I Got Cursed By a What Now?
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Spiral Flames of Lugnica! Though this also comes with a bit of an announcement. I've been asked by the requestor to put this story on hiatus for a bit in order to focus more time on their other request, 'I'm Too Sober For This'. With luck it won't be too long but that does mean this story won't be updated for a little bit. Naturally I'd suggest checking out my other stories and my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited for the time being until we get this one going again. Also, I'd like to thank my beta reader, Pyromania101, for their help in editing this chapter. Now, with no guest review questions this week, let's dive on in!
Daytime: On the Road to the Village
The agreement had been that they'd try to talk things out with Rem and figure out why she apparently wanted to kill them. Dabi had accepted the terms on the condition that if the blue-haired maid did want to fight, he'd answer in kind. Of course, he hadn't bothered to point out to Nejire how unlikely it was that Rem would just cooperate with them given that she was capable of far more than they initially realized. Having been cornered himself a few times over his career as a villain he had a pretty good idea how their perpetrator was going to react.
Which is why he couldn't quite help the smirk on his face as Nejire tried to defuse the situation. "Wait, we're not trying to fight here!" she exclaimed while leaping up to avoid another swing from Rem's flail before hovering in the air. "We just want to know why!"
"I am performing my duty as a maid," she replied before swinging her weapon back towards Dabi who dodged out of the way and sent a trio of fireballs in response. Rem moved with impressive agility as she bobbed and weaved around the first two before leaping over the third, her flail following after her as she flung it at the pyro again. He ducked the blow and responded with a much larger blast of flame that enveloped much of the road in front of him. Strangely, the sound of hissing steam greeted his ears.
"Dabi will you stop already!?" Nejire yelled from her position in the air. "We aren't trying to hurt her!"
"Speak for your…self," the villain replied before noting that Rem was standing in the middle of the now scorched road, basically unharmed. The reason became clear when he noticed her upraised hand glowing with blue energy. "Magic, huh? So you're not just an ordinary maid."
"Mine are a people who practice magic from a young age," Rem replied. "It's only natural that the head mage would desire servants capable of wielding it. He also ensured we were taught the art of combat." She demonstrated this by moving her left hand around and firing ice shards at Nejire who dodged out of the way before sending a much larger ice shard at Dabi who answered with his flames. The projectile was reduced to steam in mere moments but he was forced to move out of the way as Rem's flail came at his head from out of the steam.
'Alright, time to try a new approach,' Nejire thought as she flew down and concentrated on the image of her gate. "Here goes, Jiwald." Yellow light emanated from her body then as she felt incredible strength flowing into her. It also increased her speed, allowing her to seize the chain of Rem's weapon in midair before landing.
Rem tried to pull the weapon back to her, forcing the hero-in-training to dig her feet into the ground to keep from being yanked towards her. "Please Rem, just tell us why," Hado pleaded. "We aren't going to hurt anyone in the mansion!"
"Don't lie!" The maid yelled, her composure finally crumbling as she glared at the U.A. student, "You have the witch's scent on you! The scent that attracts mabeasts and surrounds the cultists that worship her!"
"There's a scent?" Dabi asked before discreetly smelling himself. "All I smell is the usual burnt flesh."
"You wouldn't recognize it as any different from your own scent now," Rem replied before waving her hand to form multiple ice shards in the air, pointing at both the villain and heroine, "but I can smell it clinging to you!" The shards were fired then, forcing Nejire to let go of the flail as she flipped away while Dabi swung his hand and dispersed the ice attack with a small wave of flame.
"Wait, we can explain that!" Hado called out. "It wasn't the Witch of Envy!"
"I said don't lie!" The blue-haired maid yelled as she raced towards Nejire, leaving Dabi all but forgotten. The U.A. student took to the air again, this time to avoid the numerous, surprisingly fast blows of the flail as it swung towards her repeatedly without falling back towards the ground. "I'd never forget that scent, not when it's the same scent I smelled the day my entire village was slaughtered!" She swung her flail back around then, forcing Nejire to produce a wave with her Quirk.
But it wasn't quite fast enough and she took a blow to the stomach, knocking her out of the air. She was able to right herself at the last moment but when she looked up, Rem was already winding up for another strike. Before she could swing, though, blue flame scorched her hand, causing her to drop the weapon from the pain and surprise. "This has gone on long enough," Dabi declared in annoyance as he held up his left hand. "Just stay still."
