Chapter 62: Temperor
Luz: Monsiur Bolst? He's the lead to Temperor?
Raine: I take it you know him.
Eda: Oh yeah. This creep is almost as bad as the Legion of Five.
Amity: He was hired by my mom and tried to kill Luz twice.
Christa: So this whole time he's been working for Temperor.
Katya: From what we heard he's his right hand man. A hit man for hire but also a guide to take you to his place.
Eda: Alright so then we find Bolst we find Temperor.
Raine: Eda just hold on a second. Temperor from what I heard is a notorious crime boss of the Boiling Isles. He's almost an unmerciful as Belos. He won't be very reasonable if you don't have his money.
Eda: Don't worry Raine Storm. If it's money he wants I have something valuable he may like.
Luz: Still, this is our last step to find the Unknown Isles. We're so close.
Christa: We're so close to finding my family.
King: And I can't wait to meet your family. You're going to tell them about all the times I saved you, right?
Christa: Don't you mean all the times I saved you?
Christa tickles King as he laughs.
Luz: Should we go now?
Eda: Your all tired from the fight. We'll get him tomorrow night.
Amity: Well I'm coming on this one. I'm not letting Bolst lay another finger on Luz.
Eda: Alright Boots, fine. Just don't brag how your Luz's girlfriend again like you always do.
Amity: I don't do that.
King: You kinda do.
Luz: Well I love it.
Amity: Thank you Luz.
Amity gives her kiss on the cheek.
The next night.
The scene shifts at the night market. We see Monsieur Bolst exiting out of an alley, looking through his bag of snails he just got paid for after his last job.
Monsieur Bolst: Hmm, such beautiful money. Too bad 25 percent of this goes to my boss.
He turned around and screamed when he saw Eda, Luz, King, Christa and Amity.
Monsieur Bolst: AAAH!
Eda: What's up Doc?
Monsieur Bolst: You again? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?
King: You need to have a heart before you can have an attack.
Christa: Oh ho! Burn!
Christa high fives King.
Monsieur Bolst: You just can't keep away from me can you? If it's a fight you want I will...
Luz: Let's just cut to the chase guys. Where's Temperor?
Monsieur Bolst: SHHH! ( looks around and whispers) Who wants to know?
Eda: We do.
Monsieur Bolst: Why?
Eda: He has something that we want.
Monsieur Bolst: And that is?
Eda: Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many questions.
Monsieur Bolst: No one just goes to Temperor just to visit.
Luz: We know that you work for him. Do you?
Monsieur Bolst opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue and shows a tattoo on it with the skull and pentagon.
Christa: Ew. Isn't that painful?
Monsieur Bolst sticks his tongue back in.
Monsieur Bolst: Yeah I work for him.
Luz: So will you take us to him or not?
Monsieur Bolst: After everything you did to me?
Amity: ( steps up) Don't you mean what you did to her!?
Monsieur Bolst: That was business.
Eda: Same with us. Come on Bolsty, one criminal to another.
Monsieur Bolst: Hmmm, fine. No funny business and if you upset him, it's your own fault. And don't call me that again!
Monsieur Bolst leads the group to Temperor's hide out. They walked through a large portion of the night market until they finally arrived at their destination.
Monsieur Bolst: We're here.
Christa: This is it? The hideout?
Luz: It's a...a...
The scene shifts as we see the group standing in front of a sandwich joint called " Hexcellent Sand-Witches."
Luz: A sandwich shop?
Eda: Is this a joke?
Monsieur Bolst: This is his hide out. He owns a sandwich shop to disguise his main hideout. And he's proud of it too.
They enter the shop as they see what looks like a depressive man with a orange hair, horns and a mustache standing behind the counter, he had a name tag that with the name Bob and he spoke with a glum, unenthusiastic Brooklyn accent.
Bob: ( sighs) Welcome to Hexcellent Sand-Witches. Home of the most Hexcellent sandwitches of all the Boiling Isles, what can I do you for today?
Monsieur Bolst: We're here to see the boss.
Bob: ( sighs) Before you can see the boss you must answer this security question. What is the boss's favorite kind of sandwich?
Monsieur Bolst: Easy. The boss's favorite sandwich is cheese, ham, ham, ham, tomato, cheese, ham, tomato and cheese.
King: Is this for real?
Bob: ( rings the counter bell) Correct. He's in his usual place. Go right in or don't I don't care.
The group goes behind the counter and enters the door with the sign " Employees Only." But Luz comes back out for a second and approaches Bob. She tries to lift his face up to smile, but it fell back to his sad look. She places her finger on her chin and tried to think. She took a pen and a small sheet of paper and drew a smile and then taped it onto his face.
