[Maria, our Mouthy Unicorn Saintess!]
Sharp turns and rapid acceleration hit Maria as if bricks were pressing in on her from all sides. Fiona spun them through the air, ice gathering around them and balls of fire spinning outward in the darkening corridor. Yet, Maria’s thoughts were distant, calm…melancholy.
Shadows crawled down the walls of blood crystal, clawing their way out along the elongating corridor. Dark magic attempted to trap them in some malevolent manner. Her shimmering horn and solar gloves radiated light, weakening the pursuing tendrils, but it wouldn’t be long before they were overtaken.
Fiona was desperate, angry…scared. She felt her new little friend struggling with what Catherine had just asked them to do: leave her to die. The fairy had probably never lost a friend, and the stress was further amplifying her magic. Maria had lost friends, though…lost family.
Her gaze drifted to the burning wolves and bats that chased them, wings smoldering from her repellent light as they neared to bite or slash at them. Fiona was a whirlwind of activity, fighting tooth and nail to keep her safe. Maria trusted the Irish girl. She was a good one—a little crazy and mischievous at times, but a good one.
She heard Fiona shouting, but the sound was dulled as Maria asked herself questions like, ‘Why am I here?’ ‘Why did I choose to follow this insane hare, who would only run toward misfortune?’ and ‘Had it been solely for the money?’ She’d left her block—her family. She was fighting vampires in some random alternative world for…what? However, the real question hit her on a deeper level after The Oscillation.
What is my purpose now?
Fiona blew open a large door, taking them onto an expansive courtyard that dropped off to empty space a hundred meters away on all sides. Wolves chased after them, but a wall of fire erupted in the doorway from Fiona, igniting them on impact with a miniature explosion that sent them flying back.
Her little fairy friend was panting and scanning for a way to get back to Catherine, intent on supporting her, but Maria already knew that wasn’t going to happen. She accepted it upon seeing the dedication and pure look on the blonde woman’s face when telling them to run. No pain, only faith, hope, and love.
Maria had been on street corner shootings, and one such shootout remained fixated in her brain. The shootout that had taken little Elena’s dad and Maria’s foster mom from her, when they’d been caught by a rival gang out in the open. Both of them had acted: Elena’s dad took a bullet not only for Miguel but for Elena, as well, and Maria’s mom did the same for her.
She remembered that peaceful look on Elena’s dad’s face, the girl too young to remember the incident, and when the shooting stopped, he lay on the ground bleeding, the sirens singing in the distance. Maria’s foster mom didn’t get the chance to say goodbye, but the man did. She recalled the prayer on his lips and face, happy to see they weren’t hit, the conviction that he’d done something he didn’t regret—something good. That he’d fulfilled his purpose, protecting his family.
Her gaze shot to the right as Fiona paused their flight before shooting them toward the side of the castle courtyard. An injured girl rested against the green bark of a stone-like tree, a dark-haired rat woman kneeling beside her.
“Red, Black!” Fiona cried, throat hoarse as she scanned the courtyard for any more danger. “Vampires—behind us are…”
Black’s narrowed eyes drifted to the wall of flames, crackling at the doors as the windows along the wall shattered. Dozens of wolves and bats flew out, instantly zeroing in on them.
“Not vampires… A vampire—Nosferatu.”
Clapping broke the silence as the darkness crawled out of the windows to surround them, screeching bats circling to blot out the orange-and-red moonlight. Maria wasn’t worried, though. She had faith in Catherine’s vision.
Breathing out a soft sigh as Fiona generated a giant fireball, Maria held a hand in front of the panting fairy, blocking her view of the shapeless darkness separating them from the outside world. “It’s okay, Fiona. He’s here to toy with us, not make this fast.”
“Maria, what are you—huh?”
“Here…”
Slapping her sun gauntlets together, she willed all the light to collect into a singular ball of solar radiance. A brilliant sphere of hot radiation erupted between her fingers which she lifted into the air and expanded to encircle them, causing the gauntlets to lose their luster.
The darkness retreated with the night creatures, the bubble protecting them from the encroaching shadows and creating a temporary barrier between them. It made her laugh how much stronger Catherine’s shield had been, keeping out all of the Mythickin vampires while she ate her last meal. She’d only met one saint in her life: her adopted mom—now, she’d met two.
