I'd like to take this part of the fic to thank the guy or gal who writes the TVtropes page on this fic. I and my co-writers enjoy it every time we see you update the page, it makes me smile that you're a big enough fan to take time out of your day to update it whenever you get a chance. I also love discovering new tropes I've not yet heard of, it's fun seeing every time. I know it can't be easy to find some of these at times.
So really, from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate your effort.
Also, I labeled this chap part one because I didn't want to write it all into one chapter. Expect part 2 before the end of the month.
Again, spoilers for season 2
- Skull of the Titan -
Hawk walked forth, removing her mask and looking at the giant face of the Titan with disdain.
"Titans… All almost dead…" She whispered with a huff as she entered the hollow mind of the fallen progenitor.
It always amused her that Gods are a thing on the Isles… Well, were, anyway. After the old Emperor Crisis rose to power, he and his army destroyed all of the shrines to the old gods and killed most of their followers.
Crisis believed in only one higher power, and that was the Titan. He thought, Why should others be worshiped when they lived on the bones of their creator?
Now, most of the old Gods are all gone. Leaving behind only those whose worship and power would never truly die. Such as the Spirit King, maker of every soul, the King and Queen of the Abyss, or even Samhain himself, the spirit of the same holiday.
Only a shadow of a once great force on the Boiling Isles and further.
Hawk remembered when she ascended to the throne in her world, she had made moves to restore the holy sites and their shrines, and she had great progress in beginning to restore them.
When Ri Kralj attacked, she begged for any of their help but they refused, declaring them to be too good to interfere in the pity mortal's war.
Even in their weakened states, they saw themselves above mortals. When in reality, they were the weaker of the two.
Hawk tsked at the memory, shaking her head and adjusting her gauntlets. At first glance, the gauntlets looked to be the same as the Emperor's, but in reality, they belonged to her late father from her home. They were the last things to be given to her before he saved her from the Demon King.
"The Gods abandoned me, that was their first mistake… The second was daring to insult me with no power to back them or their claims… Now, not even the ashes of their ruins remain… Serves the winged footed bastard right…" She said to herself, entering the skull of the Titan through the eye and landing on what appeared to be a long runway.
Hawk looked around.
"Hm… Back home, this was an entire floor…" She commented, stepping up to a door.
It was a scrambled mess for certain with no obvious answer or solution to it.
"Ah, the puzzle door. I remember when I saw Dad solve this the first time. I wonder why it's not already solved this time?" She asked herself, "Did my father never find him in this world?"
Hawk lifted their hand and it glowed with her golden magic and the door glowed the same hue before the pieces began to move on their own at rapid speeds before it solved itself in a matter of seconds.
She took a deep breath.
All her planning would finally pay off…
Her countless hours of research and fighting would finally come to an end at this one moment of truth.
She pushed open the doors to the room and immediately something reached out to grab her, and, in an instant, she summoned forth her sword hilt and a golden blade lit up from it. She reacted quickly, dismembering the clawed hand.
The beast screeched in pain before roaring in absolute rage at Hawk, stomping into the light.
Hawk gave an unamused look.
"A Stonesleeper? Really?" She asked, "I didn't even know you could sleep that long. Have you been alive since the Hecktaceous period?" She stroked her chin, "That's good to know…"
The Stonesleeper roared again and charged at her, opening its beak wide, aiming to take a bite out of her.
Hawk lifted her right arm and let the out-of-time beast bite down on her arm.
CLANG!
Hawk made no reaction, seeing the Stonesleeper bite further into her arm.
"Eagle is going to love you…" She tore her arm away from the Sleeper, jumping high into the air with a single launch of her feet, floating in the air for a moment.
Hawk reached over and tore away the damaged sleeve, revealing the mechanical arm hidden beneath, a painful memory of a fight not yet won. She pointed a single finger at the Stonesleeper, closing a single eye to aim as a golden dot appeared at the end of her metal index.
"And… Bang."
She "cocked" her thumb, firing the small orb of golden magic.
It shot forth at insane speeds, the light entering the eye of the Stonesleeper, utterly destroying its brain from the inside out. The Stonesleeper stumbled before it fell onto its side, unmoving, blood dripping from his nose and ears.
Hawk huffed and landed on the ground once more, dusting herself off.
"Stupid dinosaur…" She said looking at the mechanical arm with a hum, she looked at the palm, a glowing blue circle in the middle, its main power source. The arm was fine, no damage was done to it from the Sleeper. It was made of stronger material, certainly strong enough to withstand the bite force of a common Hecktaceous Era beast.
The many blue circles were littered across the arm in a sort of pattern, each glowing softly. They were spread out at every joint in her prosthetic arm which was made for her from the parts of a piece of ancient technology.
Hawk scowled at the arm and opened her palm further, an image of a grown and frightening demon appeared. He had a spear upon his back and wore Demon Land armor, with a set of imposing wings on his back and a skull for a head, and two protruding horns that grew out of his head and curled. The grown and fully realized, King of Demons, Ri Kralj… And by his side, the Sin of Wrath, Kikimora Bojovnik… AKA, The Queen of Demons and traitor to the Boiling Isles…
Both, grown into their full power and final forms… Tyrants among Tyrants, genociders of the highest caliber…
"I'm not going to let the Demons win…" She clenched her hand into a fist, sending away the image, "With him, I'll have the last laugh…"
ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR
Hawk turned to the inside of the room behind the puzzle door and watched as thousands of Stonesleeper eyes all opened, all growling and roaring at her. She could only roll her eyes and grab her cloak, unclasping it and throwing it off, making it disappear in a flash of magic.
Hawk stretched her arms and sighed as she entered the room, hands glowing with her magic and the iris of her eyes turning golden with an intense focus.
"Please, give me a challenge..."
-Owl House-
Luz sighed, rubbing her temples, a wave of confusion again giving her a headache for the fifth time in the last hour.
"Alright, let's just take a minute and start over. You guys are trying to say that I have this so-called "Sage's instinct"?" She asked, "And it's some new magic?"
Eda shook her head no.
"No, kiddo, it's more like it gives you somewhat full access to what you're capable of with your already powerful magic. It's something that any aspiring Witch or Magic-user all across the world have been trying to gain control of for centuries."
Amity nodded at that, pulling up a book and opening it.
"According to my grandma, A witch must have three things to even hope to achieve this state of being. Strong Spirit, Powerful Magic, and vast Knowledge," She explained.
Eda nodded at that.
"These are the three main fundamentals to classifying any Witch's "strength", so to speak. A good example of this is your friend, from the Plant Track." Eda began.
Luz rose an eyebrow at that, leaning back in her chair.
"Why Willow?"
Eda folded her legs over each other and held her hands together, resting them on her lap.
"Well, think of it like this. I noticed her abilities, and I can that she's got a good head on her shoulders, a broken but recovering, strong spirit but her magic is wicked powerful. I'm sure you two have seen it, right?" She asked.
The girls were silent for a moment, thinking back on about a month ago when Luz broke into Hexside the first time and helped Willow cause an overgrowth of massive proportions. The vines extended past the walls and wrapped the entirety of the school. Abyss, the main spire of their school still had those steel root vines wrapping around it whenever Willow became upset…
Luz cleared her throat.
"Yeah, we've seen what you mean."
Eda continued.
"And despite her Magic Might being astoundingly out of this realm, her overall abilities aren't in balance with another. This is where Sage's Instinct comes in. Sage's Instinct is a type of ability one gains from total enlightenment or balance with one's self. Many Witches and even Wizards work their whole lives to even scratch the surface of this ability. Cause once they do, they become one the strongest forces of nature in the Demon Realm that is a Sage," Eda said with a smile, "A step away from being a God in some cases, like Lucifer, Samhain, the Spirit King, Etc…"
Luz looked more worried than she probably should've been.
The idea of gaining a super mode outside of her usual magic sent new anxiety through her head, she already had to deal with controlling her already out-of-control magic, and now she had to learn how to harness something that enhanced her abilities tenfold.
She cleared her throat, trying to find excuses out of this reality being the truth.
"Well, hold on, if the ability is gained from years worth of training and practice, then how come I have it?" She asked, trying to reason with them.
Eda hummed, stroking her chin in thought.
