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 her. "You're all washed up!" She shouted as the wave crashed into Estrangalan, knocking him up off his feet.
Chip ran to her side. "Wanna give him a good one-two knockout?" He asked.
"He deserves nothing less." Madison replied. "Ready?"
"I've always been." They both took offensive positions, then charged at Estrangalan.
"Do you two believe I'm easily defeated? I am a Madoushi, a Dark Priest of Infershia! The Master of Torture! You are nothing but insects to me!" He fired off a few dark magic beams, but he missed on every shot.
"Jii Jinga Majika Majuna! Final Thunderstorm!" Chip ran past Madison stopped to fire off several Tsunami Uppers. As the last wave slammed into Estrangalan, Chip crouched and leaped up as high as he could. He then slammed his gloves together and extended his arm out as he fell back down. Both gloves connected with Estrangalan's chest; sending shockwaves strong enough to cease all functioning within. A moan of complete agony erupted from Estrangalan as the body crashed to the ground, lifeless and silent. A rush of dark energy rushed out of the corpse, turning what was left into sand.
"It's finally over…"
"It's over…" Nai and Mae muttered to themselves as they sat in a treetop overlooking the fight.
"I lost another friend…" Nai sighed.
"They come and go, they come and go…" Mae replied.
"Come, let us punish Morrigan for being insolent." Nai said.
"In-sol-ent!" Mae cheered as they opened up a Dark Circle and entered.