Chapter 11: Homesick
With a groan, Sky slowly opened his eyes a bit, letting the painful light of the room flood his retinas. It was a good pain. It told him he was alive. Slowly, he registered the sensation of lying in a bed. Probably a hospital one, given that he was still alive. He shifted himself around a little, trying to get comfortable, but every movement caused his stomach to protest. Which did not come as a big surprise, given that he had been impaled on a rather large icicle. An uncomfortable experience to say the least. Still, at least he had a stomach again.
The blond opened his eyes fully and took in the sight around him. He was definitely in the hospital wing of Red Fountain.
"Hey," came Brandon's voice, which caused the Eraklian prince to look to the side. Indeed, his squire was sitting on a chair besides him. "You got messed up pretty bad back there".
"You don't say," Sky weakly chuckled, before emitting a pained coughing. "Dragon's ass, it still hurts".
"Yeah, I can imagine," Brandon said. "Sorry I couldn't help you, man. Was kinda busy twitching on the floor".
"Well, guess not even you can dodge lightning," Sky said. "So, what happened?"
"Well, after Icy turned you into the world's most royal popsicle, Timmy struck a deal with Darcy," Brandon explained. "The witches could go without trouble, in return for our safety".
"Which means they got away with that wooden thingamajig," Sky stated. "Sucks. So, how badly was I damaged?"
"Well, several of your intestines were simply ripped apart," Brandon began explaining. "And the doctor mentioned severe damage to both your spleen and pancreas. But that's about as much as I can give you. Not like they gave me a full medical report afterwards".
"I see," Sky noted. "She got me good, that Icy witch".
"Yep," came Brandon's response. "Anyway, the rest of us were easy to fix up, just some bruises, small wounds, burns and sprains. Although Techna insisted on keeping one wound as a scar. Crazy girl is apparently collecting them".
"Glad to hear everyone's okay," Sky said. "I really wish I was a magi right about now. Then I would slowly fix myself with my own power instead of having to lie here and wait for a doctor to check up on me to make sure they put my stomach properly back together".
"Well, you're not," Brandon said. "So this will be your new home for... Well, for however long this will take".
"Not helping," the Eraklian prince grumbled.
"No. No I'm not," Brandon said teasingly as he got up from his chair. "But maybe this will". He cleared his throat and called: "'Ey, Bloom. Blondie's up and running again". Then he turned to Sky with a smile and added: "Have fun," before sauntering out of the hospital wing.
"Why haven't I ordered him to stomp on his own foot yet?" Sky mumbled to himself, as the Dominian princess shuffled over to him.
"Hey," she started.
"Hey," Sky responded.
"So, how are you feeling?" Bloom asked, not looking him in the eyes.
"As well as I can, given the whole impalement thing," Sky replied, also averting his gaze. After a moment, he said: "So this is the part where we, to quote Riven, are being all awkward and shit".
"Yeah," Bloom said, rubbing her neck.
The blond prince sighed and said: "Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you across the phone and insinuating that you had a relationship with a teacher. I got frustrated and took that out on you. It wasn't fair. I should just have told you how I felt. You know, 'like an adult' instead of throwing a temper tantrum". After a moment, he mused: "Guess this means you should feel free to send me one of those teddy bears you mentioned".
"I'm sorry too," Bloom added. "I should have taken the time to listen to what you had to say, rather than just prattle on about things you don't care about". After a moment, she added the question: "Do you hate being a royal?"
"Some people suspect that. But to be honest, no, I don't," Sky responded. "But I do think a lot of it is unnecessary. All those rituals, expectations and all that load of unnecessary crap just weights the whole thing down. For example, if I've sent a flower, then I haven't made a political comment about my interest in wedding the recipient's daughter. I've sent a flower, that's all".
"Yeah, it is kinda silly," Bloom agreed. "Still, have to know it".
"I already know it," Sky groaned. "I've been trained and drilled in this stuff since I was a kid".
"Ah. I can see why you may be... Less than fond of the subject," the redhead realised while fiddling with her fingers. After a short pause, she asked: "Sooo... Still up for that trip with Lady you talked about?"
"As soon as my intestines are working properly again, sure," Sky confirmed with a smile.
"Great. Then I should probably get back to Alfea," Bloom said with a smile as she got up. "Take care".
"You too," the blond responded.
Outside the hospital room, Flora and Techna were both waiting.
"Well?" the magenta-haired girl asked. She was now sporting an extra scar on the side of her face. "How's he holding up?"
"Well, he's alive and coherent," Bloom replied. "Said his stomach hurts, but that doesn't really surprise me".
"Unfortunately, he will be out of commission for a couple of days at least," Flora noted. "But at least he will live. The same cannot be said of every Red Fountain soldier that fought with the enemy".
"Those three," Bloom grumbled. "It's like... I just don't get why people have to die all the time".
"I've asked myself the very same question," a soft voice noted and the girls turned to see Helia walk up to them, his artistic equipment under his arm. "I don't like the idea of dying, nor of inflicting that fate upon others. So I leave it to those who are comfortable with it".
