Disclaimer: I don't own it. But I do love it. And because I love it, I didn't want to scare it away by being possessive. Or something.

WARNING: For details on overall warning, see Chapter One. You know the drill by now (I insistently repeat, though, this is not a drill. This is real.) Again, nothing terribly special to warn about in this chapter other than some brief language and violence.

Author's note: I just want you all to know that I have to go out of town to take care of some business for a few days, so I'll be unable to update for a brief period. I don't know how long this will be yet, but just so people don't start thinking I'm dead or anything. I'd also like to thank the reviewers again, we reached a record for the number of reviews for any chapter! (Though assisted by Wingnut pressing the send button twice. Thank you, Wingnut.)

Response to Reviewers!:

Serenity-Wheeler: Thanks very much for the praise and the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

Wingnut: It's a tragic thing when some of the reviews are actually funnier than the story itself. LOL. Thanks for dropping a line, um, all of you.

Robert Commiston: Hello, haven't seen you before! Welcome to this humble story. Don't let lack of response get you down, it's important to persevere - I have and was rewarded with the great response to this story! Thank you for your review.

Cookie Pixie: I'm not sure if technically Hawk uses kodachi, but they seemed more likely than a pair of kitchen knives. I prefer it that way, anyway. I'm glad you're still reading, thank you for the review!

Rosa-Aquafire: Glad if you got a laugh. It means this story actaully IS accurately categorised as a comedy - here and there anyway. I agree that battle scenes can be difficult to write, but I've had a lot of practice so if that practice has in your opinion paid off I'm immensely happy. You don't want Hawk to be a ninja? Hmm, well, I wasn't really going to actually change personalities very much after class changes, but to be fair (though they're not trundling along for another couple of chappies at least) I'll call on everyone to take a vote - which class change do you want the three main characters wind up in? I'll probably post the question in the next Author's note as well. BTW, Rosa, no multiple voting for Rogue under various aliases. (Grins.) Thanks for the review, as always.

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Another Witchmaker

Chapter 9 - My God That Thing Is Ugly

By Sinnatious

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Angela was getting really, really sick of the Cave of Waterfalls. Not only was it dark and musty and filled with animal droppings and zombie remains, but it stank. Even the waterfall stank. There must have been an algae problem in the river or something.

So it was rather distressing the situation they were in now. After cutting out a long and monotonous lot of fighting that involved mostly Duran trying to show off his sword skills as much as possible, Angela trying out her nice new fancy cane (mostly on Hawk's head though the thief was notoriously hard to hit) and Hawk generally impressing them all with battle skills they didn't know he'd had, they eventually arrived at a dead end. Right in front a whopping big waterfall. Would have been another nice romantic destination at another point in time, probably, if it wasn't for the horrible smell and Duran's insistance on missing all of her cues.

'Where's your cleaning fairies now?' Angela muttered to the Fairy.

'I thought you'd be more concerned about getting over this giant gap of nothing,' the Fairy retorted. She had maintained throughout all their havoc that the cleaning fairies would make everything better once they were gone. The Princess was convinced that the Fairy had spent far too much time around Astoria. There was something about that floating light and the Fairy, though, that made her wonder..... no, that was too much like logic. Just concentrate on her mission of getting Duran - oh, and learning magic whilst saving the world would be a good idea too.

Hawk looked over, and seemed to notice her concentration. "Angie, stop talking to the Fairy and help us to figure out some way across!"

The Fairy decided to abadon her pointless argument with the Princess and shimmered out into existence, hovering over the abyss, going up and down the waterfall and back.

Angela tapped her foot impatiently. "Have you finished showing off now? We all know that YOU can get across no problem, but in case you haven't noticed, we don't have wings."

The miniature deity sent her a dirty look. "I was just trying to figure out a way across. I was figuring that I could use the natural energies of the waterfall to lift you across."

Duran looked impressed. "You can do that?"

She shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Only one way to try."

"Wait a minute," Angela said, panicking. "We're a long way up! I'd like a little more assurance than that!"

Hawk was grinning, never a good sign. She realised why, when, quick as a flash, he grabbed one of her arms, and motioned for Duran to grab the other. Not that she minded Duran holding on to her arm, but she had a horrible premonition of what was about to happen. The thief called up to the Fairy, "Okay, Fairy, we're ready to go!"

Angela shrieked. "Eeeeek! No!"

It was similar to being caught in a tornado, but beyond that, all any of them could really relate was that it was creepy and that they had made it from one side to the next in the matter of half a second or so.

Once everyone caught their breaths, the Fairy vanished into Duran's head once again, and Angela brandished her cane, ready for action. "Okay, let's get going! I sense powerful magic nearby!"

