Chapter 26: Fury of the Shadow Phoenix
The two groups stood still as statues while eyeing each other. Tension filled the air as everyone anticipated the moment when somebody would make the first move and start the battle. But until that moment, everyone seemed satisfied with waiting and glaring at each other. Seconds seemed like minutes, as everyone expected every other second to be the moment of conflict. Not even Kerborg seemed completely certain that the coming conflict was one its side would win.
Finally, breaking the silence, the fake Avalon noted. "Ah, Palladium. I am quite surprised to see you here".
"You have hurt my students, stabbed my friends in the back and threatened everything I care about," the elf replied. "So yes, I am here. And I will do everything I can to stop you".
"Yes, Darkar did warn me about this," the impostor sighed sadly. "I know that you must feel hurt, but I did truly value my time at Alfea. Perhaps once this is all over and you see the beauty of the reborn universe, you will eventually find it in your heart to forgive me".
"You seem quite certain that there will be anything left to admire if Darkar succeeds," Faragonda noted.
"He has promised to spare a dimension and that some of you will be moved there. So appreciative was he of my loyal service that he granted me this boon," the doppelgänger said happily. "Truly, my master favours me".
Behind him, Stormy's tick had returned, Darcy looked like she was massaging her temples hard enough to risk crushing her own skull and Icy glared at the impostor's back as if trying to burn a hole through him with sheer willpower.
As the fake paladin continued extolling on Darkar's virtue and generosity, Techna put down the crate she was transporting and began opening one end of it.
"The reborn world will be beautiful beyond compare and we shall bask in its glory, from the realm preserved by my master so that... Ah, Techna. Am I boring you?" the fake said as he noted the scarred girl.
"Considerably," the scarred girl replied as she opened the box's lid. "That and I figured I might as well get some work done while you were praising your boyfriend. I'd come up with some cute nickname for him, but honestly, I can't top Darkar. That name's right on the money".
"Ah, no, you misunderstand. My relation to my master is not romantic," the false Avalon said while shaking his head. "I am merely stating the truth".
"Right. The truth. You'd know a lot about that," Palladium grumbled.
"Anyway, here's the thing. Remember that one time I blew you out of a window?" Techna continued as she messed with something in the box.
"It is pretty hard to forget such a experience, yes," the fake noted.
"I finally figured out what happened," Techna explained. "See, you're an elemental spirit of air. The wingpack simply thought you were an interesting weather formation and went to investigate".
"Indeed. I was afraid your continued experiments would ruin my cover," the impostor huffed. "I wish you had shoved that annoying contraption away, but it would have seemed weird if I had attempted to discourage you".
"Oh, you found it annoying, did you?" Techna asked with a smile that was more predatory than joyful. "In that case, I'm about to rain on your parade, buddy". She gave the box a swift kick and out of one end flew a double sized wingpack, rocketing straight towards the duplicate Avalon. The fake barely had time to open his mouth, before the machine crashed into his midsection and torpedoed him down the hall as he screamed in surprise and pain. With a crash and a howl, he was carried out of a window.
Kerborg roared and stomped forward, raising its massive axe. It tried to bring down the heavy blade on the group, but Saladin and Faragonda combined their powers to hold it back.
"Alright. That's it. I'm outta here," Stormy said as she jumped back into the hole they had come from.
"A tactical retreat does indeed seem like the wiser option at this juncture," Darcy noted as she and Icy followed.
Kerborg was forced back by the two elder magi and stumbled back down the hall, before it roared and charged again. Griffin concentrated her magic and both her and Faragonda began pushing the beast back. Its massive muscles strained as it fought their magic, inching closer and closer.
"Could that device of yours have killed the impostor?" Avalon asked Techna.
"Possibly, but I doubt it. He survived the first one and even scaled up, I think it's unlikely it will do more than weaken him," the magenta-haired girl admitted.
"Faragonda, I need to ensure that that impostor is stopped," Avalon said as he turned to the others.
"Then go. We'll take care of this monster," Faragonda hissed as she strained to hold Kerborg's form back.
"I'll assist you," Palladium offered as he followed Avalon down the hall, where they jumped out of the window that the wingpack had flown out of.
"You need to pursue the witches. They will not only be dangerous if not stopped, they might be our best hope for information," Saladin said, turning to the others. "Now go. We'll take care of this".
"Yes sir," Brandon said before running off with the other Red Fountain warriors.
"We'll help them," Flora said, as she and the other fairies and pixies followed them.
"Seems like that cleared up some room to fight," Cordatorta noted, eyeing the giant Kerborg.
At the same time, Griffin and Faragonda ceased their assault and Kerborg stumbled forward, the group splitting to let him stomp by. Roaring angrily, the giant turned and raised its weapon again.
"So, ready to take on a giant psychopath and make it cry for its momma? Again?" Griffin asked with a cheeky smile.
"I am already feeling a slight tinge of nostalgia," Faragonda dryly noted, as Kerborg charged them again.
...
Darkar stood in the ruined temple and allowed himself a moment to admire the view. Flashes of magical energy danced across the barren sky and provided light in the great void. Besides the temple, a simple building built from materials Lyonesse had had transported into Relix, there was nothing but empty space and magical energy.
"Now then, Bloom. Are you ready for the ritual?" the Shadow Phoenix asked as he turned to his deranged companion.
"Yep, yep, yep," Bloom eagerly cheered, jumping from one foot the other.
"Good. You will be the centrepiece of the ritual," the dark lord explained. "This ritual will simultaneously open portals to all dimensions that either have dragonflames or dragonshades in them. Then using your new dragonflame as a catalyst, we will gather it all and ignite the spirit of the Great Dragon. I shall then join the mass and complete it, reawakening the Great Dragon. Do you understand?"
"I'm going to see a dragon," Bloom said excitedly.
"In all its glory," Darkar commented as he escorted Bloom to one end of the ruin. "You can begin the ritual here. Are the instructions clear?"
"Indeed, siree," Bloom almost sang as she began. She focused as much as she could and the overwhelming power of her dragonflame, empowered by her delusional happiness, started to flow through her. Small holes in space began opening, revealing faint images of the countless worlds behind them.
"Yes. We're so close, Bloom," Darkar said excitedly as the ritual rolled along. "Truly this story was benevolent to me when it made me run into you. And now, together, we shall write an ending most tragic for all. The heroes shall cover in fear as they realise that the credits will roll over an image of their TOMBSTONES. AHAHAHAHAHA".
As Darkar laughed and Bloom giggled, their joyous outbursts echoed through the empty world, as fragments of magic were slowly drawn closer to them, summoned by the ritual's siren call. In other worlds, artefacts and people with dragonflames or dragonshades in them began to have their powers react erratically, though no one had the slightest clue of the horrifying reason for this sudden inconvenience.
"Yes. The ritual is reaching beyond the worlds. Soon, all these misplaced fragments will be ripped from their sockets and rejoin as parts of the Great Dragon," Darkar ranted excitedly. "The moment I've spent millennia on has finally arrived. The culmination of a million lifetimes of searching and fighting is finally at hand. At long last, victory is mine".
"The colours are sooo pretty," Bloom said happily.
