Luz and King had been content to sleep in one Saturday morning, with the little demon curled up on the young witch's chest, undisturbed by her snoring as a single sunbeam kept them both comfortably warm.
"They are knocked out," Eda observed from the doorway.
"No kidding," Raine replied with a small frown. "Usually, the smell of breakfast wakes them right up."
"I wouldn't take it as a dig at your cooking dear," Eda told them.
"I can't believe she almost went a year without an actual bed," Raine said, shaking their head.
"Hey, there was a lot going on. Furnishing this empty house was the last thing on my mind." Eda defended before a small voice startled them both.
"Hey!"
Raine and Eda looked around in confusion.
"Hey listen!" the voice demanded.
"Where is that-oh! Her scroll." Raine said, walking over to Luz's dresser and picking up the device. "I never could get the hang of these things."
"Is teen gossip going to be the source of inspiration for your next ballad Whispers?" Eda asked.
"N-no," Raine said quickly. "I just wanted to put it on silent so they could sleep."
"Here let me help," Eda said as she walked over before seeing what was on screen.
"Two missed calls, and a few unopened messages." She wondered before looking at Luz.
"From who?" Raine asked.
"The Blight twins. Both of 'em." Eda replied before walking over and placing her hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Hey, kid. I think you need to wake up."
Luz groaned and one of her eyes slowly started to open.
"Hm?"
Eda held up the scroll.
"Something is going on, the Blight twins have been trying to get a hold of you."
Luz inhaled sharply through her nose as she sat up abruptly, muttering an apology to King as he rolled off her chest and onto the bed with a groan before she took the scroll from Eda and read a text message from Emira while she and Raine went back downstairs.
Hey Luz, I'm not sure if you're getting our messages but Amity has been having a really hard time lately. I think she could use a pick me up. Me and Ed tried using some of our trademark sibling love, but we both agreed it's time we tag you in
Luz was wide awake now and as she got to her feet, she grabbed her earphones and plugged them into her scroll starting up an instrumental version of an old song she listened to back in middle school, electing to sing her own made-up lyrics as she opened the top drawer of her dresser.
Some Zora once told me that Gannon's gonna roll me
This isn't the sharpest sword in my set
Luz pulled out her casual clothes, hanging them over her arm before walking over to the privacy screen she had propped up in the corner of the room, struggling to hold her scroll and change at the same time as she reminded herself to invest in some wireless headphones.
Deku Tree looks kind of old
With his branches and mold
With his big monobrow on his forehead
The young woman emerged from behind the screen walked over to a large wooden chest in the corner of the room which she threw open and started rummaging through its contents as quietly as she could, shoving a pair of metal boots and a creepy-looking mask she had found in the woods while out walking with King out of the way before pulling out a bandolier with three bright red bottles of potion and strapping it to her torso
Well the shrine's keep coming, and they don't stop coming
Orbs get the hearts and the stamina for runnin'
Doesn't feel good to break a sword
She sang as she shut the chest and walked over to her desk, grabbing a thick stack of cards and pair of pencils and pen from atop a small mountain of books and shoving them into her pockets before unzipping her backpack and fishing around in it with one arm as she opened up the messenger app on her scroll and asked her girlfriend when her lunch break was.
And to farm up, weapons makes me bored
So much to do, so much to see so what's wrong with eating the raw meat?
Luz smiled as she finally pulled out what she was looking for, her leather grudgby bracers that she had gotten for her birthday and had since been heavily modified. She checked the right bracer and saw a small clay disk with a glyph carved into it held in place four brass clamps and smiled before putting each bracer on and walking back to the bed, planting a gentle kiss on King's head.
"Love ya bud, see you later." She said softly before grabbing her cloak off its hanger and throwing it on as she jogged down the stairs, eyes locking in on Eda's staff which was propped up in the corner by the front door and she extended an arm towards it, waiting for it to materialize in her hand.
There's all these weapons for me
But the Master's Sword is all I seek-
Then she felt a hand land on her shoulder and Luz turned around to see Eda standing over her, a concerned look in her eyes as Luz pulled one of her earbuds out.
"Where you off to in such a hurry kid?"
"Everything ok?" Raine asked from the couch, setting down their 'I roll to seduce the dragon' mug that Luz had given them when they moved in.
"I'm gonna go see Amity, she's having a rough day," Luz explained. "I need to move fast so I'm taking Owlbert."
Eda raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah sure just take my staff and my palismen without asking permission why don't you."
Luz visibly winced when she heard that.
"Sorry…may I take Owlbert? It's kinda important."
Eda, her point made, smiled and nodded.
"Yes, you may."
