Heaven and Hell

[DarkStarShadow]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/Random%20Pictures/heavenandhellpersonalbanner.png

^__^ good afternoon, ya'll. After a long bout of writer's block, I suddenly drew inspiration from both how much I loved Magi and how much I hated MF. I began writing an MF AU fic which combines elements of Magi and elements of MF, and I pounded out a whopping 17 pages for a first chapter. It's pretty AU in that nobody starts out in their MF element, they don't all know each other, and the record store's been turned into a bakery.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/dollies/mfsprites.jpg As you can see, there's some color changing to be had...

Most of the secondary characters (which, surprisingly enough, Clare survived this trip, even though her performance in MF is horridly lacking, IMHO) are gone, too. It started out as a small writer's block-breaking drabble, and I liked it so much, that I decided to keep it. So, without further ado, here's the story! Enjoy! :)





Chapter One: "Do You Believe In Magic?"





The lightning storm of the century was occurring as the forces of Hell descended upon Briarwood. The warriors of evil had finally broke part of the seal that prevented their travel into the mortal realm, and they set their sights on the town of Briarwood. The ringleaders, a pair of lovely lady vampires, cackled at their luck; nobody had been sent to stop their advance on the town.

“This town will belong to us by tomorrow!” The older of the two shouted.

“Tomorrow, tomorrow! We’ll have it, tomorrow! It’s only a day away!” The younger of the two sang.

“Enough! Send out our pets!” The older one shouted.

“Yes, yes! Out they go!” The younger one shouted, cracking a whip.

Dozens of winged, scaly beasts shot up into the air as a lightning bolt shot through the air. Then, flying out of the pit of Hell like a flurry of bats, a few flying beasts that were smaller than the ‘pets’ shot into the sky, crying out in joy.

“Our captives!” The vampires called out. “How did they escape?” They turned around to face their guard, a purple-armored wizard-knight. It was thanks to him, after all, that they had escaped; they had to give him a high rank to repay him, despite the fact that he used magic and was, therefore, an enemy.

“My ladies, we should not focus on those we can capture tomorrow. Let us raze this human town first, then capture all the creatures lat-”

Suddenly, the smaller beasts were struck by a bolt of lightning, forcing them to spiral out of the sky and into a section of the forest.

“See? Nothing to worry about now; they’re all dead.” The knight said.

“Good grief!” The vampires replied cheerily.

“Look! Our pets!” The older vampire cried as she pointed to the sky; the aerial demons were attempting to attack a shield around the city.

“Curse those mahoutsukai!” The younger vampire cried out. “Always thwarting our plans!”

“Curse them all!” The older shouted in a reply.

The demons prepared a ramming attack, but several bolts of lightning sliced through the scaly beasts, sending them crashing into the shield and disintegrating.

“Tomorrow…tomorrow…we’ll kill them all…our pets will be avenged!” The vampires shouted as they retreated back to Hell.

The morning sunlight shone over the horizon, shining upon the two witches that stood on top of the clock tower in the center of town. They were worn thin by their efforts to repel the attackers.

“There’re too many of them, Vi.” The blue magician said through breaths as she dropped the shield she had created. “I almost didn’t make it.” She said, slipping her oak wand into her green cloak’s pocket.

“Me neither, Maddie.” Vi replied as she adjusted the yellow ribbon on her witch’s cap to keep it out of her eyes. “If I had to conjure any more lightning bolts, I would’ve passed out!”

“We should go lie down for a few hours…our boss’ll understand if we’re late today…” Maddie said as she started to descend the tower. Vi followed her down, sighing all the way.

Hundreds of miles to the south of Briarwood, the town of Rothwood had taken massive damage from a strange explosion early in the night. The fireman took their time looking for survivors in the abandoned warehouse, yet they managed to find a giant mystical laboratory inside, and a woman holding a trimmed-up maple branch amongst the ruins. The woman was brought down for questioning in the morning after she was treated for minor bruises. The entire hospital was surprised that the young blonde woman had survived. A rookie officer had been assigned to the case, as nobody else in the precinct wanted to question her. The officer walked in slowly, examining the young woman as he walked into the interrogation room. Her hair was ratty, her clothes were dirty, and she was clenching onto the maple branch that she had been found with.

“Good morning, miss.” He said with a calm tone in his voice. She looked up into his golden-shaded eyes. She grasped the maple branch tightly.

“Good morning, Officer Russell.” She replied in a shaky voice. He looked down to see that he had neglected to wear his nametag when he walked in.

“How did you kn-”

“I saw you in my crystal ball last night before the demons came to steal from me.” The woman replied. “You told your name was Officer Russell.”

“Listen, I’m not all up for your magic deal, I just want some answers.” Officer Russell calmly said as he took a seat in the chair opposite of hers. “Now listen, what’s your name, hun?”

“My name is Clare.”

“No last name?”

“No.”

“Do you have a job?”

“I’m a sorceress-in-training.”

“And what exactly do you do?”

“I practice magic, Officer Russell. I know you don’t believe in mag-”

“So you’re gonna tell me that the lab we found in your hideaway wasn’t, by chance, a meth lab?” Officer Russell asked harshly.

“I would never make illegal drugs!” Clare shouted.

“Where’re you from, Clare? We ran fingerprints on you, and we can’t find you in our database.” Officer Russell was slowly losing his patience with the woman.

“I’m from Briarwood.”

“Briarwood doesn’t exist. That’s a fairytale place. Now tell me where you’re really from.”

“I’m really from Briarwood! I have a map to prove it exists!” Clare said, setting her stick down and reaching into her cloak pocket. She revealed an old-looking piece of parchment, showing the location of both Briarwood and Rothwood. “This’s the map I used to get here. You can use the map to take you to Briarwood. Although I warn against it at the current time.”

“Why’s that?” Officer Russell asked as he examined the map closely. This map was genuinely old, though its authenticity and accuracy were yet to be determined.

“The demons took the Xenotome from me…they used it to reopen the gates of Hell…”

“Sure they did…” Officer Russell tried not to laugh. “Well, regardless of the demons breaking into your squat, stealing a book, and coming in from the underworld to invade earth and whatnot, you’re still going to be detained for destruction of private property.”

“I miscast a spell and it caused an explosion! I’m sorry!”

“Well, tell that to the building’s owners. I’m sure they’ll love to hear about Briarwood, demons, and you making their building explode.” He grabbed his handcuffs and cuffed her. He walked out and handed her off to a fellow officer before stopping to look at the map he took from her.

“Briarwood…what a joke.” A sergeant laughed. The entire interrogation wing was trying not to laugh as Clare was hauled out to her cell.

“Well, this map looks real…” Officer Russell said.

“Nick, you okay? You just said the map’s real.” An officer behind a desk asked Officer Russell.

“Yeah, I’m fine…it’s just that I think I should check this out. I mean, even if there’s no town, there’s gotta be something there…there might be a huge meth lab there, or some thief’s guild or something like that…ya never know…” Nick replied. “Permission to check this out, sir?”

“Well, if you really have the urge to go, then go.” The sergeant said. “But remember, you’re not getting paid vacation time for this.”

“Not a problem, sir.” Nick replied with a smile.

The sunny morning gave way to a bright afternoon, and the Rise and Shine Bakery in Briarwood was going surprisingly slow, which made its owner and head baker Xander Bly quite happy. Well, he would’ve been happy if he didn’t have such a hard order to fill.

“Ugh, gotta use a pizza crust for a tart…doesn’t that old coot realize that it’s going to be gross?” Xander griped. “I didn’t become a baker to be an experimental chef…and where in the Hell are Madison and Vida? They may be out saving the world, but they should be here baking in the morning!” He sighed, then looked up. “Alright, they should be here by at least noon.” A shimmering light from Xander’s right caught his eye, and he looked over. His crystal ball was summoning him.

“Oh, what is it now?” He griped as he walked over, wiping his flour-covered hands on his apron. He sat in the chair sitting in front of the crystal ball and began to stare into the ball. He started to see a clock appear, set to two p.m., which was ten minutes ahead in time. Then he saw the opening of his shop, and Vida and Madison walking through the door. He then saw a clock again, an hour ahead in time, then a strange looking individual walking into the store, wearing strange clothes.

“Hm…a stranger…is he good or bad?” Xander mused as he stared. He looked deeper, and saw the person flash a silver badge, which was usually a symbol of good intentions from his crystal ball. “So I guess he’ll be fine…but why are you showing me this besides the fact that he looks odd?”

The ball then darkened and revealed an area in the forest with a small lake that was known to be incredibly deep, and an image of a person walking across the top of the water. “Wow, how odd!” Xander said. A small bit of text came in after the second fading, Aquae Movrum. “Is that a spoken spell?” Xander asked. He grabbed a pen and wrote the phrase on his right arm, making a mental note to look up the spell’s affects later. The ball then reverted to its normal state, giving Xander the head’s up that he should get back to work.

He continued on with the awkward tart until he heard the cookoo clock go off above him. Two p.m., and the front door opened as foreseen.

“Hello girls. Better late than never.” Xander said without looking up.

“Hi Xander…” Vida and Madison griped. Their robes had become transmuted into baker’s uniforms, their hats into chef’s hats, and Vida was slowly pouring a warm blue liquid into a small glass as she walked in the back.

“Maddie, I got you some alertness potion…” Vida said, sitting the glass down next to Madison’s left arm as Madison sat down in the crystal ball reader’s chair.

“Thanks, sis.”

“C’mon girls, in fourty minutes, we’re gonna have a strange customer, and I have an odd order to fill. Get to work, you two! Drink that potion quick!” Xander began to bark. The Rocca sisters were notorious for being lazy right out the gate, and Xander despised laziness, especially when he was left to do what the lazy people could not force themselves to.

Forty minutes later, and the Rocca Sisters managed to make up enough pretzels, cookies, and cupcakes to feed a small army. As Xander walked out with his finished tart, the trio was set into a panicked state by a strange sound approaching the store. Vida and Madison whipped out their wands, prepared to attack. A strange vehicle stopped outside the shop, its rider took off his helmet and walked inside. As soon as the girls realized that the rider wasn’t a threat, they pocketed their wands.

Nick ruffled his hair and smiled at Xander, who made an effort to greet him.

“Hi! I’m Xander!” Xander cheerily greeted. “How can I help you, sir?” Xander noted that the man was dressed in a black leather coat and a dark pair of jeans, which was fairly uncommon in Briarwood.

“Hey, can I get myself a plain doughnut?” Nick asked.

“A dough-knot?” Xander asked. He looked at Vida and Madison, thinking it was another prank the girls were playing on him. “A dough-knot…” Xander muttered, bending down and scooping out what the girls had put in the display case. He spotted a pretzel, grabbed one, then came back up with it. “Is this what you want?”

“No…” Nick replied with a deep sigh. He looked down and pinched the upper half of the bridge of his nose. “Just…just gimme a fucking muffin so I can leave.” Vida quickly grabbed an oat muffin and set it on top of the display case. Nick snatched it up and walked over to the cash register.

“Hi.” Madison said with a smile. “I hope you enjoy your muffin, I grew all of the ingredients myself at my house.”

“That’s nice. What’s the cost of this muffin? Do I have to pay you in shillings here or something?”

“Fifty cents’ll do, sir.” Madison said as she rang up the muffin.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. Fifty cents. It’s an organically grown specialty muffin. I know, price’s high, but still.”

“Briarwood is a fucking head trip, I swear…” Nick muttered as he slid two quarters over to Madison. “Nobody has doughnuts, and muffins are super cheap…”

“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, do you happen to have a badge of some sort?” Xander asked. Nick responded by flashing his police badge. “As I suspected. I foresaw you coming.”

“Foresaw?” Nick asked. “Like psychic stuff?”

“I saw you in my crystal ball. A strange man with a silver badge. Your arrival in Briarwood is oddly timed, sir.”

“Yeah, the crazy broad told me all about the demons and the book…” Nick said, biting into the muffin.

“Crazy broad?” Vida asked. “I’m sorry, but you’re the only crazy person I see.”

“Vida! Mind yourself with the customer.” Xander said, setting his hand on her shoulder.

“No, it’s unfair for him to call somebody from here crazy!” Vida said, shaking Xander’s hand off. She pointed straight at Nick, who decided to eat the muffin while being yelled at by Vida. He was used to domestic disputes aimed at him; most drunken loons in Rothwood loved to antagonize him just to see if his rocky exterior would drop. They never won. “You rode into town on a noisy, disgusting machine, then you come in asking us for something we’ve never heard of…you’re the crazy one to us!”

“Vida! Break time for you!” Xander said, pointing towards the door.

“No, she can stay. I might as well ask while I’m here…” Nick said, setting his muffin down on one of the wooden tables. Vida turned around. “Do any of you happen to know a woman by the name of Clare?”

“Clare’s alive?” Vida shouted.

“She had a warehouse dropped on her, but she’s fine. I take it you’re friends with her…”

“Is she the one you’re talking about?” Madison asked.

“Sadly, yeah. So I guess I should phone this in…do you guys have a phone here?”

“A what?” Xander asked. “Your town has a lot of odd-sounding things in it…”

Nick sighed. “I knew I was pushing my luck…” Nick looked at the three of them. “Well, what can you tell me about Clare? Is she an addict of any sort?”

“Addict of what?” Madison asked.

“Any illegal drugs, maybe? You know, maybe some grass, maybe some angel dust, maybe some meth…” Nick asked.

“Drugs? I don’t know what your town’s like, but we make everything here legally, and the only time anybody eats grass is if they accidentally transmute themselves into a goat or a sheep or something along those lines. Angel dust isn’t ingestible, and I have no clue what meth is…Maddie?”

“Meth? Never heard of it. I’m guessing it’s bad, though.”

Nick sighed deeply, then retreated back to his muffin.

A bell started to ring in the back room, which caused Xander to run back and grab his crystal ball and carry it out to the dining area. He sat down, while Vida, Madison, and Nick crowded around him.

“Sit down, all of you! I can’t scry with people looking over my shoulders!” Xander shouted. The trio sat down in the other three chairs; Nick also went back to eating his muffin.

“Okay, I see a cloaked figure…and the four of us…in the forest…and there’s a black cloud following us…maybe a demon? I can’t make it out…but the four of us have to go to the forest, I think, to meet up with this hooded figure.”

“Is it the Great Udonna?” Madison asked, sounding like the name was of great reverence.

“Udonna is a folk tale, sis. She’s not real. She’s a story told to young witches to get them to aspire to be good witches.”

“Who’s Udonna?” Nick asked.

“Udonna is said to be the greatest sorceress of all time. She helped save Briarwood during the first war against the demons…” Madison said in a state of enchantment. She was really into the story. “Legend has it that the Five Great Magicians fought in the war alongside her…and although the Five Great Magicians did not survive, Udonna did. She and a brave wizard who stepped up in the Five Great Magicians’ last moments helped seal the forces of Hell behind a massive gate. The spell to unlock the first part of the gate was sealed in the Xenotome.”

“Hey, Clare mentioned having that book stolen from her!” Nick said as he finished off his muffin.

“Then we must go get it back, at any cost!” Vida said, slamming her fists on the table. “Clare was the Keeper of the Xenotome, and we must help her get it back!”

“Who is in this ‘we’ group, Vi?” Xander asked without looking up from his crystal ball. “I don’t use spells, and I doubt he even believes in magic, let alone knows even a basic spell from any of the five branches.” He chuckled.

“Five branches?” Nick asked. “Enlighten me with your magic jargon.”

“There are five branches of basic magic, divided into five different colors. The Five Great Magicians each used one of the five basic magicks, therefore making them the most popular. Red magicians work with fire and alchemy. Yellow magicians work with thunder and potions, like me. Green magicians, like my sis here, work with the power of nature, and are therefore inclined to be experts in herbology. Blue magicians, like Xander, are gifted in water magic and fortune telling of all types. Pink magicians are proficient in shape-shifting and wind magic.” Vida happily explained.

Madison started to explain the next part. “Being a good magician takes years of practice and devotion, but just about anybody can begin using rudimentary magic at any time in their lives by simply proclaiming their belief in magic. Some people choose to change magic branches during their life, but it is both difficult and tiring to do so, especially if somebody who has been using the same kind of magic for years suddenly changes their mind.”

“I’m not too great at using water magic, but I’m excellent with a crystal ball. Vida is wonderful at spells, but she isn’t about to go make any super complicated potion in the near future. Madison is good in both fields of her color’s magic. It just depends on the user, really. And must I mention that not everybody who believes in magic practices magic? Most of my family believes in magic, but only my mother chooses to use her water magic on a regular basis.” Xander added in. “Just saying you believe in magic doesn’t mean you’ll be shooting off spells all over the place; it just means that you acknowledge the existence of the magical spirits.”

“What a religious cult you people are…” Nick mumbled.

“Well, I know where we’re going, girls, and strange guy. If we’re all supposed to be somewhere, we should be there.” Xander wrapped up his crystal ball and began to walk outside. Vida and Madison got up to follow him, causing Nick to stand up.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute here, wait a minute!” Nick said, waving his arms in a ‘stop and let me talk’ fashion. “Just because you saw in that little ball that the four of us should go to the forest…you’re going to go to the forest?”

“Why not? The spirits have spoken to me. They say that there is someone waiting for us there that we must meet. Why would the spirits lie to me? They’ve never let me down before!”

“Just seems a little weird to me, okay? My instincts are telling me that there is some crazy cult crap that’s going to happen out there, and I want no part of it.”

“Well, you can watch us to make sure we don’t do anything illegal.” Madison said in a soft tone. Nick thought about it for a while, then grinned.

“You’ve got a point.” Nick said. “I’ll come with you.”

“You’re leaving that infernal machine here, though.” Xander said. “I don’t care where you’re from, but here in Briarwood, we walk everywhere.” Nick fumed a bit; his bike was his pride and joy, and he wasn’t one to take orders from legal subordinates well, but he knew that he had to swallow his pride for the moment. “Fine.”

Nick followed Vida, Madison, and Xander into the forest. Within moments of their arrival, the sky began to become overcast.

“See, I knew something was gonna happen, and I didn’t even need a crystal ball for that!” Nick said. Xander flashed him a dirty look.

“This must be the ‘dark clouds’ I foresaw…huh…” Xander frowned. “I should learn to read my crystal ball better…”

Vida then stopped. “We forgot!” She exclaimed, taking out her wand.

“Oh! Yeah!” Madison replied, taking out her wand. Nick stared at them.

“Oh great, more sticks.”

“Regalia Magi!” Vida and Madison said in unison, waving their wands. Their baker’s uniforms turned into witch hats and cloaks. They then pointed their wands at Xander and Nick, changing their attire to cloaks and witch hats as well. Nick’s hat and cloak were trimmed with red ribbons, and Xander’s was trimmed in blue.

“Ah, red!” Vida said. “Lucky you! I knew you’d be a red magician, with your fiery temper and all…”

Nick ignored her comments, as he was too busy looking at his cloak and panicking. “What did you do to my clothes?” He shouted, looking at Vida and Madison.

“It’s a simple grey spell. Anybody can learn it, and it will wear off once the castors reverse it. Your normal clothes are fine.”

“Fix it! Now!” Nick demanded.

“Oh stop it. You’re in our town, you follow our rules.” Xander said. “I’m quite tired of your temper and demanding. Just because you’re important in your town doesn’t mean that you’re any more special than we are.”

“Exactly!” Vida replied.

“Fine! Let’s just find this hooded guy or whatever, then we can leave.” Nick griped. “I don’t have the time…”

They walked far into the forest until they couldn’t see the sun anymore. What the overcast weather wasn’t blocking, the treetops absorbed.

“I’ll fix this! Luma Lumiere!” Vida waved her wand and a ball of light engulfed the tip of her wand. “Electric light.” Vida said, showing it off.

“I can one-up ya, sis!” Madison said. “Silva Lumiere!” She said, pointing at the ground. The ground lit up below her, as did the trees. Nick, Xander, and Vida all stared in wonder. “Sprite light.” Madison replied with a smile. Vida smirked and dispelled her wand’s light. “Showoff.”

As the light extended, Madison spotted something horrible up ahead. Dozens of hideous monsters were less than a hundred yards away. The eyeless beasts were humanoid in shape and wielded large blades. As soon as the creatures spotted the group, they emitted a terrifying howl, causing the magical foursome to quiver in fear.

“Demons!” Madison shrieked. “Oh no…”

“If only I had my pistol…” Nick muttered.

“That’s alright! I can do much more damage than any mere machine!” Vida said. She waved her wand and shouted, “Ramuh rabia!” A burst of electric light shot out of her wand and bounced around the demon group. The demons cried out in anguish.

“Silva Sceld!” Madison said, touching the ground with the tip of her wand. As she drew the wand upwards, vines shot out of the ground, forming a wall in front of the group. The demons recovered quickly, and started to charge the vine wall. “Everybody, make a break for it!”

The foursome ran for it, splitting up in the process. Madison and Xander went east, Vida and Nick headed west. Without Madison’s support, the shield fell, and the demons started to chase the two groups.

Vida re-summoned her light and Nick made sure to keep his eye on it. “I never got your name, but I suggest you either run for it or help me fight these demons!” Vida shouted as she leaped over a fallen log in her path.

“The name’s Nick, and I doubt I’ll be much help.” Nick replied.

“Well then, run faster and stay out of my way!” Vida fired off another lightning blast, taking out the demons that had followed them.

“Um, Vida…” Nick said, stopping in his tracks. She turned around and spotted a giant stone golem coming their way.

“Oh shit…” Vida dropped to her knees and held her wand up to the sky. “Please, O Heavenly Saints, please don’t let us die…forgive Nick for he doesn’t understand…forgive me for not devoting myself enough to your greatness…”

“You’re praying for forgiveness?” Nick shouted, kneeling next to her. The golem was coming closer.

“It’s the only thing I can think of doing…” Vida said. “I know I’m not experienced enough to defeat this golem…”

Just as soon as the golem came within ten feet of them, Vida and Nick shielded themselves with their arms, preparing for the worst. The air then turned cold, then warm again, causing a mild confusion to wash over the pair. They looked up at the golem and found that it had suddenly become frozen solid. Vida and Nick stared in awe.

“Ice magic…” Vida said in a trance-like voice.

Madison and Xander ran as fast as they could, but they found that the demons were slowly catching up. The sprite lights guided them through the forest, and suddenly Xander spotted a familiar landmark.

“Maddie, I got an idea!” Xander said, stopping. “You put up your shield, and I’ll lure them away from you.”

“But you don’t know any magic!” Madison replied.

“I got a spell up my sleeve…literally.” Xander replied, rolling up his sleeve to reveal the spell from the crystal ball. Madison threw up another shield, giving Xander the reassurance that she was going to be fine. He then ran for the small lake.

“Aquae Movrum!” Xander called out as he approached the lake’s edge. He looked behind, waiting for some sort of effect, but all he got was a lightheaded feeling. “Well, that was a waste.” He muttered.

He looked down and gasped; he noticed that he was standing on top of the water in the middle of the lake. “Well, okay, maybe I did something…” He looked to see how deep the lake went, and he suddenly saw why the crystal ball picked out the location. “Perfect…” He grinned. “Hey! Big ugly demons! Come and get me!” He screamed, waving at the pack.

Madison continued to hold back the demons, but she had difficulty. Without any attacking power, she couldn’t hold them off much longer. The demons that hadn’t followed Xander were breaking through her shield. She panicked as one of the demon’s swords shot through her shield and narrowly missed her face. She braced herself, waiting for the worst, as a voice behind her cried out, “Kaze Adala!” Gusts of wind shot past her, drilling into the demons and tearing them apart. The wind spirals that hit the ground broke apart, becoming mini tornadoes and flinging the demons everywhere. Madison looked up to see a hooded figure floating downwards using a steadying levitation spell. The hooded figure landed besides Madison.

“I take it you’re here with three other magicians?” The hooded figure asked. The male voice was warm and cheerful, yet authoritative and serious.

“I was…but now I’m pretty much alone…”

“Well, we have to find them then!” The hooded figure said. “Which way did they go?”

“Xander went left…” The hooded figure began to run left. “Wait for me!” Madison began to catch up to him.

“Hahaha! How’s the weather down there?” Xander laughed as he stood on top of the middle of the lake, watching the demons sink to the bottom of the lake. The hooded figure and Madison spotted him, and Madison smiled.

“Ah Xander, I see you’re using water magic!” Madison cheerily commented as she walked forward to greet him.

“I saw it in my crystal ball, Maddie. How righteous is that?” Xander said, running over the pond’s surface to greet her. Xander noticed that the hooded figure was standing behind Madison. “Oh…the hooded figure…”

“C’mon you two, we gotta find your friends!” He began to run back through the forest.

“Why won’t you wait for us?” Madison asked as she and Xander began to chase after him.

Vida and Nick stood up, shaking. They spotted a white-armored figure with a large magical staff adorned with a snowflake-shaped crystal.

“Ah, two out of the five magicians…where are your friends?” The armored figure asked. Her voice was stern and strong.

“Are you…Udonna?” Vida asked.

“There’s no time for talk. Separated, you are vulnerable. We must find them immediately.” The armored woman said, walking over and grabbing Nick and Vida by their hands. “Now, off we go!” The trio ran back the way that Nick and Vida had come.

As the hooded figure stopped to take a break, Madison and Xander finally caught up to him. Xander saw an opportunity to give and introduction as the hooded figure grabbed his side and breathed heavily.

“Hi, I’m Xander.” Xander said cheerily.

“Can’t you see…that I’m out…of breath…?” The hooded figure replied. “I haven’t run…as far or…as fast…as I am…right now…in a long time…” He used his free hand to toss off his hood.

The forest sprites’ greenish lights illuminated the hooded figure’s burnt amber hair and made it look like a gentle fire. He was a shade paler than Madison, and his eyes were lit with the same intensity and shade as his hair. As he slowly caught his breath, Madison meekly walked up to his side.

“Are you okay?” She nervously asked. She could only hope that he wouldn’t snap at her like he did Xander. “Are you going to be sick?”

“I’ll be fine, but thank you for asking.” He replied with a weak smile. “I always bounce back just fine!” He then shot up from his sitting position and brushed himself off. “See? I’m o-” He then winced and grabbed his side once more. “Ow, cramp…” He stayed bent over for a moment, then slowly stood up. “Okay, I’m fine again.”

“Alright!” Xander said. He then stuck his hand out for a shake. “Hi, I-”

“Yeah, heard ya the first time.”

“May we ask your name?” Madison asked.

“The name’s Charlie, but you can just call me Chip.” Chip curtseyed to Madison, then to Xander. “May I ask your name, miss?”

“My name is Madison.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you both, but we must go find your fellow magicians. We don’t have any time; we’re on a mighty quest!” Chip shouted, pointing forwards.

Five minutes later, Chip, Madison, and Xander ran into Nick, Vida, and the white armored woman.

“Ah, I was worried that you would never get here.” The white armored woman said to Chip.

“I was too! But, luckily I found Madison and Xander, and we avoided a certain doom.” His calm demeanor scared Nick and Vida.

“Let us get to the Rootcore then.” The white armored woman said.

“The Rootcore?” Madison asked. “Isn’t that the legendary lair of the Great Udonna?”

“What else would it be?” Chip asked excitedly. “Let’s go!” He began to run north, and everybody raced to catch up to him.

Chip finally stopped in front of a tree, and the white armored woman stepped in front of him.

“Galwit Nermax Mysto!” She said, waving her wand. The tree trunk opened wide, stopping when the hole was wide enough to let people file in two by two.

“Ladies first.” Chip said, stepping out of the way. Madison, Vida, and the white armored woman walked in first, followed by Xander and Chip. After a moment, Xander noticed that Nick hadn’t followed them, so he walked back.

“You shouldn’t stand in the forest alone.” Xander warned.

“This is all a dream!” Nick replied, crossing his arms. “I’m dreaming all of this, and since it’s my dream, I don’t have to do anything!”

“C’mon, before a bunch of demons come and kill you.”

Nick sighed. If it was a dream, and his subconscious self though this fictional person was telling him to follow the character, then he really had no choice. Besides, dying in dreams wasn’t exactly something he wanted to do. “Fine…”

As Nick entered the tree trunk, he felt himself pulled forwards until he fell face flat onto a wooden floor, knocking his hat off his head.

“Welcome, Nicholas.” The white armored woman said as she walked to the dais that sat on a stairway that oversaw the wide area that made up most of the area.

“How’d you know my name?” He asked the woman.

The woman did not answer, so Nick took to looking around the room. In the wide open space in front of him, there was a wide circular table adorned with a design that he could only think of coming from a Wiccan book, featuring five colored circles with designs inside them.

Vida had become intent on studying them and speaking out their meanings. “Red Phoenix…Blue Mermaid…Yellow Garuda…Pink Fairy…Green Minotaur…the Mystic Titans of ancient lore…amazing…”

Around the chair sat five chairs, all adorned in the same colored symbols as the table. There were vine banisters adorning the sides of simple wooden steps and holding the stained glass windows in place. In the middle of the largest window, a symbol that appeared to be a curved golden ‘M’ sat powerfully, craving authority.

The woman dropped her armor, revealing a middle-aged woman wearing a tan-shaded dress with her long, curly hair up in a half-ponytail. Madison and Vida’s jaws dropped as they dropped to the floor in a genuflex.

“Great Udonna, I knew it was you!” Vida said. “Madison and I are in your great service!” Xander and Chip followed slowly. Nick stared at them, once again considering the whole situation insane.

“Rise, magicians. No need to bow.” The four rose to their feet. “Nick, Vida, Xander, Madison, Charlie…you have all been summoned here by the Heavenly Saints to save the world.”

“Charlie…Charlie Thorn?” Madison muttered quizzically, looking at Chip. Her gazing caused the rest to stare. Vida’s eyes widened as she gasped.

“I thought I recognized you!” Vida added as soon as the name clicked. She pointed straight at him, mouth open wide in shock. “You’re the ‘Wind Scout of the North’! I heard you were captured, drained by vampires, disembodied, turned to dust, and that your ashes were scattered throughout the underworld!”

Chip blushed. “Well, that’s the weirdest theory I’ve heard. I’ve heard that I was killed a few different ways, but that one is the most grotesque by far…and also the coolest. But yeah, I’m the Wind Scout, Charlie Thorn.”

“It’s an honor to work with you!” Vida said.

“You shouldn’t worship me like a Heavenly Saint, Miss Vida, lest you lose favor with them.” Vida shut up and looked back at Udonna.

“Children, here me out. Now is not the time for side chatter.” Udonna said. “I am indeed the Great Udonna, and this planet needs you five warriors to protect it and drive the demons back to Hell and destroy them.”

“I’m here on an investigation; I’m not here to save the world.” Nick said, waving his hands.

“Why do you think your investigation led here during this time of crisis?” Udonna asked. Nick pondered the question for a moment; it did seem highly unusual for his boss to allow anybody to go on a crazy lead, and the fact that the first people he ran into in Briarwood would happen to be a fortune teller and two witches, and then to find that he was affiliated with the color red, which would complete this crazy ‘five branches’ thing…

“I suppose not all of it can be coincidence…” Nick replied. “Okay, so I’m here. How do I help you guys out to get what I need?”

“You first gotta believe in magic.” Vida said, walking over to him. “You don’t believe in magic, and here, that’s all you have.”

“You’ve seen magic in action, and you still don’t believe?” Chip asked.

“No, he thinks it’s all part of some crazy cult run by illegal activities and that we’re creating illusions of demons or something like that.” Xander replied.

“What a world you live in…you’re so cynical and blind to the truth…” Udonna commented.

“Open your eyes, Nick. Those demons in the forest were real. Xander foresaw you coming to Briarwood. He saw you, Vida, Chip, himself, and me all together. This is meant to be. The only way you can help is to join us.” Madison said. “We’re not a cult. We’re not an illegal group. We’re supposed to be a team to help the world. Why else would the demons be after us?”

Nick sighed as Vida grabbed his hands. “Nick, you have to believe in us. You have to believe that this world is lost without you. Do you believe that?”

“I guess…”

“You have to believe it wholeheartedly!” Vida said, clenching his hands. “Now tell me, do you believe in us?”

“There’s nothing saying I shouldn’t.”

Vida smiled. “Do you believe in our cause?”

“Well, it’s a great cause. It’s why I became a cop, to make the world safe.”

“One last question: do you believe in magic?”

[GreenNinja]

I don't care if imagining Xander in aquamarine makes me laugh or if Chip is being treated like we treat Eric and Ricky....that was a GREAT read, Fran. It kept the core of Mystic Force (or should I say the core of Magiranger) intact, while rearranging things JUST enough for it to be original. I like it, and I'll be back for more.

Consider this the Tober seal of approval!

[DarkStarShadow]

If the first chapter wasn't long enough...this one's a whopping 35 pages. But then again, look at all the CD and plot advancements I shoved into it and you'll understand. I made a mini doll banner for the chapter as well:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/dollies/mfch2dolls.gif

See? They're proper colors now. =P

but yes, 35 pages of action, adventure, new characters, and shippy moments!

Here we go!



Chapter Two: The Five Magicians



“One last question: do you believe in magic?”

“After all this, I do. I believe in magic.” Nick replied with a smile. The Rootcore responded to the good news; the walls began to glow shades of amber and red, and the central table’s gold circle lit up along with the red phoenix circle.

“With five magicians of all five colors present, the circle is complete.” Udonna said, pulling a cherrywood wand from underneath her long, flowing sleeve. “Nick, this shall be your wand. You are the Red Magician of this group, and the fire spirits have granted you fire magic. The most basic of these spells is ‘Pyra Incero’. Treat this wand with care, and it will treat you with care back.”

“Wait, I don’t get it.” Nick asked as Udonna walked to present him with his wand.

“What is there to get, Nick?” She replied, placing the wand in his right hand.

“How do you know what magic I use? What ‘Heavenly Saints’ give me power?”

“The phoenix symbol was come alive with your acceptance of magic. The phoenix is the representation of the fire element, which in turn is represented by the color red. This is what the Heavenly Saints decided centuries ago when they created their set of rules for future magicians.”

“I see…” Nick said, looking over the wand he had been given.

“Your natural thirst for knowledge will lead to great power here in the Rootcore. My books will provide you with information if you ever have any other questions.”

“Yes, Madame Udonna.”

“Just call me Udonna, child.” She then looked at the other four. “That goes for the rest of you.”

“Same with me.” Chip replied. “I’m no better than the rest of you now. Remember that.” He sat down in the chair positioned in front of the yellow garuda symbol.

“Charlie, I suggest you stand up for a moment. In fact, I want Nick you practice the spell I gave him, and I want the rest of you to sit in front of your magic branch color and set your wands down.” They complied as Nick began to wave around his wand and tried to get the spell right.

As the four placed their wands on the table, Xander looked up at Udonna. “What do we do now?”

“I shall do the rest.” Udonna replied, taking her wand out and waving it a bit. “Elema Migna!” Suddenly, the symbols in front of the four faded and disappeared; appearing moments later out of order.

In front of Madison was the Blue Mermaid instead of the Green Minotaur, Xander now sat in front of the Green Minotaur, Chip now sat in front of the Garuda symbol again, and Vida sat in front of the Pink Fairy. The circles then began to glow, engulfing the wands in their light. As the light died down, they revealed the new wands; they were all perfectly shaped like Nick’s instead of just being hewed off tree branches, and they all the same color as the light that had engulfed them.

“Why am I pink? I don’t know anything about wind magic! I hate the color pink!” Vida griped.

“And why must I be yellow? I hate thunder magic!” Chip seemed to be as furious as Vida.

“If I’m green…does that mean I can’t use my crystal ball anymore?” Xander asked, picking up his wand.

“And does that also mean that my plant-growing will be faulty?” Madison added.

“Why did you change us up? It’s such a hassle to relearn all these magicks with demons roaming about!” Chip replied.

“These are your true elements, children.” Udonna replied.

“We were chosen by our respective saints for a reason! You don’t have the right to change it, no matter who you are!” Vida replied, nearly knocking the chair over as she stood up.

“I looked within all of you, and this is what I saw. You are all out of your elements, and I have fixed this.” Udonna said, facing Vida and Chip. She then turned to Madison and Xander. “And to answer your questions, as you two go on in the studies in your new magicks, your proficiencies in your old magicks will fade slightly. It won’t ever be as good as it is now, and it will take more to be able to perform spells in those branches, but it won’t ever fully disappear. Just don’t count on them to work for you in battle.”

“I see…” Xander said. “But how…how am I a green magician when everyone in my family is only known to use blue?”

“Oh, blue is your branch…but it is only where you start. What you know from being a blue magician will aid both you and Madison in these times. Same for you too, Madison, and Chip, and Vida. This is to help you four learn from each other and to unite as one.”

“I’m just fine on my own, thank you very much.” Chip replied, turning his back to the group. Udonna turned him back around with a wave of her wand.

“I work better on my own too, Udonna.” Nick replied, finally getting the spell to work. A plume of fire shot from the tip of his wand, much like a flamethrower. “Whoa! Amazing! It really works!” He commented with a smile.

“Nick, you shall learn what you need from my library mostly. I’m terribly sorry if you don’t like to read, but since you are the only person to use fire magic here-”

“Oh that’s fine. I don’t mind reading if it’s something useful.”

“That is good to hear. Now, the first thing we must do is to work on the most basic attack you can all use against the demons. Charlie, your best bet is to use the spell ‘Catena Rai’. That is a simple and effective spell. Vida, ‘Kaze Sparus’ will do just fine.”

“Kaze Sparus is a weak spell!” Chip replied.

“The demons who are roaming about do not require much effort to defeat. These spells are perfect for learning your strength with your magicks. Anything stronger, and it would be a waste of time and energy.” Udonna replied. She then continued on with her suggestions. “Now Xander, you should practice using “Grundia Spalt”. Just remember to aim this away from the others, okay?” Xander nodded in response. “Good. Now Madison, the best spell for you is “Aquae Tortum”. Attacking, I know, isn’t your style, but you will enjoy this spell. Now, I want you all to practice these spells on your first quest.”

“Ooh, a quest!” Chip said enthusiastically. “God, I’ve wanted a quest to do for ages!”

“Quests are for little kids. Let’s just charge a small camp of those demons and whip them!” Vida said.

“We need the Xenotome, Vida. Your first quest is to retrieve it. Charlie shall lead you to the location on this map, since he knows the safest and fastest routes.” She waved her wand, and a shower of white flakes shot out, reaching out to Chip’s right hand and materializing into a parchment map. “Remember your spells and remember this bit: Using magicks outside your branch will weaken you faster than normal, so if you choose to go against the new changes, then you will find yourself weak and tired after a few spells.”

“Well, I should be fine no matter what, right?” Nick asked. “I mean…since this is the only magic I’ve used…”

“Yes Nick, you shall be fine with what you have.”

“Good. I say that we find this book and get back here. I’m going to try and call my boss once we get back…try to get that Clare girl here. She is from here, right?”

“You know where my assistant is at the moment?” Udonna asked. She seemed concerned.

“My partners locked her up in a holding cell…she was speaking all these weird things to us that none of us believed…but she gave me this map…it was in my coat pocket…” He said, looking over at Vida.

“Check your inner pocket then. I didn’t totally remove your jacket, ya know.”

“Oh, okay…” He checked the inside of his cloak, delighted to find the map inside. He then set it down on the table. “She gave me this map, and I followed it here.”

“I see that even Clare knew that you were meant to come here…I told her to give it to nobody but a true magician if she were to fall onto hard times. This itself proves that your arrival was foretold and fated to be. I am sure that once the Xenotome is back in our hands, that it will agree with the current events.” Udonna then fell silent and crossed her arms. “Now, all of you, there is no time to waste. Get going.”

“Will do!” Chip replied, giving his group’s salute, which was forming a ‘v’ shape around his right eye with his palm facing outwards, to Udonna before running out the entrance, once again abandoning the group and forcing them to chase after him.

As they ran, Nick decided that he was going to ask his associates about the situation.

“Hey Vida…” He asked, catching up to her. “What exactly is this Xenotome I keep on hearing about?”

“The Xenotome is an book written by the Ancients…it’s said to contain spells, prophecies, legends, maps, and even words of the Heavenly Saints themselves…but nobody knows exactly what’s in it. What’s known for sure is that if the demons from Hell got their hands on it, that it would mean the end of the surface world, both the mystic realm and the mortal realm would be extinguished.”

“Why then, was it brought to the mortal realm?”

“The mortal realm is not a very safe place and hard to understand by anything of a mystic nature, therefore any demons trying to get their hands on the Xenotome in the mortal realm would have to take a human form, then struggle to find places where it would be easy for somebody to hide something, then try to figure out the defenses around it…it’s too much work. Apparently, though, Clare wasn’t safe enough where she was.”

“Well, she’s not a member of the mortal realm…it’s hard for her to find a place to hide in my society.”

“Well, she’d blend in fine in Briarwood…your society must be strange…what, with your phones, your crazy machines…and your dough-knots…” Nick rolled his eyes; this was going to be one hell of a long day.

Chip suddenly stopped at a fork in the trail. He looked at the map for a moment, then looked back at the fork.

“Hm…” He mused. “High road, which’s longer and safer…or the low road, which’s shorter but more dangerous…” He turned to the group. “Who wants to go the long route? It should be a lot safer than the short route.” They all nodded in the positive. “Fine, the high road it is!” He proclaimed. He then went and sat on a rock. “Five minute break…” He grabbed his left side as he gasped for air. “I guess I didn’t recover as well as I thought…” The group then collapsed to the ground. Chip was a speedy runner, and it was difficult maintaining their top speeds, let alone trying to keep up to Chip.

“…Could you please consider slowing down a bit, Chip?” Madison asked. “We can hardly keep up to you…”

“Since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could…” Chip replied with a grin. “Alright, let’s get up and go…we can’t waste any more time. The demons could be exploiting the Xenotome as we speak.” He stood up, and made his way down the right-hand path at a walking pace. The others gathered up their strength and continued onwards, happy that he had slowed down.

At the temporary camp of the demons, the two vampire women tried fruitlessly to decipher the messages written in the Xenotome.

“There are no words!” The first one shouted.

“No words!” The second one replied.

“WOLZARD!” They both shouted. The purple-armored knight walked over to them, his sword sheathed in its holster built into the shield.

“Ladies Nai and Mae, may I advise that you put that book away and begin to pack up. The humans will undoubtedly be here soon, as they are running this way.”

“We can fend ourselves against them!” They both said, nodding.

“No, you cannot. There are five of them now…and the scout is leading them.”

“The scout?” Nai asked.

“Scout?” Mae replied.

“He escaped our grasp once, my ladies…he knows too much about us and our master.” Wolzard looked down and clenched his free fist.

“Then we should get rid of him!” They replied.

“They are coming…our best bet is to escape with the Xenotome while we can. Once we are safe, we can decode it.” Wolzard took the Xenotome and skimmed through it, ripping out several pages in the process. “I suppose that if you are intent on staying, I can afford to catch up on reading…”

“You ruined the book!” Nai shouted.

“Ruined!” Mae repeated.

“This is a win-win situation, girls…I’ll tell you both once we return to our master’s lair.” Wolzard replied.

“Okay!” They both replied. Suddenly, several of the demon scouts cried out.

“Do you smell humans?” Nai asked.

“Humans, are they around?” Mae questioned.

Chip began to look around after twenty minutes of walking. “Something isn’t right…” He mumbled.

“What’s up?” Nick asked.

“Either there’s been a settlement created in the last six years…or somebody’s set up camp. Don’t you smell the smoke?” Chip replied.

“I see smoke up ahead!” Xander replied, pointing over Chip’s head in the direction they were facing.

“There’s something out there…” Vida said. “What’s the levitation spell, Chip? I wanna get a better view.”

“Aeroga Levios. Say it, then lift your arms like a bird spreads its wings.” He replied without taking his gaze off of the smoke plume Xander pointed out.

“Alrighty.” Vida waved her wand, repeating what Chip said. She spread her arms out like wings as she began to rise off the ground. She rose above the treetops and spotted a camp. “Guys! Up ahead!” She shouted down to them. “Now how to I get down from here?”

“Drop your arms!” Chip replied. Vida dropped her arms and slowly dropped back down to the group.

“Okay, I think I saw some demons, and a guy in a suit of purple armor, and some girls in black dresses-”

Chip stopped her. “I’m not sure if we should be going th-”

“And I saw the Xenotome.” Vida cut him off.

“The vampires are dangerous women. We have to avoid them at all costs…we should try to see if they’ll drop their guard before charging in…or maybe we should wait…”

Nick found Chip’s sudden change in tone intriguing. There were miniature cacophonies of notes that nobody else seemed to notice, signaling a sudden and urgent panic. He could see the panic in Chip’s eyes; they were ever so slightly shivering with the same fear in Chip’s voice. Nick only rationalized that since he was so used to dealing with domestic disputes and trying to calming down terrified assault victims, that he had been trained with the ability to tell these sorts of things. All he truly knew was that Chip was trying to do everything in his power to keep his true emotions hidden, and that something about the vampires scared him. He couldn’t figure out, based on his knowledge, understand why vampires were out in the morning, but then again, nothing Nick had been seeing made total sense today. He snapped back into the conversation.

“Chip, we have no choice.” Xander was arguing. “They have the Xenotome. Our mission is to get it, regardless on who’s guarding it!”

Chip sighed. “Fine, but if any of you are hurt, it’s not my fault!” Chip shouted, drawing out his wand. “Now, we’re going to approach slowly…”

Wolzard looked up, setting the pages down on the ground. He picked up his shield and unsheathed his sword. “They arrive…” He whistled, catching the attention of the demon foot soldiers in the camp. “Hideacs! Defensive positions!” The beasts lined up in ranks accordingly. “If we are to run, we will run under their cover.”

“But Wolzard-sama…” Nai began to protest.

“Wolzard-sama…” Mae mimicked.

“Combine and prepare to retreat.” Wolzard ordered.

“Yes, Wolzard-sama…” Nai and Mae sadly replied, grabbing each other’s hands and leaning in, touching cheeks. Their bodies temporarily turned black and leathery until the two of them had become one full creature. This new form was clad entirely in black leather and PVC, from the bat-winged and mohawk-adorned head to the mini-boot adorned feet.

“Are you happy, Wolzard? I feel so empty…” The new creature spoke.

“Lady Vankyuria, I do believe that it would be wise to take the book and return to the base…for your own safety.” Wolzard replied. “Trying to manage both of you would be more difficult. Besides, you can fly now, can’t you?”

“I can fly faster than that damn Wind Scout could ever imagine going, Wolzard…but I wish to stay and watch for a while.” She then gave note to the removed pages. “Shall we put them back?”

“I’ve memorized them, so perhaps it wouldn’t hurt.” Wolzard replied.

“I’ll do the honors.” Vankyuria replied, picking them up. She opened up the book to the places the pages had been removed, then slid the pieces in. She the closed the book and shot a bolt of purple energy through it. The pages magically set back in place just as the magicians were approaching. “I want a better view. “ She muttered as she floated upwards on her own power. “I want to see their faces before I kill them…”

Chip spotted Vankyuria floating overhead and he turned white as the hair on Vankyuria’s head. He stopped in his tracks as Vida, Nick, Madison, and Xander ran past him, wands blazed, ready for battle.

“Grundia Spalt!” Xander shouted, pointing at the ground in front of him. The ground opened up, sending several entire columns of Hideacs falling to their undead demises, one bone crunching slam against the sidewalls at a time.

“Kaze Sparus!” Vida shouted, pointing her wand at a deep column of Hideacs. A burst of tightly-packed spiraling wind shot out of her wand, drilling through each Hideac that stood in its path, spewing blood, bone hunks, and entrails in a wide radius.

Vankyuria grinned as she shot up higher into the sky. “Come, little Wind Scout…I’ll tear you apart…” She watched as the other members of the group distanced themselves from Chip. “Alone, are we? What a tasty treat you’ll be!” Vankyuria grinned, baring her fangs and dive-bombing towards Chip, who was too paralyzed in fear to run or scream.

“Aquae Tortum!” Madison cried out, aiming her wand at a group of charging Hideacs. A large jetstream of water shot out of her wand, hitting the Hideacs and beginning to dive into their suits and drive holes through their skin, painfully peeling away each layer through advanced erosion. Madison managed to slice the charging Hideacs in half within moments. “Gross…but effective, I guess.”

“Pyra Incero!” Nick shouted, sending a house fire’s worth of flame shooting out his wand, setting all the Hideacs within a twenty-foot range in front of him and on his sides aflame as he waved his wand about. “Burn, baby, burn!” Nick shouted, charging forward, wand constantly pulsing out the fire as he ran towards Wolzard and the Xenotome, which Vankyuria had dropped once she spotted Chip.

“Ah, Wind Scout of the North…” Vankyuria murmured as she landed in front of Chip. “Which side is it now which screams the most…” She extended the claws on her right hand and drove them into Chip’s left side. Chip tried to scream in agony, but his vocal chords were tangled in knots and he was paralyzed in fear. Vankyuria began to fly up, carrying Chip upwards by the claws in his side. She pulled his body closer to his, holding him gently against her body as she pulled her claws out. She seducingly licked the blood up off the tips of her claws, smiling afterwards. “Ah, even wounded blood from you is like a fine wine…”

Chip tried to remember the spell he was given, but he was in too much pain and terror to think at all.

“Do you hate death, child? If you join me, you’ll never have to fear it…” She grinned, caressing his sheet-white face. “We would love to have you with us…”

“Not in your life.” Chip replied, slowly picking up his wand arm while trying to remember the spell he was given.

“I tried being nice to you, but I guess you’re going to make it difficult for yourself!” She drove her fist into his stomach with enough force to rock his kidneys and make him cough up a small amount of blood. “Oh, a feast for me…? Don’t mind if I do…” She grabbed him by his hair and lifted his head, up, licking the blood from his lips. “Oh, you magicians always have a nice taste…you’re all magically delicious.” She cackled. “What a lovely joke I made!” She laughed for a moment, then fell silent. “Now…if you will not join us, then you will die!” She opened her mouth as wide as she could, baring her elongated fangs.

