Imperial Light

by Death Reaver66

Betrayed and abandoned by the first person she met after she finds herself lost in this strange and dangerous new realm; it is due to the unlikely kindness of a Warden of Wrath to pick Luz Noceda up and return the light that once shone bright to her. With but a few small changes, watch as the story of the most powerful Human witch of the Boiling Isles is altered beyond recognition.

7. Dropped into the Fray to Burn and Play

It took him the entire night to fill out the necessary paperwork and to make over thirty different Crow Calls to the various departments that were involved in the increase of patrols: including calling the reserve company and offering an increase of overtime pay for the longer hours. By the time he had finished the sun had already begun rising and he had less than three hours before he needed to be at the Conformatorium for his first official day back, he was already dreading the backlog of paperwork that would need to be taken care of.

His stomach began growling at him the moment he stood up from his chair, "Breakfast and then work." Wrath decided as he slipped into his Warden Uniform and made his way towards the kitchen, already running through what he would have to eat before heading out.

At least before he saw his still destroyed kitchen from his outburst yesterday, "Oh that's right." He hung his head as he realized that the repair squad from the Construction Coven wouldn't be coming until later tomorrow, this was going to be a lesson in him needing to control his temper; and perhaps to not let Kikimora get to him as she had.

He could always just get one of the Guards to do a meal run for him, Titan knows that they wouldn't object if he covers a meal for them to eat as well. He shuddered as he remembered the usual food the Mess Hall prepared, yes it was free for all the staff but... that didn't mean it translated to being edible; there was a reason why the Guards had pooled their money to add a large amount of food storage containers to the break room so they could bring their own food, he even chipped in about a quarter of that bill.

As he was walking through the halls, he stopped by Braxus room, he had made sure to greet his son and briefly talk to him about his day yesterday before he had the meeting with Lady Lilith and Kikimora. It was always nice when the two of them could talk, Wrath hoped he wouldn't have to make up for lost time to long as there were plenty of things that he wanted to do with both his son and Luz. He realized that with her not being born in the Isles they would have no knowledge of everything it contained, maybe he could take her sightseeing on the Knee, it may be cold but the views it offered were next to none save the Skull.

Cracking the wooden door, he saw that his son was still asleep on his bed, it was still another two hours before he would need to get up and get ready for the day at Hexside. Wrath let out a sigh as he quietly closed the door, he wished he had more time to spend with him, but if he put off his return to duties any longer there was a real risk that he would lose his position as Warden; he was already 'Dangling over the Steam' for the damages incurred by the Owl Lady and Traitor's attack; Kikimora having been the main one of his critics,

Speaking of that Attack, he had to decide what to do with the-... Luz today didn't he, he couldn't well just leave them by themselves, and he doubted it was the right time to bring them back to the Conformatorium. If he wanted to fix their fear of the Guards it had to be slow, that was how it worked right, slow and steady wins the race.

However, that works, he had long since given up on trying to decipher the random things Etchur said; wasn't the whole purpose of a race to be as fast as possible and beat the other competitors into submission.

Still, he couldn't leave them here on the off chance the repair squad would come early, given how they were still averse to him and had panic attacks he needed someone he could trust to watch them; unfortunately, that list was limited as most people would blab about there being a Human the moment they found out.

An idea struck him, it may have been insane, and even the notion of suggesting it would have landed him into the Conformatorium had he not been its Warden. Still, it could work, and all it would take is a few Crow Calls to arrange everything. But was it the right thing to do, could they be able to handle it, or would it just set them back, well it could do no harm to make preparation and ask their opinion afterwards.

Steeling himself he whistled softly for his Crow Phone which flew to him from the perch in the other room, "Let's hope he hasn't changed his Crow Sign." Wrath said to himself as he tapped in a number to a person he had only spoken to less than five times in his life.

The Crow began humming after he pressed the last number, letting him know that it was still in use, whether that was good or bad at the moment remained to be seen.

After twenty seconds when the crow flew up and hovered in front of him it let him know that his call had been answered, he could already hear the irritated groaning from the other side. "This had better be good, do you have any idea what time it is?" The voice was aged and clearly annoyed and spoke like they had just been woken up.

He did his best to keep his tone even and respectful, though he might have failed to keep some of the humor out of his voice when addressing the one on the other side. "Good to see you haven't changed at all in over a year." Wrath said in response, the Crow glaring its eyes at him letting him now the reaction from the person on the other side, perhaps he should tone down the aggression a bit.

The Crow snapped its beak in rapid succession before they spoke with the others voice again, "Did you call me at the crack of sunrise to trade verbal jabs or is there an actual important reason you disturbed my morning nap," They spoke with a fast paced and clipped speech, with a spryness that betrayed the aged sound of their voice. "You of all people know how little sleep I'm able to get."

Wrath sighed internally as he realized he should have probably thought about this much sooner rather than trying to make arrangements at the last minute, well suffering is the greatest teacher after all. "I need to ask a favor." He barely had to wait a second before the response came through, and unsurprisngly it was the exact one he was anticipating.

The Crow began chirping as the sound of laughter came through it, along with the recognizable sound of someone slamming their fist onto a hard surface. "You need a favor from me! Don't you still owe me for the last one I did you?"

Wrath suppressed his desire to grumble as he did indeed still owe them a favor from the last time, but this time he knew exactly what type of meat to bait the beast with. "I'll put it a good word for a budget increase as well as extra funding for those renovations you've been wanting for years now."

That ceased the laughter in an instant, Wrath just hoped he could convince Lady Lilith to go along with it since he really had no control over any Magic School's budget; but he could at least put the idea forward. Plus, if he remembered right Lady Lilith had a star pupil that also attended the school, so he could always play that angle if he needed to.

The sound of contemplative humming rang through the Crow's beak, "I suppose I can hear you out if that is the case." Wrath had stop himself from grimacing as he was now faced with the problem of pitching his idea without giving away key details.

Taking the deep breath needed to prepare himself he began, "I need you to let someone temporarily attend Hexside for a while." He hoped that they would just take that at face value and not dig deeper, but he knew that they didn't become the Principal of Hexside while being foolish.

His Crow tilted its head and its talons coiled upon themselves, a sign that person on the other side was either irritated or suffocating their own crow in rage, "And does this someone have a name, an appearance, a history of crimes that warrants the Warden of the Conformatorium calling me and asking an unknown to attend my school?" He had to suppress the defeated sigh that wanted to break free as every concern he had thought would be a problem was just asked, he had to once again remind himself that he couldn't force this issue since his authority only went so far.

Steeling himself Wrath continued his attempt at bargaining, "No history of crimes if that is your concern, and they do have both a name and an appearance," Was he being intentionally vague as much as possible, yes, was he feeling like he would regret doing so in the future, also yes.

"Perhaps I should just get the point and ask the question of why you want Hexside to house this person," their voice was irritated and was made obvious by the Crow's own movements and behaviors such as the feathers beginning to prick up. "Need I remind you that Hexside is a place of learning and not a daycare or some hovel that people can just come and go to as they please."

"I can assure you that they won't be a disruption, and I already have a chaperone in mind to attend her while they are there." He did have one in mind, he could only hope that Boscha would say yes, but he at least felt better knowing he had some power over that outcome.

The Crow burst out laughing again as it's beak nearly became a straight line from how far back it was opening, "And who do you believe I will approve of to chaperone a still unknown person in my school." There was a clear mix of amusement and disbelief in their voice, still the earlier hostility had been slowly ebbing out.

Still Wrath was starting to appreciate that he ran into the Hexside Grudgby Captain the other day and that she seemed too at least be fond of Luz, "Your Grudgby Captain should have your approval, I believe." Anyone who knew anything about Hexside knew that next to their education programs it was their Grudgby tea that was their pride, especially with Boscha as their new captain they had entered into a new age of glory.

Wrath fondly remembered taking Braxus to several of their games after he had started attending Hexside, and was impressed by a lot of the moves that they had been able to pull off; he hadn't seen many Scouts able to move so nimbly as the players had.

A humming sound emanated from the Crow's open beak before it snapped shut and the sound of it grinding could be heard. "Alright, I'll allow it," Before Wrath could give himself a small pat on the back for the victory they continued. "But if I hear ONE complaint about them being disruptive in any way, I will permanently ban them from Hexside."

Okay that might be a problem, but he should have faith in Luz and not just assume the worst, what's the worst she could possibly do? Cause a massive amount of destruction, Hexside had probably seen worse and survived worse in its life.

"Understood Principal Bump, I'll make sure they're on their best behavior." He would, as he planned to give them the Concealment stone before he left, having already set it up where it would give them pointed ears like a Witch's and just slightly change around their face; just in case they got recognized from the Owl Lady incident.

"See that they do, and never call me this early again, I haven't even had breakfast yet!" With those final words the Crow closed its beak and flew back over to its perch where it began munching on a bowl of seed that was placed under it.

Wrath sighed as he smoothed out the creases in his uniform, making sure everything was in place before he made the next call that he had to, he didn't know a lot of what the youth did these days, but he knew she would at least be up this early. Snapping his fingers, he called his Crow back and put in the Crow Sign that he had gotten yesterday, and unlike his last call this one was answered almost immediately.

"Who are you and how did you get my Crow Sign!?" The irritated voice of Boscha broke through the open beak, he supposed he could let her rudeness slide since this was his first time calling her.

Clearing his throat Wrath spoke, "It's me, I need a favor." He did his best to keep his voice calm and as non-threatening as he could, he probably failed to keep a tad of the irritation out of his voice given who he was dealing with.

He could hear noise in the background, the Crow's were always sensitive to sounds in their surroundings and could pick up on anything close by. "Yeah, so what favor do you need, kinda need to get ready for class." A very reasonable argument were it not made in her usual sarcastic tone that reminded him too much of a certain red gremlin.

Wrath suppressed the growl that threatened to tear itself free from his throat, he just needed to keep the end goal in mind, "I need you to watch Luz for me," He did his best to keep his tone as professional and even as possible, it wouldn't do for him to act as immature as her just because she was acting like that to him. "I already have the consent of Principal Bump; all I need you to do is chaperone her and make sure she stays out of trouble."

He heard a series of thumps emit from the Crow's beak, "Is that all, just make sure they stay out of trouble while I have classes?" She asked, her earlier snark gone and now just sounding more stressed and tired than anything. "What else do you need me to do, hold her hand while she has lunch?"

The snark was not gone for long it would seem, but he couldn't let his anger get the best of him, no matter how irritating it seemed she could be, "I need you to make sure she stays out of trouble for the day while I'm unable to watch her," he said sharply in an attempt to assert control of the conversation, "I would think you'd be chomping at the bit to have a Human as your companion for the day."

Before he could take pride in his attempt at hooking her onto the idea she shot back a response, "Not like I can advertise that fact, is it?" Titan she was more perceptive than he gave her credit for, he would have to be mindful of that in the future.

Well, when all else fails there's one things people like her never say no to, he would just need to... sacrifice a bit of his principles, "You do this for me, and I'll give you a free pass should you ever get in trouble with the Guards." Of course, there was little he could do if she decided to go 'Wild Witch' but he severely doubted that would happen, the most he could see her doing was minor property destruction or public disruption; both things he could look the other way one time.

He could hear her humming from the other side as the Crows beak vibrated in synchrony with her action, "Deal, I make sure they stay out of trouble, and you give me a free pass if I get in hot water." He shouldn't have been surprised as the mix of eagerness and sharpness in her voice, but it suited him for now so he couldn't complain.

