POV Narrator:
Tuesday, 20 March 2018, Luna Nova
The girls returned to Luna Nova after having met Akko in a moment that had much more proximity between them, but still they would soon have to face a big problem that they would come to face in the morning, when Croix wakes up, she decides to start acting, noticing that the witchy stone was almost carrying the Noir Rod, the witch decides to reach each one of the teachers and the director Holbrooke herself, using a kind of sleeping spell, where she kept them trapped in a place that was more reserved of the laboratory so they wouldn't intervene or even make a bigger call and that way the way to Meridies would be clear, but that wouldn't stay out of an intervention by the hands of Chariot that soon would wake up.
POV Chariot:
What a night it was? Croix was really wonderful, this new thing of hers is really interesting, but now there are things to be solved, she doped me, this curse, that's why I was so sleepy and I fell asleep last night, this bitch, taking me, I start to get dressed with the teacher uniform, but I don't put on the dress, now that I'm with renewed energies I'll go with everything, she will know that she shouldn't play with me and with my feelings.
As I change I look at myself in the mirror, I pass confidence, as I see myself with red hair, from now on I will no longer hide who I am, now I am the one I have always been, Chariot Du Nord, I take my wand and go running through the lab, arriving at the centre of it and I see where Croix was marveling at her machine.
"Satisfied?" I ask her holding up my wand to start attacking.
"Oh Chariot, you have finally come, are you ready to watch my great invention... After so long I finally finished my Noir Rod, you had been the chosen one in that time, but now I am the one who will finally open the seal of the Gran Triskellion with my magic" She said and I was preparing my wand turning it into a saber.
"I'm sorry for everything Croix, but I can't let you do this, I will communicate the teachers and also the director Holbrooke, this is against the rules and you will be expelled from here - I say even though I already have the notion that the WCI can come here tomorrow, she was just laughing, pushing a button, where a cage went up and in it were all the teachers with the director.
"You mean them?" I don't believe it.
"Chariot finish her off!" Said the headmistress.
"You leave me no choice Croix, I will have to finish you off, stop this plan of yours from coming to fruition, I start to go up"
With my wand transformed into a lightsaber I start to hit the cubes coming in my direction, this time without much fear and all rested, she underestimated me a lot, with my potential I walk forward, closer and closer, opening the way, getting close to Croix who presses another button where a dragon appears coming out of there and I dodge its own that almost swallowed me.
"Did you think I didn't come prepared?" she said as she pushed some buttons.
The dragon turns towards my person, I concentrate with the magic in my legs accumulated, I propel myself and make them much stronger than normal, arriving with everything giving a beautiful kick towards the creature, to the point of making it turn its head and hit the wall with everything.
"That's it, go Chariot break their face" said teacher Nelson.
I give a little more impulse using some things on the wall of the laboratory to support me, seeing that Croix was starting to fly away with the enormous device, the dragon on the other hand was coming in my direction, what I decide to give one more impulse attempt, this time falling with everything, I strengthen my leg and I go towards the dragon, I hit it with enough force to give me enough impulse to fly to the Noir Rod, where I'm right on top of it and I see Croix holding a control, I start to go up with punches and kicks and she goes running away, walking backwards or using the cubes to defend herself.
"Can't you hold on to your hand, you coward?" I say this provoking her and seeing that my blows don't work, even more so with a limited space like this.
"I'd rather not waste myself with such useless moves, I have technology on my side, look around you Chariot, that underneath you is technology" She said bragging and I can't give up.
The cubes appear again, what I end up holding myself more to not go up and in the more focusing to not fall off the Noir Rod, in this way she manages to hold more, it seems that the dragon is no longer following me crumbling into cubes and becoming something else, so much so that I throw myself, whistle and get caught by my broom, where I get a better balance.
"So that's how you want it, is it? I can still fly" I tell her as I stare at her from a distance and see Croix's expression full of confidence.
"I wish you were on my side Chariot, you're just making things more complicated, things don't have to be like this, they can be better, join me right away" She said and I just raised my middle finger.
The cubes came en masse to the attack, but I dodged them by flying my broomstick and at this I am great, I even decide to make some magic arrows and start shooting at them which was helping a lot to follow Croix who was continuing his flight towards the seal of the Gran Triskellion.
"We're almost there Chariot, that magic of yours now is just carrying my big Noir Rod even more" And I get that, but there's not much you can do about it.