"Can't blame you," Bloom sighed while looking out the window. "But it seems like we keep getting dragged into these kinds of things".
"So, what are you doing around here?" Techna curiously asked the black-haired artist.
"I've lost a lot of associates lately," Helia said as he glanced at the door to the hospital wing. "Some friends, even. I just wanted to come by and see to those who've managed to live another day. Maybe make a painting or two for them. You'd be surprised how much that can help with these kinds of situations".
"Maybe I should do that too," Bloom pondered.
"You're an artist?" Helia asked.
"Well, I do sketching," Bloom explained. "Though I have kinda neglected my hobby lately. Been so busy with everything".
"Then could I come by and see your work at some point?" Helia eagerly asked. "I don't have too many people to share anything but the results of my work with. Being able to actually discuss techniques and such would be refreshing".
"Sure," Bloom replied with a shrug. "Maybe we could do a collab or something?"
"It would be a pleasure," Helia said with a nod. He noticed Flora and said: "Ah, I remember you. Flora was it? I painted you and your girlfriend, if memory serves".
"That would be correct," Flora replied. "I was very happy with the result. We had it copied so we could both hang it up in our respective rooms".
"I'm happy to hear that my work is so appreciated," Helia said earnestly. "Now then, you must excuse me. I'll see if my services are needed". Then the painter continued into the hospital wing.
"He's odd," Techna commented. "I like him".
"He's sweet," Bloom said. "Now, what should we do a collab on?"
"Maybe some naked models," Techna suggested as innocently as she could. "I'm sure you could get Sky to drop his pants with a little convincing".
Bloom's cheeks started to become the colour of her hair, as she stiffly replied: "I doubt Helia would like that".
"But you would?" Techna asked with a grin.
"Shouldn't we get back to Alfea?" Bloom asked, evading the question with all the subtlety of an uncontrolled demolition.
"Sounds like a good idea," Flora agreed.
...
The day after, normalcy returned to Bloom's life, although she was starting to suspect that normalcy would forever be a fleeting concept in her life. It was with these somewhat philosophical thoughts that she sat in class waiting for Palladium to show up.
Five minutes late, the elf showed up with a: "So sorry about that. Took a little longer than expected to get these". 'These' were an armful of big, solid-looking iron padlocks, which the elf hurried to place on the table. They were also rather useless padlocks, what with them having no keyholes. "Today, we will train your first general spell," he started. "A rather simple spell of manipulation. Fun fact, the invention of this spell caused the sale of warded locks to skyrocket. But I should probably get back to explaining the lesson," he briefly mused. "The spell of manipulation is simple... Well, relatively simple. It still requires much training. It allows you to get a feel for an object and gently manipulate it. No breaking it in half or flinging it across the room. But before we get started with the manipulating, let's start by talking about how to cast general spells". He cleared his throat, hoping nobody noted the awkwardness of the prior sentence. "General spells draw purely on your store of magical energy and do not rely on your knack. Therefore, they are usually very hard to cast. I say usually, because general spells that are linked to your knack are easier to get a feel for and so for some of you, the spells we will train will come very natural to you. Now, mostly it's all about the mental strength and willpower. Oh, and of course the expenditure of your stored energy. However, some people find the need for certain props in order to force themselves into a proper mindset. When I started out, I often shouted the spell's name. Helped me visualize what I wanted and focus my will. Unfortunately, due to the language of Harmony, I would sometimes misspeak, which would derail my thoughts. And surprisingly often summon a very displeased cat". The comment caused several students to laugh. "Anyway, some use clothes or props like wands or staffs. And let me make this perfectly clear. There is no shame in using such aids. There are certain people who think that magi who require a little extra for their general spells are weak. Such bullying will not be tolerated. If you need the extra help, you take it and use it. But for now, let us start by seeing how you all do when casting the spell on your own. Here, I'll pass out copies with the notes you will need on it". Palladium picked up a stack of paper and made his round in the class, giving a piece to each student.
Bloom studied the piece she had received. It featured very detailed instructions on focusing and imagining, illustrations of the workings of the lock, suggested words to be shouted, ways to make improvised wands and so on. At first, Bloom found it to be a bit too detailed, but then she figured it was probably to ease her into the right mindset. When Palladium placed one of the padlocks on her table, she focused on it, remembering the drawings and visualising the inner workings. She could feel the strange sense of her magic flowing, slowly seeping out to touch the object. The image in her head was slowly replaced, as what she was imagining became what she could feel. It was a fuzzy image, unclear and vague, but it was there. The redhead furrowed her brows and tried to will the mechanisms to move. It was hard, like if she had tried to push the entire school by hand. She focused her magic even more, trying to force her will into it. With a gasp, she let it go and her magic dissipated. She took a short break, feeling drained and tired from the exertions.
Around her, her classmates had mixed success. Techna quickly grasped it, already having a feel for mechanics, but Flora sat in deep concentration without result. Musa barely managed and leaned back in her chair as she recovered, while Aisha tried to force herself to focus on unlocking the padlock herself, feeling frustrated that her efforts were constantly interrupted by distracting thoughts of calling a locksmith.
