Chapter 22 – Meeting Aur

Edited Chapter 21, the major plot points remain the same. Some minor changes, like Keiko giving Yui the exhibit tickets, and a few others. I recommend re-reading as I made some things clearer.

There might be some minor changes to Yui’s Demons, the notes I took were so long ago.

I'll make a glossary sometime this week

48 Demons were already assembled the moment Yui stepped out of the mansion. In contrast to previously, when they gathered, looking all defeated and sombre, to apologise. Now, they stood straight and proud with a fire burning in their eyes, raring to go.

- (Description) -

Her twenty Asura, were human-size wooden dolls with three arms, allowing them to wield two tower shields and two greatswords while being clad in basic amethyst armour. With their excellent defensive and offensive capabilities, they served as the backbone of her combat forces. They were captained by Primus and two supporting Centurion.

Centurion lost a pair of arms when they were upgraded, but they gained better commanding and tactical prowess. They also fought differently from their lesser brethren, instead of greatswords and shields, they had gauntlets on their hands, artefacts from Yui, to strike down any foe.

Primus lost another pair of arms, leaving him with just two arms. But his black-amethyst jewel that sat between his brows merged with his eyes to form a cross on his face. It gave him an unparalleled vision of the battlefield. For fighting, he wielded two swords. However, after noting his lack of defensive options, Yui gifted him two floating shield artefacts.

If the Asura were the core of her Demons then the ten Stone Bears were her fist and shield. They would be at the forefront of any conflict, swatting away her enemies with their massive paws and earth magic. Those three meters of solid granite made for an excellent shield for her other Demons, and surprisingly superb masons. The foundation of her mansion and the multitude of stonework were all crafted by them.

The bears were led by a stone golem, Emeth. He was a Stone Bear before being upgraded to this hulking five-meter mass of granite. He took the basic concepts of the Stone Bears, their immense strength, impressive defence, and outstanding earth magic and boosted them to the stratosphere. But do not let his lumbering form fool you, a single swing from his Warhammer would leave behind nothing more than a smudge of his target. To boost Emeth even further, Yui hid a medallion artefact under the left chest of his bulky armour.

To cover for the slow speed of the Asuras and Stone Bears, Yui had her Wolf and Mask Demons. Unfortunately, her ten Mask Demons were already deployed. Commanded by Sebastian and Sofi, the Masks, wearing a black cloak and a tragedy and comedy mask, would weave in and out of fights. Harassing and picking off any stragglers with their swords for arms, the confusion they sowed would allow for the other Demons to clean up any enemy.

Though they were not here, Sebastian received a crystal watch artefact that rendered the user invisible for ten seconds as long as the user does not attack. While Sofi received an amethyst dagger artefact allowing her to teleport to the dagger when it is thrown.

Her ten Wolves, on the other hand, would stick with the main fighting force and play a more supporting role. Utilising their nature magic, from tangling enemies up with roots to shooting stakes, the Wolves would do whatever was needed to pin down the enemy. They were led by the recently promoted Alpha and Beta. Yui made a mental note to create an artefact for them.

All her Demons were split into their respective squads, Wolves, Asuras, Bears. And standing before the squads were their commanders, Alpha and Beta, Primus and Centurion, Emeth.

Right in front of them all were Fenrir and Dryad. Fenrir was in his war form, massive and powerful, each time his new crimson horn pulsed, the air around it trembled. Dryad, though dwarfed by Fenrir, still managed to maintain her own presence. The voluptuous dark elf was as sexy and attractive as ever, and strapped on her back were a plum-leaf shield and a crossbow.

-

Observing her Demons, a tingle surged down Yui’s spine. Her Demon commanders and their squads would be able to defeat several second-rank Magical Girls. Dryad could hold off Argent for some time, though she might struggle against another third rank. However Fenrir was a wildcard, after his latest transformation, even Yui did not know his full capabilities.

“Mi-chan, you remember what you’re supposed to do right?” Yui asked Miyu who was beside her.

“Yes. Onee-chan,” Miyu said. Yui spotted a little pout from her Miyu. “Are you sure I can't come along?”

