Lilith pulled on her bag along the ground. "Okay, I carried three empty books for notetaking, all the language decryption books we had, five boxes of glyphs, and a couple bottles of elixir." She hadn't managed to form a connection with her beast like Edalyn had. If it wasn't screaming into her face, it was downright silent and ignorant of her presence.
"And I'll be taking that." Lucifer grabbed the bag that weighed more than all of them combined with one hand. "Oh, you pack snacks?"
"Lunch for everyone, with what was left in the fridge." They needed a food run when this was over. "I'm pretty sure this is going to be an all day expedition, so you might want to consume sustenance sparingly."
"Oh man, we're really doing this, a true artifact hunting temple adventure! I feel like Laura Craft!" Luz excitedly packed her own notepad of glyphs and notebook paper. "With hidden traps, weird puzzles, and grand prizes at the end! Solving mysteries and rewriting history! Woo-hooo!"
"And this time I get to do something!" King shouted. "To adventure, my friends! Onwards as we raid a temple and steal everything inside!"
"Yeah no." The three eyed girl rolled her eyes. "I'm just going to help kick the human out of the Isles." Why was her nephew attracted to this girl?
"And I'm coming because I'm a supportive girlfriend and I don't trust Boscha around Luz, or certain other undesirable parties that shall not be named." Amity glared at Lilith.
"Ah … right." She almost forgot this awkward bit of history. Not a pleasant conversation there.
"I feel I should be more excited." Agustus stated. "If it was a human temple I'd be all for it, but crystal devils feels like something Belfry would be into."
"Should we invite him and Skara?" Willow asked.
"Nah, she's busy helping him calm down his gem family and finding a new cave to live in." Lucifer answered. "That's why she's been absent for the past few weeks for the most part."
"I'm sorry, gem family?" Lilith questioned.
"Oh yeah, one of the students at our school was raised by Crystal Devils." Luz explained.
"... The next generation somehow devolves into deeper and deeper levels of power, skill, and insanity at a constant pace." She complained to her sister.
"I ain't complaining, after the last time we experienced something Crystal Devil related, we need all the firepower we can get." Edalyn wrapped her own sack around Owlbert. "There's no telling what we're going to find there, and there's also the slight chance Bizy will get involved."
"What makes you certain that the Rainbow Devil is going to get involved somehow?" Lilith questioned.
"She started with a collection with an evil scroll of broken souls." King explained. "It tried to possess Luz, but Lucci healed her."
"Yeah, side note, I think that thing erased a few memories … What do Cookie Cats taste like again?" The girl was a bundle of problems wasn't she?
"Overly sweet sugar coated elf barf." Lucifer answered. "Not only that, she got that wailing stone from the bard coven, and when me and Amity ran into her at Eclipse Lake, she was mining the Titans veins."
"Oooohhh." Lilith winced. "That can't be good at all."
"How did you get a bigger reaction from veins instead of the evil scroll?" Willow questioned.
"The Titan's Veins are impervious to magic. I doubt even Belos in his prime could shatter them with a spell."
"Really?" Luz smirked. "Okay, after the temple, we head to the knee to see if we can gather some of that titan's vein ourselves. Something anti-Belos proof ought to be useful in the future."
"The vein collapsed." Amity apologized as she patted the girl. "I'm sorry my former teacher gave you false hope. If she does it again, let me know so I can make her pay."
"Look, dear pupil.."
"I am NOT your pupil. I am not your student. You are not my teacher. You are just a necessary pawn my girlfriend needs to help her today." Amity pointed up at her. "And I guarantee that the first second I get, the moment you get in the way or hamper our progress, I will not hesitate to throw you under and leave you to die in a ditch."
"There's the Amity I played with." Boscha grinned. "Good to finally see you back in action."
"Oh, don't think you're in the clear for anything, pyramid eyes." Willow bumped into the three eyed girl. "You're barely welcomed here as it is."
"Okay guys, most of us here have something against going to this temple thing, me more than anyone." Lucifer brought up. "But we're all going because we want to help Luz, right?"
"I'm helping myself for the most part." Boscha raised her hand.
"...That said, what we need to do to get this over as quickly as possible is bottle up all our grievances and hold them in until the end of the day." Her nephew continued. "Is everyone cool with that?"
"Now that is a message I can get behind!" Luz shouted. "Come on people, start bottling and get ready to fly!" … This spells so much doom.
"Wait, we're going on an adventure!?" Hooty shouted with sparkly eyes. "I'll change right now!"
"NOOO!"
"Kids, get on your staves! We're moving now!" Edalyn ordered, quickly rushing to avoid the horrendous sight that was to proceed them.
