Chapter 4: Melmamora
The day after, things had returned to its normal routine. Flora had returned from Cloud Tower, claimed the place was nice and confirmed that she indeed did have a fun night there. Musa had recovered from the ordeal of trying to help direct such a disorganised orchestra in the middle of an ongoing party with half the members so drunk they didn't know what was up and down on their instruments, which she described as akin to directing a flock of dimwitted sheep during an earthquake. Bloom's headache had disappeared like dew before the sun after Flora had given her her hangover cure. The fact that it was also a mild laxative didn't nearly bother Bloom as much as the constant oppressive feeling of having her brain in a vice. And so, Bloom found herself yet again eating unfamiliar food in the dining hall, when, accompanied by a sense of Deja Vu, Faragonda rose from her seat and announced her intention to speak by knocking on her glass with a teaspoon.
"Tomorrow, dear students, is the day of the annual Alfea Wild Walk, a trip out into nature. This is an experience for the entire school and it will involve you cooperating with everyone else in your cluster. Mr. Palladium will be awaiting you in the yard at ten tomorrow. Remember to dress for the occasion". With that, the headmistress sat down again.
Bloom returned to her breakfast, silently wondering if giving the students a weekly schedule was some sort of in-joke on the staff's part.
...
The next day at ten in the morning, the students of Alfea assembled in the courtyard where the elvish teacher Jarlan was awaiting them. Bloom had spent the day before in Magicalis, trying to buy whatever would count as 'dress for the occasion'. In her case, that meant rubber boots, big waterproof suspenders that where one size too big for her and a jacket that could keep a tsunami out, plus gloves and a hat with netting to keep insects out. The redhead felt completely sealed away within her clothes. In fact, already she felt herself heating up. She hoped that bringing lots of water would compensate.
"I think you might have taken the instructions a tad bit too far," sounded the voice of Stella when she noticed Bloom. The Solarian princess was very much Bloom's opposite, with khaki coloured shorts and jacket, with a fashionable flat hat on top.
"You think?" asked Bloom worried.
"Yeah. We're going on a nice trip to Velmera Woods, not a jungle safari," chuckled Stella. "Though your tots not the only one. Come on, the others are waiting for us".
The two of them walked over to their cluster mates. Flora's choice of clothes was very similar to Blooms, though a lot more form fitting and she didn't look like she was boiling. Also her hat didn't have a net attached. Musa had opted for a jacket, jeans and hiking shoes, most of which were adorned with the colourful laps of fabric that marked most of her wardrobe. As usual, Techna stood out for sheer weirdness. It looked like she was going for something like Bloom, only much more improvised. Her rubber boots didn't match, one of her gloves was actually a catcher's mitt and her hat was a sombrero with a net sewn into it.
"Techna, I simply have to ask, why didn't you go to Magicalis and buy some proper clothes?" Bloom asked the magenta haired girl incredulously.
"Pshaw, not when I got so much stuff to work with," she answered while fiddling with a stitch in her jacket. "I saved a ton of cash mixing this thing together".
"And when the first stiff breeze rips it apart, I'm sure it will bring great comfort to think of all the money you didn't spend," sighed Musa.
"Nah, it'll hold. I fixed up all of them annoying holes with wire," answered Techna.
"Marvellous," replied the black haired girl dryly.
"Man, you're all taking this so seriously," giggled Stella. "It's just a nice trip to the forest".
"Better safe than sorry Stella," said Flora seriously. "I hope you at least brought something waterproof along just in case".
"I checked the weather. At most, Velmera with get some light drizzle, nothing more," said Stella with a hand wave.
"Alright, I think we are all here," sounded the voice of their teacher.
All students turned to face the elf.
"Alright, can everyone hear me? Did you shake your head young man? No? Okay, just wanted to check. Kinda important information," rambled the elf in a mixture of excitement and nervousness. "Alright then, today is the Alfea Wild Walk. It's a sort of, well, sort of a test, except you're not really graded or anything". He rubbed his chin for a bit, allowing an awkward pause to descend as he pondered his words. "Maybe test is not the right word. An exercise maybe? Yes, it's an exercise, to test your flexibility and creativity. As some of you probably know, magic has many well-documented applications, but it's not like there's a big book of spells. Since all magi have their knack and that knack comes in every flavour between heaven and earth, that means the magic expressed is very unique to each individual," explained Palladium, all traces of nervousness melting away the more and more he told. "For that reason, this exercise will bring you out into the wilds. Your goal will be to reach a specific point whilst using all resources available to navigate. It will be a learning experience in not only preparation, but also improvisation in the face of unexpected challenges. Now, everyone get closer and I'll bring us to the location". The students carefully stepped closer to the elven teacher. He pulled from the inner pockets of his green jacket a purple jewel, which he then hoisted into the air. There was a flash, accompanied by the uncomfortable feeling of being gated.
