CHAPTER 47: SILLY SUMMONS AND A TRIST WITH A TROLL

A blinding flash, a boom that shakes the bedrock, and then...

Maribelle blinks.

Her eyes open to a field of smooth, dark stone stretching in every direction. Pale red light shimmers from above, flickering across an invisible dome. High atop a viewing platform carved into the jagged cliffs that rises around the arena, sits Vexena, Queen of The Demon Lands, lounging beside her General, Eris. Between them stands the tiny figure of Virelle, bouncing on her toes with a bright grin.

"Maribelle," Vexena’s voice echoes, haughty and commanding, "do you require weapons or armor, or will you face my daughter with your bare hands?"

Maribelle frowns and shouts up, "I’m a spellsword. Something... appropriate."

Eris clicks her fingers. A flash of golden light engulfs Maribelle and when it fades, she finds herself clad in masterwork armor laced with pulsing runes. A gleaming sword hovers before her, vibrating with overwhelming magic.

Maribelle stares at it. "This thing is humming like a beehive!" She grins, despite her situation. "Alright, maybe this won’t be so bad after all."

She faces Vexena, her new gear radiating immense power. "You’re sure you want me to hurt your baby?"

"You’re welcome to try," Vexena replies coolly.

"I’d rather fight one of your generals," Maribelle grumbles.

Virelle, standing at her mother’s side, looks down at Maribelle, eyes blazing.

She snorts.

With a blur of motion, she vanishes, appearing beside Maribelle as barely more than a whisper of pink, frilly wind.

Then...

CRACK!~

Maribelle hits the floor, screaming. Rolling across the cold stone in excruciating pain as she tries in vain to hold together her shattered leg.

Virelle looms beside her, pouting and crossing her arms. "I’m am a general, you meanie! Don’t underestimate me!"

Vexena leans forward, sighing as she shakes her head. "Virelle, what did I say about starting early?"

"Oooooh... I’m sorry. I forgot!" Virelle chirps, cheeks flushing. She taps Maribelle’s shattered shin with her wand and with a swirl of pink magic, the pain vanishes instantly, her bone mended better than before.

"Manners, my starseed." Vexena coos. "And please... go easy on our guest."

Maribelle blinks, then hesitantly stands up, her confidence slowly crumbling as she stares at the sweetly smiling Virelle, curtsing before her.

Eris appears at her side like a wraith, speaking smoothly. "No need to worry. The arena is enchanted. You cannot die here. Though... you may come to wish you could."

Maribelle gulps, but before she can protest, Eris vanishes and reappears at the podium.

"Let the match begin!" she bellows.

Maribelle turns to Virelle, frozen in shock, staring in disbelief as the young demon-kin dances backward with a laugh before tossing her wand skyward.

She then twirls, strikes a pose and shoots Maribelle a cute wink before she yells out, "Wand to war-form! TRANSFORM!"

As her wand spins, it shimmers and shifts, expanding into a massive, shoulder-mounted, techno-coloured, magical-powered high-density energy cannon.

It drops onto her arm with an impressive thud.

Her tiny feet cracks through the stone floor beneath her as she shoulders the weapon of mass-destruction.

"Say hello to the Deathbloom..." Virelle cries gleefully. "Goodbye!"

"Vuvi..." Maribelle whimpers. "... what in the nether did you get me into."

The weapon hums, lights pulsing along its side as it sucks in obscene amounts of raw mana.

Virelle’s eyes grow narrower and her grin creeps wider as a devastating concentration of raw magical energy collects at the edge of the barrel, lighting the arena up like a rising atomic cloud.

Then, it fires.

Every molecule of air in the arena erupts under the pressure of overwhelming magical force, sending out a shockwave that rips through rock and stone, blowing Maribelle’s armour clear off her body and leaving her completely flabbergasted, naked and in reverent awe as she watches an arcing beam of magical energy blasting across the field toward her.

She offers only a muffled yelp as the beam swallows her whole.

