Hello, hello! Did you miss me? It's time for another chapter, involving awkward moments involving a boy, a girl and love potion. As you can probably tell, I'm very excited in writing this chapter. I will try to make it different from Dr. ForgottenFables, but there will be some similarities. You've been warned. Well, sit back and enjoy.
Chapter 8: Spirit of the Lake
"So, basically, it's Spring Break," Danny said as he and Louise watched some of the students riding carriages, carrying trunks full of their stuff.
"Spring Break?" Louise asked, looking at her Familiar.
"You know, Spring Break," Danny said. "It's Spring, and the school is taking a week-long break. Spring Break."
Louise just nodded as she watched her fellow students board carriages to take them home. It was like Danny said, the school was taking a week-long break to celebrate Spring. She decided to stay at school, like most of the students who live far away.
"Hm? Hey, it's Kirche and Tabitha," Danny said. Louise looked and saw two of her classmates walking towards them, carrying their luggage.
"My, are you staying here, Louise?" Kirche asked, crossing her arms under her chest, making it bigger, causing Louise to growl jealously.
"It's not your business, but yes," Louise said, looking away. "My family will be busy, so I'll be staying here."
"What about you?" Danny asked as he kept Flame at bay. "I thought you lived faraway, Kirche."
"I do," Kirche said. "But I'm gonna stay with Tabitha at her home."
Tabitha gave a silent nod, a book tucked in her arms.
"Well, have fun then," Danny said. He was going to miss talking to Illococcoo, but she wanted to spend more time with her big sister. "It'd be nice not to be chased for once."
"Aw, it's okay to admit that you'll miss me," Kirche said as she suddenly enveloped Danny in a hug, pulling his head on her chest, causing Louise to fume. "It's gonna be so lonely with only Louise as your companion. If you want, you can join us."
"No thanks," Danny said as he freed himself from her grasp. "Someone needs to keep an eye on her."
"True," Kirche said as Louise growled and pinched Danny's back, causing him to wince. "Well, until we meet again, Danny."
"See you," Tabitha said quietly. The two then boarded their carriage and Danny watched them move away.
"Well, if you need me, I'll be with Professor Colbert," Danny said to Louise. "We're almost done with our little project."
"Whatever," Louise said with a frown, still miffed at Kirche.
"You wanna come?" Danny asked.
"No thanks," Louise said before walking away in a huff. Danny watched her go with a sweatdrop before going to Professor Colbert's lab.
"Girls, such a mystery," he said to himself as he walked to Professor Colbert's lab, happy to not have a herd of Familiars behind him.
"Greetings, my dear friend!" a voice in front of him. He looked and saw that it was Guiche, holding a rose.
"Hey," Danny greeted as he stopped in front of the blond. "I thought you'd be going home for the week."
"No, I decided to stay here as to not bother my family," Guiche said, flicking his hair. "That, and I didn't want to leave the flowers all alone."
"Um, Guiche," Danny said.
"As a man who appreciates the finer things in life, I cannot leave one flower unattended," Guiche said.
"Guiche, stop talking…"
"All flowers must be shown love and compassion, and it is my job to give them love and compassion!" Guiche exclaimed.
"Dude, look behind you."
Guiche did and froze when he saw the glaring face of Montmorency looking at him. He immediately turned to Danny for rescue, only to find him gone.
"I'm not gonna get involved in their lovers' quarrels," Danny thought as he sneaked away from them, using his invisibility. He kept being invisible until he reached Colbert's lab, a wooden house with a metal chimney.
Seeing that it was clear, he turned visible and knocked on the door. A second later, it opened, revealing Colbert.
"Ah, Danny, it's good to see you," he said with a smile.
"Good to see you too, Professor," Danny said with a grin. "How's the project doing?"
"It is going surprisingly well!" Colbert said with an excited gleam in his eyes as he exited the lab and went to another house, which Danny calls the garage. "I didn't know such a vehicle could exist! The mechanics are so complex, yet simple once you understand!"
