by J. J. Pavlov
"Is it that time already?" Chandra hops off the platform and walks toward the newcomer with a grin. However, the little dark elf has seen that expression a few times before - she would act friendly like that and then throw a sucker punch when close enough.
"Well, your message did make me think that it was the perfect opportunity for making my rounds again." The woman smiles, clearly clueless about what's going to happen. But the fact that Chandra is talking to her in such a friendly manner must mean that they know each other well. So this person must be pretty strong too. "So where is-"
Before she can finish her question, the Ajura boss throws her entire body weight into a punch with all three of her right fists. If it were Kamii at the receiving end of those, all her bones would most likely be pulverized. However, not only does the woman remain standing, but it doesn't look like she even budged an inch.
"Ya got even heavier." Drawing back her arms and straightening her back, Chandra looks down at the winged demon. Said wings resembled those of a bat before, but they have turned thicker and are like giant hands now. She used one of those as if it's a large shield to stop the punch.
"Do not tell a woman that she has become heavier." Chiding the Ajura boss in a pouty tone, the newcomer looks about. "So, where is Kamii?"
The little dark elf flinches at the mention of her name as she didn't expect it to come up there. Chandra steps aside and gestures for her to join them. Upon seeing her, the woman's black eyes with yellow irises blink once before her smile reaches them. Despite looking so obviously demonic, she gives off a motherly feeling.
"I am Pelomyx, mother of Chaos." She announces with no pomp or fanfare, but in a matter of fact tone. "My daughter has told me about you."
Kamii's jaw very nearly drops, but she can stop herself in time and walks toward her with unsteady steps. She didn't expect her to arrive like this, alone and without any announcement. Her mind isn't prepared yet to meet the mother of the person she loves.
"You are cute, indeed. I can see why my child insisted on going right away even though there was a great feast waiting for her." Pelomyx states with a smile while scrutinizing the little dark elf from head to toe. She's sweaty and covered in dust from having hit the floor after Chandra's sucker punch earlier, but the queen looks past all that.
"You make it sound like Mahkotoh is some kind of glutton." But despite being in front of her beloved's mother, who also happens to be royalty, Kamii still channels the attitude she has picked up from Senka.
"Oh my. She even told you her real name." Covering her mouth in mild surprise, Pelomyx regards the dark elf in a new light.
"Do you know where she is?" The latter asks after the queen's earlier statement gave her pause.
"She came back to me three moons ago but left the next morning. I have not heard from her since so I thought she may have forgotten about her promise to return for the feast right away." Pouting, Pelomyx speaks like a sulking child whose friend ditched her during playtime.
"I'm sure ya ate all of it yaself then. To not let any of it go to waste, right?" Chandra suddenly joins the conversation while drying herself with a towel. She used to not even break a sweat once it became solo sparring with Kamii rather than against the whole group, but it's a measure of success for the little dark elf to have achieved what took the combined efforts of several people before.
"You make me sound like some kind of glutton." Using the same words Kamii said about her daughter before, Pelomyx shoots a glare at the Ajura boss. "Of course, I shared it with the Maid Corps."
"Speakin' of, how's that girl doing?" Chandra asks while ignoring the grumble from her queen.
"Rewera is scary as ever." Pelomyx shudders at the thought, but Kamii can tell that it's an exaggerated act. "But she is-"
"Your Majesty." Suddenly, a muffled but somewhat noticeably male voice interrupts her. Everybody swivels their heads around to find a person in dark blue robes, face and hands covered in bandages, standing to the side with a gnarled staff in hand. He wasn't there a moment earlier. "Pontis Daemonis has come under siege this morning."
"Ohh, another invasion!" Chandra is the first to react as she pumps her fists in excitement. The ajura around her respond with a rumbling wave of cheers, except for Shugra, who covers his face and shakes his head. He's the most level-headed ajura, and most likely the only person thinking of the cost of war.
