'Philip Wittebane is Emperor Belos.'
Flint awoke with a gasp, his eyes shooting open as he stumbled along the ground. He looked down at his hands on the ground, noticing their sharp appearance. He breathed heavily, his mind still reeling from everything he had learned.
'I'm a Titan hybrid.' Flint remembered. Did this make him some kind of prophet of sorts? Chosen one? No. He was Flint, that's it. He couldn't handle all this. This was all too much for him. Stopping Belos, saving the latest grimwalker, and figuring out how to free the Collector- it's all too overwhelming!
Flint idly analyzed the room around him. At some point, he had been moved to his and Luz's room. It was morning, yet he saw no trace of either King or Luz sleeping in the room the previous night. He must've slept weird, though, because the stiffness made him feel like he'd been asleep for months.
Flint took some deep breaths as he rolled onto his back and tried to calm his rising heart rate. "What am I supposed to do?" Flint asked no one in particular.
"About what?" Flint heard, turning to see Gray looking at his from the nearby table.
Flint sighed. "You wouldn't get it."
Gray stared at him for a bit. "Maybe. Maybe not. How am I supposed to know unless you spill the beans?"
Flint huffed as he got to his feet and stretched. He had to be careful with stretching out his wings to make sure he didn't knock anything over, and it felt weird having his fingers become claws, it felt like his nails had been stretched the whole way down his fingers. Thanks to the dip in Eclipse Lake, it seemed like the Titan's Blood had calcified and merged with him to complete his new form, so he wasn't dealing with any lasting pain. It helped physically, but only to an extent.
He glanced up briefly at the magic ball coalescing in the space between his horns. With a quick thought, the ball dispersed, making the lighting around return to normal.
"Yeah, that little light show was the reason neither your little brother nor girlfriend wanted to stick around last night. Well, that and they didn't wanna accidentally wake you," Gray revealed as he landed at the tallest point of Flint's right horn.
Flint hummed in acknowledgment as he walked down out the door and headed downstairs. He saw Luz curled up in her sleeping bag on the couch with King poking out by her neck, and Stringbean laying on her face in the form of a sleep mask. He smiled at the sight of them. They all looked so peaceful…so he proceeded to walk into the kitchen. What? Were you expecting he'd wake up Luz abruptly? Of course not. If he did that, he'd disturb Stringbean and King's sleep. Plus, he already got his payback when searching for the right timepool. He never did say which cheeks, after all.
Falling into a rhythm, Flint elected to make breakfast. Tomorrow they'd be back at school for the club fair, so he needed to get some things done today and the sooner he ate the sooner he could get to it.
Flint walked over and turned the stove on, the flame lighting it as it heated up. He went over to grab some ingredients, but he paused when he saw himself in the nearby reflection. He looked in the reflection and glanced down, holding his hands up and taking in every detail he could. The way the air felt across the bony claws and fur, to flexing his hands while glyphs glowed dimly across it. He frowned.
'It feels right, yet not at the same time. I assume I'll get used to it with time, but…' Flint trailed off internally, his thoughts running rampant as he got lost in them, trying to sift through the influx of new information Sov had provided him with.
"Dude, are you okay? You've been staring at your hands for like, five minutes," Gray chirped from his perch. Why did Flint have the nagging feeling this was going to be a thing now?
"I'm just…I've got a lot of things on my mind." Flint excused, as he resumed making breakfast.
Gray stared down at him for a bit. "Uh-huh. Look, just remember you've got people you can talk to, 'kay?" Gray stated.
Flint scoffed. "Oh yes, because they can totally understand the shit I'm dealing with."
"Dealing with what?" Luz's voice caused Flint to jolt as he turned to see her standing in the doorway with a concerned look on her face. Idly, he also felt Stringbean curling around his left horn and poking her head up over it.
"…things," Flint said, not wanting to unload his worries onto her. He watched her frown grow and he sighed. "Look, I don't really wanna talk about it yet."
"Well, what are you willing to talk about?" Luz offered.
King then appeared behind her and scuttled up his leg and eventually onto his shoulder. "Yeah! Come on bro, there's gotta be some cool Titan knowledge Dad told you about!" King said excitedly.
Flint continued cooking as he thought for a moment. "I suppose there is some neat stuff…like how to animate Jean-Luc and Louis." Flint grinned.
King's eyes widened. "Really?!"
"Sure. Could be useful as some extra security around here…and giving Hooty someone to ramble to while we're gone." Flint said.
King pumped his arms up excitedly before hopping off and back to the ground. Flint resumed making breakfast, but Luz lingered for a moment, looking at Flint with concern.
Scene change brought to you by Flint's horns covered in palisman. Bat Queen appears and stares intently at the horns. Flint stares at her and shakes his head, mouthing 'Don't you dare.'
Within the walls of the Emperor's Castle, Hunter could be in his room. On the bedside table, one of the gloves he'd been given on The Knee rested, its partner nowhere to be found. The boy's room was decorated with various nicknacks, including…a bizarre stuffed frog with a hat peeking out from behind his pillows? How the hell did he get that anyway? I thought-
[Oi! Don't bring it up!]
…Anyway, Flapjack could be seen flying over and perching on Hunter's right shoulder, looking on as the boy sat cross-legged on his bed, stitching something onto a brand-new-looking cloak.
"A new one?" The palisman asked.
"Yeah. Uncle said I had to look my best. I'm leading his coven now, so I can't just look unprofessional with a stained and ripped cloak." Hunter replied before pausing his stitching to scratch his chin. "Though I do wonder what he could need my old one for." Hunter pondered.
Flapjack seemed to hum. He thought it was a bit odd, too. He was just thankful Hunter managed to use that invisibility glyph to hide him from Belos. Flapjack looked down at Hunter's project. "Your patchwork looks a little rough," Flapjack commented.
On the back of the cloak, Hunter had been trying to attach a patch with the old Golden Guard sigil to it. It was…not the best, but not overtly awful at least. He'd managed to get some help from some coven scouts initially when making his Glyph Grafters. Thankfully, both of them had been kind and willing to help, and he learned some of the basics just in case. 'I should really thank Steve and Severine again for that.' Hunter thought to himself.
Hunter's thoughts were interrupted when a knock was heard on his door. Flapjack flew off to his hiding space as Hunter put the cloak down and headed over to answer the door. He was met with two coven guards standing outside. One of them passes a letter to him before dismissing themselves. Hunter turns from the door and opens the letter, one written in handwriting he knew very well. It was Belos'.
"'My duties are keeping me busy. I entrust you to lead the Coven Heads today. Consider this a test.'" Hunter smirks pridefully and lets off a hum.
Hunter dons his cloak and heads over to the throne room, just in time to see most of the Coven Heads coming out.
"Good. You're all here. We can get started-" They all walk past him without batting an eye. "Hey! Ugh! Wha- Where are you- Ugh! I said wait! Come back here!" Hunter demanded (childishly, I might add).
The Coven Heads continue ignoring his presence and walk out of sight, though Raine does stop briefly to turn and look at Hunter, but Terra pushes them and they walk away.
Hunter growled and pushed the doors open, walking into the throne room angrily as he saw Darius and Eberwolf looking at some scrolls.
"Darius! Eberwolf! Why is everyone leaving? We are scheduled to have a recruitment meeting." Hunter demanded.
Darius sighed and turned around to talk to Hunter with a sneer. "Good morning to you too, littleprince." Darius began as he rolled up the scroll he was holding. "We've decided to reschedule the meeting, so go play arts and crafts or...whatever it is you do." Darius waves him off dismissively, at least until he notices a stray piece of string from Hunter's cloak. "Oh. Looks like you've already started."
Darius' fashion senses (don't question it) had gone off, and he stretched his arms as abomination goo to grab Hunter's cloak and bring it to him, much to the boy's dismay.
Darius looked at the hand-sewn sigil and laughed at it. "This is…well, it's not horrendous, but it's still impressively bad. I'm embarrassed just looking at-" Darius' snickers paused as he recognized the symbol, his haughty expression becoming instantly serious. "Wait, is this the old Golden Guard sigil?"
Hunter was starting to get angry. "Of course it is! And this is no way to treat the Emperor's-"
"Nephew?" Darius said with an uncaring tone, eliciting a glare from the boy. "Don't know you if knew this, but I knew your predecessor. He was my mentor. One of the strongest witches I've ever known. But you..." Darius trailed off with a judging look.
Hunter fidgeted nervously. "But Belos says I don't need magic to serve the coven."
"I'll admit, what you did with those gloves was clever of you," Darius stated, getting a glimpse of excitement from Hunter. "However, you relied on the work of that phoenix brat to do so. You didn't earn them. And as far as I'm concerned, you don't deserve to wear that patch." Darius stated, still holding Hunter's cloak as he and Eberwolf walked past Hunter.
"Wait. What should I do? How do I... earn it?" Hunter asked, his tone oozing with desperation and insecurity.