I decide to go on the defensive, just dodging, it's much easier this way, I don't get hit so easy by the cubes and I also don't use up energy, so I sit on the broomstick and start flying more concentrated, what is going well, Croix is noticing and even gets kind of pushing the buttons, creating several witches mounted on the broomstick made of cubes that started trying to fly attacking me, but I just dodged and even managed to use my ability.
"Do you really want to challenge one of the champions of the broom relay?" I say to her as I dodge.
Soon the Noir Rod reduced its speed, as well as the cubes, and so she reached the Gran Triskellion's seal, where she simply sat on the machine and waited, without attacking me or anything, which I found strange, but I was paying attention.
"And now what? Aren't you going to break the seal? I thought you had everything I needed" I tell her and she shrugs.
"I'll just wait to reach 100%, for now my Noir Rod is still on charge, only 3% more to go, meanwhile watch the last moments of this antiquated world of magic, take the time to reflect about your decision, you can still join me" She said making a point of being kind of convincing me to join her and I even shoot a spell that is protected by a shield made of the cubes.
"That is a no, I will not join you, your plan has no dignity" I say clearly to her.
I walk backwards a little, reaching one of the rocks and suddenly some bows catch me, surprised I try to use my magic to burst what was holding me, but I can't, I keep getting stuck, on top of that I get some shocks, what the hell, she left a trap here.
"Oh Chariot Du Nord, you forgot that I left the ground ready to receive you, I knew you would come, that you would follow me, but don't worry, I'll let you be the main witness of this grand moment of magic" She said walking towards me and then with her hand on my chin.
"Because Croix... Why did you... What you did to Croix really... You've become another person, you're not Croix, you're a monster... I'm already a bit gloomy and hopeless, I think that's what it's going to be in the end, I'm just a deception, I was chosen and I didn't fulfill the purpose"
"Those words of yours will no longer stop me, it is late Chariot, just witness my greatness and rethink what you may have, this world can be ours just think about it" I will not side with Croix in this madness ever.
In Luna Nova the girls were also noticing the damage there...
POV Akko:
The lights are off, what a thing, at least there is still the heating, we don't need magic for that, me and the girls left the room and all the girls had left too, they went kind of trying to see what happened, I can imagine what even happened, we met up with the trio from the green team, I'll explain a bit to them what can happen.
"Let's call the girls of the blue team, we have a mission to do" I tell them with the staff in hand as well.
"So that was the surprise you said was going to happen today?" said Sucy sarcastically.
"I already imagined that we were going to run out of the sorcerer stone, so let's save magic, Cons you still have your weapons... The mission will involve risks too" I say to her who nods her head in agreement.
From there we go walking in the corridors, up the stairs where we reach the corridor of the luxurious rooms, there were the trio of the blue team also outside looking at the window and Diana goes running towards me, just like the other two too, arriving already having a notion of what might have happened.
"She did it, dinnaet she?" Diana said.
"We will only know when we break into her lab" I answer her.
"Which lab? Professor Croix's? Did she do something wrong?" Said Amanda half confused and even Constanze was shocked.
"Let's count on the way, we need to be prepared, let's stop Croix once and for all"
On the way Akko and Diana go counting the girls, as well as counting while they were sort of picking up some equipment to go to Croix's lab, meanwhile at the site of the Gran Triskellion seal...
POV Croix:
What a long time, I thought it would be faster because they are the last percentages, it hasn't gone up at all since I arrived, this way they will have time to penetrate my defences and then I will end up being defeated, I can't take too long, let's go Noir Rod.
"What's up? Is it really going to take long? How's life?" said Chariot even half-jokingly.
"It's going well, you know, it'll get better soon" I reply to her as I go to wait for Noir Rod to load.
"Any dating? Have you been married in that time? Still single?" Seriously, why ask questions like that if she already knows the answer?
"Chariot you know I'm single, no need to ask such frivolous things about my personal life, I won't let you go because of that" I tell her.
"I don't know, since it's to be bored I just want to, you know... Talk ... You've been so long without seeing me that a lot of things must have happened" she said, and I passed my hand over my face, and seeing how slow she was to do it, I decided to give in a little.
"Okay, Chariot Du Nord, for that you won, but I'll talk to you about it, I haven't found anyone and I'm not dating, all because I never got over you, I don't stop thinking about you, I have feelings for you, so much that I want to change the world for you to live better in it, whether it's with or without me, I'd be happy to see that you're okay... I love you, Chariot" I say to her, and she still looks like I really made her hate me.
