"How could you let him wander off?!" Amity's voice was definitely full of anger, but for the moment it was really more at herself. Braxas had been her responsibility and she had left him in Mattholomule's care while she indulged for a few minutes in sentimentality.
"He can't have gone very far." Mattholomule replied. "He was right next to me through the song."
"Whatever, we need to find him. Braxas!" She shouted, calling for him despite the night life noise that was still alive and well. Amity ran across the street toward a short, fanged demon with orange fur and feline features that was leaning against a wall next to his large, grey skinned friend with a strange helmet on its head and a pair of eyes glowing in the darkness beneath it. "Have you seen a small red demon with a mouth for a face come through here?" She asked, but all she got was a glare and growl for her efforts.
"Hey, Blight! Isn't that one of your places?" Mattholomule called, pointing up at a tall building across the river, in the heart of Latissa that shone like a glowing purple beacon. It was carved out of the marrow of one of the Titan's ribs, with tendrils of abomination fluid pulsing through conduits that ran over and through it. Amity had never had the chance to visit any of the Blight Industries offices. This is where long running deals and meetings took place, unlike the factory and show rooms in Bonesborough that were used to show prototypes and all the variety of abomination based products. If there was anywhere that she could fix the abominamobile in Latissa, it would be there. Unfortunately, if her parents were anywhere in the city, it would be there as well.
"If I can fix the abominamobile, we might have an easier time finding Braxas." Amity said, returning to Mattholomule. "Come on, there's another bridge." She added, pointing down the road at the rib that crossed over the river again, allowing travel into the wealthier heart of the city.
"Let's hope it's friendlier than the last one." He replied, following behind Amity.
They reached the crest of the bridge and both of the teen's legs were burning from the amount of running they'd had to perform that evening already. Amity rested against the bone railing while Mattholomule collapsed down to his knees, nearly dry heaving. "Come on." Amity breathed.
"You go… ahead."
"Fine." She said without hesitation, struggling to put one foot in front of the other. She reached the other end of the bridge, looking back and forth in search of the small demon. She jogged another block, the roads busy with more upper class witches and demons, then another before finally hearing someone shouting over the hushed conversations of pedestrians. "Braxas!"
Braxas was at least two blocks away now, and one of the Demon Hunters; a male witch with a mop of silver hair and blue skin with segments of pale pink stood between them. He carried a staff that appeared to be burned down from the top end, and eyed Amity for a moment before breaking into a run toward Braxas.
Summoning up a small pool of abomination ooze out of the bones that Latissa was built on, Amity surrounded her feet and commanded the viscous sheet forward, taking her at a greater speed than she could run on her tired legs. She quickly lost sight of Braxas between the pedestrians, but the silver haired witch stood out exceptionally well now that she knew who to look for. She weaved through the crowd, continuing to trace the small spell circle she was using to push herself until she was close enough to push the sprinting Demon Hunter off of his feet on her way by.
"Ugh, you rotten kid!" The Hunter shouted, crumpling into a heap on the road. "Give us that crystal!"
Amity circled the witch on her platform of abomination goo, keeping her eyes on her target while shouting over her shoulder. "Braxas, go to the big purple tower! I'll come get you there, okay?" A large group of Demon Hunters, Amity knew she wouldn't be able to contend with. But one, she might at the very least have a chance to slow him down.
The Demon Hunter climbed to his feet, widened his stance and prepared for a fight. "Do you have any idea how much money you cost us, kid? We ain't givin' up until we get our pay." He said, flashing an arrogant smile. "So either you hand over that valuable lookin' crystal of yours, or you find a way to put up the million snails you cost us tonight, not to mention the lost crew."
Amity continued to circle around him, scoffing. "I'm sure you've seen the bounty for the Owl Lady. Why don't you go after her?"
"I don't pick the jobs, kid. Besides, no one gets close to that one. Not even the Emperor's Coven themselves."
Amity paused for a moment, a thought passing through her mind like a whisper. "I know how you could get close to the Owl Lady… She has an apprentice. A human." If she could get rid of Luz, everything would just go back to normal.
"I'll be sure to let the boss know after I give him the crystal!" He shouted, charging at Amity. She fell back on her butt in surprise, kicking her platform forward and under the feet of her assailant. Rolling out of the way while the Demon Hunter slid face first into the dirt, Amity struggled to her feet. "Hey! Get back here!"
The Demon Hunter reached out, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down before she could get out of reach, and she swatted at him out of fear, both for herself and for Braxas. To her surprise, the abomination goo that she had been skating on reacted to her fear as well, smacking him across the face where she couldn't reach and forcing him to let go. Amity backed away, kicking at his hands before getting back to her feet and running toward the Blight Industries Building. She dodged around carriages and more pedestrians to cross the road and fell to her knees to give Braxas a protective hug.
