OSPREY...SWOOOSH
UO: Alright let's keep the train rolling
Drew: ASH ACTUALLY WON!
UO: Wait, what?
Misty: Wait, WHAT?
May: WHAT!?
Dawn: HUH?
Brock: WHAT?
Max: NO WAY
Drew: HE BEAT THE ALOLA LEAGUE *STARTS UP POKEMON THEME*
UO: Okay…as you can see we're celebrating something that took 22 god damn years. Um…right. Disclaimer: I only own the plot. If I owned Pokemon, Ash would have won years ago!
?: GOD BLESS THE ANIME AND MY CHILDHOOD TOO!
"Speech
Text and Time change
Thought
Super Mode/Belt/Monster
Attacks/Spells/Techniques
Chapter 31: Claws of the Dark Spirit
Moments after the battle
Erza landed in a beam of light. Loud cheers greeted her as she turned around and bowed in gratitude. Tarazad approached her with a wide smile. "Congratulations to both you and my daughter for clearing the temple and proving yourselves to our great ancestors." She turned to her daughter and hugged her. "You changed while you were in there, whatever happened was good for you.
Alshain sniffled, "Thank you, mother."
The queen turned to the rest of the team. "You are welcome to join our celebration tonight. The ladies are also welcomed to partake in our dancing. For that, they must be prepared. Gentlemen, you're all still our guests here, so please enjoy our party to your heart's content!"
Natsu, Gajeel, Ash, and Grey immediately made a beeline for the nearest stand while Brock decided to ask about Max's new glider. Meanwhile, the girls were escorted into the palace, specifically to a dressing and bathing room.
With the limited number of attendants, it was decided that only two girls should be prepared at once. The rest were allowed to rest on the piles of pillows scattered throughout the room. The room itself was a large parlor room with several couches and pillows scattered around. In the back was a large spring that used geothermal energy to heat itself. Some of the attendants were busy adding herbs and salts to help with recovery into it.
"It feels like a sultan's den," May giggled burying herself into the softness of one of the pillows.
"There are no men wandering here, so make yourselves comfortable," Alshain told them as she slipped off her top, revealing D-cup breasts, before slipping into the water. "This water has special herbs and cleansing agents. I would recommend it before they dress you."
"Don't mind if I do!" May said as she stripped down and found her way into the water. "Oh man~!" She moaned as she stepped in. "Misty, this water is divine!"
The Water Guardian followed her in and agreed as if it was made from a water god. Anabel and Dawn giggled as the attendants dressed them and put their make-up on. Erza sighed in bliss as she laid down, the day catching up to her. She felt two pairs of hands gently grab her blouse and took it off, followed by her bra. She smiled as Lucy sat in front of her, topless as well, while Mira's ivory haired visage snuggled into her back.
"You did amazing today," Mira whispered, kissing her ear and reaching down to massage the redhead's chest, squeezing her dense, springy breasts lightly. "You had us scared when Pyrrha knocked you off the platform.
"She was one of my toughest opponents. She could have… no, she should have won," Erza admitted.
"Don't say that," Lucy assured her. "I'll admit, you had us a bit worried when she could counter anything. But you're always figuring out ways to win, so we knew you would."
The red-headed knight smiled and squeezed the blonde closer. A whistle caught their attention. Looking up, it was May looking at Dawn, who was bashfully covering herself. She was wearing a gold lace bodice, showing off her comparatively modest chest, and a pink satin sarong. Her hair was in a long ponytail with a jeweled braid. On her hands were several sapphire bracelets while blue makeup and blush adorned her face, which was covered with tiny sparkles.
"Wow, Dawn, you look amazing!" May gushed. Turning to Anabel, her mouth began to drool. "Damn, Ana! You really pull it off too~"
The purple-haired empath was wearing a purple jeweled bra with matching drapes that showed off her long dancer's legs. Her feet had a pair of silver anklets while her arms were adorned with over a dozen bracelets. Her eyes had gold and purple eyeshadow while her lips were the same color. A tiara kept the bangs out and was topped off with a purple silk face shawl.
"Yeah, this feels… feels so natural," Anabel swooned, twirling around.
The attendants went for May and Misty next, considering that they were cleansed in the water. Misty's hair was braided with a ruby hairpiece, while a matching red jeweled bikini and a hip scarf were given to her. She was also given a pair of heeled sandals and several bracelets that clinked with the slightest movement. For makeup, they went with green eyeshadow and matching lipstick color. Overall she portrayed a vision of a powerful princess.
May, on the other hand, was going for full-on seduction. Her top was merely two jeweled gold pasties attached to a small strap while her bottoms featured a simple gold-colored metal thong with drapes. Her hands had several jewels on them, as her eyes displayed gold eye shadow and her lips coated in gold lipstick. The attendants offered to paint her completely but she politely declined.
Afterward, it was Lucy and Mira's turn. When they were done, Lucy sported a gold-colored strapless bikini that strained against her bust and matching thong and hip scarf. She was given strapped, heeled sandals, along with a long eagle necklace that settled in her cleavage. Her golden hair was thoroughly cleaned and braided with a diamond-encrusted braid. Her face was adorned with gold sparkles that made her blush stand out beautifully.
It was Mira's model-like form, however, that made everyone stop and stare. Her impressive figure was encased in an ivory-colored pearl-encrusted bra. Her hips were encased in a matching thong and drapes with a couple of bangles on her ankles, leaving her long smooth legs on sensuous display.
"Looking amazing, Mira!" Misty praised.
Mira giggled and sauntered up to her friend. "Your turn, Erza~!
The redhead blushed before being escorted over to the chair. As she tilted back so that her hair could be placed a sink, she glanced over to Alshain undergoing a similar treatment. "How could this village afford all of this expensive material?"
"Thousands of years of trade, plus victories in many wars and smart investing. Our ancestors were not fools. All of the artisans that come and settled have contributed as well," she explained. Then she smirked. "All of you are courting your respective Princes, correct?" Erza grunted a yes as the water and shampoo digging into her scalp made her head tingle. "I hope you don't mind seeing open affection?"
"Meaning?"
"We don't mind if you make out with each other or do other things to each other. The only thing not allowed is sex, and they can easily leave the party if need be."
Erza's body heated up at the implications. Lucy heard this and grinned, "Natsu's gonna have some fun, especially when he sees us."
"How did our blonde princess become so bold in public?" May giggled.