Bloom took a deep breath and tried again. As she struggled against the padlock, she mumbled to herself: "Unlock. Unlock. Unlock". She could feel the mechanisms slightly move, before she had to quit again.
"How are you feeling?" Palladium asked as he passed by her.
"Well, I got it to move a little bit," Bloom replied. "I think. It's kinda fuzzy".
"If you start to feel frustrated, take a break and focus on something else," Palladium advised her. "Otherwise, your frustration with the task at hand will constantly trip up your attempts to do anything about it. Also, if you want to try with some help, I've got some spare wands in the closet".
"Thanks, but no thanks," Bloom replied. "I think I'll just try to take a break for now".
...
"I'm pretty sure I got it at least half the way," Bloom insisted after class.
"Then you did better than me," Flora noted. "I do not think I managed to move it at all. I suspect it is because I am used to working with plants rather than mechanisms".
"Why would that make a difference?" Bloom asked. "I mean, I normally use fire, for example":
"How to explain it?" Flora pondered. "You see, the procedure of stretching out your magic to manipulate a physical object is something that comes intuitively to me when working with plants. But for this exercise, I have to detach myself from my usual method in order to work with this new medium".
"Yeah. I mean, it was easy for me," Techna added. "But sooner or later, we'll probably work with something that'll have me utterly stumped".
"Makes sense I guess. By the way, can we walk by Avalon's office?" Bloom asked. "I need to ask him some questions".
Her friends uttered various variations of yes. They turned at the next corner, ascended a flight of stairs and made their way to the office.
"I'll be back in a second," Bloom said and knocked on the door.
"Come in," she heard the paladin's voice and the redhead entered.
A strange smell filled the teacher's office and Bloom could see Avalon himself busy with a bubbling green mixture in a glass placed over a Bunsen burner. "Hello there, Bloom," he greeted her, not taking his eyes off the mixture. "How can I help you?"
"I just wanted to ask when the next royal studies are," Bloom started. "Also, what are you doing, professor?"
"Well, first of all, I don't know when we can have more royal studies. My schedule is kinda hectic at the moment," the paladin admitted. "Secondly, I've gotten orders back from HQ. I've been asked to run some experiments and report the results".
"Don't they have a lab for that?" Bloom asked puzzled.
"Sure, but they lack people to run it," Avalon explained. "Most capable paladins are sent out to right wrongs and such. Those not on active duties, like me, are then often given less dramatic jobs, like testing new alchemical formulas".
"Oh. I guess that makes sense," the redhead said. "Hey, I just remembered another thing. We've started to learn about general spells and I wanted to know if there are general spells for healing?"
"There is," Avalon confirmed. "Why the interest?"
"Well, after what happened at Red Fountain... Honestly, after everything that has happened, I kinda wanted to make myself more useful," Bloom admitted. "And I though healing spells might help with that".
"A noble goal," Avalon said with a warm smile and looked up from the project. "It's initiative like that which will make you a great leader and a great fairy. I got a couple of books over on that shelf. You just pick one of those for beginners".
Bloom nodded happily and went over to the bookshelf Avalon had pointed out. On it was various books on magical techniques, but one in particular caught Bloom's attention. It was called 'Healing Spells for Beginners', had a green cover with a floral motif and unlike the other books, it hadn't been sorted but instead just lay on top of the other books. The royal redhead put it in her backpack and left the office with a: "See you later, professor".
"Have a good day," he told her as she left, his attention still on the mixture.
Outside, she was quite surprised to see Helia chatting with the other girls.
"...and Cordatorta just said 'Well, if you don't find him in the next three minutes, you'll have to go without him'," Helia explained with a very accurate imitation of the dragonhandler's voice. "My grandfather never thought to look inside the closet Cordatorta was leaning against".
Techna laughed loudly, before adding: "Geez, never thought Saladin could be like that".
"My grandfather means well," Helia said with a shrug. "He's just so enveloped in the world of heroic valour, courage and such that he has a hard time comprehending that others couldn't be interested. Still thinks I'm going through a phase".
"Well, nobody's flawless," Musa said. "Oh, hello there Bloom. How did it go?"
"He's busy for the time being," Bloom responded. "So, what brings you to Alfea, Helia?"
"You, actually," Helia said. "I was wondering if I could take a look at your sketches?" After a moment, he turned to Flora and added. "Actually, there was another reason. I usually paint things that stand still, but have recently been trying to capture things in motion. Specifically, people in motion. I think it would add a lot to my artistry if I could capture something being dynamic. I was looking over my recent pictures and thought Mirta might make a good subject".
"Hmm, that does sound like an interesting addition to your skill set," Flora said. "Also, Mirta is trained in ballet, usually partnering with her best friend Lucy from Cloud Tower".
"Excellent. As a ballerina, she would know how to use her body. It will allow me to train with a wide array of human motions," Helia said eagerly.
"Well, Flowergirl here sure was eager to study all of Pumpkin's motions," Techna commented. "So I think you might also get some fun out of it".
"If you are trying to fluster me, you have to realise you will fail," Flora commented.
