Kikimora was on a high. Finally, after all these years, she would have the power she craved. More importantly, she would have her revenge on the human who ruined her life.
The demoness took to the air. She lined up a shot at the human's girlfriend and fired. Amity created a shield out of Abomination goo. Edric ran towards his sister casting several illusions of himself and Amity.
The demoness ignored them and started searching for the human's mother. Killing her should be a lot easier and more heartbreaking. No one was going to stand in her way of becoming the empress of the Boiling Isles!
Meanwhile, in the Archive crown, King was visiting his adoptive mother and aunt. As part of his plan to become a good baby brother, the Collector decided to keep King's family separate from his puppets.
They felt they had done a good job in recreating the rooms of the Owl House. Though they admitted maybe they should have looked at a picture because somehow the kitchen and bathroom shared the same space.
Not to mention all the bedrooms had been mashed together creating a hodge-podge mess. At least the living room was a perfect replica. They had offered to fix the room issues but King and Eda declined their offer.
Eda was currently squeezing her son tightly. "I missed you. Did you get wounded at all?"
"Not exactly. I was secured on the racing star. I was emotionally hurt when I saw Steve had accidentally torn Tibble's arm off. I wish I could make the Collector realize that being a good friend is just as important as being a good brother."
Eda assured him that he wasn't to blame for the Collector's choices. The Collector was a Celestial being and a child. They probably had no frame of reference to grasp the concepts King was trying to explain.
Eda then asked her sister how the elixir was coming. Right now, the sisters were stuck between being half witch and half owl beast. The owl beast itself was bellowing in their minds how much he hated the situation.
"I'm doing my best, but we're still missing some ingredients. I've been trying to improvise with ingredients with similar properties. I think the green grass we found would be a good substitute for the Wrinkly Oak tree moss."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Substituting ingredients generally leads to disaster," Eda reminded Lilith.
Her older sister scowled and pointed out they didn't have much of a choice. King offered to ask the Collector for potion ingredients. Lilith reminded King the last time he did that, Hooty ended up a puppet.
"He won't turn either of you into puppets. He pinky swore on it and to him that's the biggest sign of trust. I think he's starting to grasp the idea of family members taking care of each other."
The young Titan looked down at the ground. "I wish Luz was here. He keeps asking if I sensed her presence. I don't know how to do that."
"For her sake, let's hope she never returns. She's already suffered enough because of Belos and the Collector. She doesn't deserve to be drawn into this mess again."
The Collector was waiting in their bedroom for King to return. They wished that King hadn't requested that he visit his mom and aunt alone. They really wanted to try having a family dinner again.
They believed that pranking was normal at a family dinner. They thought their play on words by turning the Owl Lady and her sister into appetizers was funny. Instead, King had been traumatized and wouldn't speak to them for a week.
What was taking Luz and Hunter so long to get here? Luz should have mastered her powers by now. That grimwalker also should have found a way into the In-Between dimension being connected to Belos's brother's soul.
They pulled something out of their pocket. It was the braided strands of hair they had taken from the two. Yesterday morning, the palisman's feather had turned to ash.
"If the palisman's been broken, why haven't they fixed it yet? Ugh, where are you, big sister and brother?"
Suddenly the strands started twitching. The Collector felt a tiny pulse of magic coming from them. "They've come back to the Boiling Isles! I can't wait until they get to our new home!"
They didn't think much about how weak the pulse was. Nor did the Collector notice the strands were pointing in the direction of where Hexside side. They were merely lost in their joyful thoughts.
Belos was also trying to settle into a new "home" so to speak. After returning to the Boiling Isles, his body started to decay even faster. With the Isles dying, there wasn't sufficient ambient magic to help stabilize his body.
He had dragged himself to his secret grimwalker lab. His mind had started to go as he kept seeing the ghost of his brother and Evalyn appearing in front of them.
He cursed them as he finally pulled himself into the maturation plots. He possessed the grimwalker's body. He took an internal breath and fell asleep.
He found himself floating in the In-Between world. He was in a small pond of golden liquid. The liquid was turning dark green as the sludge from his body mixed with it.
"NO! I can't be here! I still have our dream to finish!"