"When my partners are as affectionate, turning my body into their personal teddy bear, shame is something that I gave up on," the blonde replied, getting a high five from the brunette.
Erza smiled as the assistants continued to work on her hair and body. As an hour passed by, they finally stepped away from her, allowing her friends to take a good look. Her attire consisted of blue silk, strapless bra with small sapphires dotting the cup, showing the tops of her large breasts and toned flat stomach. Around her waist was a matching hip scarf, with a metal bracelet wrapped around her legs. On her feet were a pair of blue heeled sandals. Her hair was wrapped in a matching braid while a tiara kept her hair out of her eyes. Blue eye shadow was applied to her eyes and a sapphire eagle necklace and her arms were decorated with several bracelets adorning her arms.
The first thing out of one of the gawkers mouths was Lucy asking, "Can we keep her like this?"
Alshain laughed as she stepped out, dressed similarly to Erza only emerald green. "You're welcome to take these with you."
"So what do you think the guys' reactions will be?" Dawn asked with a giggle.
"Well, Brock will probably get a nosebleed, and Max will probably be embarrassed at his big sister," Anabel answered before offering, "Shall we, ladies?"
Thanking the attendants, they were escorted towards the festivities occurring in the center of town. The party kicked off as the sun had set, casting the town in brilliant orange. In the center square, a large bonfire was burning, while tables set up for food and drinks were scattered around.
The whole population had shown up as this was a celebration of their princess's coming of age. Women dressed in simple yet very sparkly outfits, while the men wore vests and various colored harem pants.
Ash was munching on a rib while Pikachu was nibbling on a cracker in his own open vest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Max working on the glider with Brock helping while a couple of onlookers just stood there. "Max, you think you can put down your new obsession for a few minutes?"
"Can't. My mind's been going a mile a minute since I got my Bud. Been trying to slow it down, but imagine how much I can build out of this."
Brock handing him some bread and milk chuckled, "You should take some time to look at the ladies." As he said this, some of the girls walked by and giggled at him, making him blush and go into la-la land.
"Now, Brock, what would Suzie say, hmm?" Misty's voice teased, prompting a nervous laugh from her friend.
Ash looked up and the rib in his mouth dropped to the ground. His girls were posed in a very seductive fashion with May draped over Dawn who was curtsying. Anabel was lying at her feet on her side while Misty looked like she was ready to begin dancing.
"Um… U-Uh… Wow…" Ash tried to form words but his brain was short-circuiting. Now he had been exposed to his girls dressing habits, but these outfits brought it to a whole new level. If he didn't know what his hormones were before, these brought it out and cranked them to 15.
They giggled and sauntered over to his spot, gently removing his plate giving Misty and Dawn space to plop onto his lap. "Glad we got your attention," Dawn giggled as they kissed his cheek.
"Um… you feeling alright?" he asked as the girls started to feel up his body.
May wrapped her arms around his chest. "Alshain told us that unless its something not kid-friendly, open affection is encouraged. So I hope you don't mind."
"Heh, never," he chuckled before leaning back to kiss her. Turning to Anabel, he grinned and brought her closer. "So, you ready to show these ladies how we do it back home?"
"Trust me, I've seen some of them, they know how to dance somewhat, but I think they will be surprised to see us showing off!" She teased sneaking in a quick kiss.
Over with the male mages, Natsu was holding himself back from eating the bonfire and was instead using said flame doing fire tricks to entertain the little kids. He started to juggle the flames much to their delight as they hadn't seen many people actually controlling the flames like that. They then cheered when he ate it and burped it.
This was the scene where Lucy Erza and Mira came to him. When Natsu heard them and turned he was lucky he wasn't handling any fire, cause he might hurt the little ones otherwise. The blonde laughed lightly as she sauntered over to her boyfriend. "Having fun?"
Natsu grinned and gave her a kiss. The kids made faces and giggled at the open affection. "Now I am. These kids are awesome."
"Glad you think that, especially with so many impressionable kids here. Have you eaten anything that isn't fire?" Mira asked.
"Had some great chicken and steak. They really know how to party! Almost like Fairy Tail!"
Erza chuckled and pecked his cheek. "Much more controlled."
Natsu grinned and then glanced at the kids. "You kids wanna see a cool trick?" Turning to Lucy he asked her, "Do you trust me?"
The blonde nodded without hesitation. The dragon slayer ignited his fists and held them up to Lucy's arm. Instead of burning her, the flames spread harmlessly up her arms and then over her body. She was hesitant at first, her body trembling as it traversed her exposed skin; Natsu wasn't the best at self-control when it came to controlling his flames. But as it danced around her skin, it felt like she was in a large fiery blanket. She smiled deliriously as it teased and nipped her skin, warmth rolling over her like she'd laid down in the afternoon sun.
Erza watched in awe and admiration as the flames danced across her fellow lover. She was surprised when Lucy twirled around and allowed the flames to leap off her and surround the redhead. Accepting the invitation, she pulled herself closer and began to dance as well.
It was this scene that Alshain walked in a few moments later with a tall gentleman. "There you are, I see you're enjoying the show. Fascinating that Prince Natsu is using flames when claims to be the Earth Guardian."
Putting out the flames to the kids' pouts, he turned to the princess. "I'm the flame dragon slayer, so I started as a Fire mage. When I got my powers, I can combine my magic and my Guardian power." As he said this, he kicked up a rock and ignited it.
"Amazing," the man said.
"Where are my manners? This is Altair. Altair, these are the Earth and Metal Guardians, Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia, and their knights Erza and Mirajane.
Altair bowed respectfully. "It's an honor to meet not only the Guardians but also the incarnation of our great matriarch."
Mira had a gleam in her eye. "Oh? Alshain, is this gentleman who I think he is?"
The warrior had the decency to blush. "Yes, Altair and I are courting, but we haven't done much since I've been training for my test. Now that I am an adult, I don't need to hide it as much."
Altair rubbed his head. "I didn't think our princess would go for a guy like me. I mean, I'm not that smart or anything."
"You're winning over my mother, that's important," Alsahin assured. Glancing over at the altar, she smiled. "Speaking off," she said walking over to where her mother was about to speak.
A loud drumbeat echoed through the festivities as Tarazad made her way to the podium, dressed in a gold plate mail bikini and her hair braided and woven into a ruby-encrusted tiara. Holding up her hands, the crowd began to die down eagerly awaited their queen's words.