"I know that," Techna said with a smirk, like a cat that had just gotten away with eating the goldfish. "But if you take a look at the others, you'd notice that everyone else here is now thinking of you giving Mirta a roll in the hay".
Flora cast a glance around and noted that Musa, Bloom and Helia were all busy trying to look everywhere else, the two latter ones with a notable blush. The brunette just sighed and shook her head.
...
Outside the school, the pixies Livy, Piff, Amore and Glim were playing a pixie ballgame, a stable called bomboozle ball. It was a fast-paced game of ball-throwing and flying, where two teams try to get their ball in the others' goal, which resembled plastic cups
On one team was Amore, a good improviser who was currently dressed in oversized hockey gear, not that it seemed to hinder her in the slightest, along with Livy, who was a fast flyer with poor aim.
On the other team was Glim, a slower player with an eye for exploitable weaknesses in her opponents' defences, and Piff, who was very energetic, but also completely unable to pace herself. Normally, there would be at least five pixies per team, but the pixies of Alfea were either busy or had little interest in the sport.
Tune acted as the judge, a stressful job, since the rules stipulated that spellcasting was an illegal move that would earn the opposing team free throws, the amount depending on how powerful the spell had been. Though in practice, only spellcasting that the judge managed to see was an illegal move.
Therefore. Tune tried to keep it a clean game, while all four players cheated at every opportunity, using small bursts of magic to get them ahead in the game. They had actually managed to gather a crowd of students for their little game, but classes had started again and now they were all alone outside.
"Go left. Pass ball," Glim explained to Piff.
"Right. Gotcha," the blonde pixie replied.
"Not right. Lefr," Glim insisted.
On the other side, Amore was also busy composing a strategy. "Alright, listen up," she said, now wearing a military uniform. "Piff is the weak point. We run her ragged, we get the goal. Your job will be to get the ball and drag her around the arena, while I keep Glim off you. If you see a chance for it, use some magic to get ahead".
"Yes, private," the pixie messenger responded.
"It's sir. Or general," Amore informed her.
"Oh, I always mess titles up," Livy sighed. "I accidentally referred to Griselda as generalissimo the other day. At least her students thought it was funny".
"Hmm, generalissimo Amore," the redhead pixie pondered. "I could work with that".
On the sideline, Tune kept a sharp eye on them all, promising herself that she would force the next who cheated to eat the ball whole. In the middle of trying to guess who would be the first to get the improvised ball-based dinner, she looked up and noticed something odd. Five green bubbles hovered in the air, lazily circling around each other. "Alright, who summoned those?!" Tune called to the other pixies.
The others looked up at the bubbles in question.
"Suspicious," Glim stated.
"Maybe they're friendly," Livy suggested.
Suddenly, one of the bubbles dive-bombed and smashed against Livy. The pixie tried to gasp as the green liquid was forced into her through several orifices, causing her to faint from the stress.
"Not friendly," Glim stated as the other bubbles started diving. "Scatter".
"Eek, eek, eek, eek, eek," Piff squeaked as she tried to fly away, before being enveloped in a bubble.
Tune tried standing her ground, blasting the approaching bubble with arcs of lightning. It didn't take and the bubble smashed against her. Glim didn't have any more luck with her blasts of light.
Amore was the last to go. She tried hiding behind a bush, hoping the bubble would splash against it harmlessly.
She was wrong.
...
Bloom slowly looked through the pages of the book she had been lent by Avalon. There were several illustrations and texts, though none as detailed as those Palladium had given her. In fact, they struck Bloom as kinda vague. They told her to reach into a living thing, to draw upon its vital energies and then reshape it. It was complete gibberish to the redhead. What exactly were a thing's vital energies and what was she supposed to reshape it into? She sighed, figuring that perhaps one lecture in general spellcasting didn't even qualify her as a beginner.
Still, she figured it was at least worth a try. She turned from the book and eyed a plant on the windowsill, a harmless, generic green piece of flora that Flora had given her to spice up the room a bit. Unfortunately, it had been neglected and was now a sickly looking thing.
Bloom concentrated and felt her magic stir and she reached out, touching the plant and tried to focus on its vital energy. She could feel the plant breathe, feel liquids move, feel it being alive. For a moment, she wondered if this was how Flora felt every time she cast a spell. She grabbed hold of the system and tried to reshape it, tried to will the plant to be healthier. However, as soon as she began, it was as if the plant began falling apart. Every time she did one thing to fix it, three other things broke down. She could feel her frustration grow as she tried to keep the plant alive. She didn't even care about improving its health anymore, she was going to settle for just maintaining it. With a frustrated grunt, she let go and the plant slumped over.
"Good thing I started with a plant," Bloom said a bit irritated. Her experiment was interrupted by a knock on her door. "Come in".
Stella opened the door and asked: "Hey, have you seen the pixies?"
"Last time I saw them, they went outside to play... Something," Bloom said with a shrug. "Why?"
"They haven't returned," Stella said a bit worried. "Come, we're tots going to go look for them". After a moment, the blonde asked: "So, shouldn't you have watered that thing, like, a bazillion years ago?"
Bloom eyed the plant and replied with a non-committed: "Probably".