"You mean your dream don't you, little brother?" a voice behind him said. The sludge man twisted around and saw his brother standing on a small bit of land.
"Caleb! What am I doing here?"
Caleb sighed and told him when you dream his astral-self could travel to other places if he chose to. "Your astral-self wanted to see me one more time. As the modern humans would say you're here to brag and say I told you so."
"Perhaps, I am. Can't you see this is our destiny? Look at was has become of my body thanks to those witches."
Caleb glared at his little brother in disgust. "After all these centuries, you still refuse to accept responsibility for your actions? Phillip, you chose to consume palismans for magic."
"You chose to murder me and created clones of me so you could carry out your dream of genocide! You decided to return to Boiling Isles when you could have found peace in our hometown. The Boiling Isles is dying because you chose to start a war in a world that had no issues with us anymore!"
"I am trying to save humanity! As long as this world exists Earth is in danger! I tried to save Luz Noceda's soul only for her to reject salvation. The foul Owl Lady teaching corrupted her."
Caleb's soul strode into the pond. The green liquid retreated as he got closer to his brother. When he was standing in front of Belos, he pulled back his arm and then punched his brother in the face.
Belos tumbled into the water dazed. He couldn't believe his brother had struck him!
"The only person who is befouled is you! You enslaved an innocent child and tortured her, Phillip! You threatened her family and friends to force her into compliance. Then you attempted to kill her to carry out your madness!"
"How could you do that to another human being?! I was always against slavery and I thought you were too. Apparently, I was wrong and I'm ashamed of your actions!"
Caleb clenched his fists as he took a deep breath out of habit. "You generally believe what your doing is for humanity? That you're carrying out God's plan? No, you are doing all this to be the hero in your own twisted fantasy!"
The anger left Caleb's body and he started walking away. He wavered and looked over his shoulder at his brother one last time.
"Love can transcend space and time. If you open your heart to others what you receive is worth more than any treasure in the world. Sadly, you let hatred and bitterness consume your heart."
"The only reward waiting for you is an eternity of loneliness. To be forgotten in the world of the living. To wander in the darkness wondering how you ended up there."
"I wouldn't wish that fate on my worst enemy. I pity you, little brother, I really do. Goodbye, Phillip, we shall never meet again."
Caleb walked away into a fog that had settled around the pond. Belos pleaded with his big brother to come back to him. To not leave him alone once again.
It was in vain as the outline of Caleb vanished from the fog. A heaviness weighed on Belos's heart. For a single minute, he wondered if his brother was right.
Then that minute passed, and he once again started blaming others for his own mistakes. He hollered into the fog that he would never forgive Caleb for what he had done. That it would be him left to wander in darkness, eternally.
Belos roared as he awakened, pushing the grimwalker's body out of the trough. He tried to stand up but sank back into the mud. The skin was dissolving around the hands.
"No! It wasn't ready!" he screeched out loud. Staring at his right arm, he watched as the hand completely came apart. He widely tried to get the gooey hand reconnected but couldn't.
He needed a new body in the next few minutes or he would perish! He climbed up to the Archive crown. Each second that passed made him weaker.
At last, he entered the home. The puppet of the idiotic Blight woman was putting away other puppets. He ignored her and focused on the puppet in her arms.
The puppet was of Raine Whispers. An incredibly powerful witch and someone who wouldn't look threatening to the Collector. With the last of his strength, Belos dove inside and took possession of Raine's body.
In a matter of moments, he felt better. His true body was no longer dripping on the floor. Once more, powerful magic flowed through his borrowed body.
"It seems Raine is the perfect fit for me. I should take it on a test run," Belos whispered. He turned to see puppet Odelia moving a coven scout puppet into a large room.
Belos raised his hand and was delighted when he was able to summon a violin. Using Raine's muscle memory, the deluded fool played a loud cord.
The music magic formed a beam of energy that struck the Odelia puppet. Several holes appeared on the torso, legs, and arms. The puppet fell to the ground still smoking.
Belos was very pleased with the results. "One stun spell and the power of the universe will be at my fingertips." All he had to do was locate where the Collector was.