"Yes. There's also that," Darkar admitted.
...
Avalon leapt out of the broken window, landing on the outside balcony beneath. Palladium followed him shortly thereafter. The two of them looked around. Torches lit up the area and the hanging structures of the rest of Shadowhaunt could be glimpsed through the dark. On the floor not far from them lay the still smoking remains of the wingpack, electronic parts occasionally sparking.
"Be careful. He could be anywhere," Palladium said as he looked around.
Avalon nodded as he carefully stepped out on the balcony, shield and sword ready.
There was a tense moment as he stepped closer to the ruined machine.
Then Palladium felt the wind slightly rustle his hair. "WATCH OUT!" he yelled.
Avalon turned, a metallic clang echoing through the dark as the fake manifested, his blade blocked by the veteran's quick reflexes.
"You're pathetic. Couldn't defeat me before and you won't defeat me now," the duplicate said as he engaged Avalon, the swords sparking as the enchanted metals rubbed against each other.
"You take pride in defeating a malnourished opponent who've been neglected for months?" Avalon asked as he swatted an attack aside with his shield before countering with strikes of his own. "That's a pathetic achievement".
"Oh, boohoo, you don't approve," the fake mocked as he took a swipe, the real Avalon jerking his head back to avoid losing it. "That's why I'm better than you. Not only am I stronger than you are, I'm not as hindered as you are. You're burdened by your morals and your ethics. By your concerns. I am free and that makes me strong".
"If anything, it makes you pitiable," the real paladin said as he slashed at his opponent. "You have no standards, no values and no bonds. You had a chance to change that, but you wasted it on hurting others and helping with Darkar's insane scheme".
"I've got nothing, eh?" the fake asked. "Then I better get something. How about I start by taking..." He turned into wind as Avalon tried to attack, only to manifest right behind him as the veteran paladin tried to halt his attack. "YOUR LIFE!" Avalon winced as his opponent's blade pierced his side. The bloody blade had gone all the way through, breaking open the armour on the other side.
"So, still think I've got nothing?" the fake asked. His taunting was interrupted by a brick smashing into his face. He stumbled back with a series of curses, ripping his sword out of his opponent in the process.
"You're done hurting my friends," Palladium said as he picked up another brick.
"Palladium, please, you're testing my patience," the fake hissed as he clutched his wounded face. He vanished for a second before reappearing, his face healed. "Besides, you can't hurt me. Shifting between being air and flesh reforms my body. By fighting me you have in fact already lost".
"Even so, to not fight you would mean losing even more," Avalon stated as light glowed from his slowly healing wound.
"It won't change a thing," the fake argued as he began exchanging blows with the real one again. "My student Bloom has already gone to Relix with lord Darkar. Any moment now, he will reawaken the Great Dragon and reform the worlds into a beautiful and primordial elemental chaos".
"Figures you'd think that would be a good thing," Avalon hissed as he tried to shoot his opponent with a blast of light, but his laughing enemy merely turned to wind and manifested elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Palladium gritted his teeth. It was true that whenever the impostor reformed, he turned into a perfectly healthy copy of Avalon. But the elf also realised this meant that the enchantments that allowed the duplicate to do so worked out from a predetermined formula. In other words, the spirit could only change between specific forms, most likely its original elemental form and the Avalon duplicate. If they were to beat the impostor, they would have to stop his transformations. Palladium sat down and began to focus. His magic stretched out as the two paladins duelled, getting a feeling for the magic used by the false Avalon.
Meanwhile, the real Avalon jerked back, the tip of the impostor's blade ripping a wound across his forehead. He fought back with a swing of his sword, but the duplicate merely vanished, reappearing seconds later while planting the edge of his shield into the back of Avalon's head. The paladin stumbled forward as his head began swimming from the impact. He turned around with a clumsy swing of his sword, more to force his opponent away than to actually hit. The doppelgänger easily evaded before charging forward, planting his plated fist right in Avalon's face. The veteran stumbled back as blood seeped from his ripped lip.
"What? Done talking? No, please, go on about how your precious values make you superior," the fake taunted as he marched closer. "It seems quite sad now, doesn't it?" He attacked again and the real Avalon blocked the assault with his shield, sweeping it to the side and causing his attacker to stumble. Avalon took the chance and lashed out, landing a blow that pierced his opponents armour and ripped a gash in his side.
"You petulant, stubborn, old..." the fake grumbled as he stumbled back to a safe distance. "You don't get it, do you? We have already won. You're doing nothing but ensuring that I will kill you and dance on your grave".
"I am a man of principle," Avalon replied while breathing heavily, raising his blade in a challenge. "And therefore I will not give up. Even if what you say is true, which is doubtful".
"But what is true is that I'll just reform," the fake said with a cocky smile. "Sooner or later you'll be worn out and I will end you. The only sad thing is that Palladium will have to watch. But I am sure than in a couple of decades he will have forgiven me". A moment of silence passed. The fake paladin's smile began to fade. His brows furrowed and a look of bewilderment appeared on his face. "What... What is this?" he asked as he suddenly stared at his hands. "Why-why can't I transform?"
"Here's a word of the day for you. Metamagic," Palladium said as he got back up. "I bet Darkar never taught you how to change shape. You just used enchantments he cast on you. Well, I just altered those enchantments. Not much, but enough to make them unusable. Were you an actual magi, and not just repeating whatever information Avalon knew when you took his memories, you could probably fix the spell in ten seconds flat, but I doubt you know how".
"Wha... No. No," the fake repeated as he stumbled back. "You... How dare you? HOW DARE YOU!?" Suddenly enraged, the duplicate charged Palladium, ready to run him through.
The real Avalon dashed forward and lashed out with his blade, breaching the false Avalon's armour and cutting open the side of his leg. The fake suddenly stumbled and turned, shield raised to defend himself from Avalon's attack.
"You claim to be a better me. How could you be better than me when you don't even have my discipline?" Avalon asked as he attacked. He beat back another strike with his shield before swinging his sword at his hampered duplicate. The fake screamed in pain as his shield and the arm he held it with was separated from his body.
"And you don't have my patience," Avalon continued as he pierced the duplicate's right arm, causing it to hang limply. His clone stumbled back, pain overwhelming him.
"And you don't have my will," the real paladin finished as his blade broke through the golden armour of his opponent, penetrating his body and nailing him to the wall. "Without those, you can't call yourself an improvement of me, no matter what face you wear".
The fake coughed as he dumbfounded stared at the mortal wound he had received. "I... I ju-just wan-wanted..." he gurgled, blood flowing from his mouth as his life was drained from him in crimson rivers. "Repay Da-Darkar... For my... Life..."
"A laudable goal. But just because you wanted a life..." Avalon continued, before he with a swift movement ripped his sword out through his opponent's side. "Doesn't mean you can take mine".
The duplicate stumbled with a final gurgle, sliding down the wall while leaving a trail of blood on it. He collapsed on the floor and the light in his eyes went out. Avalon sheathed his sword before kneeling, closing his opponent's eyes and saying a short prayer for his soul.
"You okay?" Palladium asked after the veteran got up again.