"Thank you, Eda, I don't know when I'll be back so don't wait up ok?" Luz said before throwing her arms around her mentor. "Love you!"
Eda was quick to return the gesture.
"Love you too kiddo." She said as Luz ran over and stretched herself over the top of the couch to hug Raine from behind.
"Bye Raine. See you later. Take care of Eda for me."
"Of course. be careful ok?" Raine said with a chuckle.
Luz gave them a thumbs up and shot out of the door like a cannonball, bidding farewell to Hooty as she took off for the day as she belted out the last few words of her song as loud as she could as the door closed.
Hey now! You're a master
Get your health back
Pull it
Hey now, go save Zelda
Slay the darkness
Yas, slay!
The hero's arrows bring pain,
Make sure to use the blade of evil's ba-aa-ane.
Raine smiled and shook their head as Eda sat down next to them.
"She's a good kid."
"Sure is," Eda said with a sigh as she leaned on her partner.
"That was pretty motherly of you, making her ask for permission to borrow Owlbert." They teased.
Eda playfully rolled her eyes.
"I know right, I don't know what came over me. Maybe I really am getting old." She said with a sigh, slowly looking around the house.
"It's gonna be weird when she's gone. King won't be far behind. Won't see Boots much when she graduates either. Soon this house will be practically empty again. It'll just be you and me."
Raine shook their head and put their arms around Eda.
"Eda this house will never be empty again. Those kids love you so much and so do I. For the rest of your life, you will never be alone."
Eda blushed, suddenly she was sixteen again and Raine had just serenaded her in a quiet meadow on a warm spring day, it had been how they asked her to Grom.
"You sure know how to make a girl feel special." She said, trying to regain her composure.
"I try." Raine grinned. "So we have the house to ourselves, what do you want to do today?"
Eda smirked deviously and now it was Raine who was blushing. They had seen that look before.
Many many times.
"I can think of a few things, but first…"
Eda pulled Raine into a deep kiss and the pair slowly lowered themselves onto the couch before the front door suddenly flew open.
"Luz is back!" Hooty shouted, far too late to be an effective warning.
The young witch ran over to the table by the couch and picked up her Pokémon-themed 3DS case, completely oblivious to the moment she had intruded on until she saw Raine and Eda struggling to sit back up.
"Sorry I forgot my 3D-WHOA sorry sorry!" She yelped, closing her eyes and spinning right around to face the wall.
"Luz!" Eda exclaimed.
"I didn't know I'm sorry!" She replied as she tried to shove the game machine into her backpack.
"I don't barge on you and Amity when you're making out do I?" Eda continued.
Luz threw her arms up as she walked towards the front door.
"Well, we don't make out in the living room!"
The Owl Lady smirked.
"Oh well that's true, as I recall you two prefer-"
Luz spun around shaking her head.
"Eda please not in front of Raine!"
The bard chuckled.
"No need to be embarrassed Luz, young love can create some pretty powerful desires and-"
Luz hurriedly shoved her earphones back in before running out of the front door.
"Raine I love you but I am not having this conversation with you right now, I gotta go, loveyoubothbyyyyye!"
The door slammed shut and Raine was left with a flustered Eda, who had her head in her hands.
"Ok so maybe everyone moving out will have its benefits."
…
Luz landed in front of the Bonesburrough Public Library and stowed her staff with a flourish before heading inside, heading straight for the information desk where she found one of Amity's coworkers tending to a pile of novels and reference books. They hardly looked up from their work when Luz asked them where Amity was.
"Her office." They said flatly.
"Thanks, sorry to bother you," Luz said sheepishly before she walked over to Amity's little corner office by the kid's section.
In the past few months, she had been promoted to the head of the after-school reading program by the head librarian, and her old study room that the pair once treated like a secret base was now her very own office.
As Luz approached, she noticed that the door was closed, and unfamiliar voices were coming from within.
"I am so sorry about this Ms. Blight."
"It's ok ma'am. I just thought I should bring the issue to your attention. Braxas is a delight to have in our class and he's usually so happy when he's here, so I just wanted to make sure he's doing ok at home."
"Honestly, he's been struggling. We all have. Times are hard and I'm worried things will get worse before they get better."
"Well, I just want you to know that this will be a safe place for him going forward. You can let him know that he's more than welcome to come talk to me about anything that's bothering him and if you notice anything else going at home, if you're willing of course, you can come talk to me too. I'm a TA at Hexside and I can reach out to our contacts in the healing coven. They have helped us with providing mental health services to students in the past."
"Titan's blessings upon you Ms. Blight. You have no idea what this place means to him. Thank you so much."
"Of course, take care and tell Braxas I'll see him next week."