Darius groans in exasperation as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, for Sov's sake. I- I don't know. Find new recruits for the Emperor's Coven? The best and the brightest witches in all the land. Then maybe, you can get this back." Darius threw him a bone, if only to get the brat off his back. He was getting annoyed at the boy preventing him from relaxing in his room.
"I'll do it." Hunter declared, his expression hardening.
Darius rolled his eyes. "Of course you will. You're very good at doing exactly what you're told." And with that, Darius finally left, letting the doors slam shut as Hunter's determination faltered.
Willow could be seen walking through the halls of Hexside excitedly. The hallways were adorned with banners reading 'CLUB FAIR TODAY!' Willow had been looking forward to this day, having been training since the grudgby match in preparation for today, looking to follow in her dads' footsteps in the sport of flyer derby, planning on using the fair to start a team for Hexside.
She hears talking around the corner and is met by Luz, Gus, and- wait, since when did Flint turn back to looking human? And what's that on his forehead? Wait is that- oh! He's wearing a concealment stone! 'I guess something must've happened over the weekend.' Willow thought.
"Hey, guys." Willow greeted them, getting the trio's attention.
"Hey, Willow!" Luz greeted her with her usual excitement.
Flint gave a two-finger wave. "Yo."
"Since when do you wear a concealment stone?" Willow asked.
Flint scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "I didn't wanna draw so much attention. Good news, though. My transformation is complete."
"How do you know?" Willow asked.
"I just do," Flint said quickly with a tinge of annoyance. He was met with a jab to his side courtesy of Luz, who gave him a reprimanding look. "Sorry. It's just…a lot happened the other day."
"It's cool. You can show us your new look when you're ready." Gus said.
Luz snorted. "That, and he's waiting to see Amity's reaction."
Willow immediately groaned, and she removed her glasses briefly to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Of course you are," Willow said exasperatedly. Willow swore that she was the only one in their friend group who didn'tactively seek chaos. "I suggest you have some tissues ready at least when you reveal it to her."
Flint and Luz tilted their heads in synchronized confusion. "Why's that?" They said.
"…Just do." Willow sighed.
"So...ready for the club fair? Mayhaps you'll join Amity, Flint, and I in the... Azura book club." Luz tries to hold up all five books in her hand at once but drops them seconds later while yelping in pain. "Owie."
Flint gestured to the books and levitated them in the air. "I'm impressed you held them that long, to be honest."
Willow snorted. "Thanks for the offer, but...I've got other plans for the fair. Particularly ones with a little more...drama, flair, and face paint."
"We're listening." Luz and Flint said, intrigued.
Willow grinned, showing her scroll to them with a video pulled up. "Flyer derby!"
"Only Stabitha Jenkins and Old Gory are left. Who will win?" The announcer states, as the two aforementioned witches rush toward each other on their staffs. At the last moment, Stabitha swipes Old Gory's flag and flies over to a large tree-like pole with all but the last branch having matching red flags on them. Stabitha places Old Gory's flag on the last branch and pumps her arms into the air in celebration. "And it's Stabitha Jenkins with the winning flag!"
Willow puts her scroll away. "Ever since our grudgby match, I've been playing it at home. Today..." Willow summons her staff over her shoulders. "I'm starting Hexside's first Flyer Derby team!" Willow declares confidently.
Luz and Gus cheer and throw confetti from behind her as Flint has a thoughtful expression.
"If I had a nickel for each of these Demon Realm sports that reminded me of Quidditch, I'd have two nickels. It won't pay for shit, but I'm surprised it happened twice." Flint remarked.
Scene change courtesy of the Golden Snitch and Rusty Smidge pointing at each other accusingly.
Outside Hexside, several stands can be seen set up. As Willow and Gus set up the flyer derby stand, Luz and Flint are over at their own stand they set up for The Good Witch Azura, with Luz trying to lure people in. It's…not working out as well as she'd hoped.
"Journey with us to a world of magic unlike any other! Well, uh, a bit like this world, except toned down for humans ages 6 to 11." Luz slumped as Stringbean rubbed her head against her neck reassuringly. "Why isn't anyone interested?" Luz wondered disappointedly.
Suddenly, Boscha grabs a book from the stand and gestures to the cover.
"The art doesn't do it any favors," Boscha stated snidely.
"Not judging a book by its cover is a baby rule even babies know. Plus, you don't read Azura for the art! There's so much magic in the words." Luz countered.
"Luz, this world already has magic of its own. Most people would rather learn more about real magic than fictional kinds. And in fairness, a good number of books' covers are accurate, and the point of the cover is to draw people in." Flint conceded. He then paused for a moment before staring off blankly. "Did I just somewhat agree Boscha?"
"Yep/Yeah." Luz, Stringbean, and Gray confirmed.
"Ugh. Feels weird," Boscha admitted with a cringe before grabbing one of the books and posing dramatically. "'Twice have I tarried at Tanabrack. Yet e'er have I kept my troth to thee, Azura.'"
"Okay, the prose can be..." Luz plucked the book out of Boscha's hand. "-ornate. But it- it's also the crackling emotions! The convoluted magic system! The smell of the pages!" Luz declared before burying her face into the pages and giving a deep inhale.
Boscha just stared judgmentally at Luz before turning to Flint expectantly.
"That's um…yeah, that's weird even on Earth." Flint cringed. 'Luz, I get how much the series means to you, but this is a little much even for you.' Flint thought.
"Luz! Flint!"
Amity suddenly runs up calling out to the two, stopping beside Boscha to catch her breath.
"I heard that-" Amity's statement is interrupted by her need to catch her breath.
"Spill it, hermosa!" Luz said as she and Flint climbed over the stand.
Amity regained her breath. "The author of Azura is having a signing this afternoon at the Book Nook!"
Luz and Flint blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
It was now Amity's turn to be confused. "You are much less excited than I imagined." Amity then looked at Flint. "And why are you wearing a concealment stone? It's not like everyone doesn't already know what you look like."
"I was kinda wondering what that was about too," Boscha admitted. "I mean, why use one to make yourself look uglier?"
Flint flips Boscha off while turning to Amity. "Wanted to surprise you, Sugar Queen. My transformation was completed the other day." Flint said, plucking the gem off his forehead and revealing his true form in all its glory.
Boscha blinked in surprise. "Huh. That's actually kinda cool."
Amity just stared blankly at him.
Inside Amity's mind
Six different Amitys were standing in a control room and staring forward. Each of them had a different hair color: yellow, blue, green (like Ed and Em's), red, violet, and orange.
"He looks amazing!" Yellow Amity said with a big grin on her face.
"I don't see anything wrong with how he looks." Green Amity admitted, her perpetually sneer softening.
All four of the others nodded in agreement before they all collectively sighed dreamily. As they do that, Orange Amity rests her elbow on the console, accidentally pressing a button. When she looks down to see the button she pushed, she freezes.
"Uh oh." Orange Amity said, horrified.
The others look over, only to all pale as they see the button that was pushed.
A door suddenly explodes from behind them, flying across the room. They slowly turn to the source to see an Amity with neon pink hair…who had hearts in her eyes and was salivating like crazy.
"Shit!" Red Amity swore.
"TAKE ME, SIFU HOTMAN!" Pink Amity yelled, lunging forward desperately for the controls.
All six screamed as they desperately ran over to restrain their feral counterpart, with Pink Amity clawing at them and tearing skin. After a while, they managed to slam and lock the door she came from, her animalistic cries behind the door as they put their weight against it, the door bulging repeatedly as the rogue Amity tried to free herself. All six now sported bruises, damaged outfits, and bleeding cuts.
Back in the real world
A trail of blood drips down Amity's nose as she stared unresponsively at Flint, all three around her having done many things to try and get her attention. Subconsciously, her hair reverts from abomination goo to regular hair.
"Amity! You in there?!" Luz asked worriedly as Flint summoned a box of tissues into her hand. "Are you okay?!" Luz asked as she tried to clean up the blood.
Flint sweat-dropped. 'Starting to wish my sense of smell wasn't so enhanced now.' Flint thought, a light blush coloring his face.
Amity snapped out of her trance. "Who- wha- huh?" Amity sputtered before noticing the bloodied tissue in Luz's hand. Amity quickly swiped the tissue box and stuffed two tissues up her nose, her hair turning back to sludge. "What were we talking about?"
"You said something about Mildred Featherwhyle doing a book signing for Azura. But that doesn't make any sense. She's human." Luz stated.
Boscha became annoyed, realizing none of them was paying attention to her. "Uh, excuse me, I'm still here."
"I know. How unfortunate for us." Flint deadpanned, earning a snicker from Gray, who had perched on his horn again.
"No, she's not. She's from the Demon Realm. How do you think I got my books?" Amity asked, acting like she wasn't listening to every part of Boscha and Flint's bickering.
"How do you think we got ours? Look!" Luz said, showing the author's picture on the back and pushing Boscha backward as a result, further infuriating the triclops. "See?" Luz says, pointing at the rounded ear on her copy. "Human!"
The two look at pictures side-by-side, noticing that Amity's version of the picture has pointed ears.
