Author's Notes: Hello once again dear readers! It's been a while since I updated, I know, and I apologize. Exam week here in university, and I've got work to deal with too and whatnot. Let's just say that it's been one hell of a busy month for me - didn't even have time to catch my breath. So anyways, with that aside, I bring to you Episode 8 of MPBT! I hope you enjoy it!
Magia, Pacem, Bellum Terrarum
It Would Have Been Nice
The pitter-patter of Sunday afternoon rain sounded against the roof of Mami Tomoe's apartment. From the slits between the curtains drawn over the windows of Mami's room, the grey clouds cast drab shadows over Mitakihara City. Rain flitted down and snaked across the glass.
Inside, it was dry. Mami and Homura stood together before the Mercator floating along the apartment's walls. The two of them were silent; Homura was impassive as ever while Mami was unusually quiet. The girls were intently focused on the Greater Mitakihara Area. The date displayed on the map was fixed on the day both girls believed Walpurgisnacht would attack – or at least, the day Homura had claimed Walpurgisnaght would be most likely to attack. Using the maps, the two girls planned the defense of Mitakihara City… but no matter how they looked at it,
"Will we really be able to defeat Walpurgisnacht with just this?" Mami asked, tapping the map with her finger. The entire grid of the metropolis was shaded in a faint tint of red as the impassive Homura drew out defensive lines across the river that flowed through the city. "The whole town will be attacked – minions, familiars, the works. They'll be everywhere."
"That's a given." Homura said. Faintly, her eyes narrowed. "What is your point?"
Mami's eyes shifted uneasily, settling on the two colored dots marked on the map watching over the lines Homura had drawn – one yellow dot and one purple. "Wouldn't it be easier if Miki-san or…?"
"We already talked about this, Mami." Homura's voice was firm. "We aren't getting Madoka or Miki-san involved in this. Those two shouldn't be forced into this conflict just because we think we might be overwhelmed – and I assure you, we will not be overwhelmed."
Mami sighed, twirling a strand of her golden hair around her fingers. She took a deep breath.
"I want to believe you, Homura-san." Mami said mildly, keeping her eyes steady on the two small dots, "But… I don't know… I feel like I'm missing something here."
Homura's face darkened. Then, there was a hint of a plea in Mami's eyes.
"Please tell me I'm wrong."
"You're overreacting, Mami-san, jumping to conclusions." Homura replied instead, "Don't you trust me?"
"I do…"
"Then leave everything to me, okay? We can do this."
"Alright." Mami sighed again, shaking her head. She felt a pit sink into her stomach but shook that thought away - slowly recovering her warm smile, "I believe you."
Homura gave a neutral nod then headed for the door. Mami trotted behind her, retrieving Homura's raincoat for her as the dark-haired girl put on her shoes.
"Same time again tomorrow?" Mami then asked, handing Homura her raincoat.
"Yeah – but at my place this time." Homura replied, standing upright and taking the coat. "And could you bring a copy of your Mercator map too? I think we'll need it.
"Sure thing." Mami nodded, managing a small smile.
Homura walked out and Mami gently closed the door behind her. The golden haired girl leaned against the wooden door to face her living room and the triangular table set at the middle. As always, Homura's cup was emptied but her cake was only half-eaten. Homura never seemed to finish her share of cake no matter how much effort Mami put into making it.
"Am I doing something wrong, Homura-san?"
…
.
…
Act XVII – The Peacemaker
The dark basement of the Gumamela Building, lit by small electric lights, echoed with the sharp sounds of gunfire. Ligaya de la Cruz was attempting to fire at painted wooden targets from a shooting booth with a Peacemaker revolver. Her accuracy was questionable, to say the least – her shots scattered all over the wooden board, very few shots landing anywhere near the bull's eye. Audrey Burnham stood beside Ligaya, a slightly troubled look on her face as she watched the Filipina shoot miserably. A small package of boxes of revolver rounds sat by Audrey's feet. It was nearly empty as the American handed the Filipina one box of rounds after another.
"Another one, please." Ligaya said, emptying the revolver. Six emptied shots fell out from the cylinder in quick succession, landing with sharp, hollow pings against the floor. The Filipina extended her hand and Audrey handed her a new box, which Ligaya set atop her booth. But when Ligaya tried to pull out six new rounds at once, three of them slipped from her fingers and mixed with empty shells.
"Oh, shoot… I'm hopeless…"
She knelt down on the floor, trying to find the new rounds amongst the old ones.
"That again?" Audrey sighed, squatting with Ligaya to look for the new rounds, "Training takes time – you can't rush it, Ligaya."
"But it's been two months already, Audrey." Ligaya frowned, her voice quiet and flat, "It's been two months and I still haven't mastered my powers, or even learned how to shoot!"
She gestured at the targets.
"Hey, hey." Audrey faced Ligaya determinedly, "Don't think like that, Ligaya. Learning to use your powers takes time… well, that's how it was for me at least. You should have seen me when I made the contract – the Toffee Apple mortars I had couldn't hit the Pacific Ocean! Jeez!"