King had come back from his visit with his family. The Collector was getting ready for bed. "Hi, King! It's time to brush our teeth and tuck ourselves in for the night."
They snapped their fingers and two winged toothbrushes with a lot of toothpaste automatically started cleaning their teeth. Up and down. Then right and left. Lastly back and forth.
The Collector conjured a mirror and looked at his smile. "My teeth look very white and shiny. Do you think Luz will like them when she gets here later?"
King was confused by that statement. "What do you mean later?"
The Celestial showed King the magic strands. "The magic in the hair strands has responded to the presence of their owners. Luz and Hunter have returned! I can hardly wait for them to "surprise" us when they get to our home."
King felt his stomach clench. Part of him was glad to know Luz and returned. The other part of him was terrified about what was happening to her right now.
Hunter and Daria were racing through the school setting everyone free. After making sure no one was hurt he slipped back into his Golden Guard persona. He ordered team one to finish prepping the school's defenses.
Group two was told to forget about Belos. Their new orders were to track down Kikimora and capture her before she did more damage. He rejoined Daria as she looked into the wrecked detention pit.
There were a massive number of footprints leading to different entrances. Most passageways were blocked by huge rocks, but a few were still open. There was one entrance with a bit of abomination goo sliding down the wall.
"Which tunnel should we look through first?" Hunter asked.
"Give me a few seconds," Daria replied. She stood in the center of the pit and laid her hand flat on the floor. A ripple of blue energy spread across the pits and down the tunnels.
The healer stood up. "Most of the Council members, along with Vee, are stuck in that tunnel," Daria explained as she pointed to the top left. She then pointed to the bottom right which was also blocked up.
"Amity, Matt, and one other are in that tunnel. There's an exit they can use that leads out to the forest."
She gestured to the open tunnel to the south. "Gus and Willow are down that one. Something is wrong with Willow. Go check on her."
Hunter asked where she would be and Daria pointed to the tunnel on the right. "Luz, her mother, and Kikimora are down that one. I'll go and help them out."
Hunter nodded and told her to leave a sign for group two to follow. Securing Kikimora was their priority.
Hunter rushed down the south tunnel, hoping that his girlfriend wasn't injured. After five minutes, he came to a sudden stop. A large mass of vines obstructed the tunnel.
"What? Willow, are you there? WILLOW!" he yelled. He took a step back and cast a fire spell. It struck the vines yet they didn't. They were fire-resistance plants.
He then tried to dash through the vines only to be repulsed. He hit the dirt hard. A few drops of blood dripped from a cut on his forehead.
He slowly got to his feet. He didn't know what to do. Flapjack would have but he wasn't here. Then again, he did have Waffle.
"Waffle?"
The palisman detached from the staff and settled on the boy's shoulder. She nuzzled her face against his cheek to calm his racing heart.
"I'm glad that my brother's magic was helpful. I sense something is amiss with your female friend. What assistance do you require?"
"Willow, something is wrong with her. I've tried to get passed these vines but their fire-resistant and dashing doesn't break them. What should I do?"
"Magic is an extension of a witch or demon's inner self. Connect her magic with yours. Hopefully, then the vines will vanish."
Hunter hesitantly approached the vines. They were tying themselves tighter than before. Carefully, he placed his dominant hand on the vines. They squeezed his hand slightly.
"Willow, it's Hunter. Please, tell me what's wrong. I want to help you."
He felt a tingling of energy but the vines remained tightly woven. Waffle chirped encoring the boy to try again. Hunter focused his mind on Willow and reached out for her again.
Behind the vines, Willow was inside a tightly woven cylinder vine structure. She was crying and mewling about how everything had gone wrong. "My fault, this is utterly my fault. I should have known Boscha was going to betray us!"
Gus, who was cocooned to the ceiling, tried to call out to his friend. "Willow! Can you gah!" The vines gagged him not allowing him to speak.
"Why can't I fix this? I'm supposed to be the reliable one!" Willow sobbed.
"Willow? Can you hear me? It's Hunter!"
Willow gasped and looked around for the boy she loved. She didn't see him anywhere but she knew she had heard it.
"Willow, I can perceive you're in pain. Please, let me pass the vines. I want to help you."
