Chapter 5: Accidental Rescue
"Alright," Sky said as his gaze wandered up and down the hulking lizard and the princess on top. "If it wasn't because I haven't had anything to eat for about the last day or so, I would have sworn that I was suffering from severe food poisoning".
Abrupto grunted in response, apparently a bit displeased at being compared to a case of food poisoning.
"I assume there's an explanation for this?" Bloom questioned, as Stella was carefully let down from her position on Abrupto's shoulders.
"It's a long story," Stella explained. "Long and weird".
"And harsh, if your skin is anything to go by," Sky said, as he noticed the blonde's pale skin and numerous scars. "I got some first aid supplies if there's anything you need".
"Well, Brandon said I lost a lot of blood, so if you got anything for that, it would be tots nice," Stella said after a moment's pause.
"Right, I got some blood pills," Sky said as he dug through his backpack. From it, he withdrew a couple of crimson tablets that he handed the Solarian princess.
"What are those?" Bloom asked.
"Condensed packages of iron, vitamin C and other such wonderful stuff that I have no idea what does," Sky explained. "They'll help kick-start her body's production of blood. It's no replacement for a healer, but it'll do". He turned to the princess in question and asked: "Anyway, so what did happen?"
Stella swallowed the pills and started her tale with: "Me and Brandon were dragged by the river, until we lost consciousness. Then, these, like, lizard guys saved us and brought us to their city. But then, all of a sudden, the princess tots wanted to marry Brandon for absolutely no reason. In exchange, I was to be escorted to the surface, but then we heard your clamouring and came to save your butts".
"You're right. That does sound weird," Bloom said.
"Indeed. As a princess, she should be able to find somebody closer to her own station," Aisha agreed.
Stella glared at her for a moment, before sighing, apparently deciding that that particular discussion could wait.
"So, Brandon has been forced to marry this princess in exchange for your safety?" Sky asked.
"Sums it up," Abrupto grumbled.
"But now that you are here, we can save him," Stella said enthusiastically. After a moment, she turned to the big troglodyte and earnestly asked: "Will this be a problem for you, Abrupto?"
"No," the big troglodyte grunted. "You have the right to fight for those you care for".
"Well, in that case, let's go save Brandon from getting married," Sky stated.
"Right. Back to Domum," Abrupto said and turned, the group slowly following him back down the tunnels.
...
Inside the massive castle of Shadowhaunt, the pixies glared out of the forcefield of their prison. The air was filled with grotesque sounds, as winged beasts patrolled the darkness. The creatures were made of the same grey and slimy flesh as the other monsters in Darkar's service, but shaped like serpents with great bat-like wings. They circled the keep, occasionally letting our chilling cries, as they scoured the castle for intruders to eliminate.
"Locked up, tortured and now we cannot even be allowed a good night's rest," the grey-haired pixie grumbled as she stared out the windows.
"It's really rude," the redhead pixie yawned in agreement, currently wearing a nightcap and striped pyjamas. "Not that it seems to bother Piff".
The grey-haired pixie turned to observe the sleeping blonde, who was happily snoring in a corner without a care in the world. "Well, at least then one of us will get some sleep," she commented.
"The castle could fall apart and she would still sleep," the redhead noted.
"We should try to get some..." the grey-haired one started, by was interrupted by the shrill cry of a flying monster as it passed by the window. She took a deep breath and angrily muttered: "One more time and I will give them a piece of my mind".
"Anyway, have you come up with any ideas for how we can get out?" the redhead asked.
"Unfortunately not," the elegantly-clad pixie replied. "The forcefield is completely impenetrable. Worse, the locking mechanism has been upgraded, so it won't be..." A roar from a flying monster interrupted her again. "INTERRUPT ME ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL BREAK YOU ALL IN HALF!" the severely annoyed pixie yelled at the flying beasts, causing a couple of the monsters to flap away from the window in shocked confusion.
"Now I got an idea for how to break out," the pixie in pyjamas said, snapping her fingers. "We'll just have them interrupt you a couple more times and then you will go..." She twirled and was suddenly clad in a fur bikini and had a club in her hand: "Raaargh, Tune crush all the skulls". She twirled again, now suddenly back in her pyjamas. "And then me and Piff will just follow your wake of destruction
"You are so funny, Amore," the grey-haired pixie said flatly.