A smile tugged at Ligaya's lips before fading away again.
"That may be true…" Ligaya pondered, "But at least you actually have useful magic. Me – I can't do anything useful in a Witch hunt. I can't hurt them… That's why I had to loan this revolver from Serafina before she left…"
"You'll master your powers in time, Ligaya, I promise." Audrey smiled, patting Ligaya's shoulder, "I am your mentor now, after all. Until you can fight on your own, I'll be with you on every single Witch hunt you take on!"
"Audrey…"
"And your power's pretty interesting too, just so you know." Audrey added happily, "That metal plate you conjure up is pretty sturdy – a steel wall, maybe!"
"A steel wall isn't going to help me rout a Witch though…" Ligaya groaned
"For now, if defending yourself in a Witch's barrier means emptying loads and loads of revolver rounds on their faces, then I'll teach you to shoot like a professional." Audrey grinned, standing up then helping Ligaya up to her feet, "I use conventional weapons too when I fight Witches, you know – killed a Witch with my M1911 once."
"Really?" Ligaya gasped. Audrey nodded. Facing the wooden target Ligaya had been shooting at, she drew an M1911 pistol and fired – bull's eye. The girl blew the smoke from the pistol's barrel, spun it handily in her fingers and holstered it with a satisfying click.
Ligaya was about to praise Audrey, but the American was caught up in a thought, her hand still resting on the holster. "Sadly, not everything's solved by pulling a trigger."
"What was that, Audrey?"
"N-Nothing." Audrey shook her head, fixing her smile back into place. "So, uh- well, I guess training's done for now, Ligaya. Why don't we have an early lunch – we're hunting Witches around Manila in the afternoon after all."
"Oh, you're right." Ligaya remembered, "We should eat up before we go on our patrol – we wouldn't want to go hungry during a fight now, would we?"
"And that's coming from someone who brought a bag of pan-de-sal* into a barrier last week?" Audrey asked with a raised brow.
"Aww, come on." Ligaya was smiling again. "You had some too!"
The two girls laughed heartily, just as they had done in the past. Finding some brooms, the girls cleaned quickly cleaned up the basement and swept the spent rounds off the concrete basement floor. Ligaya found one of the fresh rounds near the corner of the booth. Later on, Audrey found the other. The third one, though – they never seemed to find.
First Interlude
A young girl – a Puella Magi in her full attire with a black shawl over her shoulders - staggered helplessly on the ground in the rolling hills and thick forests of the northern Luzon province of Benguet. Beside her lay the bodies of two of her comrades, also wearing black shawls, their broken Soul Gems scattered around. Then, there was the body of a third girl, her arms bound in rope and eyes were blank and tearful. The sound of wooden slippers crunching against twigs came steadily through the forest's noises. The girl desperately tried to stagger up to her feet.
"Y-you bitch!" The Puella Magi cursed hatefully, her speech impaired by heavy wheezing "You… won't get away with this!"
The footsteps grew louder and louder. The sharp blade of a naginata and the young girl who wielded it, cast a towering shadow over the injured Puella Magi whose face grew pale. The wielder of the spear was a girl in a blue kimono, standing before the grounded girl with her face darkened by the glare of the 7AM sun.
"Fuck it! Don't you know who you're messing with?"
"I know very well who I'm messing with." The second Puella Magi said coldly in Japanese, "I'm not afraid of you."
In a split second, the naginata thrust through the grounded girl's chest before she could protect herself – hey eyes widened and a shattering sound followed. The injured girl's clothes changed into her regular attire, a blood stain growing around the naginata that tore through it. Michi pulled the naginata out and it disappeared in a blue flash.
She turned to the body of the girl with blank, teary eyes and saw that the rope that bound her had disappeared. In that girl's lacerated hands sat a Grief Seed.
"Late again…" Michi muttered. The Japanese girl pried the Grief Seed out of the dead girl's hand and laid the girl out on the ground in a more dignified pose. She then gently closed the girl's eyes. "Forgive me."
Act XVIII – Magni Domina
Audrey and Ligaya climbed up a set of narrow stone stairs from the basement to the ground floor of the Gumamela Building. They pushed open the door and found themselves in the vibrant, luxurious hall that they had grown to love. A handful of their fellow Puella Magi went about on their daily business as usual. Some stopped to chat with the two newest members of the Manila chapter.
"My, my… you two are the newest members to our branch – but you guys fight like pros!" one of the girls praised, "That last Witch and her minions couldn't even lay a hand on you! You're a cut above the rest!"
"Yeah! That's right!" another girl added, "You two have defeated a whole lot of Witches in just two months!"
"Nah… It's nothing too impressive, really." Audrey sighed, "We're just doing our work. Plus, there have been a whole lot more Witches hanging around lately – more than usual."
"That may be true." one of the Puella Magi said, "But, Carissima Elise seems to be interested in your little team – that's quite rare for new Aspirants!"
"Aspirants?" Both Audrey and Ligaya seemed unfamiliar with the term.
