Chapter 7: The Black Circle United

"Who are you?" Sky asked, pointing his blade at the intruders.

"Name's Anagan. And this here is Gantlos," the trenchcoated man said, pointing his thumb at his companion. "We're with the Black Circle. I'd start explaining what that means, but you already seem to be acquainted with us." He paused. "What, surprised? Did you really think there were only two of us?"

"More like hoped," Musa commented.

Gantlos turned his gaze to Ogron. "You okay?"
"Yes. The wound looks a lot worse than it is," the redhead assured his companions, even as he pressed down hard on the gash with his hand. "Forget about it. These malcontents must be stopped now."
"Malcontents? Such accusations," Nabu said sadly, shaking his head.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty malcontent right now," Riven grumbled, as he got up from the ground.

"Now then, I'm going to give you one last chance to go back to your own realms," Ogron said loudly. "I doubt you'll take it, but I have little interest in escalating this conflict."
"Here's an idea. How about you surrender and leave Roxy alone?" Stella asked, while pointing her sceptre.

The redhead took a deep breath. "Very well then." With a sudden movement of his hand, he shot a beam of fire at the blonde. She yelped and leapt to the side, though not quickly enough. She stumbled, the skin on her shoulder singed from the flame.

Brandon broke into a sprint and charged the Black Circle leader. There was a sudden blur and the brunette found himself flying forward, before smashing his chin into the ground. He got up with a growl and looked around.

"Hello," Anagan said, waving his hand.

Brandon swung his massive blade, but hit only air.

"Too slow," the trenchcoated man said from behind him, before placing his fist square in the squire's kidney.

Brandon gasped and swung again and again, but Anagan moved around him in a blur, almost impossible to follow with the naked eye. Suddenly, he unleashed a barrage of punches from all sides. Brandon couldn't even lift his sword again, before three more punches had connected with his arm, forcing him to lower it. When Anagan finally paused from his assault, Brandon just collapsed as his muscles gave in.

Meanwhile, Musa and Riven stood in the way of the approaching Gantlos.

"So, ready to get your ass kicked?" Riven asked, raising his sabre.

Gantlos just glared at him.

"You're going down," Musa assured the blond.

Still no reply.

"You're no fun," Riven commented, before charging. He drew back his blade and prepared to slice his opponent's stomach open. Gantlos did not even flinch.

There was a loud clang and clink.

Riven stumbled back and stared at his sabre. It was chipped in two places and had slight cracks in it. "What?"
"Impressive," Gantlos admitted. "That's a quality sword."

"Quality? It chipped," Riven replied.

"Yes. It didn't shatter," Gantlos drawled, before stepping forward.

Musa immediately charged her own magic and bombarded the blond with sound waves. This forced Gantlos to hold his Stetson in place.

"What the fuck are you made of?" Musa asked in disbelief. "Even Dumon had to heal himself through shapeshifting."
Gantlos held out both his hands and smacked them together. There was a sound like a bomb going off, the asphalt cracked around them and both Musa and Riven were hurled through the air, as a powerful shockwave collided with them.

"Oh... So that's what... Hit me..." Riven groaned and coughed, his ears ringing.

Meanwhile, Ogron fired off more blasts of fire, which were blocked by Aisha's water barriers.

Up above, Nabu in eagle-form prepared to drop down and surprise the redhead leader of the Black Circle by attacking from behind.

His plans were interrupted as Dumon exploded out of the pile of barrels in the form of a pissed off pterodactyl. The bird magi suddenly had to fly away with a series of loud chirps, as the angry pre-historic hunter set after him.

Down below, Anagan's fist collided with Sky's face at high speed, sending the blond flying back.

"I'd watch out if I were you, Prince Charming. Wouldn't want you to get your face scuffed," Anagan taunted.

"Oh... Just you... Wait. I got you right... In my sight?" Sky paused. Anagan was gone.

"Boo," said the speedy man from right behind him, causing the blond to yelp and leap forward.

He turned around and got ready to defend himself, as Anagan charged forward.

There was a bright flash of light. Much to Sky's confusion, he had not been punched. He looked around and spotted Anagan not far from him, holding his side. Something had burned straight through his clothes and left a nasty mark on his skin.