Danny grinned as Colbert talked about their project, eyes shining like a kid in a candy store. This was why he liked Professor Colbert, he was the only mage who thought of the possibility of living life well without relying on magic. From what he witnessed, most Nobles would scoff at the idea of improving life without magic.
"So, how far along are you now?" Danny asked as he put his naginata on the wall.
"I've just finished replicating that fascinating material you gave me," Colbert said. "That rue-ber band you gave me was so fascinating."
"It's actually called a rubber band," Danny corrected.
"Really?" Colbert asked. "Well anyway, I discovered that the rubber's components are similar to a special tree sap found in a forest nearby. If I can just figure out how to turn that sap into rubber, then we'll be able to proceed to the next stage."
"Alright," Danny said with a grin. "I've been looking for a blacksmith to make the parts we need."
"I still can't believe you can use metal like that," Colbert said.
"So, where are the trees?" Danny asked, ready to work.
An hour or two later, Danny was in the forest, carving holes in trees to get their sap. He saw this once from on the internet when he was curious where maple syrup came from, so it was easy to do. The hard part was waiting for the bucket to fill. Who knew sap was so slow?
Seeing that it might take the buckets hours to fill, he decided to go get some lunch. Poking holes in trees to get sap was surprisingly hungry work. Since the dining hall would be empty, and it would feel kinda sad to eat alone in a big place, he decided to go to the kitchen.
With that in mind, he walked back to the school. He enjoyed not being chased for once. It was nice to actually enjoy a nice, serene walk. Without all the students and their familiars, he can see how big the school is.
He made it to the kitchen, which wasn't as busy since most of the students are gone, so were the staff.
"Well, welcome our Blade!" the head chef greeted jovially. "What can I do for you."
"I just came by for a bite to eat," Danny said. "I hope I'm not bothering you."
"It's no bother!" he said with a good-natured laugh. "After all, you are our Blade. Besides, with most of the students gone, we have plenty of food."
With that, Danny was offered a seat on the table as the head chef and the workers started cooking for their hero.
"So, are some of the workers on break?" Danny asked, starting some small talk.
"Yes, but most prefer to stay here," the head chef replied as he poured some stew in a bowl as a female chef took the baked bread out of the oven. "Now please enjoy, our Blade."
"Thanks," Danny said as the food was placed in front of him. It smelled delicious. "Smells great. Thanks for the food."
As he ate, he looked around the kitchen. Like the school, it also looked big due to the lack of workers. He then noticed something leaning on the wall. It looked like a worn-out, metal basin that could fit three people.
"Hey, what's that?" Danny asked, pointing at the basin.
"Oh, that's just an old basin," the head chef said. "It worn out, so I'm gonna throw it away. I already requested a new basin from the headmaster."
"Do you mind if I take it?" Danny asked with a grin. "I could use something like this."
"I don't know what you want with this worn-out thing, but if you want it, then go ahead, our Blade!"
With a grin, Danny quickly finished the meal, thanked the staff for the meal, grabbed the basin and walked out the kitchen.
With this metal basin, one of his dreams can come true.
"Alright, time to get started," he said as he placed the basin down before dashing towards the forest.
Meanwhile, Montmorency was fuming in her room. How dare he would openly admit to flirt with other girls when she was around. Even though he changed a little, Guiche was still a playboy.
"It's time for drastic measures," she said, looking at her wooden shelf full of potions. "I will make sure you won't look at another girl besides me, Guiche."
With that, she started brewing a special potion, smirking wickedly. Tonight, Guiche's eyes will only be to her.
Speaking of Guiche, the blond as slumping on the school grounds, feeling depressed. Once again, he betrothed was mad at him. He tried to talk to her, but she just kept shouting before stomping away.
Guiche suddenly saw his friend with an old basin and some wood. Curious, and wanting a distraction, he went towards him.
"What are you doing, Danny?" he asked, getting Danny's attention.
"Oh, hey," Danny said, looking at Guiche. "How was your lovers' quarrel?"
