Age of Gods and Beasts

Chapter 29: Something Entirely New

Fang looked over the girls one last time. "These will work perfectly. Niko? Bring them to the slave pens. The women there will get them acquainted." A woman wearing a deep red kimono with her black hair held in a bun with pins walked over to them. She had a fan over her mouth and laughed slightly. "Of course my lord." She took the chains from Jackson. "She has it from here, fire demon. You. Guard." Fang pointed at Atlas, still concealed in demon armor. "Go with them, and keep watch." "Yes, my lord." And the woman led the girls away, with Atlas following behind. Mirage sent a quick mind message to Jackson, telling him to sneak away and find Mega to update him on the situation. She still felt the small whistle hidden in the braid her hair was in. As they walked, the demon guards saw the woman leading them, and immediately shrank away, like she was the most terrifying thing in the world. She stopped at large double door, the demons guarding it immediately opening it. Beyond the door were hundreds, if not thousands of small huts in a large room. And there were many women, all of different height, color, and race. Some looked barely old enough to pass as women. They all looked haggard, wearing nothing but a black halter top unitard with a small black translucent skirt around the waist, and their hair was knotted and dirty. Some had scars on their backs, and some had brands on their skin. But they all had one thing in common. They were beautiful, but extremely miserable. The woman in the kimono led them inside. Suddenly every female looked toward her. Terror lit their eyes. "These are new friends for you. I trust you'll get them acquainted? You know what happens if Lord Fang is displeased. Soldier, you are to return with me." "Y-yes ma'am." She unlocked the chains around the girls' wrists, and walked out as the doors closed. Atlas followed her out, hesitantly. As soon as they did, one woman with dark skin and hair that was once wavy walked toward them. Her voice was soothing like honey, but held sadness. "I'm sorry this happened to you. What are your names?" Then the girls revealed their true forms. Dove spread her wings, Lupa and Koji revealed their ears and tails, and Mirage reverted her appearance. All the women gaped and stepped back. One walked forward. "Lady Mirage?" Mirage felt recognition as the woman came closer. "Shrine Maiden Uriah?" Mirage hugged her. "What happened to you?" "I was kidnapped in the middle of the night. What happened to you?" "We're here on a mission. Fang stole something from us, and we need to get it back. We have it all planned out. But we might need your help. Is there any kind of underground system, a network of hidden tunnels, anything that could help us get around the castle?" "Yes. There is." A much older woman, with graying hair walked forward. "I'm the oldest woman here, I've been here a very long time and know every nook and cranny. I've even been able to make a map. Come." She walked to a small hut and the girls followed. Inside it was cramped, with a single bed and a hole for...well Mirage didn't want to guess what it was for. The woman lifted up the straw mattress and took out a worn piece of parchment, with crisscrossing lines all over it. "These tunnels lead to every single room in the castle, but not to the outside. Believe me, I've tried." "Thank you, Ms....uh-" "Mary. But we need to get you dressed in a uniform first. That way no one will be suspicious. There are slaves all over the castle that do work. You need to blend in." In a small wooden box there were numerous black unitards like the slaves wore. She looked all the girls over for a few seconds then took out their exact sizes. "Hurry and put these on. And...should I call you Lady Mirage?" "Mirage is fine." "Well, Mirage. That necklace you wear. It will be hidden by the uniform, so you won't need to worry about it being discovered." "That's great. Girls? Put these on." It was difficult, as the suits were tight and clingy. Lupa and Koji had to make small holes for their tails, even though they could just use glamours to hide their extra assets. After Mirage was done she immediately reverted her appearance. "What you're looking for might be in Fang's trophy room. You have to follow the tunnel from here, and then take a left, then a right. Take the map. It'll help you." "Thank you, Mary. Once this is done, we'll return for you." "I hope and pray that day will come. But now it's time for you to go. Carrie?" A small girl with red hair walked inside. "Yes?" "Take the girls to the grate." "Yes ma'am." The girl grabbed Mirage's hand and Elle's her and the girls to a small grate in the wall. "It's big enough for one person at a time. Once you're inside, we'll close it. But you'll be able to find your way back. Mary scratched waypoints in the wall." She pulled on the grate and it released with a scraping noise. "Go! Quickly!" Mirage climbed in and started crawling on her hands and knees. Lupa, Koji, and Dove followed after. "Good luck!" And then the grate was sealed. Lupa tried to move around to get more comfortable, but she hit her head on the stone. "It's cramped, dark, and damp. All the things I love." "Come on. We have a job to do." They all crawled forward, and when the turns came, they each had to get down and drag themselves toward it, as it was too tight to move freely. Then Mirage saw light coming from a grate in front of them. She crawled forward and saw an ornate rug and some display cases, but her view was obscured by other things in the way. She pushed on the grate and it came off. They all crawled out and saw all the trophies that Fang collected. Some were weapons and ancient amulets, others were skulls and teeth. "Look for two crystals that shine blue." The girls set out to look for them, and after some