The doors were suddenly opened and Darkar marched in with a: "Alright, what's with the yelling? Some of us are actually trying to sleep before our next big scene".
"Wait, you sleep?" the pixie redhead asked in surprise.
"Yes. What of it?" Darkar questioned.
The two pixies looked at each other for a moment. Then Amore spun around and was suddenly clad in a marching band uniform, complete with drums, a trumpet and harmonicas on her feet, all of which she started playing at the same time. Meanwhile, Tune broke out in a long, shrill operatic scream.
Darkar sighed, a noise barely audible in the infernal hullabaloo created by the pixies, and said to himself: "Yep. Walked straight into that one".
"Hey, some of us are trying to rest," Piff protested as she was rudely awoken by the noise. "What's going on?"
"Alright, I think this gag has gone on for long enough," Darkar said slightly annoyed. "Quit it or you will regret it".
"Hah, you can't touch us without turning the forcefield off," Amore pointed out. "And without your smelly cronies to spit on us, we'll just fly away".
Darkar's entire form suddenly shifted and a rust coloured cobra with glowing eyes pierced the barrier with a warning of: "Don't be so sure of that". The two pixies yelped as the transformed Darkar slithered out of the prison again and re-assumed his humanoid form, asking: "So, what is it you want from me?"
The two pixies were silent for a moment, just staring at the imposing figure of the Shadow Phoenix. "What do you think? We want to be let out," Amore stated.
"Oh. Just that?" Darkar questioned. "Really now, then why are you bothering me? It's not going to make your rescuers get here any faster".
"Wait. Rescuers?" Tune questioned.
"Yep. Lost a couple of mooks on patrol. Plus, got an alarm from one of the Underland openings," Darkar explained nonchalantly. "Most likely the heroes coming to rescue you". He rubbed his chin, muttering to himself: "Does that mean we're already getting to the story's climax? No, that doesn't seem right. Can't end it all now, it wouldn't be dramatic enough. But then, what does it mean? Would depend on the act, really, which means..." Lost in his somewhat nonsensical pondering, Darkar exited the room.
"Well, that is something I guess," Amore said with a shrug.
"Right. It sounds like they've sent a small strike team," Tune speculated. "A small group of elite soldiers, from Red Fountain most likely. The question is, how did they figure out we're down here?"
"Aisha," Piff suddenly realised. "She must have survived the fall".
"Could she?" Amore questioned.
"Her knack is water. So yes, hypothetically speaking, she could survive the fall into the lake below and the subsequent journey to the surface, allowing her to warn people of Darkar," Tune continued. "Which means that odds are that Glim also survived".
"Yaaay!" Piff exclaimed, jumping up and down while clapping her hands.
"And already they're sending a group to save us," Amore said surprised. "That was fast".
"The question is, how will they infiltrate Shadowhaunt itself? Darkar has quite the force ready," Tune pondered. "A small team might not be enough".
"Maybe Darkar will keep some of his troops back," Amore suggested.
"Why would he?" Piff questioned.
"Simple. If he's convinced that this isn't the time for the final battle, he won't go all out," Amore explained. "Because villains usually don't send out their strongest to crush the heroes in the first act".
"That does actually make a weird kind of sense," Tune admitted.
...
"Cave in," Abrupto grunted and stared at the dead end composed of heavy boulders. "Third tunnel. Unlikely to be a coincidence".
"Do you think Darkar has started shutting down the tunnels?" Stella asked. Colour was slowly returning to her skin, making her seem just a bit less sickly.
"Who knows at this point?" Sky responded with a shrug. "So, are there any other ways back to Domum?"
"Hmm," Abrupto grumbled, deep in thought. "There are a couple but most of them would take days. One is short, but gets close to the Forbidden Depths".
"Then we'll risk it," Stella said firmly.
Abrupto glanced at her, before licking his eye and saying: "Fine. Follow me".