Chip suddenly mustered up all his strength, drawing his wand up to her mouth, shouting “Catena Rai!” A bolt of lightning shot out of his wand, shooting through Vankyuria’s body. She shrieked as the electricity flowed through her, setting her aflame and discharging it back to Chip. He struggled to loosen her grip until she dropped him to the ground. She fell to the ground, setting some dry brush on fire as she disintegrated into ash. Chip looked up and weakly grinned at his success, before collapsing once more.

The Xenotome began to glow brightly as Vankyuria slowly faded out of existence. Wolzard stepped back from the book as Nick ran up.

“Holy shit…” Nick said, staring between the Xenotome and Wolzard.

“The Red Magician…” Wolzard said in awe. “You have awakened…”

“Who are you?” Nick asked, pointing his wand at him.

“My name is Wolzard. Today we will not fight because you are not worth my time. But when we next meet, I know that you will be prepared.” Wolzard then walked off in the opposite direction, leaving the Xenotome behind. Nick swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in his throat, then he grabbed the Xenotome.

“Guys! I got it!” Nick shouted, waving the book around.

“Awesome!” Xander shouted before quickly shoving a Hideac into the pit he made.

“Alright!” Vida said as she took out the remaining Hideacs with her Wind Spear.

“Let’s head back.” Madison said as she turned around. She then spotted the fire that Vankyuria’s body had left behind and that it was dangerously close to Chip, who was trying hard to get up. “Aquae Tortum!” She blasted out the fires and ran to Chip’s side, as did Xander. They both helped Chip up, who slid away from Xander and Madison as he gained his bearings.

“I’m fine.” Chip said, brushing off his cloak.

“You’re bleeding, Chip.” Xander said.

“‘Tis but a flesh wound.” Chip replied with a grin. He began to walk, away, grabbing his side and limping back to the Rootcore.

“I hope he’s alright…” Madison said.

Back in Roftwood, Clare was pacing back and forth in her cell, mumbling.

“How can I get out of here…?” She muttered, clutching her wand. “OH!” She pointed at the guard. “Kindness, overflowing like a river; I am the one you wish to please…” a silvery ethereal fluid floated through the air, slowly making its way to the female guard. As the fluid surrounded the guard, it was absorbed into her skin, slowly changing the guard’s perception slightly. She turned around and spotted Clare.

“Hey hun, you want a nice set of clothes?” A female guard asked Clare. Clare nodded. The guard walked over and opened the door. She gave a sad look. “In fact, you could probably use a shower, too…would you like one, hun?”

“Huh?” She looked at the guard as she walked out. “Oh, yes please.”

The guard smiled and led her into the female guard’s locker room. “Hey hun, you wanna keep this stick?” She asked, pointing to Clare’s wand.

“Oh yes, please.” The guard punched in the door code and let Clare in.

“What size is your dress? I’ll get you a nice uniform…”

“I wear a medium, but I think those suits are bigger than normal.”

“I bet I can find you a small…” The guard said with a smile. As the guard walked off, she snickered to herself. “I didn’t think I mastered that incantation yet…”

The magician quintet returned to the Rootcore, and Nick ran up to Udonna happily. “We have it back!” He shouted.

“Well done, my magicians-in-training.” Udonna replied. Chip walked in slowly and made his way to the spiral staircase. “Charlie, are you alright?”

“It’s just ‘a flesh wound’, Madame Udonna.” Madison said jokingly. Chip grinned slightly as he made his way upstairs.

“Where’s he going?” Xander asked.

“There are rooms for all of you upstairs, complete with all the comforts of home. Charlie was here before the rest of you, so he’s already picked out his room, and you can bring anything you’d like into them. Consider the Rootcore to be a home away from home.”

“Sounds like a nice thing you’ve got going here,” Nick replied with a sad tone in his voice. “but I’m needed back in Roftwood. I have a job and rent to pay-”

“You belong here, Nick. It is your destiny.”

“I can’t just throw away the life I have back home to save the world and all-”

“If you do not live up to your destiny, your home will cease to exist.” Udonna spoke with a serious and authoritative tone; the same type of tone Nick was trained to obey. However, he found himself wanting to obey it.

“I’m going to need to go back for Clare anyways…if I wish to stay, I’ll let you know then.”

“Nick, this isn’t a game, nor is it just an overnight decision. You must be fully committed to the cause if you are going to stay. Do you understand this?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then sit for a moment.” Nick took a seat in front of the red circle and sighed. Udonna grabbed her wand and waved it about. “Parle Parfait.” She calmly said. She then pointed the tip of her wand at her mouth and began to speak. “Charlie, how are you feeling?”

“I’m taking care of my cuts and bruises. Do you need me for anything?” Chip’s voice replied from the tip of the wand, sounding very much like it had come out of a walkie-talkie.

“Take care of yourself, then come downstairs. I have something I need to show you and the others.”

“You got it!” Chip replied. Madison imagined him giving his strange salute again, along with a serious yet fanciful grin.

“Hey Maddie, whatcha thinking about?” Xander asked?

“Huh? Nothing.”

“Well, ‘nothing’ sure brings a smile to your face.” Xander replied.

“Was I smiling?” Madison lightly blushed. “Odd…”

“Children, while you wait, you may explore the Rootcore. You can pick out your rooms, or read some books and learn some spells…do whatever you’d like.”

“I got a question…” Nick said.

“Yes, Nick?”

“Could I use that spell to communicate with the scanners at my station?”

“Scanners…? Station…?” Udonna seemed confused.

“Do you know what a radio is?” Nick asked.

“…I’m afraid I don’t.”

Nick sighed. Well, I’ll figure it out myself. I’m off to get Cla-”

“Nick, you must stay here and wait for Charlie. I still have yet to read this passage…”

“He’ll be taking a while, given to limp he had. Besides, that kid needs to rest.”

“Kid? Kid? I highly doubt that I’m younger than you! I’m probably older!” Chip shouted through Udonna’s wand.

“He heard me?”

“Of course I did!”

“Oh my…Parle Fina!” Udonna waved her wand, and the soft hum of static faded into nothingness.

“I’m heading off.” Nick said. As he approached the doorway, he suddenly stopped. “How do I get my clothes back?”

“‘Regalia Civi’, Nick,” Xander replied. “right girls?” They both nodded.

“Thanks.” Nick said, finally rushing out the door.

“I hope he’ll be okay by himself…” Xander said with a slight frown. “I’d hate to see the poor guy get bum rushed by demons…”

Nick returned back to Briarwood, changing back into his civilian clothes on the way. He panicked when he found a small crowd of children surrounding his motorcycle. Surprisingly, their clothes were similar to those of children in Roftwood; the boys wore hooded sweatshirts, lightly shaded blue jeans, plain tee shirts, and plain basketball shoes, and the girls wore long skirts and dresses. Briarwood was slowly becoming an enigma, filled with modern and ancient hybrids for no apparent reason.

“Hey!” He shouted, frightening them. “Hey, that’s mine! Back away!”

“What is this…machine?” The smallest boy of the group asked as Nick finally reached his bike.

“It’s a motorcycle.” Nick said, kneeling in front of the kid.

“Doesn’t that consume toxins and spew them into the air?” A girl with long blonde pigtails asked.

“Yeah, it does…”

“Why would you hurt the Earth like that?” A girl who appeared to be the sister of the previous girl asked.

“Well, it helps me get to places faster than walking.”

“Can’t you fly on a broomstick?” A boy from behind him asked.

“My town doesn’t have any broomsticks.” Nick said. “Well, we do, but we don’t fly them.”

“Your town is strange.” The second boy replied.

“Don’t they believe in magic?” A girl standing on the opposite side of the bike asked Nick.

“No. None of them do.” Nick felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, a sort of guilt on behalf of his town.

“Do you believe?” The girl asked.

“I do, see?” He held up his wand.

“Then why don’t you tell them that the strange machines you have can be replaced?” A third boy asked, who was standing on Nick’s left side.

“They wouldn’t understand…” Nick said, musing. He continued on, not minding the children who were listening. “In fact…it wasn’t until I came here did I really understand, myself…”

“Maybe you could make them believe!” The kids said.

“Maybe I could…” Nick stood up. “Well, I have to go back to town. You kids should probably head off to school or something…”

“School?” The first girl asked.

“It’s a place where kids go to learn…together…”

“We learn from our parents about things…” The girl replied. “why don’t the parents teach the children?”

Nick sighed. “I really have to go back to town…”

“Here! If you’d like to talk to us, we’ll give you a spell to call us!” The kids all pulled out small training wands. “Marauders Unite!” The childrens’ wands glowed a bright white, then emitted their light towards Nick’s wand. Nick’s wand absorbed the light. The kids then smiled. “Marauders Assemble!” The wands shot off a pulse of white light, and the children smiled. They touched their wands together, dulling the light. They then touched their wands against Nick’s and the light faded as well. “We want you to call us when you come back! We want to hear more about your town!” The second boy said. The rest of the kids gave a shout of approval.

“Okay…I promise that when I come back, I’ll tell you kids more about my town.”

“Yay!” The children smiled, then ran off. Nick smiled, got on his motorcycle, put on his helmet, and zipped off to Roftwood.

Nick arrived at the Roftwood border and was shocked to find the town overrun by the Hideacs from Briarwood’s forest. Several cops ran up to him.

“Nick! After you left…the town was swarmed!” A female cop shouted.

“I need to get to the station…”

“Nick, you can’t get through these guys!” Another officer said.

“Watch me!” Nick took off his helmet and turned his bike off. He then pulled out his wand and ran for the station.

Nick got two blocks away from the cops, then decided to test his theory out. “Parle Parfait!” Nick said, imagining the police scanner at the station. A static hum began to pulse out of the wand’s tip. “Can you guys hear me? This is Officer Russell…”

“Russell, where the hell have you been? We’ve been trying to get a hold of you for hours!” The commissioner cried out.

“My radio’s batteries died out. I’m talking to ya over a special feed. I’m gonna help you guys out…call the officers back to the station, I’ll take care of these guys.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Just do it!”

“He really is out of his fucking mind!”

“Listen, I’m gonna try something crazy that just might work, okay?”

“Fine. Do it, and make it quick.”

“You got it. Russell, signing out.” He then pointed the wand away from his mouth. “Parle Fina.” Nick then spotted several Hideacs. “Ha! Gotcha!” The Hideacs diverted their attention away from the cop hiding behind his car and stared at Nick. “Pyra Incero!” The tip of Nick’s wand erupted into a stream of flame, which he used to turn his wand into a flamethrower. The cop stared in awe as Nick quickly turned the Hideacs into piles of burning flesh and bone.

The cop slowly slid out from behind his car and called out to Nick. “Hey Nick! …How’d you do that?”

“It’s magic!” Nick replied. “Are you okay?”

“Just…scared, how the fuck did you do that? Truthfully?”

“With magic!” Nick said. He recognized the cop as he walked over; it was his friend and fellow officer Toby. Toby had joined to Roftwood Police Academy the same day as Nick, and he was just about as loyal and obedient as anybody Nick knew.

“Magic, honestly!”

“Bullshit, Nick!”

“Stick around and I’ll show you more.”

“Deal.”

Nick continued his run toward the station with Toby following closely behind. A Hideac sprang up in front of them. Toby took out his pistol and pointed at the Hideac.

“Take that, you creepy brown freak!” He shouted, unloading several rounds into the Hideac. The hell demon groaned, but continued its advance.

“Oh shit! That should’ve worked!” Toby shouted, looking at his gun. “Did I use duds or something?”

“No Toby, it’s bleeding…it’s just immune to gunshot wounds, it seems.” Nick replied. “No problem with that, though! Pyra Incero!” Nick quickly roasted the Hideac, then grabbed Toby and continued to run.

“Why’re you heading for the station anyways, Nick? It’s insane to leave when there’re innocent people they could be eating!”

“They were already here, and they’re coming back to finish the job they started, I think…” Nick said as he slowly formulated his theory. “That girl that DeMarzo brought in, Clare? She’s a witch, and a very important one. They tried to kill her once, and I bet they’re gonna try again. I gotta get her back to Briarwood fast. I bet the town’ll be demon-free after we leave.”

“I knew that girl was trouble…she was walking around her cell, muttering to her stick about a damn book…it was crazy…” Toby then looked at Nick’s wand. “Did they suck you into their crazy cult too?”

“It’s not a crazy cult…it’s real!” Nick said. “Listen, have I ever believed in something that wasn’t genuine before?”

“Well, not really…I guess there’s gotta be some truth to this…” Toby said as they approached the doors to the Roftwood Police Station. The doors, however, were locked from the inside.

“Shit…” Nick muttered. “Parle Parfait.” Nick connected to Vida’s wand, then began to speak. “Vida, can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear Nick. How are you?”

“Is there a spell for unlocking doors?”

“Well, how is the door locked?”

“How the hell are you talking to her with that stick?” Toby asked.

“Ah, I see you’re still in Roftwood…” Vida joked.

“The door’s locked from the inside, presumably with the bolted keylock.”

“Keylock opener…um, lemme see…Maddie, boss, know how to unlock keyhole doors?”

“Opening a locked door with a keyhole? ‘Portis reles’ is what he’s looking for, I think.” Xander replied.

“Did you hear that, Nick?” Vida asked.

“Gotcha.”

“How’s Roftwood, anyways?” Vida asked cheerfully.

“Overrun with those demons.” Nick replied with a sour tone.

“We’ll be there soon to help out, then.” Vida said. “We’ll leave the returning of Clare to you.”

“Got it. I’ll see you guys later. Parle fina.” He waved his wand slightly, cutting the communication. He then pointed at the keyhole. “Portis reles.” The lock clicked back, and the door slightly opened. “Heh. Awesome.” Toby stared in awe. “Let’s go, Toby.”

The two ran inside to find nearly two dozen Hideacs running about. Several cops lay dead on the ground, and the commissioner began to glare at Nick. “Russell, Langston, get this thing away from me!” He shouted. Nick pointed his wand at the Hideac.

“Boss, you may wanna duck.” Nick said. The commissioner ducked, and as the Hideacs began to close in, Nick incinerated them all. The commissioner looked at Nick, then at his wand. “Did those things get the Clare girl?” Nick asked.

“They chased her into the cell wing. Why?”

“If I take her out of the town, they’ll leave too. Trust me on this.”

“Well…I guess I don’t have a choice now, do I? Langston, man the doors and lock them. Russell…go do whatever you just did.”

“Yessir!” Toby ran to the doors and began trying to barricade the doors while Nick ran down the hallway leading to the cell wing.

“Clare!” Nick shouted as he ran around. Not a sign of life was found, not even a dead body. “Clare!” Inspiration struck him, and he decided to try and communicate with Clare using her wand.

“Clare, can you hear me?” Nick said.

“…Who is this?”

“Oh, thank god you’re okay! It’s me, Officer Russell.”

Clare screamed happily. “I thought you’d be the one! I thought you would be the Red Magician I saw! Ah, I’m so happy!”

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Cell Block C.”

“I’ll be there soon!”

Nick ran into Cell Block C, where he found Clare locked in a cell, curled up in a back corner, and dressed like a police officer. In front of her cell were half a dozen Hideacs trying to claw their way into the cell. Nick took them out with a well-timed flame, sending them running for a few moments while they melted down into noting more than molten piles of charred corpses.

“Nick! Thank goodness!” Clare said, standing up and walking to the front door. “I…I locked myself in.”

“No problem. Portis Reles.” The door swung open, releasing Clare.

“I forgot that one…how did I remember how to lock doors, yet not how to unlock them…?” Clare sighed.

“Think about it later, because we gotta get the hell out of here.”

“Wait! Regalia Magi!” She transformed her uniform and Nick’s clothes into magic robes, complete with their hats. Clare’s ribbons and trimmings were a pristine white enchanted with a mystic sparkle to them, like a flattened chain of opals.

“We have little time to waste!” Clare said, grabbing Nick’s free hand.

Xander quickly spotted Nick’s bike near a parked cop car as he and Vida flew over Roftwood. Vida landed, letting Xander off of her, then quickly reverted to her human form. “I am never becoming a broom again.” Vida muttered as she stood up, spitting out a few stray straws that lingered. A few cops stood up and surrounded them, pistols drawn.

“Who are you?” One of the cops asked.

“What are you?” Another cop asked.

“Hi, I’m Xander. This lovely lady is my friend and employee, Vida. We’re looking for the guy who owns that thing.” Xander said, pointing to Nick’s bike.

“Nick went to the station. Be careful though, there’s some nasty thi-” The cop then noticed their wands. “Oh, more of you guys. Great.”

“Okay, thanks.” Vida said as she grabbed Xander’s arm. She could feel the cops’ distrust pouring off them and decided it would be best if they just left. They ran up the main road, and Vida quickly disposed of several Hideacs with her Wind Spear. Xander turned to her as they stopped at the corner of a building to catch their breaths.

“I wanna try a spell I read about…”

“Give it a try.”

“Well, it’s for use against dem-oh! There’s one!” Xander pointed his wand at the blacktop road and smiled.

“Stein Stena!”

The blacktop split as a slab of bedrock shot upwards into a wall, and as Xander ran forwards, the wall surged forward like a wave. Once it connected with the Hideac, it tossed the poor demon upwards. As Xander stopped running, the wall stopped as well, ending up directly under the Hideac. The demon’s weight did all the weight as the Hideac’s spine was snapped in half as it landed on top of the wall, killing it instantly.

Xander dropped his wand to his side, causing the bedrock to sink back underneath the blacktop. “That was better than I thought it would be.”

“That’s still not as cool as my spells.” Vida replied.

“Whatever, Vi, let’s just find Nick.”

“Wait, I’ll call him up.” She used the Wand Signal spell to call Nick up. “Where are you?”

“I’m at the station…Clare and I are trying to find a way to get out…”

“What’s the station look like?” Xander asked as Vida ran up to him. He had linked his wand to Vida’s temporarily for communication purposes.

“Big brick building, door’s been barricaded shut, has ‘Roftwood Police Station’ written on it…”

“We’re right across the street from there, Nick. We’ll be there in a jiffy.” Xander said. “Parle Fina.” The pair ran up to the doors, and with one well-aimed Wind Spear, the barricade and the door was torn into, allowing their entry.

“Nick?” Vida called out.

“We’re here!” Nick said as he and Clare rounded the corner.

“Sorry for the damages.” Vida said to the commissioner. The group the turned to leave.

Toby stood by the door, staring. As Nick, Clare, Vida, and Xander began to make their way out the door, Toby coughed to get their attention.

“Yeah, Toby?” Nick asked.

“How…how are you doing all of this?” Toby said.

“Because I believe in magic.” Nick said with a smile. “Alright, let’s go before the town gets wiped out.” The four then ran for Nick’s bike.

Toby looked upwards towards the ceiling, then walked out just in time to see Nick and Clare drive off with Vida the broom and Xander trailing not too far above them. He walked out a few steps and noticed that what was left of the Hideac invasion was now walking in the direction the four left in. “Well, looks like he was right.” Toby muttered to himself as he looked back up at the sky. “Hey, I believe in magic! Let me have some cool magic powers too!” He said, spreading his arms out. He waited for a moment, then groaned. “Why not me? Nick gets all the cool powers, and not me? Unfair!”

As they arrived at the Rootcore, the rain began to pour down as night drew near. Nick decided that he would let the Marauders rest for the day. Madison happily greeted the group with a full course vegetarian dinner and a smile as they walked in. Chip was curled up in front of the fireplace in the far corner of the room; he obviously preferred the floor in front of a fire over his bed when it came to choice sleeping spots.

“I knew you guys would back around this time, so I made everybody dinner.” Madison said cheerily.

“Maddie, you know I won’t eat anything you make unless you killed something to put in it.” Vida said, walking over to the bookcase.

“The plants gave their lives for this meal…isn’t that good enough for you?”

“Nope. There’s gotta be an animal in my meal somewhere…”

“Hard-boiled eggs?”

“Meat, Maddie. There must be meat in my meal.”

“I’m not all that hungry…prison food really killed my appetite.” Clare said, holding her stomach and giving a sad look.

“Sorry to hear that, Clare.” Madison said. “Well, you’re here at the Rootcore, so you’ll get nothing but healthy food now.”

“Yeah, so healthy, rabbits’ll eat it.” Vida flatly added. Madison looked at her and frowned. “Anyways, what’s up with the redhead sleeping down here in front of the fire? I feel like petting him; he reminds me of Lupin.” Vida said, referring to the old wolfhound that Madison once owned that had a habit of sleeping by fires.

“He came down to see everybody after you guys left for Roftwood, so he decided to take a nap upstairs. He came back down and started up a fire because he said his bed was uncomfortable.”

“A Wind Scout never stays in one place for this long…it’s obviously taking him a while to adjust.” Udonna said, joining the group downstairs. “Oh Madison, that looks lovely!” She said as she spotted the dinner Madison had made. “I feel guilty that I’ve already eaten tonight…ah! Clare! You’re here at last!”

“Thanks to your amazing magicians, I am.” Clare said, looking at Xander, Vida, and Nick.

“I’ll eat.” Xander said, sitting at his appropriate spot at the circular table.

“I’ll eat, too. I’m starved, and even the salad’s looking good.” Nick said, also taking his appropriate seat.

“Well, at least dinner won’t go to waste.” Madison said with a smile as she sat down. “Dig in.”

Nick and Xander put some oil and vinegar on their salads as Madison just dived right in and ate the salad plain. She smiled as she watched the others eat. “I’m glad you two ate with me…” Clare and Udonna began to converse about the Xenotome, and Vida was happily sitting on the couch with a spell book in front of the fireplace and was using Chip as a footrest. Nobody seemed to expect the events that happened within the next few seconds.

Nick began to choke and cough harshly, as did Xander. Madison stood up, unsure of what to do. She walked over to Nick, who was now coughing up a bloody foam. Vida looked up, and as soon as she spotted Xander falling out of his chair, she ran over to the table. She examined the oil and vinegar jars and panicked. Vida then ran for the antitoxin cabinet, fetching a bottle and running back to the table. She first poured some of the purple fluid down Xander’s throat, then she did the same for Nick. Moments after they had ingested the anti-toxin, they stopped foaming and slowly returned to normal.

“Madison, what were you thinking when you picked this up?!” Vida asked, thrusting the vinegar bottle into Madison’s face. In fading ink, the bottle was labeled ‘dragon bile’. “You could have melted their insides!”

“I didn’t see the ink on the bottle! It’s nearly gone! Besides, what were you doing, sitting that bottle near my food?”

“I didn’t put that there!”

Chip slowly woke up and rubbed his eyes. “Hey, hey, hey…what’s going on…?” He mumbled as he got up.

“She nearly killed Nick and Xander with dragon bile!”

“It was an accident!” Madison shouted.

“Girls! I have sensitive hearing!” Chip said as he walked over to them. Nick and Xander had already limped upstairs to rest.

“Sorry…” Vida replied. “But Madison mixed up this jar of dragon bile with a bottle of vinegar.”

“It happens!” Madison said.

“I’m going up to my room. All this yelling is giving me a headache.” Chip said, heading for the spiral staircase.

“I think I’ll to take a walk in the rain…” Vida said. Walking in stormy weather was one of the only things that calmed Vida down besides making potions and exerting her emotions against the opposing party. She firmly sat her witch’s hat on her head and walked out.

The night lingered on, and people wandered around the Rootcore. Everyone soon retreated to their rooms as the moon rose high above the trees. Vida never returned during the night, and Madison became insomniatic and guilt-ridden over it. Having her sister, who loved her and protected her with every ounce of her being, completely turn against her and have to leave because of her was a shot through the heart to Madison.

A thunderstorm began to brew around one in the morning, and Madison made sure that the fireplace was the only source of light. The last thing the group needed tonight was for the Rootcore to be struck by a bolt of lightning while they were asleep. A sudden and deafening roar of thunder rolled across the sky, and Madison heard a scream and a crash come from upstairs. Somebody had fallen out of their bed, by the sound of it. A door opened, and somebody began to walk downstairs.

Chip nervously sauntered down the flight of stairs, clinging to the banister as if it were his lifeline. Another thunderclap crashed, causing him to freeze up and whimper. Madison got up and walked over to him.

“Are you okay Chip?” She asked. He looked over at her.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” He asked in response. His voice was a blend of fear, shock, and mild annoyance.

“I can’t sleep. I can’t sleep when Vida’s mad at me.” She reached the step below where he stood.

Another thunderclap sounded, and he nearly leaped on top of her. The following thunderclap, which came mere seconds later, led him to yelp and cling to Madison. Suddenly realizing the situation, he let go and shoved her out of the way. “I’m sorry…”

“Hey!” Madison said, chasing him. “That was uncalled for.” Another bolt sounded, and Chip dived underneath the table.

“Just leave me be!” He cried out as he curled up in a ball underneath the table.

“Chip…” She stopped in front of the dais, unsure if she should approach the table or not. She had never seen him like this before; he was usually so confident and fearless. She was afraid that trying to talk to him would provoke a negative reaction. Chip lightly whimpered as the thunderclaps got louder; the whole situation wasn’t looking good, and it didn’t seem like he was going to move for quite a while.

She decided that it’d be best to give him a glass of hot cocoa from the jug she had made for herself earlier, since she couldn’t think of any thing else to do. She levitated an empty mug from the cabinet down below the table, then pointed her wand at the jug of hot cocoa. “Hydrae Movrum.” The hot cocoa slowly followed the path of her wand as she moved it from the jug to the mug on the floor. “If you’re going to be down there a while, you might as well have something to drink.”

“Is it poison?” Chip asked, nervously joking. Madison didn’t respond as she walked back to the fireplace and the couch and book that awaited her.

Chip sighed and took a sip of the hot cocoa, grinning a bit. It was sweet and bitter, creamy and slick, robust and spicy, like somebody dropped a jalapeno and a cup of black coffee into the mix before serving. Chip quickly swallowed the mix down; missing dinner was surely worth having the room to finish the hot cocoa. He sat and sighed, trying to forget about the thunder and lightning and the obvious blow to Madison’s ego he had flung. She was trying to be nice, after all. He frowned, staring at the empty mug.

He slowly slid out from under the table, feeling childish. He was supposed to never be afraid of anything, wasn’t he? Well, mostly anything. He feared Vankyuria, for one thing. Well, he didn’t fear her as much as he feared what she could do to him. He had lived long enough to learn that fear was a beast that, uncaged, would always turn on its owner, but he hadn’t lived long enough to keep the cage closed. Perhaps now was the time to work on things outside of curbing emotions…

Chip walked over to the fireplace, setting the mug on top of the mantle. Madison refused to look up; she was trying to resist the urge to cry, and she knew looking at Chip would do it. She waited until he sat next to her on the couch until she spoke to him.

“Come back for more?” She sarcastically spat.

“I…” Chip swallowed, trying to untie the knot currently residing in his throat. This was his weakness; surrendering, caving in, no matter how small the loss to his ego. “I tried to be funny.”

“Well, it was horrible.”

“Yeah…I know.” Chip looked at the fire, unsure of how to go about things now. Madison was surely upset at him now.

“…Are you okay?” Madison asked, marking the page and closing it before setting it on the table next to her. “You wanna talk about anything?”

Chip weakly smiled. “Damnit, you’re too kind…”

“Well, it’s my grace.” She replied. “I’m the nice sister. I forgive and forget.”

“I see.” Chip’s hands were still shaking from the lingering storm. “…do you think the storm’s been caused by the Infershia?”

“The who?” Madison asked.

“Infershia, the demon legions from Hell.”

“Oh.” Madison felt stupid not knowing the proper name of her enemies. “Maybe.” A moment of silence washed over them as the storm began to rage. She sighed lightly and began to speak nervously. “Are you feeling better?”

“…no.” Chip then eyed the jug of cocoa, then looked at Madison. “That was a good drink.”

“I make it myself. If you want some more, that’s no problem.” Madison got up and grabbed Chip’s empty mug. “I’m glad somebody besides me likes it…I hate letting it go to waste.”

“Well, I’m glad I can help get rid of it all. I haven’t eaten all day, really, so I’m pretty much capable of drinking that entire jug if you want.”

“Honestly? That’s amazing.”

“Not too much for me. ‘Eat light, pack light, travel fast.’ One of a few mottos we Wind Scouts live by.” Chip replied, smiling forlornly.

“Ah…” Madison sighed as she gave him his mug. He quickly went to work on wolfing down the contents.

Chip took a breather after a few moments, then looked down. “You know…I don’t think you meant to poison them. You’re too nice.”

“…Too nice?” Madison asked.

“You give too much to people. It’s nice…but it’s also self-destructive.”

“Yeah…especially with Vida.” Madison sighed. “I don’t think she appreciates what I do for her.”

“Vida seems to be your opposite; too mean.” He took a sip from the mug before sitting it on the floor. A lightning bolt illuminated the room, and Chip winced as he grabbed his side. He flinched, kicking the mug over. He noticed the mug tip over and apologized through his teeth.

“Don’t apologize! Are you okay?” She used her Water Moving spell to pull up all the cocoa that had seeped into the floor as she kneeled down in front of Chip.

“Do you want me to do something for you…?”

“No, just go…” Chip painfully replied.

“…But I can’t leave you in pain.”

Chip sighed. “…Please?”

Madison frowned. “Fine.” As she placed the now-refilled mug beside him, she turned and began to go to her room. As she approached the stairs on the first landing, a thunderclap so loud rang out, that it could have only meant a tree exploded on impact.

“Madison…” Chip murmured.

“Coming.” She replied, smiling weakly and walking back downstairs. She slowly walked down and sat back down on the couch. Chip was now death gripping the mug as the storm rolled on.

“The Infershia have a nice sense of humor…” Chip said harshly as Madison opened up her book.

“Vida’s been out for a long time…” Madison said after a few minutes of silence.

“This storm is rough…all that rain, she must be soaked.”

“Vida’s good at making sure she’s okay. She’s good on foot and on a broom…”

“She shouldn’t be flying in this weather…” Chip said with a hollow tone. Madison looked over at Chip; he suddenly looked like he was nothing more than a life-sized wax statue. She wondered what made him close up so suddenly.

“Are you…okay?” He sat there in silence, slowly letting the mug slide from his hands until he dropped it, shattering the mug into pieces. Madison focused the cocoa into a ball of liquid and tossed it into the fire, partially dimming it. He didn’t even seem to notice that he had dropped the mug; it was if he had traveled into another world.

“Chip?” Madison said. “Chip, you’re scaring me.” She kneeled in front of him and began to pick up the pieces of the mug. She threw them away in a waste bin; and Chip still hadn’t moved, though he had grown pale. She kneeled in front of Chip and began to watch his eyes; they were shaking back and forth as if he were sleeping with his eyes opened, never blinking. His breathing hitched; he looked panic-stricken as he tensed up. She leaned in and grabbed his arms to steady him, and a jolt shot through her body.

It was pitch black except for the fires all around. A cloaked figure drew closer. Anemia set in as the blood poured from opened wounds. The sky rained down burning parts of trees and bodies. The flames, consuming what was left, nearly encircled the area in a ring of destruction. A scream from nearby, almost alien in sound, mutilated in pain. The cloaked being drew closer still. The pain that refused to come before began to sear through every part of the body, forcing out a bellow of anguish, a requiem of mortality, as the cloaked being approached…

Chip and Madison cried out as a loud crash sounded, signaling that somebody had fallen out of bed upstairs. Madison let go of Chip and crawled away from him, sobbing. Moments later, Chip snapped out of his trance. He looked at Madison, who was crying as she curled up in a ball.

“Madison…? What’s…going on…?”

“What did I see though you…?” She whimpered. “What was all of it…?”

Chip sat and stared at her, watching her wallow in misery. He tried to think of how to explain everything without degenerating into Madison’s current condition.

“It…it was storming out, not long ago…” Chip began to say, speaking barely above a whisper to hide his cracking voice. “It was my sister and I…and it was my stupid suggestion to take to the skies…and…and it was only rain…she loved the rain…and it was…it was my idea to fly to the west…the west had a warm air pocket that would send us sailing forever…and it was like, suddenly, it got violent…and I tried to catch up to her…she was going so fast…and a night like this…with the constant thunder and lightning…” He fell silent as Madison began to calm down. After a minute or so, Madison wiped her eyes and sniffled a bit before crawling up to the couch next to Chip. “…I fear that I’m next, and I have so much to do before I go…” Chip said in his whispering voice. Madison sighed and embraced him softly, pulling him close.

“It reminds me of my mother…” Madison began to say, patting his back lightly. “Vida hates me telling this story…but it fits this situation so well…our mother was trying to teach me how to fly on a broom when I was really little…and we were high up…and the wind gusted and tossed us off…the broom couldn’t catch us both fast enough, and my mother hit the ground while I managed to grab the broom in time. My mother…she was never the same again…she just slowly fell into her grave, day by day…I hate to fly, because I’m afraid that I will fall next…” She sighed, hoping that her little story was helping. “Vida said I shouldn’t blame myself, because it’s what the Heavenly Saints wish…but I do…because I always feel that if I had done something different…if I had refused to fly that day…if I was the one who hit the ground…maybe, just maybe…my mom would still be here. But these are things that happen that we must accept. These things always happen for a reason, right, or why else would they happen?”

Chip smiled meekly. “You are truly a Blue Magician…” he began to mutter. “‘A soul as pure as water, healing the souls of those around them…’”

“Thank you…I needed to hear that after today.”

Nick and Xander, who had quietly snuck out of bed, watched from the top of the staircase where nobody downstairs could spot them. Xander rubbed his right shoulder as he nursed the pain from the fall out of it while he began to whisper.

“I think the nutcase’s really warming up to Maddie.” Xander said.

“Well, she’s a decent girl…nothing special, but then again, nothing horrible either…besides the incident earlier.” Nick whispered back as he walked back to his bedroom. “I’m going back to bed.”

“Sleep well.” Xander said with a smile.

“Will do.”

The night eased on, and the morning brought a calm to the skies. Madison woke up to the smell of a warm stew sitting over a fire. She picked the book off of her face and sat up. Chip was hunched over the fireplace, attempting to cook with the old ‘cauldron in the fireplace’ technique. The sun was hardly up, she noticed, as the fire and Chip’s wand were still the dominant sources of light.

“Good morning.” Chip said in a somber tone. “Sorry if I woke you, but Udonna doesn’t want me starting fires outside for security reasons, nor does she want me going out alone.” His tone was reminiscent of Xander when they weren’t at the bakery; a less authoritative and more gentler tone.

“I see.” Madison nodded. “So…how’re you feeling?”

“A little better. I actually fell asleep while it was still storming out. I’m surprised.”

“That’s great to hear.” Madison sat up and sighed. “I wonder if Vida’s okay.”

“Well, I didn’t hear her come in…” Chip said solemnly. “I’m sure she’s okay, though. She seems like she can handle herself quite well on her own.”

“Yeah, she’s a tough girl…she’s trying to be mom, really.”

“We can’t be our parents, even when we slowly become them.”

Nick and Xander ran down the stairs, apparently having a race of sorts.

“Maddie, we’re late!” Xander yelled as he tied his apron around his waist.

“I gotta get back to Roftwood, so outta my way!” Nick shouted as he began fixing his jacket.

“Guys, slow down!” Clare shouted from the top of the stairs. “The Rootcore isn’t a playhouse!”

“But I’m late!” Xander and Nick yelled back simultaneously. They stopped and looked at each other for a moment, then went back to running down the stairs.

“Xander, don’t you own the bakery you work at?” Clare asked.

“Yeah, I do, and I hate being late because it’s both profit and customer loyalty that I’m losing. Now Maddie, go get ready and I’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone.”

“But I just woke up…” Madison groaned.

“Well then, have Vi…wait, is Vida even here?” Xander asked, looking around.

“Yeah, I didn’t hear her come up the stairs, and she’s not down here…” Clare replied.

“I didn’t hear her come in, so she’s definitely not here.” Chip added. “I wonder where she is…”

As soon as Chip finished his sentence, Vida slunk in, soaked to the bone. She moped in slowly, slouched slightly, as if the life had been drained out of her.

“Vida!” Madison said, a smile dancing upon her face. She ran up to hug Vida, but Vida brushed past her as if she didn’t exist and sat down in her chair at the table. She pulled something out from her cloak sleeve and began to stare at it.

“Vi, what’s up?” Xander asked, walking down to her with a concerned look on his face. Xander wasn’t used to seeing Vida looking like this; in fact, there was never a day where she wasn’t grinning to some degree of mischief or delight. Her grins were usually a mix of the two, mostly more on the side of mischief.

“I made a horrible mistake…” She softly muttered.

“What did you do?” Madison asked, walking up behind her. Vida held up what she was holding; a charred large feather. It was huge, too big to be a normal creature. Xander, Nick, and Chip gathered around Vida as well, staring at it.

“That’s a hippogryph’s feather, isn’t it?” Chip asked.

“It is.” Vida replied. “I found this near the crash site of the things I shot down the other night during the attack. The demons wouldn’t use hippogryphs in their attacks; in fact, hippogryphs despise demons. I took down innocent creatures. I killed them. I killed them…” Vida’s face turned red as she began to cry.

Xander, Nick, and Madison consoled her as Chip watched them. He sighed and looked down, then walked out. Madison noticed and followed him out.

“Where are you going?” Madison asked Chip. He stopped in his tracks.

“It’s overwhelming, the emotions. I can’t be in there. I need to go out for a walk, okay?”

“Doesn’t Udon-”

“I’ll be fine. I won’t be long.” Chip replied as he began to walk off again.

“I hope Chip’ll be okay…” Madison sighed.

“Madison! Get ready!” Xander yelled. Madison sighed, as she had a feeling that the day was going to be a long and tiring one.

Sadly, Madison’s premonitions were right; the bakery was swamped with orders that day. Citizens of Briarwood apparently had collectively decided to stock up on essentials before the next storm was to hit.

Nick visited around one in the afternoon sighing and bearing a pink slip. “So much for being the hero…” He muttered.

Madison managed to cheer him up with a free muffin. “We could use an extra hand. You don’t need to be any good at baking; in fact, if you could just do a few easy things for us, you’d be a hero to us.” She said with a smile.

“Well, it’s better than no job at all…” Nick replied.

The door opened once more, causing everybody to turn around.

“Um…hi.” Chip said shyly as he walked in.

In his attempt to blend in with the civilians of Briarwood, he conjured up a strange looking outfit: a pastel pink beater with a wing design painted on, a dark yellow vest with a yellow, orange, and pink feather hanging down on each side, a pair of plain grey jeans, and a pair of brown leather shoes. He walked up to Madison, who then proceeded to blush and drop the muffin tray she was carrying.

“Nice pants, Chip.” Madison said, stuttering slightly over her words.

“I detect sarcasm.” Chip replied.

“Then you’re detecting right.”

“I knew I screwed up somehow…”

“They look quite tight on you…and they’re high-watered quite a bit.”

“Yeah, they are just a bit, aren’t they? See, I knew I screwed up somewhere…” With a wave of his wand, Chip’s jeans became better fitting, dropping down to the appropriate length as well. “There, better?”

“Much.” Madison coughed as she bent over and began picking the muffins off the floor.

“You need help down there?” Chip asked, looking downwards.

“No, she’s fine.” Vida replied sharply, bending down to help Madison. “You’ve done enough helping for the day.”

“Well, sorry for walking in…” Chip said, taking a seat next to Nick. “What’s Vida’s problem?”

“From watching her, I get the impression that she’s either PMS’ing or she’s just a bitch to everybody.” Nick replied. “…want some of this muffin?”

“No thanks. I’ll pass.” Chip replied, holding up his hand.

All was cheerful on the surface, but the Hellpit was fuming with chaos.

“Why can’t I leave?!” A voice from the throne of the Hellpit rattled out. The half zombie, half machine monstrosity began spewing steam out of its giant piston-pumping mechanical horn atop its head and it swung its large blade around wildly and stomped in a childish hissy fit.

“Branken-sama…” Nai groaned. “A fit will not help the situation…”

“It won’t help…” Mae mirrored.

“Shut it, you hag!” Branken shouted, swinging his blade at the two girls.

“Leave Vankyuria alone, Branken. She does not have the power to bring you along to the surface world with her.” Wolzard said, standing in front of Nai and Mae.

“But you do, Wolzard! Why do you not send me?!”

“My power can only transport myself. I have been weakened from stagnation in this miserable dump.”

“My Emperor Sword Killfang is a starved beast, and you’re depriving it of its promised meal of human flesh!” He shouted, jumping off his throne and lunging at Wolzard. Wolzard’s perfect timing blocked the Killfang from making a crushing blow at the last second.

“Zazzado!” Wolzard cried out, sending a piece of his shield shooting upwards and revealing a crimson shaded glass circle that gleamed in the meager illumination of the Hellpit. The crimson glass shimmered, then released dark waves of energy that howled forwards, taking the form of wolf’s heads bearing their fangs as they shot out, slamming into Branken’s torso and tossing him back.

“Damn you, Wolzard!” Branken shouted, catching his balance. “Perhaps my Killfang shall feast on your flesh instead…”

Nai and Mae retreated into her hideaway as Wolzard and Branken continued to duke it out. As she arrived at her chamber, a young vampire arose from the floor, bearing a silver tray. The vampire wore a masked helmet that imitated Vankyuria’s head and hid her own face. The rest of her outfit was also a mock-up of Vankyuria’s outfit, and a well-done one to boot. Even from up close, one would confuse the vampire servant from the real Vankyuria…until she talked. Then it would be obvious that her lips did not move, pointing out that it was a mask instead of the real face.

“Take that costume off, Morrigan.” Nai said.

“Take it off.” Mae mirrored.

“Yes, my queen!” Morrigan replied, snapping with her right hand. Her outfit disappeared in a puff of black smoke, revealing a black vampire robe and collar outfit. The girl was so pale that her blue veins lightly colored the surface of her face and skin. Her long hair was pulled back in an Amazon-style ponytail, and her fangs jutted out over her bottom lip. Her deadened azure eyes stared at Nai and Mae, enjoying the sight of their owner’s queen.

“Does this please you, my mistress?” Morrigan asked and Nai and Mae pulled themselves back into their true form. Vankyuria took the silver chalice from the silver tray, drinking down the crimson contents as she sat down at her throne.

“Of course, Morrigan. Your true form is pleasing to my eyes; your skin is such a lovely shade of white, and your eyes shine of obedience. I will commend you, however, on perfecting your imitation of my form, however fake the face looks.”

“Thank you, my mistress!” Morrigan replied, bowing in respect.

“Now, give me your report of the surface world.” Vankyuria said, licking a bit of the blood off of the chalice’s rim.

“Mistress, the magicians are angry at each other…especially at the blue one!”

“Mmm…the blue one…she is causing strife? Interesting. Now tell me…you told me before of a…bonding between the blue one and the Wind Scout last evening…”

“Yes, Mistress. They had a moment of sad-story-telling between each other…and tears were shed, my mistress…I think he is growing fond of her company.”

“I want you to watch the Blue Magician…knowing about her would be a good thing, I think…she may come to be an advantage…” Vankyuria seemed delighted to hear such touching news.

“Yes, my mistress. I will make note of every little thing about the Blue Magician as well as the Wind Scout.” Morrigan bowed, then walked into a back area of the room.

Back at the Rootcore, night was falling, and none of the magicians were in the mood to learn new skills except Chip, who was slaving away over a cauldron set at the top of the elevated platform leading to the staircase.

“Chip, what are you burning?” Vida asked, giving him a foul look.

“I’m trying to make a potion from this book…” Chip said. “I’m trying very hard…”

“Try harder…it reeks in here…” Xander commented, burying his face in a pastry book that Nick had brought from Roftwood. “Oh! This is a doughnut!” Xander cheerily said. “…it looks horrid. You use grease and everything on it…you fry it? Ugh…how could you eat this?”

“Shut up, man…” Nick snipped back, trying to sleep at the circular table.

“Hey Chip…you need any plant ingredients?” Madison asked. “My garden looks lovely from all this rain…”

“Sure…if you have spearmint and lavender…”

“Spearmint…lavender…” Vida mouthed as she began running the list of potions through her mind that she had ever made.

“I think I brought some with me…”Madison checked her pockets, pulling out small herb packets left and right until she pulled out two small baggies that made her smile. “Ah, here we are!” She handed both bags to Chip. “Use as much as you want.”

“Thanks!” Chip said with a smile. He poured out specific amounts of each packet into his cauldron, causing it to bubble and foam. “I think that helped out.” Chip replied, handing the bags back to Madison. The potion now smelled like spearmint.

“Glad I can help.” Madison replied with a smile, walking up to her room.

An hour later, after everybody had headed up to bed, Chip yawned and decided to head up himself, letting the potion simmer overnight. Vida, who had been hiding in the confines of her room waiting for Chip to sleep, tiptoed down to the cauldron, and to the potions manual next to it.

“Livre Leve.” She said. The book flung open, stopping at the Table of Contents. “Show me potions with spearmint and lavender in them.”

The majority of the potions listed disappeared, leaving only a small few on the list.

“Hm…Sleeping Potion, don’t think he needs that, and besides, what a horrible first potion a Sleeping Potion is. Accelerated Healing Potion? Too advanced for him; I don’t think he’s that stupid to start it as a first project. Boil Eradicator? Highly unlikely…that one’s an intermediate one anyways. Hm, the Memory Amplifier. It’s a pretty basic potion…and if you burn it, it reeks…sounds about right. Let’s see what he’s doing…” She looked into the cauldron as she flipped to the page containing the potion recipe. “Oh! He’s missing some stuff, I think…” She looked at the ingredients list, then into the pot. “Something’s wrong with this potion…hm…did he use the wrong grade of lavender…? No, can’t be…hm…”

The thick black mixture stared back at her menacingly. “Oh, I see! He’s missing the wormwood root, the ginko root, and the powdered lizard tail…it’s not the right color without it…” Vida ran over and grabbed the ingredients, then quickly added them, stirring furiously. The contents of the cauldron turned steel grey, then began to hiss and bubble. “Augh…he burned this too badly…well, I gotta try and salvage it for him anyways.” She began to stir softly, calming the brew down and bringing it to a soft boil. The potion slowly mellowed out to a pastel purple shade. “There, all better now.” Vida said, smiling. “This is why even a rookie can do it. It always bounces back from a burning.” Vida chuckled to herself. “I’ll just never tell him I fixed it for him. Let him gloat.” She looked at the recipe once more. “Now I should let this boil for a few hours on its own…I’m sure he’ll wake up soon to continue onwards.” She chuckled and walked upstairs.

Chip walked down several hours later and stared at his potion. He then looked at his potion chart. “Hm…the color’s a bit off…but it smells better now…well, it will have to do.” Chip grabbed a chalice from the cabinet and ladled a bit of the potion into the chalice and walked over to his seat at the table. He took a swig from the chalice and gagged, spitting out what was left in his cup and tossing the chalice across the room.

“Ugh, that was horrible! Something’s wrong…” Chip said, holding his head. He coughed a bit as his body grew numb and cold. “Did I…ugh…”Chip coughed and fell out of the chair. He slowly faded in an out for a few minutes, then all became normal. Chip sat up, feeling flushed. “I need to take a walk…” Chip got up off the floor and attempted to walk out. He swayed a bit, and leaned against the walls to steady himself until he was balanced enough to leave under his own power. He tossed his hood up as he ventured out into the forest.

Madison found herself outside in the storm. The darkness was overwhelming, and the rain soaked into her robes. The only source of true light was forest nymphs giving off a mild light underneath Madison’s feet.

“Hello…?” She cried out. Nobody responded. She saw a figure out in the distance; a body surrounded by three giant white bats. The smallest of the three bats hissed at her while retreating back towards the body. The other two were feeding on the body around the neck and side. “Go away!” She pointed her wand, emitting a wave of light and making the bats flee.

She ran to the body’s side, and found that the body was Chip. “Chip!” She shouted, running out to him. He knelt down to help him up. His eyes shot open and glared at her with an icy blue stare. He opened his mouth, baring fangs and hissing. Madison screamed and blasted him with a beam of light driving him away. She got up and began to go back the way she came, only to find Vida, Xander, and Nick standing behind her.

“Chip! Chip! He’s been turned into a vampire!” Madison shouted at them. They glared at her with the same dead blue eyes, also baring vampire fangs and hissing. She screamed and pointed her wand, driving away the trio with another beam of light. She ran north through the forest.

“Somebody help me!” Madison screamed as she ran. She tripped and crashed onto the ground. Her forest nymph light gave out, leaving her completely in the dark. As she heard a large being approaching, she pointed her wand at the sky. “Hydrae Lumiere!” She shouted, causing the water round her to illuminate. The large winged beast spotted Madison and charged her position. Just as it reared up to crush her with his menacing talon, she braced for impact and screamed.

Madison woke up screaming and clutching her sheets. He gasped for air and decided to grab her notepad and pen.

“Must…write down…everything I saw…” Madison said as she frantically scribbled down everything she could remember. She then tossed both to the floor and ran to Chip’s bedroom door.

“Chip!” She shouted, beating on the door. Vida walked out of her room, jarred slightly from the racket. Xander and Nick followed lead, grabbing Madison’s arm to keep her from beating down his door.

“He’s sleeping, Maddie…calm down.” Xander said.

“I think he’s in danger, Xander. I saw it in a dream…you know better than I do how dreams work for blue magicians!”

“Listen, dreams aren’t always premonitions, Maddie. Sometimes they’re fears manifesting in your sleep. Now go back to bed.”

“He’s probably working on his potion if he’s not answering his door.” Vida said.

“Let’s go bring you downstairs so you can see him, c’mon.” Nick said with a smile. The trio led Madison downstairs, where a disgruntled Clare was cleaning the potion off the floor.

“What happened down here?” Vida asked.

“Why don’t you ask that idiotic redhead when you see him?” Clare snapped back. “I’ve been trying to clean this crud out of the floor for the last few hours!”

“Chip’s not here?” Madison asked, growing pale.

“Nope. I checked his room about an hour ago to ask him what the hell he’s been making for the last half a day. Why, you guys haven’t seen him?”

“Oh no…” Madison said, dropping to her knees and covering her mouth with her left hand. She looked up to Xander with shaking and tearing eyes. “Only my fears, Xander…?”