Wrath nodded to himself, more out of habit if anything since Boscha wasn't actually in the room with him, "I don't think I need to tell you what else must remain secret, they have a proper Concealment Stone now. Make sure that stays so, otherwise I will be most dissatisfied." He may have a small amount of trust for Boscha, but he didn't know her enough to give her his blind trust yet; and he was going to be giving Luz an even longer warning before he felt comfortable.

"Yeah yeah, make sure to keep the whole 'H-Word' situation under wraps, I'm a rich girl not an idiot." She said as her usual snark crept back into her voice; Wrath could already tell that he was going to need to get used to her being like that. At least until he was familiar enough with her to know what to work on in order to iron those dents out, shouldn't be too hard with the morons he's had to work on in the Conformatorium.

"See that you do, be in front of Hexside in an hour." Wrath heard her groan before the Crow ceased and flew back to its perch, who knew two calls would be nearly as stressful as the thought of the paperwork sitting on his desk at the Conformatorium office.

Taking a few moments to recompose himself, Wrath prepared for the difficult part of this idea... convincing Luz to agree to spend the day at Hexside. He didn't think... actually he was mixed on that, on one hand he had seen the interest they had shown in regard to the Isles and magic itself; but there was also the present issue of their trauma. Still, he had seen how well they had connected with Boscha, and it seemed like they had also taken a liking to Braxus during their short interaction he had seen; hopefully the two of them would be enough to convince Luz to understand.

---

"YOU'RE REIGN OF TERROR END HERE CRESCENT SUN DRAGON!" Luzura cried out as she shot a blast of magical energy from her staff at the soaring Dragon, the attack connecting with their stomach and causing them to let out a shrill shriek like roar.

Savoring the sound of her attack, Luzura brushed a stray strand of her hair from her face as the Dragon dropped onto the ground, a look of anger and malic on its face.

The Crescent Sun dragon towered over her and her party, standing at well over sixty feet with a wingspan of nearly a hundred, if her scholar friend was to be believed, but they had yet to lead them and the other astray. The Dragons black and white scales seemed to both glimmer and suck in all the light around them, giving the entre beast an air of beauty and darkness, and its Horns that erupted lopsided from its head looked almost like gold when contrasted with the sun.

Its face contorted in a bestial way as if both mocking and growling at them, "OH! Is it now? And am I to believe you puny pests are going to stop me." Its voice seemed to echo and reverb across the surrounding forest, bouncing from tree to tree as if it was giving them a voice of their own.

Giving a flourishing spin and twirl of her staff, Luzura aimed it back at the head of the dragon, "INDEED YOU SHALL! FOR WE ARE THE SAVIORS OF THIS REALM!" She focused her power and blasted the dragon with another magical attack, only for it to be intercepted by one of its mighty arms.

The Dragon's mocking laughter rang through her head, "HAH! Is that the best you can do tony one? Using the same attack on me twice in a row!" Luzura did not rise to its insult, for she already had a plan of attack, and all she had to do was play her part.

"Cease your insults foul beast, those attacks were merely a warning," She yelled as she once again pointed her staff at them, however charging it with blue energy instead of green. "Though I should not expect a wicked creature such as yourself to understand the concept of warning."

The blazing mismatched red and blue eyes narrowed at her provocation, but she was fully prepared for its retaliation as it swung its large tail at her, the end of which was shaped as its namesake, but just as sharp as the finest of swords.

Teleporting from the spot she was, Luzura appeared in the air and allowed her magic to flow into the Cape of Suspension, allowing her to float in the air as she charged her staff with another attack. A flurry of fireballs rocketing towards its extended neck; however, the Dragon was able to manipulate and twist itin ways not natural in order to didge each one.

"YOU DARE BESMIRCH MY PRESNECE WITH A FILTHY SNEAK ATTACK!" It roared at her as from its mouth, ripped a stream of pure searing yellow energy, with barely enough time to teleport away before she was swallowed up by it.

Reappearing on the ground Luzura took but a second to catch her breath, the feeling of battle always gave her a such a rush, "I was going to spare you long enough to entertain me Human," Though they were not one of the Venomous types of their species, the Cresent Sun Dragon's wors were no less filled with the vilest and most potent of venoms. "BUT NOW I SHALL REDUCE YOU TO NAUGHT BUT ASH AND CINDER!"

Luzura quickly teleported away when once again the Crescent Sun Dragon unleashed a raging tidal wave of pure energy that reduced the area she was down to scorched earth, before needing to do so again as the dragon continued to attack her. She smirked as she saw that the foul beast was still on the ground and seemed content to attack her with its breath or swipe at her with its claws and tail; just as they had planned for it to do.

Hiding in the shadows of the trees off to the side of the Dragon was Luzura's scholar friend, Brotha, Mistress of Scribes and Invocations, "Great job Zura," she said to herself as she made sure the Dragon was still distracted, smirking as once again it was proven that the best way to beat a Dragon was to exploit its pride. "Now it's my turn."

Flipping through her spell book at lightning pace, she quickly found the proper spell she was looking for, "From the depths of the Eternal Flame I call upon you, power of iron and rage I summon thee, come forth, INFERNAL CHAINS!" Each word was infused with her mana, the text of the spell book glowing as she called upon the mystic energies.

Luzura smirked when she saw the Infernal Chains erupt from the ground and wrap around the belly of the Dragon, each chain infused with the Fires of Hell. Of course, most dragons were immune to fire-based attacks and fire itself, yet Brotha had concluded that since the Crescent Sun Dragon had Umbral Dragon blood in it; then fire would be effective against it as long as it was extremely hot and powerful.

Hearing a 'whooshing' sound behind her, Luzura turned to see Brotha having appeared next to her, the blue light indicative of a Teleport spell still shimmering off of her. "Told you it wouldn't be difficult to bind him." Brotha said jokingly as she wrapped her free arm around Luzura's shoulders.

Luzura let out a chuckle as she watched the Crescent Sun Dragon thrash against its new bindings, knowing that the chains would only constrict and strengthen themselves the more you struggled against them, "Well, let's just hope the next part goes off without a hitch." Looking up to the sky Luzura still couldn't see the other member of their group, though that could have been because they were too high up.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" The Crescent Sun Dragon roared as it struggled against the chain, scorch marks on its body from where they were constricting him, roaring louder as they tightened again.

Suddenly the scales on the Dragon began to turn darker, into an abyssal black that seemed to suck in all color and life around it; the fires on the chains beginning to dim. "Oh, that can't be good." Brotha said worried as she quickly reopened it to the desired page, "INFERNAL CHAINS!" She cast again as rather than summon a new set of chains, this time the spell was used to strengthen the already existing ones as they thickened and roared to life once again.

The dragon let out another roar as the color of its golden horns turned from the bright gold to an ethereal silver, "DID YOU TRULY THINK-" They spoke as they rose from the ground, the chains struggling to contain it now as the muscles of the dragon began to flex and increase in size. "THAT I WOULDN"T HAVE PREPARED FOR MY OWN WEAKNESSES!"

Both Luzura and Brotha took a step back with a look of horror on their faces as the chains snapped from the pressure and fell down lifelessly to the ground, the Cresent Sun Dragon letting out a triumphant roar; it neck glowing as power began to build up in its maw.

Looking to her leader, Brotha had a look of panic on her face as she hadn't planned for this outcome, the spell was supposed to be able to hold the beast in place long enough for them to take it out, "Luzura what do we do!" She asked as she was quickly looking through her spell book again, trying to find any spell that could help them in this situation.

Luzura looked on in horror and the sneering visage looked down at them, frozen on the spot as the dragon leered down at them; fear consuming her she stood strong, however. Gripping her staff defiantly she stood protectively in front of Brotha as she still looked through her spell book, charging her power into her staff she prepared to hold off the Cresent Sun Dragon as long as she needed to. At least before Tyr-

---

Luz was woken up when she heard heavy knocking on the door to the room, quickly wiping away the crust from her eyes she did her best to regain her senses.

"Luz, it's me, are you awake already?" It was Wrath who was knocking on the door, well she should have figured that since it was his house and she doubted that Braxus could have made knocks that heavy given his size.

Still, it was odd for Wrath to be knocking on the door, sure she appreciated it rather than him just coming in with no prompting, but it was the question of 'why' that was confusing her. Had something happened, or had she done something wrong; she didn't think she had.

She called out to let him know she was awake as she tried to fix up the bedhead she had gotten. She had to catch herself as Wrath walked in dressed in his full warden outfit and mask included the sight of it brought her back to her cell in the Conformatorium. NO! She had to be strong, she needed to overcome this fear of hers, she had to be strong; she couldn't be weak.

Steeling herself she did her best to keep the quiver in her throat out of her voice, "Is something wrong?" If she wasn't still trying to keep herself under control, she would have given herself a fist bump of success.

Wrath walked inside the room, his steps slow and heavy as he approached her, his massive size dwarfing at least half of the room in his shadow. "I believe it is time we had the 'talk' I said we would yesterday." He said as he sat down on the bed next to her, Luz was surprised that his frame could fit; though she supposed it was a rather spacious bed.

She was instantly reminded of yesterday where she had inadvertently exposed herself to Boscha and Wrath had told her that they both needed to be careful, explaining that if word spread that a human was on the Isle's she would most likely be hunted down. He likened her to an exotic Beast or Demon species that less than respectable individuals would kill each other over for the chance to acquire her, already he had said that damage control was running behind the scenes from when she had given her assistance to the... 'Owl Lady'.

"R-right, the 'talk.'" She cursed herself for letting that stutter slip in, he couldn't help if having Wrath next to her like this made her nervous.

She heard Wrath let out a long and labored breath as he reached into a pocket on his coat and drew something out that was held in his fist, "I don't think I need to reiterate just how much danger you will be in if you're discovered by the wrong people," Luz shook her head 'no' as she once again recalled the lengthy conversation they had had, "Look Hu- Luz, I can understand that it must be hard for you, to be... 'separated' from your home is something that I can relate to." His voice was somber and low, only accentuated by hm pulling off his mask and holding it loosely in his free hand before it dropped beside him on the bed.

The way Wrath said that, Luz could swear it sounded like he was hurting just to talk about it, she didn't know how his mouth could convey a frown like it was; but it made him look like a hurt dog.

Luz knew she shouldn't have asked, she should have just listened to what he said and let him decide, but her curiosity got the better of her, "What happened?"

Wrath looked at her, even his eyes were not full of fire like they usually were, if even possible the white in them had dulled to a diluted grey, "It's too long a story to tell," His other hand had curled into a fist, the sound of leather stretching as she saw it tense. "Let's just say that things happened and are better between us now." She saw some of the fire return to his eyes as he uncurled his fist.

A small bit of steam escaped his mouth as Wrath let out a sigh, "Moving on, this is for you to have during your time in the isles." He handed his other fist to her and instinctively she held up her hands as he dropped something in them, it was a small diamond! It looked exactly like a small diamond with gold lining on a thin golden chain, it looked like a piece of jewelry that only celebrities would be able to afford.

"What is this?" Luz asked as she ran her thumb over the surface, the actual crystal itself was smooth like a rock or pebble taken from a river, and the gold lining on it was cool to the touch and looked sharp yet wasn't.

Wrath stood up from the bed and turned down to look at her, "It's a Concealment Stone, think of it like a portable Illusion Spell," he said as she looked back down at it in awe, it was a magic stone necklace, awesome! "So long as you wear that you should easily be able to pass as a Witch as long as nobody asks you to perform magic."