time, Koji had them in her hands. "Let's go now, before someone comes in." They all climbed back into the vent and sealed the grate. They were about to take the turn back to the huts but suddenly a sound echoed through the narrow passageways. A man's scream. "Ignore it. Let's go." They went forward, but Mirage stayed behind. "Mirage, come on." "You go on ahead. Wait for a signal from me." "How will we know?" "Trust me. You'll know." Mirage crawled in the direction of the scream while the girls took the way back. The scream kept getting louder and more pained as Mirage went forward. Then the sound of a whip being cracked came before the scream. A grate shone light from below, revealing a blood-stained floor and a person on their knees tied to a mast. "No...it can't be..." Atlas was tied up and breathing heavily, his back decorated with bloody marks. "That makes 10. I wonder how much more I can get away with", a lilting female voice said. Mirage recognized it as the woman that wore the kimono. She walked around the mast, and Mirage saw her for the first time without anything covering her face. She may have been beautiful once, but she has been tarnished. Her mouth was slit from ear to ear, giving her a permanent grin. "Please...no more..." "You've been naughty, and you must be punished." She raised the whip and lashed, the sound deafening. Atlas screamed, throwing his head back. Mirage felt pure rage. She looked at the woman, and concentrated. She felt the network of her brain, looking for veins. Once she found them, she squeezed hard, her hand forming a fist. Suddenly, the woman stopped mid swing, then fell to the floor. Mirage punched the grate and fell to the floor. She searched the woman's body and found keys, which she used to unlock Atlas's chains. His arms fell and he slumped against the mast. "Atlas?" Mirage held him, his face in her hands. He opened his eyes slightly. "Mirage?" "Yes. It's me. I'm here." He groaned in pain, grinding his teeth. "It's going to be okay." She moved her hand over his back. "In the name of the goddess within me, heal his pain." Her hand glowed and closed up his wounds as it passed over them. He sighed in relief. "Thank you..." "We have to go now. I don't know how long it will be before Fang suspects something." "Why do you think I was down here? He knows everything." Suddenly a door opened, and Fang walked through. He saw Mirage holding Atlas and his little maidservant dead on the floor. "What an unexpected surprise. Guards. Take them to the throne room. Along with the three girls they were with." Two guards grabbed them and practically dragged them to the throne room. Atlas was still weak so he sat on his knees once they got there. Fang sat on his throne and the girls were brought in. "Did you think you could steal from me?" "You stole from us!" "A necessary evil, when it comes to protecting my mistress." "You're a sick and twisted monster, Fang." He laughed hysterically. "I'm the monster? No. The true monster was right under your noses the entire time." Lupa walked forward. "What are you talking about, you sadistic bloodsucker?!" Before Fang answered, Mirage blew the whistle. The sound was deafening, a high pitched whine that made her teeth hurt. A few moments passed with nothing happening, then the ceiling came down, with Mega and Jackson crashing through it. They landed and Mega let out a terrifying roar. "Guards! Get them!" "Keep the prisms safe! Don't let him get them!" A surge of demons ran at the group, and Mirage made copies of herself to help fight. Atlas fought with his scythe, Lupa transformed into a werewolf and mowed down the demons. Jackson was still in his fire form and any demon that came near him was incinerated. Mega tore demons apart with his bare hands, and Koji fought with Dove, using arrows and fire. Mirage shot beams of energy and summoned swords of light that flew at the demons, piercing them to the floor. Suddenly, a sound rang through the air and Mirage felt jarring pain explode through her abdomen. She turned around and saw Fang holding a gun with a smoking barrel. He was joining in too. He shot again, this time with two. They hit both her knees, sending her down. She screamed, helpless and crippled. Then her hand went around her neck, to the necklace that lay there. "Bond. That's it!" She sent out a mind message. "Mega! Come to me!" Suddenly, the demons in front of her were blown back. Mega stood there. He picked her up and held her in his arms. "Mirage! What's wrong!?" She touched the gem and it glowed. "Do you trust me?!" "I trust you?!" She held him close and felt herself disappear. It was like fading away, then coming back, but different. This time, she wasn't a single entity. Another shared her mind. She no longer felt alone. She felt whole, complete. She was a new entity. As her body formed, so did her mind. She felt the two entities merge and share each other's thoughts. One peaceful and intelligent, the other violent and powerful. The perfect combination. She curled up, then broke free, the field of electricity around her breaking and sending everyone flying back. They all gaped in awe. For they have seen the creation of a new singular organism. She sent out a spell, a sleeping spell, so everyone would stay down. As she floated down to the floor, she became aware of the armor around her. It looked like the armor of the Guardian, but more compact and slick, and her hair was longer and reached all the way to her knees. Her electric blue eyes flashed with lightning. She looked like the goddess, but had the armor of the Guardian. Fang stared back at her, fear apparent in his eyes. "Who...who are you supposed to be?" She looked back, her eyes staring daggers. Her voice was powerful and filled the room. "I am the will of two entities to protect the ones they love. I am her intelligence, his fury. I. Am. Ziv."