Luz: Close enough.
Luz leaves to catch up with the others.
Bob: ( sighs) Atleast she tried. I guess.
We then cut to the group back behind the door and there were two paths. One was the back room, seems to lead to the cooler and bakery room and the other was a staircase. Monsieur Bolst lead them up the stairs. Once going up they were met by another figure. They were met by two humanoid figures. They were slender beings with black suits and red ties. The head was black and white with the black on the top and white on the bottom. They lacked hair, ears, eyes and nose. All they had were red lips.
Monsieur Bolst: These witches and human have business with Temperor.
They nodded and opened the door. They saw a fancy room with framed pictures, a bar, fireplace as well as couches and chairs and an old fashioned record player. In the center was a desk and a large swivel chair, it was turned the other way as they couldn't see Temperor's face. Standing before the desk and to the others surprise was Tibbles who looked nervous.
Monsieur Bolst: Uh boss? I...
Behind the chair we see a hand raise up. The arm had a black sleeve as the hand itself had white glove.
Temperor: Just a second Bolst. ( to Tibbles) So you come back here to tell me you don't have my money.
Tibbles: Well, unfortunately no. But I can explain...
Temperor: Explain what Tibbles. I lent you some money so you could open that little carnival of yours a while back and you mean to tell me you lost the money you made to pay me back.
Tibbles: Well most of it. But it wasn't my fault. It was that human, her friends, the dog and the Owl Lady. They messed me up.
Temperor: No Tibbles, we made a deal. You said you needed my help to get revenge and to get you back on your feet after your shop was destroyed and I was willing to help you as long as you paid me back. But your long passed due and you're telling me you don't have it. You know that really makes me...ANGRY!
Flames around Temperor's desk erupts as Tibbles looks scared and the group backs away a little.
Tibbles: Please just give me a little more time. I'll pay you back. I promise.
The flames die down.
Temperor: Oh you will.
Temperor snaps his fingers as two of his suited henchmen grabs Tibbles.
Tibbles: What?
Temperor: Take him to the kitchen. I want that pig for dinner.
The two henchmen drag Tibbles to another door as he kicks and screams.
Tibbles: No! No please, Temperor just give me a little more time. I promise to pay you back, plus interest!
Tibbles continues screaming as he is taken away.
Temperor: Now then, what do you want Bolst?
Monsiuer Bolst: Boss, I have some guests who'd like to talk business with you.
Temperors: Business huh?
Temperor turns the chair around as we finally see him. He was a slender fiery humanoid who was as tall as Eda. He wore a black suit with a red tie, gold shank buttons and white gloves. His head was a blue fire just flowing with yellow eyes but lacked a mouth.
Temperor: Well look who it is. Welcome, go on take a seat I'll be right with you.
The group went and sit down but were on guard. They watched Temperor get up as he made his way to the bar, putting some ice in a glass and pouring scotch in it.
Temperor: Can I get you all anything to drink? Don't worry I have some non alcoholic ones for the kids.
Luz: Um, we're good thanks.
Eda: Got any hard apple blood.
Everyone looks Eda.
Eda: What? He offered.
Temperor takes a sip of his scotch and approaches the group.
Luz: Are you Temperor?
Temperor: The one and only, Luz the human.
Luz: How do you know my name?
Temperor: Kid I got ears, my ears got ears. I have ears all over the isles. I know a lot of things. I know you come from the human world. You're training with the infamous Owl Lady. I know Christa here is a special kind of witch, with magic no one can explain. ( takes another sip of his drink) And I know the two of you have been a pain on Emperor Belos's side. And of course you met my hitman, Monsieur Bolst.
Amity: ( scowl) We know.
Temperor: Oh and if it isn't the youngest daughter of the Blight family. I send you my condolences to your mother. She and Bolst go way back.
Amity: I don't want to hear it!
Temperor: Okay sheesh, just trying to be sincere.
Luz: Uh not that I care for him but are you really going to eat Tibbles.
Temperor: The pig? Nah just sent him down there to see what he'll end up if he fails to pay me back soon. I bet he'd make great for my sandwiches.
Temperor laughs as the others give an uncomfortable look.
Christa: Then do you know why we're here?
Temperor: You could be here for a number of reasons. A loan, a job, or you just want to buy a sandwich.
King: Yeah I was going to ask, why do you choose a sandwich shop for your hide out?
Temperor: Because I love sandwiches. Duh. Or should I say sand witch. ( chuckles) You get it. Sandwich, sand witch. We're witches. I sell the best sandwiches in all the isles.
King: Yeah we get the word play.
