Countess Cavendish Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland
The five fragments have already been achieved, but with much difficulty, especially with the last one that arrived, in this case Croix, who had difficulties on the way, having to fight adversities by the place where she passed, with the discovery of the whereabouts of Chariot Belmont, causing a huge shock to Meridies for discovering the truth, getting a bit unwilling to accept that event very well due to the situation, with this she starts to tell the girls everything that happened on her journey, detail by detail, before they go to the next part of the castle.
Croix finally arrived at the coliseum, there he found a dark corridor full of candles, where he was walking around, facing creatures armed with swords and shields, of all kinds, from skeletons easy to kill, armors, to ghosts, Meridies was as always shooting with precision, staying in cover, She stayed behind a pillar just watching the skeletons around her practicing fights between them, she shot the ceiling, making a part of it fall on top of them, and with that she went on through the corridor.
Croix: It's ridiculous how easy it is.
Croix comes across some armors running towards her, she picks up the axes that were with the skeletons, throws them towards them, then shoots the remaining ones, propels herself forward and in this jump she noticed that there was still one left and so she shoots him right in the head, passing through the adversities of that place with some tranquility.
Arriving at a bifurcation on that corridor, where had a staircase down and a straight way to follow that gave in a gate, Meridies decides to go down the staircase, where buers were rolling from one side to the other, being as usual victims of the hunters, the creatures that more ended up feeling their strength. Going down there she came across more bifurcations, but she just didn't care and kept going down, reaching the limit, where there was a room behind her and a corridor in front of her, in this one there was a staircase up. Besides some knights with owls that ordered the creature to attack the Lombard that with a coronet managed to hit the creature that ended up calling the attention of the knight that went running to the same knocked down on the ground.
Croix went to the back room after hitting that knight with a shot in the head, he reloaded his gun, when he got there he found a corridor full of skeletons shooters, which were shooting all in sequence with arquebuses, making Meridies quickly dodge, the same one, dropping a bomb on them, shooting while she was in the air, being propelled by a jump making that corridor with 25 skeletons end up with bones flying everywhere and with that the lombard could catch the one that was at the end of the corridor, on top of a pedestal. As it touched the cube it felt an energy emanating and then the cube itself disappeared.
Croix: Magic, but how wonderful, this will give me an improvement in my magical powers.
Meridies leaves that room, goes down the corridor, where she comes across a giant golden skeleton that was easily killed with a shot to the skull, what Croix was opening the way, going straight in that corridor, arriving close to another staircase, this one she dealt shooting a Pillar cap that was just waiting for her to get close, but the wombat was little by little making the same fall, besides being able to notice that the movements she made of impulse were faster.
Croix could go out propelling herself without needing to spend magic what for her was wonderful, besides this impulse creating a barrier of protection that could hit some creatures with cuts, finishing with skeletons in an instant. She reaches the end of the corridor, another room she enters, this one was already emptier, but some candles were being lit, as she took steps forward.
Croix: It's not time to go back yet, I have to see if there's any more stuff.
The armed huntress comes back, goes to one of the staircases, goes up to the middle floor, giving that beautiful dodge to buers that appeared rolling towards her, to somehow get in the way, when she arrived at the middle floor she almost took a cut on the head of a knight armed with a sword, the same one was a bit giant, Meridies gave a backward mortal to dodge and shot while jumping which made him give a few steps back.
Only that the situation was still hard behind her, since she had to dodge crouching from an archer skeleton that ended up hitting the arrow on the knight of armor, catching it well on the inside, what Croix takes the opportunity to hit that same skeleton a shot, the own one gets up, gives two more shots on the creature until finishing those shots, she reloads the weapon and the armor still didn't end up dying, making her appeal to the axe sub item that ended up making the creature finally destroy itself. Croix sees that there is an exit to the side facing forward, but she already had the notion that would give in the same place where was the corridor to the coliseum entrance, she decides to go by the opposite side, using the new powers to go propelling herself forward being protected and avoiding some good fights, passing in that corridor full of skeletons and armors as if it was nothing, until arriving in another room, when entering there she notices that there is a fountain gushing water and also someone sitting there.
This person gets up and starts to want to get out in hand with Meridies who decides to put the gun in the holster on his back and with that the two were leaving in hand using melee punches. Incredibly Croix knew how to fight in a situation like that.
Croix: A good melee, I love it.
Croix goes fighting against the guy with the straw hat, with precise blows he hits the stomach and also the guy's face that bizarrely in a few blows ends up dissolving and Meridies takes what is on that place, a bottle with the water from that fountain, reading what was on the description of it.
