Magical Girl City: Empire of Ice

A lot of thoughts ran through my mind. Like a stampeding herd of stallions. Joan’s words made me want to run back to the inn, to rush towards Liche’s rooms and confront her.

Only, what would that achieve? It was easy to imagine what would happen. Yelling, shouting, and eventually a fight would break. It wouldn’t be a good outcome and yet, it still took a good dose of ice for me to bury those thoughts. Followed by a couple of moments focused solely on breathing to calm down before I could accept that answer.

“I simply told her the truth.” I eventually said, cold as ice. “Specifically, I told her what had happened that brought me here. What led to me being chosen.”

Joan’s eyes widened. “You… didn’t…” She almost sounded scandalized and also, afraid.

“I did. I figured it was a good chance. Liche, was on the precipice. She’s wavering between simply giving up or pressing on. I just gave her a nudge.”

“No, you didn’t.” She said, angrily, “It wasn’t a good chance. Liche is still figuring herself out, now wasn’t the time for that!” She growled. “Do you even realize what you could have done?”

I blinked, briefly taken aback by her accusation. But, the ice held strong in the end. “I’m well aware of what could have happened, but Liche is still whole, is she not?”

“Whole?” She said, clearly glowering. “She’s locked herself away. She won’t see or talk to anyone, how is that whole?”

“She cracked, but she didn’t break.” I answered back. “Yes, maybe, no, it was stupid of me. I was a bit too forward, too anxious for results. I pushed too hard and was rejected, but Liche did not fall over the ledge or shatter. Even if she is hiding away, that’s because she is trying to center herself.”

“And that is a good thing?” She questioned.

“Yes, it means I didn’t truly mess up. Somewhere, deep down, what I said resonated with Liche, only, now, the best we can do is give her time and space.”

Joan frowned. She looked ready to continue to press, accuse, or whatever it was she was ready to do, but instead of pursuing, she sighed.

“Are you sure about that?” She asked, her eyes looked at me as if begging, desperate.

“I…” I was fully prepared to lie to her. To tell her what it was she wanted to hear, but in the end… “I’m not sure, to be honest. But… I believe in Liche.” I said, hammering in the final nail.

Joan frowned, but… “I suppose that is all we can do, isn’t it?” She asks, almost sounding afraid.

“I suppose it is. Any more pressure, and she might actually break.” I said with a small shrug.

Joan, of all things, swears. A low curse, just barely under her breath, but still audible. “Fine, I’ll accept it then. After all, you told me you’d do your best to keep things as they are. To prevent everything from falling apart, and… I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, but… if she does break.” She didn’t say anything else, but there was a glint in her eyes, a dark look that pierced through the ice right into my heart. Sending a shiver down my spine.

I try to muster something to say, some retort. Something to gain some measure of control, but the person before me, Joan, she no longer looked like herself. Her normally sunny disposition, soft smile, all gone. Replaced instead by a lost, empty gaze. A smile that did anything but reach her eyes.

She looked more like a doll. A soulless husk than anything like the girl I used to know.

Eventually, I muster up a response, I take a step forward, practically pushing up against her. She doesn’t flinch, just keeps staring me in the eyes.

“She won’t break.” I say, mustering confidence I didn’t have. Willing into reality my desire, my need for it to be true. “And if she does, I’ll do everything in my power to piece her back together. Even if I have to do it a piece at a time.”

My words, take her for a spin. The light comes back to her eyes, only after rapidly blinking does she return to somewhat normalcy.

“Fine… but in her current state, Liche can’t help.”

“I’m aware, she’s figuring things out. Much like I had to while working on my soldiers. I have faith, that given time she might show us something surprising.”

“I… think the same. Liche, is strong.” She says with a faraway gaze.

“She is, isn’t she? Anyway, that does put us in a bind. We need a scout, and I’m not exactly sure who would fit the bill among the crew.” Just as I finished speaking, I heard the door to the building swing open. Glancing back, I saw an unwelcome face.

“Heard you were looking for some people to check out the nearby town.” The speaker was Morrigan. She looked chipper, an almost mocking smile on her lips. Joan practically hissed, just like a cat. Morrigan, ignored her, her eyes solely on me.

“And why should I take you?”

“My crows make for good eyes and ears, I promise that. And I’m no slouch in a fight. We also did work together before.”

