Summary: A few notes for our lovely little family
Willow smiled as the gang walked. "This is the most adorable sight I have ever seen."
"Bark!"
"!*(#&@."
Gourdie and the prism playing with each other. "A blend of fantasy and science fiction. A perfect blend of two genres working together in harmony." Luz wiped a tear. "It's almost too beautiful for words.
"Wait, does that make Lucci's power fantasy or science fiction?" Amity questioned.
"I dunno, never really thought it over like that." He responded, messing with his shield as it wibbled and wobbled. "Come on, Hexagons shouldn't be this hard."
"Hexagons?" Gus asked. "I thought it was circles and bubbles?"
"Couldn't he make a drill?" Willow questioned.
"Those are still mostly circular shapes." Lucci corrected. "I'm testing out to see if different shapes change the level of power I have."
"We time traveled and saw Lucci's mo-" Lucci coughed before Luz could finish that. "Womb donner … in action, and she was … well, a beast of unstoppable furry in all honesty."
"As much as I hate to admit it, she was…impressive power wise." The boy sighed. "So now that I know how high of a peak I can reach, I'm test festing like mad to build myself up to that level."
"…You time traveled!?" Gus exclaimed. "Since when can we do that!?"
"Time pools underneath the sand at the beach." Luz explained. "The boiling water's over them, so it's going to be a while before we can ever use them safely again."
"Not to mention that they'll probably shift where they lead." Lucci noted.
"Oh, what if we take a time pool to the future!" Luz gasped. "We could see our adult selves and how much we've grown and everything."
"... Yeah, no spoilers please." Lucci muttered. "Oracle magic is already a pain, and if I saw the future; I would continue to question my existence in the universe for the rest of my life."
"Same. I'd rather just focus on not screwing up my life now." Amity nodded. "We have to focus on so many things. And my mom is living with the 'betrayal', saying it's my fault for being near criminals to begin with." The purple haired girl laughed. "She acts like I'd actually feel bad about it."
"Maybe I can buy her a gift basket…with her own money." Willow shared the laughter. She always thought that contract was going to bite them in the butt, but now she was an instant millionaire.
"I take it that you haven't let the money go to your head?" Luz asked with a chuckle.
"Nah, I'm not that needy. I just bought a couple special seeds for new plants in my garden, and spider silk sheets and blankets, and a gold plated watering can, but other than that, nothing major." She smiled. "Seriously Lucci, I owe you for that one."
"You already gave me twenty five million, feel free to hold the most of it." The boy shrugged. "Besides, if I really needed the money I could always fake my own bounty. Look right here. Lucifer Clawthorne, wanted at one billion snails." The boy smirked, matching his poster.
"... And Luz Noceda for one Million." Willow pointed next to him.
"..Wait what?" Luz pulled the poster down. "One million, when did this happen?"
"According to the date, just two days ago." Gus pointed out. "It's weirder that this didn't happen sooner if I'm being honest."
"Guess Boolos got fed up with you being an excuse." Lucci noted. "Welcome to the wanted life Luz. We have hoodies, hats, snark, and loads of pent up violence from a limited social circle." He pulled out a t-shirt for his hair, a pink one with Eda's face on it. "And a free t-shirt that officially indoctrinates you to the bad girl coven. Please take one, mom made like a hundred of these and they're taking up space in my hair."
"I'm never one to reject a free t-shirt." Luz grinned as she put it over. "So … I should start carrying the sword more often, shouldn't I?"
"Why don't you just carry it everywhere?" Gus asked.
"Doesn't have a scabbard and it cuts through everything we try to bind it with." Luz weakly laughed. "My whole shirt was cut clean in half during my last date with Amity."
"It was simultaneously the most embarrassing and most magical moment of my life." Amity blushed blood red. "So … what now?"
"Now we go back to our original plan for the day." Willow pulled out the flyer. "Watching a human flower bloom!"
"Oh, which one is it?" Luz questioned.
"An orange one that smells like death."
"... Out of all the wildlife on my planet, the corpse flower is the one to end up in the Boiling Isles." Luz's eyes twitched. "Because why not."
"Corpse flower, like zombie stuff?" Lucci questioned. "That sounds awesome."
"Prepare to be disappointed." She was exaggerating. Since when could plants be disappointing!?
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Lucci gagged as he walked out of there. "I thought you said it smells like death … how was it worse ?"
"Dad's abomination fumes smelled better than that." Amity hurled into a nearby trashcan.