The girl looked around again and still didn't see anything. "Hunter? Where are you?"
"I'm on the other side of the tunnel. You blocked the entranceway with your magic. I need you to undo your magic. It's the only way I can get to you."
"I can't control my magic," Willow moaned as she wiped the condensation on her glasses. "I can't be relied on. I'm useless half a witch Willow."
The vines suddenly vanished. She felt someone's arms around her, holding her tight. Someone was stroking her hair and assuring her that she was amazing.
Willow put her glasses back on and was surprised to see Hunter holding her tightly. "How?"
Gus, who had fallen when the vines vanished, smiled. "I made it appear the vines had vanished. Your subconscious went along with it so the vines came undone. That was enough to let Hunter in."
Soon Willow was embraced by her two friends. They told her to let her emotions out. That they would support her this time instead of the other way around.
Sometime later, Willow finished sobbing. She stood up and wiped away her tears. "Thank you, both of you. I didn't realize how much I was holding in."
Gus placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. He promised her to be there when she needed someone to support her. Hunter then encouraged his friends to continue.
"From what I saw in the pit the tunnels have been compromised. We should get out before they collapse." His friends agreed with him as they hurried towards the exit.
In the bottom right tunnel, Amity was stone-faced. Her former friend Boscha was begging the Blight girl to take her back. She didn't like what her life was like right now. Being the leader of the school wasn't as easy as it appeared.
"I apologize for betraying you, Amity. I should not have let my guards use me like that. I promise if you take me back, I won't betray you ever again."
Amity summoned a small amount of abomination goo to boost her height. She crossed her arms and had a look of disgust on her face. "You expect me to forgive you for all you've done against me? What about my friends, are you remorseful about how you treated them?"
"Why do they matter more to you than me? I was your friend first!"
"No, Willow was my first friend. I should have stood up for her and not turned my back on her. I only began hanging out with you to please my parents."
Boscha gasped and replied that couldn't be the only reason they hung out. They had similar interests and goals. She was still friends with Skara despite her parents making them hang out in the first place.
"The reason I'm still friends with Skara is because she apologized for her actions. She realized bullying was wrong. Skara was willing to put in the work to change."
Matt interrupted the conversation then. "You bullied your way onto the council by threatening to give people to the Collector. Even after you were made president, you didn't care about our classmates. You've made it clear Boscha, that you are the only person who matters."
Amity nodded in agreement. "I can't be friends with someone who is so selfish, that she would abandon her friends to save her own skin."
The triclops girl started crying and fell to the ground pleading for mercy. "Please, Amity. I can't go back to only being tolerated by my teammates on the Grungby team. I don't want to be alone."
Amity was silent for a minute. Boscha was too much like Odelia. She vowed to never forgive her mother.
Boscha had many chances to change but she choose not to. She didn't really deserve another one. Amity glanced at Matt wanting to know his thoughts.
Matt looked her in the eye and she saw something she didn't expect. Pity, he was pitying the triclops. He looked at his light blue sleeves for a moment before turning away.
The lavender-haired girl recalled Gus telling her about Matt's background. That they started being friends when Matt took the first step to apologize. Perhaps, it did take hitting rock bottom for some people to change.
Amity dismissed the goo and strolled over to Boscha. She pulled the girl up onto her feet. "Boscha, I can't forgive you right now."
Boscha bit her lip as her legs started to wobble. She was going to be left in the tunnels to rot forever, wasn't she?
Then Amity continued. "I might be able to forgive you in the future though. If you truly want my friendship, then you have to show me that you're sorry."
She wiped her ex-friend friend's tears. "The first step in rekindling a friendship is making amends to those you hurt. I hope you do that not only for me but yourself as well."
Letting go of Boscha, Amity asked Matt to lead the way out. They left Boscha standing alone in the tunnel. The next move was up to the teenager.
Luz attempted to ignore her inner anguish. Every time she tried to help people that she cared about it backfired on her. The memories forced their way to the surface.
Her father's death was partially her fault. If he hadn't exerted himself to find her the perfect gift, then he wouldn't have collapsed.
