Queen's Blade: Sword of the Unicorn, chapter 1-c

A propos of nothing in particular, after being in Ireland for more than a year, I'm going back to Spain next week, wish me luck~

On the Living Weapons poll, Setra won 29v-82% to Funikura 6v-17%!
Not much of a surprise here, our Setra buddy is way more manageable than the alternative, isn't he just? :3

Poll coming up next is, a rare Head Angel one!

And one more bit of the story! While Fio is frolicking around with Leina, Airi finds her captive gone...? (plus, pic!)

Enjoy!




A pale phosphorescence flickered within the long forgotten underground walls.
Standing alone in a room devoid of what should have been its occupant, Airi looked on with a gloomy look on her face.
“Milady… tell me, just what were you so dissatisfied with, that you had to leave?”
A sad whisper.
Her face was much like that of a puppy abandoned by its owner. Not a sliver of the cool confidence she’d put on display in her battle against Tomoe remained.
(Well, weren’t you the one who’d complain every time you two had to kiss, Lady Airi?)
One of the lights quietly asked.
“T-That’s not…”
The wraith’s face flushed.
[Indeed, we would often kiss after battle, but that was all Milady’s idea, not mine.]

“More importantly.”
*Cough*, clearing her throat, the maid went back to the subject at hand.
“You know of her current location, right?”
(You needn't worry, Lady Airi. We’ve made sure to have her followed.)
(Yeah, yeah! We handpicked a warrior straight from the graveyard.)
The lights told the maid, flickering all the while.
However, something about them having ‘handpicked a warrior’ rubbed Airi the wrong way.
[A warrior? True, we won’t be bringing Milady back with a couple of immaterial spirit orbs. Well, it’d be a different matter if they could use possession but that doesn’t work on her for some reason.]
“A warrior, you say?”
(That’s right, an excellent swordsman is on her tail.)
A swordsman the spirit orbs could freely move… Airi gave it some thought, but all that came to mind was ‘skeleton swordsman.’

[They carry out their orders to the letter. Meaning, if Milady escapes into the city, it’ll be sure to follow. If this were a spirit orb, a witness might chalk it up to a momentary delusion, but a skeleton swordsman wandering around town is sure to cause a disturbance. Queen’s Blade fights aside, undead appearing within city limits would only naturally lead to the city watch taking action.
And if they’re familiar with this city at all, they’ll inevitably think to investigate the underground ruins. Doing so could lead them straight to our location, meaning I’d lose the base I set up under my Mistress’ direct orders.
Doing so would also mean failing my orders, thus punishment.]
“So if I’m to understand, you’ve issued a skeleton swordsman without my permission then?”
Anger subtly mixed into the wraith’s words; the actions the spirit orbs had taken were far too thoughtless.
[Allowing some of these worthless dolts to move on to the other side may be for the best.]
(Aah, Lady Airi, calm down!)

Sensing her wrath, the orbs hurried to try and soothe her.
Spirit orbs were being summoned by Airi. As such, she could also erase them at any given moment… which made for a saddening thought, being called all the way to this world only to be disposed of without a second thought.
(That’s right, you don’t wanna get angry, you’ll waste the energy you need for materializing clothes!)
(I wouldn’t really mind that myself.)
(Dumbass, are you trying to piss her off?)
Listening to the orbs and their squabbling dissipated any and all rage Airi felt.
[I have more important things to do than get angry at these fools­.]
“Then, if you would kindly relay your report. First, that warrior you unleashed without my permission, just where is…?”

(Lady Airiii! Bad news!)
The moment she tried getting them to calmly explain the situation, another pale soul suddenly burst into the room, screaming like a man possessed.
(What’s wrong? Stop making a ruckus.)
Unlikely to stop its charge in time and aiming straight for the maid, Airi knocked the orb off course with zero hesitation, allowing it to zoom downwards and into the ground instead.
(Watch-- ack!)
Falling like a sack of fruit, the orb crashed into the floor, scattering ectoplasm all around.
“You got the floor all dirty. Now I’ll have to clean it again.”
Within moments, a mop found it way into her grip, almost as if it’d had always been there.
For a maid, being able to procure the necessary tools for your typical household chores-- such as cleaning, washing or cooking-- at the drop of a hat was essential.
(A… At least let me give my report before you start cleaning…)
The flame said, as the tip of the mop’s bristles grinded against it.
“I’m listening. Tell me.”

