Note: There is currently a Poll on my that is open to the public for the monthly prompt, go vote if you are interested in a NSFW short!

Chapter 19: Broken Things

She wondered, was this happiness? Emotions were always confusing to her.

"Representing the Sagan, sister of the Bishop we watched just now, the Knight Kasane Randall!"

She had felt off for quite a while now. Going from constant mortal danger to a rather relaxed existence in the manor of a noble was a cause for some whiplash. Of course, she soon discovered that there were threats lurking in this world just as there was in hers, spurring her to learn from the freely given instruction of her new commander. Her new friend.

"Facing her, is... Every single remaining member of the Astaroth Peerage!"

Indeed, she had accepted Damocles as a competent leader, enough to trust him. Every time she thought of him, the things he had done for both of the sisters, a strange feeling filled her. It didn't feel bad, but she was unsure as to what it was. The things he did besides his healing of Naomi might have seemed small to others, offering them shelter and safety, though to her, it was clear that he cared for them as more than just soldiers or servants.

"Diodora, what are your thoughts on the upcoming match?"

Thanks to him, something amazing had happened. Her sister gained control of her ability, as well as the strength to utilize what it showed her. Compared to the truly strong in this world, it might seem small, but it still put her firmly above most of the supernatural denizens in this realm.

"A classic tactic for the weaker peerage, use one of the pieces as a sacrifice to allow the others to win. It doesn't matter, with the Queen's being worth 9 points it will all be decided there anyway."

It was a weight she did not know that she was carrying, truthfully. Even in her world, she was consantly pushing herself to be stronger to be able to protect her sister. She was even stronger here, but there was always the worry that Naomi could be killed by the many threats that existed in the supernatural world. Knowing that her sister was at least strong enough to fend for herself was a complicated feeling.

She was content with it though.

Was this happiness?

"Lord Sagan, what is your response?"

She didn't know. It could have been, but that did not explain the warm feeling that she felt towards Damocles. When that Gremory girl started flirting with him at the Reveal, she felt angry towards her. Did that mean this feeling was her liking Damocles?

She wanted to find out.

His voice entered her ears, giving her a rush of the warm feeling, stronger than usual.

"Kasane has my full confidence. She can handle this easily."

She wanted to explore these feelings, she wanted to discover even more of this... happiness. To do that, however, she needed to be able to defend it. She understood what Damocles asked of her. She would bring all the attention of the Underworld on her by winning here. Damocles' enemies would focus on her, out of everyone else in the Peerage, seeing her as the biggest threat.

She would be their shield. The first line of defence.

It was a duty she was glad he trusted her with. She would not fail him.

"Strong words from the Sagan Lord! We will soon see if it is merely boasting or if there is a new rising star of Rating Games amongst us!"

She relaxed her body, preparing herself for what she was about to do. From her sleeves, six aerodynamically designed knives floated out, hovering around her. She breathed, gathering her energy. This would not be a fight, or a duel.

Based on what Damocles told her, this would be a slaughter.

She waited as the Bitch Satan finished introducing her opponents, not even bothering to remember any of their names. Finally, the words she was waiting for came.

"Contestants, ready? Begin!"

The desert terrain that she was fighting in very quickly shrunk as she shot up into the air. She had focused on flying more than anyone else in the Peerage, meaning that she reached the apex allowed by the wards surrounding the arena with an incredible speed. She floated there, remembering what had been explained to her about the wards.

Using a time dilation between this artificial realm and reality, the wards detected when someone would take lethal damage or lose consciousness and recall them back into the set aside infirmary. If the damage was instant, they would arrive not even wounded.

Not that she cared about minimizing pain and being instantly lethal here. From what Damocles told them, Diodora's Peerage was little more than broken dolls. Besides, this whole thing was for her to establish her strength to the Underworld. To make a scene. To make an example.

And that is exactly what she would do.

Gathering her Gravity magic around her, she increased the effect of the universal force in the area around her, sparing her own body from the effects. Then, maintaining her concentration on the now dark purple sphere of energy, she started to descend, aiming directly at the Astaroth peerage.

Many, many times faster than she had ascended.

The impact was like the hammer of a vengeful god. The kinetic energy released from the strike was almost like the impact of a meteor. Emerging from the crater that was once the staging area for her opponents, her unharmed form blurred out, knives following her in a storm of steel. Those that survived the initial impact, 2 Pawns, both Knights and one Rook, were swiftly under assault from multiple directions.

One of the pawns was eviscerated before she even recovered from the shock, another had her head caved in from a gravity enhanced kick. The rook successfully blocked two of the flying knives, only to be disemboweled by another. One of the knights attempted to strike at Kasane's blind spot, only to be torn to ribbons by the rest of the sharp pieces of metal.

The other knight brought her head to rest against her sword, causing a golden light to emanate from her in a sphere. The holy energy caught the Rook, retiring her, but did make Kasane retreat from the poisonous magic. The enemy knight was not unaffected, but bore the burned flesh she now sported with admirable stoicism.