The group followed the orange-tinted troglodyte down more tunnels, until they arrived at the top of a great pile of gravel, at the bottom of which was another tunnel. "Down there," Abrupto instructed, before attaching his club to his belt and started a slow, deliberate crawl down.
"Right. Careful with your feet," Sky advised as he too began making his way down by turning around and crawling backwards down the pile
"Why can't they just have some stairs," Aisha sighed.
"Trust me. They have plenty of stairs," Stella dryly added.
"Well, you only live once, I guess," Bloom said and started making her way down, closely followed by Stella, the two of them following Sky's example.
"Why are you all crawling like that?" Aisha questioned.
"Increased stability," Sky responded.
"Yeah, but won't digging into the gravel like that ruin my nails?" Aisha asked while staring at her fingers.
"That's the downside of adventuring, I'm afraid," Stella said sympathetically. "Can't get anything done without ending up with uneven nails and dirty hair".
Aisha continued staring at her nails, pondering: "Why didn't I bring my manicurist along? I knew she was wrong when she said I could deal with a single trip without her".
"I know a good one in Magicalis. I'll help you book a time once we're out of here," Stella offered.
"I guess. But still, can't I just...?" Aisha began, taking a couple of steps out on the steep pile of gravel. The small rocks shifted under her and the brunette fell on her ass with a shriek, before she started gliding down the hill while screaming.
Stella looked up at the princess currently rolling down towards her and managed to sigh in resignation before they collided. The princess tangle soon added Bloom to the pile, as the three girls rolled down the hill, triggering a gravel avalanche in the process.
"Oh, bogus," Sky muttered as he unsteadily hurried his descend while the princess ball came screaming towards him. He reached the bottom, where Abrupto abruptly grabbed his neck, hoisted him up and firmly placed the prince in safety behind the massive troglodyte. The gravel avalanche hit him and poured around him, as the ball of princess collided with him, stopping the girls' screaming descend. The gravel settled, now easily reaching Sky's thighs.
"Are you all okay?" the concerned prince asked.
"Everything's full of spinning," a disoriented Bloom replied.
"Why world hate Stella so much today," the Solarian princess muttered to herself.
"Sorry about that," Aisha apologised, getting up while rubbing her sore behind. The trip had left small gashes in her and the two other princesses clothes. "I thought maybe I could just walk down".
"You were wrong," Abrupto stated, before marching down a tunnel.
Aisha's face fell and she started fiddling with her fingers in embarrassment.
"Don't worry, I tots did things like that when I was still new to this," Stella said reassuringly.
"Like less than forty-eight hours ago when you decided to lighten up that cave?" Bloom asked with a slight smirk.
"Look, let's not be so concerned with what's already in the past," Stella stated dismissively, before hurrying after Abrupto.
"But seriously," Bloom started and helped Aisha up. "We've been through things like these before. Just listen to our advice and we'll get through this".
Suddenly, they heard Abrupto's very family-unfriendly cursing and the rest of the group hurried after him.
"Another collapse," the irate troglodyte growled. "All the short routes through the caves are being destroyed. This Darkar fellow, if he is responsible, is trying to cripple our ability to get around our domain".
"Does that mean we have to go back up the gravel?" Stella asked, her shoulder sagging at the thought.
"Maybe not," Abrupto grumbled. He unhooked his club and roughly tapped it at a wall. "Thin". He grabbed his club with both hands and smashed it against the wall. "Hmm, not thin enough".
"Oh, I might have something," Sky said and dug through his backpack. "I also brought a barrier buster. Here, let me". He placed the device and questioned Abrupto about how much of the wall he could safely remove. Then there was a puff and a giant circular hole was formed. The group passed through and found themselves standing on a ledge at the edge of a massive cave. Below them, they could hear the rushing of water and above glittered several lights from windows carved into massive stalactites.
"Shadowhaunt," Aisha realised as they stared at the foreboding structure.
"Okay, bad direction. Let's go back," Sky said and turned back to the hole. He stopped and looked at the girls. Moments passed. "You're not coming, are you?" he sighed.
"Sky, we are so close," Bloom pleaded. "We have to at least try to save the pixies".
"What do you say, big guy?" Sky asked, looking to Abrupto.