"Fellow citizens and guests of Ozad!" She bellowed hands. "We are gathered here today to once again celebrate the coming of age of one of our great warriors! It is special this year as our crown princess has passed her trials and I feel immense pride in welcoming her to the ranks of our warriors!" She glanced at her daughter who blushed at the praised as she bowed to the crowd. "Let the wings of freedom guide our them to glory!Now celebrate and be merry!" She ordered.
At that proclamation, the music picked up and the party got into full swing. The mages, well known for their wild parties, fit right in as they ate and interacted with the whole town. Grey created solid ice that made the flames shine even more while Gajeel made steel objects that he lit up and did wild tricks. Meanwhile, May and Anabel were with the dancers creating a show that mesmerized their onlookers, to the point that an impromptu dance-off commenced between the pairs. Off to the side, Ash and Misty were in a couples dance group with Alshain and Altair joining as well. The beat was very upbeat and it felt more like they were at a club than a party. Misty quickly swapped out for Dawn who was more bashful but easily got into it as she danced to their own slower rhythm. This continued throughout the night, with many not leaving until close to midnight.
Early next morning
Misty yawned as she sat up from her spot on the bed. They had basically collapsed onto the bed so they hadn't had a chance to change out of their party wear. Grumbling once again about her early morning workouts, she gently crawled over Dawn who was nuzzled into Ash's left side, grabbed her spare clothes and proceeded to the baths. The waters here were similarly fed by the geothermal springs and a nice steamy atmosphere greeted her. Stripping her gear off and unbraiding her hair, she cleaned herself off before stepping into the pool. Being the only one there, she took a couple of strokes before flipping onto her back.
"One benefit I guess of being out this early, no one to bother you," she said to herself. Glancing down at her legs, she put them together and watched them merge into the tail from before. Instead of the shimmering blue scales from before, they were clear white on top and a ruby red on the bottom.
"Interesting… maybe it's a reaction to my environment; this is much warmer and mineral-infused," she noted as she saw that her arms and chest had similar colored scales. She willed her legs to separate and the scales disappeared. "So it's my will that turns my legs, and the environment dictates the changes. Maybe if I was deeper I would have more fins or scales." She merged her legs back and sank beneath the water, knowing she wouldn't drown. With no one there the waters stilled and she closed her eyes to enjoy the ambiance. Minutes later, she saw small ripples across the water and she sat up to see her partners entering the bath.
"Misty?" May called out. "Didn't realize you were still here."
The redhead shrugged. "Too nice to come out at the moment." She quickly dove and kicked her tail forward, before stopping in front of them.
"Having fun, Ariel?" Dawn teased as Misty sat on Ash's lap, tail and all.
"Yeah," she giggled.
"Can't imagine what being in one of those costumes would be like," Anabel said trailing her finger up the scales. "I thought your tail was blue?"
"I've figured that my transformations are based on the environment. So with the warmer water and being a geothermal spring, my scales are red from heat while those not exposed are clearer," Misty explained then felt herself shiver. "Ana, what are you doing?"
"Just tracing my finger up and leaking a bit of aura. Why?"
"'Cause right now, it feels really good."
May and Dawn grinned and snaked their hands down to her tail. Misty knew what was coming and instead of fighting it, she buried her face into Ash's chest and tried to hold in her laughter as they massaged and tickled her tail, which caused her to shiver and spasm in pleasure. A few minutes later, after calming down, she wrapped her tail around them and pulled them closer. "I wouldn't trade a thing for the life I've got now."
Ash kissed her forehead. "Me too, to think this started 'cause of a few bikes," he commented, making everyone laugh. A few minutes later, they left the baths and dressed back into their normal clothes. Meeting up with the mages they entered the throne room with the queen waiting patiently to see them off.
"Thank you for your hospitality, your majesty," Erza said bowing to the queen.
"Please, the pleasure is all mine. Let's get you all fed before you leave."
Before they could enter the dining room, however, a messenger came running through the doors. "Your majesty! Trouble at the gates!"
Tarazad narrowed her eyes, asking, "What happened?"
"The Avatar cultists! They've returned and they are attacking the village!"
"Order all our warriors to prepare for battle. Where is my daughter?"
"She's already with our defenders!" The messenger revealed.
"Good!" The queen turned to the Riders. "I hate to ask, but would you be willing to lend us your strength?"
"Say no more! Come on, guys!" Ash ordered as they left the room. Outside they could see the fires of battle already burning.
"There are too many fronts! We need to split up. Pair up, and stay alert!" Ash ordered.
"RIGHT!" they shouted as they branched off to different sections of the city.
In one of the residential areas, Anabel's arms glowed in an ethereal light while she hacked through the various cultists, who appeared to have no idea how to fight the extremely mobile mage. What also didn't help was Grey peppering them from afar, his ice magic freezing them in place as multiple shots struck each one.
"I think we got the rest of them," Anabel noted. "Let's go help the others."
Grey was about to agree when took a sniff of the air. "We got company!"
The empath turned to see a large middle-aged Asian man striding slowly towards them, clapping his hands and randomly chanting. He was wearing a dark blue kimono and gray hakama pants, with a round shield on his right hand.
Having seen his allies getting knocked down one by one, he narrowed his eyes at the two mages. "You! How dare you hurt my comrades! I, Gomon shall smite you, tea."
"You're the ones destroying the town," Grey growled, firing off multiple shots.
The large man blocked the shots with a giant swipe of his shield. "You think a few icicles will stop— GAH!" In the time it took for him to boast, Anabel closed the gap and kicked him in the stomach. "You bitch!"
The empath said nothing and struck him again knocking him away. Summoning a Light Screen, the purple wall caught him with a thud. She raised her hands, which glowed with psychic energy, and the wall bounced him back towards her. Her arms glowed in ethereal light before she slashed upward. The attack hit him twice, once from the slash and then a second from the ethereal energy exploding.
The man staggered back. "Stay still!" He held up his hands to summon his magic. A pair of manacles appeared and grabbed her hands before wrapping them behind her back.
"You like my little handcuffs? My magic is torture based. I've got so many tricks up my sleeve you'll be begging me to kill you!"
Anabel thought back to Friedrich's arsenal and giggled as she tried to break out of her cuffs. "I doubt you have THAT many.
Grey quickly fired off an Ice Lance, which was blocked, before turning to Anabel. "Can you still fight?"
"Yeah, he was dumb to take away only my arms." She focused her Aura on her legs. "Ice the ground and follow my lead!"