"Wait…can the author of Azura…" Amity trailed off.
"Travel between realms?!" Luz exclaimed.
Both of them turn to Flint. "What do you think, Flint?" Luz asks.
Flint shrugged. "I dunno, but my curiosity has officially been piqued."
"Stop ignoring me!" Said the very ignorable triclops.
Luz and Amity put their books on the stand and walk off together hand-in-hand, passing a skinny figure about Luz's height in a hood wearing a mask resembling a Shy Guy from Super Mario. The figure is wearing a uniform split with construction and bard colors, with a dash of illusion.
"You guys aren't cute! I still have more friends than you!" Boscha yelled at them.
Flint huffed. "Quality over quantity, bitch." Flint stated, his hands lighting up with glyphs as he snapped his fingers, causing the whole stand and everything on it to glow briefly. "Ain't letting any of this get stolen. Now, if you'll excuse me." Flint said, walking past the fuming triclops and after his girlfriends.
Boscha notices the masked student and growls at them, feeling their gaze on her. "What're you looking at?!"
The student panickedly runs off. Boscha huffed before smiling with pride. A moment later, she glances around to make sure no one is looking…before grabbing the first Azura book and opening it to read from it.
Nearby, Hunter peeked out from behind a stand, wearing a potions track uniform he 'acquired.' "Look at all these potential recruits," Hunter said to himself.
Flapjack appears on Hunter's shoulder. "That's a lot of students."
"Of course, I've never really spoken to many witches my age. Mostly just Gus and Flint. Or been beaten up by one, like Luz and Amity…and Flint." Hunter stared at the ground for a moment as he also thought about the Glandus students he'd met with Gus. "…I have no idea what I'm doing, do I?"
"Probably not," Flapjack answered honestly.
Hunter glanced at Flapjack. "You've been around a while, right? Do you know if teens like authority and rules?" Hunter asked.
Flapjack cringed. "I was given to my partner Caleb when he was an adult already. And all my other partners were too."
"Huh. Flint said I looked like a 'Caleb' to him when we first met. What a weird coincidence." Hunter thought out loud.
Flapjack blinked as he looked at Hunter, the same face from one of his reflections back at the carnival overlapped with Hunter's, the two looking almost identical, save for the age difference. Flapjack's eyes widened as he looked down in horror, and he realized why he was so drawn to Hunter.
'Oh no…' Flapjack thought, mortified at the revelation.
Hunter didn't notice Flapjack's state; he was too busy trying to figure out his plan as he walked out from behind the stand. "Okay. With those three gone, my cover is less likely to be blown, but they've probably already told Gus and the other witch -whose name I forget- who I really am. I just need to avoid making a scene and drawing attention to myself." Hunter reassured himself.
Oh Hunter, you poor child soldier…you have no idea how much you should never say things like that out loud, especially when the author and I are on the case.
[Amen to that.]
Hunter then proceeds to immediately step on Viney's pet griffin, Puddles', tail. Accidentally, of course. Puddles began to screech in pain and anger as she attempted to attack a now frightened Hunter. Before she can, though, Viney wraps her arms around Puddles and does her best to hold the griffin back.
"It's okay, Puddles. No, he didn't mean it. No, no, no, no! No, Puddles, no!" Viney frantically tries to calm the griffin down, which would be going a lot more smoothly if Hunter would just use his brain and get off the tail instead of standing around like a deer in headlights!
Eventually, Puddles proved to be too much to handle as Viney lost her grip on the griffin, causing Hunter to scream "Crapbaskets!" as the rightfully angry griffin charged forward.
"Let out your inner flying freak! Once the Flyer Derby club is approved, we'll travel all across the Isles in rocking outfits and working as a team!" Willow announced, standing before her stand, gesturing wildly with her palisman staff.
"Good luck with that." A voice spoke up condescendingly.
Willow turns to the source, only to see someone she hoped not to. "Professor Hermonculus?"
Standing- no, being carried around by a salmon-colored abomination- before her was Professor Hermonculus, the abomination teacher…and also Willow's former teacher before switching tracks. [Also the guy completely cucked from appearing until now thanks to Flint's presence.] That too.
"I'm overseeing club approvals this year, and I just don't think Flyer Derby is worth investing in." Hermonculus declared, snapping his fingers as the abomination dispensed a clipboard from its right hand and placing it in its master's hands.
Willow's expression narrowed with a hint of irritation. "Just because it's not as well-known as Grudgby doesn't mean-"
"You misunderstand me." Hermonculus interrupted. "I'm shutting it down unless you step down as captain. I just don't think quitters make good leaders."
Willow glanced down, a hint of sadness and doubt displayed on her face.
Gus, however, let his anger be known. "You're just salty because she dropped your class. If I had a jerk like you for as my teacher, I'd switch too." 'What am I doing?! Oh Titan, Flint's brutal honesty has corrupted me!' Gus panicked internally.
Hermonculus' eyes narrowed as he shot Gus a glare. "I will not tolerate being so disgustingly disrespected by a brat in your track."
"Ha! Why would I be respectful to an uptight prick like you if you're going to be that way to Willow?" 'Mouth! Stop while you're ahead! Please!' Gus said/internally screamed.
"You're playing a dangerous game, illusionist," Hermonculus said venomously.
"I could say the same to you! Willow dropped your class because abominations weren't her thing, and now this Queen of Green could totally kick your ass from here to Glandus!" 'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
Willow stared at Gus in disbelief. 'Gus!? What're you doing?!' Willow screamed internally.
Hermonculus donned a thoughtful expression as he scratched his chin. "Is that so, hm? Let's test that, shall we? I'll give you the rest of the day to assemble a team for a friendly game of Flyer Derby after school. If you can lead your team to victory, maybe I'll approve your club." Hermonculus stated before his abomination carried him off.
After the punt-sized [No, you read that right the first time.] teacher was out of earshot, Gus felt Willow's gaze boring into him.
"Before you say anything, I am just as surprised as you are that I said all that." Gus defended.
Willow took a deep breath, rubbing her temples to calm the incoming headache. 'Oh, sweet Sanity, please don't abandon me like you have the rest of my friends.'
"It's…fine. I'll just blame Flint for it." Willow reassured. In her defense, it was likely his fault.
"Even so, I wasn't just gonna let him treat you like that. Besides, you could totally do it!" Gus praised.
The corners of Willow's mouth twitched upward. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Willow let out a despondent sigh. "But where am I gonna find enough decent players in such a short time?" Willow asked.
"I'd suggest getting the Trouble Throuple involved, but they're busy with their Azura stuff." Gus thought aloud.
Willow stared at her hand, looking at the Glyph Grafter upon it. "Actually…I'm not quite sure I'd want to even if they weren't." Willow said, surprising Gus a bit. "I wanna prove myself without them. I'll still use the Grafters, but I want to show everyone that I can do it. No Luz, no Flint, no Amity. Me." Willow said with determination.
Gus nodded. "I get it. Like when I started learning a bit of construction to supplement my illusions. So, what about me?" Gus sassed.
Willow smiled. "You're cool to stay. But if we wanna do this, we need to find decent players, and fast."
"Calm down, flea-magnet!"
Willow and Gus blinked at hearing the sudden voice before looking upward. In the sky above, Hunter could be seen flying on his staff with Puddles in hot pursuit. Puddles bites at him, latching onto one of Hunter's shoes and pulling it off.
"Hey!" Hunter cries out angrily.
Hunter notices Puddles coming straight at him, still with his shoe in her beak, and gets an idea. He nosedives towards her and snatches his shoe from Puddles' beak in a move similar to the video Willow showed earlier. Hunter then laughed triumphantly as he spun a few times, whizzing near Willow and Gus close enough to kick up some leaves near them, with Willow looking at Hunter in astonishment.
Willow casts a spell that causes thick vines to restrain Puddles effortlessly. "Hey, you!" Willow called out, turning to Hunter and pointing to him.
Hunter hears her and looks down to see Willow and Gus. 'Crap crap crap crap!' Hunter screamed in his mind. He was trying to avoid them, not make a fuss that got their attention. He attempts to escape on his staff, but he is suddenly wrapped in vines that tie him up in an instant, dragging him to the ground and in front of her. He struggles in the vines' grip in a panic under her unreadable gaze, preparing to use his Grafters to burn through-
"Oh, it's you! Hunter, right?" Willow asked with a smile.
Hunter took a second to process her question. "Um, yeah?" Hunter responded, caught off guard by her cheeriness. He was then surprised again when the vines ensnaring him loosened, retracting into the ground.
Willow took his right hand and shook it vigorously, but the boy was unable to keep steady footing from the strength behind it. "It's nice to see you again," Willow said.
"Uh, yeah, it's nice to see you too…" Hunter trailed off, trying his damnedest to remember the girl's name. 'Wow, she has a strong grip.' Hunter couldn't help but notice, almost feeling like she was going to crush his hand.
Willow stopped as she released his hand, looking at him with a small frown. "Do you not remember me?"