"What are you guys on about?" Willow asked obliviously. "It smells that way to attract scavenging bug demons and devour them. Personally I find that a beautiful reversal of life and death."
"I've smelled five week old gum socks that smelled better than that." Gus looked like he was about to faint. "Why does the sky look pink? And since when did Amity have six heads?"
A thought occurred. "Where's Luz?"
"Guys!" A voice shouted inside. "I got caught up in the wrong line, I'm being dragged back for round two!!"
"Lucky." Willow pouted.
"Don't worry Camote, I'll save y-aaggh." Amity hurled again. "I'll save you…once my stomach's empty enough."
"We need something to clear that up." Lucci groaned. "How about-"
"Lucci!" He turned, seeing a familiar face run up to him.
"Oh, hey Skara, haven't seen you in….."
"I need you guy's to help me break into the Conformitorium!"
Everyone looked back and forth. "I think this is more of your area, Lucci." Willow walked back into the room. "I'll be getting back in line."
"My tongue tastes red." Gus's eyes were literally spinning.
" Bleeegggggh!" Amity continued to throw up.
Looks like Lucci was handling this alone."Talk to me Skara, what's going on?" He asked. "I haven't seen you in weeks. Everything alright?"
"Not at all!" She screamed. "A little over a month ago my mom joined this rebel group of Bards to fight against the Emperor, and they were captured!"
"Ah … that's … not good." He nodded.
"Now she's arrested and I just finished helping Belfry and the replacing invasion happened and … and …" She cried. "I need help."
"Let it all out, Skara, let the waterworks flow." He hugged the girl, holding her tight as she soaked his shoulder with tears. "It's gonna be alright."
"I don't see how, they're about to transfer my mom to another facility to torture information out of her." His bard buddy sniffed.
"In that case, we'll go in and make sure that doesn't happen." Lucci assured her. "With my experience of family getting arrested, me and you will get her out no problem." He patted her back. "And once everyone else recovers, I'm sure they'll.."
"No…I can't make this too big. I need to keep the group small and effective." Skara pleaded. "I need to work with someone I can trust explicitly above all others, and you're the only one that fits the bill."
Oh … way to put pressure on a guy. "What about Boscha..?"
"Lucci, I love the gal, but she's not reliable, not for something like this." He would've argued this at a less serious time."I'm asking you for help because we both know what it's like to care about a mom more than yourself … right?"
A brief flashback of his time travel adventure played in his mind. "I do." He sighed. "Alright, but if we're gonna do this, we need to at least bring Luz along. She knows the pain too, and you can't get more trustworthy than her."
Willow walked out of the door. "I'm gonna take Luz to the Owl House." She said, carrying the girl over her shoulder. "She stopped breathing at some point and her pulse is pretty small."
"..I'll heal her while we go over the plan,and make this a quick smash and grab." He grabbed the girl's hand. "We will get your mom back, I swear."
"Thank you, thank you." She wiped her face. "I don't know how to thank you enough."
"Hey, your the conductor, and I'm the chorus. He smirked. "A duet is always better than going solo. The best bard in the boiling isles told me that."
"Pfft..I don't know about best.." Skara waved off, managing to laugh through her tears. To think about five months ago he wouldn't have done this…man he sucked at friendship before.
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Luz lounged in the back of the transport truck. "You know, it's a surprise they don't take away your weapons before shoving you in a van with a bunch of criminals." She noted. "We already broke through it that way the first time."
"I know, right?" Lucci smirked as they all wore matching black capes and masks."They didn't even try binding us. The disguises must be more convincing than I thought."
"Wait, that was the point of this?" Skara asked. "I thought we were just embracing our vigilante personas."
"No, we both got wanted posters now." Luz answered. "If that wasn't the case I wouldn't have bothered with the disguise and just loitered without it." She shrugged. "So … what's the case if they have an Eda cage?" She asked.
"You give me the sword, and with my combined strength, we cut fright through it." He answered. "That or forming Glyphon and just bringing the whole place to the ground."
"Okay then." She nodded. They let a moment of silence overtake them. "... We should have brought a board game."
"Willow and Gus really got into this uno game and said we should try it." He pulled a stack out of his head. "Don't get the hype around it, but eh, why not use the next four minutes to try something new."
"Ooh, that's perfect." Luz smiled. "I hope there's a few blank cards. That way we can make up our own fun rules."
"What about a card that makes you swap hands? Wild style."
"How are you both so calm right now?" Skara asked. "Didn't we have multiple lessons on Ego?"
"Anyone short of Coven Heads we can take on." Lucci answered. "And there's no reason any of them would be around your mom, right?"