"I was ordered to escort the princess," he grunted. "I will do so until my task is complete. Even if this is a bad place".
"Right, I guess I'm not going to make it alone out there," Sky said and threw a glance at the exit. He sighed and said: "Okay. Let's get this crazy plan going".
...
"Is this really necessary?" Brandon groaned. He had been firmly escorted to another room, stripped of everything but his underpants and was now subjected to the whims of a swarm of yellow-tinged troglodyte tailors. He had gathered that they were a wandering group, seeking employment in different cities and that some of them were female. Not that Brandon had any clue how to tell them apart. And now he was being poked, prodded, stretched and posed as the tailors began designing his wedding attire. Suffice to say, Brandon was not in the best of moods.
"What colours would fit with his skin?" one asked.
"Will this be too coarse for his sensitive body?" another questioned.
"Can we use this design even though he lacks a tail?" a third pondered.
"That's right, just keep ignoring me," Brandon muttered.
"Sorry, we mean no disrespect," one of the tailors offered. "But the princess gave us little time to finish this commission. I gather that she wanted the wedding over as quickly as possible".
"Right. Nothing says romance like a complete rush job," Brandon added.
At that moment, Amentia herself entered and asked: "How goes the sewing?"
"We've had to adapt some patterns and choose some non-traditional material combinations," one replied. "We also need to consult you on the colour choices".
"Look, Amentia, we need to talk," Brandon said seriously.
"This again," Amentia sighed. "Fine. Tailors, I need a moment with my husband-to-be".
"Of course, your majesty," they replied and streamed out the room, discussing whether or not they also needed to account for the colour contrast of his hair.
"Right, what's the problem now?" Amentia asked when they were alone.
"Why are you rushing the marriage?" Brandon asked.
"I have my reasons to get this over with as soon as possible," Amentia said. "That's all you need to know".
"Really?" Brandon replied. "Because, I'm starting to ponder whether this whole marriage thing is as binding as you claim it is".
"I've also been looking into your previous concerns," Amentia continued.
"You're ignoring me, aren't you?" Brandon stated.
"And if you really wish to be with your princess, I have a solution," Amentia continued as if Brandon had never said a word. "We'll just give you permanent residence in one of the farming colonies. We can just say it's because surfacers need sunlight".
"We do," Brandon flatly added.
"Excellent," Amentia stated. "Then it's even true. And that means your princess can pop in now and then and mate with you or whatever it is surfacers do together. You get to be with her, I get my loophole, everyone gets what they want".
"Except, of course, I won't be allowed to not marry you," Brandon pointed out, but Amentia just ignored him and left the room with a: "Alright, we had our talk. Now get back to making his clothes".
...
"Still no news?" Techna asked as Musa entered the room.
"Nope. No surprise there, really. Red Fountain has no obligation to keep us informed about every step of their operations," Musa said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself, as she plopped down in the sofa.
"Still sucks though," Techna added.
"Yeah," the black-haired girl agreed. "And to think that all that stopped you from joining them was that trip to town".
"Typical, isn't it?" Techna replied. "The one day you're out shopping, am I right?"
"So, why would you?" Musa asked. "Join them on their crazy adventure, I mean".
Techna seemed to mull it over for a moment, before responding: "Well, because it would be fun, because I like to keep an eye out for my friends and because getting those pixies out is the right thing to do".
"But not the smart thing," Musa pointed out.
"Well, if you say so," Techna replied with a shrug. "Way I see it, we have next to no idea what those little buggers are going through right about now. And scouting the entirety of Underland is impossible".
"So storming down there is the best solution?" Musa questioned sceptically.
"It's a solution," Techna replied. "So is the thing Red Fountain is doing. Really, sometimes there isn't a best solution. Sometimes you go with your brains, sometimes you go with your guts, sometime the heart".
"And usually your guts seem to tell you that you should be storming in with a battle roar while brandishing your club," Musa snarked.
"You wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten someone out of a pickle by doing that," the scarred girl replied with a grin.
"I can't imagine it went well all the time," Musa said.