[GreenNinja]

Great stuff. I liked everyone being assigned their PROPER colors, and while the mixing of Magi villian names and Mystic Force characters is something strange, it's being done to good effect here. The Chip/Madison stuff was a little more obvious here, but knowing you, 'twas expected. The discovery of the powers was MUCH better done than the real MF, I'll say. Should've been that dramatic. Excellent work.

More people oughta read this. It's worth it.

[Cerebro]

Great work... :eusa_clap

The story looks good. Deffinitely something I can sink my teeth into... :D

Please, keep it up.

Peace. :023:

[DarkStarShadow]

Sorry for such a long wait, kids. Writer's block and 30 pages of writing and such. I'll have dolls up later.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/dollies/ch3dolls.jpg and here they are.



Chapter Three: Enemies Within I





“Only my fears, Xander…?”

“When I first dived into the craft, it happened a lot to me, Maddie. I didn’t think you’d be getting genuine Sights this soon.” Xander replied.

“Well, this isn’t exactly like the time you ‘dived into your craft’, Xander.” Nick replied. Vida noticed that Udonna had strolled in and had begun examining the potion.

“Hey, Udonna. Whatcha doing?” Vida asked nervously. The rest of the group looked over at her.

“This potion has been tampered with.” Udonna said as she stirred the potion up. “It looks like some abominated mix.” Vida turned pale.

“What kind of mix, Udonna?” Vida asked.

“I’m not quite sure. The Yellow Magicks are not ones I am skilled in.”

“Is it a poison?” Madison asked.

“I can’t tell, Madison.” Udonna replied. Madison got up and ran out of the Rootcore.

“Is Madison alright?” Udonna asked.

“She had a bad dream, and she thinks it’s a premonition.” Xander replied.

“Well, as a Blue Magician, Seeing things in dreams can happen at any time. All things in the past and the future can be revealed with enough practice and enough belief.”

“But so soon in her studies, Udonna?”

“You are the Five Magicians that have been chosen by the Xenotome and the Heavenly Saints to save both the Mystic and Mortal Realms. If there is anything that we must know, they will not hesitate to show us. These are trying times, children, and the more we know, the better. I believe that is why Charlie was chosen, and his disappearance is hazardous to all of us.” Udonna sat down with a grim look on her face.

“What do you mean?” Nick asked as Vida walked up to the cauldron with a large bottle and a ladle.

“He knows firsthand of the evils we fight. He came to the forest in very rough shape a week ago, during the storm when the Hellpit first opened. He was severely injured from his fall, but he made quite the recovery, as you have seen. Vankyuria herself was bent on taking him into her…services…for what he had seen in her lair, but I luckily drove her off before she could get a hold of him. If Vankyuria is able to capture him once more, we would lose years of valuable information he’s collected.”

“How did he get down there? Hasn’t the Hellpit been closed for at least sixteen years, if not longer?”

“Humans can pass the Hellpit barrier without breaking it, as well has half-demons, such as vampires, which is how Vankyuria and Charlie have been able to enter and leave at a whim.”

“Well then, we should go out and find him before something bad happens to him.” Xander said. “Besides, we have to see what that…” Xander pointed at the cauldron with a disgusted look on his face. “…that stuff did to him.”

“Go then.” Udonna said. “Remember; be careful out there. If Vankyuria knows that Charlie is alone, she will take little time gathering a search party to find him.”

“Well then, we’ll just have to gather a search party of our own.” Nick said, holding up his wand. “To Briarwood we go.”

“Huh?” Xander asked. Nick gave no explanation; he merely grabbed Xander by the arm and dashed out of the Rootcore dragging him along.

Vankyuria and Morrigan visited the site of the hippogryph graveyard. The bodies had just started to decay, and the scent drove Morrigan into a bloodlust.

“I need to feed, mistress…”

“Control yourself, child. You have little training around dead bodies, I know, but this is just like being around the living.” Vankyuria replied. “Search the bodies…if there is anything of use, I want it immediately. Feathers, talons, scales, tongues, eyes, unshattered bones, egg shells…anything.”

Morrigan walked to the north end, where a gold locket sitting on a pile of feathers lied. Morrigan picked up the locket and put it around her neck. She opened it up, revealing a picture of two little redheads, a boy and a girl, sitting next to a pond.

“How precious…” Morrigan sighed. She looked up as she heard a branch snap. “Mistress…”

“Yes, child?” She asked. Morrigan changed into her Vankyuria costume and stood up, clutching onto the gold necklace.

A large beast approached the scene; it appeared to be a yellow, black, and orange-colored gryphon until halfway down the back, where its body became that of a canary yellow stallion. It stood tall over Morrigan; on all fours, it was nearly eight feet in height.

“Mistress…I think one of them is alive…”

“I see…” Vankyuria said, picking up a large, rock-like egg and walking over.

The large hippogryph walked slowly up to Morrigan, studying her. It spotted the locket and screeched. It then began trying to claw her neck.

“Don’t hurt me! I’m your friend!” Morrigan shouted, taking off the necklace and putting it in a side pocket. “There, all better, right?” The hippogryph stopped screeching and attacking. “See? All fine.” She turned to Vankyuria. “No gold around it, I guess.”

“Yes, their eyes are sensitive, I heard.” Vankyuria replied. “I think I might have a way to recruit this beast…if it survived the storm, it’ll live through anything.”

“I’m right here in case it attacks again, my queen.” Morrigan said as she bowed. Vankyuria walked up to the hippogryph, holding the egg out in front of her.

“Dear friend, we have come to see if any of your kind survived the attacks.” Vankyuria began to say. The hippogryph screeched again, signaling that it was angry. “I found this egg, but the creature is dying! I ask of you…we have enemies…if you help us destroy them, I can nurse this egg back to health!” The hippogryph calmed down, and began to look at her inquiringly. “Will you help us?” The hippogryph stared down at the egg, then Vankyuria, then at Morrigan. Morrigan bent slightly at the waist, bowing in a submissive manner. The hippogryph then looked up at the sky, pondering the conundrum. It then looked back at the egg. It squawked softly, then genouflexed. “Good boy…” Vankyuria walked up and pet the bowing hippogryph’s feathery head.

Nick and Xander arrived at the bakery and were shocked to find a small group waiting outside. However, they were not customers; it was the Marauders.

“Hi Nick!” The oldest female shouted as she waved.

“Oh no…you know them?” Xander asked.

“…Are they trouble?”

“Most of the time, they’re plain annoying.”

“Oh.”

“You know what? You should go deal with them…I’ll start looking for Chip in the forest. Sound good to you?”

“Fine.” Xander smiled and wasted no time leaving the scene. Nick walked up to the Marauders, who looked happy to see him.

“Welcome back to Briarwood.” The oldest boy said.

“Thanks.”

“We didn’t introduce ourselves last time, did we?” The oldest girl asked.

“Nope, I don’t think so.”

“Then we should now. I am Bridget, the second oldest girl to my left is Esen, and the last of us girls is Crystal. Our oldest boy is Conway, our second oldest boy is Taliesin, and our youngest boy is Oliver.” As the kids were named, they stepped forwards, one by one. “What is your name?”

“Nick.”

“Nick is a nice name.” Crystal commented, twirling her hair in her fingers.

“Did you just come back from your town?” Conway asked shyly.

“I got back very late last night. Sorry I didn’t get to have a story time with ya.”

“That’s okay, Mister Nick.” Oliver replied. “We were busy reading.”

“Well, that’s the first time I heard a kid say that in a long time.” Nick snickered.

“We wanted to see if you wanted to play a game with us, Mister Nick…” Esen said. A thought popped into Nick’s mind.

“Well, I’m playing a game right now with a friend of mine…we’re playing Hide and Seek and he’s really good.”

“Ooh! Hide and Seek!” The Marauders shouted.

“Can we play too?” Taliesin asked.

“I was thinking that maybe you could help me find my friend, because I’ve been looking for him for a long time and I can’t find him.”

“Of course we’ll help you, Mister Nick.” Bridget said. “What’s he look like?”

“He has bright orange hair, and he’ll be wearing a cloak like mine. He’s about my height and he runs really fast. He also has a yellow colored wand…do you think you could help me find him?”

“Of course!” Bridget said. It was apparent that Bridget ran the show, because she quickly drafted up a search plan amongst her group. Within minutes, Nick and the Marauders had search plans and several contact methods in place.

“There’s nothing the Marauders can’t do!” Bridget assured Nick.

“Awesome. Let’s get going then.” Nick said. The group then broke off into their search sections.

Xander sighed, as he had become lost in the forest. “Ha, what a wonderful Green Magician I am…I can’t even navigate a local wooded area on my own. Maddie gets a crazy vision and I get lost. What a miserable trade off!” Xander looked upwards at the sky. “Grangel, why am I not as gifted as Madison?” He shouted. “Why is she getting everything and I’m getting nothing?”

His answer came in the form of vines; swarms of vines slithered up his legs like mossy pythons, locking him in place and causing him to panic. “I meant no disrespect!” Xander cried out. The vines, however, continued to wrap around him, sprouting upwards and hardening. The more Xander tried to move, the tighter the vines became. “Somebody help!” Xander shouted as the vines began tightening around his chest and arms as they swarmed up towards his neck and head. “Somebody hurry!”

The vines shot out of the ground, elevating him slightly off the ground and bending backwards a bit, elevating him perfectly to view the midday sun. The vines had finally fully solidified and tightened as hard as they could without breaking his limbs.

“Somebody please…help…” Xander begged.

Meanwhile, Morrigan, who was still in her Vankyuria costume, had perched herself atop the hippogryph, staring at her newly acquired locket. “What a happy pair…” She sighed. She then smiled and patted the hippogryph on the head. “What a good pet you are!” The hippogryph snorted, indicating a dislike of being considered a pet. “Hm?”

“You made it upset.” Nai said, polishing the egg.

“Upset…” Mae echoed as she took the egg and held it close.

“We shall name you Tsubasa!” Nai said happily, looking up at the hippogryph.

“Tsubasa the hippogryph!” Mae replied, spreading her arms out. “Tsubasa, for it has two wings! Two wings, flutter, flutter…”

“Very right, Mae.” Nai replied. “Tsubasa is a good name for a feathered friend.”

The hippogryph squawked lightly in approval as it continued on with its walk. It suddenly stopped and squawked in alarm and began to stare at a particularly large tree.

“What is it, dear Tsubasa?” Morrigan asked.

“What?” Nai and Mae echoed.

“This tree…there is something strange about it…my queen, I think we should wait here.”

“Perhaps we should.” Nai said.

“Perhaps.” Mae echoed.

“Tsubasa, we shall stand watch. We want you to continue the search for the magicians, got it?” Nai said.

“Got it?” Mae echoed.

The hippogryph shook Morrigan off and began to wander away.

“Apparently, it understood.” Morrigan replied, brushing herself off. “Do you suppose that we should hide in the branches?”

“We should.” Nai replied.

“We should.” Mae echoed. Nai and Mae combined into Vankyuria, then leapt onto the top of the tree behind her. Morrigan followed her lead, and they both hid amongst the branches.

After nearly an hour of lying in the sun, Xander began feeling the heat of the sun. He was sweating heavily, and he had grown weary.

“I get the point. I was stupid.” Xander sighed. “I’m still feeling burned over all of this…I’m not adjusting well, and I’m jealous…please forgive me, Grangel…I promise to be more trusting in your plan for me…please…”

Xander stopped rambling once he heard something coming from his right. He moved his head as far as he could, but he still couldn’t see what was approaching. After a moment, a bear arrived, causing Xander to panic.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no…not good…I’m such an easy target…” Xander muttered to himself. “Focus, Xander…gotta make a plan…” He closed his eyes, trying to think. “Ya need a plan, Xander…”

Is there anything I can do without my wand…? No, there is nothing…there is not a single spell I know that doesn’t require a wand…what can I do…? …Believe. I must believe that these vines will keep the bear from eating me. That’s all that’s left. To just have faith…to have faith that…my weakness is my strength. I get it now…yes, I must have faith that this curse is a blessing, that I am strong and not weak…I see…

A soft breeze pushed from behind him, and a soft voice cooed in his ear.

“Why not try to ‘bland-en’ to the ‘flora’?” The cheery voice giggled.

“Blanden…flora…? Oh!” Xander smiled as he tried wriggling his right arm to reach his wand in his pocket.

“Why use a wand when your voice is one anyways?” The voice cooed.

“I see…” Xander concentrated on the spell’s pronunciation, then boldly cried out, “Blanden Flora!”

Xander’s body began to solidify, changing to the composition of the vines that surrounded him. The vines, where they were, melted onto his clothes and skin, binding him to the vines themselves. As the bear approached, it found no interest in a wooden meal, and it left the scene. Xander sighed happily.

“Well, that worked…” Xander said to himself. “Now…how to reverse this…hello, random voice…?”

“You called?” The voice asked. A strange female popped up in front of Xander. Fairy glitter adorned her upper brows and blush-hued cheeks, complimenting her leaf green eyes and bark grey pixie-length hair. Her skirt and barely-there top were made entire of leaves strung together with gossamer threads, looking strangely ethereal and mystic. It wasn’t until Xander noticed her green dragonfly-styled wings that he realized that she was a forest denizen, although the rest of her clothes were obviously a dead giveaway.

“Who are you and how do I reverse this spell?” Xander found it oddly calming that in his current condition, very little effort was needed to speak.

“My name is Acantha, and I will do that for you right now!” She giggled as she pointed at Xander. “Blanden Nix!” Xander’s body glowed green for a minute, then the vines and his vine-like skin were gone as the light exploded into millions of tiny green lights that resembled fireflies. “There, now stop complaining.” Acantha said with a smile.

“I take it that you’re a pixie?” Xander asked.

“Oh, a pixie? Never! I’m a nymph!” Acantha looked herself over, frowned for a fraction of a second, then looked back and Xander and smiled. “Well, I’m a big larger than normal, but I thought it would be a calming thing to bring myself up to your height for the moment.”

“I…see…” Xander said, popping his knuckles. As painful as lying in the sun for an hour had been, he felt wonderfully revitalized as he stretched his limbs out.

“I was sent by Grangel to help you out on that one. He said you angered him, but he has forgiven you now. He said to give you that spell, and that this is part of his gift to you. He said then I should return you to your home here and then he’d tell me to do something else for you, too.”

“Well then, to the Rootcore we go!” Xander said as he walked up to Acantha. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she lead him through the forest, as she was still only a few inches shorter than him. “By the way…thanks.”

“It is my pleasure to serve you, and also a relief to finally have a Green Magician to serve.” Acantha said with a smile. After a moment, Acantha stopped and looked up at Xander. “…Are all Mortal Realm Green Magicians as adorable as you?”

“…What?” Xander asked, blushing.

“Just wondering. I’m used to seeing so many Mystic Realm Green Magicians who’re wood elves and goblins and all that, that it’s just something I wanted to know.”

Xander gave a sly look as he began sweet-talking her. “Well…not many Green Magicians I know can compare to my stunning looks…”

“Oh, what an egotistical human you are!” Acantha giggled. Xander looked at her with a confused look on his face.

“Huh? But you just said-”

“Oh, let’s go…” She said, grabbing the arm around her shoulders and walking fast.

The day faded into night, and still nobody had heard from or seen Chip at all. Xander, who had safely made it to the Rootcore with Acantha, found that Nick and the Marauders had no luck in finding Chip either. He decided to offer Nick his cottage’s guest room as a belated welcoming gift to his sudden friend.

“Why don’t you stay in the guest room at my house tonight? I’m dying to be home, and the beds there are much more comfortable than the ones here. I could hardly sleep last night!” Xander said.

“Gee, way to make me feel good.” Clare said, who had gone unnoticed as she swept the floor in the corner.

“Ugh…sorry Clare. It’s not your fault that I miss my bed…I’m just picky, that’s all.”

“It’s okay…I admit that they aren’t too comfortable to me, either.” Clare sheepishly admitted. “I’m used to it, though.”

“How comfortable are these beds you speak of?” Nick asked slyly as he leaned on the circular table.

“Pretty comfortable. Down feather pillows, soft sheets, and the mattresses are pleasantly springy…”

“Sold!” Nick said, slamming his fist on the table like a gavel. “Let’s get going.” He said as he moved away from the table and toward the entrance.

“Right behind ya.” Xander said. He stood up and began to leave, but then stopped and looked back at Clare. “Sorry for what I said about the beds. I know you try hard…”

“It’s okay. I’d rather somebody be honest than to make me feel better about myself anyways.” Clare replied. “Now go home to your comfortable beddings and enjoy it.”

“Will do.” Xander replied as he left.

Meanwhile, Madison found herself becoming tired of walking. “Chip!” She shouted out, looking around. As the sun became fully set behind the mountain range, she sighed; she couldn’t use her Forest Light spell without suffering, but it was her only choice. “Luma Silva!” The forest lit up around her, casting shadows on objects both near and far. She felt a sudden weight pressing on her as she began to walk.

She saw a hooded figure up ahead, wearing a cloak emblazoned with the Mystic Circle, much like her robe.

“Chip!” She shouted, hoping to get a positive response.

“Hey!” A voice answered back from the figure. It was indeed Chip’s voice. Three more figures emerged from behind him; Nick, Vida, and Xander.

“Oh, wonderful!” She shouted, running for the hooded figure. She jump hugged the hooded figure, sending them flying backwards. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too…” Chip replied. There was an unfamiliar tone in his voice as he sat up and pushed her off.

“We should head back to the base.” Madison said in joy. The other three shook their heads in the negative, as did Chip.

“No, let’s stay here.” Chip said, pushing his hood back. Madison noticed that his eyes were a deep blue, and she panicked and became pale.

“Is something wrong, Blue Magician?” Chip asked.

“Your eyes…”

“What’s wrong with my eyes?”

“…They’re…blue…” She held up her wand as she sideswiped him and ran behind him. Nick, Vida, and Xander walked up to his side. “You’re not my friends. You’re just a bunch of demons.”

“And what makes you think that?” Chip said, walking up to Madison. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Nick, Vida, and Xander swarmed in closer as well.

“This.” Madison said, pointing the wand directly at his eyes. “Luma Lumiere!” The forest lights dissipated, becoming replaced with a bright light at the end of her wand. Chip instantly let go, screaming in pain and shielding his eyes.

“OW! IT BURNS!” Chip shouted, falling to his knees. He looked up, now baring fangs. “Get her!” The Vida, Nick, and Xander clones bared fangs and charged Madison.

“Luma Radia!” She shouted as she swung her wand in front of her. An arc of light shot out of the wand, hitting and destroying the vampire versions of her friends.

The vampire Chip stood up as Madison collapsed on the ground. “I didn’t think you Magicians were so stupid. You’ve wasted all your energy trying to destroy us that you have none left to defend yourself from me…” The vampire snapped its fingers, and in a puff of black smoke, revealed themselves to be Morrigan. “I almost had you surrounded…but I didn’t want to share my meal with them anyways.”

Madison cringed as she stared at Morrigan; for a moment, she thought it was Vankyuria, but realized that her mouth didn’t move while speaking, giving the impression that the face was just a mask.

“Who are you?” Madison asked, keeping the wand pointed at Morrigan.

“My name is Morrigan, Blue Magician. I think it would be nice to know your name…isn’t it something like mine? Madison, I believe?”

“Yes it is…but why do you care?”

“The Wind Scout is not one to be kind to others…but you…your case intrigues me. Tell me, why does he consider you to be a friend?”

“I…don’t know…I guess maybe it’s because I’m nice.”

“Well then, I’ll make sure to remind you to be nice when I find him and have you drain him dry!” Morrigan said as she ran towards Madison.

A shrill shriek filled the air, and a giant claw shot out from behind Madison, smashing into Morrigan and sending her flying backwards. Madison looked up and spotted Tsubasa the hippogryph. She gasped.

“You featherbrain!” Morrigan shouted. “I was going to finish her off!”

Tsubasa squawked at Morrigan, then reared up and smacked Madison square in the face, knocking her unconscious.

“Oh I see…you don’t like sharing!” Morrigan chuckled as she stood up. “Fine, you may have your feast…I’ll take the other three.” Morrigan brushed herself off as she smiled.

Tsubasa made a soft sound of satisfaction as it picked Madison up by the collar of her cloak and carrying her off towards the northern section of the forest.

On the other side of the forest in the town of Briarwood, the streets were bustling with people all trying to get home for the night, including Xander and Nick. After stopping at the Farmer’s Market for a moment and picking up some ingredients for dinner and saying his hellos to some of his family, Xander happily introduced Nick to some of his friends. Despite the culture gap, Nick found that the merchants he met were not much different from the people he’d meet in a supermarket.

Oliver and Conway were also in the market helping their family out, and they happily gave Nick a report of their day in the forest; nothing pertaining to Chip, but a noting that one of the caves in the north was haunted by a ghostly hooded creature. Nick and Xander decided that they would check it out in the morning with the boys, to which the boys’ mother laughed and gave Nick and Xander a time to return the boys home.

Down the block from the Farmer’s Market was a row of white sandstone houses, all covered in thick ivy. Most of the other houses were made of limestone and marble, so the difference was noticeable and stood out heavily. Xander happily set his bags in front of the gate of the last house in the row, unlocking both the gate and the front door before going forwards. Nick stared in awe; he never thought he’d ever be walking into such a rustic looking building, nor that he’d ever be sleeping in a place that was more than ten times bigger than his apartment back in Roftwood.

“Wow…” Nick said aloud as he followed Xander in.

The interior reminded Nick of the ancient Greek shrines from History class; the front room had a small fountain in the middle of it, the walls were lined with tapestries, and there were statues of Spragel and Grangel in every corner of the room. In fact, the fountain’s centerpiece was Spragel with the water shooting out of her hands into the bowls and outstretched hands of mortal and mystic being alike.

There were sandstone benches sitting between statues in hallways leading to the dining hall and the kitchen, and the elegance followed there as well. It was the charm of an ancient Mediterranean home with the decadence of a medieval castle.

“Man, I didn’t know you were so stacked by the looks of your bakery…” Nick said.

“Oh, I didn’t buy all of this,” Xander replied. “in fact, I own only what’s in my room. This place used to belong to my uncle.”

“Is that so…? Wow.” Nick said. “Your uncle was loaded.”

Xander smiled as he sat his groceries on the kitchen counter and began to go through them. “My uncle was a great guy. He was one of the finest merchants in the land; people would come to Briarwood from deep in the Mystic Realm to make deals with him.” He reached overhead and grabbed a mixing spoon and a knife.

“I got this house from him when I was ten years old. I was the closest thing he had to a son…my aunt died during childbirth, and the little one passed soon after, and it just devastated him.” Xander sighed as he began chopping up the ingredients for his and Nick’s dinner. Nick sighed and sat down at the dining room table roughly twenty feet away on the other side of the counter.

“But anyways, he wrote me into his will as the inheritor of his estate, which shocked my mother and upset several of my older cousins. Needless to say, I’m missing a great deal of things from the place, and food disappears as soon as it goes into a cupboard around here…anything of importance stays in my room nowadays…” Xander scooped up the ingredients and tossed them into the cauldron. “Hey Nick, could you give me a light real quick?”

“Sure.” Nick smiled and pulled out his wand. “Pyra Minima.” A small batch of flames shot up underneath the cauldron, igniting the wood underneath it.

“Thanks.”

“Not a problem.”

Xander poured a jug of water into the cauldron to go along with the ingredients. After stirring them up a bit, he sat down at the table next to Nick.

“This house kinda feels empty without anybody else in it. I’m glad you came over.”

“I’m glad I’m getting a nice rest out of it.” Nick replied with a smile.

“Well, you and I are working together; it’s the least I can do.”

“Yeah…” Nick looked down.

“So, you got any wacky family tales? Strange dad? Crazy mum?”

“I wish.” Nick said, scratching the back of his neck.

“C’mon, you’re a totally normal guy…I think…” Xander jokingly replied. “Seriously though, is it crazier than my vengeful kleptomaniac cousins?”

“Well, most of what I remember about my parents is hazy, really. My dad was a Navy SEAL, and he was killed in action when I was about a year old, and then shortly after that, my mom got a nasty virus and had to be quarantined at a hospital, and she died not long after my dad…I was raised by my sister, who is twice my age, and it was just weird going to school and having my sister sign all my permission slips.”

“School?”

“It’s where kids go to learn…it’s mandatory in my society.”

“Oh. Sounds boring.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. But yeah…my family’s really small. I haven’t seen my sister in a few years since I was old enough to leave and get my own apartment, which, by the way, is smaller than the dining room we’re sitting in.”

“Goodness…”

“Yeah, apartments are super tiny in Roftwood.”

“…how do you live in this…’apartment’ place?”

“Very cramped.”

“I could imagine.” Xander said. He then got up to stir the stew.

The room fell silent for a few moments as Nick collected his thoughts. He then spoke with a somber tone in his voice. “You wanna know what really confuses me about my dad?”

“What?”

“They were able to retrieve his dogtags…but they couldn’t bring his body home to bury him. Nobody ever explained that to me.”

“Maybe he wasn’t wearing them…and then the body got lost on transit or something.”

“No, that’s too unrealistic for me to believe.”

“You have a problem believing things you can’t see, don’t you?” Xander asked.

“I guess I do, don’t I? I have to get over that now, don’t I?”

“Well, it can’t hurt to try, can it?”

“Not really…”

Another few moments of silence, then Nick started up again. “What hurts the most is my sister still won’t give me my father’s dogtags.”

“Dogtags?”

“They’re military identification tags…they give you a name, regiment, rank, all that good stuff.”

“I see, and do you like, wear them or something?”

“Around your neck.”

“Oh.” Xander said. “…well, why won’t she let you have it?”

“She’d always say, ‘They’re sacred, Nick…nobody can touch them.’ like they were some sort of ancient relic or something.”

“Well, your dad sounds like a very important person…she’s just really venerating. It’s understandable.”

“You’re right…” Nick sighed. “I just…I just miss him. After all this time…I just miss him.” Nick crossed his arms on the table, then lied his head n his left arm.

“Elbows off the table.” Xander spat out. Nick shot him a look. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

“That’s alright.” Nick replied.

“Dinner’ll be done in a few minutes, okay?”

“Yeah.”

Nick and Xander spent the rest of the night in relative silence; Xander didn’t want to start any more conversations, and Nick found himself so immersed in the house’s architecture that he almost forgot Xander was there with him. The two ended the night in silence, sound asleep in their respective rooms, finally enjoying their well-deserved rest.

The sun was barely making its morning run over the eastern horizon as Madison stirred weakly, trying to escape her reverie. The sounds of the waterfall nearly a hundred feet away were slowly bringing her back to reality, much to Tsubasa’s chagrin.

He sighed as he paced about the cave, torn over his next move. Should he kill her, or spare her? Was the egg as important as her, or should he be thinking the other way around? It was a difficult choice, of course. It wasn’t in Tsubasa’s nature to consider things so deeply before doing them…he was afraid of his newly forming logic.

“Good morning, my fine-feathered friend.” Vankyuria said as she approached the cave. Tsubasa stared at her. “You do realize that the Blue Magician is still alive, don’t you?” He squawked an agreeing tone. “I see…why are you waiting?” Tsubasa looked at her, then spread his wings. It shone a bright pink, and as the light dissipated, it left a hooded figure standing in his place.

“Ah…you finally reveal yourself to me…” Vankyuria replied. “You’re tired of giving horrid responses…”

“I want her alive.” He responded.

“What? That’s not part of the bargain…”

“I’ll kill the rest of them…just let me keep her alive.”

“Why is this? Why should I give you more than what I promised?”

“They hate her anyways. She’s with them, but not allied with all of them.”

“The group is splintered? Interesting…” Vankyuria smiled as she walked up to the hooded figure.

“We could use her as bait for the green and pink ones…and undoubtedly you can draw the rest out by threatening to kill one of the other two…”

“Oh, wonderful planning! You are very useful! You may keep her alive then.” Vankyuria said, patting Tsubasa on the shoulder. “But you must give me something in return.”

“What?”

“Her wand.”

“Take it.” Tsubasa said, handing her a blue wand.

“Wonderful!” Vankyuria gleefully replied, taking the wand and swinging about. “Now, back to the tree I go! Remember to do as you promised!”

After waiting a long time, Tsubasa slid Madison’s wand out of his sleeve. “I can’t believe she fell for it…” he laughed to himself. He then looked outside and noticed the sun. “Oh, I should probably get back to guarding…” Tsubasa quickly returned to his hippogryph form and walked out to the front of the cave.

Madison woke up slowly, shivering. Water dripped nearby as the cool breeze blew in from the opening of the cave. She looked around, unsure of her current surroundings. She knew she was in a cave of some sort, but she was unsure of what cave she was in.

“Luma Hydrae!” She said instinctively, holding out her arm. She then suddenly realized that she was wandless.

“Where’s my wand?” She said, panicking. Madison was blind in the cave without a Water Light spell active, and her only hope was to feel around on the floor. After a few moments, her hand grabbed a hold of something wooden and stick-shaped, and she stopped worrying. “Luma Hydrae!” She shouted at she held up the object in her hand. The entire cave lit up in a bluish hue as the water sprites illuminated themselves at her command.

The wand in her hand, much to her surprise, was yellow, and not blue. “…Why is this here…?” She asked herself as she got up.

She wandered out to the cave’s entrance, where she found Tsubasa bathing in the waterfall. She stood for a moment, staring at the wand in her hand. She then looked back at Tsubasa, who had obviously realized that he was being watched. Madison walked forwards as she cast a Water Walking spell on herself, and she lightly skimmed across the surface of the river in an attempt to sneak up on the large winged creature. However, Tsubasa sensed her coming and turned around. Madison panicked and the spell dropped, sending her dropping into the water. Tsubasa walked over and picked her out of the water with his beak.

Sopping wet, Madison still managed to be upset.

“Where am I?” She shouted as she squirmed about. Tsubasa remained silent. “Why have you taken me here?” Yet again, no response. “Where is my wand?” Tsubasa began walking off with her in his beak. “Let me go!” Tsubasa swung his head, tossing her up in the air and moving to position himself under her. She landed on his back and dropped the yellow wand into the water.

“Gimme that!” she screamed. Tsubasa reared up, forcing her to panic and cling onto his wings to keep from falling off. “Stop!” she shouted, kicking about and striking his sides with her feet. Tsubasa shrieked in pain for a moment, then calmed down. After several moments, he picked up the yellow wand for her, then tilted his head back and handed it to her. “…thank you.” She softly replied.

Tsubasa walked forwards in a calm trot, stopping twenty feet away. He then bent to take a drink, then came back up with a blue wand in his beak. He also handed it to her.

“My wand!” She shouted, hugging it like a long lost child. She began to lose her balance, but Tsubasa balanced her with his wings. “I’m sorry I shouted so loud…I’m having a bad day.” She softly ran her fingers over the feathers on Tsubasa’s wings. “I’m just worried about my friend…” Tsubasa lightly crowed in response. “Have you seen him? My friend Chip?” Tsubasa shrieked a tone that sounded like it was a negative response. “No? Oh…” She sighed. Tsubasa began walking forwards once more, and Madison began to lounge by lying her front half down against his back, letting her arms dangle underneath his now-folded wings. “Why do you work for Infershia? You don’t seem evil to me…” Tsubasa squawked, but Madison couldn’t understand a word he said.

Nick and Xander were up bright and early to visit Oliver and Conway to have them take them to the Haunted Cave. Their mother was delighted to invite them in.

“Mister Bly, it’s so good to see you in my home!” the mother replied. “Come on in; all the kids are here to see you.”

“All the kids?” Xander asked. Nick gazed into the living room and found all of the Marauders sitting around, dressed up in costumes.

Bridget was wearing a black witch’s hat with a black shirt, orange vest, and orange and black track pants. Conway wore a blue collared shirt and jeans, with a durable helmet shaped and decorated to look like a fish. Taliesen wore a short-sleeved collared shirt with mesh clothes underneath with a yellow scarf, running shorts, and track shoes. Oliver, with his thick framed lenses, still managed to fit a pair of bunny muffs on his head; and as dorky as the premise was, the white magician’s gloves, red bell collar, shorts, green collared university shirt, and dress shoes seemed to be a perfect match on him. His black cat familiar sat atop his head. Crystal wore a grey hooded sweatshirt with bunny slippers and sweatpants; the most interesting piece of her outfit was her ice crystal tiara and earrings. Esen was curled up on the couch trying to hide underneath her sky blue blanket with the little pink cloud embroidered on it; however, her wing-embroidered blue jeans and pink sneakers with little white decorative wings on them still were seen.

Nick and Xander were impressed; although the Marauders were all roughly the age of middle schoolers, they seemed to be almost too prepared to go into the forest when Nick noticed extremely detailed scouting plans sitting on the coffee table with them all hovering over them.

“Hi, Mister Nick!” They shouted and waved.

“Hi, kids.” Nick said, waving back as he walked in. “This is my friend, Xander.”

“Okay, Mister Nick and Mister Xander, we request that you sit and listen to this.” Bridget said in a serious tone. Nick decided to sit between Bridget and Conway. Xander found it hard to take a pre-teen seriously, but he sat down between Conway and Nick.

“Nice…fish hat.” Xander said to Conway.

“It’s not a hat, it’s a helmet.” Conway replied.

“Sorry.”

“Ahem.” Bridget loudly cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention. “Now, our lovely little Junior Wind Scout herself, little Esen, drew up a map while she was in the forest last night detailing several Hideac camps in the northern area that shows that Infershia might possibly be building a camp up there. Esen also reported that there were bright lights and screams coming from the mid-eastern tier of the forest, possibly an ambush. There was a hippogryph and several vampires involved in the scene, and they attacked a young woman as well, carried her off.”

“Young woman?” Nick asked.

“What did she look like?” Xander asked, standing up.

“Mister Xander, we don’t know. Esen could not see her well enough to see details, but from far away, she could tell that she was a long haired woman around your age.”

“Madison!” Nick and Xander shouted as they stared at each other.

“We need to save her!” Xander said.

“She could be in danger!” Nick added.

“But what about the haunted cave?” Taliesen asked. “Won’t we go there first?”

“We’ll do both!” Bridget replied.

“Hey kids, would you like some milk and muffins?” the mother asked as she popped her head into the room.

“No thanks, Mother Clarin.” Bridget replied.

“Alrighty! I hope you kids have fun and stay safe out in the forest.” Clarin said as she retreated out of the room.

“Mother Clarin?” Taliesen said.

“Yes, Taliesen?”

“Where are you going?” To Xander, Taliesen’s parentish tone towards Clarin seemed off.

“I’m going to lie down.”

“I shall stay with you then.” Crystal replied, standing up and following Clarin.

“Thank you, Crystal.”

“Not a problem, Mother Clarin.”

The remaining Marauders then got up and began to leave. “Come on, Misters Xander and Nick! We don’t have much time!”

“Okay, we’re right behind you.” Nick replied.

Back at the Rootcore, Udonna and Clare were reading the only pages of the Xenotome that were available for reading. The majority of the pages were blank, including the pages that Wolzard had ripped out.

“I don’t understand, Miss Udonna…” Clare stammered. “The book’s text has done nothing but disappear since the book got here…and even more so since Charlie disappeared.”

“The book is a wise and all-knowing book, Clare.” Udonna said. “It knows that they are not united, that they are not ready for the lessons it has to give.”

“When will they be ready, Miss Udonna?” Clare asked.

“That is up for the magicians themselves to decide, in all honesty. When they prove themselves of the Xenotome’s knowledge, it will give them great power, so says the legend.”

“Legend?”

“Yes. Sit and I shall tell you the full tale of the Five Great Magicians. I feel like you should know the tale in whole instead of just the scant details I have muttered to you.” Clare sat down in the chair behind the dais.

“Now remember I told you about how the Five Great Magicians fought to save the Mystic Realm long ago from Infershia?”

“Yes, Miss Udonna. You told me that Infershia’s gate was closed by a Great Magician, and that all of the Great Magicians perished in the fight against Infershia and that there are only relics of them remaining.”

“Well remembered, Clare. Now, I don’t recall ever telling you everything about the Xenotome.”

“You told me it was an important book, and nothing more.”

“Then it is time for me to pass on my knowledge of this book to you.” Udonna said as she walked over to the dais and picked up the book. She opened the book to the first page, which had an illustration of the magic circle drawn behind five staff-wielding figures. Three of them wore hats, while the other two wore hoods. “The Five Great Magicians were a united force from both the Mystic Realm and the Mortal Realm, as you can tell from the varying robes.”

“See, I’m still confused about that. Which is which?”

“Mystic Realm robes have hoods, Clare, while Mortal Realm robes don’t, which is why the Mortal Realm magicians wear the pointed hats.”

“Oh, I get it now. Makes sense. Please, go on.”

“The Five Great Magicians were chosen by the Heavenly Saints themselves to defend the planet from Infershia, and the way the Saints communicated and trained these warriors was through the Xenotome. Nobody knew how to make it work, but when it worked, they all knew what was going on. That is why it is called the Book of the Unknown.”

“Neat.”

“The Five Great Magicians gathered together every warrior they could in the fight against Infershia and their master, a creature whose true name was only spoken by his closest advisors.”

“Scary!” Clare was becoming intrigued with the story now that there was a supreme evil in it.

“Very much so, Clare. But these Five Great Magicians were courageous and impetuous, and with such courage in the face of danger, they were rewarded with great mystical strength by the Heavenly Saints themselves. However, regardless of their courage, they wasted every last bit of life they had until nothing but their magic kept them moving against the forces of Infershia. The war was so great, that several Heavenly Warrior-Saints came to the aid of the Mystic Realm they had helped create. Even then, the battle was nearly lost.”

“Wow…this is all really intense!” Clare said. “I take it that there isn’t a happy ending to this, is there?”

“Well, it’s not a wonderful ending, Clare, but no victory this great can be claimed without sacrifices. Not only did the Five Great Magicians perish from over-exertion, but the Saints themselves suffered casualties. They were left to close Hell’s Gate themselves, and they did, but they lost their Warrior-Saint General behind Hell’s Gate.”

Clare gasped. “How horrible!”

“It was a loss for all three realms that day. There was not a great victory festival that day, but rather a great funeral.”

“Do you think…do you think that this will happen again?” Clare asked with a shaky voice.

“Sadly, Clare, history is known to repeat itself…”

Nick, Xander, and the Marauders began their hike through the forest, making sure to avoid the camps Esen had precisely marked out on the map.

“We’re making good time, everybody!” Bridget said happily. Unfortunately, her voice was picked up by a small scouting party of Hideacs, and they quickly descended upon the group. Nick and Xander drew out their wands, but the Marauders were quick to jump in front of them.

“We’ll handle this.” Bridget said. The five of them quickly divided the group’s attention.

Conway led a pair of Hideacs over to a small stagnant pool of water. Just as the Hideacs were about to descent upon him, he snapped his fingers, summoning the water to blast into them and tear them to shreds. “Simple, no?” He said, adjusting his helmet. “For me, it was just a snap. Ha, see? A joke!”

“It won’t be funny when they kill you!” Bridget shouted when she became surround by a trio of blade-wielding Hideacs. However, she was not intimidated in the least. A quick snap of her fingers shot a wave of superheated air to surround her, igniting both the leaves around her and the Hideacs around her. “Burn, baby, burn!” She shouted.

“Yeah, well, be gentle around the trees, will ya?” Oliver comments as he led a pair of Hideacs deeper into the forest. “Fine, if you insist on following me, then I’ll have to show you to my friend.” He snapped his fingers, summoning a large bear from deep in the woods. “Ursa, enjoy!” The bear then proceeded to tear the Hideacs apart. “Lovely, no?” He mused aloud.

“I’ll show you lovely!” Taliesen commented as he began running around swiftly and catching the attention of several of the Hideacs who were left. They chased him until he stopped until he suddenly stopped running. “I’m not afraid of you! I have no fear of simple creatures like you!” He snapped his fingers and a bolt of electricity shot through the ranks, blowing the Hideacs apart instantly. “As I said…no fear.”

Esen found that the last Hideac had taken a liking to her, and she became a bit scared. However, after watching Taliesen and hearing what he had said, she was inspired to be courageous. She stood her ground and waited for the Hideac to get close before opening up her blanket and sending a rushing gust of wind surging at the Hideac. The Hideac was lifted into the air, then dropped suddenly, crushing its skeleton on impact. Esen quickly covered back up and walked over to Xander and Nick, who were in shock.

“How did you…?” Nick began to say.

“Why’d you…why’d you do that? How…how did you do that?” Xander said.

“Magic, of course!” Oliver said. “Now c’mon, we’re making good time!” Bridget then took up the map once more and began to walk as if nothing happened. Xander and Nick pocketed their wands and slowly followed.

After a moment of walking, Oliver looked up at Xander. “You know what? Not good to be so jealous all the time.”

“Wha…how did you kn-”

“The way you were eyeing us. One day, you will be as good as us. But for now, you are as good as you deserve to be.”

“Deserve?”

“Yup.”

“I see…” Xander was mildly disappointed, yet still in shock.

The Rootcore had been silent for nearly an hour after Udonna told her tale, until the large crystal ball in the middle of the round table began to glow. Udonna gasped, ran up to the dais, closed up the Xenotome, ran and grabbed Clare, thrust the book in her arms, and forced her up the stairs and into Clare’s room. She shoved Clare onto her bed, then pulled her wand out of her cloak pocket.

“Stay here.” Udonna said, pointing her wand at her in a threatening manner.

“But Miss Udon-”

“We can not afford for the book to fall to evil hands again, and my apprentice should learn to listen to her master.”

“Yes, Miss Udonna.” Clare replied as she hung her head, defeated.

Udonna then ran downstairs and began to sweep the floors as Clare had been doing before. She kept a close eye on the Rootcore’s entrance, waiting patiently, running a volley of spells through her mind in preparation.

Several moments later, Chip walked in, scouring the room with indigo-shaded eyes, noticed Udonna sweeping the floor.

“Ah, Udonna.” He said with a raspy voice. “There you are…”

Udonna slid her wand out of her sleeve and pointed it at Chip.

“Welcome, child of Infershia.” Udonna shot out.

“I’m glad to be welcomed…” Chip grinned, pulling a blue wand out of his cloak pocket. “I think I’ll be taking the Xenotome with me now.”

“You’ll have to go through me first, and I doubt you can.” She grinned.

“You old hag! You’re just fooling yourself. Aero Corona!” Chip pointed the wand, but it did nothing. “Huh?” He stared at the wand, then pointed it towards himself. Once it was pointed at him, it activated, making him drop the wand and flinging him back against the wall. He grimaced as he picked himself back up. “That overgrown pigeon’s crowed his swansong…” He stepped on the fake wand, snapping it in half. “Fine! I can destroy you on my own!” Giving the Wind Scout salute and charging up wind magic energy, he swung his arm in an arc, discharging the energy in a bright pink light. It smashed into Udonna’s abdomen, bending her in half while sending her flying into a wall.

“Do you like my Hawk’s Eye?” Chip cackled. “I can serve up plenty more if you do!”

“You’ll never get the Xenotome…” Udonna said weakly. “It’s not even here…”

“I feel its energy in this tree…it’s here…you can’t fool me, greyhair…”

“Eiszapfen!” Clare shouted, pointing her wand at Chip and striking him in the shoulder. Chip howled in pain as the giant icicle drove into his clavicle, turning his head to see who struck him.

“Get out of this place before I get really serious!” Clare shouted. Even though she was afraid, she felt compelled to save Udonna regardless of her own health.

Chip spotted the Xenotome in her left arm and gasped. “Give me that book!” He shot a Hawk’s Eye at Clare, smashing apart the staircase and tossing Clare about.

“Oh no!” Clare shouted, clinging to the Xenotome tightly as she fell. Udonna, fearing she wouldn’t get a second chance to catch Chip off guard, dived for her wand. “Eiszapfen!” Her shot caught Chip on his right side.

“Augh! Damn witch! I guess you want to sing your swansong too, don’t you?” Chip went to fire off another Hawk’s Eye, but a voice rang out behind him.

“Ciclone rosa!” A pink tornado slammed into Chip, sending him flying up to the ceiling and crashing on top of the table. The icicles shattered on impact, giving Chip more mobility. He turned around and sneered at the caster, who was wearing a lovely witch’s hat. The magician reached into their side bag, took out a fistful of powder, then summoned another pink tornado to blow the powder at Chip. Chip coughed as he stood up, brushing the powder off of him. The magician was taken aback; shocked at his response.

“What…? That should’ve worked…”

“Sorry, but your pixie dust is out of date!” Chip said, firing off a Hawk’s Eye at the magician, knocking them out the door. “All of you are so pathetic…”

“Eiszapfen!” Clare and Udonna both shouted, firing two more icicles into Chip. He got up and ran out the entrance.

It was getting close to the time given to Xander and Nick to return the Marauders home, so they began to turn back.

“Since we can’t help you any longer, here is our map.” Bridget said, giving the map to Nick. “It’s a shame we couldn’t all go there, ya know?”

“Yeah.” Nick replied as she slid the map into his cloak pocket. “One day, we’ll have a great adventure. I promise.”

“A promise is a promise, so you must never forget.” Conway said, tapping his helmet.

“I won’t forget.” Nick replied with a smile.

“Alright,” Xander said, clapping his hands. “it’s time to get you kids home! So, I propose we have a race-”

“Last one home’s a rotten egg!” Taliesen shouted, and everybody but Xander began to run.

“Wait for me! I can’t run that well!” Xander shouted.

Tsubasa wasn’t very surprised that Madison had fallen asleep so soon in the day, given the roughing up he and Infershia had given her the day before. He suspected that his soft and gentle trotting in the forest was what had lulled Madison to sleep. He began to think about what he was doing for a moment as he began setting up an early camp in a small clearing rather than returning to the cave.

She’s right…they’re evil…but, they have something I want…but four lives for one? It doesn’t seem right…no! I have to stick to this…maybe compromise for her life somehow…this is so unfair…but I must…must preserve the egg…they deserve to die anyways…why should I be attached to any of them?

Tsubasa laid Madison on the ground gently, so as not to disturb her sleep.

I can make an exception…if I’m helping them get what they want, they should make an exception for me. If not, then no deal. That’s the only solution that makes sense.

Tsubasa yawned. Ugh, I’m tired…why am I so tired? I’ve never felt so worn down in my life…

As he turned around to get a drink from the river nearby, he spotted a very enraged Chip coming towards him.

“You dirty scamp!” Chip shouted. Madison woke up, but chose not to move. “You gave me a fake wand when I ordered you to give me the Blue Magician’s wand! I should kill you right here!”

Tsubasa responded with a noise that resembled laughter.

“You dare mock me?” Chip replied. He fired a Hawk’s Eye off in Madison’s direction, which caused Tsubasa to maneuver himself in front of it. The blast hit him in the face, slicing deep into his beak. A pained cry rang through the air, rushing to all four corners of the forest.

“What was that?” Oliver asked as he stopped and looked around. The rest of the group stopped as well, and began to look around with him.

“A hippogryph.” Esen said. Every turned to look at the smallest member of the Marauders, and were shocked to hear her speak. “One of my hippogryphs…in pain…protecting one so valiantly…what courage…” Her voice had become ethereal and otherworldly, as if she were actually seeing the event from afar.

“How courageous…” Taliesen replied. “I think he will be fine…a great magician he is saving…she will return the favor, won’t she?” He turned to look at Conway.

“With such a pure heart, she will…” Conway answered.

“Nick, the kids’re freaking me out again…” Xander whispered into Nick’s ear.

“Something tells me that this’s gonna happen often around them. After all the stuff I’ve been seeing lately, I’m just getting used to crazy shit happening randomly.” Nick replied.

Tsubasa squawked and collected himself from the blow, charging Chip and slashing his face. The attack knocked Chip back, forcing a puff of smoke to rise up and revealing Chip’s true guise; Morrigan, who was dressed in her Vankyuria costume. Morrigan got up and brushed herself off.

“You rotten bird!” She shouted, firing off another Hawk’s Eye at Tsubasa. As the shot smashed into Tsubasa’s chest, his legs buckled, causing Madison to panic and roll out from under him as he crashed to the ground, unconscious.

“Finally, the little Blue Magician shows herself!” Morrigan mocked.

Madison clutched her wand tightly and pointed it at Morrigan. “Hydrae Pression!” She shouted, causing a pressurized jet of water to shoot out of her wand and smash into Morrigan, sending her flying far into the forest and crashing into a tree. Morrigan snarled as she got up, then ran back to Vankyuria’s perch.

Madison then turned to face Tsubasa, who lied silently on the forest floor, breathing heavily and bleeding lightly. She fell to her knees and began checking his wounds. Her warm hands woke Tsubasa up, who began to look at her.

“Thank you.” Madison said as she tried as hard as she could to be cautious of the slice wound on his beak. “You didn’t have to take this punishment for me…this cut looks as bad as it sounded…” Tsubasa weakly squawked in response.

Madison sighed and began looking around her for aloe plants that were usually found in the northern section of the forest. As soon as she spotted a few, she got up, which caused Tsubasa to cry out and nip at her cape with the tip of his beak.

“I’m just going for something to make you better. I’m not going far away.” Madison said with a smile. Tsubasa let go and she walked the few steps to the rock formation to her left to pick apart the aloe plants.

After nearly ten minutes, she had found a few more ingredients to mix in with the tiny mortar and pestle that she carried in her cloak just for the situation she was in now. She missed the herbs up into a sickly green paste, which she gingerly applied to Tsubasa’s beak and chest wounds. As she finished up on the large slash in his chest, she found herself at his left side, where she found a large patch of burned and unhealed skin devoid of any protective scaling.

“Oh my…” Madison said to herself. She knew exactly how he received the burns, and she felt partially responsible all over again. “Does this hurt, too?” She asked as she pressed on a small part of Tsubasa’s exposed skin. It caused him to cry out in pain. “Oh, I’m so sorry Vida did this…I’m so sorry I let her do it…please forgive me…”

Tsubasa squawked lightly, reminding Madison that crying over mistakes was less important than actually fixing the mistakes that were made. She took what was left of the healing herb mix and scooped it up in her hand. “This is going to hurt, but you’ll feel a lot better later, trust me.” She then quickly slathered the burns in the mixture. She could feel Tsubasa’s body tensing up in pain as she continued.