The door opened and Luz watched as a red-skinned demon walked by and headed for the exit, after waiting a few seconds the young witch knocked gently on the door.
"Come in," Amity said pleasantly.
"Hola hermosa," Luz said as she stepped into her girlfriend's office.
Amity looked up from her desk, eyes wide, a small but still sad smile on her face.
"Hey, you."
"Hey," Luz said before her eyes flicked towards the door.
"Close it please. I'm starving." Amity said with a nod as she pulled out a sandwich and started unwrapping it.
"How's your day been?" Her girlfriend wondered as she sat down next to her gently taking her hand.
Amity sighed, setting her sandwich down and leaning back in her chair.
"My demons are a little loud today if I'm being honest."
"Color?"
"Orange."
Luz's eyebrows shot up.
"That bad?"
Amity nodded, drumming her fingers on her desk.
Luz gently squeezed her hand.
"Talk to me."
"So…today one of the kids I read to, he was telling me that his big brother was taken to the confronitorium for having 'sympathies for the rebellion'. He said that since I was trying to join the Emperor's Coven I should explain how his brother isn't dangerous and how he needs to come home because of how much he misses him."
The dam burst in an instant and as a tear streaked down her face
"He's just a little kid Luz."
"I'm so sorry Am," Luz said as she reached out and as she gathered her girlfriend up in her arms, a pang of guilt resonated through her chest.
She and Eda had broken Raine out of prison under the cover of night, and Raine responded by gathering more wild witches to their cause. Now small uprisings were happening all over the Boiling Isles.
Deep down, Luz wondered if all the people she knew would be better off if she had never come to the Boiling Isles in the first place, but the shuttering inhale of her sobbed girlfriend pushed those thoughts aside.
Amity didn't need what-ifs and maybes.
She needed her.
Luz held her tighter as she gently rubbed her back.
"Just let it all out."
As she cried, Luz felt her rest more and more of her weight on her, like she had finally been given permission to let her guard down and when the tears stopped flowing, Luz spoke gently to her.
"Honestly, you're probably the best thing in that little kid's life right now. I'm so proud of you for sticking with this job."
"My mom thinks it's a waste of time," Amity said with a sniffle, pulling away as Luz frowned.
"Did you tell her you were thinking about going into teaching?"
Amity nodded, leaning back in her chair and looking at the ceiling fan.
"No clue what made me think that was a good idea." She grumbled before groaning.
"I'm sorry, I'm sure the last thing you wanted to do today is deal with…" Amity lifted her arms and gestured up and down. "This."
"I'm supposed to be the one that takes care of you."
Luz shook her head.
"We're supposed to take care of each other. That's how this whole thing works, remember?"
Amity sighed and nodded wordlessly.
"So, when you're feeling this bad about yourself you gotta tell me, otherwise I can't help. Ok?"
"Sorry."
Luz grabbed her hand.
"You know how you can make it up to me?"
"Hm?"
"Eat your lunch," Luz said sternly.
Amity snorted.
"Jeez, you sound like Eda."
"I am the mom friend of this power couple," Luz said proudly as Amity took a big bite of her sandwich while her girlfriend opened up her backpack.
"Hey, you wanna see something cool?"
Amity smiled at her "Sure."
Luz pulled out her 3DS and booted it up, turning the screen so that Amity could see a young man on horseback riding across the screen as a set of words slowly materialized.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Amity gasped.
"You finally got it working?!"
"Elias helped me fix the cartridge," Luz said with a nod.
Amity's eyes had lit up and Luz felt a weight lift off her shoulders, telling herself she needed to thank Ed and Emira for telling her that Amity needed her. As her lilac-haired girlfriend scooted her chair over to be as close as she could be to Luz.
"This is the first game I ever played with my dad." The young woman said, smiling sadly.
"Really?" Amity asked.
"Yup. I used to sit in his lap and watch him play this for hours. He played the original Zelda when he was a kid so he was super excited to share these games with me when I was little."
"You never talk about your dad much, what was he like?"
Luz took a deep breath.
"He was a helicopter pilot, in the human realm we have these guys called the Coast Guard. They go and help people who are lost at sea or people who need to be rescued from natural disasters." She began as her girlfriend nodded in understanding.
"So, one year, one of the biggest hurricanes the Gulf Coast had ever seen was flooding entire towns and the winds were so strong that if you tried to stand outside for more than a few seconds you'd fall over. It got so bad they were calling in helicopter crews from all over the country to fly people out of the flood zones."
Luz took a shaky breath.
"One night while he was flying back to base when a part on his helicopter broke. He lost control and they ended up crashing…him and his crew saved 30 people that night but I think the worst part was how we were told there was nothing he could have done to save himself or his crew. The accident report said that it could have happened to anyone."
