Another New Sorceress?
Mya watched as the girl blinked. "Hi, I'm Mya. What were you doing in a gourd?" she started to say, trying to help the girl up. But suddenly a look of anger took over the girl's face, and she pushed Mya away with a strong shove.
"Hey, what was that for?" Steph said angrily. "We were only trying to help."
"More illusions!" the girl muttered, her eyes darting back and forth. Suddenly she lunged at Steph, grabbing her arm. Then she rolled back to Mya, and bit her.
"OW!" Mya screamed, rubbing her arm. "That hurt!"
"Think we should teach her a lesson?" Steph asked.
"Damn right we should!" Mya answered, her brows furrowing.
Steph and Mya stood up side by side, to face the girl who was now a few steps away.
"Hey, you!" Mya called. The girl turned around. "Where do you think you're going?" Then Mya lifted her arm, invoking her talent. Nothing happened. A look of pure shock and confusion came over Mya's face. "What's going on?! My talent's broken!!" She tried again. "It's not working!!" Now she was really panicking.
"Don't worry! I'll take care of her!" Steph said reassuringly. "Why don't you have a seat!" she taunted the girl, using her own talent. Nothing happened. Steph got a little worried. "I SAID, why don't you have a seat!!" She concentrated really hard this time, even using an extra exclamation mark for emphasis. But nothing happened. "Oh my God, my talent is broken too!" Steph screamed.
"OH MY GOD!!!" they both wailed. Grundy could tell they were REALLY upset, because not only were they speaking in capitals, they had used THREE exclamation marks. He knew this fighting wasn't a good idea, and decided he'd better make a move to split it up.
"Hey, girls-" he started, but was rudely interrupted.
"Well, I guess we'll have to attack her physically!" Mya said. "That *!%#* bit me, so we'll bite her!!"
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Steph agreed. The two started walking towards the girl. They got about halfway there, before a small creature got in their way. It was the little thing from the other gourd! They had forgotten about it. It looked so sad, they just had to stop and pet it.
"Aww, don't be sad, little guy. It's ok," Mya soothed.
"Don't worry. It'll be alright," Steph added.
To their surprise, the other girl was kneeling down too. "It's ok, Guinever," she murmured. The little creature smiled.
Steph and Mya exchanged glances. They were both thinking the same thing. This would be the perfect time to attack the girl!
Luckily, Grundy intervened. "Hello, my name is Grundy. You were in a gourd, but we rescued you. What's your name?" he asked the girl. He sent Warning Glances to Mya and Steph. The glances were so strong that the two sat back, deterred.
The girl looked confused. "A…gourd?" A dim little light bulb appeared above her head. "Yah, I remember a gourd! But… how do I know I'm really out? It's been a long time!"
"Well, why don't you try pinching yourself?" Grundy suggested.
The girl shook her head. "No, that won't work. I've been living in the world of nightmares. Pinching yourself doesn't wake you up."
Grundy puzzled over this. Of course the girl was right. So how could he prove to her that he wasn't lying before she got hostile again?
"Well, look around!" Mya interrupted his thoughts. "There are gourds lying everywhere, right? Look, there's the one you came from. How can you be in it and out of it at the same time?"
The girl looked at the gourd. Her gaze went towards the peephole. "No!" Grundy yelled, pulling her away from it. She blinked twice.
"Alright. I can see that you're telling me the truth. Thanks for saving me!" Now that she believed she wasn't in a gourd, she seemed amicable enough.
"Sure. But why did you attack us before?" Mya asked, skeptical.
The girl got a serious look. "If you had lived in a gourd for 13 years, seeing nothing but bad dreams every day, wouldn't you attack everything you saw, too?"
Mya remembered the grave yard she had seen. "I guess you're right." Then she got a light bulb. "Wait- did you just say 13 years?"
The girl nodded. "It's been about that long, yah. I grew up in the gourd. I'm sorry about attacking you, though. And I really am thankful. I wish I could return your talents to you."
"Did you just say our talents?!" Steph asked.
The girl looked at her strangely. "Is there some sort of miss spell around here? You both seem to miss- understand or miss-hear what I say. Yeah, I did say your talents."
"Well, what about them?" Mya asked impatiently. "Why did you say you wish you could give them back?"
"Oh, that's right. You don't know. Well, I'm a Sorceress. I can take other people's talents. All I have to do is touch you, and invoke my talent, and your talent is mine."
"Whoa, that's a strong talent!" Mya said. "But we really need our own talent's back. You see, we're Sorceresses too. But we're pretty much useless without our talents."
The girl nodded. "When I got your talents I knew you were Sorceresses. You have really strong magic yourselves! But I can only take talents- I can't give them back." This of course made the girls mad, because they'd seemingly lost their talents, and it made Grundy mad, too. Why couldn't the girl have said what exactly Mya and Steph's talents were?
"Well, there must be a way to get our talents back," Steph said. She and Mya, and the girl, all starting thinking. Grundy joined in too, not wanting to be left out of the thought bubbles.
