Walking forward, Lotus was rather lost in thought as she quickly shook it off when she noticed Leona and Ace approaching the campsite leisurely aside from their stumbling movements. She thought for a bit before turning around and left in the direction of the forest.
Leona suddenly halted in his steps and turned in her direction. However, she was already gone.
"Huh? Leona-senpai? Did you hear me? What is it?" Ace paused his rant before glancing over at the sudden halt in his senior's footsteps.
Leona looked around briefly before shaking his head, "Nothing. Come on. Let's go."
"Ah, hold up!" Ace hurried after him once he saw Leona walking ahead.
As they got closer to the group, they could hear Ruggie's voice, "I just did the same thing as Jack when he wolfed out. I used some magestone fragments I found lyin' around."
"Hold up." Floyd intervened, "You said that all our magestones COMBINED would let Sea Urchin use his signature spell ONCE."
"Ahaha..."
"Ruggie, were you holding out on us?!" Jack scolded angrily.
"Uh... Yeah, pretty much." Ruggie responded hesitantly yet shamelessly.
"You held back a magestone even in the midst of such a crisis?!" Sebek shouted angrily.
"Look, I dunno what to tell you! I went to a lotta trouble getting that magestone, and I would've made bank selling it!" Ruggie responded with a sigh as he tried to reason with them, "Why would I willingly give up a moneymaker like that? Jack's such a goody-two-shoes, and Sebek's so hardheaded. You two would've snitched on me in a heartbeat. And I can't trust Floyd to keep his word when he's just as likely to change his mind and give the whole thing away!"
"Ah, looks like Ruggie-senpai did something again." Ace reported in exasperation to Leona.
"Hah..." Leona sighed in annoyance as he walked over to the group arguing at the side of the camp.
"No way! If we'd known, we coulda beat him outright!" Floyd whined angrily, "Sheesh, you really pulled one over on me, Sharksucker."
"I don't let dishonesty slide. I'm reporting this to the coach later." Jack added in annoyance as he began to turn around."
"The utter gall." Sebek grumbled in disgust, "And here I thought the way you faced Coach Vargas was admirable..."
"Yeah, well, magestones make money. Admiration doesn't. It's not a hard choice." Ruggie muttered in annoyance as he tried to rebuke.
"Still a money-grubber, eh?" Leona sighed as he walked into their conversation tiredly.
"Hey, guys! Glad to be back!" Ace waved with a tired but relieved smile.
"Leona! Ace!" Ruggie cheered upon seeing the two return before snickering, "Shyeheehee. How was the longest leg day ever?"
"Tch... Shut your trap." Leona growled angrily with his ears pulled back and baring his teeth a little before he remembered something, "You know, I dropped a necklace when that jerk Vargas jumped me. Got anything you want to share about that, Ruggie?"
"Uhhh... Why do you ask?" Ruggie responded nervously.
"See, I ran into some of the Spelldrive Club guys when I got here." Leona sneered as he lied, "And they were nice enough to tell me you were keepin' it safe. I mean, it's not like I'm super attached to it, but since I know where it is, I just had to ask."
Sebek hollered in disbelief, "Wait, you were going to abscond with someone else's jewelry, along with the magestone?!"
"I was just holdin' onto it! I was gonna give it back!" Ruggie quickly returned the gold fang necklace to his outstretched hand, "Here, it's all yours."
"Great. Next time just hand it over and spare me the runaround." Leona muttered in annoyance.
"Oh, Crabbyyy..." Floyd appeared before Ace with a bright yet omnious smile across his face.
"Uhhh... Hey, Floyd." Ace backed up nervously upon seeing him, "Ahaha... Boy, you are a sight for sore eyes… Yup, super glad to see you…"
"Sooo..." Floyd peered down upon the small 'crabby' with a glare, "I hear you were slackin' off while I was doin' all the work. Sounds to me like ol' Crabby wants a squeezin'."
"Urk! I'm really sorry! Vargas had me doing so many squats, I feel like my thighs are gonna fall off! I've been punished enough!"
"I think me an' Sea Snake are gonna have a chat about this later." Floyd sneered.
"Augh..." Ace groaned, "Curse my freewheeling charm!"
"Myahaha! That's what you get for tryin' to cheat your way through this." Grim laughed, "If you've learned your lesson, maybe now you'll treat me with the respect I—"
"Guys!" Jack shouted looking a little panicked.
Seeing Jack suddenly in jump in, Leona frowned. Just what is it now?
.....
As Peony entered the forest, Xiao Li spoke up in confusion, "Master, why aren't you going to ask Savanaclaw dorm leader?"
