Authors notes: I own nothing from Bayonetta.
Chapter 4: In Charm and Allure
…
Bayonetta just stared at the boy, her mouth slightly agape. "Love?"
He jumped to his feet and folded his arms, beginning to pace back and forth. They unfolded and now rested on his hips as he turned around, alternating between both positions. "I mean, I don't know your name. And I think you would be very offended if I called you Ma'am."
Her nostrils flared out from a sharp exhale. She watched him through narrow eyes, staying still for the moment. "I'm far too young to be considered a 'ma'am' little one. But Love? Now you are really pushing it."
"Exactly. But it's a bit hypocritical to call me a nickname when you don't even know mine." The boy placed a hand onto his chest. "My name is…"
His mouth curled into a frown and the hand scratched at his temple. Bayonetta raised an eyebrow, folded her arms and began to wait.
"Uhh… I'll get back to you on that. Well, if you don't want me to call you 'love', what do you want me to call you?" He lazily pointed a finger at her. "But I do think it would be polite to call you ma'am. Just saying."
"Do I look like a ma'am to you?" She began to circle slowly around the boy, an unamused expression forming upon her face. "Cereza or Bayonetta; take your pick, for I don't really care."
"Cereza?" The boy broke into a burst of laughter. "The Spanish word for cherry? Sorry love, but you don't look like a Cereza."
"There was another name to use, little one."
The boy rolled his eyes and turned with her movements. "Alright, Bayonetta, just who are you? For starters, you are the only being I've seen that can see me and that makes me wonder if you are some kind of threat that I have to be worried about."
He saw her frown and held up a hand instantly. "But I think our brief adventure as squirrel boy and human girl was more than enough evidence to prove the contrary. So… Yeah. See previous question."
She smirked. The boy's attitude was a bit too audacious for her liking, but he was kind of reminding her of herself. At this moment the best way to annoy her would be to start using metaphors; so she was going to try that. "I guess all I am is just a poor innocent girl, lost in this wonderland with no guide out."
His flat stare was enough for Bayonetta to erupt in a small giggle. "Little one, the first rule you learn about me is that I don't kiss and tell. And since you are underage, I definitely can't do either."
"I am not underage! I was born with the beginning of the cos-" The words died abruptly as both shared shocked glances with each other. The boys' hands shot up and covered his mouth. "I was… born… when? How did I remember that?"
"Little one," Bayonetta stopped her circling and stepped towards him with one arm lightly outstretched. "What do you mean by that?"
The hands shifted to his temples and began to squeeze. His knees buckled slightly and a pained whimper escaped his mouth.
"Little one!"
Blue magic erupted from his eyes and the entire world went-
…
"Welcome, my brothers. Today we begin our seventh commune; the Lands Between has a new Primordius and we will welcome them to Ginnungagap as is tradition."
"Thank you, Akatosh. Our name is Placidusax-"
"-and our title is the Harbinger of Order."
"Hmph. A new sibling is not a subject I wanted to bother entertaining in this meeting."
"Shouldn't we discuss-"
"Our wayward brother is none of our concern. I find that addressing the state of The Lands Between is a better topic for discussion."
"Argosax, our presence was never needed-"
"-but we feel it is necessary for our continued survival."
"Hmph. The less God-killers that exist the better."
"But Philemon, what if we need them? One day, one of us could fall to madness-"
"None of us will ever fall to madness. We were created with the intent of cultivating a multiverse, with our own tasks and goals to achieve this. What have you ever done to determine that is a possibility? The creations that sprang forth from us are our perfect lambkin, our perfect followers and servants. If we ever need to utilise what Shabriri and the ilk created in his rule, then woe has befallen us all. And that will never happen."
"But what if one of us does?"
"It will never happen. Stop bringing it up, A-"
"Hear me out, please! Our rule is only because our subjects do not think, do not decide. We control our worlds with absolution; what if one of us desired more? The Lands Between has been in disarray almost constantly, with a new being taking upon the Status seemingly every other cycle. It would not take much effort for one of us to simply seize the world for ourselves. We can't just let us decide, because who is the one to stop us? Our progenitors are long gone. We have to rely upon ourselves and that takes a level of trust between us all."
"Are you suggesting you desire more power? More control?"
"I'm not! I'm just pointing out a flaw in not supporting the Harbinger of Order."
"The naïve fool has a point; the Primordius of the Lands Between has been in flux for centuries now. And now it's a half-dead dragon. At least Akatosh is a firstborn and not some pretend heir!"
"Leave me out of this, Argosax, and leave it be. Placidusax is the strongest being left to be bestowed upon the eminence of Primordius, as chosen by the currently absent Time Keeper. Do not question our-"
"That runt was designed and created with one and one only purpose in mind. They should not be selecting our brethren."
"Who would select our replacement-"
"-should we come to fall?"
"Well! I do not know, and I do not care. So, you think we need some trust between us all, A-"
…
The blue receded, leaving Bayonetta breathless and in a state of shock.
Butterfly?
Her patron did not answer.
What did I just see?
'That… what was that!?'
They mentioned Primordius! Is that- It has to be!
