A path of ice shot across the ground, making a thick slippery layer, slick enough for the two girls to skate across at a blistering speed. Miles became yards became feet as they rocketed towards the pack of golems. The lumber monsters of stone roared and growled as they readied to attack.
“Remember what Sue said!” Ichika shouted. “They may have been people, but now...”
“Yeah...” Carmen grit her teeth. “Sorry guys, but we gotta put you down!” As they got close, Carmen leaned forward, allowing her momentum to propel her as she charged her fist with electricity, then with a punch, she fired a bolt of lightning at the craggy monster. Its bicep exploded, shards of stone going flying, a seemingly lethal dent appearing where it was hurt. But the golem was unfazed. It released another roar as it punched back, its arm exploding as its fist launched at the Prism Girls. “LIKE HELL!” She curled her fist again, a bright light emitting for it, Ichika mimicking her movement. The onslaught of light shattered the stone fist as it turned upon its wielders.
Carmen launched forward, as the light arced across her mechanical armor. She smacked her bracers together as her armor began to change. The formfitting shoulders glowed as they expanded forming a sleek golden shell over her shoulder and arms. At her chest, a similar black round shell emerged, a flatter sheet of black golden steel reinforcing her belly. Lightning surged in her hand, forming a metal rod, which she promptly grabbed a hold of. She swung the rod above her head and then slammed it downward, the hammerhead forming just in time to smash through the golem before her, arcs of lightning shooting out, crashing into the other golems.
Without hesitation, another set of golems began to rush at Carmen, ignorant and indifferent to their fallen comrades. As they neared her, blades of ice erupted from the ground, their momentum forcing them to cross the shimmering edges, cleaving them in two, resulting in them collapsing into piles of quiet stone.
Ichika landed behind Carmen as luminous ice wrapped around her kimono. The top of the cloth became ever brighter, like freshly fallen snow, as the magic seeped deeper into her form, pooling at her feet, a circle of white forming at her feet, drawing the light from the hem of her garb, filling it with the dark tones of the night sky. Deep purples and blues seemed to shimmer as it fluttered at her feet, the ruffles along the side of the skirt almost radiating with a soft lavender light, an intricate web of nearly cosmic light illuminating the inside of her kimono. She inhaled, the pale moon at her feet glowing ever brighter, as the space around them began to darken. The surrounding golems began to slow, the light from their runes and eyes following the lead of the light in the air, and slipping away into darkness. As the golems fell upon themselves, ice began to encroach upon their forms, encasing each of them in an eternal icy prison, that even once the ice had melted, would never thaw at their core.
The girls turned their attention further into the pack of golems, spying a bolt of lightning cracking through the sky. Instinctively, they ran forward, into their army. She leapt into the air and swung her hammer down again, a dark golden cape began to flutter behind her. The spitting volts licking up her body, lining the collar of the cape with golden fur. She clicked her tongue as a couple of the golems, larger and darker than the others shirked off her attack. Their arms pulsed with energy as they pumped them. Then as they thrust them forward, their fists exploded, revealing a glowing nozzle, which immediately spewed a stream of purple magical energy.
Ichika moved in front of Carmen, conjuring her crystal ball, and tossing it before her. She exhaled, the crystal ball morphing into a flat reflective disc, a mirror, which glowed with magical might. A barrier spread out before them, and as if in answer the lingering magic around her spun together a long glittery cyan ribbon that resembled a band of ice, hovering daintily above her arms and curling behind her head.
The magical energy collided with the barrier as it began to shine, the energy reflecting off it and rebounding back upon the golems, pulverizing their bodies. Ichika swiped her arm, the mirror floating towards her and settling to her side. She grinned. “I’ve gotta say, Sue’s power really is something.”
“You’re telling me,” Carmen laughed. “No wonder Lilith went to all the trouble to make us priestesses. We need to remember to thank her later.”
“After you thank Riri, right?”
“Well, guess we should find her first. Come on, she should be this way!” The two ran through the dry wilderness. “Huh? What the heck?” She glanced around at the crushed golems lining their way.
