The training time had passed, quietly the girls were safe, since Chloé didn't come back to hunt the girls anymore, she ended up being grounded, with her parents taking her to Paris on a trip to learn good manners living with her Parisian cousin who has connections with the royal crown, Even though Deppailer didn't tell the reason, running away from home was enough for the 17 year old girl to have to be taken to learn good manners and this way be able to have the honours of having her freedom granted again. This part was already calmer for the girls, who continued spying on her until they were sure that she would really stay in Paris under close watch, so it took a few days before Lotte called the spirit back and didn't use so much magic in the process, since it was only a basic invocation.
In the training Akko and Diana were learning a little of each other's style, the Cavendish adapted well to the dirty and more street way of Kagari, while the Japanese was getting the notion of fighting in a cleaner way, besides noticing how some of the blows really left her with her guard down, for being very little time they couldn't perfect much, Lotte managed to have a slightly greater magical power to be able to summon and control creatures, as this time she perfected the summoning of the cursed books, just like the invocation of the gargoyle she faced in the other castle, besides an improvement in healing spells, it was what she acquired of knowledge in the meantime. Sucy learned to shoot with different types of weapons, having a greater notion, but in the more she improved in the crossbow and adopted it as the definitive weapon for her style, besides improving in the formation of potions and taking countless blessed arrows. At last the one that had the most improvement in all these days was Marianne, she was always facing all of them in their different styles, like Diana and Akko with their close attacks, Sucy shooting arrows that don't hurt her teaching her how to dodge and counter attack, Croix teaching her how to fight and carry a whip, which she managed to pick up one that was much better than her old whip and even facing the creatures summoned by Lotte, Leblanc went from totally clumsy without knowing how to wield a sword to just a clumsy girl who knows little about how to wield a weapon.
Edinburgh, Scotland
But things were about to get even tougher when the Countess Bernadette Cavendish woke up from her deep sleep, very much at the hands of a person who was in the castle controlling everything, a woman with blue hair and glasses, she found out about the journey of a group that intends to head to Great Britain, she was already keeping an eye on the activity at the Belmont's residence and when she found out about it she didn't think twice and decided to wake up the Countess because she is the one who has control over the creatures of the night, with the intention that she would do something before the disaster started.
Ursula Callistis, the current lady of that castle that already passed for so many hands after the coming of Chariot Belmont that nobody knows more what is happening, but what is evident is that the same place continues full of creatures of the night and in the underground of that place the blue haired woman goes to where was the coffin of Bernadette Cavendish, the room was dark, when opening the coffin there was the platinum haired woman, lying in a deep sleep, it had been almost 10 years that she was in that state, simply after everything that happened it was the solution of the problems that she decided to find, when waking up and opening those reddish eyes she catches that woman by the neck with a look full of hate and bloodthirsty.
Bernadette: You here again? What do you think you want to do with that stupid disguise?
Ursula: What disguise? I don't even know what you are talking about, I came to wake you up because I got a call that you are going to be useful to keep this castle in peace the way it has always been.
Bernadette pushing Ursula back: Don't make a fool of me Chariot Belmont, you have come to kill me, so kill me.
Ursula: Mistress I cannot kill you, I owe obedience to you, I will not do such a thing and I am not Chariot Belmont, I am Ursula Callistis, I am the mistress of this castle while you were asleep, but I need your help to make you stop what is coming.
At that moment Bernadette is confused and the Countess gets up, she notices that in Ursula's expression there is a little bit of truth, that way she walks through the castle following her, where she arrives in a room with a crystal ball, where she can observe the activity, from there Chariot shows her what was happening, a group of girls on a cart was taking a path through a road.
At that moment Cavendish takes a look at one of those girls and it was her own daughter who was on that trip, which was a bit strange, but it seemed that Ursula didn't recognize that that was the master's daughter with her, or she didn't care.
Ursula: According to the information I have gathered, they are on a journey heading here, the oldest one is precisely Chariot Belmont's colleague, I am sure they will come here, lady what do you intend to do with this? We have to stop before it's too late.
[Bernadette: Diana, you are so big my lassie, seeing you after so many years gives me a relief, but what about Hellene? Where is she? What happened to my lassie? Is she still hiding to this day? I really want to know what has been happening all these years, but I need to understand even more what is happening]
Bernadette puts her hand on the crystal ball, watching her daughter, a bit emotional and with a smile on her face, which strange Ursula by the reaction of the mistress that was all calm, at the same time she takes a deep breath and looks at Ursula, a bit to show that she is back.
