48. Campaign 6- Hollow Victories

"I'm sorry, mama!" Antonio declared, looking up at her with big wet eyes. "I tried to leave! I really did! But my friend got scared by the fire-"

"It's okay, sweetheart," Pepa said, running her hands along his face, assuring herself that he was okay. "I know you didn't mean to." And she did. After raising Camilo and having to deal with concealing her own emotions Pepa had developed a knack for knowing when someone was lying to her. In this case she knew in the very depths of her heart that Antonio was telling the truth.

Antonio smiled weakly at that before his eyes went wide. "When did Tio Agustin get a gift?!"

Pepa looked back to see her brother-in-law thrusting a wooden staff at the hollow dragon, a swarm of bees attacking her. The insects looked… odd though. They were each the size of kitchen chairs and their wings glowed and sparkled like glitter poured in a glass. Their stings shouldn't have done much to the hollow dragon, considering its body was made up of casita's physical form, but wherever they stung the hollow dragon would roar and veins of magic raced from the puncture site.

"I'm… I'm not sure but I bet if we ask Mirabel about it she'll let us know."

Ernesto hurried over to them, a grimace on his face. "I'm sorry Pepa but… you need to leave Antonio for now." She blinked and the man sighed. "We need more rain. We thought we'd need to pull back, what with Dryft fighting-"

The newly ascended god let out a bellow before leaping into the air, clocking the hollow dragon in the jaw just as it had been moving in to try and snap at Antom. The blow sent it stumbling and then Luisa was on it, her new armor gleaming as she lashed out with twin fists right into its neck, cracking cement that it had shifted to try and protect its body.

"-and him not being able to heal," Ernesto continued. "But he's smart… he's casting a low level healing spell out… your rain-"

Pepa looked at the drizzle that was still coming down, then at her hands from where she had grabbed the lightning bolt. The burns were fading away; not as quick as with Juileta's food but it was still happening.

"Of course," she said, smiling at Antonio before looking at Ernesto. "Can you…?"

"I'll get him to the village and then return. Make sure Dolores or Julieta have him." He scooped the boy up. "You know… you remind me of a man I met. When he became enraged a curse would cause him to turn into a massive ogre. He figured out how to use the curse to his advantage. I asked him how, once… he told that it was his secret… he was always angry."

Pepa smiled at that. "We are not the same though." She thrust her arms out and the winds whirled around her, lighting slamming into the gorund as the storm once more grew larger. "I'm not angry… I'm passionate!"

And with that she leapt forward back into the fray.

~MC~MC~MC~

Abuela had tried to kill Antonio.

That thought rattled in Isabella's brain, bouncing about like a rubber ball, only it gained more speed as time went by.

Abuela had tried to kill Antonio.

Little Antonio… who had never judged her. Never expected her to be perfect. Who had also complimented her but not about the stuff other people did. He told her she was smart because she helped him with problems. He told her she was funny because she'd make comments about the family and even though she meant them to be insults he hadn't understood and just thought she was making jokes. Thought she was special… because she was his prima.

And Abuela… had tried to kill him.

Isabella trembled.

"No more," she hissed as she shut her eyes and took hold of her gift. She didn't coax it to work. She didn't force it to either. She merely held onto it and mentally hissed, "now" and her gift responded.

The ground around her rippled and bucked and suddenly she was rising in the air. She felt grass wrap around her, feather soft and thick so that no blow could hurt her. She felt the vines press into her skin, burrowing into her flesh and muscles but it didn't hurt… no. It was like she'd gone her entire life with her arm asleep and suddenly she could wiggle her fingers again. She felt the wood grow around her as she rose, hard as steel.

And then she opened her eyes and she wasn't looking through her own sockets but ones the size of the dining room table, filled with amber. She looked down at her huge wooden fingers, flexing them before reaching up and brushing some rose vines off her brow like she did with strands of loose hair. A massive bare foot slammed down into the earth as Isabella rolled her shoulders, a smirk forming on her lips as she saw the hollow dragon wasn't that big anymore… in fact it rather looked like a bear to her now.

She paused only to reach down and grab Ulika, placing her on her shoulder before she rushed forward, driving her knee into the hollow dragon and sending it sputtering.

"Hold on, okay?" she asked, her voice louder and deeper than it had been before, echoing through her constructed form.

"…yes, though I am having some rather interesting ideas form," the orc woman admitted, looking down. Isabella mimicked her and realized she'd forgotten to make herself a dress.

Oh well.

~MC~MC~MC~

"I swear," Felix said, watching as the 30 foot tall nude wooden titaness that was his niece decked the dragon that was his mother-in-law, "sometimes it feels like certain people's gifts aren't fair at all."

Dryft, for his part, pulled himself from the crater he'd made upon crashing down after an attack and shook his head. "Oh, are we allowed to do that now?"