She ended up flaking off dead skin in some places, revealing the reddish flesh underneath and the smell of decay rolled into her nostrils. “Ugh…” She said before she began to gag and cough up spit. Tsubasa shrieked as she began rubbing the mixture into the open wounds.

“It’ll be better…I promise…the sting and burn is just everything getting better…”

Tsubasa, in response to her words, quieted down and resorted to muffled whimpers for the rest of the procedure. After Madison was done, she mindlessly began petting Tsubasa’s back. She could only ramble on as if she were taking care of Lupin.

After nearly two minutes of silence, she began to speak.

“I…I’m sorry about Vida’s mistake. She…she doesn’t think before she acts sometimes. I know that she was wrong and that she did a lot of damage to you…but please don’t hold it against her. She’s really a good person at heart.”

Tsubasa sighed and slowly fell asleep, which gave Madison the initiative to set up a small camp around the both of them. She wore herself out summoning the forest to bend to her power, and she blacked out from over usage once she was done.

Madison woke up to a burning fire late at night. She sat up and saw Tsubasa lying near her, still asleep from the looks of it. She smiled and brushed off and she began wondering why there was a fire burning when she hadn’t even started one. She began to walk over to the riverbank when she spotted somebody attempting to fish with a bow and arrow.

The moonlight shone down from the opening in the foliage, sending off rays of yellow light off of the figure’s suit of full body scale mail armor. Not much else could be seen, so Madison decided to try getting closer.

As she snuck in closer, she noticed that the figure had short, russet shaded hair. She gasped, stepped backwards, and snapped a stick, causing the figure to turn around in alarm.

“Hi Maddie.” Chip said cheerfully with a smile. Madison stared for a moment, wondering if this ‘chipper’ Chip was the real one. Chip grabbed the cloak lying on the ground and put it on as he walked up to greet Madison.

“Long time, no see, eh?” He said with an accent mimicking Xander’s. Madison stepped back as he got close. “What’s wrong?” He asked in his normal voice.

“You’re…scaring me.”

“Oh. Well…I was just trying to be funny.” Chip frowned and looked down. Madison took a deep breath and grabbed Chip’s chin firmly, pulling his face up to hers.

She quickly noticed a faded red arc across his face, shooting across from cheek to cheek over the top of the bridge of his nose. She then noticed that his eyes were a light brown, as opposed to the blue she had seen the night before. Chip had a shocked look in his eyes for a moment, then he smiled in a way Xander would when meeting with a female customer at the bakery.

“I don’t think I’ve ever gotten such a lovely view of your eyes like this before, Maddie.” He said softly. Madison blushed lightly, then looked away. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you don’t have blue eyes…I guess I can trust that you are Chip Thorn like you appear to be…”

“Of course I’m Chip Thorn…at least…that’s what it says on my underwear…”

Madison laughed lightly, as she let go of his face and covered her mouth in an attempt to conceal her mini giggles.

Chip sighed as he walked up to her once more. “I missed you so much…” He grabbed her tightly and hugged her.

“I missed you too. I was so worried that you had been poisoned and that you were dead…” Madison said as she began to tear up and wrap her arms around his waist.

“I’m okay, really. I just…I just feel confused, really. I’ve got to do some things before I can come back home, okay?”

“What do you have to do? I’ll help you.”

“No…this is something only I can do, okay?” Chip said, placing his hands on her shoulders. Madison nodded in response. “I promise that I’ll come back in one piece.”

“You’d better keep your promise…we don’t have time to look for a new Yellow Magician.” Madison joked, poking his left side.

He gave a momentary pained look, then feigned it off with a smile. “I promise.” He gave her a soft peck on the cheek, then pulled her close, sighing happily. Madison smiled back. “Now, I want you to sleep soundly and when I get back home, I promise to spend some time with you, and we can sit and share stories again, and-”

Madison stared at him a bit. “Chip…?”

“Hm?”

“You’re…scaring me.”

“I am?” He gave her another one of Xander’s patented looks.

“What’s wrong with you?” Madison said, pulling away from him.

“Nothing…I think. I’m…I’m just feeling really good, and I want to spread the joy, so to speak.”

“No, no…it’s not the same…” Madison said, backing away. Chip walked towards her, keeping the distance they had apart roughly the same throughout their movements. “You’re not you…whatever happened…you’re just not you…”

“Maddie…”

“Don’t call me that!” She pulled her wand out, pointing it directly between Chip’s eyes.

“Madison…what’s the matter?”

“You! You’re not real!” Madison shouted. “Where is Chip and what have you done with him? I have no problem fighting you to get the answer, you fake!”

Chip stopped suddenly in his tracks, staring off distantly as if contemplating deeply. He then closed his eyes for a few seconds, swiftly opening them and shooting a glare of fiercely burning anger at her. He then reached for his wand, wordlessly transmuting it into a golden longsword with a wing-shaped hilt.

“If you want to fight, then fight I shall!” Chip took an offensive position and charged Madison. Madison began to duck and weave as Chip swung at her.

“Chip, stop!” Madison shouted. Chip took a quick swing with his hilt, cracking her upside his head and knocking her unconscious. He suddenly stopped once more, falling into a trance of deep thought. After a few moments, he blinked repeatedly and changed his sword back to a wand and ran off, shocked by his own actions.

[GreenNinja]

Nice cliffhanger. Between The Marauders, a hippogriff (named Tsubasa nonetheless) and Vampire!Chip, there's a lot of nice little nods interspersed between the action in this one. I liked the info on the underworld and Nick's backstory, along with everything else. Good work.

[Impy]

This fic is fucking excellent. I want to have it's babies.

[DarkStarShadow]

:Runs in with a microphone, using a radio announcer-type voice:

Back from the depths of Page Four, here comes another chapter of Heaven and Hell!

:coughs: Ow.

Heh. Okay, back to being serious. In honor of Scardey Cat's premiere on Jetix, I managed to finish this new chapter today.

As usual, I have the dolls here as well:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/dollies/ch4dolls.jpg


And away we go! :runs off to write with Swing! Swing! Smokey playing in the background:




Chapter Four: Enemies Within II




Nick and Xander, after returning the Marauders to Clarin’s home, decided to go to the Rootcore before retiring to Xander’s home.

“Nick, I have a question.” Xander said, looking down.

“Yeah?”

“You’re so…so faithful in something you didn’t believe in only a few weeks ago. How…how do you rationalize it? You seem so calm.”

“My sister, she always said ‘Seeing is believing’. I saw what you all did, and I believed it.”

“There has to be more to it than that!” Xander said, stopping and turning to face Nick.

“Well, there is…but I can’t explain it. It’s like…” Nick stopped and held up his hands as if holding a book, mentally hoping for the right words to show up on the mentally etched text he envisioned in his outstretched hands.

“it’s like…it’s like I’m being drawn in. Like…I’ve lived in Roftwood as far back as I can remember, but I’ve never felt comfortable there, ya know? And when I was in the Rootcore, looking at all of you…when I held that wand, it was warm and inviting, and I just fell into it, and it felt like I was supposed to be there.” He looked over at Xander. “Do you get what I mean?”

“Yeah, I do. In fact…I kinda feel that way about being a Green Magician.”

“Really?”

“Well, sort of.” Xander said, starting up the walk again. “I mean, I don’t feel it like you do, but…it’s the pressure. It’s the pressure to suddenly be an expert at Green Magic, and to prepare Madison for being a good Blue Magician. That’s so energizing to me, like a calling. I feel the need to strive so much in so little time…and I feel pretty hyped up. Like getting an order of a hundred muffins due in two hours, except more important.”

“Heh, muffins. You’re a baker at heart…kinda something being a Green Magician could help you in too, right?”

“Hey, I never thought of that!” Xander said, slapping Nick hard on the back, staggering Nick for a second. Xander was heavier on the swing than he thought. “Nice way of putting it, Nick!”

“My pleasure.” Nick said, catching his breath.

As they arrived at Rootcore, they were shocked to find such a violent looking scene. Clare was tending to Udonna’s wounds, while Vida was busy putting the spiral staircase back together. Pieces of shrapnel from the staircase and the walls still lied about, but they were little more than splinters now. Vida, who was bearing a scar on her face while in her civilian outfit and in a sling, noticed Xander and Nick and smiled.

“Hey, Tree Boy, fix this mess.” She barked.

“Hey now, who’s the boss around here?” Xander said, giving her his serious look.

“I am, and I told her to let you know that I wanted you to help her.” Udonna replied back, wiping the smirk look off Xander’s face.

“Yeah, Mr. Green, Mr. Magician of the Forest.” Vida replied, sticking her tongue out in a childish manner.

“Now Vida, there will be no immaturity in here while there are dire issues at hand. Now, you and Xander should finish cleaning up.” Udonna sternly replied.

“What happened here, Udonna?” Nick said after mindlessly staring at the damage for a few moments.

“We were attacked head-on by a demon from Infershia.”

“By that damn Yellow Magician!” Clare chimed in, sounding more infuriated than Udonna.

“Chip?” Xander and Nick said at the same time, stunned by Clare’s comment.

“Clare, do not jump to conclusions. Demons are masters of illusion who prey on situations that we are in now. Infershia wishes to split us apart, so they send a demon who can change to disguise itself as Charlie to frame him while he can’t defend himself. I must admit, I wasn’t fooled for a second. It was a rugged copy; it wasn’t even close to the real thing at all.”

“I believe you Udonna, if that means anything.” Vida said as she looked over at her mentor. “The antidote to the potion we concocted would’ve knocked him out if it were the real Chip.”

“So that’s what that powder is…” Udonna said. “Well done, Vida, although I fear that the potency will suffer due to your change in magic branches…”

“We just have to hope what I came up with doesn’t do any permanent damage…that is, if anything permanent hasn’t been done already.” Vida sighed as she finished up her work.

The night was cold, and Vida walked home that night, worrying all the while about Madison. Vida had never walked home alone before, and a sudden sense of dread filled her body. All she could hope for was that Madison was alright, and that the real Chip would arrive at Rootcore soon so that she could make everything normal again. As Vida opened her front door, she found her father sitting by the door in his lounge chair, a bottle of ale sitting on the table next to him.

"Where's Madison?" He asked in his gruff voice. It was obvious that he had finished the bottle earlier in the day than he normally did.

“She’s over at Xander’s house, helping him with his garden.” Vida lied. Ever since her mother passed away, Vida had grown to become her older sister’s bodyguard and her confidant. There was nothing Vida wouldn’t do to keep Madison out of trouble, and lying was at the bottom of Vida’s skills acquired to do just that.

“That Xander…I bet he’s having her ‘fix his garden’, alright…Madison’s always getting herself into trouble…”

“Dad, Xander’s our boss. You know, at the bakery…”

“I thought your boss’s name was Alex! What else ain’t you telling me?”

“Dad, dad! It’s Xander, as in Alexander. You just got confused.”

“…Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Dad.” Vida said with a smile. She walked over and gave her father a bear hug, which he promptly returned. “Maddie’s fine. Xander’s very polite and moral; he wouldn’t do such a thing to Maddie without dating her first. Besides, I don’t think he likes Maddie like that.”

“Maddie…Maddie…that makes my eldest daughter sound more like she should be my elder grandmother!”

Vida laughed. “Well, what do you want us to call her?”

“Eh, I don’t know.” He said. “I’m going to bed…if Madison gets home, tell her to do the chores she didn’t do today.”

“Yes, dad.” Vida’s dad then lumbered off into a back room, and as soon as he closed the door behind him, Vida took out her wand. “Parle Parfait.” She whispered, envisioning Madison’s wand. “Madison? Where are you…? Madison…?”

Meanwhile, Tsubasa sat down next to Madison, who was bleeding as she lay unconscious in the forest. He sighed, unable to think of what to do.

Should I just leave her here…? Well, I can’t just leave her lying here…near the fire…to keep warm…yeah, that’ll do.

Tsubasa got up and dragged Madison over towards the fire, then began to patch up Madison’s wound. He ripped off a piece of his cloak and tied it around her head a few times to apply pressure to the wound, hoping it would be enough.

“Sleep well.” He said, kissing her forehead before getting up.

“Madison? Where are you…? Madison…?” Vida’s voice called out from Madison’s wand nearby. “Madison, say something, please…let me know you’re there…”

“Look to the forest and follow the fire.” A voice replied back.

“…Chip?” Vida said back, stunned. The connection was cut. “Chip?” Vida jumped up and ran out the door.

Xander had just lied down on the pillow-laden loveseat in the study when Vida’s voice came screaming from his wand.

“XANDER! NICK!” She shouted. Nick nearly leaped out of the chair nearby, sending the magic book he was reading flying and landing on Xander’s head.

“Ow!” Xander shouted, grabbing his forehead as he sat up. “What in the bloody hell was that for?”

“XANDER! NICK! ARE YOU TWO AWAKE?” Vida shouted.

“Vida, calm down…” Nick said as he picked his wand up off the table next to his chair. “What is it?”

“Madison…she’s in the forest…I think Chip is there with her too!”

“Figures.” Xander replied flatly. “What a skirt-chaser.”

“Like you’re any better, Xander. You’d shove your baker’s stick so far up a gir-”

“Vi, shut it and get on with your point.”

“You two get your brooms and meet me outside the bakery.”

“We’ll be there soon.” Nick closed the transmission. “Alright, I have a problem.”

“No broom?” Xander rapidly replied, not missing a beat.

“…yeah.”

“That should be no problem for you.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a Red Magician. Alchemy is your trade; the power to turn lead into steel, coal into diamonds, a pile of twigs into a brick wall!”

“Wow…really?”

“Of course!” Xander said. “I know just the thing!”

Xander dragged Nick into the front yard, where Xander and Nick had parked Nick’s bike. Xander uncovered the prized, customed Harley Davidson, giving Nick the look that suggested that it was to be Nick’s target.

“Oh hell no…we’re not turning my baby into a fucking broomstick.” Nick said, taking a few steps back.

“Nick, I don’t have another broom for you, and riding this noisy hunk of toxin-spewing metal around will only give away our location. Vida flies brooms only when she wants to be stealthy, so this is our only option.”

Nick stared at his bike as he sighed, thinking of how much it meant to him, thinking of how much value it had to him, how much he had given up to keep the relic in good condition. He had carefully repainted the bike a metallic crimson, hand-painted the realistic flames on the front end and the tail pipes, reupholstered the leather seating, and customed the handlebars to wrap ever-so-perfectly around his hands as he rode off into the night. He looked down, defeated. He could only hope that this was worth it.

“C’mon, Nick…you can just alcheme it back later.” Xander said.

“Fine…” Nick sighed out. He pointed his wand at his bike, thinking of what to say. “…Motros…Transit…” He closed his eyes tightly and turned away from the sight. “Broma!” A red light shot from his wand, engulfing his bike and transmuting it into a metallic, technology-enhanced broom. Nick looked over, fearing the worst, only to find that his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.

The broom itself looked almost like Nick’s motorcycle without wheels; the front mirror had shrank, but the seat, handlebars, and overall length remained the same. Where the tailpipes and bumper had been, a bramble of red metallic bars, fit together to imitate a jet engine. It had become more streamlined, and the paint job and hand-painted flames had adjusted accordingly. Nick smiled happily as he walked over to his new bike-broom.

“See? That wasn’t hard, was it?” Xander replied, placing his hand on Nick’s shoulder as her got close.

“I guess…” Nick said, running his hand over the bike-broom’s seat.

“Alright, let’s see how good you did.” Xander said, lying a broomstick down on the ground. He set his hand palm down and parallel to the broom and said ‘Levia’, causing the broom to rise slightly above the ground. “Now you try.”

“Alright…” Nick mimicked Xander’s motions and words, and the bike-broom levitated off the ground until the bottom of it was roughly even with the halfway point of his shin bone.

“Well it works like a broom.” Xander said. “Only a broom would respond to the Broom Levitation spell…”

“But will it fly is the question.” Nick said.

“Well, take a seat and see.”

Nick sighed and sat onto the seat of his broom bike and found that it wasn’t much different from sitting on his bike. He adjusted the way he was sitting and got relaxed before grabbing the handlebars. Once he did, however, he found that they had become more like a plane’s controls; moving in all four directions, with up and down reversed. He instinctively revved up the bike-broom using the handlebar, which caused the outer metal plates in the back to spin counter-clockwise, while the inner plates spun clockwise while emitting a revving sound.

“Well, well…interesting!” Xander replied as he mounted his broom. “Movrum!” Xander said, levitating the broom farther upwards and next to Nick. “Alright, now you.”

“Movrum!” Nick mirrored, which caused both sets of backplates to rotate quickly and create a small wind tunnel. He pushed the handles downwards, which made the bike-broom move straight upwards. He leaned forward and pushed the controls with him, making the bike-broom shoot forward through the air. Nick panicked for a moment, but then regained his composure and stopped the bike-broom from going any farther.

“Lead the way!” Nick said.

“My pleasure!” Xander said, zooming ahead.

Xander led the way from the bakery to his house, but Nick had a hard time keeping behind him. His bike-broom accelerated quickly and decelerated slowly, making him highly unable to keep from flying ahead of Xander. Xander frowned, once again feeling the pangs of jealousy deep within. He sighed as he forced his broom to speed off as fast as it would go, just to even out in speed with Nick’s bike-broom.

“Hey, this’s actually working!” Nick shouted. Nick was impressed that the bike-broom was both capable of flight and silent besides the sound of wind being swung around the turbines. It sounded like a slightly strong breeze was passing by behind him now, and the bike rode so smoothly through the air that he nearly forgot that there was no ground and no wheels involved. “Am I burning gas with this?”

“Not that I can tell…no black cloud of pollutants from here…” Xander said. “However, it’s quite gusty back here…”

“Awesome!” Nick replied with glee. “What a way to beat the energy crisis!”

“Energy crisis?”

“I’ll explain later.”

Xander and Nick dropped down in front of the bakery, where Vida was eagerly awaiting their arrival. Vida stared at Nick’s broom with amazement.

“Is that…is that your noisy motorbike?” Vida asked, pointing and gawking.

“Yeah, it’s used to be.” Nick replied. “I gotta say, for a broom, it rides like a dream. That, and it’s pretty quiet and fuel-efficient.”

Vida nodded, then checked her slinged arm. She pressed on her shoulder, smiled, and took her arm out of the sling. “Ha, I’m impressed. Udonna’s potions are way better than mine…way too good to be a White Magician, she is.”

“White Magician?” Nick asked, puzzled. He had no clue that there were other kinds of Magic Branches besides the core five.

“A White Magician deals with ice magic. It’s a pretty exclusive club; you have to be an apprentice to a current White Magician to learn it. It’s really strict, rigorous, and very few people learn how to properly utilize the White Branch’s plethora of versatile uses.” Xander replied, sounding like a textbook.

“Wow, you sound like you read up on it.”

“My mother tried. Turns out Water Magic is a breeze compared to Ice Magic.” Xander said with a discouraged look on his face as he turned to face Vida. “So Vi, what’s going on, exactly?”

“Well, I decided to send Madison a message through her wand, because I’ve never known Madison to leave her wand anywhere. She gets paranoid about it. But anyways, a different voice answered, and it sounded like Chip. He told me to ‘look to the forest and follow the fire’, which confused me. But I did a little aerial scouting, and deep in the forest near Silver Falls, it looks like somebody built a giant bonfire. I’m betting that Madison’s out there, waiting for us. So, let’s get a move on, and be prepared and alert. We’re going into a dark part of the forest, farther back than I’ve ever been before. I’m not going to lie that I am a bit nervous, because we’ll be cutting it awfully close to the Mysterian border.”

Xander nodded. “Who knows what’s crawling around out there…”

“Mysterian border?” Nick asked as he mounted his bike-broom once more.

Xander was already in the air by the time he began to respond. “The border between the Mortal Realm and the Mystic Realm. The forest has become a sort of passageway between realms in the last few thousand years, which has allowed us to keep in touch with the realm…are you getting all this?”

Nick, Vida, and Xander were roughly a hundred feet in the air and just approaching the edge of the forest by the time Nick gave nothing more than a nod of approval. Xander continued on.

“Well, the reason why we’re so intertwined with magic is because we’ve kept in touch with the Mysterian denizens for to last thousand years, while the rest of the world hasn’t. I mean, 95% of the time, the Mystic and Mortal realms don’t interact, and even then, the Mortal Realm is the one running to the Mystic Realm for some sort of help.”

“What a weird co-dependency.”

“The only time I can remember it being the other way around was during the war…Mysteria wanted every warrior-wizard in the land to aid in the destruction of Infershia. After it was over…things just went back to normal.”

“Sad to hear that.”

“Yeah…Mysterians are pretty stuck up. I mean, look at Chip.”

“He’s not that bad, Xander. He’s just more rule-bound than we are.” Vida cut in. As she turned to face him, her eye caught something in the distance. “Hey! What’s that?”

“What’s what?” Xander asked.

“I saw something off in the distance…” Vida said. “I’ll go check it out. You two go get Madison.”

“But will you be safe?” Nick asked.

“Yeah. As long as I don’t get too close or draw attention to myself, I’ll be fine.”

“Be careful, okay?” Xander replied.

“You know me, Xan. I’m always in trouble. It just varies from day to day. I’m as troublesome as a tornado!” She shouted as she flew away from them.

“That Vida…always getting herself in a scrape.” Xander snorted as they continued onwards.

Vida slowly trailed the dark figure, making sure she was well out of sight above it. After nearly five minutes of trailing the dark shadow in front of her, two more shadows came up from below; the two familiar silhouettes of Nai and Mae. Vida dove in closer, hoping to get some information.

“Baka mahoutsukai!” Nai shouted.

“Baka!” Mae shouted as she gently held a giant egg in her hand.

“An egg…?” Vida muttered softly to herself. “What is that...?”

“I have a feeling that you’re mistaken, Miss Vankyuria.” The figure said. “I have my prey within range.”

“Oh do you, Tsubasa?” Nai and Mae exclaimed.

“Am I…?” Vida whispered.

“Welcome, Pink Magician.” Tsubasa called out. Vida had her answer. “A Thunder Scout you may be…but a Wind Scout you cannot trick. I know the old Thunder Scout trick of flying high above to avoid being spotted…it never works on somebody trained to know everything around them…” Tsubasa laughed. “Nai, Mae, I shall be finished soon.” Tsubasa turned to face Vida, rising up slowly to meet her.

Xander and Nick found Madison easily, and Xander also found her wand lying nearby.

“Alright Nick. How is she?”

“She’s bleeding, but she’s fine.”

“I’ll take her back to Rootcore. You go back Vi up. I’ve got a nasty feeling about this.”

“Okay.” Nick took to the skies quickly, hoping that he’d find Vida quickly. He frowned as the night sky began to grow darker.

He pointed his wand at the sky, turning the sky black with thunderclouds.

Vida folded her hands in prayer. “Almighty Wingel, give me the strength to withstand this fight…”

“Invoking the Saints is foolish and will only dilute favor.” Tsubasa replied. “Besides, the Saints favor revenge against the deserving wicked.” Lightning began to crackle in the sky.

“The deserving…wicked…? What did I do?”

“You killed my sister! You killed my family! You deserve to share their fate!”

Vida gasped as she had an epiphany. She reached into her pocket, grabbed a handful of the antidote, tossed it up in the air, then quickly grabbed her wand and blew it at Tsubasa all within a matter of seconds, which was all she had before the lightning bolt smashed into her broom and split it in two, sending her freefalling through the air.

Nick spotted a small explosion in the air, and forced his bike-broom to accelerate as fast as it would go. He spotted a large flaming object and flew forwards to catch it.

“Vida! I’m coming!” Nick shouted, zooming upwards to catch her. As he got underneath her, he pointed his wand upwards, trying to remember the spell he had in mind. “Um…Hydrae…Minima!” a weak jet of water shot upwards, dousing the flames on Vida’s robe. As Vida fell closer to the bike, Nick held his arms out and caught her. He noticed that she was still conscious, so he tried to ease her pain.

“Hey there, nice of you to drop in.” Nick joked. Vida smiled weakly. “How’re ya feeling?”

“Shaken…not…stirred…” Vida replied shakily before she passed out.

“Well, at least you’re okay…” Nick replied as he sat Vida on his bike comfortably before diving back towards the Rootcore.

Chip slowly woke up, feeling as if he had had been sleeping forever and a day. His first shock was that he was high up in the air on his broom. His second was the thunderstorm raging above him. Chip quickly spiraled into a panic attack and began gasping for air.

“Where…where am I…?” He wondered, trying to collect his thoughts as they swam about on the endless ocean of his mind. He looked down and spotted Nick and a heavily wounded Vida and it all came back to him.

“Oh hell…” He then spotted Morrigan shooting up towards him, with Nai and Mae hot on her heels.

“Destroy the Magicians, or this egg turns into my breakfast!” Morrigan shouted, pointing to the egg in Mae’s hand.

“Do it!” Nai and Mae shouted.

Chip looked up at the clouds and grinned. He knew what was coming.

“No.” He snapped back. Mae spitefully dropped the egg, which Chip began to dive for. He laughed as he caught the egg and flew off, and before the three vampires could respond, a bolt of lightning shot down and struck them all. Their howls of pain summoned Wolzard to the field.

“Wolzard!” The vampiric trio screamed as they fell.

“Speak no more.” Wolzard said. He drew his saber and drew a circle in the air with the tip. “Uuza Douza Uujira.” A purple circle appeared in the air below the trio, which caught Nick’s attention. The circle reminded him of something he had seen before, but he wasn’t sure where he had seen it.

As the trio disappeared, Nick dropped down and called out to Wolzard.

“Ah, the Red Magician.” Wolzard replied in a warm tone. Nick became cautious; normally people out to kill somebody normally didn’t reply to them in such a tone.

“I want a rematch, right here, right now.” Nick said, giving Wolzard an intimidating look. Wolzard laughed.

“Boy, you should be worrying more about the lives of your friends than a petty fight with me!” Wolzard replied. “Besides, I will not attack the leader of an army as shattered as yours. Regroup, and I promise you a fight.”

Nick looked at Vida, then back at Wolzard. “Fair enough. I’ll round everybody up, and then we’ll duke it out. Sounds like a good deal to me.”

“Then for now I shall spare you.” Wolzard said, sheathing his sword. He turned to walk off, but stopped after three steps. “I must mention this to you before I go. I am highly impressed in your progression, Red Magician. I will keep my eyes on you…be sure of it. Perhaps our fight will be more than just a cakewalk for me…” Wolzard grinned, then disappeared as a purple, resymboled magic circle wordlessly appeared and drew Wolzard in.

Nick sighed, then began to fly off towards the Rootcore.

As fast as Nick’s bike-broom was, Chip’s wooden broom was built for speed and completely took advantage of it, beating both Xander and Nick back to the Rootcore. In the darkness, he silently snuck upstairs, the egg gently cradled in his arms.

Chip stealthily opened his bedroom door, locking it as soon as he got in. He then gathered up a few blankets and a large wicker basket and made a makeshift nest for the egg.

“There, now you’re safe…” Chip cooed in a tone parents tended to use on infants. “Uncle Charlie made everything all better…” He lightly kissed the egg before plopping down on his bed. He closed his eyes and let his memories of the last day and a half come back to him.

Xander was the next to arrive with Madison in his arms, carrying her in like a newly-wed bride.

“Don’t worry, Maddie. We’re back at Rootcore, so we’re safe…” Xander said softly. He carried her over to the couch in front of the fire, then covered her up with his cloak to keep her warm. He then grabbed a pillow from the lounge chair and slid it underneath Madison’s head.

“There…nice and comfortable…” Xander said. “Now to patch you up…”

“I hope there’s enough room on that couch for two…” Nick said as he carried Vida in over his shoulder.

“What happened to her?” Xander asked, wide-eyed in shock.

“Infershia hired somebody to attack us, and he got Vida…blew up her broom and everything…”

“Is she alright?”

“She’s alive, if that’s what you mean.” Nick said, sitting her in her chair at the table and propping her up. “How’s Madison?”

“She’s okay. She’s just sleeping. I was about to heal her up…” Xander said, walking over to the small medicinal herb garden Madison had set up for him as basic training. “Alright…let’s see…”

Chip opened his eyes as he slowly tuned in to the sounds downstairs. Somebody had also begun to dash down the flight the stairs from the floor above, which reminded him that there was, in fact, a floor above them.

“You may not be safe here, little one…” Chip muttered as he looked over at the egg.

Chip sauntered over to the door and listened into the commotion.

Clare gasped as she saw Vida and Madison unconscious. “Oh great Magiel! What happened to them?”

“It’s been a mess tonight, Clare.” Nick replied.

Clare ran up to Vida to inspect her burns, but Nick grabbed her gently, and sat her down in his seat. “She’ll be fine. Xander’s working on something for them.”

“Have you guys found Chip yet?” She asked.

“Not yet. We’ll find him soon, though.”

Chip sighed. He hated the feeling he had, a surge of regret. He wanted to run downstairs and scream about how sorry he was, but he wasn’t sorry at all for wanting to save the only family he had left. He looked down at the egg.

“You were worth it. Even if they never trust me again…you were worth every moment.”

“…Did you guys hear something?” Xander asked, looking at the stairs. “I mean, I have excellent hearing, but sometimes I hear things.”

“I think that was one of those moments, Xander.” Nick replied.

“Shame. I thought I heard Chip.”

Chip’s eyes widened. Damn, he’s good.

It was three am, and as most three am’s are, it was silent, cold, and dark. However, Xander had lit a fire for Madison and Vida to keep them warm and to give them some light in case they woke up during the night. Xander and Nick helped Clare up to her room before going to theirs hours ago, but for Chip, sleep was evading him. He was racked with guilt, misery, and a building need to apologize for using everybody around him. Of course, it wasn’t like him to apologize, but it wasn’t like him to flirt, either, even if he was under the influence of an unfortunate mishap involving potion ingredient mix-ups. Chip wasn’t used to thinking with anything but his head and his instincts; however, the last thirty-six hours had been decision after decision made with his emotions, and it bothered him immensely.

Chip got out of bed, unlocked his door, and walked downstairs. He stopped in front of the dais to stare down at Vida and Madison. He had done nasty physical and emotional damage to both of them; it struck him as odd since he wasn’t one to hit women. Some how, some way, he had lost sense of himself and everything he lived by. He was mentally going on the fly more so than he physically built his life around. He was always running, always leaving, always on the move, but he never stopped thinking about the task at hand and the consequences that would fall on him if he failed. He never once considered the feelings of those he spied on, about the lives he ruined in his blind destruction of his enemies; it wasn’t his style to care about the demons that threatened his life. But this time he struck out against two people he hardly knew, against two people who had been nothing but kind to him.

He walked down and ruffled Vida’s short black and white hair while walking over to Madison, taking a seat in the chair next to her. Vida rolled slowly back into consciousness, making sure not to open her eyes to alert Chip that she was awake.

Madison slowly opened her eyes as she realized somebody was close by. “Chip…?”

“Hey.” Chip said. Madison panicked and sat up. “No, no, it’s okay, Madison. Vida fixed me. I’m back to being me.”

Madison stood up and walked over to the chair. She bent over and picked Chip up by his jaw, staring into his eyes.

“Um…hi.” Chip said, giving a look that was a mix of fear, nervousness, and curiosity. Madison smiled and let him go.

“You’re you now, I see it.”

“Well, glad you…can see that…wait, how can you tell?”

“The last time I did that, you flirted with me, and your eyes looked like hazy glass orbs. Now they’re a lovely, healthy shade of brown.”

“I’m glad I have…healthy looking eyes…” Chip was worried about Madison; perhaps he had hit her harder than he thought. Perhaps, however, she was flirting with him…he had to do something to fix his mistake.

“Ugh, Madison…I’m not sure if you realize that I haven’t been thinking clearly lately…”

“It’s okay, I know.” Her smile lightly faded from a wide smile of glee to a closed-mouth smile of kindness.

“And I…I, uh…” His insides twisted at the thought of apologizing, even to Madison, even though he was completely wrong. “I wasn’t…thinking when I…” He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising in fear. He never apologized for anything, and it was difficult even thinking of the right words. “Wh…when I hit you and…and I…didn’t…think about it…and…I…” His vocal chords were twisting in anxiety, his face blushed, and the only way he could keep his right hand from shaking was by grabbing the back of his neck with it.

“It’s okay. I know you’re trying to apologize, so I forgive you.”

Chip stared at her. “You…you do?”

“Of course. It’s what I do best. Forgive. One must never spend their life hating people over petty things.”

“But I hit you in the head.”

“But you’re sorry for it. I can tell you’re not lying about it.”

“Ugh…that’s good, I think.”

A moment of silence surrounded them for a moment, then Madison’s stomach broke it.

“Are you hungry?” Chip asked.

“Just a little, but I’ll make myself some cocoa…” She went to walk away, but she grew dizzy and began to fall. Chip caught her just in the nick of time, and sat her back on the couch.

“Relax. I think I hit you harder than I thought I did.” He said. He handed her Xander’s cloak and slowly and gently pushed her back into a lying position. “I’ll make you something. It’s the least I can do for you.”

“Just nothing with too much animal in it.”

“Oh now you’re taking the fun out of it.” Chip replied, trying to make a joke. Madison weakly smiled, which indicated that she thought it worked, too.

Several hours rolled by, and the Rootcore was alive with the smells of a campground cookout. Xander and Nick wandered downstairs, and were shocked to see Chip stirring away over the cauldron.

“Hey!” Nick said. “Where have you been?”

“Does it matter? He’s here! Our search is over!”

“Like a loyal dog, Chip came right back home.” Vida said as she sat up in her chair. Chip flashed her a dirty look, then went back to stirring.

“Vida, that was rude. He made you breakfast, and yo-” Madison was cut off by the stern-looking Vida.

“No, he made you breakfast and apologized to you because he hit you upside the head. He sets me on fire and destroys my broom, and all I get is an afterthought and a hair ruffle. I’m not going to be nice to somebody who tried to kill me.”

“Well, it’s not like you didn’t deserve it.” Chip replied back, flashing her yet another dirty look.

“Just because I made a mistake doesn’t mean we all have to suffer! The second you get a change to exact revenge on me, you sign right up to kill us all, don’t you? What a fucking team player you are!”

“Well, I would be if you hadn’t shot my team out of the sky!” Chip shouted as he marched himself over to the round table while Vida had gotten up out of her chair and taken an aggressive stance. Madison, Xander, and Nick had all taken defensive positions in case the fight turned physical.

“That was a mistake! If you want forgiveness, you gotta be willing to dish it out, too!”

“Well, maybe if I meant more to you, maybe your opinion would matter to me!”

“Excuse me?” Vida was taken aback. Vida was quite certain that she was the second most compassionate person next to her sister in all of Briarwood, and for somebody to say she didn’t care about something was considered hearsay.

“You heard me. I know you think I’m just some backwater hick from Mysteria because I don’t have a home and I go wherever I please, but I’ll bet my prized bow that I know more than all of you put together about the situation at hand right now. So unless I get some sort of respect from you, and everybody else, I don’t want to hear a word about how I’m not nice or how I’m not a team player. We have more important things to worry about than about our own personal friendliness contest here, you understand?”

“Charlie.” Udonna called up from the stairs. Chip looked up, turning red from embarrassment. “Your comments are uncalled for. Remove yourself from here before you do something you regret.”

“Yes, Udonna…” Chip said, making his way towards the stairs.

“Outside.”

“Can I get something first?”

“Make it quick. I wish to speak to them without you here.”

“Yes, Udonna…” Chip’s bursts of anger had dissipated, leaving a smoldering crater of hatred fizzling in Chip’s demeanor as he ran up the stairs.

After a minute, Madison had managed to calm Vida down by getting her a glass of water to drink and clench her hands around to relieve the stress she was feeling. Chip had taken his broom from his room and walked out the door silently, dressed in a faded gold peasant top and a pair of loose leather pants to go with his well-tailored pair of leather boots.

“I hope he’s gonna be okay…” Nick said, crawling out from behind the dais.

“Oh, to hell with him.” Vida snapped.

“I think hell would be too boring for him.” Xander replied, crawling out from underneath the staircase.

“My children, please take your respective seats.” Udonna said, breaking up the chatter. They all took their seats at the table while Udonna stood behind Chip’s chair. “I know that it’s rude to talk about people behind their backs, but I think it’s best if Charlie were gone for the moment. I wouldn’t want him to hear what I have to say in his condition.” The quartet of magicians nodded. Clare walked down from her room and stood between Nick and Xander, hoping to gain insight on the situation at hand.

“You see, I have known Charlie and his family for many years, and I can safely say that Charlie is a very…closed sort of child. He grew up in a small family, and he was on the go at a young age, learning all he knows. One would think that change would come easy to him living like that, but it doesn’t. Trying to fit in with a group of people from a different mindset, a different world…it’s not easy for anyone. And I’m sure by now that you have heard of his recent loss…”

“That’s my fault.” Vida chimed in with a guilty tone in her voice.

“Accidents happen, Vi.” Madison said, setting her arm over her sister’s shoulder.

“But he doesn’t need to take it out on all of you guys. I’m willing to accept the fact that I was wrong, and he can beat on me all he wants for it…but he was prepared to kill us all…”

“All for a stupid egg, too.” Nick added.

“An egg?” Vida asked, her eyes lighting up. “What kind of egg? Was it a big, scaly egg?”

“Kinda…it was teardrop-shaped and covered in scales that were kinda mustardy in color…like a brownish yellow.”

“How big was it?” Vida was entranced by the description.

“I’m not sure how big it was exactly, but if I had to guess…from the tip of my middle finger to my elbow.” Nick said, giving a visual using his left arm.

“It was a hippogryph egg…” Vida said, drifting into a pensive trance.

“Ahem.” Udonna coughed, catching the group’s attention back on her. They all turned their heads to face her once more. “As I was saying…” She roughly commented before going on, eying Nick and Vida, who shrunk softly into their chairs. “I just…I just don’t know how to deal with him at the moment. I fear that he’ll become unwilling to work with any of you if he keeps sinking into this…this sudden darkness. It’s been there since he was young, but it’s gotten worse in the last few weeks, and I’m just afraid we might lose him to Infershia, or worse…”

“There’s something worse than Infershia?” Nick asked.

“I’m afraid he might turn to…Black Magic.” Vida, Madison, Clare, and Xander gasped as Udonna spoke.

“So black magic is evil, even here…” Nick replied.

“Nick, black magic here isn’t all about turning people into frogs and living with black cats,” Clare commented. “black magic here is far worse.”

“Black magic here is all about summoning demons.” Xander commented.

“Stealing other people’s magic.” Vida replied.

“Resurrecting the dead and other unnatural things.” Madison added.

“And above all, losing all sense of one’s humanity to the point of losing one’s soul.” Udonna finished.

“That’s horrible.” Nick replied, feeling sorry that he asked.

“The Madoushi, or Black Magicians, are servants of darkness, gaining magical strength through theft and corruption. One becomes a Madoushi when one’s heart is filled with despair and malice, and in desperation, they reach out to the infinite powers of darkness to do as they wish. However, limitless power comes with a price; the darkness slowly consumes them until they become a slave to it. This is why I fear for Charlie…I know his desires to bring his sister back from death…I fear that if none of you can reach him, that he’ll become tainted with the notion that turning to the Black Arts is his only option. Just knowing that this is a possible road is shameful to me…” Udonna looked down, trying to hide her tears. She sighed deeply, then looked back up.

“Doesn’t he know that there was never any hope of saving her?” Xander asked.

“On the contrary, Xander, there was. However, I didn’t have the option at the time.” Udonna sighed as Clare rushed to get her some tea. “I suppose that, in spite of my hopes to avoid doing this, I will have to tell this story.”

“What story?” Vida asked.

“The story of that night…” Clare quickly handed Udonna a teacup and a kettle, then took out her wand. She pointed to Chip’s chair, then to Udonna’s chair. “Versia!” She said, making the chairs change places. Udonna sat down in her chair, took a sip of her tea, then cleared her throat.

“It was shortly after the Wind Scouts were downed two weeks ago…”

Udonna walked forwards, wand firmly clenched in hand. She sensed evil around her, and it was focused on the hooded figure in front of her. She decided to lay low and find out what was going on. Udonna could hear cries of pain from two different voices, which tore at her. She was worried about the odds of saving both of them being so slim.

She stared at the hooded figure as they slowly bent down picked the whimpering Chip up by the scruff of his collar. He was in so much pain that even his whimpers of pain and fear were little more than squeaky exhales. The figure hissed, sending off a signal to Udonna; Chip was in danger, for he was in the grasp of a vampire on a carrion feeding.

“Put him down!” Udonna shouted as she aimed her wand. A blast of icy white light shot out from the tip of her wand, smashing into the hooded vampire and making it drop Chip. The figure pulled back their hood, revealing themselves to be Vankyuria.

“You’ve interrupted my meal, white witch…” Vankyuria hissed.

“Help!” A voice cried out from nearby.

“Icaryia…” Chip muttered weakly as he tried to roll over to his side.

“Charlie! Hold on!” Udonna shouted, firing off another bold of icy light. Vankyuria tried to counter with a dark magic bolt, but it was useless. The icy light bolt smashed through the darkness, connecting with Vankyuria and sending her flying back a great distance. Udonna took the time to grab Chip gently and pick him up before running for Icaryia. However, Vankyuria intercepted their run.

“Give me the boy and I won’t kill you, you horrid old hag!” Vankyuria shouted.

“Let me go…” Chip whimpered. “I’m okay…just save Ica…”

“No, I won’t let you have him.” Udonna replied, clutching tightly to Chip and making him wince.

“Then I’ll be feeding on both your corpses tonight!” Vankyuria cackled, firing off multiple dark magic bolts. Udonna quickly conjured up a shield which deflected the shots.

“I’m…so cold…” Icaryia mumbled as she began to pass out.

“Let me go…I can…take care…of myself…” Chip mumbled almost incoherently.

“Charlie, you can hardly string a few words together, let alone fend for yourself. We have no choice.”

“Please, save her…I’ll never give in…just…get her…they’ll have to kill me first…” Chip seemed to be attempting to speak two sentences at once.

“We’re going, so brace yourself.”

“No…what about…Ica…?” Chip replied.

“She’s not worth my time anyways. Give me the fresh blood, witch, or the Hellpit will be nothing more than a walk in the park when I’m done with you!” Vankyuria threatened.

“Enough with your petty bragging!” Udonna shouted, firing one last blast before turning to run.

“Don’t leave Ica…” Chip whined as he struggled to escape. “No, we have to go back…”

“Charlie…you’re only hurting yourself…”

“No! We have to save her!”

“There’s no hope for her! We have to leave!”

“Icaryia!” Chip shouted, exerting the last of his strength before collapsing in exhaustion in Udonna’s arms.

“So that’s the story.” Udonna said, taking her last sip of tea.

“So I take it that he was close to…Icaryia…” Vida asked.

“Yes, very much so. She was his idol and his older sister. They were close the last time I saw them, and I can safely presume that it was the same way before her death.”

Vida got up and walked out silently, and Madison followed her. Vida got nearly a quarter-mile away from Rootcore before Madison gained the courage to speak.

“Vida.” Madison said, making Vida stop. “Vida, stop this.”

“You’re not mom, Madison.” Vida replied, sitting down and crackling leaves beneath herself. Madison bit her lip, but she knew she had to continue.

“I know I’m not mom, but dad isn’t going to stop you from feeling sorry for yourself.”

“I’m not feeling sorry for myself!” Vida replied, tearing up. “I’m feeling sorry for Chip! I made a horrible mistake, and there’s no way that I will ever be able to make up for it!” Vida wiped her eyes and sniffled. “He’s going to hate me for the rest of our lives…he’s never going to forgive me…he might even…”

Madison sat down in front of Vida, took her hands and pulled her in for an embrace.

“He might fall into darkness because of me…I won’t live with myself knowing I created a Madoushi…”

“I promise you that Udonna won’t let it happen. None of us will let him fall…we’re a team, regardless of how together we are…” Madison said optimistically.

“Maddie…”

“Yeah?”

“He talks to you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you can reach out to him. You’re the kindest person I know…if you can’t help him, then I don’t know…”

“Sure, thanks for putting the pressure on me…” Madison replied.

“Well, we all gotta try…but I think that he’ll listen to you much more than he’ll listen to the rest of us…”

Madison silently nodded as she helped her sister up. “Everything will be fine. We’ll make sure that nothing bad happens to Chip ever again for as long as he’s with us.”

Vida smiled and nodded. “I’ll try my hardest, as I’m sure you will, too.”

“We all will, Vi. We need him as much as he needs us. Now, let’s go back.”

They began walking, and Vida sniffled a bit. “Would you happen to know a spell to hide my red eyes?”

“How about this?” Madison asked, offering her sleeve with a smile. Vida laughed and wiped her eyes on Madison’s sleeve, then blowing her nose with it.

“Ugh! Nose germs!” Madison jokingly scolded. “You could’ve used your sleeve for that!”

“But your sleeves are softer!” Vida jokingly whined back. They then shared a laugh as they walked back in.

“Ah! Our rays of sunshine return again!” Xander replied happily.

“Welcome back, you two.” Udonna said. “Now, I have to get a few errands done, and I need this place to be empty, so I want you all to grab whatever you need for the night and hopefully some magic texts, and I want you all to return home until tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Udonna.” They all replied.

“Now, get!”

“Who wants to spend the night at my house?” Xander asked.

“I do!” Clare, Nick, Vida, and Madison replied.

“What about Chip?” Madison asked as the rest of the group ran upstairs.

“If Charlie comes back, I will have him visit the rest of the group.”

“Okay.” Madison bowed slightly and walked upstairs.

The group, after loading up traveling bags and running downstairs, started making broom arrangements. Nick volunteered to carry Vida, and Xander happily volunteered to carry Madison, who turned a few shades paler than normal at the mere thought of flying.

“What about me?” Clare asked.

“You’re staying here, Clare.” Udonna replied. “I need to g out for a bit, and somebody has to watch Rootcore while I’m out.”

“Aw! But Udonna…” Clare whined.

“I won’t be long. Now, every body go back to what they were doing. Clare, set your things over by the bookcase.” Xander, Nick, Madison, and Vida left, and Udonna waited nearly a minute afterwards before she spoke to Clare.

“Clare, I need you to something very important for me.” Udonna said sternly as she faced Clare.

“Yes, Miss Udonna?” Care asked as she switched Chip’s and Udonna’s chairs back to the original positions.

“I need you to watch Rootcore, and defend it if you must.”

“I understand. You already said this.”

“I’m not sure when I’m coming back, Clare. If I am not back by tomorrow morning, you are to watch over the Magicians in my stead.”

“But Miss Udonna, I’m not ready. There’s so much I have yet to learn…”

“The best leaders are not the fully skilled, but the ones who grow with their students. Now, keep the Xenotome and your wand close by. I shall alert you when I am returning. Now, take your post, and remember to send Charlie to Xander’s house if he returns. I don’t want him to be up in his room alone while I am gone.”

“Yes, Miss Udonna. I promise to do what I can.” Clare replied with an affirmative nod.

“Good. Now remember, guard the Xenotome, and make sure Charlie spends time with the others.” Udonna summoned her broom and riding cloak with a flick of her wand.

“Good luck!” Clare replied as Udonna walked out. After waiting for a few moments, Clare slumped in her chair. “I’m doomed.”

[GreenNinja]

Wow, that was nice. I liked the speech about Black Magic, and Nick's experience on the brooms. Good stuff.

[DarkStarShadow]

Thank you Impy for the banner!

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d37/Impy42/HeavenandHell.png

I'm loving it so much.

BTW, thanks to everybody who's read the story so far, and especially those of you giving me feedback. Next chapter, I'm aiming to please big time.

[DarkStarShadow]

Back from the depths of Page Four, here's the next installment of Heaven and Hell!

Sorry this batch of civ dolls looks miserable (Minus Maddie's hair, of course...), but I worked super hard on Wolzard's and Udonna's Ranger uniforms. So...unfair balance.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/dollies/ch5dolls.jpg

Thanks to everybody who's voted for me so far in the FFotM poll...I'm really flattered to still be where I am in it...I didn't think I would be so lucky! I deeply appreciate all of you from the bottom of my soul for sticking with me through thick and thin, through long chapters and an even longer waiting time between updates. Knowing that there are people who love what I do really gives me the strength to continue on in my lowest lows and boosts me in my highest highs. Thanks so very much. I can only hope that I can truly deserve your loyalty to this fic in the coming chapters.

So, without further ado, Chapter Five!







Chapter Five: Hunt For The Headmistress


Charlie Thorn, though distressed and bitter from the actions of one Vida Rocca, could only focus on one thing as he flew: how in the world did somebody like Madison Rocca manage to live life without ever flying over the trees as the sun rose above the horizon? Maybe it was just something he took for granted; taking the time every morning to watch the sun rise on a new day. He hadn’t done his morning routine in two weeks, and he missed it greatly. Although it was quiet without Icaryia and his parents, Charlie was finding it ever so peaceful thinking about how comical it would be for Madison to be buzzing about on her own broom, screaming as she blazed past him as she tried to ride a broom on such a lovely morning.

He looked down and sighed, giving a solemn moment of silence to his family before diving down into the slowly waking town of Briarwood.

Normally, amongst the early morning townspeople, he would have stuck out if he had opted to hear his hooded riding cloak. However, his current outfit made him blend in easily. The town of Briarwood, even in the early morning hours, was a bit on the busy side with people all around opening up shops. Charlie had decided to be their first potential buyer of the day as he visually shopped around. It was almost Mysterian in design, all the little markets lined up together along the streets with families owning their own little piece of the street, flashing old-world signs with pictures of what they sold on them.

After stumbling around for a bit, he found himself walking down an empty residential block. He sighed contentedly took to the skies and began hovering over the rooftops, finding comfort in that fact that he was alone. Despite his lack of experience in solo adventures in unknown places, Charlie found it oddly calming to be flying around on his own. His sense of loneliness faded as he heard the sound of another broom flying above him. He looked up and found an adolescent boy clothed in a yellow riding cloak flying high above him.

“Hey up there!” Chip called out.

“Oh, hello down there!” The boy said. He sank down from the clouds and hovered right next to Chip. “I’ve never seen you before…are you new?”

