Disclaimer: Kirby belongs to Nintendo and HAL Laboratory.
Word spread quickly across the residents of the tower regarding Vesa beginning to unlock her magic. Elfilin even ventured to Kirby's house to announce the great news to the pink star warrior. Over the course of the next week, Elfilis completed filling the library with books, even if there were still a few finishing touches needed.
Fecto Elfilis led Vesa and Elfilin outside the tower at the end of the week, ready to find a spot in the outdoors for Vesa to practice her magic. Flamberge and Zan Partizanne accompanied them as they strolled down the dirt path. When they reached a fork in the path, the small chinchilla spotted Kirby running towards the intersection from another path.
"Hi, Kirby!" Elfilin chirped, waving his paw.
Kirby stopped just in front of Elfilin.
"Poyo!" Kirby waved back.
Elfilis, who had been fatigued from their nonstop work on the library and not having slept for a week, cycled magic through their body and let out a light sigh. Through energizing themself with their power, they felt more refreshed. Considering the nature of their biological structure, they weren't as affected by exhaustion like other organisms. They still would need rest at least every two weeks, though.
Elfilin nuzzled Kirby's face before the pink star warrior focused his gaze on Vesa.
"Morning, Kirby," Vesa placed her hand behind her head.
"Poyo!"
"I've been doing all right this morning," Elfilis closed their eyes with a nod.
Kirby nodded at Elfilis before he scurried up to Flamberge and Zan Partizanne.
"Hello there," Zan greeted politely, "how are you doing today?"
"Poyo poyo," Kirby chirped, "poyo!"
They continued to stroll along the dirt path, beginning to circle the perimeter of the lake where they could see Capupu Village at the other side. The fire mage fiddled with a small leather bag.
"Check this out," Flamberge grinned, "I figured out how to produce Blackpowder through alchemy. Now I'm going to start carrying it around since it makes a great catalyst for fire magic."
When Flamberge reached into her bag, everyone else backed away from her a little. Elfilin took cover behind Kirby while Vesa and Elfilis shared glances.
"Uhh," Vesa blurted, "should I be worried?"
"She doesn't exactly have a history of being safe with…anything," Elfilis muttered.
The ultimate life-form levitated the bags from Flamberge, including one hidden under her shirt and tied to a necklace.
"Hey!" Flamberge snapped, "give those back!"
"I'll give them back when we get home," Elfilis told her, "the magic in Vesa hasn't fully saturated yet, so an explosion like that would be too dangerous for her."
Flamberge grumbled incoherently and folded her arms. Kirby and Elfilin exchanged glances before continuing along the path. Vesa, Elfilis, Zan and Flamberge followed close behind.
"So what's Peanut Plains like?" Elfilin asked.
"Poyo," Kirby answered, "poyo poyo poyo. Poyo, poyo poyo!"
"I'm mostly interested in the geology of the Green Greens area," Elfilis replied, "the rock formations that grow from the ground resembling wafers of some kind fascinate me."
"Are they edible?" Vesa asked.
"Poyo," Kirby shook his head.
"I assumed as much. Kirby could probably eat them if he wanted," Elfilis said, "although, I doubt they'd taste good. That hasn't stopped him before, to my knowledge. If I recall correctly, he's eaten things like rocks before for copy abilities. He ate a car recently, and a vending machine. I'm sure there are plenty of other interesting things he has eaten and I'm honestly curious."
Soon enough, they arrived in Peanut Plains. This area seemed more temperate with more stone outcroppings than before. A thin layer of grass covered the ground dotted by plenty of assorted plants. Elfilis let out a startled squeak as the ground gave out from underneath, ending up in a large cube-shaped hole where they stood. Their feelers twitched in irritation over the realization there were rocks which just vanished or couldn't hold weight for long. Anxiety flooding her veins, Vesa dashed towards Elfilis.
"Elfilis," Vesa called, "are you ok?!"
Much to her relief, Elfilis floated out of the hole.
"I'll be alright," Elfilis told her, "though I'm concerned as to how safe this place actually is."
Elfilis made a brief glance at Kirby.
"I'm sure Kirby here is fine considering he's lightweight," Elfilis continued, "but I can't say the same for the weight for everyone else here. My siblings will be alright, but for those of us who need to walk…"
Vesa examined the ground beneath her as Elfilin continued to follow Kirby. She reached out and grasped Elfilis's paw as they continued to walk. For a moment, she gazed into their eyes.
"I-I'm not sure if I can handle combat, to be honest," Vesa stammered, "so I'm having a look at my options for magic that can give great benefit outside of fighting, if that makes sense."
"I understand the appeal," Elfilis nodded, "there are plenty of options for that, runes, alchemy, healing and support spells, magical theory, enchanting, wards, magical cooking, you name it."