'Yes, but that does not explain this boy's involvement. And where was Rodin?'
Do you think I know? Let's try and find some answers.
And the boy was backing up now. The hands gripping his head were now almost bone white in their tone; Bayonetta took a tentative step forward and returned her hand to her previous position.
"Little one?"
"Stay away!" He stumbled back towards the back of the ruined church. "I can't control the Remembrance!"
Her eyebrow raised, but she heeded his words and stayed exactly where she was. "What exactly is the Remembrance?"
"Like I know shit! Just get away from me before I hurt you!" The boy turned and bolted before she even had a chance to dissuade him of the notion.
"Hey! Little one!" Bayonetta's hand dropped and she sprinted after him. Sending a weave through the crumbling remains, she vaulted over the exploded bricks and stones and landed in front of the fleeing boy. Turning around slowly, like a predator toying with their prey, she eyed the boy with annoyance. "I'm not done talking with you yet."
He stood there, eyes wide like a child caught in the candy jar. Bayonetta internally smirked; it was the same thing she did whenever Luka found her with the last lollipop.
"Now, I'm gathering that you have some form of amnesia?" She asked.
The boy nodded, his eyes not meeting her own. "I don't remember anything. I just woke up in the form of this squirrel about a week ago and then was kinda stuck in a place where there's ghost-people and-"
"Purgatorio." She elaborated further when his face screwed up in confusion. "You've been stuck in Purgatorio."
"Pur-gah-tore-ee-oh?" He phonetized and shook his head. "Never heard of it."
"I'm surprised you haven't. Very few humans are aware of the existence of Purgatorio; all of them are aware of the arcane and I can count on one hand how many can actually get in. You, however, I've never heard of or seen before in my life." Bayonetta tilted her head. "A child who can transform into a squirrel, who is also stuck in Purgatorio, and has no memories? You are an enigma, to be certain."
And my memories, as fractured as they are, still tell me that you do not exist.
The boy gave her a cocky, albeit very shaky, grin. "Well, love, I guess I am very much one of a kind."
An annoyed sigh slipped out from her and she turned her gaze into something akin to baleful scorn. "What have I told you about that name, little one? And that is my catchphrase; go and find your own."
"If you stopped calling me little one then maybe I will." He folded his arms and stared at her with a cunning smile. "But let me turn the question on you, because you seem to be here for a purpose."
"You seem to have skipped school the day they taught basic negotiation skills." Bayonetta matched his demeanor and folded her arms as well. "You are supposed to negotiate from a position of strength, little one."
"Well, I do have that. I think. You're going to Fimbulventr, correct?"
She nodded. The boy pointed a thumb at his chest and continued with that infuriating smile. "In my week here, I explored every nook and cranny of this place. I know everything, love, about Noatun. I can get you to Fimbulventr, no problem. I know the way and I know exactly where to go."
"It's certainly convenient that you, of all people know exactly how to get to where I need to go." The Witch raised an eyebrow, her own uncertainty beginning to bubble over. "Are you going to Fimbulventr too?"
"Y- No!" He lamely denied with a comical shake of the head. "I'm not going to Fimbulventr! I just… merely know the way, that's all!"
She tilted her head and regarded him with curiosity. "Have you been keeping secrets from Mummy?"
"Look love, I have nothing! I don't know who I am, I don't know what this place really is aside from a big fucking rock in the middle of an island and I don't know why I'm constantly drawn to said big fucking rock!" The boy cried out in frustration. "All I know is that I am and you are very capable to help me actually get there! If you haven't noticed, there's Laguna everywhere and I couldn't exactly fight them as a squirrel! I probably still can't but that's beside the point!"
Bayonetta waited for the boy to finish his rant before she exhaled in annoyance. "All of this raving is not exactly my type of conversation. If I'm being honest, little one, I do not have the time nor patience to give a shit about who you are or why you need to go to the mountain. But I do need a guide. As I said before, I am an innocent girl, lost in this wonderland; I do not know where to go, or what I am looking for. You know, you can be that guide."
The boy stood there and pondered her words with a hand on his chin. He began to walk in a small circle, humming and erring to himself with childlike sounds. Her own emotions began to calm down as she watched him move. It wasn't fair on the boy to take out her frustrations upon him, considering she was in the same boat a mere six months ago. Amnesia was certainly no joking matter in her books and it was very much hypocritical for her to judge others of the same.
"If it's of any merit to you, I'm not against a passenger on the trip up. Besides, with your connection to this 'Remembrance' it seems that you would be a lot more useful than the other child I had to protect."
"But I'm not a child!" He pouted, but nodded his head. "How about a deal, love?"
She too made a face. "If it starts and ends with not calling me that nickname, I'm all for it."
The boy chuckled. "Sorry love, but you really don't look like a Cereza. But the deal is simple; I guide you to the mountain, you get me there in one piece. It's very decent and fair to me."
"You don't need to sell me on a deal I already came to the conclusion of." Bayonetta frowned, but softly smiled after a few seconds. "But we do have a deal, little one."
She held out her hand to the boy and he accepted it instantly. They shook once firmly, then let go and stared up at the mountain.