"Honestly, that's a question I don't have an answer for. Normally, it's achieved by balancing oneself entirely, through their Magic, Spirit, and Knowledge, and yet, it's looking that 'ole Luz here has been achieving it through sheer will alone. I would be so jealous right now if I didn't feel even more pride!" She said with a smile, coming over and ruffling her hair a bit.
Luz sighed a bit, blushing in embarrassment at the praise, looking towards Eda again.
"And, how do you know about all this?" She asked, "From the way Amity worded it earlier, it sounds like only Amity's grandmother knew about it."
Eda sighed at the question, shaking her head.
"Like I told King before you girls got here, when I was about your age, I was training to use it but I didn't know about it at first. I had a teacher that taught me about the very things involving Sage's Instinct that I'm telling you now."
Luz's eyes lit up with stars, remembering a few details of the previous lessons she had with Eda.
"This teacher! Was it the same mentor that you told me about before!?" She asked excitedly.
"Settle down kiddo," She chuckled at Luz's excitement, "Yes it was her who taught me about it and tried to get me to achieve full control of Sage's Instinct. Ah if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be the Owl Lady you know and love today!" She said, flipping her floofy hair with a sparkle of glitter following.
Amity wasn't following the conversation at all at the moment.
"Wait, who was Eda's teacher that taught her about Sage's Instinct?" She asked.
Luz looked at her, kicking her feet a bit on the big couch.
"Eda's teacher was Baba Yaga!" She declared.
Amity's face seemed to go pale at that.
"THE Baba Yaga!? Scourge to Greg the Great, enemy to Crisis, Taker of Children, and teacher to the First Shadow!?" She asked in awe before her head snapped back to Eda, "THAT was your teacher!?" She said, disbelief coursing through her words.
Eda waved her hand dismissively.
"Please," She scoffed, "Half of those titles for the old hag aren't even true."
Luz giggled at Amity's excitement.
"You seem to know a lot about Baba, Amity."
Amity blushed brightly at that, crossing her arms and looking away.
"O- Only because Baba Yaga is like, a super strong Witch and a myth at the same time. No one can match her in terms of power except maybe your father on a good day…"
Eda nodded at that.
"Yup, that's because she has the strongest spirit, magic, and knowledge! No one else is matched! The best Sage of all time!" She said with a laugh.
Luz was then seen with a thinking face, an idea forming before she gasped, having a eureka moment.
"Eda!" She stood up from the couch, "Do you think we can meet her?!" She asked suddenly, holding Eda and shaking her in excitement.
Eda felt her eyes rolling in her head at the force of the shaking before she cast a spell that tore Luz away from her.
"I don't know, Kiddo," She said, looking off, "The old hag doesn't like having visitors often and I was an exception. Only barely."
"But Eda! She's the only person that we know of on the Isles who has experience with Sage's Instinct!" She urged, "Maybe she can even teach me how to control it, too!"
King gave her a raised brow.
"Luz, how many teachers do you have already?"
Luz pointed at him.
"That's not important!" She said, dodging the question entirely.
Eda's face scrunched up, a battle in her mind taking place…
Baba was never a gentle teacher, centuries of life have taken their toll on her compassion and affected her teaching methods… Did she want to send Luz, Princess and arguably the most important person on the Isles, into the maw of the raging beast that was Baba Yaga? Or did she forbid her, possibly endangering Luz's life with her reckless and increasingly uncontrollable magic…?
After a bit of an internal conflict, Eda made a decision.
Eda took a deep breath, before sighing, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
"I can't believe I'm about to do this…" She straightened up, "Okay, Kiddo, first things first. I want you to make me a promise."
Luz looked at Eda with a bit of confusion.
"Yeah anything for you Eda, what's up?"
"Well… Baba has been alive for a long time, she's a powerful and impatient Witch. She's loved, lost, and found so many times that it's tragic to even think about. She's taught every sage to grace the Isles, including Azura and- Calm down," Eda pointed at Luz, seeing her about to have an outburst.
Luz blushed in embarrassment and nodded, taking a deep breath and allowing Eda to continue.
"And every time, she's lost her students to tragedy… Including me… If you want her to teach you, you will need to convince her that you are worth her time and study. Got it?"
Luz really wanted to ask more about Azura and Baba but knew that there were more pressing concerns, so she gave a nod and clenched her fist in understanding.
"Alright, I got it, what was that promise?"
Eda crossed her arms and gave her a soft smile.
"Baba can and will get intense. Promise me that if you can't handle her teachings, you won't kill yourself trying, alright?"
Luz stood up from the couch, standing in front of Eda.
"On my title as soon-to-be crowned Princess of the Isles, I, Luz Gabrielle Noceda-Belos swear to withhold this promise to the best of my ability," She said in a firm and regal tone, her tone never wavering.
Eda rolled her eyes, standing up as well.
"Come on, follow me, Princess. You too Minty," She said, walking out of the house.
Amity rolled her eyes, standing.
"It's like she doesn't know my name…"
Luz giggled.
"I swear, she does, she just likes messing with you is all, and besides, Minty is a very cute nickname! Let's go!" Luz said absentmindedly, walking out and after Eda and thankfully messing the redness that Amity displayed from the compliment.
Amity slapped her flushing face, trying to cool off, lightly smiling.
"M- Maybe from you…." She whispered, catching up to them.
Eda was looking far off into the distance, Luz and Amity quickly met up with her and looked to where she was staring, seeing that Eda was looking at the head of the Titan, she pointed at it.
"Do you both see the head of the Titan from here?" She asked.
Both girls nodded, slightly confused as to where this was going.
"Yeah, we see it," Luz was first to say.
"Why are we looking at it?" Amity then asked.
"For good reason. What you two are going to do is travel there but you're going to hook left, and find the leftmost smaller horn of the Titan. There, you'll find the old hag in the hut carved within the horn itself. Tell her that I sent ya, that'll make sure she won't kick ya out. Also, just a bit of a warning, she's got a sort of… Quirkiness to her…"
King climbed up Eda's back and stood on her shoulders.
"She'll turn you into a Sandwich!" He warned.
Eda rolled her eyes.
"She only did that after you ate hers."
"If she can turn me into a cold cut, what was stopping her from just making another sandwich!?" He reasoned.
"She works in mysterious ways."
"That's bull!"
Luz giggled at King's spout, before going through everything that was said to her and realizing the tone Eda used and the specific words.
"Wait, are you not planning on coming with us?"
Eda gave a hurt smile, ruffling Luz's hair.
"No, I'm not, kiddo. My day's training with her is long done and over with, seeing her again might open up some old wounds and besides, I'm waiting for Lily to get here."
Amity turned to face Eda, a look of interest on her face.
"Lilith? What's she going to be doing here?"
Eda chuckled, stroking her chin with a smirk.
"Well, since she and I aren't exactly on opposite ends of the law anymore, we decided to get to talking again, we have tea time whenever she has downtime from Coven Head duties." She explained with a smile, "Sometimes, she'll bring the shorty with her after your pops force her to take a break."
"Do you mean Kikimora?" Luz asked.
"Yes, she and King are actually really good "friends". Ain't that right?" She asked, looking at King.
King crossed his arms and gave a huff.
"She is nothing more than a servant in my court…" He said, looking off and avoiding their eyes.
Eda chuckled at that.
"He says that, but I see the way his tail wags when she comes over…" She whispered to the girls, making them both giggle, "But hey, do tell her…" She hesitated, sighing, "Just say hi, for me, yeah?" She said with a smile.
Luz looked on worried, wondering if she should lay on her patented Princess meddling but something in her told her that ran deeper than the simple teenage drama that could be fixed with a forced sit-down.
"Are you sure you don't want to come along Eda?" She asked, still wanting to at least try to be persistent, "I'm sure that Baba would love to see you again!"
Eda let out a breath.
"Tell you what kid, go out there and come back before nightfall. If you can do that, I'll tell you how Azura's legend really ended." She said with a wink.
Luz's eyes widened and she gave a deep gasp.
"You know how it ends!?" She asked, slapping her cheeks, "I thought she spread magic to the Isles and retired or whatever!?"
Eda shook her head.
"Nnnnope!" She said with a grin, "Azura did soooo much more or tried at the very least, Hecate really was her eternal enemy…" She said, shaking her head.
Amity narrowed her eyes at that, pouting and crossing her arms.