Eda: Eh, Latissa's subs are better.
Temperor: What?
Eda: Oh nothing. Look we're here because you have something we need.
Temperor: A rare and exotic item.
Luz: A map to the Unknown Isles.
Temperor: Unknown Isles you say. Alright, follow me.
Temperor leads the group into another door. The entered a large room with a collection of what looked like rare treasures and items.
Temperor: I carry some of the finest and hard to find items in all the isles. Palistrom wood, very hard to come by these days. Galder stones, only found in the Looking Glass ruins, but no one as every found it.
Christa: Oh I've been there. You're grave robbing.
Temperor: Hey they won't need them anytime soon. Oh but look at this. I have the fossilized remains of some extinct creatures, like the stone sleeper. Even the lungs. People think they only lived in the Hextacious period but some actually lived in Deadwardian period.
Christa: I knew I got it right.
Luz: Thanks but we really need the map.
Temperor: Okay alright. Just hold up.
They soon arrived in a bin of maps. Temperor looked through them to find the one they want.
Temperor: Let's see here, no, no. This isn't even a map why is this here? Ah, I believe this is what you're looking for.
Temperor finds the map and unfolds it to show the group. There was a tear on the side, indicating this was one of the pages of Phillip's Journal torn out.
Luz: The Unknown Isles.
Temperor: You know I got hold of this about 10 years ago when I sent my men to sneak into the library to find me some info of the Demon Realm. Things for me to find and sell. I found a journal about a human who once lived here centuries ago. There was a map in there about another archipelago of a supposed advanced civilization. I've been there once you know.
Christa: You have? What was it like?
Temperor: Oh ho, let's just say it was something I was not at all expecting. I thought others would find some goods there or maybe lowlife criminals can hide so I made a few copies of this map. The only copy however I ever sold was to some pirates a few months back. This is here is the original but I can give you a copy for a...small fee.
Luz: Oh so it's cheap then.
Temperor: No I was being ironic. You want this. It'll be 5,000 snails.
Luz: What?! You expect people to have that kind of money?
Temperor: We're talking about a whole new world kid. If you don't have the money then get lost!
Eda: Cool it Hot Head. How about this?
Eda hands him a large bag. He takes it and opens it up. He puts his hand in it and it's selikigris.
Temperor: Selkigris. How did you get a hold of this?
Eda: Let's just say we're good friends with the Selkidomus. So is it enough or what?
Temperor: Hmm, I suppose.
Luz: So then it's ours?
Temperor: Just a second. There is just one more thing.
Temperor snaps his fingers and suddenly the group is caught in a large magic net shot by Monsiuer Bolst as he chuckled.
Eda: What are you doing? We had a deal?
Temperor: Yes, but I just altered the deal.
Temperor laughs evil as the scene shifts to the group now their hands cuffed in shackles and Temperor activates a crystal ball on his desk, creating a purple dome around the group trapping them.
Temperor: You're all mine.
Temperor takes out a cigar and snaps his finger as a small fire forms on his thumb as he lights the cigar and puffs out some smoke.
Luz: Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted to make buisness.
Temperor: I am. See I've been sending my gang out in hopes to find some of you.
Christa: But why, we never did anything to you.
Temperor: Well you certainly gave my hitman a hard time. You messed with his mission twice! The last one was an expensive loss.
Eda: So what are you going to do, kill us?
Temperor: Who me? No, no of course not. It's no hard feelings since your all about to pay me back.
King: Pay you back how?
Temperor: With this!
Temperor then shows them the wanted posters of Luz, Christa, King and Eda in her harpy form.
Temperor: Emperor Belos is offering a pretty good reward to whoever turns you in. Who'd have thought you'd come right to me.
Eda: You set us up. Why I ought a...( whistles) oh dang my harpy form looks good in a picture.
Luz and Christa: Eda!
Eda: I mean oh no that's not good.
Luz: Listen to me, you can't turn us in.
Temperor: Oh I think I can.
Luz: No you don't. Don't you know Belos is going destroy everything on the Day of Unity?
Christa: He's a witch hunter. He's plotting something horrible.
Temperor: Hey what goes on out there has nothing to do with me. Do you see a sigil on me? If he's really going to kill everyone I'm well protected.
Luz: But let Amity go. She's not wanted.
Temperor: No, but I think her family would pay a good price if I held her for ransom.
Amity: You lowlife crook! My aunt is barely recovering from a fight, she doesn't need this.
Temperor: Hey what's good for me will be good for her. But, I could let her go if you tell me where Lilith and the Golden Guard are. They're on my wanted list too. Here, make the call and have them come over.