“Sort of, yeah.”

“Oh…” The boy smiled. “You must be from Mysteria. Welcome! I’m Taliesin, the youngest Yellow Magician around!” He offered his hand for a shake, which Chip took.

“The name’s Charlie Thorn, but I go by my nickname Chip, mostly. I just started using Yellow Magic, myself.”

“Ah…well, if you don’t mind, may I give you some advice?”

Chip wasn’t used to others giving him advice besides his parents, but he figured that if the kid knew a few things, it’d be worth it to listen.

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“Well, first thing is to make sure you have a bright mind. Are you quick-witted, able to make lightning-fast decisions?”

Chip paused for a moment to think. “Well, I-”

“Ah, you can’t be like that. A Yellow Magician must be able to think deeply and quickly in the heat of combat, utilizing all sorts of strategies and such. It’s not all that hard, but it does take practice.”

“Okay…”

“Sorry if I confused you. I sometimes forget how fast my own mind goes…” Taliesin smiled. “Listen, you look like you will make a fine Yellow Magician in time. You need a tiny bit of practice, but with a calculating mind, all is possible.”

Chip smiled. “Thank you…”

“Taliesin!” A voice called from below.

“Coming, Miss Clarin!” Taliesin shouted back. He then sighed and looked at Chip. “Well, it was nice meeting you, fellow Yellow Magician. May inspiration brightly strike you always…like lightning!” Taliesin laughed, then slowly descended down to greet Clarin.

“The mortal realm sure has its share of odd people…” Chip mumbled to himself as he turned back around and headed for Rootcore.

“Vida!” Xander shouted from the back room of the Viner Street Bakery. “Get these bread loaves out of the oven!”

“Why can’t you get them yourself?” Vida asked as she delicately organized a bouquet of flowers on a small bistro table inside the bakery. She stuck a lovely pink rose in the middle of the bouquet and smiled.

“Are you taking flowers out of my garden again?” Madison mildly scolded as she took the money out of the cash drawer to count it.

“Only some of the older ones out of the square garden.” Vida replied. “You know they’re only gonna last a week or so anyways, right?”

“True…” Vida then shot Madison a slick look. “but you know…maybe we could have somebody revive them once in a while…”

“I’m not a Green Magician any…oh, I see!” Madison grinned back.

"VIDA!" Xander screamed. "The bread turned black!"

"Take them out then!"

"I just did!" Xander growled lightly and tossed the bread loaves away. "Madison! What is this mess you've made in the kitchen?"

"Try it!" Madison replied.

"Clean it up or put it away! I have to remake the bread since your stupid sister let it burn!"

"You could've gotten it yourself!" Vida shouted back. She then sighed deeply and went back to making center bouquets for the tables. "Ugh, what in the name of Magiel is his issue?"

"Male PMS, I think."

"I HEARD THAT!"

“Ugh…” Vida growled.

Just as Madison was closing up the register, Nick walked in, taking a break from practicing on his bike-broom.

“Hey Nick.” Vida said.

“Hey.” Nick said back.

“How’s the broom riding going?” Madison asked.

“It’s kinda like the time my friend Shane invited me to fly his uncle’s private plane, only it goes faster and a lot smoother through the air.” Nick answered as he took off his helmet and fixed his hair using the display case as a weak mirror.

“Fun.” Vida replied.

“You wanna try it?” Nick asked as he sat down in the chair nearest to the door.

“Maybe later.”

“Good, because I don’t feel like getting up to show you the controls.” Nick replied with a grin as he lied back.

“Hey Nick!” Xander called out from back. “Could you lend a hand? The girls are being lazy today!” Vida rolled her eyes at his comment, and Madison sent a glare shooting toward the back room. Nick sighed in exhaustion and got up, taking off his biker gloves and jacket as he made his way into the back room.

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Udonna walked through the forest, searching for what she had sensed before. A darkness that was embracing and engaging, yet powerful and malicious. She knew the source of the darkness’s power, and of its wielder, whose life energy was a long lost memory, reaching out and drawing her to it.

“Where are you…?” Udonna muttered to the wand, hoping the object of her hunt would speak. She stopped suddenly, as she felt the wave of darkness drawing near. She held her wand steady, waiting for the darkness to come. “I do not fear you, whatever you are…just show yourself and speak…” Udonna said loudly as a warning.

“I promise you that you will regret not fearing me, White Magician…” Wolzard said as he emerged from behind a tree. “You are brave to come here alone…but you are also a fool for doing so…”

Back at the Rootcore, Chip walked through the doors to find Clare sitting in Udonna’s chair, staring at the Xenotome intently while gripping her wand tightly. The only way he knew it was Clare was that Clare’s long, curly hair was lightly unrolling out of her cloak’s hood.

“Hey Clare.” Chip said, making her nearly leap out of her chair.

“Oh! Chip! Welcome back!” She replied with an air of nervousness in her tone.

“Thanks.” Chip weakly smiled as he set his broom up against his chair. “Where’s Udonna?”

“She’s…busy! Busy…looking for some potion ingredients!” Clare’s voice squeaked a bit as she stammered out a lie.

“Now tell me the truth.” Chip replied, walking up to her.

“That’s the truth!” Clare scooted away from him.

“C’mon now. I haven’t seen you in six years, but you’re still the same horrible liar you’ve always been.” Chip laughed.

“I can’t imagine you remembering that far back with little things like that…” Clare replied. Clare herself suffered from frequent bouts of forgetfulness, which resulted in her constant bumbling and failures, and anybody who possessed even normal memory of things astonished her.

“Oh, Wind Scout training requires that you be able to have at least a running mental notepad of everything on everybody.”

“Sounds like a pain.”

“Oh, anybody could do it, even you.”

“Don’t lie to me…” Clare said, hanging her head.

“Clare, you gotta have faith in yourself. I remember that you would make rune charms for good luck and give them to us before we left here…where is that happy, confident Clare?”

“You…remember my runes?” She looked up at him.

“Of course.” Chip reached underneath his shirt to reveal a small vial containing a mini scroll.

“Oh, you still have it!” Clare said, hugging Chip tightly. Chip took a step back in surprise before gradually hugging her back. “That means so much to me!”

“Well, I gotta say, I think it was the only thing that saved me from losing my mind down in the Hellpit.”

“Oh…” Clare said as a thought passed through her mind. “Did they…hurt you?”

“Not in ways I couldn’t handle.” Chip replied. “But I’m okay. Not even Enma himself could break me!” He proclaimed as pulled back from Clare and gave a heroic stance. Clare laughed.

“Well, I hate to end our little reunion, but Udonna didn’t want yo-”

“If you’re telling me to leave, you’d better tell me what’s up with Udonna.”

“Well, the truth is…she didn’t tell me much about what she was doing…” Clare bit her lip. Chip knew exactly what it meant; Udonna was going to be doing something dangerous.

“I hope she isn’t thinking about rushing into Infershia on her own…”

“Udonna isn’t that stupid…she must be out trying to find something important…”

“I hope she’s okay…she said she didn’t know when she was coming back…”

“Udonna’s a great sorceress. I trust that she’s okay out there alone.”

“Me too…it’s just that…I don’t know…it doesn’t feel the same this time…why would she makes plans in case she was gone for a while if she believed she’d be coming back…?”

Chip pondered for a moment, then walked silently towards the staircase.

“Chip…before you go…I just wanna say I’m sorry.”

“Hm?” Chip asked as he stopped halfway up the stairs to the second floor.

“I…I accused you of things you didn’t do. I’m sorry. I just feared…I feared that they corrupted you when you were in the Hellpit…and when that demon came in disguised as you…”

“What demon?” Chip asked, walking back over to Clare. “What happened while I was gone?”

“A demon came here and attacked us…it had disguised itself as you…the creature had blue eyes, though…but who knows what becoming a demon could do to somebody…”

“It’s okay, Clare. You were being cautious. I forgive you.” He sighed and laughed. “If it had been the other way around, I would’ve done the same thing.”

“That’s good to know.” Clare nervously replied.

“Don’t worry. Udonna will be fine.”

“Thanks.”

“Now just sit back and relax. Udonna will be back before you know it.”

“You’re right. I should have faith in her strength.” Clare sat down in her chair, smiling happily.

“Alright, I’ll gather a few things…how long am I packing for?”

“Pack for the day.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and Udonna wants you to spend time with the other Magicians. I know you may not like it, bu-”

“I’ll be fine. Where are they?” Chip shouted from his room.

“Ugh…I don’t know. Ask them!”

“Fine…” Chip sighed as he finished throwing together a small travel bag. He bent over and gingerly picked up the egg, blanket and all. “I’m not letting you out of my sight, Little One. Uncle Charlie’s going to bring you along for the ride. Besides, I should introduce you to the open air…it’ll be your second home soon…” Chip then wrapped the egg and blanket in his bedsheet before leaving.

Deep in the forest, Udonna was sizing up Wolzard, and vice versa.

“What are you…?” Udonna asked.

“My dear, I am a great Madoushi. The doomed who choose to challenge me have given me the name Wolzard, the Dark Wolf Knight. If you choose to leave now, I shall spare you.”

“You…you are not from Infershia. Tell me…where are you from?”

“You doubt my alliance to the great and omniscient Enma, White Magician?”

“Oh, that I don’t doubt. Your soul is as black as a raven’s tail. What I doubt is that you are borne from the depths of Infershia. Who are you? Why did you take Blagel’s life?”

“Those who challenge my master are doomed to suffer and die for eternity, as you and your Magicians will soon learn.” He drew his sword from its sheath. “Use your magic. Show me the true strength of the White Magician. I will not give you a chance to run this time, only a chance to prepare yourself for battle.”

“So I shall.” She raised her wand above her head, pointing the snow charm on the wide end of the wand upwards. “Maagi Magi Majiiro!”

The Magic Circle that was engraved into the table in Rootcore appeared underneath Udonna’s feet, shining brightly in hues of white. A hoop of white magic traveled upwards towards her wand, and as it traveled, her clothes were transformed into a beautiful white form-fitting uniform, including a black-visored white helmet adorned with a snowflake. Her wand transformed into a black stick with the Magic Circle center crest as a sort of sheath, the snow charm remaining at the top of it.

“Brutal as a blizzard! The magician of snow and ice, Mystic Force White Ranger!” She shouted, hoping to intimidate Wolzard a little as she gave an intimidating pose. Wolzard seemed unphased.

“Not intimidated easily, I see…” She held her wand out, the snowflake charm pointing towards herself. “MagiStaff Longsword!” The black part of the staff doubled in length, and the white heart-shaped piece on the inside shot outwards, revealing a sharp blade inside. A pair of snow and ice ropes laced around the blade, finishing the transformation as they touched the tip of the longsword.

“My sword’s bigger than yours, Wolzard.” Udonna tauntingly joked.

“It doesn’t matter if your sword was ten times bigger than mine, you’d still be weak against my power.” He took a swing at her, and she parried.

“I’m only as weak as your are.”

“I doubt it.”

Back at the bakery, Xander began rushing around between the front room and back room just getting his cinnamon buns out before lunch, which were a big seller on the weekends. Just then, a fuming customer burst through the door, causing Madison and Vida to hide behind the counter.

“Oh Magiel, it’s that guy again…” Vida whispered.

“Why does Xander still fill special orders for him again…?”

The man pushed up his wiry frames as he rang the bell next to the register. Xander poked his head out from the back room.

“George! So nice to see you!” Xander said with a toothy grin.

“Eh.” George mumbled.

“If you have a special order, it’ll have to wai-”

“No! I’m not waiting! I am more important than what you’re doing!” George said through gritted teeth.

“Well, write it down, because I’m busy.”

“I don’t care! I am a customer here who is complaining! You’re supposed to listen to me!” George shouted, slamming his fist down on the counter.

Xander sighed and turned to look at the girls, nodding for them to leave.

“Listen, I have a business to run.”

“I don’t care! You put the wrong combination of things on my tart and the crust was miserable!”

“I did everything you asked me to do! Your order was ludicrous, and it didn’t make sense! Half of the sentences were just one long word, for goodness’ sake! You’re lucky I took the time to decipher and put together that order! You paid for what you wanted, now leave or sit down and wait until I’m done!”

Nick, Vida, Madison, and George were taken back by Xander’s sudden eruption of anger.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m leaving. You’re a horrible baker and an even horribler person, what with your screaming at loyal customers…”

“What…did you say?” Xander’s eye began to twitch.

“I said that you’re a horrible baker and how you ever got such a good reputation is beyond me.” Within moments, George was seen flying out the doors of the Viner Street Bakery via a pair of vines that acted like a slingshot.

“AND STAY OUT!” Xander shouted.

“Wow, nice shot.” Chip commented as he descended in front of the doors. “I think he went flying a good hundred feet or so…”

“You think?” Xander asked, impressed and relieved.

“Xander, that was a bit too much…” Madison replied as she walked up behind Xander.

“Get to work!” Xander snapped as he walked back inside. Several people down the block slunk back into their stores as Chip walked in and peacefully closed the doors behind him.

Chip sat down where Nick had been, and moments later, Madison ran out carrying two bowls of lumpy off-white mush with a spoon stuck in it. She sat across from Chip and slid a bowl over to him.

Chip stared at the contents of the bowl, poking it with a spoon. “May I ask what this is?”

“It’s a recipe I found in my mother’s cookbook…it’s called ‘tapioca pudding’. Give it a try, would you?”

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t kill me to try…” He took a small spoonful and slowly ushered it into his mouth, fearing the result. His expectations were leapt over when he was pleasantly surprised by the tapioca’s smooth and creamy texture and taste.

“Wow, not bad.”

“I was thinking of putting this in some pastry…maybe a puff pastry…”

“Give it a try…mmm. This could use some cinnamon…”

“How much?”

“Just a sprinkle…”

A growl erupted from the back room as Vida stamped out and tossed her hat. “I’m going out for break!”

“Vida! Vida, get back here!” Xander shouted as he followed her out.

“Xander, calm down…” Nick said as he followed Xander. Xander lunged at Vida, but Nick grabbed him by the arms.

“Xander, Xander, you need to chill out.” Nick said as he wrestled Xander down to the floor. Xander was surprised that Nick, for his size, was much stronger than him.

“Xander, what the hell is up with you today? Ever since we went to your house, you’ve been a raving lunatic!”

“You want to know why I’m upset?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, it’s none of your business, but my room was broken into and my uncle’s collection of crystals is gone.”

Madison gasped. “How did they get in?”

“I don’t know…I don’t know…”

“That’s horrible. Is there anything we can do?” Nick asked.

“I just…I think I just need a break…” Xander said, getting up slowly and dusting off his pants. “Maddie, could you hold down the fort while I was gone?”

“Sure.” Maddie replied with a smile. Xander sat his hat in her lap and walked out.

As Xander walked out, he noticed a bouquet of flowers growing from the edge of the forest that had never been there before. “Strange…” As he walked towards them, he realized that the bouquet extended farther into the forest, cutting a pathway into it. “Curious…” Xander said as he followed the trail.

Vida had begun her trip to go home for lunch, but she decided against it and decided to wander around a bit. She walked down Mysteria Lane, infamous for its bookshops containing dark magic books and its house inhabitants seemed to be a bit off their hinges.

As she wandered, she saw a light blue blanket begin to fly off in the wind. She quickly pulled out her wand and summoned a light counter-breeze to swirl the blanket downwards where she could grab it. “I wonder where this came from…”

“My blankie!” Esin shouted.

“Oh, this’s yours, hun?” Vida asked in a soothing tone. “Here ya go.” As Esin stopped in front of her, Vida handed her the blanket.

“Thank you so much, Wind Magician!” Esin replied. “Here, take this!” She dug into her pocket and retrieved a thick black leather braid with pink feathers in it. In its center sat a light pink crystal that had been carved to resemble a tornado.

“What is this?”

“It’s a Wind Anklet, for your left ankle. For every Pink Magician who’s ever worn it, a pink feather has been added. I added mine a while ago, and for helping me, I’d like you to have it. One day, you’ll have a pink feather to add to it.”

“Um, thanks.”

“When you see him again, could you tell Charlie I said hello and welcome back?”

“Sure. What’s you’re name?”

“Esin. I’m guessing that your name is Vida, the new Wind Magician in town.”

“That I am.”

“Would you mind spending some time with me? My friends went off into the forest without me again.”

“Aw, how mean. Of course I will!”

Meanwhile, Xander found himself deep in the forest, following the strange trail of flowers. He saw that they stopped at the edge of a clearing, which made Xander anxious to get there. As he got to the edge, he saw Oliver meditating in the center.

“Oliver!” He shouted, breaking Oliver’s concentration. Oliver stood up and turned around.

“Hello, Xander. What brings you here?”

“I was just following those flowers…”

“I see you’ve found my beauties…” Oliver smiled. “I made them myself.”

“You did?” Xander said, turning back around to stare at the flowers. They changed colors in the sunlight, something he hadn’t noticed before in the gloomy forest.

“They’re my gift to Briarwood. Do you like them?”

“They’re so…shiny.”

“I’m glad you like them. I must admit that I wanted you to see them, but not so soon in the day…” The light reflected a green light from his hands, which caught Xander’s eye.

“What’s in your hand?” Oliver opened his hands, revealing nearly a dozen shards of green crystals. Xander gasped as he was overcome with rage.

“I know that you think I’m a thief, but it is you who stole from me.”

“Those crystals…you broke into my room! You stole my uncle’s meditation crystals!”

“These crystals…? They used to belong to me.” Oliver said. He pooled all of the crystals in his hands into his left hand, then reached into his right pocket. He pulled a few crystals out of his pocket that were quite similar to the crystals in his hand. “My crystal shattered years ago…I’ve been looking for the pieces…but I’ll give them back to you anyways. I just wanted to leave Briarwood knowing that the pieces would all find each other again, just like you and your friends as Magicians riding under Udonna’s flag…” Oliver smiled. “I have hope for the world with you and your friends here. So I’ll give you this crystal and a going away present.”

“Where are you going, Oliver?”

“I’m not sure when I’m going, but I know I may never see you or Briarwood again…that’s why I wanted to give you this.” He cupped his hands together and closed his eyes in concentration. “Goolu Gonga.”

A green light shined from his hands, and as he opened his hands, the light dissipated and all that remained was a single green crystal shaped like an opened rose. The rose then glowed brightly and the light shot towards Xander’s left arm, enveloping the majority of his lower arm. As the light dimmed, all that remained was a green thorn bracer shaped to mimic a bull’s head, with the green crystal flower sitting in the middle.

Xander stared at it for a moment, unsure what to make of it.

“I hope you understand that I didn’t mean to make you upset by stealing back the crystals.”

“This…this is a nice gift…”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Xander started to speak, but was quickly cut off by an explosion in farther north of his position. Oliver turned around.

“Oh no…” Oliver muttered.

“What’s wrong…?”

Even the insanely busy lunchtime-ridden Viner Street Bakery screeched to a halt as the explosion in the forest went off. Chip panicked and quickly called Clare, who was panic-ridden and hysterical.

“Clare, calm down…what’s wrong?”

“That wasn’t from Rootcore…that was farther north…up in the mountains…oh Magiel…” Clare began to cry.

“I’ll go see if everything’s okay, alright, Clare?” Chip asked.

“Charlie, don’t go alone! Please!” She screamed.

“Well, I’m here with Nick and Madison…we’ll call Xander and Vida.”

“What’s going on?” Madison asked as Chip dug into one of the bags and pulled out his cloak.

“Alright everybody, this is a state of minor emergency!” Nick started evacuating the store. “Go home and check on whoever might be there, or go to your shops, or wherever. But in light of the current situation, this store is closing, so I ask for all of you to leave in an orderly fashion!” Nick’s policing manner confused the Briarwood denizens in the store, but they left nonetheless.

“Clare’s worried about Udonna…” Chip said softly.

“You think that…maybe that was her?”

“Well, whatever it was, it wasn’t good.” Chip said, grabbing his broom.

“Oh, we’re using…brooms?” Madison said.

“We don’t have to…well, if Vida and Xander aren’t using them, then we’d completely outrun them…” Chip set his broom down. “Fine, we’ll run.”

“Good idea.” Madison replied, swallowing the lump in her throat that had formed merely contemplating a broom ride.

Nick started to send calls out to Vida and Xander as they ran out the door. Madison remembered to hang the ‘Closed’ sign on the door as they ran out to the forest.

As they reached the edge of the forest, the sky turned black.

“Oh, not good…” Chip commented.

“Is anybody else feeling cold right now?” Nick asked as he zipped his riding jacket up.

Chip gave him a puzzled look. “You too?”

“We should try to make some light as signals to Xander and Vida, wherever they are.” Madison commented.

“Good idea. Luma Pyra!” Nick said, making a magical red flame dance off the edge of his wand like a torch.

“Luma Hydrae!” Madison said, making her breath and the air around her shine in a blue hue.

“Luma Lumiere!” Chip’s wand shined brightly with electric energy.

“Alright, let’s get going!” Nick said. The three of them then ran towards the mountains.

As the trio ran, Udonna and Wolzard were flung back by the huge explosion that erupted after Udonna’s ice wall met Wolzard’s Dark Wolf Strike. Wolzard was the first to recover from the blow, as he had still taken fewer shots than Udonna had.

“You were lucky, White Magician.” Wolzard said as he straightened his left wolf’s head epaulet. “I would expect only the best of magic from a Magician of your training. You impress me very much…but you aren’t enough.”

“How dare you insult me!” Udonna said, nearly leaping to her feet. She calmed her rage quickly though; courage came not from foolishness, and neither would magic.

“Your anger flows back and forth…how dangerous you would be as a Black Magician…”

“I would never use my magic to harm the pure-hearted and righteous like a Black Magician! I fight for justice and for those who cannot fight for themselves!”

“You should retire then.” And with a muttered Zazzado, Wolzard knocked Udonna to the ground once more.

Chip found himself running away from the group until he stopped in front of a pack of Hideacs.

“Oh good Saints! I don’t have time for any of you!” Chip shouted. “Lumera Sparus!” A bolt of lightning shot from his wand and pierced through several Hideacs and narrowly missing a smaller target, who turned out to be Taliesin.

“Charlie!” Taliesin called out. A Hideac jumped out in front of him, but with a simple Lujuna aimed in the Hideac’s direction, the Hideac was struck with a flash of light that sent it flying backwards. Taliesin looked around, and since they were alone he ran up to Chip.

“Charlie! In my rushing, I forgot to give you an initiation gift into the Yellow Magician Clan, so to speak.” He reached into his cloak and pulled out a yellow glass bracer, lined in soft leather that seemed to be designed for archers. In the center sat a bright yellow crystal that was shaped like a lightning bolt. Chip put the bracer on his right arm and admired it for a while.

“Thunder Magicians are natural archers, and legend has it that this brace brings good luck to archers. You look like you have a sharp eagle eye, so you should have it!”

“Is that why you’re out here? Did you know I was going to be out here…?”

Taliesin pointed to his nose. “Now that I’ve finally given that to you, I should leave! Clarin needs me, so good luck!”

“You too.” And with that, Taliesin took off, and Chip continued his run.

Madison found herself following the river and away from Nick. She soon entered a clearing that was eerily familiar, and realized that it was the campsite she had been at with Chip. She weakly smiled and sat down, taking a breather. Chip was so hard to keep up with, that speedy devil.

She began to wonder a bit about his behavior by the riverside; if he remembered attacking her, then did he remember being ever so cheeky and ever so…Xander-ish towards her? Was that really him, or an illusion? He seemed completely intoxicated during the whole ordeal…perhaps that was the reason why he felt like apologizing…

Madison sighed and rubbed her covered-up wound a bit, wondering if what she had seen was real at all. The Chip she found here…however erratic or insane he seemed…there was a spark of authenticity to it…was he really faking any of it?

“He’s a mystery, isn’t he?” A voice broke the silence, making Madison jump from her seat.

“Who’s there?” Madison asked. She walked over to the river where she found Conway standing alone, staring into the rippling waves.

“I know I haven’t been properly introduced to you by Xander…my name is Conway.”

“Conway…that’s a nice name.”

“It’s nice to meet a fellow Blue Magician in my favorite meditation spot. I knew you were coming, so I looked into your thoughts to make conversation.”

“You can do that?”

“You can too…with enough practice.”

“…Oh.”

“So…you seem to think that this Yellow Magician is playing you like a harp, huh?”

“In a way.”

“Isn’t it like us Blue Magicians to always be used…?”

“Not really. Not me, at least.”

“You know a Blue Magician who has though, yes?”

“Come to think of it…he has been used a lot before…” George came to mind, as he constantly antagonized Xander to make things that were insanely difficult.

“See what I mean…?” Conway mildly chuckled. “We are cherished for our ever-lasting patience and morale. People look to us to be voices of peace and mercy, and to be ever-sacrificial. But we, like water, take many forms. We are not always physically large, but we are always have wide-open seas for hearts. We are always a beacon of hope when the world seems lost. We are the emotional pillars that people clamor to when they have nothing but pain and misery around them. We are never center stage, but without us, nobody would be courageous enough to be on center stage.”

“Those’re pretty poetic words…”

“Madison, I’ve watched you from as far back as I can remember, and I always knew you would be a wonderful Blue Magician. You’re warm, kind, sacrificing, and compassionate; all traits one would expect from a wonderful Blue Magician. I hope you live up to my expectations once I’m gone.”

“Where…where are you going? I just met you…I’d like to see you again…you seem like a nice young man…very intelligent…” Madison tried to say things that would make him stay.

Conway kneeled down at the edge of the river, and his cheery tone changed to a dark one. “The skies are dark now…but they will be darker. This darkness…it wishes to consume us all…and I am but weak against it. I can’t stay for much longer…” He sighed, then looked up at her. “There will be much suffering and pain, but I know you will be the Blue Magician I know you are. You won’t escape the jaws of despair either, but you will get through it through your friends, and you will all make a warm fire out of a cold home as the days go by. You will teach others compassion and caring, and your light will shine beyond your own friends in time.”

“Why are you telling me this…?”

Conway stared deeply into the water, quickly diving his hand into the water and grabbing a blue-scaled fish. “May I have a scale?” He asked it, running his hand softly over the fish’s right side. A scale gently slid off, which Conway thanked him for before tossing him back into the river. He then reached underneath his right pant leg and removed an anklet that resembled a dark blue seaweed.

“I told you this so that you would remember it whenever you felt unimportant or weak.” He slid the scale deep into the anklet, then offered it up to Madison. “Here, take it as a gift to reward you for listening to me ramble on. Blue Magicians are said to have troubles with their right ankles, so the first Blue Magician to own this stuck a blue fish scale in it for protection, and each Blue Magician since has done so.” Madison couldn’t count how many scales were on it now. “This pretty gem in the center was put there to focus positive energies around the ankle.” He showed off the light blue crystal in the center, which was shaped like a teardrop. “It’s shaped that way because supposedly darkness will never try to pass a barrier of tears, because even darkness knows when it has already made its mark.” Madison found the statement morbid, but still a good point. “Here, I’ll tie it on your ankle properly too, if you want it.”

“Sure.” Conway smiled and bent down to tie the anklet to her right ankle.

“I’m guessing you’ve stopped having shoulder and neck pains since you became a Blue Magician. Well, now you’ll be having lots of mis-steps.” Conway joked.

“I should be-”

“I know. Looking for Udonna. But trust me…it’s going to get a lot less safe soon, and you’ll need all the luck you can get.”

“How’d you…nevermind.”

“Look who knows everything now…” Conway said with a smile. As he finished, he stood up and brushed himself off. “Well, now that I’ve passed my anklet on, I should go back to see Clarin and the others…we all should have a nice warm dinner and I’ll need to calm everybody down…again. Take care.”

“You too, Conway. Watch out for monsters.”

“You know I will, and I know I will. You should be more worried about yourself, if you’re heading towards the mountains.”

“Why, what’s there?”

Conway wordlessly replied by tapping the tip of his nose before he turned around and left.

Nick found himself alone and isolated from the group, but he didn’t feel alone. Something was nearby, and it was warming the area up, like a cozy fire. He walked forwards cautiously, and the wind gently tossed the flames his wand about, making the shadows around him warp and dance along with the flames. He saw a figure up ahead with a flame of their own.

“Ah, Nicholas!” A cheery voice called out, the very same voice that Bridget had. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

“You…you have?”

“I knew you’d be courageous enough to come out here to see what the explosion was.” Bridget laughed as she walked closer to Nick.

“Well, if you’d like to help me, we should get moving.”

“Ah, on the contrary. You aren’t ready to go out there.” Bridget replied.

“And what makes you think that?” Nick asked

“You may be a good detective, but you still are not good enough to be a proper Red Magician. You have courage, but it is mixed with foolish pride. You have to cast off your pride. What you’ve accomplished only got you this far. It will take you no further.”

“Are you insulting me?” Nick replied. Bridget began to circle around him, making him nervous.

“Why are you upset? Are you afraid?”

“No, not really.”

“There’s no need to lie about your feelings. Courage and Fear are close friends, and it’s never wise to keep them apart. You have to be fearful of things before you can be courageous enough to face them. Having nothing but fear or nothing but courage makes a warrior either too weak or too confident. Don’t be afraid of being afraid.” Bridget stopped in front of Nick and smiled. “I’m always afraid that something might happen to me, but I believe that I will succeed, and that is my courage. That is what gives me so much power.”

“I see…” Nick replied. “So if I go in knowing that I might die, and fearing death, then still fighting anyways is courageous?”

“Courage doesn’t take logic. It comes from within.” Bridget poked Nick’s chest, straight above the heart. “There is a fire inside you that burns…it is the flames of courage that every Red Magician has…”

“Why are you touching me?”

Bridget laughed. “You’re funny.”

“You’re strange.”

“You’re very courageous…” Bridget began tracing her finger around Nick’s body as she began to circle around him again. “You have his spirit…”

“Whose spirit…?”

“Your father’s…”

“How would you know my father?”

“I know a lot of things…”

“You’re scaring me…”

“The enemy knows lots of things too…many spells to kill you with in one hit. Are you afraid?”

“Yea, that’s a little terrifying. Are you sure you’re not working with them, because you’re pretty creepy.”

“You’re funny, but you’re also ready to go on.” Nick went to walk forwards, but Bridget stopped him. “Before you go, I have to give you something as a momento because I’m pretty sure this is the last time we’ll meet.”

“Why? Are you guys moving out of Briarwood?”

“So to speak.”

“When?”

“I don’t know, but Conway says soon. Just…I want you to have this, because it is a very important gift.” She reached around her neck and unhinged her necklace. She put it around his neck and began to speak softly. “Every Red Magician that has ever owned this has put a charm on it…it is my time to give it a charm and pass it on to you.” She reached into her pocket and grabbed a small crystal that was colored and shaped to look like a flame, and she attached it to one of the two open places on the necklace. There were various other charms made from various materials on the necklace: a black horse carved from obsidian, a granite stone carved into a phoenix and painted red, a small sword made of steel, and now the flame crystal, just to name a few. “There has never been a Red Magician who hasn’t managed to find something important to add to this necklace…the flame crystal is my good luck charm. I’m certain you’ll find something to fill that last place in.” Bridget smiled. “Now go. I’ve stopped you long enough. Just remember: Fear is your friend! Fear your enemies as much as you want to stop them! Good luck!” Bridget then left.

A few moments later, Vida, Xander, Madison, and Chip ran up behind Nick. “Hey! Look who we found!” Madison happily declared as she showcased Xander and Vida.

“Hey guys! You all got gifts too, eh?” Nick asked.

“Yeah…” The five of them all looked at each other and realized that they had all had gotten some sort of trinket.

“How come we all got something from the Marauders?” Xander asked.

“That’s strange…” Madison replied.

“Oh! Chip, before I forget, Esin says hi and welcome back.”

“…who?”

“She’s one of the Marauders.”

“How would she know I was here…or that I was ever gone? Is she old enough to remember me…?” Chip seemed confused.

“Well, if one Marauder saw you, then the others did too, pretty much.” Nick replied back.

“Still…how would she know me…?” Chip seemed utterly confused. However, he wasn’t able to think long, as a large explosion erupted and the ground shook heavily beneath their feet, sending them all falling to the ground. Chip looked upwards and caught an amazing sight. “Everybody! Look!”

To the north, both towering over the trees, stood Udonna and Wolzard, squaring off.

“Udonna!” Vida shouted.

“That’s Wolzard with her!” Nick replied. He now realized why Bridget warned him to be afraid.

“Let’s go!” Chip shouted, getting up.

“No!” Nick shouted, grabbing him by the ankle and dropping him to the ground. “What are we going to do, anyways? We’ll just be getting in the way.”

“We should get a better view, if anything.” Vida said. “I wanna watch Udonna destroy this Madoushi!” Vida got up and ran towards the mountains.

“We can’t let her go alone!” Madison shouted as she got up and followed Vida.

“The girls need somebody to look after them…I’ll go!” Xander said, getting up and joining the girls.

“C’mon, Nick. We should go.” Chip said.

“Fine.” Nick let go of Chip’s ankle, and they both got up.

“Jiruma Majuna!” Udonna shouted, sending large chunks of ice spiraling out towards Wolzard. Wolzard deflected all but two with his shield, and the two that struck his right side dived deep into his armor, sending a shower of black and white sparkling flashes of light down to the ground as Wolzard fell to one knee. Vida could be heard cheering.

“Ujira.” Wolzard said, swing his sword ever so lightly. The ice chunks disappeared, and Wolzard seemed to be fine as he stood up. “That almost tickled, White Magician.”

“I have much more where that came from!” Udonna cried out. “Jii Jiruma Majika Majuna!” She raised up her longsword, and it began to glow white. The group finally reached a clearing to watch the ultimate attack Udonna had summoned up.

Udonna swung, and at the last moment, Wolzard leaned backwards and to the left, dodging the attack in its entirety. Udonna panicked, and Wolzard took his opportunity and slammed the rounded end of his sword against her hands, knocking her longsword straight out of her grasp. It plummeted to the ground, nearly impaling Nick and scattering the others before shrinking down to its original size.

Wolzard then took her moment of stunned shock to quickly slice her, causing her armor to chip away into snowflakes. She spun around once, then gained her footing, screaming loudly.

“Udonna! Watch it!” Nick shouted.

“Dance for me, my dear White Magician…dance for your students and show them the proper waltz of death that they will all know soon…” Wolzard taunted in a soft voice. He tossed his shield down to the ground, and it shrunk down to size as well. He then tightly gripped his sword with both hands as Udonna began to catch her breath. “Uuza Ujira Zazzado!” He shouted as he swung at her. His blade connected at her right hip, and he crosscut her straight up to her left shoulder. She spun around again, her armor shooting snowflakes up into the sky as she began to glow a bright white until she hit the ground and faded to nothing, shrieking all the way until the end.

“Udonna!” Chip shouted. Madison gasped and covered her mouth. Vida stood staring wide-eyed in disbelief. Xander stared over at the wand, which had grown dormant, but all that Nick could do was stare up at Wolzard.

“Ugaro.” Wolzard muttered. He then dropped back into his normal form, grabbed his shield, sheathed his sword, and began to walk towards the Magicians.

Snowflakes descended upon the open field where the Magicians stood, the snowflakes that had erupted from Udonna’s armor were finally falling down to the ground. Chip walked over to Udonna’s wand and fell to his knees. Madison walked over to his side and kneeled beside him. Vida decided upon being there for Chip as well; Udonna had been there for him for the rough times and she could only imagine how he felt. Xander sat down behind them and began to pat Chip on the back and muttering words of encouragement in his ear. Nick walked around to the opposite side of the wand-longsword that everybody else was on, staring deeply into the snowflake charm.

Chip, Vida, and Madison were crying in various degrees, and Xander looked flat out depressed as he stopped trying to calm them down. Xander looked back out toward the mountain ridge and caught sight of Wolzard. “Guys…look.” Chip wiped his eyes quickly and stood up, knocking Vida and Madison over. The Rocca Sisters then got up and looked, while Nick slowly turned his head. Wolzard was on the other side of the field, coming towards them.

“You bloody coward!” Chip shouted as he transmuted his wand into his sword. He began to charge, but it was short-lived, as Vida grabbed his ankles while Madison wrapped her arms around his torso to prevent him from going any farther. “I’ll tear you apart!” Chip had apparently snapped.

“Chip, fighting him won’t make it any better!” Madison shouted.

“Udonna deserves revenge!” Chip shouted as he attempted to shake Vida and Madison off of him. Xander joined in and grabbed Chip’s arms and pinned them to his sides, giving Madison time to fully pin them. Xander then pushed him to the ground and sat on top of his back, pinning him to the ground. “Let me up!”

“Calm down first! Fighting won’t solve anything!” Nick said. Everybody turned their heads and stared at Nick as Wolzard came to a stop roughly twenty-five feet away.

“Words…I thought I would never hear a Red Magician say…” Wolzard said. “Red Magician…are you afraid to fight?”

“I’m afraid that we’re not ready to fight you.” Nick replied. “I fear that you are stronger than us.”

“Nick…” Chip muttered, shocked to be hearing what he was hearing.

“You are particularly wise for a Red Magician…not many know when they are outmatched.”

“That doesn’t mean that I won’t fight you, though.” Nick replied. The other four stared at him as if he were insane. “I can’t decide that I won’t fight you just because I am afraid of you. Madoushi thrive on the weakness of others, but I won’t let my fear make me weak. Chip is right; Udonna deserves retribution. You will have to fall. I won’t let her memory fade away, and even though I know I will fail, he have to go. I will fight you.” Nick took several steps forward, stopping ten feet away from where he started. Although it was not seen, Wolzard was smiling happily.

“Nick…” Vida muttered. She then stood up and walked towards Nick. “I’ll fight too! I’m not afraid to lose my life to stop you! Udonna wasn’t, and neither am I!” She stood to Nick’s left and grinned wildly.

“I have nothing to lose anymore anyways…” Chip muttered as he suddenly bucked, knocking Madison and Xander off of him. “If I die, it won’t matter. If this is our fate, then he must live it, even to the end.” He walked and stopped beside Nick’s right side, leaving a gap between him and Nick.

“If my sister goes, then I go!” Madison said, walking and standing in-between Nick and Chip. “If my sister is willing to die to destroy you, then it makes sense to me. She’s never wrong when she makes bold choices like this.”

Xander sighed and got up. “Well, if everybody else is gone, then I have no choice. I would rather die than be alone, so I’m willing to fight you, too.” Xander said as he stood next to Vida.

Back at the Rootcore, the Xenotome began to glow, causing Clare to panic and set the book on the dais. The book flung itself open, firing off a wide beam of golden light that shot through the top of Rootcore, and flew out into the mountains. The light descended upon the Magician’s wands, which the quintet curiously withdrew. Chip’s sword was transmuted back into a wand that now bore a medium-sized yellow crystal that was in the shape of the garuda symbol from the Magic Circle. Xander’s wand now donned a green crystal shaped like the minotaur, Vida’s wand was now adorned with a pink fairy crystal, Madison’s a blue mermaid, and Nick’s a red phoenix.

Moments later, Clare’s voice shot out from Chip’s wand.

“Charlie? Charlie, are you okay?”

“We’re okay. Are you?”

“The Xenotome…something’s written in it now…something that wasn’t there before…I don’t know what it means…”

“Well, what’s it say?” Madison asked.

Clare cleared her throat and began to read. “‘To Five Great Magicians, a power is bestowed. Five great crystals, to them, unlock powers untold. To gain armor and power, and skills, behold! Point the crystals to the sky and chant Maagi Magi Majiiro!’ Do you guys know what that means?”

“I think I do…” Nick said, staring at the phoenix crystal on his wand. “Clare we’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Is everybody okay?”

“We’ll tell you everything later, okay?” Chip replied.

“How’s Udonna?”

“We’ll tell you later!” Chip snapped back as he closed out the connection. Nick then pointed his wand up towards the sky, with the tip of his crystal pointing to the dark clouds.

“I think this is what it means.” Nick said. The others nodded and mimicked him. “Now, do you remember the spell?”

“Maagi Magi Majiiro, I think.” Chip said.

“Then let’s all say it at once. Ready?”

“Ready!” The quintet took a quick breath, then in their loudest voices shouted, “Maagi Magi Majiiro!”

[DarkStarShadow]

....and this is what happens when you have insomnia. you make banners.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/Random%20Pictures/heavenandhellpersonalbanner.png

A new, Udonna-less banner for the new section of the story. Simple editing and text additions...but yet still spiffy.

[DarkStarShadow]

You thought it was a new chapter, so soon? Silly people. No, I'm just giving a personal thank you to all who read this and voted for me in the FFotM contest for May. I may have gotten fourth this time, but it was a nice refreshing change from the last time I was voted in...


In all, thanks, from the bottom of my heart. I promise to own up to earning fourth place this month! ^__^

[GreenNinja]

Frannie, I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. That was great. People said if Udonna was going to be gakked during Mystic Force, the Rangers would have to feel some connection to her. This was it done properly and excellently. Next, about this little section. ;)

Back at the bakery, Xander began rushing around between the front room and back room just getting his cinnamon buns out before lunch, which were a big seller on the weekends. Just then, a fuming customer burst through the door, causing Madison and Vida to hide behind the counter.

“Oh Magiel, it’s that guy again…” Vida whispered.

“Why does Xander still fill special orders for him again…?”

The man pushed up his wiry frames as he rang the bell next to the register. Xander poked his head out from the back room.

“George! So nice to see you!” Xander said with a toothy grin.

“Eh.” George mumbled.

“If you have a special order, it’ll have to wai-”

“No! I’m not waiting! I am more important than what you’re doing!” George said through gritted teeth.

“Well, write it down, because I’m busy.”

“I don’t care! I am a customer here who is complaining! You’re supposed to listen to me!” George shouted, slamming his fist down on the counter.

Xander sighed and turned to look at the girls, nodding for them to leave.

“Listen, I have a business to run.”

“I don’t care! You put the wrong combination of things on my tart and the crust was miserable!”

“I did everything you asked me to do! Your order was ludicrous, and it didn’t make sense! Half of the sentences were just one long word, for goodness’ sake! You’re lucky I took the time to decipher and put together that order! You paid for what you wanted, now leave or sit down and wait until I’m done!”

Nick, Vida, Madison, and George were taken back by Xander’s sudden eruption of anger.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m leaving. You’re a horrible baker and an even horribler person, what with your screaming at loyal customers…”

“What…did you say?” Xander’s eye began to twitch.

“I said that you’re a horrible baker and how you ever got such a good reputation is beyond me.” Within moments, George was seen flying out the doors of the Viner Street Bakery via a pair of vines that acted like a slingshot.

“AND STAY OUT!” Xander shouted.
Rodd, your challenge has been answered. So what does Fran win?

Finally, I liked all the little trinkets granted to the five, and their morph is coming up anytime now. I can feel it. Really glad I decided to read this story. It blends original elements, Magiranger and Mystic Force into something worth reading. Nice work.

[DarkStarShadow]

Back from the depths of Page Four...Here we are with the next chapter!

As always, we have dolls:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/dollies/mfminis.png

And now, onwards!







Chapter Six: Our Overflowing Courage

Five golden Magic Circles shined from the ground beneath them, then dulled to each member’s appropriate colors.

Xander’s Magic Circle changed to green, and the minotaur symbol shifted to the top position. A ring of green light shaped like leaves shot out of the ground and bathed Xander in its light, changing what it touched into a green, skin-tight suit, complete with matching boots, gloves, and a cape attached to a one-piece pauldron that connected at a point midway down his chest. A green helmet then enveloped his head bearing the minotaur symbol, and the green energy leaves transformed his stick wand into one that resembled Udonna’s before it was transfigured into a longsword, with the minotaur symbol taking the place of the snow symbol.

Xander stood tall and flexed his right bicep. “Strong as a Stone,” He then struck his chest with his clenched right fist, letting it slightly bounce off. “Steady as a Tree!” He then unclenched his fist and turned his palm upwards, moving his right arm across his body in a manner suggesting an ownership of what was in front of him. “The Magician of the Earth!” He extended his left arm outwards, his palm facing left, and he bent over slightly, letting the open palm of his right hand hang a few inches above the ground. “Mystic Force Green!”

Vida’s Magic Circle changed pink, and the Fairy symbol shifted to the top position of her circle. The outer circle emitted a pink ring of magical energy that began to roughly rush around like a swift wind, changing her clothes into a skin-tight pink mini dress and silvery tights, along with pink boots, gloves, and a one-piece pauldron and cape to match. She then received a pink helmet bearing the fairy symbol and her wand became like Xander’s, with her fairy gem taking the place of his minotaur gem.

Vida began to do a twirl by first crossing her right foot in front of her left, and by bending her arms both to the left. “Troublesome as a Tornado!” With a push off of her right foot, she spun a full 360 degrees, letting her arms flail outwards. “The Magician of the Wind!” She then turned and let her right shoulder face forwards, then bent slightly backwards. Her right arm swung backwards slightly, her palm pointing towards the sky, and her left arm extended outwards and away from her body, her palm facing upwards. She then finished her pose by setting her right foot in front of her left. “Mystic Force Pink!”

Chip’s Magic Circle changed to a lighter yellow, and the garuda symbol rotated to sit in front of him. The outer ring of the circle emitted a ring of yellow light that violently danced about, much like a bolt of lightning would do. As the ring traveled upwards, it transformed his clothes into a yellow suit that was similar to Xander’s, down to the gloves, boots, pauldron and cape. He gained a yellow helmet bearing the garuda symbol, and his wand changed the same way that Vida’s and Xander’s did.

Chip’s first movements after fully transforming involved him swinging his right arm as he would a sword, slashing downwards diagonally, back and forth, imitating the drawn shape of a thunderbolt. “Quickly Striking Like Lightning!” He then calmly bent his right arm and let his left arm cross his body, setting his right elbow on top of his slightly curled up left hand, giving off an air of security and sureness. “The Magician of Thunder!” He timed a snap just as he said ‘thunder’, then suddenly shot his right arm upwards and reached up towards the sky with a widely stretched hand. He then pushed his left side back as he balled his left hand up into a fist and pulled the arm back so that his elbow was parallel with his hip. He bent his knees slightly, as if preparing to charge. “Mystic Force Yellow!”

Madison’s Magic Circle changed to a light blue, and the mermaid symbol shifted to the top of the circle. The outer ring of the circle emitted a ring of sky blue light that seemed to fluidly travel upwards, transforming Madison’s clothes into a sky blue version of Vida’s outfit. Her light blue helmet displayed the mermaid symbol, and her wand turned black like the others’ wands had.

Madison reached forwards with her left hand and extended her right arm as far right as it would go. “Pure as rain!” She then brought both arms in front of her, crossed, with palms facing downwards. She then slowly let her arms raise upwards, palms up, keeping her elbows parallel to her waist, all while pointing her right foot and moving it in a small arc until her heels were perpendicular. “The Magician of Water!” She then thrust her right arm upwards, palm facing left, then swung her left arm in front of her, positioning it as if she were cradling a newborn in it. “Mystic Force Blue!”

Nick’s Magic Circle was the last to react, changing to a fire engine red shade before emitting a ring of light that swayed and discharged like an actual fire. His suit was similar in design to Xander’s and Chip’s, but only in the same shade of red as the Magic Ring below him. His helmet bore the same symbol of the phoenix that, in gem form, sat atop his transformed wand.

Nick took an at-attention stance, placing his right hand over his heart. He then forcefully thrust his arm back, then slowly brought it back up until it was pointing straight forward, with his palm facing down. “Like a Burning Inferno!” He turned his wrist upwards and snapped, then crossed his arms in front of him at the elbows as he spread his legs to where his ankles were parallel with his shoulders. He then moved his arms upwards in a wide arc like a bird spreading its wings. “The Magician of Fire!” He then finished by twisting his torso a bit to the left and bent his left knee a bit, stretching his left arm forwards and extending his right arm as far right as it would go and extending both hands out widely. “Mystic Force Red!”

“Our endless courage becomes magic! We are the Mystic Force!”

After standing in their poses for a moment longer, the quintet then dropped the poses and looked down at their new uniforms in awe, checking out their gloves and capes, as well as their wands.

“Amazing!” Chip said. “This must be ancient magic…”

“Ancient magic?” Vida asked.

“Indeed.”

“Then maybe…maybe there are no coincidences amongst all of this…” Madison said as she looked at everybody else in the group. Nick then stepped forward, facing Wolzard.

“I guess then it’s no mistake that we have to fight you, then.” Nick said.

“You are wrong, Red Magician. None of you are worthy of fighting me.”

“But you said that once we were all united once more, that you would fight us!”

“No, Red Magician…I said I would fight you…” Chip, Madison, Vida, and Xander all looked at Nick.

“So we’ll fight now and get it over with!”

Wolzard laughed. “I’d rather let you live tonight and kill you in the morning. It would be a fairer fight that way…but for now, I shall leave you with some of my associates…” He pulled his sword from his sheath. “Douza Zazare!” A Dark Magic Circle opened up underneath Udonna’s wand, which caused Nick to panic. “Guys! The wand!” Wolzard smiled as he watched the Magicians frantically go back to protect Udonna’s wand. “They shall be stronger, and I will be waiting. Tomorrow means nothing but more power for the taking…Uuza Ujira.” He then slipped back into the Hellpit through the Dark Magic Circle in the ground he created.

Nearly a dozen Hideacs began to rise from the surface as the Mystic Force magicians began to form a human shield around Udonna’s wand.

“We can’t let Udonna’s wand be taken!” Nick shouted.

“Right!” The other four replied.

“Alright, everybody prepare yourselves!” Chip shouted, grabbing his wand. He tried to transmute it into a sword, but it didn’t work. “…huh?”

A voice suddenly chirped into their helmets. “Guys! Guys! It happened again!” Clare shouted.

“Clare, not so loud!” Chip shouted back as he grabbed his head.

“Oh, sorry!”

“It’s okay, just hurry.”

“Um, well, two more spells showed up. No sing-song or anything, just straight up spells and how to use them.”

“What are they?” Vida asked.

“For tools against the demons, speak ‘Jii Jijiru’. To focus your elements against them, speak ‘Jii Majika’.”

“Oh good! Attacking spells.” Chip replied. “We’ll be back soon.”