Ice formed around Rem's feet and ankles then, holding her in place as she glared at the pyro. "This won't hold me," she declared before yanking her right foot hard enough that the ice cracked and nearly broke.
"No!" Nejire exclaimed, landing next to the maid and surrounding her with the energy waves of her Quirk. "We're done now, so please just listen."
"We are getting so much mileage out of that little trick your Quirk can do," Dabi commented as Rem slammed her fist into the glowing prison around her. It failed to give way against her strength, forcing her to reconsider her options. There was one thing she could do, but it carried a bit of risk.
"You're both quite resourceful," Rem noted. "I didn't know you'd already grasped the magic of this world to such a degree."
"Yes, we had a good teacher," Nejire said between breaths, "and nothing to do with the Witch of Envy."
"Say I believe you," Rem replied with narrowed eyes, "what else could cause that scent?"
"Another witch," Dabi spoke up as he approached with his hands in his pockets. "From what I hear there are only supposed to be seven of them. But this odd one named…"
"Are you mocking me?" the maid asked with a raised eyebrow. "Speak up so that I can hear."
"The fuck do you mean 'speak up'?" the villain asked. "Why don't you listen the first time. We were forced here by…"
"It's happening again," Nejire noted. "We can't hear you, Dabi."
"Fine, then you try," he said. "You're the one who's been wanting to spill all the beans anyway."
"Alright then," the blue-haired girl sighed before turning to Rem. "You see, we actually have the ability to…"
"To what?" Rem asked with a tilt of her head. "We do not have all day for this charade. If I'm gone too long, Sister will become suspicious."
"Oh no," Nejire said, "I think something really is wrong." She then proceeded to yell every secret they'd kept at the top of her lungs. Their ability to return from dying, the identity of the Witch of Vainglory, her reason for sending them there. But not a single syllable of it was heard by the maid.
"If you are trying to play that odd charades game with me, this is hardly the time," Rem commented.
"No, I suck at that game," Dabi chimed in. "What's happening is we're fucking cursed. That damn witch made it so that we can't tell anyone anything important."
"Oddly convenient," the blue-haired maid commented. "Perhaps she simply didn't trust either of you enough to keep her secrets."
"Of course we aren't trusted!" Nejire exclaimed. "We were both brought here against our will. That part isn't a lie, we really are just trying to get back to our world. What will it take for you to trust us on that?"
"You want me to trust those who've been touched by the witch," Rem replied with narrowed eyes. "You just told me-."
"Satella," Dabi spoke up suddenly, getting the maid's attention, "that's the name, right?"
"Of course," the shorter girl answered. "All in Lugnica know the name of Satella, the Witch of Envy. Do you have a point?"
"The point is right there," the flame wielder explained. "I can say the name Satella and you can hear it. Now listen to this: 'Satella sent Nejire and I to this world for a little experiment.'"
"Again, your point?" Rem asked with a raised eyebrow as she failed more and more to hide her annoyance.
"Oh, I get it," Nejire piped up in realization. "We can't say… name but we can say Satella's name. And we can't talk about returning… or that a curse was put on us by… but we can say thing's like 'Satella put a curse on us'. We can talk freely about the Witch of Envy because she's not the one who cursed us. No, we were cursed by the Witch of… and she was also the one to bring us here."
"So you've had contact with a witch," the maid surmised, "just not the Witch of Envy."
"It wasn't our idea, believe me," Dabi said. "We're enemies in our world and I'd like to get back there. I'm sure you can understand, there's someone I hate with a passion and I intend to make them suffer. I can't do that if I'm stuck here." Rem seemed to consider his words, observing him for several long moments before sighing.
"I believe you," she finally said. "I can see it in your eyes. The fires of vengeance burn quite brightly."
"You have no idea," the villain replied with a wicked smile. "It's what keeps me going."
"Then perhaps a compromise?" Rem suggested. "Release me from here and we shall have a proper discussion about the current state of affairs."
"Dabi," Nejire said, "keep some ice or fire ready, just in case."