"First things first, love, the main issue with getting to Fimbulventr is that you need to repair the 'bridge to the heavens' before you can even start climbing to it. Unless you've got a crane hidden away in that cleavage of yours, we can't really rebuild any bridge." He pointed to the structure above them. "To get to the bridge, we have to go through a few buildings and specifically through the 'Cathedral of Cascades'."
"Whoever named this town is an ostentatious person." She commented and the boy nodded.
"I know, right?" He nodded with an exasperated grin. "Big and fancy names for what amounts to a pile of stone. But anyway, the cathedral leads directly to the bridge; the problem is that there's a non-zero amount of Laguna in the way. That is where you would come in."
Bayonetta folded her arms and regarded him with a tilt of her head. Damien had taught her, a few days after he returned from the 'Lands Between', an insignificant amount of telepathy. It wasn't enough to be able to draw coherent thoughts from the person, let alone cultivate new ones, but it was so she could determine whether the words spoken matched those in the mind. The mind could not lie.
The problem was that she had no real connection to the Soul Arts and her magic potential, as vast as it was, was not suitable for that branch of the elementals. Her Eye, however, could give her the power boost and knowledge required. So, she reached up and tapped her left temple with one hand and let the Eye guide her wandering mind. The boys offered no resistance and she slipped right in.
To her surprise, he was being one hundred percent honest with everything he had and continued to say.
"Well, little one, let's not wait. If you are to show me the way, then you need to take the lead. I'm not going to protect you until we do see some Angels." She gestured to him and he bowed in response.
"Alright love, let me lead the way." He walked past her and back towards the ruined church they had just moved out of. He stopped when he arrived at her and sent an expression of displeasure straight at her. "If you would please stop with the 'little one's' I would appreciate it, love."
"Only if you stop with the 'loves', little one."
…
The pair's first roadblock was floating above the plaza, practically encircling it with its serpentine body. Bayonetta merely stopped the boy with a wave of her hand and continued forward. "Well, this makes number three in our appearances with each other and yet we still haven't met. Just who are you, my secret admirer?"
The snakelike dragon Angel turned to her, its entire body following with a whiplike crack through the air. "You are here, Arch Eve. The Prophet has been expecting you."
"Could you make it less obvious that this is a trap?" She lamented, summoning and twirling one of her guns on her left hand. "I'm starting to miss the naïve innocence of simply walking into a new location and not expecting all of Paradiso to be on my doorstep."
"Where is the Sovereign One?" It asked, completely ignoring her.
"Hey! I asked a question; I do expect an answer!" She took aim and pulled the-
"Our lord expects both of you to be present. One will not suffice." The Angel looked up and shot away towards the mountain once more. Bayonetta merely stared at the retreating form, both disappointed and confused.
"I guess you don't have an explanation for that either?" The boy had walked out and was now staring at the Angel with her.
"Trust me, little one, I'd rather fight that admirer than let them run around unaccounted for." She glanced down to see him fully occupied with the Angel. "But it seems they are interested in both of us."
"All the better reason to stick together then; I'm a sitting duck without you."
"Indeed. Now that interruption is gone, let us continue on!" She patted him on the back, then pushed him forward. "Shall we?"
"Hey! Don't push me." He recovered from the shove with a twist, turning to face her. "Now, if memory serves me right, we need to cross one of these canals. The cathedral is on the other side of the city."
The boy was right. The bridge connected to a giant building that vaulted over the rest of the city with arches and spires. A central tower rose up from it and seemingly led straight to the overpass.
But it was on the other side of the city.
"Call it a feeling, love, but I feel this way is the right direction." Her thoughts were interrupted by the boy pointing to a street leading to the right of the plaza.
"In my experience that is known as a woman's intuition, not a feeling." She raised an eyebrow and began to walk towards the street. "Come along, I do not have time to waste."
"Wait! If we are going to do this, we do need to get a little bit creative." He ran until he was in front of her, and the pair stopped once more. "You don't just walk into Fimbulventr, love."
"You are testing my patience in more ways than one." She took aim at him and the boy froze.
"Woah- wait a second! Just hear me out, will you? I don't know about you, but I'd wager you are looking for the portal to Inferno," he raised his hands slowly. "Aren't you?"
Composing herself to hide her surprise, she instead opted to narrow her eyes. "That's a very lucky guess, little one. Would you care to explain how an amnesiac like yourself knew that?"
"You're an Umbra Witch; or at least that is what something in my memories are telling me." He spoke quickly, sensing her rapidly declining trust. "I mean, you look like one, you have their powers, am I wrong!?"
She adjusted her aim and pulled the trigger successfully this time. The boy screamed when the bullet boomed past his head, collapsing backwards to fall onto the ground.
"What the hell!? Shit, Bayonetta, I'm not lying to you! I swear!"
A body fell to the ground and he glanced back to see a flock of Angels shrieking, angered by their fallen comrade. The boy transformed into a squirrel and instantly ran to her side to reach out to her. She reached down and the squirrel darted up her arm.