Not hesitating, Grey did just that, icing lane all the way past Gomon. With his sandals, he had no grip and quickly fell on his butt. Anabel quickly ran on the ice, using her Aura as a form of ice skates. She took a leap and launched both legs into the larger man as he struggled to stand up, causing him to scream as he slid further down the ice. Grey then created two parallel slides, letting them skate behind him The empath summoned another Light Screen, which then sprung the man up into the air. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Anabel's leg and Grey's ice-encased fists. Both strikes connected with a loud crack that sent the unconscious man back down to earth.
Landing on the ice, Grey smirked as he froze and shattered the cuffs. "That was awesome."
The purple-haired girl nodded and followed the ice mage.
In the market area
May launched another kick at the woman in front of her. She was dark-skinned, with silver hair, and had a figure nearly as curvaceous as herself and even dressed like she wanted to, with a strapless bra, a white jacket, royal purple drapes, and high heels.
"So you're one of the pesky flies we warned about from those Miracle Eye folks. Got to say, they make you out to be some boogeymen!"
"Vine Whip!"May yelled as four leafy vines sprang from her arms and wrapped around her dark-skinned opponent. She pulled her closer and then kicked her back into a wall.
"Impressive. But do you think it's just me," she asked looking to the roofs. May followed her gaze and saw Max...and another of the woman? "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Briar, of the Avatar cult. And I can create clones to distract and destroy you." As she explained this, two more clones appeared in front of the brunette, while the first clone summoned another two. Max quickly pulled out his new glider and took to the air.
"Hold still!" one of the clones shouted, anger flashing through her eyes.
"Let me think about that one, old hag… NAH! TEMPEST WING!" He reared back with his mechanical wings and snapped them forward. The quick speed kicked up a fierce wind, one that was much stronger than the Briars was expecting, and two clones were sent flying into the air with twin squeals of shock. He stepped on an air platform he'd created and leaped after them, with his staff out spinning over his head. He got between the three, smacking all three multiple times, before catching them on the edge of his staff. He flipped over and then send flung all three clones straight at the ground. The clones screamed as they crashed into the ground before they all disappeared.
"Heh, this thing's pretty cool. Now I wonder what else I can make?" He said landing. Looking around, he scratched his head. "Wonder where May went?"
May and Briar's battle had spilled into a florist shop. The brunette had retreated into the shop to give her time and think of a plan. Fighting multiple opponents even those that were weak was still an issue cause most of her spells needed time to charge up. Even her quicker spells still needed a focal point. Thus she fell back until she found this florist shop and activated her illusion spell before hiding in the back.
"Alright girly, I know you're here," the main Briar said.
"You come quietly, and we'll make sure you're the first sacrifice," the happy clone said with a fake smile.
"Or not and we can torture you, either way works!" the other clone laughed.
May was hidden behind a large display of roses, glaring in Briar's direction. However, before she could start thinking of a plan, everything went dark. A surface of smooth crystal began to spread over everything, rendering it all still and silent. Then, the plants arranged around the store began to glow, crystal flaking and falling away, before writhing and twisting before her eyes. The brightly colored blossoms, already in bloom, bloomed further, more and more stems and vines growing from their depths, made of materials colors she'd never even seen before. They bore thorns tipped with impossibly potent toxins, secreted sap that burst into flame or sparked with electricity. She saw seeds growing from places and surfaces that plants could never take root in, mushrooms that spread like wildfires, and more.
Then the vision was gone, and she crouched among the flowers again. Flowers that fell squarely into her elemental domain. She smiled, formulating an idea, and placed her sword next to some of the roses. The flowers grew out, stems branching out, and wrapped themselves around the blade, all the way to the hilt and binding it tight. Then, with a jerk, she yanked the blade free, cutting through the stems and flowers and soaking the sword with their juices. Instantly, the fluid staining the blade began to glow, sparks of electricity flaring up along the steel. "Gold Rose Resin!"
One of the Briars heard the crackling and didn't react fast enough as she was zapped into submission. The clone and the original saw May dashing towards her. She spun around and whipped out the electrified vine to take out the other clone, electrocuting it and causing it to fall to the floor unconscious. Then the brunette lashed out her legs striking her in the stomach. As the dark-skinned cultist gagged and staggered from the surprisingly powerful blow. She then felt a vine wrapping around her and dragged her over to the brunette. Only one word escaped her lips, "H…how…?"
"When you choose to limit yourself, you ruin your chances of evolution," May told her, "Sorry hon, no sacrifices today," before shocking her opponent into unconsciousness.
Her brother flew in as Briar fell to the ground. Looking at May's sword, he grinned. "You got a Tinker bud too huh?"
"That's what it is?" May asked, looking at the vines. "Looks like I can make things out of plants. Guess we should start with that garden." Glancing around the florist shop, took some money out and placed it on the counter before grabbing a couple of bouquets and packs of seeds. "This should do nicely to start."
Max rolled his eyes and walked out. Grabbing his glider, he motioned his sister to hook herself onto an extra harness in front of him and then took off into the air. "Kind of feels weird to be in this position with ya."
"Normally it's me hugging you," May giggled, "How's the glider?"
"Not bad for a first run, if I had better materials I might be able to do more."
May hummed as she watched the battles unfold. "Looks like everything seems to be under control, let's take a break, I'm getting hungry."
"Forgot we didn't eat," he said landing. Unhooking his sister, he sat down and watched the smoke of the battles beginning to die down, indicating their friends were winning. As he did this, May hugged him to her bosom.
"This is more like it," the brunette sighed and they relaxed for a few moments. Several screams made her groan. "Duty calls," she said standing up.
"Hey," he said holding up a black wrapper. "Still got a few of these Snickers, in case you're hungry."
May gratefully took it and rubbed his hair. "You're the best, bro. Come on!" She said devouring the bar and running on the roofs.
Max grinned and flapped his wings before gliding right after her.
Over at the park grounds, Alshain bashed one of the cultists in the head while stabbing another in the shoulder. She helped one of her comrades stand after he had been knocked down. Behind her, Mira in her Demon Sitri form blasted several more away. Behind them, Dawn was busy patching up everyone up while firing off Ice Beams to freeze attackers approaching.
"You're doing great," she told a female warrior.
"Thanks!" she got in return picking up her sword.
The bluenette nodded and stood up. She held Sylveon over her arm and powered up a pinkish-blue ball of Aura.
