The Rat Queen

Following the deaths of Adam Gray and Ava, the battle soon ended with the Imperials routing the remaining Republican forces. While there were few Imperial deaths, more than half of their troops were now too injured to fight.

The death of Kaiser and Akira brought great sadness to the Imperials, but the time for mourning was later. Right now they had to ensure this war ended for good.

Felix eyed the legislative building. That’s where President Lily Aranea should be. Once they captured her, she’d be forced to sign a peace treaty.

***

Lily watched in fury as the imps approached the legislative building. She pulled her secretary close to her and yelled at the top of her lungs, “Go tell Dr. Argent to release Project Regina right now!”

“Y-yes, ma’am!” She replied obediently and scurried off.

The army drew closer. Lily felt her wrath grow even more. The Republic was hers. Nobody else's.

***

“You know, this place is actually pretty nice,” Felix commented as he walked onto the grounds of the legislative building.

“It’s not quite my cup of tea.” Velvet responded.

However, the entire army paused as a rumbling was heard in the distance. It was difficult to describe, loud, irregular thumps, almost like some kind of sluggish stampede.

As everyone listened closely, the noise quickly got louder and louder. Something was approaching, and it was approaching fast.

“Take defensive positions!” Felix commanded.

The first sign of it was the crumbling of buildings and the massive dust clouds that followed. The destruction came closer and closer until eventually it revealed itself.

It was a horrifying sight. It couldn’t even be called a monster. Even calling it an abomination was too kind.

Hundreds of doll heads, legs, and arms, were all combined into a gigantic mass, all pulling away in their own directions, like a fly trying to escape honey.

However, it seemed to possess some kind of will as it started bolting directly towards Felix and Velvet.

Guttural screams came from each of the countless heads as it jumped up and slammed down, attempting to crush Felix and Velvet.

However, they dodged in just the nick of time.

“What the hell is that thing!?”

“Impossible!” Velvet breathed heavily, staring at it in pure terror. “It’s… It’s…” If she could throw up, she would’ve. “It’s made out of hundreds of living dolls, and I can hear each one crying out!”

This was Project Regina, nicknamed the Rat Queen. It was the result of several experiments to unlock the secrets of living dolls, the goal being to create the ultimate living doll. Of course, this experiment had gone horribly wrong.

The Rat Queen charged at them again. Felix only barely managed to dodge while Velvet flew away and launched a barrage of spells at it, each one causing almost no damage.

However, the Rat Queen kept going, barrelling into a group of men and dolls.

“My spells barely scratched it!”

“This is bad!” he said to Velvet before turning around and addressing the army, “Everyone, keep your distance and focus your fire on that thing!”

His orders were followed, but it was like a runaway train, completing bulldozing all in its path.

The spells and gunfire were doing some damage, but there were so many layers of dolls that it was ultimately negligible.

As the fight continued, Felix began losing hope. They couldn’t keep this up forever, and everyone was already exhausted from the previous battle.

The Rat Queen lunged at Felix, and as he went to dodge, he tripped over the uneven footing. He slammed into the ground and looked up, the monster was practically right on top of him. He could see each and every detail. Each face was contorted in an expression of pure agony, each arm groped and jittered, and their bodies were cracked and filthy.

“Felix!” Velvet cried out, watching in horror at what looked to be Felix’s last moments.

But just as the monster was about to crush him, he was blown out of the way, far off to the side by an inexplicable gust of wind.

It came as a shock, but Felix recognized this wind. He looked over and saw them.

“Felix!” It was Suzie.

“I’m only here because Suzie dragged me!” And Katie, the one who casted the life-saving spell.

Felix smiled as he got up. “Thanks guys.”

“I’m just glad we made it in time.” Suzie said.

But the Rat Queen was already back on its feet, now targeting Velvet. She jumped back, preparing to dodge, but before she did, it was rebuffed by a burst of fire.

“Sorry I’m late Velvet!” It was Fyra.

“We got sidetracked by some logistical matters.” Nathan was right beside her.

Felix and Velvet, now back together, looked at each other and nodded.

“All right, everybody, let’s do this!” Felix yelled out. Addressing his friends, he said, “It has to have some kind of weakness! It’s being held together with some kind of magic, right? Then there needs to be a magical device somewhere in there, like a core or something!”

