Chapter 8: Red Fountain Reborn
Bloom looked up at the once imposing, now just kinda shabby, walls of Red Fountain. "Didn't they say the place had been rebuilt?" she asked and turned to the others.
All students of Alfea had been invited to the grand reopening of Red Fountain and most had shown up for the event. Not that the school hadn't functioned, but many of its facilities had been closed down due to the damage sustained during the previous school year's conflict. But now, the school was supposedly working again.
Accompanying the royal redhead were her friends and the pixies, plus Mirta, who was walking hand in hand with Flora. "Maybe it is just the interior that has been rebuilt" Flora replied as she studied the walls.
"You'd think after all that's happened, solid walls would be a priority," Musa said.
"Most likely the walls have been stabilised and they're just saving a full restoration for later," Tune speculated. "In that case, their grand reopening is probably the reinitialization of all internal facilities".
"Would make sense. They said we had to be by the arena," Amore pointed out.
"I remember that. Fun things happened when we were there last time," Techna said eagerly while adjusting the cap full of fishing hooks she was wearing.
"I thought you said what happened was that Bloom made an ass out of herself in front of three schools," Piff said.
"As I said, fun times. At least in hindsight," Techna added. "And it's not like Bloom's the only one who's done that. Shame you weren't there, Pumpkin".
"Well, I was kinda busy being a pumpkin," the pale ex-witch said, not at all minding the fact that she had earned her nickname by involuntarily changing taxonomic kingdom for a few months.
"How about we drop that particular subject," Bloom interjected.
"Hello there, girls," Avalon said as he walked up to them. "If DuFour asks, tell her that I'm off to make a phone call. Not to step on anyone's toes, but this procession of students is making quite a racket".
"Will do, professor," most of the girls said as the paladin hurried off.
As they entered through the gates of the battered castle, they saw not only Red Fountain students, but also Cloud Tower students spread all over the interior courtyard.
One of the visiting witches was Lucy, who immediately lit up at the sight of the girls and walked up to them with a: "Hey, Mirta. Hey, Flora. Hey, everyone else".
"Lucy," Mirta squealed happily and gave the gangly witch a hug. "Good to see you again".
"I've missed you too," Lucy said as she ruffled the redhead's hair. "So, how's Alfea been?"
"Kinda fun. We had this survival trip out into the wilds," Mirta explained.
"Yeah. And Suntop here broke my wilderness bush-cutter," Techna said, indicating the person in question with her thumb.
"That thing was eating my hair," Stella huffed. "It was pure evil and had to be destroyed".
"Maybe you could try tying that spaghetti of yours up in a knot once in a while," Techna suggested. "Would do you some goods when out in the wilds".
"As princess, she has the right, nay, the obligation to look her best at all times, preferably without it resulting in some renegade knick-knack slaughtering her hairdo," Aisha said strictly.
"...right," Techna slowly added. "Because that always goes so well. And hey, at least the two of you can be missing shoe buddies now".
"That was your fault and you know it," Aisha said annoyed.
"Right. But you must admit, it did manage to distract the bugblatter beast," Techna insisted.
"Not to mention it took you five seconds to replace it once we got home," Musa added. "So it's not like it was a great loss".
"That is not the point," Aisha insisted.
"There's a point to this conversation?" Lucy asked surprised. "Well, give me a hay-skirt and call me a broomstick. I would never have figured that any of you actually had a point somewhere".
"I think the point was talking about what happened at Alfea," Mirta quietly suggested. "Not that I think any of your tales are irrelevant or anything".
"Hey, girls. What are you all yapping about?" Riven asked as he and the boys from Red Fountain made their way through the crowd.
"The verbal equivalent of vacation pictures," Bloom replied.
"Riveting," Riven said flatly.
Brandon gave Stella a quick kiss, before asking: "So, ready for the big show?"
"Like, totally," Stella replied enthusiastically. "And I tots hope to see you in the show today".
"I might be signed up for something," Brandon said cryptically.
A bunch of catcalls suddenly rang out, followed by a: "Hey, nice ass, blondie".
Stella turned, counted and then said to the squire: "Twelve".
"That's a lot already," Brandon said somewhat impressed. "Fifteen by the way".
"Oh, just you wait," the blonde princess replied while wagging her finger.
"Alright, what are you two on about?" Tune inquired.
