A shadow flickered through the undergrowth as it traversed through the shady mountain forest. The trees were tall and of new growth, yet their fledgling choco oaks and dark cacao pines obscured the sky with their branching canopy, casting a marbling of shadow and weak light onto the moving figure. Following its pursuit was a much larger and slower darkened figure whose owner caused the deep verdant ferns to swish as it moved past them. Much like a predator stalking its oblivious prey, it trailed the deft shadow in an encumbered pursuit, leaving nothing but a soft clinking sound in its wake. However, much unlike a predator, the larger of the two figures paused its stalking.

"... Psst..." it whispered in a low voice, its pink, almost heart-shaped eyes glinting in the dappled darkness.

The smaller shadow drew to a halt and swiveled its head to look at the figure behind it. "... What is it...?" it whispered back in an almost annoyed voice, its droopy, vaguely conical hat bobbing as it did so.

"... You do realize we're not wanted criminals, right? We don't need to sneak in the darkness, Prune Juice Cookie" it shot back in a whisper. "... And why do I have to carry everything?"

Prune Juice stopped his careful crouching and brushed away a concealing fern as he stood upright, revealing his lavender colored robes in the muted light. "You're the one who suggested a stealth mission, therefore I'm just being stealthy as per the plan" he said in a normal tone of voice as his soft blue eyes opened to look at the pink-clad and heavily encumbered Kouign-Amann Cookie before him. "And because you're strong, obviously. Poor frail me would simply buckle under the tremendous weight of all those potions" he added, adding a hint of drama to that last bit.

"Mhmm" Kouign-Amann replied unconvinced as she, too, hoisted herself upright, greatsword in one hand and a large canvas potion sack in the other. "Didn't seem too heavy for you in those previous two Trials..." she replied as she cocked an eyebrow. The base of her ballgown was dirtied, with burrs snuggly attached to the inviting material in droves. Ugh, it looked like she spent the last three nights sleeping in the woods.

Removing her focus from her ravaged dress, she sent an eye to the sky. She could already see the faint stars that heralded the encroaching twilight. "Let's keep going..." she said, determination flooding her voice.

Their departure from the Parfaedia Quarters was swift, with Prune Juice Cookie finishing his preparations by stuffing a dozen bottles of murky-looking liquid into his potion bag. It, of course, took Kouign-Amann's seemingly god-like strength to lift the massive bag out the window and onto the green grass below as they began their sneaky departure. Although with most of the Parfaedia students safely inside the Quarters, it was more akin to a leisurely stroll through the mountains than a furtive mission- much to Prune Juice's dismay.

"And just when I thought it was my time to shine..." Prune Juice thought to himself dourly as he and Kouign-Amann resumed their trek through the woods in the direction of the Scovillia Quarters. Stealth was HIS thing! This 'mission' was turning out to just be him and his pack-mule Kouign-Amann taking a stroll through the woods. Despite the matter at hand being rather pressing, that is, finding Capsaicin Cookie and getting him out of whatever situation he had somehow found himself in, he still couldn't suppress a twinge of disappointment.

"We should be getting close..." Kouign-Amann mused, recounting how she had met the fiery Scovillian Champion in the woods earlier. She could just barely make out the path to the Scovillia Quarters where they had previously met through the dimming light. The sun was already cresting the mountains, and if they didn't hurry up they'd be plunged into even greater obscurity.

Seeming to prove it, she almost walked directly into a thin choco oak tree, just managing to stop before she got a face full of bark. "Oomph! That was close..." she sighed aloud as her eyes went wide, causing Prune Juice to turn his head to look at her.

The inky Champion paused for a second before swiftly approaching Kouign-Amann. "Oh Kouign-Amann, what would you do without me" he chuckled as he gestured for her to set down his potion bag, to which she obliged. He loosened the drawstring before sticking one gloved hand in and rummaging around for a particular potion of his. "Aha! This one should do the trick" he said aloud, pulling out two small vials of deep midnight liquid and handing one to her. "I call it my 'Eye See What You Did There' brew. It helps you see in the dark" he explained as Kouign-Amann gingerly uncorked the brew and hesitantly took a sip.

It tasted... Carrot-y? "Not the worst taste in the world!" she thought to herself pleasantly as she downed the rest of the potion. Almost immediately, her vision grew sharper and brighter, causing her some slight vertigo. The outlines of trees and shrubs became apparent and she was made painfully aware of every insect and creepy-crawly surrounding her. "This... Is going to take some getting used to..." she gulped as her eyes swiveled around, briefly locking with an exceptionally large spider on the tree next to her.

She tentatively took a few steps away from it.

"Definitely one of my more potent brews" Prune Juice groaned as he finished his potion and began rubbing his eyes. "Perfect eyesight is a curse..."

"We better get going. Who knows if Madeleine Cookie already discovered that I'm gone?" Kouign-Amann murmured, seeming to somewhat readjust to her sharpened vision. "I think I can make out the edge of the woods..." she said aloud as she once again hoisted Prune Juice's potion bag over her free shoulder. It was probably time that she invested in a scabbard...

The two picked up the pace as they effortlessly ducked and weaved through the clear-as-day vegetation. The thinning of the trees and undergrowth was a sign that they had finally reached their destination: the Scovillia Quarters. The clearing it was erected in spanned before them, with the imposing structure and its every detail (courtesy of their enhanced vision) displayed in all its spicy glory.

Now was the part where things got tricky.