That... actually made a lot of sense the more Luz thought about it, if it acted like an Illusion spell and changed her appearance then she wouldn't have to worry about her ear giving away the fact she was a human. That meant she wouldn't need to hide what she was, and if she was careful, she'd be able to go outside.

"Go on, out it on and try it out." Wrath prompted as he put his mask back on, and Luz could swear she heard a bit of excitement in his voice, though she didn't need to be told twice to try on a magical necklace.

With no instructions, Luz figured that it was as simple as putting the stone on like a regular necklace, an easy task since the chain was stretchy despite being made of a silvery metal. There was no internal feeling when it went around her neck, not that she was expecting a big sound and light show, but there was literally no change as far as she could tell.

Looking up at Wrath to try and see his reaction, she saw that he... had smacked his head with his hand and was currently hanging it down and looking at the ground. "Is... Is something wrong?" She asked nervously as she held the stone tightly, ready to try and rip it off if she needed to.

Wrath let out a long sigh that was mixed with a groan, a lion growling was like a fluffy kitten meowing compared to that noise, "Of all the things he could have done he does this to me." Wrath grumbled as his fingers twitched in obvious agitation, even his arms seemed to be opening in places and revealing their... 'tentaclely' origins.

Before Luz could ask anything further, Wrath shot his hand out and ripped the mirror in the room from off the wall and held it in front of her, the event taking place so fast that Luz barely had time to process before her reflection was shoved in her face. She looked exactly the same, but her ears were pointed like an Elf's from fantasy, or in this case a Witch's; but almost immediately afterwards she could see just what Wrath was talking about, right above her head in floating blue letters was the phrase, 'Have a good day Ray Ray, say hi to the Human for me! ;3', Luz could barely keep her giggles suppressed when she saw that there actually was a 'winking cat type face' in the air right above her.

The beating drum of Wrath's groan broke her from her small chuckle fest, "Why can't he ever just do things normally," Wrath asked as he was still holding the mirror in front of her, allowing Luz to see the sudden change of the words above her in response to Wrath's words; 'Because then life would be boring!', "There are many days where I hate him, this is one of them."

Luckily for Wrath the words disappeared right afterwards, and he put the mirror back onto the wall, surprisingly there was no damage from him taking it off and putting it back on. Still Luz began to ponder on Wrath's wordings as he kept referring to a 'Him' and it was obvious that he had ordered this 'Concealment Stone?' for her so maybe he was referring to whoever made it; and the changing words could easily be explained away by magic... she hoped.

As Luz was about to ask Wrath held up his hand signaling her to stop, "Long story short, the friend I had make this likes to make jokes all the time. Don't worry about it." She once again had to suppress a giggle as she tried to imagine what this friend of Wrath's looked like, they couldn't be all bad if they were able to make jokes at Wrath and him not get angry.

While Luz listened to Wrath grumble under his breath, which she was still able to clearly hear, she reached up to try and touch her ears; wondering if they were actually solid while they were curved. Sadly, her fingers passed through, and she still felt the roundness of her actual ears, well she guessed that was why it was called an Illusion.

Watching Wrath still continue to grumble and curse out someone named 'Etchur' who Luz assumed was the person Wrath got the stone from, she realized that her mood had brightened. She hadn't realized when she had switched from being melancholic and upset to feeling ready for the day, whatever the day held in store for her.

It was obvious that where Wrath was going, she tried not to think about 'that place', still a bit of fear filled her at the thought of Wrath taking her back there. The screams and cries from the inmates in there roared in her ears, she could hear each and every one clearly as though they were individually said instead of all at once. They were too loud! Too loud! Too loud too loud TOO LOUD!

"Regardless of his antics, it's good to see that the stone works," Wrath said snapping her from her rapidly descending delirium as she realized her hands were halfway to covering her ears, she hadn't realized she had been raising them. "Would you feel comfortable spending the day with Boscha at a school for Magic?"

---

There were many things in life that Wrath could say he regretted doing, some he wished he had done differently, and very few things he wished he had never done.

Asking Luz if they wanted to go to a magic school, Hexside, was quickly rising on the list of things he wished he had done differently. No sooner had the words left his mouth than their eyes had widened, and they jumped up and started asking him questions at a speed that would put a 'Slithren' to shame and bouncing around with enough energy to make most infant Demon's jealous.

Still there were no objections, especially when he told them that Boscha had agreed to stay with them for the day, they seemed eager to meet up with her again. Sadly, the one thing he hadn't thought about was that now he had to make sure they got to Hexside safely before he could head to the Conformatorium, that meant he would have less time to catch up on his backlog of work; but in the end he and Braxus had gotten to spend time together as he dropped him off at Hexside as well. It was... touching when Luz had offered to check on him throughout the day while they were there, maybe he had fallen into old habits and showed his concerned doting side again.

Though there were no incidents, and the only words exchanged between him and the pinkette Witchling were nonverbal, he had to give Principal Bump another call letting them know what had happened, apparently, he had been preoccupied with some last-minute visitor that he couldn't turn away. Wrath snorted as he could already tell it was most likely the Blight matriarch, entitled business wretch that she was, he had her in the same league as Kikimora and unfortunately, she was equally as untouchable as the red gremlin.

"Sorry for barging in sir, here's the repair reports you asked for." Wrath was brought out of his musing as one of his guards entered into his office, obscured completely by the massive stack of papers that reached above their head.

Wrath hung his head as he realized that he had no free space on his desk as it was covered in the rest of the paperwork backlog, "Just set it somewhere, I'll get to it eventually." He didn't need to pay attention as they sat the stack down close to him and left, the telltale 'clang' of the door letting him know he was back in solitude.

He had expected there to be an enormous amount of paperwork that needed to be done, even with the others covering what they could while he was away... he had not expected there to be enough to make an adolescent Paper Dragon look like a hatchling in comparison.

Letting out a sigh Wrath went back to working on file in front of him, "Let's see, there's a five percent increase in the total number of prisoners, meaning a base line five percent increase in food cost," Some had asked him in the past why Wrath took on such a massive hands-on approach to running the Conformatorium. Even with the Filing Office crew which consisted of a Treasury and Financial Expenses crew, he had maintained the position that he should be active in the lower administrative and operation functions. "Then at least two thirds of them are upper weight class, which means each of them needs an extra portion for suitable nutrition."

Wrath let out a groan as he realized this form was beyond his capabilities, putting the proper stamp required for it to be sent to the proper department, and feeding it to the Pipe Demon on the side of his desk.

Grabbing the next form, he immediately saw that it was also outside of his capabilities, stamping it for the 'Internal Repairs' department and fed it to the Tube Demon as well. Thankfully the next three files only needed his personal approval for specific actions and were no more than a summary of the request, all of them were for repairs related to the destruction the Owl Lady had caused during her attack; nothing that he had to look to closely at.

Taking a moment to down a pitcher of water he had placed on the other side of the room, far away from any of the files as he was not taking the risk of them getting ruined, he went back to the massive pile.

As much as he took pride in his work there were times where he hated the monotony, though the monotony might have meant there was nothing happening there was always a part of him that longed for that rush of battle. Part of that was his Demon blood as most species of Demons were naturally combative and sought violence, that was why they were counseled to control those urges from a young age; even Braxus had to attend a group session once a week for that reason. Still, what he wouldn't give for something to happen to give him a break from the endless amount of paperwork that seemed to only be growing by the second.

"SIR ONE OF THE EXPERIMENTS IN THE SPECIAL CONTAINMENT CELLS ESCAPED!"

Wrath cracked his neck as he stood up, barely making sure he didn't hit anything as he ran out of his office, normally he would be more composed; but the moment the Special Containment Cells were brough up he knew the danger level was high.

'You get what you wish for.' He thought to himself as he mentally slapped himself for challenging the universe like that, he could only hope it wasn't one of the 'Experiments' that had gotten loose.

---

Luz was ecstatic and it took every bit of control to not burst out of her skin in excitement, here she was, a Human, at a real-life Magic School. She'd have pinched herself, but she was worried that if this was a dream that she would wake up, and she wanted to keep dreaming this if it was.

After getting dressed in one of her new outfits that Boscha had helped pick out for her the day prior, still marveling at how it looked on her and grateful that it was both comfortable and fashionable. It was a thin light blue shirt with vine patterns tracing around it and was accentuated by a black half cloak that was more of a mix between a jacket and an actual cloak. Having no hood but still went down to her knees and had long sleeves, trimmed in a silver material around the openings, and two sapphires on the shoulders, and of course she had the concealment stone necklace draped over her neck and hidden beneath her shirt; she didn't know if it would be recognized or acceptable to wear in public.

Wrath had quickly brought them to the magic school, Hexside, and Luz had to suppress shouts of fear and excitement as he Tarzan swung them through the forestry around his house, and proceeded to run through the city with her tucked under his arm, making her feel like a piece of luggage. At least it was a quick mode of transportation and she had been met at the front of the school by Boscha and led inside after Wrath had said his goodbyes, which brought her to where she was now, in ether having the best dream of her life or she was living it.

"Jeez, keep that up and you'll bring the building down with your shaking." Boscha said off to her side as she led her through the halls, marveling at the architecture of marble and... veins? Okay was it bad that she was no longer surprised that there were veins and or flesh being used in the architecture, that and the eyes on the ceiling that followed her movements were creeping her out.

But she wouldn't let that ruin her experience, "But it's just so... it's a Magic School, do you have any idea what this means." Luz did her best to keep her voice down, so she didn't draw attention to herself as they walked through the halls.

She heard Boscha blow a strand of hair out of her face, "Yeah it's a school, not much special about it." She said offhandedly, Luz had to keep her reaction down, how could anyone NOT be amazed at a magic school. Magic itself was already great, but a Magic School was like a fantasy dream come true, it was impossible to not be as excited as she was.

Luz didn't say anything in response and went back to looking at everything around her, from the lockers that had large mouths on them, to the pulsing veins that gave off a 'thrumming sound when you were close to them and how they were warm to the touch. When she asked her about it Boscha just said that they were leftovers from the corpse of the beast that the school had been built from, long since decayed since Hexside, or the building it consisted of, had stood for over four hundred years, FOUR HUNDRED! Luz had been amazed to hear about the long history of the school, but even she could hardly keep her fear contained as Boscha mentioned the previous principal the school had, apparently her mothers had told her of the horror stories of both how strict and cruel he was.

Which was why Luz was both slightly worried and extremely excited when she found out that Boscha was taking her to see the current principal, "He said he couldn't eet us out front, but that he wanted to see you when you got here," It was then that Boscha looked at her with narrowed eyes and an uncharacteristically stern look that only made her face look scary, "Do not do 'anything' to make him upset, my position as captain relies on him having a favorable opinion of me. Since I'm vouching for you 'if you mess up', 'I've messed up', and 'we' don't want that do we?"

Boscha was currently staring Luz dead straight in the eyes as she held her shoulders to keep her close, Luz could only nod in agreement, no matter how terrifying it was to see Boscha with that look up close she understood her worry. They were lucky that right now no students were in the halls as they were in class, and Boscha apparently had a charm that would keep the Hall Monitors away, apparently, they were scary enough that Boscha said she'd rather shave her head bald then cross one of them.

She warned Luz that if she ever heard rat squeaks in the halls that she should make sure she was either well-hidden or to get in a classroom quickly, as that was a telltale sign that they were nearby and on the 'hunt'.