"Yes. I just... Felt a bit sorry for him," Avalon sighed. "He knew nothing of life except what Darkar had told him, his mind moulded by the Shadow Phoenix' every word. I guess it just struck me that despite all he did, he never had a fair shot at making his own way in the world".
"That is rather sad," Palladium agreed as they both eyed the corpse. "Perhaps he is in a better place now".
"We can hope," Avalon said. "Come, let us join the others".
...
Cordatorta desperately leapt out of the way as the giant axe was swung in his general direction, smashing through a wall. The towering form of Kerborg roared as it continued to swing its great weapon. The hallway had been demolished by the fighting, which spilled into the now revealed adjacent rooms.
Faragonda concentrated and directed an old bed at the monster, which shattered against its grey hide. She had hoped she could just have used her magic to crush the beast and save them all a lot of trouble, but the Lord of Extinct Beasts proved surprisingly capable of resisting such tactics.
By her side, Saladin directed the three automatic rifles he were controlling, causing all three of them to pepper the giant with bullets, most of which bounced of its thick hide.
"What creature is it even?" Griffin asked as she summoned a whirling wind to hurl a statue at the giant. "I think I would have remembered if history class involved a lesson on an ancient species of titanic executioners".
"Just keep fighting and you can look it up later," Faragonda said as she again tried to use her magic to crush Kerborg. The giant struggled as gravity started pushing it from every direction and it kept pushing back, every one of its muscles straining as it did so. Faragonda had to stop. It was burning up a lot of her energy to defy the planet's gravity on such a scale for so long.
Cordatorta ran forward and stabbed his weapon through the skin of its leg. Kerborg roared and swung one of its arms, hitting the dragonmaster and sending him flying into an armoire.
The creature turned towards the three others and advanced while swinging its weapon. The magi scattered as another wall was shattered. Faragonda winced as pieces of masonry rained down on her back. She began forcing herself up again when the beast's hand closed around her body and began to squeeze. The headmistress winced and poured all her magic into pushing back to prevent the monster from crushing her.
"Let her go!" Saladin called as he directed several blades and spears to stab at Kerborg. The Lord of Extinct Beasts swung its axe with one hand, trying to cleave the warlock in two. Saladin raised his hands and used his powers to halt the blow. As Kerborg was distracted fighting both Faragonda's and Saladin's magic, Griffin eyed a chance. She used her magic and a powerful wind lifted up large pieces of broken wall. She aimed and began pelting the handle of the giant axe. Kerborg realised what she was trying to do and attempted to rip the weapon back, but Saladin forced it to stay where it was. The heavy rocks smashed into the wooden handle, cracking and splintering it. Kerborg ripped at its end of the great axe, attempting to force it away from the warlock. With a final tug, it ripped the weapon apart and stumbled back.
Now in full control of the weapon, Saladin launched it. The blade was sharp enough to cut through rock without slowing down and it just as easily cut through Kerborg's shoulder. The arm that held Faragonda went limp and the fairy headmistress rolled out while gasping. Saladin continued his attack and the axehead boomeranged around, before planting itself in Kerborg's spine. The creature roared as it lost control of its legs and collapsed.
"You okay?" Griffin asked as she rushed to help Faragonda get up.
"I'll be okay," the headmistress weakly replied as she got back up. "Could be better, but I just need a moment".
As Cordatorta got out of the wreckage of the armoire, he saw Kerborg's body explode in a cloud of black smoke. He focused, tightening his grip on his weapon. The moment he saw that small flutter of movement, he yelled: "OH NO YOU DON'T!" and hurled the tool.
The two prongs pierced Kerborg's skin and sent the critter flying out of the cloud before nailing it to a wall. The undead creature struggled, until the weapon went off and sent a powerful jolt through its tiny body. Kerborg went stiff as a board, before slowly falling apart, landing on the floor in a puddle.
"Good shot," Saladin praised as he used his power to return the weapon to the dragonmaster.
"Thanks. I got suspicious after our fight outside. The same thing happened to the monster that attacked Red Fountain," he noted. "I think it was always the same creature".
"Well, in any case, we should go. See if we can meet up with the others," Griffin said.
...
"Why are we running?" Icy asked as the three witches ran into the throne room.
"I don't care what Avalon says. They brought three veteran magi, Red Fountain's dragonmaster and of course Bloom's posse. You know, the people who always kick our asses," Stormy replied. "I don't exactly look forward to having every single fucking part of my body ejected in a thousand different directions".
"Then you're not going to like this next part," Riven stated, as he and the others marched into the room. "Hey Darcy. Stabbed anyone recently?"
"No, I've had surprisingly little reason to do that lately," Darcy flatly replied. "So, still bitter or have you actually managed to move on?"
Riven just glared at her.
"ENOUGH!" Icy yelled, getting everyone's attention. "I'm not running from you anymore. With the powers Darkar granted us, I am more than ready to put you all on ice".
"Wow, you should really fire whomever writes your material, Frosty," Techna commented.
"SHUT UP!" the white-haired witch yelled, as she blasted dozens of icicles in their general direction, forcing the group to scatter.
Riven dodged behind a pillar, eyeing Darcy who's attention was elsewhere. Seizing the moment, he leapt out and slashed his sabre at her, breaking her apart like glass.
"Wait, that's not right," Riven stated, only to yell in pain as the real Darcy rose from the floor behind him, slashing his back. He stumbled forward as the dirty-blond advanced.
"And the first one I stab in months is you. I suppose that would be quite funny if either of us were entertained by this," Darcy noted as she raised her dagger for a finishing blow. Reacting to a sudden movement, she dodged away as Musa leapt at her, fans ready. Backed up by Sky and Flora, the three advanced on the witch, engaging her in a brutal melee.
On the other side of the room, Timmy and Techna were taking pot shots at Stormy, who was hiding behind a pillar, occasionally flinging a lightning bolt at them.
"So, still out to be important, eh Blowhard?" Techna asked, before dodging a vase hurled by the wind. "If you keep this up, you'll get to be known as one of the most infamous criminals of the multiverse. That'll make you important".
"WOULD YOU FUCKING SHUT UP!?" Stormy yelled, flinging another bolt of lightning. "DON'T YOU GET IT!? DARKAR'S GOING TO RUIN EVERYTHING! IT'S ONLY BECAUSE OF US HE'S EVEN GOING TO SPARE ANYTHING AT ALL!"
"And you trust him?" Timmy asked as he fired his rifle. "Dude's nuttier than a squirrel. I wouldn't take my chances with him".
"Oh, and I should do what? Make a suicide run at him so that we're abso-fucking-lutely sure he'll destroy everything when he becomes a fucking deity?" the wild-haired witch asked, flinging more random projectiles. "Does that sound like a fucking good idea to you, huh?"
"I don't know if you're the best judge of ideas, Blowhard. I mean, you think focusing on us is a good idea for example," Techna continued.
"Well, I... Wait, what the fuck do you mean by that?" Stormy asked. The answer came in the form of a small ball of water smashing hard into her face, causing her to stumble back. She spluttered and shook her head as she tried to get her bearings. Then another hit her. And another. "Blugl. Splut. STOP THAT! Phft. Blerg. I SAID STOPLGL!" Stormy coughed as the water hit her square in her open mouth.
