Chapter 12
Dawn of a New Disaster
A/N: This story is still going to be on hiatus for a few months, but I missed uploading so I'm giving you guys a Chapter today.
"I don't think you're understanding this, Gil." Valon said as he followed Gil through the Commons.
"Valon. Come on. Are you even listening to yourself? I know Mason is, like the hugest jerk in the Spiral, but seriously? I doubt he's working for Malistaire."
"But he tried to KILL me and Luna. I defeated two of Malistaire's minions. I'm sure he wants me out of the way. Why else would Mason try to kill me?"
"Oh, gee, Valon. Lemme think about it. Umm…he doesn't like you."
"Valid point. But what about the army of monsters?"
"…Coincidence…? Okay, I believe you. But why are you trying to convince me? You need to head straight to Ambrose."
"I can't go to Ambrose without hard evidence. If Mason was under the influence of a mind control spell, do you think Ambrose could discover it?"
"Okay, let's revisit this. Mason…doesn't…like…you. How are you going to get him to go to Ambrose?"
"Well I…You…He…I…Dangit! I hate when you're right."
"Here's what I propose. You, me and everyone else need to figure out the whole Mason deal while we save the Olde Town streets just like we did Unicorn Way."
"Wait…We have to save the streets?"
"I guess so." The two found Tina in the Fairgrounds. Immediately upon seeing them, she ran up to Gil and gave him a big hug.
"So…" Valon said in a confused tone. "Are you two…" For some reason, Valon just couldn't say the word 'dating'. Gil and Tina looked at each other, then back at Valon, then back at each other.
"Well…" Gil said.
"I…" Tina said
"It—We"
"Uh…"
"We kind of…"
"So what did you guys need me for?" Tina desperately trying to change the subject.
"We uh…I think our little group has to save a couple more streets in Wizard City."
"What? Why?"
"Well…Mason released an entire army of monsters upon the three streets of Olde Town."
"Well that's…great."
"Where's Luna?" Valon inquired .
"She went to Moolinda Wu to ask her if there's a Life Spell to heal a burn." Tina responded.
"A burn?" Valon thought he and Luna had escaped Mason's attempt to burn them alive. "Mason tried to kill me and Luna."
"What?" Tina exclaimed.
"Last night after Mason released the monsters onto Wizard City, he found us and tried to burn us alive. I think that's where she got the burn."
"Well where is he? I wanna freeze some sense into him."
"Well…I think he might be dead."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, he tried to point his wand at us in an attempt to set us on fire, but Luna did something that rebounded the spell back at him. The last thing we saw when we teleported out of there was him burning. If he's not dead…then he's in hiding somewhere."
"Okay, let's assume the worst." Tina said. "He's hiding. Now we have to find Gritt, Gwen and Luna."
"Well, here comes Luna." Gil said. Luna walked through the Ravenwood tunnel pointing her wand at her arm. Her entire arm was glowing bright green.
"Hey, guys." Luna said. Valon dashed in front of Gil and Tina.
"Luna! Mason burned you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine…Really. Don't worry about it. See?" She held out her arm. Her arm stopped glowing and it looked completely healed. Valon sighed in relief.
"Do you know where Gwen or Gritt is?"
"Gritt is in the library and I think Gwen went to explore the three streets of Olde Town."
"What? Which one did she go to?"
"Uh…The one with the cat."
"Oh, shoot! We gotta go!" The four ran to the library. In almost an instant, they burst into the library, picked Gritt up out of his seat and pushed him out the door."
"What's the big idea? I think I saw the word, heir." Gritt said as he desperately tried to keep up with the group of young Wizards running through the Commons.
"Gritt, you've torn through every book in Wizard City. Give it up." Tina said.
"Hey!" Gritt whined. The five of them ran to Fire Cat Alley. Suddenly ropes flew out of nowhere from all directions. They encircled then entangled the six Wizards. There were red flashes. They were going by too fast to see.
"What's going on?" Valon asked.
"We're being attacked!" Gritt said "Wands out, everybody!" Another flash went by and Gritt was gone.