“What is it? You’re not surprised by them or anything, are you? Riri’s more than strong enough to beat them.”
“Well, yeah, but… is it just me, or do they look different from the ones we just fought?”
“Different?” Ichika glanced at a nearby golem’s head. Now that she mentioned it, the color did seem a little different, and the head seemed more jagged, although that could be the result of being attacked, but…
“WATCH OUT!” Carmen shouted as she pulled Ichika to the side, narrowly dodging a large rocky hand flying towards a broken torso. “What the!?” The pair came to a halt as the arm attached itself to the torso. The hand slammed down as it pulled the torso forward, other parts of the nearby golems flying at and merging with the growing pile of rubble that was its body. The two stumbled back as the very earth itself was caught up in the torrent of stone, the now restored golem standing taller, its body a dark red, a striking difference to the tan and paler golems from before. A low grumble filled the air as the pair looked around, spotting other golems regenerating and transforming into larger behemoths.
As if to add insult to injury, the earth around them heaved, as new pale golems emerged from the earth. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Carmen angrily yelled. “That bastard can just make more golems!? What was even the point of sacrificing these guys!?” She looked at the plains around them, now beginning to resemble a craggy waste as more and more golems began to rise, gouging the earth behind them, full of holes and stones.
“Maybe he needed them to start the spell?” Ichika wondered aloud. “Like maybe the spell needs life in order to make more golems.”
“That’s not a bad guess!” another voice boomed. They turned to face one of the large dark red golems to see it get smited from behind, rock fragments flying around as it collapsed to the ground. Riri stood in the dust, gasping as she struggled to stand.
“Riri! You’re okay!” Carmen smiled. “I was starting to get a little worried.”
“Thanks,” Riri chuckled. “But what are you two doing here? Shouldn’t you be going to stop Zeus?”
“And leave my goddess to fend for herself? Doesn’t sound like a very priestess thing to do.”
“Carm...”
“Girls!” Ichika called to them as the golems began to move, now fully functional.
“Ugh, these jerks don’t know when to quit!” Carmen groaned.
“Is there any way to stop them?”
“I… I don’t know...” Riri grumbled. “I… the old me… she wasn’t too good with runes. That was always Loki’s specialty.”
“Well, shoot!” Carmen sighed. “Guess we just keep fighting until we find Odin.”
“Y-yeah...”
“If you desired to find me, you simply should’ve said so,” a deep gravely voice stated. The golems stopped and began to kneel down. To their side, a handful of golems crumbled away as a tall elderly man emerged, draped in a long white cloak that matched his braided white hair, the only darkness on his figure being an eye-patch and shadowy garb peeking out near his dark shoes. “As I suspected, you remain as foolish as the day you died. You always neglected your studies, didn’t you boy?”
“D-dad...” Riri trembled, her voice vanishing as she stared upon the massive Norse god.
“What a blasphemous quandary,” Odin stated as he glared at Ichika. “Proposing that a god such as myself is weak enough to need life to make a simple army of golems. No. I sacrificed those fools only because I knew it would upset you, boy. Consider it a punishment for succumbing to your petty emotions again.”
“A-again…?”
“I’d hoped I’d purged that pathetic sentimentality from you when you fell, but it appears the only thing I managed to cut out was what little intellect you had. You truly never stop disappointing me, do you boy?”
“HOW DARE YOU!” Carmen yelled. “What kind of parent says that to their daughter!?”
“I have no daughter,” Odin snarled. “It didn’t matter when he tried transforming himself before, and it won’t change because he reincarnated as one. He will always remain the muscle headed oaf of a man he always was. He’d be far more useful if he stopped pretending to be a sensitive maiden and remembered we live to fight and rule.”
“You’re vile!” Ichika hissed. “Denying her for being a girl and for caring about others!? If anything, she’s much stronger than you for being able to care about her enemies than you’ll ever be!”
“Petulant girl. I’ll...”
“Father...” Riri looked at him pleadingly. “What you just said. About me wanting to live as a girl before and purging my thoughts… What did you do to me? What did you take from me!?” Odin glared at me. “Tell me the truth!”