Steph was the first on to get a light bulb. "I got it!" she exclaimed. "It's just like before, when we used the reverse wood with Magician Murphey! If…uhh…" Steph paused. "I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," she said.
"Oh!" the girl blushed. "I should've told you before. I'm Lyndsey."
Steph nodded. "Ok. So if Lyndsey here uses her talent with reverse wood, we should get our talents back!" She smiled, pleased with herself.
"Hey, you're right!" Mya said excitedly. "Good thinking, Steph!"
"But how are you going to get reverse wood?" Grundy asked. Apparently he had been kicked out of the bubbles without being asked. And now, he was being ignored.
"Oh, good idea!" Lyndsey exclaimed. A piece of reverse wood appeared in her hand. She pointed at Mya, and she felt the magic returning to her body. Then, she pointed at Steph, and she felt the same.
"Ahh, much better," Mya said. Steph nodded, sharing the sentiment.
"I say we try out our talents, just to make sure they're working," Steph suggested. Mya nodded in agreement. They had just gotten their talents back, after being in Mundania for so long, and it was too soon for them to be taken already.
Mya lifted her arm and pointed. Steph concentrated. Nothing happened.
"What's going on!?" they both shrieked, a swarm of panic bugs around their head.
"Uhh…maybe I gave you the wrong talents. Let me take them back and I'll try again," Lyndsey suggested. She put down the reverse wood.
"Oh. Ok." Steph and Mya both let Lyndsey touch their arms, and take their talents back. Then she picked up the reverse wood, and returned their talents.
Suddenly the reverse wood was gone, and a gourd was floating by Grundy's head. He was so confused! What was going on? Possibly, the reverse wood had expended its power and disappeared, but why was the gourd flying? Then, the gourd wasn't floating anymore. Grundy rolled his eyes.
"Much better!" Steph said.
"Yep!" Mya agreed. They both smiled.
"Sorry about all that," Lyndsey apologized. "And thanks again for saving me from the gourd!"
"Don't worry about it," Mya said.
"And you're welcome!" Steph finished. They all sat quietly now, not sure of what to do. Grundy decided to take the lead.
"Why don't we all go back to the umbrella tree, and we can eat the pies I gathered? We can camp there tonight, and share our stories with each other. I know I'm curious to find out how Lyndsey ended up in a gourd for 13 years." And what Mya and Steph's talents were, he said mentally
"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Mya said. She started back towards the umbrella tree, Steph following her. Then Lyndsey, shrugging, followed. Next was the little creature, that everyone had forgotten about. Grundy sighed. He was last, as usual. But at least he was going to figure out what was going on!
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Mya watched as the girl blinked. "Hi, I'm Mya. What were you doing in a gourd?" she started to say, trying to help the girl up. But suddenly a look of anger took over the girl's face, and she pushed Mya away with a strong shove.
"Hey, what was that for?" Steph said angrily. "We were only trying to help."
"More illusions!" the girl muttered, her eyes darting back and forth. Suddenly she lunged at Steph, grabbing her arm. Then she rolled back to Mya, and bit her.
"OW!" Mya screamed, rubbing her arm. "That hurt!"
"Think we should teach her a lesson?" Steph asked.
"Damn right we should!" Mya answered, her brows furrowing.
Steph and Mya stood up side by side, to face the girl who was now a few steps away.
"Hey, you!" Mya called. The girl turned around. "Where do you think you're going?" Then Mya lifted her arm, invoking her talent. Nothing happened. A look of pure shock and confusion came over Mya's face. "What's going on?! My talent's broken!!" She tried again. "It's not working!!" Now she was really panicking.
"Don't worry! I'll take care of her!" Steph said reassuringly. "Why don't you have a seat!" she taunted the girl, using her own talent. Nothing happened. Steph got a little worried. "I SAID, why don't you have a seat!!" She concentrated really hard this time, even using an extra exclamation mark for emphasis. But nothing happened. "Oh my God, my talent is broken too!" Steph screamed.
"OH MY GOD!!!" they both wailed. Grundy could tell they were REALLY upset, because not only were they speaking in capitals, they had used THREE exclamation marks. He knew this fighting wasn't a good idea, and decided he'd better make a move to split it up.
"Hey, girls-" he started, but was rudely interrupted.
"Well, I guess we'll have to attack her physically!" Mya said. "That *!%#* bit me, so we'll bite her!!"
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Steph agreed. The two started walking towards the girl. They got about halfway there, before a small creature got in their way. It was the little thing from the other gourd! They had forgotten about it. It looked so sad, they just had to stop and pet it.
"Aww, don't be sad, little guy. It's ok," Mya soothed.
"Don't worry. It'll be alright," Steph added.
To their surprise, the other girl was kneeling down too. "It's ok, Guinever," she murmured. The little creature smiled.
Steph and Mya exchanged glances. They were both thinking the same thing. This would be the perfect time to attack the girl!
Luckily, Grundy intervened. "Hello, my name is Grundy. You were in a gourd, but we rescued you. What's your name?" he asked the girl. He sent Warning Glances to Mya and Steph. The glances were so strong that the two sat back, deterred.