"It sounds like your father was a really brave man," Amity said sadly.
"He was," Luz replied. "Everyone who flew with him said that, but they say he was also the biggest weirdo."
A small smile appeared on Amity's face, one that matched her girlfriend's.
"Really?"
"Yeah. They gave him the nickname oddball because he was just kind of a dork. I think that's why my mom gets sad sometimes when I talk about video games or anime. I remind her of him." Luz said before she looked over at her girlfriend.
"I think he would have liked you."
Amity blushed and grabbed her girlfriend's hand before resting her head on her shoulder.
"I'm glad."
The pair sighed, content on listening to the tick-tock of the old grandfather clock in the corner of the room. Amity felt her eyelids start to grow heavy as a sudden wave of fatigue washed over her only for her to inhale sharply through her nose and force herself to stay awake. She looked up to Luz who was looking down at her with concern.
"You sleep ok last night?"
Amity hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
"It's been a long week between my schoolwork, helping out as a TA in Intro to Abomination Magic, and running the after-school program, I'm stretched thin."
"You having a lot of nightmares too?"
Amity nodded.
Luz frowned; she knew that Amity could be so stressed she was having multiple nightmares a night. It wouldn't have been the first time.
"You have any plans later?"
Amity shook her head.
"I have to stay late tonight to tutor a group of Hexside students. They need help with the essays they're writing. The silver lining is that by the time I get home, my parents will have left on their business trip, so I can head up to my room, flop onto my bed, and relax for the night."
"Will the twins be home?"
"Ed might be, but Em has a date tonight. Hopefully, it goes better than last time."
Luz tilted her head.
"What happened last time?
"The idiot she went out with said kissing her was like 'kissing a dead person'."
Luz's jaw dropped.
"What does that even mean?!" She sputtered.
"I don't know!" Amity replied, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Why would they even make that comparison! That's so creepy!"
"Right?!"
"What happened next?"
"Well Em threatened to throat punch him and then Ed actually throat punched him," Amity said, sounding a little disappointed.
Luz raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"He beat you to it huh?"
"Yeah." Amity huffed as Luz chuckled.
"Well, I wonder if we could find your brother a date by the end of the day." She wondered. "That way we could hang out later, just the two of us."
"It would be nice to have some alone time with you," Amity said, sitting back up and nervously brushing at her hair.
"How late is this tutoring session supposed to go?"
"I'll only be getting out an hour later than normal."
"Ok, so here's what I'm thinking. You knock the rest of the work day out like cotton candy haired goddess you are-" Luz began, making Amity blush. "-and I will go get all of your favorite things from around town and when you come home, I will have the perfect romantic evening all set up for us."
Amity was so flustered by the proposition even her ears were flush, and her gaze was fixated on the floor as she gently slapped her knees.
"You spoil me, Luz."
Her girlfriend snuck in a kiss on her neck, which made her melt back into Luz who wrapped her arms around her and kissed her on the cheek.
"That's the idea."
A knock at the door spoiled the mood and suddenly Luz understood Eda's frustration from earlier.
"Uh…y-yes?" Amity asked, clearing her throat.
"The students from Hexside are here." The voice from outside said.
Amity sighed and stood up, running her hands over her clothes to smooth them out.
"Ok, thank you, Koji!"
"No problem." Her coworker said as they walked away.
"Guess your lunch break is over." Luz pouted as she got up.
"It would seem so," Amity replied flatly, weariness sneaking back into her voice as Luz walked over and took her hands into her own.
"Hang in there, ok?" She said as she kissed her girlfriend.
Amity nodded as her girlfriend stepped away and walked towards her office door.
"Hasta luego hermosa." She said as the lilac-haired girl gathered up her books.
"Love you!" She called out.
"Love you more!" Luz replied as the door closed.
…
"Me and my big mouth," Luz grumbled as she searched through general store shelves. "Just had to jinx it by saying it would be the perfect romantic evening didn't you?"
Scented Candles? Sold out.
Bath bombs? Sold out.
Flowers for a bouquet? Gone!
All of her girlfriend's favorite snacks? All gone!
Luz huffed and walked to the front of the store where an older man was reading a massive green and gold tome. He had a head of greying hair and a big white bushy beard that reminded her of someone she knew, even if she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Hey, Robin," Luz said as she approached, making him look up from his reading and set his book down.
"Hey there kiddo, finding everything ok?
"To be honest, no. I'm trying to get some stuff for date night, but everything is gone!" She replied, holding up her hastily written list.
The man frowned as held out his hand, taking the list from Luz and reading it over.