"Maybe…" Skara groaned. "She was only a follower of the ringleader, the head of the bard coven.."
That made Luz pause. "Wait, this wouldn't happen to be the coven head that started a rebel group called the Bats and led by Eda's ex Raine Whispers?"
"I don't know about that last part but everything else, yes."
"Grreeeeaaat." Lucci gritted his teeth. "That's a can of worms I was hoping to avoid opening."
"Okay, we might have to deal with a Coven Head." Luz nodded, sitting up. "Prepare to hit fast and hard."
"Also make sure to put in ear plugs, it stops Bard magic from affecting you directly like a puppet." Skara warned.
"How come you guys never used that?"
"Taking free will is an evil that even I don't want to do." Lucci raised his hand.
"Also it's super hard to manipulate people like marionettes. Take a level of skill I don't have yet." Skara answered. "The world is constantly made up of sounds and vibrations, everything living in it beating by its own rhythm. It requires a lot of power to tune yourself to another person's beat. Fail and you might make someone explode."
Luz shivered. "Earplugs, right." She placed down a stone glyph, making some earplugs for everyone.
"You've been improving." Lucci noted.
"Thanks. A lot of the details I found in Philip's journal were different glyph combos he had comb up with. I've had my own test fest figuring out the new combinations." She smirked. "He may have been a jerk weed, but I won't deny how helpful his notes have been." She looked at herself for a minute. "Although there's something I've had on my mind for a while."
"Like what?"
"The level of magic power that your womb donor had. It felt alien…and given that she's an alien, that makes sense, but … I had the weirdest sense of dejavu with it."
"You mean besides the fact it's just my power but better?" Lucci asked.
"No…. there was a certain presence about it … one I can't really describe, other than I felt it before."
"Luz, I do that stuff all the time, and you never once said I felt familiar." He said with confusion. "Maybe it's from being Glyphon? They're the closest we get to that level of power."
"Maybe …" She hoped that was it, otherwise she felt like she wouldn't like the answer.
The cart stopped. "Alright, let's get you prisoners insi-" The door opened to a familiar face. "... Please stop ruining my life." The warden begged.
"Stop failing for obvious ploys." Luz snickered as she bounded him in stone casts. "Seriously, he gets easier to deal with everytime."
"Sometimes it's too easy for comfort." Lucci grinned. "Now let's get in and-"
"Alright Wrath." A familiar voice came up. "I know it's bad timing considering how tight you are on money after that coven parade, but due to stealing lunches you will be … demoted …" The Golden Guard looked up from his clipboard. "... Huh, not sure if this counts as good or bad fortune in your favor given that you're tied up."
"Of all the times, you had to be here now!?" Lucci pulls on his hair.
"Meh, your luck is weird like that." They pulled out their own staff. "Now please surrender before I call in the two covenheads transporting the prisoner."
"Oh come on!" Skara shouted. "What do we-"
"You two go ahead." Luz stated, pulling out her sword. "I got this guy."
" Seriously?" Both the golden guard and Lucci said at the same time. Of all the things they had to agree on.
"Yes, I leveled up, I can take care of on one Belos buttkisser. You two focus on the main mission."
"Luz, I still feel iffy about taking this guy solo, I'm not letting you-"
"I've got this Lucci … I need this more than you know." After all her screwups, after all her setbacks and making her friend's lives worse, she needed just one win to prove she was worth keeping around.
"We don't have time to argue!" Skara yelled, hopping on Lucci's back. "Fly like the wind, Lucci!"
"I float-"
"You know what I mean! Just go!" In a pink blurr, they disappeared.
"You know you staying behind wasn't your smartest move. You have a bounty now. That means you're a priority for me to take on." Hunter looked at her. "Secondary priority in all honesty, but a priority all the same."
She stared at him for a moment. "You were right." Luz stated.
"I know I am. But what exactly are you referring to?"
"I'm too nice." She gripped her blade tighter. "I couldn't' go through with hurting you … but every time I try to believe in others it just ends up causing pain for everyone else …" She tensed her body. "So I'm not going to be nice to you anymore."
The guard seemed to laugh behind that dumb mask of his. "Good, because I'm not either." And proceeded to do that damn teleport spell.
She pressed the glyph at the bottom of her shoe, freezing the area behind her without looking, having formed little cleats with her stone glyph to run across the ice around her. "Trying moving when the whole area is filled with ice!" She shouted, swinging the blade straight at him.