Raising an eyebrow at her, Hawk commented, "I didn't think you could use magic."

"Just because I can't use it doesn't mean I can't sense it! Just shut up and follow me! I mean, let's follow Duran!"

Duran, once again flattered by his position of leadership, strode confidently to the next cave. Of course, the only reason they let him lead was because there was nowhere else they could go. Even if, in the middle of a network of caves, trying to get somewhere required mostly luck, Duran didn't even seem to have much of that.

His shout brought them running sooner than intended.

"AHHHHHH!"

Angela and Hawk came running after him. Angela was the first to rush to her beloved's side. "What is it?!"

The Knight simply pointed. "THAT - THING - IS - UGLY!"

Angela looked, and she had to agree. Yes, that thing was quite ugly.

Hawk brandished his two kodachi - again, produced from thin air. "I think we should put it out of its misery."

The giant spider-cross-crustacean thing suddenly shifted, and turned its truly freaky large-eyed gaze upon the three intruders (the Fairy had the good sense to hide again). Suddenly, it began stomping its feet, or what passed as its feet, and growled at them.

"I think maybe it wants to put US out of OUR misery," Angela observed.

Duran drew his sword. "No creature as ugly as this should be allowed to exist in this beautiful world!"

"With an armour on it like that, we should go for the eyes," Hawk murmured. "Duran, you come in from the right and I'll come from the left."

"What am I supposed to do?" Angela demanded. Typical males, stealing all of the glory.

The thief turned and winked at her. "The big ugly monsters always go right after the pretty girl. You can distract it for us."

"WHAT? DISTRACT IT?!"

Duran raised his blade. "Get ready! It's attacking!"

Well, it was sort of attacking. It was moving pretty slow, though, the thing was so large all it could really do was jump up and down in place and try and hit them with its spidery legs. It truly was a pathetic creature. It probably only survived for so long because its sheer ugliness scared every other living thing away. As it was, the Princess was certain she was going to be having nightmares about this.

Still, if that was all its attacking power, this would be easy. Hawk and Duran quickly moved into position, dodging the treacherous legs. The thing's eyes suddenly focused on Angela, and what any self-respecting magician instantly recognised as 'beams of light things' came shooting out at her.

"Ack!" The Princess shrieked, surprised, leaping away so it wouldn't singe her shoes. "That thing has magic! How could something so ugly and therefore stupid have magic?!"

No one seemed too interested in answering what she thought was quite an intelligent question, but apparently her job at distracting the monstrosity was a success because Duran and Hawk ran in at the same time and attacked. Duran plunged his sword deep into the right eye, and the creature gave an ear-splitting shriek of pain. On the other side, Hawk was having more trouble, dodging the flailing legs and trying to attack but not doing much damage.

"Duran!" he called over. "My kodachi aren't long enough to pierce all the way through! Get over here with your sword!"

Duran whipped his sword back out and tried to make his way to where Hawk was, but he spent far too much time backtracking away from the advancing and decidedly pissed off monster to even get any closer to the large left eye.

Time to make herself useful. She started waving her arms and yelling in their direction. "HEY! You ugly! Look over here! Your mother was a pumpkin bomb!"

She doubted that the creature actually understood what she was saying, but the noise and movement seemed to have momentarily taken its attention away from Duran. In that one moment of distraction, Duran leaped and plunged his sword deep into the left eye, up to the hilt. With an ear-splitting screech, and a lot of thumping, the creature collapsed. It felt like an earthquake - Angela was standing out in the open and she still had to shield herself from small pebbles raining from the ceiling. Hawk and Duran managed to back away before the creature's antics would up creating a landslide that buried it in rock. After all that, what they were left with was one very large, disgusting and downright ugly mess.

After a long silence, Duran said, "I think it's dead."

Angela agreed with that verdict, at least. "I really, really hope you weren't kidding about those cleaning fairies, Fairy."

The Fairy, evidently deciding that things were safe now that the albeit short battle was over, left Duran's head again. "They'll certainly have their work cut out with this."

Hawk, of course, was all business as usual - the Princess was quickly discovering that he could be just as fixated on a task as Duran, almost to the exclusion of everything else. "Where's Wisp and the Mana Stone at then?"

It was almost as if the Elemental had been waiting for his cue. (Though no one really knew if it was a 'he' or 'she' since Elementals were pretty much gender in-specific.) Shimmering into existence and almost blinding them until their eyes adjusted, a being made entirely of light materialised before them. Angela felt that maybe dramatic music should have been playing or something at this point in time.

"This, everyone," the Fairy announced proudly. "...Is Wisp."

There was a brief pause among the three companions. Finally, Angela said, "Well, duh."

The Elemental of Light apparently decided to ignore that comment. "Thank you so much for freeing me! That horrible ugly thing was keeping me trapped away!"