Hunter lightly blushed in embarrassment as he waved his hands in front of him as Flapjack landed on his shoulder. "I do, I do! I'm just…not the best sometimes with names. I remember you from the carnival, though." 'And the relic room,' Hunter added mentally.
Willow giggled. "It's okay. I'm Willow Park, future captain of Hexside's Flyer Derby team. Though I'm sure you'll remember my friend Gus." Willow said, gesturing to Gus beside her.
Gus grinned. "Hey man! It's good to see you again." Gus greeted him, reaching out for a handshake.
Hunter smiled as he reciprocated the greeting. "It's nice to see you too." 'What is going on?! Do they…did none of them tell them who I am?' Hunter wondered, unable to think of any other reason why they were still being friendly to him.
"Your flying was amazing! Do you wanna join my Flyer Derby team?" Willow asked hopefully.
Gus' brow furrowed in thought. "Wait a minute…I thought you said you were homeschooled. Why are you wearing a Hexside uniform?" Gus asked in a mix of confusion and suspicion.
Hunter chuckled nervously. "R-right, I did say that. Um…" Hunter was frantically trying to think of an excuse. 'What am I gonna do, tell them I snuck in?' Hunter thought exasperatedly. '…wait! That's it!'
"I, um…I am still homeschooled. I might have…snuck in. I wanted to see what a real school event was like." Hunter said nervously. 'I'm not technically lying. I'm just not telling the full truth. Completely different.' Hunter rationalized in his mind.
Gus smiled, giving the boy a playful nudge. "It's cool, we'll keep your secret, right Willow?"
Willow adjusted her glasses, the light obscuring her eyes momentarily. "Yes. Of course. It wouldn't be the first time." Willow said simply.
"Hey, maybe you can convince your uncle to let you join us at Hexside! It'd be cool to hang out with you more." Gus suggested.
Hunter scratched his chin. "Hm…maybe." Hunter said with half-interest. He wouldn't lie about being curious, but he didn't think Belos would allow it. Maybe after the Day of Unity he would ask him.
Hunter glanced at the pamphlet Willow was holding. "Say, um, what's Flyer Derby?" Hunter asked.
Willow smiled, handing him one of the pamphlets. "It may not be as popular as grudgby, but it's not for the faint witch," Willow explained as Hunter read the cover. 'FLYER DERBY - A SPORT FOR THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST!'
Hunter blinked before looking back to them. "Do you really think your club will attract the best and the brightest?"
Willow nodded her head enthusiastically. "Absolutely!"
Flapjack bopped his head against Hunter's. "Why don't you give it a try?" Flapjack encouraged.
"Hm. Maybe I'll give it a try." Hunter said.
"Really?" Willow asked hopefully.
Hunter nodded. "But- Okay. How do we evaluate others? A Witch's Duel? A maze full of traps? Oh! Leave everyone at the top of the mountain and see who makes it back to the bottom alive!" Hunter says, causing the other teens to look at him in concern as he laughs lightly. "Classic."
Willow patted his open shoulder. "Um...we...might not have time for all that. But...you can help by attracting people with your sick sky skills." Willow suggested before running off with her staff.
Hunter's brow furrowed as he let out a hum, touching his forehead. "I don't...feel sick." Hunter didn't understand why Gus suddenly snorted.
"Students of Hexside!"
Willow could be seen standing at the top of the school's front staircase with a crowd amassed at the bottom.
"Got a palisman? Got a need for thrills, chills and theatrics? Well, this could be you!" Willow said, dispelling her staff as Clover landed on her shoulder.
From behind her, Hunter emerges from the open doors and whizzes above everyone's head, causing the audience to cry out in amazement. He then proceeds to fly upwards, jumps off his staff, then lands back on it and keeps on flying as if it were like walking. The audience starts clapping and cheering as Willow and Gus moved to the bottom of the steps, handing out pamphlets to the students nearby, with Gus even seeming to talk with the same masked student from earlier.
Willow smiled as she looked up at Hunter. "With him, I think we can really get our Derby team approved." She said as she looked to Clover, though she kept a close eye on him.
At the same time, Hunter grinned at the two from above. "These two are perfect candidates for the Emperor's Coven. If there are more witches like them, we're set!" Hunter said to himself.
"Hey! Come on down!" Hunter heard Willow call to him and landed beside her, much of the crowd dispersing outside of a few.
"Allow me to introduce you to...the best and the brightest of Hexside…that aren't Luz, Amity, or Flint," Willow added at the end.
In front of them were the four other members of the team, plus a familiar griffin. Gus, Skara, Viney, and…is that the guy with the Shy Guy mask?
"Look, Puddles, it's the friend you made before!" Viney said with a strained smile as she did her best to hold Puddles back, who was (understandably) still mad at Hunter from earlier. "No, no, no! Do not claw Mommy's face!"
Skara could be seen lying upside-down on the staircase lazily while scrolling on her scroll. She let off a hum before gravity took hold, causing her to slide down and lightly hit her head across the ground.
Gus, on the other hand, is mounting his staff. "Let's try this one more time!" Gus declares as Emmiline's eyes glow, with Gus flying off…only he seems to still be getting the hang of controlling his staff as flies backward. Then the butt of his staff drags along the ground before he turns around and crashes into one of the stairs' columns and leaving a few cracks in it.
And finally, the masked student was…wait, where'd they go? Oh, over there! The masked student hid behind the column Gus crashed into and looked around nervously. They peeked around the corner of the column and let out a male-sounding yelp, casting a small construction spell that fixed the column before bolting back behind his cover.
"Just a few months ago, I'd be considered the weak link on any team. But now I'm leading one! Ooh! Okay, girl, don't let the power get to your head just yet." Willow said before turning to look back at Hunter, only for him to be seen walking away. "Wha- Hunter?"
Willow chased after the boy as he walked away, leaving Viney trying to stop Puddles from licking Gus, as Skara had repositioned onto the griffin's back, and the masked student peeking over the griffin.
"Where are you going? The field is this-a-way." Willow said as she caught up to the boy.
Hunter grunted in frustration. "You said you'd find the best witches for this team. But them? Look, I know you and Gus are capable in a fight, at least, but the others? They're pathetic."
"You just met them! Give them a chance!" Willow defended with a hint of frustration.
Hunter scoffed. "Well, where I come from, even chances have to be earned." Hunter then looked down melancholically. "Especially if you're considered half-a-witch like me."
Willow blinked in surprise as she looked at Hunter.
"Sorry, Willow. Good luck with your match." Hunter bid his farewell before continuing to walk away again.
Willow hummed in thought before donning a smirk that'd make Trixx proud as she drew a spell circle.
As Hunter continued walking away, he suddenly stopped, unable to pull his feet forward. "Huh?" Hunter asked, looking down at his feet to see a green glow along the ground beneath him. He is then dragged waist-deep into the ground with a yelp, trying desperately to keep himself above the ground but unable to resist the pull. Before he can even consider casting a spell, he is dragged completely under the ground and the ground closes up behind where he once stood without a trace.
The next thing Hunter knew, he burst out of the ground over on the playing field. He quickly looks around in preparation for a fight but finds the field empty. After a moment of confusion, he hears footsteps coming closer and turns to the source to find Skara walking up to him.
"Sorry I was distracted earlier." Skara apologized, extending her hand to help Hunter back onto his feet as she pulled out her scroll in her free hand. "Been playing Grudgby for so long, I needed to catch up on the latest Flyer Derby strats." Skara explained, showing posts on Penstagram denoting various Flyer Derby strategies.
"Those look...complicated," Hunter said in surprise.
Skara flashed him a smug smile. "They are."
"Phew!"
Hunter looks to the new voice to see Viney walking away from a sleeping Puddles, notably covered in scratches.
"Okay, finally. Got Puddles down for her nap." Viney then raised her arms above her head and cast a spell circle that stays in the air, but she drags it down to her feet. As a result, the scratches are healed. "Now I'm only scarred emotionally," Viney said, snapping her fingers into finger-guns and pointing toward Hunter.
Something suddenly whizzes behind Hunter, causing him to look over to see it was Gus, surfing on top of his staff through the sky before landing next to Skara.
"I thought you couldn't fly?" Hunter questioned in shock.
Gus shrugged. "I'm not the best at flying the usual way. Besides, my way is far more fun." Gus said as he glanced at his palisman, who chirped in agreement.
"Oh. That's, uh, cool, I guess." Hunter said, the latter half under his breath.
"Oh, what was that?" Gus said smugly.
"I said it was cool!" Hunter caved.
Hunter felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He turned to see the masked student waving shyly next to him.
"What the?! When did you get there?!" Hunter exclaimed, bringing his guard up. The student pointed past Hunter, causing him to turn to find nothing of note. When he looked back, he was surprised to find the mystery student gone. Hunter whipped his head around in search and found the student standing to Gus' right and holding a palisman staff. The end of the staff was tipped with a blue-quilled rodent of some sort.
"How did you get over there without me hearing you?" Hunter asked in shock, pointing to the masked student that even the narrator hasn't been informed of.