"I've been at the top of the coldest regions of the isles for basic training for months on end. The cold doesn't bother me anymore." He snarled as he swung the metal staff at her, molding the ground and sending an icey fist shooting down on her.
"Then how about this!" She slapped another glyph onto the ice, shattering it into multiple pieces … where in which the shards launched themselves like daggers at the boy.
"Ahhh!" The Golden Guard dodged, his cape and clothes getting ripped apart. "Whoa, you're actually fighting to win. Actually doubted you had the guys to take this seriously for a second.
"I'm going to make you a promise." She spoke. "By the end of this fight, I'm taking one of your fingers, and your mask."
"And you've also taken on the devil's ruthlessness. "
"When someone turns down as many chances to change as you have … it makes deciding what to do in the end easier."
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Kataya watched the gray bars in silence. Her second time being thrown into the conformatorium, though this time it was for an actual legitimate crime against the empire rather than Warden Wrath being super petty about enforcing the rules.
Thus, her sentence was extended from a few months to … well, death. Not to mention genuine security around her to prevent another escape. She turned to one of the current captors, one that she found baffling. "So, you really don't remember a thing?"
"I've neva met you in my life before today." The tiny nosed woman, the one from the LAST time she was in here, refuted from the other cell.
"... I was talking to them." She pointed at Raine. "I-wait, you really don't remember me? I was food fanfic girl."
"... No bells wang."
"You talked about simulations next to the guy who ate his eyeballs!"
"So you'we awawe of the twitch of the wowld, that we're all just the puppets of an all powafull and childish god with no sense of wight and wong!"
"....I'm just going to go back to the other conversation I was trying to have." Maybe Wrath had the right idea locking up that lunatic. "Raine, come on, the Batts?"
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" They responded with an eye roll. "I have never once identified as an animal."
"Seriously, the rebel group you started? Bards against the throne? We were super bad at actually helping people until your ex came crashing back into your life and gave us half a day's worth of successes?" She explained. "I initially thought we were just a larping group until you had us derail a prisoner carriage?"
"You're delusional if you think for a minute I'd go against the emperor." Raine rolled their eyes.
"... What did they do to you?" Kataya asked. This was not the Raine she knew before. Raine was a lovable if somewhat goofy leader. Smart but didn't exactly think things through.
"I got sick. I drank some tea, then I felt better. I don't know why I have to keep repeating this story."
"Come on!" She shouted. "Can't you tell they're brainwashing you!?"
"Brainwash nothing, I'm fine as I-"
Crash
The two of them stopped arguing, turning to see the wall come down, which showed off the Manticore kid and … "SKARA!? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE!!?" She shouted in horror.
"Breaking you out, what does it look like, mom?" The girl responded like she was being reasonable. "Alright buster, I don't care if you're a coven head, I'm leaving this place with my mom, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
Her old boss pulled out a Viola. "I suggest you kids leave, before I'm forced to-"
"Come now Whispers." A new voice spoke up. "It's the boy we're supposed to kill, and we have to follow the Emperor's will, correct?"
"Right, they got two coven heads for this." The manticore kid groaned. "I don't have all day to kick both your butts, so come out so I can knock both your lights out with one punch and call it a day!"
"Ah, out into the open!" A flash of lights, smoke, and sparkles revealed a man with a white cloak, a monocle, and a shit eating grin. "Greetings, Manticore Menace, it seems we meet at last." He announced. "Face to face."
"… Who are you?" Lucci questioned.
"Come now, enough with the jokes." The man smirked. "I'm your mother's mortal enemy."
"The physical manifestation of vices?" Raine actually looked like they held back a snort at that.
"Wha-No! Adrian Gray! The master of illusions!" The dramatic coven head shouted indignantly.
"Oh … why are you my mom's arch enemy?" The kid asked. "I mean, she only talked about you once and said she was in a play with the Rainbow Devil, who in all actuality probably is a better mortal enemy."
"She set fifteen of my performances on fire and forced far too many refunds!"
"And why should I care about that?" The boy asked.
Adrian twitched a moment, before letting out a dark grin. "Do you know what's the most impressive aspect about illusions that makes them superior to all other forms of magic?"
"Their ability to hide and lie, like how you should be using it to hide your face?" The boy responded. "Cause seriously, do everyone a favor and just cover it up."
"No, it's because their the most effective way to torture people." He took out a little monocle. "With this little magical item, I can scan your brain and bring out your worst fears to be played out."
"You'd have to get close to me first, wouldn't you?" The boy questioned.