========================================================================
Willow stared at the metal fortress. "So … in here was the home of 'Thorn Quartz'?" She asked. "I gotta say, your womb holder may have been insane as Snapdragon, but damn if she doesn't have style." It was a greenish pink, blending into the natural background while at the same time showing an artistic rendition of a field of thorns, a lone rose adorned near the front doors.
"Huh, I guess this means Plant magic runs in your blood Lucci." Luz observed as she took out her 'phoon' and snapped a photo of the whole place. "I wonder if she raised her own army of plants too."
"Well she was a maniac that wanted to end all organic life, so maybe." Lucci noted with a grimace. "So, does anyone see a handprint?"
"A hand print?" Amity asked.
"Yeah, last time he touched the launching hand and opened the door right up." Eda explained to Lilith. "Side note, I beat the record, five trees."
"I swear that game killed off about half of your brain cells in our childhood." Lilith rolled her eyes.
"So the magic handprint opens the magic door, got it." Gus nodded as everyone began looking.
"Uh, less magic and more like advanced technology." Luz mentioned. "I did catch you guys up on the whole alien concept, right?"
"Demons with magical objects from the stars?" Willow tried to recall.
"Again, it's more technology based, but everything else is spot on." Luz confirmed.
"Luz, the concept of technology itself is weird enough." Gus stated. "Half of us are still convinced the puzzle cube of untold potential is magic despite your statements." He pulled out the multicolored object with nine squares.
"Demons from space, and you're supposed to be the prince of them?" Boscha asked her boyfriend.
"I don't know. Every Crystal Devil I meet always freaks out whenever I say I have a Pink Diamond." Lucci groaned. "Honestly, I wish I never found out I was adopted if it meant avoiding this giant headache of info dumping."
"Why don't we just break down the door?" Willow asked.
"We tried all the time when we were kids." Lilith explained. "They're unscratchable. Most of our magic either bounces off of it at worst or scorches it at best."
"Well luckily for you, now you have a magic sword." Luz pulled out the blade. "Lets dance door!" She rushed forward … and drove the blade straight into the door. "... Oh my god that actually worked." The human grinned, circling around her cut mark. "And we're in!" … Nothing happened.
Lilith walked up, rapping her knuckle against the door. "It's too thick, at most your sword only reaches halfway through."
"Dang it, curse you effective advanced alien technology!" The human yelled in the air. "How are we doing with finding that handprint?"
"I think I got it here." Lucci touched the wall. "So we just wait until it glows green and-"
Ding
"Handprint accepted, protection one of fifty, complete."
"... One of what now?" Lucci questioned.
"Please scan gem." A small box opened up, with a beam of light.
"Guessing your mom-" Luz started.
"Womb holder. She didn't raise me and I don't know her." Lucci corrected. He stepped up, lifting his shirt and letting it wash over him.
"Rose Quartz detected."
"Why does everyone keep going back and forth between Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond?" Lucci questioned. "It's clearly just a Diamond, it's not Abomination science."
"Please enter five trillion digit pass code."
"Oh I am NOT going to even try." Lucci turned to Luz. "Sorry Luz, this is a dud, better turn around now."
"But we're so close!" She argued. "Can't you just rip open the door or something?"
"You heard how thick Lily said this door was, it's not like I can just punch it." He proceeded to do so. "And threaten it like this." He pounded on the door again. "Hey, you dumb machine, let us in or else I'll rip you apart, piece by piece!"
"Emergency Diamond protocol detected. You may enter."
"....Is that how all technology works?" Gus asked as they all entered. "You just beat it up and it does what you want?"
"Usually that only works as a last resort, and only when we're really frustrated and on our last limbs, like when a tv is only showing static." Luz answered.
"Wow, I can get through everything merely by threatening it Hooty style." Lucci snickered as they walked through. "Maybe this is a sign of everything looking u-AAAAHHHHHH!"
" Lucci !" Eda instantly jumped in after him, only to get blocked by the path getting sealed off.
"I thought you were letting us in!?" Luz shouted.
"Diamond protocol, eliminate all intruders, and initiate self destruction if failed." The room began to shake and swerve, causing everyone to fall off balance.
"Oh whoop-de-doo, the human lead us to a death trap, why am I not surprised?" Boscha groaned as everyone kept bumping into each other.
"Hey, how was I supposed to know this was gonna be a death trap!?" Luz shouted back, before the two girls fell down into a hole, which sealed up instantly.
" LUZ !" Amity shouted, trying to use abomination goo to break open the spot. "Give her back!"