Vesa stepped on a weak rock. She barely managed to jump out of the way as it gave out. Elfilis stopped for a moment and squeaked softly, inspecting Vesa for any injury. Having recovered from the initial shock, she nervously inspected the ground.
"Y-You know," Vesa stammered, glancing over her shoulder, "maybe I'd feel much safer if you carried me."
"If you insist."
Elfilis scooped Vesa up into their arms, letting her wrap her arms around them. Kirby, Elfilin, Zan, Flamberge and Elfilis continued to maneuver along the suspicious terrain. When they passed by the base of a mountain, they could see a massive hole in the ground. The pink star warrior spotted a familiar child with a red beret near the hole standing in front of an easel while holding a paint palette in one hand and a paintbrush with the other.
"Wait," Elfilis paused, "is that…another human?"
"Poyo!" Kirby chirped excitedly.
Kirby sprinted towards the human child, who stopped what she was doing and turned her face towards the oncoming visitor.
"Kirby?!" the child warbled.
"Poyo!" Kirby jumped up happily.
Elfilin floated over to the child as she put away her paint palette and paintbrush.
"Hi, Kirby!" the child smiled, "long time, no see!"
The child noticed Elfilin as the small chinchilla circled around her.
"Poyo," Kirby gestured to Elfilin, "poyo poyo!"
"Is this a new friend of yours?" the child asked.
Elfilin nodded sheepishly.
"Yeah," Elfilin nodded, "my name's Elfilin."
The child blinked twice before she extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Elfilin," the child replied, "I'm Adeleine!"
As Elfilin shook Adeleine's hand, Vesa's eyes widened with surprise.
"A-Adeleine?" she gasped.
Vesa's mind immediately recalled that moment Meta Knight introduced himself to her the first time in Waddle Dee Town.
"So Meta Knight was right," Vesa commented, "I guess I'm not the only human here."
While Elfilis set Vesa down, Zan and Flamberge approached Adeleine, Kirby and Elfilin.
"Heya, Adeleine," Flamberge waved her hand, "what are you doing out here?"
"Kirby," Adeleine replied, "remember when you fell down that hole and explored the cave underneath?"
"Poyo!" Kirby nodded.
Vesa and Elfilis walked past the hole in the ground as they approached the others. Adeleine tilted her easel, allowing the others to see the progress she made on her canvas.
"It looks neat," Elfilis commented, "so why are you painting the hole in the ground?"
Adeleine blinked for a moment before she shifted her gaze towards Elfilis. The ultimate life-form felt rather puzzled as to why the child gave them a blank stare. The young human soon shifted her gaze towards Vesa.
"Oh?" Adeleine blurted.
Vesa smiled nervously and waved her hand.
"You can call me Vesa," she said.
Elfilis tensed up a little and averted their gaze from the child.
"Nice to meet you, Vesa," Adeleine replied, pointing at Elfilis, "is something going on with your friend here?"
"Elfilis, you mean?" Vesa clarified.
Adeleine nodded. Vesa lowered her head.
"They were…mistreated by members of our kind in the past," Vesa explained.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Elfilis deadpanned.
Vesa gently grasped Elfilis's paw.
"Hey," Vesa assured them, "you don't have to."
"Thank you," Elfilis let out a relieved sigh.
Flamberge approached the hole in the ground and inspected it.
"So what brings you guys out here?" Adeleine asked.
"We're looking for a spot so Vesa here can practice her magic!" Elfilin chirped.
Elfilis placed a finger on their chin.
"We still have a good place for that at home," Elfilis remarked.
Vesa took a moment to survey the landscape beyond the horizon.
"Though, I don't think it would be safe to practice magic on unstable terrain," Vesa admitted.
"There should be a spot with more stable ground not far from here," Adeleine suggested.
Flamberge took a moment to stretch her arms.
"I'll bet you I can find an even better spot down there!" the fire mage insisted.
"What?!" Vesa warbled.
All eyes focused on Flamberge as she swung her arms back and forth briefly.
"Geronimo!" the fire mage yelled, jumping into the hole without warning.
"Sis!" Elfilis let out a surprised squeak.
Kirby waddled over to the edge of the hole while Elfilin circled its perimeters.
"Poyo," Kirby sighed.
Zan Partizanne couldn't help but facepalm.
"The nerve of her," Zan grumbled.
Elfilis, Zan, Adeleine and Vesa gathered around the hole in the ground.
"I hope she's ok," Vesa said.
"She'll be fine," Zan replied, "we're all trained well, and Kirby tackled this place long before he even fought Void Termina. It shouldn't be an issue, and it's unlikely she's gotten really far yet."