"Do what-" Felix began only for him to leap back as the capricorn's flesh rippled and bubbled before turning into water, revealing that rather than normal bones his skeleton was made of onyx. The form began to swell in the rain as he rose up, the waters swirling along the enlarging skull and bones, before solidifying into a watery 'skin' as he reached Isabella's height. "What the-"

"Oh… Dryft discovered his Godly Form," Nocci said dryly. "Not as big as his mother and father's…"

"Hi," Dryft said politely to the hollow dragon, "I'm Dryft. This is Isabella." The wooden giantess smirk. "We're gonna beat you up now, okay?"

The hollow dragon actually tilted its head before the two giants slammed into it.

"You know," Nocci stated, "I'm willing to bet if Camilo focused he could-"

"No!" Felix exclaimed. "Two giants are enough!"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Is it just me or is Isa a bit more… busty than normal?" Mirabel asked as she watched her sister's giant wooden form grab onto the hollow dragon, trying to lock it in place while Dryft drove his watery fist into its mouth in an attempt to drown its fires.

"THAT is what you are focused on?" Luisa complained.

"Well, I mean…" Mirabel waved at their sister, "I mean I know she was pretty but… that's curvier than I remember. Granted she didn't do the bath with us… maybe she will now, as she seems more relaxed-"

"Mira, focus!" Luisa complained. "Is this really what we should be thinking about?" Luisa asked as she reached up and adjusted her helm.

Mirabel frowned, waving in the direction of their sister. "I mean... okay, so I know I'm not a traditional beauty. Sure, there are plenty of people that have looked a little bit too long at me but its not like I am having princes race in on their horses to sweep me off my feet. And... okay, I'm trying to be as polite as possible but you aren't a traditional beauty either. And that's okay!" Mirabel quickly waved her hands about. "I mean, clearly Isa likes her women muscular and I know there are plenty of men that do too. It's just..." She reached up and adjusted her glasses, Luisa turning her gaze towards Isabella's wooden giantess form as she leapt over the hollow dragon before kicking it hard in the gut. "You have to admit it gives one a bit of a complex when our sister who was already beautiful decides to become a 30 foot tall naked nature giantess with even BIGGER chichis that normal! I mean... come on!"

The sisters winced as the hollow dragon whipped out its tail, slamming it into Dryft and sending him crashing down before it unleashed a glut of flames at Isabella, causing her form to begin to burn. She didn't seem in pain, which was a relief, but the rains could only do so much and already they saw cracks and fissures forming in the wood.

"I'm going to try and help her... it will be like fixing one of my babies... if they were huge and made of wood and half on fire." Mirabel hopped back onto her jaguar and took off.

Luisa was about to join her when Saharah landed next to her, wings spread wide and smoke coming from her mouth.

"Are you alright?" Luisa asked.

The dragonborn bard nodded. "Just frustrated. We can't figure out that stupid book."

"The one abuela used?" Luisa asked.

"Yeah. I had to get away from it before it frustrated me-" There was a whooooosh! and Luisa blinked at the book in question flew into her hands. "...fuck you Anton I said I needed a moment to think!"

"We don't have a moment and I need both my hands!" Anton shouted as he began to cast spells rapidly, trying to assist the other fights. Nocci was firing off spells of his own while Gahoole was doing something with one of her swords to try and power it up.

"Damn it all!" Saharah complained. "We've tried everything! We need a mage to translate it!"

Luisa frowned, flipping open the first page. "I can translate it."

"Maybe a spell or something that will reveal the language or bring us someone that can read it!"

"I can read it. 'The War Mage's Guide To Spells And Curses, Vol 4, written by Pe...' okay that is smudged, can't read it..."

"We could..." Saharah paused, blinking in confusion before looking at Luisa. "What?"

"I can read it. It's the War Mage-"

"HOW?!" The dragonborn screamed, flapping her arms about.

"It's in Portuguese. Abuela taught everyone it along with Spanish."

"...fucking hell I'll take it!" Saharah snatched the book and began to leaf through it. "Okay... so..." she let out a steady stream of purple flames from her mouth as she went through the tome before suddenly stopping, the flames going to orange just before she sucked them back in. "Okay, according to the detection spell this was the last thing that was cast. What does it say?"

Luisa hefted up the book. "Let's see... 'Spell Of True Self. Used to reveal the true nature of a being. One pays homage to Taoroinai', did I pronounce that right?"

"Trickster god, of course. Alma probably didn't read that far. What does it say about the cost and backlash?"

"Let's see..." Luisa studied the book carefully. "Okay, so according to this if proper payment isn't made then the caster will have their form altered to reflect the trait that they are most known for by those around them. Only by getting them to abandon that trait can the curse be lifted." She frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means I have the answer though I have no fucking idea how we'll do it. GAHOOLE!"

The owlkin disengaged from the fight and flew to them. "She keeps getting stronger. Dryft alone should have put her down by now but she's beginning to overpower him. Isabella is channeling so much power right now she could end up ascending herself… this fight just keeps going though."

"That's because of the curse," Saharah said, pointing at the book. "According to this Alma's trait, the one she is most known for, was used to craft her altered form. What is she known for?"

"Being stubborn? Pig headed? Spiteful?"