"You need to wash your mouth," Aisha stated as she kept flinging water from a flowerpot she had picked up. "I just wish I had some soap for it too. It's filthy".
"ALRIGHT, NOW I'M...!" Stormy raged, until she noted something poking her shoulder. She turned, only to face Techna, who gently jabbed a pipe into her stomach with a predatory smile. "What... What are you doing?"
"I made a new pipe. And I was really inspired by you," Techna explained with a threateningly happy voice.
"You-you were?" the now soaked witch asked confused.
"Yep," Techna replied and pressed a button. Two small metal prongs sprung from the end, poking into Stormy's stomach. The wild-haired witch tensed up as the tazer activated, before collapsing on the floor in a twitching pile.
Over in another corner, Stella, Helia and Brandon were hiding behind a now ice-covered pillar.
"That woman is crazy," Helia said as he peaked around the corner. "How many times have you run into her?"
"Too many," Stella replied.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Brandon said. "You'll jump out and blast her, and then I'll use the confusion to charge her".
"Sounds like a plan," Stella said, waiting for the current barrage of ice to end. The moment it did, she jumped out, firing a laser beam, forcing Icy to dodge. The moment she did, Brandon charged the witch, sword ready. He swung, but the great blade was caught in the massive amount of ice that suddenly grew around the white-haired witch.
"GOTCHA," Icy yelled triumphantly as she planted a ball of ice in the squire's stomach, launching him backwards.
"BRANDON!" Stella yelled as she ran for her boyfriend, but then she suddenly stopped. Suddenly, she had no idea why she cared. Lazily she turned and saw Icy advancing on her.
"STELLA! MOVE!" Helia yelled nervously as he eyed the situation.
"Oh, she's not going anywhere. She's not even capable of fearing for her life at the moment," Icy said with a twisted smile while a mallet of ice grew in her hand. "Not quite as fun as if she knew what was going on, but I'll be happy just to smash that dumb blonde face to a pulp". She raised the hammer, only to drop it on the floor with a sudden: "OW!"
"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" Livy yelled, before biting Icy's ear again. "YOU RUINED MY VILLAGE!"
"GET AWAY, YOU LITTLE PISSANT!" Icy yelled as she tried to blast the pixie away. But the diminutive being kept circling her head, punching, kicking and biting her at every opportunity. Icy raged and tried to catch the enraged pixie, when suddenly Livy flew away. The white-haired witch got ready to blast the escaping messenger, when she suddenly noticed something worrisome.
The heavy end of Stella's staff rapidly closing in on her face.
With a meaty thwack, it collided and sent her reeling.
"DON'T! YOU! EVER! DARE! HURT! MY! BOYFRIEND! AGAIN!" Stella yelled, punctuating her words with repeated hits with her staff.
Icy stumbled back, one of her eyes bruised and blood seeping from a wound in her lip. She got ready to blast the advancing Solarian when she heard a voice behind her go: "Same goes for my girlfriend, by the way". She turned around, only for Brandon to plant the pommel of his sword in her solar plexus. Icy doubled over from the pain, before Brandon forced her head up and decked her right in the face.
The white-haired witch stumbled, the entire room seemingly spinning around her, until she tripped over Stella's staff and crashed to the floor.
In another end of the room, Darcy hissed as Sky's blade cut her shoulder and she jumped back again. She looked around and noticed that her comrades were out, with the others now advancing on her. As Musa jumped at her, ready to smash her to dust, Darcy raised her hands and said: "I surrender".
"You... Wait, you what?" Musa asked as she stopped her attack. "Is... Is this a joke?"
"No joke. I surrender," Darcy said, dropping her knives and sitting down on the floor.
"Yeah, she does that. She's a real killjoy," Techna commented. "Got out of a well-deserved ass-kicking last year too".
"Yo... Darcy," Stormy weakly called. "Was this... Good enough?"
"He said we should at least delay them. So yes, he's probably still going to spare that dimension," Darcy noted.
"Seriously, you really believe that guy," Brandon asked slightly flabbergasted.
"As if we have a choice," Darcy replied. "He has all the cards on his hand. We really don't have a choice in the matter".
"Wow, you must be the optimistic one," Amore noted, before she twirled and suddenly wore clothes identical to Darcy's. "Hey everybody, I'm Darcy. I'm happy as a graveyard, fun as a dead puppy and a participant in the mass genocide of most of the multiverse, which I'll react to with all the gravity of being on the losing team in a game of bomboozle ball".
"Great. You have a comedian on the team," Darcy flatly stated.
"So how do you actually feel about Darkar being a threat to the multiverse?" Flora asked.
"I think his plan is a tremendous waste of resources," Darcy said with a shrug. "It strikes me as rather pointless. And I happen to know that Stormy feels really bad about it. Heck, even Icy doesn't like it. Isn't that right, Icy?"
"I... Can't... Feel... My face," the white-haired witch struggled to say.
"See. She feels bad," Darcy confirmed.
"Then why don't you quit working for the guy and start, you know, working on stopping him?" Sky asked.
"How? He has everything he needs and has sealed himself in another dimension. I don't see how we have a chance of stopping him," the dirty-blonde replied.
"So what I'm hearing you say is that if you believed there was a chance, you'd work with us to stop him?" Brandon questioned.
"Yes. An alliance of convenience would be preferable," Darcy agreed.
Stormy weakly raised a hand while saying: "I would too".
"Hate... You... All..." Icy groaned. "But not... Enough to... Blow up... Everything".
"Well, I can't exactly say that I look forward to working with you," Stella sighed. "But we'll need all the help we can get".
"Wow, hold on. You still haven't proven you even stand a chance," Darcy replied.
"Just give us a moment and we'll come up with something," Timmy said.
...
"So... How's that coming up with something going?" Darcy asked some minutes later.
"Not well," Timmy sighed. While they had attempted to formulate a plan of action, the rest of the teachers had showed up, reporting their success.
"Look, you have obviously shown that together, we might just have enough firepower to take him down. But that will all be for naught unless we can follow him into Relix," Darcy continued.
"Your talent for stating the obvious is awe inspiring," Musa snarked.
"It's a gift I've had to develop a lot with my current team," Darcy sighed.
"Oh, do shut up," Icy grumbled, holding an ice-cold hand to her eye to help fight the swelling. She was standing far away from the group and had so far been allowed to do so without being tied up, not that the temptation hadn't been high.
In another end of the room, Stormy stood while fiddling with her fingers. She looked up and suddenly noticed Griffin was there. "Oh... Hi-hi headmistress," Stormy nervously greeted her.
Guinevere sighed and asked: "Stormy, why didn't you just stay at Lightrock?"
"I've been asking myself that a lot," the wild-haired witch sighed. "Maybe when I go over my diary it'll make sense".
"But you doubt it," Griffin stated.
"Yeah, I doubt it," Stormy admitted.
"Dammit, we gotta figure something out. Every moment we waste is another moment Darkar gets closer to winning," Sky stated.