"Is it time then, Mithra?" Pelomyx asks the bandaged person who looks like a mage, her expression inscrutable. She shows neither enthusiasm nor dread but appears to be preoccupied with another train of thought entirely. "Where is it now?"
"It passed Erbilan. She is on her way as well." Apparently, understanding precisely what it is that the queen is asking, Mithra replies vaguely without revealing any details. When Pelomyx hears this, her demeanor changes to that of a capable leader.
"Take us back to Arkaim." She announces in a firm tone and with a wave of her hand that looks nothing but decisive.
"What about us?" Chandra asks, crossing her arms and looking down at the much shorter queen with a rare expression of seriousness. The still murmuring ajura grow quiet immediately and listen intently.
"Get ready for war." Pelomyx announces but then stops herself before breaking out into a smile. "I know you would tell me that you are always ready. Make for Phoshand and then Pontis Daemonis if the siege is still underway. Keep in contact with Arkaim through Celefis."
Celefis is Ajurai's chief of information, a male harpy who resembles a giant hawk. He's a member of the Avinea clan, one of the Four Great Clans of the Dominion - the only Great Clan that isn't composed of a single race of demons. Their predominantly winged members usually find work as messengers, as is the case with Celefis.
"I will have the Four Great Clans convene in Arkaim." Finally, the demon queen announces with a grave expression that catches Chandra by surprise.
"Ya weren't that worried the last time they invaded with over half a million troops." She wonders, raising an eyebrow to make her point.
"I just have a feeling that this time is different." Smiling to alleviate the suspicions of the Ajura boss, Pelomyx shrugs. "In either case, we shall return now. I will see you on the battlefield, Chandra."
With these words, she turns away and gestures at Mithra. But then she stops short and looks back at Kamii, seemingly wondering about something.
"Are you coming?" She asks, upon which the little dark elf blinks in surprise. Looking at the extended hand, Kamii realizes that by the 'take us back to Arkaim' directed at Mithra earlier, the queen had meant not only herself and the mage, but her as well.
For a moment, she hesitates when she thinks about the luggage she has stored under her bed in the longhouse. But all the clothes Mahkotoh bought her are still in the guildhall in Kongenssoevn anyway. She won't miss these things, and there are more pressing matters than packing up some clothes now.
"The dagger..." Kamii looks up at Chandra. It's barely more than a short knife by ajura standards, but for a dark elf, the blade is long enough to call it a dagger. The beautiful weapon is incredibly sharp and well-forged, capable of cutting even ajura skin - as opposed to those forged by human hands.
"Keep it." The Ajura boss states with a grin. "Remember ya trainin' with me when ya see it."
"Thank you." The little dark elf nods and touches the hilt of the dagger.
"Mithra." Queen Pelomyx speaks in a commanding tone, upon which the mage moves his staff ever so slightly. In the next moment, the three of them are surrounded by a stream of light. There's a slightly floaty feeling, but they maintain their relative positions to each other.
Moments later, their feet touch down in a circular room surrounded by naked stone walls covered with scratches and claw marks. Before Kamii has the time to look around, the demon queen makes for the door in quick steps.
"Could you not have brought us to the crisis conference room?" She speaks in annoyance, directed at Mithra.
"She is there." He replies, vaguely.
"Should I go there then?" But Pelomyx surprisingly stops short of opening the door and turns to the bandaged man with a questioning look. "Would that cause trouble?"
"It is an eventuality. However, they will arrive soon. It would be best not to waste time on emotions." Mithra replies in a neutral tone.
Kamii doesn't understand what the two are talking about, but it must have something to do with the siege of Pontis Daemonis and the full-scale invasion that will surely follow if the fortress should fall. Why else would the demon queen be hesitating to go through with something?
"Maou-sama." Suddenly, the door to the room opens, and a towering woman in a black dress and white apron enters. She appears to be completely human, but her height approaches that of Gram's, who is the tallest human Kamii knows. "Have you completed your inspection tour?"