...
At another location, some distance away, perched upon a cliff stood the magnificent structure of the Red Fountain Military Academy. It was a impressive castle structure build of yellowed stone. Thick walls protected its sturdy looking buildings, giving the overall impression that nothing short of the apocalypse would breach its defences. Inside one of its main halls, the imposing form of Modesto Cordatorta stood before the assembled second year students.
"Alright, listen up," he bellowed to the attending students. "Today, Alfea has its yearly Wild Walk. As always, Faragonda has asked us to provide security in case things go wrong. Each of you will take a ship, fly to the location of their exercise and keep an eye on the proceedings. As it is an exercise in improvisation on their part, you are not, and I repeat, you are NOT to be seen, heard or noticed. You are to remain hidden unless a fairy's life is endangered and then you are to save them and disappear again once you are certain they are okay. Do I make myself clear?"
"YES, SIR," sounded the unified voice of the students.
"Good. The location of their exercise is in..." said Cordatorta while retrieving a letter from his pocket. "... Melmamora".
...
The air was thick with moisture and insects. The surroundings where muddy and grimy, gnarly trees standing in stale pools of rust coloured water. The heat, moisture and smell conspired to make every single breath uncomfortable.
"This... this isn't Velmera," said Stella slowly.
"Of course not. It would defeat the point of an exercise in improvisation if the students knew where they were going," explained Palladium. "Your goal is to find the Gevel Glade. You will recognise it by me being there. Now, everyone, have fun". With that, the elf disappeared, gated away by his magical crystal.
"Well, this is not so bad," commented Flora, staring across the swampy land. "If we presume they named these places with any sense, then the glade will probably be a larger area a bit higher up than this area. We should look for a tree that will enable us to scout our surroundings".
"You sound like your used to this," commented Musa as the different cluster groups spread out into the swamp.
"I am used to much worse," commented the brunette. "Ever been to Limphea?"
"No," answered the black haired girl.
"It is a lot harsher than this," commented Flora.
The group slowly made their way in a random direction, Flora, Bloom and Techna wading into the brown waters of the area, while Musa and Stella tried to jump from rock to rock. Already, swarms of insects started to cloud around them. Bloom could see small black specks attaching themselves to her hat.
She looked behind and saw both Musa and Stella busy swatting the offending insects as they started to nibble on them.
"Hey, Flora. How come they aren't going after you?" asked Musa while smacking a mosquito like thing that had bit her ear.
"I used some oils from my plants. A bit of a gamble since there was no guarantee it would also work on insects in this world, but I prefer to have my vision not be obscured," explained Flora.
"Great. Can I get some of that next time, because what I'm using is not working," grumbled Musa. "Honestly, this is the last time I..."
The group came to an abrupt halt as Flora suddenly raised her hand to signal them to stop.
"What is it now?" asked Stella annoyed.
"Look at that large pool ahead of us. Notice anything?" asked Flora.
"It's bubbly," commented Techna.
"Exactly. I bet that those bubbles are filled with swamp gas," commented Flora. "It could be everything from flammable to toxic to thick enough to choke us to death".
"So what I'm hearing you say is that we go around," said Bloom.
"Couldn't we just light it on fire?" asked Techna.
"We have no idea how far the ensuing explosion will spread. Will depend on dispersion, gas type and so on," explained Flora. "Let's go this way instead. We will need to find a sufficiently big tree with branches low enough for us to climb".
...
At a location far away from Melmamora, in the woods outside the imposing structure of Cloud Tower, three witches met.
"So, how did it go, Darcy?" asked the silver haired girl.
The dirty-blonde witch sighed as the three of them walked through the woods and said: "I would recommend we still keep a low profile, Icy. They are still suspicious. But I do not think we are any more under scrutiny than anyone else".
"So why don't we just get Knut ready to get that damn sceptre now?" grumbled the red clad witch.
"Because three ogre attacks in a row will definitely set off major alarm bells, Stormy," commented Darcy.