"At this moment, we must show patience," Avalon said. "This is a process that cannot be hurried. We have no idea how to open a gate to Relix, especially without the dragonflame".
"If only good ideas could be hurried," Palladium sighed.
"Hey, I got a message," Livy suddenly stated and opened her bag. "It's from Griselda".
The others stared at her.
"Wait, you can receive messages?" Stella asked surprised.
"Yeah. It's part of my powers. I'm a pixie messenger after all," Livy proudly stated.
"We seriously need to get an overview of what you pixies can do one of these days," Musa commented.
"So, what does Griselda say?" Faragonda asked.
"That the spell that blocks of the Relix dimension only needs to be opened once," Livy said as she read the letter. "That is, once the dragonflame has opened the way, you don't need it again. You just follow the rest of the instructions".
"So it's like a door. Darkar unlocked it and now we just need to know how to open it?" Stormy guessed.
"Pretty much," came the pixie's reply. "She also sent the instructions".
"So, ready to fight Darkar?" Stella asked Darcy.
"I suppose I am. Though I still do not like our chances," the dirty-blonde admitted.
"Alright, I think we can follow these instruction," Faragonda said as she read the letter. "Guinevere, Menefer. I'd like your help for this".
...
Darkar tapped his foot, the sound of metal against stone echoing through the vast emptiness of Relix. Bloom was sitting inside a ritual circle, all of her energy channelled into the ritual, that was slowly but surely manipulating all of the multiverse. The dark lord's mind was filled with thoughts of how soon, all of the pieces would assemble and the Great Dragon would be reborn. He was as giddy as he could be while still maintaining the cool and threatening posture that made him worthy of being the main villain.
However, he was brought out of his constant contemplations of his coming victory by a strange sound that, although it was familiar, struck him as something that should have been impossible. Or at the very least improbable.
A gate was opening. He turned from Bloom and watched as reality ripped at the seams, allowing a large group of people to march in.
"Darkar!" Saladin called as he stepped to the front. "You have threatened the sanctity of not only Red Fountain, not only Magicalis, not only Magix but everything in existence. Which means you might just be guilty of the greatest crime I've ever had to arrest somebody for".
"Ah, I guess I should have seen this coming," Darkar noted with a shrug. "Don't know why it came as such as a surprise to be honest. Of course the heroes would assemble and charge in to engage me in one last climactic duel". He glanced at the streams of energy that encircled the ancient temple. "Fitting place for our final fight, too. Very dramatic. You're still going to lose, of course, but I am excited to see you here". He paused for a moment. "Oh, and I see you three have decided to betray me".
"You sound unsurprised," Icy noted.
"You're my minions. I expected that sooner or later, you'd decide to take a shot at getting my role," Darkar continued. "And with you all being here I can only assume that Avalon and Kerborg failed to stop you too. Tragic. Are they both dead or merely incapacitated?"
"They have been put to rest," Avalon said. "And if you do not surrender, you will share their fate".
"Oh, threats. Very well then, we shall fight. In this final duel to the death, I, the lord of Shadowhaunt, the master of darkness, wielder of the black..." The rest of his introduction drowned in noise as several of the group opened fire at once, blasting him with a dozen different projectiles, both magical and mundane, obscuring the Shadow Phoenix in a giant cloud of smoke and dust.
"Did... Did we get him?" Stormy asked, lowering her hand while keeping an eye on the dust cloud.
As it slowly billowed away, Darkar appeared again, looking less than pleased. "Alright, that's it," he said as he stomped forward, magical energy surging through his body. "I'm going to hurt you all so bad even your voice actors will feel it".
"I still don't get what he's talking about," Aisha noted.
The dark lord thrust his hands forwards, sending forth a wave of dark fire that the group scattered to avoid.
Saladin immediately corrected himself and began attacking Darkar with every single weapon he controlled, but a dark shield that surrounded the Shadow Phoenix protected him from the assault. He raised a hand and fired a blast of dark lightning, which hit the stone floor right in front of the warlock, exploding it and sending him flying.
Darkar then turned around as both Cordatorta and Brandon charged him, swinging their weapons. The Shadow Phoenix caught them both with his magic, before he snapped them in half. The two warriors had but a second to notice this, before blasts of energy to the stomach sent them both flying into a nearby wall.
He turned around again as he heard a cracking sound and saw that Griffin and Faragonda together were lifting one of the temple's many stone pillars, before hurling it at him. He raised a hand, a saw-disk of dark energy forming, slicing through the projectile and sending it crashing to the floor in two pieces. Then Darkar made a sweeping movement with his hand, sending out dozens of small projectiles that exploded before the feet of the two headmistresses, hurling them through the air.
"DON'T YOU GET IT!?" he yelled, reflecting a bolt from Stormy and sending it right back in her face. "I AM TOO POWERFUL FOR YOU TO HANDLE!" He crushed the grenade Timmy had lobbed and blasted him out of his hiding spot. "I AM MAGICAL POWER INCARNATE!" He blocked Stella's laser and grabbed Riven, who was trying to attack him from behind, before hurling him into the Solarian blonde. "YOUR LIVES WILL COME TO A GRUESOME END! I WILL DESTROY YOU TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT YOU WON'T EVEN BE MENTIONED IN THE CREDITS!" He grabbed Techna's pipe as she tried to swing it at him.
"Please don't..." the scarred girl began, before her weapon melted in Darkar's hand. "Oh come the fuck on, I just made that..." She was cut off by Darkar planting his gauntlet in her chin, sending her crashing to the ground.
Faragonda slowly rose from the floor, watching as Darkar blasted both Sky and Icy. She realised he was right about one thing and that was that he was too powerful to fight head on. But the headmistress realised that he had made a mistake. Though she did not like using the rest of the team as a distraction, she hobbled off knowing it was their only chance.
Meanwhile, Darkar lifted a hand, incinerating a bola thrown by Helia, before sending a barrage of dark icicles at him. He tried to dodge, but one icicle lodged itself in his shoulder and another in his shin, causing him to crash to the ground.
Flora popped out of cover and hurled several seeds at the Shadow Phoenix, which he stopped by simply draining the plants of life, followed by grabbing the brunette with a tendril of magic and slamming her into Aisha, smashing them both into the stone floor. Then the dark lord turned and saw Darcy eyeing him. "You know," Darkar began as he eyed her. "I suspected Stormy might betray me out of guilt and Icy out of ambition. But I thought you were comfortable in my employ".
"I was, I must admit," Darcy said as she began walking, keeping a certain distance from the dark lord. "I'd even admit to learning things from you. So there's that". She stopped, standing between Darkar and the portal. "But at the end of the day, even ignoring the moral and ethical aspects, as people like us often do, destroying most of the universe is still bad. Unique knowledge, resources and experiences will be replaced with a fluid reality without substance. I cannot think of any way I could possibly benefit from that".
"And yet, you still served me until now" the Shadow Phoenix retorted.
"Indeed. First I didn't know what your ultimate goal was. And when I finally did know, you had all the cards and I only had the power you had given me. It didn't seem like it was a fair fight, let alone one we stood a chance of winning," the witch replied.
"What changed?" Darkar asked with genuine curiosity.