...
Outside, the skies were darkening as the sun dipped below the horizon. The grass rustled as the pixies slowly rose from the ground. They were dizzy and sore. The potion had been forced in through their mouths, noses, ears, even pressed through their skin. It would have seemed quite excessive to anyone unfamiliar with pixie physiology. Because pixies, like all magi, were attuned to magic, even more than other races and so their bodies were extremely adapted to self-healing and repairs, easily fighting off poisons and such, even magical ones. But even their natural healing abilities could not fight off the overwhelming amount of alchemical sludge that had been forced into them.
Tune looked around, her eyes glazed over. She glanced towards the horizon, an ache blossoming in her heart. "Home," she moaned sadly, before setting off and slowly flying towards the horizon.
"Yes. Must go home," Amore agreed and flew off.
The other pixies followed, lured towards Pixie Village by an unexplainable desire to be home again.
...
Timmy tapped his pen against the table. He had been doing so for quite a while. And Brandon knew only two reasons for why somebody would tap a table with a pen for almost an hour. They were either worried or trying to make everybody else in the room go absolutely nuts. And given that Timmy wasn't the provocative type, the squire figured something was troubling his far-sighted friend. "Hey, Timmy. What's up?"
The bespectacled warrior sighed and replied. "I just can't stop thinking about yesterday".
"Rough day," Brandon sighed. "Too many empty chairs around here nowadays. Though I guess it wasn't even close to being as bad as last year's incident".
"I hear you," Timmy sighed. "Still, twice already we've been attacked this year. But that's not what I was thinking about". He took a moment to figure out how to say what he wanted. "Did I make the right call? By letting the witches go, I mean".
"I'd say so," Brandon replied. "Probably only reason we're still alive. Given our habit of getting in their way, I don't think Darcy would have minded if we got knocked six feet under".
"But it also meant letting them get away with their objective," Timmy pointed out.
"Right, but do you remember what Saladin said about it?" Brandon asked.
Timmy though back for a moment, before replying: "That Darkar needed all four pieces for it to be a problem?"
"Exactly," the brunette squire said with a nod. "It's not like when the witches got the dragonflame. Getting one of these tablet things is a victory for him, but it doesn't make him stronger or more dangerous. But us dying, now that would definitely have weakened our side".
"But maybe we could have held them off until reinforcement could have arrived," Timmy continued. "Or maybe we could have seriously injured them".
"Right, but the odds weren't really in our favour," Brandon replied. "Mull over it all you want, but I really do think you made the best possible call, given the situation".
Timmy thought about it for a second. "That does make sense," he finally said. "Thanks, Brandon. I guess I needed to hear that".
"Any time," the brunette replied with a smile.
...
"Well, here's their ball," Musa said as she picked up the discarded sports equipment. "So, where're the players?"
"A very good question," Flora added and began looking around. "No obvious signs of struggle. No signs of them leaving, either. That means they are probably flying".
"Right, but flying where?" Stella asked. "Where would they be going this time of night?"
"That direction," Techna said and pointed, while looking at what could only be described as the unholy offspring of a Gameboy and a steampunk cellphone.
The others stared.
"Right, so, explanation?" Musa requested.
"Tune was... Well, actually, they were all kinda worried about getting kidnapped again," Techna explained. "So I gave them some trackers they could keep on them".
"Well, that does make our task a lot easier," Flora stated. "Let us go and see what is up with them".
The fairies hurried off towards the forest, Stella illuminating their path. It didn't take them long to find the five pixies, who were slowly flying through the woods with a dazed look on their face.
"Hey, where are you five going?" Stella asked as they got close.
"Home," Piff replied in a tired voice. "We must go... Home".
"Pixie Village," Glim sleepily insisted.
"Pixie Village," they all mumbled in unison.
"Alright, I think I've once seen this in a super creepy movie," Techna added. "Don't let them bite you".
"What's wrong with you? If you go back to Pixie Village, Darkar will be able to find it," Bloom said. "Why do you want to go back?"
"Homesick," Tune said.
"Want to go home," Amore said.
"We want our home," they all said in creepy unison.
"Great. Didn't think pixies could stop being cute," Musa muttered.
"I do not think they are well at the moment," Flora said. "This sounds like more than just homesickness. They would not ordinarily risk their home just to get back to Pixie Village. It would not make sense".
"Alright, you five. How about we go back and get Ophelia or somebody to take a look at you?" Stella suggested.
"They don't want us to go home," Tune realised.
After a brief moment of realisation, Piff yelled: "SCATTER!" The pixies suddenly jetted off in different directions, their flight wobbly and unstable.
"Spread out!" Musa called and the fairies started their pursuit.
Techna jumped over a log, eyes on Tune. She withdrew something from her pocket and hurled it at the fleeing pixie. Moments later, the grey-haired pixie was enveloped in sticky pink stuff that forced her to the ground.
"What do you think?" Techna eagerly asked as she picked up the incapacitated pixie. "Made my own morphix grenade out of chewing gum".
"That is so rude," Tune complained and struggled against the sticky mass.