Just like that, the outnumbered girl had brought it down to a one on one. From the starting numbers, 7 Pawns, 2 Rooks and 2 Knights, only one knight remained.

The golden haired nun spoke to the white haired girl, "Forgive me. You are skilled, but..."

Before she could continue, Kasane reached out with her mental hands and grasped the other woman. Sensing the danger, she tried to dodge, but Kasane was simply faster. Using the mental imagery that she had developed even before she acquired Magic, Kasane imagined the invisible hands moving as if wringing a sponge.

Ignoring the sounds that emanated from the enemy Knight as a result, she cleaned her knives with a burst of Magic and floated them back into the holsters in her sleeves. Finally, for the first time since the 'battle' started, she touched the ground. Standing there in the center of the carnage, waiting for the result to be called.

"Wha..." There was sounds of surprise from the commentator, before she managed to gather herself, "Ehem... In a stunning display, the Sagan Knight is victorious!"

Kasane smiled softly. Once again, she was protecting her family. Truly, this is where she belonged.

I breathed out. Truly, there was never a doubt that Kasane would win, but anything could happen in a fight. The holy artifact that Diodora's knight had was dangerous and could be used to defeat Devils much more powerful the Knight who wielded it.

"My turn up next then?" My queen spoke from her seat besides me, us being the only two in the room.

"Yes it is." Was my response, looking at the demeanor of the woman that was my Queen.

Two months was not a lot of time to get to know someone, but it is a sufficient amount of time to pick up some tells from their body language. And what I was seeing in her reminded me of a strung bow, tension lining every limb.

"Must be nostalgic." The non sequitur getting a raised eyebrow, "Two young noble men fighting over you."

That got a grin, but a small one, "It's not something I am pleased to relive, to be honest."

"I can understand that." The silence stretched on, before she stood up and moved towards the door of the room.

I made a split second decision, one that could backfire heavily on me. But after so long being so careful and meticulous it felt great top be spontaneous.

"Oh? You need something else?" The raised eyebrow and taunt directed to me were the result of my reaching out and grabbing her wrist.

"Cecelia." The name got flared nostrils, confusion and anger rising in her eyes before I continued, "Don't worry about what you reveal or don't in this fight. I have only known you for two months, but I like what little of the woman behind the mask I've got to see."

She looked unsure about how to handle this, honesty and feelings something that she was always uncomfortable with, so I finished up, "No matter what happens, I will stand beside you. I'll protect you, just like I promised. I know it might be presumptions of me to ask this, but please, Cecelia..."

I looked directly into her eyes as I tenderly said her name, the one that she had abandoned, "Trust me."

Her amber eyes, usually so cold and closed off, were showing a veritable storm of emotions. It was a rare moment that she was vulnerable, her mask cracked by the unexpected attack. She looked down to where I gripped her wrist, and I gently released it from my grasp.

"Idiot." She said, as she turned away to hide her face, "How can you even say something like that with a straight face? Playboy. Seducer."

"I'll say it again if you want. And again and again and again, forever if need be. You might not accept it just yet, but you are not alone. If you wish it, you'll never be alone again. All you need to do is to ask and I'll be there."

"You really are dangerous." Was her huffy response, "It's not like I'm going off to an execution. Where did this come from?"

"I thought it needed to be said."

"Well you thought wrong." Was he response as she walked to the door, opening it before looking back at me. A conflicted look flitted over her face, before she left with a final statement, "...but thank you. It's... appreciated."

The door closed behind her, hiding my resulting smile.

Honestly, that man. CC was still experiencing the after effects of his little stunt while waiting for the teleport to the arena. Who does he think he is? Saying her name like that, with such a tender tone, just to offer meaningless platitudes...

She's heard it all before. 'I'll protect you', 'I won't abandon you', 'you mean the world to me.' None of them kept their promises in the end. Logically, she knew this time would be no different.

So why then, does her heart beat so fast?

She brought a hand up to her face, confirming what she suspected to be the case. She was blushing. She was the Witch, she did not blush, especially not at some trite words from a young brat. Even if he was older than he appeared, he was still a child in comparison to her. Which begged the question, why didn't she get angry at him and give him a piece of her mind? Especially at his temerity of using her name like that.

In the moment, looking into his sapphire eyes, seeing the earnestness reflected within them, she realised she wanted to believe his words. It seems that even after all these centuries, she still could not quite kill the naïve young slave that dreamed of love within her. She hated it.

She hated how it made her have expectations, Damocles needed to toe the line, to at least not be openly antagonistic to the Satan's and the Great King's factions. His eventual goal depended on him either ingratiating himself within the Underworld's politics or gaining the time to be strong enough to enforce his will on them regardless of any backroom deals.

If they wanted her dead or out of his Peerage, they just needed to push him and he would fold. She knew his type, the ones that weighed costs and benefits to themselves constantly. Her fears over how this situation would play out were coming to pass.