Vesa saw flashes of light far down the hole.
"Hey, Elfilis?" Vesa requested, "once we catch up with Flamberge, is it ok if I ask you to…"
Vesa paused to take a deep breath.
"…teach me how to better handle my own magic?" she finished.
Elfilis blushed as they rubbed the back of their head.
"I didn't think you'd ask," they replied, "but…I honestly would love to."
Vesa nodded.
"Thanks!" Vesa smiled, "the sooner we catch up with your sister, the better."
"Poyo!" Kirby raised one arm in the air.
The pink star warrior jumped down the hole with Elfilin following him close behind. Elfilis lifted Vesa into their arms before they began floating down. Zan and Adeleine exchanged glances.
"You wanna stay here?" Zan asked.
"Nah," Adeleine shook her head.
Adeleine took a minute to collapse the easel and stash it away. From there, the lightning mage lifted the aspiring painter into her arm.
"Hold on tightly, kid," Zan instructed.
Zan jumped down, meeting up with Kirby, Elfilin, Vesa and Elfilis. The first thing they saw were large amounts of dead and seemingly carnivorous plants, all burnt to a crisp…probably some kind of flower. Elfilin floated around the chamber and surveyed the destruction left behind in the fire mage's wake. The small chinchilla trembled nervously. While Elfilis floated down the hallway, they took notice of a few plants which were left behind. The ultimate life-form didn't hesitate to assimilate them.
Zan took a moment to let Adeleine down before they followed Kirby, Elfilin and Elfilis. The ultimate life-form let Vesa down as soon as they confirmed the fire mage burnt everything around them.
"I'm not sure what creatures we'll find down here," Vesa commented nervously, "but I'll bet Flamberge would've done a great job scaring the crap out of them."
"Probably," Zan shrugged, "she seems to have killed a large number of plant creatures. She wouldn't have done so if they weren't immediately hostile, though."
As they continued to venture through the Sub-Tree area, Elfilin took notice of a Gator scouring for food in the remains. Elfilis attempted to guide the others away to avoid any confrontation. Small-minded creatures like that one tended to be aggressive towards anyone who got too close.
When Kirby led the others into another chamber, they spotted Flamberge up ahead. Birdons fled for their lives. The fire mage appeared to be relaxing a bit.
"Hey!" Elfilin called over, waving his paw.
"Poyo!" Kirby waved his arm.
Flamberge shifted her gaze towards the pink puffball and the small chinchilla.
"Hey guys!" Flamberge waved back, "bout time you caught up!"
Elfilis, Vesa, Zan, Adeleine, Kirby and Elfilin made their approach and paused just a foot before the fire mage.
"What?" Flamberge paused.
"You," Elfilis began to object, "never mind."
Elfilis knew full well nothing they'd say would change the situation. In the meantime, Adeleine turned her head and surveyed their surroundings. Elfilin joined in as he perched on her head. His larger counterpart went on to analyze and assimilate new plant life they could find. Vesa and Kirby exchanged glances.
"Kirby," Vesa asked, "do you know if this cave has a good place where I can concentrate on practicing my magic?"
Kirby thought over the question for a moment before he nodded.
"Poyo!" Kirby beckoned the others to follow him.
Fecto Elfilis, Vesa, Zan, Flamberge, Adeleine, Kirby and Elfilin found a makeshift peninsula surveying an underground lake. Adeleine spotted some Bronto Burts near a set of bushes and pulled out her easel. Vesa sat down at a boulder. The ultimate life-form couldn't help but wonder how the pink puffball would even know a good spot, considering anywhere within the cave seemed to be a magical hotspot.
Zan and Flamberge sat near the edge of the water and watched Blippers swimming underneath the water surface. Kirby and Elfilin decided to play a game of boomerang catch with a local Poppy Bros. Jr. All Elfilis could do was supervise their little brother.
Vesa reached into her backpack and pulled out a book. Elfilis shifted their gaze towards her.
"So what kind of magic have you decided to focus on?" they asked her.
Vesa locked eyes onto Elfilis for a brief moment before she went back to reading the book in her hand, examining the diagram of a gust of wind amplifying a weapon.
"So you're looking into temporary enchantments?" Elfilis paused.
Vesa nodded.
"It could be useful in case there aren't any available elemental sources," she answered.
"Support magic is nice, though," Elfilis agreed, "do you have any side magic you plan to work on? Something that wouldn't be strictly useful in a fight?"
"Well," Vesa replied, "I'll be sure to figure out such spells as I go along."
Another minute of silence passed before Vesa closed the book.
"I think I'm ready to give this one a shot," she added.
Feel free to make some fanart related to this fanfic!
And leave a review so Kirby can use them to buy snacks for him and Elfilin.