"Just counting how many complimented we have received today," Brandon replied. "Seeing how many catcalls and what have you we can get today".
"Surprisingly, Stella isn't the winner by default," Riven said.
"Why is that surprising? I mean, the man's got quite the beefcake under that tight uniform," Amore said excitedly. "Not to mention his pretty eyes and soft looking hair. Plus he's smart and nice to talk with. And I imagine that somewhere under that uniform, he's got quite the amazing..."
"Stop, stop. I do not want to think about Brandon like that," Riven interrupted. "Not if I also have to sleep tonight".
"Twenty," Brandon counted.
"Stop helping him," Stella said to Amore in an annoyed tone.
"Hey, just a quick question. Is there time for me to go find a toilet?" Bloom asked.
"Sure, you got about twenty minutes before the big reveal," Sky replied. "Just hurry up. It would be a shame if you missed it".
"Alright, I'll hurry," the redhead said as she charged off.
...
"Welcome to the arena," Brandon declared as they entered the spectators' section.
"Well, at least this place looks like it's been dusted off," Stella commented.
"On that note, have you fixed the support pillars?" Musa asked. "I seem to remember Bloom blowing a couple of those to pieces last time we were here".
"Sound like things got pretty wild," Mirta noted.
"Like you wouldn't believe," Techna said with a grin.
"We managed to fix the damage she caused," Timmy added reassuringly.
"Yeah. Just in time for that army of creeps to wreck it all over again," Riven added.
"True, the arena did collapse in on itself, but that has also been fixed," Timmy quickly added.
Flora noted that Mirta began eyeing the arena's floor with a degree of suspicion while also tightening her grip on the brunette's hand.
"Hey, one of your classmates is already here," Piff said.
The boys looked to where she was pointing. A boy in civilian clothes consisting of khaki coloured pants and a green sweater sat in one of the chairs, slowly painting something. He had long and flowing black hair that obscured the sharp angles of his face.
"Classmate? Nah, that's Helia," Riven said. "He just lives here".
"But you also live here," Flora pointed out.
"Well, yeah, but Helia isn't enrolled," Timmy pointed out. "I mean, I think he was once, but then he dropped out".
"He's a pacifist. So you can probably understand why a military career doesn't interest him," Brandon explained.
"Then why is he here?" Mirta asked.
"Well, because this is his home. Also because despite being a pacifist, he was actually a pretty good soldier, at least from a technical standpoint. You should try asking Cordatorta about him," Sky said. "So Saladin, who happens to be his grandfather, keeps him around and tries to convince him to join up and make his parents proud and such. It gets quite ridiculous".
"How ridiculous?" Techna asked.
"Hiding in closets ridiculous," Riven said dryly. "Anyway, I think it's about time you go find your seats. Saladin and the rest of the staff will be here soon and they will be expecting us to be ready for the presentation".
The girls headed for the seats while the boys hurried off to prepare for the grand reopening ceremony.
...
Bloom hurried down the Red Fountain hallway, feeling the building pressure in her bladder. She rounded a corner and noted that a girl with blonde hair and glasses was standing there, seemingly studying a map of Red Fountain. "Hello there," Bloom said to the girl, who sharply turned to see who was there. "Does that thing show where the toilet is?"
The girl stared for a moment, before shaking her head and saying: "Oh, sure. Down the hall, turn left and then keep an eye on the right wall. Just remember that the toilets are unisex here".
"Thanks," Bloom said and hurried on to the toilet in question. It was only after finally relieving herself that she briefly pondered, while making her way to the arena, why the girl had been running around the castle with a map.
...
Excitement was thick in the air, as the seats were filled with people from the three schools. In the middle of the arena, the staff of Red Fountain, from the warlock Menefer Saladin to the close combat teacher Knut, had gathered.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Saladin started, his magically amplified voice quickly causing silence amongst the spectators. "Today is a very special day. The great fortress of Red Fountain had stood the test of time for centuries. But last year it was truly tested for the first time in decades. It has become increasingly clear that Red Fountain simply isn't capable of serving as a proper defence. Therefore, before we even did as much as replace a single stone, we discussed what could be done to bring Red Fountain into the modern age of defence. There may yet come the day when Red Fountain must again serve as a bastion and we will prepare for that day. Therefore, I give you all a warm welcome to the new Red Fountain".
Suddenly, the castle began rumbling. Nervous murmurs broke out amongst the audience.