"It is nothing to worry about!" Guiche said, trying to sound nonchalant, but Danny could tell he was worried. "So, what are you doing?"
"Making my own hot tub," Danny replied as he lined the inside with wood, so he won't burn himself. He wanted to be warm, not cooked.
"A hot tub?" Guiche asked, not familiar with his words.
"Just think of it as a relaxing bath," Danny said as he built that stand for his hot tub.
"Oh, like our baths," Guiche said. "It is weird that you can build something like that."
"All it takes is some ingenuity," Danny said as he tested the stand. "So, how are you gonna patch up with Montmorency?"
"Do not worry, my friend," Guiche said in a confident tone. "My love for Montmorency will make things right!"
"Well just be careful," Danny said as he placed the basin on the stand. "Knowing girls, she might do something drastic, like make a love potion or something."
"Good one, but love potions are prohibited," Guiche said. With that, he walked away, thinking of a way to ask for his girlfriend's forgiveness.
Danny watched him go before continuing his hot tub. Good thing he built it near the fountain, now all he needed was to make a pipe to connect the fountain and hot tub.
Later…
Louise was sitting on her chair in her room, doing some magic exercises to calm herself. Kirche just knows how to rile her up. It didn't help that her Familiar seems to be comfortable talking to her.
She sighed as the glowing orb on her wand disappeared. She out the school through her window, seeing that the sky was dark. Maybe she should look for Danny and have some dinner.
Meanwhile, Danny was in heaven. He sighed happily as he sank lower in the warm water. The water was just perfect, and he had a view of the night sky. Building this hot tub was the best thing he ever did. He made a stand for the basin, which was over a fire to heat up the water, which was flowing from the pipe connected to the fountain. He lined the inside with wood so he won't burn himself. The wood was in a cross pattern, so the water can be on contact with the hot metal while his skin was safe from getting burned. He's clothes were hanging on a makeshift clothes rack that was near the hot tub so it can dry, leaving him with only a towel.
"This is the life," he moaned as he placed the wet towel on his head and closed his eyes.
"Kyaa!" he almost jumped when he heard that yell and a splash. He opened his eyes and saw Siesta on the ground, her clothes wet and an empty bucket and mop on the ground next to her.
"Siesta? Are you alright?" Danny asked as Siesta stood up.
"I'm alright," Siesta said, though she looked down at getting her uniform wet. "I should have watched where I was going."
She then looked at Danny's hot tub with curious eyes and fascinated eyes.
"What is this?" she asked, looking at Danny.
"It's called a hot tub," Danny said as he leaned on the wooden side. "It's for relaxing."
"Wow," she said with eyes full of wonder. "You made this?"
"Yup," Danny said before he looked at Siesta, who was wet. "You should change your clothes before you get sick. It's cold out here."
"I might not make it," Siesta said as she looked at her clothes. She then looked at the clothes rack and got an idea. "How about I join you in this hot tub? It looks nice and warm."
It took Danny a full minute to understand what Siesta meant. His eyes widened and he tried to stop her, but he was too late; Siesta was already half-naked, putting her wet clothes on the rack. He quickly covered his eyes and turned around.
He could feel his half-dead heart beating wildly as he heard Siesta enter the water. He heard her moan, making him turn red as inappropriate thoughts entered his head. He, like all normal boys, had done some peeping. But he changed after his mom taught him about self-control and honor, so he started to change himself.
But now, he doubt his self-control could stop him.
"This feels nice," Siesta commented, feeling her tired body rejuvenating.
"Y-y-you shouldn't go to baths with other guys, Siesta," Danny stammered, still not facing her. "It's not proper! Guys would take advantage of you."
"I'm not worried," Siesta said in a happy tone. "I trust you. So please face me."
Gulping and calming himself down, Danny reluctantly turned around and looked at Siesta. Luckily, the water was bubbling, so it was blocking the view. But Siesta was still breath taking. The steam rolling off her smooth skin, her flushed face, it was making it hard to control himself.