"Unknown substance detected. Threat level unknown. Proceed with thorough waste elimination."
"Amity, look out!" Lilith tried to warn as a giant press smacked her and the Blight girl into another wall, pressing them into another room.
"Okay." Gus raised his hands. "Maybe if we all hold each other tightly, we won't be split up anymore." He suggested.
"I'll tie some vines together for us." Willow began growing as Eda…grew feathers. "Ahh, Owl beast!"
"Wait no, I've got this under control!" The woman explained. "It was a long story and-look out!"
A giant cylinder came up from the floor, shooting both King and Gus into a hole in the ceiling.
"Eda!" King cried out as he disappeared from sight.
"One kid was one kid too many! Two was a death sentence! THREE!?" The owl lady cried out as she began scrapping at the ceiling. " I'M GOING TO RIP THIS ENTIRE PLACE APART!"
"Rouge vermin detected. Death forest protocol engaged."
Well, this already escalated beyond the normal LAW adventures.
========================================================================
King groaned as he rubbed his head. "Gus, please tell me slamming our skulls against the ceiling didn't break my horns again."
"Nah, we're good. We just got sent into another room above us." The illusionist kid answered as he picked himself up. "A really shiney room too."
King got a good look around. The room looked pretty silvery and white. A reflection of themselves could be seen at almost every corner of the room. "Doesn't really go with the plant theme on the outside all that much, does it?"
"Maybe there's something so bad in this room she didn't want to decorate?" The kid questioned. "Then again it's hard to see with all the bright light." Gus casted a spell, dimming the area down.
Once the area got dark enough, a more visible path was shown before them. The area was still mostly white, but they could make out more of the figures around them. Weird bulky shapes seemed to tower them, a notable glimmer shining around its outlines as each one seemed to look down on them.
"... Hey Gus?"
"Yes King?"
"Remember how this is technically a temple for Crystal Devils?"
"Yep."
"And how those guys are made of pure light?"
"I do recall that."
"And we just dimmed the light, didn't we?"
"Yes, we did." There was another moment of silence. "So how good are you with that sonic scream now?"
"I'll let you know when I'm done clearing my throat." King hesitantly backed away as the shapes began glowing. "So….you guys have any names?"
"&/&;)($-;)!" A blocky cube looking one incoherently responded as the shapes began floating.
"That's quite lovely." Gus chuckled nervously, backing up with him. "Hobbies?"
" <~<9>_>$;$();@! " A more orb looking one responded as they began firing red lasers at them. "}:(!"
"I think that answers that!" King shouted, thankful for his small size as the lasers missed. "WHEE!"
He blasted forward, hitting a pyramid shaped figure. "$*@$&^^#!"
"Okay, sonic screams don't work." Gus groaned. "Plan B?"
"You manipulated the light before, do it again!" King gestured to them.
"Okay, I know I'm good, but I'm not THAT good." He pointed out, ducking under more lasers and explosions.
"Hey, you're the one that wanted to be a master illusionist, right!!?" King grabbed the boy by his ears. "So think of this as your trial by fire! Defeat those weird prism thingies and live to tell the tale, or let them kill us! Your call!"
Gus looked back and forth, before his hands extended forward. "Stop!" The colorful shapes all paused. "... Hey, it worked."
All six of them began glowing brightly, the colors swirling around like an ominous painbow that sent off every danger instinct in King's tiny body. "Aggggghghghhhh!" It was like his brain was being hit in every single pain center that it had.
"It didn't work! It didn't work at all!" Gus shouted in horror, falling to the ground. The world was constantly spinning, his eyes felt like they were going to melt from their sockets. Directions became meaningless as he couldn't even tell what was left, right, up, or down. What kind of hell did they just step into!?
========================================================================
"I landed in hell, that is the only explanation for any of this. Every bad deed I've ever committed has finally come back to bite me in the ass, and now I'm paying for it." Amity understood she did a lot of bad things. To Lucci, Willow, and her beloved Luz. And now all that Karma was hitting her at once, with the woman she hated only second to her own mother.
"It could be worse, you know." The evil woman herself groaned.
"How is this any worse?" Amit argued back. "I'm separated from the rest of my friends in a temple I don't have the foggiest idea of navigating, with the worst woman in the world to be stranded with."
"You and my nephew, I swear to Titan, have so many issues with repressed anger one could write a whole book about it."
"If someone made that book, then the first thing they'd point out is that our lives were made worse with you barging into it." Amity growled as they continued to wander aimless to who knows where.
"I did not make your life worse."
"Oh you want to go there?" Amity stopped. "Do you really want to go there?" If the answer was yes, she was going to snap.