Eda: You think I'm low enough to sell them out.
Temperor: I though you would Owl Lady. At least your sister.
Eda: Why would I?
Temperor: Where do you think Lilith got the scroll for your curse?
Eda's eyes widened and then growled at him and tried to hit him only to hit the dome.
Temperor: ( chuckles) Sorry ladies, but it's just business.
One of the henchmen approach Temperor with a paper and pen.
Temperor: Send word to the Emperor's Coven. Tell them I have want they want and they better have my money.
Eda: Oh you are just the lowest. Oh and by the way, your sandwiches suck!
Temperor: Oh, oh you did not just say that.
Eda: Oh I said that alright. Latissa's subs are better and what kind of name is Hexcellent Sand-Witches? That is the corniest name I ever heard. A two year old can come up with better.
Temperor inhales his cigar until it turns to ash in anger.
Temperor: I spent months trying to come up with that name. ( fire ignites) MONTHS I TELL YOU!
Eda: Jeez, someone's got real anger problem.
Temperor: I DON'T HAVE AN ANGER PROBLEM! ( breathes angrily as fire dies down) I'm cool. I'm cool. I...I need something strong. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere. Not like you can, ha!
Temperor exits the room, leaving the trapped group alone. The others continued hitting the dome but nothing.
Christa: There has to be a way out.
King: Wait, what if I tried.
Eda: Don't King. There's very little space and using your powers here could hurt us.
Luz: If we weren't hand cuffed I could easily dig under with magic.
Amity: Are hands are completely shut tight. We have no way.
Luz: Wait hold on. ( whispers) Christa, use your power.
Christa: What?
Luz: Use a small fraction of your power to break your cuffs, then free us.
Christa: I can't.
Luz: Of course you can.
Christa: Luz my power is unpredictable and it's always berserk.
Luz: Not really, you mostly use it whenever we're in trouble.
Amity: You use it to protect us. You can do this.
King: Yeah you can do it and it's okay if you fail. Although we prefer if you succeed.
Eda nudges King.
Eda: Try it Chrissy.
Christa: Eda I...
Eda: You're our only chance out of here. You can do this, we believe in you.
Christa: ( sighs) Okay.
Christa closes her eyes to focus.
Eda: Just focus. We're so close to finding your home, your family.
Luz: Your mom is waiting for you Christa. We're almost there. Don't you want to see her again?
Christa: M-Mom.
Christa's eyes glow white. The cuffs and shackles on her hands began to shake and then it shattered. She and the others let out a small gasp.
Christa: I did it.
Eda: ( smiling) Told you so.
Luz: Good job Christa.
Amity: Nice going.
King: Yeah you did it!
Luz: Okay you think you can deactivate the switch.
Christa: I think. Hold on.
Christa forms a spell circle on the floor and a vine digs through the floor. The vine comes out through the other side. Christa tried to control the vine to deactivate the crystal ball switch, but it looked like she was having trouble controlling the vine.
King: Come on just turn it off.
Christa: I'm trying. Ugh why am I having so much trouble. It's like controlling a motion controller that won't even cooperate.
Christa kept trying until she accidentally knocked the switch off the desk and breaks on the floor.
Christa: Oops.
Eda: ( shrugs) Eh, that works too.
Christa uses her ice magic and freezes the shackles on everyone else hands and slams them on the floor to shatter them.
Amity: Great job Christa. Let's get the map and get out of here.
Christa: Right.
Temperor: What is going on in here?
Temperor returns to the room and see's the group free.
Temperor: I leave for literally one minute and you broke free?
King: Yeah you really shouldn't have left us alone. You're really bad at your job.
Temperor: I am not BAD AT MY JOB!
Temperor's anger explodes as his flames light up to red and surrounds the whole room. The group gathered together away from the flames. The map flies up off the desk and near Temperor who was still on fire.
Christa: The map!
Temperor: You're not going anywhere.
Luz: Stop!
Luz uses a water glyph on Temperor, making him yelp as the flames die down a little.
Temperor: Hey watch where you use that.
Luz: ( gasps) Water. Guys, water him down.
Luz uses another water glyph on him. Eda joins in using her glyphs as does Christa using her magic and Amity also forming some abomination goo into glyphs. They kept using water on Temperor as he kept grunting and the flames went down some more. Luz saw the map on the floor and tried to get it.
Temperor: No you DON'T!
Temperor's flames rose up higher. The flames nearly got Luz as she yelled and held her arm, stepping back as she got burned a little.
Amity: Luz!
Amity pulled Luz back and held her. King uses his sonic yell on him, pushing Temperor back as Eda and Christa keep on putting out his flames.