"I beg to differ…" She whispered.
Eda snorted at that, of course, Minty would have Hecate as her favorite…
"Alright! Get going you two! Oh, and before I forget, be very careful when trekking up there! The old wench loved to set traps!" She said, waving at them as she turned back into the house.
Amity then realized something.
"Oh wait a minute, when did I say I was going?" She asked.
Luz blushed in embarrassment, rubbing her neck slightly.
"Well… I just… Assumed that you would want to come along with me, you know… It's not every day that you get to go somewhere like the Titan's Skull… It's alright if you don't wanna go though, Ames."
Amity hummed at the offer of being allowed to stay behind and just shook her head no.
"I don't think so, someone's gotta make sure you don't wind up dying to the random wildlife of the forest leading up there, after all." She said with a soft chuckle.
Luz rose a brow, tightening the strap to her sword and bracers.
"I think I can handle myself nicely, you know," She said with a smile, "We are tied after all!"
Amity shook her head no, walking ahead.
"Not at all, I'm still in the lead!" She said with a grin.
Luz ran to catch up.
"Wait- Hold on, how!?" She asked, "I saved you with my sword from getting caught by Monster Otabin!"
"And then I saved you from yourself moments later, you choked, remember?" She asked, reminding Luz how she didn't do well under high-pressure situations.
Luz counted on her fingers.
"Then that means…"
Amity couldn't help but turn back to her and give a rare grin.
"That I'm leading, 4 to 3."
Luz groaned, crossing her arms as they walked in tandem with each other.
"I'll pull ahead, just you wait Ames…"
Amity chuckled.
"We'll see…"
With that challenge set forth, the girls set out to reach the ever-strong and elusive…
Baba Yaga…
-Meanwhile, in an unrelated Forest-
It isn't often that one asked what was happening to the many captured Wild Witches across the Isles, but it was clear that news of them has been spreading as of late.
It felt like anyone who was anyone talked about how the pluck of a violin would sound across the road during an Emperor's Coven transport and then, total darkness, followed by empty prison carts.
Little to say, Lilith and by extension, the Emperor was not happy to hear this in the slightest, Raine knew this was the truth for certain but he wasn't… Angry…
It was odd to hear from her sources that he was upset but not seething mad at the news of escaped convicts…
You may be asking, "Sources? Like who?"
Well, there are many of those who would work against the Emperor. Be it for a vendetta against him, his politics, or even something as simple as "It's for the greater good" or even… For Family…
Katya sipped from a red pouch through a straw, following closely behind Raine, both in their BATs uniforms at the moment as they trekked through the forest, their destination on the horizon.
"Must you do that now, Katya?" Raine asked, glancing behind them to see her sipping on the pouch like it was a caprisun.
Katya nodded with a hum.
"Not unless you want to see me hunt living food, then yes…"
"I thought you being half-vampire meant you didn't drink blood?"
"No, I said that I didn't need to drink blood often," She corrected, "I eat mainly normal food but I still need to sip on some donated blood once every month or so, or else I'll enter a rage that no one wants to see." She explained, taking another sip of the pouch, "Mom taught me that one… Now if only I had some garlic to garnish this…"
Raine rolled their eyes, turning forward once more.
"I'll never understand how you could eat that stuff…"
"It's good but it burns at that same time," She answered simply.
Raine sighed, shaking their head.
"Let's just focus on the task ahead. Our contact has new information to share with us."
"Am I going to finally meet them, or am I staying guard again?" Katya asked.
Raine hummed at the thought, glancing at her for a moment.
Katya has long since proved herself to be the most loyal to their cause, much more so than any of their initiates and even the other captains, Derwin and Amber… She had so much to prove against the Emperor but she was very… very aggressive about it all… Katya believed in force rather than stealth and more often than not, it put their operation at risk more often than not…
Raine took a deep breath and reached into their cloak and produced a silver coin, flipping it and looking at it fly through the air before they caught it, the answer came to her. (1) Raine turned back to Katya.
"Fine, you can meet them but you will promise me one thing. They are a different person now, understand?"
Katya looked confused but nodded securely.
"Alright, yeah I got it, who is it? Someone important?"
Raine chuckled at that, turning back and moving forward.
"You could say that, but not anymore… He's just an old classmate now…"
Katya was even more curious about this, humming in thought before following after Raine.
Soon enough, the trees of the forest became more and more sparse until a few acres of land were revealed to the revolutionaries. A few large plots of farmland, all growing healthy-looking foods and other things of Boiling Isles produce. A section of the nearby river of cool water (2) was diverted into a set of pipes that hung over the farmland that spritzed water onto the plants and farmland.
Looking closer, Raine saw a plot of varying flowers, surrounded by an abomination fence to keep people and animals out, and tending to the flowers was a man, his back was to them and he was dressed in only overalls and a simple shirt and a hat to protect his head from the sun.
He was seen snipping at certain flowers, humming a song to himself as he worked.
Raine smiled, they knew that song anywhere.
"I see Quincy's song is still playing in your head…" They said.
The man paused his work, sighing a bit before pausing his snipping of the flowers.
"Yes… Her music is the best thing to happen to me, after all, Raine…" He said, standing up slowly, holding a hand-weaved flower basket. It held all the flowers they collected.
Raine took a look around the farmstead, chuckling.
"You know, for neither of you having Plant magic, you both are quite skilled farmers and gardeners…"
The man chuckled at that.
"Well, both she and I were fools to have joined Coven's when we did. She's a bard and I'm an abomination user, everything you see here has been grown by hand and hard work, as you probably know already Raine," He said with a tired sigh, reaching up and removing his hat, revealing what appeared to be amorphous abomination like hair, flowing freely on his head. It was loose, hanging at his shoulders with no restrictions, "Sometimes I do wish that I could've been a Plant Witch, then maybe I could spare our fingers from the blisters…"
Katya's eyes widened in shock, their contact… It was…
"Lord Darius Deamonne… Head Witch of the Abomination Coven…" She said in awe.
Darius chuckled at that, shaking his head as he wiped the sweat away from his head.
"Please, that hasn't been my title or job for over a decade. Just call me Darius… Farmer and occasional florist…"
Katya just… she couldn't even begin to believe what she was seeing before her eyes…
Darius was one of the strongest Abomination users in the history of the Isles, strong enough to threaten the current Coven Head's seat without ease, one of the top students in Hexside history, and a pure genius in his track…
And here he was…
A man is his talents… Farming…
"This can't be real…" She whispered.
Raine chuckled at that.
"Yes, I had that same reaction when I found my old classmate like this too…"
Darius gave a huff.
"I was the best and still am," He said, looking over at Katya, "I assume that this is the First Captain you talked so much about the last time you were here?" He asked.
Raine nodded.
"Yes, she is, she's a powerful bard, just like Quincy."
Darius smiled at that and put his hand out.
"Then it's a pleasure to have you on my farmstead, Katya…" He trailed off.
Katya took his hand.
"Tepes… Katya Alu Tepes… And, can I ask since you're no longer a Coven Witch, why's your hair still like that?" She asked, motioning to his hair.
Darius chuckled at her curiosity, running his hand through his abomination hair which surprisingly didn't become stained by the goo.
"Well, Ms. Tepes, when I was younger, I reached a high level in my studies into abomination magic and I learned that in different fields of magic, if you become one with a certain aspect of magic enough, you'll gain permanent traits relating to it. A plant Witch has flowers bloom in their hair, a bard's voice resonating across stadiums, and I, my hair permanently that of my creations and my green eyes. They were brown when I was growing up," He said with a chuckle, "Changed when I started taking school seriously… Alador was so jealous…"
"So your hair is like that forever?" She asked.
"Not forever, it settles back to normal if it gets wet enough. We can discuss this and other business further in comfort and with tea. Follow me, BATs…" He walked past them and began to lead them to the back of his farmstead, where a cabin house was situated with white smoke coming out of a chimney.
Katya glanced over at Raine.
"He's so mellow…" She whispered to them.
"For good reason… You'll see why in a minute…" They said before clearing their throat, "So, Darius, where did you say Quincy was?"
Darius stroked his goatee with a slight hum.
"She's making dinner at the moment, we can talk about this away from her in my study. She can't be involved, remember?"
