Tech Hunters 5
The Knight of the Round
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The Jourmungand...
Prison Block...
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Three Pokégirls lay in one of the containment cells, separated from their mistress. Molly, the Boobgle, kneeled near the bars, whimpering softly and sniffing for her mistress. Tatiana, the Catgirl, was pacing back and forth, a furious expression on her face. And the last and oldest of them, a Psi-Dyke Pokéwoman named Anya, was resting on a cot, eyes closed, her hands behind her head.
“This is stupid!” Tatiana said, “We've been captured, we've been separated from Tina... God, you suck!”
Anya opened one eye to stare at Tatiana, “Don't even kid about that.”
“You know what I meant!!” Tatiana said, “We're prisoners now! Who knows what they're doing to Tina now?! Who knows what these psychotic so-called Knights are going to do to us to try and covert us?”
Molly came over to Anya's side, whimpering. “Where Mistress? Molly want Mistress back...”
Anya closed her eye again “Calm down. They're not trying to convert her yet. Kurotsuchi never put psychic shielding in here, believing that Pokégirls should be able to sense their masters being changed to help break their wills.”
Molly whimpered. Anya petted her. “Don't worry,” she said, I know what I'm doing.”
“How do you know?!” Tatiana almost shrieked, “How do you know anything? You assured us that you had a plan! You said you had a plan!!”
Anya gave her an amused look. “Tell me something: How would you attack a ship this size with just the abilities we have on hand?”
Tatiana sputtered furiously for a moment before falling silent and going over to sulk in a corner. Molly, however, had gotten the idea.
“Anya has plan?” she asked, her tail wagging a little.
“Yep,” the Psi-Dyke said, “All I have to do is wait for a certain someone to show up.”
Tatiana scowled. “WHO!?”
“I believe she is referring to me,” said a voice from directly behind her, one that made both Tatiana and Anya yelp. Standing at the gates was the Kunoichi who had captured them. She wore a more formal version of a traditional shinobi garb, with armored greaves, gauntlets, and pauldrons, as well as a metal facemask for her hood and a kodachi sheathed at her hip beside her ninjato.
Anya frowned. “Full regalia?”
Mitsuki nodded, removing her hood and mask, revealing her soft, elegant features, marred only by a scar across her eye, which was kept closed to hide the fact that it was missing. Her hair was close-cropped, with a slight feathering in the front.
“Lady Yggdrasil is here. She has taken a great interest in the human whom you swore yourself to,” Mitsuki said.
Molly growled. “Let us out! No let Yggy lady hurt Mistress!”
Mitsuki shook her head. “Calm yourself, young Pokégirl,” she said, “If all goes well, your Mistress will be brought into our fold, sworn in as a Limbec Knight, and be made into a Pokégirl as we are.”
Anya grabbed onto the bars, startling both Molly and Tatiana with how fast she moved. “You know better than that, Mitsuki.”
Mitsuki just gave Anya a pained look. For reasons unknown to her, she couldn't bring herself to look at Tatiana, who's injury to her eye mirrored her own, and at Molly, who's innocence she found strangely... unsettling. “...I do not approve of Washu's methods. I do not know why my lady Yggdrasil keeps her as a Knight. But I am honor bound to serve.”
“There is no honor amongst the Knights,” Anya said, “Madame Yggdrasil is a megalomaniac. She will wipe out the human race if left unchecked.”
An anguished expression came to Mitsuki's face, her hand going up to touch her ruined eye. “There are days... There are days when I would agree with that course of action...”
Anya frowned. “Mitsuki... I know what those men did to you still haunts you...” Anya closed her eyes. “I still hear Caroline's sobs in my dreams every night... But I know that what I was becoming under the Knights was far worse... I couldn't stay. I just... I couldn't disgrace her like that...”
Mitsuki stared at Anya for a long moment. “...You could have at least said goodbye.”
Anya sighed, looking down. “There wasn't time... If Washu had found out...”
Mitsuki shook her head. “The lady Washu is the Chief Scientist of the Knights, no more. She is here to supervise the transfer of the Warmech to Madame Yggdrasil. What could she have done to you that would have been so horrible?”
Anya sighed. “You're a good person, Mitsuki. It makes sense that she'd keep things from you,” she said, “How long have you been Washu's bodyguard?”
“...Not long,” she admitted, “A year before you left, and the year you have been gone. She never lets me in her lab.”
“She is the Grand Inquisitor of the Knights,” Anya said, Tatiana and Molly giving the Psi-Dyke an alarmed look. “I know things about her that only the Knights of the Round and the Pendragon herself know. She will torture, and then she will turn Tina into a Pokégirl, a slave of the Knights.”
“...” Mitsuki frowned, and said, “I am honor bound to serve the lady Washu. I took an oath to serve as her yojimbo. As did you.”
“There is no honor in Washu,” Anya snapped, “She is a monster of the worst sort. The things I did for her... I had to escape her... To preserve what little honor I had left... I had to abandon the Knights...”
Mitsuki lowered her head, her fists clenching angrily. Tatiana cursed inwardly, thinking that they may have a fight on their hands.
That theory was blown out of the water with the Kunoichi's next statement. “...Why didn't you come back for me?” she whispered, tears flowing down her face.
Anya smiled sadly, her heart aching. “I never had the chance,” she said softly, “Until now.”
Mitsuki's eye widened. “W-What?”
Molly blinked, and grinned, her tail wagging. Tatiana just gave Anya an incredulous look.
Anya gazed right into Mitsuki's good eye. “Free us. Free us and help us free our Tamer. She treats all of us like people, and can do magnificent things with her tongue.”
Mitsuki blushed. “I-I...”
“Mitsuki...” Anya said, “Please. You're too good to be Washu's lackey. You're too kind a soul to let the twisted honor of the Limbec Knights turn you into a monster. Come with us. Join us. Surely you've noticed that there's no real camaraderie here. That the 'duty' we all have is slowly corroding us.”