"AURA SPHERE!"She thrust the ball forward towards a group of ten. The ball barreled through them as if they were bowling pins. "And that's a Strike! Drew would have loved that!"
"That was impressive, Dawn," Alshain praised, "I didn't realize you had combat skills like that."
"You can thank my Pokemon for that!" She replied, only for the sudden agonizing screams of the defenders to prevent her from continuing.
"What the hell?" Alshain asked in despair. "They were fine a minute ago!"
Dawn watched in horror as her comrades started to drop in agony. Most of them were holding their stomachs. "It's magic! SAFEGUARD!" Her body glowed as her protective shield drifted over her like a waterfall and bathed her in a light blue veil. She was about to spread it to Alshain and Mira when she saw that the princess was already writing on the ground, while Mira was fighting through it.
She heard giggling and looked up to see a redheaded woman, with cat ears and large diamond-like stars in her eyes. She was wearing a black and white turtleneck sweater over matching leggings and short heeled shoes. The individual turned out to be Mary of the Avatar cult.
"Like it?" she asked, "This is my Black Magic, Virus~ It's funny how a simple little bug can take down an entire village. You know you should feel lucky."
"Why? Aren't you doing enough damage?" Dawn growled as Mira struggled to stand.
"Well, I can always cause brain death if I really want. But where's the fun in that? So much more fun watching them squirm~!"
Dawn wanted to make her retort, but words could not escape her as she watched everyone struggle to stand or even breathe. All of these brave warriors who fought to defend their homes, their families, and what they believed in for the sake of Okab, they would surely die a slow and painful death. And for what, some demented Mage's sadistic pleasure?
But the thought of Mirajane and Alshain barely clinging to life in the face of this terrible magic was absolutely grueling. Mira, a true friend, a kindhearted ally who had been through hell and back, now unafraid to show her reputation as an S-Class in the heat of battle; the suffering she must have been experiencing was too much for Dawn to imagine.
And Alshain, despite her only getting to know everyone recently, the determined warrior's inability to fend off this deadly spell was gravely concerning. This was the princess, daughter of the village's leader, who represented the strength of Okab. If she had fallen here and now…
And to make matters worse, Dawn knew she too would fall under that spell once Safeguard wore off. Yet this wasn't just about herself, or her friends, but also regarded those who might have to face this dangerous enemy if she lost this bout. Despite the horror seeing those around her in excruciating pain, she knew this truly was unacceptable.
She needed something, fast! Anything to put an end to this cursed Virus spell! Just then…
[Destination]
What the? Dawn thought, hearing a strange voice. The world around her went dark, and a golden orb suddenly loomed over her, filling the sky with its presence.
[Animancy.]
Ani what? She thought.
[Agreement.]
And then it was gone. The black void disintegrated as she returned to reality, almost no time passed. Looking down at her hands, she concentrated and thrust her hands forward. Alshain glowed first, then Mira then one by one the rest of the defenders glowed pink.
"What… what's going on?" Mary stuttered as she could feel the hold on her magic falter. "My Virus Magic is being destroyed?" She turned to Dawn, whose eyes were glowing pink. "What are you doing!? Stop!"
"Your magic is focused on torture and death of your opponents," Dawn began. "What's stronger than death than life itself! This is what my new Bud can do! If you think you can kill my friends while I'm around, think again!" She poured more power into the healing spell, making it glow brighter. In moments, the virus was purged out of the defender's systems as they coughed up a dark bloody mixture.
Mary looked scared as her opponents stood up and looked around frantically for an exit. "Um… this isn't good, time to-"
"Ahem!" She froze as she heard two angry voices clear their throats. She mechanically turned to see Mira and Alshain with glowing eyes. Mary stuttered in fear, letting out a frantic scream as the two women promptly beat her to a pulp.
Dawn weakly grinned before collapsing to her knees. "Damn it… that was too much."
Before she could fall further, Alshain saw her drop down, rushing over to her side and kneeling before her savior. Her hands gently grasped her body, picking her up with gratitude. "Thank you," she warmly smiled, "You saved our lives."
Dawn slowly gave her a thumbs up, barely responding, "No… need to worry…" before she felt her eyelids shut without a second thought, leaving her out cold from exhaustion.
Mira sighed, "Poor thing, saving us probably took it all out of her."
Alshain proceeded to transfer the healer to her subordinates, ordering, "Take her to the medical wing. Treat her as if I was the one brought in."
Knowing that Dawn saved their princess, they were more than happy to comply with the order. "You should be proud to have someone willing to do that for anyone," she said as they rushed away.
"I'm proud of all of our friends. Now, we have a village to protect!" Mira said spreading her wings.
"Right! All troops! Move out!" Alshain ordered as they moved into the village.
In the artisan area
Brock swung his axe at the metal figure in front of him. The machine-like being grunted before punching him back. Brock felt the hit knock him back and noticed the last two hits weren't as strong as before but this one felt like he got hit by a football player. Behind him, Gajeel fired off a breath attack before charging up a shot from Condemnation and fired. The Dragon Roar seemed to do little, but the gunshot caused their opponent to stagger.
"Okay, what gives? There's no way our attacks have this much power gap!" Gajeel growled.
The metal figure laughed. "Perhaps an introduction is in order. I am D-6. My magic manipulates the laws of chance to cause despair. Do you think you can win with one blow against me? Imagine taking all the strength away from you at the moment of triumph, and then all I have to do is flick you. You can never truly have a final blow."
"What does that mean?" Gajeel snapped.
"It means that whatever his magic is doing is manipulating the amount of damage we all deal out. That's why your shot did more than your roar."
"That's stupid!"
"That's RNG for ya. Somehow, Max and Drew have the devil's luck!" Brock grumbled. Looking around the armory, he saw multiple pieces of body armor and weapons scattered about. Many were gathering dust, but otherwise in really good condition.
As he did so, however, the sounds of the other Rider clashing against D-6 fell away, as crystal began to spread out from his feet, washing over every surface and making everyone else vanish. As he stared at the armors, a light bulb went off in his head as he turned towards the ground. "Armors out of Earth huh? Now that's an idea." He raised his fists and punched the ground. His arm sank up to his elbow and he felt the rocks forming into a familiar shape. Slowly pulling his arm out, it revealed a terracotta soldier, perfectly formed and ready to attack. The former gym leader quickly repeated the process until he had a whole squad.
D-6 kicked Gajeel aside and saw the soldiers bang their shields before lining up to fight him. "What the? How are you controlling these? How are you making them?"