"Aspirants – that's you guys." The Puella Magi cleared her throat as if to recite a poem. "When a Puella Magi chooses to serve a in a branch of Salvae, she will start off as an Aspirant; one who wishes to become part of the organization. It's just one of our formalities – the title for the entry level, basically."
"What do us aspirants… uh… aspire to be, exactly?" Audrey asked, scratching her face.
"We aspire to become a Zealot." The Puella Magi continued, "The Zealots are, in a sense, the officers of the Carissima and are equal in rank to the Maultiers who bring us our goods. They are handpicked from only the most capable aspirants who have proven themselves worthy. In that sense, you two may very well be in line to become Zealots!"
"That sounds like a sweet job." Audrey grinned, wondering what it would be like to have a higher rank in the organization. "I see… so, Aspirants wish to become Zealots – or Maultiers if they have the gift – and Zealots serve under a Carissima. Each branch has a Carissima, and there are many branches around the world… so who do all of those Carissimas answer to?"
Just as the Puella Magi was about to speak, another Puella Magi came running through the halls like a possessed woman – a Puella Magi neither Audrey or Ligaya seemed to know.
"Is that our Maultier for the month?" Ligaya asked, puzzled. The veteran Aspirants all nodded their heads.
"But why is she in such a rush?" Audrey asked curiously.
Minutes later, the hurried steps of the new Maultier were paired with the loud, authoritative ones of Carissima Elise. The Carissima's face was worn haggard with worry – the kind of look a parent makes when their child has gotten him or herself into some sort of trouble.
"Carissima." Audrey asked with formality, catching the Carissima's attention "What is the problem?"
"Lady Lorelei Sankt is in Manila – but we don't know where she is." Elise replied as she marched past Audrey, Ligaya and the other girls, "She travelled with our Maultier for June, it seems, but she set off on her own after the ship docked…"
"Lorelei Sankt… lady?" Ligaya piped up, rather confused, "Who's that?"
The Carissima and the new Maultier however were long since gone. The girls cluttered up in the hallway then started to disperse while a few of them accompanied Audrey and Ligaya to the dining hall for lunch.
"That's the answer to your question a while ago, Bb. Burnham…" one of the Puella Magi continued as they walked to the dining hall, "Lady Lorelei Sankt is our Magni Domina – the Lady of the Carissimas and the founder of Salvae!"
"The founder?" Ligaya repeated out loud, "What's she doing here?"
"Bb. Sankt visits the Manila Branch a lot – oftentimes unannounced. Carissima Elise and Lady Lorelei are the closest of friends, you see." Another girl explained with a chuckle, "When Lady Lorelei founded Salvae, Carissima Elise was the first member! The two of them are entirely different though – it's a wonder how they ended up being such good friends."
"How so?" Audrey and Ligaya asked, pushing open the dining hall's double doors. Once they stepped inside, their questions were quickly answered.
Sitting at the Carissima's table was a young girl of small stature with a round, childlike face. Short blond hair wafted around her face from a rather downtrodden worker's hat resting proudly over her head. Her travelling clothes were equally as drab and common. Pretty as she was, with her bright sky-blue eyes, it was hard to believe that this was the girl to whom Carissimas around the world, like Elise, answered to. It was hard to believe that this girl had founded Salvae, Terrae Magicae.
"Seconds please!" She said in perfect English with a bright tone. She raised up a hand to summon one of the cooks to the table. Large slices of ham with generous helpings of mashed potatoes and a home-made gravy were brought to her, as well as a tall, frothy pint of San Miguel* lager. Her second serving arrived, and the girl grew fascinated – thanking the cook over and over again like a child. She filled her plate with a happy smile then drank down the lager merrily, giving off a satisfied sigh.
"Dieses bier ist das beste! (This beer is the best!)" She exclaimed suddenly in German, setting aside the empty mug and stretching happily in Elise's chair. "Leben ist gut! (Life is good!)"
"Lorelei!"
A panting Elise suddenly appeared at the threshold, slipping between the girls watching the childish Magni Domina merrily eat and drink to her heart's content. Her hair was a mess and she seemed furious.
"Lorelei Sankt!"
"Ah, Elise! Mein beste freudin der welt, Elise! (My best friend in the world, Elise!)" Lorelei replied, standing up from her seat and spreading her arms wide open. "How lovely it is to see you!"
"You had me worried, Lorelei…" Elise snapped, leaning forward a little as she tried to catch her breath, "The Maultier was supposed to escort you. Just because the Americans finally surrendered last month doesn't mean that the streets are safe… you'd have to go through customs first, and…"
"But it would have taken too long… going through customs is booooooring!" Lorelei argued, her arms still opened wide, "I wanted to see you as soon as possible! You haven't visited Berlin since – I already forgot, that's how long it's been!"
"That would be because I am busy attending to my duties as a Carissima." Elise said. She took a deep breath and stood upright. "I don't have time to visit Berlin - or Europe for that matter."
"All the more reason for me to come rushing to you!" Lorelei said with a painful grin, "Come on – my arms are starting to hurt!"
