Madoka looked through her bag as they walked, making sure to keep one hand dragging Sayaka's cart, "… We're running low on those speech potions Aia gave us." she muttered. They'd learned a bit of Cyrodillic working for Aia and Bren, but a week or two was not enough time to master a language, magical enhancements or not, and right now they still depended on outside assistance. They'd intended to ration it to only when they were nearing a town, but as they'd soon found out they were constantly running into small villages and settlements the whole way. Stonehills, Windward, Snowwatch…
It had been six days since they'd left Frost Creek. They'd reached the city of Morthal by mid-afternoon on the first day and had decided to keep going, eventually making it to the main road by nightfall where they'd found a nice rock outcropping to sleep under. The second day was where the promised snows had begun, and while they'd been lucky not to have been caught in any blizzards, there was by now an inch or two of snow blanketing the ground and pine trees that littered the region. The girls were really glad for the wolf fur cloaks Aia had given them.
The terrain hadn't been dense enough with trees to really be called a forest, but it was also more clustered than open plains. It was definitely far more scenic than the swamp had been, especially since the road found itself flanking a rather impressive range of mountains to the south.
This trip had also been Mami and Madoka's first real taste of Skyrim's night sky; the twin moons that orbited this planet (both of which were far larger in the sky than Earth's moon), as well as the vibrant auroras that dominated after sunset. Mami in particular had never seen northern lights outside of a book and had been mesmerized; Madoka had, obviously, but the memories were faded and warped, as if they were a memory of a memory at this point.
… Madoka was really enjoying it actually, though she'd be hard-pressed to admit it. She could feel the soft crinkle of the fresh snow under her boots, the muffled silence a snowfall brought. She could feel a cold nip in the air, the cold wind that made her shiver. She could feel the pull of the cart behind her, the mild frustration of each time it got caught in a rut. After literal eons, she was real, present, and here. She could feel, and listen, and talk. She could be.
Madoka wondered if this was how her mom felt on the extremely rare occasion she had ever gotten a day off. She giggled inwardly, then stopped when she realized.
… Was it worth the cost? Was it worth the dead?
"We'll be fine," Mami said, not completely confident in her words and ignorant of Madoka's train of thought, "I'm sure the College will be able to resupply us."
"If we make it there before then," Madoka replied, pulling herself back to the present as she put one of the remaining vials back in her pack, "We reach Dawnstar tomorrow, right?" she asked, looking up at the sky. The sun wasn't quite setting yet, but it was definitely late afternoon.
"According to the map." Mami said, pulling it back out as they kept walking, "We passed Windward about an hour ago, so… yes. We might actually be able to reach it tonight if we wanted to just keep going. I don't know how I feel about hiking at night though."
Madoka agreed, not relishing the idea, "Better safe than sorry."
Mami nodded, putting the map away again, "Tomorrow it is then" she glanced back at Madoka, "You've been carrying Sayaka for a few hours now. Do you want to switch?"
Madoka shook her head with a thin smile, "I'm fine, but thanks."
"If you're sure…" Mami said, leaving the offer open.
"Perhaps we could take her off your hands." came the voice of an old woman. The girls turned to the source; a figure stepped out from behind a tree.
She was not an old woman. The creature was six, maybe seven feet tall with pale, unhealthy skin. She was seemingly malnourished; frail, yet still somehow powerful. Instead of feet she had giant bird claws, and her fingers were long and bladed like curved daggers. Her face was twisted and birdlike, and she was unkempt and scantily clad, wearing only rotten scraps of mismatched leather which were not flattering. Madoka and Mami instinctively stepped back as the creature blocked the road.
"Who are you?" Mami asked, drawing her sword as she instantly switched into combat mode, "… what are you?"
"Are these the ones?" another old lady, almost birdlike, voice asked from behind. Madoka looked behind her and saw two more bird women taking up the road behind them, "They seem… disappointing."
"Positive," said the third as Madoka pulled her bow out, "What he wants with such infants I can't say, though they do radiate something strange…" She was more birdlike than the other two; snow white in color, with feathers extending from her forearms in a halfwing.
Mami and Madoka tensed up and closed ranks as the three assailants began to move in.
"Come dearies, we won't hurt you if you cooperate." the first bird-lady said.
"I'm afraid we're going to have to decline," Mami said, pointing her sword at the first creature as if daring her to approach, "Back away."
The second one squawked in amusement as Madoka trained her bow at her, "However, we will hurt you if you don't. We only need your soul gems; your bodies are expendable."
A cold chill went down both girls' spines; these bird-women knew. Madoka's eyes instinctively went to the ring on her finger, still clutching her bow.
"Last chance, little girls. It would be a shame to mar those pretty faces." the first creature crowed as she brandished her talons threateningly. Neither ex-magical girl moved from their spot.
"Please, we don't want to fight," Madoka said, trying a last-ditch effort at diplomacy even though deep down she knew it wouldn't work. Destroying witches was one thing, but killing living, breathing people was entirely different from putting down tortured, shattered ghosts. Madoka had done it before; in fact that girl was now standing back to back with her, but it wasn't something the pinkette relished the thought of doing again.
"Madoka," Mami said quietly, drawing the other girl back to the present. Madoka nodded in affirmation.
"If you didn't want to fight, you should have surrendered," the first bird-lady said and then called to her sisters, "Preserve the gems! Let the flesh fall where it may!"
The bird-women rushed in from all sides, and Madoka loosed her first arrow.