“Yes, but something tells me, that you might have known about the town for some time and just didn’t tell anyone.”

Her smile said it all.

“Not just that, but I don’t know why you even care. Back when we separated you almost seemed like you were done with me, why the sudden shift.” I asked and her smile only grew in response.

“I thought I had you figured you out, but clearly, I was a bit hasty with that judgement. I’d like to give it another go.”

True, her crows had been watching me, well, the whole town. This girl set off so many alarm bells, I didn’t even know where to begin. That, and Joan’s apparent dislike of the girl was yet another red flag.

“You understand we’re not going out for nothing, right? We’re on a diplomatic mission, it’ll be boring, and I can’t have you doing your own thing.” I said, trying to dissuade her. If anything, it seemed to egg her on.

“As long as I’m with you, I’ll follow your orders ma’am.” She gave me a mocking salute. “Scouts honor!” She announced second.

I didn’t like this, even just having her with me and Liche last time left a bad taste in my mouth and yet… “Do you share your vision and hearing with your crows?” I asked.

“Not quite, they can observe and they can tell me what they observed. Its not the best, but it works. Promise.” She finished with a wink.

I glanced at Joan, “What do you think?” I asked her. She was still scowling.

“I don’t like her.” She answered honestly. “But… I don’t know how useful I would be at guiding us to the town. My magic makes it easy to find or reveal what is hidden, not so much at guiding. Inside the depths, its easy, since we only have to go one way, here… Here I’m not confident I’d be able to get us to the town.”

I glanced at Morrigan, “Easy peasy! I already know the direction, and the crows can keep us oriented without issue. So, how about it?”

I sighed, “Alright, you’re in.”

“Cool, just me and you, or is she joining us too?” She asks and points at Joan.

“She is, her name is Joan. She’s a healer and uses light magic.” I said.

“Oh, that could really come in handy!” Morrigan exclaimed.

“It is.” I say, answering for her, “But I’d like to add another member, if possible, someone that would be capable in a fight.”

“Oh? Is that really necessary, I promise, I’m real good in a pinch. And the less, the better right? Just us, against the world, yeah?”

I didn’t doubt her boasting. If my suspicions about this girl are right, she’s probably among the strongest of our batch. Only, it would be nice to have an additional member for our own safety, and when this girl inevitably causes trouble… Only, it didn’t seem like she was going to give us that choice.

“Fine, I’ll take your word for it, now, gather up your things. I’ll ask Diana for help packing some bags for the trip. It’ll take about a week to arrive, and I’d like to be prepared. I’m hoping to head out early tomorrow.”

Morrigan didn’t complain and what followed was a quick and dirty session of collecting necessities. Diana had already started the process of gathering our supplies, so it really just came down to making sure we had everything.

After everything was settled, we went to sleep early and woke up the next day even earlier. The sun had barely risen by the time we were making our last checks before we headed out.

Of us, Diana seemed the most prepared for a proper trek. Morrigan wasn’t exactly in the best clothes for trekking in the forest, well, almost jungle. Though, it was leagues better than what she had before. As for me, well, a tracksuit and regular shoes only went so far. I packed some extra clothes, but there wasn’t a lot fit for hiking and camping out in the wild.

Something that became apparent during our earlier trek. Still, I would make do. Just before leaving, I made sure the stone soldiers I had picked out were ready to join us. And altogether, we marched out. Bidding farewell to the gate guards in the process.

We made good progress. The stone soldiers worked together in tandem to clear brush and push us forward. Joan’s magic helped her pick out ambushing predators and beasts, whilst Morrigan’s ravens kept us from treading into the territory of stronger beasts. Even then, we still had our encounters. By the end of the first day of travel, we’d fought a couple of beasts and even fought off a pack of monkeys using mundane tools.

What made these fights worrisome, was how they all were clearly bolstered by magical energy. Nothing here was truly mundane, which only made the trip that much more frustrating.

How exactly we avoided confrontation during our first hike, I had a few ideas. The most obvious one was that Liche was actively doing her job. Or rather, by using her magic she’d inadvertently been covering up our traces to an extent, preventing most creatures from noticing us as we tromped through their territories. Now, without her, every single one of them was aware of our trespass. And without Joan, we’d likely have been ambushed on numerous occasions and suffered serious damage.