"Heal your wounds in these waters" Meridies went to test it on a wounded part of her arm and it really worked, she takes the opportunity to fill vials of that and put it in her bag, filling six vials of that potion. So leaving that room she goes up the stairs and back to the first floor, where she had not followed straight down that corridor.
Passing through it as if it was nothing, using the magic hitting some of the few skeletons that were present, the skeletons themselves had no threat only were really powerful in the matter that they kept moving quickly trying to hit Meridies who arrived at the end of that corridor.
She enters the room that was around there, as she enters the hallway is the same as the one downstairs and with that she takes a deep breath, getting close to the entrance of what seemed to be a lift.
Croix: So that's it then? I'm bound to follow the path in that corridor that way, well that being the case let's see what's in store for me.
Meridies recharges the gun, putting this time the most lethal ammunition to fire, since it could be a unique chance, silver bullets with potential to perforate, she gets in the lift, pulls the lever, goes slowly down it, only that the peace was soon ending when some flea man were falling from the ceiling and arriving at the same place and it was in this that Croix used more of the melee combat, using the dagger in hands was finishing one by one of the monsters.
Croix: I'm not going to waste my bullets on pathetic creatures like you.
The hunter was defending herself against what appeared to her, even using the sub item of the axe against the creatures falling from the ceiling, being easily hit by Meridies dagger that knows very well how to fight against these creatures that were appearing, as the lift was going down, reaching the last floor, the creatures stopped appearing, the gate to the coliseum's hallway opened, some candles were lit as Croix walked forward, she passed on the coliseum's arena and the gates quickly descended behind her, with a figure that was on her back which starts laughing.
Ursula: Hahahahaha! Let the gates of hell open! Our guest has just arrived.
Croix: That voice... Chariot! Chariot! You're there!
Ursula turned with the chair, revealing to Croix her identity, showing long blue hair, red eyes that were recognisable from Chariot Belmont herself, as well as being with the vampire killer still around her waist. Meridies was in shock, paralysed to see that the person she loved so much, the person she had made this whole journey meaningful for was on the other side and Callistis was even left watching with a certain disdain at the situation.
Croix: Chariot, wherever you are, this is not you! Get out of this control that's over you! These people want to control you! My love, resist!
Ursula: I am not Chariot! I am Ursula Callistis and I will kill her! Ly Erg! Ciuthach! Finish her off! That is an order! I am not Chariot! Ahhhhhhhh!
Ursula began to feel headaches, trying not to accept that Chariot wanted to manifest, which was worrying Meridies even more, but she ended up having a much bigger problem when the two creatures came out of the gates, a red-haired man with an axe all soaked in blood and a furry humanoid creature wearing a mace, they were starting to head towards Croix who started to take the arquebus off his back, starting to aim the weapon towards the creatures.
Croix: Chariot! Don't let that control take over you! I'm here to save you my love!
The creatures were little by little getting closer, what Meridies had to shoot Ly Erg, which defended itself by using the axe as a shield, she then shot Ciuthach that dodged the bullet and this way was thinking of some way to attack, since the creatures were very fast. Ursula, on the other hand, was fighting against her own mind to not accept in any way the true part of her mind to take over.
Ursula: Get out of my head! You're not part of it! You wretch! Get out! Die! Die Croix!
The creatures gave an onslaught with everything towards Croix that jumped propelling herself in the air, she threw a bomb then shot causing a beam of light, taking the opportunity to propel herself back again and at the time she shoots the head of Ly Erg, but the shot only passes through, the creature still turns against Meridies and goes running to make an onslaught, while Ciuthach was getting ready to attack.
Croix jumps quickly from the attack given by the red-haired man, only to be surrounded in the middle by the two creatures, what she already expected and with that she releases a smoke bomb, dodging to the right side, right at the time the smoke bomb came out, but it wasn't fast enough, since Ly Erg still managed to keep up, hitting Meridies with a shoulder that ended up being strong enough to throw her against the arena's wall.
The monster goes running with the axe in hand to hit Meridies, only that she shoots several times in a row, starting to make the creature take a while, but in this another one goes towards it, what ends up being the opportunity for Lombarda to use another smoke bomb, only in this she propels herself up throws a bomb on the ground, getting right in front of Ursula, where she lands right on the bleachers, watching the skeletons cheering.
Croix: Chariot, come with me, I'm here to help you, don't stay in that mind control.