"Not exactly. But the Alliance Army has made its move. Pontis Daemonis is under siege." Pelomyx replies before walking toward her. The woman steps aside and holds the door open before glancing at Kamii for the first time.
"And who is this?" Not in the least startled by the revelation that the human army is invading the Dominion, she focuses on the little dark elf.
"She is Kamii, one of my child's lovers." The queen remarks with a startingly lack of interest in the matter. Kamii doesn't like the way she worded it, but under the current circumstances, there are more important things than rectifying how others refer to her love life. "In either case, sound the castle alarm and put Arkaim on full alert."
"As you command." The giant woman doesn't question the strange decision to prepare the capital for war even though Pontis Daemonis is almost a thousand leagues away from here. She lets everybody pass before following them, as the queen leads the way down the corridor.
"Less than an hour." Mithra suddenly states, but Kamii has no idea what 'hour' means.
"Enough time to prepare." Pelomyx declares with a look of determination.
The towering woman soon separates from them at the first set of stairs, where Mithra stops for a moment to turn to Kamii. With his face covered in bandages, he doesn't instill much trust in her. Still, if Mahkotoh's mother relies on him, he should be dependable.
"Your sister Daica is in the cellar. Go see her before you may lose your chance." He points down the stairs with his staff. His words are ominous at best and cause Kamii to look at him with doubt. But the fact that he knows her by her real name rather than Lady Nightwane, the one her sister gives to people she isn't close with, means that he must be telling the truth about her presence in the castle.
"Go ahead." The queen stops on the fourth step up the stairs before turning around to encourage the little dark elf. "You can come back up later."
Just then, the sound of a large bell suddenly echoes through the halls of the castle. That must be the alarm, which the giant woman went to ring. With one more smile directed at Kamii, Pelomyx takes that as her cue to hurry onward.
Watching her now wingless back, the little dark elf waits until she rounds the corner of the stairwell before descending into the cellar.
A bell has begun ringing, joined in by others throughout the castle. Asoko was enjoying her time with Anthera, who usually sleeps during the day when the sound startled them from the large conference table they had been lying on. Looking out the large window, the Crawling Chaos tries to determine what's going on. But being afforded only the view of one side of Arkaim doesn't tell her whether it's a fire or an enemy attack of some sort.
"It's the castle alarm!" Anthera usually has a relaxed and carefree attitude, even seeming airheaded at times, but she wears a serious expression when she jumps up and quickly gets dressed.
"What does that mean?" Asoko gets up as well, though she uses her own body to recreate clothes rather than put on any of those she found in the wardrobes in her room. If she can shape them the way she wants to, there's no need for actual clothes.
"An attack on the city." After the last touch of her maid uniform - the frilly headband - is in place, Anthera's giant fluffy antennae rise from the top of her head where they rest when not needed in her day to day life. That means that she's on full alert, which puts Asoko on edge as well. "I have to go to my station, Chaos-sama."
"I'm coming with you." Although the moth maid said it as if she was going to separate from her, the Crawling Chaos declares before walking to the door first and opening it for Anthera.
Outside, demon maids are running down the corridor, some carrying weapons, and others staves with catalysts in their tips. Those from the older generation wear faces of grim determination, while the younger ones are filled with worry.
"What's going on?" Asoko spots Lenoly and Lervia from across the corridor and calls out to them.
"Maou-sama has returned and declared a state of emergency. The entire city is being put on alert." Lervia quickly explains. Under the circumstances, Lenoly can keep her jealousy from showing on her face when she sees Anthera coming out of the conference room behind Asoko.
"The maid leader said that Pontis Daemonis has come under siege." The one-horned bakari adds, a complicated expression on her face. They know that Senka, Hestia, and Dregana could still be there, but they hope that the three of them can either make it out or already left long before the siege began.
"Why the alert here, though?" Asoko doesn't let her mind wander into speculation and asks about the present. After all, even if she were to fly to Pontis Daemonis at maximum speed in the form of the Chaos Jet, it would still take her a few hours at the minimum. That's enough time for people to escape - or get killed.
