And now for another quick update before I lose focus on this story.
Also, this chapter will feature a 'cameo' of my fellow author, Moonlesscat. (I hope you enjoy, Moon)
Disclaimer: Still own nothing. Moving on!
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"ZIPPY!" Oliver cried in alarm.
"Flippin' heck!" Mr. Drippy exclaimed.
"Is she bloody insane?!" Swaine shouted.
"Just give it a minute…" Vincent advised, calmly.
Everyone looked over the edge…
"Wheeeeeeeeee!"
…seeing Zippy soaring down on a hang-glider!
"What the…?! Where'd she get that… that thing?!" Marcassin stammered.
"Her backpack. She's always prepared for anything," Zeke replied, then shrugged. "Well, my turn!" He then jumped next!
"Good grief, these kids are suicidal!" Mr. Drippy cried, watching as Zeke plummeted to the ground.
"…you're not going to jump next, are you?" Oliver asked Vincent, who shook his head.
They watched the cliff-diving duo, seeing them disappear into the fog lingering halfway down. "Do you think they're alright?" Marcassin asked. "I mean, Zeke can't die and Zippy… well, she's got that strange flying mechanism…"
"It's called a hang-glider," Vincent answered. "She likes to carry it around… Trust me, this isn't the first time she leaped over a thousand-foot-high ledge. It's practically her hobby!"
"Great, we're hanging out with a suicidal nut and his psychotic sister," Swaine muttered. "You REALLY know how to pick 'em, Vincent."
Vincent gave the thief a glare.
"I wonder if they've reached bottom yet," Oliver wondered out loud.
They waited near the ledge, though a couple minutes later, Zippy's voice rang out, "Alright guys, lets get moving!"
"How does she expect US to get down there?" Mr. Drippy scoffed.
A portal then opened before them. On the other side it showed Zippy and Zeke standing in a foggy location.
"…Ah."
They all stepped through, and everyone but Vincent gave them looks. "You know, you really should warn people before you do something crazy!" Swaine said to them.
"And miss out on their shocked expressions? That would take the fun out of it!" Zippy remarked.
"Are you alright?" Oliver asked Zeke.
"Yeah… though I'm going to need new clothes," Zeke replied, pointing at his shirt and jeans, which were ripped and full of holes. "During my fall I kind of slammed into some thorn-bushes growing up the cliff and totally shredded my outfit,"
"Ah, ya needed more clothes anyway, mun. Th' way youe're dressed, I'm surprised th' ghouls at th' casino weren't gawkin' at ya!" Mr. Drippy replied.
"Maybe Midnight Manor has a shop you can browse at," Zippy said.
"I thought we were searching for a cure for Tengri, not going shopping," Swaine commented.
"Then why are we listening to your criticism for? Lets get to Midnight Manor," Vincent replied, earning a glare from the thief.
"Right, lets go," Oliver said, and they started walking.
Zeke leaned toward Zippy. "I think your boyfriend is going to axe off the thief," he whispered.
"Is that a vision, or are you just pointing out the obvious?" Zippy replied.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Meanwhile, Liz and Esther sat by Tengri. Esther was sipping an iced-coffee, having used up most of her magic trying to relieve Tengri of his blindness. Liz, in the meantime, strummed her guitar, hoping the music would help lift the dragon's spirits, as miserable as he looked.
"That's a lovely tune you're playing," Esther said to her. "What's it called?"
"La Sienne, I heard it from a movie once." Liz answered.
"A movie… Oh, you mean those moving-pictures on those large screens, right? Oliver told me about those before."
Liz nodded. "They are quite good- especially the cartoons,"
"Hee hee, those are my favorite… It's so bizarre, like you're looking at a whole different world. …Sometimes, I think there's a world like it, like another world outside of this one and Motorville,"
Liz grinned- if only she could tell Esther such a world did exist. "It would be amazing,"
"So… what's your part of the world like? I mean, you say you come from Oliver's world… yet you all seem so different- bringing up such things like Ink Alchemy, and a wizardry school, and your weapons seem different…"
"Well, not all parts of the world are the same, Esther… Kind of like how parts of your world are different. Some towns are like Oliver's- small, quaint, and not too exciting; and some are like New York or Texas- big buildings, long ranges, people everywhere, often dangerous… Some places have everything, while other places have only as much as they can manage."
"New York and Texas… are they other countries?"
"States. America is a country made up of fifty states, all which tend to have their own thing- some have mountains and large cities, while others just have plains and small towns. My folks used to live in New York, but moved to Texas after some time, since my mama missed her hometown."
"What's your family like?"
"Well… not like your average family. My folks, cousins, and a few of our friends have been facing danger since they were all teenagers in high-school. They helped us take out that sorcerer, Finneas, plus a few other creeps."
"That must have been a tough childhood,"
"Sort of, but then again the world isn't easy when you're a werewolf,"
Esther arched an eyebrow. "A what?"