Ursula: Get out of here! You damn you!
Ursula starts to take the vampire Killer off and was starting to give strikes towards Croix who was starting to jump backwards, trying to avoid being hit, but the characteristic precision of Chariot Belmont was still very present in Callisitis who ends up hitting some good whips on Meridies who was trying to defend herself and jumping from seat to seat, she couldn't convince herself.
Croix: This is not you my love, remember all the good things we lived together, you have no reason to attack me, don't let yourself be taken in by those who are controlling you.
Ursula: Die! Get out of here!
The already pissed off Callistis gives an even stronger whipping that catches Meridies right in the face, who ends up being thrown far away, falling back to the arena, what gave Ursula a little bit of a shock, who for some moments started to think like Chariot, but soon came back to being the person she's controlled, running out of that arena, never to return, with all the anger in the world.
Croix was soon recovering the conscience, opening the eye just in the time that Ly Erg would hit her with the axe Meridies hit a shot that catches well in the forehead of the creature, other two in the eyes and one in the heart, what makes the same released the axe that fell back and fall dead.
She gets up quickly to avoid being hit by Ciuthach that was already making some moves, she was almost caught by the monster's mace that even hit the ally that fell dead on the ground.
Croix: Shit! Her mind control is really too great.
The skeletons were booing the victory of Croix over one of the creatures, starting to cheer for the other monster to defeat her, but Meridies didn't care, she was just going on the defensive, pushing herself backwards, giving some shots to the creature that could dodge the shots faster, being a big problem.
Meanwhile in the corridors of that coliseus Ursula was fighting against her own head, with the influence of Chariot returning to fight for the control of the mind of the own one that was putting the hand in the head if struggling hitting the walls, but even so a magic still continued to emanate around her, a voice left well said for Calllistis.
Strange voice: Don't let yourself be taken in by that woman, continue without watching her, get out of there before it's too late, she is only trying to harm you, she is trying to finish you off.
Chariot obeyed the voice and went down the stairs of the coliseum and the corridors, running out of there, but when he arrived at the gate he noticed that it was closed, he tried brute force, but nothing worked, he tried magic, but it wouldn't open either, as if there was something preventing it, he went to see a goblin that was there.
Ursula: Open that gate immediately!
Goblin: I can't open it, that's the master's orders, the gates will only open when the slayer dies or our creatures die.
Ursula: I am ordering you!
Goblin: Even if I disobey my mistress, I can't open it, she controls everything.
Angry Ursula punching the gate: Damn!
Back to the battle, Croix was trying to understand the Ciuthach's attack patterns, noticing that it hit with the heavy mace and ended up leaving a little stuck on the ground, and that's when Meridies took advantage, the creature was running towards her, the wombat propelled herself backwards when the monster came down with the mace, with that she positioned herself with her feet on top of the weapon and shot right in the monster's head that released the weapon walking backwards stunned.
The monster without the mace went up Meridies and hit a hard paw on the woman that was thrown, only she took advantage of that to propel herself, using the wall to give an effect with the boost magic that made her accumulate the forces of the hit on the wall to propel herself forward with everything, The monster itself also went running in Croix's direction, she was all propelled, hitting the same passing straight from the creature that took several deep cuts in the chest, bleeding with intensity and with that Croix hit a last shot of the ones that had in the nape of the monster's head that still didn't die.
Croix: Now let's see if you can resist that.
Croix put inside the gun a silver ammunition, blessed, which she only saved to finish with vampires of high dangerousness, she aimed at Ciuthach that turned and was going up running to Meridies wanting to give an attack on the shooter that uses the sub item of the axe making the own dodge and it was in this that the intelligence of the wombard surpassed itself.
She predicted the dodge that the monster would give and hit a shot that got right in the heart of the creature that started bubbling inside due to the ammunition penetrated all the flesh and then exploded, causing Ciuthatch to be defeated and all the skeletons in the audience booed Croix some even left. As usual she is blessed with a magic vial that makes her more vigorous as well as healing her wounds and with that the gate opens, she notices Ursula was there and starts running to her own.
Croix: Chariot, wait for me!
Croix went running, trying to follow Callistis, even propelling herself forward, they ended up meeting in a corridor where the blue haired one had no way out but to wait for a lift and with that she turns to Meridies who was looking like she just wanted to help.
Ursula: Get out of here! I'll have no mercy using that whip again.
Croix: This is not you Chariot, this is someone controlling you, take these ties out of your head, don't get carried away, I came here to get you after so long, you have no idea how I suffered all these years with your presence...