"I would … So let's do that, shall we?" They snapped their fingers.
Shink
And then the child had a gapping hole in his chest. "I know this is fake…i know this is f-" The kid actually looked like he was struggling to breathe.
"You can be aware it's fake all you want … but when every breath you take is laced with nothing but empty and unknowable pain, your body thinks differently, doesn't it?" Adrian asked as he moved closer.
"Don't forget about me, buster, I'm still here!" Skara shouted, taking out her lute and strumed a wave at the man…
Which turned out to be an illusion, which poofed, making the real Adrian stand against a wall. "Whispers, I believe she's your problem?"
"Very well, just want to get this over with." Her former boss played her violin, forming clouds as thunder and lighting began crushing on the ground. Raine…was actually attacking her kid.
"Raine, I swear to titan if you hurt my daughter I will KILL YOU!" Screw being brainwashed, there was NO excuse for this that Kataya would ever accept.
"Now how about we … oh." Adrian looked surprised.
"What … realize you're in over your head?" The boy asked.
"No … I just … you actually have a hole in your chest." He blinked in surprise. "I knew you stretched and shifted, but I think your body is actually adapting to what I show it."
"What!?" Everyone shouted.
"Great … Gus is gonna … get a kick-" The boy fell into a coughing fit.
"Actually, I don't even need to scan your memories." The Coven Head raised their hand. "If I trick your mind into thinking you're dead, the body will do the rest for me." He smirked, twirling his hands again. "Lets see what happens when your mind does when it thinks half of your brain is gone?"
There was a poof over the boy, and when it was done, the entire right side of his face was gone. " UGGGGGHHHHHHH! " The boy's incoherently gargled as his tongue now stuck out lazily out of the half of his head that was missing.
"LUUUCCI!" Skara yelled as she barely avoided getting hit by Raine's storm.
"Adrian, wrap it up, this is needlessly cruel." Raine spoke up, almost looking uncomfortable like they were a decent person.
"You know just as well as I that the Emperor despises this child more than anything else at the moment." The bastard of a coven head smirked as he kicked the boy on the ground. "I'm recording this to show him later. I imagine this will be very cathartic to many of us." The entire system was full of corrupt psychopaths.
"Grrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! "
"Still alive though. How peculiar." Adrian scratched his chin. "Maybe if I get rid of the crystal." He placed his hand over the stone.
BOOM
Sending the Coven Head through a wall, as the boy's body started reforming..."GGGGAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG!." Into…the Manticore form.
"Lucci!" Skara yelled again, the area cracking around them as the boy turned beast broke right through the walls, cracking the cells and the ground as he relentlessly pounded on the Coven head.
The cell bars began to break as well, coming loose as her door fell right open.
"Mom!" Skara shouted, running to her. "Come on, we have to move!"
"Skara, what you just did was completely insane and needlessly dangerous!" Katya yelled as she hugged her kid.
"Well so is rebelling against the emperor, but that didn't stop you from getting arrested, twice in fact!" Her daughter shouted. "Now let's go, we need to get you out of here, and get Luz to calm that down!"
"GRRRAAAAA!!"
"Perhaps…I may have…taken it too…far.." The illusionist coughed as his right arm was clearly shattered and broken into pieces. "Fortunately…I know how to keep a few tricks…up my sleeve…." The man snapped his fingers.
Poof
And about thirty or so Coven scouts appeared around them. "Like..I was…insane enough…to walk up to this psycho…without backup." Adrian smirked.
"GRRAAA!" A spiked tail slapped one of the Coven scouts into a wall.
"... Steve … regrets … everything." The one in the wall whimpered as the rest of them began firing off magic relentlessly.
"Remember, he doesn't do well in group fights!" Adrian called out. "Just keep wearing him down until he stops healing!"
"Lucci…" Skara kept looking back and forth. "We're still able to move…I can get you out and…no, I don't know how long he'll last…."
"Skara." She kneeled down and looked her kid right in the eye. "What I want for you to do more than anything right now is get out of here. But I know you're too caring to just leave things be." Kataya kissed her daughter on the head. "So what I want you to do right now is make the choice that'll give you the least amount of regret."
"But …" Her girl began crying. "I can't live without you Mom …"
"You can…you've grown into something amazing…heck, you've broken into this place when I couldn't even break into a can of beans." She laughed. "You're an outstanding girl, Skara. Let me fix my mess. You go out and live your life."
"GRRAAAA!!"
"Now why don't you stop your friend before he becomes a cannibal, alright?"