Back to Luna Nova...
POV Akko:
And now with the magic weapons ready, some even loaded, I didn't even know Constanze had saved so much magic for us, we go equipped, passing through the corridors, we enter Professor Croix's room, the nine of us take the lift that leads there, looking at each other.
"We have to draw attention to distract Croix" I tell them.
"This is going to be great" Amanda said, already throwing a magic grenade that created a green cloud around everything, setting off the alarm.
"Attention! Attention! Intruders in the lab! Activate defenses! Attention! Attention!" Said the computers and frankly fuck it.
"I know where Noir Rod is, come with me" said Diana who started to guide us.
In the middle of this some several drones were starting to come in our direction, we started to shoot with our magic machine guns, that was taking down several of them, I feel almost inside Call Of Duty in this, this is too good, it gave me a nostalgia to play in my PS3 at home.
We also played magic grenades that spread spells on everything leaving the way kind of different, with random effects, from behind we were also being very well covered by Hannah, Barbara and Lotte who ensured the safety, on the sides were Sucy and Jasminka and in front of me, Diana and Amanda, we were knocking down the drones that we saw and it seems that Croix really prepared a good defense.
"Wow, I never thought I would see these things in Luna Nova" Hannah said.
"That's just the first level of defences, we have tae be very conscientious with our magic expenditure, or else we'll be nae match for Croix and the Noir Rod, she's got sorcerer's stone magic on her hands" Diana said.
"And how do you know all this Diana?" Barbara asks.
"I took a good look at nae only the evidence, but Croix's lab as a whole, sae I know from her papers how defences work and take cover now!" She said and we all stood against the wall, where several shots of tranquilizer darts came.
Diana was signalling for us to continue in cover as she sort of went about throwing a grenade that made a barrier in front of us, then she gets out of there and goes about setting up a little cannon, where she comes running back almost being hit by the darts and this cannon fires what looked like a sticky thing, I remember Cons doing something similar, with that she sends the signal with her thumb and I notice how the tranquilizer darts are closed.
"The cubes are by far the worst, that dinnae even come close tae them" Cavendish said to us.
We are kind of continuing the way and more drones appeared, we were kind of knocking down when they appeared on the way, besides using electromagnetic pulse grenades, which causes the most damage knocking down all the drones at once, I even forgot that we had them too.
Then we reach another corridor and in it appear two robots that were kind of in a fighting pose, but are simply exploded when Amanda shoots with a grenade launcher that she was in hand.
"I was just going tae tell ye tae advance quietly, but it also worked out well, those robots were martial arts experts" Said Diana who was our guide.
We arrived at another one of the lifts, this time several goblins made of the same texture of the cubes came falling, so we decided just to save the magic and go up using blows, hitting with clubs and whatever else we could, now this is cool, it seems even a beat em up game, breaking the face of robots, for this I did not expect to see, Diana falling in the punch, she really is not to handle much, neither am I, we got a little even with clubs, Amanda was simply doing better.
"Woah, you guys are terrible at that, I never thought Cavendish was bad at fighting - Amanda said clapping her hands after the fight we had.
"I have never been one tae use violence, nae have I trained fae it" she said.
"I was always beaten when I was younger than the other kids, it's not because I'm Japanese that I have a black belt in any martial art, in fact I never even fought or practiced any, my mother never let me and I always wanted to, just to be able to defend myself from this bunch of idiots" I tell her.
"Now what's next, Cavendish?" Ask O'Neill.
"The final part, finally the cubes will come, sae be careful, there's nae much tae say about the cubes, only that they have nae pattern and attack in any way or take different shapes, we just have tae be very alert and protect ourselves from any attack" she said.
With that we were walking grouped, by the corridors, noticing that it was even without the huge machine there, just a huge suspended cage which was strange, until we get close and see that there were the teachers and also the director Holbrooke, how wonderful, it may be our chance to get out of trouble and still leave as heroines.
Diana takes the key broom and turns it to normal size, calling also for Amanda, who starts unlocking the locks, then we leave each one on the floor leaving that prison.
"Thank you very much girls, you managed to save us, we couldn't find the key anywhere, neither could we think of a way to use magic and escape from here, since we heard from Croix that there are defenses here" said the director.