"Ah, I see. These are mostly luxury items. Emperor Belos sent most of the city watch out to fight the rebels. So, a lot of the trade caravans are being attacked by bandits or monsters and as a result, merchants can't make their deliveries. Thankfully our essentials come from the sea routes which are still safe, for now anyway, but the only way to find this stuff is to go to the source."
Luz took out her map of the isles and set it down on the counter.
"Could you point those out for me?"
The man smiled warmly and nodded.
"Sure." He said, helping Luz unfurl the map before pulling out a red pen and scanning the map.
"As I'm sure you know, you could try looking for flowers in the town's botanical garden. Your friend Willow came by earlier today, said she was heading there to investigate something. Next, there's these candles and bath bombs you wanted. They come from an artesian commune that lives near Titan's Maw. They might be able to do some custom work for you, for the right price of course. Lastly, there are these ingredients you're looking for. Most of them come from a fishing community on the edge of the isles. They keep most of their catch for themselves, but just like everything else in the world, they have their price."
"We should be able to pull this off, right Owlbert?"
The palismen, who was perched on her shoulder, hooted an affirmation that made Luz grin.
"Well hold on now, using that palismen for travel is one thing but some of the places are quite dangerous. Especially now that soldiers are being pulled away from the cities and towns. I think it would be wise to bring a backup weapon. The last thing you want is that little guy running out of juice in the middle of a scrape because he's been flying all day." Robin said, pulling out a small, bundled cloth before setting it down on the counter and unwrapping it.
"Take this." He insisted as Luz lifted a longsword sitting in its leather scabbard.
"Are you sure?" Luz asked, earning a nod from the man.
"Just be sure to bring it back when you're done." He said as she hurriedly strapped it to her back.
"I will, I promise," Luz told them before scooping up her map. "Thanks so much!"
"You're welcome!" Robin called to her as she sprinted out the door before he picked up his book and got back to reading, not noticing the cloaked figure that followed Luz out of the store.
…
Amity took a deep breath as she checked the time on her scroll, smiling at her new wallpaper which showed her and Luz laying down on the Owl House's couch, Luz had her 3DS in hand and a goofy grin on her face after Amity had leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
Only a few hours and then you get to spend the rest of the weekend with her. She told herself as she pocketed the device and walked into the study room with a smile on her face, scanning the faces of her fellow students. She was surprised by how many faces she recognized.
There was Malcolm, Boscha's boyfriend, Gus' old bully turned friend, Mattholomule, and Luz's friend Viney who smiled and waved as she entered. The rest were people she recognized from walking between classes or people she chatted with in line at the cafeteria on occasion.
"Hey, guys." She said as she sat down at the head of the table, noticing Malcolm and another pair of students whispering something at the back of the room. Despite her time as a TA, it was something she hadn't gotten used to.
They probably aren't talking about you, relax. She scolded.
"So, all of you need help with your literature class right?"
"No, we came here to get help with math," Mattholomule grumbled.
Amity winced.
Dumb question Blight.
She forced out a dry chuckle as she took out her notepad and pen.
"Right, sorry." She managed. "So here's what we're going to do. We're going to go around introducing ourselves and I want you to tell me what's the hardest thing about reading for you."
The class nodded in agreement as Amity stood up and started taking notes as her students spoke.
"For me, I don't see the point of reading. We're witches. We're supposed to be learning how to practice magic. So, because of that, I have a hard time focusing on these essays and reading assignments because I just don't care about 'em." Malcolm explained.
That one grabbed her attention and she set her notepad down.
"I can understand that, Malcolm." She began leaning against her desk. "I mean we have our written and practical tests for our magic and then we have all this other stuff. Math, literature, and natural sciences. Seems like a bunch of busywork to give us more homework huh?"
Her class nodded, some even verbalizing their agreement.
"I don't know about you guys but the last thing I want is more homework and that's coming from me."
Her students chuckled at that, making her grin.
"I promise you though, we'll get through this together and I think after today, it'll be much easier to tackle these literature assignments." She assured them. "So for the next twenty minutes, I want all of you to write down what you're reading and what the essay assignment is. Just so I know what you're working on."
Backpacks were opened and notebooks were placed and or dropped onto desks while Amity walked over to her desk and pulled out her own homework, hoping she could knock out the last of it before tonight, leaving the rest of the weekend wide open for quality time with her girlfriend.
…
Although Luz had never been, she figured the Bonesburrow Botanical Garden had seen better days on account of the strange spider-like creatures that were scuttling all over the glass dome that kept the gardens shielded from The Isle's signature boiling rain.