Hearing this, Peony paused in her steps and shook her head, "I would prefer not to owe others often."
Or rather, seeing those two before her, she could not help but feel hesitant and confused. Having lost her sense of calm, she decided to back out before starting a conversation with them, especially with Leona who has yet to give her a response.
Having felt her thoughts, Xiao Li instantly understood what was going on with his master and raised a brow hesitantly, "Master, you-"
"Let's first continue to the mines." Lotus responded and made her way into the mines.
As they made their way through the cold and dark mines, she conjured up a bright light as she walked along the walls of the caves. Following the instructions of her butterflies, she suddenly paused in disbelief and confusion. For once, her mind was blank as she stared infront of her completely baffled. Sitting before her in its black and wide forms, Lotus's jaw dropped upon seeing the very, very familiar cauldron!
"This..." She managed to say as she struggled to find words.
Suddenly, a familiar blue hair figure popped their head out of the cauldron much to her surprise as they shouted, "Is someone there?!"
The figure noticed her fire but could not see the person as he gapped before her in horror only to suddenly collapse back into the cauldron! Finally, she lost her composure and began laughing hysterically upon seeing Deuce hiding in his cauldron and clutched her stomach from the pain.
"Hahahaha!"
Upon hearing her hysterical laughter, Deuce shivered in horror as he was left in a fetal position in his cauldron pitifully.
"My... sssstooonnnne!"
Suddenly, something brushed past her as she noticed the thing being dark green and black with a green light and a familiar looking pickaxe!
Seeing this, Lotus suddenly stopped laughing and frowned as she hurried after the figure deeper into the caves.
"Master, that looks like the same phantom from before but smaller!" Xiao Li pointed out hurriedly as he sees this.
"Lotus, this energy radiating from it..." His sister whispered to her softly.
Lotus scowled as she could feel a small sense of rage raising from inside her, "Evil energy!"
She dove after the monster as it descended deeper and deeper into the caves. As she did so, she noticed the mana around her growing stronger and stronger. She frowned as she realized to her horror that everything was going just as she feared.
"Crystal!" She called out to the butterfly contract beast, "Where is the village?!"
"It's along this path!" Crystal responded.
Hearing this, Peony's chest grew colder as she grimaced with fiery eyes, "They better not dare... I'll kill them if they touch even a strand of their hair!"
With that said, she pulled back her ribbon and undone her disguise as she dashed through the dark cave. Tying it back up into a ponytail. Peony dashed through the darkness as her red brocade fluttered along. She pulled out a red mask with a demonic-like feature which she had found while rummaging through her father's old belongings.
Following along the turns, she finally found what looks like a small field magic stone along the walls of the cave and a small village amongst it as small fairies screamed at the sight of the monster coming for them. All scattered behind stones and rocks trying to hide from the monster raising the pick axe!
"Hold it!"
Peony took a deep breath as she watched a large group in black chain up the phantom as the leader tossed it aside to the others.
"What is this..." The leader examined the fairies from afar before reaching out a hand to one of them, "I order you to come here."
Daunted by the strong power of the cultivator, the fairies struggled to fight back, but they were quickly placed into a cage one of the minions brought out ready for him as though knowing what he wants to do. Peony was infuriated!
How dare these people come out and just take control of her people! Who gave them the rights to do so?! It certainly wasn't her!
Ticked off, she pulled out one of her chess pieces and flicked it upon the chains of the phantom which quickly broke free and the monster roared angrily, "Thaaat'sssssssss.... MINNNNNNEEEE!"
With that, the monster quickly swung his pick axe which hit one of the guys in the head and slammed into the walls. Shocked, the person holding the screaming fairies cursed at them to shut up as he left his minions to take out the monster and went to examine his surroundings in suspicion.
Leaving the monster to the minions, Peony silently whisked away a couple of the fairies nearby. The fairies were ready to scream as she quietly hushed them and secretly lifted her mask. The three fairies looked up with a look of bewilderment till one of them noticed her scarlet hair and gasped in a hushed whisper, "P-Princess?! I mean, prince! No, princess! Argh..."
"Hush!" She whispered quietly, "I need you three to do something very, very important."
"The princess wants us to do something?"
Peony nodded, "I need you to gather the rest of the fairies, the younger ones and the eldest ones, along the walls and go into separate hiding spots."
"What about you, princess?" The fairies looked to her tearfully with fear in their eyes, "My big brother is in there!"
Peony calmed the smaller fairy and turned to the other two, "I'll jump in to try and save them and distract these guys. What's more important now is to evacuate everyone. Have those able to help with the evacuation. Don't let them find you."
One of the two took the smaller male fairy and nodded, "Understood."