"I didn't think you could be stopped. Then I changed my mind. Simple as that," the dirty-blonde said with a shrug. "I realised that for all your power, you could still be beaten".
"Well, I will admit that I have failed in the past. Entire armies hurling themselves at me to stop my progress," Darkar continued. "But now I am at the brink of victory and you haven't even brought a fraction of the people I've fought in the past".
"True, I guess. We look beaten," Darcy admitted with a shrug. "But before you blast me, I have a question for you. Why brainwash Bloom with magic? Surely, threatening a friend of hers or something similar could have produced the same result".
"I needed Bloom to think differently so she would want to work for my cause, not run around ready to stab me in the back as soon as possible. Plus, I needed her to be as powerful as possible for the ritual," the dark lord explained. The thought reminded him of the ritual and he turned his head to glance at Bloom. His red eyed expanded in realization. Faragonda was kneeling by the redhead, hand on her forehead and eyes closed in deep concentration.
He turned back towards the smirking Darcy with a scowl and fired a powerful blast, which splintered the illusion.
"For one who is one with magic, you sure do overlook some pretty important details," Darcy said from a different location.
"I'LL DEAL WITH YOU LATER!" Darkar roared as he turned his attention to Faragonda. "YOU INCONSEQUENTIAL SUPPORT CHARACTER! GET AWAY FROM HER!" A shadowy tendril lashed out and encircled the elderly headmistress, before smashing her into the wall. "FOOLISH OLD WOMAN!" Darkar roared as he slowly marched closer towards the struggling headmistress. "DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD STOP ME!? DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD JUST WALTZ IN HERE AND SNATCH VICTORY FROM ME!?"
Weakly, Faragonda raised her head, glaring defiantly at the dark lord. Darkar in turn looked at Bloom, who rapidly blinked as the connection between her and Faragonda was broken. He breathed a sigh of relief as the portals persisted. It meant the ritual had not been disrupted. The connection to the many dimensions was still there. "Bloom, please resume the ritual," he said gently. He returned his attention to Faragonda as he felt Bloom's power surge again. "Now then, I believe this is over. Would you like to die now or should I save that for when I unmake most of this horrid mess you call a multiverse?"
"I don't know if you're part of the Great Dragon or not," the headmistress replied, breathing heavily. "And quite frankly, I don't care. It doesn't matter who you are or who you think you are. You do not have the right to destroy so many lives and take everything from so many people. Even if we are somehow a mistake, we're still living and thinking beings. You'd destroy a thousand natural wonders and for what?"
"I've always longed to return to my true home I guess," Darkar noted. "The end of the multiverse is really just a side effect of me trying to heal my greater self. But don't worry. You'll be getting a first row seat for the end of everything you know". He slowly turned and faced the other people who had invaded Relix as they slowly got up. "In fact," Darkar called. "I'm going to let you all watch as the Great Dragon is reborn. You will witness the rebirth of a deity. I am quite merciful to grant you this despite all you've done, but you've provided me with such a delightful final fight that I think you deserve it". His gaze wandered from person to person and he noted something. While the hard look of heroic defiance was no surprise to the dark lord, the confident smirks were. "Still think you can beat me, do you?" he asked. "Well, I'll give you this. You bring honour to your craft, even if it is futile".
"You kinda have a one-track mind, don't you?" Riven asked.
"That would be why he doesn't know that we've won," Techna commented.
"What do you mean?" Darkar asked. He briefly pondered if they had all gone insane, when he suddenly realised something. Somebody was missing.
He quickly turned around.
Avalon and Palladium stood behind Bloom, having finished Faragonda's spell, as Bloom held her hand towards Darkar, magic charging in it. All the energy built by her brainwashed happiness coalesced in her hand, which was glowing like the heart of a sun.
"No, you..." Darkar began, as Bloom unleashed a beam of the purest flame. Darkar raised his shield, but was slowly pushed back by the sheer force of the attack. He grunted as he tried to hold it back, when a ray suddenly passed through his shield. And then another. And then yet another. Slowly, the dark lord realised his shield was cracking under the strain. "So, this is how it ends for the villain. Defeated by dramatic irony when the heroes use his own weapon against him," he said while struggling to repel the attack. He paused for a brief moment. "In hindsight, I should probably have seen this coming". His shield shattered and his body was erased as the beam blasted through, taking with it a good part of the temple.
Silence fell over the ruin.
Bloom gasped as she slowly lowered her arms before falling on her knees, her hands scorched by her own power, along with a good deal of her hair and dress.
"Is... Is it over?" Helia asked while Avalon began assisting him with his wounds. "Is it truly over?"
"It would seem that way," Faragonda sighed as Griffin helped her get up.
"VICTORY IS OURS!" Cordatorta yelled, causing cheers to break out among the assembled.
"WE DID IT! WE REALLY DID IT!" Stormy yelled as she jumped up and down.
"WE'RE AMAZING!" Techna loudly announced.
"EVERYBODY HERE IS AWESOME!" Sky contributed.
As everybody began yelling, Faragonda helped Bloom up again while asking: "How are you feeling?"
"Like I want to go home," Bloom sighed. "I'm drained, I'm tired and I feel sick".
"That's okay Bloom. It is to be expected," Faragonda said as she slowly escorted her away. "Saladin, I'll need you to shut down the..." Everybody froze as they heard a bizarre crackling sound.
"I don't like that sound," Cordatorta said, eyeing the broken part of the temple.
Small sparks of energy began flourishing, growing, enlarging before finally combining and detonating in a bright flash.
Bloom gasped as she stared upon the true from of the Shadow Phoenix. Made from pure, crackling, multicoloured magical energy and vaguely bird shaped, the terrifying being hovered over them. And they could feel the power emanating from it in every cell fo their bodies.
"It's the Shadow Phoenix," Saladin said with a voice somewhere between awe and fear.
"Somebody screwed up in the naming department," Musa commented.
"I'd come up with a better one, but I'm kinda busy trying to not piss my pants," Techna added.
The Phoenix spread its crackling wings, and despite lacking any facial features, they could all feel its hateful glare. There was not a trace left of Darkar's jovial attitude. Only pure hate.
The Phoenix broke into a dive, its body billowing with energy. The people scattered as it lowered a wing, trying to hit them as is flew through the ruin. Sky rolled across the stone floor as he barely managed to avoid being hit. Just from being close to it, the cloth on his right arm had been burnt off and the skin beneath scalded. But the blond prince was more busy staring at where the Phoenix' wing had touched the walls and floor of the temple. The rock had melted at its touch and now remained as a glowing hot furrow in the ground. "Not good," he commented.
The Phoenix turned in the air, before hovering for a moment. Then massive amounts of energy charged near what vaguely resembled its head, before being fired in a massive beam. People leapt for safety as the entire floating rock the temple rested on was bisected by the blast, leaving a notable cleft.
The Phoenix dove again as dozens of projectiles were launched at it, only to be absorbed and destroyed by its crackling elemental form. It swept through and more parts of the temple collapsed as much of the structure was reduced to puddles of melted rock.
"It's too powerful. We should get away righ now," Brandon called as he got up again, the side of his face burnt by being too close to the beam.