Ursula: I'm not going to fall for that crap, you're just trying to get to me!
Ursula takes the whip from her waist and starts to go up Meridies using the weapon, which she is trying her best to dodge again, until she manages to hold the whip and in this way the two are in a tug-of-war, where some sharp parts of the whip were piercing Croix's hand, but she wasn't paying attention to those pains, no pain was bigger to her than losing Chariot.
Croix: Chariot if you can listen to me, don't let this control get to you, your mind is strong!
Ursula tries to ignore it, so much that she pushes the whip forward hitting a punch right in Croix's face, then another in her stomach, making her let go of the whip with her hands bleeding, Callistis looks at that blood coming out, she starts to get a bit of a shocked look, but then resists, raises her hand and goes to give a whipping, for which the same has a moment of fear.
Ursula: No! I can't attack you!
Callistis starts to get her hand on her head taking steps backwards somewhat getting a headache, which Croix goes trying to console by putting his hand on Ursula's shoulder, only she is still left resisting and a lot, this passing of hand intensifies into an embrace, Meridies tries in every way somehow to affect less the mind control that is going on with Chariot, but the embrace is soon met with a shove and the blue haired woman with her fists clenched is left looking with fury at the wombat.
Ursula: You're taking the best of me, I won't let you do my head in, I hate you! I hate you!
Croix: You're just confused Chariot, I know you're in there, there's something holding you back from making you have control over yourself, but fight it, don't ever let that part that isn't you take over again.
Ursula: I am not Chariot! I am Ursula Callistis! This is not her place, you will not get me out of this! Die you wretch!
Ursula gets furious and goes whipping hard, to which Croix goes trying to dodge, taking steps backwards, but she couldn't escape, what ended up making her reach a wall, kind of getting no way out, she was hit very hard in the head, she ended up fainting on the spot and right at that moment Callistis stops attacking, when another part makes her think again as Chariot.
Chariot: Croix! Love! No!
The blue haired woman was slowly getting the red hair, but was going back to blue again, she was trying to wake Meridies up, but nothing solved it, the mind control came back again and with that Chariot was struggling on the floor crying with headaches, making it all go back to control.
When Ursula becomes Ursula again by the influence of the voices in her head, she gets up and leaves that place taking the lift to the exit, leaving the coliseum. Minutes later Croix recovers the conscience, she wakes up feeling strong pains in the head, passing the hand in the same one noticing a little of blood, with that she drinks the healing potion, healing a little, when she gets up she notices that Callistis was not there anymore and she gets a look of frustration.
Croix: Know that I will not fail to bring you back to who you really are my love, this person must be controlling you and I will take that control away, soon you will be able to go back to who you always were.
Croix then enters the lift, already with an expression a little down, some skeletons were falling there, she was just shooting them without much patience, showing total discouragement, she was simply going through them when the ammo ran out, using the dagger and her powers of propelling herself, reaching the top floor, where she left the coliseum's corridor, facing another one full of monsters.
She reload her weapon and shoot some more creatures, which were giant and wide skeletons, which used bones as a club, Meridies just passed as if it was nothing, ignoring the forks, she was just following straight in that part of the castle. She was just going straight
through that part of the castle. She even picked up a sword that she saw on the floor and used it for hand-to-hand combat against the skeletons that were trying to fight against Meridies, who was simply ignoring the situation, until she arrived at a bifurcation, where there was a hole and a room in front of it with a door.
Croix propelled herself upwards and saw that there was only a bit of gold and also an orb with the transformation into a wolf that she touched and it had no effect.
Croix: This will certainly come in handy for Diana
Croix keeps that orb in her bag, then comes down from that hole and jumps towards the door, opening it, she finds the last fragment, she keeps it in her bag and goes to the teleportation platform, just thinking about Chariot and all the situation that happened in the coliseum, which was a kind of unexpected shock for the woman, to see who she loves so much on the other side.
The last person arrives, Croix, who didn't seem excited, she arrived with a serious expression, her hair was all down, a bit messy, she was very down and depressed, the girls arrived to her and went to know the reason why she was like that.
Diana: What happened Croix?
Croix: I found out...
Diana: did you find out what Croix? Did something happen? Did Chariot die?
Croix: It's more complex than you think, I have the impression that it's something even more fucked up, they destroyed Chariot, those bastards from that castle weren't satisfied with just mistreating her, she's alive, but she's not the same Chariot as before, unfortunately, that castle ended up destroying her with my Chariot...