“Even now you cling to that farce?” Odin questioned, Riri’s angered glare bearing down upon him. “Very well, if you must know. You cowardly ran away with some mortal woman. I do not know what lie she told you, but when I managed to find you, you’d long since abandoned your duty and divine form. You used your divine hammer for some paltry mortal forging. All the while pretending to be a woman.
“It was revolting, seeing you, my own son, abandon his duty and disguise yourself as if you were some frail girl. After everything I’d given you. After everything we’d built. You threw it all away to play pretend. And for what? Some mortal woman who encouraged your delusions? A woman who entrapped you with a false form and soft cloth? Had I not fallen, I’d have made certain she’d have died as well.
“Y-you’re saying that I...” Riri’s eyes widened. “I had a wife? I had a wife who accepted me? I...” she sniffled. “It’s so faint, but I… I remember… She embraced me. She helped me like myself. She loved me! And you took me away from her!? You tried to erase our love and my life!?” Riri began to cry, a fierce scowl on her face. “You’re always like this! Always trampling on others and acting like you’re above it all! Even now, you’ve stolen the lives of these people!” she exclaimed as she waved at the golems. “You treat everyone else like they’re nothing, and I’ve had enough of it! Of you! Your twisted views! All of it! This ends now, Odin! We’ll defeat you! And our friends will stop Zeus too! Then the world will finally be free of your vile presence!”
Odin laughed. “This is precisely what I mean. Your foolishness knows no ends. You value the existence of mere objects more than the will of your fellow gods. And as for your other little pet priestesses, forget about them. The beast will be upon them soon enough.”
* * *
“Do you hear me sweetie?” Cheryl’s voice crackled, Vivi adjusting the plastic ear piece.
“I hear you Mama!” Vivi giggled. “How are things over there?”
“We’re all set up. I think we’re good to go. Oh? Thanks dear,” she said, her voice growing distant for a second. “Roth just gave the thumbs up. Before that, can the rest of you girls hear me?”
“Loud and clear, ma’am,” Melody chirped.
“Me too! I can hear you too!” Wisp added, she said as she poked the small microphone near her mouth.
“Looks like we’re all good to go then,” Annie chuckled.
“Oh, Annie, did it integrate into your transformation well?” Cheryl asked.
“Yeah. I can’t even feel it, right now,” she said, tracing where the earpiece was before she transformed. “I’ll need to thank Lilith for enchanting them to work like our pendants.”
“That was your idea, right Mama?” Vivi quizzed Cheryl.
“It was. I figured it would be best to keep it out of your way so it wouldn’t distract you or get damaged,” Cheryl explained.
“Good thinking,” said Melody. “I’d hate to accidentally splash it with water and ruin it during battle. And little Wisp won’t lose it when using her wind magic.”
“I wouldn’t lose it!” Wisp protested.
“I’m sure, sweetie. You’re a good and responsible girl,” Cheryl cooed in Wisp’s ear, the girl posing proudly at the compliment. “Even so, we don’t want anything happening to it so we can keep in contact. You don’t want to worry your Mom, right?”
“Uh-huh! I definitely want Mommy to know I’m safe!”
“Good girl! Also, remember everyone, these devices are a little special. They each have a public and personal channel. It will be keyed into both, but you’ll be able to change it by shifting your mana. So, if you need some peace and quiet, just take a breath and imagine changing the channel, got it?”
“Got it,” Annie confirmed. “By the way, where are the goddesses? I don’t see Lilith or the others.”
“They’re currently meeting with each other. Ami told me to just have you girls depart when you’re ready.”
“Understood. Before we head out, let me confirm our route. Once we leave camp, we’ll start heading southwest towards the mountains. We’ll start passing over a forest, right?”
“Correct. The forest runs all around the area. It’s part of what kept Fort Newton hidden. However, now, you should actually see it as you get close. The tear itself is visible from the sky. The transmitters you have were modified to have enhanced GPS signals and a greater range of communication, so I’ll be able to let you know if you get off track.”