-------------------

Back in the real world, the forest thickens as the sun dips low behind the trees, painting the woods in bands of dusky gold and deepening violet. Long shadows stretch between ancient trunks and curling roots. Birds quieted. A hush settles over the world.

Vuvi grumbles, brushing a branch from her face as she stomps forward. "I swear, if I get another leaf in my mouth, I’m torching this whole damn forest."

"Such compassion," Veena quips from the rear. "You truly are the heart of this group."

"I’m just saying, forests are overrated," Vuvi snaps. "Damp, bug-filled, and full of creepy—"

A deep, wet huff rumbles through the trees.

Everyone stops in place.

The next huff echoes louder. Closer.

Penelo’s ears perk upright, trembling.

"Uh... what was that?" she whispers.

"I don’t know," Vuvi mutters, raising her Boombuster.

Suddenly, the forest explodes into motion as a hulking creature barrels out of the underbrush. Covered in mossy, warty skin and at least ten feet tall, a forest troll lets out a guttural roar and lunges straight for a gleaming Pip.

"SCATTER!" Vuvi yells, leaping aside as the troll’s massive club smashes into the earth, sending dirt and leaves flying.

[Threat detected. Power-Level: B+]

[Combat Objective: Forest Troll (x1)]

[Engaging Combat Protocols]

Pip spins, dodging its second strike with a mechanical whirl and responding with a burst of defensive steam.

Penelo scrambles behind a tree, clutching her tiny dagger in shaking paws.

Veena is already mid-teleport, blinking behind the troll and launching a volley of dark bolts at its back. They hit, digging deep charred holes into the monster’s thick hide.

"It’s not going down easy!" she shouted.

"It’s a troll, Veena!" Vuvi snaps. "Of course it’s not!"

The troll roars again, this time swinging its club in a wide arc. It hits a tree and shatters

it like a twig. Pip raises his arms and intercepts a stray branch heading for Penelo, protecting her with his reinforced frame.

As Vuvi ducks behind a rock to reload, she hears something strange... a high-pitched yip-yip echoing from the trees.

And then, out of nowhere, goblins burst out from the shadows.

Vuvi gapes. "Oh, great, just what we needed!"

But instead of attacking, the goblins rush the troll.

One leaps up its back, jabbing at its neck with a crude spear.

Another hurls a smoking flask that explodes in a puff of blinding glitter.

"Wait... are they... helping us?" Penelo gasps.

The troll snarls, spinning to swipe at the goblins, but they were too quick, darting in and out like hyperactive mosquitoes.

Pip beeps uncertainly, then jumps back into the fray. With the troll distracted, he dives beneath it, his pelvic plate glowing with a powerful charge. He slams his reinforced knee into the beast’s shin, making it stagger.

"Keep him off-balance!" Vuvi shouts, firing a round of explosive buckshot into the troll’s side, ripping out a chunk of its fatty flesh

The blast makes the troll howl and turn, but before it can charge again—

A whistle cuts through the chaos.

Everyone turns as a figure steps from the trees.

A tall woman, broad-shouldered and cloaked in half-plate armor, strides into the clearing with a sword taller than most men strapped to her back. Her long, dark hair braided into a battle tie, and her expression calm, confident... and slightly amused.

"Thought I smelled troll guts," she says coolly.

The goblins immediately yip-yap and back off, saluting her with proud, crooked smiles and rowdy cheers.

The troll turns toward the woman.

She cracks her neck once, sighs, and in a flash, unsheathes her sword.

The blade gleams once in the last light of day.

Then, with a single, fluid motion, she bursts across the forest floor, sending up dirt and moss, shimmers past the hulking monstrosity, cleaving off the troll’s head in a single, clean stroke.

Its body stands for a second... then collapses with a ground-shaking thud.

Penelo squeaks.

Vuvi’s jaw drops.

The woman turns to the stunned group and offers a small, respectful nod.

"Evening," she says, then turning to Pip with a smirk. "Salvation truly does find us in the most unlikely of places."