Chapter 6: Finding the Fairy

"Ugh," Stella groaned, as she tried not to dip her hair into her cereal. "Is this how mornings always are for the rest of you?"
"Pretty much," Bloom replied, pouring herself a mug of tea.

"I can't wait until I'm fully charged again," the blonde mumbled annoyed.

"You've really taken a shine to tea," Musa noted, as she inspected Bloom's steaming mug.

"Living with Emanuela will do that for you," the redhead replied.

Flora, who was buttering a piece of bread, looked away from the table for a moment. "Mirta, are you not hungry?"
"Huh, what?" the ex-witch asked, as she looked up from the massive tome. "Oh, breakfast is ready. Heh, sorry about that." She put the heavy book down and headed over to the table. "I've just been so absorbed by it. There are so many interesting things in there. Not sure how much we can use right now, but it's still interesting."

"I am happy to hear that it is an engaging read. Just be sure to take care of yourself too. It would be a shame if you had to go to work on an empty stomach." Flora paused as Mirta's stomach growled loudly, causing the redhead to blush.

"Heh, sounds like Pumpkin's stomach agrees," Techna chuckled.

"So, any special plans for today?" Aisha asked.

"No. I think we're just supposed to keep eyes and ears open while out," Musa said. "Both for the last fairy and for the Black Circle."
"You know, I was thinking," Techna began.

"I guess we should be scared now," Bloom snidely remarked.

"See, first of all, the Black Circle may be well informed, but they're definitely not omniscient," the scarred girl remarked. "Since, you know, they haven't kicked the door in yet."

"There is truth to that," Flora remarked.

"Second of all, they'd probably like to figure out where we live. So maybe we should consider setting up some defences."

"And how would you suggest we do that? Turn the living room into a minefield?" Musa sarcastically asked.

"Turning the... Wow, that's a shitty idea, Cacophony. You know what, it's really lucky that you gals have me to come up with all the good ideas, or else, you'd all be in so much fucking shit," Techna replied. "No, I was actually imagining something a tad bit more subtle. Like identification enchantments on the doors to make entry harder, maybe some invisible cameras outside, you know, stuff like that."

"Maybe I'm just totally tired, but that actually sounds like some really decent suggestions," Stella remarked.

"I agree. They are not afraid of us, after all," Aisha agreed. "Preparing for a hypothetical invasion scenario is the smart thing to do."

"Maybe there's something in the book that can help us with that," Mirta speculated.

"We should probably talk more about that once we're all home from work," Bloom said. "We won't have time for anything like that before we have to go." She paused, taking a bite of jam covered toast. "Oh, by the way, Mom called me yesterday. She wanted to ask if we'd like to go out shopping for some second-hand furniture for the apartments."
"Ugh, personally I'd like to be counted out," Stella insisted. "I've had, like, enough shopping for this week."

"You've had enough shopping? Who are you and what have you done with the real Stella?" Musa teased.

The Solarian blonde responded by poking her tongue out.

"How exactly will this work?" Aisha inquired.

"Well, both Mom and Dad are going to help us out, so we're probably going to split up into two teams, buy the best furniture we can and then try to divide it between the apartments. I'm going to go ask the boys before heading off for work," Bloom explained.

"That sounds like it would be an enjoyable excursion. I'd like to join," Aisha said.

"I too think it would be an excellent idea," Flora agreed.

"I'll pass. I'd rather just stay home and look through the book," Mirta said, gesturing to the tome with her head. "Faragonda seemed to think that we'd find something in there to help. I'd rather make sure we find out what those things are before we're too late."

"I'm also staying behind. Gotta make plans for those defences," Techna remarked.

"Well, since I'm not busy turning the apartment into a deadly obstacle course, I might as well go help you all pick out used patio furniture," Musa remarked with a shrug.

...

"I'm bored," Sky sighed, as he sat on a rug and stared out the window.

"Bored? Why would you be bored?" Brandon asked. "You have a perfectly good wall over there you can stare at as much as you want."
Sky sent back a powerful death glare.