"Especially since I am pretty sure that Bloom girl recognised me at the party," mumbled Icy. "We are very much on thin ice at the moment".
Stormy huffed annoyed and crossed her arms.
"Our next move will require planning. Underestimating Stella and her entourage has done nothing but set us back. We must take them seriously," mused Darcy.
"Hmph, we could have taken them if they hadn't pissed their panties and gated out," grumbled Stormy. "Or if that idiot Knut hadn't fucked up both times".
"Do you think going out here to meet our ogre is going to rouse suspicion?" asked Icy.
"No. The other students have noticed us going out, but I have helped spread rumours that should make it seem somewhat innocent," explained Darcy.
"And what rumours would those be?" asked Icy.
"The most popular ones are we are either going out to smoke dreamweed or meeting up with our boy slash girlfriends from either Red Fountain or Alfea," explained Darcy. "Or that we are going out here to have sex".
"Of course that would be one of them," sighed Icy and pinched the bridge of her nose.
Stormy made a face and commented: "No offence, but I have abso-fucking-lutely no intentions of locking lips with you two".
"Much appreciated," said Darcy dryly. "Ah, we have arrived. Knut," she called into the glade before them.
"Right here my ladies," sounded a voice behind them. Reflexively, the three witches spun around, magic already charging. There stood the hulking form of the ogre Knut, cradling something in his hand. He looked much better now that his eye had regrown and his numerous other injuries had healed.
"Do you always have to fucking sneak up on us?" asked Stormy annoyed as she let the charged energy dissipate.
"Thousand apologies my ladies, but you walked past me two minutes ago," said the ogre.
"Great, now that..." started Icy, but then she looked at Knut's hand. "What is that?" she asked after a short pause.
"Nothing but my humble duck, my ladies," said the ogre, holding forth his hand. Indeed, a small duckling lay in his hand, looking quite calm and content.
"You have got to be joking," mumbled Stormy.
"Is this a pet of yours?" asked Darcy.
"Yes my ladies. Found him near the lake not long ago," said Knut, gently petting the bird.
"You're not being serious," said Icy, staring at him. "You are not seriously going to be keeping a duck as a pet".
In an instant, the servility in Knut's eyes vanished and his voice, now a lot harder, informed her that: "The duck stays".
Icy looked out the corner of her eyes at Darcy, who just nodded.
"Alright, so long as it doesn't interfere, I suppose it will not be a problem," said Icy. "Now, did you do as we ordered?"
"It was not easy, but yes," answered the ogre, his voice now back to the softness of a cowed minion. "Stella regularly talks with Sky and his squire Brandon. If the things I overheard are true, then she and Sky might really like each other".
"Good. Then I have a plan," said Darcy with a calculating glimmer in her eyes.
...
Above the swamps of Melmamora there floated a vehicle. It was of orange and yellow colours, shaped a bit like a space shuttle and flew with nary a sound. Within it sat the four specialists Sky, Brandon, Timmy and Riven. Riven was at the steering wheel, lazily scanning the horizon while Timmy was looking at a scanner, talking over the radio. Sky and Brandon passed the time with a card game.
"Alright, so you're taking care of the group that's currently at coordinates fifteen, seven? Good, then we will fly north," answered Timmy into the radio. He turned in his seat and said: "Hey Riven. Vivi and her group is handling the fairies ahead".
"Then I guess we go north," sighed Riven before slightly turning the steering wheel. "Dear Dragon, I hate babysitting duty".
"All part of the job," commented Sky.
"Don't remind me," grumbled the magenta haired warrior.
"This is Timmy from group B five. There's a group of faeries around coordinates fifteen nine, anyone keeping an eye on them?" asked Timmy over the radio. After a short pause, he turned and said: "No one's keeping an eye on them. I say we land and follow".
"Sure, why not," said Riven without the slightest hint of interest as he made the craft descend.
"So, how many group's are still without followers?" asked Sky, turning to look at the bespectacled warrior.
"Well, once B nine, B six and B twelve catches up with their groups, no one" answered Timmy, adjusting his glasses.
...
"My skin is all itchy from bites," moaned Stella, scratching her arm.
"Heard you the first time Blondie," said Techna, who was trying to fix the stitches keeping her clothes together.
"And my shoes have been ruined from all the mud," griped the Solarian princess.
"Just like they were five minutes ago," commented Musa, idly scratching the bumps on her neck.
"And I think I'm getting sunburnt," gasped the blonde, staring at her reddening arm.