"You can say your luck ran out," Brock said. "Incarnation Spell: Loyalty of the Unliving." He felt his power disconnect from the soldiers, leaving them to stand on their own as they raised their weapons. "If the odds are against me, then let's just add the numbers. Now, Terracotta soldiers! ATTACK!"
D-6 took several steps back as the soldiers marched towards him, one thing on his mind. What rotten luck!
Moments later, the cultist lay beaten and battered on the floor, the clay soldiers standing at attention. Gajeel turned to Brock. "Yo, what the hell was that?"
"Remember Max's little outburst in the temple? Looks like I can make robots or other sentient machines."
"What?" Gajeel asked.
"I'll explain later, come on," Brock said walking towards the exit, the Iron Dragon Slayer following him.
With Erza and Ash
Erza, clad in her Flame Empress armor clashed against her opponent as they fought across the large training ground. The man in front of her was about her height with blonde hair and orange eyes with tanned skin and dressed in a noble's white and black robes. In his hand was a glowing purple sword with a round rain guard and knuckle guard. There were also three belts that surrounded the blade itself. The redhead growled as she tossed the sword in her hand away, the blade rusting over as if exposed to the ocean.
"Your reputation precedes you, Erza Scarlet!" Jerome smirked. "But without your weapons thanks to my Dark sword, you're just a dog with no bite."
"I wouldn't be so cocky! CRIMSON WIND!" She swung sword from the ground skywards. A trail of flames, powered by her Wind Magic, swirled into a twister and sped towards the cultist. The fierce winds surrounded him and he was forced to leap back while swiping his sword to dispel it. The flames disappearing, covered Ash's approach as he slashed forward. The blonde barely dodged the electrically charged swipe, only to be struck from behind by a second Ash clone swinging a fiery sword from above, striking him across the chest.
"GAH!" Jerome cried out as the slash left residual burns. "How are you keeping your sword from rusting?"
"Aura is a shield, using my life energy to protect my body and anything I wield. As if a rusting curse could get through that!"
"Then I'll make sure you burn it off!" Jerome challenged as their duel continued, even launching into the air.
As they battled, Erza stabbed the ground in frustration. "Damn it, my swords are being destroyed faster than I can replace them!"
Watching Ash fight, she noticed that he wasn't being entirely truthful in his ability to negate Jerome. She could see a layer of electricity below the Aura, in the event the magic penetrated it. She had overheard some terms tossed around with the Friedrich and Drew. Words like physics, chemistry and other terms that went over her head. When she saw Max create the wingsuit out of the debris, he had done literally on the fly and with the tools he had on him.
Looking down at her sword, her eyes flashed and suddenly she was standing in an armory. Glancing around, she recognized her own armors and weapons standing proud and undamaged on various stands. Looking further ahead, she recognized less and less of them, the arrayed armaments stretching into the horizon and beyond, their appearances growing indistinct. As she admired the weapons, a small knife began glowing out of the corner of her eye.
Blinking her eyes, she saw she was back in the fight. Looking down at her arms, she summoned her magic and requipped her Lighting Empress Armor's armbands and summoned another sword. Pouring magic into it, electricity flowed forth, a current running through the blade.
Ash looked behind him and leaped towards Erza. The redhead nodded and both charged the blond man. Jerome blocked both attacks, his confident smirk slowly morphed into a panic. "What...How are you doing this? My Rust magic should be destroying your blades!"
Erza said nothing, before retreating and lashing out with a followup swing. Thanks to Ash's swing from the opposite direction, her sword struck from above and shattered the blade.
Jerome staggered back. "No…! My weapon!" Before he could scream, both of his opponents swiped at him, slashing through his shirt and chest, unleashing thousands of volts into him, before he was then blasted away.
Ash re-sheathed Raikou and turned to Erza. "Let me guess you saw something in your head and came up with the electricity idea."
"It felt like I was looking at a forge… it's like I knew how to make it. But… I don't understand it all."
Ash smirked, "Then you'll love science class. Lesson one: rust can be removed with electricity through a multi-step process. The Aura thing was a measure of insurance."
"It seems I have a lot to learn."
"We all do Erza," yet the fact they were still on an active battlefield suddenly hit him at that moment. "But we shouldn't be talking any longer than we already have. Come on, let's find the others!"
The two sword wielders headed back to the palace where the battle was heating up.
In Front of the Palace
Tarazad, while amongst the heat of battle, was proving why she was the Queen as she spun around, sweeping her spear in large arcs to knock away the cultists closest to her. She swiftly raised her shield thereafter to block several magic spells coming her way. This moment allowed Misty, standing right behind her to conjure a water-dimension portal, unleashing a geyser of water at a large group approaching. The aquatic blast washed away and into the arms of the defenders.
"Amazing! You're younger than my daughter, yet you can control the very ocean," Tarazad praised.
"Thanks, but this isn't entirely my power, I picked up this ability on our way here. I can call water from basically anywhere I want." Misty summoned another portal over another group and caused a great deluge to fall on them, making them trip as if they were in a cartoon skit.
"I was wondering how you were fighting without a source of water."
Misty said nothing, instead, taking a deep breath. "HYDRO PUMP!"She snapped forward unleashing a massive about of water that flushed away most of the remaining enemies. Coughing as she spat out the last bit of water, she grinned. "Haven't gotten used to breathing with water in my lungs."
"What?" the queen quickly questioned, unable to follow.
"Well, that same power also allows me to breathe in water. I think my lungs haven't fully adapted to the change yet." She looked over and saw Natsu and Lucy fighting what she assumed to be the leader in a dark blue and grey bishop's robes while wearing a metal face. "I take it you'll handle the palace?"
"Go! I've got things here!" Tarazad ordered.
Misty nodded and summoned a wave of water leaping onto it. She charged forward, above the battling group, before allowing the water to crash down over the leader. She fell towards the ground, where a portal opened and deposited her next to Lucy.
"Glad to see you've been practicing with that portal power," Misty praised spinning her trident.
"It's been fun," Lucy replied as she waved her hand over and let Natsu launch himself out of it and struck Avatar's leader who was attempting to shield himself but the constant jumping around was making it difficult. "I wonder what else I can do?"
Natsu landed next to the girls, hoisting Urvan up. "These guys are pansies."