Raine nodded and the group continued their walk, soon entering the cabin, which was more comparable to a small estate. I mean, what cabin did you know of that was two stories and had a basement lab as well as a study and three bedrooms?
Darius opened the door and whistled loudly.
"Quincy, we have guests, old friends! I'll be in the study talking to them!"
"Oh! Hold on! I wanted to ask you something!"
Quick and careful footsteps were heard moving across the wooden floors of the luxurious cabin and from a hallway, out stepped a witch.
They had dark skin with splotches of vitiligo across their neck and reaching up their cheeks, on their hands, and on other unseen spots on their body. They had long hair that was done up in neat dreadlocks and held back in a ponytail, their eyes were a soft purple and she wore a plain purple dress that complimented her eyes.
Although she was very gorgeous, the most striking feature about her at the moment was the large protrusion in her stomach and the pot she was holding against it.
"I need you to try this stew I'm making!" She said excitedly.
Darius took the pot from her.
"You're pregnant, don't hold things against your stomach, you could hurt the baby."
Raine and Katya's eyes widened at that information, truly not expecting to find this out…
"I see you've been busy in these few months since I've seen you last…" Raine commented.
"You could say that again…" Katya whispered.
Darius chuckled.
"Yes… I found out about this only last month… She's due in about two months… My wife is well versed in deception, she hid this from me for seven months…"
Quincy laughed, blushing in embarrassment as she grabbed the wooden spoon from the pot, stirring it.
"I was only worried about your reaction, Coco…" (4a) She whispered, using a pet name.
"So, what? Were you going to just surprise me with a child, Allegro?" (4b) He asked with a laugh.
"Maybe, the look on your face would've been golden. Say ah," Quincy instructed, collecting a bit of the stew onto her wooden spoon.
Darius playfully rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, allowing her to guide the spoon into his mouth. She took away the spoon and chewed, tasting the food she made with a hum before swallowing.
Darius gave her a kind smile.
"My love, I say this from the bottom of my heart, you still can't cook…" Darius said with a laugh.
Raine and Katya couldn't believe he just said that, to his pregnant wife and in front of guests no less. Quincy pouted and spun the spoon and chopped his head with it.
"Oh stop lying, you'd be eating this whole pot right now if it wasn't for your friends being here," She said with a huff before looking over at Katya and Raine, giving them a polite smile, "He's lying, I was the best chef in Left Hand,"
Darius laughed and summoned forth an abomination that carried the stock pot of stew.
"Whatever you want them to believe. We'll be in the study."
Quincy nodded and leaned up, giving him a peck on the lips.
"Alright, I'll bring you all up lemonade later…" She said, leaving with the abomination following right behind her.
Darius then turned to the two BATs.
"Follow me," He said firmly, leading them up the stairs.
Soon enough, they were now inside of a nicely furnished room with things very clearly made from abomination materials. Even the chairs were made from the stuff.
Darius sat at a desk and leaned back in the large chair with a relieved sigh, snapping his fingers and making the blinds close, and the room darkened before hung lanterns lit up the room. He smiled at them.
"Now, Raine Whispers… What did you want to know about the Emperor and his Coven…?"
-With Luz and Amity-
The girls have made good progress, Luz felt.
The skull of the Titan was much closer than it was before and they could see what appeared to be chimney smoke in the distance coming from a home just past the trees.
Luz hummed, sketching in her journal as she followed the path.
"We're getting closer…" Luz said softly, closing the journal.
Amity giggled at that.
"Why do you always sketch everything you find, Luz?" She asked, "Or write it down?"
Luz chuckled in embarrassment, hiding her journal in her bag for safekeeping.
"Well, it's just something that feels right, you know? And besides, Dad says that it's an old family habit of ours, we write everything we learn or draw it, my Dad can draw ten times better than me, though."
"Hmmm…I never would've expected the Emperor to be an artist, I guess it makes sense…"
Luz tilted her head in slight confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, your Dad is immortal because of his connection to the Titan, I'd assume that he'd be a master of a few things like that.." Amity said with a raised brow, "Did you not know that he was immortal?"
Luz was silent for a moment.
"Not exactly, I thought it was something else, but, what do you mean exactly that he's immortal?"
Amity drew a spell circle and summoned forth a book labeled; "The one hundred year rebellion" and opened it, reading.
"Well, what do you know about Emperor Crisis?" Amity asked.
"Not… Much… I just know that he was the Emperor before my dad and that he was a…" She cleared her throat, "Less than an ideal ruler, to say the least..."
"Well, Crisis was immortal too. His conquest connected the Isles into one country. After he unified everything, he declared it an Empire which it still is to this day. That took about ten years to accomplish, after that, it's what historians call the beginning of the Savage Ages and the Thousand Year Empire from it. Near year 921 is when your dad started the Centenarian Rebellion, your father's, which lasted nearly a hundred years." She said, looking at Luz, who was scribbling everything she was told, "In the last few years of the rebellion, the Stranger and her companion appeared and put an end to the war in one fell swoop, taking out Crisis' entire army and well… You know that part of the story already."
"So… My dad is over 100 years old and spent most of his life fighting a rebellion for his home…" She said with a hum, drawing a picture in the journal of the young version of her father, the one she remembered from the mural at Fera clan castle.
"Well, that's only the official history of the Rebellion itself. You're Dad was causing Crisis trouble well before his rebellion began."
Luz hummed in thought.
"Do you think, since Baba is that old, she'll know something about my Dad?"
The girls began to walk again.
"Like what?" Amity asked.
"Well, anything really, it feels like I barely know anything about him at times and I'm his daughter. I want to know what his family growing up was like, his Mom and Dad, brother! All that stuff! The Golden Guard too!"
Amity's eyes widened in shock.
"The Golden Guard is a part of your family?" She asked in shock.
Luz seemed to blank for a minute.
"Ah crab apples, is it not common knowledge that the Golden Guard is my Dad's nephew…?"
Amity gave her a deadpan look.
"No, not at all, Luz. How is it that you just keep revealing government secrets to me?" She asked with a chuckle.
Luz blushed in embarrassment, rubbing her neck and looking away.
"I- I guess I just trust you, is all, Ames…"
Amity couldn't help but blush profusely at the declaration of trust in her, covering her mouth. She cleared her throat and looked away as well, sending away the book on the rebellion.
"T- Thank you, Luz… Let's keep going…" She said, quickly moving forward and ahead of Luz.
Luz quickly caught up to the Mint-haired Blight.
"Oh, Ames, I wanted to ask you, how did your grandma know about Sage's Instinct?" She asked.
Amity looked at Luz as they walked.
"My grandma kept lots of books and journals on the topic, and apparently so much more than she let on when she was still alive…" She said with a hum, "I wonder why she never shared her knowledge…"
"Maybe it wasn't something she liked talking about anymore?" Luz suggested, "Maybe it was like her job, I know my Mom didn't like talking about work," She said with a hum.
"What did your mom do before becoming Empress?"
Luz hummed at the question.
"Well, she was technically a Doctor and Veterinarian, but she worked for this company called Bermuda, so we moved around a lot for her work, we were back in my hometown before we moved here. Before that, we lived in Texas, New York, California, etc. We were in Spain for a minute."
Amity rose a brow.
"I have no idea what any of those places are in the slightest, Princess."
Luz laughed at that, remembering how Amity was a witch, not human, so she had no reason to know anything about Earth. She sometimes wished there was a way for her to show her Earth, maybe one day.
"Well, they're all places in the human realm that we had to move to while I was growing up. On top of my magic going crazy without me knowing, I could never make friends since I'd be gone in a month."
Amity couldn't help but feel a tad bad about that, she knew how it was like to have almost no friends, not counting her siblings that is.
"Well, Luz, you have me, Willow, and Gus too, and hopefully, Baba Yaga too… You don't think Eda was being serious about her, was she?"
"Let's hope not… If she was, I have a pet griffon ready to be called at a moment's notice!" She declared, holding up her medallion, "Dad enchanted it so that I can call Greg from anywhere!"
Amity chuckled at that.
"Your dad sure has some tricks up his sleeves…"
Luz smiled at that with obvious pride.
"Of course he does! You don't live that long, apparently, without learning a few things!" She said, earning a laugh from Amity as the pair continued to walk further away from signs of civilization and deeper into the woods heading towards the head of the Titan.