“That would make sense, actually.” Suzie replied. “How can we expose something like that, though!?”

“I’ll burn through its body with Ignis!” Fyra pumped her fists.

“No way, your fire can’t get hot enough.” Nathan promptly replied.

Katie jumped in. “With my help it can. Using my ability, Aer, I can shoot oxygen right into her flames, increasing the heat!”

Nathan thought about it. “That might work, actually…”

Fyra punched the air. “Let’s do it!”

“All right, you guys burn away the body!” Felix turned to Velvet. “Once the core gets exposed, you’ll go in and destroy it, all right?”

She nodded. “All right.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Felix called out, sending everybody into action.

Fyra created some distance and used her ability, Ignis, to create a giant fire pillar. “Take this!” It burned, but the damage was minimal.

“My turn.” Katie used Aer, blowing oxygen right into the fire pillar, turning it into what looked like a sun.

It was incredibly bright, nearly blinding, and so hot that it felt like an oven even from several yards away.

However, the Rat Queen’s body was finally starting to burn away. Only a little bit, right in the center where the heat was most concentrated, but what soon became visible was some kind of glowing green crystal.

Felix pointed. “Right there! That has to be the core!”

“Got it!” Velvet drew her sword and rushed in as Fyra and Katie cancelled their attack. The beast sent its monstrous limbs flying at her, but she dodged each one. She landed on the Rat Queen and grabbed on, using her other hand to drive her blade right down into the core.

Every head on the monster let out a blood-curdling scream in unison, but Velvet didn’t stop, she took out her sword and drove it in again, eliciting another even worse scream.

But the Rat Queen didn’t just take this. It withdrew into itself, covering Velvet in its mass.

“Velvet!” Felix cried out as she disappeared underneath the layers of doll parts.

The Rat Queen’s screams became louder and louder. It began shaking uncontrollably like it was having a seizure.

Its shaking, its screams, it just kept getting worse and worse until suddenly, it stopped. It went completely still, completely silent.

Felix took a cautious step forward. Is it dead? He thought.

His question was answered when the Rat Queen exploded, sending out shockwaves and countless heads, legs, arms, and torsos flying everywhere.

It was over. The monster, the most terrifying thing that anyone present had ever seen, was vanquished.

But where was Velvet?

“Velvet!” Felix trudged through the remains, stepping over the bodies off the dolls, desperately looking for Velvet, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Velvet!” He called out again. She had to have lived, there’s no way she could’ve died. Not like Edea or Akira or Ava…

He felt tears start to form. It just couldn’t be true…

He tore through piles of doll parts, hopelessly searching. “Velvet…!”

But no matter how many piles he searched, she just wasn’t there.

“No…! This can’t be happening…!” The tears were streaming down his face.

“Velvet!” he cried out before falling onto his hands and knees.

“Velvet…” The ground was becoming wet beneath him.

“What’s wrong, Felix?”

That voice… Could it be!?

Felix turned around and saw her. “Velvet, you’re alive!” He pulled her into a tight hug.

“Of course I’m alive.” She tilted her head. “I have Aegis, remember? I wasn’t in any real danger in there.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, of course…” He nuzzled into her.

“Aw, what a touching scene.” Suzie had sauntered in.

“Hmph.” Katie was right behind her. “Maybe you’re not so bad after all…” she mumbled.

“That was amazing, Velvet!” Fyra jumped over. “You totally destroyed that thing!”

“Well, it looks like the war really is over this time.” Nathan tried to get things back on track. “We’d best find Lily Aranea. We need her to sign a peace treaty.”

“I don’t believe that will be necessary.”

The group turned around only to see Mia, the head maid of the Black Palace, and with her was a tied up Lily Aranea.

“Mia!?” Felix was surprised to say the least. “What are you doing here!? And why do you have Aranea with you!?”

“I believed that my assistance would come in useful.” She gestured towards Aranea. “I pray that you agree, Master Felix?”

“Well, I suppose. Thank you, Mia.”

She bowed deep. ”You are very welcome.”

With slow, deliberate steps, Felix walked up to Lily.

She looked up at him in abject fear. “Please!” she begged. “Please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything, please!” The once proud Lily Aranea, President of the New Republic was now beaten, broken, and groveling for mercy.

Felix and the rest all smirked. A favorable peace treaty was guaranteed.