Techna unconsciously traced a scar on her arm, before replying: "Nope. It didn't. That's also part of it all, you know. Doesn't matter what you choose, sometimes you just run straight into trouble and get the shit kicked out of you". Her smirk returned as she added: "But you really shouldn't let that stop you from trying again". The magenta-haired girl got up from the sofa, stretched and turned to open a window.
"Still, I wish they would have thought this more through," Musa insisted. "There's no way they're ready for this".
"They weren't ready for a war either," Techna argued while enjoying a breath of fresh air. "Handled that well enough".
"But they lack training," Musa replied.
"On the other hand, they have experience," Techna pointed out.
"So you're saying I'm wrong?" Musa asked.
"If that's what you're hearing, then you haven't been listening," Techna said in a somewhat singsong tone. "I'm saying that we find different parts of problems important. We're not right or wrong, just different".
"So, that's your point?" Musa asked. "That we're different".
"Hey, I'm not trying to pass judgement," Techna said with a smile. "I'm just saying, we're all wearing different boots".
Then something hit the back of her head and the scarred girl fell face first to the floor.
"Ouch," came the muffled sound as Techna's face was buried in the carpet.
"Very ouch," agreed a little voice. Sitting on Techna's head was a small pixie, clad in light blue shorts and shirt, blonde hair cropped back to provide minimal resistance. On her back was roll of paper, secured with leather straps.
"Who are you and why are you rattling my friend's skull?" Musa asked.
"Name's Livy. I'm the best messenger in Pixie Village," the blonde pixie triumphantly declared, standing dramatically on Techna's head.
"I'd say I got the message alright," Techna mumbled as she slowly got up, the pixie still balancing on her head. "So, what brings you to Alfea?"
"I'm here to bring a very important message to Faragonda," Livy declared. "You know it's really important because they sent me to deliver it".
"Well, I'm afraid you crashed into the wrong fairy then," Techna added, as the pixie finally left her head, instead hovering in mid-air. "You'll want to crash into a much older fairy with grey hair and a grandmotherly look".
"Or we could take her to Faragonda and avoid any more accidental head-bashing?" Musa pointed out.
"But that's the funniest kind of head-bashing," Techna protested.
Suddenly, Glim flew past Musa, twirling her finger by her head in the universal sign for 'nutjob'.
"Hey, Glim," Livy said in excitement. "Where have you been? I heard you got snatched up with the other pixies".
"True," the redhead replied.
"Did the others get out?" Livy asked hopefully.
Glim sighed sadly and shook her head.
"I was afraid you'd say... Well, sigh and shake that... No, sigh and move like that," Livy corrected herself. She turned to the two fairies and said: "That's why I'm here. Ninfea and the other village elders are kinda in the dark and hoped Faragonda could fill them in on what's going on".
"Right. Then we should probably get you to her office right away," Musa said.
...
The rope bridge creaked and groaned beneath the group, gently swaying in the cold wind.
"Really not sure this was a good idea," Sky mumbled as he carefully moved his feet across the ancient planks, leading the way with his flashlight. The group had managed to locate an old bridge that lead from the ledge to Shadowhaunt. It was a terrifying journey through the darkness, with nothing but a very long drop beneath them should anything go wrong.
"We just have to go really slowly," Bloom said, trying to both keep an eye on her feet and not stare into the dark abyss below, as she followed Sky.
"They should really get some better bridges," Aisha complained. "Even I can see that this one isn't safe".
"I tots agree," Stella added.
"It'll hold," Abrupto stated, sagging a bit behind the group to spread out the weight.
"And if it doesn't?" Stella asked.
Abrupto threw a glance down into the darkness, before simply responding: "Hope we get lucky".
"Well, I feel tots better now," Stella muttered sarcastically.
"Don't worry, I can see the ledge," Sky pointed out, shining a light ahead. A few minutes later, the group was across.
"So, is the rescue mission everything you wanted it to be?" Sky quipped as the girls took a short pause.
"Could tots do with less deadly drops," Stella gasped somewhat out of breath. "I tots don't feel good".
"To be fair, you being low on blood probably doesn't help," Sky added as he looked around. "I can see a door. Aisha, any idea where the pixies are?"
