The Maid and Her Princess

The Great Ascent (The Great Level Up! 3/5)

III.

"Hup!" Audrey immediately jumped back into the air, extending her arms and legs out as if she was swimming. They both have gotten changed, but the maid's mood was still sour.

"Audrey!" Madoka groaned, but the girl was drifting off into the sky. Does she not have any sense or desire for survival? The only thing she could hear besides the annoying girl was the thunder roiling within the black storm.

At least it wasn't the princess's.

A gust of wind made her shiver and Madoka directed her annoyance at its source. To her surprise, Audrey had oriented herself upright by blasting small puffs of Wind magic from her palms. Madoka could see the tiny needles burst from her magic, but not the Wind magic itself. Did the lack of color mean she was not using as much power? Or were they more powerful in order to make up for those tiny, yet precise adjustments?

"I can jet myself up to the first platform," Audrey looked up at a giant floating island. Madoka groaned. It was much higher up, making her nervous. She almost got flung into that storm, but it didn't seem to be pulling anything inside of it. "Dunno about you though. Or if you even want to join me."

Madoka scooped up a rock in her hand and tossed it gently. It sailed upward instead of sinking back down into her palm, suspended midair and twirling slowly in its levitation. We're going beyond this tiny thing, Madoka suppressed a sigh. She felt this way climbing the snow covered ridges of the mountains. Rocky islands sailed their way around the massive cloud, which was a lot further away in the pit's center than she originally thought. Up there, huh?

"See ya!" Audrey teased her. Her palms suddenly released a blast of air, propelling her higher. Madoka watched, feeling frustrated that she did not have a way to catch up. The girl disappeared momentarily as she jumped onto the floating island. Madoka squinted, catching the matted and dirty blonde hair peering down at her. She was shouting something, but the maid couldn't understand what her lips were saying. Audrey gave her an exasperated expression, while she simply shrugged. No, Madoka focused. She was reaching out to her? Is she— A wave of energy surged underneath her. Kind gods!

Madoka's world rushed to her head as a massive gust of wind blasted her skyward. Couldn't she wait for her to figure out how to launch herself up here? Tiny rocks and pieces of ice pecked at her skin as she aligned herself up right to land. Instead, she flailed and flipped over as Audrey's magic carried her above the edge of the cliff. Her stomach no longer flipped as she swayed gently, as if she was a feather. The descent was softer than she imagined though she knew she was never going to land as graceful like the princess. A pair of hands wrapped under her back and legs. She was being held?

Madoka realized she had her eyes shut, and Audrey's face greeted her from the grey sky when she opened them. She was not dreaming; she truly was in the arms of another. To be held as safe and somehow helpless like this granted her more warmth than the princess's small body, even if it was the magic shifting her weight around. Right, Madoka quickly wriggled out of Audrey's grasp and planted her feet on the island's dirt with crossed arms. They were on a floating rock orbiting a noiseless storm cloud.

"Aw," Audrey whined. "We coulda stayed like that for a little longer. It's not everyday I get to hold someone like that, y'know."

"Well, now what?" Madoka ignored her princess's remarks. She knew what was coming, but her gaze scaled the seemingly infinite heights above until her neck craned too hard. "How's your neck?"

"Wha—" Audrey felt her neck. It was still bruised! "Hurts like hell! But I'm ready to go, sarge!"

"Sarge?" Madoka questioned her. "I'm a squire, according to Commander Steel!"