It was only a few more minutes before Boscha had led her to the front door to the principal's office, marked by the sign on the door and the numerous veins and eyes in the wall by it that were opening and closing at various times with an audible 'squelch' each time. Before either of them could reach for the handle to open it, Luz hesitating to as there were spikes on it and she didn't want to see if they were actually as sharp as they looked, the door swung open on its own and nearly hit the two of them. While Luz had nearly fallen backwards, she was held up when Boscha grabbed her arm with an impassive look on her face, easily keeping her up on her feet.

"Come in, come in already. Do I look like I'm getting any younger while you stand out there." An elderly sounding voice called out from inside, Boscha dragging Luz inside until she regained her footing and senses on her own.

The office was lit by a strange purple goo on the ceiling small tendrils holding crystals that gave off a soft warm glow that contrasted the eerie look of the liquid, especially considering the green eyes that peaked from opening before they either closed or moved. A small bit of light peaked through a window off to the side that had the curtains drawn around it, and a blue plant with vines on it snaked through the opening, small yellow berries the size of grapes growing off of them; Luz noticed a bowl with the same berries on the desk.

Aside from the vine and the goop on the ceiling the office was neat and tidy, with magical looking artefacts neatly arranged on the shelves and cabinets, each one giving off either a slight glow or an aura that could be felt when looking at it.

The next thing Luz was drawn to were the people sitting at the desk, one had their back turned but she could see the mint green hir pulled into a bun, the hair giving off a shine from the light hitting it. They were wearing a purple business shirt and had a white petticoat over it, the petticoat having a pattern on it that reminded Luz of something from chemistry.

Then she saw the person sitting behind the desk, most of their body was obscured by the gray robe, said robe having gold trim on the cuffs of the sleeves and a golden yoke that looked like a solid piece of armor, an ornate blue sash was draped over it with a sigil on the ends. They were leant forward and leaning on their hands, their very wrinkly hands, Luz observed; and their nails were long and black. Covering most of their face was a light red... hat? It looked like the stereotypical version of an Imp had decided to chomp down on their head and stop halfway through, two teeth protruding from beneath the mouth and framing the persons cheeks.

Luz noticed the nametag on the desk read 'Principal Bump', had Boscha mentioned that was their name, had she missed being told ahead of time the principals name? Luz mentally smacked herself for zoning out if that was the case, she needed to make sure she was paying attention to what others were telling her even if she was fascinated by her surroundings.

Principal Bump's eyes were unblinking, the teal orbs unmoving no matter what they were focused on, it made Luz's hair stand on edge as it made the elderly principal feel like a predator hidden among prey. She may as well could have been since there was no telling 'what was what' in the Isles, and as far as she could know she was sitting next to some Demon person who could eat souls just by breathing. That image made her shudder a bit, but she did her best to play it off and hope no one noticed, this was it, the big moment where she finally gets a chance to do something on her own, no Warden Wrath looking over her and no... Wild Witch to lead her astray.

As she and Boscha neared the desk, Luz heard the principal clear his obviously scratchy throat, "Forgive me Lady Blight, I have another urgent matter I must attend to," He said to the woman sitting across from him, even without seeing her face Luz could tell it was twisted into something unpleasant, "I trust this meeting was mutually productive for the both of us."

Luz heard the woman hum, but to her it just... sounded wrong, wrong in a way that she just couldn't explain; there was nothing off about the action, it just seemed like the person doing it somehow corrupted it. "I suppose it was productive," Her voice was just, an odd mixture of smooth harmony and the feeling of that one cheerleader that always had it out for her. "However, I trust you have taken my words into, 'consideration'." Standing up the woman turned to leave, finally giving Luz a good look at her face.

It was aged, but not in an elderly way as her skin was flawless and smooth with not a blemish marring her pale flesh, and her blue eyes were both vibrant and cold, with not a hint of mercy in sight.

Boscha pulled Luz out of the way as the woman began to walk towards them, the only indication she gave towards them was a small turn of her head and the narrowing of her eyes before she continued on leaving the room. Luz could feel the uneasiness radiating from Boscha as they watched the woman go, and she did everything she could to not let the nails digging into her arm both her.

The sound of the principal sighing brought her from her thoughts, "Well now that that matter is out of the way, you two please take a seat." Luz followed Boscha's lead as they walked over to the chair sat in front of the desk, before Luz could inquire about that the principal drew a purple circle in the air with his fingers and, and she watched in fascination as some of the goop on the ceiling dripped down and formed into a chair after a second.

'That is both extremely cool and kind of gross at the same time.' Luz thought to herself as she sat down, thankful that the chair was solid and not sticky, though it was surprisingly comfortable and felt like she was sitting on a chair made of couch cushions and not wood.

"Now I must thank you for being willing to chaperone our guest on such short notice," The principal said leaning back into his chair slightly, Lu couldn't help but compare it to a small throne as it was polished to a dark gleam and the back rose about a half foot above the principal's head, with a gold trim surrounding the purple cushions. "If you must, think of this as a small extra credit assignment."

Grabbing a berry with two of his long bony fingers, Luz watched as the light from the berry bled out of it and moved through the air and into his eyes, flashing a cool green color before they faded back to blue. "Think nothing of it Principal, as Grudgby Captain I consider it my duty to assist any visitors to our school in their time of need." Boscha said with not a hint of sarcasm or snide, and Luz also noticed that her face had not of its usual look of condescension or superiority.

Swallowing the berry, and Luz could swear she heard a purring sound from somewhere as he did so, Principal Bump spoke again, "A fine answer for a fine student, truly you have earned your position as captain," Turning from Boscha towards her, Luz did her best to not shrink under his gaze, she didn't know that it was possible, but he had a harsher gaze than her principal from home. "Now I believe we have not been formally introduced," He held out his hand towards her, open for a handshake that Luz was hesitant to take, but did her best to swallow down said hesitation, "I am Principal Hieronymus Bump, Third Principal of Hexside School of Magic and Demonics."

Luz did her best to not crush his hand since it looked to be extremely fragile, "Luz, Luz Noceda, nice to meet you Principal Bump... sir." She gave herself a mental pat on the back for not stuttering as his eyes narrowed at her when she said her name, like she was being dissected, judged, and documented all at the same time.

She was at least thankful she didn't have to change her name since it was unknown in the Isles and making up a fake name opened up the possibility of making a mistake somewhere down the road. At least that was what Wrath had said, so they both agreed to just use her real name and just avoid any mention of the Human Realm.

Releasing her hand, the principal folded his under his chin as he leaned down onto them, "Now, Warden Wrath has given me an, abridged version of why you are to be a guest in Hexside for the day, it is not my matter to pry into the personal matter of anyone in this institution, student or visitor," He said plainly, Luz doing her best to keep a straight face and not let her nervousness show, she had to remind herself that this wasn't a trip to the office where she was in trouble and being scolded, "That being said I cannot just allow anyone to freely walk around without making sure that they pose no problem to the safety and education of my students."

His eyes bored into her, and Luz felt herself shrink under his gaze again, the feeling alleviating somewhat when his eyes snapped over to the berries and went back and forth as if nudging to encourage an action. The principal sighed as he reached over and grabbed another berry as the light moved from it to his eyes again, flicking the lightless berry into the trash can to the side of his desk instead of eating it. Luz heard the purring sound again and noticed that the Imp hat was vibrating to the purring, and his eyes quirked upwards and looked like a dog's that had just been given a treat.

"Forgive Frewin, he gets needy every now and then," He said stroking the back and tail of the Imp Hat, apparently named Frewin, did that mean it was an actual Imp? Luz was both highly intrigued and disturbed by the answer to that question, as if it was an actual creature that meant the principal allowed them to half eat his head and stay there. "Now then, I hope you understand the immense trust I am placing in you miss Noceda."

Luz wordlessly nodded as she fully understood, you couldn't just allow anyone into a school willy nilly, even if this school had its own security force that lurked in the shadows and every student had magic to defend themselves with.

The principal leaned back into his chair and hummed in thought, Luz didn't know whether it was good or bad, "Excellent, I expect you to be on your best behavior for today, 'both' of you," The eyes of Frewin? She supposed that was what they were if the Imp was a separate creature, well it could also just be that they and the principal were the same being and that was just how they were anatomically; it wouldn't be the strangest thing Luz had seen in the Boiling Isles yet. "Miss Noceda, I will allow you to accompany Miss Boscha here for the day and will allow you to sit in on her classes, however I ask that you keep disturbances such as questions to a minimum. If you do have a question, ask Miss Boscha before the instructor and make sure it does not disrupt the flow of the classroom, 'The Week of Trials' is approaching, and all of the students are doing their best to prepare."

Luz had deflated when he asked her to keep questions to a minimum, I mean, who better to ask questions about magic to than the teacher, but she did perk up when he said to ask Boscha instead. Plus, she fully understood the pressure of exams, or that was what she assumed the 'Week of Trials' was, maybe she could meet some of Boscha's friends and ask them questions to.

Boscha had to have friends, right? She was the captain of the Grudgby team, the coolest sport in her opinion just from words and stories of it alone, maybe she could get to see them practice it today, she was definitely going to ask Boscha about that.

She watched as the principal gave a smile and realized that he had yet to move his mouth into anything other than a line, it at made her feel better though since it was a nice smile and gave him a grandfatherly appearance. I cool magical grandpa appearance, "Then if all of us are on the same page I will not keep you two here any longer, please take this Miss Noceda, it will mark you as a personal guest of mine and get you a free meal from the cafeteria."

He reached into a drawer and gave Luz a slip of golden paper, about the size of a school permission slip, with all of the writing done in silver. Luz held onto it and slipped it into one of the pockets on her robe, grateful that Boscha had insisted that her clothing have pockets when they were picking them out, and Luz couldn't help but agree with that now.

"Now now off you two go, I have other matters to attend to." He said making a shooing motion and both she and Boscha got up and speed walked out of the room, the door closing behind them followed by a slithering sound, which Luz assumed was the purple goo on the ceiling.

Luz had barely taken two steps before Boscha grabbed the collar of her shirt and brought her face to face, all three of her eyes dangerously narrowed at her, "What was that?" She seethed, anger clearly visible on her face and her pinkish skin starting to turn red.

It scared Luz as she was worried about what Boscha was about to do, holding up her hands defensively and trying to defend against whatever issue Boscha had, "What did I d-do?"

Luz could swear she saw Boscha grow ten feet taller, and fire began spewing from her mouth, "Do you realize what you did, are you really that dumb?" Boscha kept her voice quiet, but the anger was clear as day in it, which only seemed to spike when Luz shook her head, "He's going to be watching us now, he doesn't just give out a VIP pass to anyone, you understand yet?"

When Luz shook her head no again Boscha just let out an aggressive sigh before letting Luz go, "If he's watching us that means we can't make any mistakes, or he starts asking questions, and I think we can both agree those questions don't need to be asked."

Luz could hear it now, it wasn't all anger in Boscha's voice, but it was mixed with another emotion she had become familiar with during her time in the Isles. Fear. Boscha was afraid of what the principal could do. "So he'll be looking at us, we'll just be careful." Luz defended as Boscha looked at her incredulously, her skin slowly returning to its natural hue, only then realizing that Boscha had been breathing heavier than she had been.

Boscha huffed before straightening her uniform out, "Look, Bump didn't get to be principal by being stupid," She said walking past Luz, Luz following behind at a small distance in case Boscha flipped out on her again but thankfully she looked to have calmed down, "I never knew them, but mom said the last Principal was an actual nightmare. Twelve years ago Bump overthrew him in a battle that destroyed over half the school, and let 'Grometheus' loose during the conflict," Boscha visibly shivered at mentioning that name, like just speaking it meant they would appear, "When the previous Principal was distracted Bump seized the opportunity and used him as bait to lure Grom back to his cage, eating him whole before Bump sealed him back inside."