“Okay, see you soon!” Clare replied happily.

“Okay…” Chip replied. He then stared at his wand. “Let’s see what these spells can do! Jii Majika!” Chip held his wand up to the sky just as the Hideacs fully emerged from the Dark Magic Circle. The Garuda charm glowed yellow, and thunder erupted from the sky and smashed into two of the Hideacs, sending them flying backwards.

“Jii Jijiru!” Madison said, pointing her wand upwards. The Mermaid crystal glowed and the wand transformed into a trident. “Oh wow! Guys, look!” She said, holding up her trident.

“Whoa!” Vida, Xander, and Nick replied. Chip fired off another thunderbolt to drive off the Hideacs.

“Hey, any help from you four would be appreciated.” Chip snapped.

“Okay, Jii Jijiru!” They replied, transforming their wands into different weapons. Vida’s wand became an enlarged version of her staff, Xander’s transformed into an axe, and Nick’s transformed into a sword.

“Alright, everybody. This is it. No one gets inside our circle!” Nick shouted.

“No one gets inside!” Vida replied in a fierce tone.

“No one gets inside!” Xander replied, gripping his axe tightly and digging his feet into the ground.

“No one gets inside!” Chip shouted, taking an aggressive stance.

“No one gets inside!” Madison replied as she hid behind her trident.

The Hideacs let out a quick screech before charging. Chip knocked down a few of them with a thunderbolt, Vida summoned a small gust of wind using ‘Jii Majika’, Xander cleaved through two of the Hideacs, and Nick struggled to hold his pair back with a weapon he wasn’t familiar with. Madison tried to defend herself, but was quickly knocked over by a Hideac.

“Help!” Madison screamed as she tried to push the Hideac off with her trident. Chip turned around, grabbed the Hideac by the throat, and tossed it aside.

“Get up!” Chip snapped at her as he roughly pulled her off the ground.

Vida turned around and caught him. “Hey, you asshole! Don’t touch my sister like that!”

“Asshole? Asshole? Who are you to call anybody an asshole, you wench?” Chip replied.

“Hey you two!” Xander shouted. “You should be fighting the enemy, not each other!”

Both huffed and turned away to one again battle the Hideacs. Xander panicked when his pair of Hideacs stood back up, ready for more.

“Oh, not done yet, eh? Fine! Jii Majika!” He shouted, dropping to one knee as he slammed the tips of his axe’s blades into the ground, causing the ground the split and erupt in a flurry of thorned vines. The Hideacs were quickly torn to shreds. “Ha!” Xander said, crossing his arms.

“Jii Majika!” Madison said, pointing her trident’s points outwards. Three strong jetstreams of water shot out of her trident’s points, tearing through a pair of Hideacs like a warm knife through butter.

“Ugh!” Nick was quickly dropped to his knees with a crushing blow to his helmet. He had never held a sword before, and he was completely overwhelmed. “Fine…” Nick said as he got himself to his feet. “Jii Majika!” A burst of flame erupted from his sword, setting the two Hideacs on fire.

“I’ll finish them!” Chip shouted. “Jii Majika!” A quick shot of lightning quickly reduced the Hideacs to dust. They looked around to find that no Hideacs were around.

“Woohoo!” Madison said, jumping into the air in celebration.

“Alright!” Vida said, slamming the bottom of her staff against the ground.

“We were great!” Xander said.

“We were amazing!” Nick replied.

“Checkmate!” Chip shouted, snapping his fingers. Madison looking over at him.

“…Checkmate?” She asked.

“Checkmate. In chess, it’s when your enemy loses. We won, they lost. Checkmate.”

“I knew that…it was just…random.”

“Well, why’d you say it?” Xander asked.

“Well, whenever my sister and I survived a battle, that’s what we’d say…it’s just a force of habit now…” Chip looked down.

“Well, we’ll say it too!” Madison replied. “I like it!” She snapped her fingers. “Checkmate!”

Xander, Vida, and Nick then snapped and shouted, “Checkate!” in unison. Chip blushed, and as he turned around, he found himself staring at Udonna’s wand. A cold silence fell over them as the last of the snowflakes from Udonna’s armor fell around them.

The group stood for nearly five minutes, arms down at their sides, all trying their hardest not to cry.

“What are we going to do with Clare…?” Vida asked.

“You guys go to Xander’s house. I’ll bring the wand to her by myself. She’s Clare’s caretaker and my godmother…we need our moment alone.” Chip replied in a deep and weakened tone.

“Nobody should ever suffer alone.” Madison replied as she backed up in front of the wand.

“Nobody should ever be alone ever, especially when something horrible like this has happened.” Xander added as he walked over to the wand’s side.

“Pain and misery breeds a cold soul…it is the first step to dark magic. Suffering with others lessens the pain.” Vida replied, walking over to the wand.

“We’re a team now, aren’t we? In my squad, if an officer is down, everybody else in the team comes and backs him up. That’s what we do here, too.” Xander, Vida, and Madison nodded in approval.

“Well, alright. It would be a bit hard to hug her and hold the wand at the same time…” Chip looked up. “I guess we’ll all go…”

Chip grabbed the top of the wand and the rest of the group helped him carry it back to Rootcore.

Clare sighed happily as she awaited the return of the Magicians. She sensed magic nearby and happily cheered. “Oh!” She grabbed her wand and hid it up her sleeve just as a precaution before getting up. She waited for the Rootcore doorway to reveal the approaching magic, which it did. She smiled as she saw the five Magicians walk in in their Mystic Force uniforms.

“Wow! Those’re amazing outfits, guys!” She said joyfully. She then noticed to Snow Staff. “Where’s…Udonna…?” She looked at them, but their helmets hid their misery. “Guys…?” The Magicians’ armor fell apart into magic particles, finally revealing their grim expressions as they reached Clare. “Oh no…” Clare said as she started to realize the situation. “No, please…” She began to tear up, and Chip and Nick decided to get her sitting down, and they abandoned the Snow Staff to help her down in her chair at the dais.

“I understand…” She mumbled. “I understand why she was so explaining…why she told me everything…” She grabbed a rag out of her pocket and blew her nose.

“Calm down, Clare. Try to breathe…it’ll help.” Nick said. He hadn’t had much training in tragedy recovery for domestic incidents, so he was stumbling to think of what to say. Madison, Vida, and Xander sat the wand down next to the dais, then they stood behind Nick and Chip for moral support.

“Clare, we’re so sorry…there was nothing we could do…we got there too late to help her…” Chip replied in the same time he had used before, a defeated tone.

“Wolzard is a coward; he ran from the fight…” Nick said angrily.

“Wolzard…? Why would she fight him…? She was just committing suicide…nobody has ever fought Wolzard and lived…” Clare started hyperventilating again. “Why would she dare to fight him…?”

“She was a good fighter, Clare. She put some damage into him. It’s just that it wasn’t enough…” Chip replied.

“It’s not fair! I’m not ready!” Clare shouted, pounding her fists into her thighs. “I can’t lead! I can’t fight! I can’t-”

Chip grabbed Clare’s right arm. “Clare, you’re a great Magician. I’ve seen you in action before, before I was captured, when we were all together. Even then, you were better than me, so don’t ever say you’re horrible.” He then gently lied her arm in her lap.

“And you’ll be fine. You have us, remember? We’ll help you with whatever you need.” Nick assured her as he grabbed her left hand.

Clare sniffled as she wiped her eyes. “Thanks…” She smiled weakly. “If…if you don’t mind…I’d like some time alone with Charlie.”

“Sure.” Nick said. Chip gave a confused look, but he helped Clare up to her feet and walked her up to her room.

The rest of the day was spent in silence, the group pondering their fate. Clare fell asleep crying in her bed, Chip by her side. Xander retreated to a stack of spellbooks which he mindlessly read, while Madison furiously began making what was supposed to be dinner. Vida reminded her, however, that a cauldron was no place to be cooking any meal in, to which Madison suddenly stopped and walked upstairs, not to come back down.

Nick found solace in sitting by the fireplace, staring into the fire. After a while, he started to see an outline of something, which made him curious. He leaned in closer, and the fire suddenly formed the outline of Wolzard’s helmet. Red Magician, your time is coming…Wolzard’s voice rang through Nick’s head, causing him to jolt back and scream.

Vida jumped. “Are you okay, Nick?”

“I heard…his voice…in my head…and he was in the fire…” Nick tried to collect himself as he explained.

“Who?” Xander said, breaking his attention away from the books.

“Wolzard…” Nick said, pulling himself up to the couch.

“What did he say?” Vida asked.

“My time…is coming…”

Xander and Vida stared at him in shock.

“Nick…” Vida stopped herself from continuing. She had always been superstitious, and to try and speak of her fears made her nervous.

“Maybe you should go to bed, Nick. You’re probably seeing and hearing things because you’re tired. Besides, you’ve staring at that fire for hours. Staring at anything that long will make you see things, regardless of how tired you are.”

“I guess…” Nick replied. He slowly got up and walked up to his bed. He locked the door behind him, and then slowly got undressed before sliding into bed. “Maybe I’m cracking under the weight of it all…” Nick muttered before he fell asleep.

Nick looked up at the ceiling, staring at the mobile above him, decorated in various symbols he didn’t recognize. He moved about, knocking off his blanket.

“Do I hear a little somebody moving about?” A voice cooed from afar. A head then poked over the top, a fair-skinned woman with soft greenish-grey eyes and long curly brown hair. “Hello there, my little sweetie! How is my strong little man?” The woman reached out and picked Nick up. “Oh, you feel all clammy! Is my little man all hot…?”

Nick vocalized a bit, and the woman kindly smiled. “Aw, you miss Daddy, don’t you? Mommy misses him too…” The woman sighed. Nick started playing around with a ruffle on the woman’s collar.

“Daddy will be home soon, and we’ll all have dinner…Daddy, and Mommy and little baby!” The woman poked Nick’s stomach, making him giggle.

The room was unusually warm and inviting, despite it being painted entirely white. Nick could only figure that it was a room, and a home, filled with love.

“Oh, you’re so strong…I know one day you’ll be just like Daddy…you’ll be strong and powerful, and you’ll protect everybody from the evils of the world…no matter what happens.” The woman kissed Nick on the cheek and smiled. A knock came to the door to the woman’s left, and she happily walked towards it. “I wonder who that is?” She cooed happily. She opened the door, and behind it, the world was black. Behind the door was Wolzard, baring his sword. Nick looked back to find that it was only the two of them.

“Red Magician…your time is drawing to a close…” Wolzard taunted as he swung the sword at Nick…

Nick screamed as he jolted awake.

Red Magician…Wolzard’s voice cried out again, taunting him.

“Get out of my head! Get out of my head!” Nick screamed as he kicked his covers off and clawed at his temples. He heard somebody trying to open his door. “Go away!” He shouted. He waited a few moments until he heard a door close before getting up. “I need…I need to get out of here…” Nick transmuted his robe back into his civilian clothes, then got dressed. He then quickly ran downstairs and walked down to where his bike-broom was being stored, revved it up, and quickly flew out into the night-cloaked forest.

[DarkStarShadow]

Ladies and Gentlemen, a record. A chapter done in less than 48 hours, and being only three pages long!


Of course, this is but an Interlude between chapters, but I rest my case nonetheless. No dolls for Interludes, kids...so I continue onwards.


Note: If you don't know Italian, the Interlude's title means "Watching in the darkness" (from how I've managed to translate it), and I thought it would fit.





Interlude: Guardando nel Buio




Nick sighed in relief as Wolzard’s voice stopped rolling around his head. His thoughts then turned to his dream. Had the woman really been…his mother?

He could hardly remember what his sister had told him about her whenever he had asked, other than that she became sick and grew too tired to stand and take care of them, and that she slowly faded to nothing. Naturally, he had taken this to mean that she died of a terminal illness, but he had never bothered to ask what kind. He had promised to only ask if it became a matter of his own life, which it never had before. He hadn’t seen his sister in years, and he felt a tiny part of him tug at him to go home, but he knew his job was more important in Briarwood.

Nevertheless, the thing that baffled him at the moment was why he was suddenly dreaming of her. His only thought was his way of grieving with the others; to feel that need for a motherly figure like the rest of the group. A thought came to mind then: shouldn’t they properly bury her? He decided to fly back to the mountains to retrieve her body.

Nick made it halfway there when all of a sudden, the air chilled around him, and the already dark sky seemed to grow darker. He looked down and spotted two large bolts of dark energy shaped like wolf’s heads spiraling upwards at him, screeching a cacophonic string of howls as they drew closer.

Nick quickly maneuvered around the shots as two more approached him. “Oh, this’s gonna be tough…” Nick continued dodging the shots as he forced himself downwards towards the target. He spotted Wolzard and quickly landed his bike-broom, making sure to not lose sight of him.

“There you are, Red Magician.” Wolzard happily called out.

“Maaji Maji Majiiro!” Nick called out, transforming into his Red Mystic Armor.

“I knew that you would come to me…” Wolzard sneered.

“What do you want with me?” Nick shouted, pointing his wand at Wolzard.

“I wish to fight you now.”

“One on one?” Nick asked, afraid of his ineptness of sword fighting.

“I know you’re terrified…I can feel it…” Nick felt a chill run up his spine. “I’ll spare you the pain of fighting me if you submit now.”

Nick stared at Wolzard, and for a moment he contemplated giving up, but Udonna came to mind. If she knew it was hopeless and still fought, why shouldn’t he? His body warmed at the very thought of challenging Wolzard, and it was the best feeling he had felt all day.

“Let’s go.” Nick said. “Jii Jijiru! MagiStaff Sword!” He called out, changing his wand into a sword.

“You are filled with nothing but blind faith…I’ll be sure to drive it out of you.” Wolzard unsheathed his sword.

Vankyuria had followed Nick’s scent all the way from Rootcore, and was intent on finding out what a lone Magician was doing out in the middle of the night. She stopped and perched on top of a tree branch as soon as she found Wolzard and Nick.

“This should be interesting…two leaders crushed in less than 24 hours…” She mused. “This should be a good fight…” She sat down and plucked a handful of hollyleaf cherries from the tree as a ringside snack. “Mmm, dinner and a show…” She chuckled as she began to nibble on one of the cherries.

Nick charged forwards, holding the sword upwards as he ran. “Jii Majika!” He swung the sword, flinging a crescent-shaped mini-wave of fire at Wolzard. Wolzard easily flung the shot to his side by swinging his sword. He countered with a quick Dark Fire Wolf Blast from his shield, grinning widely at Nick’s lack of skill. Nick decided to imitate Wolzard by trying to deflect the blast to the side. Nick set his sword’s blade aflame for extra effort, then set it away from his body for extra defense.

The first wolf’s head collided with the sword, pressing his arms back forcefully, pressing his sword against his chest. The second wolf’s head flew up and connected with Nick’s helmet, sending him flying backwards and making fiery sparks fly everywhere. Nick fell on the ground on his stomach and bounced a bit, staying down for the moment.

“I’m disappointed.” Wolzard said. “You’re not trying to fight…you’re a Red Magician…and you’re weak…you have it within you…show me it!”

Nick collected himself, dropping his sword as he stood up. “Is…that why you drew me out? To see me fight? I’ll show you how I fight, how I really fight!” Nick clenched his fists and charged at Wolzard.

Wolzard fired off a Wolf Blast towards Nick, and this time Nick dodged them by running around them last second. Wolzard panicked as Nick got within kicking distance, and he drew his shield to block him. Nick growled as he pulled back and unleashed a flurry of punches against Wolzard’s shield that caught him off guard. Sparks of dark magic flew off Wolzard’s shield on contact, and the only shot that was countered was the last blow in the long chain, where Wolzard slammed the pointed hilt of his sword into Nick’s stomach, making him stumble back a bit as a few fiery sparks fell down and fizzled.

Nick recovered quickly, seemingly unfazed by the jab to the gut, and returned the favor by unleashing a roundhouse kick to Wolzard’s sword, knocking it out of his hand.

“How did you…?” Wolzard muttered, holding up his shield and blocking another roundhouse kick. “Douza Zazare!” The Wolf Blasts, coupled with Nick’s proximity to the shield, the blasts sent Nick flying farther back than he had gone before and slammed Nick through several trees before hitting the ground and forcing a de-transformation. Nick began coughing up blood, and his body was littered in cuts and bruises. He tried to get up, but her couldn’t even get half of his body off the ground before collapsing and passed out.

“It is as I thought…that sudden burst of strength…yes, I feel it…” Wolzard said, as he picked up his sword and resheathed it. He then walked over and picked up Nick’s sword. “Your blood in the ground would please my master…” Wolzard said as he gripped the sword and approached Nick. He flipped the blade around to plunge it into Nick’s head and drove it down. Vankyuria looked away for a moment, and turned back as soon as she heard Wolzard walk away and summon his Dark Magic Circle. She gasped at the sight of the blade; it sat millimeters away from Nick’s temple.

“Wolzard spared him…?” Vankyuria said in shock. “But…why…?” She grabbed another handful of cherries before departing back for Infershia.

After an hour or so, Wolzard found himself meditating when a voice broke his concentration.

“You let him go, Wolzard.” The voice called out. “How unlike you to let an innocent live.”

“This is war; nobody is innocent.” Wolzard replied before taking a deep breath. “Besides, I can’t fight what I’ve killed beforehand.”

“He will defeat you in the end.”

“I don’t doubt that we will meet again when he is stronger…but even then, he will lose. As long as he remains in his craft, his true power will never be unleashed…it is the saddest thing I know…”

Dawn shown over Rootcore, waking Nick up slowly. He couldn’t move at all, and he could hardly breathe. He moved his eyes over to his left and saw Clare sitting over him. He then realized that he was in the den on the side of the room opposite of the dais, which also housed the library and the fireplace. Clare jumped to see Nick awake.

“Guys, he’s coming to!” She replied loudly, making Nick’s headache worse.

“Keep it down…” Nick weakly muttered.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Clare blushed.

“Are you okay?” Madison asked as she approached.

“Of course he’s not okay,” Chip replied. “he’s a wreck.”

“Gee thanks, Chip.” Nick replied sarcastically. He tried to sit up, but he was too stiff and sore to move.

“What happened to you?” Xander asked.

“I was flying…and Wolzard…ambushed me…”

“Wolzard fought you…and he didn’t kill you?” Vida asked. “Are you sure it was Wolzard?”

“I’m sure…I know it was dark, but it was him, alright…”

“This is curious…” Clare said, getting up. “Very curious…”

[GreenNinja]

Wow. Nick goes off in search of his mother('s body) only to fight Wolzard. Short but sweet and quite interesting. I like the idea of an "interlude" chapter as well. Maybe we'll actually see Nick's sister in the fic (unlike in the show!)?

[DarkStarShadow]

From the depths of Page Four, Heaven and Hell returns with....


A teaser summary? Curse all you want, but the chapter's nearly done...that, and I got a new banner (again? yes!), so I'm just making sure I don't reach page five before then.

First, the banner:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v374/fiamettadevika/dollies/heavenandhelldollset.png

And now the mini teaser summary:

Nick refuses to rest after battle, and suffers for it. Chip dreams of the life that left him. Madison tries to get attention. Xander and Vida playfully go after each other. Clare worries about the road ahead. During a picnic, will one little book change their opinions of each other? All that, and more, in Chapter Seven: In The Stars.

This'll be up within a day, I promise.

[DarkStarShadow]

And here we are! Chapter Seven is here! No new dolls this chapter, just all story! Here we go!


Chapter Seven: In The Stars






Chip opened his eyes and saw a black-clouded sky; another typical morning in his world. He got up from his lounging spot in the grass and walked towards the trees in the east. The wind howled as he continued forwards, whipping the snowy forest’s fluffy white powder around him as he entered.

The snow fell heavily in the forest, and even though the wind died down, the snow still whipped about gracefully. He continued to walk out towards a clearing, being invited in by owls flying above him, hooting intensely.

He reached the edge of the clearing, and he studied the area. He first saw three impact-created ditches in front of him sitting in an almost perfect row; in them lay his mother, father, and sister, charred nearly beyond recognition and mildly buried underneath the snow.

A fourth ditch lied farther away, and Chip knew exactly what he’d find. He walked forwards and sighed deeply. As he got closer to the fourth ditch, his thoughts were confirmed; inside lay his own body, nearly charred beyond recognition. He hadn’t seen how he looked after he had landed at the crash site, but the body in the ditch was the closest thing he could imagine himself looking like.

His cloak was almost completely burned and torn off from impact, and most of his skin was as black as his cloak from the electrical burns. The only color besides his frizzled copper hair was the crimson gashes littering his face and torso. His left side was burned through and cauterized; the point of contact with the lightning had been burned away several layers deep.

Chip stood over the ditch, staring. He didn’t realize how much he had cheated death until now; he knew that Udonna had been concerned about his well-being, and he knew that he had lost the ability to do a lot of things for the next week and a half, but he hadn’t realized how corpse-like he had been.

He kneeled at the edge of the ditch and sighed. The body in the ditch’s eyes shot open and stared at Chip, causing Chip to panic.

“Charlie…?” The corpse began to speak, making blood run from the huge gash through the left side of its face, which started at the left corner of his mouth and traveled in a diagonal manner halfway up its cheek.

“Hm?”

“What…are you…doing here…?”

“I’ve been here.”

“It’s…been a month…you know. You don’t…belong here.”

“Huh?” Chip stood up, and the corpse’s eyes followed. He was immensely confused.

“You’re not me…you need…to get away…from here…”

“No, I can’t leave. What about them?” Chip asked, looking back at the other ditches.

“We…don’t need…attention…” The corpse laughed weakly. “There…are people…more important…than us…”

“More…important?”

“Charlie…” A soft voice called out, and a pair of delicate arms wrapped around him. One arm wrapped around his waist, stopping at his left side, and the other arm wrapped around his chest, and began pulling him backwards. Chip turned his head and saw a warm and familiar face staring at him as he fell backwards…

“Maddie!”

THUD. Chip hit the floor hard as he fell out of bed. His eyes shot open as he sat up.

“What the hell…?” Chip muttered, grabbing his left side out of beginning habits. Surprisingly, all he felt was muscle and flesh; there wasn’t a bit of scar tissue left from his injuries. “It’s just a dream, calm down.” He then turned to stare at the egg, which was much too large for his nightstand. Its outer shell had changed in color as of late, to a dull goldenrod. “Your Uncle Charlie is out of his damn mind.” Chip said before getting up and walking into his bathroom.

He got ready to take a shower by grabbing his wand and wordlessly transferring his nightclothes into the drop hamper that led into the Rootcore’s basement/laundry station. He then sighed as he walked into the small shower stall and began to get ready for the day.

Downstairs, Madison began to check on her giant blueberry muffin inside the cast-iron skillet hanging over the fire in the fireplace, while Vida cheerfully hummed a tune while tossing various meats onto a skillet and setting a small isolated fire in the middle of the room.

“Damn you Maddie and your fireplace hogging and muffin-making.” Vida jokingly scolded.

“Damn you Vida and your animal killing and pyromaniacal tendencies.” Madison replied back using the same tone. They giggled softly as Xander walked downstairs with his face buried in a plain-covered book.

“What a lovely Sunday it is,” Xander said without looking up. “and luckily, we have the day off.”

“Ooh.” Vida replied. “Are you suggesting that we have-”

“A picnic?” Madison said, cutting Vida off.

“Of course.” Xander said, sitting the book down on his chair at the round table. “So, what’s breakfast today, ladies?”

“Blueberry muffins!” Madison replied.

“And meat!” Vida cheered.

“Ah, nothing to drink?” Xander asked.

“Clare should be back with some cider soon.” Madison replied. “She’s making it all by herself.”

“Ooh, apple cider and sausage…Mother Nature’s harvest.” Vida sighed happily as she began paying attention to the sausage links in the pan that were rolling about as they cooked.

Nick groaned as he woke up slowly. Even with the combined healing efforts of Madison, Xander, Vida, and Clare, nothing could drive away the feeling of being hit by a truck.

“What…what day is it?” Nick asked as he struggled to sit up on the couch.

“It’s Sunday.” Madison replied. Clare walked in, and as soon as she saw Nick trying to get up, she nearly tossed the jug of cider.

“Nick! Lay back down!” She screamed.

“Clare, I’m fine. I’m just sore…I can walk it off.”

“Are…are you sure?” Clare asked in a concerned tone. “I mean…I know we worked really hard, but did we do that good?”

“Yeah, I don’t feel any pain…I just feel like I haven’t moved my body in ages.” Nick replied.

“Okay…” Clare said as she sat the jug down on the round table. “Is breakfast almost ready, ladies?”

“Yup! The muffin’s almost done!” Madison replied.

“The ham’s getting all chewy, the sausage’s turning nice and brown…and the bacon’s crisp…it’ll be done any minute!”

“Then I’ll set the table.” Nick replied.

“We’re missing somebody…” Clare replied.

Upstairs, Chip stumbled out of the shower; he was still dead tired and in a daze. He tied his towel around his waist and walked back into his room, quickly waking up as he noticed that the egg had moved in its blanket nest.

“Who moved the egg?” Chip muttered as he walked over to it. However, as he made his way over, the egg moved again, all on its own. A scratching sound was emitted from the egg as well. Chip’s eyes widened. He grabbed his wand and pointed it at the wall. “Sonare Nix!” He shouted, making a clear wave shoot from his wand at the wall, covering it in a layer of clear film that appeared to be a mystical form of Seran wrap. Suddenly, scratching came from the egg once more, then tapping. Then, a crack, and then an unholy screech erupted and filled the room.

“Chip!” Madison shouted from the staircase. “I’ve called him five times, can’t he hear me?”

“Maybe he’s still sleeping.” Clare replied. “We should let him sleep.”

“But…we made breakfast for…all of us…” Madison replied, giving a sad look that resembled a beaten dog’s face.

“Well, more for us then, sis!” Vida replied, greedily rubbing her hands together.

“Figures you’d say that.” Madison flatly replied.

As they all began to sit down and wait for Chip, a loud banging noise erupted from upstairs, along with a bit of awkward stumbling. Madison and Clare ran to the stairs and spotted Chip, who was wearing something that looked like it would’ve crawled out of Nick’s closet, holding a wadded up blanket close to him.

“Out of the way!” Chip shouted. He sounded like he couldn’t control the volume of his voice. The girls moved away from the stairs and let Chip through.

“What’s that?” Xander asked.

“What?” Chip asked.

“What’s that in your arms?” Xander asked, this time pointing while upping the volume of his voice.

“What?” Chip yelled.

“HE ASKED WHAT YOU’RE HOLDING!” Madison yelled straight into his ear.

“Oh! Sorry, I can’t really hear anything; the damn thing nearly deafened me!” Chip shouted back.

“We can tell.” Vida snidely remarked. She found his temporary near-deafness as a blessing.

“Oh, hold on…um…oh! Ora Celu!” Clare pointed her wand at Chip’s ears, and a flash of gold sparks shot out of the tip of her wand and at his ears. Chip’s ears glowed gold for a second, then faded back to their normal shade. “Better?”

“Well, now I can hear you perfectly, so yeah.” Chip replied. A small whimper rose up from the blankets, one that sounded like a cat was being strangled while an eagle screeched. Clare and Madison looked over Chip’s shoulder, and they gasped as a big beak poked out from under the blankets.

“Is that the hatchling?” Xander asked.

“Oh! How cute!” Clare and Madison cooed.

“Aw, Charlie’s a daddy.” Clare said.

“No, I’m an uncle.” Chip beamed with pride.

“Then this’s…”

“Yup. Icaryia’s boy.”

“She gave birth to that egg? That had to be painful…”

“Oh, no, she gave birth while we were in Infershia. The egg just never hatched down there…I’m kinda grateful for that now…” He grinned lightly and looked down. The newborn hippogryph happily shrieked at all of the attention he was getting.

“What a little lady’s man he is…” Madison commented.

“Did you give him a name yet?” Clare asked.

“No…” Chip replied.

“Well, it just hatched…it can go without a name for a day or two…”

“Ahem…breakfast?” Vida pointed out. “Cold bacon is not delicious!”

“But the baby-”

“Will be here after breakfast, and you can spend the rest of the day cooing it until it bites a finger off. Now shut up and eat.” Vida pointed to the seats.

Nick didn’t sit down; he merely grabbed a few slices of ham and a thin slice of the muffin ‘pie’ and wrapped them in separate pieces of parchment. He then used his wand to change his riding cloak and mystical clothes into something familiar; a red beater, a black leather jacket, indigo jeans, and black sneakers.

“And where are you going?” Clare asked.

“I promised Toby last week that I would visit him on Sunday. Half dead or not, I’m not going to take back my promise.” Nick smiled and walked out while gnawing on a piece of ham.

“But Nick-” Clare reached out, but she knew it wasn’t going to work. She sighed and sat down in Nick’s chair.

“He’ll be fine, Clare.” Madison said, smiling. “You should eat and not worry so much.”

The baby hippogryph lightly shrieked in agreement.

“See? Even the baby thinks so.” Madison commented as she went back to making cutesy noises while interacting with the newborn.

Nick sighed as he flew through the woods towards Roftwood. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with Toby; his mind was fixated on his dream and on his beating from nine hours ago. Why was he still alive? Why hadn’t Wolzard taken him out right then and there? It was confusing to him, and the attempts at deciphering any logic from any of it made his throbbing headache beat harder against his head lacerations. His whole back froze up as he tried to steer the bike, making it hard for him to do much of anything.

“I have to get there soon…” Nick muttered as he began to breathe heavily. He was obviously not as healed up as he thought. He floored the bike-broom as he doubled over on the bike. He steered as best as he could as he continued his ride to Roftwood.

Toby waited at the little coffee shop at the corner where him and Nick met every time they hung out together. He sighed and began to sip the dark brew slowly; Nick was always the guy who got to a place ten minutes early, and now he was a half hour late. Toby’s cell phone rang a familiar tune he had set specifically for Nick’s line; he nearly dropped his coffee in excitement. He checked his phone quick, and found it odd that it said “Russell, Nick”, but didn’t list a number, but it was Nick nonetheless. He hit the accept button and placed the receiver to his ear.

“Hey Nick!” Toby replied.

“Hey…” Nick replied. He sounded tired over the line.

“What’s up, man? You’re never late!”

“I’ll be there soon…I’ll explain when I get there.”

“You sound weird…you okay?”

“Just look up in the sky…better yet, you’ll hear me when I get there.”

“What?” Toby thought his friend had gone insane for a minute, but then he quickly reminded himself that Nick was in a weird world, and if something made sense, it soon would. He waited for a response, but Nick hung up on him. “Eh, must be bad…” Toby muttered to himself as he shoved his cell back into his pocket. “Nick never freaks out like this…”

He went to take a sip of his coffee when he heard a loud noise rustling above him from the north. The noise got louder and drew the attention of everybody else on the streets around the area. Toby looked up to see Nick on his bike-broom and he jumped in shock. Nick landed softly next to Toby’s car, then turned off the wind turbines. People began gathering around the bike-broom, but Toby shooed them off. Toby then turned his attention to Nick, who had yet to get off the bike and was hunched over the handlebars.

“Nick…you okay?” Toby asked, setting his coffee down on top of his car as he walked over slowly and tried to look within his helmet.

“I…I’m in a little pain…” Nick replied as he clenched his teeth in agony. His whole body froze and tensed up as he struggled to let go of the handlebars. A deep breath loosened him up a bit and allowed him to get off his bike-broom. “I’ll be fine.” Nick replied, taking off his helmet and revealing the huge wrap around his forehead.

“Are you sure, because usually bandages around the head aren’t a good sign…especially ones with blood soaked in them…are you sure about hanging out today?”

“Yeah!” Nick replied. “I just need some coffee.”

“Here, take mine…” Toby replied.

“Nah, you drink it black. I need cream and sugar or I’m an irritable prick.”

“Alright, get inside.” Toby said, grabbing Nick’s arm.

“Wait!” Nick replied, digging into the side compartment of his bike-broom and pulling out the two parchment wraps and sliding his helmet inside. “There, now we can go in.”

The pair walked into the coffee shop, and eyes wandered towards them, mostly in wonder of the strange guy who just flew into town, literally. Nick looked around and felt a little paranoid, but he ordered a coffee nonetheless and sat down at a booth to drink it.

“This…happen to you often in…that town?” Toby avoided saying ‘Briarwood’, because he knew it’d draw more stares.

“I usually don’t spend much time resting in Briarwood outside of Xander’s house or the bakery, so…” Nick replied softly as he unwrapped the muffin slice.

“Oh, a bake-is that a blueberry muffin?” Toby began salivating over the smell.

“Freshly baked from scratch. One of Madison’s specialties.”

“You mind sharing?”

“Not at all.” Toby grinned and took over a third of the muffin. “I got ham too.”

“Ham? Geez, they got tons of food there, eh?”

“Not really, I just happen to live with three bakers, an outdoorsman, and a girl who loves her meat.”

Toby grinned suggestively, and Nick realized why. “Oh, not like that, Toby.”

“Freud striking you again, Russell?” Toby joked.

“Hardly.”

“Yeah, I noticed that you look a little thinner.” Toby said cheerfully. Nick rolled his eyes. “What else are they feeding you?”

“I think the secret is that I haven’t had a donut in a month.”

“No donuts? What, are they hiding them from you, the bakers?”

“They didn’t know what they were, and the head baker refuses to make them. He hates donuts as much as he hated my bike. But hey, he gives me a place to sleep.”

“You sound like you’re living it up out there.”

“I wish. Lots of work, between learning spells, practicing them, fighting constantly…we lost our mentor yesterday, then I got ambushed…”

“Yeah, did the guy hit you with a truck?”

“No, the guy blew me through a few trees.”

“…You’re gay?”

“Not that kind of bl…oh, nevermind. What’s up with you today?”

“I’m just used to you making those kind of comments. Kinda miss it.”

“Sorry, Toby. I’ve become so busy saving the world, I’ve forgotten everybody else.”

“Well, I used to imagine that you had no other life outside being a cop. I guess I was right.” Toby took a sip of his coffee.

“Being a cop and being a protector of the planet are two different things, Toby.”

“I see.” Toby took a bite out of his muffin slice as Nick unwrapped the ham slices. Toby chased the muffin with a sip of coffee as he continued. “So…you won’t be visiting any more? No more hang out time with ya? Is that why you came?”

“I came because I promised, Toby.”

“But will it be another month until I see you again? Another month after that?”

“Toby…I…” Nick had no idea why Toby was suddenly insanely insecure and bitchy. “I will come and visit you whenever you want. I don’t mind.”

“No, you’re off saving the world…I’m just a friend…”

“Toby…c’mon.”

Nick suddenly developed a migraine. Where are you, Red Magician…? Nick’s eyes widened as the pain increased.

“Don’t act like you’re in pain now that I’m making my point.”

Where are you, boy…? Have you fled in despair…?

“Go away, Wolzard…” Nick muttered softly, both as an attempt to get Wolzard out of his head, and to warn Toby that he was suffering a bit.

“Nick…you’re scaring me…”

Are you hiding amongst the faithless again like you always have…?

“Toby…the reason…I’m in pain…is that this guy’s trying to kill me…” Nick winced heavily as he spoke and grabbed his right temple.

“Who’s trying to kill you…?” Toby looked around, confused.

“The guy…the guy who kicked my ass last night…”

I know where you are now…return to the real world…the faithless have nothing for you now…

“Faithless…” Nick muttered as he looked around. Who were the ‘faithless’…?

“Faithless…?” Toby asked.

“I…I need to go.” Nick replied.

“I’m coming with you.” Toby replied.

“No, you gotta stay. I think he’s coming after me again.”

“Well then, if you die, you’re gonna need a witness.”

“Wolzard won’t leave a witness.” Nick replied as he got up.

“Hey Nick…what about your food here?”

“Keep it.” Nick said. “I promise to hang out with you later…I’m sorry for today…” Nick then headed for the door.

Toby wrapped up the leftover food, and watched at Nick walked over to his bike-broom. “Not this time, Nick.” He commented, getting up with the food in hand and walking to his car.

As Nick flew off, Toby slowly followed him in his car. He was hoping that Nick never looked down, as his light blue ’74 VW Bug stood out easily against the blacktop.

Are you running again, Red Magician? You fear me…you fear yourself…

“Shut up!” Nick shouted at he flew out of the city limits.

Are your friends really friends…? Are the faithless you care about truthful…? You live in a world of lies…fed truth only is doses…join me…I will open your eyes…

“I won’t join you!” Nick shouted, flying higher.

Toby nearly lost sight of him as he rose into the treetops. He suddenly heard a high-pitched shriek, causing him to look farther upwards. A black clothed, bat like humanoid creature chased after Nick. “Holy shit! What the fuck is that?” Toby began reaching for the glove compartment as he struggled to steer.

Nick heard Vankyuria’s cry and he reacted by flying wildly about.

“A Magician in my hands is worth two in Rootcore!” Vankyuria cackled as she flew faster and caught up to Nick.

“Like Hell you’re taking me!” Nick shouted as he pulled out his wand, pointing the phoenix gem straight forwards. “Maagi Magi Majiiro!” A red Magic Circle appeared in front of him, and he was transformed into his Mystic Force uniform as he flew through it. “Jii Jijiru! MagiStaff Sword!” Nick then cried out, turning his wand into a sword. “I’m getting the hang of this…” He commented to himself. He then carefully turned the bike-broom around and pointed his sword at Vankyuria. “Jii Majika!” A firebolt erupted from the tip of his sword, but Vankyuria easily dodged it.

Why resist us…? You have such potential…you’re wasting your life fighting against us…

Nick grabbed his head and dropped his sword, leaving him vulnerable. Just as Vankyuria approached Nick, a shot ran out, striking her through the right shoulder. Nick came to and saw Toby, regulation police pistol in hand, in position behind his car door, aiming at Vankyuria.

“A human DARES to strike me with a strange weapon?” Vankyuria fumed.

“Toby, get out of here!” Nick shouted.

“Not a chance!” Toby replied.

Nick panicked and began to swoop down for his sword as Vankyuria swooped down to attack Toby. Toby fired off a few more rounds, striking Vankyuria in the chest.

“I need a lucky shot…” Toby mumbled as he took to aiming higher up on Vankyuria. Nick caught his sword just as Toby took one last shot; the bullet struck her straight between the eyes, knocking her to the ground with a scream.

“Toby! Move your car!” Nick shouted.

“Gotcha!” He replied as he climbed into his car and backed up. Vankyuria began to get up, and Nick took the opportunity to strike. “Jii Majika!” The firebolt connected this time, slamming into Vankyuria and lighting her on fire. Toby rolled up to meet Nick with a look of mixed awe and hilarity.

“Hey, nice suit.” Toby joked as he parked his car and got out of it.

Nick dropped out of transformation and frowned. “Hey, I’m not the one who made it.”

“That was wicked, man…” Toby said, looking back on Vankyuria.

“Yeah, you almost got yourself killed, Toby.”

“Well, I can’t leave an injured partner go out on his own when there’s trouble.”

“Don’t call me partner.” Nick said. “We’re not on the force any more.”

Toby took a step back; the shock from Nick’s comment was almost too much. “Are we…still friends…or shouldn’t I call you that, either?”

“We are. Don’t ever think we aren’t friends. We’ll always be friends, best friends. But…not partners. My fight is much more than yours; not to say that your fight isn’t impor-” Nick then winced and collapsed as a shockwave shot up his back. Toby panicked and slowly moved Nick into the passenger seat of his car. “I’m not letting you operate any kind of heavy machinery, especially flying ones, in your condition. As your friend, I just can’t.”

“Fine…” Nick replied painfully; he wasn’t sure he was capable of doing so anyways.

“Now…how to get that…that thing of yours to come along with us…”

“It’ll follow the car…” Nick replied as he leaned against the inside of the car door.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’ll follow me, so…yeah.” Nick sounded tired.

“Okay, if you say so.” Toby hopped into the car, put the pistol back into the glove compartment, then began to drive off. Sure enough, after about fifty feet, the bike-broom began to levitate and follow Toby, soon flying side-by-side with the passenger side of the car. Nick fell asleep, leaving Toby to drive alone back to Briarwood. He instinctively drove north, remembering the child’s tale. “It’s supposed to be as far north as I can go…”

In Briarwood, Xander, Madison, and Clare were setting up Xander’s small backyard into a picnic area.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been in this garden, Xander.” Madison commented. The Romanesque marble columns accented the outer wall of the backyard, making the place feel a bit more ancient and regal.

“No, nobody has besides me in the last ten years…” Xander replied as he picked up one of the various books he had left lying around in recent months. “It’s nice to be able to use this place as a picnic spot, ya know?”

“Yeah, it’s a shame to let this all exist without reaping the benefits of it with picnics and parties.” Vida commented as he jumped Xander from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Off.” He smugly said, gently pulling her arms away and setting her down.

“Aw, you don’t want me touching you?” Vida replied as she began to tickle Xander’s left side.

“Agh! No! You know I’m ticklish there!” Xander replied, writhing around and trying to avoid her grasp.

“I wonder how Nick is…” Clare suddenly said. Madison looked over to her; she had stopped setting up the picnic and had turned to braiding a daisy chain.

“Don’t worry, Clare. I bet he’s doing just fine.” Madison joked as she sat down next to Clare.

“Yeah…” Clare replied, continuing with the daisy chain making.

“You know, if you’re really worried, Nick’s just a wand flick away.”

“But I don’t wanna interrupt him…”

“I’m sure he won’t mind! Nick doesn’t seem like that kind of thing would make him mad.”

“I guess…” Clare set down her daisy chain and picked up her wand. “Parle Parfait.”

“Nick…? Nick…?” Toby’s driving became distracted by Clare’s voice. After a few times, he nudged Nick and woke him up.

“Huh? Where are we?” Nick asked.

“Nick…?” Clare called out again.

“Oh, my wand…” Nick slowly dug his wand out of his coat pocket. “Clare…?”

“Nick! You’re okay! I mean…hi.” Clare responded. Nick smiled weakly. “I’m sorry I interrupted your day wit-”

“Oh, it’s no big deal. I’m coming back against my will. Toby’s dragging me back.”

“Hey, with all your spazzing out and hearing voices that want to kill you, I’m surprised that you think I’m crazy!”

“Spazzing out? Hearing voices?” The news seemed to rattle Clare up again.

“It’s nothing…”

“Just get to Xander’s house safely, okay? We’re gonna have a picnic, and you and Toby are cordially invited.”

“Me? Aw, that’s alright.” Toby replied.

“No, a fried of Nick’s is a friend of ours, right?”

“Yeah.” Xander, Vida, and Madison replied.

Toby smiled. “Fine, you’ve convinced me. We’ll be there soon…I think.”

“Alrighty, see you soon!” Clare’s voice then faded out.

“So…Clare, eh?” Toby suggestively asked.

“Yeah, she was that weird tree girl from the station.” Nick replied as he began to get comfortable in the chair again.

“Oh really?” Toby asked. “Did she give you a big hug and a kiss after you saved her?” Toby asked jokingly.

“No. In fact, I don’t even think I got a thanks from her. Or did I? I can’t remember.” He sighed. “Besides, she doesn’t like me like that, and I don’t like her like that either.”

“C’mon, Nick, be honest…” Toby asked, nudging Nick a few times “Would ya?”

“We’re kinda dealing with a lot of stuff right now…our leader was axed yesterday and I think she’s still kinda out of it. I think they’re all trying to pretend nothing happened.”

“Oh shit…who killed him?”

“Her…and the same guy who’s after me.”

“Oh damn, that’s pretty shitty.”

“Tell me about it.”

A few moments passed in silence. “So, anyways, if your boss didn’t die…would you?”

“Toby.” Nick gave an annoyed look.

“What, you can’t blame me for being curious! I mean, she’s cute when she’s not covered in dirt and leaves; a keeper if you keep her clean.”

“She’s now my boss.”

“Ooh, never mind then.” Toby asked. “It is an unspoken rule that employees must never sleep with the boss. It makes the workplace all…stuffy.”

“Yeah…” Nick replied, falling back asleep with a smile on his face.

Back at Xander’s house, Clare finished off her daisy chain as Chip walked in carrying around the baby hippogryph. Chip blew past Madison, who had walked up to greet him, and sat down next to Clare.

“Oh, hi Charlie!” Clare said. Her attention then turned to the baby. “Aw! Hello to you too!” She poked its stomach gently and kissed its beak, which was replied with a screechy coo. “AW!”

Madison began playing with the collar of her dress as she walked back inside. Vida stopped her as she approached the doorframe. Madison sadly looked over at her.

“Cheer up, sis. It’s been rough for the last month or so for us…for all of us. You can’t rely on him to always cheer you up.” Madison smiled weakly, then silently continued her way in. Vida sighed, then looked back at Chip and Clare. “If I didn’t have restraints, you Mysterian bastard, I would finish what I started. You don’t deserve my sister’s kindness; neither you nor your damn freak of nature.” She muttered before walking in.

After nearly twenty minutes, Maddie heard a knock at the door. She set down her book of astronomy that she had taken from the bookcase nearby and got up. She panicked, wondering if she should answer the door or not. The door was knocked on once more, which made her jump. “Coming!” She replied softly as she approached the door. After nearly a minute of inching towards the door, she found herself standing in front of the handle. She slowly turned it, revealing that Toby was on the other side. Madison had no clue who he was, but she knew from his clothes that he was from outside Briarwood.

“Hi.” She meekly replied.

“Hey. Is this Xander’s house, by any chance?” Toby asked.

“Um…yes.” Madison was unsure of what to say. Vida was usually in charge of door greetings in the Rocca Household.

“Who’s at the door?” Vida asked as she walked into the room.

“Um…I don’t know.”

“Move, Maddie.” Vida said, lovingly moving Madison away from the door. Vida instantly recognized Toby from her visit to Roftwood. “Hey there! You must be Toby.”

“Yup, that’s me. You’re that girl who turned into a broom, aren’t you?”

“You remember that?” Vida asked, blushing. “That wasn’t my best transformation, trust me.”

“Oh, you were spitting up hay the entire time!”

“At least I wasn’t hiding underneath a table the entire time!” Vida laughed. “So, where’s Nick?”

“He’s asleep in the car, but he luckily woke up as we got into town. I was hoping I got the directions right.”

“Well, you’re here, aren’t ya?” Vida joked as she walked past. “Maddie, take Toby out to the back with everybody else. I’ll get Nick up.”

“Okay.” Madison replied. Vida was good at first impressions, but Madison excelled in making others feel at home. “So, how’re you today? Are you ready to have a good time at our picnic? I made a lot of the food…”

Vida approached the car, shooing the bike-broom out of her way as she opened the door. She cautiously grabbed Nick’s shoulder and shook, waking him up.

“Hey sleepy, welcome back to Briarwood.” Vida said.

“Hey Vida.” Nick replied with a smile.

“C’mon, Toby’s inside already, and we’re all waiting to see ya!” Vida said, watching Nick as he unbuckled and got out of the car.

Nick stared at his bike-broom for a moment, then smiled. “Okay you, up to the balcony with Xander’s broom with you!” The bike-broom replied as well, slowly flying up to the balcony on its own.

“That’s amazing, Nick…” Vida said as he and Nick walked into the house. “You commanding your broom like that…”

“Why so?”

“Well, I mean…you’re from the outer mortal realm…you must be pretty gifted with magic to pull off a stunt like that.”

“So you can’t do that?”

“I can, it’s just that…well, most people who are starting out in magic don’t have that kind of power, you know, to just control things to move as they please. I’m impressed; you’ve come a long way.” Vida flashed him a “V for Victory” as she walked inside before him.

“Gifted, huh?” Nick smiled.

Toby was greeted by Xander as he arrived in the backyard.

“Hi, I’m Xander.” He extended his hand for a formal shake, which Toby took. “I believe we met in the other town…”

“Yeah, you came running into the station with Broom Girl.”

“Oh, Vida?”

“The one with the short hair.”

“Yeah, Vida. She was the broom, and I rode into town on her.” Clare coughed, averting Xander’s attention away from talking.

Toby walked over to Clare and smiled. “Well, hello, ex-jailbird.” Toby said, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

“Well, hello, ex-cop.” Clare countered. Toby frowned mildly. “See? I can do that too.” She stuck out her tongue jokingly.

Toby looked over at the silent Chip and spotted the baby hippogryph. “That’s a weird looking eagle…”

“It’s a hippogryph.” Clare replied. Chip didn’t even seem to notice that Toby was there.

“Oh…” Toby found it hard to believe, but he nodded and sat down on the picnic blanket that had been set out.

Tons of finger foods sat around a pitcher of apple cider in the middle of the huge blanket; small sandwiches, cookies, ladyfingers, and mini muffins, along with a bowl of German potato salad, a small helping of baked beans and bacon, and a bowl filled with various fruit slices.

“Looks like a big party here.” Toby said.

“Well, there’s seven-”

Chip cut Clare off. “Eight.”

“…eight of us here, so…”

“Eight?” Toby counted, adding Vida and Nick. He only got seven, but then remembered the hippogryph. “Oh…the bird.”

“Hippogryph.” Chip corrected.

“Right.”

“Nick!” Clare shouted as Vida and Nick arrived.

“See, Clare, nothing to worry about.” Madison replied.

“Sit, Nick.” Vida said, forcefully sitting him down on the blanket. “Now everybody, dig in!” Everybody did as was asked, because it had become well known that a happy and cheerful Vida was a death sentence.

After nearly an hour of everybody eating, Madison walked inside. She was sick of seeing Chip feeding the hippogryph and not saying a word to anybody. She understood that it needed a lot of attention, but for Chip to completely ignore everybody but Clare was ridiculous.

She opened up the astrology book and continued reading. She noticed that Xander had written notes in the book in his small handwriting that she always made fun of him for. She couldn’t help but notice that he wrote like his father, who had been his uncle’s bookkeeper.

Outside, the baby hippogryph began to whine and screech as it writhed. Chip lied him down on the ground, and he shook off the blanket.

Already standing a foot tall and a foot and a half in length, the hippogryph infant was quite a sight. The sun seemed to make his yellow down sparkle and gleam, and his light brown eyes seemed to look everywhere at once. He squawked loudly and spread his wings as he walked around for a bit to get the feel of moving.