"Gee, would that have anything to do with the fact that you didn't bring proper clothing?" snapped Bloom, who was busy downing an entire bottle of water.
Stella huffed and said: "I'm just not feeling so well".
"Oh yes. I can see how you must suffer so much more than the rest of us. I mean, Techna's clothes are falling apart, Musa has been turned into an insect buffet and I am almost boiling inside this crappy piece of junk clothing, but no, clearly you, who had the best possible opportunity to buy proper equipment, must be suffering the most," ranted the red head, who had jumped to her feet. Big droplets of sweat where gliding down her beat red face.
"Okay so I screwed up. Tots doesn't mean I can't complain," yelled Stella back.
"Like you did five minutes ago. And five minutes before that. If I have to hear about your muddy shoes one more time, I'll..." yelled Bloom back, before Musa interrupted with a: "ENOUGH!"
Both of the girls stopped and stared at the black haired girl.
"Thank you. Now that I got your attention, how about both of you take a deep breath because the last thing we need is you two trying to beat the snot out of each other. Got it?" asked Musa annoyed.
"Yeah, sorry about that. It's just the heat getting to me," said Bloom, awkwardly trying to scratch her neck.
"Yeah, me too. You're right, I was dumb not to bring anything and, like, as you said, I'm not the only one who has problems," admitted Stella.
"Now kiss and make up," exclaimed Techna happily.
The blonde and the redhead both starred at her for a moment.
"Flora, are you done yet?" called Bloom, looking up into the branches of the great tree they had stopped beneath.
"As a matter of fact, I am," sounded the brunette's voice. There was a creaking sound as one of the branches lowered, letting Flora down on the mossy ground. With a swift movement, she put her binoculars back in her backpack.
"So?" asked Musa.
"I saw something that might be a meadow north west from here. A bit of a walk, but we should be able to get there before sundown," answered Flora.
"Good, then let's get moving," said Bloom and the girls started wandering deeper into the swamp with Flora leading them.
...
Roughly twenty minutes later, the girls were still wading through the swamp, seemingly no closer to the meadow. Bloom tried to keep herself cool with a small mechanical fan Techna had handed her, but her tongue was dried up and her throat felt like sandpaper. None of the others looked better. Musa was starting to look bumpy from the insects bites, Stella had lost a shoe to a mud pool and Techna's clothes were only held together with pieces of vine, some tape and prayers. The only one who seemed somewhat unaffected was Flora, but that appeared to be more due to the fact that she was better able to bear the discomfort, as she still bore marks of exhaustion, her sweat matted hair clinging to her face.
"Does anyone have any trick that could make this easier on us?" moaned Bloom hoarsely.
"I could conjure some soothing music," suggested Musa. "Could help on morale".
"You know what, go for it girl. A jiggy tune might be just what we need to get through this junk," said Techna happily.
Musa rubbed her chin for a moment, then snapped her fingers. Instantly, a jaunty tune began playing from seemingly out of nowhere.
Flora instantly turned around and said: "I do not think that is a good idea".
"Why?" asked Stella.
"Lots of things hunt by sound. Playing music loudly like that is asking for trouble," explained Flora.
"Come on. What the worst that couAARRRGGG!" yelled Stella as a massive green vine wrapped around her leg. "GET OFF!"
The other girls moved instantly to help her. Bloom barely managed to take a step before a similar vine got hold of her ankle, causing her to trip and fall face first into the stinking bog. Several vines lowered from the overhead branches and lashed out after Musa and Techna. One managed to grasp Techna's arm and hoisted her into the air.
"Oh no, you don't. I ain't given you no permission to touch," grumbled the scarred girl while struggling against the plant.
The bog was now churning as more and more vines whipped through the surface. Flora leapt to the side as one launched for her. As it passed by her face, she lashed out with her hand and grabbed it. Focusing her magic into the plant, she sensed what it was, images and sensory input flooding into her mind, painting a picture of the being she was touching.
"It can feel sound," she yelled to the others. "This plant. It hunts by feeling where sound waves are coming from".
Stella, who had just scorched a plant with a concentrated solar laser, looked up and yelled: "That's great. Now what?"
"We have to stop making noise," yelled Flora back.
There was a strange buzzing sound and with a yell, Techna fell back to the ground. In her hand was what looked like a switch-blade, only instead of a knife it was a small chainsaw.
"Pretty hard thing to do when they keep attacking us," she yelled.