Yui patted her head and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “If there’s any trouble, the only one I trust to rescue me is Mi-chan.”

“Onee-chan better send the signal when there’s trouble or. . .” Miyu threatened, or tried to when she could not come up with something good.

“Or what?” Yui smiled.

“Or. . . or I’ll not sleep together with Onee-chan for a week,” Miyu said despite herself. She would suffer too if she did not get her nightly dose of Yuium. To harm your enemy you must first harm yourself – Sun Tzu probably.

“Oh, we mustn’t let that happen.” Yui hugged Miyu and overlapped their lips. Yui enjoyed the taste of her little sister as her tongue slithered in. She explored the delicious caverns, reluctantly parting when Vili called them to hurry. Miyu shot a deadly glare at the Etativi, who rolled her eyes.

“I promise to call at the first sign of trouble, ok?” Yui said and got an obedient nod from Miyu. Yui waved goodbye and transformed into Lust, disappearing through the portal with Vili.

-----

Dilapidation greeted Lust and her contractor when they stepped out of the portal. A half-collapsed roof, rusted metal, broken glass scattered across the floor, and the faint grip of nature reclaiming its place. This warehouse was abandoned many years ago, and in the wake of the war, its surrounding counterparts were summarily vacated too. Now, it served as a convenient place for clandestine meetings.

Yet in this scene of disrepair, an appetizing table spread was prepared, complete with butler and maid services. As Lust took a seat, Sofi poured her her usual tea while Sebastian attended to Vili by serving her peeled tangerines.

“Sebastian, Sofi, excellent job. Thank you.” Lust said, referring to both the preparations and the fact that she could not sense the Mask Demons despite spreading her senses as far as possible. She did not want Aur and her Witch to realised they were surrounded. The two accepted her compliment and gratitude with a slight bow. Once Lust and Vili were settled, Sofi and Sebastian retreated several paces away and waited until they were needed.

As there was nothing to do but wait, Lust decided to ask her contractor something that she had on her mind. “Do Etativi only contract one Witch?”

Vili was torn from her drooling over a mysterious crate that laid beside the table. “I’m frankly surprised it took you this long to ask. The answer is mostly yes. The Witch idea and magic structure were something we copied from the Metermi. Unlike Metermi, most Etativi know basic contract magic and not much more, restricting the number of Witches they can contract to one.”

Lust nodded along, “I remember you saying Gam Fl’t Gem being accomplished in contract magic. I assume this means he has at least another Witch.”

“Most probably.” Vili nodded before asking. “Are you not going to ask if I have another Witch?”

“Does it matter? Besides, how can a tangerine-loving Etativi be good at contract magic.”

“What do tangerines have to do with my magic?! Leave them out of this!” Vili fumed, bringing Lust joy.

Time passed and the last rays of sunlight disappeared over the horizon. Lust placed several simple light formations around the place to illuminate the area. Vili was on her fifth tangerine when a spatial ripple disturbed their banter. The waves were strong, strong enough to possibly reach the city. This worried Lust a little, she did not want TransMagica or her Magical Girls interrupting this chance to get Gam.

A huge portal opened above the warehouse and something floated out. The moment it did, any moonlight was completely blocked by its body. Through the collapsed portion of the roof, Lust could see tendrils dangling down, only through her magic senses did she perceive the whole Demon.

It was a giant jellyfish, easily the biggest Demon she had laid eyes on. Fenrir’s war form could be compared to a house, but this was as large as the entire warehouse compound. Lust compared the two in her mind, could Fenrir take on this jellyfish? She was not totally confident.

“Ah, I forgot to tell you,” She heard Vili exclaim, “Aur is a bit of a showoff.”

“Anything else you’ve forgotten?” Lust felt the ground shake as the jellyfish pierced its tentacles into the ground around the warehouse, effectively caging the whole area.

“Hmm. . .” Vili peels her sixth tangerine, “She’s a schemer too.”

“Wonderful.”

