What is this witch craft? An update? Why yes, yes, it is an update. Hello world. I have briefly returned to give you the long-awaited (at least I hope it is long-awaited) next chapter of A Masters Care. With all the hard work I have put into school I am now on the honour roll. Woo hoo. Now if only I can stay there. I will slowly but surely continue to update but the wait between chapters may be rather long. I am however working on an agreement with another author that could speed up the update rate. To all the readers that actually bother to come and read this story again after such a long wait I love you (in a completely platonic way) all.
Chapter 10
Packing had been difficult. The two teens gathered the clothing they would bring with them. All of it mostly consisting of pants and short-sleeved shirts. Their small duffle bags sat on the bed filled with the necessities. They still had a few hours to kill before the portal spell was supposed to be finish.
The two teens sat in silence. Tsukune was perched at his desk once again reading the book about vampires. His interest in the species had grown the longer he knew the vampire lounging on his bed. Moka lay comfortably on the hybrids comforter lost in thought.
'What happened to Kokoa? I haven't even had the time to even think about her with everything that has happened.' Her thoughts continued to wander. 'Tsukune has been so kind. I still wish every filthy human would die, but if I had a choice he would be the exception.' Rolling onto her side the vampire closed her eyes. Unknowingly she slipped into unconsciousness. Fragments of memories floated through her dreams. Kokoa demanding a fight. Her fathers face set in a stoic frown. Her mothers kind smile. Kalhula beaming as she riffled through her closet. Akua when she first arrived at the castle. Lastly pher friends playfully arguing before the images are dispersed when Tsukune carefully shook her shoulder. "Moka its time to leave."
She thanked the gods she was turned away from him as salty tears silently streamed down her face. "Alright, I'll be out in a second." Her voice was surprisingly steady. She heard the sound of Tsukunes door closing before she sat up. She allowed herself a moment to let the homesickness wash over her before fiercely scrubbing the tears away with her palms. 'Just a little longer, and everything will be fine. I will see my family, and if all goes well the slave trade will be abolished and there will be peace.' The vampire stood up quickly, grabbed her pack and marched outside with renewed determination.
When she exited out on to the front steps she saw a witch hunt reversed. It seemed Yukari and Ruby had decided they wanted a picture of the group before departure, but Tsukune must have not been feeling very photogenic seeing as he was running away from the camera with two grinning witches snapping at his heels. Getting a devious idea she calmly walked unnoticed to the camera that was placed on a stand. She unclipped the camera from its place and turned toward the rowdy trio. The vampire watched them for a moment as they tied Tsukune to a tree before she put two fingers in her mouth and let out an ear shattering whistle. They all snapped their heads toward her in surprise. "Stop torturing Tsukune or the camera dies." Moka held up the camera threateningly. The witches scrambled away from their victim, and carefully inched their way out of sight.
The vampire glided over to her incapacitated master and crouched down beside him. "Thanks Moka, I thought I was a goner." He smiled as the vampire rolled her eyes at his over dramatic exclamation before his smile turned into a horrified expression as Moka threw the camera to a reappeared Ruby.
The witch grinned manically as the vampire laughed in a sing song voice "picture time." Moka put her arm around her horrified, and now blushing master, as the camera flashed capturing the vampire and hybrid grinning evilly and blushing up a storm respectively.
"Moooookkkkaaaaaaa you are sooooo meeeeeeaaaaan!" Tsukune let out a high-pitched whine once he was finally released from his bonds. The girls laughed as his voice cracked multiple times. The small group made their way over to the hiking packs piled next to the camera stand. Yukari and Tsukune each slung a pack over their shoulders. Yukari and Tsukune must have already said goodbye to the senior Sendos because Moka couldn't see hide nor hair of the older witches. The elder witch of the small group held up a large book inscribed with runes of some language of gibberish that only witches seemed to understand.
"Alright, the portal is set up in the woods about a klick north of here. I'm going to teleport us there so if you need to use the bathroom speak up now." Everyone was dead silent. "Fine, don't blame me if you pee yourself." She began to mutter a rather long spell. It only took a moment for it to take effect, but when it did Moka could feel it. Teleporting felt like her body was being force through a straw. She couldn't breathe at all,and she felt as though her eyeballs decided now was a good time to jump ship and were tearing their way out of her skull. When the spell finally ended it was like landing on the ground after jumping from a plane. She was very pleased when she saw Ruby and herself were the only ones still standing after the disconcerting experience. Both Tsukune and Yukari were laying on the ground groaning.