"I took you in and taught you everything I had to offer. You had an amazing opportunity that no one else had." The bitch argued. "That I hardly call ruining your life.
"Yes … like how to beat up my friends, how to be strong, and how to learn." She glared. "All to take down your own nephew because you couldn't. And when the time finally came, you didn't think I could take on a single human who only knew one spell and had an unwieldy sword." She walked forward. "I spent the last ten years thinking I met someone I could call a decent parent, like Willow or Lucci have, but I guess Blights don't deserve that, do they?"
"Amity.."
"I thought I could trust you. I thought that no matter how alone I actually felt, I had someone watching my back, but no, I was just some pawn for your stupid rivalry with Eda!" She shouted. "I spent so long thinking I had someone in my corner, but they weren't even thinking of me in the slightest. So shove whatever snorseshit you want to speak, because I'm not going to fall for that long con again." Amity continued to move forward, trying to find a way out back to Luz.
"Long con-look, however things fell out between us back then, that's in the past, Amity. I don't expect you to like me…"
"Good, Because I never will.."
"But if we're going to survive this from here on out, we both need to at least attempt at being amicable."
"Survive what?" She asked. "I have enough skill and power to make it to Luz, Lucci, or Willow before everything else hits the fan."
Lilith scoffed. "I remember you being far more humble in your capabilities before, and smart enough to realize arrogance when it pops up."
"Me arrogant?! You're the one trying to boss me around when you have no magic!" Amity accused.
"Last I checked neither does Luz or Edalyn, but they're completely fine." Lilith argued back.
"Luz learned her entire life to handle problems without magic …" She glared. "And Eda's just better than you."
"That wasn't the attitude you had four months ago, Blight." Lilith brought up. "Last I checked you wanted to do nothing more but to 'show that stupid human her place' and force her to leave the boiling isles for good."
"That was different, I changed!"
"Then why is it impossible for me to change as well!?"
"Because adults don't change! Otherwise in the fourteen years I've been alive my mom may have actually been a decent person for a change, or my dad would have noticed me!" She shouted back. "But no, you're all just too pig-headed and stubborn to ever learn a damn thing! You all just become more and more rotten if you're not born a decent person!" Amity was getting more frustrated with finding a way out, pounding on the walls with abomination gauntlets to try and bust her way through.
"Amity you shouldn't-"
"Stop trying to lecture me!" She continued to pound against the barrier. "You're not my teacher!" And again. "You're not my role model!" And again. "And you're not family!!" And again. "And my only hope for the future now is that I can wash away all that rot you all dumped on me so I can turn out to be a halfway decent person!!!" She doubled the mass, and gave the next pounding twice as much strength. "Because I apparently have to be ruthless, unhappy, and broken to get anywhere in life according to everyone other than EDA!"
Crack
The wall finally cracked. "Breach in interior detected. Resealment engaged." The room began to flood with a light blue liquid, in seconds their feet were soaked in the thick substance.
"And now I'm trapped in a temple trying to kill us, forced to break out of her by myself because no one has a glyph combo complex enough to obliterate the entire wall that even Lucci and Luz's sword can't just power their way through, and who knows how long until we all drown!" She shouted, never once stopping her assault on the wall. "And with the woman that broke the little trust I had left in the world!"
She breathed heavily, having to stop her assault on the wall to give her hands a rest. Great, her hand was bruised now. "Are you finished berating me?" Lilith said simply. "Because I have a glyph combo of my own that's well suited to getting us out, but if you feel like insulting me more to make yourself feel better, then by all means, continue."
"Go ahead, do what you want." Amity growled as she tried to build up more energy for another assault.
"Then if you want to get out of this alive, you'll hold back on the punches until the time is right." The woman said calmly as she began to take out a piece of chalk and began drawing circles. "During my time away, I've done my own research into glyph combos, and one thing that struck me as particularly odd is Lucifer's relationship to them. Every time he tries to activate one, it fizzles out, yet when he forms that combination move with Luz, that form is capable of using them." She drew symbols within the circles, symbols that looked way more complex and complicated than any Amity's seen. "And that definitely doesn't make sense. If he has enough power to ignite explosive properties in abominations, then he should be more than capable of activating a glyph."
"So what?" She questioned.
"So, it might be that exact reason it doesn't work to begin with. If Glyphs tap into the natural magic field, then he's feeding them too much energy." Lilith kept going. "The glyphs are too simple. To channel that much power, the combo needs to be more intricate and complex."
"That's nice and all, but how does that help us if he isn't here?"