As Luz landed, she saw a small group of people and demons running out of the large glass front doors which were being held open by Willow and another green-haired man with square-framed glasses.
As the human pushed through the crowd, she called out to her friend.
"Willow!"
"Luz?" She asked as the last few people trickled out. "What are you doing here?"
"I just came here to get some flowers for Am. What's going on?"
"The garden has an infestation of Stilta Spiders." Willow's father explained, gesturing to himself and his daughter. "We were here to do some volunteer work when they started flying up out of the ground and webbing people up!"
"How'd they get in?"
Willow and her father shrugged as a man's scream ripped through the air.
"Help, someone!"
Luz narrowed her eyes and stowed her staff before drawing her sword and smashing the clay disk fixed to her gauntlet. In a flash, a large rock disk expanded outward to act as a makeshift shield.
"I'm going in, seal the doors behind me!" She exclaimed.
"I'm coming with you!" Willow before the sound of glass shattering made her jump.
"Uh, sweetie I need your help out here!" Her father warned as a cluster of spiders bounded down the dome-like kangaroos.
Willow looked at them with a scowl before looking at Luz, and her gaze softened.
"Be careful please!"
"You too!" Luz told her as her friend raised a wall of thorns to lock down the building.
Luz let out a weary sigh as she turned around and started walking down the hall and deeper into the dome, surprised by how much light the tree canopy was blocking giving the entire garden a much more closed-off and oppressive atmosphere than was probably intended.
The massive bundles of spider webs that stretched from branch to branch probably didn't help either. The worst part was that Luz could see the wiggling forms of those who weren't fast enough to get to the exits before the spiders had snatched them up.
Then Luz felt something grab her leg, instinctively she jumped back and kicked the scrawny limb away before raising her shield to adopt a defensive posture.
"Owwww." A voice groaned.
Luz fished a light glyph out of her pocket and activated it, gasping when she saw the face of a man looking up at her, the rest of his body, save for his left arm, was wrapped in a cocoon of spider silk.
"I'm so sorry!" She said as she used her sword to cut the man free.
"It's quite alright dear." He replied as he sat up and assessed his surroundings.
"My garden…" He whimpered, making Luz raise an eyebrow.
"Your garden?" She asked.
"That's right, my name is Doctor Arbor. The Bonesburrow Botanical Garden has been under my family's care for six generations, but with the severity of this infestation I fear I will be the last one to preside over it."
"How did this happen?"
"If I had to guess, the queen must have gotten in here through the irrigation system, laid her eggs in the soil of all the major plant beds, and bided her time. Once those eggs hatched they probably fed off the plant roots until they were big enough to hunt and well- '' Arbor put his arms up and gestured to the space around him. "Here we are."
"So how do we stop them?"
"Short of burning the entire garden down, there's not much to do unless we can find the queen. Without her, these vermin will scatter like leaves in the wind-Look out!"
The old man pointed to a falling red-bodied spider that had dropped down from a nearby tree branch. Luz spun on the balls of her feet and caught the creature with her shield with a grunt as its long legs flailed and its long slimy black fangs jabbed at her from over the top edge of the shield.
In one smooth motion, Luz jumped up and forced the spider off her shield and onto the ground before she landed on it with all her body weight and the weight of the stone shield. A loud squelch signaled its demise, and as Luz got up there was only a neon yellow puddle of goo with bits of spider in it.
"Gross," Luz muttered as she turned back towards Dr. Arbor.
"You're her." The old man said. "The human who learned magic."
Luz shifted her weight from foot to foot as she nodded.
"That's me, Luz the Human."
"Incredible."
"Heeeelp!" A young woman screamed from above as a large spider surged through the canopy, using its long legs to swing from branch to branch like a great ape.
The old man got to his feet.
"That's a Stilta major, hurry Luz we must-" As he stepped forward he cried out in pain, clutching his side before he started to stumble forward.
"Doctor Arbor!" Luz gasped as she caught him. "Are you ok?"
"The venom must not have worn off yet. I'm afraid I won't be of much help to you like this. Please, Luz, you must help my colleagues."
The young witch nodded.
"I will, I promise, stay here, ok?" She instructed before running off, using one of her plant glyphs to create an improvised grappling hook that pulled her into the forest canopy.
…
Amity's gaze was pulled up from her work when she saw Malcolm slowly raise his hand. She was up on her feet and walking to him within a fraction of a second.
"Hey Malcolm, how's your essay coming along?" She asked.
"Not great, I've hardly written anything." He admitted.
"That's alright. Show me what you do have."
Her classmate relinquished his notebook, allowing her to study it.
"Yeah so my teacher wants me to write about how courage relates to this story and my own life but it's a love story. I don't see how courage is applicable here you know?" He explained as Amity sat down.