Bernadette: I will send Mermans and a Cthulu out to sea between France and England, they will feel what it's like for real!
Ursula: Excellent plan my mistress, they will be stopped in every way, I will be cheering and watching anxiously for their deaths.
Bernadette turns around and whispers: Sorry about that daughter.
Bernadette goes walking backwards through the castle, trying to see what had changed, she notices that many places had become a chapel, that has a whole sector that is turned to church, but it is abandoned and full of creatures of the night, those that only stay bowing or just watching the countess, who goes looking detail by detail of that castle that in 10 years had changed a little in relation to what it was before.
Days later...
Santec, France
The girls left the Belmonts' residence and followed the way to Santec, where they arrived with only one day to travel. There they exchanged the cart and some coins for a sailboat in order to cross the English Channel, since it would take a whole day to cross 170km sailing on the icy waters between France and England. Because of this they stopped at the hotel in the city, woke up very early, stared at each other for a while and then looked at the sea, breathing deeply while the boat was moored at the beach.
Akko: Finally we have arrived
Diana: Time to go back to that island I never thought I would go back to before.
Croix: It has been almost 10 years since I stepped on a boat towards the other side.
Sucy: Just remembering boats and the sea already makes me remember how horrible it was to spend years at the hands of the Portuguese.
Akko: Come on!
The six girls get into the boat, leaving their luggage on it, and who set sail were Akko and Sucy for having a greater experience with boats than the other girls, even Croix, who despite being older, never got to sail a boat, she was always Chariot's passenger, or other people's, the sea was calm and the wind pointed to the north, perfect for sailing and reaching the destination they are so eager to reach.
Marianne: I have never even left the castle directly, I have always walked around the outskirts of the city of Chateaumorand, but now I am here at sea, looking at a huge blue immensity, it seems that we are going to reach the edge and then fall into a huge void.
Sucy and Akko start laughing with Marianne's statement about the land and she gets all confused, questioning the reason of the girls' laughter.
Meanwhile at the other side of the channel, the mermans start to enter the sea water little by little in formation, the Cthulu follows the group, also entering the water, all going towards the group that was on that small sailboat.
Akko: The land is bigger than you think Mari, it doesn't have that edge no, I've been all around the world by ship and it's like a roller that always comes back to the same place, at least that's what I think, if you sail all the way around you will end up stopping on land, if you walk all that land, you stop at more sea and then land, it depends a lot on how far you sail and the direction.
Marianne: So you mean the world is not like a table? It's not a plane? You mean we live in a round place? But how can water not spill? If it is a roll, how does this water not spill?
Sucy: Because there is a force that holds things down and the earth is not a roller, it is a ball, it doesn't make sense to be a roller, it is easier to be a ball if there is a force pulling things down, then everything on all sides has to be pulled, even the earth itself.
Diana: I have already flown too high to know that it is a ball, when it gets high it becomes evident, and my fireballs have this force, when I let them get too concentrated, everything is attracted to one medium and they accumulate forming a ball, so that's why the earth is a ball, but it is so immense that we don't even notice, and we are so tiny in relation to the ball that we don't notice unless we are very high up.
Marianne was getting even more interested, Akko and Sucy were just agreeing with what Diana was saying, talking about these issues of the earth being round, spending a good few hours of this crossing, they even got to the subject of ship trips that the two Asians did, they were telling how are the different places in the world that the world is huge, to the point that it takes months on a ship trip in those big sailing boats.
Only that not everything is perfect, the trip was tightening a rain started in the middle of the way, leaving the situation more complicated, to make everything worse while the rain was rolling down and they were looking for a way to protect themselves, but soon began to come out mermans and create a bit of a tremor in the boats.
Akko: I hate the sea here, it is always full of crazy weather, it was always like that when we went on the Portuguese ships and the damn guys were always terrifying us saying that we could die and that the ship was going to sink, I remember it like it was the first time.
Diana was looking at the water at that moment noticing the strange movement and was already very alert, because that was not something normal, she made sure to take the Claymore from the sheath and stood at the bow of the boat where a Merman jumped and that way the Cavendish hit him with a precise cut that made him end up being sliced in two and after that she went back to the middle of the boat.
Startled Marianne: What... What was that?
Diana: Mermans, I didn't imagine they would infest the waters here.
The girls soon get their weapons and prepare themselves, Diana stays at the bow of the boat and the Mermans start jumping towards the girls, trying to invade the boat, Akko stays closer too, on one of the sides of the boat, Marianne tries to stay close and gives a whip with fear and closed eyes, when she opens them she notices that the whip, even without any blade, was able to open the creature and even kill it.