Diana had prepped a good amount of stuff for our trek, including sleeping bags, even tents. Not that I ever set one up before, and Morrigan seemed equally clueless, Joan though? She got it done quickly enough.

“Didn’t take you for the camping sort.” I said to Joan as we sat around a fire, the night sky was glittering with stars, and a chill settled down in the forest.

“My father liked to camp and hunt. I sometimes went with him, well, we all did.”

“Guessing you weren’t an only child?”

“No… It was a big household, had an older sister, two older brothers, and a younger brother.”

Morrigan whistled. “Big family.” Joan shot her a glare, but I turned the tables.

“And you?” I ask.

“I had a big sister.” Morrigan says, her usual cheer fading.

“Parents?” I asked, pressing in. She almost looked annoyed.

“They ditched when I was young, just me and my sis.”

“Couldn’t have been easy…” I say.

“It wasn’t… what about you ice princess? You seem like you came from a well-off home.”

“You’d be right. My family was wealthy, rich. They ended up kicking me out a few years after my younger sister was born.”

Morrigan whistled. “How come? Not good enough?”

“I was too good. Made her look bad.” I retorted.

She actually laughed at that. “I could see that! Guess they weren’t happy with you?”

“Not one bit. All I ever was, was a tool.” My calm answers, and how plainly I stated troubling truths eventually caused Morrigan to quiet down. She did ask a few more pointed questions about how my life was after the fact, trying to elicit some kind of reaction, but eventually she did grow bored.

Glancing back at Joan, I continued. “Well, it’s good to know that you can camp. Last time, was not pleasant.”

Morrigan hummed in agreement and already looked like she was considering resting for the night. Joan and I chatted, about this and that. Until eventually, it came time to settle in for the night.

The days continued like so. Small conversation was shared about our lives, bits and ends we didn’t mind sharing. Morrigan tried to poke, pull out more, but I could tell she was growing bored by the lack of reaction from me. In direct contrast, Joan was a different kind of experience.

Joan was against responding to Morrigan, but her answers were so cut and dry, that it made a desert seem wet. Realizing that trying to get anything out of Joan was like getting water from a stone, Morrigan quieted down as the days went.

Occasionally, Morrigan would correct our course. Her crows fed her information, making sure we remained on target. Again , Joan proved pivotal moving through the jungle as the variety of animals increased, as well as their overall danger. Joan herself wasn’t well versed in hunting, but she knew a thing or two about camping, including how to dress a kill. So, we ate fairly well and didn’t have to dig too deep into our reserves. That, and the meat was full of magic, feeding into our bodies, making us stronger on top of satiating us.

Joan’s knifework was, exquisite. The knife in question was something that had carried over with her. It was, unquestionably sharp. Cutting through flesh, sinew, and even bone with ease. As the days came and went, I learned quite a bit of Joan, mostly through our conversations over the fireside, as well as a little about Liche.

The summary being that Joan grew up in a suburban home, her father and brothers were avid hunters, both to save money and also as sport. They were unquestionably good people, at least, from what she said. Yet, there had to be a caveat somewhere, some kind of issue. But, the currently, the clue or hint I had was linked to her magic.

Why light magic? What was it she sought, needed to know? Or, was it something else? Light can be good, but it can also be harsh.

As for Liche, “Liche is a city girl through and through. The only exception being her foster father, apparently, he taught her how to use a gun.” She said one particular night while cooking dinner.

“I wasn’t aware she knew how to shoot.”

“She doesn’t like to talk about it, that, or well, anything really. Liche is rather reserved usually, but… she is surprisingly perceptive at times.”

“Is she? I’d thought you were the perceptive type.” I replied.

Joan shakes her head, “Partly, but I mean, Liche has a good sense of how other people are feeling. I don’t know how to explain it, but… its part of the reason we meshed so well on meeting. It felt like, we just clicked you know?” She said.

“Clicked, huh? I think I can understand.” I said, my mind drifting to Grim and that strange pull I felt whenever I met her.

Eventually conversation dimmed down, especially as we closed. Our trials and tribulations didn’t ease however. The days were hot; the bugs were always in force. Even as the beast attacks reduced in intensity, other problems cropped up.

Which is when, again, Joan proved invaluable

Even with my stone soldiers to clear the way, stray branches or brush would still leave scrapes or bumps as we went. Bugs bit and stung despite the chill surrounding me, and occasionally an animal or beast would leave a scratch or two.