"But if we run now, the Phoenix will eventually possess someone else and all of this will start over again," Saladin said.
"Yeah, but what can we do? I do not think any of us have the power to abolish that thing," Flora said.
Bloom, who had been dragged to cover by Faragonda and Palladium, listened to her friends and said: "Wait. Palladium, I need to ask you something about ritual magic".
"Well, sure, but it doesn't really seem like a good time," the elf replied, cringing as the massive energy being passed by again.
"I think I have an idea. I can still remember everything Darkar told me about the ritual and I think we can use that," Bloom replied.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix returned, bombarding the area with sizzling beams.
Musa, who had been in the open when it returned, tried to run, but one of the beams went right for her. She was suddenly pushed forward, landing roughly but safely on the floor. The black-haired musician looked up and saw Riven lying besides her, nursing a wound. "Oh, thanks for that, Riven," she said relieved. "That was close".
"You don't... Fucking... Say," Riven said in a pained and strained voice, while cradling his arm.
Musa gasped. Nothing but a smoking stump remained of his lower left arm.
"OH FUCK! IT'S COMING BACK!" Stormy yelled and pointed. Indeed, the Phoenix was diving towards them again, fully focused on killing each and everyone of them.
"HEY! PHOENIX!" Bloom yelled and the enraged elemental stopped as it noticed her. "SEEMS LIKE I RUINED YOUR PLAN! NO GREAT DRAGON THIS TIME, YOU DUMB RAINBOW-COLOURED LIGHTNING TURKEY!"
"BLOOM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Sky yelled as he with worry noticed the primordial being shifting its attention.
Though it lacked much in the way of mental faculties, the Phoenix was both aware and knowledgeable enough to catch the gist of what Bloom yelled. And already filled with murderous fury, it dove straight at her, its burning hot rage focused entirely on the redhead.
It was meters from crashing into Bloom when Faragonda pulled her back with her magic, ripping her halfway across the temple. The Phoenix meanwhile crashed into the middle of where Bloom had been powering the ritual and suddenly found itself caught between the many portals. A safety feature designed by Darkar, and forgotten when he reverted to the Phoenix, was that the ritual could store energy, so that disruptions wouldn't result in the ritual having to be started over. Except now, Palladium had altered it after getting the details from Bloom.
The Phoenix wavered and flapped and surged as it felt the closest thing to pain such a being could, while fragments of its body were ripped through the portals that surrounded it. The ritual Darkar had made had been reverted. It no longer collected dragonflames and dragonshades across the multiverse.
It scattered them.
Trapped, confused and no longer capable of manipulating the metamagical properties of the ritual, the Phoenix turned and curled as more and more of its essence was ripped from it and spread to countless dimensions. The ancient being shrank as it lost more and more power, before collapsing into a couple of sparks that floated through the portals. Then, the ritual done, the portals closed and nothing remained.
"So... Did we win now?" Stella weakly asked.
"Yes. It would seem the Shadow Phoenix is no more," Griffin confirmed.
"Yeah, well, I am not tempting fate by cheering again," Musa said. "I say we just get out of here before something else goes wrong".
As they all began leaving the dimension, Stella asked Faragonda: "So, does that mean I have to go home and tell everyone our religion was wrong and the people who believed in the Great Dragon were right?"
The headmistress stopped and looked at Relix. "No," she finally said. "There is no proof that Darkar or Lyonesse were right. This might just be a dimension filled with energy. Or perhaps Darkar knew this but could only express what he planned in terms that made sense to us, what with him borrowing a human mind".
"Oh. Good. That spares me a headache and a crisis of faith," Stella said relieved as they left the dimension of Relix.
...
"We are of course sorry to hear of your loss," Sky offered. With the death of Darkar, the forsaken had all ceased to be animated and all of them had collapsed into piles of sludge and bones, so the group had easily been able to meet up with the rest of the military and march to Domum. There, they had given the news to the troglodytes' leaders and they in turn had received news of what had happened to the forces on the ground.
"It's okay," Sponsus replied, though it was obvious from his shaky voice how affected he was. "I knew she died proudly fighting for what she believed was right. I... I..."
Abrupto placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and the blue troglodyte took a deep breath.
"I am proud of her," the doctor continued.
"And so am I," king Brakritt rumbled. "My daughter sacrificed herself to give us all a future".
"She did her duty, as a royal and as a commander," Quoeda said. "We will honour her memory".
"And so will we," Knut said with a respectful nod.
"We too lost many good men and women," Saladin added. "It never gets easier".
Abrupto grunted and commented: "I think we should be happy that it doesn't".
"But let us not forget that there is cause for celebration as well," Quoeda added. "The Phoenix is gone. Possibly forever".
"And even if he isn't, he's going to spend a long time pulling himself back together again," Techna commented.
"Indeed. So here, as a gift from us all, our finest mushroom wines," Quoeda said as she handed them a massive basket. "May relations between our people be bountiful and rewarding".
"That is our hope. We will do our best to convince the surface realms of the benefits of trading with you," Faragonda offered.
"By the way, I'm curious," Griffin stated. "What are you going to be doing with Shadowhaunt?"
"Would be a waste to just let it decay," Brakritt said. "We plan on making a new city there. It will be a central part of our expansion into the depths, now that the abominable ones are no more".
"That sounds like a splendid idea," the witch headmistress said approvingly.
"So, what will you be doing now?" Faragonda asked, turning her attention to Sponsus.
"Well, in a short while, I'll be busy raising mine and Amentia's kids," the blue troglodyte replied.
"You had kids?" Brandon asked.
"Well, they're eggs right now. But soon enough, they will hatch," Sponsus explained. "I couldn't be more proud to father her children".
"Very well. Anyway, we will be leaving now. We have a bit of a journey," Saladin said. The two groups said farewell to each other with various gestures as they separated. It was a disorganised, but very meaningful goodbye.
As they left, Griffin eyed Stormy, Darcy and Icy, who were quietly following the group, escorted by armed guards.
"You're concerned?" Faragonda asked her.
"I just hope they get another chance," Griffin sighed. "They had barely spent two months in rehabilitation before Darkar ruined it".
"Well, they did do the right thing, even if only in the end," Faragonda commented. "I will do my best to impress upon the court that they should seek to reform these three".
"Then let us hope people will see it that way," Guinevere replied.
...
Months later, the graduation party was in full swing at Alfea. People were dancing, food was eaten and games were played as both students and staff let loose.
"So, here's to another year of excitement and adventure," Techna said, before pouring her drink into her mouth.
"No, thank you," Musa said. "I'll take a boring and normal school year, thank you very much".
"Well, we wanted one after last year. Didn't quite pan out," Bloom commented.
"But with the witches in jail awaiting court and the Shadow Phoenix scattered across reality, what could go wrong?" Stella asked.
"I don't know. We've yet to have a dragon attack the school," Musa flatly commented.
"Truth be told, I think a dragon attack would come off as rather harmless compared to previous events," Flora said.
"I think I've had enough adventure for a lifetime," Aisha groaned. "With that and exams, I feel like I've been stretched to my limit".
"So, do you still plan on staying at Alfea?" Stella asked.