"Well, I would assume the same place as last time," Aisha said. "But I'm not familiar with the layout. I was fleeing for my life last time I was here".
"Right. Let's get searching then," Sky said and opened the wooden door into the keep. The inside was lit by lamps, illuminating the rough walls.
"It's tots impressive they managed to carve all this into those stalagwhatyacallthem," Stella admitted as they looked around.
"The air is eerie," Abrupto grunted as the group ascended a staircase.
"Yeah, a nice paintjob would probably help," Stella agreed. "This place is just so drap and drained of colour".
"Darkar probably prefers it that way," Aisha guessed while they passed through a room filled with decaying furniture. "He's also the type who wears spikes on his armour":
"Ugh, everyone knows that oversized spaulders are the fashionable impractical armour design this season," Stella said with a flick of her hand. "Spikes went out of season last year, along with skulls on your kneepads".
"That's a thing?" Bloom asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, fashion can occasionally get a little bit ridiculous," Stella forced herself to admit.
"Skull kneepads are your idea of being a little ridiculous?" Bloom asked in disbelief.
"Shh, I think I hear something," Sky ordered. As the group went quiet, they could hear voices up ahead. "Could it be the pixies?" the Eraklian prince pondered.
"Could be. Pixies can talk," Aisha stated.
"Yeah, I know," Sky said, rolling his eyes a bit. "Wait here, I'm going to sneak up". He kept to the shadows and slowly made his way up to a wooden door. Slowly, he opened it and peeked inside. He gestured with his hands for the group to follow him. Quickly, the others followed the blond prince into the room.
Aisha immediately recognised the room as the prison Darkar kept the pixies in, complete with eerie wall faces and glowing forcefield, behind which the pixies where.
"Aisha?" Tune stated in shock as she saw the group enter. "What... You're part of the elite team sent to rescue us?"
"Not exactly, no," Sky explained, rubbing his neck. "These girls just decided to rescue you. And then we found you kinda by accident".
The pixies stared at the fairies, before Tune said: "Well, why I am most grateful for the attempted assistance, why would you go down here yourself rather than sending someone more qualified?"
"I'm noticing that everyone keeps bringing that up," Bloom mumbled, fiddling with her fingers.
"I'm starting to think that maybe they have a point," Stella added.
"How? We got here just fine?" Aisha pointed out.
Stella traced a scar on her head, before mumbling: "Funny definition of fine you've got".
"Anyway, we're here now and we're busting you out," Sky said, turning to the pixies. "How does this thing work?"
"It's attached to a locking mechanism over on that wall," Amore explained, the fairy again back in her prison uniform. "But Darkar added some magical locks to make it even harder to operate".
"Alright, I should be able to do this," Sky said, cracking his knuckles as he advanced on the defenceless mechanism.
...
"I have no idea what I'm doing," Sky groaned as he stared at the locking mechanism. The better part of an hour had passed and no progress seemed to have been made.
"I could give it a whack again," Abrupto offered.
"Right, because nearly taking my head off once wasn't quite enough," Bloom said, gesturing to a hole in the wall where the club had ended up being launched through.
"I'm just wondering why we haven't been spotted yet," Stella said while scouting out the door. "You'd think they would have heard us by now".
"You would, but Darkar doesn't operate by... Well, conventional logic," Tune added. Behind her, Piff had decided to spend the time sleeping, while Amore was wearing a bored look and a 'professional time-waster' t-shirt.
"I can attest to that," Aisha mumbled.
"Right, I need a break now," Sky said as he threw his arms in the air. "I have no clue how that damn thing works. I'd probably have more luck trying to eat the forcefield".
"Wouldn't recommend," Abrupto advised.
"Hey, I think I saw something," Stella suddenly said.
Sky immediately drew his blade and hurried to the door. He peeked out carefully while asking: "Where did you see it?"
"Down the hallway," the blonde princess said and pointed.
Slowly, Sky made his way down the hall, sword and shield ready. Not far down, he found a wooden door that was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and peaked inside. It was a great banquet hall, with long tables filled with tarnished silverware. "Who places a banquet hall besides the prison?"