"You're fast," Stella said, as she approached with her sceptre. "But are you faster than sunlight?"

"I don't have to be. I just have to keep up with you aim," the trenchcoated responded.

Stella began unleashing several concentrated solar beams, as Anagan darted back and forth in a blur, trying to stay ahead of the Solarian princess.

Meanwhile, Gantlos was approaching the still downed Riven and Musa. Suddenly, massive roots broke through the asphalt and wrapped around him.

"I got him! Shoot!" Flora yelled to Timmy, who immediately raised his rifle and fired.

There was an audible ping as the bullet reflected off the blond's head.

"Oh. That was disappointing," Timmy commented.

Gantlos took a deep breath and suddenly, the roots binding him exploded, sending chunks in every direction. Then he held out his hands and smashed them together again.

The shock-wave collided with Flora and Timmy, sending them flying back. The brick wall that encircled the industrial lot broke apart, showering the road behind in fragments. Cars braked and people yelled in shock at the sight of the scene.

Gantlos stepped forward out on the debris filled road. "Too many civilians," the Stetson wearing man mumbled, as he looked around. Then he clapped his hands together over his head, producing a loud bang, as if an explosion was going off. Immediately, the people who had not already cleared out made a run for it.

Two seconds later, an eagle dove by and narrowly avoided Dumon, who smashed claws first into one of the now empty cars.

The pterodactyl stared at the fleeing bird, before suddenly changing into a giant chameleon. Nabu's flight was suddenly cut short, as a sticky tongue latched onto him and dragged him back at breakneck speed. Then everything became black as the chameleon's mouth enclosed him.

Two seconds later, Dumon regretted his decision, as Nabu changed back into human form and started electrocuting him.

The dark-skinned magi was launched out of the great lizard's mouth and landed on the road, covered in a notable layer of sticky saliva. "Really? Seriously. That was not okay," he said, as he forced himself to stand up. "In fact, I'd go so far as to call that downright disgusting." Then he noted the rhino that was currently charging him. "Oh no."

Meanwhile, Aisha was also having trouble. Ogron had burned through the energy stolen from Bloom, but the princess of Tides had also almost burned through her own magic. And apparently Ogron wanted what was left, as he charged the dark-skinned magi and tried to grab hold of her. She stumbled and the redhead latched on to her, immediately starting to drain all of her magic. The princess of Tides screamed as she felt her energy being sucked out of her.

With a roar, Brandon charged and swung his great blade, forcing Ogron to let go and back off. Even then, the tip of the blade sliced through the man's dark clothing, giving him a superficial wound across the chest.

Meanwhile, Gantlos strode across the broken bits of masonry towards the fallen Flora and Timmy.

"Ghierbl," Timmy muttered, his glassed shattered, leaving small cuts and lacerations across his face. He opened his eyes, looking up with fear at the man towering over him.

Gantlos paused. Then his hand shot up, smashing into something behind him with a crunch.

"Ough! Fuck!" Techna gasped as she stumbled back, holding her mouth. She coughed and spat, fragments of obliterated teeth falling to the ground along with droplets of blood. Then Gantlos' fist collided with her stomach. All air was knocked from her lungs and the scarred girl swore it felt like all her organs trembled. She fell to the ground without a word and began gasping for air, as she held onto her chest, her heart beating irregularly.

As Gantlos approached the magenta-haired girl, Timmy jumped up with a: "YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" He held his pistol in his unbroken hand and began firing again and again.

Gantlos turned around and stared at him.

"Why isn't this working?" Timmy almost whimpered, before a solid punch from the blond sent him flying across the street and into a car.

Two seconds later, Nabu ran by with a bull at his heels. He tried jumping over the car, but the transformed Dumon was too close. Agony exploded , as one of the horns penetrated the leg, nailing him to the car. He fell to the ground with a scream, only to shut up when the giant fist of gorilla Dumon hoisted him up with a throaty: "Got you."