"Ye are the teachers and the headmistress here, ye have the greatest knowledge of magic, it should be an easy matter, we have tae find teacher Croix and stop her immediately" Diana said in a very serious tone.
"I am sorry for this failure of ours Diana, now let's go back" said the headmistress.
"What about Professor Croix? Are you going to let her loose? Where did she go?" Said Diana who was quite indignant.
"There is nothing we can do, she has gone to the seal of the Gran Triskellion and by now she must have broken through and is about to get her wish" Miss Holbrooke said.
"Let's nae give up at this hour, let's stop teacher Croix, let's go where the seal is, since nae the teachers or the headmaster want tae help" Cavendish said quite indignant.
"You can try, but it will be in vain, This is no time for heroism Diana Cavendish, I admire that you want to try at all costs to save magic, but we don't stand a chance" Said the despondent headmistress.
"Well I don't think so! I'm with Diana, let's not give up, if you don't go we'll go and save Luna Nova, I'll show that even being who I am, I can be capable" I say very clearly and empowered to them because I'm tired of this too, this place only puts you down.
"I have called the WCI here, they will soon come and sort this out I am sure, now me and the lassies will hold Croix tae what we can before the worst happens" Diana said like a real leader.
Everyone there shrugged and went kind of walking back, while we got the brooms and went on our way, I hitched a ride with Diana and noticed her expression, showing even a certain anger for everything, she was really indignant, I wasn't surprised by the director's reaction, I knew she would get upset, she was always like that, only Diana must have never realized, we arrived where the huge Noir Rod was and when we landed we had no confrontation with cubes or anything, just seeing Croix talking calmly with Chariot that was kind of stuck.
"Croix!" Said Diana arriving and herself getting up seeing the whole group to us.
"Oh you've arrived" she said in a debauched tone.
"Chariot" I say running towards her who then ends up being let go and with that even hugs me.
I finally got to where I wanted to get to, I'm in front of Chariot, hugging her and everything, I can't even think about what happened now, I just really think about this unique moment, facing someone who inspired me so much to be who I am, this great witch who was the biggest inspiration of all, so much so that I'm even crying after the hug.
"I'm sorry, Chariot, for everything I've reacted to... I was in the emotion... Diana explained everything to me, now that I am here with you I feel fulfilled for everything" I tell her who wipes my tears.
"I am here... I am myself, I am sorry for what happened to you too, I feel so bad you have no idea" Chariot said and I can understand, I got a smile on my face for those moments.
"Professor Ursula, or rather Chariot Du Nord, I want to hand it over and return it to you, it's yours and you deserve it" I say this giving the staff back to her who returns it to my hand.
"Now the chosen witch was you Atsuko Kagari and this honour is yours, you will still do great things with this staff, I believe in you, your heart already says so, I know you will succeed" she said and I hug her again.
"Not to interrupt you two, but kind of Cavendish is tied up and she's raging trying to get out" Amanda said.
We turn and we end up seeing Diana furiously trying to escape and already in pain getting shocks while Croix is in pain and at that time Chariot starts to go up too, we all went doing that, let's save our friend from this.
"Croix!" Chariot said and she was just staying in the same position, as if looking at her own fingernails.
The cubes came, I started to take out my gun to shoot towards them, but I was being disarmed, it can't be that something like that is happening, we were trying to hit and shoot, but now they are more intense, only Chariot could handle it and she was protecting me as she could, until she was caught by some ropes and also being tied against a rock.
"Chariot!" I say looking at her and then being hit in the face by the cube.
I just saw things kind of blurry, seeing everyone being picked up little by little, Lotte, Sucy, Jasminka, Constanze, Hannah, Barbara and even Amanda, with only me left standing and being constantly thrown backwards by the cubes, just seeing Croix walking towards me with his hand on my waist looking like he was parading to pick me up and me kind of panting a bit, I wasn't tied up like the others.
"So girl you really don't give up do you?" Said Croix as I forced myself to stand up and was even weak on my feet.
"I believe in myself, I believe in magic, I will not let you destroy everything that Chariot has built, you have destroyed the lives of many people, I will not allow this" I tell her as I pick up the staff and run towards her, being hit with everything by the cubes and again knocked to the ground.
"Akko!" They all said.
"Ah the Claiomh Solais, they won't be here to help you" She said as I dragged myself backwards as she got closer, going so far as to hold me by my shirt.