"Well, it's not like he doesn't have a point, Brandon," Helia added diplomatically from his painting corner, where he was recreating scenery from city's park. "Currently, there is not that much to do around here."

"And we can't go disturb the girls all day every day," Nabu added. He was currently sitting on the floor, enjoying a cup of coffee and a bagel. "After all, they do deserve some time away from us occasionally."

"I know," Sky groaned, as he leaned back and allowed himself to lie on the floor. "But that doesn't make it less boring to be stuck here. If we had a job, that would at least be something."

There were a couple of knocks on the apartment door.

"Sounds like something," Brandon noted, as he walked up and opened the door. "Oh, hello there, Bloom. What's the matter?"
"Hi, Brandon," the redhead replied. "I just quickly came by to ask if any of you guys wanted to go out and shop for furniture tomorrow with my parents?"
"Sure. How about the rest of you?" Brandon asked.

"Yes. I would like that," Sky eagerly stated.

"Sounds like a most excellent idea. I'm in," Nabu said.

"I've promised Mirta that I would continue to help her study the book," Helia said. "So I'll be staying."

"Well, there you have it," the squad captain said, as he returned his attention to Bloom. "Riven and Timmy are currently out, so I'll come by with their responses once they've been back."
"Sure thing. Then I'll hurry on to work. Have fun, guys," Bloom said, as she hurried off.

"Likewise," Brandon replied and closed the door. "Well, that was indeed something. Maybe we can get a TV so Sky will stop moping."
"Hey, I think I have a reasonable reason to mope," the blond insisted.

"Speaking of our erstwhile companions, where did Riven and Timmy go?" Nabu asked.

"Dunno. Riven said he needed to check something out and headed off early. Timmy went with him, just in case," Brandon said, as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

The boys continued eating their breakfast in silence for a few more minutes.

"Ughh," Sky groaned in frustration, as he sat up again. "Why didn't we bring a deck of cards, some books, anything? I feel like I'm going nuts."
"I take it that the ceiling wasn't that much more interesting," Brandon noted. "And to answer your question, we did leave in a bit of a hurry."

"I suggest you look out the window instead," Helia offered. "Much greater opportunity for noticing something interesting."

There was another series of knocks on the door.

"Excellent. More something for Sky," Nabu declared.

Brandon chuckled and opened the door, letting Riven in. "Hey. Where's Timmy?"
"Went to work," the magenta-haired soldier said, as he took his shoes off. "Speaking of work, I've managed to nick myself a job. I'm now officially a pizza deliveryman."

"What excellent news," Nabu said. "But do you have the required knowledge of the city's layout?"

"Look, I've been patrolling this place for the last couple weeks or so. I have a pretty good idea of how everything here fits." Riven rubbed his neck. "Plus, Musa promised to help me. So there's that."
"Speaking of the girls, Bloom came by. Her parents are taken some of us furniture shopping tomorrow," Brandon said. "You interested?"
"Why not? Now that we're getting a little more money, we can probably afford to spend some," Riven noted. "We could get a sofa, a television, a haircut for Helia."
"A what?" the painter suddenly exclaimed. "You stay away from my hair."
"Come on. You've got long, girly hair. Somebody could grab that in a fight. What about a crew cut instead?"
"If any one of you come close to my hair with anything that even resembles a razor, I'll put you in the most painful arm lock you've ever experienced in your entire career," the artist threatened, waving a paintbrush around to emphasize his point.

...

"It seems kinda wobbly," Flora pointed out, as she gently pushed the table. "I do not think we should buy it. Too large risk of us spilling something."

"Alright. Then what about the one over here?" Vanessa suggested, as she moved around the thrift store. "It's a bit scratched and somebody has spilled paint on it, but it isn't wobbly."
"A couple of unsightly spots are preferable to the danger of getting scalding tea down your legs," the brunette stated.

Vanessa paused. "You know, I can understand that logic."

"Nevertheless, I would still like to inspect the rest of our options," the Limphean noble continued. "But let us keep this one in mind for now."