"This is just like a Noble's bath," she sighed. "I didn't know you can make them."
"It's simple if you have the right stuff," Danny said, slowly getting comfortable. "Where I came from, people have more fancy hot tubs. This is nothing compared to that."
"Your home sounds so fascinating," Siesta said.
Unknown to them, Louise was walking through the court, looking for Danny, so they can have dinner. She suddenly noticed a steaming basin. Squinting her eyes, she was shocked to him and Siesta, naked and sharing a bath.
She was shocked for a few seconds before she became angry. With a growl, she stomped back to the castle, grumbling under her breath.
Meanwhile, Montmorency was in her room, sitting on a chair with a table next to her. On the table was a dinner for two, with a bottle of wine. She smirked as she poured the love potion in one of the glass, meant for Guiche.
"My beloved Montmorency!" a voice said. She quickly hid the phial and looked at her date, who was holding a rose. "Thank you for giving me another chance."
"It's alright," she said as she handed him the wine. "I just overreacted."
The two clinked their glasses and were about to take a sip when they heard some stomping outside. Curious, Guiche walked towards the door and opened it, seeing an angry Louise.
"Louise? What's wrong?" Guiche asked, getting the girl's attention.
He almost dropped the glass when she glared at him. She suddenly snatched the glass of wine out of his hand and gulped it in one down before handing the glass back to him and stomping back to her room.
"What was that about?" he asked before closing the door.
Back with Danny, he and Siesta were just getting clothed. Siesta asked a lot of questions about his home, but he didn't want to freak her out, so he kept a few details. He did told her there were no Nobles, only Commoners, smart Commoners.
"Thank you for the bath, Danny," Siesta said, putting on her dry clothes. "It felt so nice."
"Don't mention it," Danny said, cracking his neck. "It's been so long since I had a nice bath."
Siesta smiled, causing him to blush. He quickly bid her goodnight, put out the flames and walked away, causing Siesta to giggle before grabbing the bucket and mop before walking away.
Danny was running so fast that he reached Louise's room. He panted as he leaned on the wall. He was never gonna get used to that smile.
"But man, she's cute," Danny said to himself. He then opened the door and saw an angry Louise. "Uh oh."
"And where have you been?" she growled, stomping towards him. "Enjoying quality time with that maid?"
"…So…you saw us," Danny said, preparing for a level 10 eruption. "Look, I can explain."
"Explain what?" Louise exclaimed as she was nose to nose with him. "That you were naked with another girl! Sharing a bath! Even though you already have me…You big jerk…"
Danny was confused when Louise's anger slowly turned to sadness. Tears appeared from her eyes, which started to glow pink.
"Um…Are you alright?" he said in a worried tone.
"You stupid jerk!" Louise cried as she pushed her face on his chest, pounding on his shoulders. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
She suddenly hugged him and cried as the doors opened, revealing a frantic Montmorency and a confused Guiche.
"Okay, what did you do?" Danny asked as Louise started snuggling.
Later…
"So…you made a love potion to make Guiche hopelessly in love with you, only for Louise to drink the potion out of anger?" Danny said, summarizing what they told him as Louise hugged his arm. He then looked at Guiche with a deadpan tone. "See, I told you this might happen."
"I thought you were joking," Guiche commented before looking at a sheepish Montmorency. "But still, you would make a love potion, just for me."
"I…well…" she said, not knowing what to say.
"If you are worried, don't be," Guiche said, grabbing her hands. "You, and only you, have my heart."
"Guiche…"
"Montmorency…"
"Hey, how about we fix my problem first and you can stare at each other's eyes later," Danny said in an annoyed tone. "How about you make an antidote?"
Montmorency blushed before she let Guiche's hands go and coughed, regaining her posture.
"Unfortunately, I can't make an antidote," she said.
"…Hahaha, good joke," Danny said. "It's not funny. Now go make antidote."