"You see, my little squirrel, I don't one hundred percent believe you. But I don't really have much of a choice when it comes to guides and allies in this place." She whispered to the boy while she grabbed her other gun out of Inferno and took an aggressive stance. "But let it be known that if you decide to play traitor, I will not be so merciful."
The closest centaur- she really needed to think up a name for these- was the first to feel her frustration. A heel stomp from above flattened it into the floor, then a follow-up heel slide kick launched it into its compatriots. More bullets burst through the Angels and ripped apart those that weren't stunned by her initial projectile.
"PDEE BARMA!" She called out and Butterfly partially manifested above her. The Infernal surged forward with a headbutt and annihilated the rest of the Angels with one strike.
Teamwork makes the dream work, doesn't it?
The Madama snorted, then flowed back into the portal with a swirl of hair and magic. Silence reigned for a brief moment until the squirrel jumped down and retransformed back into his human form.
"So, just how do you know of the Umbra Witches?" She was the first to break it.
"Just like I know to breathe and eat, love. I just do." He stood up, shrugging. "I know the name, I vaguely know the look and that's about all I have to present to the jury of one."
The boy turned and began to walk towards the street once more. "Now, let's get back on track, shall we?"
Bayonetta rolled her eyes and easily caught up with the boy.
"Do you want a name or something, little one?" She asked, finally entering the street. It was a straight pathway with several intersecting passages that presumably led off into the rest of the city. There were no ghostly humans present; she assumed that the destruction of that other street and the church had pulled them from the outdoors and into a safe place.
Good. She really couldn't afford to play hero for an entire city when potentially the universe was at stake again.
"Well, if it would stop you from referring to my stature then I would be all for it, love."
"I have a name; use it, please." Bayonetta grumbled, glancing at a nearby candy store with a sly-
'Focus. May Sheba curse Redgrave forever for getting you addicted to sugar.'
If you had some, your tune would change.
Her patron went silent for a few seconds, then a growl echoed through her mind. 'Do not tempt me.'
"But I have no idea what I would call you. You don't fit any name I would normally give, given your… uniqueness." She continued, forcibly removing her gaze from the store. Even though she did want to go inside and buy a few dozen boxes of lollipops, Jeanne was very much the priority right now. "And besides, the last time I tried to name someone he named himself. So I don't exactly have a stellar track record."
"Hmmm…" The boy hummed to himself, letting his fingers trail along the wall. "I haven't exactly put thought into a name, cause I was too busy trying to figure out everything else."
He turned left and walked onto another street. He stopped in front of a locked gate and gave it an ineffectual kick. "Nothing really is coming to mind, love. But back to a previous statement; you are looking for the Gates, correct?"
"I have a party I need to attend and I have no intentions of being late." Bayonetta curtly answered. "A friend of mine is there and I need to make sure she can join in on the festivities."
She subconsciously pulled out her sister's watch and gazed upon it with a worried eye. The glowing lights that surrounded the clock face had disappeared until there was only one quarter left alight; the space between the nine and twelve markings. Her eyes widened at the sight.
What!? This was halfway a mere few hours ago!
'Someone is interfering. Where is that blasted Madama when you need her?'
"What's that you are looking at?" He glanced back with an inquisitive expression. Bayonetta straightened and quickly slipped the watch onto one of her sleeves.
"Right." She sent a wicked punch into the door, opening it. "Let's go."
…
Calling the canal a 'canal' was an understatement; the distance between the two sides of the river had to be nearly one hundred metres, if not more.
"Well, little one, care to explain?" She gestured at it from the bank, steeling her gaze at him.
"What's there to explain? I just swam across. It wasn't so bad." The boy began to perform a few stretches and gave her a quizzical look in response. "You don't like water, love?"
"I was aware that we had to cross a canal; this is more of a lake than a canal." Bayonetta folded her arms and hardened her gaze. The boy, to his credit, did not shrink back.
"Love, how was I supposed to know you were hydrophobic?" He lowered his arms and walked forward, leaning over the rail and smelling the air. "Ahh… The human nose isn't as sensitive as a squirrel's, but damn that's a good scent."
"I'm not swimming across the lake."
"It's a canal, love. And it's not that ba-" A choked scream filled the air and she watched him crumble to the ground in horror. More blue clouds were leaking from him, surrounding and-
…
"Brother."
"Ah, it seems you were smart enough to heed my summons and alone. Just as I requested."
"What do you want, Argosax? It's unlike any of us to go behind our siblings-"
"Do not call them our siblings. We are firstborn Primordius; they are nothing but fakes. A mockery of what we stand for. What we are!"
"Argosax!"
"What we are is the supreme beings of the universe; they are imposters who were given what we fought for!"
"We were given these powers by the F-"
"Irrelevant. They did not earn this status, this power."
"Is this why you summoned me?"
"Have you not seen the state of the other worlds? Placidusax is worthless as a Primordius due to them literally never interfering! All Philemon has done is cause problems for his own world because he cannot cope with the fact that his world doesn't truly belong to him. Akatosh sits around and does nothing, just like that imbecilic half-dead dragon! Jubileus has been asleep for centuries and will only awake at the end times, which looks like they will be sooner rather than later!"