Okay, Luz had not been expecting to hear that Bump had apparently done a violent overthrow of the last Principals administration, as interesting as that sounded it was also incredibly frightening if the fight between the two of them destroyed half of the massive building that was Hexside. That, and there was apparently some creature called Grom that was imprisoned somewhere in the school, which was...

'Just like 'The Magic Academy Thelanor' from the Good Witch Azura Three!' Luz internally squealed as she drew comparisons of the Eight and a Half Headed Hydra of the Magical Academy and this Grom creature thing.

Of course, that thought was soon replaced by the knowledge that the elderly principal that looked to be older than her Abuelo had fed someone to a creature that ate them whole as a result. He had seemed so kind during their short interaction, intimidating and strict yes but that was how most principals she had known were, and his skepticism and judgement towards her were at least warranted; at least she thought so. Though it was possible that it was just a facade, but he looked so much like a grandfather when he was petting Frewin earlier.

Boscha let out a groan and lightly slammed her back into the wall as she slumped against it, "Look, I doubt he'll be looking at you too much, the most I can see him doing is surprising us at lunch since that's the only time he ever leaves his office when he doesn't have plans." She said seriously, while flashing a look back over her shoulder to the door to his office.

Though she had no reason to doubt Boscha, Luz had learned her lesson about taking things as they were told to her and decided to ask an obvious question, "How do you know that?" Luz asked curiously as she found it odd that Boscha knew the principal's schedule habits, maybe it was just a widely known piece of information and she was just in the dark about it.

Boscha snickered and gave a small grin as she folded her arms in front of her, "I have my ways, same way I know exactly which ways the guards patrol and how to stay out of their sight," She said confidently, showing the regular Boscha that Luz had become accustomed to, and made her feel comfortable again. "Point is he's not known for being dumb, and since he doesn't know you, he'll be keeping an eye on you for anything untoward."

Luz wouldn't lie, it was... terrifying to see Boscha like that, angry, scared, and worried all at the same time, "Thats... cool, heh." Was all she could say at the moment, still shaken up from Boscha exploding at her earlier and just being confused.

Once again Boscha let out a snicker as she pulled herself off of the wall, "Well guess I better head to my next class, only got excused from Basics of Venomous Plants and that ends in five minutes." She drew a small circle in the air and her scroll fell into her palm, and began typing on it, there was no other way for Luz to describe the action except typing.

"You coming?" She asked as she began walking in a separate direction, Luz following close behind, she wouldn't let one bad experience ruin this day for her, she was finally getting to live her dream of being in a magic school and she was going to ENJOY it!

---

"Hah, hah, hah, remind... me. To fire whoever designed this cell." Wrath panted as he slouched down on the ground against the wall, downing an entire barrel of water one of his guards had wheeled over to him. The liquid doing little to quell his fatigue and thirst, as well as straining the one arm he still had attached to him, the other one slowly healing itself as it regrew from the stump of his shoulder.

As it turned out more than one of the experiments had escaped, to be precise ALL OF THEM HAD ESCAPED! Seven of the original Ten Basilisks that had been bred had escaped from confinement, something that was currently irritating him to no end as he had been assured, REPEATEDLY ASSURED, that the leak in security had been plugged after Number Five had escaped and hidden among the populace.

So, forgive him if he was angry that he just had to fight off five lesser basilisks and two greater basilisks at the same time, while also trying to keep guard fatalities to a minimum. Something that proved to be difficult with six Basilisks trying to drain his magic all at once, at least three of them equaling him in size, he also decided that he hated their tails. The magic draining was something he could tolerate, but their tales were the Titan sent bane of his existence since he could hardly grab them before they just coiled around him and in one instance three of them had worked together to rip his arm from his body.

Another barrel of water was wheeled towards him, and he quickly downed that one as well, some of the liquid splashing onto the tattered remains of his uniform, never mind the shreds of his mask. Never had he been happy that he had at least a dozen spares tucked away in his office, with how often something had caused both his uniform and mask to be destroyed he would have sworn that some higher power was causing it to happen on purpose.

He chuckled a bit as he had never really believed in higher powers like that, he'd leave that to the nuts in the Night Market who gave praise to some ancient dealer in the dark. He'd give his thanks to the Titan that gave them life, magic, and land, at least you could look to the horizon and know the Titan actually exists.

The roars and hisses of the remaining basilisks flooded the chamber as the guards prodded them with their spears as revenge, Wrath would allow them to indulge as so far twenty-three had been counted as lost. Something that only served to irritate him further as they had yet to recover from the Owl Lady incident, if he was in danger of losing his job before now, he was dangling over the Boiling Sea.

The surviving guards as well as reinforcements from the rest of the Conformatorium were working overtime to make sure the damage wasn't severe, as well as tallying up how many and who was lost, "Sir are you certain we shouldn't contact the Healing Coven?" One of his guards asked as he did his best to ignore the pain in his body, the excruciating, burning, shredding, unquantifiable amount of pain. "I think it would be best to get that looked at right away."

Wrath looked at the guard in annoyance, his left eye swollen shut from when one of the Basilisks had attempted to bite his head off... he had ripped theirs off instead. "Do you want word of this getting out!" The guard shook his head as Wrath continued to elaborate on his reasoning, most of which would have included the red she devil if he had the energy to go off on a rant about her, "If they find out the experiments got loose every one of us is as good as petrified." The guard nodded in understanding before he was dismissed with a quick nod of Wrath's head, the action of moving his neck causing him immense pain as it had been the Basilisks primary target for strangulation.

'I can salvage this,' Wrath thought to himself as he used his one remaining arm to pull himself up from his slumped position, not accounting for his injured legs which had nearly been clawed off by the Basilisks talons. 'Can just say that the experiments we lost were killed from unknown circumstances, and the guards died in a prisoner riot.' Two of his guards rushed over to hold him up as he began to lose his footing, motioning for them to take him over to the cells; a small bit of irritation rising at being unable to support himself

Even the Owl Lady hadn't crippled him this bad, then again, she was just a chaotic Wild Witch and not an artificially bred Predator Species that probably had a lot of hate and anger built up towards him. Stupid animals, he'd welcome the chance to finish them all off if the order ever came, he would take both pride and joy in making them extinct again.

"Which of the experiments were lost?" He asked as they approached, one guard was writing down on a clipboard two of the Basilisks thrashing at the bars and trying to reach through before they were prodded back. He had to know which ones they had lost so he knew how to proceed forward, several of the experiments were more valuable than others due to the purity of their blood and the rarity of finding authentic Basilisk blood was next to nothing after they had been hunted to extinction in the early days of the savage ages.

Which was why the Emperor would be displeased when it was found out than most of the subjects had needed to be put down for safety reasons, his continued survival among them as he almost lost his hearts again. Scratch that, Mavilda would rip all three of them out herself if she found out how much he had exerted himself so soon after she had healed him and told him to take it easy. He'd rather do triple the amount of paperwork still left in his office than deal with her when she was angry at someone, him especially since she knew all the right points to cause him the most pain.

The guard looked at him and sighed, "Experiments One Three and Six are dead, meanwhile Experiment Two is still missing, and Experiments Four and Seven are injured but still alive." By the tone alone Wrath could tell that they were nervous, as well as in pain since they, like most of the other guards had their uniform torn to shreds. He would give them an excuse to be out of dress code this one time, not like it was an intentional decision.

Wrath had to suppress his urge to let his anger out and thrash everything around him, but he couldn't since that would only make his condition worse, Titan if Mavilda ever found out about this she would kill him on principal alone. Still only two of the original ten experiments were still in their possession, and half of them were dead or missing, since numbers Eight through Ten had died shortly after they were bred; the Emperors Coven wasn't going to like this since they had invested a decent number of resources into this project.

'Covering this up will only come back to kill me later,' He thought dejectedly, dismissing his earlier idea, Kikimora would sniff that out quickly and then she'd have a reason to charge him with treason. 'I just need to make sure we can complete the project with the last two, maybe finding numbers Two and Five to bolster the remaining numbers would help.'

"SIR! ONE OF THE CAPTAINS ARE HERE!" One of his Guards yelled from the catwalk above, causing everyone else to stop and look up. The guard was one that had lost his mask and so his shocked face was on full display

This was... not ideal, he had known the reinforcements would be arriving but not this soon, it hadn't even been an entire day since they had been arranged. Before Wrath could inquire about who it was, he noticed another figure running on the catwalk and jumping down, doing a roll flip in the air before falling down and impaling the ground with their spear to brace their landing.

They were a more armored version of the Emperors Scout Uniform, with a grey variation on the cloak and more armor pads on their joints with a solid white chest piece on their torso. Rather than a mask they wore a full helmet with a dull gold making up the main body and the front park being a muted silver with three eye holes on each side, the beak was sharper than the Scout's usually were and had two small ivory tusks on the sides: with a blue feather plume on top. Wrath recognized the feather as belonging to a Thoractyl, a dangerous predator whose body parts were prized among Demon Hunters, so rare as they would burst into flames when injured due to their molten blood; to have even a single feather denoted that you were a master at the art of hunting.

He recognized the person as the Seventh Scout Captain, also known as the 'Unyielding Predator', "Warden Wrath, I am the Seventh Captain, Lady Kikimora has sent me to be your assistant during this period of cooperation." Her pride filled voice reverberated through the helmet, still Wrath could tell they were young, surprisingly young to be one of the Eight Scout Captains.

And of course, it had to have been someone Kikimora sent, no telling how much of what he would do was going to be fed back to the gremlin. He let out an unintentional groan as the guards holding him up let him go and snapped to a salute as the captain walked towards them, twirling their spear like a whirlpool.

Their cloak did a flourish as they approached, swaying with each step, despite their even gait, "You appear injured Warden, do you require the Healing Coven's attention?" They asked stopping in front of him, looking up and down his crippled form; barely able to hold himself up, was everyone going to ask him if he needed the Healing Coven

Did they really not think he took his own health seriously? "I'll be fine, already sent my men to bring me the supply of healing potions." He said as he dug his remaining hand into the wall in order to better hold himself up, cracks ripping through the stone around his fingers; he had sent two of his men to bring down every healing potion they had in storage.

The audible metallic hum from inside the helmet voiced the Captain's concerns, "Is that including the supply of potions designated for sole use of prisoner personnel?" Oh, so she was going to play that game with him was she, he was the Warden here and also MISSING one of his arms; yes it was regrowing, but that would take near a week for it to grow back.

He did not have a week for it to grow back, he didn't even have twelve hours, so pardon him if he decided to drown himself in Healing Potions in order to make sure he didn't need to see the Wicked Witch of the Healing Coven. Yes, he would probably get sick from overuse, but he'd rather be sick than armless, and he'd would live with the consequences if he had to. As far as he cared if the prisoners allowed themselves to be injured, they could deal with the consequences of their actions.

"Ah I see, very well then, then I shall wish you and the others haste filled recovery," She said as he motioned at the stump of his shoulder, already the tendrils that made up his arms were slowly growing, a flaring pink coloration that would harden into the grey it usually was after they had completely regrown, "Truly an impressive feat to defeat such creatures single handedly and survive is quite the testament to your strength."

He was going to take that compliment with a 'pot of boiling water' as he didn't trust her a single bit if it was Kikimora who sent her, obviously she was sent to spy on him; the paranoid gremlin.