"Maybe not," shouted Musa, who was trying to pull Bloom out of a vine's grasp. "I'll handle it":
She focused and snapped her finger. A weird wave seemed to hit the group and instantaneously, all sound vanished. It was a weird, isolating feeling, to suddenly have every sound stop like that. The plant froze, suddenly deprived of its only way to track prey.
Musa waved to Techna, who ran over and forced the miniature saw into the vine holding Bloom. The vine spasmed as it sensed the harm, before finally being cut through. Quickly, Flora directed them through the remaining vines, using her magic to sense where they lay in wait. After a while, she sensed that the plants where far behind them and she signalled to Musa, who let the sound blocking spell down.
"Whew, good job there Musa," sighed Stella, dusting off her clothes.
"I agree. For a moment there, I thought we were goners," sighed Bloom, trying to clean her muddy face with her sleeve. "This is insane. Why would they drop us out here in such a dangerous place without help?"
...
Carefully, Riven let go of the handle of his sword. Beside him, Timmy lowered his gun and sighed in relief.
"That was uncomfortably close," said Sky. "How could you be so sure they could handle it?"
"Well, sonar vines aren't that dangerous. But to be honest, I wasn't sure," admitted Timmy. "It's just that part of the test is dealing with these things".
"Great. Now let's follow them," said Riven. The boys slowly crept through the swamp, their usually blue uniforms exchanged with brown-green camouflage gear. They each wore helmets, decorated with native plants, allowing them to blend in at a moment's notice.
"So, why don't we just use the owl to track them?" asked Brandon quietly as they crept through the marshy waters.
"Because if things go wrong, we need to act now, not after we have parked," explained Sky.
"Yes, imagine how it would go. 'Scuse me ma'am, could you try not to die for a few moments? We need to park our ride somewhere first," said Riven, his voice a striking imitation of Brandon's, causing Timmy and Sky to chuckle.
"Hey, I do not sound like that," protested Brandon.
"No, but only because you would forget to inform the girls why we weren't helping," ribbed Sky.
"Thanks. It's nice knowing I can count on my best friends to relentlessly mock me," deadpanned Brandon while adjusting a lock of blond hair.
"If it bothers you, we could always go back to making fun of Timmy for almost losing his boots," joked Riven.
"Hey, anyone could have missed that mud pool. As was quite obvious from that other shoe, I wasn't the first to fall in," protested Timmy.
...
"So... now what?" asked Musa as she and the other girls stared at their next obstacle. A great and broad muddy river flowed through the woods, leaves and sticks bobbing on the surface. Orange rays of afternoon sun poked through the leaves of the thick overhang above them.
Flora grabbed a large stick and started poking into the water.
"It is not that deep, at least, not close to the shore," she said. "But that could change quickly. Or there could be powerful undertow".
"So, what are our options?" asked Musa.
"Well, we could tie ourselves together with vines and then slowly wade through the river or we could walk in either direction to look for possible stepping stones. Or possibly clearer water, though I doubt we will find that," she explained.
"Hmm, well, both could work," said Bloom slowly, pondering the dilemma. "Stepping stones would be safer, I think, but there is no guarantee we'll find any".
"We could try look for stepping stones first, then if we don't find any, we can try fording the river," suggested Musa.
"Sounds like a plan to me," agreed Techna.
"I tots agree," said Stella.
"Alright then. Either way is equally as good, so let us just pick a direction and go," said Flora.
Techna pulled a coin from her pocket, launching it into the air with her thumb and caught it again. "The coin says to the right," beamed the scarred girl happily.
The other girls looked at each other, shrugged and started walking down the riverside.
For around fifteen minutes they continued walking, scanning the river for any sign of anything resembling stepping stones.
"Gosh, this river is so boring," groaned Stella annoyed. "Every part of it looks the same. Brown, brown, brown. I'm sick of it".
"If I didn't know better, I'd say we were walking in circles," commented Musa.
"Fortunately for us, I can guarantee that is not the case," informed Flora, who was holding a compass in her hand.
"Hey, I think I see something," exclaimed Bloom happily and pointed ahead. Not far from them, sticks, leaves and whatnot clumped together about bumps in the water, forming a line across the murky river.
"That could be stepping stones yes," agreed Flora. "Now, before we cross, we should probably tie vines around us, just in case anyone falls into the river".
"Your being really careful with this, aren't ya?" asked Techna with a raised eyebrow.