"You're learning," the pyro commented as he formed a blue flame in his hand before turning back to Rem. "It goes without saying. Try anything and I torch you."
"That won't be necessary," Rem replied as she put her arms in front of her in the typical maid's posture, "but do as you feel you must." Hado deactivated her Quirk and waited for any sign of movement from the petite but surprisingly strong girl. She proved as good as her word, though, standing there patiently and waiting on them to begin the discussion.
"Alright then," Nejire decided to break the silence first. "You mentioned something earlier that's been bugging me. You said you don't know how to curse anyone."
"That is correct," Rem replied. "While I am skilled in the use of water magic, the art of cursing is not a common practice in this land. Perhaps you've heard in your studies, but there is no such thing as a curse that doesn't hurt or kill someone."
"Yeah that's what Beatrice said," the U.A. student recalled with a finger to her chin, "but that doesn't make sense. If you were planning on killing both of us, wouldn't something like a curse be helpful to you? Wait, you don't have a partner, do you?"
"No," the maid replied without hesitation, "no one was aware of my intentions. Even Lord Roswaal and sister were not informed of what I planned to do tonight. How you both found out that I planned to kill you in your sleep is rather astonishing."
"We have our ways of finding things out," Dabi quipped, "but that still leaves a big question."
"Yeah," Nejire agreed, "if you weren't planning to curse us, then someone else is."
"I'm curious as to what proof you have that someone is trying to curse you," Rem said. "someone capable of doing that is a danger to everyone in this mansion."
"Wait a second," Hado said while glancing at her hand. "curses are placed on someone through physical contact. So if we just go to the village right now and see who the most handsy person is, we'll have our culprit!"
"And if more than one person cops a feel," Dabi asked the obvious question.
"We will both work to ensure no two people touch the same spot," Rem said, "though I'll have to ask that you return to the mansion, Mister Dabi."
"Just Dabi, I've told you this before," he grumbled. "and why should I head back to the mansion? How do I know you're not trying to separate us so that we're easier to take out?"
"Because you'd know right away if I returned without Lady Hado," the maid answered. "Likewise, I am also taking a risk by letting you return to the mansion. As I've mentioned I never voiced my fears to Lord Roswaal or my sister so they'd suspect nothing is amiss. If you wanted to harm them, there'd be nothing I could do about it."
"Oh, we're playing around with hostages then," the pyro replied with a smirk. "I can get behind that. Alright, you girls go get touchy feely with the locals and I'll head back for a nap. Who knows, I might get lucky and you'll both wind up cursed."
"And maybe we'll get lucky and Beatrice will blast you into a bush covered in fresh manure again," Nejire replied with a smile of her own before turning on her heel and skipping towards the village. "Alright Rem let's go! We still have a lot of shopping to do!" The maid simply nodded to Dabi before following after the energetic heroine.
'Damn eternal optimists,' the villain thought with a shake of his head before turning and heading back to the mansion.
A Few Hours Later: Beatrice's Library
"You really are an airhead, I suppose," Beatrice commented upon hearing Nejire and Rem's explanation of why they were there. "After Betty took time out of her day to tell you about how dangerous they are, the first thing you do is go and get yourself cursed."
"Yeah, I know there was probably a better way to go about this," the U.A. student laughed nervously while rubbing the back of her head. "But we were kinda in a hurry. Besides, you said you could lift a curse so long as it hasn't been activated."
"Yes, it is a simple matter for Betty, I suppose," the miniature magic wielder answered. "But that's not an excuse to just get yourself cursed over and over again. Now, hold still." She held up her hand which began to glow with magic. Rem and Nejire both felt a slight bit of it seeming to brush their bodies before noting black mist coming from the heroine's left hand.
"It would seem you were right to be wary of the curse user hiding in the village," the maid observed. "Do you recall who touched your hand?"
"Yeah," Hado replied as horror dawned on her, "I got bit by a dog, a puppy really. The kids said they found it." She turned to Beatrice then. "You said creatures called 'mabeasts' could use curses too?"
"Yes, Betty did say that," the blond girl confirmed. "It is rare, but in the forest near the village are mabeasts known as Wolgarm. They have the ability to curse whatever they bite so even if you escape they simply need to activate it to drain your mana. Quite often they wait 'til sunset to do so." She was caught off guard when Nejire suddenly shoved her hand in her face.
