See chapter 1 for disclaimers.
CH. 20 Back to Alfea
Stella led the way into their apartment, leaving the lights out and moving quietly. Given the hour, she reasoned, the other girls were likely still asleep. It wasn't long, though, before all of their friends had rushed out to greet the returning Bloom. All of them had questions, but they tried to let her settle first so she could tell the story herself. Mostly, they were just glad to have her back.
They were not to enjoy their reunion long, unfortunately. Griselda appeared at the door only a few moments later and instructed Bloom to follow her to Faragonda's office. The redheaded fairy repressed a sigh and obeyed. This was not a meeting she was looking forward to, as she'd known for some time that Alfea's headmistress was hiding things from her, and confronting the formidable old fairy about that promised to be difficult.
Still, Bloom thought, it has to be done. Might as well get it over with. Firming her resolve, she matched Griselda's pace, even though she was still strongly tempted to dawdle and put it off a bit longer.
At such an early hour, the corridors were empty, so Bloom didn't have to weather any curious looks other students might send her way. The school was just beginning to stir when the two of them reached the door to Faragonda's office. She entered, not in the least surprised to find the headmistress up at such an early hour, and looking as calm and composed as ever.
Bloom was happy to delay the conversation while Griselda made tea. It gave her time to organize her thoughts. The head of discipline set a cup before her a moment later and she put off the conversation a bit longer by drinking. Finally, she set it aside.
"Would you tell me what's going on, Bloom?" Faragonda asked kindly, getting straight to the point. It was the same tone she always used when addressing students she wanted willing cooperation from, Bloom reflected. She nodded, knowing the woman actually believed she was doing the right thing for her students.
"I went home," Bloom began. "I needed some time to think." She paused to take a deep breath. "About whether I belong here."
"What?" Faragonda looked startled at this. Whatever she had expected her most unusual and often most frustrating student to say, it hadn't been that.
"I went home to spend a little time with my parents. I needed to sort through some things. That's where the three witches caught up with me and took the Dragon's Fire." Might as well get straight to the point.
"Witches?" Faragonda asked, looking alarmed. Whatever the headmistress had been expecting, it clearly wasn't that.
"Icy, Darcy, and Stormy. They knew more about me than I did. They knew I had it and why. Knew I was the last daughter of the royal family of Domino."
Faragonda sighed and opened her mouth, but Bloom cut her off.
"And so did you." Faragonda closed her mouth, her expression pained. "How long have you known?" Her tone grew a sharp edge, and she met the older woman's eyes, almost daring her to deny it.
"I've suspected for a while," Faragonda admitted. "I've always believed that the truth comes to us when we're ready to hear it. How did you find out?"
"I found some books in the library that helped me put it together," Bloom said, holding onto her temper with an effort. There was really no point in confronting the headmistress about the, now missing, volumes. "All I got tonight was confirmation, a few missing details, and a case of frostbite. The witches now have the Dragon's Fire, and I doubt they're planning to do anything good with it."
"No," Faragonda said, rising and turning to face her office window, thinking hard. "Indeed not. I wish you'd come to me with your doubts, Bloom."
"I wish you'd been straight with me when I gave you the chance," Bloom returned hotly. "How was I supposed to come to you with questions about the very thing you've been working to keep hidden from me?" She reined in her temper with an effort. "None of that really matters now. What are we going to do? They said they would use the Dragon's Fire to raise some magical army."
"What army? Not the Army of Decay?" Faragonda asked, turning back toward Bloom and looking slightly pale. Bloom nodded and the headmistress slumped back into her chair, thinking hard. "I'm not sure." She admitted after a moment. "I'll contact Saladin and Griffin. All of the schools need to be prepared. That is likely where they will start. The schools will be the center of any resistance, and they are Magix' best hope."
Bloom nodded. "And what do I do? I don't have any magic left. I can fight, but that won't be much help against the army they mentioned."
"There may be a way." The headmistress admitted reluctantly, as if hesitant to bring it up. She silently considered the mater for a few moments as Bloom waited impatiently. "It may be possible to reignite the Dragon's Fire within you, but it will be very dangerous and it is too soon for desperate measures."
"How?" Bloom asked, meeting Faragonda's eyes. It was clear to the older fairy that Tyger wouldn't be put off or dismissed, and she had little doubt that that was who she was dealing with. "I fought an army once," her student told her, thinking back to the mission with Kirito and Leafa to rescue Asuna. "One that was literally endless. We got through it by having a specific goal and treating the army as what it was; a distraction. We need to deal with the source of the problem, but as long as the Trix have the Dragon's Fire and we have nothing to match that power, an assault on them would be suicide."