"Brother-"
"The worlds are in turmoil, my friend. You've seen what became of Drakenguard; everyone in that universe perished because their 'God' did nothing. There is no longer a Primordius for that world and now it will slowly die a poisoned death. The Lands Between is constantly in turmoil and I have yet to see a Primordius exist for longer than a decade. Our youngest siblings have their tasks and they never seem to be completing them-"
"The Time Keeper and Destroyer's tasks require them to never be seen or heard. If they aren't doing anything, then they are doing their task correctly."
"If that is what you believe. If they had done their job correctly, we wouldn't be in this situation! And that is not even including the fact Singularity has not been heard from in centuries. If our supposed protectors do not want to do their job, then we will have to do it for them."
"Argosax… You cannot be suggesting what I think you are."
"We need to take their worlds by force. Those who were passed the power are too weak to hold it, and the others do nothing. Without our guidance their worlds will implode. The mortals do nothing; only we can do it. We can save everything!"
"What you are suggesting is against everything we were taught."
"Our creators were wrong to assume we could be trusted with our own creations. Only me and you can be; our realms are flourishing under our rule. You've brought order to Chaos and my Inferno is all but ready to supersede the Lands Between as the strongest. Only we can stop this degradation of reality."
"I won't give heed to these words any longer. If these traitorous designs are to be put into motion, I will warn our siblings and oppose you."
"You will not. You know in your heart that this is the correct path onwards for the Primordius!"
"This is the path to madness, Argosax. I shall hear you out no more."
"Listen to me, A-"
…
The mist faded once more to reveal clouded glasses and nothing beyond that. Bayonetta quickly gave the surroundings a glance and, once she was satisfied with knowing that absolutely nothing was watching her, wiped her spectacles clear and found the boy lying in a tight ball. His hands were pressed with tremendous force against his temples; once she got to his side even her strength wasn't enough to pry them away.
"Little one!" She cried out. Only a pained whimper answered her and then the ground began to tremble.
Bayonetta gathered the boy into her arms and began to look around with fear and suspicion. "Not fucking now…"
The sight of the canal caught her attention. It was receding towards the ocean and she followed the pathway out of reflex. Her eyes widened; it wasn't an Angel.
A tidal wave was approaching. Bayonetta merely rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth.
"Fuck me…"
She briefly considered her options. There was no way she could outrun it without manipulating time and her magic definitely wasn't suited to stopping an entire tidal wave from destroying an entire city. Resigning herself with a sick feeling in her stomach, she turned and prepared to run.
"Hey! Put me down!"
The boy squirmed out from her grip and proceeded to run towards the tidal wave.
Bayonetta turned and ran after him with panicked haste. "What are you doing!?"
The boy stopped a few meters from the edge and spread his arms out in an upside-down V. Five cards, inlaid with gold and cerulean patterns, appeared in his hands. He crossed his limbs in front of his chest and then tossed the cards out.
They disappeared into flashes of blue light that faded into white. Five seconds passed with the tidal wave coming closer and closer and closer-
The world shifted blue. The tidal wave began to dissipate and flow back into the canal with little fanfare. Bayonetta's eyes widened at the power on display; her senses identified it as time magic, but it was nothing she had ever seen before.
Not even Damien could perform anything like this, even with Khepri's aid.
Within a few more seconds the water had returned to normal. The boy waved his arms and the blue hue faded and the world continued on. He turned around with a giant grin on his face and his hands on his hips.
"How's that, love?"
"What the hell was that?" She snapped, not bothering with hiding her emotions or any pretences.
"As I said before, I can control the Remembrance of Time. That's a pretty big deal around here." He walked up to her, still with that infuriating grin on his face.
"It is? What is this Remembrance now, then?" She rested her hands on her hips and leaned forward with a glare. "Or have you still forgotten it conveniently?"
"Well, I never actually got a chance to tell you; the Remembrance of Time is the power of Aesir, the God that used to live here. Dunno where he buggered off to." The boy folded his arms. "It seems that I inherited his power."
"It seems?" The disbelief in her tone could not be hidden.
"I mean…" He trailed off, then shook his head. "No! I have nothing else to say, love."
The boy then turned and began to walk back towards the edge of the canal/river. "Come on, we need to cross this if we want to get to the Gates of Hell. Unless you've changed your mind and you want to go to Paradiso; we've already passed the gate for that."
"I have no interest in heaven." Bayonetta sighed and resigned herself to a fate worse than death. "Let's just get this over with."
"I hope we don't ever need to go there then."
She raised an eyebrow at him and arrived at his side with four long strides. "What do you mean by that?"
"Let me put it this way, love." The boy gestured to Fimbulventr. "Once we get to the mountain, it will decide to keep you around, then you'll get your choice of going up or going down. And what I mean by that is either you stay there permanently or you'll never reach it at all."
"And which way will you be going?" She offhandedly asked and she felt a disturbance ripple through the air. The boy seemed to sense it as well and fell backwards again. This time, the fear in the air was very palpable.
"Little one!" She reached out, and he slapped her hand away from him, pulling out cards from nothing and throwing them at her. Bayonetta swayed to the sides to dodge them and turned to see them impact into a charging Angel.