Mitsuki stared at Anya for a long moment, her thoughts whirling. The Limbec Knights had been her salvation. She had been rescued from her Tamer, an arrogant Rising Sun League tamer who had torn out her eye simply for looking away in fear during a fight she had lost. He had treated her like she was less than nothing, like a tool. She was constantly half-Feral because he always pulled out before she climaxed. Anya had led the 'viking raid' that rescued her from him while she and her then Master were on a business trip. Anya had held the bastard down for Mitsuki, allowing her to force him to Tame her properly for the first time, the feral cloud lifting from her thoughts for the first time since her Threshold. Almost immediately, she had joined the Knights, being sworn in my Madame Yggdrasil herself.
When the two had met, they had fallen in love almost immediately. The two had made an excellent team, and did everything together. Even when she was given the job of protecting Washu, Anya had been supportive. When the Psi-Dyke had left, it felt as if a part of her soul had been torn away. She had felt hurt, betrayed, and above all angry. But now she was back, and was asking her to join her, to betray the group that had been her sanctuary and become the slave of a human again.
How could she be happy as a human's toy?
How?
“I... I need to think,” Mitsuki said, wandering off.
“Mitsuki...” Anya said softly, “I'm so sorry... I never wanted to hurt you...”
There was no answer. Anya didn't expect any. She knew how Mitsuki thought.
Which is why, she thought as she removed the key she had taken from her when she was too frazzled to focus properly, she took some preventative measures.
“Anya is smart!” Molly wurfed quietly as Anya began to unlock the prison gates, the Boobgle's tail wagging happily.
Tatiana had to agree. “Not bad. Messing with her head like that so you could grab the key,” she said.
Anya shook her head. “I said Kurotsuchi never put shielding in here, I didn't say she left out blockades. I never said she didn't put any traps. If I had tried any aggressive psychic attack I would have been hit by a wave of feedback that would have knocked me out for a day. “
Tatiana's eyes widened. “So you and that Knight were...”
Anya sighed. “We were close once... Very close... Once I finally realized what I was doing, I ended up leaving so quickly I didn't get a chance to tell her my plans... The pain she's feeling is very real, and I hope I can convince her to come with me. If not...”
Molly wurfed curiously when Anya sighed. “If not... She has her honor, I have mine. I will not betray Tina's trust.”
Tatiana bit her lip. Things were just too damn complicated... She wished her original Tamer had never joined the Tech Hunters...
“Everything happens for a reason,” Anya said, picking up on her thoughts. “We may not like it, we may not want it, but it happens. Doesn't mean you have to stand still and LET it happen.”
Tatiana scowled. “Quit reading my mind,” she said.
“Sorry. Your frustration and fear was foremost in your mind, it was easy to pick up,” Anya said, unlocking the door to the cell.
Tatiana scowled. “I'm not afraid,” she said, her voice a little too shrill to make it believable.
Anya rolled her eyes. “Angst later,” she said, “We need to get you a better body.”
Tatiana scowled even harder. “Look, the missing eye isn't my goddamn fault.”
“I'm talking evolution, Tatty,” Anya said, the Catgirl's expression brightening, “I know where a cache of evolution stones is kept for Washu's experiments.”
“Maybe they move them?” Molly said doubtfully.
Anya shook her head, leading them down the hall of the prison area. “No. Washu's a creature of habit. She isn't fond of change unless it's related to her experimental subjects, so she wouldn't allow it to be anywhere but where it has always been.”
The three of them approached the exit to the prison area. Anya motioned for the other two to stay back, noticing a rather-bored looking Ronin wielding a shortsword and shield standing near the door. Anya slowly stalked up to her, smirking in amusement as she heard her muttering.
“Frickin' ninja girl... Why'd she have to make me take her shift? Thinks she can go off and angst somewhere just because she's Washu's bodyguard...” the Ronin muttered, sighing. “So bored... I wish something would happen.”
“Wish granted,” Anya whispered, grabbing the Ronin a chokehold from behind. The Ronin gagged, caught off guard, but she was no fool. She reversed her grip on her shortsword, using her shield hand to try and pry Anya's muscular arm free, and raised her arm to stab the Psi-Dyke in the side. Before she could, Anya unleashed a controlled psychic shriek in the Ronin's mind, rattling her senses and causing the fighting-type to lose consciousness.
Molly wurfed quietly. “So cool!”
Tatiana frowned. “Even with the type advantage, that was too easy...”
Anya nodded, scowling. “I agree. But let's not question our good fortune for now. Let's get to the E-stone cache. We'll see how cocky some of these Knights are when they're frozen solid.”
Molly barked in agreement, excited to be out, promising to herself that they'd rescue her Mistress.
Tatiana quirked an eyebrow. “Turning me into a Shaguar? Not that I mind, but why that specifically?”
Anya frowned. “I'm feeling something very familiar and very frightening... I just have the feeling that we're gonna need something as cold as the feeling I'm getting to help us survive...”
“That's encouraging,” Tatiana muttered, Molly obliviously trotting alongside, her thoughts filled with two things: getting her mistress back and getting something to eat.
Excitement always made her hungry.
===========================
Jourmungand Interrogation Center...
Also known as Washu's Lab...
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At that very moment, Tina was currently strapped to a table, spread eagled and naked. Her wrists and ankles were somewhat raw from her struggling against the clamps that held her limbs in place. Her nipples had gone hard (unpleasantly so) from the cold air in the room, and she was currently a mix of fearful, angry, and bored. Fearful because she was captured and separated from her Pokégirls, angry because she had been stripped and left here naked and alone, and bored because NO ONE HAD DONE ANYTHING TO HER FOR OVER AN HOUR.
The fact that her nose had been itching for the past twenty minutes wasn't helping her disposition.
“WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!?” she demanded, “WHERE ARE MY GIRLS?! WHAT DO YOU GODDAMN WANT WITH ME!?!”