"Good question, but not even boss guy knows why," an uncomfortably familiar voice said behind the prince. He quickly turned, only to catch a blast of lightning to the chest that launched him through the air. With a yell, he collided with the table, gliding along its surface while scattering dinnerware in every direction.
With a grunt, the prince looked up from his prone position to see Stormy stroll into the room. "You," he painfully gasped.
"Yep. Me," Stormy said, one again clad in distinctive red clothes.
"SKY!" Bloom yelled as she barged into the banquet hall, followed by the rest of the group. "Wait, Stormy?"
"You people are just so observant today," Stormy snarked.
"Great. Why are you here?" Stella asked.
"Darkar offered us a job. Seemed better than hanging out in Lightrock," Stormy replied with a shrug.
"And the rest of the psycho-circus?" Bloom asked.
Suddenly, Abrupto roughly shoved the three girls out of the way, moments before a wave of frost hit him, causing ice to form over his scales.
"Behind you," Icy stated.
Abrupto grunted angrily, the ice slowly breaking off as he charged Icy. The white-haired witch reacted quickly, surrounding herself with a barrier of ice that barely got cracks from Abrupto's blow.
Meanwhile, Sky managed to get back on his legs and charged Stormy. The witch turned to fire at him again, but Sky kicked a metal dish that flew through the air and hit Stormy between the eyes.
"Son of a bitch," she cursed, as she tumbled over a table to avoid Sky's blade.
At the other end of the hall, Stella got back up on her legs and summoned her sceptre. Her legs were shaking, but she still started charging magic, ready to blast Icy, who was currently dodging a fierce assault from Abrupto, his club turning a table to splinters. Suddenly, a burst of white-hot pain exploded on her back as something slashed across it. She screamed and quickly turned, only to be sent sprawling over a table by a blow from Darcy's fist.
"Forgot someone?" she asked, twirling her daggers.
Stella whimpered as the poison started to rob her of her ability to move.
"You'll pay!" Bloom exclaimed and launched a fireball at the witch.
Darcy smirked and sunk into the floor.
"She disappeared," Aisha said in surprise.
A shadow snaked across the floor and from it, Darcy leapt at Bloom, causing the redhead to yelp and reflexively hold up her hands in defence. Darcy just slashed her blades across the vulnerable flesh, forcing a scream from the redhead's throat.
"Leave her alone!" Aisha called and splashed water at Darcy, who merely gave her a 'are you kidding me' look, as she mere got lightly soaked, while Bloom stumbled gasping backwards from the dagger-wielding witch.
Meanwhile, Sky rolled to the side as a ball lightning detonated a table, scattering utensils all over the place.
"You're starting to annoy me," Stormy growled as she flung another projectile, this one also missing the prince.
"Yeah? Well, what are you going to do about it?" Sky taunted.
Stormy smirked and asked: "How about this?" She moved her hands and a powerful wind blew across the hall. Sky's eyes opened wide in surprise, before a wall of wind and dinnerware hit him and sent him flying across the room. He collided with a wall, his head swimming as he crashed disoriented to the floor.
Meanwhile, Abrupto grunted as one of Icy's icicles pierced the scales of his shoulder. This did not stop him from taking another swing at Icy, denting the stone floor in the process.
"So, what reason does a big guy like you have for hanging out with wimps like them?" Icy asked tauntingly.
Abrupto didn't respond, instead just trying to cave the white-haired witch's smug face in.
"You don't have one?" Icy continued, blocking another blow with a frozen shield. "Well, it really doesn't matter. Because soon, you won't have any reason for anything". She gazed into Abrupto's eyes and he suddenly stopped. It felt like ice seeped into his heart and a creeping sense of ennui burrowed into his brain. He suddenly struggled to move, his head full of questions. Like why was he here? Why was he protecting these girls? Why did he care about his duty? He fought and struggled to remember his pride, his people, his duty, fighting with his own mind. He might have succeeded, but then he was hit by a fridge-sized block of ice and plunged into a wall, leaving a sizeable dent. The ice shifted into a shell that glued him to the wall, while keeping his head free. Icy smirked and turned, noticing that Bloom was getting back on her legs.