Gus slung his arm around the unknown student. "This is one of my buddies in the H.A.S. Meet Cole Samson." Gus introduced his friend, causing the now-named Cole to wave shyly. "He's a bit shy around new people...and familiar people," Gus explained. "He may not look it, but he's Hexside's top construction student and an awesome bard as well. He was even able to teach me how to use construction magic to enhance my illusions. And because of how quiet Cole is, he could even be standing right next to you, and you'd never know. He's silent…but deadly." Gus said menacingly.
Hunter hummed in thought. "Interesting." Hunter blinked before his brow furrowed. "Wait, isn't it kind of antithetical for someone in construction to be silent?"
Gus grinned before turning to Cole and nodding. Cole gave a shaky nod before raising his left hand and drawing a spell circle. When he did, a pillar of stone wrapped in indigo magic erupted in front of him silently, much to Hunter's surprise. Hunter barely even felt any vibrations from the ground as it arose.
"E-e-easier t-to make q-quiet using bard. A-all about controlling s-sound." Cole said nervously.
Willow popped out next to Hunter from the ground, startling him as she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Sometimes, he feels like the opposite of Flint," Willow said quietly.
Hunter huffed. "Given how impulsive Flint is, it sure is a nice change of pace."
Willow snorted at his Hunter's remark, eliciting a smile from the boy. Willow adjusted her glasses as she continued. "Gus is a natural speed demon, Skara's a strategic wizard, Cole is a silent powerhouse, and Viney's the best healer in school." Willow walked forward and stood with the others. "And at one point or another, we've all been misjudged. So, still think we're pathetic?" Willow asked challengingly as she stood confidently.
Hunter shakes his head, ashamed of his earlier perception.
Willow nodded pridefully. "Good. Let's get our game faces on." Willow declared, applying green paint in diagonal stripes across her face.
Behind her, Cole's palisman let out a squeak, causing Cole to sigh. "What is it with you and not-dogs?" Cole asked his partner in disbelief.
"Well, that was a bust," Flint said bluntly.
He, Luz, and Amity were all sitting outside of the Book Nook (Luz was in the middle because Amity wasn't sure she could trust herself at the moment). The promotional poster for the Azura signing indicated it was now cancelled. Neither the human nor hybrid seemed all that surprised, though they and Amity were now heavilyconfused.
"You know, I was kinda hoping it would turn out Featherwhyle was a witch with a way to travel across our worlds. Probably would've been…a tad bit annoying that we had to go through all that trial and error to make that door while she just had something." Luz slumped a bit…before she grinned like Trixx. "Buuuuuut I also now have pictures of our palisman using Flint's horns like a jungle-gym."
The girls snickered as they turned back to Flint, who gave them a flat look. True enough, Ghost was sitting atop his left horn with Stringbean coiled around it, all while Gray was perched on the right.
Amity's snickers trailed off into a sigh. "Yeah. The weirdest thing regarding the books though is that I've never found them in any other store than the Book Nook." Amity said.
Luz rubbed her chin in thought. "I wonder why that is?"
The group hears something nearby and looks over to see a hooded figure, one wearing a red cloak and with hair sticking out that bears a heavy resemblance to the Azura author that is hopping away.
The group glances at one another. "What are the odds that isn't related to this at all?" Luz asked.
"Astronomically low all things considered," Amity noted, but not dismissively. If there was one thing she knew…
"But given how 'astronomically low' is pretty much drawn to us…" Flint trailed off, all three teens now coming to the same conclusion as they stared at the figure.
As if they could sense the eyes watching them, the hooded figure glanced over their shoulder without revealing their face before immediately running.
"After her!" Luz declared.
Ghost and Stringbean leaped off their perches and back to their partners as Gray wisped into Flint. Amity's lower half shifted to abomination sludge as she shot like a geyser forward, her lower half reforming into legs again as she ran forward. Stringbean shifted into the shape of a helmet on Luz's head as the human's hands pressed on the ground beside her, pillars of ice launching her forward as her shoes lit up to make her shoes into icy roller skates. With both girls out of range, Flint raised his wings and lifted into the sky with a mighty flap to pursue from the air.
The figure ran through town for a bit until Flint descended, cutting the figure's path forward off. They quickly change direction to a nearby alley as the girls catch up. The figure runs through the alley only for Amity to abomi-warp right in front of her. They look the way they came, only to find Luz blocking that path as Flint flies overhead and hovers above them, cutting off any chance to take to the rooftops.
"Aw, wats." The figure slumps.
"Wait a minute, I recognize that speech impediment," Amity says as she summons a hand of abomination sludge by the figure and pulls down the hood. The figure reveals to be Tinella is wearing a pair of stilts to double her height.
"Nosa?" Flint asks in confusion as he lands.
"Why are you dressed like Mildred Featherwhyle?" Luz asked.
Realizing she was caught, Tinella sighed. "I dow't know why I thought I could wun from you as well as in canon." Tinella walked past Luz and Flint. "Follow me."
All three teens looked at each other before trailing the short witch.
Darius could be seen relaxing in his room, having done away with his standard robes for some more casual wear, content with the peace and quiet with cucumbers over his eyes.
Darius sighed. "Finally. Some peace and quiet."
Aaaaaand 3…2…1.
CAW!
Darius jumped in his seat as a crow phone flew into his window and landed on the sill, the cucumbers on Darius' eyes having fallen off as he glared at the entity that dared to disturb his self-care time.
"Darius, it's me!" The crow said in Hunter's voice.
"What the! How did you get this number?!" Darius demanded. There was only a select few to whom he's ever given his contact information, and Hunter was not one of them!
"Doesn't matter. I've found some incredible recruits at Hexside. I'm earning my place, just like you told me!" Hunter said happily.
Darius groaned, hitting his head against the back of his seat. "Of course you are. I just wanted you to leave me alone." Darius says exasperatedly.
"What was that?" Hunter asked.
"Hunter! Waiting on you, buddy!" Willow's voice could faintly be heard.
"I gotta go, but you'll meet them soon." Hunter hung up, the crow flying off.
Darius dragged his hands across his face and groaned. "One day. One. Freaking. Day. One day to relax from all this madness, but nooooooo." Darius huffed as he got up, his clothes morphing. "If that brat were any more obedient, he'd need a collar," Darius grumbled.
Back on the Hexside field, Hunter hangs up the phone and runs over to the team. He and the others could all be seen wearing green outfits and facepaint, with Cole's mask being split down the middle, the left side of his mask being green.
Opposite them is another team led by Professor Hermonculus, consisting of himself and a number of students wearing abomination-colored outfits. Jerbo runs up to join that team.
"Thanks for asking me to join, guys! I think we're gonna have a-" Jerbo gasps as he sees Viney on the other team.
"Jerbo?" Viney said, shocked, before glaring as she made a throat-slitting gesture. "Traitor."
Jerbo gulp. "...fun...afternoon." Jerbo finished his sentence, shedding a tear.
Popping joints could be heard as Boscha lazily walked up, wearing a uniform like Hermonculus' team. "Well, it ain't grudgby, but I'm willing to try it out if it means I can beat Willow," Boscha said with a grin.
"Boscha!?" Skara, Gus, and Willow exclaimed in shock.
Boscha blinked as she saw Skara on the other team. "You're off the grudbgy team now, just to let you know," Boscha said with a glare.
Skara shrugged. "I figured as much. Wasn't big on Grudgby anyway." Skara accepted.
Willow's team lines up on their staffs, ready for the starting whistle.
"All you got to do is fly high and snag some flags; just don't get yours taken. If you hit the ground, you're out of the match, and they get a point." Willow advised.
Face-to-face in a lineup before them was Professor Hermonculus' team, all at the ready.
"Let's see what you can do, Captain." The professor taunted.
Off on the sideline, Professor Hermonculus' abomination acts as the referee and blows the whistle, signaling the match to begin. Immediately, Professor Hermonculus shoots some abomination goo at Willow, but Viney blocks it with a shield. Soon enough, everyone is flying around the court and rushing at each other. Hunter flash-stepped himself close to the kid player on the enemy team and snatched off her flag, then passed it on to Gus, who zips across the field in a blur of speed and hangs the flag, scoring for the team.
"Gus, that was amazing!" Hunter praised.
Gus grinned before turning toward Hermonculus. "Looks like this illusionist has first blood," Gus said smugly, causing the professor to fume at being mocked.
The game continues as a horned student from Hermonculus' team shoots some abomination goo at Gus, but he manages to evade it. The goo explodes behind him, but Skara gets caught in the blast, causing her to crash against the bleachers. The abomination referee blows the whistle, and everyone stops. The horned student on Hermonculus' team takes Skara's flag and places it on the opposing goal, scoring a point.
The match resumes once more. Viney and Jerbo rush toward each other but crash, both falling off their staffs in a double elimination.
Boscha glared at Willow and charged at her, only for Cole to appear right in front of her.