Embarrassed, Elise heavily sighed before admitting defeat and approaching Lorelei. The two close friends reunited with a tight, tight embrace. When they parted from each other, Lorelei started talking to Elise in rapid-fire French. The girls of the Manila Chapter were quite pleasantly surprised – it was only when Lorelei Sankt visits Manila that they get to see their Carissima Elise be so happy.
Elise snapped away as she caught sound of the pleased whispers and saw that practically all of the Manila Chapter's Puella Magi peeking through the dining hall doors. Flustered, she quickly reverted back to her authoritative, leering look.
"What are you girls standing around there for?" She ordered, gesturing the girls to come into the dining hall, "Line up for inspection – greet your superiors with respect!"
Frightened, the girls all marched stiffly into the dining hall to form two windowed lines. Audrey and Ligaya found themselves at the far end of the lines as they tried to copy their fellow Puella Magi.
"Mabuhay, Carissima Elise!" The girls chanted in unison, "Mabuhay, Magni Domina Lorelei!"
The Americana and Filipina only mouthed the words. They didn't know if they would pronounce the words properly, after all – it was the first time they heard about the Magni Domina.
"Aww, come on, Elise. You don't have to be so formal with me." Lorelei laughed uncomfortably, "You always make the girls stand in attention to greet me like this."
"It's only proper though." Elise reasoned, "You're the Magni Domina, our Lady and founder. You deserve respect."
"Hmm… sometimes, I wonder about that…" Lorelei hummed, her mind laden with heavy thoughts for a moment. She then shook her head and faced the girls standing in attention with a bright smile. "At ease, girls of the Philippine chapter – thank you for welcoming me to your home."
The girls all sighed in relief and were silently dismissed by Elise, scattering off to carry on with their work and duties for the day or taking a seat in the hall to have their lunch. Audrey and Ligaya too started looking for a table in the hall when they were halted by Lorelei.
"Ms. Burnham, Ms. de la Cruz." Lorelei called out, stopping them in their tracks. "You two are the newest Puella Magi of the Philippine chapter, right?"
"Y-yes…" Audrey and Ligaya said shakily as they turned around, unnerved to be face to face with the Magni Domina.
"You're also the ones assigned to be dispatched for Witch patrol around the city this afternoon, am I correct?"
Unable to speak, the two girls nodded meekly. Lorelei smiled and walked over to where they stood.
"Excellent! Just perfect!" Lorelei's smile grew wider, "I have a request for you then."
Audrey and Ligaya looked at each other in shock.
"Take me with you on your Witch hunt – show me the power of the girls of the Manila branch!"
"… Eh?"
Act XIX – Pair Aces
Two Soul Gems, an amber one and the other olive green, sparkled in the hands of their owners. Audrey and Ligaya walked along the Pasig River and held their gems in the afternoon sunlight. The Gems both glowed with faint light.
"Ligaya, you're shaking." Audrey whispered to the Filipina walking beside her, "Are you nervous?"
"How could I not be nervous?" Ligaya complained, "W-we… we have to…"
She then turned her head to the side, catching a glimpse of Lorelei and Elise walking behind them, deep in conversation.
"How can I not be nervous? The girls back at the Gumamela said Carissima Elise had been following our progress lately… and now, the leader of Salvae herself is going to watch us!"
At first, Audrey and Ligaya thought that Lorelei was joking when she said she wanted to join them on their afternoon patrol… she did seem like the type to crack a joke like that. But there she was, bouncing along happily as if they were all going to a picnic. Elise greatly opposed to the idea of leaving Lorelei in the hands of two rookies and so was forced to come along as well. Now, Audrey and Ligaya were in charge of protecting two of the most important members of the Salvae organization. Audrey could see why Ligaya was so distraught.
"Don't look too much into it." Audrey tried to calm her down, "A witch hunt is a witch hunt."
"That's the thing, though!" Ligaya frowned, "What good am I in a fight? What if because of me, we humiliate ourselves in front of the Carissima and Lady Lorelei…?"
"Like I'd let that happen!" Audrey whispered back, "You and I will find a Witch today and beat her into the ground! That revolver training hopefully comes in handy today!"
"Yeah- hopefully…" Ligaya said, feeling the Peacemaker revolver holstered at her hip with her free hand. While her marksmanship was poor, what was worse was her magic. She felt as if her magic was useless.
As if to spite her, Ligaya's soul gem suddenly brightened. She looked over to see Audrey's soul gem shining brighter as well.
"The barrier is nearby." Lorelei said, her voice suddenly serious. Her bright blue eyes scrutinized their surroundings carefully. "Over there!"
She then pointed to an oddly empty artery road that would usually be filled with traffic and pedestrians in the late afternoon rush.
"We should prepare to fight too." Elise readied her Soul Gem, a shining jewel of lilac, as well, "These two are rookies, so…"
"No, no… I'm sure these two can handle themselves." Lorelei smiled, "Trust in your subordinates so that they can grow, right?"
"Very well…." Elise grumbled, returning her Soul Gem to its ring form.
"Go forth then and lead us, mein frauleins!" Lorelei then cheered, "I expect a most splendid performance!"