Marianne: Cool! I didn't know that the business is really good.
Croix: I told you girl, that whip was blessed by the Belmonts and from the looks of it they accept you as the bearer of a Vampire Killer.
Marianne: Woah! You mean I...
Croix nods, she decides to use a crossbow instead of the arquebus, after all she prefers not to risk getting the gun and all that gunpowder wet, this way she stayed at long range with Sucy and this even surprised Diana who glanced back seeing her mentor using a non-firearm weapon and also the Manbavaran. The mermans would simply just come out of the water and were easily hit, but then they stop trying and that way things get complicated.
Croix: They're going to try and sink the boat, but what the hell.
Sucy: They're just going to try anyway.
Sucy takes jars with potions and Lotte uses her magic to open them near the Mermans, who stop attacking the boat from below as the girls were feeling the beats, this way the ones that were left will swim lower and join in group, this way they will create a water current, together they jump out and create a whole shield of it, attacking the girls jumping out of the water.
Diana uses her vampire
powers and goes out cutting the Mermans as if they were fish, with the bodies splashing blood. Lotte on the other hand aimed at a specific Merman, went using the book and quickly sucked its soul, adding one more to the summoning.
Lotte: That was perfect, I got one more, now let's finish them off.
Yanson uses an ice spell on the water that rose up causing some mermans to end up agglutinated in the middle of all that ice, Marianne, Diana and Akko hit together that block of ice that is going to break into several pieces killing the remaining mermans, but at that a much bigger shadow is appearing on the water, so both Sucy and Akko decide to shrink the sails, stopping the boat for good in the middle of the way, at that moment the shadow of the water was increasing, rising, showing what could be an even bigger creature.
Akko: Shit, in the middle of the sea, we went straight to meet a fucking giant monster, and that's because it's not even night time, it's just raining, just when I'm soaking wet, damn it.
Diana: I didn't expect that either, but let's focus, this is not a merman here, but it could be something bigger.
Akko: You swear it's something bigger? I thought we were going to face a sea flea believe me.
Diana: This is no time for your sarcasms, our lives are at stake right now.
The creature was rising slightly, revealing itself, a Cthulu with wings, which was staring deeply at the girls, with those deep eyes that emanated a light, the octopus face that left Marianne all terrified and shrunk in the boat, already Diana and Akko were both in the bow giving that stare, without much fear of the creature, which had the size of the whole boat, the same thing Sucy. They were all getting ready to launch an attack.
Akko jumped at once towards the Cthulu and it opened its mouth revealing its many teeth, about to try to devour the girls and this way Sucy could throw a potion on its mouth, Lotte used a glyph that propelled the Kagari up and dodged being devoured by the creature.
Diana: Akko you...
The Cavendish also decides to go up and goes towards the Cthulu's head that ends up moving, even creating a glyph casting a spell that catches Akko, a ball of cosmic energies, only at this moment the Kagari is miraculously saved by a kick given by Diana that starts running over the crest of the creature while cutting it. Marianne uses the whip towards the Japanese girl, but the latter throws herself into the boat and throws the Leblanc towards the creature that is feeling a burning sensation in her body as she holds it, which gets all terrified.
Marianne: Akko you are crazy, you threw me right here in the middle of this bug, I am going to die here.
The Frenchwoman went whipping the creature's arm that ends up releasing it that falls into the sea and then holds on the boat being rescued by Akko and the same can notice that the arm of the Cthulu was falling, the creature in rage roars and begins to make a glyph. Lotte also starts drawing one in the air the same size as the glyph of the creature of the night, which puts all the confidence of the group of girls in the summoning witch. Croix on the other hand took her arquebus and already started to prepare the firearm to give a shot.
Akko, Sucy and Marianne: Go Lotte!
The Cthulu shoots his spell towards the girls, but Yanson doesn't ask for time and also shoots back to try to stop the creature for good, using their magic powers, Akko and Diana go up the monster and put the sword right in the crest of the creature that starts to scream in pain.
Then they jump back to the boat and Croix shoots a musket ball that catches the Cthulu's chest, which is falling apart but it doesn't die yet, the creature is still casting spells towards the girls, but Lotte is defending herself with the magical barriers she created.
Marianne full of confidence is also the next to go up, she goes jumping already without fear since she was all humid due the last attack that made her fall in the water of the sea, she goes whipping lightly, where she catches in the chest of the monster that goes showing the wounds to open more, inclusive the monster was weakening, the Meridies was even carrying another shot.