"Beat it! I have a bone to pick with Half-a-Witch!" Boscha growled, only to back up as Cole reached for her flag, making her click her tongue in annoyance and forcing her to flee as the masked boy gave chase. 'Damn it! How is this guy so fast?!' Boscha thought, barely able to keep out of her opponent's range.
Willow and Gus rush towards the enemy team as the horned and spikey students both try to hit them with abomination goo, only to end up missing.
"She's right there! Can't you see?" Professor Hermonculus growled in frustration. The professor was caught off guard as Hunter teleported himself next to him.
"Yoink!" Hunter says as he quickly grabs the professor's flag and flies off, the professor managing to fall to the ground.
Meanwhile, Willow summoned some vines from her gloves and aimed them at the horned girl and spikey student. The horned girl gasps and covers her face, but the vines curve around and wrap around both players' flags and into Willow's hands. Before she could react, abomination goo suddenly knocked her staff out from below, causing her to fall off. Hunter looks at this with a shocked expression.
At the same time, Professor Hermonculus could be seen held by the abomination referee with a spell circle above his hand.
"Oops. My hand slipped." Professor Hermonculus gave a fake apology.
The eliminated players from both teams look at him angrily.
As Willow fell through the air, Hunter swung by, and she handed the flags over to him mid-fall. Before she could hit the ground, she summoned a large flower that successfully cushioned her fall. Hunter looks down at Willow while remaining still.
Suddenly, Gus gave him a hard push from behind. "Go, go, go!" Gus says, taking the brunt of the horned girl crashing into him instead, knocking him off his staff.
Hunter flies to the team pole and hangs the enemy flags he had on it, leaving only one spot left. Hunter then turned to Boscha, the last remaining member of Hermonculus' team that hadn't been eliminated yet.
Boscha scowled before doing something that caught both teams off guard. The triclops flew down to the ground and landed, disqualifying herself.
"What are you doing?!" Professor Hermonculus demanded in shock and anger.
Boscha glared at the professor. "I'm an athlete, not a cheater." Boscha declared. Huh. The triclops has standards. Who knew?
Boscha proceeded to rip the flag off her staff. She looked up to see Cole nearby, having followed her and hovering ten feet above the ground, looking at her with a curious tilt of his head. Without another word, Boscha tossed her flag carelessly into the air, allowing Cole to catch it. After a few moments, Cole flew up next to Hunter and held the flag out to him.
Hunter shook his head. "Wha? No, you should-"
"No," Cole said with surprising firmness in his voice. "You deserve it."
Hunter was caught off-guard by the dismissal as Cole shoved the flag into his hand, before flying down to stand with the others. Hunter eventually snapped out of his stupor and attached the last flag to the goal, winning them the match.
After securing the victory, Hunter lands and is immediately bombarded by Viney, dumping a bucket of red liquid over him. Everyone on Willow's team then starts cheering.
Professor Hermonculus begrudgingly walks up to Willow with his clipboard in hand.
"May I please have your team name?" Professor Hermonculus asked through gritted teeth.
Willow went to tell him only to pause, closing her mouth. "You know, I knew there was something I was forgetting about."
"The...Emerald Entrails!" Hunter blurted out suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "You know, because...we're green, and there's...more to us...than you think," Hunter explained his reasoning with an awkward smile.
The rest of the team was silent for a moment before all but Cole chanted enthusiastically, but the masked boy did nervously pump his left hand with the chant. "Entrails! Entrails! Entrails! Entrails!" As they chanted, Professor Hermonculus departed.
Willow pulled out her scroll and held it up for a selfie. "Entrails team photo! We're number one!"
Cole can be seen trying to escape, only for Viney to grab him, forcing him into the photo. Willow quickly snaps the picture, and everyone in the picture is visibly happy, even Hunter.
After a bit, Hunter got their attention. "I can't believe I almost bailed on you guys. Today was amazing! Thanks for giving me another shot."
"Always nice making a new friend. I had an opening for one." Viney directs the second comment with a glare towards Jerbo, who was still nearby. He gasps and clutches his chest. What a drama queen.
"We wouldn't have gotten here without you." Willow agreed.
"Maybe now we can hang out more," Gus said.
Hunter nodded. "We can definitely do that when we play next time...as a part of the Emperor's Coven!"
All but one of the team members gave Hunter a strange look.
"The what?!" Gus exclaimed.
Hunter's smile didn't fade. "Let me re-introduce myself. I'm Hunter, and I'm-"
"The Golden Guard."
Everyone turned to Willow, her glasses gleaming as she looked at Hunter with a frown.
Hunter was stunned. "What? How long have you known? I thought none of them told you."
Willow stared at him with a neutral expression. "I've known since the fight in the relic room. Did you honestly think I wouldn't recognize your voice?" Willow asked with a raised brow.
"Flint didn't know until Eclipse Lake." Hunter pointed out.
Willow pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm surprised Flint didn't realize it was you. He's usually a lot better with that stuff." Willow mentioned.
Hunter gave a so-so gesture. "Well, we did end up getting our bodies swapped the first time we met. My voice does echo a bit under the mask as well." Hunter suggested.
Skara spoke up. "You actually make a good point. It's a whole thing with us bards in how we learn to hear our own voices for how we sound to others. He definitely would have had his recognition be affected by that and the mask."
"Okay, then what about Luz then?" Gus asked.
Everyone looked at Gus with a deadpan look for a bit. Realizing his mistake, Gus facepalmed.
"Right...it's Luz." Gus realized.
"Well, with that figured out-" Hunter nodded at Flapjack. The palisman flies upwards and transforms into a staff, which Hunter grabs and waves in front of him, transforming his outfit into the Golden Guard outfit, minus the cloak. He then pulls his mask down onto his face. "It's not as cool without the cloak, but that's a long story I don't wanna waste your time with."
The team gasps. Multiple Coven Scouts appear from the woods to surround them. This actually seems to surprise Golden Guard, as he holds his hand out towards the one coming up behind him.
"Whoa there, scouts. I didn't give you orders to come here." Golden Guard said with a confused tone.
"Darius sent us to collect your recruits." The scout said, revealing himself to be Steve.
"Oh, hey Steve! Alright then. Very good. There won't be any delay in branding you with coven sigils, then we can get you started on your perilous years of death-defying training in the worst conditions possible, and your one day off. Hooray!" Golden Guard said cheerfully.
Gus and Viney look at the Coven Scouts angrily, Skara starts bawling, Cole is shakingly like a leaf, and a shadow casts over Willow's face.
"I let you join. I knew you were the Golden Guard, and I still let you in." Willow began, catching everyone's attention. "I thought that maybe I could relate to you, being called half-a-witch for most of my life too." Willow clenched her fists angrily. "And this is what I get for being optimistic," Willow said lowly.
The tension in the air was staggering. All of the scouts backed up a bit in preparation, putting their guards up. The rest of the team looked at Willow nervously too, backing away from the angry- no, seething- plant witch. And Golden Guard was at least feeling a bit remorseful behind his mask.
Steve pulled out a scroll. "Severine, I think we need reinforcements at Hexside," Steve whispered nervously into the scroll.
"I know what that bastard Belos does with palisman. And I know he was willing to kill one of the first friends I've made in years, calling it 'The will of The Titan'." Willow spat venomously. "So let me make something clear, asshole." Willow raised her head to glare at Golden Guard, her eyes glowing dangerous shades of green and promising pain as the ground around them rumbled.
"I would rather die than ever join your cult."
With those words said, all hell broke loose. Like something out of a horror movie, massive vine tendrils erupted from the ground around them, all centered around Willow. They lashed violently as the scouts attempted to either shield themselves or burn the tendrils, to no avail.
Golden Guard had readied himself for a fight. "Come on, Steve. We can take- Steve?" He turned back to see Steve frozen stiff.
"Steve is getting Hooty flashbacks, and he doesn't like it," Steve said in a haunted voice as he fled the scene.
Golden Guard grunted in annoyance at Steve's retreat but paid more attention to the fight as he watched the Emerald Entrails fight back against the remaining scouts. Viney was up close, punching scouts away as Puddles tackled others. Skara stopped crying and had begun singing a high note while joining Viney in getting physical. Gus had made about twenty illusion clones (which Golden Guard just knew were all fake) and had them running around. He couldn't locate Cole among the chaos, though he did see a fading trail of his indigo magic seeming to disappear in the distance, likely having taken the chance to run.
Then there was Willow. Even as Severine arrived with reinforcements, she was on a warpath with no end in sight. The tendrils from before had long since been burned away, but she simply replaced them with more, and more, and more. Almost all of the field had become overrun with plants. She was like a one-woman army.
'I'm not sure if even Terra Snapdragon is this good. Who could be stupid enough to have been calling her a half-witch all this time?!' Hunter thought with alarm as another tendril slapped away more scouts.
Willow stood in the center of a two-story tall flower, looming over the field. From her perch, she controlled the vine and root tendrils like a master puppeteer. Every time a scout tried to come at her, she'd simply wave her hand and bury them in a mass of flora. The rest of the fighting had long since cleared away from her immediate vicinity, letting both friend and foe stay clear of her, barring Golden Guard as he stood within the colosseum of green. Her eyes still glowed brightly as she willed nature to her bidding. The entire time, she looked on with a neutral expression, her emotions unreadable.