Audrey and Ligaya turned to each other as they raised their Soul Gems. The familiar amber light wrapped Audrey for a moment, bringing forth her US cavalrywoman's Puella Magi attire, the attire Ligaya had admired since the first time she met the American. Ligaya, however, hesitated to transform and looked over her shoulder to the Puella Magi behind her..
"Come on, Ligaya." Audrey encouraged, patting the Filipina's shoulder, "You're a Puella Magi now too – believe in yourself!"
"O-okay…" Ligaya nodded, lobbing her Soul Gem up into the air. Olive green light surrounded Ligaya, bringing out the Filipina's Puella Magi attire. She wore an olive green US infantry jacket with its sleeves rolled up to just before the elbows. Denim short-alls of khaki hung from her shoulders and covered everywhere from her stomach down to her heels. A long olive green skirt puffed out underneath it. Short, dark brown work boots covered her feet and a sturdy leather belt fastened her short-alls in place. Then, a metal bracelet formed around her right arm, encrusted with a shining green gem.
Audrey took Ligaya's hand happily, "Let's go!"
Leading the way, Audrey went with Ligaya headlong into the empty thoroughfare and were absorbed into the barrier.
The tall buildings of stone and concrete buildings of the Philippine capital melted away suddenly and the paved asphalt road corroded underneath their feet, a winding dirt path rising from its place. Chopsticks, akin to bones, stuck out from both sides of the dirt road along, protruding at odd angles and swaying ever so slightly in a nonexistent breeze. A mountain of metal frying pans, cooking pots, utensils and plates at the end of the road reached far up into the rapidly dulling sky. The kitchenware rattled around and whizzed, encircled by a ring of flame..
Above the mountain of kitchenware, a perfectly circular hole danced in the bright sky. A cheese grater at the tip of the mountain disappeared into the hole – they would have to climb up the mountain of metal to get into the hole. Audrey shrugged and she and Ligaya began to make their way to the shifting mountain. Suddenly, she stopped.
"Minions." Audrey whispered, "Stay close."
Ligaya quickly obliged, walking closer to the American. In her trembling hands sat the Peacemaker revolver, loaded with six shots. Boxes of revolver rounds shifted around in her pockets as she sped up to keep up with Audrey's pace. All around them were blackened grains of rotten rice the size of American footballs forming a circle around the four girls in the barrier, skittering and chattering about. Audrey had hoped to get through the barrier quickly unnoticed, but that plan had to be thrown out the window..
"Tch. Transforming so soon might not have been such a good idea." Audrey rested her hand on her hip in a confident pose, "Still – this battle shouldn't take too long."
"So then…" Ligaya shuddered, "What's the plan?"
Audrey drew out her golden neckerchief and grinned.
"Break through the front quickly and head straight for the witch!"
Half a dozen 20mm anti-aircraft guns slammed into the moist earth, pointed straight down the road. One after another, the six guns fired and thrust a hail of black shrapnel onto the rotten grains, easily tearing through thousands. With a single barrage, their path to the mountain was cleared.
"Go!"
The girls made a run for the metallic mountain. Grains of rice from all around them started marching to close in on them, launching themselves to strike at the girls once they were close enough. Elise and Lorelei dodged them with practiced ease, but occasionally Ligaya or Audrey didn't fare as well.
"Audrey!" Ligaya cried out – a handful of grains threw themselves onto the American. Gritting her teeth, Ligaya pointed her gun and shot at the grains twice, the two bullets destroying them all midair.
"You seem to shoot better on the move!" Audrey said, making the Filipina gain a little confidence, "Keep it up!"
"Yeah!"
They pressed onwards through the chopstick-lined road and reached the foot of the mountain practically unscathed.
"You take the lead this time, Ligaya." Audrey said, pointing up to the hole in the sky, "Get Elise and Lady Lorelei up to that cheese grater safely!"
The American then waved her neckerchief around, calling down two dozen anti-aircraft guns facing the path from which they came.
"I'll buy you guys some time and catch up!"
Ligaya nodded to Audrey then helped Elise and Lorelei up through the first set of pans.
"I'll do my best!"
Second Interlude
Meanwhile, at the Manila artery road where the four Puella Magi had disappeared, the entire area was deserted save for two girls standing watch over the entrance to the barrier. Both girls wore black shawls over their shoulders.
"We've got quite the catch in here today eh?" The first girl, a Latina with a mild complexion said. "If we can pull this one off, it'll be pretty big!"
"I know, I know." A middle-eastern girl agreed, "It's a quarry we can be proud of – poor girls don't know a thing!"
As they spoke, a third girl approached the entrance to the barrier – a Japanese girl with long dark hair and a beautiful, smooth face. In her hand fluttered a black shawl. The two girls who stood watch saw the shawl and grinned.
"Ah, you're one of the reinforcements, no?" The Latina asked, checking a metal timepiece, "You guys are late – we were planning to go on ahead."
"Yeah, yeah." The middle-eastern girl added, "So hurry up and put that shawl on so we can get started!"
The Japanese girl however didn't reply, instead letting go of the shawl which flew away with the breeze. Quickly, the two girls took steeled stances.