“Aw!” Clare cooed. “C’mere, you little cutie!” Clare reached out for the infant, but it squawked at her and walked away. It seemed to be looking for something else, in Chip’s eyes, so he also looked around. The hippogryph walked towards Xander’s house, and Chip followed him. “Somebody’s wandering…” Chip cheerily commented as he got up.

The hippogryph started scratching at the door that led back in the house, and Chip turned around. “Xander, is it okay for him to walk around inside?”

“Keep out of trouble, don’t open any locked doors, and you’re fixing any scratches he puts in the tiles.”

Chip then opened the door and walked in, closing it behind him.

“That thing reminds me of a giant, four-legged chicken.” Toby commented. Xander snorted at the comment.

“Well, I’m just happy to see Charlie so happy. He hasn’t smiled like that since he got here.” Clare replied as she drove her fork into a hunk of potato.

Inside, Madison found herself getting lost amongst the illustrations in the astrology book when she felt a light tug on the bottom of her dress. She looked down and saw the hippogryph pulling away.

“Oh, hi.” She plainly replied. She slid a bookmark into the book and set it on the desk beside her.

Chip hid behind the other side of the doorway. So he was looking for Madison…why?

“You want something?” Madison asked as she slid down out of the chair and onto the floor. The hippogryph began to walk away, then turned around, as if expecting Madison to follow.

“I’d rather stay inside. If I’m not going to be noticed, I might as well make myself disappear.”

What an odd thing to say…Chip mused. They were paying attention to her…

Madison sighed. “I’m sorry, little one…” The hippogryph cooed and walked back to Madison, curling up in her lap. “Aw…” Madison cooed. “If you wanna stay in here with me, I won’t mind!”

Oh…he wanted to be with her…

“Where’s your uncle? Shouldn’t he be taking care of you and forgetting about me and the rest of us?”

Chip caught a connection. Is she…upset at me? Wait…was she trying to get me to notice her…? I noticed her! Chip sighed angrily.

Madison began to run her hand over the hippogryph’s body, like she would if Lupin had crawled in her lap. “I wish Lupin would curl up to me…but he misses my mom too…” Madison sighed deeply, then continued on with petting as she continued on talking. “Thank you for visiting me. It means a lot to me, ya know?” She smiled.

She brushed off her dress’s skirt; it was a full-length oriental-type dress, with the design of a water dragon surging upwards from the bottom of the dress and ending right at the neck. “I wore this dress, and I hoped he’d notice…I hoped he’d say something about it…maybe something like, ‘nice dress’, or ‘what an interesting design’…this dress hasn’t been seen by anybody in years…it used to be my mom’s. Do you like it?” The hippogryph cooed in response. “I’m glad you do. I bet its because it’s soft.”

She’s really upset at me…Chip frowned and sighed. Maybe I should do something…I mean, I’d hate for her to hate me and love Tsubasa…

“Tsubasa!” Chip called out, finally walking out from behind the doorframe. Madison turned around, and Chip spotted the hippogryph in her lap. “Oh, there you are…” Chip smiled.

“Tsubasa? Is that his name?” Madison asked.

“Ugh…yeah.” Chip replied, scratching the back of his head.

“It’s a nice name. It’s unique.”

“Thanks.” Chip sat down next to Madison. “Is he sleeping?”

“I think so.” Madison replied. “He just walked in here and started tugging…on my dress…”

“It’d be a shame if he ruined it…it’s a very fancy dress.” Madison blushed. “Is this real silk?” He asked, picking up the bottom of the dress to inspect it.

“Mhm. Hand-embroidered silk. It was my mother’s…I thought it’d be nice to wear it on such a nice day.”

“It fits you nicely.”

“Thanks.” Madison blushed a bit more and turned away.

“What’re you doing here all alone anyways?” Chip asked, although he knew the answer already.

“I needed a break from the sun.”

“You’re a horrible liar.”

“I’m not lying.” Madison replied defensively. After a moment, she looked down. “Okay, I came in to read by myself.”

“Oh, what’re you reading?” Chip asked, getting up and grabbing the astrology book on the desk.

“Don’t lose my place!” Madison asked loudly, quickly closing her mouth as Tsubasa stirred.

“Oh, this.” Chip sounded disappointed after merely skimming where he had opened. He closed the book and set it back down.

“What, don’t you like astrology?” Madison asked.

“A book can’t tell you who you are, or what you’re supposed to do.” Chip deadpanned. He seemed to be speaking out to something far away.

“You don’t believe in destiny?” Madison asked.

“Destiny is a blackboard, but we hold the white chalk.” He replied. Madison found his words to be sagacious, a bit more experienced than him.

“What a pessimistic thing to say…”

Chip looked down. “Yes, well, it’s hard to say such optimistic things about blackboards when you don’t have one anymore.” Chip sadly half-smiled as he began to head out.

“Wait.” Madison said, grabbing him by his hand as he walked by. Her hand nearly slipped out of his cold and clammy palm, so she clenched down hard. Chip looked down at her.

“What?”

“What do you mean?”

“What…do I mean?”

“About not having a blackboard…?”

“I said enough.” Chip said, shaking Madison’s hand off. He took a few steps away before Madison spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“I didn’t mean to dive. You just…make me babble on when I should shut up.” Chip smiled. “It’s not a bad thing…just…unusual.” He turned around.

“Still, it was wrong for me to pry.” Madison replied.

“I’ll be fine…” Chip replied. “I’m just trying to come back to life.” He then turned around and walked back out to the picnic.

Madison sighed as Tsubasa stirred in her lap. She slowly scooted over to grab the book and began to quietly continue her reading.

The next fifteen minutes outside were spent with everybody rolling the old 20 Questions at Toby, who was eager to answer them. Chip stayed silent after letting Xander know that Madison and Tsubasa were inside resting, slowly poking at his serving of potato salad. Clare nudged him and pulled him aside, dragging him farther back in the backyard, where all the broken marble columns lied.

“Charlie…are you okay?” Clare asked. “I know you…even when you’re amongst strangers, you’re not this quiet.”

“I’m…okay…I just had a rough sleep.”

“What happened?” Clare asked, sitting down on a large column base.

“I dreamed…about my family…and me…we…” Chip sat down as he began to shiver. “we were all dead…”

“Oh, Charlie!” Clare tossed herself towards Chip and hugged him tightly. “Oh Majiel, that’s horrible…”

“It’s okay…I’m okay about that.”

“Then what’s wrong?” Clare asked, still clinging tightly to him.

“Nothing’s wrong, really…it’s just…Tsubasa hatched, and I realized…I realized that…I realized my purpose. I am alive to make sure Tsubasa lives too. I’m here to raise him, and to protect him, with the magic I now have. Then it became broader. There are a lot of people like Tsubasa, ones without protection, those who are weak who need me to be with this group of people that I feel so apart from…that’s the reason why I have to stay, even if I want to go…I’m so free to do what I want, but I also have to honor Udonna’s memory and stay…for now.”

“Charlie…” Clare looked up and smiled at Chip. “I can’t remember you ever saying that you were free. It’s strange to hear you speak like that.”

“I’m not used to saying it, but it’s true now. I have nobody holding me back…I am truly like the wind now…”

Clare sighed as she stood up and let go of Chip. “I hope you plan to stay for a while.”

“Well, until Tsubasa grows up. He seems to like Madison a lot…but I don’t think she’ll leave this place, and it would crush Tsubasa, I think, if he were young, to just get up and leave his lady friend behind.”

“Oh, I think you both have a different opinion of Madison.” Clare said, walking back towards the picnic.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chip said, standing up and following her out. Madison arrived at the back door at about the same time as Chip and Clare arrived back at the picnic. Tsubasa was circling around her ankles while she mindlessly walked and read at the same time.

“Speak of the devil.”

Madison sat down and was greeted by the group.

“Sleep well?” Xander asked.

“Oh, yeah.” Madison said as she sat down, which cued Tsubasa to happily hop into her lap. She opened the book up once more, and Xander looked at the cover.

“Is that my astrology guide?” Xander asked, terrified. “Put it down!”

“I’m being gentle, Xander.” Madison stuck her tongue out at him. “Besides, you need to learn how to share.” Xander huffed.

“Ooh, astrology!” Vida said. “I wanna hear some stuff!”

“Astrology? Isn’t that the stuff with the birthdays?” Toby asked.

“Yeah.” Madison replied.

“Eh, my brother’s all insane about that shit…always trying to find a girl with a ‘compatible sign’ and that stuff.” Toby replied. “He’s all uppity about it. He dumped a nice girl because she was an incompatible sign. Crazy shit, that is.”

“Well, as a Blue Magician, I must dabble in all forms of fortune telling and future predicting. How about I try working it out on everybody here?” Madison asked, then turning to look at Toby. “Well, except you.”

“Ooh! Do me first!” Vida raised her hand. Xander gave her an awkward look.

“You’re so eager to be done, aren’t ya?” He commented with a sly look that Madison recognized from Chip doing it at the river a week or so ago.

“Alright Vida, what do you think you are?” Madison said, opening the book to what she knew Vida was.

“Am I…a Virgo?”

“A Virgo?” Xander replied. “Why in the world would you want to be a Virgo?”

“Huh?”

“Well, if you are a Virgo, it can be fixed.” Xander winked suggestively.

“Xander!” Vida shouted, tossing a knife at him. He deftly dodged it by diving behind Nick. “You chicken!” Vida replied.

“Hey!” Nick shouted at Xander, pushing him back to where he was sitting before. I’m not gonna be a human shield for you!”

“Hey now, c’mon guys…” Clare said. “My first order as leader of this group is that everybody is to at least try to get along. Got it?”

“Yes, Clare.” Xander and Vida deadpanned. Madison then cleared her throat.

“Is everybody ready?” Madison asked. The group all gave positive responses.

“So, what am I?” Vida asked.

“Sis, you’re an Aries.”

“Oh, you’re a ram…very horny indeed.” Xander commented.

“Xander!” Vida shouted, glaring.

“What, I’m just kidding!” Xander said, once again leaning towards Nick.

“So sis, what does that mean? What do I get being an Aries?” Vida asked.

“Well, it says here that you belong to the first sign of the zodiac, and that you’re a Fire Sign. ‘People born under Aries are very action-oriented people who defend the things they believe in. While their vast amount of courage and go-getting attitudes make them wonderful leaders in any activity they do, they make horrible lackeys. This attitude comes from Mars being their ruling planet. Their stubbornness to campaign on ‘lost causes’ is rivaled only by a scant few other signs, but when things get rough, they seem to fall to pieces in the fray. Ariens are best inside of groups where the members are more or less equal, for there are times when the Arien’s iron-clad determination needs to be focused by more level-headed, yet equally determined, peers.’ It also says that you’d be best off trying to court a Taurus, Leo, or Sagittarius.”

“Oh boy, lucky me.” Xander rolled his eyes.

“Hm?” Madison asked.

“I’m a Taurus.” Xander replied.

“Talk about horny.” Vida joked.

“So, what’s there to know about Taurus?” Clare asked, trying once more to keep the duo broken up.

“Well, since I don’t need to tell Xander much about what he already knows, I’ll say a few things. First off, I’m going to say that I’m truly not surprised that Xander is a Taurus, because he makes a perfect Green Magician.”

Xander blushed. “You think?”

“Better than me, I think.” Madison smiled. “Now, going onwards…let’s see…” Madison flipped around until she found Taurus’s section. “It says that ‘Taurus is an Earth Sign represented by a bull, and people born under the sign tend to be very bullish in nature. They are stubborn, or so to say, don’t like to be uprooted, and thus also tend to be very lazy and slow-moving.’”

“It’s like they’ve been secretly watching Xander and writing it all down!” Vida teased.

“Yeah, yeah.” Xander said back. He obviously didn’t like hearing his own profile.

“‘Taureans are also usually possessive, greedy, and self-indulgent. But this doesn’t make them horrible people. At heart, when things are stable, they are loyal and honest friends, using their physical and verbal charms to stabilize and pacify others. And even though most Taureans possess most, if not all, of the sign’s vices, they are subtle when in a docile setting, and a few vices benefit those around them. The Bull’s stubborn resistance to change also makes them desire peace amongst friends, their desire for beauty and fine art oftentimes leads them to pass the benefits onto their loved ones, and their possessiveness of those around them makes them rise from their steady places and charge, horns poised to gouge and dismember, at anybody who dares insult anybody whom they consider close.’”

“Eh, well…you guys are my friends, so I wouldn’t mind getting my hands a little dirty to protect ya.” Xander replied, scratching the back of his neck and blushing.

“How nice of you to say that, Xander.” Clare said. “…you are just trying to butter us up, are you?”

“Why would I need to?” Xander asked.

“Ahem.” Madison interrupted. “Who wants to go next?”

“I’d like to hear mine.” Clare asked politely.

“When’s your birthday?” Madison asked with an equal politeness.

“In mid October…the 12th, to be exact.”

“Ah, a Libra!” Madison proclaimed as she shuffled to about halfway into the book.

“Wow, aren’t we lucky to have a Libra around here!” Xander piped up.

“Why am I so lucky?” Clare asked.

“‘Libra is the Air sign that rules over the end of September and continues until the end of October. This sign is all about balance, and is considered to be the most civil of all signs. Libras have the uncanny ability to make everything around them peaceful and serene, and that’s a good thing, considering that they abhor violence. Their sign is the Scale of Justice, which represents their ability to look at both sides of a matter in a detached manner, even if they are deep within the heart of the dispute. Despite their civility, Libras can be needy of approval, can become infamous for gossiping, and dislike doing dirty work. They also have tendencies to hold out until the last minute on decisions, and once they decide, their opinions do not waver. Anyone be damned if they disagree with a Libran opinion.’”

“Well, I don’t agree with it!” Clare joked as she crossed her arms. The group laughed.

“Okay, who should I read about next?” Madison asked.

“How about Nick?” Vida asked. “Do you believe in astrology?”

“Well, I never got into it, but sitting here, thinking about what’s being said about you guys, I think I’d like to know what that book has to say about me.”

“I think my brother once said Nick is a Leo.” Toby replied. “Right? Leo is August 17th, right?”

“Leo is from July 23rd to August 23rd, so it’s in the latter half of the sign…” Xander replied.

“Then Leo it is!” Madison replied, turning to the section on Leo. “Here we go…‘Leo, the Lion of the Sun, is an amazing sign, and many will find that Leos are born to shine as brightly and rule as strongly as the nickname suggests. Leos are the almighty leaders of their domains, and enjoy the benefits of being in those high positions. They can be excessive in luxury, as the king of any jungle would be, and also are prone to being hot-tempered, as any Fire sign would be, but in general, Leos are typically very stable leaders who hold all their subordinates in high regard. It’s not uncommon to find a Leo at the helm of anything successful, nor is it uncommon to find Leos on the opposite end of the spectrum; Leos tend to hold the belief that anything is possible, even when it clearly isn’t. Like a lion, when confronted with difficult matters, they lash out in violence, and while they are good leaders, they find it hard to back down from anything once their eyes are set on the prize, even if the road ahead leads to physical or mental harm. Regardless of the outcome, Leos do not know the full meaning of failure, for their unusually sunny dispositions never fail to bring a smile to their faces, even after the most disastrous of catastrophes. This sunny disposition and the belief that anything is possible makes Leos gullible and horrible judges of character. A successful group will usually find a Leo waving the banner of action, and if they don’t, a Leo will find its way into said group and even take it over, for they adore the limelight – and consequentially, the bragging rights – that comes with being leader of the pack.’”

“So, we’ve got a big, ego-ridden cat in our ranks.” Vida joked.

“I don’t have an ego!” Nick shouted back. Clare snorted.

Tsubasa woke up and yawned, getting up and wandering over to Chip. Chip weakly smiled as he stroked the baby hippogryph’s back.

“Oh! Chip! Let’s hear his next!” Vida replied.

“Actually…” Madison began to say, “I was thinking about looking at mine first…I mean, with all of the excitement, I’d like to hear my own!”

“Ooh, so would I.” Xander replied.

“Okay…” Madison flipped through the book, happy that she stopped the prying of Chip’s sign from happening. He deserved a break, from what she figured. She spotted the large print of the joined fish and smiled. “Well, if you haven’t guessed yet, I am a Pisces.”

“Oh, I always thought you were!” Xander said, sounding disappointed that he didn’t say it first.

“Why so?”

“Just…just a guess.”

“C’mon, what are you thinking about?” Madison pried.

“Well, you’re an unusually friendly person. That’s what I think about when I think of Pisces; somebody who’s just…overly nice.” Xander replied, nervously grabbing the back of his neck.

“Aw, how sweet!” Madison replied with a smile.

“Well, get with the reading already!” Vida whined.

“Fine, sis. ‘It is often said that the alternative symbol to this Water sign would be a calm and flowing river, for Pisces is an ever-moving, ever-peaceful sign. The Piscean will almost always find itself wandering through life, searching for a higher plane of life, wanting to find their ideal self. Naturally, this makes Pisceans pacifistic; they enjoy the comforting company of others, others enjoy their warm and calm disposition as well as the submissive and meek nature, and they are at their best when there is nothing but peace around them. They easily fit into every kind of group due to their fluid personas, and can be found participating in all walks of life. It is this fluidity that causes Pisceans to worry less about their well-being and more on those around them, for without their outer shell, they fall to the ground and splash…’”

Madison was beginning to regret reading hers aloud.

“‘While many people think that the symbol for Pisces should be water, the two fish better represent the dual nature of the Piscean soul; one half shapeless and weak, one half fine-tuned and strong. Consider a Piscean to be water from a tap, waiting for a glass to slide right under it and give it shape, and once they reach the glass, the possibilities are endless. A Piscean, once they have found their niche, refuse to let go, even when it still has the urge to continue moving. However, many Pisceans are far too ambient and out of touch with reality to reach this point. Regardless of a Piscean’s faults, they are the warm spirit of any home they inhabit, as they are heavily empathetic, almost to the psychic state of merely looking at a person and being able to tell every emotion emanating from them.’”

Madison looked down, slightly petrified at what she had read. Nobody spoke a word for a moment.

“Hey, that’s not bad, sis!” Vida replied. “Just think, you could’ve had Xander’s sign!”

“Hey!” Xander replied coldly.

“Well, Charlie, you’re the last one left…” Madison gasped lightly at Clare’s statement.

“You don’t have t-” Chip cut Madison off.

“No, it’d be unfair to leave them all wanting.” Chip said.

“Oh…okay…” Madison replied. “So…when’s your birthday?”

“I was born on December the eighth, during a particularly bad snowstorm.” Chip replied. “Remember, Clare?”

“The worst one that year. We couldn’t make snowmen until we were melted out of the house!” Clare joked.

“December 8th…oh! Sagittarius!” Madison said. Xander frowned slightly at the proclamation, and Vida cringed.

“Looks like you’ve got the astrological blessing to shag every guy here, Vida.” Xander joked, adding a wink at the end.

“If that’s a come on, the next knife I throw won’t be aimed at your face.”

“You two, stop it!” Clare shouted. Everybody jumped back a bit at the sound of her voice, but then recovered quickly. “Okay, I wanna hear Charlie’s reading, so everybody hush.”

Madison cleared her throat. “Okay…‘Sagittarius, the Centaur Archer, is an interesting sign, without a doubt. It was formed to represent Chiron, the wise centaur of ancient lore who spread his wisdom to mankind. This attribute of this Fire sign grants those born under it a vast amount of wisdom. However, the fire within burns heavily, oftentimes burning away the common sense and conscientiousness needed to fully utilize such wisdom. Like an arrow, Sagittarians are straightforward and blindingly fast; they usually don’t stop on the way to their goals to ask for questions, as the bare minimum of details is all they perceive to need. Sagittarians crave freedom, and often pursue it at the expense of everything else. However, that’s not to say that a Sagittarian isn’t loyal, as they are very loyal indeed, but rather that a Sagittarian sticks to the wild and untamed part of itself that refuses to be caged for longer than it has to. However, for all the moving about that Sagittarians do, their hearts are in the home, and they treasure the homes and families that wait for them when they finish traveling.’”

Chip smiled weakly at the last statement and patted Tsubasa lightly on the back.

“‘The archer and the arrow it wields seem to be the perfect match for this sign all around, between both its virtues and vices; not only are they free flying, mentally and physically quick and adaptable, but also rushing impatiently into things, and keen on finding the weak points of others. There is still a Fire quality within this early winter sign, and the negative side of the Sagittarian coin leads its followers to become as cold-hearted and frigid as the weather that surrounds them, with a fiery disposition to critically damage anybody within their path with the greatest of ease. Their temper, coupled with their vast wisdom, makes any sort of revenge on their part painful and deep-driving to its target, for the archer never misses a chance to strike the bull’s-eye on its victim’s emotional target board. However, Sagittarians can always find it easy to forgive if the evidence of deception or misunderstanding is presented; the fiery rage within this sign is not as strong as its fellow Fire signs, Leo and Aries. Sagittarians are said to be accident-prone due to their constant need to push their limits, and their interest in fast-moving sports such as racing doesn’t buffer this fact either. Don’t be surprised if you find a large population of Sagittarians in a hospital at any given time; however, don’t expect to hear a Sagittarian complain about the injury either; the accident leading to the injury was all in the pursuit of excitement and freedom, and there’s nothing a Sagittarian sees wrong in that.’”

“See, it didn’t kill you, Charlie.” Clare commented jokingly.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not taking it to heart, though.” Chip replied.

“Okay, I’ll put this book away, and I’ll be right back…” Madison replied as she got up.

Useless without others…? Am I…just supposed to be sheltered forever…? Madison pondered as she walked inside. No, I’m not helpless!

Down in Infershia, Vankyuria was presenting a wonderful plan to Branken in front of the Master’s Pit.

“Vankyuria, we have thousands of Hideacs to send to the surface!”

“Regardless of their numbers, they always fail!” Vankyuria argued. “I suggest sending someone in our ranks who is…stronger.”

“I suppose testing your theory out couldn’t hurt if we only send one general up…fine! Send Estrangalan up to the surface with some Hideacs. He hasn’t proven himself worthy yet on the field of battle.” The Master’s Pit glowed a crimson shade. “The Master approves of this plan, and so it shall be done!”

“I shall let him know right away.” Vankyuria replied. She quickly bowed to the Pit, then walked into a hallway leading to Estrangalan’s room.

Vankyuria found in unsettling that the hallway was lined in bloodied scraps of cloth, wrapping up semi-consumed corpses, but she was pleased that Estrangalan was at least training. Her walk down the hall was stopped as a giant figure blocked her path.

“Who dares enter the Lair of Estrangalan?” A voice called out. The voice sounded like it belonged to a person with a deep voice whose mouth was filled with some sort of liquid.

“It is I, Vankyuria, Queen of Vampires. I come representing the Master.” Vankyuria bowed slightly; she was respectful, but not submissive.

“What does the Master want with Estrangalan?” He asked.

“The Master requests that you travel to the surface world to destroy his new enemies; a group of five Magicians who are bent on destroying him.”

“Estrangalan shall destroy the putrid human Magicians!” He replied, swinging his arms around, causing some of his wraps to fly about in a flurry.

“Then come with me. We have so much to do!” Vankyuria cackled.

Madison sighed as she walked down the street under the dusk-ridden sky; the picnic was long over, and she couldn’t find any solace.

She heard a gurgling noise coming from behind her, and she turned around. The sight she saw made her jump.

“Ah, a Magician! Just what the Master wants!”

At Rootcore, Nick had opted to sleep there for the night. The fireflies the flew around the courtyard in the back of Rootcore glowed a beautiful red and a stunning yellow; their constant blinking calmed his nerves and relaxed him.

“The night…it’s so calm…” Nick muttered to himself. Toby had long left Briarwood, and it had gotten silent. However, he got the feeling he wasn’t alone, and moments later, the cold steel point of a sword blade sticking in his neck told him he was right.

“Get up.” The voice said.

“What do you want, Chip?”

“Get up or I’ll finish you here…”

[LadyZaria]

You...You evil writer like person. Leaving at a cliffhanger like that. I love this part...especially with relationship with the signs. It fits everyone. I think I got insulted as a Taurus. Chip's dream squence was interesting as well. I am sure you will reveal more as time pass. So, update soon! Okay!

Lady Z

[GreenNinja]

That was an amazing chapter. The Astrology lessons, Xander's come-ons, everything I'd heard about. Tsubasa appears to take the place of BattleNorbert (I highly doubt he'll be dismembered), and overall, I love the direction the story is going, in ways neither Magi nor MF have or could. Keep up the good work.

[Impy]

Excellent chapter as always, hon. Had a bit more of an episodic feel to it than other chapters, which is good for a PR fic. My ONLY gripe? What happened to Morrigan? Did she get eaten by Estragnonlongalamblorg?

[DarkStarShadow]

LZ, sorry if you felt offended. I tried to take it easy on all the signs involved. Tober, Tsubasa IS replacing Norbert, and no, he won't be dismembered. Impy, Morrigan was out polishing Vankyuria's throne.

And I do apologize that this was rushed. I missed two pieces at the end, and thus have to actually modify The Old One-Two (Chapter Eight)'s plotline because of it. I'll live, though. I think.

[DarkStarShadow]

From the depths of Page Two, I return with...

another interlude?!

Yeah, nine pages of action, adventure, and insanity. Enjoy.





Interlude: The Clashing of Swords





“Chip, are you okay?” Nick said as he stiffly got up and turned around.

“I wish to propose…a small match.” Chip replied with a devilish grin, keeping the blade to Nick’s neck.

“What kind of match? You mean like a fight?” Nick asked.

“Yes, like a fight.”

“I’m not sure if you realize that you’re at an advantage…a big advantage. I’m still not feeling well.”

“Oh, it’s just a friendly match…” The grin remained with the statement, unnerving Nick. “However, I propose a wager to go along with it.”

“What kind of wager…?” Nick asked.

“Leadership.”

“Of the group?” Nick asked.

“I don’t think you’re fit to be leader. You know very little of anything compared to the rest of us, and you’ve suffered several defeats in little over a month. That, and you can’t handle a sword. You’re not a leader to me.”

“If you wanna run the group so badly, go for it! Knock yourself out.” Nick replied, taking a step back.

“Coward.” Chip replied. “You refuse to save your position from just my words? Pathetic. How can you even be a Magician, let alone our leader, with such a lack of spine?”

“Are you calling me a chicken?” Nick asked, puffing up a bit.

“If ‘chicken’ means ‘cowardly’ and ‘fearful’ to you, then yes, I am.”

“Well, if you’re calling me out, I guess I have to go for it. What’re the rules?”

Chip smiled happily. “No transforming, but we can use magic. We both must engage with swords. No one-hit kills or intentional fatal wounds. I can’t promise that I won’t hit vitals, but as for you…you may get lucky. Other than that, pretty much anything’s allowed.” Chip finished his statement with a grin.

“Sounds fair to me.” Nick replied as he transmuted his wand into a sword. “Ten paces, back to back, just like a real duel.” Nick turned his back to Chip, who then walked up and stood back-to-back with Nick.

“I could kill you at ten paces.” Chip taunted.

“Twenty, then.”

“I could kill you at twenty as well, but you have a split second to react if you can.”

“I like split second timing.”

“Shall we dance?” Chip said with a grin.

“Unless you’re thinking about ballroom dancing, then let’s go.”

Nick and Chip began to walk forwards, counting their steps. At twenty paces, they both turned around, firing off an elemental bolt as they swung their swords. The bolts smashed into the opposing blades, and were flung by the movements of the swords. The result was that that both the bolt of lightning and the bolt of fire were diverted to opposite ends of the field.

“You predicted my movement…I’m impressed.” Chip replied with a grin. “Maybe I was wrong about you…” Chip crouched down, seeming to take a defensive position.

Nick grinned, summoned fire to engulf his blade and he charged at Chip. Nick got within ten paces and Chip’s grin grew sadistic; Nick had moved straight into his trap. Chip pushed off with his back leg while still crouched and began to spin around in a corkscrew while moving forward, sword extended; the movement made him become a medieval human drill, and the move had proved before to be quite fatal.

Nick panicked and stepped to the side, turning around as Chip flew past him. Nick attempted to hit him with an uppercut slash, but the blow was both deflected and countered by Chip.

After only ten seconds, Chip had the tip of his sword at Nick’s throat. “Maybe I wasn’t.” Chip replied as Nick took a few steps back.

Meanwhile, Madison stood in front of Estrangalan, looking him over. The monster was humanoid in structure, and stood nearly a head taller that Madison. His whole body was wrapped tightly in bloody old rags, like a mummy. Black leather straps wrapped around his mouth, with additional straps pulling the bottom of his jaw tight against the rest of his head. His pupils stretched out to the corners of his eyelids, making his appearance even more menacing.

“Who are you?” Madison asked.

“My name is Estrangalan, and I am a general of Infershia. If you wish to make this easy for yourself, you may surrender now.” He had cleared his throat, and the voice that was now spoken was soft and unintimidating, almost diplomatic.

I don’t need to surrender! I don’t need the others to fight!

“No!” Madison shouted.

“Trying to be brave, are we?” Estrangalan laughed. “Fine then, I won’t restrain myself.” He raised his left arm, and the dangling bandages around his wrists came alive and flew towards Madison.

“Maagi Magi Majiiro!” Madison shouted, pointing the mermaid crystal backwards. A blue Magic Circle appeared behind her, and she jumped backwards, going through it and transforming. The bandages slammed into the Magic Circle and became singed at the ends.

“Jii Jijiru! MagiStaff Trident!” Madison shouted. I’ll prove astrology wrong! I won’t fall to pieces!

Meanwhile, Nick was somewhat getting the hang of the sword, as he began to swing it like a billy club. Chip deftly dodged each swipe, grinning all the way.

“This is almost too easy!” Chip replied.

Nick decided to feign the next swing, and when he did, Chip overconfidently took the bait. Nick had stopped the swing last second, and the sudden movement stunned Chip long enough for Nick to take a new swing. The blade sliced through his cloak, and as it rode across his chest, a dull ringing was emitted. Nick stopped, giving Chip an odd look.

“Oh, surprised?” Chip grabbed his cloak and tossed it off, revealing his Wind Scout armor.

“That’s cheating!” Nick shouted, throwing a mini-fit.

“Oh, I never said neither of us could wear armor…” Chip grinned. “Maybe you should be prepared for these sorts of things all the time.”

“You son of a bitch!” Nick shouted, charging at Chip with the blade poised to gouge his throat.

Chip not only defended himself by blocking the blade, but he then disarmed Nick by slamming the hilt of the sword into his wrist, then kicked Nick back nearly ten feet away. He then picked up Nick’s sword and tossed it at him like a small spear, letting it land a mere inch away from Nick’s head.

“That’s alright…” Nick said as he got up and dusted himself off. “I don’t need a sword.” Nick grinned as he took an aggressive stance.

Nick had very little training and experience using handheld weapons, but he had trained for years and excelled in hand-to-hand combat in the academy.

“Pick up your sword.” Chip commanded.

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you can use your armor, then I’m gonna use my fists!” Nick shouted, charging at Chip. He threw a mean right hook at Chip, smashing him in the face and dropping him to the ground. Chip got up quickly and tightly gripped his sword with both hands, pointing the blade straight at Nick’s heart, trying to give off a warning to not come closer. Nick decided to even the score; he aimed a roundhouse kick at Chip’s hands, and on connection, Chip dropped his sword and knocked him on his side. Chip scrambled to grab his sword, but Nick quickly stepped on the hilt, making his claim.

“If you’re gonna fight me now, it’ll be without your toy.” Nick taunted.

Chip swallowed hard and stood up, putting up his fists in a defensive pose. He had a grim expression on his face, but Nick could see the fear hiding behind his demeanor. Chip took a swing at Nick that was easily avoidable, and the swing preceding it was as easy to predict and dodge. Chip then tried to roundhouse kick Nick, and the blow might have worked on anybody who hadn’t been trained to catch and counter kicks. Unfortunately, Nick had been, and he quickly grabbed Chip’s ankle and spun him in a 360-degree arc, tossing him into a nearby tree. Chip bounced off, looking only mildly stunned by the blow.

“You think that’s gonna stop me?” Chip replied as he got up and dusted himself off.

“No…but I can show you what will.” Nick went to step forwards, but then his back seized up and he doubled over. Not now…not during this fight…

“Show me what now?” Chip replied, walking up to Nick, hands on his hips and a smug look on his face.

I can tear myself apart if I have to…I can always be fixed…"This!” Nick pulled himself back up and quickly jabbed Chip in the face. Chip stepped back and attempted to put up a defense, but Nick unloaded a few quick shots to the chest and stomach before he could. Chip dropped to his knees and looked up, showing off his bloody nose.

“Nice lesson, but I can,” Chip said as he crouched down. “and will,” Chip then jumped at Nick, poised to headbutt him. “beat you!” Chip slammed into Nick’s waist, tackling Nick to the ground. He then began to try and beat Nick down, but Nick grabbed his fists and rolled over so that he had Chip pinned to the ground. He then pulled Chip’s arms back and began pulling on them. Chip whimpered slightly.

“No amount of armor’s gonna save your arms once I pull them out of their sockets…” Nick taunted through gritted teeth. “I really don’t wanna hurt you, Chip…”

“Get off of me…” Chip replied, wincing.

“Sorry, not an option. You can give up or I make sure you’re disabled for a while. Hell, I could just kill you right here if I wanted to.”

“I don’t care!”

“What? Are you serious?”

“Kill me if you want. I’m not afraid…”

Nick smiled. “If there’s one thing I learned on the beat, it’s ‘Never give a crazy man what he wants.’” Nick slowly stood up and let the pain once more seize his body.

“You’re…not going to punish me…?” Chip asked, confused. “I just…rebelled…I tried to kill you!”

Nick smiled. “No. I’m not sure why you fought me, but you’re clearly have something wrong with you…” He slowly uncurled his torso and picked up Chip’s sword, then walked back over to where Chip still lay. He lied the sword down next to Chip’s left arm, then went off to grab his own sword. “You need help getting up?”

“Let me rest.” Chip replied.

“I’ll see you inside later then.” Nick replied, getting his sword and slowly walking in.

“What…in all Infershia…just happened…?” Chip asked, looking over at his sword.

Back in the secluded alley in Briarwood, the fight raged on. As Estrangalan shot another bandage whip at Madison, she leaped high into the air to avoid it. She wordlessly controlled the water in the air and used it to propel herself higher than she could normally jump. “Jii Magi Majika! Trident Wave!” She then hurled her trident down to the ground, where it ensnared the bandage whip.

“You little bitch!” He shouted.

The Mermaid crystal glowed a dark blue, and a large wave of water was conjured from the water around the wand. It surged forward, poised to crush Estrangalan under its weight.

“So you think a touch of water’s going to kill me…?” He taunted, ripping the bandage off and jumping up to Madison’s height, completely avoiding the wave. He extended one last bandage, and Madison put up her arms to block it. The bandage whip went past the right side of her neck, then shot around and snared her left wrist. A few quick wraps around, and it tightened, sending Madison’s wrist and lower arm sailing into her throat. She gasped for air as Estrangalan dropped her to the ground.

“I suppose now you’d be willing to go peacefully?”

I won’t…give up… “Not in your life!”

“Oh dear, I’ve never been alive!” He replied, sending a shockwave of dark magic up the bandage whip and shocking Madison into unconsciousness. She was forcibly untransformed, and her armor exploded into a large puddle around her. Estrangalan began to draw the whip back when a large jet of water smacked him upside the head. “Who dares to strike me?” He cried out as he turned around.

A tall, lanky, black-robed figure wielding an ornate white staff with a lion’s head engraving stood behind him. The figure had a witch’s hat on which concealed their face, but it was clear that the figure was male.

“Let her go, or I will be forced to attack you again.” The Blue Magician said, pointing the end of the wand with the lion’s head at Estrangalan.

“Oh, I think I’ll be leaving with her, boy…sit down.” He wrapped a bandage whip around the Blue Magician’s staff and yanked him forwards, making his hat fly off. The Blue Magician stood up and revealed the face underneath the hat; Estrangalan gasped and flung the staff away. “You! You…you all…you’re supposed to be-”

“Gone? With scum like you around, how could I rest?” The Blue Magician replied, grabbing his wand and aiming the top at Estrangalan’s wrist. “Maji Maji Gojika!” He shouted, and from the wand a spinning blade of water shot forth, smashing into Estrangalan’s spare wristband and smashing it in two, forever disabling the bandage whips on his right side.

“You insolent…ugh!” A Dark Magic Circle opened up beneath him. “I will be back, and you’ll be next!” He sunk into the ground , pulling Madison down with her.

“Madison!” The Blue Magician shouted as he ran towards the Dark Magic Circle. It closed just as he reached the edge, and he collapsed to his knees. “I…I let you down…” He looked over at her trident and sighed, then he picked up his hat and dusted it off. “I won’t let you down, not this time.”

Back at Rootcore, Chip walked back into the main hall from the courtyard to find Nick lying down on the couch, all wrapped up once more. He wiped his bleeding nose on his sleeve as he walked over to Nick.

“You need something?” Nick asked Chip as he came close.

“Is there anything I can do…?”

“You really want a punishment, eh?” Nick said, opening an eye. “Okay then, fine.” Nick weakly sat up. “Since you think I’m such a horrible leader, your punishment is to make me better.”

“What…?” Chip was taken aback.

“I’ve been here, thinking about what you said, and yes, I’m a crappy leader. But I’m only crappy because I’m the new guy. You obviously know what we’re dealing with, and what we need to do to stop them. So your punishment for trying to kill me is to show me how to be the leader you think I should be; to teach me about these demons, to show me how to fight, and to make me the best leader a Red Magician should be. Got it?”

“I…I think.”

“Fine then. Everything’s settled.” Nick lied back down. “Now, go feel lucky that I’m in such a sedated mood today and go rest. I want you to meet me downstairs when you’re all rested up.”

“Oh…okay…” Chip replied, walking upstairs. He felt like Nick had gone insane, but he didn’t question any of it.

He walked upstairs and found Tsubasa sleeping next to Madison’s door. He picked Tsubasa up and sighed. “Uncle Charlie is a nutcase, Tsubasa, and so is Nick.” Tsubasa yawned and stretched as he woke up. He then crawled out of Chip’s arms and began to claw on Madison’s door.

“Fine, fine…” Chip said, opening Madison’s door while knocking. “Sorry if I’m inter…” He poked his head in to find that Madison wasn’t in her room. “…rupt…ing…huh.” Tsubasa walked in and crawled up on Madison’s bed. “C’mon, Tsubasa, off Maddie’s bed.” Tsubasa squawked angrily, then curled up on Madison’s pillow. “Tsubasa…” Chip sternly replied. “Uncle Charlie doesn’t feel good, and he doesn’t feel like dragging you off that bed…” Tsubasa squawked again and curled up tighter.

“Looks like somebody’s being a brat.” Clare commented as she walked down the spiral staircase from the third floor.

“Yeah, he’s being a brat. Maddie’s not even here, so he shouldn’t be in her room.”

“Madison’s still not here?” Clare asked in a confused tone. “She should be here by now. She said she was coming here for the night after she helped Xander clean up the garden…”

“I’ll call Vida and see if she decided to go home instead.” Chip replied.

“Hello?” Vida whispered.

“Hey Vid-”

“Could you talk softer? It’s kinda late, and my dad doesn’t like me getting calls this late at night…especially from guys…” Vida sounded nervous.

“Uh, sure.” Chip whispered.

“Thanks. Now what do you want?” Vida’s snippy tone didn’t seem to be affected by the volume of her voice.

“Did Madison go home, because we haven’t seen her…”

“Maddie’s not there yet? Maybe she stayed at Xander’s. She usually doesn’t try going home this late at night…I’ll ask Xander in the morning.”

“Why not now?”

“He doesn’t answer his calls around this time at night…I’m never sure what he’s up to, but it never involves having his wand nearby.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.” Chip replied.

“Well, let me know if she gets there, okay?”

“Are you talking to somebody, Vida?” A gruff voice called out.

“No Daddy! I’m just reading aloud! I’ll quiet down!” Vida replied in an unusually sweet and meek tone, which made Chip think Madison were talking instead of Vida. “Okay, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The connection closed out.

“So we wait.” Clare replied, walking downstairs.

“We wait.” Chip replied, walking over to Madison’s bed and lying down next to Tsubasa.

[Impy]

Absolutely loved it. Estragnonalonganongle is awesomely creepy.

[GreenNinja]

Very nice, Fran. These Interludes were a good idea.

[HydroFlyer2.0]

I've just finished the 1st Chapter, and I must say: oh my god, this is absolutely amazing. It is very, very well-written. I've always liked the magic theme in Magi, but I felt that it isn't all that grand in MF. However, you have done a magic theme RIGHT. I enjoyed this very much. Keep up the extraordinary work!

I'm off to read the 2nd Chapter!

[LadyZaria]

Chip didn't beat Nick...damn it...::snaps her fingers.:: But it is going to be amusing to see Chip "train" Nick to be a better magician and leader. Whoa! Anyway, I love this chapter too. All of this stuff is going on. It like wow...You get cookies!

Keep up the good work.

LadyZ

[DarkStarShadow]

Returning from the depths of Page Three, it's Heaven and Hell!

:hears a crowd of about five people cheering:

Thank you, thank you. Now again, no graphics, but then again, there's 34 pages of writing here for you kids to read, so...yeah. TABIDATTE!





Chapter Eight: The Old One-Two





It had only been four hours since Nick and Chip fought in the courtyard of Rootcore, and already they had decided upon meeting up again. This time, however, this meeting was friendly and peaceful.

Tsubasa walked around the field, chasing a firefly as the moon shone down on the two Magicians.

"Fine, where would you like to start?" Nick asked, transforming his cloak and street clothes into something that resembled his academy uniform without all of the regalia or the hat. Chip had changed out of his bloody clothes earlier, and into a pair of baggy dark denim jeans, a plain yellow teeshirt, a pair of rough leather boots, and a riding cape that swayed as he paced back and forth.

"Perhaps we should start at the basics." Chip said, turning his wand into a sword. "Sit." He pointed to the bench behind Nick, and Nick happily obliged. "Okay...where should I start?" Chip stood to face Nick, and he stared at him, trying to draw inspiration. "Well, first off, you certainly don't look the part of a real leader. You dress like an outsider; no Magician would respect a guy in that getup."

"This uniform is a respected uniform, I hate to tell ya."

"Not here. Stand up, I'll help you out." Chip waved his wand, and within moments, Nick's uniform was changed into a black leather uniform; a long-sleeved black tunic with a black leather chestplate, black leather belt, and leather epaulets replaced his coat and undershirt, a pair of laced-up black leather pants replaced his neat and pressed dress slacks, and his finely polished dress shoes had been replaced with black versions of Chip's boots.

"You've got to be kidding me." Nick replied.

"What? Any good leader would be more than happy to be wearing that on the field!" Chip replied.

"I'm not walking around Briarwood in this. You may be cool with it but..." Nick quickly changed into a plain red teeshirt and black lounge slacks with a pair of white sneakers. "I'm a bit more in tune with my fellow Magicians. You gotta remember that you're the only one out of the five of us that's from the other side of the forest. We're all pretty used to more informal stuff."

Chip looked down momentarily, quickly replacing his look of sorrow with one of understanding. "I'll keep that in mind." He sighed deeply, then continued onwards. "Alright, we'll skip the clothing for now. Now, if not for the looks, then a leader is best known for his attitude. I think you've got that down fine...for now."

"For now?"

"Well, we're just starting out. As we grow as a group, we need more discipline. Vigilance, constant vigilance!" Chip said, swinging his sword about. Nick laughed. "Wh-what? What are you laughing at?"

"You look so childish...you remind me of my sister's adopted kid..." Nick replied, laughing.

"Are you saying I'm childish?" Chip replied, getting hot under the collar.

"How old are you, Chip?"

"It shouldn't matter, but I turned eighteen a few months ago."

"Oh, so I was right. You're younger than me."

"How old are you?"

"I'll be twenty in a few days."

"How can you call me childish when you're not much older than me?"

"Age has nothing to do with maturity."

"You have no clue how mature I am." Chip's voice turned cold with the statement, sending a chill down Nick's spine.

"Fine. Can we just get on with this?" Nick replied, trying to avoid the subject.

"Of course." Tsubasa ran in-between the both of them, still chasing the same red firefly, squawking away. Chip waited until Tsubasa was about thirty feet away until he continued. "I suppose that if you've got the looks and the discipline, the only thing left is a bite to back up your bark."

"I can fight with magic, and I have a black belt in karate. Do I really need to know how to use a sword?"

"The sword is the traditional weapon of every leader to have ever led an army. To wield a sword in combat effectively speaks of your dedication to both your cause and your team. It is why I learned to properly fight with a sword, and it is why you must learn how to as well."

"Fine. We can do a few quick moves today, but nothing too much. Remember, I'm still sore."

"A true leader wouldn't care about restrictions." Chip said with a wink as Nick changed his wand into a sword. Nick took the first swing and tried to connect with a diagonal slash, but Chip quickly dodged it. "Wow, what was that?"

"I'm trying to hit you."

"You're swinging the sword all wrong. You're swinging it like a Stickball stick!" Chip drove the tip of his sword into the ground and walked over to Nick. "Here, your feet are in the wrong positions..." Chip kicked his feet into the proper positions while holding his shoulders down to steady him. "and you should only have one hand on the sword..." He then removed Nick's left hand from the sword. "and you swung at me wrong. You should try aiming for my sword arm first instead of my chest."

"Okay then, how should I swing, Mr. Expert?" Nick asked slyly.

"Don't mock me, or I won't help you."

"You have no choice. This is your punishment, remember?"

Chip frowned and glared for a moment, then looked down at Nick's arm. "Here, your arm is tilted wrong..."

Meanwhile, far away in a secluded place, Madison was slowly waking up. Her eyes immediately soaked up the candle light and began to focus on the few places where the light resided. In one of those places stood Estrangalan, staring at her with his dead eyes. The first thing Madison realized as she came into full consciousness was the fact that she was completely wrapped up in the bandage whips, which were then bound to the walls at various points.

"Welcome to my chamber, Blue Magician." Estrangalan said in his clear voice. "It will be the last place you will ever see." He laughed lightly and turned his back to her. "For now, relax and rest. Save your strength, for it will be fleeting as time passes, and soon you will be dead."

"Let me go." Madison replied.

"Oh, but I can't do that!" Estrangalan replied. "My Master would be disappointed if your life did not end within His realm!" He replied, spreading his arms out to illustrate the vastness of the Master's domain.

"Realm...? Where am I?"

"My dear, you are in Infershia! You are in my realm of existence, the Land of Eternal Torture. Many have been here, but only four have ever left breathing. Of course, they weren't breathing for long..." He cackled.

"Four...?" Madison asked weakly, trying to think. She was too hungry to do so, however.

"Dear, relax, death shall come to you slowly. For every moment that ticks away-" He pointed to an hourglass that was slowly pouring, grain by grain, "a bit of your life is drained away in my web. Once the sand runs out, so shall your life." He then walked up to Madison and smiled. Of course, she couldn't tell, as his mouth was wrapped up in leather, but she could tell that he was happy. "It's a pity, because there are very few women in Infershia...you would make a beautiful addition..." He ran a finger down her jawline seductively, causing her to writhe and cringe.

Estrangalan stepped back, seemingly depressed by Madison's reaction. "What's wrong, dear? Am I not dressed for the occasion?" Madison squirmed a bit, which gave Estrangalan the impression that he was correct. “What a horrible host I am, scaring my guest…”

“Guest?”

“Why yes, dear. You may be here to die, but I wouldn’t be so famous for such elaborately convenient death, now would I?” He laughed lightly. "If it would make you feel more at home, I can change my outer appearance to be more suitable and comforting to you…though I only have those I have…physically encountered…to choose from…I’m sure I’ll find a better form with which to calm you with…”

“You can dress in the finest sheep’s wool, but you’re still a wolf inside.”

“Harsh words, girl…but I shall still make an effort to please your senses…hm...which guise would make you comfortable…?" He stared at Madison questioningly for a few moments, then snapped his fingers on his right hand. The pain from the male Blue Magician's attack stung his wrist for a moment, and he cringed, but he shook it off. "Mmm, I know, I know which one...Uuza Megaro."

He stood at attention, then wrapped one arm around his waist and another to guard his face while his bandages expanded away from his body. After a few moments, the bandages disintegrated, leaving behind a human form. He may have been wearing prisoner’s rags now, but the face was all too familiar.

Madison gasped. “Chip…”

Estrangalan gave her a puzzled look. “Chip?” He asked, in a tone nearly matching Chip’s voice. “Is that his name…?”

“You don’t know his name…?”

Estrangalan summoned a chair with a Dark Magic Circle, then sat down in front of Madison. He looked all too comfortable in his borrowed form as he lounged, legs open, sprawled out like he owned the place. “My dear, there’s much I don’t know…would you care to enlighten me?”

Back at Rootcore, the night had engulfed the forest, and the best lights for the night were the fireflies. Nick and Chip took advantage of the ¾ moon and decided to not start any fires or use any magic lights. Tsubasa flapped his wings gently, mimicking the bugs that flew around him, as Nick and Chip continued to spar.

“Nice job, Nick!” Chip commented as Nick successfully knocked the sword from Chip’s hand. “Now, what would you do while I’m momentarily stunned?”

“Hm, I could go for an elbow lock, a jab to the back, or a returning cut to the abdomen.”

“Which one will you choose?”

“The easiest one, the jab to the back!”

“No! Elbow lock, so that I can’t pick up the sword.”

“Oh, yeah…”

“So, hit me for the elbow lock, but don’t deliver it so that you actually lock my elbow…”

“Okay…” Nick slammed the hilt of his sword into the back of Chip’s elbow, causing Chip to wince and flinch.

“A bit too hard for practice…” Chip replied.

“Oh, head slam!” Nick replied, slamming the hilt into the back of Chip’s head, which dropped him to the ground with a thud.

“Perhaps you need a break…” Chip muttered painfully.

“Maybe I do…” Nick said, changing his sword back into a wand and helping Chip up.

“C’mon, Tsubasa…inside.” Chip said as Nick helped him back inside.