From a hidden observation area, Washu Kurotsuchi watched with growing amusement. “Subject is responding as expected to prolonged isolation. Further study would be amusing, but with the impending arrival, it'd be better to try and convert her quickly,” she said, speaking into a portable recorder.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Subject shows strong feelings of possessiveness towards those in her... heh... 'harem,' although she's also shown signs of the 'goody goody' personality, as noted by our opposite numbers in the Purifiers...” She snickered. “At any rate, I should probably take a more active role in converting her. Truth be told...” She looked down at Tina and sighed. “I really don't see the point of the psychological mumbo-jumbo, when a good bit of brain surgery and psychic rewiring can accomplish in a couple hours what several days worth could do... The Madames... I refuse to use the term Knights of the Round, as it is patently silly... The Madames have a strange sense of honor. Even Madame Yggdrasil herself, the most reasonable of them, is prone to making silly decisions.”
Washu sighed. “Ah well. Must keep up appearances. Yggdrasil will not let me keep performing my experiments on the prisoners she doesn't want if I do not.”
Heading out of the hidden observation area, Washu calmly walked into the stark, empty room. Tina whirled at the sound of her footsteps, the robed, facepainted woman smirking at her.
“Who... Who are you?” she demanded.
“Washu Kurotsuchi is my name, and I am a Supe-Bra Genius by breed,” she said, rolling her eyes, “By the heh... by the code of the Knights, my 'honor' dictates that my prey knows my name, so that... something something... blah blah blah. Whatever.” She didn't bother looking at Tina, opening up a case that was on the table near her gurney, setting out medical instruments and vials of strange-looking liquid.
Tina frowned. “That sounded like something traditional you were supposed to say... Are you even a Knight?”
Washu chuckled. “I prefer to think of myself as an associate. But I humor them for the sake of keeping the resources they provide me.”
Tina gulped hard. “What are you going to do to my girls?”
Washu rolled her eyes. “See, now that's the attitude that annoys the Knights so much. YOUR girls. While they would probably be pleased that you asked about them first, they'd still be annoyed at the possessiveness.”
Tina shook her head. “They're my teammates, my friends. I call them my girls because that's just the term I'm used to.”
Washu chuckled. “Fair enough. None of that nonsense matters to me, as your 'friends' as you call them aren't my concern. The Psi-Dyke will probably be fitted with a device to block her powers and allowed a chance to 'regain her honor' in a fight to the death. The two others, if they don't cooperate and agree to join the Knights, will probably be executed.” She gave Tina a conspiratorial smirk. “The Knights, you see, aren't that fond of humans,” she understated.
Tina stared at Washu in horror. “They... They can't do that!!”
Washu smirked, holding up a vicious-looking hooked scalpel, savoring the look of sudden fear on Tina's face. “They've done it before, my dear. More than once. I've even supervised some of the executions. But you... I think I might ask them to let your girls live.”
Tina, shivering from both fear and the cold, felt a sudden surge of hope. “You... You will?”
Washu grinned, a frightening, psychotic grin. “Oh indeed. I have an idea I want to test to try and turn all of them to the Knights. And as I said, Madame Yggdrasil seems to be the most 'reasonable' of the Madames...”
Something about the way Washu emphasized the word 'reasonable' made her nervous. “...H-How will you do that?”
Washu smirked. “Memory modification, my dear. Anya tried being a Tamer's girl again, but when she saw the other three Pokégirls in that male's harem being abused, she came back and begged forgiveness from Madame Yggdrasil. Meanwhile, the other three Pokégirls were happily inducted into the... heheh... 'honorable' Limbec Knights.”
Tina's heart sank. She had an idea of what she was getting at. But she had to ask... “Three Pokégirls? Aside from Anya, I've only got two with me...”
Washu smirked. “And I have Jusenkyo water.”
“Oh hell...” Tina muttered.
Washu idly fingered and instrument that looked like a cross between a spider and a scalpel. “Not yet. But first, I need to ask you a few questions.”
“Fuck you,” Tina snapped, scared, angry, and really wishing her 'girls were here now...
“Not yet. That comes later,” Washu sneered, licking her lips. “Technically, I'm supposed to be interrogating you now, but honestly, I can't see that you have any knowledge that would be useful to us. So let's get started on inflicting the abuse that your 'Tamer' put on you, shall we?”
She brought the spider-like scalpel to her face, Tina wincing and bracing herself.
“Doctor Kurotsuchi,” said Mitsuki, appearing behind Washu, making the scientist jump and drop her instrument. She cast a sour look at the Kunoichi. Tina let out a sigh of relief, although she was somewhat taken aback by the scar and missing eye on the ninja Pokégirl's face, almost a mirror of the one on Tatiana's.
“You aren't allowed in my lab, whatever your name is,” Washu scolded, clearly irritated with the interruption.
Mitsuki fumed. “It's Mitsuki. For the last time, it's MITSUKI!” she practically snarled. Washu just glared at her impassively, clearly not caring. Mitsuki placed a hand on her temple, taking a deep breath to calm herself. “And aside from that, Madame Yggdrasil has requested your presence immediately.”
Washu grumbled. “Fine, fine, I'll go see what her Royal Shrubbery wants...” she muttered, turning to leave. Before she left, however, she turned to Mitsuki and sayed. “Do me one favor, knight.”
“What?” Mitsuki said, her voice impassive.
“Say 'ni.'”
Mitsuki stared at Washu in confusion. “...Ni?”
Washu chortled at a joke only she understood, and left. Mitsuki and Tina just stared at her in confusion for a moment, and then decided to just ignore it.
“What do you want?” Tina said.
“...I wish to understand why Anya is willing to risk her life for you,” Mitsuki said after a moment. She couldn't really see anything special about the girl...
Tina blinked. “What's it to you?”
Mitsuki frowned underneath her mask. “...She and I were companions before she left the Knights. She was, in fact, the one who saved me from my Tamer and indoctrinated me into the Knights.”