They, to her surprise, did not do any damage. The serpentine Laguna barrelled through the buildings and swooped down at the pair, swiping with its mighty claws. Bayonetta rolled to the side, but the boy was not as fortunate. She returned her gaze to see the Angel holding him and circling back into the sky.
"Bothersome child of light and dark. The Prophet tires of your insolence and reluctance to continue your ascent of the mountain." The draconic head spoke, and for some reason Bayonetta felt that something was off about it. She couldn't tell you what, though. "Now, my brethren have failed where we will not. We will use the boy as bait and lure you directly to Fimbulventr."
"Why are you trying to steal him? You know my goal is to reach the mountain and I'm not going to dally at any point." She stood up and resummoned Love is Blue. "Yes, I'm going to go at my own pace, but not as slow as you are making it out to be!"
"The Sovereign One's involvement is far more important than yours. Unlike you, once the Prophet has reclaimed what is his, the scraps can be sent to oblivion for all we care." It circled around twice more, then slithered off towards the mountain. "Follow me, if you must. It makes no difference."
"Unfortunately, this little one is my guide, and he's not done guiding." Bayonetta let the power of Mictlantecuhtli fill her and she transformed into her flying form. "But where you want to take us? I think it's an entirely different direction."
The Angel looked back at her and growled. "Our goals align, Arch Eve. We do not need to fight."
"And miss out on a new bonus of halos for my contracted? Please, you should know me better than that." Her legs surged forward, but this time she was on the ball and dragged them back to her. "Unless you don't know me at all."
"We know enough, Arch Eve." The Angel twisted and began to fly in a tight circle, increasing its movement and speed with every passing second. Bayonetta halted in her flight and watched the canal begin to surge upwards with an apprehensive eye. The Angel disappeared into a maelstrom of water and buildings, forming a massive tornado as both a protective shell and-
It was going to ram her with it. So much for needing her alive.
Abandoning her original idea, Bayonetta reverted back and grabbed a nearby floating rock. Placing it under her feet and utilising it as a makeshift surfboard, she braced herself for impact. The maelstrom connected with her and it… wasn't as bad as she expected. Balancing herself on the 'surfboard', she began blasting apart nearby pieces of rubble that got too close for comfort.
The Angel popped out and bore down on her with a bite. The Witch merely guided her surfboard to the right and gave the Laguna a wicked slap when it passed by.
"You're making it a bit too easy." She commented when it resurfaced behind her. "All of this pomp and circumstance and no substance? You'd be a horrible friend."
"Us Glamor does not utilize your dire pomp and circumstance, Arch Eve." It snarled. Drawing in a huge breath, it roared and sharpened icicles flung themselves out at her. Sighing to herself at the ease of it all, Bayonetta began to move-
A second Angel appeared from behind, identical to the Glamor she was fighting. It too bore down on her with a bite, and this time she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Changing her strategy, she jumped up from the board and let the projectiles slam into the second Glamor. They shattered against the golden armour, much to her dismay, and didn't really serve another purpose other than to piss it off.
Her eyes narrowed at the sight and time mentally slowed to a crawl.
'What is wrong?'
One burst through the ground and ran away to the mountain. Another circled over us, but was not satisfied with just the one and left towards the mountain as well. The one that stole the boy arrived from the west of the mountain.
Her patron chuckled in a dry tone. 'And we have visual confirmation that two of these Angels exist. I suppose the question is whether there are three or not?'
Rule of thirds suggests there is. We'll find out soon enough.
'That, we certainly will.'
"We Glamor will take you to the Prophet." A third one appeared right on schedule, smashing through her makeshift board and glared at her with hateful eyes. "He does not need you alive; he just needs your Eye."
Retransforming into the masquerade, she began to back up as all three Angels began to glide towards her. "Unfortunately for you, the Eye will die with me. But I do not plan on that happening any time soon!"
"Your corpse can be the first to tell our lord that!" The Glamor holding the boy exited the whirlwind, collapsing the entire storm cell back into the canal. "The Arch Eve will fall to our combined strength!"
She could feel her legs itching to go and fight, but she restrained them with another pat on her bottom.
Patience. We need to figure out how we fight three Angels of this size.
'Remember, you need to save the boy as well.' Butterfly reminded her, and Bayonetta's eyes were drawn to the Angel on her left. The boy was still tightly gripped in the massive claw and she could also see dozens and dozens of cards sticking out of the arm like pins in a cushion.
He definitely wasn't being taken without a fight. And neither was she.
The one on the right arrived first, swiping with both claws downwards. Her legs kicked off to the side and slipped between the razor-sharp fingers while her torso flipped and plummeted down. The claws missed her by a few feet, but she could still feel the force contained within the attack from the wind it generated. It was enough to briefly toss her around in the sky, but she recovered with a few flaps of her wings.
'You need help/Why not use us?'
If this Mictlantecuhtli was able to grant her the power of flight, then she assumed that the Demon itself was capable of it too.
'Yes we are/unleash our fury!'
Watching her legs begin to kick up the stomach of the Angel, she drew a few patterns in the air and then performed a graceful dance with just her arms, as she did not have her lower body to help out.