"I'm not joking," Montmorency said as she looked at the love-struck Louise. "This type of love potion is the most difficult to make. It makes the drinker be hopelessly in love to the person closest to them, and I'm missing the most important ingredient for the antidote."
"Well, order some, I thought you guys are rich!" Danny exclaimed.
"It's so rare that even the richest of Nobles can't get it," Montmorency said.
"Well, how long does it wear out?" Danny asked, starting to feel uncomfortable with Louise.
"It…doesn't," Montmorency said. "This love potion is the strongest in existence. One drop, and she'll never let you go."
"You were gonna make me drink this!?" Guiche exclaimed, realizing how close a call he had.
"It's your fault!" Montmorency defended herself, glaring at Guiche. "You and your playboy attitude!"
"You know, there's a more sane and normal way of fixing your relationship instead of trying to poison him with a love potion!" Danny exclaimed as Louise wrapped her arms around his neck. "Next time, just put a leash on him!"
"Okay, just calm down," Montmorency said. "I'll try everything I can to fix this."
"You better," Danny said, his eyes glowing green. He then picked up Louise, who smiled widely. "C'mon, Louise. Time for bed."
Danny sighed, thinking this was going to be a really long week.
Three Days Later…
Danny was almost gonna crack. Three days, three days of sleepless torment. Louise has not stopped seducing him for three days in a row. First, she tried to sleep with him in a very revealing night gown, and Danny wondered how she got that. Second, she would try to get him to bathe with her. Third, she would try to feed him, mouth to mouth.
He couldn't sleep, afraid that she might attack him, so he kept vigil. Though he had to let her cuddle next to him so she would sleep.
He was now hiding from Louise in Guiche's room, dark rings under his eyes and his skin a bit paler than usual.
"Any word?" Danny asked tiredly.
"Sadly, no," Guiche said. "Montmorency has ordered the last ingredient, but we have no word yet."
"I hope you guys can fix this soon," he said, rubbing his eyes. He wasn't tired because of the lack of sleep, it was the mental stress Louise caused. He may have changed, but he was still a hormonal teenager, and if a cute girl would seduce him, he might lose it. "I don't know how long I can hold."
"Just be patient, my friend," Guiche said. "All of this will be over soon."
"Easy for you to say," Danny said, feeling cranky. "You're not the one getting seduced."
"I'm surprised you are not replying to her advances," Guiche said. "Most people would take advantage of this situation."
"Yeah, well I'm not most people," Danny said with a scowl. "I am not going to take advantage of her like that. Not when something like that happened to me."
"You've drunk love potion before?" Guiche asked, surprised.
"More like a love spell," Danny said with a sigh. "One of my enemies struck me with a spell that made me in love with someone I was closed too. But, she didn't love me back. And the only way to break the spell was to break my heart."
"Oh…" Guiche said, not knowing what to say. He never seen Danny so depressed before. "I am sorry about that."
"It's not your fault," Danny said with a sigh. "And you see why I'm mad. I don't want Louise to go through that."
The door suddenly opened, stopping their heavy conversation. It was Montmorency, and she was not happy.
"Bad news, something happened to the lake," she said with a sigh.
"Lake?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, the Lagdorian Lake," Montmorency said. "See, the last ingredient is needed there, but there seems to be a problem."
"What do you need from the lake?" Danny asked.
"It's not the lake," Montmorency said. "It's the Spirit of the Lake that we need."
"Spirit?" Danny said.
"Yes, but something happened to the lake," Montmorency said.
"Well, if it's a spirit, then maybe I can do something," Danny said.
"You? What can you do?" Montmorency asked.
"Trust me, back home I'm an expert on Ghosts," Danny said, standing up.
"Spirits," Montmorency said.
"Same difference," Danny said as he stood up. "We're going to that lake, today. And bring your potion making kit."
Later…
Danny, Montmorency, Guiche and the love-struck Louise were on horses. Danny's left eye was twitching as Louise rode him, leaning her head on his chest, purring. It took little convincing for her to go with them, saying that they were going on a long date.