“Sounds good. Thanks Cheryl. In that case, I think we’re ready to go!” Annie declared. “Suit up girls!”
“Right!” The other three stated, each clicking their lockets open. In a flash the three hand fully changed into their magical girl forms. Wisp looked at Vivi and gawked in awe.
“Big sis! Your outfit changed! Is that your priestess form?” Wisp asked.
“You like it?” Vivi giggled as she delicately traced the curve of her corset. “I think it’s really… alluring,” she said her voice lowering with a hint of hunger to it.
“I like it a lot! I’m glad it didn’t change too much like Annie’s.” Wisp pouted.
“Yeah, I miss the dress, but I can’t deny her new form is pretty hot?” Vivi laughed.
“Uh… you know… it’s just more practical, and stuff,” Annie muttered trying to hide her embarrassment.
“I think you’re much hotter like this. I like the sword lesbian vibes of this one,” Melody stated.
“M-Mel!”
“Oh, come on, sweetie,” Melody laughed as she swam through the air, curling her body along Annie’s back and hugging her from behind, sending a shiver up Annie’s body. “You really think we’re gonna get too lewd for a succubus,” she whispered.
“W-Wisp is still here too!”
“I’m sure she’s too young to get it.”
“M-Mel!!!”
Wisp giggled. “Wow, Annie gets all silly when Melody hugs her! Big sis, do you get like that with Eri?”
“U-uh… maybe...” Vivi mumbled. “Um… We should really get going now.”
“Right!”
“Mel...” Annie poked at her girlfriend.
“Oh, fine. Let’s go kick that trashy god’s butt!” Melody declared as she floated upward.
Annie cleared her throat. “Prism Girls! Move out!”
* * *
Vivi trembled as she looked down. Far below her the army of golems rumbled and roared. Shortly before they left, the army had finished their preparations and were now fighting the stony monsters. Her heart quivered as she considered the people they were, and it groaned from the achingly harsh reality. Her heart naturally reached out, hoping against all hope that the goddesses had been wrong. What she found instead was only tatters of their hearts and minds. A fleeting memory here, a fleck of feeling there, a shard of a shadow of a thought echoing in an abyss. They were taunting her. The few things she could grab hold of were certainly their most precious pieces.
The image of a smiling girl as she giggled and wished them luck. The touch of soft fur and a gentle warmth from the pant of a loved family dog. The smell of the ocean tickling a sense of childish nostalgia for vacation at the beach. The sound of a laughing child. The taste of juicy beef, complimented by the crisp bite of lettuce, the flavor of melted cheddar, the creaminess of sour cream, and the pleasant burn of homemade salsa. They were strong and clear sensations of living people, and more frighteningly, she could feel how even they were being broken down, melted, and merged into the meshing flow of mana that energized the creatures.
What little remained of them was so fractured and molten that some had begun to blend together. Others lost detail after detail, like grains of sand through her fingers, crumbling into nothing. And yet others seemed to be pulled apart, becoming an implacable sensation obscured in ambiguity. It was like watching the final synapses of their brains sputter out, their electric impulses absorbed by a magnet, leaving their minds sagging and slumping as decay set in. There was truly no coming back from the slurry of energy.
She felt a touch on her shoulder, pulling her from abyss of despair beneath them. Vivi looked up to see Annie passing her a gentle frown. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine… just...”
“You can feel it, can’t you?” Melody asked. “Their emotions, or what’s left of them?” Vivi nodded. “I’m sorry Vivi. Being an empath in this kind of place must be really tough on you.”
“It’s hard, but...” Vivi smiled gently. “I won’t forget this feeling. I won’t forget about them or what’s been done to them. At least I can carry their memories with me.”
“You’ve really grown, haven’t you, Vivi?”
“Huh?”
“Caring about others, especially people you’ve fought with, can be hard to do,” she chuckled nervously. “I’m not sure I could do that.”