A tentacle entered through a hole in the roof, upon it stood two figures. One was distinctly cat-like, while the other was familiar. A sweet smile spread across Lust’s face, she was sure that Witch sensed her too. She, of course, had punishment planned but right now her mind was occupied by another more deserving.

The two alighted when the tentacle reached the ground and walked over. Lust could now clearly see them. The Etativi had red strips across its white cat body with a long fluffy tail, however, its most striking quality was its intelligent ruby-red eyes. Just as Lust was observing her, the Etativi was also studying her.

Walking behind was a tall Witch in a military officer uniform, her raven black hair tied in a ponytail poked out from under her officer hat. Her beauty could even rival Lust’s if she did not spot a perpetual frown. She was, of course, the Witch of Hate that Lust had fought against twice before.

The red-stripped Etativi sat on a prepared cushion and look around the table before addressing Lust. “Not bad, nice and tasteful. Feid Aur, at your service. And this is my contractee, the Witch of Hate.”

“We’ve met.” Yui nodded to Hate and received a glare in return. She greeted Aur, “Nice to meet you, I’m the Witch of Lust, partner of Vili.”

“Ah, you’re the one she’s been grumbling to be about,” Aur said, who Lust was. She inspected Lust more, those ruby eyes drinking in every detail before turning to Vili. “Vilinori, You’re really alive! I didn’t believe it when I saw your message.”

“Hmph, I won’t die so easily.” Vili swished her tail in annoyance.

“Debatable, considering your sealed state.” Aur smiled, her ruby eyes gleamed as she asked. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you now?”

Hate, who was content to let the others talk, stopped in the midst of taking some salad. Lust cast a side eye on Vili to see her reaction, but she would be disappointed as Vili simply kept eating her tangerine. Sebastian and Sofi were silently gathering mana, preparing for a fight.

“Ha Ha Ha, I’m just kidding!” Aur laughed, dispelling the tension. Sebastian and Sofi stowed their weapons, which they held behind their back. While Hate returned back to scoping her salad, under Lust’s curious gaze.

Aur asked, “What would I get from your head anyway?”

“Favour with your boss?” Vili said.

“Nah, the Emperor is too miserly to place a bounty on you.”

“‘False’ Emperor,” Vili reminded.

“He can be anything he wants, as long as he gives me what I want. So what do you need from me?” Aur levitated a bottle of orange juice and poured herself a glass.

“I want to know the location of Gam Fl’t Gem.” This time Lust spoke up, cutting straight to the point. Her tone was utterly flat and her eyes cold. This matter occupied her every thought when she arrived at the warehouse. She had to banter with Vili to keep her mind from dwelling on what she would do to that fucking Etativi who manipulated her Miyu. She did not even touch her favourite tea the entire time she was here.

She was a Witch on a mission, people might have forgotten because of how she acted these days with the ones she loved. But Lust still had that dangerous edge to her, mess with one of hers and even hell will seem tame for what she would do.

Hate shuddered when she heard Lust’s coldness. Those two unpleasant encounters she had were engraved deeply into her mind whether she liked it or not.

“Gem boy? Why do you want to know his location? What did he do?” Aur asked, curiously scanning Lust for any hints.

As Lust began to answer, Vili took over. Someone unfamiliar with Aur’s tricks could easily leak valuable information. “None of your business. Just give me his location, I’m calling in the favour you owe me.”

Aur’s gaze flickered between the two, who knew what conspiracies flickered in that Etativi mind of hers. Eventually, she smiled, “Of course, I will help. If you’re using a life-saving favour for this, it must be very important to you.”

“But you must know, the Emperor has an eye on Gem boy, the only one in the 3rd generation for him to do so. Gem boy has a very bright future.” Aur said, shaking her head sadly. “Now if something ill, I assume that to be your plan, befalls Gem boy. Won’t the poor Etativi who sold out his location be in line for the wrath of the Emperor?”

“‘False’ Emperor,” Vili reminded again, “and that’s my problem, how?”

“It’s not.” Aur smiled wider than before, it was obvious to everyone she had something planned. “You’ll get your information and we’ll call this debt settled. Now, swear you won't disclose to anyone, besides the parties present, through any method, both intentionally or unintentionally, that I was the one who revealed Gem boy’s latest location until I allow it.”