"Protecting the image of the family," Luisa commented.

Saharah blinked before rubbing her brow. "Of course. Of-fucking-course."

Gahoole frowned at that. "So we need to get her to break out of that trait." The hollow dragon suddenly lunged forward, blasting out flames in front of her, and Isabella's giantess form shattered apart into kindling, Ulika grabbing the eldest of the Madrigal grandchildren out of mid air. The two landed and Ulika began to run as the Hollow dragon began to savagely attack the remains of the wooden construct. "But how? She's trying to kill her own family!"

"Because we are threats to the family," Mirabel stated, riding her jaguar up to them. "In her mind the image of the family, how we should be seen by the village, is more important than even ourselves."

"She drove Isabella to starve herself, gave most of the family emotional distress," Anton rattled off while Nocci fired on the hollow dragon. "And she doesn't see what she is doing as wrong… she sees it as protecting the Madrigal family… even from itself."

"Then how do we stop her?"

Mirabel swallowed. "I have an idea… but I need a promise from all of you."

"And what's that?"

"No matter what happens… don't interfere."

~MC~GF~MC~GF~

The hollow dragon was just getting stronger.

No matter what any of them threw at it the creature seemed to adapt and alter itself, growing in strength to counter their attacks. Even Dryft taking on his godly form wasn't enough anymore and he was finding himself being driven back by the beast, unable to launch an offensive attack as the fires grew hotter and the hollow dragon's strikes more fearsome. Members of his party winced, thankful that in his altered state he had water and stone for a body rather than flesh and blood; if he'd had the latter he'd have died by now.

But living and winning weren't the same things. Not by a long shot.

They weren't fighting to win. They were fighting to survive, to stall. And even that was touch and go.

The Madrigals and the Party couldn't even say it was a relief when Mirabel finally began to march forward onto the battle field. She had made them swear that they wouldn't interfere, invoking every promise she could from each of them. To swear on the things that mattered or the most sacred of their beliefs or to gods who would not look kindly to them breaking their promise. She had forged shackles out of promises and now they were all trapped, watching her move alone towards the hollow dragon.

"Hello abuela!" Mirabel called out. She'd left her armor behind, her hammer as well. Removed her goggles and the rest of her gear. All she had was a piece of parchment rolled up under her arm. She walked towards the hollow dragon utterly defenseless… and that caused the creature to pause. "So… of all the ways I saw my trip back home ending this certainly wasn't one I imagined." She chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Bet you didn't see it ending this way either."

The hollow dragon snarled.

"I know… I know. I'm… a disappointment. The Madrigal that doesn't fit. The one you wish would just disappear. I kept hoping if I pretended not to notice how you were treating me that you'd get the hint and go back to the abuela that I remember." Her smile fell. "That wasn't going to happen, I guess. You just couldn't ever accept who I was. If I couldn't be the Mirabel you had dreamed of them I wasn't really Mirabel at all. Or… or maybe Mirabel didn't deserve to exist in the first place." She paused, taking a deep breath. "So… I'm not going to fight you anymore. You want me gone? Okay. And… I don't mean me leaving. I mean gone… permanently."

The hollow dragon tensed.

"This isn't a trick, I promise you. I made everyone swear not to interfere." And while she didn't look back at them Mirabel could feel her family and the party staring at her, hating that she'd forced them not to rush forward and save her. That she'd forced them to witness her own death. "Burn me up. I'm ready."

The monster narrowed its eyes.

Mirabel did nothing.

The hollow dragon allowed flames to begin dancing around its teeth, its entire posture screaming of its pleasure to FINALLY destroy the girl that had ruined the Madrigal family.

"I am ready," Mirabel repeated. "I am ready for your judgment. For I am… Mirabel Madrigal… "

The hollow dragon reared back, taking in a deep breath-

-and froze as Mirabel unrolled the parchment, revealing a familiar portrait.

"…nieta of Pedro Madrigal," she said in a firm voice. "His blood flows through my veins. You taught us all that it was his sacrifice that saved us all and allowed us to have the lives we live. That we carry on his spirit and his memory. That every day we live we do so because he could not. So do it, abuela… destroy me." Mirabel narrowed her eyes and held up her abuelo's painting. "Destroy your esposo's family. Destroy his nieta… who he never got to see but who he gave his life for all the same. Who carries his blood and his spirit with her. Do it."

The hollow dragon roared.

Mirabel didn't move.

The fires swirled in the dragon's mouth… and then it dropped its head to the ground, sending mud splash all over.

Everyone watched as pieces of Casita rained down into the muck, tumbling into puddles or muddy holes, tipping and falling. The rains continued to fall as the hollow dragon collapsed onto itself until finally, standing in the wreckage, was Alma Madrigal, her tears mingling with the rain.

"…I'm sorry," Alma whispered before turning ready to run, unable to face them.

She got one step before Mirabel caught her by the wrist.

"I think… we've all run away long enough," she said.

Alma didn't not fight her as she led her away from the rubble… and towards those that loved them.