"Are... Are the support pillars going to hold?" Mirta asked.
"Relax, I bet Saladin's just being dramatic," Lucy added.
In the distance, the sound of cracking earth could be heard.
"Are you sure?" Mirta asked.
"Well, do note that Saladin himself looks calm about it," Flora pointed out. "In fact, all of the assembled teachers are calm. The shaking is expected".
There was a sudden lurch, as the whole castle seemed to move.
"Wait... Are we...? We are," Techna said with a wide grin. "That's fucking insane. The castle is actually ascending".
"So that's why my stomach is doing acrobatics," Bloom added, looking a tinge green.
The rumbling ceased as the castle continued to ascend into the sky.
"Alright. Let's turn the cameras on," Saladin said as gigantic screens around the arena lit up.
On the screens, a massive structure could be seen. On top of it rested Red Fountain and much of the surrounding area, all of it kept safely in place by a massive metallic wall. The rest of the structure was somewhat conical and made of metal, with windows, hangar doors and many perpetually glowing engines keeping the structure afloat.
"This is the new Red Fountain," Saladin elaborated. "The old structure still has many useful facilities, such as this arena, plus its historic value. However, the newly constructed part of the school has been designed with the ability to move and has been built from materials far more solid that the thick brick walls of old. Not only that, but the newest in auto-defences and protective enchantments have been installed, which will ensure the safety of our students in any hypothetical future combat scenario. Its capacity for movement also makes it a flying bunker, excellent for mass evacuations. Add that to the difficulty of reaching it, since the only way in is to fly or use the transportation beam to be gated up, and I dare say that this castle might be the finest example of modern day defensive fortifications". He paused dramatically, before continuing with: "Now, before the exhibitions start, I will allow you all a break to explore this new facility and see what it has to offer. The newest in simulator technology and training equipment has been installed and may be utilized with permission from staff. And while I remember it, there's free drinks and dinner in the cafeteria".
...
"One has to wonder how they even got this idea," Amore pondered. After the presentation, most of the girls had headed for the cafeteria, but Techna had decided to go to the grounds surrounding the old part of Red Fountain and relax for a bit.
"Dunno," the scarred girl said. "But it's awesome. Maybe we should get some dark army to invade Alfea so we can also get a flying school".
"I thought the army did invade Alfea," Tune flatly added.
"Oh, right," Techna said in realization. "Man, now I feel gypped. Our school is still just an ordinary stationary non-flying building".
"Just like Cloud Tower," the grey-haired pixie said, trying to add some perspective.
"Yeah, but at least Cloud Tower looks freaky cool," Techna argued.
"Right, of course it does," Amore sighed. "Well, let's change the subject. How are things between you and Timmy? I don't think I've seen you two doing much together".
"He's busy," Techna replied. "Red Fountain eats up a lot of his time. And I'm not the type of gal that demands that he focuses his life on me just because of us coupling".
"That may be the case," Amore said as she fluttered around. "But you must be doing something together".
"Chatting over the net, mostly," Techna replied. "A good enough substitute for meeting up. Oh, and he's collaborated with his family on a new VR program. Says that we'll be able to date in a virtual world when he hasn't got a lot of time".
"Seems like a poor substitute for actual interaction," Tune said.
Techna rolled her eyes and said: "You know, just because it's not old school doesn't mean it's worth less. Also, don't knock it 'till you tried it. I get to be on a date that involves flying around Zenith with jetpacks. I wish my dates in real life could be that cool".
Not far from Techna, Musa and Aisha were walking through the grounds with drinks in hand.
"...and in those cases you usually go for one of the slower dances. Of course, there are some nations that prefer a much more exciting rhythm," Aisha explained. "It all really depends on the ones hosting the party, ball or get together as the case may be. Then there is of course the choice of partner, which is really important. If you are unsure who will make a proper match, sticking with family members is usually a safe bet".
"Gee, you royal types really put a lot of thought into stuff like that," Musa added unimpressed.
"You don't?" Aisha questioned.
"No, not really," the black-haired girl replied. "I just put something on with a proper beat and then I just dance. Nothing to it".
"Really. But then, what signals are you sending?" Aisha asked. "If you just throw yourself into it carelessly, you might be creating the completely wrong message, giving people an erroneous picture of you".