(The skeleton swordsman was defeated. Its opponent was a fighter from the Queen’s Blade.)
“What?”
[I don’t like how this is going.]
The maid knitted her brows despite herself.
[At this rate, I’ll never be able to show my face before my Mistress again.]
The hands holding onto the mop tightened.
(Aaahn! Please, not soo haaaard~~~)
Somewhat easing the tension, the cries of agony from the spirit orb echoed within the underground ruins.

***

Leina carried the unconscious girl over to one of the beds. The storekeeper, Logan, had clearly made good on his word and then some, as the room he’d arranged for her was of superb quality. Clean sheets and cushioned beds helped bring home just how pricy the room would have been without their deal.
Though, despite the overall quality of the arrangements, she could tell her past self might have still had some complaints. Fortunately, she knew better now, and was honestly appreciative of the care he’d put into it.
“People can get used to anything, can’t they?”
The warrior wryly smiled to herself. She thought back to her sister, Elina, and wondered if she might be experiencing a similar feeling herself.
[No, she probably hasn’t.]
With a shake of her head, Leina instantly rejected the thought.
[In her case, her orders to capture me are likely considered official business. In which case, she’ll have nothing to worry about when it comes to travelling funds, I sincerely doubt she’ll have to deal with such pedestrian worries.]

“First things first… I’d better do something about this child.”
She refocused on the matter at hand.
Leina began by taking off the girl’s shoes and ribbon around her neck before-- in an effort to let her breathe more freely-- loosening her corset and opening up her blouse.
“Well now.”
[I may be helping her now, but really, who the heck is she?]
Everything on her was a luxury item, none of which provided even the slightest of clues towards the identity of their owner. If she’d at least carried a coat of arms, the fighter could trace her lineage, but the only identifying item she could find on the unconscious girl seemed to be some kind of strange weapon.

Leina looked over the weapon she’d found hidden within the girl’s dress and began inspecting its details. It seemed to be some sort of spiral sword, reminiscent of a unicorn’s horn or a snail’s shell-- a weapon unlike anything she’d ever seen before.
[Can this even cut through anything?]
Since the thin of the blade ended in a spiral too, cutting with it appeared impossible.
[It certainly doesn’t look like a slashing weapon.]
If Leina were to use it herself, she’d definitely try “thrusting” with it. She honestly couldn’t see any other way to use it.

But that wasn’t the only oddity.

The grip was separated into several smaller sections, each with its own hole, like a flute.
And there, in what would be the butt end if this were a spear or a lance, was a bulbous looking part attached to what one would normally correspond to the ferrule, the very tip of which seemed to house yet another small hole, one you could maybe use to blow air in.

“I wonder why this shape…?”
And that’s when something in her mind clicked and the warrior blushed:
[Doesn’t this look just like “that part” of the male anatomy?]

Shaking her head, she quickly decided to dismiss the idea.
[This item must be some kind of artefact used for ceremonies or rituals. Right.]
If she settled for that, she felt she could come to grips with the shape.

“Could this finally be the call to adventure I’ve been waiting for?”
A girl with a mysterious weapon, chased by a skeletal swordsman. Being asked to fight evil to save someone was far from something she had a problem with. In fact, it sounded precisely like the kind of adventurous tale she’d been wanting to go on from the moment she left home.
Her gaze left the weapon to then rest on the girl.
[Just who are you?]

Leina studied her features carefully. She was a beauty, that much was for sure. Perhaps a little dirty at the moment, but with a bit of tidying up, she could make heads turn at balls everywhere.
Pale silver hair like the moonlight, white skin like snow, red lips like rose petals. Even as a woman, Leina had to admit the other girl was charming to look at. Compared to most girls her age, one could argue she was a bit flat chested but that could well fall within range of individual differences. Breasts were something that grew with age, after all.

“She’s still out?”
The warrior brought her face in close enough to feel the girl’s breath. Then, gently tapped her forehead: *bop*.
[There’s no fever anyhow…]
She’d nearly worried herself ragged after the girl hit herself after losing her balance, but looking at her now, it didn’t seem to be anything serious.
Slowly, she pulled away from the girl.
“I’m still worried, but there’s nothing else I can do.”
Once the girl woke up, the blonde could ask all the questions she wanted to sate her curiosity. For now though… there was nothing wrong with looking into things herself.
“Logan might know something about this; no harm in asking in any case.”
Carrying the queer weapon with her, Leina left the room.

***