"Indeed. My training has taught me to prepare for as many problems as possible and to efficiently deal with unpredicted problems when they show up," explained Flora, her voice tinged with pride.
"Really. So you did stuff like this trip all the time back home?" asked Stella.
"Of course not," said Flora, using magic to coax a long vine out of a tree. "This is a pleasant afternoon stroll compared to what it is like back home".
"That's... That's a pretty terrifying thought," admitted Stella with a cringe.
"Maybe. Now, we tie this around our stomachs one by one. And then we cross, again, one by one," explained Flora while tying the vine around her waist. She then handed the other end to Bloom, who tied it around her waist.
"This is actually pretty ingenious," said Bloom and handed the vine over to Techna.
"I admit, it would have been more ingenious of me to bring actual rope," admitted Flora. "A mistake on my part that I will take care not to repeat".
"Oh, lighten up Flowergirl. It works fine as it is," said Techna while handing the vine over to Musa.
"True, but lacking crucial equipment can kill people," said Flora. "That is why we are drilled in remembering what to bring. To forget something as basic as rope is a huge slip up on my part".
"Wow, you are really taking this seriously," said Stella surprised, tying the end of the vine around her stomach.
"I have to. Back home, it is no laughing matter," said Flora gravely. "That being said, making mistakes is an excellent opportunity to learn, so do not think me incapable of forgiving myself. Slip ups happen, I just have to be a bit more careful in the future. Now, I will cross first".
She reached out with her foot and pressed against the mess of leaves and sticks in the river. "Spongy," she commented. "Let us see if it will hold". Carefully, she put more and more weight on her foot. She felt the material under her give a bit, but she didn't sink through. Carefully, she moved her body weight out onto her foot and finally retracted her other foot from the shore, standing on the mass with her entire weight. Carefully, she started stepping across the river gunk, each step calculated. When the vine started being stretched, Bloom carefully followed suit, doing her best to follow Flora's footsteps. Slowly, but surely, all the girls followed, carefully moving across the spongy mass.
"I am starting to suspect that there are no rocks here, just a lot of heaped up sticks and stuff," commented Flora, almost across the river.
"Reminds me of that one time I landed in a compost heap," said Techna, arms stretched to maintain balance.
"And why did you do that?" asked Musa, her eyes on the impenetrable dark water around them.
"Safest way to jump out from third floor I could think off," replied Techna. "Still managed to sprain my ankle though".
Suddenly, the whole mossy line of river gunk shook.
"It's breaking," yelled Stella in a panic.
Flora, who along with Bloom had reached the other side, immediately grabbed a hold of the nearest tree, the redhead following suit.
There was a splash as the bridge broke apart and the three other girls plunged into the rusty waters. And there they sat, waist deep in stinking bog water.
"My ass hurts. I think I landed one of them there rocks we were looking for," cringed Techna, rubbing her sore behind.
"I am starting to suspect that today, we're the punchline of a cosmic joke," sighed Musa and wrung her hair, while Stella sat behind her with a sulky look on her face. "In fact, I can almost hear the audience laughing at us".
,,,
"Now, now guys" tried Timmy, straining not to smile. "It isn't nice to laugh at others misfortune".
Brandon had already given up trying to hold it back, having instead buried his head in his backpack to muffle the sound.
"I'm just happy the water wasn't worse than a slight dip," chuckled Sky.
"I agree," said Riven with a smirk. "All that happened was that we got to see some wet girls... And I just realised how wrong that sounded".
The muffled sound of laughter from Brandon's backpack intensified.
...
The girls marched further on, following the lead of Flora and her compass.
"I wanna go home," moaned Stella. "I wanna go home, soak in nice warm bath and stay there until tomorrow".
"I'll be happy to just get all this crusty mud out of my hair," sighed Bloom.
"Not used to the wild I take it?" guessed Flora.
"Nature on Harmony is a lot less hostile than this," grumbled Musa. "Honestly, somebody ought to fix this swamp".
The suggestion seemed to amuse Flora for some reason.
Suddenly, the temporary silence was destroyed, first by a terrified scream and then a terrifying roar.
"What was that?" asked Stella, eyes wide.
"Trouble," said Bloom. "Somebody needs help".
The girls rushed towards the sounds, bursting into a small clearing. Three fairies stood with their backs against a rock, staring at the huge being in front of them. It was massive, humanoid in shape, with muscles bulging beneath its skin. Its hide was somewhere between mud brown and moss green, with strange bumps that looked like pebbles. Messy hair mixed with sticks and leaves hung in huge mud encrusted clumps from its head. It raised its massive hand, great claws at the ends of its fingers.