Musa sighed deeply, the kind of sigh you make when you're asking several deities to provide you with strength of spirit. A tinge frustrated, she replied: "It isn't always about the message or the signal or the frickin' politics of it all .Sometimes, it's just about having some fun. I imagine even you royals are acquainted with that word".
"Of course, but fun has a time and place," Aisha added in a strict tone.
"And that isn't at the party? Give me a break, that's the..." Musa began, before she suddenly froze.
"You okay?" Aisha asked.
Musa suddenly turned and stared at a girl who had walked past them. She had blonde hair and glasses, and suddenly noticed that Musa was starring.
The black-haired girl glared, before raising her foot and stomping the ground. "Why are you wearing an illusion?" Musa asked suspiciously.
The girl immediately broke into a run and Musa began her pursuit. They weaved between other students, the black-haired girl losing her drink in the process. Musa rounded a tree, saw a flash of blonde hair, broke into a sprint, charged inside the school, rounded a corner and crashed straight into Techna, knocking the magenta-haired girl to the floor.
"I didn't think you would take the whole accidental head-bashing thing to heart, Cacophony," the scarred girl said jovially while rubbing her nose.
"Sorry 'bout that," Musa said and helped her companion up.
"Is your nose alright?" Tune asked concerned.
"Been worse. At least it's pointing the right direction," Techna added. "So, what's the hurry?"
"Yeah, what was up with that?" Aisha asked as she caught up with them.
"Because of my knack, I can feel sound waves. And that girl was wearing an illusion. Her body wasn't anything like what she looked like," Musa stated. "I found it suspicious and then she just bolted. By the way, did you see where she went?"
"Well, I did see a busy looking blonde, but no, was kinda busy getting acquainted with the floor, so I didn't see where she went," Techna replied.
"Why chase her down anyway?" Aisha asked. "So yeah, she was using an illusion to cover herself. People do that all the time".
"But this wasn't just some pimple removing talisman," the black-haired girl said. "Her entire body was different".
"Some people do that," Techna said with a shrug. "They use it like extreme make-up. Like longer legs, bigger beard, larger boobs or a package worthy of a behemoth. It's not that uncommon at all".
"I just found it suspicious. Especially the way she just ran," Musa said. "But I suppose she could just be embarrassed".
"Right. Let's not get paranoid all of a sudden," Techna said, patting Musa on the back. "Say, how about we grab some grub before the next show, hmm?"
...
In the dark depths of Shadowhaunt, Darkar sat on his throne. In the quietness of his domain, he was busy plotting, scheming, planning and all the other things he was quite convinced he was supposed to do in his downtime between implementing various nefarious operations. He did occasionally take a break to do something else, like eat, sleep or watch TV, but at all other times, he was busy planning his next masterstroke, even if it currently involved mulling over the same plan for the umpteenth time without really adding anything new to it.
He was in the middle of going through the steps of the operation once again, while doing his best to look sinister despite the lack of audience, when the phone his minions had convinced him to acquire went off. It was currently resting on a small table a bit away from the lord of Shadowhaunt.
"MOOKS! BRING ME MY TELEPHONE!" he bellowed. Immediately, two of the big-mouthed forsaken jumped out of the shadows and carried it over to their master. "It's good to be the boss," the Shadow Phoenix sighed happily to himself as he picked up the phone. "Hello, you are speaking with the lord of Shadowhaunt, the master of darkness, wielder of the... What do you mean that you already know who I am? That's not the point. The dramatic intro is part of the image. No, no, the moment is gone. So, what can I do for you? They're getting suspicious? A distraction?" Darkar rubbed his wrinkly chin. "I suppose I could... Hmm. Now I got an idea. I will summon to me my mighty pet Kerborg, the Lord of Extinct Beasts. My ultimate creation, forged from the material of several extinct species, harvested from across dimensions, whom I can transform into... What do you mean that I should stop expositing? That happens to be one of this jobs many perks. You know, the dramatic speeches and explanations. No, I can't just get someone else to listen to it. Icy and Stormy went out to get us a new television. Said my old one was so outdated they were surprised it wasn't hand-cranked. Therefore, you're going to listen. As I said, I can grant Kerborg the shape and powers of any being that has been added to him. What do you mean why limit myself to extinct species? That's Kerborg's gimmick. If I could just transform him into anything, he would lose his uniqueness. Sure, it makes perfect sense. Do you know how many generic shapeshifter there are? A lot, let me tell you, so it's not particularly impressive. For example, I'm a generic shapeshifter. Plus, Kerborg is dumb. Like, a sack of bricks dumb. So no infiltrating high society parties. Might as well have him change into animals nobody has any idea how to fight. What? I could just have said that? Well, I just think making sure my pet has a unique identity was the most important reason. Now, do you want his assistance or not? Great, I'll get it done". He turned off the phone and yelled: "KERBORG! COME TO YOUR MASTER!"