Right now, the four of them were in the middle of nowhere, the sun on top of them, showing that it was midday.
"Are we almost there?" Danny asked as Louise poked his cheeks.
"Just a few more miles," Montmorency said, sweating a bit. She would usually ride on a horse carriage, but she didn't want people to know why they were going to the lake. If her parents know what she need, she would be in big trouble. "We'll arrive there at night time."
"Maybe we should take a little break," Danny suggested. "I can't feel my butt."
The four stopped under a tree, to rest for a little. Danny had to fight off a blush as Louise sat on his lap, lovingly feeding him bread.
"Hey, Danny, I made you something," she said as she pulled out a wool…something. "I worked really hard on it."
"Wow…" Danny said as he took the wool something. "What a nice…hat."
He put the wool on his head, feeling silly, but he didn't want to hurt Louise's feelings.
"It's not a hat, it's a sweater," she said in a pout.
"Of course, silly me," he said in a deadpanned tone as he removed his jacket and shirt, and putting on the wool sweater. It was itchy and it only covered his upper chest. He heard a snort, so he looked at the two blondes, who were holding their laughter.
"So, what kind of spirit are we dealing with?" Danny asked.
"To be honest, I don't know," Montmorency said. "I have never met the spirit, but I do know that the spirit is harmless, so I don't know what's wrong."
"Well, if the spirit's peaceful, then maybe I can talk to it," Danny said, happy that he doesn't have to fight.
"Are you sure you can talk to this spirit?" Guiche said.
"Trust me, I tamed a rampaging Ghost dog, I can talk to a friendly spirit," Danny said. Guiche and Montmorency decided not to comment on the Ghost dog bit. "Besides, if that Ghost is hostile, I can handle it."
"If you say so," Montmorency said, still a little unsure. She never heard of a Commoner who dealt with Ghosts before.
"Well, enough rest," Danny said, stretching his limbs. "Let's go."
Guiche and Montmorency groaned as they stood up. Louise, however, didn't stand up, she just sat there, pouting.
"Louise, let's go," Danny said.
"I'll move, only if you carry me," she said, lifting her arms.
Danny had an expression that said 'are you kidding me?' before he picked her up, princess style. He then gently placed him on the horse and got on it.
The next few hours were spent in silence, with the occasional Louise flirting. Though annoying, it did pass the time. Soon, it was night time.
"We're almost there," Montmorency said as they climbed a hill. "Just over this hill."
Once they got up there, Montmorency and Guiche gasped. Danny looked and saw that the forest below them was flooded. The water almost reached the peak of the hill.
"So that's why the merchants were late," Montmorency said. "The lake has flooded the entire area."
"Wow, the spirit must be really angry," Danny said. He then closed his eyes and stretched his Ghost senses. He was out of practiced, so it took him a while. He finally felt it, a Ghost. "Found it."
He jumped off the horse and led them to where the Ghost was located. But as they neared it, the horses became skittish and didn't want to move any further. Soon, they had to leave the horses and tied them to the trees so they wouldn't run away.
Danny was leading the group, with Louise hanging on his arm. They finally stopped at the edge of the lake, the only area not flooded.
"So, where's the spirit?" Guiche asked as he and Montmorency stood next to Danny.
"…It's here," Danny said, looking at the ripple appearing on the water. The two blonds were shocked when a giant, transparent figure arose from the water. From the figure, the spirit looked like a woman. The two mages tensed, but Danny could feel that the spirit meant no harm, but she did feel agitated.
The figure floated towards them, and the two were surprised when she bowed in respect.
"Great One, it is an honor to meet you," she said in a musical voice.
"Wow," Guiche said, looking at a surprised Montmorency. "I know you were a gifted Water Mage, but to think the Spirit of the Lake would respect you so much."
"I don't think she's talking to me," she said.
"She's talking to me," Danny said as he stepped forward, surprising the mages. "There's no need to bow. I'm retired."