"Please Croix, look what you are doing, Akko is just a girl, you are torturing a girl for the sake of your madness, at what cost do you want to accomplish your goal" Chariot said and at the time I just saw her kind of getting even kind of letting go of me, starting to walk backwards I felt a fear there.
"Akko I'm not like that, I... I just want to change the magic... I'm sorry..." Just as she approached I grabbed a log I saw nearby and hit her in the face as if it were a club which her cubes threw me backwards with everything hitting my back on a tree in the middle of Diana and Chariot.
"Akko!" Both said worriedly.
"Did you like my dialogue?" I say to Croix half laughing.
She was getting up and I even opened a wound on the forehead of the bitch, it seems that the trunk served very well as a club, as she stood up, she looked at what looked like a mobile phone of hers and kept laughing, laughing as if she was achieving something, looking like a psychopath, I was getting up feeling pain, the impact was strong in my back.
"Hahahahaha! Get ready, the magic is about to change, things will be different from now on, you will be my 10 witnesses that I will achieve my dream!" She said looking like a villain and started to get closer to her machine.
"Is this what you wanted Croix? Look around you, you only conquered this by the hand of our blood, are you proud of that?" said Chariot to her as she approached the machine.
"Not a bit, but they are valid sacrifices in the name of magic, thank you for serving for this greater purpose, you who have no notion of the greatness you have done now, I do not feel honored by this, but the people who will enjoy this new era of magic will be honored, it matters little to me, I know I am no good" she said and began to press the button of the machine.
At that time the machine was starting to light up, the cubes were also kind of involving her, in a very strange way, kind of forming something inside her, which she was turning off and on, starting to shake in a very strange way, I guess her invention didn't work out so well.
"It can't be... My Noir Rod... They are giving an error right now" Said Croix shocked as the machine was also starting to set off an alarm, the sound being quite intense.
"It seems that the genius scientist has failed" Amanda said debauching the situation and at the time we were also being kind of let go, how wonderful.
"Croix what's going on?" said Chariot.
The machine was shaking more and more and kind of deforming all over, looking like it was something liquid, that's pretty weird the magic must have caused something like that, by the nine witches, what this Croix did, is not to open the seal, so much that she stays close to us, kind of also shocked.
"Noir Rod wasn't supposed to work like this, something happened to this" Said the former teacher and I just got a bit of a smile on my face.
"So what are we going to do now? Disable that thing" Chariot said and Croix pressed the button directly, but nothing seemed to happen.
"I'm trying Chariot, this thing won't go unless... " She said as she walked towards the machine, but was held back by Chariot.
"No trying to do something like that, you are the smart one here, what we have to do to stop this thing" Said teacher Chariot being the reason in the middle of the two.
"This is too unstable, we have to stay away, it could explode, I can feel the magic from here, better we dinnae touch it," Diana said.
We were practically just watching, until all the mass came together, forming a rocket that confused us, a rocket all dark with the colours that the Croix cubes have, and we were a bit shocked at what it was doing, so much so that a little smoke started coming out from below.
"Target marked... Luna Nova... Missile activated, warhead armed, countdown starting 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, launch!" Said the thing in Croix's hand and with that we started to get scared.
"Croix what the fuck is that? You're going to kill everyone, is that a ballistic missile?" Chariot said in shock.
"No! Noir Rod was not supposed to become that, someone messed with Noir Rod's programming, we have to stop this thing, this is no time for a fight, Akko take your Claiomh Solais, shoot an arrow at this missile and let it explode in the air before it gets to Luna Nova, we have to preserve this, I'm willing to risk blowing it up if necessary" Croix said and at that moment Professor Du Nord put up her hand.
"You won't kill yourself until I tell you that you can, your life is too precious, let's all handle this together, you all get ready, this could be your last or your first mission" said the teacher to us and we were even nodding our heads in agreement.
"I accept the risk, all for magic, we have to save Luna Nova" I say putting up my hand and the others too.
"Now is the time tae start acting" Diana said.
"By Luna Nova" Chariot said.
"For the future of magic" Said Croix in the middle too which we kind of got a frown on her face.
POV Narrator:
Croix's plan turned out to be something that would be bombastic in the literal sense and is going to be a great danger that the young witches of Luna Nova are willing to risk themselves for to be able to stop this greater threat, with all the strength they can muster to prevent the worst from happening in regards to Luna Nova, since Noir Rod has corrupted himself becoming a ballistic missile.
See you, evil witches...