Meanwhile, Brandon was keeping Ogron at bay with continuous swings of his sword. He knew he had to keep it up. If the redhead got close, the weapon would become meaningless and the squire did not fancy his chances in a fist fight. He lifted his sword and prepared to swing again.

Then Anagan tackled him shoulder first from the side. The squire felt pain blossom as his right arm popped out of its socket. He stumbled, only for Ogron to heel kick him in the stomach, sending him stumbling back.

Stella could feel herself weakening. She took a deep breath and looked around. The battle was not going well. Maybe they could take out one of the Black Circle, if they were lucky. But it would be too costly. The blonde seriously wasn't sure what was worse. Being killed or having her magic ripped out of her by Ogron. She had seen how it had affected Bloom and Aisha. It did not look comfortable. She bit her lip. A desperate plan bloomed in her mind. She grabbed her sceptre and concentrated, focusing her energy on her sceptre and calling upon its dragonflame. She knew it was a risky move, but she had pulled it off once in a pinch. Maybe she could do that again.

Ogron concentrated and water gathered from the air's moisture concentrated around Brandon's skin, before forming ice, freezing the squire to the ground. He noticed a shining light and turned towards Stella. "What is she..." There was an intense, bright flash of light.

And then Stella was gone.

Ogron blinked and looked around.

Brandon and Aisha were also gone.

"Gantlos. Dumon. Report," the redhead ordered, as he and Anagan marched over to the ruined wall.

"They vanished," Gantlos stated.

"Mass teleportation, maybe," Dumon guessed, now back in his human form.

"Think they've gone back to their own world?" Anagan questioned.

"Even if they have, they will be back," Ogron commented, as he looked around. "Now where is that girl?"
"There's nobody else here," Gantlos stated. "Though I do sense a lot of people incoming."

"Sirens. The police have been called in. Not surprising really," Anagan commented.

"Then she must have gotten away in the confusion. We'll begin tracking her. For now, let us return to our temporary lodgings," Ogron commanded. He held up his hands and the black ring on all four members glowed darkly. And then they were gone.

...

In the middle of Gardenia's park, Stella lay gasping for air. She tried to get up, but all muscles in her body refused to do anything.

"Stella? Stella, can you hear me?" Brandon asked, clutching his dislocated arm.

"Uhuh," the Solarian princess mumbled.

"Fortunately, we're close to home. We should get back there and get everybody patched up," Riven said, helping Nabu stand.

"Thanks for the assist," the dark-skinned magi said. "I almost though you'd ask your captain to leave me here."

"Eh. You're not that bad I guess," the magenta-haired soldier admitted.

...

The next day, Roxy exited the Frutti Music Bar to go feed Artu. She had hidden behind a large pipe for most of the previous day's battle. But when it seemed clear who the winner would be, she had booked it. Her dad had been incredibly worried when she finally made it back, talking about the strange situation in town, where so far, people were saying one or more bombs had gone off. Though even stranger rumours were making their way out of there.

Roxy hadn't mentioned anything. There were too many questions, plus she didn't want her father to think she had lost her mind. So she had continued on as normal, all the while thinking of the implications of what she had seen.

With a clang, she closed the enclosure's door, as Artu happily began eating his food. Then he paused, looked up and growled.

Roxy paused, then turned around. She wasn't entirely surprised to see the girls from the day before. She was, however, surprised to see the state they were in.

Both Bloom and Stella were very pale, with the latter having a notable burn mark on her arm. They and Aisha had notable bags under their eyes and looked very exhausted. Flora's left side was pockmarked with bruises and wounds. Musa moved with a slight limp and a slide across the asphalt had left its mark across her right arm. Techna was missing five teeth and had a massive bruise on her face.

"Hey, Roxy," Bloom tried, obviously tired. "We almost feared they got you."
"I expected you'd be back. I was actually curious whether you or the others would find me first." Roxy gestured with her hand as she walked off. "We can talk down by the benches by the beach."

The group made their way down there and sat down.

"You have questions I take it," Musa stated.