After he passed, she should have tried to be a better daughter. Even if she couldn't be "normal" the least she could have done was kept to herself rather than causing trouble at school. Being a loner had to be better than being an outcast.
How many times had she let down her friends? She pushed Willow into a game she didn't know how to play. She had insulted her detention friends and embarrassed Amity.
She had also endangered both Gus and Hunter multiple times. She had sacrificed herself for Eda and nothing good came out of it. Eda was exiled to the forest, couldn't use magic, and worse, had to take back her curse.
Her attempts to help King led him to become a plaything for the Collector. She had maimed Lilith and had constantly hurt Hooty's feelings. She should have just let Vee have her life and curled up in some corner waiting to die.
Camila knew something was awry with her daughter. Luz appeared to have folded in on herself. The spark of life she had seen hours earlier was gone.
It had been replaced with sorrow and hatred. Even if she wasn't a mind reader, Camila had a good guess about what was going on. She needed Luz to open up to her.
"Luz, sweetie are you okay?"
Luz didn't look back at her mother. "I'm peachy, why do you ask?"
Camila stopped in her tracks. "Luz, please don't push me away. I can tell you're hurting."
Luz spun on her heels and chuckled. "Really, you can tell I'm hurting? I think I would know if I was hurting."
Camila scowled and replied that it was impolite for someone to sass their mom. Luz rolled her eyes and resumed striding towards the exit.
Camila winced realizing she had messed up again. Now wasn't the time to lecture Luz. She needed to be empathetic.
She power walked until she was side by side with her daughter. "I apologize, Luz. We're in a dangerous situation and I should focus on our safety."
Luz grimaced and dipped her down. She started walking faster in anger. Inside her fanny pack, Mousy was chittering at the palisman egg to hatch.
Mousy had an idea about what was wrong. He had nibbled on a few pages from Luz's new diary when she wasn't looking. If Camila wasn't careful, Luz would explode.
Camila blocked Luz's path. "Luz, please look at me. I know you are upset about the situation. You can't lose hope, we'll find a way to save King."
Luz refused to look at her mother. She tried to step around her only for Camila to seize her arm. "I'm trying to help you, Luz. I know what it's like to mess up. I…"
Luz ripped free of her mother's grip. "Leave me alone! The universe has already punished me enough! I don't need you to fake caring about me when I'm already hating myself!"
Camila was startled by Luz's words. Before she could form a response, Luz was already running away. Camila started to run after her only to be held back.
She raised her bat to hit Kikimora, only to stop at the last second. It was a young woman she vaguely recognized from the illusion story Luz's friends told her. "Daria?" she asked warily.
The healer placed Camila's hand on her head. When the human realized that Daria's hair was normal, she let out a sigh of relief. Daria was who she appeared to be.
Daria explained that she knew the tunnels better than the demoness. It was how she caught up so quickly. She also implied she knew what was wrong with Luz.
Camila wanted answers right away but heeded Daria's advice they needed to take another shortcut before Kikimora showed up. Once they were a safe distance from the main path, Daria gave her Luz's diagnosis.
"Your daughter is suffering from a deep depression and it's causing her to self-hate. I can't be one hundred percent certain without evaluating her, of course. I'm basing this predominantly on what I saw on the crystal ball and from Hunter's stories."
Camila didn't expect to hear Daria suggest depression. Her daughter was always energetic and very expressive. How could she be depressed?
Seeing Camila's confusion, Daria cast a simple spell to summon a pamphlet on teen depression. Camila took it and started reading. It didn't take long for her to realize that Luz's behavior for the last year matched most of the symptoms.
"Am I a bad mother for not noticing Luz was going through this for a year now?"
Daria looked at Camila with sadness in her eyes. "Camila, do you truly believe this depression just started one school year ago? When depression becomes more obvious it usually means it's been there for a few years."
Camila felt like her lungs had collapsed. Surely, she couldn't have missed the signs for that long. She knew her daughter had problems at school but she had stood by Luz's side all the time.
It had just been them since Manny died. She had provided Luz with all the love and support she needed. Luz knew that, right?
A voice that sounded like Manny's reminded Camila she hadn't noticed how bad things were for her daughter. How could she be so ignorant to not notice how Luz was bullied by her classmates and teachers? How could she have missed all of Luz's attempts to be normal for her sake?