This is where Joan’s healing came in.

Proving that once again, Joan was the real star of this expedition. Making camp at night, healing our wounds, and soothing our sores. After an incident where Morrigan faceplanted into a shrubbery of the poisonous variety, well, even she began to warm up to Joan and stopped antagonizing her as much. Especially when Joan said she wouldn’t heal Morrigan until she asked for it, nicely.

It was nice to see Morrigan put down a peg, but I still kept an eye on her. As the trip went on, as she listened to our conversations. Her mood shifted again. From her constant gloating smile, to something else. Something more somber, troubled. Her eyes flickered over us, and to Joan, as if contemplating something.

Before long, we arrived. Or rather, we were close enough now that we had to discuss what we were going to do next.

Sitting over the crackling fire, Morrigan spoke. “We should reach the town tomorrow… though, from what I’ve been hearing it looks to be more of a city. Got any ideas?” She asked me, looking eager to hear my response.

“Are they aware of us?”

“I can’t say for certain, but they have moved additional people to the gate.”

“So, they probably have either anticipated us, or they have some means of tracking us.” I glance over to Joan, “Thoughts?”

She frowns, “I’m not sure, I mean, it’s possible. Over this trip, I’ve noticed many presences watching us, and it’s all kind of blurred together. At this point, I can’t say with confidence that any of them have been human or not, but it’s not unlikely…”

“Which puts us a bit on the backfoot, now doesn’t it? Do you have any additional information, the city size, people, overhear anything?”

“Nobody seems overly concerned with the crows, but they, the crows, have definitely noticed some caution directed towards them. And I don’t blame them, I mean, so many crows appearing out of nowhere could be considered a bad omen and all, so, generally I haven’t overheard much.” Morrigan explained.

Still, she had some information, and she shared what she could. Overall, most of it wasn’t very worthwhile. It didn’t give us a lot to work with and well, it did give us a bit of information.

Mainly, that the city, the people, all knew something was up. They spoke of a shift in the air, of ill tidings. Simple rumors that all pointed to one, fact. That, the denizens were aware, or at least, were somewhat aware that something had happened, and by now, were probably going to be suspicious of us. After all, I would be too.

A new force appearing out of nowhere, a sudden shift? It was an obvious conclusion to make…

In the end, we had no choice but to prepare for the next day. New clothes were worn, and the final stretch of the forest was carved through. The very moment we broke out of the jungle, we came face to face with soldiers. Decked out in armor and equipped with spears.

They eyed us with a measure of suspicion, their eyes flicking between us and my stone soldiers. A single soldier, a captain perhaps, was on horseback and stood at the front of the assembled soldiers and spoke out.

“You are the foreigners, are you not?” The man asked, not a hint of politeness in his tone.

“We are, and we are here to meet your leader.” I said calmly, with surety. He eyed me, Joan, and Morrigan, and finally his eyes fell on my stone soldiers. His eyes flickered, hands tensed, his horse shuffled a bit, nervous.

There was an awkward moment where my soldiers lined up and arrayed themselves behind me, much like the captain’s soldiers. Both sides stared at each other, chests puffed out, heads held high. As if both sides were posturing, trying to prove themselves the better of the two.

Eventually though, the standoff ended. “Very well. I’ll lead you to the city, do not stray.” He commanded and began to move. I could feel my soldiers taking affront to his words, but they stayed in formation and followed as we fell in behind the captain.

We walked down what looked like a paved road. It wasn’t anything modern, not by any standards I knew. Further pointing towards the rustic feel. The people were dressed in simple clothing. Many of them were barefoot, with a few having simple cloth shoes that looked worn at best.

Flanking the road, as we approached the town, or rather, the city before us. Its daunting walls and large gates gave no illusion that this wasn’t just some backwater location. Still, as we approached the city gates, flanking the road were rice paddies and farms filled with crops. Peasants worked, many stopped what they were doing to spectate and point at the new spectacle that we were.

A crowd gathered around us. Whispered voices and curious gazes followed and amassed until we had quite the following. And as we got closer to the city, the more details I could make out.

The walls weren’t of western design, looking more eastern. With sloped edges near the top but were still made of stone. The style looked similar to the fort of the second event, but… not quite.

If anything, when we went up the slight slope up the road, we were given a better view of the surroundings and the hovels that sat along the edges of the fields. Everything here spoke to a certain kind of culture, one I knew fairly well.