"Remove my curse, quickly," she pleaded. "We don't have a lot of time!"
"Alright, just back up, I suppose," Beatrice replied in annoyance before holding her hand up, somehow drawing the black smoke out. "There, now will you please leave settle down?"
"Thank you so much," Nejire said quickly, already heading for the door. "I'll tell Puck you were a big help!" She didn't hear the magic wielder's reply as she raced out of the library with Rem close behind her.
"Where's the fire?" Dabi asked from where he was leaning against the wall. "You still cursed or somethin'?"
"No, I'm fine but we need to hurry!" Hado exclaimed before grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him along down the hallway.
"Hey, don't just drag me along without telling me what's going on," the pyro grunted irritably. "Where the fuck are we even going?!"
"The village," Rem answered. "It appears our concerns about an attack on the mansion were somewhat unfounded."
"Why's that?" Dabi did his best to ask as they started running down the stairs.
"Somehow a mabeast has infiltrated the village," the maid explained. "We need to find it and kill it while also examining the barrier around the forest."
"You two can play with the magic barrier," the villain commented. "I'll help by roasting alive whatever it is that's causing the problem." With the group in agreement on their course of action, they only stopped for a brief moment to inform Ram of what was happening. The pink-haired maid agreed to stay behind and look after the mansion in case there really was an attack but quickly told them that she would come if they took too long. They would've informed Roswaal too but he was out on business and probably wouldn't be back until sometime tomorrow.
Even so, Rem was fairly confident they could handle whatever issue there was down at the village. So, knowing that time was against them, the group hurried as fast as they could, arriving shortly after sunset. It only required a cursory inspection to know there was something wrong. Many of the villagers were out wandering the village with lit torches, calling out names.
"What has happened?" Rem asked the one who appeared to be in charge, a man wearing a red headband.
"Several of the village children have disappeared," he answered as he held the torch up to get a better look at them. "We haven't been looking long but-AAHH! Who are you?!" Rem and Nejire were slightly confused for a moment before remembering that Dabi had never visited the village.
"I'm just a guy looking for monsters to burn," he replied while igniting a small blue flame in his hand to better accentuate his burnt, grinning visage. Naturally this didn't help the village leader's nervousness.
"He's the hired help," Rem replied. "Don't pay him any mind. Just take us to the forest barrier, we're short on time." The village leader still looked slightly unsure but nodded his head and led them to the edge of the settlement. A long fence separated the village boundary from the dark forest beyond. Interestingly, there were also a number of lamps hanging from the trees that seemed to follow along the same path as the fence.
"You mentioned a barrier," Nejire recalled. "Do those lanterns have anything to do with it?"
"The green light you see coming from those lamps is the barrier," Rem explained. "It was erected many years ago and is the reason this village is able to live peacefully despite being so close to mabeast territory."
"Some barrier," Dabi commented. "Tt looks like those beasts you're talking about figured a way around it."
"Or through it, as the case appears to be," the maid informed while pointing to one of the lamps that had no light coming from it. "That one was not out when we were here earlier. It's possible some anomaly occurred that caused it to go out, though I think it is more likely that the barrier was tampered with."
"But why would someone tamper with the barrier?" Nejire questioned. "I can't see there being any benefit to letting mabeasts into a village."
"It could be serving as a distraction to keep us here while other forces attack the mansion," Rem proposed. "The timing is quite coincidental with Lord Roswaal being absent. But Sister and Lady Emilia are capable. So long as we hurry, we can resolve this situation and return to the mansion without wasting too much time. This is also a good opportunity for both of you." Her flail seemed to suddenly appear in her hands. "You can demonstrate if you truly are trustworthy."
"Heh," Dabi chuckled slightly as he advanced towards the forest. "Just give me something to burn and I'll handle the rest." The trio hopped the fence then and proceeded into the forest, towards the unknown terrors that awaited within.
And there we have it, the mabeast arc has, well I guess I can't say begun can I? Yeah I know I'm ending on a cliffhanger but again this was not entirely my decision. Despite that, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Also, do check out my book, Plains Riders, on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited! Stop in next time after the hiatus when our heroes encounter their first mabeasts! 'Til then.