Crap, Tina thought. “...I don't know why she does, I just know she does. Maybe I remind her of her old Tamer. Maybe she just doesn't share the anti-human values of the Knights. She takes care of me, and I in turn take care of her, and Molly as well. And if I live through this with my mind intact, I'll take care of Tatiana, too.”
Mitsuki frowned. “You would put Anya in harm's way? Take her out and battle for your pleasure?”
Tina blinked. “Hell no. That's why I joined the Tech Hunters.”
Mitsuki frowned. “...I don't understand.”
Tina shook her head. “I didn't want to be like those thug Adventurer Tamers, heading out into the field and cockfighting with each other. Yeah, there's good Adventurers out there that actually focus on their damn job of protecting people from Ferals, but most of the ones I know are... well, they're mooks, for lack of a better term. And I didn't want to go into the military either. I picked the Tech Hunters because it felt like a safer job, one I could do without feeling lazy and one that would be just exciting enough without putting my companions at risk. Get in, get the tech, get out, everyone goes home and has cuddles.” Tina scoffed. “Yeah. I feel real safe in this job...”
“...Your 'companions,'” Mitsuki said, lowering her eyes.
Tina grinned weakly. “I say that because you seem to be one of the types of Knight that would smack me if I referred to Molly, Anya, and Tatiana in any possessive way...”
Mitsuki's face held a thoughtful look. She was silent for several moments, Tina wondering what was going through the Kunoichi's head. After a moment, Mitsuki said, “...You value your harem?”
Tina nodded. “Molly's been with me for years. My first catch, and my best friend. I trust her with my life. Anya came to me a year after, and has been one of the best things ever to happen to me. And Tatiana's a bit of a pain, but...” Tina's voice wavered, “...After losing her Tamer in that attack by the Blade Bunnies... I'm gonna do right by her. I am.”
Mitsuki frowned. “...Why did you come here?”
Tina glared at the Kunoichi. “To get the Warmech back. A good friend of mine died in the Blade Bunny attack. He had been my friend for years, since we were both kids. Plus, he helped disable the Warmech earlier, saving our asses. I'm not about to let his sacrifice be in vain. I refuse to let his death be for nothing.”
Mitsuki stared at Tina for a long moment. Her will to protect those she values... It is so much like a Knight...
“ICE KAPOWIE!!” shouted a familiar voice, followed by the sound of ice breaking. Mitsuki whirled, grabbing at her ninjato, when she saw Washu's unconscious form slump out of the shadows.
Tatiana, a slowly crumbling gauntlet of ice crumbling around her arm, walked in, a smirk on her face. Her body had changed, becoming tawny-furred and speckled, her face more muzzle-like. Molly followed, a key in her mouth. She barked happily when she noticed Tina, running up to her and licking her Mistress's face happily. Mitsuki tried to attack the Boobgle, but she could feel Anya reaching into her mind, freezing her in place.
“You evolved?!” Tina said, grinning at Tatiana, who threw her a shirt after Molly managed to control herself enough to unlock Tina's manacles. She then yelped, going over to loot Washu's unconscious body, stealing her pants, shoes, and shirt.
“Yep,” she said, “To a Shaguar. Anya here led us to a stash of E-Stones and found an Ice Crystal.”
Tina nodded, eagerly putting on Washu's clothes. The shoes and pants fit, but the shirt was a bit small. At this point, though, she couldn't care less. Anything was better than being naked. She hugged Molly gratefully.
Anya, meanwhile, was focusing on keeping Mitsuki paralyzed. “Mitsuki. Where is the Warmech?”
Mitsuki scowled. “How will you get it out? The machine is a wreck.”
“When the human Tina mentioned earlier helped disable it, he did so by merging his mind with mine for a time. His knowledge guided mine, and from that I gleaned that we only need a few major circuit boards from it to completely make it useless. We'll steal on of the drop ships and escape that way.”
Mitsuki scowled. “And what makes you think I'll help you.”
Anya gave her a pained looked. “Please don't make me make you... Please...”
Mitsuki agonized for a long moment, and then sighed. “...It's in one of the lower holds. I haven't been there myself, as its one of the places Washu forbade me to enter, but I know where it is. I'll take you there.”
Anya kissed Mitsuki on the cheek. “Thank you...”
Mitsuki led the four of them through the ship, helping them sneak past guards, and heading towards the deeper end of the ship. Again they encountered little resistance, which made every one of them nervous. Eventually, they came to a large chamber in the lowest hold of the ship. The door was sealed by a high tech lock.
“I do not know the code,” Mitsuki said, “I was kept out of the loop for a great many things...”
“Tatiana? Try freezing the lock,” Anya said after studying the mechanism for a moment.
The Shaguar nodded, and pressed her hand against the device. Cold radiated from her palm, the mechanism slowly becoming covered completely with frost. Finally, Tatiana punched the machine, which had become brittle enough for her to easily shatter it. The door split and slowly creaked open, revealing a long, dark room. The only illumination was a series of lights, creating a small path that led to the wreckage of the Warmech, which lay in the open, lit by spotlights.
Anya frowned. “This is far too easy... Far, far, too easy...”
Molly wurfed. “A trap?”
Tatiana frowned. “Naturally.”
Tina scowled. “We can't just stop here. We can't let it be all for nothing,” she said. And then, defying all logic, she walked into the room, heading down the lit path.
The four Pokégirls just stared after her incredulously. After a moment, Molly scampered in after her. Tatiana just laughed, shaking her head as she walked in after them. “Hell. We might as well, since we're here.”
Mitsuki blinked at the three of them. “They're insane.”
Anya just smiled. “They wish to honor those they lost by making sure the mission they were sent on is completed successfully. Yeah, it's a trap, and I fully expect to be ambushed once we all get in there. But they face it with courage. If that is not to be admired, then I don't know what is.”