The vampire nudged the hybrid with the toe of her boot and chuckled when the only response she got was a drawn out "stagabat" which she translated to 'stop that.' Looking up and taking in her surroundings she saw tall red pine trees ringed around the clearing they had landed in. Small boulders were placed between the trees like a barrier keeping the unwanted out. Her gaze finally landed on the dimension portal. It glowed a ghostly purple. It looked as though two young saplings had been bent together to create an archway and inscribed with runes to create a matrix of energy. The purple glow seemed to be coming from a peculiar crystal formation growing from the base of the small trees. Moka was snapped from her observation when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "You okay? You spaced for a moment." The vampire turned to the hybrid.
He was now on his feet, but he still had a pale complexion from the disconcerting experience of magical teleportation. "I'm fine. I was just looking at the portal." She responded truthfully. Tsukune nodded with a small smile of understanding before removing his hand from her shoulder and striding over to the two witches. Ruby and Yukari had been finishing up the last few calculations before they activated the portal.
"Okay, we are as ready as we'll ever be, so is everyone ready?" Ruby questioned. She looked at the three travelers in turn, and each time getting a determined nod of confirmation. The elder witch raised the gibberish book once again and began chanting. This spell was much more complex and longer than the basic teleportation spell. The chanting went on for several minutes. The rest of the group waited with bated breath as she finished. Once the rhythmic words ended the portal flared up in a bright flash of purple light so harsh everyone had to cover their eyes.
Once the initial flash was over the portal had become a sight to behold. The saplings had been engulfed in a violet inferno. The flames licked across he young wood, yet it did not burn. The most amazing part of the spectacle was the gaping hole in the surrounding scenery. Within the arch the saplings made instead of red pine the trees had become tall North American fir. "That is the first dimension on the list, yes?" Tsukune inquired. Ruby nodded. An exhausted look had washed over her face. It was obvious that the spell had taken a lot of energy. The group shifted uncomfortably for a moment, each waiting to see who would take the first step. Flicking his eyes from Moka to Yukari Tsukune knew he would have to be the first or it would take forever to get the ball rolling. After taking a deep breath of the forests crisp air he strode forward with hardened resolve. The hybrid carefully pushed his foot through the portal. It looked as though he had stepped in a pool of purple hued water creating wave upon wave of ripples. He pushed the rest of his body through. It felt akin to going under water and yet surfacing at the same time. Once he had recovered enough from the very interesting experience he examined his surroundings.
The air was slightly warmer than on the other side of the portal, and the air smelled earthy and fresh. The fir trees were bunched together in clumps creating a canopy that only let small amounts of noonday sun filter through. As he gazed around he heard the other two members of his party arriving. "Anything interesting marvelous master of mine?" Moka questioned sarcastically. He shook his head before silently proceeding between the trees. The two females of the trio glanced at each other before following.
The small group aimlessly wander around the new dimension for a few hours before stopping for a break in a calm grass filled clearing. "Ugh, I feel like I'm going to die." Yukari groaned as she threw her bag on the ground and plopped down beside it. "I'm used to sitting at a desk researching not trekking through another dimension filled with nature." The little witch shivered dramatically at the word 'nature.' The elder two of the trio chuckled at her antics and began to set up for dinner.
Tsukune tossed the vampire a blood pack he had kept in a small lunch bag lined with ice packs. "Drink. I don't want you feeling ill." The vampire drained the bag without question, because in reality she was famished and blood always felt the most filling. The trio eat lunch quickly before laying down to relax. Yukari was out like a light before her head hit the ground. Moka took the time to find the softest patch of grass she could find before curling up and drifting off to sleep. Tsukune gazed at his two best and only friends in the world for a moment before lying down against a tree. The hybrid pulled out a new book he had grabbed before leaving. He had finished "Vampires for Dummies" just before the group had left so now he was examining "The Monster Encyclopedia". As he read his eyes became increasingly heavier before he slowly drifted off to sleep completely unaware of the eyes that watched them.