"I'll show you… but please promise not to freak out,"
"Um, alright…"
Liz knelt down and traced a crescent in the ground. Esther watched in shock as she turned into Tracker, and Tengri gave a soft growl. "It's alright, Tengri, it's still me,"
The familiar-tamer blinked several times, unable to believe it. "Oh… oh my! You can change into a creature? That's… That's incredible!"
"Heh heh, well, you're taking it better than Swaine did last night. He couldn't keep his knees from knocking together!"
"You mean Swaine knows?" Esther crossed her arms. "You'd think he would have told us about it this morning… I swear, he can be such a pain!"
"True, though he's not the first pain in the neck I've met. …Actually, he would get along great with my dad's best friend,"
"Is he a werewolf, too?"
"No… well, he used to be, but they separated."
Once again, Esther looked at her in confusion. "Separated?"
"Yeah… They used a spell that separates a human from their werewolf half, so they could live their own lives. …WG and Shaun did the same thing with their werewolf halves, but for different reasons."
"Who's WG and Shaun?"
"WG is a close friend of mine, and Shaun is my cousin. We've been a team for as long as I can remember…" she looked out at the ocean. "Sometimes, I hope to see their werewolf-halves, Silver and Stalker, again."
"They sound nice. …Do Zippy and Vincent know them, too?"
Tracker smirked. "Better than I do… Speaking of which, I wonder how their search is going?"
"I hope they haven't run into any trouble…" Esther leaned against Tengri, strumming her harp again.
Chances are… probably. Tracker thought, but didn't say so not to worry Esther.
"You have a bad feeling, don't you?" Tengri asked her.
"Huh? Did you talk to me?" The she-wolf asked.
"Yes. Amazing you can understand me. Then again, I suppose from one creature to another, it's pretty simple to chat,"
"I guess so…"
"Who are you talking to?" Esther asked Tracker.
"Tengri… apparently, I can understand him,"
"Amazing… What is he saying?"
"He just sensed I had a bad feeling..." she looked down at the ground. "Namely about our friends. I'm really concerned about them,"
Esther nodded. "So am I. …But, we shouldn't worry. My friends are quite strong, and can get through any situation,"
Tracker smiled. "So can mine… Still, I can't help but worry- something bad always tends to happen to us… like it's a pattern in our lives," She sighed and sat down.
Esther sat down beside her. "You must have been through a lot…"
"You don't know the half of it… You know how I said our parents had been getting into trouble since they were teens? Well, one time their latest trouble lasted up to 20 years,"
The familiar-tamer's eyes widened. "20 years?! What happened?!"
"Werewolf hunters… They targeted my mother's family first, then when my dad and his friends helped her out, the hunters started going after them. It almost felt like no one would feel safe- that is, until we took out Finneas, and we were finally able to move on in our lives in peace. …That's why I'm so worried now. Someone is after us for who knows what reason, and… I just don't want anything to happen to them,"
Esther patted her on the back. "Things will turn out alright… I'm sure they're finding the Everlasting Ivy and preparing to come back as we speak!"
Tracker only smiled, giving a nod.
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Midnight Manor was twice as eerie as the Tombstone Trail. At the border of the village were a line of headstones that spelled out the name of the town, a couple skeletons slumped against or hanging over them. "Welc-c-come to Midnight Manor! Feel free to-" the first skeleton began to say, having a British accent.
"Oy, what're ye doin'?!" The second skeleton, who had a Scottish accent, snapped at the other. "It's my turn to welc-c-come the tourists, ye blok-k-ke!"
"What?! No it's not! You gave the introduce-c-ction last time!"
"That was TWO HUNDRED years ago! …or has it been three?"
"Um, hello. Does anyone here know where we can find the Everlasting Ivy?" Oliver asked, politely.
"Oh, yes! A young ghoul here grows them in her garden, by C-C-Creepy Plaza," The Scottish skeleton replied.
"No, you ninny, she lives in the Morbid Mansion on C-C-Caretaker Avenue!" The British skeleton replied.
"Agh, never mind! You'll know where she lives- jus' look fer a large garden loaded with Everlasting Ivy's, thorn bushes, an' an Evil Queen familiar lurkin' 'round th' yard,"
"Her familiar isn't an Evil Queen, it's a Shrimpaler! Honestly, I think you've been hanging around the wall too long,"
"Ya mean I've been hanging OVER th' wall too long, ha!"
The British skeleton shook his head. "Why did I have to get stuck working with this imbecile…?"
"Um, thank you," Marcassin said, and they walked into the town.
They didn't know what to expect- maybe a few ghoul-ish familiars lurking around, or some more skeletons strolling down the street. What they saw was actually unexpected- werewolves, vampires, ghosts, and several ghouls with blue skin and yellowed eyes… and that was only down the first street!
"Most of these creatures look like Tracker…" Swaine stated.
"Oh, so you've met Tracker, huh?" Zeke guessed.
"Yeah… next time, give us a heads-up of what species you lot are,"
"Vincent told me about it last night," Oliver said, then looked around."I didn't know werewolves existed here, too…"
"Yes, but they're not exactly called 'werewolves'- if that's what you'd call them in your world," came a voice, and they looked over, seeing a man with pale-white skin, bright electric-blue eyes, black hair, and wearing a dark suit… and sporting fangs. He was sitting on a brick wall built by a shop.