The girl looked confused. "A…gourd?" A dim little light bulb appeared above her head. "Yah, I remember a gourd! But… how do I know I'm really out? It's been a long time!"
"Well, why don't you try pinching yourself?" Grundy suggested.
The girl shook her head. "No, that won't work. I've been living in the world of nightmares. Pinching yourself doesn't wake you up."
Grundy puzzled over this. Of course the girl was right. So how could he prove to her that he wasn't lying before she got hostile again?
"Well, look around!" Mya interrupted his thoughts. "There are gourds lying everywhere, right? Look, there's the one you came from. How can you be in it and out of it at the same time?"
The girl looked at the gourd. Her gaze went towards the peephole. "No!" Grundy yelled, pulling her away from it. She blinked twice.
"Alright. I can see that you're telling me the truth. Thanks for saving me!" Now that she believed she wasn't in a gourd, she seemed amicable enough.
"Sure. But why did you attack us before?" Mya asked, skeptical.
The girl got a serious look. "If you had lived in a gourd for 13 years, seeing nothing but bad dreams every day, wouldn't you attack everything you saw, too?"
Mya remembered the grave yard she had seen. "I guess you're right." Then she got a light bulb. "Wait- did you just say 13 years?"
The girl nodded. "It's been about that long, yah. I grew up in the gourd. I'm sorry about attacking you, though. And I really am thankful. I wish I could return your talents to you."
"Did you just say our talents?!" Steph asked.
The girl looked at her strangely. "Is there some sort of miss spell around here? You both seem to miss- understand or miss-hear what I say. Yeah, I did say your talents."
"Well, what about them?" Mya asked impatiently. "Why did you say you wish you could give them back?"
"Oh, that's right. You don't know. Well, I'm a Sorceress. I can take other people's talents. All I have to do is touch you, and invoke my talent, and your talent is mine."
"Whoa, that's a strong talent!" Mya said. "But we really need our own talent's back. You see, we're Sorceresses too. But we're pretty much useless without our talents."
The girl nodded. "When I got your talents I knew you were Sorceresses. You have really strong magic yourselves! But I can only take talents- I can't give them back." This of course made the girls mad, because they'd seemingly lost their talents, and it made Grundy mad, too. Why couldn't the girl have said what exactly Mya and Steph's talents were?
"Well, there must be a way to get our talents back," Steph said. She and Mya, and the girl, all starting thinking. Grundy joined in too, not wanting to be left out of the thought bubbles.
Steph was the first on to get a light bulb. "I got it!" she exclaimed. "It's just like before, when we used the reverse wood with Magician Murphey! If…uhh…" Steph paused. "I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," she said.
"Oh!" the girl blushed. "I should've told you before. I'm Lyndsey."
Steph nodded. "Ok. So if Lyndsey here uses her talent with reverse wood, we should get our talents back!" She smiled, pleased with herself.
"Hey, you're right!" Mya said excitedly. "Good thinking, Steph!"
"But how are you going to get reverse wood?" Grundy asked. Apparently he had been kicked out of the bubbles without being asked. And now, he was being ignored.
"Oh, good idea!" Lyndsey exclaimed. A piece of reverse wood appeared in her hand. She pointed at Mya, and she felt the magic returning to her body. Then, she pointed at Steph, and she felt the same.
"Ahh, much better," Mya said. Steph nodded, sharing the sentiment.
"I say we try out our talents, just to make sure they're working," Steph suggested. Mya nodded in agreement. They had just gotten their talents back, after being in Mundania for so long, and it was too soon for them to be taken already.
Mya lifted her arm and pointed. Steph concentrated. Nothing happened.
"What's going on!?" they both shrieked, a swarm of panic bugs around their head.
"Uhh…maybe I gave you the wrong talents. Let me take them back and I'll try again," Lyndsey suggested. She put down the reverse wood.
"Oh. Ok." Steph and Mya both let Lyndsey touch their arms, and take their talents back. Then she picked up the reverse wood, and returned their talents.
Suddenly the reverse wood was gone, and a gourd was floating by Grundy's head. He was so confused! What was going on? Possibly, the reverse wood had expended its power and disappeared, but why was the gourd flying? Then, the gourd wasn't floating anymore. Grundy rolled his eyes.
"Much better!" Steph said.
"Yep!" Mya agreed. They both smiled.
"Sorry about all that," Lyndsey apologized. "And thanks again for saving me from the gourd!"
"Don't worry about it," Mya said.
"And you're welcome!" Steph finished. They all sat quietly now, not sure of what to do. Grundy decided to take the lead.
"Why don't we all go back to the umbrella tree, and we can eat the pies I gathered? We can camp there tonight, and share our stories with each other. I know I'm curious to find out how Lyndsey ended up in a gourd for 13 years." And what Mya and Steph's talents were, he said mentally
"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Mya said. She started back towards the umbrella tree, Steph following her. Then Lyndsey, shrugging, followed. Next was the little creature, that everyone had forgotten about. Grundy sighed. He was last, as usual. But at least he was going to figure out what was going on!
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