"She's certainly getting your mother her daily exercise," Brandon commented, as he watched the flower-seller follow the brunette around.

"Well, Flora has a good eye for practical matters. I trust her decisions on what we should buy," Bloom replied. "What about you, Sky? Any opinions on what you guys should get?"
"Not really. Just happy to be out doing something," Sky responded. "But, you know, never been to a shop like this."
"You've never been to a thrift store?" Bloom repeated surprised.

"No, Bloom, I've never been to a furniture store," the blond clarified.

"It's true," Brandon added. "You think we go buy our own furniture back home? There's Dragon knows how many people who handle those things and make sure they are placed without bothering us. When we were younger, furniture just seemed to appear randomly. Was rather confusing at times. And even after we got to Red Fountain, we never had reason to go buy any. All furniture is paid for by the institution, because they have to fit regulations. So this is a new experience for both of us."

"Huh. Never thought that shopping for furniture could be classified as an experience," the redhead commented surprised.

"I think it's becoming one for your mother," Sky noted.

"How many tables do they have in here?" Vanessa asked a bit out of breath, as she kept following Flora around.

"There are three more over there. We should check them too," the brunette insisted and headed off.

"The flower-shop doesn't really lend itself to lots of exercise. That's more Dad's department," Bloom said. She turned her head and looked out the shop's big front window. "Huh, I think that's Andy." She squinted. "Yep, that's Andy. I think he saw me too."

"Oh. Right. Your ex-boyfriend, right?" Sky asked, trying to sound casual.

"Getting jealous, are we?" Brandon asked with a provocative smirk.

"Wha-what? I don't get jealous," the blond insisted defensively.

"Really? That's not what I remember from the tree incident."

"Tree incident?" Bloom questioned, as the Eraklian prince began shushing his squire and made cutting motions across his throat.

She was distracted from making any further inquiries about the story as Andy entered the store. "Hey, Bloom. How's it going?"
"Great. Having a lot more free time lately. Though we're still settling in," Bloom said, noting out of the corner of her eyes that the two soldiers had moved away to give her and her ex some space. "So we're out getting some extra furniture."

"That's cool." Andy paused, looking out of the corner of his eye. Then he quietly asked: "Ehm, Bloom. Why is that blond guy simultaneously doing his best to look away from me and glare at me?"
"Oh. That's Sky. I think he's trying to convince everyone, himself included, that... Ehm, well..." Bloom tugged at a string of her hair. "That he, uhm, doesn't feel threatened by you."

"Oh? Oh." Andy paused. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"I guess he kinda is," the redhead admitted, blushing heavily. "Sorry, I didn't, you know, mean to make this uncomfortable."
"Hey, no, it's okay. I don't mind. It's just, you know, if I'm getting in the way or making things worse..." Andy tried.

"No, no, it's okay, you're not. Sky's just a bit of a blockhead," Bloom quickly added. "But he has a good heart. It just occasionally runs off without his brain."
"Heh, I know that feeling." The musician scratched his neck. "Anyway then, I actually wanted to say that we've been hired for another gig at the Frutti Music Bar. You guys seemed to have fun last time, so I figured I might as well mention it in case you guys didn't notice."
"Hey, I think that sounds like a great idea," Bloom replied. "I'll see if I can get some of the others to come along."
"Great. Then I won't take more of your time. Have things to go and places to be," Andy replied, still looking a bit nervous as he headed out the door.

"So, did whatever that was go well?" Brandon asked, as he came over again.

"Yeah. You know, just wanted to ask if we wanted to come over for another concert." The Dominian princess paused. "Why is Sky so fascinated with that picture?"
The squire sighed. "He's really trying not to feel jealous, I'll give him that much. Unfortunately for him, emotions don't go away just because we want them to."
"I can agree with that," Bloom mumbled.

"I give him credit for at least realising how stupid and unreasonable it is," the brunette continued. "He's doing much better than a couple of years ago."
"The tree incident I take it?"
"I cannot tell you about it. He might literally try to kill me if I did."