Bloom and Musa charged after Glim and Piff, the redhead faerie lighting the way with a small flame. "There she is," Bloom said and pointed.
"I'll disorient them, you grab them," the black-haired girl instructed, before launching a soundwave. The two pixies were hit and spun completely out of control, resulting in Glim faceplanted into a tree and Piff crashed into a bush.
The two fairies winced in sympathy.
Livy flew as fast as she could through the woods. She knew she just had to go home, no matter what. Then she rounded a corner and saw Amore all tied up in vines. Flora turned and eyed the pixie messenger.
"Not good," Livy said and turned around, only to see Stella come leaping out of the dark with a: "COME HERE, YOU...!" The two blondes crashed to the ground.
"Inelegant, but effective," Flora noted as Stella fought to keep her grip on the struggling and yelling pixie.
...
The girls successfully managed to force the pixies back to Alfea, though their diminutive prisoners made it a struggle, using every chance they could get to fling a spell or make a run for it. It was a tired bunch of girls that finally managed to contact the staff and have the pixies placed in a lock-up to prevent them for leaving. Not that the pixies were appreciative.
"Let us out".
"This is not a proper way to treat us".
"I want to go home".
"Bullies".
"FREEDOM!"
Not appreciative at all.
And so the girls were brought to Faragonda's office, where the headmistress had a late night snack consisting of tea and crackers brought up.
"So, they tried to go back home," Faragonda repeated after getting an explanation. "You made the right call, girls. I suspect our friends have been poisoned. I'll send somebody to wake up Palladium and get him to look at it, see if he can come up with an antidote".
"So, can we assume it was Darkar, out for whatever is in Pixie Village?" Musa asked.
"That would be the most likely assumption, yes," Faragonda confirmed as she turned back to them. She sighed and said: "Another likely assumption would be that you're curious about what exactly Darkar is after".
"Actually, yes," Flora said. "Especially after the large scale assault he launched on Red Fountain just to acquire a wooden block".
"You girls have an incredible ability to get involved in all kinds of troublesome and dangerous situations," Faragonda mused.
"It's a gift," Techna insisted with a smile.
The headmistress couldn't help but smirk, before starting with: "What Darkar is after is called the Codex. An ancient set of wooden tablets that contain the fragmented instruction on how to open a gate to Relix".
"Relics?" Musa asked. "What relics?"
"No, Relix, with an x at the end rather than a c and an s," Faragonda corrected. "This is the part of the tale that you would have trouble finding in official history books, but you deserve an explanation. Relix is a sealed dimension, one of the very few to have ever been so. I am not privy to what is contained in there, only that it's dangerous to the entire multiverse, but what I do know is that every Shadow Phoenix ever known has been obsessed with it. They have all hunted the Codex relentlessly, chasing it from world to world. Their stated reasons for doing so always changes, as does their motivations, but their goal is always the Codex. All their plans, strategies and gambits centre on acquiring all four pieces".
"Couldn't we just destroy the Codex then?" Techna asked. "I mean, it would deny him access".
"True. It would also deny anyone else access to Relix," Faragonda pointed out. "And there's no guarantee that that's a good thing".
"Guess you're right," the scarred girl said with a shrug.
"And where are the three remaining pieces?" Flora asked.
"As you have probably figured out, one is in Pixie Village," Faragonda said. "One is hidden in Cloud Tower, the other in Alfea".
"Great. Does that mean we risk another invasion?" Musa asked.
"Would depend on Darkar's army," Flora said. "Depending on how quickly he can replenish his troops, he might launch one. But most likely, he will need time to recover from the attack on Red Fountain".
"Given that Darkar's troops are undead beings who must fir be constructed, you would be right in that assumption," Faragonda said. "So no, I do not think he will try the same thing as with Red Fountain. Not now, at least. But he will do everything he can to gain those pieces. And we have every reason to suspect that Darkar is responsible for the pixies' altered state".
"The question is, how did he get them poisoned in the first place?" Bloom pondered.
...
Helia began sorting through the sketches he had made that day. He and Flora had gone to talk with Mirta and talked about her possibly giving a small performance, maybe even getting Lucy over to assist her, which the former witch had agreed to. But she had also agreed to go through a very short routine with Flora, though it became quite obvious that the brunette, though very nimble on her feet, was not a trained dancer.
He began applying the brush to one of the sketches he really liked, trying to follow the flows and couture of Mirta and Flora's bodies, trying to invest in their likeness the very same energy they had displayed.
He found them to be a cute couple and an excellent subject for his paintings. He finished a stroke of his brush and glanced as the face of Mirta.
She was a pretty cute girl.
A thought buzzed into Helia's mind and the artist shook his head, slightly confused. He glanced around the room, as if the thought that had momentarily popped into his head was now lurking under his bed. His room was a shrine dedicated to his art, filled with the tools of his trade and the results of it.
He sighed and decided that he should probably get some sleep.
...