In through an open window flew one of the forsaken. It was small and unassuming, roughly the size of a crow. It had wings, but only in the loosest sense, the appendages being sets of long finger like growths that shouldn't have been able to keep it in the air. Like all of Darkar's creations, it was made of grey flesh with a foul odour.
"Now, what form should you take?" Darkar speculated as his pet rested on his arm. "MOOKS, BRING ME MY EXTINCT BEASTS CARDS".
Hurrying to please their dark lord, the forsaken hurried in with a deck of cards.
"Most excellent," Darkar said as he shuffled the cards, causing Kerborg to take off and flutter around. Finally, the Shadow Phoenix picked a card. "Now this is going to be interesting," he said with amusement in his voice. "Kerborg. Here's the form you will assume". Dark flames danced across his arms and leapt from his hands, engulfing the creature.
The strange pet landed on the floor and began to glow, began to grow and began to change. Its form became humongous as it transformed into a gruesome, long extinct monster.
"Now go to Red Fountain and wreak havoc. Wreak all the havoc," Darkar ordered, as his transformed pet roared and soared through the air, taking a good chunk of the wall with as it made its way through the window. "Right," Darkar continued quietly as he observed the newly created hole in the wall. "Should probably have gone outside before doing that. Oh, well. MOOKS. READY THE BRICKS!"
...
At Red Fountain, people assembled in the seats, as they got ready for the next event.
"Welcome back. I do hope you've enjoyed the break," Saladin announced. "We will start with a series of exhibition fights, chosen at random from this bag. Cordatorta, would you do the honour of the draw?"
"It shall be done, sir," the beefy man said with a salute. A drum-roll was played as Belisma dragged the bag over to the dragonmaster.
"So all this fancy tech and they're just going to draw from a bag?" Stella asked.
"Well, I guess they had to save money somewhere," Bloom added with a shrug.
Cordatorta withdrew a piece of paper from the bag with much gusto and probably a bit of unnecessary movement. "RIVEN TURNBULL AND SKY HERAKLES!" he yelled.
Excited cheering broke out.
"So they had already chosen who would fight who?" Stella stated.
"Well, duh. Otherwise you risk a rookie going up against a veteran," Musa added. "Plus, this way they make sure the fight is interesting".
In the arena, the two boys marched out from opposite side, taking position not far from each other.
"So, would your majesty like a few minutes to confer with your million nummi trainers?" Riven asked. "I mean, not that it's going to help you win, but maybe they will be able to give you a few pointers on how to land softly once I knock you into the ground".
"Riven, in case you didn't notice, this is a duel of arms, not flapping gums," Sky shot back. "Besides, you may still be a better aircyclist than me, but we both got our feet planted on the ground now".
"And soon, you will be made to kiss it," Riven taunted.
"What, you really think your ballerina dancing is going to beat me?" Sky asked.
"Hey, at least I got moves," Riven retorted with a shrug. "Much better than your strategy of holding up a block of metal and hoping your enemy is going to break against it. You're passive, I'm active. And active beats passive every time".
"Really?" Sky asked. "Then I hope you're ready to move your feet, because I got a sword that's ready to actively get up and personal with you".
"IF YOU TWO DON'T STOP COMPARING THE SIZE OF YOUR BALLS AND START FIGHTING, I WILL LET THE DRAGONS LOOSE IN THE ARENA!" Cordatorta roared at the two soldiers, causing them both to jump.
"Boys," Bloom sighed.
Flora poked her shoulder and pointed down the line.
"Well, my kingdom has connections all around Tides," Aisha said.
"Right. But Solaria has contacts on other worlds," Stella shot back.
Flora stopped pointing and just waited for the redhead's reply.
Bloom stared for a moment, before sheepishly admitting: "Alright, so maybe that sort of thing is a tad bit more universal".
