked by the roots of that plant that kept attacking them. Amanda on the other hand also takes a shield and Constanze's pistol, running towards the creature together with Diana who was running until the wall of the houses, jumping from one to another, trying to find a high place and dodging the roses thrown by Venus.
[Diana's Thought: What is this lass thinking? This isn't child's play here, it's her own life that's at stake, it's not simply something she can go around dodging roses to defeat the plant].
Diana was just ignoring passed the sword in a barrel of lamp oil, then when she got close to the creature she lights the sword using the powers of the same to create fire and with that she goes very close, on the creature attacking her that way, but the petals were closing around Cavendish, just like a liquid was coming out, she was trying to hit the woman, but she dodged, until a hole ended up being opened on the wall of the cells, followed by a shield that was thrown catching the body of the woman that turned to O'Neill and the Cavendish soon stuck the sword in that opening of the plant that she found, but it is thrown back with everything, with an explosion, that liquid was also flammable, the plant made a point then to shrink all, to be guarded and this way Diana and Amanda tried somehow to attack, but the petals, were impenetrable walls.
Diana: What are you doing here? Could you have died?
Amanda: Spoke the one who almost turned plant snack.
The two stare at each other with a half angry look, but then a hole opens up in the walls of the plant and in that way the Venus herb itself blossoms angrily, seeing that it was being opened, it was the cannon shots of Jasminka who kept preparing to fire more towards the plant.
Amanda and Diana soon start to attack the plant from close, the Cavendish tries to give some cuts, but the plant deflects, Amanda on the other hand tries to shoot with Constanze's pistol in the centre of the plant, in lumps that were forming, but they always shrank, that was where the heart of the plant was and that way the Cavendish turned and stuck her sword with everything in one of the hearts of the plant, which could make one of the petals rot and with that the woman was even acquiring a more putrefied appearance.
Amanda: Before she was even hot, but now she's disgusting, I would never let myself be devoured by something like that.
Diana: We are in a battle, stop thinking about these indecencies.
Akko arrives next and with the katana, saves the girls from being hit by a root and the two even stop talking to each other, returning to focus on the battle, the Kagari hits right where the stomach of the woman was, opening the guts of the woman, but at the same time revealing that there is nothing, at the same time that suddenly turned into a mouth and this way the three jump back, away from the plant that almost catches them to devour them.
Akko: Talk less and attack more.
Amanda: Sounds like your friend got jealous haha.
Akko: Jealous? You'd think so, I just don't want to die in a battle, we have a journey to finish.
Amanda gets a malicious expression on both of them, Akko even blushes a little, trying to deny that she was jealous of Diana, but the situation was showing something else, so they go back to focusing on defeating the creature, which was slowly focusing on attacking them, But soon the barrier was being broken, with Lotte throwing a fireball and revealing that it was finally giving results, not only that but Jasminka and Croix were preparing shots, which went through the petal walls and that way Amanda aims right where it was the woman's head with Constanze's pistol.
Amanda: Now you're going to look really bad.
A shot disfigured all that form, but didn't affect the plant, just left the woman inside it without the head, what ended up causing that same thing to deform, leaving the roots and becoming a taller plant, revealing teeth, starting to go up the trio that was on the ground, but Marianne appears in time, she gives a whip that hits well in a sphere inside the creature's mouth that starts to squirm catching fire.
This way the four stay farther away, watching the creature struggling in flames, but then getting well again, getting the focus directly on the girls, it spurts a liquid that the same ones are dodging and with that all nine take cover behind a building, noticing that the ground began to slightly dissolve.
Akko: We're going to have to stay away from that thing.
Constanze, also takes advantage and takes her pistol back in a rude way from Amanda's hands and that way the girls with long range attacks come out of the cover, Amanda and Sucy shoot arrows, those the creature simply dodges, Constanze takes but is dodged, the same with Croix, But at the same time Jasminka fires a shot foreseeing that the plant would dodge and really the plant dodges to the left being hit right in the middle, this way there was no way it could survive, since the cannon ball crossed the other side taking the pearl that was inside it and breaking it all, making shrapnel fall, the plant simply withered and then went out in flames.