He noticed them turn their head to look over at a group of Guards that were picking through rubble from a collapsed portion of the wall, that also connected to one of the cells which formerly held experiments two and three but was now empty. They looked to sniff the air for a bit before turning back to look at him "Shall I assist you with the reconstruction efforts, or would you prefer I hunt down the saboteur?"

What?

What?

His rage was palpable and was near intense enough to be given physical form, "WHAT!" Wrath roared as he crushed the wall he was holding onto; someone had sabotaged the cells! Someone had decided to let the Basilisks out, ON HIS WATCH!

The Captain nodded as they pointed their spear towards a section of rubble, Wrath noted that it was the remains of the locking mechanisms to the cells. "The insides have been melted by an acidic substance, by its scent one only found in the Nostrils, meaning it had to have been transported here for this purpose," The more Wrath listened the more his anger spiked, and the more his wounds began to go numb as his rage overwhelmed his pain, "Whoever the culprit was the remains of the scent will linger, making them easy to identify and track down."

Wrath was looking down at her now, his earlier pain and unease on his feet gone as his white eyes burned with a fire that threatened to sear his own flesh. "I want to know who decided it was a good idea to do this on MY watch," His voice was brimming with rage, barely contained to keeping itself subdued into an even tone and not exploding into shouts of rage, "And then I want you to feed them to the Basilisks... alive." He didn't care if they were a plant, if they found who had sabotaged his operation then he would look past them being sent by Kikimora.

If the Captain was pleased by her new assignment, she didn't show it, still there was no mistaking the tightening of her grip on her spear and the hum of approval as he explained in vivid detail what he would do when the person was found.

"The perpetrator will be found sir, I swear upon my lady Kikimora's name."

Just like that they were gone, Wrath only hoped they would be swift and efficient with their search, and that the potions would serve their purpose in regrowing his limb; he couldn't go home with a missing arm, that would make both his son and their guest worried.

He hoped Luz was having a better day than he was, first day back in the office and the Basilisks break out from sabotage, kill his men, and rip one of his arms off.

---

It was only Boscha reminder to not make a scene and to not make a fool of either of them that kept Luz from bouncing around the room to look at everything there was, which was a surprising amount. According to Bosca this was Foundations of Abominations, an introductory class to the Abomination school of magic, denoted by dark pink uniforms and the purple gunk that was in cauldrons lining the walls.

Luz had been told about the Coven System by Wrath already, knowing that there were nine main Covens that encompassed dozens upon dozens of branch covens each, with the tenth coven being the Emperors Coven. Just the name alone sounded cool to Luz, and the fact that they were considered to be the best of the best witches only made her more intrigued about them; what was the difference of skill level between them and someone from the other covens.

That reminded her of another fact that she was... divided over, when Wrath had talked with her the other day, he had explained that at the age of twenty-one all Witches were required to join a coven. When she asked about that it had been explained that at that age the magic in their blood would begin to make them unstable and cause them to go mentally unstable, he had emphasized this by saying that the Owl Lady was one such Covenless witch.

When you joined a Coven you would be given a sigil that would suppress all but a few universal spells and the ones of your chosen Coven, something that had worried her at first, but Wrath explained that it was a necessity as every day someone had passed the age of twenty-one without a Coven seal was another day they could go wild and hurt those around them.

When she asked him about the drawback of being locked into your chosen Coven was defended with the fact that by the age of four all children could enroll into any of the youth schools or 'Baby Tracks' in any of the main Magic Schools. Then he had spent thirty minutes gushing over a photo album of Braxus with her during his first day of school, an entire album dedicated to the first day.

"Hey, stop spacing out on me," Boscha said snapping her fingers in front of her face, making Luz realize that she had been standing in place right next to where they were going to sit. "You're lucky we're here early, now sit down, I'd like to get some quiet time in before Little Miss Perfect comes in."

Luz nodded and took a seat next to Boscha near the back of the room, she wanted to ask if they could sit closer to the front, but it was obvious that Boscha was not in the mood for negotiations at the moment, having propped her feet up on the table and leaning back in her chair.

She took another look around the classroom to see what else beside the cauldrons were there, but it seemed beside shelves on the walls being lined with ingredients in glass it looked like any other classroom. Still it was cool to look at everything there was, one jar seemed to be full of insect heads, and another one seemed to be nothing but snakeskin, with the one next to it... okay she had to suppress her urge to vomit as it looked to be full of tiny slugs that were still moving in a fishbowl.

"So uh... which class is this?" Luz asked hoping to break the uncomfortable silence that had been forming, Boscha looking up at her from behind her scroll with a bored look.

"Intro to Abominations, basic class for the Abomination track," She said taking her feet off and leaning on her hand, "I'd rather be anywhere else but apparently you need to take this class to graduate the Potions Track." Boscha sounded irritated, Luz guessed that was because she saw no need to do this class.

Well Luz was going to be happy she got see an actual magic class in action, what kind of spells would they practice, maybe she would get to try some herself. She might not have had a Bile Sack but there was bound to be some type of magic she could do that didn't require a Bile Sack.

Boscha snapped her fingers to get her attention again, "Look when the others get here, do not make a fool of yourself, I already have to deal with one Skara and I 'will not' deal with two," She said seriously with a glare in her eyes, yet Luz was able to tell she wasn't irritated anymore, but her words still carried a lethal bite, "I swear it's bad enough the Half a Witch always gets us all extra work, it's like she 'tries' to get us extra work." Boscha said with a groan as she sat her head on the table, her eyes going half lidded as she let out a yawn, grumbling something under her breath.

To Luz this was an entirely different Boscha than the one she had seen outside in the hall, even with only knowing her for a little over a day she could tell that Boscha had an abrasive but confident personality, it was so different to see her when she wasn't acting full of herself.

With that in mind seeing her almsot look half asleep with her head buried in her arms, Lu's mind could only think one thing. "Cute." She could feel her cheeks heat up for a brief moment before she lightly smacked them to calm herself, this wasn't the time to be thinking such things.

Before Luz could question anything further the door to the class was kicked open and a handful of figures rushed in one after the other.

The one who kicked the door open was a girl a bit shorter than Luz, with her silver hair tied into a large ponytail held up by a red band, her equally silver eyes shone with energy and excitement that it made even Luz look calm and serene by comparison. They had on a red version of the uniform that Boscha had on, and bounced with each step they took which caused the golden ball earrings in her ears to sway.

Following behind her was another lightly tanned girl with long brown hair and sharp brown eyes that resembled those of a cat, with a string of freckles going across their face further framing their eyes. They wore a blue version of the Hexside uniform and walked with a much more controlled step that the first person, immediately when they entered Luz felt their eyes lock onto her for a few seconds before turning away and following after the first girl.

"Hey Boscha, so what did Princy Bump call you for?" The first girl asked as she leaned over the table in front of Boscha who had pulled her head out of her arms and looked up at the girl with all three of her eyes narrowed.

"Wants me to chaperone the new girl here, guest for the day and all that." Boscha replied in a bored tone as she reclined in her seat, the red uniformed girl hopping over the table and sitting next to her.

Luz watched as the blue uniformed girl sat in the table row in front of them, somehow she already had a notebook and several pencils in front of her despite only just sitting down. "You're in my seat." A new voice said to her snapping her attention to her side where another person was there standing slightly behind her.

She had mint green hair tied up into a small ponytail that was more the size of a bun rather than a tail, and her skin was a milky pale and looked like she was a stranger to the sun. Her golden eyes seemed to pierce through Luz as she looked down at her and her mouth was pressed into a thin line, that was just on the edge of becoming a sneer.

Oh crap, Luz was in her seat, she didn't even think they had assigned seats here, "Oh, sorry my bad." Luz hurriedly apologized as she went to stand up but felt her arm get grabbed by Boscha and pulled back down, causing the green haired girl to turn her gaze towards her, an eyebrow raising in a questioning manner.

"She's gotta stay by me today, Amity," Boscha said with an authoritative attitude, one that Luz knew she wouldn't be able to refuse as it seemed to command you listen to her, yet it seemed to have no effect on the green haired girl. "Unless you think you can pry Skara off my other side then just let her have the seat for today."

The green haired girl, 'Amity' Luz realized, said nothing but just sat down in the seat next to her, since there were four seats to a table and on one hand that meant their table was now full. On the other it was clear that Amity was now irritated as Luz saw her eyebrows almost knit themselves into a knot, but she said nothing and began setting up her own area as she summoned a notebook and pen from a circle she drew in the air.

Luz looked over to Boscha who was leaning back in her chair again and doing something on her Scroll that Luz couldn't see, still she did her best to not let the situation unnerve her as more people began walking into the room. It said something that no two people looked alike or could be confused with another, whether it be the added features they had such as horns, gills, or tails, or the excess of body parts such as one guy who had six eyes in a ring around his head, or one girl who ONLY had an eye for a head.

She did her best not to stare, especially since it felt like everyone was looking at her whenever they walked in or noticed her, wearing regular clothes with everyone else was in uniform was probably not the best decision to go unnoticed. Thankfully they all seemed to turn away shortly after they started to look at her and went about their own business, Luz was thankful for that since she found their stares uncomfortable since they all seemed to either be judging her or in some cases, she felt like they were dissecting her with their eyes alone; especially that brown haired kid with glasses with the double gold rings in his ears. Something about him just seemed... off to Luz, not in a dangerous sense but just like something about him that he was hiding.

At least he seemed to only look at her once before he sat down next to a dark-haired girl in a green uniform that he seemed to be in deep conversation with, until who Luz assumed to be the instructor walked in nd everyone quieted down.

They were a small person, from what Luz could tell they would barely come up to her knees, with a hooked beak the same color as their skin and dark green hair swept to their sides with a bald patch going right down the middle. A small green goatee hung from under their beak that was framed by two tiny fangs protruding from the upper beak, dressed in a black suit with a purple coat and a white ribbon tied into a bow around their neck: a pair of orange lensed circular glasses hiding their eyes from sight. They were being carried in the arms of a giant pink and purple pile of sludge that was humanoid in shape with stumpy limbs that lumbered with each step, two orange orbs shone as eyes in the blackness surrounding them and its mouth was set into a frown.

The creature shook the ground with each step it took as it carried the small person to the front of the room and placed him on the main table, "Alright class, I welcome you to another bright and beautiful day here at Hexside," Their voice was cheery and upbeat, and his head swept over the room as he spoke the equivalent of a smile on his beak, "Now before we begin class I would like to make an important announcement."

Luz could make a thousand guesses why she was now extremely nervous, and it felt like her stomach was trying to leak out of her body through her feet, the only words running through her head were 'Uh oh.'.

Just as she feared the professor swept his hand towards her, "As I'm sure you have all noticed by now, we have a guest attending Hexside for the day," Everyone was looking at her again, only this time it was all at once and it took every last bit of her strength to keep herself from having a nervous breakdown. "Yes yes most unusual I know, HOWEVER!" They said loudly which did nothing to draw the eyes off of her, in fact they only seemed to multiply, "Despite these circumstances I expect nothing less than my usual standards, I will tolerate NO SLACKING OFF!"

Was she breathing heavily now? Was she even breathing at this point? Luz couldn't tell as her body seemed to lock up, how else could she say it; her muscles refused to move and her eyes refused to blink, forcing her to stare into the abyss of a thousand eyes.

To her surprise she felt a hand on her back that was slowly rubbing it in circles, slowly the darkness of eyes around her began to fade and she saw the everyone was now looking to the front of the room as the professor was drawing notes on the chalkboard.