I adjusted as best as I could, considering my clothes were as presentable as they could be. As we got closer to the gate, it creaked open and soldiers poured out. They lined the road, clad in what could only be ceremonial attire. Bronze armor glowed in the evening sun. Banners tied to the end of the spears billowed in the wind.

At our approach, they said nothing. But their presence alone weighed upon us as we felt the rippling signs of magic emanating from their equipment and person. Each and every solider reeked of magic. And at the far end of the procession, mounted cavalry clad in fine armor awaited us, each radiating a blinding amount of magic.

The immediate question was, could we take them? The answer was, daunting. My soldiers, the stone soldiers could probably hold their own against the rank and file, but the cavalry? They would carve through them with ease. Perhaps only we could give them a run for their money, and beat them, but… At the head of the cavalry unit was their commander, a general by the looks of it.

He was of an entire league above us. We could probably take him if all three of us coordinated, but adding in the soldiers and cavalry, it was unlikely we’d actually beat him. Not in a fair fight, anyway.

Slowly, we made our way through, with the captain of the group that had been escorting us stopping to dismount and bow to the general before giving us a final glance before departing. His own soldiers followed suit, turning to leave out the gate, leaving us with the bronze clad soldiers and the general.

“You must be the liaison we were promised.” The man said cooly, confidently.

“I am, my name is Prima Belle, I was sent by Diana to act as a diplomat.” I said, doing my very best to keep calm and cool.

“I am aware, we were alerted of your approach and presence a few days ago. I must say, with such a party you made good time working through the jungle.” He said all too calmly, but I could tell, it had impressed him. Enough to muster a greeting party.

“I am pleased we made quite the impression.” I said back, the man frowned.

“Yes, well, you arrived at a good time. The city lord is awaiting your arrival, you, and your retainers may follow as for your… soldiers, they must stay behind.”

“I understand.” I said, even as I felt my soldiers bristle under his tone. With a single glance and some coaxing over our shared link, they relented, stepping aside to let us be enveloped and brought forward, further into the city.

Wee walked down what looked like the main road. Buildings flanked the path, carts and goods moved about constantly. We even cut through a massive marketplace as we made our way towards the center of the city, right past another set of gates that inevitably led us to the steps of the central building of the city.

At this point, the general dismounted along with the cavalry, servants appeared seemingly out of nowhere to take their mounts and lead them off, whilst the soldiers’ broke ranks and filed away. From here, the general and his guard led us in. On entering, they too began to splinter off until we came to an inner area, filled with what appeared to be agents of the state.

There was some bustling, hushed words, wary eyes as they watched us. Still, they showed some decorum, making way for us and the general leading us. At final pair of doors. Doors that led to the innermost sanctum, that was where the general left us. Leaving us in the care of a pair of gate guards, both wielding spears.

Our presence was announced, the doors creaked open and we were greeted to a large hall. The hall was empty, but at the far end of the hall was an area of the ground that was elevated, and upon it was a simple chair, and on that chair was an old man.

At first glance, the old man seemed unimportant. A long beard that trailed down to his stomach, a long and wispy thing. long gone white from age. His fingers idly ran through his beard as he watched us with aged eyes. His body, looked feeble. Yet, he was anything but feeble.

I could feel the magic radiating off the man. He was like a sun. His power, far eclipsed ours. All three of us couldn’t take him. Even with my soldiers, I didn’t think we’d have a chance, but…

Something seemed off. There was a smell in the air. Incense, thick, heady. Cloying even. Multiple pots filled with incense burned at his sides, leaving the room slightly hazy from the smoke.

I could feel both Morrigan and Joan scrunch their noses, holding their breath at the smell. I, instead, breathed it in, stepped forward and greeted the man in the way I was taught by my master.

Confidently, without pause, I made my way forward and cupped my fists and bowed, showing perfect decorum. Decorum, not taught to me by my family, surprisingly, but by my master when I had learned under him.

“I, Prima Belle, greet you, and thank you for meeting with me.” Behind me, Joan fumbled to copy me, while Morrigan simply looked about.

The man on the throne’s eyebrows shot up. His entire demeanor shifted.

“How surprising…” The man said instead of giving his name back, “I was expecting much, but not this.”

He let those words hang in the air… Not a promising start…