The only sign that people were ever here before was the sign of wooden wheels on the path, making a permanent and faded reminder of times long since passed on the dirt.
Luz looked with an air of caution, hand on the pommel of her sword as she felt a sense of danger arising in her.
"Alright… Eda said that her old mentor liked to keep traps around here, so we should try and watch out-"
A yelp suddenly caught her attention and she drew her sword in the same breath but paused, seeing that it had come from Amity, who had triggered a trap and was now hanging upside down, her legs ensnared by a rope.
"For traps…"
Amity's face was very red in embarrassment, instead of the usual reason, it was more because she made herself look like a fool in front of her crush.
"This… Is so embarrassing…"
Luz smirked at the sight, covering her mouth and trying not to break down in laughter.
"I- it's…" She cleared her throat, "It's not that bad…"
Amity gave a huff and crossed her arm, still upside down.
"J- Just get me down!" She said, looking away to escape Luz's eyes.
Luz giggled and came closer and aimed her sword carefully before swiping it across the air, cutting the rope, and stowing it in less than a second before opening her arms out to catch Amity in a bridal position. She smiled at the Blight in her arms.
"Would you look at that, you're falling for me!" She punned with a slight blush and a giggle.
Amity put her hand on Luz's face, blushing brightly and climbing out of her arms.
"T- That's enough out of you!" She said with a hidden smile, and walking forward a bit but not learning her lesson, as she was caught in another trap, hidden by a pile of leaves was a spike pit, but she was quicker on the draw, casting a spell to fill the entire hole with Abomination goo.
She huffed and clenched her fist, annoyed by this greatly.
"I swear to Titan…"
Luz smiled and covered her mouth, giggling and coming over and taking Amity's hand, blushing at her own actions.
"H- Here, Fera says it's best to hold hands when you can when you and someone else are going through somewhere trap-filled so we can pull each other out of a pickle and not get ourselves separated."
Amity's face was even redder than before, clearing her throat and nodded.
"G- Good idea, Princess of the Isles, Luz Gabriela Noceda-Belos!" She sputtered out, as a nervous tendency and to remind herself that Luz was the Princess and she was probably going to be wed off to some jerk across the water and-
Ah, she's made herself sad, but Luz seemed to detect this and began to pull her even deeper into the trap-infested path.
"To adventure!" She declared with a bright smile, reaching into her bag and throwing a light glyph at a beartrap she saw. The bear traps here would always be a hair trigger away from taking a foot…
Amity could only smile at the Princess and sighed, nodding as she followed close behind.
"Alright… Let's go, Princess…"
"It's Luz, Hermosa!" She declared.
"What does that mean?"
Luz's face flushed even redder.
"H- Human word! Don't worry about it! Let's go!"
"Gah!" Amity exclaimed as Luz pulled her along down the path, either avoiding or triggering any trap that got in their path.
- Owl House-
Lilith looked carefully ahead of her, at the Owl House just across the field.
"I do not see what you're scared of, Lilith." A voice said, stepping next to her, "Hm, the Owl Lady has invited you to begin making amends. An idiotic decision, honestly, I'd skewer the sibling who tried to hunt and brand me for years." She said, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Yeah, but I'm not a Demon," Lilith said with a huff.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kikimora asked with a raised brow.
Lilith blushed in embarrassment.
"I- I did not mean it like that, Kiki…" She said, hoping that her career wasn't going to end like this.
Kikimora cracked a rare smile and chuckled, looking forward.
"I'm only yanking your wand, Lilith… Let's just focus on why else we're here."
Lilith nodded and pulled out a faded drawn image of the Portal Door, both in briefcase form and opened on it, with the initials C.W. written in the corner.
"Attempt to discreetly take the portal from my sister and if not possible, plant a tracker on the door." She said with a nod, "Edalyn, with a portal to the human realm, that just sounds outrageous, no such thing can exist."
Kikimora walked forward.
"You say that, yet, the Empress is human and so is their half-human daughter. As well as the many things your sister sells at her stand of "Human Collectibles"... Sounds like a portal to the Human realm to me."
Lilith sighed and rubbed her eyes, walking with Kikimora.
"Alright fine, but what if-"
"Titan, please Lilith, act your age and think critically. Enough with the "what if's", we have a job to do."
Lilith narrowed her eyes at that.
"You can act all you want, but you are still a child! Not an adult like me," She said, pointing at Kikimora.
"Please, I may be considered a child among my race, but I knew your mother when she was still pregnant with you and still serving in the rebellion, don't compare us again and act a bit more like her," She said with a scoff, walking forward and in range of the bird tube known as Hooty, leaving behind an angry Lilith in her wake.
"HOOT HOOT!" He shouted, "VISITORS! EDA! Your sister and the scary Demon are here!"
Instantly, the door was kicked open and King ran out, damn near tackling Kikimora to the floor with a hug.
"Kiki! Chyběl jsi mi, můj nejvěrnější bojovníku!"
Kikimora chuckled at that and returned his tight and sudden hug.
"Taky jsi mi chyběl, můj děsivý princi…"
Lilith raised a brow, wishing that she had studied Naihcone at Hexside in her younger years…
"Now, don't choke her out, King, the Emperor needs his Right Hand in working condition after all," Eda said, meeting them at the front door and smiling at Lilith, "Hiya, Lily, nice to see you showed."
Lilith smiled at her sister but frowned a bit, seeing her sister's grayed-over hair and aged appearance always made her feel bad… But she needed to move forward with the plan if she wanted to get rid of her curse as soon as possible.
"I convinced the Emperor that this was work-related, as my days off are only the weekends, after all."
Eda chuckled.
"Yeah, I'm glad he changed that dumb one day off a year rule a while back."
"I am as well, although Kiki would always prefer to work…" She said, glancing over at the demon, but she and King were too enraptured in their own conversation to notice the comment, "How odd to see her not angry over something…"
"Is she usually?" Eda asked with a raised brow.
"Usually, yes. More often than not, the recruits do something that pisses her off to the point of her… "hair" flaring up in flames," Lilith said with a chuckle, "One recruit came in with their uniform dyed Pink, of all colors, because they thought it looked nice. You can only imagine how Kiki blew up upon seeing him."
Eda snorted and burst into a laugh.
"Oh that sounds hilarious, come in, you gotta tell me more about that."
Lilith chuckled as she entered the Owl House with Eda, expecting to be greeted by the Princess but seeing that she wasn't here.
"Where's the Princess?" She asked, "You better not have her running your errands again." She said, giving Eda a look. The Emperor wasn't particularly happy to hear that his daughter was occasionally running errands for her mentor, but he didn't do anything about it yet, as it was just a few deliveries and such.
Eda shook her head.
"No, nothing like that, she's just… not here at the moment. I sent her on a mission of sorts." She said, entering the kitchen and starting to make tea whilst Lilith took a seat on the couch.
Lilith couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in slight confusion, a mission? What mission could the Princess possibly need to do? As far as she was concerned, she didn't even need to lift a finger if she didn't want to.
"What did you send her to do?" Lilith asked.
Eda hummed at the question, not sure how to answer now, she realized that she probably should've kept her mouth shut about the Princess' whereabouts but like a bandage, it'd be better to be ripped off than not.
"Well, Luz is really strong and I can't teach her everything about her abilities, soooo I sent her to go find…" Eda paused, turning on the stove and putting the pot down, "Baba Yaga…" She mumbled.
Lilith's eyes widened.
"Edalyn… I hope that was only a joke…"
Eda hummed and put some tea leaves on the counter, straight from the Hinterlands. Such a nice brand with illegal importation, Belos often didn't trust the rest of the world. This mentality seeps into the residents of the Isles for the worse or the better.
"It's not a joke, Lily, I wish it was but honestly, the Princess is too strong as she is!" She declared with a laugh, "She's also an untapped genius, did you know that?" She asked, reaching into another cabinet and pulling out a potion bottle and tossing it at Lilith, who caught it with one hand.
The bottle was cold to the touch, so cold that it felt like she was standing on top of the Titan's Knee. Suddenly, frost began to form on Lilith's hand and she quickly cast a counterspell to keep her from losing the hand.
"What is this?" She asked with narrowed eyes, inspecting it, "You know that level… Titan, this is stronger than a Level 5 potion, these are highly illegal, Edalyn."
Eda gave a smug smirk.