"Well, there's more to courage than you might think Malcolm, like love. It's a brave thing to love. To show someone special all the parts of yourself you hide from the rest of the world." She began before leaning in. "Remember how you asked Boscha to Grom?"
Malcolm scratched his head nervously.
"I forgot you helped me with that."
Amity smiled gently at him.
"I think that was really brave because you told me how you were nervous about what your guy friends would think about it. Remember?"
He nodded again.
"Courage comes in many forms, Malcolm, it can be loud and bold or it can be quiet and reserved. No one has a monopoly on what is considered brave. If you can take that concept and apply it to your writing, then I think you'll understand what this book is trying to tell you." She explained.
"You know, you're a pretty good teacher, Blight." He said before he uncapped his pen and started writing. Amity smiled at him as she turned to leave.
"Thanks, Malcolm, let me know if you need more help," She said as she sat down and sent a quick message to her girlfriend.
Hey you, can't wait for tonight 3
…
Luz hit the tree trunk with a thud, the wind getting knocked out of her lungs as her opponent screeched and rushed towards her, its huge red eye fixated on her as a small army of smaller spiders converged on the webbed-up garden staff.
'Hey!" Her scroll chirped.
"Why didn't I pick Midna for my alert tone." Luz groaned and she got to her feet and sheathed her sword, summoning her staff to her hand and slamming the end of it into the ground to create a small wall of fire between her and her attacker to halt their charge, careful not to let the flames spread as she pulled out her cards and scanner through them, hoping to find something that would help turn the tide.
Her ice and thorn spears were shrugged off by the spider's thick carapace and she couldn't close enough to probe for weak points with her sword.
"Come on Luz think." She muttered as the webbed up garden staff called to her in a panic as a strong breeze rushed in from the broken glass panel above her, shaking a few leaves loose, Luz watched them fall into a peculiar pattern before they fell into a large web that stretched between two trees, their roots snaking their way into the soil and into the depths of a small pond.
"Well, here goes something," Luz said as she pulled out her pen and hurriedly made a pair of plant glyphs before folding the pages in on themselves, willing the plant matter that was forming to take on a very specific form.
The Stilt Spider major hissed at her before it turned around and shot a tendril of web at the wall ice spears and pulled them off the branch with a simple tug before slinging it through the air, leaving Luz open to attack.
As her new weapon took shape, Luz slapped her new glyph onto its wooden surface before throwing it clean over the major's head watching as a small cyclone formed around the boomerang and as it swept across the canopy, the high winds swept up the cocooned workers before dropping them into the large web below. Which buckled under their combined weight and dropped them harmlessly into the shallow pond which quickly dissolved their cocoons.
Before the Stilt Major realized what happened, the boomerang had completed a full circle and flew back into her hand, the high winds it brought knocked the spider off the branch, falling to the forest floor and landing with a meaty thud.
"I can't believe that worked," Luz muttered before running forward to see the people she just saved pull themselves out of the pond.
"Are you guys ok?" She called.
She received various affirmations from below and responded with a thumbs up before she summoned Owlbert to fly her down only for something to grab her from behind, before she could react she was tumbling towards the forest floor, striking several branches as she wrapped her body around Owlbert to protect him from the fall before she landed on another massive web that briefly arrested her descent only for it to break and send her crashing to the ground.
"Ow." She said through grit teeth as she struggled to get her legs back underneath her as something scuttled down the tree trunk in front of her while Dr. Arbor and the others called out to her from afar.
The spider that was now standing in front of her was the size of a large car, and just from its appearance, Luz could tell it was even more armored than the Stilta Major. Luz scowled and drew her sword after stowing Owlbert, unsure of his condition after the massive fall.
Just behind the massive creature was a hollowed-out tree trunk filled with hundreds of little amber-colored orbs, the light they projected all combined to cloak the clearing in a sickly yellow glow.
Luz elected for a probing attack and sprinted forward, an ice glyph in hand, throwing it ahead of her as she sprinted toward the spider who chittered and clicked at her as she approached, her card landing underneath the creature's abdomen.
Luz slid across the ground, slapping a glyph card down and sending an ice spear upward into the creature's belly but it only barely punched through the Queen's armor, not even drawing blood.
Luz sprang to her feet as the spider hissed and tried to slash at her with its long legs, throwing up dirt and bark into the air as Luz pulled out a fire glyph and used it on her sword. When the spell dissipated, she held up the blade, which hissed in the cool morning air and glowed bright red.
Then she prepared another wind glyph before sticking her sword into the ground and pulling out her boomerang.