"I don't know. But the bell means that even the castle may come under attack." Lervia responds with a shake of her head. "The deep bell you hear means the Maid Corps members should all get to their stations."
"So, what were you doing in there, my child?" Suddenly, the voice of the demon queen asks through the corridor, upon which Asoko swivels her head around like a naughty child caught in the middle of preparing a prank.
"Mama..." She greets her approaching mother with a spooked expression; this wasn't how she envisioned meeting her again after all this time. And the state of emergency means that they won't have time to talk about everything quietly. So it's best to leave her in the belief that she's the original Chaos until this situation has passed.
"We can talk later." With a warm smile, Pelomyx waves at the maids in passing, who leave to take their positions. Anthera gives Asoko one last glance before going as well. "My, you are new."
The queen is referring to Lenoly, who wears a maid outfit because she wanted to be of use rather than live in the castle for free. Realizing that she's a new face is a testament to the fact that Pelomyx remembers everybody.
"Your Majesty." Performing a magnificent Japanese-style bow alongside Lervia, the one-horned bakari greets Asoko's mother.
"You are already a splendid maid." Gesturing for her to raise her head, Pelomyx smiles warmly. She then turns to Asoko with a more serious expression. "Please join me in the crisis conference room."
"What's going on?" The latter asks with a glance at Lenoly, who looks happy about the praise she received but also nervous about the situation. She remains outside with Lervia since she wasn't told to come in with them.
"Mithra." With a wave of her hand, she calls out the court magician's name. The space beside her distorts inward without a sound before snapping back out to reveal the bandaged man in his usual dark blue robes.
"It should become visible at the edge of the Herelier wasteland soon." He states in a neutral tone. The Herelier wasteland is the region surrounding Arkaim, where the jutting rock formations all facing one direction dominate the view all the way to the horizon.
Asoko looks out the east-facing window but doesn't see anything out of the ordinary. The only thing that would warrant an alarm like this is an invading army, which would definitely come from that direction.
"There it is." But Pelomyx appears to spot something as she looks toward the horizon with a grim expression.
"Maou-sama." Rewera enters the room and calls out to the queen in a tone that suggests she awaits an order. She's accompanied by two other maids, the frog maid Amerega and Yrushi, supposedly a goblin. The latter is a petite, pointy-eared girl with slightly green but smooth skin, wearing a blood-red cap instead of the frilly headband that is a trademark of maid outfits. From underneath that cap spills hair of the same color as the headdress, which barely reaches her shoulders.
Amerega is carrying a staff with a milky white and sapphire blue gem embedded in its tip. Yrushi has a giant meat cleaver almost as long as she's tall resting on her shoulder. They're both members of the combat maids, though it's clear what their specializations lie in. Though, unlike the frog maid, the goblin maid's weapon, coupled with her sharp teeth, makes her very presence exude an air of violence.
"Go and bring the non-combatants to the inner sanctum. Take the two bakari outside with you." Pelomyx unhesitatingly gives her order. "Keep everybody safe."
"Understood." Bowing, the towering maid leader doesn't question the caution the queen is displaying even though no threat is visible.
"When will she arrive?" Turning to Mithra, Pelomyx asks without divulging who it is she's talking about. Her expression suggests urgency, but her gaze motions toward the window. Asoko's eyes are involuntarily drawn there as well, where she notices the giant cloud coming toward them from the horizon at an impossible speed.
"On time." The court magician replies mysteriously before turning to Amerega and Yrushi. "Clear the area around the Forerunners Chamber."
"What is that?" Asoko squints as she looks at the approaching cloud. It appears to be a roiling cumulonimbus, but something tells her that this isn't a natural phenomenon.
"I picked up Kamii before returning. She is with her sister right now." Instead of answering the question, Pelomyx states with a warm expression on her face while approaching Asoko and putting a hand on her cheek. "You should go see her."
