[Story] The Things We Hold Dear...

[Madoka]

Yet, another personal favorite of mine, way back in AM days. Oh, the memories!!

 

I think Peredhil-san and Gyrfalcon-san are going to be very happy to see these stories again, hee hee!

 

Madoka.

[Madoka]

TIME: Armageddon, Terra 7 Ager 1 [Part 1 of 3]

 

The ground trembled beneath her feet, the groans and cries of the sundering earth audible to her ears. Madoka looked up into the blood red sky, seeing numerous streaks of red flying down and striking the earth, adding to the tormented cries of her people. Earthquakes struck the land repeatedly, placing the very foundation of everything built on it in a constant see-saw of motion.

 

"INCOMING!!" A loud shout is heard before it was drowned out by a bigger WOOSH.

 

"Lady Madoka!! Watch out!!"

 

Madoka ducked instinctively as a small meteorite flew inches above her head, it's firey trail singing through the sky. She winced as it struck the battlement near her, causing the resulting debris to strike her armor.

 

"M'lady, our scouts have reported that Kendricke-sama's country is under siege by unknown enemy forces. Most likely they are from the Malice guild," Hikaru Ichijo reported solemnly. His face was hidden underneath his elaborate samurai war armor, but light from the numerous fires flickered across his features.

 

"Report, Hikaru-san," Madoka ordered. "What's our status?"

 

Hikaru shook his head sadly. "We don't have many of our forces left, m'lady. A quarter of our troops have died from the resulting natural Armageddon quakes, meteor strikes, and volcano eruptions. We have lost Beemdat our Alchemist in the ensuing chaos as well. Furthermore, roughly two thirds of our country's infrastructure have been destroyed as well. Our people are panicking. Most of them have decided to commit seppuku already."

 

"What's our troop status? How many samurai do I have left to command?"

 

Hikaru grinned ruefully. "We only have roughly half of our pre-Armageddon complement of samurai and equipment."

 

Madoka nodded sadly. "It is as I expected, Hikaru-san."

 

Hikaru bowed slightly. "Your orders, M'lady?"

 

Madoka turned her head and gazed out at the ensuing chaos, listening to the distant screams of her people and watching them scurry about in a vain effort to avoid death as long as possible. She pondered on her available limited options, then decided.

 

"Hikaru-san, order the rest of our troops to mount up. We will go to Lord Kendricke's country and defend his embattered country to the death."

 

Hikaru bowed again. "Yes, m'lady."

 

[continued]

[Madoka]

TIME: Armageddon, Terra 7 Ager 1 [Part 2 of 3]

 

"Lady Madoka!"

 

Madoka turned and a smile lit up her face as she saw a figure cloaked in a crimson robe appear behind her. Bowing, she greeted her liege lord, Starlight.

 

"Starlight-sama!" she greeted. "I am happy to see you are well."

 

Starlight grunted. "Not for long, I'm afraid. My country has already been reclaimed by the Devils from Hell. I was headed your way when I ran into your scouts, who told me you were heading to Lord Kendricke's land. Need any help?"

 

Madoka bowed again. "Of course, Starlight-sama. Need you even ask? We shall face Armageddon together, as always."

 

Starlight bowed his head. "It is that time again, I'm afraid."

 

Madoka sighed. "I do hate forced vacations in Hell. It's so... hot."

 

Starlight laughed merrily. "If it was cold, we would be in worse trouble, I'd suspect."

 

Madoka grinned slightly. "That is true, m'lord. At any rate, shall we...?"

 

Starlight nodded. "Of course! Our boy guildmaster needs our help, and we shall give it. Let's give his enemies a true taste of Metalium metal!"

 

Starlight mounted his steed again, and brought it next to Madoka's. He twisted in his seat and looked hard over the remains of Madoka's samurai legions. Although there weren't as many samurai as usual, he could see the fierce determination of each and every samurai, determined to die in battle rather than wait for the Devils of Hell to claim their lives.