Skara wiped her face. "I'm coming back to save you. I promise." She hugged her one last time, before jumping into the fray, running on top of the scout heads. "Lucci! I'm coming, Bard BUDDY!" Skara leaped from her spot, and landed right ontop of the manticore's neck. "We're gonna get out of here, TOGETHER!"
A flash of pink washed over the area.
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Hunter jumped over the barrage of lightning, forced to fly on his staff. This may have not been the most ideal situation. The human was memorizing every pattern he pulled. Sure, he couldn't teleport around the Devil, but this girl knew where he was going to teleport. The Golden Guard had to mix it up.
He pulled out a series of spells, turning the stone walls into hands to squeeze on her, and set a trap on the easiest and hardest escape routes. "You've gotten faster with those glyphs."
"Had to, needed to keep up with jerks like you, able to summon spells in a blink of an eye." The girl pressed another glyph on the ground, forming a hole in the floor that she slipped into. "Because on the Boiling isles, a moment of hesitation can mean the difference between life and death!"
Fire sprung from the ground beneath him, burning his arms as the human popped up from behind Hunter, and whacked him in the back of the head. "Obviously!" He shot forth a paralyzing spell, only for her to block it with vines. Those were soon wrapped in abomination goo, hitting him in the chest and sending him skidding across the ice.
"Here's a little chain!" The girl shouted, tossing three glyphs at him. "Water creation plus ice plus cool winds!" Oh that was going to hurt.
A goranado of ice and snow sent him shooting into the air, smacking him against the ceiling as he was stuck in it. Of all the days to not have flapjack on him. "Don't think that-" He had to warp again, on the account of the sword being driven straight into where his hand would have been. "You really are out for blood, aren't you?"
"I told you … I'm taking a finger from you." She growled, pressing down three more glyphs. One trapped him in a stone cage, one transmuted the stone to metal, and one … electrified the metal … shit. "I'm not giving you another chance to ruin everything for my friends."
"You mean you're not giving yourself another chance to mess up?" Hunter needed to by some time.
"Same difference!" She shot forth more glyphs, freezing multiple stone pieces in the air and using them as platforms to run at him with that blade.
"Where do you even keep all this paper!?"
"Someplace you're never gonna have the time to ever find out!" That sword was coming right at him.
This was going to hurt like hell, but he needed a fast break out of here. "I actually might have to take back what I said about you being too nice!" He warped himself out of there, getting electrocuted as his body phased through the bars as his head narrowly dodged getting split in half. "Though I gotta say, the whole brooding and feisty swordfighter shtick doesn't really seem to fit you."
"Oh like you're one to talk about brooding, mister life is meaningless without my uncle's love."
"And what would be the alternative!?" He shouted, sending forth multiple fireballs. "To just say 'screw you' to the only family you have just because their opinions and yours don't match one hundred percent and hurt them in the process!?"
For a single second, Hunter felt fear when he could see something snap inside of that girl's eyes. "Don't you…don't you dare…. " The human slapped several glyphs on her sword, making it light up with fire, earth, plants, ice, and lighting. "Don't you DARE call you fucked up up relationship with Belos actual love!" And swung it, sending a massive wave of elemental energy directing at Hunter's face.
He forced everything into a barrier, blocking the attack with both hands as he was pushed against the wall. If Flapjack was here, he would've been chirping 'I told you so' in his ear. He saw her approach through the fading barrier. Hunter raised his staff to defend-
Shing
Only for the blade to strike through the staff clean in two. Well … Belos wasn't going to be happy about TWO artificial staffs being broken. The girl shoved him onto the ground, a boot on his chest, and a vengeful look in her eyes. "Do you … really think you can keep this up-" She sliced his hand. "GAH!!" He screamed.
The human reached down, grabbing his mask off his face … along with his left index finger. "I promised you … didn't I?"
"SERIOUSLY!?" He shouted. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"
"You want to know what's wrong with me?" She asked. "Every time I try to offer someone mercy or an out, they throw it in my face. From you, to Kikimora, to Philip, to hesitating against Ivan … so listen up, and you listen up well." The human leaned down, staring into his eyes with a cold flame inside of her iris as she dumped his finger on his chest. "This was my new nice against people like you. Next time … I'm taking your arm ."
He looked at the human…so ruthless, so heartless…this did not fit the girl at all. "You changed human … and not for the better."
"You and everyone else are so quick to say I'm naive and stupid. I'm just finally doing something about it." She stood up, walking away. "Put the finger on ice. I'm keeping the mask."