Anya let go of the mental grip she had on Mitsuki's mind. “You don't have to follow us anymore, Mitsuki. I'm willing to face whatever comes and take the full brunt of it myself. Live on, Mitsuki. And find the path that will truly lead you to happiness.” The Psi-Dyke walked calmly into the chamber, jogging to catch up with her Tamer.
“Wait...” Mitsuki said softly, staring helplessly after Anya. She was confused, and lost... Her Anya had come back... And now she was leaving again...?
The quartet approached the Warmech, Anya putting herself ahead of Tina, Molly on all fours by her side, and Tatiana behind, her fists encased in icy gauntlets, the Shaguar clearly wanting to punch someone.
As they got closer to the Warmech, Anya began to slow down, a terrified look coming over her face. “No... No, we need to get out of here...”
Tina blinked. “WHAT?! Why!? We're so close!”
Tatiana snarled. “Don't tell me you're chickening out now!!”
“This is... This is even worse than I thought it'd be...” Anya said, starting to push Tina back towards the door.
A leaf drifted out of the entrance to the hold. And Mitsuki suddenly realized the depth of the danger her comrade and her friends were in.
“ANYA!! IT'S A GROTTO!!” she screamed.
“Goddess... RUN!!!” Anya screamed. The four inside tried to flee, but before they could, a series of thick, spiky vines formed over the entrance, blocking Mitsuki from entering and the Tamer and her Pokégirls from exiting.
The lights came on across the hold, revealing what would have been in other circumstances, a vast, beautiful forest of trees, the ground around the lit concrete path leading to the platform the Warmech rested on surrounded by trees and blossoms and bushes of all kinds. Instead, though, it was a place of foreboding, with a woman's sinister laughter echoing through the trees.
Tina gulped nervously. “I'm probably gonna regret asking but... What's a Grotto?”
“Madame Yggdrasil's throne room. She has one in every station under her command. It's where she is at her strongest...”
Tina nodded. “Yeah. I regret asking...”
From behind the trees surrounding a Warmech a massive figure emerged. At first, Tina thought one of the trees was moving, being pushed aside. She was partially right.
A massive woman with stump-like feet and smooth, bark-like skin emerged from the trees. She moved slowly, but with the grace of a storm gale as she revealed herself. A massive network of leafy, fruit-bearing branches emerged from her head and back. The Treant bore a massive bronze shield, bearing a tree design on it, and a massive spear. A thick bronze breastplate protected her chest, grieves protecting her legs, a cruel smirk on her face .
Anya gulped. “Madame Yggdrasil...” she moaned.
“I see you have not forgotten me, traitor,” Madame Yggdrasil said, her voice as cold as death. “Good. That keeps things simple.”
“My lady...” Anya said, “We just want the control boards from the Warmech... We mean you no harm...”
“Harm?” Yggdrasil laughed, “Your pet human causes us harm just by existing. And since Washu's incompetence and lackadaisical attitude towards her subordinates allowed her to be bested, I no longer feel the need to save any of you five for her experiments. Prepare to die.”
Molly blinked. “Five? But we four...”
Anya and Tina went wide-eyed, both understanding what she meant. “Mitsuki...”
Mitsuki's blood froze, her heart racing as fear gripped her, the full understanding of what Madame Yggdrasil said sinking in. “MY LADY!” the Kunoichi shrieked from the doorway, having heard Madame Yggdrasil's proclamation, “I HAVE BEEN LOYAL TO YOU! I DID NOT RUN AS ANYA DID!!”
Yggdrasil sneered. “You chose to help them rather than die with honor. Your love for the treacherous Psi-Dyke as brought you low.” She ignored the screams of betrayal and despair from Mitsuki, the Kunoichi starting to realize that Anya had the right idea to begin with... “And as for you, Anya...”
Anya screwed up her courage, and shouted, “I chose to leave because there is no honor amongst the Knights! We were butchers, monsters as cruel as the humans we were supposed to be protecting people from!”
Yggdrasil sneered. “You say that as if humans were equal to us. The only human worthy of our kind was our creator. All others are just chaff. You wait outside, ninja. Your friends die first.”
Mitsuki, tears in her eyes, screamed and began slashing at the thick roots covering the entrance.
Anya scowled. “You're sick...”
“And you're dead,” Madame Yggdrasil said, raising her shield into a defensive position, taking aim with her spear, and charging, moving with a speed no one . Molly grabbed Tina and dodged to one side, Tatiana and Anya dodging to the other.
“Molly! Protect Tina and try to find another way out of here! We'll do what we can to hold off Yggdrasil!” Anya bellowed.
“What about you!?” Tina screamed.
“JUST GO!” Anya roared, barely dodging as Yggdrasil tapped the ground, a trio of bamboo lances shooting out from the concrete, breaking through it as if it were paper.
“Fools,” Yggdrasil laughed. She thrust her spear at Anya, firing a cloud of razor-edged leaves at her. Anya managed to dodge the spear, but the leaves lashed at her, tearing through her flesh. Tina tried to fire an ice beam at her, but Yggdrasil blocked it with her shield. She stomped the ground, the concrete path erupting in spiked towers of wood, the Shaguar barely managing to dodge. Yggdrasil followed it up with a barrage of razor leaves that lashed into the ice Pokégirl's fur.
“Shit, she's too strong!” Tatiana yelled. She tried to call for advice, but Yggdrasil was on her again, moving with that impossible speed. She slammed into Tatiana with her shield, sending her flying into one of the trees. Her eyes glowed, and a red hot beam of solar energy, charged into her via the solar lamps lining the hold, fired from them, Tatiana screaming in energy as the heat started to blister her skin through her fur...