Golden Guard raised his hand as he shot a torrent of flames at the plant life coiling towards him. "Why wouldn't you want to join? Don't you know how much of an honor it is to serve Belos?" Golden Guard questioned.
Willow glanced at him. The only reason you could even see her gaze was thanks to her irises, which were now glowing a navy green to pierce through the rest of her glowing eyes. "Your precious Emperor is nothing but a bully. I've spent too long dealing with shit from bullies. Never again!" Willow scoffed, raising her hand and beckoning another wave of roots forth.
Golden Guard used his staff to flash-step away from the incoming plants. As a tendril passed him, he grabbed it with an ice glyph and caused the tendril to freeze solid. He flash-stepped again as a new one came at him, shattering the frozen tendril in the process.
"He is not! Belos is amazing, he's just telling us the Titan's will!" Golden Guard countered as he created a sickle from ice and sliced the new root coming at him.
"No, he's not! He's a liar! Why would the Titan want to take any of our magic away?!" Willow yelled back, a large bulb appearing between them. As it expanded, Golden Guard quickly mounted his staff and flew into the air, just in time to avoid the cloud of paralytic spores that exploded from the blooming plant.
"To guide us down the path of proper magic, duh. So no one has to lose their family to wild witches ever again!" Golden Guard took a breath and disappeared.
Willow glared as she scanned her surroundings for him. "You say that as if all wild witches are evil. Sorry to burst your rose-tinted bubble, but not every wild witch is bad!"
Willow raised her hands up as a large thorn-laced stem shot up from the ground. From the top, rose petals burst out as the thorns along the stem rocketed off into the air. Golden Guard sputtered as he barely dodged the ones coming at him, forcing away his invisibility and causing him to lose his grip on his staff. He threw his hand at his staff and a vine shot from it, grabbing his staff and retreating until it was in his grip again, allowing him to remount just before hitting the ground.
"Newsflash, Hunter-" Willow spat his name. "History is written by the winners. Tell me, has he ever lied to you about something?" Willow asked as she was lowered to ground level. She flexed her arms and suddenly they were covered in thick bark gauntlets as she ran forward for a punch.
Golden Guard narrowly avoided the punch as it slammed into the ground with a tremor. He raised his hands and blinded Willow with a light glyph momentarily. "Of course not. He just doesn't always say the full truth." Golden Guard answered as he created an ice shield just in time for Willow to shatter it with one punch. Why did he suddenly hear a guitar rift?
'Holy shit she's strong!' Golden Guard couldn't help but think as Willow barreled through and sucked-punched him with her other arm, sending him tumbling across the ground with the wind knocked out of him.
"It's called a 'lie by omission,' you gilded goon. People don't do that unless they have something to hide. So what's stopping him from just telling a complete lie?" Willow said as she went underground and appeared right next to him, grabbing him and letting the bark from her gauntlets spread onto him. As he was trapped against the ground, Willow ripped his mask off to stare him in the eye.
"He's only doing what's best for the Isles!" Hunter yelled, squirming in her grip. "He's trying to save people! I'mtrying to save people! Why are you all so against me trying to help you?!"
"'Help'? By killing countless palisman? By nearly petrifying Eda? By killing Flint?" Willow countered one after the other, with Hunter wincing a bit. "You're taking away a part of who they are!"
"Wild magic is dangerous! Belos told me how it killed my family!" Hunter yelled back.
Willow raised a brow at that. "'Told you'? Did you not see it for yourself?"
"Uncle took me in. He's raised me since I can remember!" Hunter said.
Willow's brow furrowed in confusion as her glowing eyes dimmed a bit. 'Uncle?' Willow thought. "Hunter…how do you know he's even your uncle then?" Willow asked.
Hunter went to counter her but furrowed his brow in thought, his mind hard at work trying to come up with a counter. He hadn't really put much thought into it, and why should he? They died; it happens. Sure, he didn't have a single memory of them, but it was in the past, so it didn't really matter. Didn't really know anything about them, so he couldn't miss him. Even if Belos told him about his family, it wouldn't change that they were gone; it would just make him miss a bunch of people he never even knew. And all that would do is just distract him with speculation that would only distract him from his duties.
'But what if they left something for me?' A traitorous part of Hunter's mind voiced. 'Could they have had an explanation for why I don't have magic? All Uncle has told me about our family is that my ancestors were magicless too…but Flint has magic, yet his ears are round. I know Flint's a hybrid, but if a hybrid like him could have magic and round ears…could I be the opposite?'
Willow watched as Hunter's face flashed with a whirlwind of emotions. Confusion, doubt, thoughtfulness, and more. And with it all, she could see just how Luz, Gus, and Flint could've been fooled and what they saw in him. It wasn't that Hunter was being malicious; he thought he was doing the right thing. He didn't know otherwise.
'Belos did this to him, there's no other explanation. He's nothing more than a puppet, and Belos is the puppeteer.' Willow thought. She believed she understood why Flint was afraid of puppets now. It wasn't the puppets themselves, no, it was the idea that there was a higher being controlling them. A being who was articulating every movement they made with calculated precision, without any room for error.
…Um, Author, is she aware of us?
[…I'm not sure anymore, and I'm afraid to know the answer.]
'I really hope that voice I'm hearing is just my imagination.'[Shit!]
"What in the Titan's name is going on here!?"
Everyone stopped fighting as they looked up to see an airship descending over a patch of the field that had somehow avoided being overrun by plantlife. As it landed, the bridge lowered to the ground and revealed an unamused/annoyed Darius. He glanced around the field to see the mayhem that had ensued. About seven scouts were currently being sat on by Puddles, with Viney relaxing on her back. Skara and Gus were turned his direction as three scouts were held suspended upside-down from an ice-formed gallow, their bodies bound by multiple vines. Various scouts all around were wrapped in some of Willow's vines. Finally, Hunter was lying on his stomach, almost entirely covered in bark, with Willow's knee digging into his back as she held him down.
Darius pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh for Sov's- SERIOUSLY!?" Darius suddenly shouted, the volume shift startling everyone. "Of all people you tried to recruit, it just had to include them!?" Darius screamed.
Viney glared from her perch. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Viney accused.
"I'm referring to Park and Porter! All they do is bring nothing but trouble!" Darius clarified.
Willow and Gus frowned. They went to say something, but Hunter beat them to it. "Hey! Don't say that about them! They're amazing witches!" Hunter defended them, drawing looks of confusion.
Darius frowned. "That's not-"
"Yeah! Screw what Boscha says! They're strong and cool!" Skara spoke up.
"You misunder-"
"I'm inclined to agree." Severine's voice rang out from under some of the vines nearby, the only thing visible being her raised hand. "I'm pretty sure my bruises have bruises."
"Sorry!" Willow apologized.
The visible hand waved her off. "No, it's fine. You did what you had to."
"I get it, but-"
Hunter interrupted Darius again. "Just because they aren't nobility or anything doesn't mean-"
"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP!"
Everyone stopped talking at the man's outburst as his form shifted wildly with his anger. All of a sudden, the man took a deep breath to calm himself. "What I meant was that they bring nothing but trouble, not because they're strong witches or any rubbish like status. It's because of their association with the Scarlet Phoenix and Owl Lady."
Hunter blinked. "Oh…well, why didn't you just say that to begin with?"
Darius' eye twitched at that remark as he resisted every urge not to facepalm. "Would you all kindly relinquish your captives?" Darius asked, directing the question to the rest of the Emerald Entrails present.
Gus raised a brow. "And why would we do that?"
"Do you want to go to the Conformatorium?"
Gus immediately created an ice bat and struck the gallow, letting the three scouts hanging from their feet fall to the ground with a collage of grunts. At the same time, Viney beckoned Puddles to move. As for Willow, with a snap of her fingers, all of the plantlife that had sprouted across the field was retracted until all that remained were the holes they'd sprouted from. Darius dismissed the scouts, ordering them to let him handle this, but not before looking to Severine in particular, his eyes motioning toward Hunter before turning back to her and giving a firm nod. Severine nodded in kind and walked off.
At the same time, Hunter used his staff to return to his feet shakily. After he got to his feet, Flapjack came to life and perched on his shoulder. Willow backed up from Hunter as Darius walked in front of him, staring down at him with a neutral expression.
"You realize how precarious a position you've put me in, right?" Darius asked. His answer came in the form of Hunter looking down dejectedly, not willing to look Darius in the eye. Darius sighed. "You know, you remind me a lot of Cain."
Hunter blinked in confusion. "Who's Cain?"
"He was your predecessor. The previous Golden Guard and a good friend of mine and Eberwolf." Darius stated. "You share his ridiculous stubbornness, and as of now, you seem to be sharing his rebelliousness as well," Darius added with an odd mix of exasperation and fondness.
"Um…is that a good thing?" Hunter asked hesitantly.