Vili nodded to Lust, “It’s standard practice, it works. . . mostly.”

“I swear.” A light surrounded Vili the moment those words left her lips before fading just as quickly. Lust swore too as did her Demons by nodding their heads, the same light came and went. The entire process seemed much more straightforward than what Vili did with Eisst and Feeu.

“Good.” When everyone swore, Aur continued, “I need some time to track him down. It shouldn’t take more than a month, maybe less, depending on how well he covers his tracks.”

Lust nodded. One month, then she could wring the neck of that damn cat. Even as elation filled her, something nagged at the back of her mind, something she had overlooked. But what? She raked her memories for anything to do with Gam, but still nothing. It was only when she looked at Hate who was on her second plate of salad did she finally remember. Lust asked Aur, “You’re working with Gam, aren’t you?”

“Worked with, girl,” Aur said, her eyes flashing red. “I can’t say it was a pleasant arrangement. He used my base as if he owned it.”

Lust began to ask her next question but was cut off by Aur. “I know what you’ll ask. And it’s a yes, I could tell you what he was doing but I won’t, it’s not part of our deal. Though, if you offer up some information of equal value, like why you’re chasing him. . .”

Lust considered the offer, she could easily lie about Miyu’s Incarnation but she had a distinct feeling that just agreeing would allow Aur to know. What actually surprised her was Vili not cutting in and putting a stop to this, was this a test? Ultimately, Lust shook her head, now was not the time to reveal her cards.

“Pity,” Aur said and proceeded to chat with Vili about things happening around the world. Lust listened carefully to the two Etativi. News had been severely censored since the world realised that negative emotions could empower the opposing side. Defeats were suppressed while victories were widely publicised. But from the Etativi, she heard the truth of many topics such as the situation in North America, the fierce fighting in Africa, Site-191Peanut!, the stand-off in Europe, and many more.

The conversation meandered through many different topics. Hate had her eyes closed after her third serving of salad, though she definitely was still aware of her enemies. As the conversation wound down, Aur said, “Hey, Vilinori. Let’s sink the Volantes. Japan’s TransMagica mobile headquarters.”

Creak. The rusted beam bent under the mass of mana Lust released and the casual air froze. From the sound of it, her baby Magical Girls would be harmed. In the silence, even the sound of a marble dropping on the floor seemed amplified.

Hate’s eyes instantly flew open, alert. When she saw the sweet smile on Lust’s face, she knew nothing good will come of it. She mentally prepared for a fight to take place. Despite having lost twice to Lust, she had confidence she could win this time. She had trained just to tackle Lust and planned counters for each of her artefacts. The previous losses tormented her soul, pushing her to get stronger. It looked like tonight she would overcome this trail called the Witch of Lust.

Raising her smiling face, Lust asked, “Please repeat that.”

Sensing its masters in danger, the jellyfish tore off the remaining roof of the warehouse. It pointed several of its tentacles at Lust and the others as electricity arced between their gaps. In retaliation, Sebastian and Sofi changed their normal hands to crystal blades, preparing to spring into action when the signal was given.

With all the chaos happening around her, Aur remained completely unfazed. “Vilinori, you always liked weird ones.”

Killing intent arose from Lust, her smile became even sweeter. Before anything could happen Vili spoke up, “That’s my partner, Aur. If she’s against it, I'm against it.”

“Don’t reject me so quickly, I’ll hold another meeting regarding the Volantes after I've sent you the location of Gem boy. I hope you’ll come.” Aur gave her parting words and turned to leave, Hate followed along, the entire time she did not say a word.

“Wait,” Lust stopped them. Maintaining her sweet smile, she pointed to the crate that had been beside the table since the beginning. “You wouldn’t refuse a host’s gift, would you?

Aur paused before signalling for the jellyfish. A giant tentacle reached down, now that Lust could see it up close, its diameter was like a car tire. The jellyfish carried the crate and its masters as it retracted the tentacles caging the area. The huge portal appeared again, and just like that, they were gone.

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