The beam fizzled off, as Anya jumped onto Yggdrasil's back. She grabbed the Treant's skull, bracing herself on Yggdrasil's branches, and let off a powerful psychic scream. Yggdrasil bellowed in agony, white hot pain burning itself into her brain as Anya focused all of her power into making Yggdrasil suffer/
“Get... GET OFF!!” she snarled. Vines snaked up through her branches, wrapping around Anya and slamming her to the ground. Yggdrasil wrapped her vines around Anya's legs, pinning her to the ground as she brought her massive shield down onto Anya's head, slamming the massive metal disc brutally into her. Bright spots bloomed before her eyes, the concussive blow causing the Psi-Dyke to collapse.
Yggdrasil felt a blast of cold at her back, and saw the badly burned Tatiana with her hands out, icy energy emanating from them. She sneered, and simply smacked her with the back end of her spear, knocking the badly damaged Pokégirl out.
She turned back to Anya's unconscious form and said, “First you watch your Tamer die. Then you die as well. No one betrays me.”
She stood stock still for a moment, listening. After a moment, she smiled, and stomped off into the grove of trees, searching for Molly and Tina.
Meanwhile, Molly and Tina were running aimlessly through the grove, looking for a way out and finding none. Molly's supersensitive nose was sniffing like made, searching for something that could be a sign for a way out. She was growing more and more panicked as the smell of burning flesh and fur reached her, as well as Yggdrasil's amused chuckling.
Tina was just as frightened. “I... I can't hear any fighting anymore...”
“Mean Yggy lady won...” Molly whimpered.
Tina shook her head. “No...” she said, the very concept of someone as tough as Anya losing so terrifying she barely was able to register the thought, “No, she couldn't have...”
“Yggy lady strong,” Molly whimpered, sniffing about for an exit, “Yggy lady smell of blood, smell of death...”
“Yggy lady is here,” thundered Madame Yggdrasil as she emerged from the shadows of the trees around them, causing Tina and Molly to scream. A demonic grin was on her face as she brandished her spear. “Child. Come with me, and the death of your Pokégirls shall be swift.”
“FUCK YOU!” Tina screamed, half in fear, half in rage.
Yggdrasil just smirked. “Not even if you payed me, human filth. You will die horribly. The traitor shall suffer an even worse fate. But if you make it easy, then I promise the Boobgle and the Shaguar will die painlessly and with honor.”
“HONOR!?” Tina almost shrieked, laughing madly. She shivered fearfully, unable to look away from either Yggdrasil's face or the point of her spear. “Your mad scientist wanted to experiment on me! Wanted to brainwash me and my girls! Where the hell is the honor in that?!”
“Humans are a disease. Pokégirls live with nature, are a part of nature. Humanity is a STAIN, one that I intend to see removed. One Tamer at a time.”
“NO!” Molly barked, “No hurt Mistress!” She lunged at Yggdrasil's throat, her teeth bared.
“Pathetic child,” Yggdrasil said, almost casually swatting Molly aside with her shield, the Boobgle impacting into a nearby tree hard enough to shake down the fruit from the branches. Molly flopped to the ground with a moan, knocked out by the powerful blow.
“MOLLY!” Tina screamed, trying to run to her childhood friend's side, but before she could, Yggdrasil jabbed her spear into Tina's leg, sending her toppling to the ground.
Blood oozed thickly from the wound as Tina whimpered on the ground. Yggdrasil grinned cruelly, and deliberately stepped on the injured leg, bracing herself to pull her spear out. She extended out a pair of vines, lifting Molly and Tina up by the necks. Almost casually, she dragged the two of them back to the main area, Tina struggling and gasping for breath the whole way.
When she got back to the main area, she was surprised to see that Mitsuki was inside the main chamber. She was administering health potions to Anya, Tatiana sitting nearby with her wounds bandaged. She looked up at Madame Yggdrasil, who just smirked, and let Molly and Tina drop limply to the ground. Tina looked at Mitsuki with confusion, wondering how she got in... and then she turned to the entrance, starting to smile.
“So... You managed to get in. You are a tricky little ninja, aren't you?” Yggdrasil thundered.
“I was loyal,” Mitsuki said, her voice a low hiss.
“You aided a human. No matter what you have done in the past, in my eyes that makes you a traitor and worthy of death,” Yggdrasil said.
“So everything I have done, all the works I have done in your name, they mean nothing now,” Mitsuki hissed.
“You forfeited your honor when you let the traitor steal the key from you and when you helped them find this place. You are not worthy to be called a Limbec Knight,” Yggdrasil said, her voice matter of fact.
Mitsuki glared at Yggdrasil. Her heart felt like it was tearing in half. This woman had accepted her wholeheartedly into the Limbec Knights. She had been her light, her life, her honor, her reason. She had given her purpose. And now, because of one incident, she was being thrown away.
“...Then as my last act, I will inform you that there is another intruder. One who apparently came on about an hour after Tina was captured. He has been tearing his way through the Jourmungand's forces in an attempt to rescue his comrade. I believe you are familiar with him, my lady.”
Yggdrasil blinked. A human and one harem? Alone? These fools only got this far because I let them. Who could possibly... Horror dawned in Yggdrasil's face as she realized that she did know a human with a harem that powerful.
Mitsuki smirked, a sad, vicious smirk. “His name is Eric Marcus. He's called King of the Monsters.”
Yggdrasil whirled towards the door, bringing her spear to bear, spiky vines wrapping around it. In the shattered vines that once blocked the entrance, a battered, bloodied man wielding a morning star he likely took off of a fallen Knight and six powerful Pokégirls, each one bearing the scars of battles they had been through on their way down.
“ERIC!!” Yggdrasil screamed.
“HYPER BEAM, YOU MISERABLE CUNT!!” Eric snarled.
All six of Eric's powerful Pokégirls powered up, firing thick, powerful beams of energy directly at Madame Yggdrasil. She brought up her shield, summoning a massive array of thick wood towers, each as dense as stone, to protect herself.
The Hyper Beams powered through them as if they weren't there, sending her toppling back into the forest area of the grotto. Yggdrasil screamed as her defenses were reduced to nothing, her body burning...