"Yes, it was quite ugly," Duran agreed.

"In gratitude to you, first let me heal your wounds," Wisp gushed on. His light grew even brighter, forcing them to squint.

"I didn't think anyone was injured," Angela interrupted.

The escalation of light stopped, then faded. Wisp seemed confused now. "Really? Oh, well then.... Fairy, what comes next?"

Angela wasn't convinced by all of this, though. "Just a minute.... THAT thing was keeping the Elemental of Light locked up? I thought the Elementals were supposed to be incredibly powerful! The three of us wasted that with hardly any effort at all!"

If it was at all possible for a spirit that didn't have much of a body to look hedgy, Wisp managed it. "Well, that's true....."

The Fairy apparently decided this was as good as time as any to rescue her companion deity. "With Mana's power fading, so too does the power of the Elementals fade. That's why we must hurry and collect the blessings of all before they grow too weak. Wisp, what about the Mana Stone? I think the Beastmean might be after it."

They were all at least slightly amazed by this revelation, though of course knew better than to show it. Well, Angela wasn't too sure whether Duran was even paying attention, but that was again beside the point. So THAT was why the Beastmen had decided to come invade Wendel. She knew there had to be a reason.

"It's safe for now. It's in the Ruins of Light up above. We can't reach it from here, so I'm afraid you can't do your class change here, Duran," Wisp replied. Apparently the Fairy was going and telling other entities their entire life stories' by her weird mental-talking again. They'd have to have a long in-depth discussion about that later.

Hawk finally found an opening in which to step up. "If you please, Wisp, I was wondering if your powers could lift a curse?"

Wisp seemed to look at the Fairy, who muttered something under her breath. Turning back to the thief, the gentle Elemental responded, "I am sorry, Hawk, but only the Mana Goddess or the instigator can lift a curse like that. It's beyond my power at this point in time."

Determined not to let his disappointment show, Hawk nodded resolutely. This, though, seemed to remind the likeable Elemental that there WAS someone who he could help. "You, however, Princess - I understand that you wish to learn magic?"

Angela nodded vigorously, but forced herself not to let her hopes get too high. "Why?"

If it was possible for a being of light to grin, then Wisp was grinning. "I, Wisp, Elemental of Light, bestow my powers of magic upon you, Angela."

The violet-haired Princess of Altena felt herself being surrounded by a glowing aura, and simultaneously felt her magical awareness heighten to never-imagined levels to her previous ignorance. It was a bigger rush than sugar.

"Alright! Let's try it!" Angela shouted with glee. She raised her staff, and called balls of light to pummel a nearby boulder. Ecstatic, she tried to call upon a water spell, but was disappointed when nothing came out.

"Even though you may actually know the spells from learning them from books, you'll have to train your power to make your spells more powerful and to attempt some others. Also, until you meet some of the other Elementals, I'm afraid you'll only be able to use light spells," Wisp explained.

"Oh. Who cares?! I can use magic now! Just you wait Koren!" she said, raising her staff into the air in triumph.

Everyone seemed amused by her display, but for once she didn't really care. After the moment was past, Wisp continued talking to the Fairy. "You should probably go try and track down Gnome next - his Mana stone is in the most immediate peril. I think it's somewhere near Forcena. Please, hurry. My blessings will go with you."

With that dramatic speech, Wisp disappeared once again into nothingness, but all of them could at least vaguely feel his presence with them. How very eerie.

"I can't believe we did it!" Angela said, hugging Duran. What the hell, a celebration was a good excuse, she could get away with it.

"Don't be getting excited yet, Angela," the Fairy interjected. "We still have a lot of work to do. This is just the first step along the way."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, c'mon, let's hurry and get back to Wendel! I really want a bath!" Angela insisted, half-dragging Duran with her, Hawk following with that usual smirk on his face.

They arrived back the gap to the waterfall, there being no complaints this time as the Fairy air-lifted/pushed them over. However, none of them expected to suddenly be confronted by a small horde of beastmen.

"Oh, shit," the Princess stated.

The one in the lead growled something indistinguishable to their ears. They were completely cornered, and the only thing to do when the beastmen rushed at them them was fall backwards. Fall backwards into a tall, long- way-down waterfall.

They fell, and they fell - where was the Fairy and her magical little floating tricks now? - and they fell. They fell some more. Dang, it was going to hurt when they actaully landed.

There was a splash of freezingly cold stinky water, then Angela knew nothing more.

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Yeah, I know ending a chapter at an unconsciousness is terribly cliche and maybe even a little cliff-hangerish (though we all know what's going to happen anyway), but that's all I have time for. Eeek! I have to go catch the train! Please don't forget to review everyone!