Down in the arena, Sky and Riven had started their fight, easily showing just how different their styles were. Riven was constantly on the move, using his whole body to add extra power to the swings of his sabre. Sky, on the other hand, stood almost completely still, stabilising himself to give his shield as much stopping power as possible, before lashing out with his sword in a counter attack. It was a clash of opposites that dragged on without a clear winner, with an enraptured audience looking on.
"Who do you think is going to win?" Bloom asked the others.
"Well, Riven's certainly not getting any hits in. Then again, neither is Sky," Techna pondered. "But Sky is using less energy".
"Right, but with Riven's training and ability to slowly heal himself that might be a non-issue," Flora pointed out. "They might actually be matched".
"So who will win?" Amore asked.
"Whomever makes the first big mistake," Musa said.
The blades continued dancing in the arena below, as the sweat-drenched soldiers fought on, their attention focused on each other. Riven kept trying to dance around Sky's defence, while he in turn tried to catch Riven in the middle of a jump or a leap. Both waited for the moment their opponent would slip up. Riven started feeling the effects of his rapid movement, his joints beginning to ache, while Sky could feel his shield slowly getting heavier and heavier. Yet still they pressed on, ready to fight. All eyes were on them.
Which is why they were quite surprised when the sun was suddenly blocked out by a roaring cloud.
"What the...?" Sky said as he looked up, his duel forgotten.
With a resounding crash, something the size of an elephant landed in the arena. Large draconic wings unfurled, revealing a head framed by a massive crimson mane, with a great mouth and green eyes which stared at the two soldiers. It had a body roughly like a gorilla, bulging with massive muscles. Both of its long arms ended in blind, serpentine heads whose maws were constantly snapping. It stood on big, muscular legs, its tail swaying behind it with a fourth mouth on the end. It observed the two duellists for a moment, before it roared in anticipation of its next meal.
"Well," Sky said dryly as the massive beast charged the two. "Bollocks".
The beast roared as one of its arms lashed out, the maw biting deep into the dirt as Sky and Riven dodged out of the way.
As for the audience, people hurried out of their seats, eager to get away from the arena.
"Belisma, gather the sharpshooters. I want that thing brought down, stat. Knut and Xanti, get those civvies out of here," Saladin ordered. "Cordatorta, I want you to..." He stopped as a voice started talking in his earpiece. "WHAT!" he exclaimed. "Damn it. Belisma, you have the command here. Someone just broke into the school and is heading for the vault. Cordatorta, follow me. We need to cut whomever it is off".
"Okie dokie," Belisma replied, before turning on her radio. "All team members, gear up and move to the arena. Report to me when you're ready to assist". Then she took off her glasses, raised the rifle she had brought along and started aiming.
Meanwhile, Bloom had to jump up on her seat to avoid getting trampled by the fleeing people. "What should we do?" she asked her friends.
"Shouldn't we get out of here with the others?" Mirta asked. "I can see DuFour over there. She probably knows where the exit is".
Bloom cast a glance into the arena, where Sky and Riven were still evading the blows from the massive monster. Several other students, including Brandon and Timmy, had entered the arena and were engaging the beast with ranged weaponry. Around the spectator seats, some of the fairies and witches had started to fling spells after the creature. So far, most of it seemed to glance of the creature's thick skin.
"We help them," Bloom said with determination in her voice.
"Mirta, you are ill suited for this kind of scenario. I will not force you away, but I would feel a lot better knowing that you are somewhere else," Flora said.
Mirta stared at the brunette for a moment, before giving her a quick kiss and saying: "Be careful, okay?"
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Lucy said empathetically to Flora. And then they were off.
"You better get going too," Musa advised the pixies, who immediately fluttered away from the arena.
"Right. I'll grab something from the armoury," Techna said and ran off. "Save some monster for me, okay".
Stella jumped down a couple of empty seats, before transforming her ring and letting a searing beam loose from her staff. The beast hardly seemed to notice. It spun around, its massive tail knocking several Red Fountain soldiers around like bowling pins.
"Aisha, I will need your assistance," Flora said as she got to the edge of the seats.
"Yes?" the princess of Tides responded.
"Use you magic and this soda to transport these seeds to the beast. I cannot throw them that far," Flora said and handed the royal brunette a soda and a handful of seeds.
Spells and projectiles continually blasted against the beast to no great effect.
"Somebody get us some heavy weaponry. This thing has hide like a dragon," Belisma ordered. "Snipers, try going for its eyes. I doubt they're armoured".