"Huh?" Marcassin gasped. The man wasn't there before…
"Around here, we call these creatures Howlunars. But, I'm not surprised you don't know- we don't get many tourists around here,"
"Who are you?" Oliver asked.
"Allow me to introduce myself- My name is Elric. Elric Maxwell Smite. I happen to be an Acrybat, unless you have a different term for that, too."
"You look like a good friend of mine- though we refer to him as a vampire," Vincent said.
"I see… Well, does your vampire friend have a shop of his own?"
"Actually, yes. He sells wands,"
Elric laughed. "Small world! So do I!" he jumped down, and studied Oliver's wand, Astra. "I can tell you all have a keen sense in your wizarding tools… Ah, Astra, I remember crafting this wand for the Wizard King himself,"
"You make wands, too?" Marcassin asked.
"It's more of a hobby, but it does good for business… Hmm?" he looked at Vincent's wand. "However, I've never seen a wand like this one before… Yes, I can tell there's something other-worldly about it."
"Well, yes, that's because we come from another world," Zippy told him.
"Fascinating… However, I'm afraid your wand won't do you much good here. I can sense it's power is unbalanced in this world- the change of location has made it… how should I put it?... quirky."
"What do you mean? This is the best wand I have!" Vincent replied.
"Maybe in your world, but here it's as good as an inexperienced familiar in a high-class boss-battle: it'll do it's tricks, but it won't be powerful enough… in fact, it feels as if its magic is practically powered out!"
"Ouch, so what do you recommend? That Vincent buys a new wand?" Zeke asked.
"If he wants- but I could also mend his wand here, so that it can work magic in both worlds. …however, it would take a matter of two weeks,"
"I'll think it over. Right now, we need to find an Everlasting Ivy," Vincent said, pocketing his wand.
"Suit yourself… And if you want an Everlasting Ivy, Bloodmoon is the one you seek,"
"Who?" Zippy asked.
"Bloodmoon, she's a ghoul who lives in Morbid Mansion, right down the street." Elric pointed in a western direction. "I'm sure she can help you out."
"Thank you," Oliver replied, and they walked down the street.
"And if you're ever in need of a wand or some other magical items, you're welcome in my shop!"
Vincent smirked, shaking his head. Wait until I tell Edwin about this, he thought, thinking about his vampire friend.
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Morbid Mansion lived up to its name. The large house was pitch black, the yard dead save for a garden by the iron, spiked fence, and ghoul-ish familiars lingered around. On the porch stood a girl, with long dark hair, a dark outfit, and red eyes. "And who might you be?" she asked.
"I'm Oliver, and these are my friends. Are you Bloodmoon?" Oliver asked.
"Yes. What brings you here?"
"We need an Everlasting Ivy. It's for our sick dragon," Marcassin replied.
Bloodmoon nodded. "I see… But I can't give you any, I'm afraid."
"What? Why?!" Zeke asked.
"My garden is off-limits. You see, I grow many herbs back there to use for some of my home-made potions. I'm a wiccan-ghoul, and help everyone around the village, or sell ingredients to anyone who wants to make a potion themselves… However, many have been breaking into my garden and stealing from it, so I had one of my pets guard it."
"I see… Well, could you get it for us?" Oliver asked.
"I would… but unfortunately, I can't even get into my garden. The creature I have back there has grown quite territorial. Sadly, I don't know what got into him, and I've tried everything to get by him- putting him to sleep, using fire, water and other elements against him- I even turned myself into a dragon! But he wouldn't let up."
"You turned into a dragon?" Swaine questioned.
"Of course, we ghouls can do anything we put our mind to."
"Bloodmoon, it's really important we get that Ivy. If we manage to get past your pet, could we take one?" Vincent asked.
"You can try, but no one's gotten past Ebony and lived,"
"…thankfully I'm immortal…" Zeke muttered.
"Well, lets meet this 'Ebony', and have a go at him," Zippy said.
"Aye, lets see how bad this pet o' yours is!" Mr. Drippy agreed.
Bloodmoon shrugged then lead them to the garden, inside a large greenhouse with bars over it. She unlocked the door and showed them the way inside. In front of them there was a sign that read, "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here,".
"Um, quick question- is there anyone else in town who grows Everlasting Ivy?" Swaine asked, suddenly having second thoughts.
"No, just me." Bloodmoon replied.
"…go figure."
There was a hissing sound, and the ground began to shake… and out of the ground shot a large snake with scales blacker than black with silver scales sticking up down its spine, red eyes, long fangs… and breathing fire! "GAH! What is that?!" Zippy shouted, jumping back.
"That's Ebony," Bloodmoon replied.
Before anyone had time to react, the giant snake let out a hiss and struck-
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A/N: And we're in another battle! :D (Moon, I hope you liked your cameo… and 'pet').
Please review, but no flames or you're snake-food.