Amanda: We finally managed to prune that plant.
Diana: You almost died in this, I was going to know how to handle it inside the plant, I was waiting so I could use my powers, but you got in the way O'Neill.
Amanda: Why complain? We made it in the end, now let's enjoy it and see if this city rewards us.
Akko: No fights, Amanda is not wrong, we managed to defeat the plant and we had no way of knowing that you would defeat the plant like that, not to mention that you were the one who started acting on your own, not even Amanda.
Diana: I thought of the best strategy to save us, now let's go back home.
The people slowly came out of their houses and hiding places, and when they noticed that everything was safe and that the girls had helped them, they began to celebrate. They were approached by a local nobleman, who gave each of the girls a bag of gold and felt a little more grateful, but when he offered them a place to stay, Amanda simply refused.
Amanda: Sorry, but we already have a place to stay, anyway thanks for the gold.
This way the nobleman bows to the girls and then leaves, the group returns to the trio's hiding place and it was possible to notice Sucy's discontent that was a little irritated, she went to talk a little with Lotte, but O'Neill, overheard some of their conversation, creating a little friction between them and the trio of girls from Ireland.
Sucy: Now, because of this redhead, we have to stay in this little place here, we could have a place with luxury and everything else, where you could bathe in comfort and we have to stay inside this hole.
Amanda: What luxury, go to the city hotel, spend your gold, I'm not just going to accept the stay of an earl or duke, I can't trust these guys, they give you a stay and then lock you up in their castle, the next thing you know they have you married to their son.
Sucy: We are in a group, it used to only happen with Akko and me when it was just me and her, but after we got together with Lotte it got better, all we need is to work as a group in the most.
Amanda: Hmpf, whatever, I don't trust these nobles, they lock you up in their castle, and I'll never trust them, I'd rather spend my gold staying in one place, or find my own hole to stay in. Besides you have an advantage, nobody would be interested in someone a bit different like you.
Diana a bit furious: Dinnae blether that wey aboot akko 'n' sucy! they're nae pure weird, they're bonny! juist fur thay come fae a far awa' steid doesn't mean they're hackit, ah think akko's beauty is barry, a've ne'er seen a wifie as bonny as her afore...
They all look at Diana at that moment and the Cavendish gets all blushed, then she hides in a place of the room, Akko gets all dull, scratching the back of her head, the girls keep looking at Kagari without reaction, the Scottish girl hiding and they see something that is happening, which even helps to leave the climate that would give a possible discussion, in something lighter, due to the Dhampir's compliment.
Far away from there in the castle of the Countess Cavendish in Edinburgh, there Ursula was frustrated to see that one more of the missions didn't work out, already Elizabeth celebrates, with that the two leave when seeing Bernadette's reaction of complete silence, already noticing what was the message to be given. The two leave the leader alone, but this solitude was interrupted by the presence of a skeletal being wearing a tunic and using a sickle, that presence of death to arrive and negotiate a pact with her.
Death: Oh Bernadette, I have come to make a deal, I think you will accept such a pact.
Bernadette: You have come again to torment me, it's not enough this curse on me, it's not enough that you have sought my wife, all the bad things that have been happening, what do you want with me? Do you want me to turn aside? I will not cause deaths of those who do not deserve to die, I have already said that I will not kill unjustly, I am not one to do such a thing.
Death: That's why I'm marking my presence here, let's talk a little Bernadette Cavendish, I have a pact that you won't resist, I believe you can't deny a request like that.
At that moment, Death shows Bernadette the pact, and she reads it to know the conditions, she goes along patiently, thinking deeply, while Death watched the whole action, then she cuts her wrist with a feather, signs the pact with her name and looks a little sad, but at the same time she feels relieved, with a little smile on her face.