Maria knelt beside Black and Red, Fiona swiftly hovering close as the fiends snarled and snapped their jaws outside the solar barrier; they were completely surrounded.
“She’s dying!” Fiona cried, hands over her mouth and sugary tears in her eyes.
“I’m fine,” Red growled, her vision distant. She no doubt saw invisible enemies all around them with the noxious Eldritch Force seeping out of her. “I just need to…to enter the Woodlands.”
“It’s not going to happen, Little Red… Not this time,” Black whispered, using a towel to wipe the sweat off her forehead. “Why didn’t you retreat from the Eldritch creatures when I warned you they were off limits… You couldn’t pull them into the Woodlands.”
“I’m fine, Mom. I’m not scared… I’m not scared… It’s just the wolf… I’m the wolf.”
“Can you do anything, Maria?” Fiona asked. “They could help us save Catherine.”
Arrogant laughter pulled their attention to their right as the darkness retreated to show a well-dressed man with long fingernails. In a white-trimmed, black three-piece suit, the Myth of the Nosferatu looked rather stern for his amused voice that compressed around them, just outside the bright field of light.
German accent thick, he whispered, “A ‘Dracula-wannabe chump’ am I, little woman? You say such things yet fly away in fright… All of you fear me.”
The shadows frothing off him seemed to be acting as a shield against the solar bubble they were in, and his folded hands at his front twitched with anticipation. His long white hair was in a ponytail and pulled over his shoulder, showing a red ribbon tying it together as he circled them like a wolf playing with cornered prey.
Red’s chest spasmed. “I…fear nothing. I am the wolf. I am fear…”
Black pulled her partner’s cloak tighter around her shoulders as she shivered. “Save your strength, Little Red. He’s not worth it.”
“No…you bit off more than you can chew, girls,” Nosferatu chortled, his fingernails rising to tap the edges of the solar barrier, the area dampening with each strike before brightening again. “I am the thing of nightmares for the young and old alike while you are…a children’s fable. Pathetic.”
Fiona rose into the air, electricity sparking off her body as her wings and glow dyed purplish. “Catherine will stop you! She was fighting fine against five-on-one, so four-on-one is no big deal. Are you afraid of her? I bet you are, girly boy!”
The vampire’s chest shook as he vanished into the haze. He appeared on the opposite side as the wolves sat at the edges of their barrier, waiting to pounce on them.
“Are you calling me pretty, little woman? How bold to profess your attraction to the darkness. In any case, your dear Saint Catherine will not be lasting much longer against the likes of Ying Yue, Blessed of Nüba. Do you have any idea what you have gotten wrapped up in? The powers that clash in China? I think not. Except…one is not afraid of me. Why is that, dear unicorn? Do not think you can last against me in such an unhallowed place.”
Maria ignored the banter, studying the festering miasma-like vines on Red’s chest, the Eldritch seedlings weaving to their own rhythm from a nasty wound. “…Help will come along the way, Fiona…that’s what Catherine said when telling us her vision. We must escape the castle grounds. I trust her word.”
Stolen story; please report.
Her eyes drifted down Red’s cuts, nasty gashes, and her ravaged clothes. Much of her cloak had been ripped, and the infected gashes bubbled black ooze; the horrific plants had long since weaved into her soul. It wasn’t just physical, but spiritual and mental. Somehow, it was locking her out of all of her Feats. Essentially, Red was an ordinary human girl right now, waiting for the unnatural energy to consume her.
“Can she defeat Nosferatu and get us away from the castle if I cure her, Black?”
Fiona flew forward, pressing her small hands against her cheek. “What about Catherine, Maria?! Red can help us save Catherine!”
Maria had to ignore her friend’s desires, though. She knew it would only make Catherine’s sacrifice worthless. Fiona didn’t understand that, which was understandable.
Black’s hand tightened around Red’s arm. “Nosferatu? It will be a tough fight, but Red could do it and take us to her Woodlands to wait things out. Ying Yue?”
Her rat-like ears drew back as she abruptly shook her head. “Not a chance without a lot of preparation and support from the intelligence I’ve gathered—maybe if Rachel were to show up. I would say that Saint Catherine is one of the few that would have a solid chance, though.”