She had failed as a mother by not realizing Luz was gone and Vee had replaced her. It took Vee revealing herself and handing her Luz's diary just for Camila to accept the truth. What kind of mother needed proof that the child she had been caring for wasn't hers?
Luz had made it out of the tunnel and found a small gully to hide in. Her palisman egg was in her hands. Mousy was trying to wipe her tears away with his tail.
"I don't deserve you. You should be someone who doesn't hurt her mother on purpose. I bet King would like you. He needs all the support he can get right now."
Mousy squeaked and rubbed himself against his mistress's cheek. He looked at her pleadingly. She was a good person.
"Oh, Mousy. There's a big difference between a relationship with your mom and one with your owner. I love my mom, I do." Sighing, she carefully put the palisman egg back into the fanny pack.
Mousy scurried into her palms. He could tell what she was thinking. He wasn't going to let her give up and hand herself to Kikimora for execution. That wouldn't help anyone.
She heard rustling in the trees. She pulled out her glyphs ready to attack but stopped. It was her mom and she was crying.
"Mama, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you," Luz said. She would have persisted in apologizing if her mother hadn't told her to stop.
Camila sat next to her daughter on the ground. She hugged Luz tightly and wiped some of her tears away. "Luz, I have a lot of things to say to you. Please, wait until I'm finished before speaking, okay?"
Luz nodded as she tried to push her emotions to the back of her mind. She deserved to be lectured. She was not prepared to hear her mom say that she needed to apologize to Luz!
"When your father died, I was a mess. I had just lost the love of my life and I wasn't sure if I would be a good single mom. I needed a support system and I didn't have one because we had only moved to Gravesfield a few months before."
Camilla looked ashamed as she acknowledged that she had prioritized her own feelings and pain over Luz's. "You needed me to be there. You were suffering as much as I was. Instead of assuring you that your father didn't die because of you, I unconsciously made you believe it was true."
Camila stated that wasn't the worse thing she did. "I at no time acknowledged how much you supported me. When Vee shared your entries with me, I could only reflect on how foolish I'd been."
"I should have listened to your side of the story more often. I dismissed your feelings and actions when you got into trouble. I put everyone ahead of you and that wasn't fair."
She went on to apologize for being distant. She shouldn't have put her daughter down for her interests and hobbies. Their strained relationship was because she kept trying to change Luz.
"Amity showed me her memories of the day Eda saved you from Belos. I realized after hearing Eda say how proud she was of you for being you, that I had never said those words to you."
Camila peered at her daughter in wonder. "I thought you knew how proud I was of you. Then I acknowledged there was a big difference between thinking and actually showing that I'm proud of you."
"I can't believe it took me coming to another world to understand how I hurt you over the years. A stranger who has never met you was able to see how depressed you were. That my actions were making you hate yourself."
Luz felt her mom take her hands as Mousy scurried onto her shoulder. "I know one apology isn't going to make up for years of neglect. I may never earn your forgiveness. I vow from now on to be the mother you need."
"I'm proud of you Luz. I love you just the way you are."
The palisman egg was pulsating while Luz had an epiphany. "I know what my deepest desire is now. I pushed it down so many times I forgot about it until now. All I ever wanted, was for you to love and understand the real me."
Mousy let out a squeal as the palisman egg cracked, releasing the magic within. Luz and her mother watched as the palisman took shape. For a second it was a bat, then it changed into a dragon, and after that, it became a scorpion.
Camila was perplexed by the shift shaping. Wasn't a palisman suppose to be one creature? Luz seemed to know what was going on as she gazed upon the changing palisman.
She eyed her mom and looked horrified. Without explanation, she pushed her mother to the side. Her staff levitated up to avoid being blasted. Luz held out her hand and the staff flew into it.
The palisman shifted into its true form. A tiny purple snake with a green orb on its tail. It hissed angrily as Kikimora burst through the trees. Her Abomaton's gun was still sizzling from its previous shot.
"There you are you little pest! I have had enough of you ruining my plans! It's time for you to die!" The Abomaton fired another blast at the two humans.