The beast roared again, one of its arms lashing out. A soldier didn't manage to get out of the way and lost his arm with a sickening crunch.
A rocket blasted against the creature's side, leaving only a scorch mark.
"Good try," Brandon said to Timmy, as the latter cursed and reloaded.
Belisma looked up to see Nash Bittersmoke charge up to her. "You look like somebody who's got something to say," she noted.
"That... That thing..." the elder witch gasped out of breath. "It's a gregthroat. It's supposed to be extinct, since... Nevermind that. Tell you students to go for the throat".
"The throat?" Belisma asked.
"Yes... The throat," Nash hoarsely confirmed. "The skin is very thin there".
"Right, you heard the man. Try getting shots in at the throat," Belisma ordered. After a moment, she asked: "Wait, does that mean it's an endangered species?"
"All of us are endangered species at this point," Bittersmoke replied.
Bloom gritted her teeth. Nothing seemed to work. As she flung fireball after fireball, she felt a rush surge through her and with it came a certainty. A certainty that the beast had to die. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" she yelled as the flame within her surged. Her limbs were charged with power and with a roar, she let a fragment of it lose. The primordial flame soared through the air and exploded against the gregthroat's shoulder, causing the beast to roar in pain and surprise. A layer of its thick hide had been burnt off. Now suddenly paying attention to its attackers, the beast turned and stormed ahead, the soldiers beneath leaping to the sides to not be trampled underfoot. With a flap of its great wings, it leapt into the air.
"SCATTER!" Musa yelled as the girls ran in different directions, as the beast crashed into the audience seats, scattering pieces of chairs all over the place. It turned and watched the girls run away from it. It wasn't sure who had hurt it and it really didn't care. It just knew it was one of those girls and that was enough for it. It roared and spat a lump of greenish goo.
Flora tried to leap across the seats, but the sticky substance exploded all over the area, more or less attaching her to a seat. She hurriedly opened her seed bag to find something to assist her, even as the gregthroat lumbered closer. It roared and swung one of its arms towards the brunette.
Flora looked up and realised that she would not be able to move out of the way. The snapping jaw soared closer.
Time seemed to freeze.
Fuchsia gel exploded over the maw and not only fused the jaws together, but also knocked it to the side, causing it to smash against the seats besides Flora, knocking the girl further down the arena in the process.
Techna, who was standing on top of the seats on the other side of the arena, whistled and said: "Nice shot".
"Thank you," Helia replied and readied another shot of morphix, as other people hurried to their position to assist in the assault.
The gregthroat roared as it tried to force its arm-jaw open. It flapped its wings, lifting itself off the seats. It turned to face the ones who had suddenly earned its ire. It eyed the group and began flying towards them, roaring all the while.
Down on the seats, Flora lightly groaned as she got up. Her arm was still glued to the remains of a seat, her head was pounding like crazy, she was certain she had gotten at least one fracture and she would be getting a pretty nasty bruise. All in all, could be worse. The brunette eyed the flying gregthroat and focused on the seeds Aisha had splashed it with. As the creature flew, vines grew across its flesh, unnoticed by the thick-skinned beast. The gregthroat roared, eager to tear apart the people who had glued one of its jaws together. However, its roaring was suddenly cut off as it was jerked awkwardly back in the air. The vines had extended from the creature and anchored it to the ground. Many of the vines snapped at the force the creature pulled them with, but the sudden stop had forced it into an awkward position that made it impossible for the heavy beast's wings to get a good grip on the air. It desperately flapped and tried to regain altitude, but gravity had taken hold and with yet another roar, it crashed to the ground. It landed on its wing, which snapped audible. The gregthroat roared and tried to get up, but a wad of morphix hit one of its limbs, attaching it to the ground.
"My turn," Techna yelled eagerly and fired, the shot gluing the tail to the ground. Shot after shot pelted the beast, arresting all movement.
"Alright, move in for the finishing blow," Belisma ordered.
The people in the arena stormed forward to end the incapacitated beast. The gregthroat eyed its opponents and seemed to realise the fight was lost. In that moment, it suddenly exploded into a cloud of dust.
"What... What the heck?" Techna asked. "It popped like a cheap balloon".
"How odd," Helia said as he put the weapon down.
Hidden by the smoke, nobody noticed Kerborg dart off into the skies, eager to return to its master.