The vampire roared with laughter while continuing to tap the outer edges. “It’s bad, isn’t it, Maria… Red doesn’t have long, and then the Big Bad Wolf will meet her end. Pride is a destructive thing. Tell me, it was Red that killed Selene. Wasn’t it? She couldn’t help herself. I’m sure Dracula would love her head on a platter.”
Maria didn’t give the vampire the pleasure of interacting with his taunts. “I can’t purify it with my standard Feats. I’ll need to enter my inner world to select what I need… The barrier won’t last long, Fi.”
“I’ve got it!” Fiona’s brow furrowed, slowing her fear as she turned to face Nosferatu. “Just…promise me if we do take care of him fast, then we’ll go back to save Catherine. We won’t know unless we try! I’ll increase my Stats! I-I gained a level—we’ll probably gain another one from him!”
“…Sure, Fi,” Maria mumbled, unable to lie. “If Catherine is still alive when we take care of him…we’ll go back.”
Maria saw the frown on Black’s mouth as her horn brightened and green light started weaving up Red’s veins. Honestly, she wasn’t positive what the Eldritch Energy was trying to do to the brunette; she’d find out when choosing her Level 5 Perk.
Closing her eyes, she let the world fade away upon entering the front room of her home. A small smile lifted her lips as she sat on the 80s-style, well-worn couch and leaned forward to run her hands across the Bible her foster mom had made for her when she was little, her name written in gold on the corner, ‘Maria Camila Espinar.’
She had to be in a stable state of mind if she was going to confront what festered in Red, and it just felt right. There was no fear or sadness for what she knew was to come with Catherine. No, there was respect equal to that of her amazing mom—the utmost respect for someone who would sacrifice their life for their values…someone who exemplified them.
Her eyes softened further when she opened the well-used leather front of the book to the faded message inside, whispering, “Love, Mom. Reading the words of the Bible is like hearing the voice of the Lord speaking to you because they are His word. When you need a compass, He will show you the way.”
Maria opened the book to a random page and slid her fingers to a verse, hearing Catherine’s humble voice as she appeared in front of her, reading it as she stopped at 2nd Corinthians 12:9–10.
“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
Closing the book and looking up at the bright-eyed blonde, Maria knew what had impressed so firmly onto her from the saint’s actions. “You knew your purpose,” she said, the melancholy weight on her heart lifting. “Your purpose was to walk in the path of the Lord…to save all who you could, and trust the Lord to make up for your weaknesses.”
A shiver ran through her soul as she placed a hand against her breast, feeling the bag between her bust she’d been entrusted with. The star shining from her palm stole her gaze, and she sighed when she saw its glow intensify; Catherine had welcomed her mission, and Maria had her own purpose and mission she needed to find. For some reason, it was attached to Omen and Rachel; that was enough for now.
“I may be weak… And maybe I can’t kill. Maybe I am too soft inside my own heart,” she mumbled, staring around her private room, filled with pictures and gifts provided by her street family. “All I know is that I want to protect what little hope and joy these faces still have left to brighten their lives.”
Opening her menu, she selected the Utility Feat Perk.
[Utility Feat Branch: Miracles of the Immaculate - Enhanced by the user’s pure desires, dedication, and unwavering belief, bless one supportive Feat to perform a miracle.]
[Miracles of the Immaculate: Activated]
[Miracle Purify: Activated]
Her smile grew as bright light illuminated an empty place on the wall. A wheel-like shield and brilliant white sword appeared, and an angelic effulgence surrounded her vision of Catherine. The angel looked at the weapon and shield with peaceful eyes, her voice like the crashing waves of a waterfall yet as tranquil as a gentle brook.
“Tell Jeanne that I entrust my will to her…that I’m proud of her…that I’ll be with her until she rises to join me in the choir of our Lord.”
Maria brushed away a tear as the shimmering woman faded away, and she likewise left her internal world. Fiona zipped around them, fire spinning in circles as she kept the advancing wolves and amused vampire at bay. Yet, everything came to a halt when a radiant, holy glow erupted from her hand, and Catherine’s wheel materialized.