Great, either ignore the pain of losing a finger and charge at the girl despite the lack of magic, or go to the nearest healer and get it reattached before he lost it for good.
RUUUMBLLLE
The floor beneath them felt like a hellquake going off. "Off to the healer I go." Why did she have to fight so hard the moment she became wanted?
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"Ugh, my head, what just happened? You went full manticore again and I jumped on your head like a snorse. Than a bright light shined everywhere. And by that logic … where's the third voice that normally pops up?"
" I found it quite rude to step on the conversation, it prevents the muse from excellent creation!" Whoa, that's different. They took a good look at themselves, wondering what changes were coming on from this fusion. They were clearly taller than either Lucci and Skara combined. They were covered in grayish and large roundish ears. They had two mouths, each one with large fangs, and large spread out fingers with skin in between, clearly meant to be wings like… Your love of bats is clearly evident with our form. What can I say, Belfry makes me super passionate. Doesn't explain the holes in our arms though. What now?
"… What just happened?" Raine asked. Hello maybe Bapa. Maybe Bapa!? They tried to kill us! Trust me when I say that's not even the worst quality they could have.
"Snapdragon said he does this weird combo magic with other people from time to time." The illusion jerk stood up. "Let's not give them any time to figure out how to use it."
"Oh no you don't, you shrimpy buffoon. I'll make you eat your words and inflate you like a balloon!" The fusion for some reason sang, a music tone coming out of their arms like a flute was playing, forming solid musical notes in the air that were forced down Adrian's mouth, making his stomach bloat until he resembled a beach ball. Ha, that's too priceless. I like where this one's going.
"Raine … stop this!" They shouted in a high pitched voice.
The coven head pulled out a lute, playing a song as a storm began to form. "Oh such fancy music, really, what a charmer. Too bad there's nothing that can block, not even armor." Musical noted formed out of the arms again, this time coating them in the stuff, as each strike of lighting bounced harmless off.
"How…how is this even possible…?" The bard coven head asked.
"From your eyes, I know all of the confusion, but simple you see, I'm a lovely thing called fusion!" They twirled around, a painbow emanating from them as it smacked away the approaching guards. "Now you can sit here all day and accuse me of felonies, or we can listen to the most wondrous and joyous of melodies!" A couple of music notes chained a few to the wall by the necks.
Man, we're clearing house. I know … oh, we can save my mom while we have them overpowered! On your cue, bard buddy, on your cue! "So sit, relax, don't be a contrarian. Listen well, and listen good, to the rhapsody that is me, Bohemian!"
"So … I'm kinda outmatched power wise." Raine admitted. "So if you would be so kind as to just be in your way…"
Up to you Skara, do you want to go easy on them? I want to bury every bastich here in the ground. "Oooooooh…..listen up girls and boys, hear my song and hear my joy, my call and sign to action!" They rubbed their wings together, creating the sounds of viola as music began to shoot out of them like cannonballs at the scouts. " I have to say to my dismay I'm in a situation. I did my best to help the rest but still have a lot of frustration!"
The notes started to light on fire as they sailed around everyone. "Just one person, that's all I ask, but your retaliation shall now leave you needing a cast, instant desiccation!" They set the scouts ablaze, blasting them through walls and destroying cages, setting captives free. " But in spite of it all as we started to fall I swooped in to save us from damnation! In my defense, it was all intense like the feeling of cremation!"
"Destwuction fow awl!" A big nosed woman shouted.
"If you're not going to help, just take the prisoner and leave!" Adrian shouted, pulling out a magnifying glass and turning invisible.
" You're illusions and tricks, while a nifty shtick, shall not be your salvation! With a strumming of wings and the ability to sing, the beat of your heart shall be your damnation!" They strummed their wings.
Adrian came out of his invisible state, clutching his chest and rolling over in pain. "Agggggggh! What the hell did you do!?"
"I matched your rhythm, your vibe, the sound of your heart. With a simple pluck, I can tear it apart." They strummed their wings again, and made the man roll over again. "Now if you don't mind, you crazy washed out actor, I will help this woman and become her benefactor."
"Adrian Gray is many things, but not washed out!" The man shouted, before Bohemian shot him through another wall.
Okay, now we go rescue my Mom. You know, before something unexpected happens AGAIN! Good point. Now let…where are they?
The two looked around, there was no sign of Ms Mom anywhere. Just beaten scouts, the moaning Adrian, and Raine that was just standing awkwardly. "So.."
"Where are they, you vile fiend?! Tell me or your organs shall be ripped and Cleaved!"