...
"There's no one here," Saladin said. He and Cordatorta were in the innermost part of Red Fountain, escorted by several guards and the guardian pixie of Red Fountain. The room they were in looked like a lounge, decorated with tasteful furniture and a statue of justice in the form of a set of scales, which Saladin was intensely eyeing.
"But the sensors registered something trying to break in almost the exact moment that monster arrived," Cordatorta said. "It cannot be a coincidence".
"Hmm," came Saladin's voice as he started pondering. "We might have scared off whomever it was. They might have counted on us to stay and fight the beast".
"Maybe, sir," Cordatorta replied. "Or maybe the vault was not the target".
"I doubt it," Athena said as she surveyed the room. "There's something else to this".
"Maybe. But there's only one way we'll know," Saladin said. "Guards. Spread out and look for anything out of the ordinary".
"Yes, sir," they said and hurried off.
And in a dark corner of the room, a shadow quietly seeped away.
...
Outside on the grounds of Red Fountain, medical attention was swiftly being applied to everyone who had gotten hurt in the fight.
Mirta looked more or less completely attached to Flora, who was in the process of getting bandaged, as if afraid that her girlfriend would get hurt even more if she let go.
As Bloom, who had gotten away with just a few scrapes and bruises, looked up from patches on her arm, she noticed Avalon assisting with the healing.
He looked up, noticed the redhead and walked over to her with a: "I heard what you and your friends did. That was very brave and courageous of you".
"Thanks," Bloom replied. "Where were you?"
"I was returning from the toilets when a wave of fleeing people hit me," Avalon explained. "When I finally got out, the battle was over".
"Well, we managed without you. I just hope Faragonda won't be mad about this whole recklessness thing," Bloom said.
Avalon seemed to mull it over. "Tell you what," he began. "As far as I'm aware, you had no way to escape and was forced into the fight. I'm sure Faragonda will see that you made the best of a bad situation".
"Thanks," Bloom said in relief. "It just felt... Right. I could feel it within me that I had to fight, had to stop that thing".
"Hold on to that feeling," Avalon advised. "It'll do you good. Now, if you will excuse me, I shall return to assisting people".
Meanwhile, Helia sat under a tree, painting pictures on request of the wounded. He looked up to see Flora limp over to him with the assistance of Mirta.
"Hello," she greeted him. "I just wanted to say that I am most grateful for your assistance today".
"Don't mention it," Helia replied. "I just did the right thing. If you really want to praise me for something, I'd vastly prefer it being my art".
Flora observed him for a moment. "You really don't like fighting, do you?" she noted.
"No. I'm not one of those who believe that violence can't solve anything, but I'd vastly prefer being as little involved with it as possible," Helia said, before sighing: "Not that my grandfather approves".
"Still, preference or not, you did save me and I am most grateful for that," Flora said. "That being said, I would not mind one of your pictures".
"Alright. Name a subject," the artist replied, his mood immediately improved.
"What would you like?" Flora asked her girlfriend.
"How about a picture of the two of us?" Mirta suggested.
"A couple in love. Always a great subject," Helia said enthusiastically. "Just sit under that tree and I'll handle the rest".
...
In Shadowhaunt, Darcy walked into Darkar's private chamber, where the Shadow Phoenix sat while gleefully watching programs on his new television.
"The mission has been a success, master," the dirty-blonde said.
"Most excellent. Now we can plan the next step," Darkar said as he looked over his shoulder.
"May I ask you something?" Darcy said.
"You just did. But yes, ask away," Darkar allowed.
"Right. Why this operation? Why not just break into the vault while I was there?" Darcy questioned.
"Because I never expected such a mission to succeed," Darkar said. "It's too early. With not only the Red Fountain staff, but also our..." He paused for a moment, dark flames gathering in his hand into the shapes of Bloom, Stella and Aisha. "Intrepid little heroines there, it was obvious the assault would fail," the Shadow Phoenix continued. "No, at this stage, the ball is in their court. That is how it goes. It always starts out easy for the heroes".
"I'm not sure I agree with that logic," Darcy admitted. "I mean, the whole expecting to lose is not my usual style".
"And that's why I'm the main villain," Darkar declared as he rose from his chair and turned towards Darcy. "You still have so much to learn, my little quirky minion. As I told you before..." His withered face split into a toothy grin. "There's so much you can win by losing".