"I didn't make that, the Princess did." She said with obvious pride, "We were making ice potions and in the middle of my explanation, she started mixing things on her own, on course to make a level 5 potion already, and then she added a drop of her magic to the cauldron. Lilith, this is an off-the-charts potion."
Lilith's eyes widened even further and her eyes slowly moved to the potion in her hand and realized that her counterspell was being overpowered and the frost had returned, realizing that was essentially holding a self-contained blizzard that'd make the Storms of the Winterlands look enjoyable…
Opting not to lose a hand to frostbite, she tossed the potion back to Eda, who caught it with a human baseball glove.
"Do you just keep portable ice age potions in your cabinets?" Lilith asked.
Eda chuckled and carefully put the potion back in its cabinet, using her magic to seal the door.
"You should've seen when the Kid made it, the entire house was freezing for a week. Felt like camping on the Knee."
The pot on the stove suddenly began to hiss at her, she took it off and began to set up two cups of tea on a tray for them.
"And I'm sure you've felt the Princess's magic too, you're at the castle every day, after all."
"What do you mean, Eda?"
Eda came from the kitchen, holding the tray in her hands with the hot kettle and two tea cups with saucers to go with them. A plate of pastries to go along with it too.
"I mean, Lilith, her magic. From the day she arrived, to now, I'm sure you've felt it getting stronger." She said, taking and handing Lilith a saucer with the teacup.
It amazed Lilith that Eda knew any sort of tea etiquette, considering their mother taught it to them when they were much much younger.
Lilith nodded and took the cup and saucer.
"Thank you and, do you mean her control of it?" She asked.
"No, I mean how strong it actually is. She's fourteen, and as you know, a Witch her age usually hits maturity with their magic and it stays at a certain level with minimal growth as they get older and with training and practice. But the Princess is different…" She paused to take a sip of her tea, "Mm, taste like Fire, anyway, the Princess' magic keeps exponentially growing, more than what's expected."
Lilith's eyebrows scrunched and her face settled into one of concern as she brought the tea to her lips, taking a reluctant sip.
"What are you trying to say, Edalyn…?"
"At the rate that Luz's magic is growing… I think by the end of the year, she'll be stronger than the Emperor… And all that magic with not enough self-control or focus? It's a death sentence to the first person who upsets her enough, I didn't want to send her to Baba, but if I didn't, a simple heartbreak could spell doom for anyone around her."
Lilith sighed and brought the tea away from her.
"I see… Just like you when you were younger…"
Eda glanced away from Lilith, staring at the reflection of herself in the tea, it shimmered at her, showing her a reality of what could've been if she wasn't cursed with the Owl Beast, but just as fast as it appeared to her, it vanished to nothing.
"Yes… Just like me… But, that doesn't matter right now, Lily, we gotta focus on the Princess."
Lilith nodded and took another sip of tea.
"Yes, indeed, I agree. What do you propose?"
"Well, first-"
CRASH!
Suddenly, a spear crashed through the front window and struck the wanted poster of Eda. The spearhead was branded with Kikimora's coat of arms.
"SORRY!" King shouted from the outside.
Eda groaned and looked at the spear, going to grab it.
"I wouldn't do that to one of Kikimora's weapons…" Lilith warned, "They hurt anyone who she doesn't trust fully. I've only seen the Emperor hold them without issue and that's only because they've known each other for decades now."
Suddenly, King rushed in and jumped up, grabbing the spear and prying it out of the wall with one tug, lifting it over his head.
"Let's try that again, Kiki!" He shouted before rushing away with the enchanted weapon, no ill effects affecting him.
Lilith stared at him for a moment with narrowed eyes.
"How in Titan's name did he grab that spear without succumbing to the curse…? I once grazed the handle for a mere second and nearly keeled over…"
Eda chuckled and took her tea, sipping it.
"She and King have become great friends since that moment you arrested me… Says that Kiki was the one who guarded his cell."
Lilith raised a brow at that.
"Kikimora, the previous right hand of the Emperor (5), and the nigh unstoppable demon warrior was doing guard duty for… Your pet…?"
Eda took a pause, putting her cup to its saucer and scrunching her eyes in thought.
"Well, when you put it like that…"
Both sisters turned to the broken window and watched the pair of short demons interact. Kikimora was teaching King how to hold a spear while they discussed things in their native tongue. King seemed to be a natural at it, they thought, but in reality, King had prior practice. As Prince of Demons, he was expected to take hold of a weapon one day to help lead his people across any conflict.
His weapon of choice at the time was a spear, just like his father before him.
Kikimora couldn't help but feel proud that she was the one teaching him how to properly fight with a spear. Such an honor is usually only held by the General of the Demon King's army, so this would most definitely be going on her professional resumé, right next to "Slain hundreds in battle".
Eda chuckled, watching King swing the spear around at Kikimora's guidance.
"Well, maybe Kiki was just looking out for another Demon. We both know Demons don't exactly have it cut out for them on the Isles, after all…"
Lilith nodded her head, agreeing.
Even though the old Emperor and his ways were toppled in Belos' Rebellion, his mentality persisted through the generations, much to Belos' annoyance, but with every year, it diminished further and further.
Kikimora was the first to establish the fair treatment of all Demons, no matter what kind they were. Equal rights for Demons to marry, to own property, to be alive. She was often seen as more than just a warrior revolutionary, but a symbol of strength and equality, and freedom.
Abyss, she was on most of the silver coins on the Isles.
"Yes… Crisis' influence still bleeds into the minds of Witches everywhere…" Lilith commented, "But Kiki has made good work to undo a lot of it…"
Eda nodded and moved away from the window, sitting back down on the couch and pouring herself more tea.
"Anyways, like we were saying… I think I know how to keep Luz safe from herself…"
Lilith smiled, pouring herself some more tea as well.
"I'm happy to see that you care so much for her… I'm all ears, tell me your plan in full."
Eda chuckled and leaned in, reaching into her hair for something.
"It's as effective as it is fashionable…"
-With Luz and Amity-
"And that's the final pitfall!" Luz said with a bright smile, pulling Amity away from the hole in the path.
Amity sighed in relief, dusting herself off and undoing the hair tie, and shaking out her hair.
"Finally, what is up with this lady and traps?" She asked with a groan, doing up her again with a huff.
Luz couldn't help but stare at the Blight as she fixed her hair, it was such a weird thing to let herself become enamored by, Amity simply tying her hair back into place. It felt like time had slowed so that Luz could further appreciate the scene before her.
It was so…
Calming? Alluring?
She couldn't put her finger on it, but the sight was something she enjoyed seeing.
"Luz?"
Luz jumped slightly in her skin at the voice, seeing that Amity had noticed her staring.
"Is something wrong?" Amity asked, pulling her hair back further into its usual style and finishing the tie.
Luz blushed a bit and turned forward, shaking her head no.
"Nope! Nothing at all! Let's keep going!" She said, looking forward and narrowing her eyes, "I think I can see it in the distance… Baba's hut…"
"Thank Titan, let's get going before we lose our lives over these injudicious traps. I mean, how many traps does one Witch need?"
Luz and her got to walking again.
"I mean, Eda did say that Baba liked her privacy, after all, and besides, all those traps were obvious as heck!" She said with pride, "Fera's training has come in clutch these last few days!"
Amity gave her a slight look.
"No offense, Luz, but those traps were impossible to spot. I was looking the entire time, they were shrouded in magic, some were even hidden behind illusions, I don't know how you saw through all of them."
Luz tilted her head in slight confusion.
"Were they?" She asked before reaching out and pulling Amity to the left, avoiding a wire trap, "I guess I'm just that good!" She beamed.
Amity rolled her eyes with a chuckle.
"Careful, those who are prideful often burn in the sun."
Luz chuckled at that and looked forward, finally they breached the underbrush of the trees and came upon the much more impressive hut. Eda seemed to have underplayed the "carved within the horn itself" part of Baba's home.
The entirety of the horn seemed to have been cleanly cut off at the base and was now resting on the forest floor. Various windows gave light to what appeared to be various floors as well, there was even a chimney at the very tip of the hut that bellowed smoke from it.
Luz whistled.
"Oh, Titan… That horn is massive…"
Amity waved her hand.
"It's only one of the Titan's lesser horns, look," She pointed up at the sky.