 

Madoka nodded at Hikaru, who then turned and shouted, "Samurai troops! Move OUT!"

 

[continued]

[Madoka]

TIME: Armageddon, Terra 7 Ager 1 [Part 3 of 3]

 

Madoka and Starlight crested the hill overlooking and stopped short, awestruck at the amount of destruction caused by the Malice troops to Lord Kendricke's lands. His numerous forts were either in ruins or burning, leaving him his only fortress left. Thousands of Malice troops lay dead on the grounds, a testament to Lord Kendricke's defensive skills. However, there simply were too many of the Malice troops for Lord Kendricke to deal with.

 

"I see him!" Starlight pointed at the one remaining fortress left. From their vantage point, both Madoka and Starlight could see a small figure in shimmering white, surrounded by a small number of other white-clad knights, battling the black forces of the Malice troops.

 

"Looks like he needs help," Hikaru urged.

 

A flash of anger burned deep inside Madoka at the sight of her guild leader in such danger. Drawing her katana, she spurred her steed and raced down the hillside, Starlight and Hikaru behind her. "Samurai, protect Lord Kendricke at all costs or DIE TRYING!!"

 

The samurai behind Madoka responded by shouting and rushing down the hillside towards the Malice troops. Starlight closed his eyes and chanted a spell, filling the air with a cloud of red which settled on each and every samurai, instilling them a berserk status and hunger for blood.

 

"For the Legion!!!" the samurai cried. "For Lady Madoka we shall die!!!"

 

Madoka spurred her steed hard, flying down the hill. The ground trembled beneath her feet. Reaching the edge of the Malice troops, Madoka started to swing her mighty katana, cleaving her foes left and right; creating an arrowhead for the rest of her troops to follow. The sounds of war was muted in her ears, replaced by the pounding of her blood and her heart. Everything seemed to move in slow motion except her; everything seem so slow that she had all the time in the world to hack, slash, parry, and defend. A series of bolts flew through the air towards her, but Madoka managed to draw her wakizashi and deftly deflect them or knock them all down. Malice pikemen seemed to rise up out of nowhere and thrust their pikes at her, but her steed meerly shifted or kicked, its hooves caving in the skulls of the unfortunate pikemen. Starlight rose up off his steed and shifted through the skies around Madoka, sending balls of explosive fire into the ranks of the Malice troops. Hikaru roared and swung his dai-katana, beheading hydras, chimeras, and zombies.

 

At the gates of Lord Kendricke's fortress, Madoka's steed suddenly stumbled and collapsed. A pikeman had managed to plunge his pike into the chest of the steed, then screamed in horror as the steed collapsed on him. Madoka leaped off the saddle and struck the ground hard, grunting as she rolled and came back up on her feet. A snarling face greeted her, accompanied by a flash of steel. Madoka ducked instinctively while flicking her wrist up sharply. The snarling face turned into a scream, only to be cut short as Madoka followed through, her murasame singing as it beheaded the Malice Knight.

 

"MADOKA!! WATCH OUT!!!"

 

Madoka groaned as a tremendous blow struck her on the backside of her armor, underneath her shoulder blades. Falling on her knees with the blow, she twisted and parried the axe slash as it moved to decapitate her. The Malice Knight grunted in surprise and raised his arms to slash at her again with his two-handed war axe, but staggered back in surprise as Madoka disembowled him with a series of quick slices from her wakizashi short sword. Rising to her feet, she snapped her armor-clad foot out and knocked the Malice Knight on his back before dropping her knees on his chest and stabbing her wakizashi through his throat.

 

"Madoka!! We have to--arghhh..."

 

Another body slammed into Madoka's left arm. Spinning, she was ready to behead this Knight and she realized it was the face of Hikaru. Blood poured out of his mouth as he vainly tried to stay on his feet, his hand grasping at the pike which pierced his chest.

 

"Hikaru-san! NO!" Madoka screamed. She hacked the Malice Knight behind Hikaru, chopping off and arm before beheading the Knight.