"Even so, it is an honor to meet the Phantom," she said before she noticed Ryu no Kiba on his back. "You are also Vindalf! Perhaps there is hope."
"Hope for what?" Danny asked.
"Something valuable has been stolen from me," the Lake Spirit explained. "Someone casted a strong sleeping spell on me and took my most prized possession, the Ring of Andvari."
"Ring of Andvari?" Danny repeated, looking at the two mages. From their expressions, they have no idea what it is. He then turned back to the spirit. "What does it look like?"
The figure made a transparent image of the ring; it had a silver band with some writing on it and a water-blue gem on it.
"Why would someone want it?" he asked as the image disappeared.
"It is a very powerful object," she explained. "It can resurrect the dead."
"What?" Danny said, eyes widening. "Who would attack you for that?"
"I do not know," the spirit replied. "Can you please help me, Great One."
"Of course," Danny said. "But I need a favor."
"Anything."
"My friend here accidentally drank a love potion," he said as Louise suddenly hugged him from behind. "And the one who caused it need something from this lake."
"Very well," the spirit said. "Return my ring, and I shall give what you require."
"Deal," Danny said with a nod. The spirit then fell back to the lake, not making any ripples.
"Who would attack a spirit?" Montmorency asked as she looked at the flood.
"An idiot," Danny said as he looked at the forest. "They probably didn't go too far."
"Like that'll do any good," Guiche said. "The place is huge. How are we going to find them?"
"Like this," Danny said as he focused ecto energy to his eyes. The blondes jumped when he looked at the forest with glowing, green eyes.
"What are you!?" Montmorency exclaimed as Louise sighed dreamily.
"The most amazing man ever," she said as Montmorency looked at her.
"I'm starting to regret making that potion," she muttered.
Danny ignored them as he scanned over the area. Just because he wasn't fighting Ghosts doesn't mean he wouldn't experiment with his powers. He discovered that by powering his eyes with ectoplasm, he could see what normal people couldn't.
"Wait, I'm seeing something," he said, causing the group to quiet. "I can see…two figures. Let's go."
The group walked in the forest, with the mages watching Danny stealthily walk from tree to tree. They've never seen someone moved like a cat before. A few minutes of walking, Danny stopped them. He did a shushing gesture as he peeked from his hiding place.
He saw two hooded figures walking towards them, unaware. Once they were close, Danny ambushed them, tackling the taller one to the ground. When they fell on the ground, the hood fell of, revealing someone he didn't expect.
"Kirche?"
"Danny?"
The two stared at each other, surprised. Danny looked at the other hooded figure, and sure enough, it was Tabitha a surprise expression on her emotionless face.
"My, I didn't know you missed me so much that you'd attack me," Kirche said in a seductive voice.
"No!" a voice exclaimed and Danny felt himself being pulled off of Kirche. Surprised, the busty girl watched as Louise hugged Danny tightly. "Stay away from him! He's mine!"
Kirche and Tabitha looked confused as Montmorency and Guiche stepped out of hiding.
"Guess we have some explaining to do," Danny said as Louise rubbed her cheek on his.
The two groups then explained their situation. Danny told them that someone (using his eyes to gesture at Montmorency) made a love potion and Louise accidentally drank it, making her fall hopelessly in love with him. The two girls then explained that Tabitha was ordered to stop the Spirit of the Lake because of the flood it caused.
"So, you aren't the ones who stole the ring," Danny said as he explained to them why the spirit did that.
"No," Tabitha said, shaking her head.
"Well, whoever did manage to get away." Danny said with a frown.
"Now what?" Kirche asked. She wanted to help Tabitha, but fighting a spirit would get both of them killed.
"I'll talk to her," Danny said. "She seems like a reasonable spirit."
"She?"
"Yeah, even spirits have gender."
The group then went back to the spirit. Kirche and Tabitha were at awe when they looked at the transparent figure. Danny explained to her about the situation and that the culprit got away.