"Okay, we finally found a table," Vanessa said in a haggard voice, as she and Flora walked over to the group. "And now she wants to look at chairs. So one of you better take over, or I swear to God, I'll probably expire."
"You should probably consider exercising more," Flora noted. "Your breathlessness could indicate that you sit still too much in your daily life."
"And now you sound just like my husband," Vanessa groaned. "Except with longer words."

...

"Don't you see the beautiful interplay of colours? Don't you see the raw passion presented in the contrasts?" Nabu asked. "There's an energy to it. A raw, emotional energy. Its presence will surely breathe life into our humble abode."

"It looks like somebody snorted five different paint buckets and then sneezed," Riven dryly noted.

"You don't get art, do you?" Musa teasingly asked.

"Do you?" the magenta-haired soldier asked, gesturing to the abstract paintings on the thrift store's walls.

The black-haired musician paused. "Okay, I admit it. I don't get it either. But Nabu sounds enthralled."

"He's just trying to make us feel stupid by making it seem like we're missing out on a deep and inspirational art piece," Riven replied dismissively.

"Such harsh words that keep dripping from your lips," Nabu said with mock shock.

"If you're quite done turning modern art into a complete joke, there's also the rest of the store," Mike informed them.

"It certainly doesn't need any help becoming a joke," Riven snorted, as they left the wall.

"Maybe some pictures of flowers would be better, if you're not into the more abstract paintings," Aisha said.

"Look, I don't mind abstract or weird," Musa insisted. "But that thing back there looked like a five-year-old had assaulted it with a fire-hose loaded with paint. I like to see effort put into things."

"I suppose there is a point to be made there," the princess of Tides agreed.

"So, what do you guys need?" Mike asked.

"We could definitely use some chairs and tables," Nabu commented. "Sitting on the floor can get a bit tiresome."
"And Sky will most definitely want a television," Riven added. "He's not been handling the downtime well." He shrugged. "Though to be fair, the apartment isn't exactly the incarnation of excitement."
"Right." Mike paused. "Though I wonder if the others have found anything." He rubbed his chin. "Give me a moment, I'll give them a call. Rather not go from no furniture to too much furniture."
"Yeah, there should also be some room for us," Musa agreed.

"I'll go out and get some fresh air while you do that," Aisha noted. "The atmosphere in here is rather stuffy."

"That's because of all the carpets that smell like grandparents," Riven noted.

"You're just full of criticism, aren't you?" Mike noted, as he found his wife's phone number.

"Nothing new there," Musa cheekily commented and tussled the magenta-haired soldier's hair, much to his protest.

The princess of Tides took a deep breath as she stepped outside. Going shopping with the others was fun, but she had to admit that she was completely unused to the air not always being fresh and well ventilated. She stretched her arms and neck, causing a series of loud pops. Then she looked to the side and paused.

Not far from her, a girl was out walking her dog. But currently, her attention was on a pigeon sitting on a fence. "Hey, there," she said to the bird. "Don't worry. Artu doesn't bite." She held out a hand and the bird suddenly flew down and landed on her finger, as if tame. The girl cooed and petted the bird, before letting it fly off. She turned around and paused, as she noted she had an audience.

"That was impressive," Aisha said with a friendly smile.

"Thanks," the girl said, a bit more at ease.

"Do you have training with birds or...?"
"Training? No, I'm just good with animals."
"I see. That is an impressive gift," the princess of Tides continued approvingly. "Anyway, have a nice day."
"Likewise."
"What do you mean she wants to compare the tables of both shops?" Mike asked in disbelief, as Aisha hurried back in. "For one who is so practical minded, that sounds like a really impractical idea. She just wants me to find the best table they have so we can compare it with the one in the other shop? Best after what standards?"
"Mike, can I borrow that phone for a minute?" Aisha asked. "I need to talk with Flora. This might be urgently important."
"Oh. Hey, can you get Flora on the phone. There's something important going on," the firefighter said, before handing the dark-skinned princess the device.