Croix: Keep going we're almost there.
The girls agree with the head, they go attacking more the Cthulu that gives an attack more of desperation and with that they all dodge jumping back, the monster is already full of holes and goes beginning to make another glyph to fire a spell, but it doesn't end up succeeding when Croix shoots another musket ball that catches full well on the monster's head and this time the shot was accurate enough to make it implode all inside in spontaneous combustion.
Even with that attempt to kill the girls, the plan didn't work too well, since they even managed to deal with the creature, that defeated, released the way, Akko and Sucy raise the sails and go back to their way, following by the sea, even with that heavy rain, the girls take the opportunity to lie down and be more loose.
Marianne: What was that creature? We almost lost our boat because of that giant monster.
Diana: Itseems that even at sea we are not safe from the creatures of the night, we have to be alert, we cannot leave any gap, after all we could be attacked at any moment.
Akko: In all these years on ships I have never seen such a thing, it is really shocking, it seems that we have a big challenge ahead of us, but it is interesting nonetheless, at least this adventure will get even better.
Sucy: Akko, we almost died because of these creatures.
Kagari simply shrugged and the girls went to rest momentarily, since they wouldn't have a moment of peace yet, even because some few mermans were still left to attack in a sneaky way, as soon as they were getting close.
Hours later the group could already see the beach, they were already arriving in England, but an eventuality interrupted everything, when they felt a tremor on the boat, some bumps too, and that way they could see what it was.
Diana: Mermans again.
Lotte: I'll take care of it.
Yanson uses her book, making a summoning spell that causes a quartet of mermans to appear on the boat, that way she orders them to jump in the water and come to attack the other mermans, the creatures obey and jump in the water which causes a fight to start in the water between the mermans invoked by Lotte and the others, Some jump to the surface and take a precise cut from Diana or Akko, since it's quite noticeable which ones are invoked by Lotte and which ones are not, by a pentagram on their chest that glows on the invoked ones.
Akko: Wonderful Lotte, you are succeeding.
The mermans summoned by Lotte are luring the others to jump off the boat, turning into a full plate for the four girls to attack, Sucy giving arrows when one comes out of the water, Marianne with lashes that she was not aware of the power of the weapon. Diana and Akko with their swords. Always one wanting to show the other how they are better at cutting.
Akko: Check it out Diana, does your Claymore do that?
Akko teases by decapitating a merman that jumped out of the water and Cavendish responds with a cut that she gives in a lower part of the body breaking in half with everything, the blade went just clean through and this even impresses Kagari who then pretends not to be impressed, trying to hit another Merman equally, but the sword stops halfway through, which she goes on to pull up and also works, making pretty much what would be an "L" cut all for one to prove to the other who has the better style and also the better sword.
Croix: How far are they going to be rivals?
Sucy: Looks like Akko has found a new party hahaha.
Akko only blushes and Diana too, the two keep on killing the rest of the mermans, which are slowly getting a smaller number of creatures, as the boat gets closer to the beach, the more it gets closer, the less they appear, what calms the girls that don't step on the water for noticing a strange activity, when they see the sand moving, Sucy makes sure to throw a potion towards the strange movement of it. At that moment another Cthulu emerges, but this time from the sand.
Diana: Another Cthulu? Looks like we won't get a break, well at least we'll be on land, where we might have the advantage of terrain.
The Cavendish jumps from the bow of the boat wanting to go towards the monster, Akko does the same, the two are driven by a glyph of Lotte and thus already land on the crest of the monster at the time already give a beautiful blow to the same that is struggling shaking his head, but the two continue to hold firm by the handle of their swords.
Croix is preparing the Arcabuz, Sucy is firing several arrows towards the monster that little by little is opening some holes, Marianne jumps from the boat, she goes running to the creature.
Lotte: Mari no! This is too dangerous! You could die!
Marianne doesn't give a shit, she keeps running with the whip in her hand and goes whipping it from her feet and the hits are strong enough to cause a huge damage, on the other hand on top, both Akko and Diana take out the swords and jump to the ground where the monster goes bleeding and moaning of pain, this way the jump goes together to the monster, both hit a side cut on the chest of the creature that goes gushing blood.
Croix follows with a shot that gets the head of the monster that goes giving steps back, with slow steps and bleeding, until it ends up falling on the ground and imploding, this way they can in a much faster way finish with that creature for being on the beach.