Stella reacted instantly and a sizzling beam of light struck the beast in the back of its head. Immediately it turned, its yellow beady eyes eyeing the new threat. It roared, showing off a great maw filled with sharp teeth and then charged, each step shaking the glade.
"SPLIT," yelled Flora and the girls immediately ran in random directions. The beast skidded to a halt; its head turning from side to side, trying to determine which girl it wanted to follow.
"What is that thing?" gasped Bloom as she and Flora ran away.
"A troll. Distant relative of ogres. Viscous humanoid carnivores that are hungry all the time," answered Flora. "Sharp teeth, sharp claws, tough skin, heals very quickly".
"Great. When this is over, I'm going to have a serious talk with Faragonda about their novel idea of student safety," growled Bloom, as the troll decided to charge after them.
From the bushes, the specialists looked on in shock.
"Where are those girls protectors? And why is there a troll here? That thing is not supposed to be here," groaned Timmy, fiddling with his backpack.
"Why don't you go tell him that then?" asked Riven annoyed, drawing his sabre.
"That was the idea," noted Timmy, raising his now unpacked rifle and aimed. With a sound like a god slamming his car door, the rifle went off. The bullet flew through the air and pierced the troll's leg midstep. The creature roared and fell to its knees, as one side of its leg exploded in gore.
It looked up, pain and fury in its eyes, as the four boys stepped out of the bushes.
"Why don't you try fighting someone who can fight back?" taunted Riven, pointing his sabre at the troll.
The creature roared in furious defiance and stood up, its wound already starting to mend.
Riven and Brandon nodded at each other and charged the beast. The troll snorted in anger and charged them, both hands ready to swipe their heads off. As the troll lashed out at them, the two dropped and slid between its massive legs, slicing at them with their respective weapons as they passed under it. The troll roared in pain and turned, but at that moment, another shot rang out and a chunk of the troll's shoulder turned to red mist.
"Should we help," gasped Bloom, as she saw Sky charge the troll, broadsword at the ready.
"We have no idea what their tactics or plan is. We risk messing up their procedure and getting in the way," said Flora intensely, starring at the unfolding battle. "Unless you see things go wrong, stay back".
Sky jumped and swung his blade, the edge cleaving into the troll's already open wound. The troll roared as the blade dug deep into its bloody flesh, scraping against its bone. However, as Sky tried to pull the blade, he realised it was stuck in the troll's quickly regrowing flesh. He pulled hard at the blade and with a wet sound, the flesh gave once more and the blond squire fell off the troll's shoulder, landing painfully and awkwardly on the ground. The massive carnivore reacted immediately, raising its hand to finish him off. With an deafening boom, a fireball collided with its head, exploding and scorching its face. It howled and turned in fury, staring at Bloom who had launched the spell. Then another explosion went off, ripping its ear off. It turned towards Techna, who had lobbed the grenade. Then a massive thorn launched into its functioning arm, courtesy of Flora. The troll turned again, only to be blindsided by another bullet from Timmy that caught it in the back. Then a laser from Stella, a cut from Riven and a burst of sound from Musa, a cut, an icicle, a rock, a flame. The troll turned and turned, trying to figure out whom to attack, but every time it turned to focus on the newest big threat, it was blindsided. The creature seemed to realise it was losing the battle and with a final angry grunt, it charged through an opening and ran into the swamp.
After a short moment, the people in the glade burst into cheering.
"That was amazing," gasped Sky, propping himself up against his sword.
"Good job Bloom. Nice job burning that ugly fella," congratulated Techna, slapping the redhead so hard she almost fell over.
"No problem," replied Bloom, starring at her hands in surprise. "Hey, are you three okay?" she asked, turning towards the faeries they had initially sought to rescue.
"Yes, very much thanks to you," said one of them, a girl with orange hair. "Good timing on your part".
"Yes, speaking of good timing, what are you four doing here?" asked Stella, turning towards the boys.
"I guess you mean besides saving your asses?" snarked Riven.
"Yes, besides that," confirmed the Solarian princess.
"Well, would you believe we were out here trying to just enjoy nature?" asked Brandon.
"Not if you ask like that," sighed Timmy and rubbed his temples. "We are here to ensure that there are no fatal accidents. We have been keeping an eye on you for some time. Now, you'll have to excuse us. While fighting a troll with you has been quite the experience, we have to make sure that it doesn't go for another team and that a group of handlers can find it, because there isn't supposed to be trolls in Melmamora".