"I'm getting there, just be patient." Lilith responded. "This temple was crafted by his biological mother, who likely had the same power that he currently wields. That same power, that same field of energy is all over the temple. So I'm crafting a complex glyph that should be capable of tapping into that field of energy."
"So that'll bust a hole through the wall with the same power Lucci has?" Amity questioned.
"Theoretically, though if we want to guarantee a way out, then it must be activated with something that'll ignite and feed that explosive power, which is where you come in." Lilith pointed to her. "You punch that wall with your abomination goo, and it should break us free from our current predicament."
"Okay then …" Amity charged up her attack, letting out a shout as she hit the combo head on. "Ha!" Come on, break down the wall.
Kaaaaablooooooommmmm
Purple smoke and sparks began flying everywhere as the wall crumbled down. The explosions didn't seem to stop as the room began to crumble. "I believe that is our cue to get out of here!" Amity exclaimed as she and Lilith barely managed to roll themselves out of there.
"What did I say?" The woman stood up, dusting herself off. "With just a little bit of creative thinking, anything is possible." Lilith grinned.
"Magical damage detected. Deploying anti witch countermeasures." Four green and sparking walls popped out of the ceiling, boxing them in as they began to close.
"So what's your creative thought on getting out of this one?" Amity glared, having no choice but to face Lilith back to back.
"Let's aim upward and hope the voice doesn't have any traps on the ceiling."
========================================================================
Boscha glared at the human. "I don't like this as much as you do." For once, they were in agreement, considering their predicament.
Hanging over a pool of acid, with a single strong vine keeping the both of them from falling and melting into liquids, and forced to hold onto each other or try their luck below. "Yeah, this is definitely a bad experience … you have a fancy paper spell for this?"
"Not with the walls as thick as they are and the limited space we have. The most I could do is safety hover us down and freeze the ground, but that would only give us about … a minute or two if it eats through it as fast as the boiling seas." The human responded as the steam from below was starting to irritate her eyes. "I suppose you don't have an acid proof elixir on you?"
"Not with the ingredients I have on me." Boscha responded. "Just the usual explosives."
"Hmm." The human hummed. "You know, with how dangerous Lucci and Amity are, I would have thought you'd pack more variety."
"What, you're saying I'm a one trick snorse!?" She glared
"You're the one who defaults to fireballs and explosions when she has a supposed photographic memory." The human responded. "Have you seen the stuff Vitimir pulls out?"
"Vitimir's a psycho that experiments on himself. That's why half his face is gone now." Boscha retorted.
"Then I guess our only option is to wait until either they rescue us, or our arms snap from the weight." The human stated as an awkward silence overtook them.
"Ugh, of all the ways I could've died, it had to be in the lamest way with the worst creature I have ever come across." Boscha groaned.
"Hey, you're the one that wanted to come along. Believe me, no one was asking for you to join us, except Lucci." The human responded. "And everyone knows you're the one wearing the pants in the relationship. You could've said no, but no, you came because he asked."
"You do not get to hold the relationship card over me." The human dated one girl for five minutes and suddenly thought she was an expert? "I came to get rid of you, because for some inexplicable reason, people actually like you." Boscha growled. "The human that ruins everything she touches."
"At least I have people that like me for who I am. Your own posse can't even stand you." The human glared. "The stereotypical highschool mean girl that'll peak once she graduates because her entire life revolves around being popular."
"My life revolves around strength, not popularity." She growled. "I train myself every day and every second to earn my spot in life, and make sure to ditch anyone too weak to keep up."
"And I work hard to get better everyday too, tri-eyes." The human growled back. "I study everyday to get better at magic, and unlike you, I build people up and believe no one is forever stuck being weak."
"You say you study to get better at magic, but then what? I was there at the Palisman adoption day, EVERYONE was. You don't even know what you're doing!" Boscha exclaimed. "All that 'supposed potential' and you can't even figure out what you want to do with your life!" They began swinging back and forth. "Why is someone as pathetic as you always getting in my way!?"
SNAP ….
The vine holding them up began to tear even more, sinking them closer to the deadly liquid below them. "Even when we're both about to die you can't help but run your mouth, can you?" The human questioned.
"Oh look who's talking. Everytime we talk, you insult my eyes!" Boscha elbowed the girl in the back. "Just like every single uppity bitch does whenever they think my back is turned! So what if I'm part demon, I OWN IT!"
"Well I own being a human too, and you just use that as an insult!" They shouted back, hitting her in the face.
"Gah, well how about overconfident bitch!?"
"Tired and overused, get something original, you cherry coated cunt!" The human kicked her in the knees
"Dark skinned whore!" Boscha jabbed them in the stomach.