After a few minutes of healing up, Chip stepped in front of Nick.

“Need something?” Nick asked, putting his alchemy book down.

“Well…I have a request.”

“What kind?”

“I…I would like for you to…teach me how you fight…”

“You mean teach you a little hand-to-hand work?”

“Yeah.”

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt to teach you a bit…I mean, this team of ours is only as strong as the weakest link…and I’d hate for you to be that link…”

Back in Infershia, Estrangalan was happy to hear the news Madison had given him.

“So, my favorite little prisoner is alive and well, and he’s part of your Magician crew? This makes me delighted to hear…I had grown depressed knowing he was dead by a Magician’s hand…now I get a second chance…” He laughed.

“He’s a lot stronger than I am…you won’t hurt him…”

“Oh, hurting him isn’t what I want…I must break him.” Estrangalan smiled. “He’s the only one I’ve never broken…it hurt me to think that I never got the chance…”

“How can you say you’re all pleasant and humane if you enjoy torturing poor people like Chip?”

“I never said I didn’t enjoy my victim’s suffering, I just said I hate any unnecessary suffering.”

“I see…” Madison replied. She sighed as her stomach growled.

“Are…are you hungry?” Estrangalan asked, sitting up.

“A little…I missed dinner.”

“Oh, you poor dear! You must eat!” He snapped his fingers, causing a Dark Magic Circle to appear next to him. “Arise, my dear!”

Morrigan appeared from the circle, and Estrangalan stared at her. “You aren’t Vankyuria.”

“Mistress Vankyuria sent me, Master Estrangalan.” Morrigan replied with a bow, letting the wings on her Vankyuria costume float about.

“And what shall I call you, you worthless servant?”

“My Mistress calls me Morrigan, and it is what I answer to, Master.”

“Good. Then Morrigan, make this girl a fine banquet. She is to dine until the seams nearly burst from her sides.”

Morrigan looked at Madison, then back at Estrangalan. “The Yellow Magician’s pet? Why are we keeping her here?”

“She is the Master’s victim, as desired by his minions. And you are my minion, as you are my trusted friend’s servant, and you will not question my orders.”

“Yes, Master.” She pointed at the floor. “Uuza Mejira.” The Dark Magic Circle opened up below her, and she sank down into it. As it closed up behind her, Estrangalan got up and walked over to Madison.

“It seems as though we have new help around here…you can join her whenever you want…” He grabbed her hand gently, and a shiver ran up Madison’s spine due to the coldness of his touch. “Of course…you could work for me…Vankyuria is not the only one permitted to have servants…”

“You can take your offer elsewhere.” Madison replied.

“Suit yourself, dear.” He tossed her hand away. “Now tell me,” He said as he turned his back on Madison. “I am a creature of stories. I love a good tale. I want to know some things about you…what you know about my favorite little subject…my dear little, unbroken Chip…”

“Why should I?”

“Because I could easily break that hourglass and kill you now.”

Madison sighed and looked down. “Fine…what do you want to know?”

“All that you know…not just that he’s alive…but every little detail. I want to know how he’s doing outside my realm…”

Back at Rootcore, Chip had ditched his cape while fist fighting Nick. Nick threw a strong cross shot at Chip, and Chip blocked it by throwing up his arms in a cover-up position, shifting around the blow and deflecting most of the blow’s power.

“Nice block!” Nick commented. “Record time for learning, I gotta say. Only an hour and a half, and you’ve gotten a bit of reflex going…” Nick nodded happily as Chip dropped his guard. “Now, time for you to do a little offense. I want you to spring the old one-two on me once you determine that I’m open, got it?”

“Right.” Chip replied. Nick then got into a bounce, and Chip started watching Nick bob and weave, looking for the right time to strike.

Nick took a wrong step to the left, and Chip saw his chance. He unloaded a jab at Nick, which Nick dodged, and then Chip threw an unusually heavy cross, catching Nick in the face just as he leaned back. Nick stumbled back a bit and spit a bit before looking up and smiling. “Nice one, but can you handle it if I’m fighting back?”

“Huh?” Before Chip realized what was going on, Nick had thrown a right hook at him, which connected with Chip’s jaw. Chip spun about, and almost didn’t catch his footing. “Whoa, wait!” Chip threw up his guard and began to slip by the next few jabs. However, his guard quickly dropped as Tsubasa shrieked from inside, and Nick caught him with a jab to the stomach, followed by an uppercut.

“I’m disappointed.” Nick replied as Chip fell on his back. “You can’t let outside things distract ya. However, you did well. I’m done for the night; you should hit the hay too.”

“Okay.” Chip replied as he got up.

“Tomorrow, it’s back to sword lessons for us, got it?”

“Got it.” Tsubasa shrieked again. “I’m coming!” Chip shouted as he grabbed his cape and ran in.

“That bird’s got him whipped…” Nick muttered to himself.

Back down in Infershia, Estrangalan was upset by the news Madison had given him. “So he has given all of you the silent treatment as well…? This is sad to know…”

“I’m glad to know he does it all along the board…” Madison replied, only half-heartedly meaning what she said.

“I guess he isn’t adjusting to the mortal realm…he’s still here…how disheartening…” He looked up at Madison. “I suppose I really did break him, in a sense…”

A Dark Magic Circle opened up next to Estrangalan, and Morrigan arrived with a basket of fruits.

“This is a meal?” He asked her, pointing at the basket.

“Mistress Vankyuria has confided in me that this girl is a vegetarian; is my Mistress right?”

“She is.” Madison replied.

“I guessed that you’d be hungry for fruits, but I could easily get some vegetables if you wish…”

“No, fruits are fine…”

“Good!” Estrangalan said, clasping his hands and smiling. Madison found the smile to be awkward, as she had never seen Chip with a truly happy smile plastered on his face. Estrangalan then turned to face Morrigan. “Now, feed the poor guest.”

“…Feed…her…?” Morrigan asked, disgusted. “I’m not her servant!”

Estrangalan backhanded Morrigan with a glare on his face. “You are MY SERVANT as long as you are here, you peon! When I tell you to feed our guest, you are to FEED HER!”

Morrigan stood crouched, holding her cheek. He had left a small spider web of cracks at the point of impact that couldn’t be fixed. She looked up and showed off her damage, and Madison stared.

“It’s…a mask?”

Morrigan walked up to Madison in an abhorrent manner and took an apple from the basket.

“Here, eat.” Morrigan harshly muttered, nearly stuffing the apple into her mouth.

“You wear a mask…?” Madison asked after she chewed the first bite of apple.

“Yes, I took a great deal of time to make this mask…it’s cracked now…” She whimpered while feeding Madison another bite of the apple.

“Why do you wear it…?” Madison asked, taking a few bites.

“I bear my mistress’s likeness because my face means nothing, and hers means everything.”

“So your life is meaningless…?” Madison said, taking a big bite.

“My life is to serve my mistress.”

“What a boring life…” Madison said as she finished off the apple.

“My life is fulfilling…it is not always filled with adventures, but it is filled with the joy that my mistress is happy with my devoted work.” She reached back in the basket. “Are you still hungry?” She asked flatly.

“A little.”

“Want a pear this time?” Morrigan asked in the same flat tone.

“Sure.” As Morrigan reached down into the basket, Madison noticed a shimmer of gold. “Nice chain. It looks hand-crafted.”

“It belongs to a corpse.” She replied. “It had no use for it anyways.”

“It must have meant a lot to them. It should have been buried with the body.”

“There was nothing left to bury.” Morrigan snippingly replied, offering up the pear.

“I see…” Madison replied, taking a bite of the pear.

“Miss Blue, if you’d like, I would like to give you a beautiful tale of your dear silent friend that brings me joy while you dine.”

“I guess.” Madison replied.

“Then tell I shall.” Estrangalan sat down in his chair, once more sprawled out along it, and grinned. “The one you call Chip Thorn came into my presence many years ago…six years, I believe…” Morrigan sighed happily at the line. “He was but a boy, but his courage and determination to prevent the suffering of others is much more than any of the others with him combined. I sometimes wondered if the boy existed only on magic alone…” Estrangalan pensively looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if conjuring up memories, then looked back over at Madison.

“He was still so young, but he had an iron will. He would not even give his name, and all the information Vankyuria and I got about him came from the three who were with him.”

“His parents and his sister.” Madison replied.

“Yes, them. They were, though, almost as hard to break as little Chip. Oh, but they fell after a few months of starvation and torture…” Morrigan laughed softly at his remark. “The only time I came close to breaking him was when I assumed the form of his sister…”

“Oh, this story must be good…” Morrigan said, stopping from her feeding of Madison just as Madison lurched out for a bite. “Do go into detail, please.”

“Oh, I wanted to anyways. It’s such a great tale!” Estrangalan replied, his voice suddenly elevating with joy. “Oh, it was about a year ago, yes…on his birthday, I remember his sister saying something about how she wanted to give him a gift…she had made him this…trinket…I believe it was a small trinket of sorts…I forget. But anyways, I stole it from her, and wrapped it up ever so delicately. Then, I decided upon visiting him myself while they were being tortured that day…I postponed his daily torture until later in the day…I believe it was a day where he gave up on his fasting…yes, it was, because I brought him an apple as well…”

“You’d think he’d be rail thin with all that fasting…you’d think he’d be tinier than Ghandi!”

“Ha, Ghandi…a fool, he was. He made his own robes, though. Very honorable life, but a wasted one…” Estrangalan laughed softly, then continued with his story.

“Yes, it was a moment I would not care to forget. I had never seen a smile pass his lips, not one flicker of his voice, but as soon as he saw me in the guise of his sister, his eyes lit up like bright sparks, and this overwhelming joy seemed to course through him. Vankyuria was watching from the shadows, and she told me that it was a warming sight. Vankyuria seems to revel in joyful moments once in a while, doesn’t she Morrigan?”

“She is a creature who enjoys a cheerful moment every once in a while. Vampires are not full demons, of course…”

“Indeed. Ah, but the moment. He embraced me tightly and called out her name. ‘Icaryia, you’re okay.’, he said. His voice was so soft from disuse, but it was filled with this strength he hadn’t shown before…it was an interesting moment.” Morrigan was looking away as he spoke, as if she were in her own train of thought.

“So you enjoyed it…?” Madison asked as she swallowed down yet another bite of pear.

“Oh, I enjoyed drawing and quartering the smile straight out of him more while he refused to give us any information much more than giving him the smile. I just find it to be one of those unforgettable moments.”

“I see.” Madison said as she finished off the pair. Morrigan went to fish out a bundle of grapes, but Madison spoke up. “I’m not hungry anymore.”

“So soon?”

Madison glared at Estrangalan. “I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, dear…” Estrangalan snapped the fingers on his left hand, which summoned the bandages around Madison to tighten. “Maybe perhaps sleeping would be better for you…?” Madison winced, and Morrigan saw it as her cue to leave. Estrangalan grabbed her by the arm. “Your earlier insolence will pass by Vankyuria’s ears, I assure you.”

“And what will she do about it? Get rid of me? I doubt it.” Morrigan replied, huffing and opening up a Dark Magic Circle beneath her to leave.

The sun wasn’t even up yet in the Rocca cottage when Vida’s door flung open. Vida shot out of bed, finding that she crashed while still in yesterday’s clothes.

“Where is Madison?” Mr. Rocca shouted.

“Hey daddy…” Vida said, rubbing her eyes and yawning, before stretching.

“Where is your sister?” He shouted once more, obviously suffering from a hangover.

“Madison…she said she was gonna be over at Xander’s house…he’s not up, but I could go over there and check up on her…”

“Get to it!”

“After a shower, please?”

“Now!”

“Yes, daddy…” Vida replied sleepily, magically changing her clothes and grabbing her broom, nearly tripping over various books and bottles as she made her way out.

She got nearly thirty feet in the air and thirty feet away from the house before she even considered calling Xander. She knew he was never up this early, but she had to try.

“Xander…? Xander…?”

Xander’s eyes weakly opened to a sea of black, as he realized that he had fallen asleep reading in the backyard again. He went to pull his shirt off, since he was baking on the marble plates below him, only to find that he had already done so. “Step One’s already done…” He muttered as he sat up, yawned, stretched, and let his herbology book fall into his lap. His wand sat next to him, and he picked it up, as he ruffled his hair a bit.

“Hey Vi…it’s really early in the morning…”

“I’m sorry, I know…is Maddie still there?”

“Nope, she left for Rootcore last night. Why, hasn’t she called you?”

“No…”

“That’s unlike her. I was gonna take her and everything, but she insisted against that, too…” Xander replied in an unusually concerned tone.

“Something’s not right.” Vida replied.

“I’ll call Clare. You try the bakery…you know how she likes to tidy up before the shop officially opens…”

“Got it.” Vida said, cutting off the call and sailing upwards towards the clouds.

Vida flew down to the store to find it empty. “Maddie…where are you…?” She said, fidgeting with the broom. Suddenly, an arrow flew through the air and struck her broom up near the top, just centimeters above her fingers.

“What the…?” Vida looked to see the fluttering of a cape diving into the alleyway a few buildings away. “…Chip?” Vida muttered as she snapped the arrow in two before mounting and zooming off towards the alley.

She followed the fluttering cape for nearly three whole minutes until the cape seemed to disappear along with its owner. “Hello…?” Vida called out as she stopped and touched down.

She saw the cape once more, and saw that there was a cloud embroidered on the cape, just like Esen’s blanket. “Esen?” Vida said as she followed the blanket-cape once more. A turn around the bend revealed Esen and Taliesin standing with their backs turned to Vida. Taliesin quickly wrapped his bow around his body, and Esen began to untie her cape.

“Esen…? What’s goi-” Esen pulled Taliesin close, then whipped her blanket around the both of them, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished. “Huh…?” Vida looked ahead of where they stood, and they had been standing in front of Madison’s trident. “Maddie…” Vida ran over to the trident and pulled it out of the ground, bandage whip piece and all. “Maddie…” Vida repeated as she teared up.

“I wonder if he’ll give us a cookie now…” Esen commented from the rooftop above.

“I worry less about the cookie, and more about her sister.” Taliesin replied, walking away.

“Wait for me!” Esen replied.

Xander arrived at Rootcore as the sun rose. Chip was up and running already, brewing a potion while reading from the beginner’s potion book next to him. Nick was swinging his sword about as Chip had taught him the night before, and Clare was polishing Udonna’s Snow Staff mindlessly, looking like she was somewhere else in thought.

“Is Madison here?” Xander ran in asking.

Chip looked up while still stirring, and gave him a look. “I thought she was at your house still.”

“I thought she was going home.” Nick added, throwing in a sharp jab that pierced through an apple in the fruit bowl nearby, which he brought up to take a bite out of.

“I saw her in a dream…” Clare softly replied in monotone, not stopping from her current task. “She drowned.”

“In real life?” Xander asked, shocked.

“No, but I don’t think she’s safe, at the very least.” She replied in the same tone.

“Well, try calling her.” Nick replied.

“Yeah,” Chip added. “didn’t you think of that before?”

“No…” Xander replied, feeling quite sheepish.

“GUYS!” Vida shouted, flying in with Madison’s trident tightly in her grasp and tears streaming down her face. She expertly stopped on a dime and fell off her broom, collapsing in a tearful heap. “Guys…she’s gone…”

“What happened?” Nick said, changing his sword back into a wand was walking over to her. Xander followed Nick over to her side and helped Vida to her seat at the table.

“I went to the bakery, and Esen and her little archer friend led me on this wild goose chase…”

“You’ve met Esen and Taliesin?” Xander asked.

“They led you to Madison’s trident?” Nick asked as well.

“Yes, and yes. Well, Taliesin, not formally…but he shot an arrow into my broom, so he’s not on my good list.”

Chip looked down at his Archer Brace, then abandoned his potion to walk over to Vida. As soon as he saw the bandage piece on the trident, he panicked. “What’s that?” Chip said, pulling the bandage away from the trident.

“It was there when I picked it up…”

Chip looked it over, fear rising within him. “Where was the trident?”

“In a back alley Maddie and I used to take when we were little…why?”

“Were there any more of these bandages?” Chip replied, disregarding Vida’s response.

“No…but the area was really wet…” Vida weakly laughed. “At least she put up a fight…”

“I have a bad feeling about this…” Nick said, sounding almost completely unsurprised.

“You should, Nick…” Chip said. “I know who she fought…and if she’s still in his grasp, she’ll have a hard time getting out…she may not have much time…” He bent down and stood face to face with Vida. “I want you to show me where you found this. If we’re going to find Madison, we have to work fast.”

“For her sake, let’s go.” Vida got up and wiped her tears away, walking back over to her broom as Chip walked over to grab his own broom.

As they flew off, Vida looked back at Chip with a glare in her bloodshot and watery eyes. “I hope you know that I still fucking hate you.”

“This isn’t about friendship, it’s about cooperation.” Chip replied coldly. “Madison is part of our group, and we can’t afford to lose another team member. Not so soon, at least.” Vida zoomed ahead to avoid beating him senseless.

It took them nearly twenty minutes to arrive at the alley, and Chip immediately noticed how wet things seemed to be. He pressed his hand against a waterlogged wall for a moment as Vida circled around, hoping to find more clues.

“This wall, given the rock type, and how wet it still is….I’d say the fight happened about twelve or thirteen hours ago. As I said before, she doesn’t have much time if I’m right…”

“How much time does she have left?” Vida asked.

“I’m not sure…but it can’t be long…” Chip’s voice was filled with despair. He looked at Vida, and Vida could tell that he had gone pale, that he was terrified. “Go back to Rootcore. I’m going to search around a bit for leads, okay?”

“But Madis-”

“Madison doesn’t have the time for us to bicker! I know what I’m doing, you don’t. I know this demon, you don’t. You’re safer in Rootcore right now…I don’t think he’s gonna be satisfied having just one of us.”

“What about you then?”

“I’ll be fine. Like I said, I know this demon. I know his tricks, I know his moves, I know his game. If anybody’s safe wandering around here with the demon running about, it’s me.” Chip smiled weakly, but his fear was still prevalent. “Now go.”

“Fine, but I want an update.”

“You’ll get it, trust me.” With those words, Vida flew off back to Rootcore. “If I live long enough to give one…”

Vida arrived back at Rootcore twenty minutes later to find Xander and Nick listening to Clare read out of a book.

“What’s so interesting?” Vida asked, setting her broom against the archway leading out to the forest.

“Clare got interested in the demon Chip was talking about…this sounds like one tough demon…” Xander replied.

“If I’m right…then this demon is dangerous…” Clare replied, turning the book around to show a picture of a mummy-like demon. “His name is Estrangalan, and he is a zombie demon of Infershia. He delights in the suffering of humans, because they once delighted in his own suffering.

“Thousands of years ago, he was a priest for Chronojiel’s temple, and he slipped into insanity and began worshipping Chronojiel using Dark Magic rituals. The people in the nearby town feared him, so they wrapped him up and buried him alive. The Dark Magic overtook him, and he gave his life to serving the Master, transforming his body into a mass of living cloth bandages with a hunger for flesh and blood. He destroyed the town and was sent down to Infershia by the Saints themselves.

“During the last Great War, the Five Magicians managed to seal his mouth with heavy leather straps that he could not open to keep him from devouring any more of their allies in combat.”

“Ew, gross.”

“What other information do we have on this guy?” Nick asked, suddenly shifting into detective mode.

“Well, as I said, he likes to see humans suffer, so he became a master of torture over the thousands of years he’s existed. He can make the bandages he’s made of expand and wrap around his enemies, and he uses them to torture his victims until they’re dead.”

“How long does it take for him to kill his victims, typically?”

“The fastest time the writer of this book believes that it took less than a day for him to actually kill somebody, but he could drag the process out over years if he chose.”

“So Madison could either be dead in a few hours, or a few years. That’s not comforting at all.” Nick said, crossing his arms.

“We can’t rely on the thought that it’ll be the latter. We have to find a way to find her, and soon.” Xander replied.

“Agreed.” Nick said. “Is there any way to enter his residence?”

“Only one: A Dark Magic Circle.”

Vida, Xander, and Nick all looked at each other. Nick then spoke up.

“Do you think Chip knows this? I mean, if he’s out looking for Maddie, do you think that’d be obvious to him to look for one?”

“I’m sure he does, unfortunately.” Clare replied with a sigh.

“Unfortunately…?”

Clare sighed and slammed the book shut. “It’s not my place to speak further on that matter.” She sighed. “Besides, it’s not like you can just find a Dark Magic Circle. You’d have to make one.”

“Do you know how we can make a Dark Magic Circle?” Nick asked, breaking the train of thoughts. Xander, Clare, and Vida all glared at him. “What?”

“Dark Magic is something none of us want to use, Nick. Dark Magic…it eats away at you. It’s not worth performing, nor is it worth risking your sanity over.”

“We can’t just sit around and wait for Maddie’s time to be up!” Vida shouted. “We have to…we have to make a Dark Magic Circle and get to Maddie! We can’t just let her die!”

“We should wait for somebody to open one up, then use theirs.” Clare said harshly, attempting to take command.

“Then we hover around and wait.” Nick said as he walked out to get his broom. Xander and Vida followed his lead, leaving Clare alone in Rootcore. She sighed and sat her book down, then walked over to the crystal ball. “Please Charlie…please be okay…”

Chip approached an open field and stared out onto the giant Dark Magic Circle that was carved into the field.

“Six years, and it’s still here…” He muttered, thinking back.

“Don’t worry, little brother! My lead said that this field is the end of the trip!”

“We’ll crush this little camp, won’t we?”

The two hippogryphs squawked at their riders in a pleasant tone as they raced through the forest.

“They won’t know what hit them, Ica!”

The open field was empty as they arrived, and the hippogryphs stopped running. “Where are they all, sis…?”

“They’re supposed to be here…” The girl on the other hippogryph looked down. “Hey, the ground…what do you suppose those markings are…?”

“They’re familiar…” The ground lit up in shades of purple, and the hippogryphs reared, tossing their riders. Their efforts were in vain, for as soon as the outer wall of the Dark Magic Circle rose up, it became a barrier, which the two riders bounced off of and were sent sailing back towards the middle.

“Welcome to Infershia…” A voice called out from behind them. The youngest rider looked back to find Estrangalan behind them…

Chip clenched his fist as he marched into the center of the Dark Magic Circle. “I won’t let it happen again…” He took out his wand and pointed the garuda crystal downwards. “Now…the spell…” Chip thought of Wolzard’s spell long and hard, then sighed. “Okay…Uuza Ujira.”

Vida, Nick, and Xander flew slowly around the town, trying to look for Dark Magic Circles, but their efforts were in vain.

“Clare, there hasn’t been an attack all day! Can’t we come back?” Xander whined to Clare.

“We can’t give up!” Clare shouted. “Make no mistake guys, we are in danger of losing one of our own…again!” Clare sighed. A momentary pause, then Clare started up again. “…has anybody tried getting a hold of Charlie?”

“He hasn’t sent anything back…we just called him about five minutes ago…”

“Whoa, holy crap!” Clare screamed as she ran over to the crystal ball. “The crystal ball just picked up a spike in dark magic…it’s due east from your location!” Vida, Xander, and Nick looked to their left and saw a dark light shooting up from a clearing in the forest.

“We’re going!” The trio forced their brooms to go as fast as they could, but Xander lagged behind quickly. Nick stopped to let Xander catch up.

“You need a lift, slowpoke?” Nick joked.

“Hey, my broom’s only slow because I bring Maddie around, and if there’s anything she fears more than a broom, it’s a fast broom.”

“Well, hop on, cuz we ain’t got the time to wait for ya.” Xander jumped in the back seat of Nick’s broom and grabbed his broom before Nick caught back up with Vida.

Unfortunately, by the time they arrived the Dark Magic Circle had fallen quiet, and their lead was lost.

“DAMMIT!” Vida shouted, slamming her fist on the ground.

“This is my fault…” Xander replied.

“No, it’s nobody’s fault.” Nick replied. He looked to his side and spotted a broom leaning against a tree. “Hey guys…” He said, walking over to the broom. “This look familiar?”

“That’s Chip’s broom.” Vida replied. “Do you guys think…?”

“Chip’s not that stupid.” Nick replied. “He may be desperate, but I don’t think he’s that desperate.”

“You were that desperate.” Vida replied coldly. Nick looked down feeling a bit shameful; she was right.

Xander chimed in suddenly from his kneeling position on the ground. “I think we may be in luck, you two.”

“Why’s that?” Nick replied.

“This Dark Circle looks permanently etched…” Xander said, running his hand over the surface of one of the symbols.

“So all we’d need to do is activate it?” Nick replied.

“I suppose…” Xander replied.

“Oh hell no. We’re not using Dark Magic. I don’t care anymore.” Vida replied harshly.

“Not even for Maddie…?” Xander asked in a shocked tone. He had never heard Vida talk about forsaking Madison before; the three of them had always stuck together.

“I know that there has to be another way in and out of Infershia without using Dark Magic.” Vida replied, freaking out.

“Maybe there’s a way to open this portal with our own magic…” Xander tried reasoning with her.

“There isn’t, Xander…” Nick replied in an equally shocked tone. Vida seemed to be Madison’s bodyguard in Nick’s eyes, and for her to abandon Madison like she was seemed entirely out of character. “This is the only way…”

“I won’t become a slave to the Darkness to save her!” Vida shouted, throwing a small fit while she began to cry. “You can go do it Nick, but I won’t. People who use Dark Magic to save others will only find themselves hurting everyone and everything around them. It’s all-consuming.” Vida continued to cry silently, and the tears ran down her face. “You do a little Dark Magic spell just once, and you think that you won’t do it again. But then you do it again. The next time, the spell’s a little darker, but you figure, ‘hey, the first two times didn’t hurt…’, so you do it. And the next spell requires an outer sacrifice, and you do it because it’s just a little more than last time. So you give in, and then it’s more the next time, until you’re consumed by Darkness, living in shadows.”

“You speak from experience…?” Nick asked.

“It was my sister.” Xander replied weakly, his head hung down in an attempt to hide his own tears.

“My old friend.” Vida added. “I won’t let it happen to anybody else, especially if I can stop them. You, if you wanna throw your life away, be my guest.”

“Oh, I’d be glad to be of service, Pink Witch.” Wolzard said from behind them. The trio transformed precisely as the Wolf Blasts slammed into them, preventing them from taking a good portion of the damage. However, they were knocked back into the center of the Dark Circle. “You want a way in…? I’ll send you in!”

“NO!!!!!” They shouted, trying to scramble out of the Dark Circle.

“Uuza Douza Ujira!” Wolzard said as he walked into the Dark Circle, and it drew everybody down into it before sealing back up.

All had been silent for several hours, and Chip had been attempting to recover from his hyperextension of his magic.

“Ugh…” Chip moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. His internal organs shivered as his body tried to adjust to the drastic drop in temperature. His hand languidly unwrapped from his wand and began to quake mildly as the blood rushed back into it. His body didn’t want to move; he felt like the life had been sucked out of him.

“Never…never do…that…not again…” Chip mumbled, drool oozing out of his mouth like molasses as he attempted to form a coherent sentence to himself. His wand hand desperately clenched onto his wand again, hoping to draw some sort of regenerating force from it.

“Po…potion…need…pocket…c’mon…” Chip reached down torpidly into his pocket, where he had placed a spray bottle filled with a splash-impact reviving potion. He sprayed a bit into his palm, and it revived most of his hand. He then began reviving his arm, then the rest of his body. After nearly two minutes, Chip had healed himself enough to get up and move about.

“Amazing what I can make with a bit of patience, and a bit of help from one of Vida’s books.” Chip joked to himself. Chip slowly made note of his surroundings; he knew he wasn’t far from Estrangalan’s main chamber, if he remembered correctly. He made a mental note that aiming the teleport was as important as opening it, in this case. He took a few deep breaths to make sure he was prepared, then walked out into the maze of hallways.

Chip had a wonderful idea on how to find Madison. He took out his wand, pointing the garuda crystal at the ground. He closed his eyes and imagined Madison’s mermaid crystal, then spoke. “Leiten Lux.” Down the hallway, a bright blue light shined, making Chip smile. “Here I come…” Chip said, running down the hallway towards the light.

Meanwhile, in another section of Infershia, Nick, Vida, and Xander slowly woke up, finding that they were still morphed, yet unarmed, in a jail cell inside Wolzard’s Lair.

“Great…” Vida griped. “We’re weaponless and screwed.”

“Well, we tried.” Nick said, throwing his arms up in the air. “At least now I know what it’s like to be behind bars…” He sighed.

“Are you planning to give up?” A voice from afar spoke up.

“Who’s there?” Nick asked, sitting up and crossing his legs. The area they were in was dark, and they couldn’t see the other cells, let alone the person that was talking to them.

“Don’t any of you still retain your courage…?” The voice replied.

“I’m courageous!” Vida replied, lunging out at the iron bars.

“There’s three of you; haven’t any of you tried escaping?”

“We just woke up…” Xander replied, trying to scratch the back of his head. However, his helmet prevented him from doing so.

“Well, you can’t give up now, can you? You appear to be the Mystic Warriors of Legend, yet you’re giving up?”

“You’re right!” Xander replied. “But…we don’t have any weapons.”

“A Magician is a weapon on their own.”

“Hmmm…” Xander mused. “Majiine.” Xander’s suit shattered and scattered about in thousands of bright lights resembling leaf-shaped fireflies.

“Hey, what’d you do that for?” Vida asked.

“Well, our ability to use regular magic is stunted by our uniforms. We can only have spells that correspond to the ten Ancient Words.”

“How’d you figure that one out?” Nick asked, turning around.

“Trust me, I tried.” He replied flatly.

“So, what’s your plan?” Vida asked.

“Well, we’re surrounded by rock, aren’t we? This is my element! I could do pretty much anything here!” Xander rubbed his palms together like a greedy kid in a candy store. “Now…if I could remember the spell, I could find out where our wands are by using our surroundings to our advantage.” Xander took a deep breath, pondering the spell he had in mind. “Okay…hm…” Xander closed his eyes and set his hands open against the floor, palms down. “Okay…Mignynai Rocca!” The spell didn’t seem to have any effect until a second later, when a quarter inch of both Xander’s hands and legs sunk into the ground below him. He panicked, stopping himself from sinking farther in. “Okay, that wasn’t the right spell…”

“Nice going, Xander. Now you’re stuck in the floor.” Vida scolded.

“Hey! Like you’ve never made a mistake before!”

“At least I never stuck myself partially into the floor!”

“Hey, leave him be.” Nick said, holding a hand up to Vida’s helmet. “Let him try and get the spell right.”

“Yeah, back off.” Xander snapped. “Okay, I think I have the spell right this time.” Xander closed his eyes once more and concentrated on the mental image of his, Nick’s, and Vida’s wands. “Ferren Rocca.” A rumbling was heard from close by, then the ground in front of Xander bubbled up and opened, revealing the three wands.

“Wow!” Vida said, placing her hands against her helmet in shock.

“Awesome!” Nick said, giving Xander a thumb’s up.

“Take your wands and look around, guys. I’ll…get myself out of this somehow.” Nick and Vida nodded, grabbed their wands, and left after Nick alchemed the rock bars into a malleable rubber. Unfortunately, the bars changed back as soon as Nick got out of range.

“Now…” Xander sighed. “how to reverse this spell…” He began to think long and hard about the reversal. “Hrm…let’s try this one…Endosmos Rocca!” As soon as the words passed his lips, the rock around him seemed to come alive, creeping up his arms at a rapid pace. “Okay, that’s not right either…oh, bother.”

Nai and Mae were walking happily around Wolzard’s wing of Infershia, humming a tune, when they heard Xander panicking. He was truly terrified; they could smell the sweat dripping off him, the blood rushing through his veins.

“Wolzard has a new pet?” Nai questioned, making her way to the cell where Xander was.

“New pet?” Mae mimicked. Nai and Mae had to hold back their laughter as they saw the sight within the cell; Xander was in a kneeling position, hunched over with his back facing the ceiling, with the rock around him covering all but a small portion of his back and all of his neck and head.

“Oh, it’s really funny, isn’t it?” Xander replied as the rock claimed the rest of his back.

“Yes!” Nai and Mae laughed.

“Oh!” He said as the rock spread upwards. “Endosmos Nix!” The rock stopped just as the spell had finished enveloping his neck. Unfortunately, it hadn’t dropped the spell entirely, and he was still stuck in the ground.

“Now you’re just stuck there, aren’t you?” Nai taunted.

“Aren’t you?”

“Bugger off, woncha?” Xander found it unusual that he could still talk, despite his throat being entirely encased in rock. He got a brilliant idea, and he grinned.

“A tough talker, even when between a rock and a hard place…” Nai commented.

“More like inside a rock!” Mae joked. The two then laughed.

“Endosmos Rocca…” Xander whispered, letting the spell finish as he closed his eyes. After a moment, his body grew cold, and he opened his eyes. “Mignynai Nix.” His body became expelled from the ground, and he stood up, completely engulfed in a flexible body cast of rock.

“Oh, a trick…” Nai said in an impressed tone.

“Strong as a rock…” Mae replied in the same tone. She then flashed Nai an impressed look, which Nai mimicked.

“So, where do you think you’ll go now?” Nai said, standing with her hands on her hips.

“Where will you go?” Mae said.

“Wherever I want.” Xander said, grabbing his wand. “Ferren Rocca.” He quickly sank into the ground, disappearing entirely.

“Oh no!” Nai and Mae shouted, grabbing the cell bars as if to make sure they weren’t looking at an illusion.

“Where’d he go?” Nai asked in a worried tone.

“Looking for me?” Xander said, tapping Mae on the shoulder.

“Ack!” Mae shouted, turning around.

“How’d you do that, Midori no Mahoutsukai?” Nai asked.

“How?” Mae mirrored.

“Magic, my lovely ladies. Magic.” He then embraced them both tightly, much to their chagrin, and he ran off to find Nick and Vida.

“He touched me.” Nai commented, repulsed.

“Touched my pai-pais. Hentai.” Mae replied in an equally repulsed tone as she brushed her chest off.

Chip followed the light emitting from Madison’s wand until he found the opening in the wall from which the light was coming from. He walked in and found Madison weakly sitting on a stool, her glowing wand in hand. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and smiled.

Chip’s heart nearly skipped a beat and his eyes lit up in joy to find that she was practically unharmed, and he gasped for breath as he walked over and picked her up, giving her a bear hug. “You’re okay…” Chip replied, turning the spell that illuminated Madison’s wand off.

“I’m glad to see you too…” Madison replied flatly. It’s like before…

“Come on, let’s go.” Chip said, letting go of Madison. She feels unusually soft…

Wait…“How did you get here? How did you find me…?”

“It doesn’t matter, let’s just go.”

“I say we stay…” Madison replied, grabbing Chip’s wrist. “I say we make the most of this moment alone…” She clung to Chip arm tightly and pulled him close.

“Maddie, we’re in the depths of Infershia…this isn’t any time to get all emotional…” Chip replied, his voice jumping up a bit as Madison ran her hand up his thigh.

“Why not…? Who would distract us…?” Madison said, grabbing the back of Chip’s head and pulling it closer to her chest.

“Well, there could be Hideacs, demons, Vankyuria, Estrangalan, Wolzard…anybody!” Chip replied, closing his eyes and trying to forget what was going on.

“I doubt it…” Madison said, picking Chip’s head back up, angling his head just perfectly enough to kiss him.

This isn’t Madison…Chip mentally mused. Just as Madison was close to kissing him, a muffled scream erupted from the other side of the room, from the shadows. Chip grimaced; he knew he was right. He shoved Madison off of him, grabbed Madison’s wand, and walked towards the back of the room.

“Nobody denies me anything…” Madison said, grimacing.

“Luma Lumiere.” Chip said, and the light revealed his suspicion and his fear: Madison was wrapped up to her eyes in Estrangalan’s bandages, still attached to the wall.

“Did you really think I was the real deal? How stupid of you to think so!” Estrangalan mocked Chip as he reverted to his basic form, shooting out bandage whips.

“Maagi Magi Majiiro!” Chip transformed quickly and quickly changed his wand into a crossbow. He fired off two shots and took out two of the whips, but the third whip smacked Chip’s hand and flung the crossbow across the room.

Chip dove for the crossbow, but Morrigan stepped on it. “You foolish Magician!” She laughed, kicking him in the face and drawing sparks of light from the damage. “Do you think I’d permit you to use your toy against my master?” Estrangalan then fired off a fresh trio of bandage whips that wrapped around Chip’s cape and legs, ensnaring him.

“Now now, why would you run away from me…?” Estrangalan cackled.

“Let go!” Chip shouted, using one hand to dig into the ground and the other to try and get the bandages off of him.

“Gladly!” Estrangalan tossed Chip into a wall, making Chip’s suit emit more sparks of light before letting go. Chip slid down the wall as Madison slowly calmed down. The hourglass was running out.

“It’s a shame you must die, Blue Magician…” Estrangalan said as he approached her. Chip struggled to get himself back up. “It’s a pity to waste your beauty…” Estrangalan mused, running a finger down her cheek.

Chip fumed at the sight. “Get your hands off of her!” She screamed, charging at Estrangalan. He tackled Estrangalan into the bandage web, smashing a few of the connections to the walls. Madison swung into a wall, which left little damage but left Madison completely petrified. “Maddie, hold on!” Chip shouted, reaching upwards to pull himself towards her using the remaining bandages.

“How dare you!” Morrigan shouted, tossing a Hawk’s Eye at Chip and blasting him backwards into Madison.

Madison tried to speak, but she was still muffled. Chip graciously pulled down a few bandages, allowing her to speak. “Chip, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just relax.”

“I think I will…I’m feeling tired…”

“Just don’t fall asleep, okay?”

“Okay…” Madison closed her eyes as Chip desperately clawed away at the bandages around her.

“That’s a work of art, you little bastard!” Estrangalan shouted, grabbing Chip by the throat and picking him up. “You should be thankful I didn’t finish you off years ago!”

“You would have…done me a favor…” Chip replied, kicking about. He looked behind Estrangalan; the crossbow’s tip was aimed at the two of them, though he wasn’t perfectly sure how it would hit. “Jii Majika!” Chip shouted, causing the crossbow to fire on its own. The shot slammed into Estrangalan’s right wrist, sending a shockwave through his body and causing him to drop Chip.

Chip dropped to his knees and coughed a little, but his recovery time was faster than Estrangalan’s, and he took advantage and punched him in the stomach, sending him walking backwards into Morrigan. Chip ran for his crossbow, but Morrigan grabbed it again, this time firing it at him. “Take that!” The shots flung Chip back against the wall.

“That’s it!” Chip shouted, running at the two of them. Morrigan connected two more shots, but Chip shrugged them off and continued running at them. Estrangalan got up, only to get a faceful of Chip’s fist. “I’ve had enough of the both of you!”

“Oh, but our party’s just started!” Estrangalan replied, wrapping Chip’s arms up tightly. Morrigan aimed the crossbow to fire straight at his head, but as she fired, Chip swung his head away and the shot smashed another one of Estrangalan’s bandages around Madison.

“Gah!” She shouted angrily. Chip focused all of his strength to ripping through the bandages, which he managed to do with ease once he focused.

“How did you do that?” Estrangalan shouted.

“I am the Yellow Magician; I strike with power and my will to destroy you is stronger than your will to crush me! I’ll fight you until there is nothing left of me!” He then lunged at Estrangalan, tackling him to the ground.

The garuda crystal glowed a bright yellow and shocked Morrigan, who dropped the crossbow.

“Charlie! Charlie!” Clare’s voice shouted. “Are you alive?”

“I’m fine!” He shouted back before getting tossed by Estrangalan.

“There’s a new spell here…and it’s written for you!”

“Really?”

“Give it a try! Jii Jii Jijiru!”

“Got it.”

“Signing out.” Clare replied, severing transmission.

“Okay…Jii Jii Jijiru!” The crossbow shined a bright yellow, then shattered into thousands of shining lights, which surged towards Chip’s hands and surrounded them. As the lights faded, what remained were a pair of yellow boxing gloves. A silver plate graced the top of each glove, with half of the Mystic Force symbol etched on them, with the full symbol gracing the flattened area of contact on the gloves. The gloves were finished off with a black and gold band around the wrist, with a green, diamond-shaped gem placed in the center.

“What are these…?” Chip asked, looking the gloves over. “Well, I guess I gotta fight with my fists…I’ll thank Nick later.”

Chip pushed himself up, and Morrigan panicked. “Mistress Vankyuria summons me…I’m sorry to go, master…I’ll check up on you soon!” Morrigan then summoned a Dark Circle and disappeared.

Chip charged towards Estrangalan and threw a few jabs out, missing every time.

“Fancy gloves don’t make a fancy fighter, it seems.” Estrangalan taunted.

“I’ll show you fancy fighting!” Chip threw a soft jab, and just as Estrangalan dodged, Chip fired off a fierce cross, slamming Estrangalan in the face. His glove emitted a shockwave that threw in extra damage and singed the bandages they hit.

“Agh! That burned!” Estrangalan shouted.

The old one-two never fails!” Chip shouted, throwing another jab-cross combo, this time connecting on both shots. He then threw a bolo punch, which distracted Estrangalan long enough for Chip to throw in a devastating hook which spun Estrangalan into a corner.

“Nobody puts me in a corner!” Estrangalan shouted, shooting out a trio of bandage whips. Chip slammed his fists into each one, sending shockwaves up them and damaging Estrangalan’s only other wristband. “Enough of this! Douza Meezara Zazaado!” A Dark Circle opened up, locking Chip in place. Dark magic overflowed from the Dark Circle, surging upwards and began to crush Chip. “Did you think that I was weak? That I didn’t stand a chance against you and your fancy new gloves? I am a Madoushi, boy! Never underestimate me again!” Chip screamed in pain as the dark magic slowly began reeling him into the circle. “I’ll see you in Oblivion!”

“Like Hell you will! Jii Maji Majika! Tornado Javelin!” Vida spun the four prongs surrounding her Fairy Crystal, creating a thin tornado that shot forwards, slamming into Estrangalan and breaking the spell placed upon Chip. Chip was ejected from the Dark Circle and forced out of transformation as he hit the ground hard and stayed down.

Nick, Vida, and Xander had now joined the fray; Vida tried to not look at her sister for the moment as she helped Chip up. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere, you jackass! You could’ve at least told us what you were doing!”

“Like you would’ve been about to help me anyways…” Chip replied. “How did you guys get here anyways?”

“We’ll talk about it later, Maddie’s counting on us right now.” Nick said.

“Right.” Xander replied, cutting the rest of the bandages securing Maddie to the wall with his MagiStaff Axe.

“I say we find a way out of here for Maddie’s sake.” Nick said.

“And leave this monster to chase us and torture another one of us? I won’t let that happen!” Chip shouted, standing up.

“Goolu Lujuna Gonga!” A hidden voice shouted. A Golden Pentagram opened up beneath the Magicians, with the Magic Circle sitting amongst its lacy pattern. A golden light shimmered from deep within the Pentagram and drew them in, transporting them into the middle of Briarwood.

“Well, ask and you shall receive.” Xander joked.

Chip fumed, turned around, and smashed Xander in the face, catching Madison as she fell out of Xander’s grasp. “Do you understand how much danger we’re in? How much danger Madison’s in?” Chip gently lied her down and ripped the rest of Estrangalan’s bandage whips off of her.

“Well, whoever or whatever got us out of there, we gotta be thankful. We would have been stuck down there forever otherwise.” Nick commented.

“Maddie…?” Chip said, gently shaking Madison, hoping she’d wake up. He got no response. “Maddie, wake up…” He shook her a little harder. “I told you not to fall asleep…please wake up…” Chip sniffled. “C’mon, Maddie…you’re a tough girl, hold on a little longer…” He then got an idea. He pulled out his Reviving Potion and smashed the bottle on the ground, He then grabbed Madison’s wand and smiled. “It’s no cocoa, but…” Chip smiled. “Hydrae Movrum.” The potion levitated above Madison and crashed down on her, soaking into her clothes and skin.

“Is she okay?” Vida asked, kneeling down and looking over Chip’s shoulder.

“I hope so.” Chip replied. Madison turned her head and opened her eyes, looking straight up at first, then looking over at Chip.

“The sky…” Madison replied. “it’s so blue…” Chip sniffled, then tightly hugged Madison. “Oh, Chip, you’re here too!” She replied wrapping her arms around him.

“Hey! What are we, sis, chopped liver?” Vida asked, mocking an insulted tone. “Ya know, a chopped liver sandwich sounds good right about now…”

“Welcome back.” Nick replied, nodding.

“Glad to see you back, Maddie.” Xander replied, also nodding.

“Have I been gone long?” Madison asked, a bit confused. Chip handed Madison back her wand. “Oh, thanks.”

“You two, head back to Rootcore and rest up. We’ll scout around and make sure Bandage Head doesn’t come back.” Nick said, taking an offensive stance.

“If you wish.” Chip replied, helping Madison up.

As Chip and Madison walked back to Rootcore, Madison sighed.

“Are you okay?” Chip asked, looking down at her. Chip hadn’t fully noticed how short Madison was until now; her head came up just below his nose.

“I’m just thinking…” Madison replied, sounding distant.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“It’s just…” Madison crossed her arms and pulled slightly away from Chip. “it’s just…when I was down there…he knew more about you than I could think of…” Chip frowned and looked down.

“I can assume he didn’t let up on anything.” Chip commented. “I can only imagine what he told you about me.”

“Why? Is there something bad about you I should know?” Madison asked in a playfully interrogative tone.

“No, no, nothing like that…” Chip replied. “I just don’t want him telling you anything about me that isn’t true.”

“Well, if you’re so worried, I’ll be happy to let you know that he had nothing but good things to say about you. Mostly about how brave and silent you were.” Madison smiled. “I guess some things never change.” Chip tried to laugh, but the truth of her statement was a tough pill to swallow.

“Well, the less the enemy knows about you, the less he can use against you. It’s a time-tested fact.”

“Well, we’re not your enemy, Chip.” Once again, she was right.

“True…” Chip sighed. “Fine, I’ll try to get along with the rest of the group. I just don’t trust them as much…”

“As much…as you do me?”

“As much as I trust Clare.”

“Oh.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Chip smiled. “I will admit, though, that I appreciate your warm welcome, and Tsubasa has really taken to you.” After another momentary pause, Chip spoke up once more. “I thank you for tolerating me.”

“That’s what I do.” Madison replied. “I’m a peacemaker…I’m not a fighter.”

“Hey now…I saw the damage you two did…the damage you did! You were really great!”

“You think…?” Madison replied, blushing.

“Yeah.” Chip smiled as he remembered the astrology book. “Do you feel better, proving that without us, you won’t fall apart?”

Madison blushed, feeling childish that she had gotten so upset over something so stupid. “I tried to prove a point, and I kinda failed. I got captured, and you guys had to come and rescue me.” Madison stopped. “Which reminds me…how did you guys make it into Infershia?”

“Well, I don’t know how the other three got in, but I have my ways…” Chip slyly grinned. “You didn’t think I’d spend my entire life with my family chasing Infershia around without learning about a few of their back doors, did ya?”

“I guess you’d have to know a few, then…”

As they arrived at the forest’s edge, Madison stopped again.

“Something wrong?” Chip asked.

“Why would Infershia choose now to attack…if they could have done so at any time?”

“What?”

“I mean…you said that you’ve been chasing Infershia your whole life…and you seem to be around my age…”

“How old are you?”

“19.”

“You’re a year older than me, to be honest.”

“That surprises me.” Madison replied. “I thought you were older.”

“Go on with what you were talking about before.” Chip replied, feeling awkward.

“Well, I mean…if they could leave Infershia…why would they leave now instead of just slipping out whenever they chose?”

“Hm…” Chip pondered her question as he walked a bit further. Suddenly, it hit him. “The Lunar Key…”

“Lunar Key? What’s that?”

“The Key to the Gate of Infershia. That’s all I can remember about it.”

“Is it safe?”

“It’s gone. Nobody knows where it is.”

“I guess that means it’s safe…”

“Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for either of you!” A voice cried out as a Dark Circle opened up ahead of them. Both transformed just as Estrangalan arose from the depths of the Dark Circle.

Madison’s wand shined brightly. “Oh…?”

“Madison! Good news! You have a new spell!” Clare’s voice cheerily emitted from Madison’s wand. “The spell is Jii Jii Jijiru…in fact, everybody’s got it now!”

“Hey, that’s my spell!” Chip griped.

“Perhaps this is one of those times where life’s telling you something, Charlie.”

“Yeah, Charlie.” Madison mimicked in a mocking tone.

“Hey…” Chip replied in a mock angry tone.

“Hey, you wanna do a double team?” Madison said.

“Are you any good at fist fighting?”

“C’mon, Vida’s my sister. That’s the dumbest question you could ask me.”

“I’ll take that as a yes…”

“So let’s use this spell!”

Both Madison and Chip held their MagiStaffs in their hands. “Jii Jii Jijiru!” The wands turned into the Mystic Fighting Gloves, and while Chip’s gloves were yellow, Madison’s were blue.

“Cute!” Madison replied.

“Less attention to cuteness and more to fighting!” Chip replied.

“Roger!” Madison replied.

“Douza Meru Zazaado!” Estrangalan shouted, holding out his left arm. A flurry of dark magic bands flew out from his bracelet. Chip and Madison threw jabs out towards the bands that came close to them, destroying them.

“That was cheap!” Chip shouted, leaping into the air. “Jii Majika! Thunder Cross!” Chip threw an unblockable cross that sent a shockwave through Estrangalan as it connected. The attack singed the contact area so badly, that it set Estrangalan on fire in the contact spot.

“Agh!” Estrangalan shouted.

“Aw, the Mummy Guy’s on fire! I’ll put you out! Jii Majika! Tsunami Upper!” Madison crouched down, then swung her arm upwards, creating a surge of water that became a large wave. The attack connected dousing the flames and causing horrible waterlogging damage.

“You little brats! Uuza Meru Zazaado!” He shouted, shooting off a beam of dark energy at Madison.

“Tsunami Upper!” Madison fired off yet another wave of water at the beam, letting the beam get smashed underneath the light-bending force of the water until there was nothing left of the beam to hit