---

Chapter 26

Waterways

---

 

 

The witches burst through the wall of darkness that shielded them from the room. Once they entered, they were surprised to see a group of people, all trapped within cages. This seemed to be the place where all prisoners were kept and interrogated. A large massive slime-like creature was guarding the imprisoned servants.

“What the?”

Maddy and Goldie were confused at first, but the princess recognized them.

“These are the servants of the castle, Maddy!”

Maddy clicked her tongue.

“I-Is that the princess?!”

A butler cried out. They all were frightened and none of them had demons possessing them. Goldie couldn't understand why but Maddy realized what was happening.

"I see... This demon is saving these humans for later use. How vile, capturing these innocent people like this...”

A slime blocked their way. Maddy and Goldie floated down onto the brick pathway and jumped off the staff, readying for battle.

The slime was massive as it stood nearly twenty feet tall. Green goop melted down and recycled back up, giving the round beast a bubbly appearance. The beast was a general demon, guardian of the witch’s hat.

 “Here I go!”

Maddy said as she shot electricity at the beast, but it absorbed it and fired the spell back instantly.

“Maddy!”

Goldie grabbed her lover and pulled her to the side, narrowly avoiding the reflected spell. The blast destroyed the wall behind them, destroying the wall in a devastating roar.

“Thank you, my love!”

Maddy got to her feet and tried again. She attacked with fire this time, but the beast nullified it.

“Tsk….”

The great witch clicked her tongue.

“It seems elemental spells aren’t right for this beast!”

Goldie said as she awaited orders. But the beast melted into the ground and rushed at them like a tsunami. There was no way out. They had to battle through or be caught in the slime's body.

“Goldie, enhance my spells!”

Maddy thought quickly. With the enhanced spell, Madalyn spun around with her staff and brought out wind blades. It scattered the slime over the walls, destroying its attack from reaching them.

“It’s forming back!”

Goldie, surprised, pointed out. The monster formed back to its bubbly shape. It looked as though Maddy’s spell didn’t affect it, just changed it momentarily.

"Then we try all elements until we find the right one to hurt it, Goldie! Plan to avoid, dodge, or guard accordingly. I'll use lesser spells for testing."

The princess nodded.

“Right, I’ll defend you, Madalyn!”

Goldie made a shield around Maddy to reflect spells, just in case. The beast rolled at her, leaving goop all over the waterways. Maddy rushed over to Goldie, took her into the air, and tested her spells against the great slime.

“Arrgaa!”

Madalyn cried as she fired her spell.

Maddy rained earth down on the beast. It seemed to have hit but wasn't too effective either. The beast spat acid their way and the heat brushed past the witches as they dodged. 

“This beast is deadly… we have to kill it fast.”

Goldie murmured as she reflected the acid away from hitting her and Maddy.

The great witch flipped in the air, brought mana into her staff, and shot a shard of ice. The sharp attack pierced the beast, freezing a section of it completely.

“Ah! There we go! Maddy! Let’s take this beast out and save the servants!”

Madalyn brought out her staff in front of her. Ice resonated from it as the beast attempted to steamroll her with waves of acid. Goldie enchanted her love with a spell increaser.

“Finish it, Maddy!”

Her devilish teeth shone brightly as she lifted her staff high. The world shook as the monster drew near. Once it jumped, it flew over Maddy, attempting to crush her under its goo. She amplified her spell and launched a blast of ice cold air. The air became crystals, encapsulating the beast, causing it to crack and shatter.

“Nice work!”

Goldie cheered then rushed over and lifted the iron bar that was keeping the servants caged. They all rushed out, praising, and thanking the two witches.

“Princess Goldendale!”

Her servants clapped and cheered her name.

“My lady… you were amazing. W-What happened to you?”

Hearing all these people call her by such a name was strange. Goldie was only with Madalyn for the last six years, and her ego was put in place. Being called the princess… humbled her in a way. Through her training, she understood what it meant to be a leader though.

Briefly, she looked at Madalyn, the woman she wanted to be like one day. With that drive and confidence, the princess of Nora Kingdom turned back to her people, who were distressed and confused.

"All you must know is that the Overlord has returned. Me and Madalyn, a fellow Kingsmen, must stop the army from reaching the next capital."

Everyone looked at Madalyn, who turned away.

"I need my hat that was in here, everyone. The witch's one…."

Goldie said.

A petite maid ran up to Goldie and handed it to her. Boldy, the princess patted her on the head. She could still tell that her people were confused, likely from her change in demeanor. But time was against them, so she had to cut it short.

“Are all the servants down here?”

A butler spoke up.

“Yes, everyone but… head maid Victoria. We didn’t see the soldiers take her down here with the rest of us.”

Goldie didn't like Victoria much but she was worried that the demons had something planned for her, like the servants here. She turned to Maddy, who nodded, nudging her to move things along.

“You all will be safer down here for the time being. Stay here until we come and get you. Madalyn and I will fix all of this madness, we promise.”

One of the many maids approached from the back. She seemed concerned and finally spoke up.

"I don't know who you are… but our princess sounds like a new person. Would this be your doing… ah, miss Madalyn?"

Maddy looked at her lover and shook her head.

“No… Goldie Kingsman is just an amazing person with the will to save her people. Her change was only made by her choices alone.”

Finally, Maddy turned to the group of strangers to her.

“Your princess will save you… because she is brave. Believe in her and stay strong until she gets back.”

In a way, this stranger's words calmed the servants' nerves. The princess squealed, loving the praise from her lover. Embarrassed, Goldie coughed and fixed her hat.

"We must go, everyone! Onward to father, Madalyn! And don't worry, we will save Victoria!"

"Be safe, princess! T-Thank you for helping us, lady Madalyn."

The great witch huffed as she sat on her staff. Goldie wrapped her arms around her love as they flew out of the waterways.

“Right! I’ll bring father back to his senses! We’ll be back soon!”

The servants cheered with praise.

“Hehe, I think they really liked you, Maddy! You’re… such an inspiration to them.”

Goldie rubbed her nose on Maddy’s back again. Her warmth made the cold witch… smile.

“I don’t care for your people, Goldie… But I wanted them to know that you are special. And it’s not just because you are the princess.”

Goldie smiled as she finally understood what she wanted to do.

"I know what I want the most after all of this. After we defeat the Overlord and save the people from madness…."

In whispers, Goldie confessed her desire. But Madalyn couldn't hear it and turned around to look at the golden princess in her brimstone eyes.

 

“What was that, Goldie my love?”

“I’ll tell you after we win, Maddy.”

The golden witch teased and poked her lover’s nose. Maddy blushed as she turned around, a tad annoyed.

“Whatever your dream is, we’ll make it happen. I don’t mind… as long as we’re together.”

The witches soared towards the top of the Nora Kingdom with their hearts in sync.