"Sweaty sport's skank!" The human headbutted.
"Dusty nerd dork!" She retaliated with a punch
"Barbaric Battleaxe!" Boscha processed that for a moment … before abandoning the vine in favor of choking the life out of this blight on her life.
SNAP
The vine finally broke, sending them falling them down. So what if they were falling to their deaths? What if there was nothing either of them could do to survive? Boscha would at least take pleasure in the fact that SHE was the one to end this disgusting and moronic human once and for all.
SCAWEEEEE
They hit a hard and cold surface, and it only took a second for Boscha to recognize it as ice. "...YOU COULD'VE DONE THIS THE ENTIRE TIME!?"
"No, I was saving it as a last resort because I don't know how long it's going to take for the ice to melt!" She responded. "We have like a minute or two tops, remember?"
"Fine, of course it's up to me to finish your dumb plan." She looked over at the acid. "Okay, now I have a fresh supply of ingredients here." Boscha took out an empty vile and scooped up a sample.
"I thought you said you only had the explosion-where was this while we were on the vine!?" The human shouted.
"I didn't trust you not to drop me in and save yourself if I brought it up." Boscha responded. "Tell me, would you trust me to not drop you in?"
"No, I would not. But I wouldn't drop you, because I'm a good person." The human glared. "Now hurry up and finish whatever potion you have before-"
"Temperature change detected, poisonous gas has been released."
"Hah, jokes on you, that's even better." Boscha smirked at whatever this magic voice was speaking from and began mixing the vials in, trapping a sample of the gaseous form in another vial. "Okay, with my explosives, combined with the acid, and the poison gas, that should give us enough force to blow us upward to the exit."
"Slap this onto it when you're done." The human handed over a piece of paper. "It's a timed flame so we can actually work on not being burned and broken."
"Fine." She grabbed it, working on mixing. "How's the ice looking?"
"Twenty seconds or so left."
"Great, so either we live and I reunite with my boyfriend, or we die and I never have to listen to you again. Win win all around." Boscha shook the potion for that final mix. She tapped on the paper, then grabbed the human. "You're wearing the witches cloak, so …" Human shield, ha, it was nice inventing concepts.
"Again, why does Lucci have to be in love with such a bitch?"
========================================================================
Eda jumped the moment she hit the ground. "IF YOU THINK THIS WILL STOP ME, DREAM ON!" She would tear this entire fortress to shreds.
"Eda, I don't think that's going to do anything in the long run." Willow rubbed her head as she picked herself up. "Besides, I think we have bigger worries at the moment."
"WHAT'S MORE WORRYING THAN ALL THREE OF MY KIDS LOST IN THIS ASANE TEMPLE!?"
"The army of plant monsters currently aimed at us?" She turned to the number of giant woman looking bushes that hissed at them
"... Riiiight, Lucci's womb donner. Plant monsters run in the family." Eda groaned, before unsheathing her claws and talons. " Alright, you bristle bitches, you only get one chance here. Show me the exit, or I turn you all to mulch. Your call."
"Bocraaa!!" One screamed, throwing thorny vines at her.
"Mulch it is." Willow grimaced, pulling out a tree to launch the monster into the ceiling.
"Abbo!" They came charging, one after the other.
Eda swung forward, slicing them up with claws and talons, easily slicing them like they were paper. "Yo park, are you just going to admire the scenery or are you actually going to help me out?" The Owl Lady called out as she bisected another one.
"Trying here!" The girl called out as the plants froze. "Believe it or not, these guys are actually stronger than Lucci's or Orchid's." The plants began moving forward, even if it was pretty slow. "Oh do NOT make me mad right now, ladies! I've torn apart plants by the roots before, and I'm not afraid to do it again!"
"I feel that's the only language these gals speak." Eda spoke as she cut another one up. "Pick up the pace, we can't-" She froze. "Oh that's not good."
"What isn't-oh crap."
The two of them stared in horror as the broken plants actually began to expand themselves, slowly reattaching back into singular figures. "Hkauu!"
"They can regenerate!" Eda growled out, trying to fly overhead to get a better vantage point over them. Alright, it was fifty to two, they could regenerate from slices, were stronger than Willow could handle, and neither of them could set things on fire at the moment. " Dang it, the one time it would've paid off to be stuck with Lucci's girlfriend."
"Believe me when I say this, but getting ripped apart by plants is far, far, FAR better than being in the same room as Boscha!" Willow complained as she did her best to hold them back. "Do you see the exit?"