"You bet I got some questions," Roxy replied. "Now, after what happened yesterday, I'm convinced magic is real. So there's that. No special effects budget could pull that off. But that still leaves a lot of questions. You say I'm magical?"
"Well, we're at least very certain of it," Aisha tried. "The way you interact with animals just seemed... Magical. Have you always had the ability to do so?"
"Yeah. But magical?" Roxy paused. She had always just considered herself very empathetic with animals. But looking back, knowing that magic was real, she couldn't deny that some of the things she regularly did seemed suspicious. "Okay. So maybe there is something to it. Then what?"
"Well, then to get you away from the Black Circle, we planned on taking you to Alfea," Stella said. "It's a school for fairies."
"Right. And this magical school lies where exactly?"
"On the planet Magix."
Roxy blinked. "Magics? Really? That was the best you could come up with for a planet with a magician school?"
"Well, to be precise it is in the country of Magicalis on the planet Magix," Flora stated.

"Magicalis? Alright then. Fair enough." Roxy shrugged. "It's not like we don't have stupid names for places on Earth. So you're all from there?"
"Well, we've all been trained at Alfea, yes. But we're all from different dimensions," Musa said. "Well, except Techna here. She's from Zenith, which is another place on Magix."
Roxy rubbed her temples with a frustrated expression. "Talking with you people just raises more and more questions."

"Like what?" Bloom inquired.

"Like, if you're all supposedly from different dimensions, why do you all speak English?"
Bloom raised a hand, then paused. Then she turned around and looked at the others.

"Why are you looking like that?" Techna asked.

"Well... Why are you all speaking English?" Bloom questioned confused.

"Spirits, Bloom, pay attention in class," Musa groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "We have translation spells on us. We're not actually speaking English, it just comes across like that to you two."

"You did not know that?" Flora asked surprised. "Well, that does explain why you said that roc and rock sounded the same. They are homophones in your language I take it."

"So the answer to that question is magic," Roxy replied, leaning on the table on her elbows. "Why do I get the feeling that's going to be the answer to many things?" She sighed. "Okay, next question. You want to take me to an entirely different world to keep me safe. Would that preclude me from coming back here?"
"Well, you could probably establish a phone line with your father," Bloom guessed. "But the Black Circle is too dangerous and they'll..."
"I'm sorry, I have to interrupt you, but no," Roxy firmly stated. "That is not happening. I'm not uprooting my entire life and moving to another world, just because you claim that those people are dangerous."

"But... You expected us to show up," Stella said confused. "You must at least suspect that the Black Circle are up to no good."
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I hoped you girls would show up because you got your butts kicked," Roxy said. "I figure I'd have an easier time being saved from you than the other way around. That's all there is to it. I don't trust any of you."

"How mercenary of you," Musa commented dryly.

"Hey, you people just charged into my life and flip-flopped my world upside down," Roxy shot back. "I never asked for this. So no, I am not going with you. And that's final. Who'd be crazy enough to just go ahead, jump to another world they know nothing off and sign up for a supposed magical school on a whim?"
The girls all turned to look at Bloom.

The redhead looked back, before squawking a defensive: "What?"
"Seriously?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"Hey, Stella saved me from an ogre and such," the Dominian princess argued.

"And as far as you knew, the school could have been for religious cannibals and you could have been on the menu," the earth fairy argued. "Why would you take such a risk?"
The redhead paused and stared at her feet. "I guess... Mostly because I wanted it to be true," she muttered.

"Look, that's fine, but we're going to have a hard time protecting you from the Black Circle," Musa said. "As you said, they pretty much destroyed us."
"Especially my teeth," Techna noted and licked the now bare gums where her front teeth had been. "I've gotten a couple knocked out before, but Beefy just straight up pulverised them."

"Beefy?" Stella asked.
"That guy looked like he had abs you could grind cheese on. I'd say it fits." The scared girl shrugged. "As for the other three, Speedy, Shifty and Draino."

"Draino?" Bloom asked.

"You know, like that stuff we bought for the bathroom," Techna said.

"I think we're getting off track here," Roxy groaned, massaging her temples. "Look, you can say all you want that the Black Circle are ne'er-do-wells, villains, douche bags, whatever. But you don't actually have any proof of that, do you? You can't even say that they attacked you, because I was there and... Bloom, was it? Okay, Bloom here was the one who opened fire." She paused. "Literally, actually."