After this fight they unload the boat and with the things in hands and the boat docked on the beach, they take a deep breath looking at that beach, they get a feeling of relief and mission accomplished.
Akko: Finally we are here.
Marianne: England, to think that I would never set foot here and how I have always heard that the people here are a bunch of idiots, as they are the worst, especially after all I have heard about the 100 year war.
Diana: So many years I haven't stepped foot here, the last time was to leave this place, now I'm coming back, coming back to look for my missing sister.
Croix: And I will finally find out where Chariot is, I can't give up hope, now come on girls, you must already know that here we don't speak French, the people here speak another language.
They all just shrug, then answer with a "yes" in English, knowing well how they will have to deal with the English, they follow the path, walking, where they come across a village nearby and there they enter an inn where they leave some coins to spend the night there. Arriving there with the bags, they are getting settled, arranging their things and open a map on the table already preparing what will be their route.
Croix: Now we have arrived in England, we will need to take a route, to get to Ireland.
Marianne: Why didn't we go straight across the sea, since then we won't have to sail again, this Ireland is an island on the other side just like the one we're on, isn't it?
Diana: If we were attacked by an army of Mermans and two Cthulu during the day, who will say to sail at night, it is not a risk we can take, a boat trip like this could take more than a day, we have to prioritize staying as little time as possible on the water, imagine if we have to deal with two Chtulu in the middle of the sea.
Akko: Besides, if we have problems, we will be adrift in the immensity of the ocean, there is simply no land on the other side for a distance of almost three months, and this sailing with those Portuguese caravels, let alone a common boat.
Marianne: Well anyway, I hope we can make it.
Akko: That's the spirit Mari, we don't have to be pessimistic, we have to think positively, we have a very nice mission to accomplish and we will manage to do it, just by going through all this I am already finding this adventure very interesting, it was what I needed to cheer me up.
Sucy: Almost dying for a bunch of sardines?
Akko: Sucy!
The girls are laughing with the discussion of Akko and Sucy, then they continue with the discussion of a possible route that they will follow through England, and then to Ireland, following this way to where the ruins of the castle of the McLaren family would be, this way serving to accomplish part of this important mission.
Far away in Scotland, in the castle of Countess Cavendish, it was evident Ursula's frustration to see that the group of girls survived the attack of the monsters, while Bernadette showed the greatest calmness, she cheered up a lot, already Callistis kept on stomping her feet and found that Cavendish's reaction strange.
Ursula: Mistress, why are you smiling? Can't you see that this is absurd, they weren't supposed to survive, our attack failed! Those damned things should have died but they are unharmed and more alive than ever.
Bernadette: So at least we're going to have an interesting challenge ahead of us, if they can get through all our barriers, all the obstacles in the way, we're going to have a battle that's going to be epic, it's going to be against a group of experienced huntresses and that's going to be amazing.
Ursula: Incredible it would be to see these girls being swallowed by a merman or a Cthulu, but what do you intend to do now? They are in our land, now we will have to do something to stop them from turning,
Bernadette: I have my plan already, don't worry Ursula, you will take care of getting the attractions of this castle ready for our visitors in case they survive, get the areas ready, I want this to be the biggest festival of all, we will celebrate our victory over the biggest slayers and then we will start our big plan.
Ursula: You bet I will, my teacher, the coliseum of this castle will be prepared for them to receive our most formidable creatures, let them turn to defeat us, because we are more powerful than them, mwahahahahaha! We'll finish them off the same way we finished off Chariot Belmont!
Ursula clenches her fists excited about the probable fight that could happen, Bernadette is walking through the castle, she looks at one of the stained glass windows and reflects with a smile on her face when she sees that the girls succeeded in that mission.
[Bernadette's Thought: I know it's going to be hard to deal with from now on, but know that I'll be doing this all for the greater good, I know the dirt that's coming in this world, I know things are very different, I really just have to congratulate you Diana, you were a warrior with that Cthulu and the mermans, but above all it seems there's a war I know you won't win and it's something that's in your heart].
Ursula simply leaves her teacher alone in the reflection and goes on with her plan of decorating the castle for the visitors, the Cavendish continues to reflect about life and everything that came to happen, still in shock when having to see what everything became in these 10 years that she spent asleep, as the world had already changed, including her own "home" had already changed substantially.
With the feet in Great Britain the mission of the girls already gives an important step, they are little by little managing to reach their goal, this time the priority will be in finding Hellene, but it will still be a danger that will come to the front in this long mission.
See you, sea witches...