Eda looked at the hole they came through … which closed into a wall, and bolted itself over. "… We're not getting out the way we came in." She groaned. " Alight girly, looks like we're going to be at this for the long haul-"
Swweeeesssssh!
A flaming grew ax sliced through half of them, burning the bushes into ash and cinders. "Stars, yeah, you have no idea how cathartic it is to chop these little green headaches up." A familiar voice chipperly belted out. "Eda, witch girl, see you've been strolling by."
"The Rainbow Devil!?" Willow shouted in horror.
"Great, Bizy, didn't expect to see you here." Eda rolled her eyes, jumping down to slice more plants.
"Had to live somewhere after you blew up my last place, Eda." They complained, destroying even more of the crazy monsters. "So, you triggered the defense grid?"
" Apparently. I'm still reeling from the whole alien concept in general." Eda answered. " How the heck did you get in here?"
"Duh, because I'm a gem." Bismuth answered, pointing to her own rock. "Guessing old rosie thought that was all that was needed to keep witches out."
"But what about the five trillion code thing?" Willow questioned, looking like she was trying her best to stand her ground.
"Puh-lease, it only took me a week to figure it out, girle. Do you know how long a week is to someone that's lived over six thousand years? Literally a blink of an eye." The rainbow haired woman boasted.
"Yeah yeah, you're always awesome." Eda rolled her eyes as she kicked another plant to shreds.
"So, when did you go from foxy mama to harpy queen?" Bismuth whistled, watching her back as Ede flew another plant minion to the ceiling and scraping its face across it. "Really digging the black and yellow eyes."
" Since none of your beeswax, Bizy."
"Oh come on, can't you even say Bizwax?" Why did this amazing and stubborn gal have to be so insistent?
" Don't think just because you're helping me out I'll suddenly forget about you trying to kill my kid." Eda reminded them as she twisted the neck off another planter monster.
"Exactly. We can't let you get the artifact!" Willow shouted in rage as she hit another plant lady away.
"Not interested." The hunter waved off. "Waaay too many warnings. If you actually knew what the Harmony Core was meant for, you'd all turn away right now and pretend you never heard of it."
" ... What was it meant for?" Eda inquired.
The Rainbow Devil stood in silence for a moment, looking back and staring at her with a serious look in her eyes. "Non violent domination. It shuts down the collective unconsciousness of all organic species. In layman's terms?" She set another plant lady ablaze. "Every witch in the demon realm would be nothing more than trees standing around, breathing air without any thoughts in your head."
"WHAT!?" Willow screamed. "Who would make something so terrible!?"
"The Diamonds. The four upper crusts that want all organic life in all the infinite universe dead. They want nothing more than to expand their own empire by any means necessary, and the first planet that they wanted to use it on was Earth, the colony meant for Pink Diamond…" Bismuth looked at her, dead in the eyes. "The one posing as your son."
"I don't have the time to explain the whole 'child birth' process to you. Park, we got to move it."
"I would love to, problem is we don't exactly have a wall we can bust down!"
"No need." Bismuth went to another nearby wall after chopping off more heads, and placed her hand on a wall. After a small glow, a door opened. "That should lead you into the next room at least. You'll be on your own from there."
"Why should I trust you?" Eda hesitantly looked at the buff gall.
"Because I don't hate ya, Eda. And I know that you won't let that damn core be used by anyone." Bismuth answered with a cheeky smile. "'Sides, I got something else I need to grab."
She grimaced. "Come on Willow, move it double time!" She still needed to find her kids.
========================================================================
Lucci groaned in agony. "So … many .. traps …"
"Deploying projectiles."
He raised another shield to stop a couple of harpoons with enough force to cause shockwaves. "Do you have any hobbies other than trying to kill me?!"
"Do you still seek to enter?"
"… Yes?"
"Deploying falling walls."
"This went from the most annoying adventure to the most disastrous!" He shouted, looking at Sugar, who was tucked away in his hair. "Okay little girl, time to break out the big guns now! Hammer mode!" He grabbed his staff, and after a brief glow, he began swinging Sugar around, smashing through the tumbling wall with ease.
"Hhss."
"Yeah I'm good …" He took a couple breaths. "Side note, if Luz ever tries to drag me on a Crystal Devil adventure again, feel free to bite me."
"Hssssh"
"Right, immune to poison, almost forgot." Lucci remembered. "Okay, bite her next time. I'll just heal her better." He restated.
"Hhss." She nodded. "Hsssssss?"