"She ran off on her own!" The bard screamed, shoving a note into their hands. "She told me to give this to you." She … only left this? We can read this later. If we have time we need to find Luz before the Golden Tool hurts her too-
"Hey guys!" They turned see … Luz … wearing the Golden Guard's Mask. "Did we win, or are we still fighting-oh, you fused."
"Luz, don't be dense, discard the mask, I feel offense."
"But I wanted a memento for victory, and I already gave him back his finger." She pouted.
"You did what now?" Raine asked with wide eyes. That was taking it a bit too far. I think it's far enough. Bastard had it coming. Remember, he tried to cut off your head. Fair point.
"Very well, my little human. Let us depart, so says Bohemian." They bowed.
"Bohemian?" Luz asked. "Come one, couldn't you mix the names a little. Like…Lukara? Come one, that has a nice ring to it.
"To you that may seem, but to that I say, never in your dreams." As they walked away, they pulled out the note, reading it with the Skara mouth. "Dear Skara. I thank you for breaking me out. I wish I could stay, but I'm still a wanted rebel of the Empire. I can't have my crimes drag down your life, so I'm going into hiding for a while. Don't worry about me, little Songbird, I'll…I'll be looking over you from afar. With Love…Mom.
… You alright Skara? Yeah…Yeah I'm…I'm not okay…do you mind…if we stay like this for a while? I…I don't want to be alone. No problem … I get the feeling.
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Raine watched as Adrian was dragged away on a stretcher. "Revenge … revenge!" The man called out as he was dragged away.
"One more person after Lucci … great." Raine grumbled. The kid was definitely Eda's, they'd give them that. They understood the need to one up the gal, but one upping the enemy count was not exactly an aspiring goal to have.
"Your tea." A scout walked up, handing them the cup. "What happened here?"
"The Manticore Menace managed to massacre many mercenaries." Raine explained.
"Nice alliteration."
"I'm a bard, it's what we do." They blew into the tea, whistling silently as they did and taking a sip. Not only were they able to remove the brainwashing effects of the tea, they gave it a nice lavender flavor for that extra kick. "I'm going for a minor walk now."
"But Ms Snapdragon said to never leave you unsupervised while you're dealing with headaches."
"I don't have a headache anymore. I had my tea." Raine pointed to the cup. "And you need to get this place cleaned up. There's pieces of scout everywhere."
"... Scout armor or-"
"You'll figure it out." They responded, walking out of the room and making their way to the nearby forest. Raine looked around, seeing and hearing no scouts. "The coast is clear."
Kataya got out from behind the tree. "Good, that means I'm free to do this." And punched them right in the face. "YOU WERE FAKING IT THE WHOLE TIME!?"
"That was fair, I deserved that." They admitted.
Kataya proceeded to punch them again. "AND YOU HURT MY DAUGHTER!?"
"I made sure not to hit her directly, she was able to dodge my strikes for a reason." Same with Eda back them…only that her ex pushed the issued hard enough to warrant physical injury. "And you saw what those kids did out there, I was more worried about what the kids would do to us then the other way around."
Cue the third punch to the face. "And after all that, after ALL THAT, you have the gall to rope me into another rebellion!? After chasing us for weeks, preventing me from seeing my kid!?"
"I mean … you're free to say no."
"Not when they're threatening to kill all witches I'm not!!" She shouted. "It's an ultimatum you bastitch!" She huffed. "Do you have any idea what kind of heartache you're putting me through right now!?"
"I do actually." Raine grumbled. "That manticore kid, Eda's kid, is most likely my kid too."
"... You know what, I can totally see that …" Kataya sighed, leaning against a tree. "... What have our lives become?"
"I don't know, Kataya, I really don't know." They sighed. "All I know is that we're both in too deep now. We have to do everything we can to stop Belos's plans for the day of Unity, or else neither of our kids are going to have a future to live in."
Kataya glared at her. "Tell me this, Raine, how far are you going to take this?" She stared at them in the eye. "When Adrian was taking chunks out of your kid, if he hadn't freaked out and gone full animal, what would you have done?"
"I …" They groaned, clutching their head. "I don't know … I'm doing my best to not get caught again … but seriously, this is just ridiculous."
The woman scoffed. "At least give us a heads up the next Ike you feel like throwing someone under the cart." She stood up. "Not all of us are as ready to die as you are."
"I'm well aware." Raine sighed. "Come on, I'll show you to a hiding spot." They took this route because it was the one that got Eda far away from their plans. This was the right path to take…wasn't it?