Eric sighed, and quickly ran over to Tina. “You okay?” he asked.
Tina nodded. Eric grinned in relief. “Good. I'm gonna kill you,” he said, his tone saying how grateful he was that she was alive.
“The command boards,” Anya said, coughing up blood, “The command boards for the Warmech. If we get those, then the mission is a success. All that'll be left of the Warmech without the command boards is junk.”
Eric shook his head. “Priority one is your survival,” he said, looking over his other Pokégirls, who were helping Tatiana, Anya, and Molly, the latter being healed by the Sphinx's healing magic. “I don't know how long it'll take
Tina shook her head, wincing as Eric bandaged her injured leg. “We gotta get the boards... We've got time, you've killed Yggdrasil...”
Eric shook his head, scowling. “I only wish...”
As if on cue, a hideous snarling came from the crater where Yggdrasil's body landed. Tina looked on, horrified, as a twisted, mangled wreck of wood pulled itself to its feet, shattered armor falling off of its battered form. Yggdrasil held her spear in one hand, the mangled remains of her shield in the other.
“Not... dead... yet...” cackled the near skeletal tree Pokéwoman. Vines lashed out, latching onto nearby trees, which began to wither as Madame Yggdrasil absorbed their life force, siphoning nutrients away, her body regenerating to its original state with horrific speed.
“It... It can't be...” Mitsuki said, the Kunoichi paralyzed with fear.
“NO one could have survived that!!” Anya said, the battle-hardened ex-Knight stunned at how powerful her former leader was.
“The Madames are in a League of their own,” Eric said, “EVERYONE! BATTLE POSITIONS! OSIRA, OPALA, TAKE WING! FARAH, TIRAH, PROTECT THE INJURED! LUCIA, SEPHIRA, ON MY FLANKS!”
Like the well oiled team they were, they moved into place. The Sphinx and Dragoness took to the air, as the Womanticore and Beshemoth moved to protect the injured Tina and her harem, who looked on worriedly. Eric took his place in front, his Cerberass and Chimera moving by his side, roaring. Tina prayed that they were still in condition to battle despite their injuries.
As Yggdrasil finished restoring herself, she glared at them all with a look of pure fury. “Die... DIE! ALL OF YOU DIE!!” Yggdrasil snarled, preparing her Frenzy Plant attack.
“Bring it, shrub!” Eric snarled right back.
ENOUGH, thundered a voice, one that chilled everyone to the bone, THIS BATTLE WILL END NOW.
Before everyone's eyes, a transparent, almost astral image appeared on an armored, black-furred woman with feline features. A white cloak obscured most of her body, her hands grasping a majestic sword. Her eyes glowed with white light as she gazed with disapproval at Madame Yggdrasil. She sat on a golden throne adorned with angelic imagery, one that suggested royalty.
Anya, Madame Yggdrasil, and Mitsuki recognized her immediately, and fell to their hands and knees, bowing.
“Madame Infinity...” whispered Mitsuki in tones of fear and awe.
“The Pendragon...” whispered Anya in similar tones.
“Mao Shin Mao...” whispered Madame Yggdrasil.
Shocked expressions came to the faces of the other Pokégirls in the room, as well as the two humans, as they realized that they were now standing in the astral presence of the leader and founder of the Limbec Knights.
THE SWORD HAS SHOWN ME YOUR FAILURE, MADAME YGGDRASIL, said Mao Shin Mao, not moving from the spot on her throne. YOUR SHIELD IS BROKEN, AND THUS YOUR HONOR IS AS WELL. SURRENDER.
Yggdrasil looked up, and then looked at her shield, realizing for the first time that it was shattered. She threw it to the ground in frustration and pounded the floor, screaming in frustrated rage.
“I don't understand...” Tina said, “What's going on? She can still fight!”
“Please don't encourage her,” rumbled Tirah, electricity sparking around the Beshemoth's horns.
IT IS OUR WAY, HUMAN, Mao Shin Mao said, turning those frightening eyes on her. THE SHIELD IS A SYMBOL OF THE MADAME'S POSITION. ONCE IT IS BROKEN, THAT POSITION IS BROKEN AS WELL. SHE MUST RETURN TO CAMELOT AND EARN HER TITLE ONCE MORE.
Anya understood, though. “She must follow the code of the Knights,” she said, a slow smile coming to her face.
Yggdrasil growled. “Do you rejoice in my dishonor, traitor?”
ENOUGH, Mao Shin Mao said. YOU LIVE BY THE WILL OF THESE HUMANS, YGGDRASIL. IF ONE OF ERIC'S POKEGIRLS HAD TAKEN THE INITIATIVE WHILE YOU WERE REGENERATING, YOU WOULD BE DEAD BY NOW. HONOR THE CODE OF OUR CLAN, MADAME YGGDRASIL, AND RETURN TO THE ROUNDTABLE. EARN YOUR TITLE ONCE MORE.
Yggdrasil fumed for a few more moments, and then took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She hated this entire situation. She hated that she had lost her shield.
And more than that, she hated that her mistress was right.
She stood up again, and glared at Anya. “You planned this. You knew Eric would follow the moment he found out about the girl's mission.”
Anya nodded, sighing. “I was hoping he would, at least. I knew that Tina couldn't let this go. And I know from when I was his enemy that Eric never leaves a man behind.”
“...I was bested by a GAMBLE,” Yggdrasil spat, even more disgusted now.
Anya just nodded.
Mao Shin Mao turned her terrifying eyes to Anya. YOU LEFT US BECAUSE YOU DISAGREED WITH WHAT WE WERE DOING. YOU FELT OUR ACTIONS WERE REPUGNANT.
Anya nodded. “Yes, my lady... I could not bear what I was becoming...”