Looking over she saw that 'Amity' was the one rubbing her back as she used her other arm to take notes in a notebook, "You better?" She asked not even looking up her work, yet still rubbing the circles into her back.

Luz realized she had been holding her beath and did her best to suck as much in as quietly as possible, giving the girl an appreciative nod as she slowly calmed down. She didn't think it would be like this on her first day visiting a magic school, she had never had trouble with crowds back home; even if they never understood her she was still able to interact with them with no problem. Heck, she enjoyed the few times she had been able to land a roll during school plays, even if she had been reprimanded for her additions afterwards; she was only trying to make them better though.

Amity withdrew her hand but did briefly look over before turning back down to her notes, Luz thankful that she hadn't drawn a scene with her near breakdown. She figured a decent distraction would be to try and read whatever the teacher was writing on the board, silently sending him a thanks for not making her do what teachers usually did whenever there was someone new in class and introduce herself. She was once again surprised to see most of the writing was in English and it seemed like he was writing out a recipe, since most of the lines on the board were either some ingredient, she had no idea what they were, or a process she as cutting, dicing, mixing, or the like.

Luz wanted to ask Boscha about what type of magic this was, but saw she was intently focusing on what he was writing in a notebook she had most likely summoned earlier. Knowing that Boscha was already unhappy about having to take this class and was clearly focusing, Luz just stayed quiet and silently chastised herself for not having the foresight to bring any sort of school supplies of her own.

The teacher stopped writing on the board and turned around, even that action sent vibrations through the ground as the hulking behemoth holding them barely moved. "Alright class, as you can see this is the universal recipe for a stable Abomination," They took that moment to push their glasses back up their face, causing the light from the window to reflect off them and give them an illustrious shine, "Now it needn't be said that this was your homework from yesterday," His beak quirked into a small frown as he observed the small grimaces and sounds that came from the students, "Given how... unsatisfying your performances have been lately I hope you have improved from the last time."

Luz heard Boscha suck in a breath and give a slight growl of discontent as she rested her head on her hand, "Better get ready Skar, 'Half a Witch' is gonna land us extra work again." she complained in an annoyed tone as the red uniformed girl, Skara if Luz had been hearing correctly, gave a sheepish nod as she rubbed the back of her head.

Skara then wrapped one of her arms around Boscha and gave her a half hug, "Come on Boscha, she's not that bad," she said quietly in order to not draw the attention of the teacher, who was busy scanning the room, "Besides maybe her new study partner actually helped her out and she won't fail this time." She said sweetly, the complete opposite of how Boscha usually talked.

Boscha eyes lazily moved over to look at her, "Skara I swear if you bust out with a Harp Solo in class about the 'Magic of Friendship' again I will kick you off the team." She said seriously as Skara slumped in her seat; Luz noticed that she was also holding a harp in her other hand clearly having been ready to play it.

Luz leaned over to the side and tried to whisper to Amity, "Does she usually break out into a 'Harp Solo'?" She asked quietly, hoping that Amity wouldn't snap at her, she already seemed to be constantly in a foul mood just from the fact her face never changed from a stone set scowl.

Amity just looked over at her, mouth pressed in a thin line, "Yes Skara is known to do so," She looked down in front of Luz and narrowed her eyes at the empty spot in front of her, "Are you going to take notes or just sit there?"

Her tone was harsh and made Luz wonder if that was how every young Witch was since it seemed to be a common theme that was recurring, "Uh, I kind of forgot to bring anything." Luz said nervously as she could feel herself shrink under the girl's gaze, her eyes narrowing just the slightest bit to make her opinion known.

"Pinnacle of preparation you are," she said flatly, but in such a way that Luz wasn't sure if it was sarcastic or if that was just how she talked, "I suppose since you're a guest I can do my part as the Star Student and assist you just this once," she tore out a few pages from the back of her book and placed them along with a pencil in front of her, "If you are to be a student here it is wise to always be prepared, do not count on me to assist you like this again."

Luz thanked her as she looked back up to the board, idly glancing at the gold star pinned to the chest of Amity's robes, "Alright class I've allowed you your Defeatism Chatter, now please stand up and bring your cauldrons to your table to be judged," The sounds of the chairs creaking and groans of students filled the room, Luz didn't know what she was supposed to do; until the teacher looked over at her and the Abomination holding him began to lumber in her direction, "Lady Guest may you please come with me outside into the hall, I would like to properly introduce myself while the class prepares themselves."

Luz gulped as she meekly followed behind the towering form of sludge, giving Boscha a weak look; only getting a small nod and a hidden thumbs up in response, 'Don't screw up.' Boscha mouthed at her just before the door was shut and she and the professor were alone in the hall.

---

He had long grown accustomed to the rhythmic beat of the heart that stood behind his throne; its melody so ingrained into him that he would often find himself nodding to its palpitations. Perhaps that is why he had taken to strumming his fingers in the near noiseless solitude of this chamber, the only occasional sound being the vent which dispersed cool air and his own haggard breathing. Perhaps he could be a song write after his quest had been completed, he might have to ask Scooter some advice on how to properly form a melody, music had never been one of his natural talents.

Come to think of it, wasn't Scooter retiring due to his old age, maybe it would be better to ask his successor about what was considered 'music' in this day and age.

Despite the comfort the slow strumming his finger brought, the pain did not wane and remained as it always did. The cacophony of shrieks, cries, and howls was sung in the background of his mind, the burning bubbling boil they brought his flesh was sealed into his memory for eternity.

The sound of the gears turning and the door shifting open drew his attention, the form of Mavilda holding the familiar wooden bowl brought him a small amount of elation as he felt his insides spike with anger and rage not his own. His tormentors had begun to fear the Matron Doctor and the brief respite of pain her medicine brought; he took no small amount of pleasure in knowing that just for a moment they too would share the torment he endured daily.

His pushed his hair from his face, matted with sweat and oil that constantly leaked from his pores, he longed for the day where he could drown his body in the soothing waters of a freshly drawn bath without worry of the pain it would bring.

"And how are we feeling today my Emperor?" She asked as she sat the bowl onto the table in front of him, already another Idol of Witchcraft being drawn from her rob and preparing to crack it like the freshly laid egg of a hen.

Truthfully, he had been feeling better as of late, though the reason for which eluded him no matter how much he pondered about it. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was no longer the only human in this cursed realm, his hunger for the familiarity of his species may have accounted for a portion of his good feeling of health. He would still ensure they were sent back to the Human Realm as soon as it was possible, but that would require the coopting of the method the Owl Lady had used to traverse the barrier between worlds; and still her elusive home evaded his attempts at detection.

"Just fine my dear lady, tell me, how have you been since last we spoke?" He did his best to twist his lips into a smile, an action he struggled with due to the pain moving any of his muscles caused and his hatred of Witch kind. Loathe as he was to admit it, he had difficulty dissociating the deeds of 'Her' from the rest of her species, but he would do better; he would offer them the chance for forgiveness and salvation.

He felt his mouth begin to drool as the fluids from the idol seeped into the elixir once more, "Rather dull truthfully my lord, ever since the incident at the Conformatorium there have been no issues that require my attention." She said with a mock tone of dejection, sprinkling a few ingredients she had withdrawn from her robe into the liquid, its color rippling from bright red to dull blue and settling on a cool pink.

She held the bowl to him, his bare hands cupping it with ease as he brought it to his lips, savoring the scent as long as he could, "None that require your attention." He asked coyly before he began to let the elixir slide down his throat, no sooner had it touched his tongue did the taste of a noxious poison flood his system, silently grimacing as this was the worst it had tasted yet.

Mavilda gave a small giggle as she covered her mouth with her hand, "Well almost none," she said caressing the hir that hung over his shoulders, before taking the now empty bowl from him. "Though I never consider this part of my duties."

He let a small chuckle escape his lips at her comment, truly there were times where she could be as subtle as a noiseless assassin with a cannon strapped to their back, "Then what do you consider this then, my dear." Other times she could be just as obvious as that brute Wrath he allowed to govern the Conformatorium, one of his best ideas since he had become Emperor.

Though her eyes were hidden there was no hiding the playful mirth they and her mouth displayed, "A personal 'pleasure.'" She said, rolling the 'Rs' as she spoke and leaning over him to wipe the matted sweat from his forehead, a small frown of disgust appearing as the cloth came back covered in blackish green sludge.

Was he leaking again? The treatments were supposed to keep that under control, if they were losing their effect then he would need to find a suitable replacement treatment. "My apologies dear, it seems I'm not as recovered as I would have wished."

There was no denying the scowl on her face, the only reason she could do so in his presence was that he was aware of her loyalty and knowing that she was scowling at his health and not him. "Perhaps I will need to add more ground needle hawk quills into the next batch?" She questioned herself with a chin rub, and idly mentally drawing some concoction in the air with her other hand.

He allowed himself to give a small hum of content, truly if he wished for any moment to be stuck for an eternity in it would be this one, a worthy caretaker to give aide to his injured and cursed form, a sanctuary of solitude that held all of the trapping he could ever wish to indulge in, and the hopeful knowledge that he had saved his home from the plague of Witchcraft.

Before he could inquire about his next concern, the status of the Human underneath the Wardens care he felt it, a sudden chill that crept up his spine, one of the few times it truly felt like solid bone instead of barely held together melting clay. His mask and cloak slithering over his form to conceal his true nature, Mavilda giving a small look of concern before turning to face the still open door, the quick repeated sounds of tiny footsteps echoing from outside.

Much to his irritation the form that the sounds belonged to was none other than his Left Hand, Kikimora, her appearance was much more disheveled than she allowed herself to be. "My Emperor, forgive my intrusion but there has been a situation at the Conformatorium!" She exclaimed with quick ragged breaths between words, clearly struggling to stand and having to support herself with her surroundings.

Hmmm, now this posed a disturbing conundrum, a second disturbance at the Conformatorium in such short time span was far from ideal. Never mind the fact that this was something that Kikimora decided was dire enough to warrant his awareness, for all her annoyances she held her position with a sense of duty and loyalty hardly found in any lifeform; for her to ignore his wish of solid spoke volumes of this situation.

"What kind of situation Kikimora, I require all the details you can give." It was a seamless process to change from Philip Wittebane to Emperor Belos, taking less effort than pulling on a glove.

Kikimora shakily bowed with a hand on her chest as she spoke, "The Scout Captain I sent to assist Warden Wrath during this time of unease has reported that an unknown individual has sabotaged the Basilisk Project." She said in the most respectful tone she could muster, clearly her exhaustion was making it difficult to speak without gasping for breath; had she run the entirety of the palace to deliver this news.

Still whatever blood was left in his veins froze as he heard this, the Basilisk Project was an essential component to the Day of Unity, its secrecy was imperative and known too only a select few. If the creatures escaped confinement or word got out of the experiments and research being conducted, then it may very well fan the flames of an uprising; he could not allow that. Doubly so after Number Five escaped and he had to send Scout Captain Number Six after them, it was fortunate enough that no one had obviously been killed by it yet, but with the Captain having no success in tracking them down.

A 'hum' of discontent thrummed from his throat, already his irritation causing it to liquify and gurgle, "I need all of the information Kikimora, spare no detail." Controlling his wrath had long become second nature, he would wager to guess that it had only tripled since Kikimora had come under his service.