"Flora, I need to ask. Those bird all around town... Yeah, the pigeons. Are they tame? Because they have always seemed rather skittish to me." She paused. "That's what I thought. I just saw this girl. She just held out a hand and the bird flew down. It acted like it was completely tame. Yeah, that is weird. I think she might be the last fairy."
The entire group went silent and paid all the attention they could.

"Of course I'm not certain, but she held out a hand and the animal began acting like a pet. That seemed like subtle magic to me." She paused. "She had long pinkish hair, had a dog named Artu and..."
"Roxy," Musa suddenly exclaimed. "I think that has to be her. I ran into her while making a delivery to the Frutti Music Bar."
"Then we need to get everyone moving now. If there's even a chance it's her, we need to find out," Riven insisted, as he pulled out his phone. "We should call the others and meet up."

...

A flurry of activity took place after those phone calls. First, the entire group had tried to gather, but then Mirta and Helia had revealed that they had found something that might be important. It was therefore quickly decided that the girls would go ahead and try to contact Roxy, while the boys would join up with them later.

It was for that reason that they now found themselves outside the Frutti Music Bar.

"Alright. So how do we approach this?" Bloom asked the others.

"Let us locate Roxy first and try to talk with her. We should aim to be diplomatic," Aisha said. "Furthermore, do consider that there is a risk that I've misjudged the situation. Roxy might not even be the girl I met. So be careful about promising too much."

"There she is," Musa noted, as Roxy walked out of the back of the bar with a bowl of water. "Is that the girl you saw, Aisha?"

The princess of Tides nodded. "No doubt about it."

"Well, like, that clears that up at least," Stella stated. "Let's go say hi."

Bloom took a deep breath. "Alright. Here goes nothing."

The group walked around the bar, where the pink-haired girl had just finished closing the enclosure with Artu in it again. She turned around and paused, a rather surprised look on her face. "Ehm, hello?"
"Hi. You're Roxy, right?" Bloom tried.

The pink-haired girl let her gaze wander over the group, before replying with a careful: "Yes. And?"

"Well, my friend here, Aisha, ran into you earlier today and she noted that you had some unusual skills with animals," the redhead tried.

"And you needed to be six people to tell me that because?"
"What? Oh, no, there's more to it than that," Bloom clarified. "See, we think that you may be gifted."

"What are you, some sort of talent scouts?" Roxy asked sceptically.

"Do you really think we should have, like, made Bloom do this?" Stella whispered uncertainly to Musa. "She never was good with speeches."

"No, but she does have more experience with life on Earth. They have a lot in common," Musa replied. "Maybe that will help convince her."
"I remain sceptical," the blonde noted.

"So do I, but let's see where it goes."

"No, well yes, well kinda," the redhead floundered. "See, we think it might indicate you're actually a fairy."

"A what?" Roxy flatly asked.

"Oh dear Solaris," Stella mumbled, as she buried her face in her hands.

"Shit's about to get real wacky," Techna whispered to the others.

"A fairy. Ehm, that is, you're magical. A magi," Bloom stumbled. "And, you know, there's these people after us that we'd like to protect you from. So, that's why we've returned to Earth. To find and help you."
Silence reigned for a while. Roxy had completely forgotten to close her mouth again. Her eyes darted around for a couple of moments, as she desperately searched for a camera crew.

The wind added its sound to the awkwardness and somewhere, somebody coughed loudly.

"So I'm a... Fairy. And you're... Not from Earth," Roxy slowly repeated. "Right, well, that sounds... Nice. Really nice. It's all so much take in of course. Could you give me a moment so I can get something to drink?"

"Sure," Boom said relieved.

"Thanks," Roxy said, before backing slowly off and then she suddenly began sprinting away.

"Ehm... Wouldn't it be better to go inside the bar?" Bloom slowly asked, as she observed Roxy retreating.

"For fuck's sake, Bloom, she's running away because she thinks we're crazy," Musa suddenly exclaimed. "We have to go after her and convince her."
"But we're not crazy," the Dominian princess insisted.