"VRELP LONSHIN!"
Her legs twirled and unwrapped into strands of hair, then reformed into a portal. A bat-like screech erupted from it, and then Mictlantecuhtli burst from Inferno. The demon was limbless, except for four wings that flapped in unison. Its head was similar to Scolopendra's, but thousands of miniature eyes were all laser focussed onto the trio of Angels. It opened its mandible-covered mouth and screeched again, then shot forward with a hail of energy projectiles.
The centre Angel roared in response and whipped its tail down. Her Demon slipped to the side and began barraging its head with projectiles. Her legs appeared beside her, giving her a 'well?' gesture with an incline of her hips.
"He's very impressive. But we have our own problems to take care of."
The other two Glamor's were now rushing back to engage the pair. Bayonetta hardened her gaze and felt two wicked weaves ready themselves at her sides. Her legs returned to kicking up the Angel it was initially engaging, whereas she surged forward with the two fists and slammed them against her chosen one. They deflected the initial bite and pushed the Angel down. Electricity crackled through her fingertips and burst from them in thunderbolts. Each pained scream made her already huge grin wider; this must have been how Damien felt whenever he challenged himself with magic only battles with Angels.
A trait he had inherited from Jeanne, but definitely not the worst one he could have.
The golden armour buckled from the strain of her magic, and then Butterfly's fists ripped it apart. Whirring machinery and more metal greeted her, turning her smile into a frown; it seemed that even these variants weren't at all organic.
Her lapse in concentration proved to be costly; the Glamor fighting her legs had knocked them away and charged her with a headbutt. She went flying and regained a semblance of visibility only to see the third Glamor battling Mictlantecuhtli latch onto it with a twist of its body and begin to crush it.
The three Glamor slowly turned to her, their expressionless mechanical heads seemingly gleaming with excitement. "And the Witch, detached from her allies, stands alone."
The middle Angel gestured to the one holding the boy. "Take the Sovereign One to him. We will deal with the Arch Eve."
"I'm just so annoyed that you all think I will just lay down and die!" Bayonetta yelled out, electricity crackling and forming into a staff in her hands. "You take away my legs and Demon? Well, that just leaves more Angels for me."
Spinning the staff in her hands, she fired a swarm of navy-blue bats into the closest Angel. It roared in annoyance-
It roared in annoyance?
'They are machines! Of course Infernal sorcery would have difficulty harming them!' Butterfly sounded a little panicked. 'Get rid of that staff and continue with the physical!'
Bayonetta let the weapon fade and swallowed down her rising unease. Her speed was her greatest asset here, but without her Demon, lower body or without disregarding the fact there were three Auditio-sized Angels facing her down? She remembered Damien telling her about how he ran away from two Auditio back at Ithavoll, and then he was only able to defeat them with something Jeanne had called a Sin Summon-
'You are not performing one of those. Even the modified, weaker version that Khepri taught your brother was enough to send him into a coma for a week.' Butterfly instantly refuted. 'Though your magic may be stronger with the Eye aiding it and your blood allowing you to handle it, I will not risk anything on the chance the same does not happen to you!'
The passion took her back by surprise, and the grim smile on her face faded. What do you mean by that?
'You die here, then so does Jeanne. I very much want to continue living as who I am, not what some madman wants me to be.'
And here I thought you actually cared.
Her Patron giggled and she blinked in response. 'Well, Khepri did tell me to buy her some time.'
A blue laser beam shot in from the town beneath her and punctured straight through the centre Glamor. Painful roars filled the sky and all of those who could looked down to see what was happening.
Bayonetta's eyes widened and her heart almost jumped out of her mouth. Was that-
"DESTROY HIM!"
The forceful command painfully ringed through her skull. Wincing, she shook her head clear and watched as the Glamor on the right flew down to engage the mysterious-assailant-that-was-probably-her-brother and the Glamor in the centre fell limply into the canal. Mictlantecuhtli flew out of its clutches with a piercing cry, but Bayonetta waved her hand and the summon faded.
This Demon wasn't going to be useful here. Labolas would be, but she was currently suspended in the air with no real platforms for the cats to utilise. If she could summon him directly onto the remaining Glamor, then she stood a decent chance to destroy it with ease. That plan did run the unfortunate risk of the Demon annihilating the boy.
'You are correct with that assumption, Mistress. We are suitable for unfettered destruction, not precise chaos.'
Do you have anything to help out here, Butterfly?
'I believe I have someone. Just let me know when you are ready.'
The blue beam had stopped now and she truly began to wonder if it really was her brother down there. Of all the people she knew, he was the only true sorcerer amongst them; he would be the first to cast something of that magnitude. But at the same time, Damien had never cast anything like that. The last time she had seen him cast spells in general was when she visited that world with him, and at that point in time he was still strictly elementals, not laser beams of death and destruction.
So, chances are it wasn't Damien, unfortunately. There was no way to check without abandoning her squirrel friend. Her legs then arrived back and seemed to stare at her while waiting for instructions.
"Now you need instructions? Go help whoever's down there!" Bayonetta pointed to the city beneath them and the Glamor. "Now go!"