The incident that started this whole mess was familiar to her, as Damocles had guessed. She knew what a spoiled, noble rapist looked like. It was mostly luck that she had managed to guard her chastity for as long as she had, but learning to spot people like Diodora Astaroth and his ilk was a necessity towards that goal as well.

Once again, the dreams of a naïve girl, wanting her first to be special. When the pig had swaggered up to her, demanding a dance as if it was right, she knew exactly what he would attempt to do with the close access to her body. That was why she rejected him, then he grew forceful.

She did not handle it as well as she could have, admittedly. Though she had to admit that seeing the protective anger from Damocles was gratifying, even if it would ultimately be pointless.

At least if he did fail his promise and give up on her for his goals, she consoled herself with the knowledge that she could finally end her own suffering.

A voice in her head asked why she hadn't done so already and she steadfastly ignored the image of a resolute young boy extending her a hand, like a prince from a fairy tale promising her the impossible.

Just as she ignored how warm that image made her feel.

The two Queens stared at each other, one's face carefully controlled through long experience, the other blank faced due to all life being stamped out of her. Her name was Jean Bellamy, the 'Holy Shield'.

The Blond Haired Nun, in a sinful mockery of a habit, was the first to speak, "I would advise surrendering. Get it over with. My Lord quickly loses interest in those who do not fight back."

CC laughed at that, a cruel sound devoid of mirth, "He did seem to be that type."

The nun, seeing her advice discarded, merely unsheathed the slender sword from her waist. The two Queens watched each other, before bursting forward into motion. The thrusts and slashes from the Astaroth member were fast and precise, faster than the Sagan member was moving. However, flowing like liquid, CC did not have to move fast to dodge all the attacks. In a display of immense skill, she moved pass all the attacks and landed a magically infused kick to her opponents knee.

Instead of shattering, a sickly black glow deflected the blow and CC retreated, clicking her tongue. This was the Sacred Gear that she had been warned about by Damocles, the Shield of Faith. Perverted as it was by the sin and depravity the holy woman was subjected to, it still acted as a passive defensive measure.

A relatively low tier Sacred Gear, it could be circumvented by taking the wielder by surprise or merely over-powering the shield. CC however, did not have impressive levels of Demonic Power so she would have to gamble if she went the latter route. Seeing as the Nun had a weapon and she didn't, beating her through a battle of attrition would also be risky.

She was devising a plan in her head when Jean spoke again, "Spare yourself the pain and struggle. Trust me, it isn't worth it."

Blue eyes flashed in CC's mind, the words 'trust me' bringing them to the forefront of her thoughts.

Anger and irritation rising, CC spoke to the other Queen, "Pain? Child, I guarantee you that you do not know the meaning of the word."

"Bravado is meaningless." Was the calm response.

'Fine.' Thought CC, 'I'll trust you Damocles. You infuriating bastard.'

Changing completely for the lithe, graceful fighting form that she had been used previously, CC rushed the other Queen, who raised her sword in a fending motion, expecting a feint. Leaving her completely blind sided when CC merely ran into her weapon, running herself through.

Before she could react, her head was grabbed by the Sagan Queen and their foreheads brought together. Said Sagan Queen's forehead that was glowing ominously. Instantly, both contestants locked up, leaving the spectators wondering what exactly was happening between the two.

Inside the minds of the two, however, things were not nearly so static. CC perceived the memories of the other woman, fragments flitting by too fast to be studies but in sufficient number to build a picture. Jean honey trapping other Nuns and Holy Maidens, holding them down while Diodora took his pleasure from them, bowing and scraping to every need of the Astaroth Heir.

All to save herself from the pain and torture he would inflict on her when he was bored, or thought she needed to be taught a lesson. Jean Bellamy was a broken thing, only interested in self preservation. Most of her personality had been killed off by her own hands, repressed deeply so as to not displease her Master.

She had broken surprisingly quickly, a delicate thing unused to pain as she had been. Taken all this in, it made CC feel more sure about what she would to this husk of a person. Jean was relatively young and not at all strong mentally, broken as she was. Several centuries worth of various horrifying experiences being suddenly slammed into her fragile mind was way more than it could handle.

When it came to pain and suffering, CC had quite the advantage.

The Queen's mind fractured, desperately trying to suppress the foreign memories, but they came in such vast number and intensity that it was a doomed effort. Eventually, it shut down, likely permanently unless the foreign memories were removed. Something beyond almost all beings that populated this world, mind magic being as under developed as it was.

Her private atrocity completed, CC cut the connection and drew back from the other Queen, who slackly fell to the ground, glassy eyes staring up at nothing. Her grip slipped off the handle of her sword, which CC soon grasped and pulled out of her chest.

Ignoring the rapidly closing wound, CC spoke up imperiously towards the observation wards, "This match is over."

"Astaroth Queen, can you continue?"

When there was no response after some time, Serfall's voice boomed through the arena and the confused crowd watching in the Sagan Hall, "Winner by forfeit, the Sagan Peerage!"