Bloom glanced at the clock. It was getting late. Still, the evening's mess had deprived her of the ability to sleep. Though she had no plans of binging on late night television, as doing so last time had come back to kick her behind, she figured she could use the next hour or so on being productive. She opened the book on healing spells and decided to see if she could instil some life and vigour back into the plant she had crippled. She read over the instructions, the instilling of the natural thirst for life and the wild animation of a living organism, and focused on the rather sad looking plant.
Her magic started to flow and she forced herself to think of the plant thirsting for life and wildly animating.
She concentrated hard, even letting her dragonflame flare a bit to pump a little extra energy into the plant. Her concentration were interrupted when said plant suddenly reached out and grasped her throat with surprising force. Bloom gagged as the plant tightened its grip, trying to choke her. By pure reflex, her magic flared and fire exploded from her hands, obliterating the hostile flora and scattering blackened pieces of its urn all over the place.
"That's not what I... Meant by... Thirst for life," Bloom gasped as she breathed heavily. She eyed the book. First time around, she figured she was just bad at it, but now... Now she wasn't so sure the fault was entirely hers. She grabbed the book and rushed to Faragonda's office.
"What is it, Bloom?" Faragonda asked concerned after letting the redhead in.
"I wanted to study general healing spells," Bloom explained. "You know, in case anybody gets seriously hurt again".
"That's very complicated magic," Faragonda said sternly. "I hope that you haven't tried it on anyone".
"Well, I tried it on a plant," Bloom said. "Which then tried to kill me".
Faragonda blinked in surprise.
"See, I borrowed a book from professor Avalon," Bloom said and held up the book. "But the instructions... Well, they certainly haven't been leading to any healing".
"I don't know this book," Faragonda said and went through the pages. "But these instructions... Bloom, these aren't healing spells. Many of them are actually designed to do the exact opposite".
"I figured there was something wrong with it," the redhead said.
"Why would Avalon give you a book like this?" the headmistress said slightly confused.
"Actually, he didn't," Bloom clarified. "See, he said I could take a book to study from the bookshelf and I figured this sounded like a good starting point".
"Strange," Faragonda said. "I'll have a talk with Avalon. I'm starting to suspect that this isn't his book".
...
"How could they do this to us," Livy said sorrowfully. The pixies had been locked in a large cage and placed in the teachers' meeting room. "I thought they were our friends".
"Sucks," Glim agreed. As the poison in their bodies slowly started to burn out, more of their original personalities started to shine through, but the pixies were still overwhelmingly compelled to get home.
"Found a way out?" Piff asked Tune, who was currently studying every single square inch of the cage.
"No, they've built a pretty good cage," Tune replied. "We're only getting out with a key".
Suddenly, the door to the room rustled and opened.
"Hey, you there. Let us out," Amore demanded.
Into the room walked a person, shrouded in a heavy cloak that obscured all features. The figure didn't say anything or make any indication that it heard the pixies. It just slowly glided across the floor over to the cage. Its arm stretched out and touched the lock. The pixies, who had moved as far away from the figure as they could, heard a click as the lock was opened, though they never saw the figure's hand. Then, as silently as it had arrived, the mysterious figure left.
"Well, that was odd," Piff stated.
"Odd?" Amore asked. "Try..." she said and twirled around, now clad in a stereotypical ghost costume. "...spooky".
"I will not question good fortune," Tune said an opened the cage's door. "Let us go". The pixies flew out and opened the window.
Seconds later, the door opened again and Musa entered while saying: "...just feel kinda bad about..." She stopped and stared at the open cage, as Techna came in after her.
"Oh," the scarred girl said. "That's not good".
"Dammit," Musa hissed as she noted the open window. She turned and ran out into the hallway, followed by Techna, who was already pulling out her gadget.
Stella and Flora, who had gone with them and was waiting in the hall, figured from one look at Musa's face what had happened and followed, Stella dialling on her cellphone.
"The pixies are..." she said into her phone as the four girls ran out into the courtyard. "Hey, what was up with them, Musa?"
"Cage and window open," Musa responded as they passed the fountain.
"Right, fled out the window," Stella said into the phone. "We'll try to get them as soon as possible, but we'll probably need some backup". She ended the call just as they ran into the surrounding forest, leaves whirling around them as they charged through, Stella once again acting as the group's flashlight.
"Alright, we're going thataway," Techna directed as she eyed the screen on her gadget. "And quickly. Little buggers are speedier than last time".
"Fantastic..." Stella wheezed. "More running".
"How far away are they?" Musa asked.
"We're closing in," Techna replied. "Relatively speaking".
Musa noticed something out of the corner of her eye and barely managed to yell: "GET DOWN!" before a barrage of spikes were launched towards them. The girls tumbled to the ground, as the bony projectiles dug deep into the bark of the surrounding trees. Stella whimpered in pain as she slowly got up from the ground. One of the spikes had dug deep into her arm.
"We've got company," Techna said, activating her flashlight and pointing.
The thing that had just attacked was one of the spike-covered forsaken, but a new variant was escorting it. It had six legs supporting a bulbous body made of the characteristic grey flesh of the forsaken, which was covered in snapping mouths. Every joint of its legs was a mouth and its feet were also simply opened mouths it walked on.
"Solaris burn it... It is Darkar," Stella whimpered as she tugged at the spike.