The girls looked at each other.

"She has a point. From her perspective, there is no evidence," Flora agreed. "In that case, we have no option but to protect her here until we can convince her to go with us."
"I am so looking forward to getting tenderized again," Musa sarcastically groaned. "I didn't get my ribs completely pulverised this round. Gotta make sure to make up for that next time we fight."

"Okay, we understand, Roxy," Bloom said. "We'll stay around and help you out until you're ready to come with us."
"If that time will ever come," the pink-haired girl mumbled. She paused. "There is one more thing, though."
"Yes?" Aisha asked.

"These days, sometimes when I sleep, I hear a voice in my dreams," Roxy explained. "It's unclear and vague, but it's there."
Everyone stared at the eart fairy, before turning their attention to Bloom.

"Now what?" Roxy asked confused.

"Roxy... When I first began learning about my powers... I was contacted in my dreams," Bloom began. "Those dreams were attempts by my sister, Daphne, to communicate with me."

"Couldn't she just visit?"

"Well... You see, she was a ghost, so she was bound to certain locations and therefore..."
"Wait, hold the phone. Ghosts exist?" Roxy questioned. "I'm sorry, but what?"
"Why so surprised?" Musa asked.

"Because if ghosts exist, that means you can exist after death. That actually changes a lot." Roxy paused. "What, does that mean you people have found the afterlife too?"
"Not as of yet, which has led to some people dismissing the entire concept," Flora stated. "Personally, I believe that is short-sighted, as there is still much we have yet to learn."

"Jesus Christ, this is too much," Roxy mumbled, burying her face in her hands. She took a deep breath. "Alright then. So what you're essentially getting at is that I might have a relative, possibly a dead one, that is now contacting me."
"Odds are it's a relative, at least," Musa said. "Bonds of blood make such communication easier, though not necessarily stable. I'd advise you to pay close attention in the future. It might be important."

"Great. More questions to get answers for," the pink-haired girl sighed. "Right then. So here's the deal. I'll stay with Dad for now and you can come by and visit if you like or need to ask me questions. But that's it, okay. So, can I get your phone numbers?"
"Wouldn't work. You phone is not connected to the same inter-dimensional network as ours is," Techna said. "But we have set up an e-mail address."

"Plus, you can get my parents' phone-number. They have a phone that can contact us," Bloom said, writing something down on a napkin. "It's a bit of a work around, but it's the best we can do on such a short notice."
"Right," Roxy said, taking the napkin. "I'll contact you if anything happens."

As they left the pink-haired girl behind, Bloom sighed.

"Cheer up, Firetop. At least she's working with us," Techna said.

"Yeah, but only because she feels it's safer. She doesn't actually trust us." The Dominian princess sighed again. "I don't know. I guess I just expected she would be joyous to hear about her powers. That she would be happy to go to a magical school and learn to be a fairy. Instead..." She shook her head. "It was stupid. I shouldn't have expected her to share my viewpoint."
"You're right. That was stupid," Musa bluntly agreed. "Though it does explain your stumbling explanation yesterday. You really did expect her to just jump at the chance to be a fully-fledged fairy, because that's what you did."

"I know. I'm such an idiot," Bloom groaned. "And now we have to not only keep her safe from the Black Circle, but also somehow convince her to come with us. How do we do that?"

"Maybe some history books will help," Stella suggested. "I mean, like, once she learns what the Black Circle did to the White Circle, she'll see."
"Will she?" Flora questioned. "As far as she knows, those books could be forgeries, full of propaganda or just plain misinformed. That will not convince her."
"What will then?" Stella asked exasperated. "Because otherwise, we'll have to wait for the Black Circle to do something that convinces her."
"We will have to gain her trust first," Flora stated. "Right now, we are an unknown to her. An untrustworthy unknown. She is not going to take our word for anything."
"Dunno. Seemed pretty convinced by our explanations," Techna added.