 

Hikaru fell down on the ground, blood pooling out onto the ground. "Madoka... Lord... Starlight has... broken through... to Lord... Kendricke... Get them... and go... It was an honor... to serve... you. Now, GO!...*"

 

"NO!" Madoka screamed. "I won't let your death be in vain!!"

 

Filled with more anger, Madoka charged up the steps of the fortress into the courtyard, knocking her foes down. Her mind assessed the situation, realizing that the Malice forces had just too many forces for them. Starlight and Lord Kendricke were fighting back to back, but many of Lord Kendricke's bodyguards lay still around them.

 

"Kendricke-sama!!" she shouted.

 

Lord Kendricke looked up, seeing Madoka. "Get away while you can, Madoka!"

 

"Not on YOUR life!" Madoka snapped back. "Starlight-sama, please get Kendricke-sama away! My samurai legion and I will remain behind to buy you time!"

 

"Absolutely not!" Starlight shouted. "I won't let you stay here to die! We can ALL get away!"

 

A black shape materialized out of nowhere behind Kendricke, raising its sword to deliver a killing blow to Kendricke's exposed back.

 

"NOOO!" Madoka screamed. She leapt into the air, above the few bodies that separated her from Lord Kendricke, and landed between Kendricke and the Malice Knight, her katana flashing. The Knight howled at the loss of his arm, again only to be cut short by the movement of Madoka's wakizashi, beheading him.

 

Turning around, she scooped up the boy guildmaster and bodily threw him into the air towards Starlight as the Malice troops moved in to surround them. "Get him away NOW Starlight-sama!! I'll meet you --- Ugh..."

 

Madoka felt a burning sensation at her side. Glancing down, she saw a wide gash on her left side, her blood flowing out.

 

"Damn you," she hissed, her arms moving again. Another Malice head dropped to the ground.

 

Sensing another evil presence behind her, Madoka spun, her murasame a blur. It wasn't fast enough. Madoka felt steel punch into her chest, skewering through her armor. A malicious laughter filled her ears as she stumbled to her knees.

 

"Dammit Madoka!!" Starlight screamed. He uttered another chant and lifted Madoka out and placed her at a small clearing, behind some of her samurai troops. He joined her there with Kendricke.

 

Madoka fell to her knees, coughing blood and watching her life force pour out of her. She looked up at Starlight and Kendricke and smiled gently.

 

"Lord Kendricke," she whispered.

 

Kendricke knelt beside Madoka and grasped her hand. "Let's go, Madoka."

 

Madoka shook her head. "It's... too late. The wound is too... deep. I'm going back... to Hell... soon."

 

Kendricke only nodded. It was no use lying to Madoka.

 

Madoka looked over at Starlight and her attempt at a small laugh turned into a cough. "Starlight-sama, it... looks like I... beat you back... to Hell yet again... Get Kendricke-sama out of... here. Don't let Malice... kill him."

 

Starlight grasped Madoka's other hand. "I'll see you in Hell soon enough, my samurai."

 

Madoka nodded. "See you later, Starlight-sama... Kendricke-sama... The Legion... was the thing... I held... most dear...*"

 

She fell limp, a trace of a smile on her lips as her spirit floated down back to Hell, reliving her moments of Terra 7.

 

- The glory of a new birth on Terra 7.

- The times of her life in Metalium.

- The numerous chats and laughter with Starlight and Shaka.

- Her first meeting with Lord Kendricke when she was a Warlady of Metalium.

- Her fateful day of contemplating seppuku after hearing Starlight resign his leadership.

- The day Starlight-sama and her rode through the gates of the Legion.

- The new friends she had made.

- The battles she had fought.

- The exciting life she had lived.

- ...The things she held most dear... were over, for now.

 

[END]

 

Madoka.

S1: Knight-General, Cftm!

A1: Samurai, LotWR.

[Starlight]

Ah, memories...

[Peredhil]

Yay! More, more!