"Let it stay for now," Flora advised her. "Or the bleeding will get worse".
The spiked forsaken curved its back as it prepared another volley.
"Crap, its firing again," Musa said and the girls scrambled to get to cover behind the trees, as another barrage of spikes were launched towards them. The many-mouthed creature took the opportunity to start charging their position, its many maws eagerly snapping in anticipation.
Flora touched the ground and thick bundles of grass grasped the creature's legs, causing it to trip.
Its spiked companion prepared to fire again, but Stella jumped out of cover with an angry: "LET'S SEE HOW YOU LIKE GETTING SHOT," before letting a blast of cutting light loose from her sceptre. It hit the creature in the side, slicing its belly open and cutting two of its legs off, causing the undead creature to tumble to the ground.
"Fire in the hole!" Techna yelled as she hurled one of her grenades at the downed creature. Seconds later, its rotting flesh was spread across the area.
Meanwhile, the mouthy forsaken managed to gnaw itself free from the entangling grass and stood up, its many jaws snarling ferociously.
"Put a sock in it!" Musa yelled and fired a concentrated blast of sound at it. The beast stumbled back from the force, many of its teeth fragmenting and forcefully plunging into its rotten flesh. It snarled again and charged. Musa smiled and ran towards it. At the last moment, she slid under it, blowing its legs away with her magic as she did so. The big creature fell to the ground again with a whump.
Flora took the initiative and focused. Several roots from the surrounding trees burst free from the ground and grabbed the creatures flailing legs, before ripping them all off with a disgusting wet noise. The now incapacitated creature snarled and snapped, but was completely unable to move without its limps.
"Who's a good monster?" Techna asked jokingly, juggling one of her homemade grenades in one hand. "Who deserves a treat? Do you? Do you? Well, here you go, boy. It's snack-time". With those words, she hurled the grenade into its mouth. Seconds later it exploded, its stinking and liquidizing flesh splashing the girls.
"This... Is... Tots... Disgusting," Stella whimpered as she desperately tried to force the stinky goop off.
...
Faragonda, Bloom and Palladium stormed out of Alfea. They had received the phone-call from Stella minutes earlier, but had to wait for Palladium, who had prepared an alchemical grenade. "I suspect it's a homesickness poison," he had explained. "It would fit with all the symptoms. Fortunately, their own bodies should fight it off in a couple of hours, but until then, pepup will help".
Now, they stood in the moonlit courtyard and stared at the dark forest.
"Bloom, call your friends. See if they know where they are," Faragonda said.
"Alright, I'm calling," the redhead replied. "Hello, it's Bloom. Where're the pixies? You were attacked? Wait, trackers? Faragonda, Techna has put trackers on the pixies".
"Alright. I have an idea," the headmistress stated.
"Ho boy," Palladium sighed. "My stomach is not going to like this".
"Wait, what are you taaaAAAAAAAA!" Bloom yelled as the three of them was suddenly hoisted into the air.
"Now, where are the pixies in relation to your friends?" Faragonda requested, as she used her magic to hold them still.
"East," Bloom replied after getting an answer over the phone, nervously glancing at the ground far below them.
"Have Stella, or somebody else who can, send up a flare of some kind," Faragonda said. "We'll use it to navigate".
"She heard you," Bloom said. In the distance, a pillar of sunlight shot up from the depths of the forest.
"Alright, here we go," Faragonda stated, before the three shot through the air, passing over the forest with incredible speed. Bloom couldn't help but scream in a mixture of fear and excitement. They swung by the pillar of light and continued east, flying over an open field.
"There they are," Palladium said and pointed. Indeed, below them the pixies were crossing the field. "Alright, elvish aim, don't fail me now," Palladium pleaded and hurled the grenade. It detonated a bit above the pixies.
"What was noise?" Glim managed to ask, before they were bathed in the alchemical substance. The pixies hung in the air, a shocked expression on their faces.
"Why were we going home?" Tune asked in confusion.
Glim shrugged in reply.
"I think we were going crazy there for a bit," Piff stated. "Wow, that was weird. But now I feel fine". She yawned. "Actually, I feel like I need a nap".
"Good to see that you are okay," Faragonda stated as she slowly lowered the three to the ground. "You were poisoned, probably by a servant of Darkar".
"Wow, that's not good," Livy said and shook her head.
"Wait," Bloom realised. "Darkar has infiltrated the school?"
"I'm afraid that is the case," Faragonda stated. "Somebody stole the key to the pixies' cage, planted a dangerous book in Avalon's bookshelf and directed some of the forsaken to attack your friends. I'm afraid we'll have to be very vigilant in the future".
"In the meantime, can we go home?" Amore asked. "And by home, I mean Alfea this time".
"Sounds like an idea," Faragonda said with a kind smile. "Come everyone. We'll pick the others up on the way".
...
Helia stared at the slowly rising sun, then returned his attention to the picture he had made. He stared at Mirta's face, the unwelcome thought burrowing into his mind. He shook his head again, but the thought, no, the feeling wouldn't leave. "What am I getting myself into now?" he sighed.