“Melody… I...” she tried to speak, her voice vanishing on the wind. Her eyes widened as panic gripped her. They’d been able to talk thanks to Wisp’s magic sheltering them from the wind. If she could no longer talk, that meant… She turned her attention forward to see Wisp desperately blocking against some shadowy orb. Vivi gripped the air, her wand appearing in her hand. “GO AWAY!” she shouted as she threw a blast of pink energy at the orb, causing it to vanish on impact. “What was that!?”
“I don’t know?” Annie stated. “Mel, Vivi, move up and protect Wisp, I’ll look for where that thing came from!” Vivi and Melody nodded, picking up speed and passing Annie to approach Wisp.
“You okay, sis?”
“I’m okay!” Wisp chirped. “But that thing… Big sis, it felt strange.”
“Strange how?”
“It felt like it was in-” Another shadowy glob assaulted Wisp, Melody blasting it with a jet of water, causing it to melt away.
“THERE!” Annie declared. “It came from the edge of the forest!”
“What should we do!?” Melody asked. “Should we go down there and fight whatever that is?”
“No! We should keep pressing on. We’ll eventually escape its range!” Annie swung her flaming sword, cleaving another orb. “Just keep on Wisp and protect her!”
“Got it!” Vivi answered as she and Melody both struck down more orbs. “As long as we keep this up we should… WISP!” Vivi flew forward and summoned a shadowy force and threw it to her side, a disc of shadow appearing beside her which began to glow with greecian symbols, her demon wings flaring up and glowing with magic as she braced herself. A shadowy force slammed into her shield, her eyes widening a cracks began to form. She backed off, grabbing hold of Wisp as the force broke through.
“VIVI! WISP!” Annie called out.
“We’re fine!” Vivi answered.
“What the hell is that thing!?” Annie questioned as a larger shadowy blob hung in the air. A gravely groan rippled through the air. “Is… is it breathing?”
“Mel, Annie, watch out! That thing, it’s one of Zeus’s gods!” Vivi declared.
“IT’S WHAT!?” Melody gawked.
The air shuddered as the blob roared, large scaly wing whipping out, unfolding across the sky. A snake slithered down from the whole releasing a ghastly hiss. Massive talon tipped claws tore through the murk. Then a roar shook the air as a large beak emerged, surrounded by a mane of fur. As it looked down upon them, its feline eyes glared upon them.
“Is this some kind of joke!?” Annie asked. “It’s a chimera deity!?” The beast drew in its breath. “Well, in that case. GIRLS GET BEHIND ME! IT’S GOING TO BREATH FIRE!” Vivi pulled Wisp behind Annie as Melody followed suit. Annie prepared her sword to sweep away the inferior flame. It exhaled as Annie swung her sword. Much to her shock, her flame parted ways as electricity crackled through, only to be met by a geyser of water. “Thanks sweetie!” Annie flashed a smile to her girlfriend. “How’d you figure-”
“I didn’t, but if it’s a god, it probably won’t play by the rules, right?”
“That’s what I get for relying on classic myths!”
“Watch out!” Vivi cried, as she swiped at another black orb coming from below. She stared down the beast’s snake tail as it opened its mouth again and delivered another shot of black energy. As Vivi intercepted the orb, Annie slashed, catching the beast’s claws. Melody carefully watched the beast as she watched for an opening. Wisp cowering behind her.
As the three did their best to parry and stop its onslaught, the fairy watched only trembling beneath its glare. And then, as Vivi parried its claw, reaching for the scratch on her shoulder, Wisp came to a realization. “It’s after me?”
“Wisp…” Vivi grimaced.
“Big sis… it’s going after me and… I can feel it, it’s hurting.” Vivi sighed as she reached the same conclusion. She’d been feeling it, just as her little sister had. The beast was lashing out in pain, and for whatever reason, it was going after Wisp. Its every attack had been trying to break through their guard and attack from behind, with a perfect shot for the fairy girl.
“Don’t worry, Wisp, we’ll protect you! Trust in us.” Wisp looked at Vivi and shook her head. “Wisp?”
“Thank you big sis, but I’ll be okay.”