"I'm happy to help her, I just wish everything wasn't trying to force my womb donner in front of me." Lucci answered. "Seriously, I don't care that I was adopted. I grew up in one family, and I want to keep that one family, and one family alone. Anything else just makes my life way too complicated. That's half the reason I let Vee keep my earth identity." He paused. "… That and … I owe it to Ivan …"
He looked up at Sugar. "You're not mad that I feel bad for a Basilisk … or want to help Crystal Devils … are you?"
"Hsssssh." She slithered down to his gem and gently nuzzled her head against it. "Hssssh."
"Thanks for understanding….It's just….when you see someone so desperate they're barely able to cling to life…..it's…just so…haunting to witness." It was torture. "Whatever, let's just get whatever it is we're after and get out."
"Firing lasers."
"Oh would you rest for five minutes!?" He began twirling Sugar around in her staff form, blocking the lasters constantly firing at him, the image of his shielding forming as he did. "Huh, I wander … Sugar, hang on tight, I'm going for an impromptu test fest!"
He twirled them around faster and faster, a bright pink glowing forming around him. Lucci concentrated hard, trying to focus all that energy into the staff, into the pink circle that was forming…a pink circle…..a Magic circle.
Focusing everything he had, he poured everything he had. "AAAAAAGGGGGGH!"
FAWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOM
A large, bright pink laser formed out of the circle, frying the wall off the laser entirely, and the wall after that…and after that…and so on and so forth. "My first magic circle … I DID MY FIRST MAGIC CIRCLE!"
"Hhhss?"
"No, everytime I do a spell, it either just … shows up like my bubbles and bard or poofs into being if I try Illusions…this is the first time I've done magic like Mom used to use it." So cool. "We should find her and show it off … wherever we are." He's been fighting through so many walls and ceilings he couldn't even tell how many floors below he was anymore, or where he even started running from. "Should we just start going up and see where that gets us?"
"Hssssh." She gave a little nod.
"Alight, alley-oop." He rode on his palisman and began punching up at the ceiling. "Really hope Boscha's doing alright. She's not as experienced with big drama adventures like everyone else is. Not that she can't handle it, I just know she doesn't exactly people well with everyone else." He was honestly surprised she didn't try to kill Luz on sight every time she saw her.
"Hsssh?"
"Of course I don't listen to everyone's complaints about her. I've seen Boscha's good side. Even if she's closed off from it most of the time, that tiny bit of goodness is worth it."
"Hhsss."
"The Golden Tool's good side was a fake." Lucci reiterated. "He didn't hesitate to try and kill us or threaten Luz the moment he saw an opportunity."
"Hss."
"Yeah, but now Boscha tolerates Luz enough to not try and kill her." At least not everyday. "It's not like Aunt Lily, where she genuinely had nothing left and I was beating down a dead snorse. Point is, trust and likeability has to be both ways."
"Hhhs."
"Boscha can like people other than me. Pretty sure she likes Skara." Who wouldn't, the girl wears you down with her enthusiasm after a while. "Alright, we've been flying up for a while, I'm surprised we fell so far." He noted. "Where is the exi-"
His latest roof led to a very interesting sight … face to face with a Coven scout. "... I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're somehow Steve."
"Am I really that predictable?" The scout sighed.
"I mean, you show up in the middle of the craziest misadventures I go on." Lucci nodded. "So are you going to be lunch buddy Steve right now, or should I skip to punching you senseless?"
"I'd actually save the punches, you're gonna need them for the Abomatron." He suggested.
"Steve, where in the titan are you dilly dallying-!?" The shrill voice of Kikimora shouted, as she and more Coven scouts walked in. "YOU!?
"Me." He smiled cheekily. "But seriously, how did you even get in?" Lucci questioned. "I had to use a magical touch of power."
"So did we." Kikimora waved a gemstone in the air. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to kill you so the Emperor will finally be pleased with my work and get rid of the Golden Guard."
"Oooh, so you hate the golden tool too?" Lucci pondered. "Now I'm conflicted. I mean, I practically give an arm and a leg so I wouldn't have to hear that annoying voice again."
"I know right, so eargrating, yet he just loves to talk and act like he's more clever and funny than he is." She rolled her eyes.
"Not to mention he can't do magic without a staff. Yet nepotism of family gets him the best of the best tools." He agreed.
"What do you know, the greatest prize I can turn into the emperor also happens to speak more sense than half the nincompoops I'm forced to work with. The stars must be in my favor today." Kikimora chuckled. "Alright, enough small talk, guards, tear that boy limb from limb!"
"Sorry to disappoint, but this ain't a carnival game, and I'm no one's prize!" He grabbed Sugar and activated hammer mode again. "But I can still ring that bell you call a skull!" He swung on the ground, breaking it into pieces and causing the woman to fall down. "So being on everything you got!"