"She remained sceptical through the whole thing. She's probably keeping it all in mind, but prepared to accept that it could all be a lie concocted by us," Aisha said. "So to say that she is convinced would be a mistake."
"I just feel like I was super naïve back in the day," Bloom said. "I had no questions like these. I dunno. I guess it all just made sense to me."
"It's okay, Bloom," Stella reassured her. "You followed your heart and that turned out to be a good thing. Now, let's go home and get some snacks. I think we've earned it."

...

Once back in the apartment, Bloom grabbed her phone, pressed a sequence of numbers and put it to her ear, waiting for someone to pick up on the other end.

"Hello, Bloom," came Faragonda's voice. "How are things going?"

"Hi, Emanuela. As for how things are going... Well... Ehm... Well, I've got good news and I've got bad news," the redhead started.

"Oh no," sighed Faragonda.

"On one hand, we have found the last fairy and she has agreed to work with us for now," Bloom elaborated. "But she really doesn't trust us and so we're not coming home just yet."
"And that was the bad news?" the fairy headmistress asked.

"Well... No, there's more. We also, sorta ran into the Black Circle again. Except they brought more members this time." Bloom paused. "We're all still alive, but it was close. I'm happy the boys brought first aid and knows how to patch things up. I mean, I've studied healing magic, but still..." She paused. "Also, Ogron almost managed to suck the magic out of me. It was... Horrible."
"Bloom, listen, if you and the others want to come back, it's okay," Faragonda insisted.

The redhead paused. "What are the different realms saying?"
There was a long pause. "You shouldn't expect help with this. In fact, I've received a couple of very infuriated calls." Faragonda exhaled tiredly. "I've got your family members ringing me down all day, trying to make me get you all to come back. But at this point, I can't force any of you."

Bloom bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "I am not just handing Roxy over to the Black Circle. You can tell them that if they are so eager to get us back, then they can damn well send someone to protect her."

"I suspected as much," Faragonda stated. "Very well. Try to stay safe, Bloom. We're worried over here."
"I'll try. Talk to you later." She ended the call and sighed.

"Now what?" Musa asked. "You know we will run into them again."

"We need to prepare," Flora said. "Many things that went wrong yesterday were because we had no idea what we were up against."

"So, like, figure out how to counter them?" Stella asked.

"So far, it seems to be a good idea to let the boys handle Ogron," Bloom said. "They don't have magic he can use against them and so far, he has been unarmed."

"Then there's Dumon," Aisha said. "He can shift out of most harm, much like Valtor could."

"But he is not immune to harm," Musa pointed out. "We saw how he reacted to getting shot. And Nabu said he had success electrocuting him. He can take animal forms and to some degree change them. But not enough to make himself invulnerable."

"So for him it is all a question of keeping up the attack," Flora noted.

"Then there was Anagan. I had some luck scoring a hit," Stella said. "But he's, like, super fast. I don't think the boys will have luck with him."
"Him or that musclehead they brought," Musa stated. "He was so tough Riven broke his sword on him."
"Actually, I don't think he's super strong or tough, even if he comes packing with some serious guns," Techna stated.

"What do you mean?" Bloom asked.

"Look, I've gotten punched plenty of times. So I know how it works," the scarred girl continued. "Plus, my teeth. Punches don't cause teeth to explode."
Flora paused. "No, that would be weird."
"Indeed. I think that Beefy is magically vibrating," Techna continued.

"I'm sorry, what?" Bloom flatly asked.

"Or at least generating a field of vibrations," the magenta-haired fairy continued. "Think about it. Weapons would bounce off, it would enhance his punches and would explain how he creates shockwaves."
"So what would counter that?" Musa asked.

"Well, Stella and Bloom might actually be our best bet," Flora said. "If he creates enough vibrations to disrupt light, he will blind himself. And if he nullifies vibrations enough to disperse the fire created by Bloom, he will leave himself open to attacks from the rest of us."
"Right. Heat and vibrations are linked," Stella said, rubbing her neck. "Sorry, physics were never my strong side."
"Still, just because we have some idea of what to do, doesn't mean we should underestimate them," Musa warned the others. "They are very experienced people, as we saw."
"I know. For now, let's hope we all have time to heal up before we run into them again," Bloom stated. "And on that note, I'm going to bed."