"Gotta make this just right," Luz said as she brought her arm back as the spider slowly circled her, its fangs visibly dripping with venom.
The young witch sat perfectly still, eyes locked on her opponent.
The creature stopped, its legs tensed.
Luz still didn't move.
Then it leaped through the air toward her and Luz rolled forward, clearing the impact zone just seconds before the spider's fangs sank into the earth where she once stood. As Luz came out of the roll she spun and threw her boomerang as hard as she could after using her wind glyph on it.
The strong winds of the cyclone lifted the massive creature into the air as the boomerang passed under its eight legs and abdomen. Panicked, the Queen flailed and tumbled through the air before it landed on its back as the boomerang came back to Luz, who let the winds lift her into the air before letting the cyclone dispel, dropping the boomerang as she pulled out a plant glyph and used it to lash out with a bundle of vines that grabbed the handle of her sword and pull it into her hand.
As she brought her free hand up to hold the handle of her superheated sword, she landed and sank the weapon deep into the spider's underside, a loud hiss echoing through the forest before the creature's legs curled up and its entire body shuddered one last time before falling still.
Luz pulled her weapon free of the creature's body and sheathed it before jumping off the Queen's corpse as a shiver raced up her body.
"I hate spiders." She said with a sigh before walking back towards the dome entrance as the remaining Stilta Spiders fled underground, completely ignoring her as they scurried down tree trunks and dove headfirst into the soil as she pulled out her staff.
"Hey Owlbert, you ok bud?"
The palismen flew off the top of the staff and perched himself on her shoulder before nuzzling her affectionately, hooting softly.
"Oh, I'm fine, just a few bumps and bruises. I was more worried about you but you sure look ok." She told him as she pulled out her scroll, a smile appearing on her face when she saw Amity's message.
"I'm seriously the luckiest girl in the world." She said as Owlbert tilted his head and hooted in a questioning way.
"Excluding today," Luz told him as she typed out a reply, stepping over a small wooden path boundary and back onto the garden's asphalt paths. "Although, the day isn't over yet. So maybe things will turn around."
Counting down the hours now hermosa!
"Luz!" Dr. Arbor exclaimed when he saw her walking down the pathway. "I'm glad to see you're alright!
"I'm glad to see you're ok too Doctor Arbor." She replied as he hobbled up to her.
"Thank you so much for helping me and my colleagues. If there's anything I can do to help you or the students of Hexside please let me know." He told her as his colleagues surrounded her, bombarding her with thank you's and well wishes.
"Well, actually I did come here hoping to get some help with something." She replied, pulling out her list and handing it to him. "I came here looking for some flowers for my girlfriend."
"Ah yes, Coastal Amethysts. Those are exceptionally rare. Usually found only in the dunes of the seaside villages. We do have a few in the nursery, though. You're welcome to have them. I can put an entire bouquet together if you'd like."
"Are you sure?"
The old man nodded.
"Although this means the garden will be missing them, at the end of the day I still have a garden thanks to your bravery. If parting with a few flowers to help brighten a young couple's day, it's the least I can do."
"Thank you, sir," Luz said as he gestured for her to follow him towards the main entrance before turning off towards a small side corridor that led to a beautiful greenhouse filled with hundreds of flowers.
"What's the big occasion?"
Luz shook her head.
"There's no occasion. I just love her a lot and since she's been working really hard lately I just want to help her relax when she comes home."
"All this on a whim?" Doctor Arbor asked as he raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.
"Can't imagine what the proposal will be like." He mused before smirking at Luz who had suddenly turned bright red.
"Haha yeah uhhh…no comment." She said, trying to keep her mind from wandering off into daydreams of elaborate wedding proposals.
"How long have you two been together? If you don't mind my asking."
"Coming up on a year," Luz said, voice full of pride.
"That's quite the milestone. Congratulations!" Arbor said with a warm smile as he gathered up the flowers, a mixture of purple, white and yellow flowers before tying them together with a simple white ribbon that glowed like the full moon.
"This ribbon will protect the flowers and keep them fresh until tonight."
"Thank you again, Doctor." The young witch replied as he handed her the bouquet.
You're very welcome. Tell your girlfriend you both are welcome back here anytime. This place is magical at night, very romantic. However, I would wait until we get all the webs cleaned up."
Luz chuckled as she turned to leave.
"Will do Doc." She said as she pulled out her scroll and opened a new message from Edric.
Hey, Am said you're coming over tonight. I'll be sure to make myself scarce so don't worry! You guys will have plenty of privacy.
Thanks, I owe you one.
Don't even worry about it. How goes the hunt for the ingredients for the perfect date night?
It's been crazy so far. I just hope my whole day isn't like this!
…