"Firetop, that's exactly what crazy people say all the frickin' time," Techna pointed out, as the group dashed after Roxy.

"Eugh, we should have let me handle it. My last recruitment trip to Earth went totally fine," Stella said.

"Except the part where my parents' house got halfway demolished," Bloom added.

"Well, yeah, except that part."

As they ran off, a dove watched the proceedings with keen interest, before setting off.

...

Roxy rounded a corner and ran into an empty industrial lot. She had considered calling her father once she got out of sight of the strange girls, but when she saw they were pursuing her, she knew she didn't have the time. As she sat down on a pipe, she tried to figure out what had just happened. It didn't seem like a joke, and if it was, it was a strange one. Were they trying to scam her? Or maybe they were part of some sort of cult. Heck, as far as the pink-haired girl knew, they could have been escaped patients from some asylum somewhere. She took a deep breath, stood up and reached for her cellphone so she could call her father and the police. Then she paused.

She was no longer alone in the lot.

"Are you Roxy?" asked Ogron, as he stepped forward.

"Ah, ehm, yeah. Why?" the girl asked, taking a step back.

Noting her attempt to maintain distance, Ogron stopped moving forward. He stared into her eyes, trying to get a better understanding of her. "Having problems?"

"Yes, I ran into some... Weird people." Roxy judged the distance to the lot's exit, just in case. "Nothing to worry about, I was just about to call the police. You know, just in case."
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea," Ogron noted. "Especially if you feel threatened by these, as you said, weird people. I am sure Gardenia's finest will be able to keep you safe."

"Yeah. You're right," Roxy agreed and prepared to dial.

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER, OGRON!" Bloom yelled, as she and the rest of the girls stormed into the lot.

"Oh no," Roxy mumbled.

"Those would be the people you feared, right? I suggest you call the police now," the Black Circle leader insisted.

"Roxy, wait," Bloom insisted, holding up her hands in a gesture of harmlessness. "Look, I'm sorry about before. I screwed up and gave you a completely wrong idea. But I can prove what I said."

"You're going to... Prove that you can do magic?" the pink-haired girl asked sceptically.

"Don't listen to them," Ogron continued. "They are trying to trick you. The sooner..."
Bloom immediately released a lance of flames against the redhead, who instinctively raised a hand and absorbed the flame, just as she had predicted.

The cellphone slid out of Roxy's grasp. "I... Ehm... What?"

"See. I'm a magi and so is he," Bloom insisted. "Except he's a member of the Black Circle. He's one of those people who are after you. They want to take away your powers because they think magi not controlled by them are too dangerous."
"You're simplifying a complex situation, Bloom," Ogron replied annoyed. "Yes, it is true, Roxy. I am capable of magic. I did not mean to deceive you, I was merely trying to protect you. These people are not from America. They are, in fact, not even from Earth. They are invaders from worlds beyond this one who wishes to enforce their dangerous ideologies upon the citizens of this planet."
"What? You're the ones going around ripping people's powers out," Musa snarled. "You wanna talk about dangerous magi? How about starting with yourself?"

"Over the last three years, there have been several dangerous incidents here in Gardenia, all of which these people have been involved with," Ogron continued. "They are dangerous and unpredictable and do not have your best interest in mind."
"He's, like, the one who will rip out your powers the moment he can't control you," Stella insisted. "He's the one who's only in this for himself."

"I think I'm just going to stay away from all of you for now," Roxy said, as she carefully picked up her cellphone while making sure to keep an eye on everyone. "And then I'm going to back off because I have no clue what's going on right now."

"Understandable. We can arrange for a conversation under more amicable circumstances later," Ogron said. "There are several things regarding your powers that needs to be discussed, Roxy. If you want your parents to be there, that will be fine. Now then." He turned his attention to the fairies. "I believe I made it clear you lot were to remove yourselves from Earth."
"Like we take orders from you nutjobs," Techna snorted.