"I'm really sorry," Danny said once he's done explaining. "But I promise that I will get the ring back, no matter what."
"If it is you, then I can rest assure that the ring will be returned," the spirit said. "I shall return the lake to normal."
"Thank you," Danny said. "But how about my problem?"
"Of course," the spirit said with a nod. "What do you require?"
Danny looked at Montmorency, who walked forward, trying to look confident.
"I require a Water Spirit's Tear," she said. The spirit suddenly grew silent.
"You must give me something in return," she said, turning to Danny. "I want a piece of your core, in exchange of mine."
"W-what?" Danny stammered, blushing red. "My c-c-core?"
"What's the problem? Just give her your core," Guiche said.
"You don't understand," Danny said, looking at them. He had the Ghost version of the talk with Frostbite, and know what a core means to a Ghost. "Asking for a Ghost's core is equal to asking you to strip butt naked in public!"
"Really?" Guiche said, surprised.
Danny then looked at the Water Spirit, blushing. He took a sigh, this was for Louise. So he walked towards the spirit, who shrunk to be the same size as him. The group behind him were shocked when the spirit wrapped her transparent arms around his neck and kissed him.
They watched as Danny and the spirit kissed before she let go, leaving a blushing Danny on the ground. As they separated, a light-blue, tear shaped drop of water flew out of her chest, it was the same size of a nickel.
"Thank you, Great One," she said before she disappeared back in the lake.
Danny held the tear in his hand, feeling like his core got weakened a little. He then tossed it to Montmorency, who caught it, trying to be careful with the delicate-looking tear.
Suddenly, Louise started pounding her fists on his chest, crying and shouting cheater.
"Hurry, make the potion before she starts doing some real damage," Danny said to Montmorency, who nodded and pulled the vial in her pouch, a vial full of the antidote, which was missing the tears.
"Well, since our job is done, we should go back," Kirche said as Tabitha summoned her Familiar. "I hope Louise gets better soon, though I'll admit, she's more amusing like this."
Tabitha just looked at Danny as her dragon appeared above them. She was happy to see Danny again, but was sad that she had to leave immediately.
"Thank you," Tabitha whispered before she and Kirche climbed up Illococoo. She then flew to the sky, circling a little before flying away.
"Well, let's get this night over with," Danny said as Montmorency finished the potion.
"Now all we need is to wait for it to change color," Montmorency said as she looked at the vial. "The antidote has to change from pink to light green."
"How long will that take?" Danny asked as Louise climbed on his back, like a koala.
"Twelve hours."
"…" Danny was looking at her with a deadpan expression, his left eye twitching. "Let's just go back the academy already."
With that, the group walked to the horses they tied up, noticing that the flood was slowly disappearing. When they got on their horse, Danny had to fight another eye twitch when Louise wrapped her arms under his shirt, making him feel very uncomfortable.
"Calm down, Phantom," he thought as they rode out the forest, wanting to go back to the academy as soon as possible. "By tomorrow, this will all be over, like a very, very bad dream."
Meanwhile, in a dark, dank dungeon, Fouquet was looking at the stone wall with a glare. She still couldn't believe she was captured, and it was all the Commoner's fault.
"If I ever get out of here, I'm coming for you, Danny," she said in anger.
"If you want, I can help you with that," a voice said, startling her. She looked and saw a hooded figure outside her cell.
"Who are you?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes.
"I am just a man, who has the same interest as you," the figure said as he raised his hand, which suddenly glowed, melting the bars that kept her trap, surprising her. "And I have a proposition for you, Crumbling Dirt."
"I'm listening," she said with a smirk.
"Have you heard of the Reconquista?"
And that's a wrap. I had fun writing this, especially the love-struck Louise. Also, what is this mysterious project Danny and Colbert are making? And who is this mysterious figure that liberated Fouquet? Is this somehow related to the missing ring of the Spirit of the Lake? Three questions that'll keep you guys busy.
Now, next chapter! Louise's…fiancé!? See you later! Oh, and happy Easter.