Darius gave a light snort. "To an extent. I hear this isn't your first time interacting with Park or Porter, at least out of uniform that is. If you ask me? It's about freaking time."
All of the teens nearby tilted their heads in confusion. "Huh?"
Darius rolled his eyes. "Hunter, you're sixteen. You are quite overdue in making connections with people who aren't adults and/or work directly under Emperor Belos." Darius stated, summoning a scroll that fell into Hunter's hands.
Hunter opens the scroll and it displays a sign-up page for Penstagram, much to his surprise.
"As far as I'm concerned, we have more than enough recruits already." Darius stated 'Not to mention I'd rather not have Terra kill Willow, thank you very much.' Darius thought to himself. That woman was a homicidal maniac.
"Are you...gonna tell Belos about this?" Hunter asked nervously.
Darius smiles. "Are you going to tell him about your secret palisman?"
With a gasp, Hunter tensed as he reached his hand up protectively to Flapjack as the palisman chirped. Nearby, Willow and the others hardened their stances, ready to fight if need be.
"Oh, would you all calm down? I'm not going to rat him out." Darius said, staring Willow dead in the eye. Willow and Gus looked at each other before gesturing for the others to stand down as Darius turned back to Hunter with a small smile. "Magic or not, I think you'll make Cain and the others proud."
Hunter smiled, looking back at the others who were also looking happy for him-
SMACK
Hunter's vision was assaulted with darkness as something flew into his face. Flailing a bit, he pulled it from his face to reveal the cloak Darius had confiscated earlier that day. He flipped it over to the back to see abomination goo lining the border momentarily, until it dispersed to reveal the patch now sewn on properly.
"Make sure not to leave yourself open like that. And you could still use a sewing lesson." Darius admonished, but with little heat to it.
Tinella leads the three teens across the beach and into a cave.
"Sorry, boss. The jig is up." Tinella announced.
Within the cave, there's a pile of various human goods. Atop some books in the pile and with a spotlight shining on them, a familiar small figure is sitting cross-legged with an Azura book open in front of them.
Flint looked at the figure with a half-lidded gaze. "Of course it'd be you."
The figure lowered the book to show the unamused face of…Tibbles.
Luz's gaze now matched her boyfriend's. "Please tell me this is a joke."
Tibbles closes the book in his hands and tosses it aside, still with a grumpy look on his face. At the same time, Mattholomule comes out carrying a pile of books, a paintbrush held in the crook between his ear and head.
"Edited a few more of those author photos, boss," Mattholomule says as he sets the books down at the foot of the pile. "Some of my finest work." He says, dusting his hands off as he turns to see the trio and jumps. "GAH! How did you even get scarier looking?!" Mattholomule screamed as he saw Flint in particular, the brush falling to the ground.
All three, and even their palisman (who were now back on their perches on Flint's horns), looked at them flatly.
"Explain." Amity all but demanded.
Tibbles rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't be like that. Surely the Owl Lady showed you the trash-slug. Where did you think they even get human junk in the first place? Human garbage is constantly leaking into our water. And about a year ago, I found this box of books washed up on the shore." Tibbles jumps down from his throne next to the stack of books Mattholomule put down. "I've been trying to make a snail off it ever since. But no one's buying!" Tibbles yelled, tossing the book from the top of the stack.
"Wait. I'm still getting paid for this, right?" Mattholomule asked.
"Not now, kid," Tibbles said, shooing the boy away. "According to the owner of the Book Nook, he's only ever had two customers purchase from this series."
Amity looked on in disbelief. "Only two…" Amity repeated before Tibbles' statement was fully processed. "Wait, 'two'?" Amity turned to Luz and Flint. "Neither of you has bought one while here, right?"
Both shook their heads.
Amity was silent for a moment before she screamed. "You're telling me someone else has read the series?! WHO!?"
"It doesn't matter who!" Tibbles kicks the pile of books furiously. "This is the WORST SCAMI've ever run!" Tibbles yelled.
Luz sighed in relief. "So the author is human after all."
Tibbles gave a snide smirk. "Oh-ho-ho. Were you expecting some dramatic discover-"
"Hey, I have a quick question." Flint interrupted, drawing everyone's attention. "Why didn't you just advertise it as a book written by a human instead?" Flint asked, genuinely curious.
Tibbles raised a brow. "What difference would it make?" Tibbles asked.
"I mean, Matt's in the Human Appreciation Society at Hexside. I'd bet our buddy Gus and some of the other members probably would've been curious and maybe picked up a copy or two just for it being written by a human." Flint pulled out his scroll and tapped on it as he explained.
"...really?" Tibbles asked, looking at the other three teens.
"I think so/Probably/I could see it." Luz, Amity, and Mattholomule responded.
Two notification sounds of different tones go off from Flint's scroll. His eyes widen for a bit before becoming determined, snapping to a neutral expression. "I just sent him a hext asking about it. He says he, 'would've bought one in a heartbeat if he'd known.
Tibbles just stared at Flint for a minute before turning to Amity. "Would you have still bought it too?"
"Probably. The cover is what drew me in in the first place." Amity said with a shrug.
Tibbles was silent for a moment before walking over to the wall nearby and hitting his head against it repeatedly. "All this time..." Tibbles said in a broken tone as he continued the action.
Hunter walked over to the rest of the Entrails, or at least the ones still there.
"Hey, um, sorry about…that," Hunter said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head, turning to Willow and Gus. "And for, you know, tricking you guys."
Viney waved him off. "Nah, it's cool."
Skara shrugged. "Eh, I've dealt with worse from Boscha."
"I still can't believe you knew this whole time and didn't say anything!" Gus said, sending Willow a betrayed look.
"I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt when you told me about your adventure with him a while ago. I also might not have wanted to ruin it for you." Willow responded sheepishly.
Willow turned to Hunter. "So, what are you going to do when Belos finds out about your palisman?" Willow said seriously.
"If he finds out. Which he's not." Hunter corrected. "And even if he does…I'll protect Flapjack."
"Good answer. I'm not a fan of the Golden Guard. Hunter on the other hand…" Willow trailed off, smiling at him and causing the boy to blush.
Nearby, Gus' scroll went off, he typed away before putting it away at the same time as Darius put away his own.
Darius walked over. "Well then, the two of us ought to be going now," Darius informed.
Hunter nodded and then turned back to the team. I had a great time today; hopefully, we can do this more in the future. Oh, and tell Cole I'm sorry when you get the chance."
"We both have bard classes. I can tell him tomorrow." Skara assured.
The team all bid their farewells, leaving the field until it was just Darius and Hunter left.
Hunter stretched his arms. "Well, we better head back to the castle now," Hunter said as he began to mount his staff. Before he could, though, Darius put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up in confusion. "Is something wrong?"
Darius looked at him seriously. "I'm going back to the castle."
Hunter's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?" Hunter asked hesitantly, raising his guard. Before he could do anything, though, Hunter was encased in abomination sludge and pulled down, unable to even let out a scream. The only things to remain after the sludge disappeared were his gloves and staff sitting on the ground.
Darius sighed as he picked up the items. "Sorry, little prince. This is for your own good."
The throuple walked out of the cave, having decided to leave Tibbles to his despair.
"You know, I kinda wished the author was some kind of world-traveler," Amity said.
"Yeah, I was honestly kinda hoping we'd learn something really crazy today," Luz said, her arms up and hands behind her head. She then turned her head enough to look at Flint. "Maybe whatever that stuff that's been bugging you since we got back can fill that void," Luz remarked passive-aggressively, shooting the boy a firm look.
Amity looked at them confused. "Wait, what are you guys talking about?"
Flint let out a long sigh. "I was really hoping you hadn't noticed."
Luz frowned. "Flint. You know you can talk to me, to us." Luz corrected, gesturing to herself and Amity, the latter nodding in agreement.
Flint looked between the two before sighing. "I…everything just kinda got to me, okay? Everything from Sov and his memories overwhelmed me. Luz, it's…for Me's sake, it's so much worse than you think."
"Okay, I'm gonna need a little more explaining, because clearly you two must've gone on some kind of Zuko-style life-changing adventure since I last saw you guys," Amity said. "Who's 'Sov'?"
"Well, technically, his name is unpronounceable to most beings besides Titans. He just told me to call him Sovereign, Sov for short. As for who…He's The Titan…and also me." Flint said slowly.
Amity blinked. She blinked again, but slower. Eventually, she let out a long sigh. "…Okay."
"You…believe him?" Luz asked slowly.
"Given his initials and everything I've seen so far, it's more of a 'Why the hell not?' honestly," Amity responded.
"You're taking this surprisingly well for someone who just found out their boyfriend is the reincarnation of her god," Flint stated.
"Oh, believe me, I am freaking the fuck out right now," Amity said calmly.
Flint shrugged. "Fair. There's also the fact that Belos is actually the witch hunter Philip Wittebane, and Hunter is a Grimmwalker made in the image of his older brother Caleb, whom he killed centuries ago."
It took a moment for his words to register in both girls' minds.
"WHAT!?" And register they did.