Her arms had gone limp, but that didn't stop the energy from flowing through her, her eyes alight with primal energy as she started to glow. "I could beat you once and I can do it again!" she threateningly declared, as she got ready to blow stuff up. She suddenly gasped as something cold wormed into her heart. Happiness, joy, hope, all slowly faded into nothingness and the power flaring through her died out. The shocked redhead turned and saw Icy staring at her with a look of concentration and malicious glee.
"How?" the redhead slowly questioned as she fell to her knees, her magic extinguished.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Icy taunted.
Darcy, meanwhile, was holding Aisha up against a wall, dagger pointed at her throat. "Looks like we win this round," she stated.
Suddenly, one wall exploded and a blinding light filled the banquet hall.
"What the..." Stormy started, trying to shield her eyes, before an orb of light smacked into her and launched her backwards.
Icy growled and raised a barrier of ice, but a beam of light scythed straight through it and almost hit the white-haired witch. Several glowing projectiles flew through the air and started blasting the hall apart.
"We need to fall back!" Darcy called and hurried out the door, quickly followed by the two other witches.
Bloom just stared at the light, as its touch soothed her, filling her with warmth, the coldness in her soul fading along with the numbness of her arms. Around her, her friends slowly healed as the light washed over them.
"Are you okay," a voice in the light asked. Slowly, the light died down, revealing white armour and angelic wings.
"Avalon," Stella stated in surprise.
"That is correct, Stella," Avalon said as his helm and wings faded. "What are you all doing here?"
"It's a long story," Bloom sighed. "Started with what I'm starting to think is a less than brilliant idea. What happened to you, by the way?"
"I tracked Argulus and his team. It took a long time," Avalon explained, before a shadow crossed his face. "Sadly, I was too late. Darkar had already re-purposed them all".
"Re-purposed," Stella asked, dreading the answer.
"He melts them down and reanimates the resulting, well, goo as his minions," Avalon stated. "He calls them the forsaken. Undead abominations that follow his every command".
"I think I'm getting sick," Aisha said at the thought.
"That's horrible," Sky quietly said. "But sir, we need your help. The pixies are in the prison in the next and we can't get them out".
"I should be able to dispel any ward he might have placed," Avalon said. "Show me".
Moments later, they entered the prison, where Avalon dissolved the barrier with a simple spell.
"Well, that was quick," Sky stated.
"Feel no shame at your failure. I've had decades to get good at this," Avalon stated. "Now, we must leave. There is nothing else for you here".
"I can get behind that," Amore stated as the pixies flew into the air.
"Yipee for freedom," Piff exclaimed.
As the group hurried outside, Bloom asked: "So how long have you been here?"
"I learned of Argulus' fate months ago. I was ordered by my superiors to lay low and devise a way to rid the world of that monster Darkar," Avalon explained. He lifted his hand and a bubble of light surrounded the group, before carrying them through the air and over the pit.
"Fancy bubble," Abrupto commented.
"Anyway, I was keeping an eye on Shadowhaunt when I noticed noise inside that sounded like combat. Once I knew you were in there, I knew I couldn't just abandon you all," Avalon explained. "Though it did blow my cover. Darkar will surely scour the caves to make sure I'm not still lurking around".
"Sorry 'bout that," Bloom muttered, observing her feet. The bubble landed on the opposite ledge and dissolved.
"Now then, can you return to the surface on your own?" Avalon asked. "Because if you do not require any more aid, I can get back quickly on my own and call for reinforcements".
"We can't leave just yet," Stella protested. "My Brandon has been kidnapped by a mad troglodyte princess and we need to save him before he gets married".
"And that's going on where?" Avalon asked, seemingly unsurprised by the revelation of the impromptu wedding.
"Domum," Abrupto grunted.
"Right. Then all of you can go to Domum and try to help Brandon, while I'll get reinforcements from the surface for you," Avalon said.
"Sounds like a plan," Sky agreed.
"Good. Then I will be off," Avalon said, before manifesting his wings and soaring off into an opening above.
"Right then. Back to Domum," Abrupto said as he begun the trek back to the troglodyte city.