Mao Shin Mao frowned sadly. IT IS TRUE THAT WE HAVE DONE TERRIBLE THINGS. IT IS TRUE THAT WILL WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO. BUT TO PROTECT OUR KIND FROM HUMANITY, WE MUST CONTINUE EVEN UNTO OUR OWN DAMNATION. WE ARE THE DAUGHTERS OF ISCARIOT, THE LIMBEC KNIGHTS. YOU, ANYA, HAVE BETRAYED US TO SIDE WITH THE HUMANS. YOU ARE OUR ENEMY.
Anya nodded, sighing sadly. “I knew that going out, my lady. But for the sake of my own honor, I could not stay with the Knights. I have found happiness with this Tamer and her comrades. I have found a purpose that feels truly fulfilling. I will not give that up.”
Mao Shin Mao smiled softly, the Ebony Tigress's voice betraying no emotion, her expression betraying her sadness. SO BE IT.
“What of me, my lady?” Mitsuki asked, her voice weak and wavering.
Mao Shin Mao's gaze turned sad as she looked at Mitsuki. YOU, LOST CHILD. YOU KNEW NOTHING BUT SUFFERING SINCE YOU BECAME ONE OF OUR KIND. YOU FOUND BRIEF HAPPINESS, BUT IT WAS NOT WITH US. WHEN ANYA LEFT US, YOU BECAME AS A GHOST, LOST AND WANDERING. THAT HAS LED TO THIS SMALL ACT OF BETRAYAL YOU HAVE COMMITTED TONIGHT. I AM SORRY, BUT I MUST UPHOLD YGGDRASIL'S DISMISSAL. YOU ARE OUR ENEMY.
Mitsuki just closed her eyes, tears streaming from her good eye and her ruined one. Anya staggered to her feet and went over to hug her, the Kunoichi leaning into the Psi-Dyke's arms.
Mao Shin Mao nodded, turning to Eric. YOU HAVE CLAIMED VICTORY THIS DAY. COLLECT YOUR PRIZE AND LEAVE AT ONCE. THUS SPEAKS THE PENDRAGON, MAO SHIN MAO.
The image vanished in a wave of darkness. The former Madame Yggdrasil just stared at her ruined shield, and snarled. “Take the command boards and go. I will order my people to leave you alone.”
Eric blinked. “You're actually upholding her decree?”
Yggdrasil fixed him with a murderous glare. “I will not sacrifice my honor for anyone's sake. Especially not yours, King of the Monsters.”
And with that, she stalked off into the surviving forest of the grotto, vanishing amidst the trees with as much dignity as she could muster.
Tina began to chuckle, a manic sound of disbelief and relief. “We... We did it... We actually did it!”
Eric stared at Yggdrasil's retreating form. Next time, he thought. “Yeah... Yeah we did. I hate to admit it, but you done good kid,” he said, turning to Anya. “You know what we need out of that thing?”
Anya nodded. Eric sighed. “Then let's go,” he said, “I want to get out of here before it goes to wherever the hell Camelot is...”
=============
Later...
Tech Hunters HQ...
===============
Tina lay in a hospital bed, slowly recuperating from her injuries. She sighed, idly staring out into space, unable to bring herself to do anything else. She thought about everything that had happened...
Life was a lot more complicated than she had originally thought. She had joined the Tech Hunters to try and avoid the roughneck lifestyle of an Adventurer-class Tamer while still feeling like she was doing something with her life. But in the short time she had been a part of them, she had seen friends slaughtered, a childhood playmate and the love of his life brutally murdered and eaten, and found herself prisoner of the most vicious Pokégirls on the planet.
“What will you do, then?” Anya said. Tina blinked, turning towards the door. Her Pokégirls, fully healed after their injuries from the Jourmungand Raid, as it was being called. Daimonji teased her ruthlessly about it, but all in good nature. Christine was unhappy that she had gone off on her own, but respected her for coming back alive, and for her reasons for doing it. And Kurgan... Kurgan still treated her about the same. But she could tell that he had a bit more respect for her.
(He did, however, promise that if she ever had any of her Pokégirls pull mind tricks on him again, he'd eviscerate her himself.)
Molly immediately ran to Tina and hugged her, happily licking her face. Tatiana sauntered in, chuckling and sitting down next to her. Mitsuki, who had joined Tina's harem on Anya's suggestion and Eric's approval, stayed with Anya, hugging her arm. She was still sad about being declared a traitor to the Knights, but was much more content now that she and Anya were together again. Anya herself simply leaned against the doorway, smiling.
“What will you do?” Anya asked again, “At this point, no one would blame you if you backed out now. You've been through a lot. We all have.”
Tina sighed, and hugged Molly, the Boobgle crawling into bed with her. “I... I'm gonna stay on,” Tina said after a moment. “I was scared shitless throughout the whole thing, yeah, but... I want to see more. I want to learn more. I honored my friend's memory, and now... And now I want to continue. It'll be rough... But I just feel that I can't stop now. If I did...”
“Then everything that's happened would be for nothing,” Anya finished.
“I won't ask any of you to follow,” Tina said, smiling weakly.
Molly wurfed. “No need to ask. Molly follow. Molly love Mistress.”
“I am your yojimbo now,” Mitsuki said, “I will protect you to the end.”
Tatiana chuckled. “I'm with you, girly. Just... don't go rushing so fast into the jaws of death. It didn't hit me until AFTER this whole mess how close we were to death... But I can see where you're comin' from...”
Anya chuckled, shaking her head. “You... You've lost a lot of innocence this past couple days,” she said. “But with that comes a greater understanding. I will be there to help you understand, as I hope you will help me...”
Tina smiled. “We stand together then.”
Down the hall, Kurgan and Eric listened in. “What do you think?” Eric asked, smiling softly.
Kurgan shook his head. “The kid's got moxie, I'll admit that much. To still want to keep going after facing down both a Madame and Mao Shin Mao herself... Then again, a lot of dead Tamers had moxie as well...”
Eric chuckled. “I know. But still... I think she'll make it.”
Kurgan snorted. “Maybe. We'll see. But if tonight is any indication, you may be right.”
THE END