"You're not with them, then – what the hell did you do with our reinforcements?"
Michi calmly closed her eyes solemnly, like a samurai meditating before a battle – ready to strike. The girls now knew that their reinforcements weren't coming.
"Tell me, you two." Michi then asked in English, "Where are you from?"
The two girls looked at each other, Michi's question taking them by surprise.
"Costa Rica." The Latina said, folding her arms.
"Persia." The middle-eastern girl followed, "why are you asking us this?'
"Back down… and go home." Michi said softly, giving the girls their last warning. "Return to your homes – back to where you belong."
The brows of the two girls crumpled. Michi opened her eyes with determination.
"If you have families you love, or a home to return to – go. Unless you believe your job is worth throwing away your life for."
"We left behind our families and homes when we became Puella Magi." The middle-eastern girl said. Both she and the Latina drew out their Soul Gems. "We don't need them anymore, for we've become part of something greater. We have no regrets and we'll take you down."
"Hmph… if that's the case..." Michi drew her turquoise Soul Gem, her eyes sharp as daggers "I will have no regrets either."
Act XX – Holding On
"Heave… ho!"
With her Peacemaker revolver holstered at her side, the Filipina dutifully climbed up the mountain of kitchenware in the barrier of the Witch. Unafraid of heights, she rose up rather quickly - faster than Lorelei or Elise could. She even helped them up to the next level every now and then.
"You climbed up trees as a child, I presume." Lorelei cheerily asked as Ligaya scampered onto a soup ladle.
"Yes I did." Ligaya confirmed, reaching down to help Lorelei and Elise onto the ladle, "My father and I used to race to see who could reach the coconuts up in the tree first – my father and I…"
Her tone grew somber,
"My father and I…"
She abruptly fell silent.
Lorelei's face fell. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring up an uncomfortable topic."
"No, it's alright…" Ligaya assured, "It's something I have to get over someday, after all… the sooner, the better."
Ligaya shook her head, and continued to climb. Though her eyes were turned skywards, she could hear Audrey battling the endless waves of rice grains at the foot of the mountain – anti-aircraft guns went off almost every few seconds and the ground beneath them glowed bright with powder and flame.
"How are things up there, Ligaya?" Audrey called out from below.
"Fine so far!" Ligaya called back, "We're almost…"
Suddenly, a few grains of rice shimmied out of one of the pans directly above her. The Filipina flung an arm over her head and a warm olive green light shone around it. A large, sloped steel plate, light as a feather, now floated above Ligaya, protecting her from the plummeting grains. The grains struck against the plate like rocks but were deflected handily. Silently, Ligaya's plate disappeared and the Filipina drew her revolver to shoot the remaining grains.
Audrey looked up and saw Ligaya fighting with a rhythm she had never seen before, a burning confidence and fierceness she had never seen in the Filipina before. With a smile, Audrey fired one last salvo of flak at the assaulting rice grains and started to climb up after the rest.
"We're on a roll, Ligaya!" Audrey cheered, lifting herself up to the spout of a tea kettle, a few dozen feet below Ligaya "That Witch better be scared – we're taking the fight to it!"
"Don't get cocky." Elise chastised, "Never underestimate a Witch. At any given time…"
A shadow then fell over the girls. Loud rattles resounded from up above and the cheese grater Audrey had hoped to climb was now tumbling down the side of the mountain, barely missing her back. The girls looked up and saw a face looking down on them from the hole – an emancipated doll with hollows under her eyes and in her cheeks, whose deathly pale face was covered by brittle hair. She was the Witch of this barrier.
Sickly, yellow stalks of rice started inching downwards from the hole and blood dripped down from them like morning dew and onto the girls. Audrey wiped her face in disgust.
"Damn you!" Audrey growled, summoning half a dozen 2-inch medium mortars onto a nearby frying pan, "Take this!"
The mortars fired, their toffee-apple bombs flying past Ligaya, Elise and Lorelei and striking at the Witch above. The Witch shrieked in pain as bombs went off on her face. Her hair caught fire, causing her to start to retreat back up the hole.
"Not so fast!" Audrey cried, calling forth another set of mortars, "I'm not done with you yet!"
As she was about to fire, though, the entire barrier seemed to shake. Then, the droplets of blood that had fallen on to them started falling sideways, away from the mountain.
"What the…"
Audrey and Ligaya cried out as the mountain started moving towards one side with loud metal clanks as the items that made it up shifted in that direction, moving bizarrely to that side. Moments later, Audrey's feet started to feel light and the sensation of falling backwards filled her body. Then, she screamed. The gravitation had shifted – what had been sideways a minute ago was now downwards, and the four girls fell. It wasn't only them that plummeted down into the darkness; the entire mountain of kitchenware fell too, each object threatening to crush them in their weight. The path to the Witch disappeared before their very eyes. Before long, their lives may very well disappear too.
"NO!" Ligaya cried, absolutely terrified, "I CAN'T DIE HERE!"