Luz twirled her staff forming a forcefield. The blast bounced off it and into the sky. Luz didn't hesitate on firing her magical blast.
Kikimora dodged it but lost sight of Luz. Just then she was hit on the back of her head followed by a strike to the face. In anger, Kikimora engaged the Abomaton's stretchy arms.
They snagged Luz and started to squeeze her. The palisman detached from the staff and shifted into a piranha. The Abomaton roared with pain as the sharp teeth bit through its arms.
Luz ended up doing a backflip to avoid another blast. Kikimora growled and pushed a button. Two large cannons popped out of the shoulder of the machine. A barrage of cannonballs flew at the teenager.
Camila grabbed Luz and pulled her further into the gully. Mother and daughter ran for their lives with Kikimora locked onto them. Luz took a tumble when her foot got caught under a root.
The Noceda women were exposed when a cannon shot blew away the trees. Kikimora was laughing manically as she aimed. She was amused when Camila stood in front of her daughter.
"Farewell humans," the demoness screeched. Before she could fire something started climbing over her face.
"Ahh, get off! Stop scratching me! How are you evading my hair?" All her thrashing caused her to tumble to the ground.
The Abomaton just stared at the demoness not making any attempt to help her. The creature that had been crawling on Kikimora's face jumped off. That's when three darts sunk into the demoness's cheeks.
She ripped out the darts and demanded the Abomaton to pick her up. To her shock, the Abomaton was gone. In its place stood Daria.
The healer held a staff with a marbled salamander palisman. That was what had been crawling over Kikimora's face. Attached to Daria's belt was a small blowgun.
Daria was smirking. "It's nice to dethrone the great Kikimora. You have been a pain in the butt for everyone. Especially my half-brother's."
Kikimora jeered at Daria. "Who do you think you are compared to me? You're a pathetic healer living in the shadow of the greatest abomination head in coven history."
Daria started laughing as her palisman, Marble, stuck her tongue out at the demoness. "You always had an inflated ego, Kiki. You always forgot that healers have tricks up their sleeves."
That's when Kikimora fell to her knees. She started to shiver badly. Her heartbeat changed becoming faster.
Daria inclined her head towards Luz's palisman. "Did you know in human medicine they sometimes use poison to help save someone's life?
Luz and Camila were wondering what Daria's point was. Kikimora's eyes widened as she touched her face. "You poisoned me?"
Daria replied not exactly. "I would never harm a patient. "My "poison" is actually the first dose of medication for treating mental illness. A side effect is that you are unable to perform magic temporarily. "
Kikimora tried to use magic and realized she couldn't. Before she could think about physically attacking the healer, backup arrived. The council heads, Luz's friends, and the three tracks appeared.
The Abomination students had recalled the Abomaton. Mary led her track in summoning an army to attack the demoness. Even without magic, Kikimora wasn't going down without a fight.
The demoness summoned her dragon friend. Princess appeared in the sky from out of nowhere. The dragon shot fireballs at the army.
Beast Keeping students summoned a multitude of forcefields to protect the abominations. The Oracle students unleashed their spirits. That was the start of an air brawl.
While the fighting was occurring, the council heads and Boscha were giving Luz's group the items they needed for confronting the Collector.
Gus high-fived Edric before running off with the concealment and audio stones. Vee slithered away with the photo of the glyph combo, while Willow collected the potion bottles.
Amity took the enchanted bell from Skara. The bard promised to find and look after the portal door once she got back to Hexside. Hunter dashed over to Daria, who handed him a vial. He then hurried over to Luz and Camila.
Luz, who had put her fanny pack back on, was drawing the teleportation glyph with Stringbean, (her palisman). The others started helping her out. Finally, it was finished.
Hesitating for only a few seconds, Luz activated the glyph. A large amount of magic was released as they teleported away. They didn't know the ground they cast the glyph on had turned grey with all the magic ripped away.
The group reappeared outside the Archive. Everyone hugged each other happy to have made it. A loud rumbling sound was heard as the doors opened to welcome them in.
"Well, we've come this far. Let's finish this," Luz stated bravely. The six beings entered the Archive having no idea what waited for them on the other side.