Fiona’s ears lowered at the sight, her bottom lip trembling with tears appearing in her eyes; it was obvious what had just happened to the saint. Nosferatu retreated, a hiss escaping his lips at the blinding heat. Yet, these gifts were only borrowed until delivered to the young woman the saint had entrusted them to.
Horn flaring, Maria felt a part of something bigger as she placed her hand on Red’s chest. The Eldritch tendrils retreated at her touch, and a white outline encompassed the changing Fablekin. She felt power not her own, unifying with her projected faith. Black and Fiona covered their eyes as the effulgence grew.
No crass or heated words left her lips as she asked, “Red, do you have the will to continue the fight?”
Red’s mist-shrouded eyes scanned for a way out, looking for a path through the nightmarish labyrinth of mystery and horror she’d been plunged into. Vines writhed from inside her mouth, and Red choked, but her cracked lips parted and whispered, “…I want to fight.”
“Then find the light not outside to follow…but the light within. Dive deeper. Look for the strength inside your core… Do you see the Huntress caged?”
Nosferatu snarled, claws pushing through Maria’s solar and holy light, her brilliance now the only thing keeping the night fiends away as they pressed against the wall-like radiance. “Catherine is dead! How do you have her shield—her power?! The mark!”
“I don’t think so, wannabe Dracula!” Fiona shouted, purple aura intensifying as lightning left her fingers, stunning the vampire in place. “Not so fun when it’s Energy-based, huh?! That’s what you get for doubting Catherine!”
Maria maintained focus on the brunette soldier in front of her. “Do you see her?”
“The wolf’s cage,” Red whispered as if in a dream, a lump forming in her throat while the Eldritch Energy quivered in rage at the assaulting Positive Force. “I see her.”
Black’s muscles tightened as her hand shot out to overshadow hers. “Are you crazy?! The wolf is caged for a reason! You can’t let the—”
“Good.” Maria felt an invisible second hand overclose hers, then a third, and a fourth. “…Open the cage, and let the light guide you.”
All sound died with the colossal beat of a heart, stilling the snarling fiends as Fiona’s bolts of lightning faded. A second beat, and mist gathered around them. Black stumbled back as Maria’s light dimmed. Fur sprouted from Red’s forearm, her light-brown irises constricting and elongating, illuminating an intense gold as her cloak dyed the same shade.
“What…have you done? She’ll kill everything!”
“No,” Maria chuckled, the holy sensations leaving her feeling weak, and a vicious smile grew on her face as she took a step back. A third beat shook their bones, the mist closing in as the sound of howling echoed in the distance. Only, the fog closed in around a single figure, and the half-Eldritch twisted brunette vanished in rose petals. “What happens when a baby bat meets a hungry she-wolf? A damn slaughter, that’s what happens.”
Red’s billowing yellow cloak materialized in front of the stunned vampire, seemingly paralyzed by the waves of hunger solely closing in around him with each of her thunderous heartbeats. A monstrous half-human voice whispered, “Run.”
An eruption of mist carried away the night fiends and Mythickin, leaving the lingering growl of wolves to vibrate the air—they’d been excluded from the hunt. Maria released the tension in her chest as she pulled back her thick silver hair with one hand, watching the shield in her other return to her inner world to wait to be delivered to its true mistress.
Black looked totally brain-locked. “How was…she in control? She should recover in the Woodlands, but…how?”
“A miracle,” Maria said. She gave a prayer of thanks in her heart and thanked the holy woman who had given her everything for her beliefs. “I’m sorry it had to end this way, Fi. Catherine foresaw it, and accepted this path.”
Fiona sniffed, rubbing away her wet cheeks. “She…said we need to get away from the castle. We should go. Will Red be okay by herself, Black?”
The rat woman regained her composure, seemingly doing calculations and projections in her head after everything that had happened. “The tables flipped completely if The Huntress is free. Red took him to a fairytale land, where she’s at her strongest… I don’t see her losing there. Catherine was right, though. We should leave. Bigger things are happening behind the scenes.”
A light-green glow encompassed them, taking them into the air, and Fiona flew them to a nearby tower connected to the city walls, fighting back tears. However, they only made it halfway before a familiar yet totally different voice projected into Maria’s very soul. And by the looks of it, Black and Fiona heard the same thing before chaos reigned.
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