"Lesser horns…?" She whispered before looking up and her eyes widened even further at the sight of the two main horns of the Titan that protruded from the skull of the Titan.
"Dear lord those are even more massive… This whole place is so wicked…" She commented, looking over at the entire structure again, "I wonder how long it took to make…?" She asked, pulling out her journal and beginning to sketch the entirety of the hut as quickly as possible, even making a small diagram to remind that this was one of the Titan's lesser horns and not one of its two main ones.
BOOM
RUMBLE
Luz looked up, confused at the distant noise she heard.
"What was that?" She asked, looking up from her journal and looking towards the Skull of the Titan, "I think it came from over there... "
Amity came over to Luz and stared up at the skull as well.
"I wouldn't worry about that, Luz, your Dad declared the skull of the Titan hollowed ground. Only he and, I guess, you and your Mom can go up there… Maybe, he usually petrifies anyone who tries…"
Luz pouted and closed her journal, putting it away.
"What? For being curious?" She asked, "What do you think is happening up there anyways?"
Amity shook her head.
"Nothing good if it's shaking the ground…"
- Skull of the titan, moments earlier -
Hawk stood among a couple of dozens of corpses of Stonesleepers, no damage has yet been made upon her in the slightest. She sat down on a headless body and made appear a cigarette and snapped her fingers, making a small fire appear on her thumb.
"These damn things just keep coming… Feels like I'm back home…" She said to herself, lighting the cigarette and bringing it to her lips and taking a long drag, and breathing out the smoke with a sigh, "The only good thing to come from the Demon Lands… Shetosa tobacco, smoothest drag you'll ever take…" She whispered, taking another puff of the cigarette.
"Grrrr…"
"Hm?" Hawk looked to the side, "Oh that's new."
Before her was another out-of-era beast, much bigger than a Stonesleeper and much much more intimidating than a Sleeper as well.
"A Ripataceous era Beast, aka the deadliest era in the Boiling Isles history…" She said standing and cracking her knuckles, "A Slithering Rein…"
The beast slithered out of the shadows of the cave and revealed itself, it had gnarly fangs and its skin was plated in steel scales and razor sharps talons, and atop its head was a set of sharp and formidable looking horns.
Hawk only stared at it as she took another puff of the cigarette before flicking it away onto the corpse of one of the sleepers.
"Alright, this'll be funner than the sleepers, at least…"
The Slithering Rein roared at Hawk and lunged at her.
Hawk rolled her eyes and got into position, completely unphased. She reached for her wrist and grabbed a dark stone bracelet and pulled it off with a snap.
- Luz and Amity, now -
BOOM
Amity hummed at the noise again and looked towards the Princess.
"Well, we can figure that out later, right now, let's see if Baba's home at all and she'd better, I didn't almost die for times on the way here for nothing." She said with a huff.
Luz nodded and gave a thumbs up before they made their way to the front door, Luz took a deep breath and jumped a bit in place to get herself focused, and tapped her face with her hands.
"Alright alright… I can do this…"
Luz lifted a fist to knock on the door but it suddenly creaked open by itself.
Amity narrowed her eyes.
"So… You didn't just get a creepy vibe from that too?"
"Yup!" Luz said with eyes still bright, "But it's normal at this point!"
"Have you been here long enough for that to be normal, Luz?" Amity asked with a raised brow.
"I've been here long enough! Let's go!"
With the declaration, she fully leaned forward and marched into the house with full confidence while Amity followed soon after. Looking around, she saw that the hut appeared similar to the inner workings of an actual wooden house.
The young blight also couldn't help but notice the assortment of small cages hanging from the high ceiling of the hut. They swung lightly from side to side, chains clanking and the cages lightly touching each other in their suspension.
The whole vibe and sight of the house didn't sit right with her all that much if she was being honest with herself… It was just so… Ominous…
"Luz, I don't think she's here…" Amity whispered to her, hoping that she wasn't as brash as she was cute, but she should've known better.
"HEY!" Luz shouted into the hut, her voice echoing across the home, "We were sent here! We hear you're a good teacher!?"
"Luz!" Amity scolded, slightly embarrassed that the Princess was shouting into a person's home.
Luz didn't respond but listened closely for any sign of Baba, but was met with silence again.
Amity sighed.
"Well, I guess we can classify this as a home invasion since she's not here…" She said in somewhat relief that she doesn't have to meet the lady that booby-trapped actual miles of the forest path.
Luz opened her mouth to respond but a sudden slamming of the front door alerted them and an intense wooshing of wind caught their attention, they turned to the doorway and saw a large and imposing silhouette of a figure.
The only thing visible to them was the pair of glowing, menacing eyes.
"Who… Is in… My house…?" The figure asked in a low voice.
The girls felt a sudden pulse of magic wash over them. Amity covered her mouth and stumbled back, a sickness washing over her in an instant, it felt like being in the Emperor's presence when he was angry or when Luz was exuding a high level of magic… It felt… So strong…
"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick…" She whispered, falling against the wall of the hut.
Luz looked over at her, concerned before looking back over. She figured that this person with the sickeningly strong person must've been Eda's old mentor, Baba Yaga… To be so strong that she was brought them to their… Knees?
Luz quickly realized that was still fine, if anything, she felt great. She felt sweat forming on her hands and forehead, but she was only nervous that she wouldn't be able to make sure Amity was alright if things went wrong.
"A- Are you… Baba Yaga…?" Luz asked, cautiously moving her hand to the handle of her sword.
The figure was silent before their eyes widened even further, glowing brighter.
"Yes… I am… Why are you in my home…?" They asked again.
Luz clenched her teeth and clenched the handle of her sword, a fear arising in her chest.
"I'm- I'm here to ask for… Y- Your help!" She declared.
The figure stared down at Luz and leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"Who are you…?"
"Miss Yaga! M- my name is Luz Noceda and-"
Suddenly Luz was surrounded by an everchanging glow of magic before her sword was removed from her hip by the magic and stabbed into the wall of the hut, and she was pulled towards the figure.
Amity tensed and she tried to draw a spell circle, but tumbled to her knees, reaching for Luz.
"L- Luz!" She yelled, "I'll- I'll keep you- Ugh… This… Magic… It's too much…" She groaned.
Baba brought Luz close and stared Luz deep into her eyes.
"Another one of you Humans bothering me for help? What do you my help with now? Another way home? Another way to get a sibling back? A- A- Another map to an ancient city lost to time?" She questioned, bringing Luz closer to her and staring deeper than before.
Suddenly, there was a golden shine in Luz's eyes, and Baba noticed.
"What did you say your name was…?"
Luz considered not answering but felt like she knew better.
"Luz Noceda…"
"You're full name…"
"...Luz Noceda-Belos…"
"Just as I thought… The Emperor sends his daughter to recruit me… Well, I'll just make sure he regrets ever even thinking of doing such a thing…" Suddenly the tip of Baba's finger lit up in her multichromatic magic and she edged it close to Luz, "Perhaps being a sandwich for a while will set things straight… No, that's been done already… Maybe an enchilada this time, to keep things interesting…"
Luz's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head.
"Nononononononono! I'm here because of Eda! Eda! Not my Dad!"
Baba suddenly stopped and looked at Luz with shocked eyes.
"Edalyn? As in Clawthorne?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! Edalyn Clawthorne! I'm her apprentice, she's my mentor! Please don't turn me into an enchilada!" Luz pleaded for her very being not to be turned into a Mexican dish.
"And Edalyn… Sent you here… To me?"
Luz nodded her head even faster than before.
"Hm…"
Baba Yaga clapped her hands and the magical pressure in the hut dissipated in an instant and Amity could once again breathe in peace as the flames in many scattered lamps and candles lit up and revealed the hut. It was scattered with minimal furniture but mainly many different shelves full of potions, artifacts, and scattered animal and feral demon remains, as well as many potion ingredients.
It was very cozy if Luz had to admit.
"Oh thank Titan…" Amity whispered, using the wall to support herself back to her feet and looking at the woman who was exuding such magical pressure, in her full glory.
Baba was a tall witch, with white long hair, a red hat, a grey dress, a black corset, a white apron, pink socks, and brown shoes, not to mention a rather large nose. For her supposedly long life, she didn't look a day over 50.