The priest sputtered as he staggered to his feet. "This is… an outrage! Our power… was supposed to be on par with the Balam Alliance! We should have been members, but the damn Miracle Eye guild took our rightful place… But, if I destroy Fairy Tail and the famous Okab village, it will surely get their attention."
"Try it! See where that will get you!" Misty said swinging her trident.
The priest started to chuckle. "You think I can fall so easily? Do you know why I wear this mask?"
"So we don't have to see your ugly mug?" Natsu pestered him back, prompting a fist bump from Misty.
"No, you cretins! You see, I, Alok, the head pope of my illustrious Avatar Guild have made a pact with one of the Asakusa Battle Gods!"
"The what?" Lucy deadpanned.
"Surely you would have heard of them. The 18 Battle Gods of the former Asakusa clan were said to be unstoppable titans. However, to summon them, a small offering must be made."
"Your face… you gave that up!"
"Indeed! I'm glad that I burned it to be blessed with this privilege!" Alok announced with a twisted, intimidating grin. Within seconds, menacing indigo flares of energy began to surround the cult leader's entire being, engulfing him in a fiery chaotic aura. It was a clear sign he was about to make his move. "The time is now!" he would then call out boisterously, "COME FORTH, IKUSA-TSUNAGI!"
Springing both arms high to the sky, the flames converged above Alok into a pillar of light, shooting upwards fast before breaking apart. Its blue colors corrupted to a violet shade from the point where the magical brilliance dispersed, quickly darkening the village grounds. Not long after, a gigantic purple spell circle formed from the epicenter. Lightning of a similar hue crackled from storm clouds as the summoning was complete.
Starting with a pair of monstrous feet peering from the circle, a huge, bestial humanoid slowly descended out of the circle, crashing into the middle of the courtyard. It was easily 30 feet long in height, featuring a body bolstered with humongous muscles. The fiend's strength was further proven by the massive sword its right arm wielded. Its frightening countenance was defined by a lion's face with two devil horns sprouting out of its mane. This was Ikusa-Tsunagi, the Battle God.
With a glare of its eyes, the deity unleashed a massive roar that shook the city, with tiles coming off and the ground cracking from the force of the sound.
"That's a battle god?" asked Lucy, slightly intrigued
"Finally, a challenge!" Natsu grinned cracking his knuckles. "I was getting bored beating everyone up."
Misty closed her eyes and shook her head. "He may appear strong, but this is barely registering Erza's level. If we transform, we can take it down."
Lucy nodded and summoned her belt before taking her keys. "Hm...Let's go with...ooh, I just got your contract. Let's go Scorpio!"
Misty smirked, pulled out her belt and slapped her Change Starmie card into it, while Natsu rolled his shoulders and brought out his transform rings, his Hand author and his Earth Ring.
SHABADOOBIE TOUCH TO HENSHIN!
(Play Xenoblade Chronicles Boss Theme 1)
With confidence, the three shouted in unison, "HENSHIN!"
EVOLVE
EARTH PLEASE~! Don-DON DON-DON-DON-DON! DON-DON DO-DON!"
SUMMON: SCORPION!
As the three Riders transformed, they got a look at Pleiades' new Scorpio form. The top of the armor resembled a red Chinese martial arts shirt with an opening in the back exposing the black armor underneath along with a pair of metal shoulder pads. Around her waist was a long metallic scorpion tail wrapped around. Long black metallic leggings encased her legs, with metallic slipper-like shoes. Her helmet was red and white with red eyes and a black headband.
"Three more stepping stones on our path to glory! Get them, Ikusa!"
The lion beast roared and stomped towards them. Readying its gigantic blade, Pleiades thrust out her hands quickly. Sand spewed from her palms, creating a cloud that covered the three Riders. The beast swung hard, shaking the ground as the weapon made contact.
The tremors of the attack could be felt by nearby warriors who continued to fight back the cultists of Avatar. Alshain, not too far from the impact zone nearly lost her balance along with the foes she struck down. As the quakes stopped, she looked to the monstrous foe, commenting, "S-Such power! Can the village even withstand the shock of its attacks?"
However, as the dust around the sword's strike zone cleared, there were no bodies or broken pieces of armor left behind. The deity paused, knowing it lost its prey.
"Find them you stupid beast!" Alok ordered. Before Ikusa could, it felt a large kick to its chin. Draco had used the sandstorm to sneak a hit onto the god. He then dove back into it through one of Pleia's portals.
Meanwhile, above them, three larger rifts tore through the sky, dumping huge amounts of water on top of them. Triton leaped out of the third, spinning like a drill and striking the middle of the monster's spine. It roared in pain as it tried to swipe back at the smaller Rider. She fired off a Hydro Pump which caused the creature to bellow in frustration at the pressure.
"Ikusa, don't let them push you around! Crush them!"
The god roared once more before stomping on the ground. Unbeknownst to them, Pleiades forged with a plan within the confines of the sandstorm. While Triton was distracting them from above, the underground Draco tunneled around like mad to weaken the sediment underneath.
"Good, keep it up, Draco!" Pleia cheered.
"So how is taking away the rock gonna help us?"
"We've only got three people, and despite our Guardian heritage, we don't have the power to take down pseudo-gods yet, so we'll have to fight smarter."
"And the holes?"
"Leave it to me," Pleia responded while turning around. She shouted, running back up the tunnel, "Just be ready to take him down!" Climbing out, she watched the giant roar and swipe at Triton, who even in the air looked like a sensuous siren as she swam from one water-based portal to another.
Dozens of holes appeared in the air, water pouring from them. However, under Triton's direction, the streams held cohesion, shooting out in pillars from one portal to the next, linking them together. The Rider vanished into those streams, streaking through them in the air, swimming like a bullet around Ikusa-Tsunagi. She launched constant barrages of pressurized bolts of water in droves and peppered it from all sides, piercing its tough hide.
"That's good Triton, now for my part!" Pleia said to herself. Concentrating, she focused on opening a portal underneath one of the legs.
Just then, the Battle God's eyes glared, as it knew it couldn't afford to be pushed around like this any longer. Aiming its gaze toward Okab, a massive vacuum of pressure began to form around its demonic form, drawing in dark-looking particles of Ethernano, condensing into a fiery wave of energy forming in its mouth.
"Yes! YES!" Alok cheered in awe, "Destroy everything and everyone! Let your true powers cover the world in an era of darkness, in His name!"
Back at the portion of the battlegrounds where Alshain stood her ground, a high-ranking soldier fighting alongside her proclaimed, "Lady Alshain, the beast is up to something!"