"See you," said Brandon with a happy wave as the group headed for the forest.
"Hey, glasses kid," yelled Techna.
"Huh, me?" asked Timmy, turning around with a confused look.
"Yeah, you. Nice shooting," grinned Techna with a thumbs up.
"Thanks," said the sharpshooter with a grateful nod, before he followed the others into the dark swamp.
Now alone, the fairies looked upon each other.
"So, we know where there is a meadow nearby, though we don't know if it's the right one. Wanna come with us?" Musa asked the other fairies.
"Sure. I'm going to feel a lot better with more people around," sighed the orange haired fairy as the group headed out of the clearing.
An hour later, the first stars slowly becoming visible in the sky, the group stumbled into the meadow. There stood Palladium, checking his watch.
"Ah, you have arrived," he exclaimed happily upon seeing them. "How surprising".
The group stopped, thinking about what he said.
"Why is that?" asked Bloom.
"Well, I never gave you a map, nor a direction. In fact, we never do, so few people actually ever reach the destination," answered the elf.
"Then what the fuck was the point?" asked Techna, looking very cross.
"Well, it's about teaching... no, more like, it about allowing you to experience creative challenges... no that's not right either," mumbled Palladium, fumbling with the words.
"The destination was not the point, the journey was," clarified Flora. "It was about allowing us to learn about ourselves and our skills in an environment that would test them".
"Excellently put," said Palladium with a wide smile. "Would you mind if I write it down for future use?"
"Then why couldn't it have been somewhere nice," moaned Stella, letting herself fall on her butt. "This trip has been horrible. My skin itches, I'm sweaty, I'm dirty in places where I never thought it would be a concern and now I just want to go home".
"Me too," sighed Bloom. "My whole body smells like sour feet".
"If my clothes get any more undone, I'll be out here in my birthday suit," commented Techna.
"We'll get home in twenty minutes. That's when the teleporter will bring us back," said their teacher, pulling out the purple crystal.
"What about the others who wandered somewhere else?" asked Musa.
"The crystal attuned to all of you when I brought you here. No matter the distance, it will bring you home," explained the teacher. After a short wait, the crystal lit up and the fairies found themselves back at Alfea.
...
Later that day, after having soaked in a warm bath for quite a while, Bloom walked across the common room towards Stella's door. As she prepared to knock, the redhead noted that the door wasn't entirely closed and from within, she could hear Stella's voice.
"Really. Wow, good thing we showed up then, otherwise they would not just have been reprimanded," she said to somebody.
"Hey Stella, may I come in?" called Bloom.
"Sorry Sky. Gotta run," sounded the voice of Stella. Shortly after, she appeared from her room.
"Bloom, what can I do for you?" beamed the Solarian princess, who looked like she had almost just stepped out of the bath.
"I just wanted to say again that I'm really sorry that I yelled at you out in the swamp," said the redhead heartfelt. "Still friends?"
"Of course we are, silly," grinned Stella and walked over to Bloom. "I tots understand why you snapped and you were right. I did, to borrow an expression from Techna, bitch a lot".
"Phew, I was afraid I might have seriously hurt your feelings," sighed Bloom relieved. "But now that's water under the bridge, you know Sky?".
"Yes," noted the blonde carefully, eyes darting around for a bit. "Many of the royal families keep in contact with each other. Heck, many of us are distant relatives in some convoluted way. Sky and his squire slash bodyguard Brandon were often sent over to my family's castle on playdates. I think maybe Sky's father hoped we would fall in love. Never happened though," admitted Stella. "We're good friends though".
"I guess that does explain why you had his phone number," said Bloom. "Gotta say, those boys are impressive".
"That they are," said Stella with a giggle. "Got your eyes on any of them yet?"
"Oh, no, I mean, they're cute, but I don't know any of them. Well, except Sky. We talked at the First Year's Dance".
"What do you think of him?" asked Stella curiously.
"Seems like a nice guy. Think we could become good friends," said Bloom.
At this, Stella seemed at bit relieved. Then she said: "Well, thanks for the talk, but I'm, like, totally tired. So I'll be going to bed now. Goodnight".
"Goodnight," replied Bloom as the Solarian princess closed her door. As Bloom turned back towards her room, she pondered if maybe Stella did have a slight interest in Prince Sky.