Looking back, she kept her eyes on the silver haired witch as he slowly stood and began crossing the road as well, drawing a blue glowing spell circle with each hand menacingly. The roads began to tear apart, sending giant rat worms towing carts slithering off in either direction, and crowds of people being thrown to the ground. Splinters of Titan bone ripped up from the cobblestone on either side of him, throwing shrapnel into the air and creating a pathway between them. It was the first time Amity had seen a Healing spell used offensively, but she knew that knitting bone and manipulating flesh was certainly within their capabilities.
Amity reached into her pocket to pull out the crystal heart of the abominamobile, staring down at it. "That's right, girl. Hand it over." The silver haired witch grinned, stepping closer.
She kneeled down and touched the crystal to the road in front of her, then began drawing a full complete circle that surrounded both herself and Braxas. Thick purple and grey fluid began to peel off of the building and wrapped around the crystal. Shapes began to form as its weight began to double, then triple, and she dropped the growing construct as more of the building behind her began to flow around it. "Come and get it."
"You won't get away that easy!" The witch shouted. He managed several steps to close the gap between them when the wall of bones shattered, and the crustacean demon exploded through it to snatch him up in its mandibles. Amity shouted in surprise and ducked behind the abominamobile as the demon swallowed the witch whole and continued through the opposing bone wall and down the road. The remaining three Demon Hunters following behind on foot. As a pale green skinned demon with bulbous features, a purple haired woman, and the hulking demon with the eye patch passed by, their leader stopped for a moment to glare at Amity through his good eye before continuing to chase down the creature.
Amity and Braxas both stood stock still, watching the parade go by with trepidation until the abominamobile was finally fully formed, a purple haze steaming off of it after its quick rebuild. "Come on, Braxas. Let's go home." She said, heaving the heavy toddler into the front seat before climbing in herself. "Abomination, begin." She commanded, and the abominamobile came to life with a rumble. She fashioned a spell circle to steer the contraption back toward the bridge where she had left Mattholomule, and found him peeking out from where he had found to hide from the Demon Hunters and the crustacean demon. She stopped the abominamobile with a lurch and looked at him with tired eyes. "Get in loser. We're going home." Mattholomule sighed and frowned, but climbed back into the rear seat of the vehicle.
Now that they were in the heart of Latissa, the Hookworm Station wasn't far, and after a few minutes, the trio parked at the booth where Boscha could be seen with two eyes closed. Her third eye was blood shot and droopy, looking back and forth for danger before focusing on Amity. She blinked all three of her eyes before yawning and taking in her surroundings. "Ugh, what took you so long?" She asked. "You wouldn't believe the night I had." Boscha took her time stretching her legs and approaching the abominamobile, glaring at Mattholomule. "I am not sitting in the back with this…"
"Boscha, just get in." Amity insisted, already impatient.
Boscha snorted. "Whatever." She said, brushing off Amity's attitude. She climbed in beside Mattholomule, placing her travel bag between him and herself, and glanced up. "Isn't that your parents up there?"
Amity leaned out of the abominamobile and looked up as well. With the commotion outside of the Blight Industries Building, it looked as though all of the patrons had taken to their staves and began leaving the meeting from the roof top. But Odalia's green hair and business suit was impossible to miss. A fair amount of searching revealed Alador as well, and they were heading directly back to the manor.
"Hold on!" Amity shouted to the other passengers. The wheels squealed, and the abominamobile surged forward again.
"I can't believe you're ditching me! It's almost morning!" Boscha shouted.
Amity had managed to get the abominamobile back into her dad's storage shop. She was carrying Braxas, and hoped that Warden Wrath hadn't yet returned. The toddler was fast asleep and snoring, blowing hot air into Amity's face from her shoulder. "Boscha, I need you and Matt to leave before my parents get here. Go! I'll see you at the Moonlight Conjuring."
"Yeah, we'll see." Boscha replied. "But I am not walking with him."
"I don't care. You both need to go. Now!" Amity insisted, taking Braxas into the Manor. She gently handed Braxas over to the abomibutler to take up to her room and tuck into her bed. As his arms slid off of his chest, the tiny golden crown from her Azura figurine falling from his grasp and bounced off of the floor. Amity picked it up with a frown and let out a breath. Her eyes were heavy and her body was exhausted, and she barely reacted when the front door opened again and her parents stepped through.
"Amity!" Odalia exclaimed, surprised to see Amity still up.
"Hi mom and dad." She replied meekly, putting the toy crown back in her pocket. "Warden Wrath needed me to babysit last night. Braxas was… a handful."
Odalia approached her, letting her husband take her coat before replying with a critical eye. "Well I hope he's compensating you well. We can't have you being exhausted for school, can we?"
"No, mom."