"Where'd he go?" Gwen asked. She disappeared as well.
"Gwen!" Tina exclaimed. Luna disappeared, then Valon. Tina was paralyzed with fear. "I think we're next." She said. Gil was afraid. He knew that they were going to be taken by whatever was taking everyone else.
"Okay Tina, I know this may not be the best time, but I have to ask you something…" Gil began to say. "Are you and I…Y'know…together…?" In a flash, Gil and Tina were gone as well.
Gil awoke what felt like hours later. His vision was blurry, but when he came to he saw a fire burning right in front of his face. He focused his vision more to see that it was a small creature holding a bow and arrow. The tip of the arrow was burning and the creature was aiming his arrow right at him. He tried to stand but he was bound to a chair by rope. He looked all around and saw that Tina, Gritt, Luna and Gwen were all bound to a chair as well and the chairs were arranged in a pentagon. Gil didn't see Valon though.
"Where are we?" He asked himself quietly.
"Gil!" Gritt said quietly. "You're awake!"
"Gritt! Where are we?"
"Gentlemen!" Gritt and Gil looked up to see where that voice came from. Mason was atop a stage with a curtain behind him. "Welcome to the show."
"Uh…Show?" Gritt said.
"Yes, show! Hello! Don't you see the big curtain? You guys have no appreciation for a dramatic entrance. Oh, well. No matter. You'll be dead soon anyways, but before I order my minions here to shoot flaming arrows directly at you, I wanted you guys to see the death of your leader." The curtain rose and Mason pointed towards a chair that was onstage. But the chair was empty. Mason simply stood there for a few moments. A dark green blast came out of nowhere and hit Mason right in the face.
"Mason, did you really think that if you just left me behind a curtain all by myself I wouldn't try to escape?" Said Valon as he emerged onstage.
"No." Said Mason. He quickly drew his wand and shot a blast of fire at Valon. Valon was hit and sent flying across the stage. His body was smoking as he landed with a thud.
"Okay…ow…" Valon said. By this point, the girls had all woken from their stupor and were watching the stage intensely. Mason raised his wand and Valon did the same. It seemed like they were aiming in slow motion. The five were waiting to see who would cast a spell first.
They aimed their wands at each other and the spells were both cast at the same time. Valon's dark green energy blast and Mason's orange fire blast collided. Both spells were powerful so neither spell struck either one of them. The two spells created a ball of light in the center of the stage. After about half a minute both spells stopped and the ball disappeared. Mason waved his wand.
"Fle Erif!" Mason chanted. Just before his spell activated, Valon took the opportunity to shoot a blast at Mason. Mason screamed in tortured pain. Suddenly a voice boomed through the theater.
"Another failure, Mason? You disappoint me." The theater rumbled.
"I got it!" Gil yelled. He had been trying to reach into his boot this whole time to get his wand and he finally succeeded. He waved it and his binding disappeared.
The rumbling caused a lighting fixture to fall onto the stage. Valon jumped out of the way just in time to avoid getting crushed.
Gil got rid of the fire elves who were threatening the others with their burning arrows. He then used his wand to make the ropes bounding everyone disappear. Mason, watching his plans fall apart pointed a wand at them and shot a blast of fire. Gritt responded by shooting a blast of lightning. Instead of colliding as Mason and Valon's had, Gritt's lightning immediately overtook Mason's blast of fire and knocked him off of his feet.
Gil finished getting rid of the ropes and told everyone to hide. A large translucent hand reached out from the ceiling of the theater. It grabbed Gil's legs and began pulling him towards the ceiling. Tina on impulse ran to grab Gil's hands in an attempt to pull him back down.
"We have to help!" said Gwen.
"Everybody fire at the hand!" said Gritt. He, Luna and Gwen shot energy blasts from their wands at the hand. Tina rooted herself to the ground by freezing her feet to the floor. The combined force of the three wizards shooting it caused it to release Gil into Tina's arms. Mason recovered from the lightning and stood up. He pointed his wand again poised to attack, but the hand recovered and grabbed Mason. In an instant, Mason was pulled through the roof to who knows where.