“Wisp, what do you...” Wisp smiled as she shrank, her wings going still as she dropped out of the sky. “WISP!” Before she could catch her, Wisp had already shrank small and fallen far enough to vanish from sight. As if in response, the beast bellowed and roared, flapping its wings as it turned its attention downward and began its descent, dodging Annie’s attack in the process.
“W-what!?” Annie gawked. “What just…” She and Melody turned to see Vivi crying alone. “Viv? Where’s-”
“WISP! COME BACK!” she cried.
* * *
The young fairy plummeted through the air. She channeled her goddess’s might into her body. Her outfit reshaped itself upon her, losing its puffiness and frills. It trimmed itself down, falling below her ankles, the bodice taking on a minty color, as the skirt darkened into a deep verdant green. The ribbons on skirt flew upward, transforming into frilly straps that crossed over her chest, white lilies blossoming above them, another set blooming just above her pointed ears.
Her sash fluttered behind her, forming a fluffy bow at her back, similar bows forming upon her elbow of her gloves, which fluttered around her. Her hair gathered into a ponytail, another bow holding it in place. Next her tiara gained new minty arches, small flowers growing along it forming a small bouquet at the crown of her head. The finally, two tufts of lavender fur popped out of her matching lavender hair, her new feline ears granting her an enhanced form of hear. Then at long last, she descended through the canopy, landing on her elegant white heel.
Her ears immediately twitched, hearing the beast quickly grumbling. She leapt forward, a soft light tracing her form and shifting it. Upon landing, her mint fur covered legs propelled the small rabbit of a girl forward as the chimera god panted. It grumbled and growled as the girl watched it from afar.
The beast quivered and shrank, its shadowy carapace dissipating until a feminine figure was all the remained panting and quaking on the ground. Wisp hesitated as she heard the girl’s whimpers. “I don’t…” she heard the woman whisper. She gagged then coughed, her hands twitching. She sniffed the air as a purple glow washed over her body. She jerked her head back, her gaze falling upon Wisp. She looked upon Wisp frightfully. “N-no…”
“Please… Ruuu—aaaaAAAAH!!!” she screamed. Her face contorted with pain. She snarled, bearing her teeth, her soft eyes warping with anger as shadows once more wrapped around her body. Her hands stretched into paws as she once more took the form of a chimera and howled.
Wisp hid behind a tree, quietly shifting back, into her small sprite form. She conjured her bow and shot at the ground as she fluttered away. The chimera immediately cocked its head and snarled as it lunged at the tree, snapping it with massive force. The chimera sniffed the ground, a small flower’s pleasant aroma meeting its nose. Its growl grew quieter and slower as it began to ease, a minty fox looking upon it from a distance. The fox’s ears twitched as the beast shuddered, almost seeming to cough. Its gaze met the fox and roared. The chimera tacked the undergrowth, the fox deftly dodging its assault.
The fox dove behind another tree, the chimera tearing it down with explosive force to be met by another tuft of flowers. It groaned again as its senses began to fade and its movements became sluggish and heavy. Nearby a mint colored finch tweeted from a nearby branch, its song lulling the beast into slumber.
The beast seemed to cough again and lumbered back to its feet, fighting off its creeping weariness. It immediately shot more shadowy orbs at the finch, causing it to fly away. A small mint mouse landed on the ground in its place and skittered around and over the underbrush, the chimera hot on its trail. Before the mouse could duck behind a tree a shadowy orb smashed it to pieces. A balled up armadillo flew through the air and upon hitting the ground, rolled towards another tree. It was destroyed.
Again and again, the beast turned, blasting tree after tree as small animal after small animal tried to skitter away until finally a small mint cat pounced behind the last tree in the perimeter. Another explosion, and this time the girl tumbled away, gasping for air, at her wits end. She looked upon the snarling beast, her eyes shimmering with fear.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
The chimera roared as it bore down upon the girl, only for its claw to be caught by a shrub.
A quiet chuckle echoed through the woods. “I must say, I am quite impressed dear. Using my blessing to try and conjure plants to try and pacify this ailing creature. Unfortunately, it would appear our enemy has seen through such ploys.”
The beast turned to face the voice, the Celtic goddess, Ceridwen, gracing its gaze.