"Very well then. As you have continually proven yourselves a danger to this planet and its inhabitants, and as you have failed to remove yourselves from both, I have no option but to have you neutralized." With a sudden movement of his hand, he released the flames he had absorbed.

Aisha tried to counter with a powerful wave of water, which only managed to slow the ray down a little bit, forcing the girls to scatter.

This time prepared, Musa drew her combat fans and charged at the redhead. She noticed something above her and jumped to the side in the last second, as a cow came crashing down.

A cow that then turned into Dumon. "Hello, girls. Did you really think I wasn't here?"
"I suppose that was too much to hope for," Musa muttered.

"Holy shit, this is crazy," Roxy muttered, as she hid behind a big metal pipe, unable to take her eyes off the scene.

Dumon shapeshifted into a ram and charged at Musa, who elegantly leapt over him.

As she landed, he slid around to charge her again, but was blown to the side by a combined attack from Bloom and Stella, which blasted him into one of the lot's silos, causing a significant dent.

However, having focused on getting the shapeshifter away from Musa, the redhead had missed an important detail. One that became very clear as Ogron dashed out of cover behind some metal barrels and locked his fingers around her wrist.

Instantly, an agonizing feeling filled Bloom. It felt sorta like the time the three witches had sucked out her energy, but worse. She fell to her knees, as Ogron began absorbing all the magic in her body. She could feel something deep inside her coming loose.
"HANDS OFF MY FRIEND, YOU FREAK!" Techna yelled, as she attacked with a length of pipe she had picked up. Ogron dodged one of the blows, but as the scarred girl prepared to attack again, Bloom managed to grab a hold of part of the lot's fence and pull herself closer, slightly throwing off the Black Circle leader.

With a meaty thwack the pipe collided with his wrist, forcing him to let go. His face barely revealed the pain he felt, as he jumped back to gain some distance.

"Firetop, you okay?" Techna asked.

"I feel sick," the redhead gurgled.

Meanwhile, Flora conjured several massive roots to bind Dumon, who currently had the shape of a rhino. He struggled visibly against them, before suddenly transforming into a gorilla.

"Come here and give me a hug," he growled, as he leapt through the hole in the plant-based attack.

His massive arms wrapped around the brunette and he began squeezing. The Limphean brunette gasped as she felt her lungs compress and her ribs strain.

Suddenly, a loud gunshot rang out and Flora suddenly fell from Dumon's grasp, as the giant ape stumbled into a pile of barrels.

"Hands off," Timmy warned, as he raised his rifle again, surrounded by the other guys.

"Ah. I wondered if you would show up again," Ogron commented.

"Yeah. But this won't be like last time," Sky said, as he stepped forward. "We've got a little trick up our sleeve." He held up his hand and revealed a ring on it. There was a flash and the ring was gone, now replaced with his sword and shield.

The same happened with the others, rings shimmering and replacing themselves with weapons.

Ogron raised an eyebrow. Then, as the boys charged, he lashed his hands forward, releasing the magic absorbed from Bloom in an asphalt melting wave of searing heat.

Most of the soldiers spread out, but Nabu shifted into the form of a massive eagle, grabbed Riven by the shoulders and lifted him over the flames.

He was dropped and landed with a downward slash that the Black Circle Member didn't quite avoid, the blade cutting a deep furrow across his right arm.

Ogron jumped back as Riven kept up his assault, the redhead unwilling to engage the sabre-wielding soldier in risky close combat. He prepared to fire some more of the energy stolen from Bloom, but between Riven, his magic and the other advancing people, he didn't have enough oversight to account for everything. He stepped into a weed filled hole in the lot and stumbled.

Riven jumped forward, weapon ready to end the fight.

There was a sudden sound, like a cannon going off and Riven was smacked out of the air, before landing hard on the ground.

Everyone stopped and turned.

Slowly, Gantlos lowered his hands and adjusted the black Stetson he wore.

"Hello everybody," Anagan happily said, his black trenchcoat swirling around him as he stepped forward. "Mind if we cut in?"