Temperor: Stop! Stop already!
Eda: Stop being such a hot head and chill out.
Luz: Chill? I got it. Want to help me out Ami.
Amity: What's your plan Batata?
Luz: Just get ready to fire at him.
Amity forms her hand in an abomination fist. Luz takes out a glyph combo for snow and puts it on her fist.
Luz: Fire away!
Amity fires her fist at Temperor. He's hit as the glyph activates covering Temperor in snow.
Temperor: Brr, that's cold!.
Luz: Guys, cool him down!
Eda and Christa nods.
Eda: Hey Temperor, you really need to take a chill pill.
Eda uses a glyph combo on Temperor, hitting him with more snow. Luz and Eda kept forming more snow on him making him step back.
Temperor: Stop it. Stop! I said THAT'S ENOUGH!
Temperor's flames ignite melting off the snow coming at him. Amity forms a water glyph at him to stop the flames.
Amity: We need to keep the flames down then hit him with snow.
Eda: We need a huge amount to stop him.
Christa: Leave that to me. Put out as much fire as you can.
Luz: Got it.
The three of them kept putting out the fire, as they did so Christa brought her hands together to make something big.
Christa: Everybody get behind me!
They quickly do so as Christa forms a huge wave of water at Temperor.
Temperor: What?
She then turns the water into snow, making it into an avalanche.
Temperor: Oh no.
Temperor is hit by the snow as it wrecks half of his room. Temperor slowly comes out shivering.
Temperor: Cold...so c-c-cold.
But then he falls face to the snow.
Christa: That finally cooled him down.
King: Okay, okay enough with ice puns.
Christa: Says you who likes bread puns.
King: Because no one makes many of those kinds.
Luz: Quick let's get out of here!
The group runs out of the room. From the other door, Monsieur Bolst struggles to enter due to the snow.
Monsieur Bolst: ( grunts) Where'd this snow come from? Boss what happened? Huh, the prisoners are escaping! You will not make a fool out of me again! Melba, get them!
Monsieur Bolst throws the small marble and bursting out is Melba who roars and chases after the group. We cut back to the sandwich shop, with Bob still standing behind the cash group run passes him and out of the shop, but then Melba breaks through the wall still roaring chasing the group. Bob looks at the mess and takes out a broom and dust pan.
Bob: ( sighs) I really don't get paid enough for this job.
Back outside the group flies away from the area with their staffs, with Luz riding with Amity. Melba flies up and chases after them roaring. He breathed fire at Eda but misses.
Eda: Oh great it's bird brain again.
Eda uses an ice glyph at him, which shoots and ice stalactite at him, but dodges.
Luz: We don't have time for him. Everyone look away!
Luz takes out a light glyph and shines it at Melba. He's blinded by the light and stops where he's at. He regains vision but does't see the group anywhere. He starts flying around the sky aimlessly. But we cut to the ground where everyone has become visible after using and invisibility glyph to get away.
Eda: Oh that was close. Is everyone okay?
King: I'm alright.
Eda: Luz you okay.
We see Luz holding her arm that got burned and Amity taking one of her ice glyphs and placing it on her arm.
Luz: I'm fine. Matti will take care of this when we get back.
Christa: ( sadly) We barely made it out, but we didn't get what we came for.
Luz: Want to bet on that?
Luz shows her the map she snagged.
Christa: ( eyes widened) The map.
Luz: Got it right before he burned it.
Eda: No way. You little thief.
Luz: Hey we paid for it, he wouldn't cooperate.
Amity: Let's see it.
Luz unfolds it and it did look like it was torn page from the journal. It showed the start which was the boiling isles and the route to take when going through Maguma's fog and an X at the end.
Christa: So this is it?
Luz: ( nods) Yes. We're going to the Unknown Isles.
Later
We cut to Temperor sitting on his chair with his feet in some warm water as Monsieur Bolst gives him a blanket. With them was another figure standing in the shadows.
Temperor: Believe me I had them in the palm of my hand. ( sneezes then sniffs) They stole my map and ran off. But...I do have one more copy for you and it's yours for a small fee.
Temperor hands the map over to the figure who turns out to be Kikimora.
Kikimora: Oh I think it will be worth every snail to finally get back to the top.
To be continued...
Author's Note: That's it for this chapter. So at last we finally got to this point. After spending months trying to come up for Temperor he finally makes his debut. Next couple chapters might take some time since this is finally the part we've all been waiting for and I need some time to finalize the plot, which I am nervous to reveal soon. But stay tuned as all will be answered. If you liked this chapter be sure to follow, favorite and review. As always thank you and until next time.