Croix starts to cry and with that all the girls are around Meridies, hugging her, trying to know what happened to make her so sad like that, little by little she wipes the tears trying to recompose herself, soon she ended up telling what she saw in the part that she spent in the castle, leaving the girls with shocked reactions, when they found out the truth.
She told detail by detail the whole fight and how was the state of her beloved, that something had controlled, besides giving Diana the wolf form that she got a slight smile thanking Meridies for that form of affection.
Croix: That's what happened, I'm sure Chariot has been influenced by some force from that castle and someone is controlling her mind.
Diana: That could be what the glasses Akko and I found could mean, try to use them when you meet Chariot again, maybe he'll reveal who's controlling her, that way we can end her control.
Croix: I hope so, it honestly frustrates me so much to see her in that state, knowing she was the strongest of all the slayers, the most skilled, now in the hands of her mother's control.
Diana: Woah! it can't be that too, my mother may be what she was, but she can't be responsible for this, she has honour above all else, if she had stood up to her Chariot, she would go all the way, it makes no sense for her to be controlling Chariot all these years.
Croix: You also have to be a bit realistic at these times Diana, and if your mother was also very corrupted, she may have ended up controlling Chariot to protect the castle, it makes sense given that she is an experienced and powerful hunter, that may make a bit of sense, I don't know about you, but for me my biggest suspicion is Bernadette Cavendish, she is not the wonderful person you and Hellene say she is, if she was she wouldn't be being hunted, I even understand her whole story, but attacking the church is asking to be persecuted, she is not perfect, not everyone is perfect Diana.
Diana: Inthe same way that Chariot may have been carried away by corruption, my mother all along just wanted to end it all, she suffered for years in that torment, I'm not even sure my aunt may be right about that using it as an excuse to take power for herself, but even so I have to say that she was just a minion of the church, you yourself said that she was a convinced Christian, it's going to happen that she discovered the truth and became full of it, I don't know what really happened, but it's too early to jump to conclusions, we are here to talk to my mother and not to kill her. You only say that because you always wanted to rip me away from them! Your frustration of not having a daughter and still losing Chariot, you convinced me to go with...
It gets the biggest vibe at this time that Diana even gave a little bit of a vent, since she still has a huge appreciation for her own mother and Croix's accusation ended up saying, Meridies takes a deep breath, then Cavendish does the same, the two are staring at each other with a kind of angry look, but that little by little was changing, ending in an embrace between both, which even Hellene is in shock, she never saw her sister arguing like that, even more with Croix.
Croix: I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to come out accusing, it's just that this shock of knowing that Chariot is being controlled has really devastated me.
Diana: I also apologize, I said too many things, I didn't want to end up saying that you tore me away from my mother, I came to you of my own free will and in all these years you have been like a mother to me Croix, you never let anything be missing, the two of us together will find out the truth and no matter what it is we have to accept it, if my mother is really behind all this I understand your revolt, if Chariot is corrupted I will not throw it in your face, we have to think that at least we know that she is alive in all these years and we will take the opportunity to free her from this mind control.
Croix: Now we have the last fragment, it's only a matter of time before we get to that truth.
Then a little devil appears with food for the girls, along with a note. Diana goes to the note and starts to read it, smiling slightly when she sees that it was her own mother who wrote it.
"My congratulations, you got the five fragments, you survived this far, but you still have a long way to go in this castle, don't think it's over here, this castle will still have many challenges, where only the strongest will reach the end, you are not such bad hunters after all, take this banquet to enjoy my hospitality, eat to your heart's content, for I know you will have the last meal of your life here, signed by Bernadette Cavendish"
Diana: Mum really doesn't know how to be mean, she helps us all the time, it seems that theory my auntie says of her wanting to die might be correct, being all hospitable.
Croix: Ithas always been like that, the same thing happened when I went here with Chariot, she even wanted to offer us safe rooms without monsters so that we could rest, it comes to that, she likes to let the hunters feel free to try to kill her, well let's enjoy it because it's good food and we don't have something so sophisticated every day.
The five fragments are in the witches' hands, they will take the opportunity to rest a little more before advancing in the castle, talk a little and get used to the new powers and facilities that they obtained in the castle, practically waiting until they reach the two hours of stay in the castle to start another part of the exploration that will be where things will start to get more complicated, where the creatures will be stronger and will show no mercy, especially in the first challenge that will come as soon as they cross the door.
See you, mind controlled witches...