Bernadette: If this is better for my two girls I will make a point of accepting, I already know that I do not have much hope for myself, but I cannot take away the hope of the girls. But why you the death that wants so much to cause me to change sides and keep killing people, now you wanted me to sign something like this.
Death: Exactly so, as Dracula you are incompetent, you are too goody-goody as Dracula, I hope the curse can find a better receptacle, as soon as this contract is made, let it not take too long, after all it was made with affection by your sister, it was not the first of the pacts she made with me, but now she finally used her head.
Bernadette walks to the window of the castle watching the moon, she even gets a smile on her face, just remembering her sister and the good times they spent together in the castle when they were children, before all this ended up happening, but Bernadette's smile would last a short time, when death decides to open her mouth again.
Death: To think that the same person who threw this at you now wants to take it away from you, it seems Daryl really can't make up his mind.
Bernadette feels frozen at hearing that statement of death and turns around angrily, heading towards the reaper, grabbing her by the neck and also holding her by her cloak, displaying a whole murderous look towards her.
Bernadette: What are you implying by that, Death?
Death: You know it won't do any good to end me, because I am death itself, but since I want to get rid of a weight and cause a little chaos, I will say, I will tell you the truth, this all came from 1522 when the curse came to your body, it was all orchestrated by your sister, she wanted to put the curse on you to make you kill everyone in the family and then come out as a heroine when she killed you, but she underestimated Dracula's curse, she had no idea that you were so powerful but so useless at the same time, she was the one who did it all, she wanted to kill you Bernadette, from the beginning, she didn't order you to be killed because she wanted to save your family, she wanted to kill you to look like the heroine, to take possession of everything that is yours, you were too naive, everything that has happened in your life has been affected by your sister's attitudes, including even...
At the time death shows a past event, the death of Laura McLaren, where she shows Daryl presenting a document to the bishop showing convictions and evidence for her to be framed, as well as paying a few pounds for her to be executed, which was leaving Cavendish devastated, she went into a state of shock to see that her sister was behind it all, even hitting a banquet table that breaks in half with a powerful punch from the vampire who is furious.
Bernadette: Wretch! Damn you! I will kill Daryl!
Death: Your late wife was always right that your sister stinks, she was never any good, now you still have no idea what she plans to do, anyway bye-bye, I'll be back for you soon Bern, or as I like to call her, the worst Dracula in history.
The death simply dematerialized into dust, Bernadette started to angrily attack everything around, punching the castle walls, breaking even more the table that she made, she was simply getting more and more furious, she was looking at her sister in the crystal ball all normal next to her daughters, as if it was the most natural thing in the world and this time she even had in mind a target, something that she intends to do for her sister to swallow once and for all what she ended up doing with her older sister.
Bernadette: Everything bad that has come to happen in my life has been your fault, this curse, 29 years of torment, the loss of the love of my life, everything even, even this pact, I can't believe how I could be so stupid as to sign that pact, now, she can take advantage of this, if Diana and Hellene are normal... If she does something evil to my daughters? Ahhhhhhhh, Wretch! I swear I live she doesn't cross back to Ireland, I'll make a point of getting that wretch swallowed up by the Loch Ness monster!
Bernadette is getting frustrated, her whole life was a tremendous manipulation by her older sister who simply planned in her head all the evil that would happen to the younger one, all those bad things, happened because of Daryl and now the older Cavendish, was aware of that, it was no longer a secret.
Meanwhile the nine girls prepare themselves for another game, this time they will go to Dundalk, the last stop before going head to head with Hellene in Dublin, where it will be the definitive coming of the group, a way that will still have many surprises, mainly with a Bernadette that was irritated with the revelations that were thrown to her about the condition that was imposed to her since she was 16 years old, without even being able to reverse it, she is simply stuck to Dracula's curse, but a contract can change everything yet, a mysterious contract, with conditions that until then are without revelations.
See you, deal witches...