The Imp straightened herself and he noticed the hand that made up her hair twitch and tighten, a trait of her species that signified nervousness, "Warden Wrath was able to contain the breakout, with all but three being slain in the escape, and two remaining in captivity," He could feel his hands involuntarily tightening on the armrests of his chair, the wood beginning to crack and splinter, " have already taken the liberty of dispatching Captain Five and a squad of their most trusted to pursue the escaped Basilisk, rest assured they will be found and-"

The armrests were crushed by the force of his fingers silencing her mid-sentence, he could already feel them bubbling inside him trying to claw their way out, "My Emperor-" He vaguely registered the voice of Mavilda protest as his vision began to darken and bleed crimson.

"I expect this situation to be solved with haste Kikimora, I want both of the escaped subjects found and returned, dead or alive." He left no room for argument, no hope for protest, to both the other occupants of the room his word was law and his law absolute.

"Both of you, begone I require solitude." Neither of them was able to speak before he dismissed them, already his back was turned with a swiftness and unspoken message that he demanded no response and only required their obedience.

He didn't need to look to be aware that they were gone, his connection to his fortress being a second body and mind to him; by his thought alone the doors closed and sealed themselves, more hidden panels sliding from the sides to further reinforce and contain the sound.

He let himself go, allowed the rage to consume him for the moment, his left arm lashing out and destroying the wall in front of him his right arm following to deepen the wound. Just as quickly as the rage was allowed to take control, he reigned it in like the crazed bull it was, he would not allow his lesser emotions to control him like that.

His breath was heavy, and his body began to grow weak, cursing himself for his lapse in control and knowing that he would need to do better in the future. He was so close now, after centuries of careful planning he would not allow himself to be undone by a loose temper at unpleasant news, he was better than that. He took a few breaths to calm himself, very little was his temper cooled but they nonetheless soothed his mind the briefest amount; it would take more than air inhalations to cease his discontent.

He felt it before it was visible, the room began to chill, and the light began to dim, "I know you are there," Though they were the one entity he could not feel in this fortress it was still easy enough for him to feel their presence, the Faustian Entity they were, "Collector."

The childlike laughter filled the room, he knew it for what it was, the laughter of the Devil themself, "Aw and here I was just trying to peek, yet here you are playing Hide and Seek." From all corners of the room the tendrils of darkness slithered on the walls and floors, mocking forms of square like figures crawling towards him.

The piled themselves in front of him on the wall, until they had formed 'Its' visage, towering over him in size alone, celestial symbols of the moon and sun dotting its form as they glowed with an unnatural light. It eyes were bright and brimming with power, both of them as wide as a newborn babe, but this too was a cruel deception as they were anything but young, far exceeding centuries worth of millennia if his guesses were correct. As always though it was the face which drew much of his ire, there was a cruel divide in the shape of a moon's crescent, splitting it in two as its smile was ear to ear.

"Your visit is... unexpected my friend." A horrible truth as he had not been expecting the Collector for another two days, the being was many things, chaotic, childish, cruel, but one thing it seemed to always be was punctual.

They laughed at his response, a sickening laugh that he was sure would have felled any lesser being, but he had long since ascended from the threat of such an action, as several deceased Scouts could attest when they trespassed into his chambers. "Visit schmidget, I just wanted to say hi to my dearest friend, yet here I find you all grumpy and in a bend." Their form did the equivalent of leaning over as they were face to face level with him, its smile wide and split the entirety of their face with its size.

He had long needed to grow... accustomed to the childish facade of the Collector, he could theorize as to why it decided to act as such; the most likely theory was that it was to lull whoever it interacted with into a false sense of security. A trickster deity if ever there was, but they were not infallible, and he would bring about their great downfall at the same time as the 'wicked ones'.

"My anger is not without cause, the creatures we require for the Day of Unity have proven more difficult to dominate than anticipated." There was no reason to deceive the Collector at this moment, in order for the final plan to work he needed to keep his deceptions as sparse as he could, otherwise he was sure they would catch on to his untruths.

The form of the collector swirled and twisted until it resembles a long serpentine body with thin branch like limbs and claws as sharp edged as a sword's, "Issss that all? Why not jussst make all the Basssilissskss fall?" They asked with an exaggerated 'hiss' patter annunciating their speech, a forked tongue slithering from the outline of where the mouth would be were the form real and not shadow.

"We still require the knowledge of how they drain magic, we can not afford to dispose of them yet." It was true, even after five years he and the group assigned to them were no closer to discovering the origin of the formerly extinct species ability to consume and drain magic from a host.

Once more the form of the Collector shifted, collapsing into itself until it was the size of a small child, a hood drawn over their head and crescent moons for their feet. "Pfft, Lame. Seriously big guy there are so many better ways to do what you want without the help of those lousy lizards." Their tone has shifted from a jovial jest to a condescending one, their arms clearly crossed, and the orbs of their eyes narrowed; most notably they had stopped their rhyming, a sign that indicated they were now in a mood.

Though the continued insults to the Basilisk species brought another question to his mind, notably the origin of the animosity the deity held towards the species; he remembered the struggle it was to convince them to part with the knowledge of ressurecting them.

Deciding it best to placate the Collector for now he would need to make sure they did not grow irritated enough to act in a rash manner, "While your input is always appreciated Collector, we have invested far to much time and resources into the Basilisks," an eye was quirked at him now as the Collector looked at him quizzically, "Perhaps if they truly prove ineffective then your alternatives may be implemented."

They took on a pose of contemplation, to be expected, the Collector was quick to anger but just as quick to placate with false words and honeyed promises; deceit welcomed deceit it would seem.

The celestial being hummed to itself, "Okay!" Their tone had returned to its cheerful norm, once again causing his body to freeze with an unnatural chill, "So what you been up to big guy, aside from trying note to die."

Ah yes, the Collector was not one to let something it considered humorous go so easily, and it seemed like his errant Nephews attempt at taking his life was incredibly amusing to them. Though he could hardly complain as it was only his status as the Collector's 'playmate' that earned him the mercy of the being and allowed his free access to the knowledge required to heal himself. He had needed to consume the combined power of over fifty idols in order to stay alive, and now he required no less than one of them a day to stay that way, whereas before he only needed them once or twice the moons rotation.

Ah, now that he thought about it his stores would be empty soon as there were only about another fifty or so, he would have to inquire about sending a group of Scouts to find the elusive Bat Queen and her menagerie of forgotten and abandoned Idols.

"I have been surviving and doing well my friend, all thanks to 'your' knowledge and wisdom." A bit heavy handed in terms of compliments, but he had learned a long time ago that the Collector loved its ego to be fanned and flamed.

They laughed and threw themselves back, an odd reaction and one unexpected even by the standard behavior patterns of the infantile being, "Hah! Take that you sourpuss, someone called me wise instead of you!" He could feel his eyes narrow themselves out of instinct and his flesh ceased its melting, sparring a small bit of concentration to revert it back to its proper shape.

Once again like the insults toward the Basilisk species the Collector would often talk about some other being, even when he had first made contact with them it would occasionally make insults or references to them. However, whenever he had tried to discuss this mysterious individual and inquire about them the Collector would become uncooperative and make themselves scarce.

Wait a moment, an idea came to him, one that should have perhaps been obvious, but only appeared so after he had thought of it. The Collector was not bound by its mirror, not since he had connected it to Radamus's crystal ball network, so long as there was a crystal ball the Collector could appear from it; perhaps they would be willing for a little 'side game' while they waited for the Day of Unity.

He could feel himself smile as he thought of the finer details of his idea, how he had not thought of this sooner he had no notion, but now that he had he would take advantage of it. After all the Collector always enjoyed the more childish of activities, and what was more childish than a simple game of Hide and Seek with just a few alterations to the roles.

---

A cloaked figure skulked through the alleyways of Bonesborough, a brown cloak concealing all of their form and casting their face in shadow despite the brightly burning sun. They walked an even pace that would betray the truth of their actions, no one would have anticipated that they had just committed treason against the Empire. Even though it was midday, there were little passerby in the labyrinths of the alley ways, the only constant companion being the similarly cloaked figure behind them, 'Identically' cloaked some might say.

They had been walking for over an hour now, ever since they had left the Conformatorium and the rampage that the lead figure had caused by releasing the Basilisks from their cages. "Not that I do not appreciate my freedom, but where are you leading me?" The follower asked the leading figure, pulling the hood of their cloak further over their face, worried that they would be spotted.

The leading one did not turn or give any indication that they heard, save for their verbal response, "I am taking you to the one who ordered your jailbreak," The lead figure spoke, a slight warble in their voice, almost as if they were speaking through sludge. "And as a word of advice, do not insult the boss, he gets temperamental."

Before the follower could ask further questions, they stopped in front of a wall, seemingly made of sandstone brick with the only notable feature being a torn banner hanging on it. The follower scanned the cracks and crevices but found nothing special or out of the ordinary of it. They had been following them obediently because they had freed them from the confines of that accursed dungeon, and they at least had the wherewithal to run rather than fight; even combined their strength would not have been enough to fell that, Demon.

Without a word the lead figure walked through the wall, no light or sound, just a clean walk through as if it was nothing but air, and after a moment's hesitation the follower 'followed' after them. The tantalizing scent of magic filled their nostrils, so much that they found it hard to contain themselves, but they would not insult their host now; not when they've come so far.

As they entered into the hidden area the lead figure spoke, "Forgive my tardiness sir, it took longer than usual to infiltrate the Conformatorium." the led figure threw off their cloak and revealed themselves, they were made entirely of Abomination Material that seemed in constant motion.

The person they were speaking to was obscured by shadow, the only thing the following figure could make out were the glowing white eyes, "Was the compound successful in its use?" They asked, the sound of an instrument strumming accompanied their speech.

The person made of Abomination matter nodded as they reached into themselves and threw an empty vial towards the shadowed person, catching it and looking down at the empty contents. "Flawlessly as was expected by 'his' work, by now they'll be following a trail that doesn't exist."

At their words the shadowed person laughed as they stopped strumming their instrument, and it was only then that the follower realized they may have been better off staying in their cage. "Not to be uh rude or ungrateful or anything," they said nervously as they felt the shadowed persons eyes lock onto them, "But uh... why am I here?"

They didn't realize when the person they had followed moved behind them, nor when their mouth had been covered by their hands and Abomination material flooding down their throat, choking the life out of them. "Why you're here because otherwise your missing body parts would have been noticed," The shadowed person said as they leaned over into the only light source, revealing their red eyes. "Don't take your time Gunk, we have a schedule to keep, and the Heart needs to be 'fresh'."

The Abomination man grunted as he began constricting the throat of the person more, their skin turning sand colored and scaley, "Come on, I traveled all that way with an acid strong enough to melt me into slag and you tell me to 'take my time'," A mouth appeared on the tendril wrapped around the Basilisks throat, near yelling in an irritated tone, "You have any idea how hard it is to get in and out of that place with a straggler who can hardly run without tripping over themselves!"

The Basilisk ceased struggling as the Abomination matter was slowly withdrawn from its insides, a still beating purple heart held at the end of the tendril, "I'd expect our infiltration specialist to have no difficulty breaking into a literal building sized cauldron." The shadowed person said with no small hint of irritation.

Sucking the heart into their form the Abomination person joined them in the shadows, "Whatever, let's just get going before big boss gets irritated." They said as they spared one last look at the half-transformed Basilisk corpse before drawing another vial from their body and tossing it at the lifeless form, the green liquid within it spilling over and melting the body down until the stone of the ground had been eaten.

The Red Eyed figure in Shadow would too spare one last look at the melting corpse, a wicked smile on their face as they brought a flute to their mouth, uttering one final phrase before they played a 'discordious' tune.

"Let the games begin."