In many ways, Luz was reminded of an older version of Lilith with Eda's personality but cranked up to ten…
Baba ran a hand through her hair with a sigh.
"Oh that Edalyn…" She said before looking between her and Amity, "And there's a Blight here as well? Oh, I can't believe this…"
Amity's eyes narrowed.
"How'd you know I was a Blight?"
"I can just tell and you look just like your Grandmother… Well, except the person holding a sword this time is the Wittebane…"
"Wait, grandma had a sword?" Amity asked, meanwhile, Luz struggled mid-air, still being held up.
"Look, first of all, Wittebane is my Dad's middle name, SECOND! Can you put me down now!?" She asked, slightly annoyed that she was still in the air.
"Hm?" Baba looked back at Luz, "Oh, yeah sure, sure." She snapped her fingers and stopped the magic in an instant.
Luz flipped mid-air and landed crouched before she stood up, dusting herself off. She held out her hand and her stuck sword flew to her, she caught it by the handle and stowed it away.
Amity blushed at the sight of the cool display and looked away for a moment.
Baba raised a brow at the sight.
"Titan it's like looking into the past…" She whispered to herself.
"Baba Yaga! We need your help with something important!" Luz declared with wide eyes and sounding very excited.
Baba Yaga sighed and shook her head, walking past Luz and entering the foyer of her hut, which held a cauldron that seemed to be made of, not iron, but entirely made of some kind of black stone.
"Whatever it is, it can wait. I'm quite busy at the moment."
Baba swirled her finger and magicked various ingredients in her house to come to her, making them all float around her as she made a book appear in her hands, reading from it as she began to prepare the cauldron for potions.
Luz followed after her, Amity coming up next to her.
"T- This is really important though, I swear! I wouldn't have almost died from all of those traps for nothing!" She urged.
Baba groaned, rolling her eyes and focusing on the cauldron in front of her.
"Ugh… You're just as annoying as your father…" She mumbled, beginning to put ingredients into the cauldron before starting a fire under it with a snap of her fingers.
Luz was yet to be deterred by her attitude… Yet…
"Well, listen, Baba Yaga… I wouldn't have come here to waste your time if it wasn't very very important," Luz said, clearing her throat, "Basically, the situation is-"
"Child, as I already told you, I'm a very busy witch right now. So go and tell your father and his guards that I'm still not going to join his coven. I'm an old woman, what use would I be in a Coven? It's why I built the traps in the first place! To keep annoying little sparrows like you all away from my home!" She complained, still working on the potion in front of her.
Luz took a deep breath and closed her eyes to focus on staying calm, Baba Yaga's attitude wasn't exactly what she was expecting but she needed to work with it if she wanted to get a mentor to teach her how to use Sage's Instinct…
That didn't mean she had to like her though…
"Baba Yaga, ma'am, I am only trying to ask for your assistance with something I've been having certain difficulties with…"
Amity raised a brow at that.
Did Luz's speech change?
Baba Yaga scoffed, shaking her head and pulling out a long wooden spoon, beginning to stir the potion.
"And what would a Princess like you be having trouble with?" She mocked, "Finding the right dress size? If you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly one of fashion…"
The room seemed to begin shaking as Luz clenched her fists before she sighed, taking another breath and looking up at Baba Yaga with determined eyes, not yet giving up.
"I'm not just a Princess, Baba…" She said softly, crossing her arms, "I'm not here to inquire about trendy fashion choices or dolls and toys or my hair. I'm here to ask if have any knowledge at all perhaps relating to Sage's Instinct."
Baba stopped immediately and looked up at Luz with interest.
"What did you say?"
Luz gave her a look.
"Oh, that finally got your attention?" She mumbled before clearing her throat, "Yes… I said Sage's Instinct… I'm told that I have it but I seem… To have no control over it whatsoever…"
Baba Yaga scoffed once more, shaking her head.
"You must be pulling leg, child. Sage's Instinct is a power that requires years of training if not worth one's lifetime. How do I know this ain't some sort of trick?"
Luz crossed her arms and gave her a raised brow as if to say "Are you serious right now?"
"Why would I lie about something like this, Baba? Do you want me to prove it or something?"
Baba smirked and released her long spoon and turned to Luz.
"Follow me, Children, I know how you will prove your ability to me…"
Baba walked past the girls again and outside.
Amity grumbled and looked to Luz as they followed the ancient Witch outside.
"I have a bad feeling…" She said softly.
Luz gave Amity a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, whatever she does, I'm more than certain I can handle it." She reassured, "I mean, I'm the Princess, right? Anything she throws at me, I'm more than capable of handling it!" She declared, finally meeting with Baba Yaga outside.
Before them, all was what appeared to be a gigantic hole with no foreseeable bottom.
"Child, step forward. Right here next to me." Baba said, pointing at the spot next to her, "And remove your sword as well."
Luz was unsure for a moment but she nodded, undoing her sword and giving it to Amity.
"Can you hold onto this for me, Ames?" She asked with her signature smile.
Amity held the sheathed blade tightly, a redness flushing her cheeks.
"I'll guard it with my life!" She promised.
'You idiot! You sound like Kikimora! You don't want to end up like her! Play it cooler!"
Luz smiled at her one last time before stepping next to Baba and looking at the giant hole before her.
"So what's-"
"This… Is a Titan's pore… It's rare for one to be found, as Titans are usually covered in fur and have skulls before they die but as luck would have it, I built my home right next to one. This is how you'll prove you have Sage's Instinct to me." She said, a smirk appearing on her lips before it turned into a wide grin.
Luz was confused.
"How is a giant… Pore supposed to help me prove that I have Sage's instinct?"
Baba stifled a laugh and cleared her throat.
"Like this."
"Huh? What do you-"
Luz suddenly felt herself be pushed forward and above the entrance of the pore.
Baba smiled and waved to Luz as she was quickly becoming further and further away from her.
"Good luck, hope you don't die."
"WAIT!"
But it was too late, she was rapidly descending into the darkness of the hole at record speeds, arms, and legs flailing widely. All Luz could see in front of her was nothing but pure darkness and feel the wind rush past her face and the worst of it all was that she was alone to figure this out…
What could she do, but scream at the top of her lungs?
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
It even echoed.
On the surface, Baba was laughing wildly and holding her gut.
"BAHAHAHHA!" She cackled, "EVERY TIME! IT NEVER GETS OLD! IS IT LOUDER THAN LAST TIME!? AHAHAHA!"
Amity couldn't believe her eyes, did she just watch… Luz get murdered in front of her…?
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
No, she was still screaming! Amity could still help!
"Hold on, Luz! I'm on the way and-"
"Hold it, 2.0," Baba said, snapping her finger and making iron root vines wrap around Amity's ankles and legs, "Your Princess needs to prove herself to me."
Amity looked at her incredulously.
"AND WHAT IF SHE DOESN'T!?"
Baba shrugged.
"Then she dies. No problem to me."
Amity's eyes couldn't widen any further if she tried.
"You're crazy!"
Baba chuckled and went to the edge of the pore and leaned over it, humming.
"Yes, I've been told that before…"
Amity looked at Luz's sword in her hands and drew it from its sheath and raised it, aiming to strike first and consider the trauma later when the sword flew out of her hand and into Baba's hand.
"Oh calm down and watch the show…" She said with a huff, looking down, "Wow she's taking her time…"
Amity looked at the hole with worried eyes.
"Come on, Luz… You got this… You can do it and so much more…" She thought to herself, a fear arising in her heart for the crush she only began to develop, praying for her safety.
Down below in the hole, Luz was twisting and turning and falling recklessly when, suddenly, a voice cut through her panicking and entered her mind.
"Come on, Luz… You got this… You can do it and so much more…"
Luz's eyes widened in shock at the voice.
"Amity…"
To Be Continued…
1. If you flip a coin for something you are not sure of, what outcome you're hoping for is the one you should act on.
2. I imagine that a lot of rivers and sources of water in the Isles are hot. So a cool water river would prob be a thing, not rare but uncommon.
3. Gender Neutral term for Lord or Lady. It was so hard finding something I actually like and wanted to use.
4a b. Coco is a pet name for Darius because, during their first meetings, a Coco bird attacked Darius and Allegro is a music tempo that Darius likes to describe Quincy as.
5. Current Right-Hand: Camila Noceda, the Empress.