"Sure. It's been a valuable experience," the royal brunette replied. "I just don't need primordial madmen on top of all my homework".
"And I'm starting to feel like Harry Potter. A new adventure every school year," Bloom sighed. "Except Harry Potter never had to go to a therapist".
"I'll take your word for it," Musa commented.
"Hey, Flora. Flora," Mirta called as she ran over to the table. "Helia has offered to draw another picture of us".
"Oh, that does seem to be his favourite subject these days," the brunette commented. "Very well then. His art is good, so I am willing to indulge him".
"That and you get an excuse to cuddle with Pumpkin here for a couple of minutes," Techna said with a grin.
Mirta's face became the colour of a tomato as Flora said: "Well, I might as well admit that I do indeed enjoy that. I will be back later".
"They're adorable," Techna chuckled as the two girls walked off.
"So, enjoying yourselves, girls?" Faragonda asked as she went over to them.
The girls confirmed that they did indeed enjoy the festivities.
"So, any plans for your summer?" the headmistress asked Bloom.
"Well, I've scheduled a couple of weeks at Sunny Soul. I think that will help," Bloom said. "After that... Well, I can't go home, so I haven't really thought that far. Maybe I'll just stay on Harmony".
"Harmony is a good place to take a vacation. I myself plan on going there," Faragonda continued. "Bloom, would you like to join me there? You're still my ward and I'd feel bad if you had to spend yet another summer in a clinic".
"Really? I'd love to," Bloom said. "Thank you, Miss Faragonda".
"Please, Emanuela is fine now that school's done," the elderly woman said. "Now, you'll have to excuse me. Wizgiz brought some of his home-made drinks and that is always a treat".
"Ehm, hey," came a voice and the girls looked up to see Sky approaching them, followed by the other Red Fountain guys. "So, having fun?"
"Yeah, we are. How are things at Red Fountain?" Stella asked.
"Well, after last year and this year, it's starting to feel a bit empty," Timmy commented. "There are a lot of people I knew that aren't there anymore. Not all of them dead though. Some just couldn't handle the job after what they'd experienced".
"Speaking of that, what about Helia?" Musa asked. "I hear he was only temporarily enrolled".
"Yeah. Saladin didn't like it, but he won't force Helia into it. Just do everything he can to convince him," Brandon explained.
"Anyway, ehm, see, I came over here, because, ehm, like, I thought I should..." Sky mumbled, before Brandon kicked his prince's leg. "I wanted to ask you out on a date, Bloom".
Bloom pondered it for a moment, before asking: "Do you know how to deal with the press?"
"I'll put my loyal hounds Lady and Brandon on guard duty," the blond responded, earning him another kick from his team captain.
"Then yeah, let's go on a date sometime," Bloom agreed.
On the other side of the table, Musa heard some coughing and looked up to see Riven standing beside her. "So... Nice weather tonight," he commented.
"Yep. Good for being outdoors," she agreed. "How's the arm?"
"Didn't take long to fix it," Riven answered as he lifted his arm up while flexing his regrown hand. "Between my natural magic, my healing knack and the expertise of the Red Fountain doctors, I had this thing back after a month or so".
"That's great," Musa said.
"Yeah. So is the food," Riven commented. Awkward silence followed.
The black-haired musician sighed and said: "Dragon's flaming breath... Yes, I wouldn't mind going on a date".
"Wha... Okay, first of all, how do you know that's what I'm asking?" Riven spluttered.
"Because that's the only possibly explanation for why you would have trouble speaking, seeing as you're completely deprived of common courtesy, consideration and some degrees of basic empathy," Musa replied.
"And that's why you're our Jerkface," Techna chimed in.
"I'm starting to consider getting my public image fixed," Riven flatly commented. "Secondly, no fair. I spent hours working up my nerve and you just take the moment away from me".
"And?" Musa asked with a cheeky smile.
Riven froze for a moment, before admitting: "Okay, you're good. Looking forward to that date".
Over at another table, Knut and Cordatorta were arm-wrestling, students and staff standing in circles around them as the two sweaty men gritted their teeth, neither giving any ground. Then Belisma walked over to the table and asked: "Knut? Do you have a moment?"
"I... Have a... Yes. Yes I have a moment," Knut said, his attention suddenly completely on her.
"I'm going to be helping Griselda with something, so could you get us a couple of drinks when you've got the time?" the elf asked.
"Drinks? Sure. I'll get drinks," Knut confirmed. As Belisma left the circle, Knut hurried up from the table while saying: "Drinks. Gotta get some drinks. I wonder what kind she'll like?" Halfway to the drinks table, he froze, turned and stared at Cordatorta, who just looked at him with an unreadable expression. After a moment of awkward silence, the ogre asked: "Why are we holding hands?"
"Well, it all started when we were arm wrestling," Cordatorta said as the ogre finally let his hand go. "And then your brain short-circuited and you dragged me off toward the drink table. Understandably, though. She's a nice woman".
"Oh. Do over?" Knut asked.
"Give me five minutes and a drink, then we'll meet at the table of battle," the dragonmaster replied with a smile as he rubbed his wrist.
Back at the table, Sky turned to Stella and said: "I notice Avalon isn't here today".
"Yeah. Turns out disappearing for months leaves a paladin with a lot of paperwork to do," the blonde replied. "Poor guy was exhausted".
"Hey, on that note, what did the paladins do with Relix?" Techna asked.
"As far as I heard, they reused Lyonesse's formula to seal it again," Brandon said. "They thought that having that much magic freely available was too dangerous. But they are looking into possibly using the place for manufacturing artefacts. I hear they are bringing the Roccalucian order in for a discussion before they bring it before the realms. It's going to be the stuff of political debates for decades".
"If they resealed it with the same formula, won't a new dragonflame be necessary to open it?" Bloom asked.
"Yeah. So be prepared to get involved in that once you sit on the throne," Riven commented.
"Oh god no, not more politics," the redhead groaned, burying her head in her arms.
"So, where are the pixies?" Sky asked as he looked around.
"They went home to celebrate in Pixie Village. Plus, a new guardian pixie has to be chosen," Aisha said. "Though they did talk about possibly returning next year. I gather they became fond of this place.
"Hey, Helia just suggested a group photo," Mirta said as she ran over to them. "He and Flora are already setting it up".
"What an excellent idea," Timmy said as he and the others got up from the table.
The group walked over in front of the fountain, where Helia had set up the camera. "Alright, group together," he instructed them. "Perfect". He initiated the timer and ran over to the group as they posed.
There was a flash and one good memory among a thousand others was captured on the photo.
And the graduation party continued into the night.
Author's note:
And another part of this saga comes to a close. Thanks to all of you for reading, favouriting and commenting. And don't worry, we read all of your comments. It helps motivate us.
And this time, special thanks to Rhanar, Warlord1 and Fluttersniper13 for being betas. We couldn't have done this nearly as well without you guys.
Like last, we'll take a short break and do a little Q&A. So post your questions and keep an eye on my YouTube channel(Link is in my profile). In a week, we should get around to answering them.
Have fun.
Best regards
ArachCobra and Givenea