The headmistress relented, knowing that that much was true, and explained. "Domino, the world of your birth, was, according to legend, the place the Great Dragon rested after creating the magical universe. If there is anywhere in creation that embers of its power may be found, it is there. If you and the other girls go to Domino, you may be able to find those embers and use them to relight your own fire."
"I don't have a better plan," Bloom admitted after a moment's thought, realizing that it was indeed a longshot. "How do I get there?"
"For now, you don't." Faragonda shook her head. "It's very dangerous, and we need to find out what the Trix plan to do first, but I will have professor Palladium start making preparations."
Bloom nodded reluctantly, knowing that that was likely the best she could hope for, and that there was nothing else she could currently do. It grated, though, and she felt a burning need to do something.
"Good." Faragonda sat back. "I'll speak to Palladium at once. Griselda," she glanced at her deputy, "will begin organizing defensive and evacuation plans." Griselda nodded and left to begin. "You have classwork to catch up on. This is still a school, after all."
"Okay," Bloom conceded, trying to be patient. She got up and turned to leave the office, fairly certain that letting the headmistress know how little she trusted her judgement wouldn't accomplish anything.
On her way back to the dorm, Yui surprised her by appearing at her shoulder. "Bloom! I'm so glad you're back. I was worried."
"Sorry, Yui. I had some things to sort through after what happened at Red Fountain."
"I heard," Yui nodded solemnly. "I wish you'd talked to me about it before leaving."
"I just needed some time with my folks." Bloom grimaced at the memory. "That didn't work out so well."
"What do you mean?" Yui asked, concerned but not wanting to read into Bloom's reaction. That was a human failing she didn't wish to pick up.
"I'll tell you when I tell the other girls. Come on." She shelved questions about how Yui was flying free in the corridor for later.
She entered the dorm a moment later, Yui flying effortlessly beside her. Preempting the questions she knew they would have, she had everyone sit down. With surprisingly few interruptions, she brought her friends up to speed, telling them of her trip to Gardenia and her encounter with the Trix. They exploded with questions after that, but Bloom waved them to silence and gave them the highlights of her conversation with the headmistress and the rough plan that was hopefully in the works.
The enormity of what had happened took a little time to sink in, but they shoved aside their shock and started discussing their options. As risky as the plan was, the girls were optimistic that they could meet any challenge.
Bloom had seen that kind of enthusiasm in SAO. It usually preceded violent deaths. She refrained from cautioning them, though, suspecting it would be counterproductive. Instead, she focused them on what they could do to prepare for the battle she knew was coming and for the mission to Domino that she hoped Faragonda wouldn't delay for too long.
There was little they could do to prepare for the coming attack other than brush up on offensive and defensive spells, so they made plans to practice in the school's combat magic classroom after hours. It was a place spelled to resist most violent magic, at least any that students were likely to throw around. Bloom decided to carry her sword at all times from then on. The teachers might object, but she found she didn't care. She wasn't going to walk around unarmed under the circumstances.
At Yui's suggestion, while the others practiced their combat magic, she drilled with her blade, making sure that her skills and reflexes hadn't been taken away with her magic. They hadn't, but that made them both curious. The fact that she still could still wield a sword, something she'd never done before being trapped in Aincrad, said something about the nature of her skills. Bloom just wasn't sure what it was.
Techna did a search and found that any meaningful information on the Army of Decay was beyond their reach, either in the restricted section of Alfea's library or in Cloud Tower's own library. There were only vague references to it in Alfea's general collection, and none of them were comforting. They couldn't get at any other source to learn more, though.
Stella suggested asking permission to visit the restricted section, but Bloom shook her head. "I doubt they'd give us access to it. None of us really have the training to use what we might find there even if they did." The others agreed reluctantly and turned their attention to Domino.
There was lots of information on Domino. With Techna's guidance, Yui did a deep dive into the system and connected systems, quickly coming back with everything available. There was information on the planet's art, music, history, and culture, but that wasn't what interested them. It seemed that very few people had been to the planet since the Ancestral Witches, as the text called them, had laid waste to that world. There was only limited information about the conditions on the planet or the kind of threats visitors might face. All they found were references to Yeti-like creatures, giant birds, and things called ice spiders.
"So," Bloom noted. "Not a vacation wonderland."
Techna rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. "We will need some specialized gear to deal with the environment."
"I got the clothes covered," Stella assured them and waved her hands, altering her outfit to a colorful full body snowsuit that fit her like a glove and a pair of goggles to protect her eyes. She even managed to make the goggles look stylish.