"No… If it's planning on annihilating the village," she worriedly remarked, "We're all doomed…"
Meanwhile, the bloody and beaten Mary, who was left lying on the ground after her beating from the princess and Mirajane looked upon the god with a nervous smirk. She asked herself, failing to keep a modicum of delight at the marvel of their summoned ally, "Um, Grandfather, do you intend for us to die too?"
Elsewhere, the other notable members of the cult found themselves in disbelief as they knew this would spell out trouble.
Just then, a violent force of black lightning began to emanate from the horns surrounding Ikusa-Tsunagi's mouth. In-between the tips of the two, an electrical wave surged from one point to the next, forming a sphere of energy composed of the same hue.
Alok finally screamed, "SHOW THEM YOUR POWER! DO IT!"
Though the god had not spoken before, it's voice finally bellowed in an unknown language, "JUDICIUM: FILII LUCIS DEVASTATIO!"
Just before it could fire, Pleias' portal finally formed around its leg, drawing it in. The beast felt its limb fall through, struggled to keep its aim toward the village, as its mouth opened wide.
Much like the breath attack of a Dragon Slayer, a wave of chaotic flames expelled straight into the sphere of lightning energy, turning it into a gigantic beam of destruction that curved above Okab, proceeding to miss the intended target. The mass of Magic Power curved, eventually hitting and obliterating a mountain with ease. A couple more were caught in the explosive blast.
"Damn, that was close!" Draco admitted, knowing they dodged a massive bullet just now. "That's it! We're taking care of this jerk and fast!"
It was then that Triton flew around and activated Aqua Jet, with three twisters of water following her. She struck the beast in the side, the force of all the spiraling vortexes, tipping him over. Alok watched in horror as the beast landed on the ground, which collapsed thanks to Draco's digging work beforehand.
The Guardians reunited and watched as the god roared in pain. "Let's end this!" Pleiades shouted.
"You got it!" Draco said pulling out his Finale ring and flipping the hand author.
DRAGON: KICK STRIKE SAIKOU~!"
AURORA BEAM: MAXIMUM ENERGY
AQUA JET: MAXIMUM ENERGY
COMBO: AURORA JET
Pleiades took out the Scorpio key and inserted it into her leg.
RED STINGER: OPEN
Her right leg began to glow red. She leaned back onto it, while building up energy in both legs. Then, as one, all three leaped into the air, with Pleia and Draco doing a front flip before extending said legs.
"HAAAAAA!" They all screamed, their attacks descending towards the giant god, the images of a dragon, shark and scorpion overlaying them. All three crashed into the god, barely getting a roar out before it exploded. The three Guardians landed outside the crater with a crouch."
"Don't underestimate scorpions, you'll get stung!" Pleaidies shouted stretching her hands to the side.
Alok was frozen as his god was destroyed. "All this work, all of this power! This...can't be possible!"
"Ahem!" A female voice cleared her throat. He gulped as Tarazad stalked towards him, with several of her guards. "Apparently it can. You're under arrest! Your gonna be guests in our jail cell until the Magic Council shows up!"
Alok's eyes behind his mask rolled up and collapsed.
Two hours later, the village as in the middle of cleaning up as the queen met with the departing Riders. Dawn having recovered from her exhaustion was on Ash's back.
"Thank you, once again for everything you have done for this village," the queen said. "Especially you Knight Dawn, for saving my daughter."
"She would have done the same," the blue haired girl replied.
"Indeed," Alsahin nodded. "Come I will escort you to the lifts." She told them as they bowed to the queen before leaving, the guards saluting them as they walked past.
Minutes later they were at the wind powered lifts waiting for one to come up. Alshain turned to everyone. "I wish to apologize for my earlier behavior."
"No worries, trust me, not the worst thing we've dealt with," Ash assured her.
She turned to Erza. "That bracelet is important to us, use it well."
"I will, thank you."
Finally she regarded Dawn. "Once again thank you for saving my life. I hope you continue to save people."
The lolita smiled and nuzzled into Ash's neck. The lift came and they all waved good bye before descending down the lift.
"So Brock what's our eta?" Ash asked.
"If we jog, we might get back home before sundown," Brock offered.
"Race ya!" Natsu challenged taking off.
"Get back here flamebrain!" Grey said summoning ice to glide after him
"No fair that's cheating!" Max yelled taking to the air.
Everyone laughed and followed after them. Erza took one more look to the sky and saw a proud eagle flying above the clouds joined by an entire squadron. She smiled before following them to keep them out of trouble.
END OF CHAPTER
UO: Good got another out before the New Year. NS anything to add before we talk about the buds?
NS: Rise of Skywalker is not that bad and I ain't gonna have my mind changed. :P
UO: The opinions of the authors are their own and not in anyway indicative of the truth. Anyway, here are the four new Buds received this chapter.
Dawn: Animancy. An offshoot of Mysticism, granted by the Sun itself. Animancy is a form of magic that protects and nourishes life, ranging from healing to strengthening and more.
UO: She can essentially be a full time white mage. Her first time was saving Alshain and an entire squadron, which tired her out.
Brock: The first of three Inspired Inventor buds, Brock has been granted the Specialization of Robotics, giving him insight into the creation of mechanical motion, programming and other self-guiding units.
UO: Can anyone say drones, Gundams and other robots?
May: The first Bio-Tinker of the group, May has the Specialization of Plant-life. This also includes fungus. Given that May already has supernatural power over plants, this gives her more insight into creating and growing plants that contain special properties, such as imitating the Resins that can be found in Dark Souls.
Drew: So you know the herbs and medicines in RPGS? That's all her, plus other armors and weapons. If it's natural, you will probably find that in her lab. However it comes with a catch that Friedrich will absolutely warn her about.
Erza: Erza's Specialization is perhaps the broadest of any of the Tinkers so far; she has specialized in 'personal equipment.' This means that she can produce any sort of device meant to be worn, wielded or otherwise equipped by a single person. Very few limits on that.
Drew: So like Lucy's Bud, her magic is now amplified to compensate. If you think her endless Storage circle is amazing now, just wait and see
Preview: Jude comes to the Riders with information about one of his old rivals. But in order to get close, they must delve into the world that none grew up in and one Lucy wants no part in again. As they investigate, a discovery puts everyone at the gala in danger. Can they prevent catastrophe?
Next Time: Under the Lights of Intrigue
OSPREY...SWOOSH