In her desperation, the Filipina closed her eyes and held on to the gem-encrusted bracelet with the hand that held her revolver and the gem glowed brightly. The metal plate appeared above her… but started taking a different shape than usual. When she opened her eyes again, her metal plate was no longer a plate but an operational P-26 Peashooter with its engine already running. Ligaya couldn't believe her eyes.
"This is…"
She felt the wing of the plane with her hand, feeling the familiar details of the wing from the cast metal, to the rudder and to every individual bolt that held the machine together. The roar of the Pratt & Whitney engine she knew all too well breathed new life into Ligaya's heart. Her very thoughts were enough to move the machine, weaving it through the falling kitchenware with ease as she held on to it and even dispatching some of them with the plane's twin Browning machine guns. This was her power, she told herself – she controlled this plane. A burning smile stretched over her face. She knew what she had to do.
"Everyone!" She called out as loud as she could, her voice muffled by the headwind "Grab on to the plane! We can still fight this Witch!"
The Peashooter zipped through the air, against the gravity of the barrier and steered it to catch her companions in the air as they fell. They grabbed onto the wings as Ligaya commanded the plane to fly them through the hole in the sky.
"Ligaya!" Audrey gasped, amazed by what her apprentice had done, "Whoa-!"
She was speechless, as were Elise and Lorelei. Ligaya's heart was glad. The plane approached the hole and they could make the Witch cowering inside of it – now was their chance.
"Let's do this!" Ligaya cried, "Audrey – get ready!"
"Heh-" Audrey grinned, her free hand grasping her neckerchief that fluttered in the air. "I'm always ready!"
The plane started rising sharply and its machineguns shot through the hole. The bullets tore through the Witch's pale skin and bloody chunks of cloth fell from her sides. Once the plane made it through, Audrey gently waved her neckerchief and called forth a 57mm gun with its barrel sitting right at the Witch's face, point blank.
The gun fired, and the Witch fell onto the ground of the upper chamber. It gurgled desperately but managed to jump back up on its feet, her rotting hands trying to swipe at the four girls on the plane. All the while, Audrey called out and fired pair after pair of anti-aircraft guns to keep the Witch's hands away from them. Then, the yellowish stalks of rice started to grow upwards around the Witch, forming a shield that blocked off Audrey's flak and Ligaya's machine gun runs.
"A frontal attack's useless now!" Audrey hissed, "She's pretty damn weak now, but we can't get any hits on her like this!"
"How about an attack from above?" Lorelei suggested, her tone rather excited, "Fighter planes are able to carry bombs, right? Fly over her and strike; en passant*!"
"I'll see what I can do!" Ligaya cried, making the plane climb higher and higher up the barrier. The Witch, now unable to reach the girls, looked up curiously – unsure of what was going on. A hatch below the Peashooter sprung open and a dozen light bombs were dropped, whistling as they fell down onto the unsuspecting Witch. Fire engulfed the Witch's face one last time and she fell forward into the stalks of rice she had been growing around her. Rotten grains of rice were launched upwards in random directions from where she fell, but disappeared before they could strike at the plane.
Epilogue
Ligaya's Peashooter disappeared in a green flash and the four girls landed on their feet, watching as the barrier broke around them. They were now back in the empty Manila road, slowly beginning to fill with traffic only now. The Grief Seed stuck out from the ground. A mystified Ligaya walked up to it then picked it up. The widest smile then grew on her face.
"We did it!" she cheered, raising the Grief Seed up as if it were some sort of trophy, "Audrey! Carissima! Lady Lorelei – look!"
"Bravo! Bravo indeed!" Lorelei praised, bouncing about happily. Audrey and Ligaya looked at each other and sighed in relief. "That was, perhaps, one of the most splendid Witch hunts I have ever been on – isn't that right, Elise?"
Elise, however, did not react, her attention seemingly elsewhere. An uneasy silence followed, prodding the three girls to turn around. There, they saw a sight they would rather not have seen.
Sprawled out there on the street were the bodies of two girls who wore black shawls; large slash marks covering their bodies, blood pooling underneath them. Lines of blood painted the walls of the nearby buildings and the blood pools mixed together and flowed to the road, trickling down into the storm drainage.
"The Puella Magi killers strike again." Elise said with guarded irritation, "It is not safe here – we must leave."
"Puella Magi killers?" Lorelei asked, now greatly troubled. "It's happening in the Philippines too then – the killings."
"Yes – I had been meaning to talk to you about this, Lorelei." Elise continued, "We at the Manila Branch have taken precautions already, so we've only lost one of our sisters to those fiends. These two girls, however…"
Elise looked at the corpses, seeing the black shawls they wore stained with blood. "They aren't part of our organization – we weren't able to protect them."
"God bless their souls." Ligaya's voice was weak.
"Shouldn't we at least bury them, or try to clean up or something?" Lorelei asked.
"We can't do that." Elise refused. "If Japanese soldiers found us carrying bloodied bodies through town or out of it, we might be suspected of murder – we might even get publicly executed."