'Very nice, Stella," Bloom complimented, meaning it and feeling better for her friend's antics. "That's clothes taken care of. We'll need other things, though. I have my sword and you guys have your magic, so we should be able to defend ourselves. "But we're going to need a way to get around. We'll need a map so we'll have some idea where we're going. Also basic camping supplies as we have no idea how long it will take, transportation, food, clean water, etc." She frowned. "Maybe climbing gear? We know so little about what Domino is like now. I know you guys can fly, but if the winds get too bad that might not be an option."
"All good points," Techna agreed. "Let's see what we can scrape together."
OOOOOOOOOO
It didn't take too long to gather things like rope, rations, and canteens. There were spells for purifying water, so none of them were too concerned about that. Techna assured them she could conjure vehicles when needed.
"What else could we need?" Bloom asked her friends. "The best map we could find shows Domino as it was and we can use that to get a GPS fix on the palace, which is likely where we'd find the Dragon's Fire."
"I think we're as prepared as we can be." Techna finished shutting down the dozen or so programs running searches and algorithms on her computer before logging out. "Our trip is planned and prepared for as best we're able. Personally, though, I'm hoping the outcome doesn't rest on this idea. It is going to be very dangerous."
The others agreed, but Bloom doubted they'd have a choice in the matter. She didn't bother saying so, though. Best just to wait and see what developed. They all suspected that the wait wouldn't be a long one.
In the meantime, she had agreed to spend some time with Yui, in what amounted to therapy sessions. Bloom wasn't sure how useful the sessions were, but their long talks on subjects ranging from Aincrad to Prince Sky to her adoptive parents, did give her a lot to think about. She found that her anger with Sky had faded. She was still angry with Faragonda, though, and Yui didn't try to persuade her that she shouldn't be.
"We all do what we do for basically the same reason, Bloom. We think it's a good idea at the time. Having the best of intentions doesn't make being wrong any less painful for us or the people around us."
"There doesn't seem much point in being angry with her." Bloom said after a moment's sullen thought, "but I'm still angry."
"You've a right to be." Yui shrugged. "She violated your trust. She screwed up. Intentions are irrelevant." She paused to regard Bloom curiously. "What are your intentions?"
Bloom fumed for a moment, thinking about how things might have gone differently if the head mistress had been truthful with her. Then she shook her head and sighed in resignation. "I don't have time for grudges, do I? What's done is done. Guess I just have to get over it so I can focus on our common problem. The Trix."
It wasn't till later that night, as she was settling in for bed, that Bloom realized what Yui had done. There was a momentary flash of anger, but it died and she allowed a smile. The little pixie was good.
OOOOOOOOOO
It didn't take long for the Trix to make their first move. Unsurprisingly, it was an attack on Alfea. About midmorning the day after they'd completed preparations for their trip, it began to rain. Bloom noticed at once that there was something wrong with the water. It was black.
As each drop struck the ground, it brought forth a small insect like thing. They were soon swarming the school, stinging and biting anyone they could get close to. Then it got worse. The small skittering things were joined by hulking monstrosities which would have looked down on Knut. Bloom joined the defense without hesitation. She did not have her magic, but she did have her sword and her brain. That was sufficient for the moment.
While others formed protective barriers to keep them out of the building, she moved among the larger creatures that breached the perimeter slashing and stabbing at the monsters, but each time she destroyed one, it would reform. The solution to this would have been easier with her magic, but it was still doable. Using a few chemicals that Flora had in their apartment for experimentation, she managed to create a line of fire to block the main entrance. It was sufficient to slow the smaller attackers but not hamper the students, many of whom could fly.
Her idea caught on, and similar barriers were soon established at all of the school's doors. It didn't stop the horde, but it did slow them down and make easier targets of them. Soon there were too many, and they smothered the fires with their numbers. Bloom rushed to the aid of another fairy that literally had her back to the wall, surrounded by the creatures.
She cut the legs from under one of the big ones, creating an opening while shoving her sword through the head of the one next to it. The girl nodded to Bloom and jumped over the fallen creature only to turn and attack the one Bloom had just stabbed.
"You might want to get clear," she called as Bloom yanked her blade free, doing as much damage as she could along the way. Then she jumped away. The fairy she had just rescued cast a spell that caused the wind to howl around the monsters, dropping the temperature radically. When it died down, they were all frozen in blocks of ice.
Bloom looked to the brunette fairy and nodded respectfully. "Nice."
She nodded, looking a bit haggard. "Yeah, but it takes a lot out of me."
Fortunately for the school, the attackers pulled back soon after that. The students and staff had managed to hold their own, barely. As soon as they were done with initial cleanup and treatment of the wounded, Bloom went to Faragonda.
"I don't think we can wait anymore." She had entered the office without knocking and spoken without preamble. Grizelda glared at her, but the headmistress silenced her with a gesture and quiet word.
"You're right. We can't. Get the girls together. I'll have Palladium finish his preparations."