Somehow, her legs saluted her and flew downwards. Shaking her head, the Witch brought her attention back to the final Glamor. The Angel stared at her, then lifted itself higher into the sky and promptly began to flee towards the mountain.
"Running away?" Bayonetta gave chase and sent a few weaves to try and catch the tail. Most of them missed and those that were on target merely glanced off. "What is an Angel but not a coward?"
"It is more important to procure the Sovereign One than it is to contain you, Arch Eve." Glamor answered, slithering through the air with great speed. "He will deal with you."
"The big, bad Prophet? Let him try to claim the prize you could not!"
The Angel chuckled and flipped over to watch her reaction. "Our allies are plentiful, Arch Eve. Even you could not predict the challenges that lie ahead."
'I have something physical for you.' Butterfly announced and Bayonetta smirked to herself. The expression was wiped instantly as her patron continued. 'However, you need to get it on or near the ground.'
Bayonetta glanced down to see the bridge beneath her. The first half, mind you, but a stable surface. Do I need to summon it on the ground?
'You cannot be in a masquerade.'
That was the most inconvenient way for someone to say no. The Witch rolled her eyes and called out to her legs to return. They arrived five seconds later, vibrating and bouncing in excitement.
"What the- What did you just see down there?" She folded her arms and gave her legs a stern look. The hips shook and Bayonetta raised an eyebrow at them. "You're not going to tell me?"
'Is this all really prudent?'
Right. Flying over and reforming back into her human form, Bayonetta instantly began to fall as gravity took hold of her once more. Placing her hands behind her head, she turned to see the Glamor looking down at her curiously.
Perfect.
"SUNDENNA!"
Her hairsuit flew off and formed into a portal, opening up behind the Angel. It realised the duplicity and turned around, ready to engage with the Demon she was summoning.
It fell directly onto the Angel and the pair fell onto the bridge. The Angel's claws spilled open and Bayonetta caught the boy before he went splat. She used their momentum to slip them under the bridge and they both went flying onto a wall. Adjusting her feet, Bayonetta landed lightly and her witch walk spell manifested on the toes of her heels. Standing up slowly, she kept the boy close while she began to observe her latest contract. He was clutching her tightly in response and very much in terror.
She couldn't blame him.
The Demon that stood triumphantly over the Angel was an eight-legged horse. A long horn, like a unicorn's, protruded from its head as a gigantic sword. Black flesh was its body, and dark red flames burst out in place of a mane on its head. Four red spikes sat upon its shoulders like armoured pads, finishing the sleek, but deadly appearance. It snorted a grunt, then raised its head up high.
"Shit! It's going to destroy the bridge!" The boy pointed, then grimaced at her. "We can't afford more damage to the bridge, love, if we want to use it!"
"What have I told you about calling me that?" She rolled her eyes and returned it with a smile. "Have faith in my contracted. They'll do very well."
The Demon horse neighed with a roar, then the world flashed white and its head was now lowered, resting alongside the bridge. The Glamor gurgled, then fell apart in neatly sliced chunks. Each piece of broken machinery fell to the ground and revealed an untouched bridge underneath it.
"See? They did very well." She gave the Demon a wave. "Thank you for your service!"
"Madama Butterfly said you could be the one to set me free." The horse whinnied, tossing its fiery mane. "For too long me have been contained within Inferno, unable to run, unable to hunt. Me want that freedom once more."
The Witch raised an eyebrow. What did you promise him?
'That you will use him a lot more than the others.' Butterfly answered. 'Diomedes are prideful creatures who always desire freedom above all else. You should be able to grant him that.'
"Well, I hope you don't expect any halos. Those are a little hard to come by." She spoke to both her patron and the Demon.
"Did you not hear me? Me do not want halos. Me want me freedom. Grant me this wish, Witch, and me will aid you in your quest to save the Trinities of Realities." Diomedes pawed at the ground with his left front pair of hooves. "After all, me cannot run if everything is Paradiso."
"I'm trying to save Jeanne, not the entire universe." Bayonetta answered with a smile. "But that is a good secondary objective."
"Call upon me when you feel it is prudent to do so." The Demon bowed its head respectfully to her, then unweaved back into the portal. The hair suit reweaved back to its proper place and Bayonetta dropped down to the ground. Letting go of the boy, they both let their respective gazes wander around at the three dead Angels.
She placed her hands onto her hips and settled her gaze onto the boy. "Well, it looks like our work here is done."
…
Post Notes: And here it all begins properly. I was actually debating on keeping certain identities hidden, but I figure that at least introducing all the possible concepts early (like masquarade, the Primordius etc) would make what's going to happen later make a little more sense.
Now, I'll get into the history of the Primordius a little later in this story. But a brief overview is that there was ten Primordius, six universes in the multiverse and (Taa-daa! I broke my statement lmao) some race starting with an F created them.
And with this chapter down, we are now one step closer to the reintroduction of the third antagonist. As always, thank you for reading and please leave a comment if you liked what you read. I'll see you all either next month or the end of this one for the next chapter: The Lumen Sage (Part 1)