Both Lorelei and Ligaya were dissatisfied. As much as they wanted to do something for the dead girls, they couldn't argue with Elise's reasoning. The strictures of a military-government were not one to be taken lightly after all. Audrey, on the other hand, watched the bodies with an especially somber expression – as if the sight had reminded her of something.
"How could they do something like this…?" Audrey whimpered, a sensitive chord struck in her heart, "We're all sisters in magic, aren't we?"
"Not everyone seems to think so." Lorelei said displeased, "That much, they are making clear. Were they… also going to go for us?"
"Who knows." Elise's eyes scanned the area, "We must set forth immediately – the killers may still be around."
"Yeah, let's go." Audrey agreed, her tone tired, "Our shift's done anyways… I want to rest."
Ligaya nodded wearily and the four girls started making their way down the riverside road. Even though she and Audrey were victorious that day… even though she finally became a competent fighter, neither she nor her companions were in the mood to celebrate.
…
.
…
Monday afternoon in Mami Tomoe's apartment, the golden-haired girl stands before her Mercator map with a flash-drive card* in her hand. She set the card near the map and a small window popped up, asking her to confirm the copy and to enter a password. With lithe fingers, she typed in the password on the digital keyboard and hit the enter key – the map was then copied onto the card.
Once it was done, Mami pocketed the card then walked over to the entrance of her apartment. There, a bag of pastries sat, still fresh from the oven. She picked it up and smiled – she felt as if this time, Homura would like her baking. With wings on her feet, Mami stepped out of her apartment then trotted along, headed for Homura's home whistling the tune of When the Saints Come Marching In.
"Oh, good afternoon Mami-san!"
It was Madoka Kaname walking home from school, her expression bright as always.
"Good afternoon to you too, Kaname-san." Mami replied, a smile on her face.
"Ah! You brought some pastries!" Madoka eyed them hungrily, making Mami chuckle.
"Here, why don't you have one?" Mami said, opening the bag for her. Madoka happily peeked inside and saw a pastry she hadn't seen before. "It's pan de coco – a pastry from the Philippines."
"Pan de coco?" Madoka asked, taking one out of the bag, "Oh – it's warm!"
"I finished baking them just a while ago!"
"Oh, that's nice." Madoka slowly took a bite and her eyes sparkled, "And it's delicious! How did you learn to make these?"
"Hmm… you could say I watched a video with a friend." Mami's tone was gentle, "I made these for her, actually – I thought she might like it."
"Uwah~ you've got such a lucky friend then." Madoka seemed jealous.
"Don't worry, Kaname-san, you're a friend of mine too. I can make pastries for you too if you want!"
"That would be great! And for Sayaka too! We can have a tea party together sometime."
"Why not? Yeah, a tea party… that seems like a good idea."
"And if she's up to it, we could probably invite Homura-chan too!"
"Homura, huh."
"Yeah." Madoka nodded, "I don't know… but I have the feeling that the four of us could all become friends!"
"Friends, huh… that would have been nice."
"What was that, Mami-san?"
"Nothing at all." Mami smiled, "Anyways, I must be off Kaname-san. I have an appointment to meet."
"See you later, Mami-san!"
"Oh, and one last thing, Kaname-san." Mami halted, "Have you seen Kyuubey around? I haven't seen him for a while now…"
"Beats me – I haven't seen him either."
"Hmm… I wonder…"
Meanwhile, in the Akemi household, Homura quietly sat with Kyuubey with her face turned to the many formless screens that floated around the perpetually moving pendulum suspended midair in her room.
"Akemi-san." Kyuubey said, turning to the dark-haired girl, "You've been advancing the story quite a bit on your own – shouldn't you wait for Mami-san?"
Homura didn't reply, her Soul Gem in her hand – etches of black starting to fill the bottom.
"Aren't you planning to fight beside her against Walpurgisnacht? How she properly fight something she is ignorant about – about the true nature of Witches?"
Homura gritted her teeth.
"She doesn't need to know… all that matters is that we defeat the dreadnaught Witch. Everything else is inconsequential."
To Be Continued
Episode 9 Preview:
Nothing can be more frustrating
Than to see something you wish for
Sitting right in front of you – out of arm's reach
The longer I wait, the more distant it becomes.
Is she truly sincere, or am I fooling myself?
Am I waiting for something that will never come?
In all honesty,
I want to believe.
-Mami Tomoe-
Extra Notes:
Pan-de-sal* - A common bread made and popular in the Philippines, usually baked in a stone oven.
San Miguel* - Brewing company in the Philippines. Argue all you want, but San Mig is still the best beer for me! It's freakin' smooth, man!
En passant* - A chess move wherein a pawn destroys the piece beside it by 'passing by' it. In essence, Lorelei suggested Ligaya try to outmaneuver the Witch.
Flash-drive Card - So flash drives still exist in the Gen Urobuchi future, sue me. This one's the size of an ID card and can be flashed like a pay-pass credit card rather than having to directly connect it to the computer - nifty idea, I think.
Pan-de-coco* - Basically bread with coconut filling (the best in the freaking world!). It's a popular Filipino pastry based loosely on the pan-de-sal. An upgrade, hint, hint.