Kouign-Amann spotted two paladins guarding the front entrance, their backs to opposite sides of the grand entrance doors and angled in a way that gave them a wild field of vision. "Alright, Prune, where do we go from here?" Kouign-Amann whispered to the silent potionmaker beside her.

He had one leatherbound glove to his mouth as he scrutinized the building before them, deep in thought. "Even if I used an invisibility potion, there'd be no way to sneak through the doors without alerting the guards..." he thought to himself analytically as his eyes fell on the two guards. "Surely there's a window or something...". He switched focus from the main entrance as he carefully started creeping his way around the perimeter of the building with Kouign-Amann following softly behind.

"If the layout is roughly the same as the Parfaedia Quarters-" Prune Juice began before he was abruptly cut off as Kouign-Amann hastily set her sword down and cupped his mouth shut. A muffled "-Mhmhmh" escaped the Parfaedia Champion's covered mouth as she ducked the two of them down into a shrub just as a pair of Crème Knight paladins marched into view.

They stopped in front of a section of the building with a long and thin stained glass window punctuating its solid sugar exterior, with the taller of the two paladins taking a peek through the glass into the interior chamber.

Kouign-Amann felt a tapping on her free hand and looked down to see Prune Juice looking at her with an annoyed stare. "Oops, sorry" she said sheepishly as she reinstated the potionmaker's ability to talk. With her hand now free, she carefully and quietly picked up her greatsword, taking caution so as to not cause the multitude of potions she carried to clink together noisily.

"... As I was saying..." he whispered, eyes now fixed on the pair of paladins. "... then those two guards are now at the Champion's Quarters"

"So, Capsaicin's definitely in there" she whispered back. The two paladins looked unfamiliar to her, which probably meant that they were her upperclassmen. "... Should I rush them?" she asked, looking for the inky Champion's approval. Sure, it would be difficult as they were her senior, but she was certain that the darkness provided her with an edge-

Prune Juice quickly turned his head to shoot her a 'do not even THINK about it' look.

Well, that killed the idea.

"Fine, fine... Then what do you propose? They're not moving" she whispered, still scrutinizing the guards.

Prune Juice thought about it for a moment, his brow furrowing as he contemplated their next move. The two paladins had just arrived, which probably meant that either 1) they traded shifts with a previous group, which would mean that they were stationed there for their whole shift, or 2) they periodically patrolled the perimeter. If the former were true, then why didn't a previous group come and relieve them directly? There'd be a huge blind spot for anyone to break in or out during the period in which the guards changed... Which meant...

"They're likely patrolling the perimeter" he said aloud in a hushed manner. As if on cue, the two guards finished their check and began marching away from the window, trailing the walls of the Quarters until they yet again rounded the corner.

At that, Kouign-Amann turned to look at the inky Champion, a look of mischief crossing her face. "What are the chances they left that window unlocked?" she asked in amusement. "Capsaicin can open it from the inside, just like you did when I snuck into your Quarters"

Prune Juice gave her a dubious look. "We don't know if he's being restrained somehow in there, or if there are any guards inside..." he began, a multitude of 'what if's' rushing through his mind. He had to think things through carefully so as to avoid detection, seeing as he was accompanied by the flashiest Cookie known to Earthbread.

A horrified expression crossed Kouign-Amann's face as she listened to the potionmaker's words. "They... They wouldn't do that, would they?" she breathed, concern wiping away her prior amusement. She felt a rush of panic as she imagined what fate befell her friend as he was taken away. Argh! All she wanted to do was bust down those doors and make sure he was okay. "Prune, we have to hurry" she said, a new sense of urgency in her tone.

"Alright, follow me..." he said quietly as he exited the treeline, Kouign-Amann's load of potions clinking softly as she followed in suite.


"It's night now..." a Paladin Cadet yawned to his partner who flanked him on the left. They had just traded shifts with the first pair of guards, yet he was already beginning to feel the tiredness that gently lapped at his mind.

His partner didn't move from her position as she kept her eyes fixed down the hallway. "Stay sharp, we don't know when that thing in there will try something" she said bluntly, one hand firmly placed on the hilt of her sword.

He spared a glance towards the door they guarded. It was the entrance to the Scovillian Champion's Quarters, now converted into a temporary and rudimentary prison, which -ironically enough- held the Scovillia Champion. Per their Preceptor's orders, they were to prevent anyone from breaking in, and prevent anything from breaking out. Although after witnessing the battle that interrupted the second Trial and sent all three Academies into an evacuation, he was less than confident in his abilities to stop the latter from happening.

At least there hadn't been a single noise from the interior of the chambers.

He hoped it stayed that way.

Sighing, he reassumed his position and kept his eyes listlessly focused down the hallway, as his partner did.

It was going to be a long night.

...

The Champion's Quarters still bore the blackened marks from that night. The room was dark and mostly empty, all save for the charred and sooty residue staining the walls, floor, and nonflammable furniture. Weak moonlight filtered itself through the lone window to the chambers, casting a long beam of thin illumination on the stonework flooring and causing a thin veil of ash to be perceivable in its light.

Capsaicin was coldly aware that all of this was his fault.

It was for the best, really, since he had spent the past two years living a lie. Making friends, being looked after... Feeling happy... All of it, built on the pretense of a lie. And now, now everyone knew.

Knew that he was a monster.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as his mind badgered him with all the torturous thoughts he had long since locked away. Shivers wracked his body in droves as he laid there, hunched over on the frigid floor, fighting the involuntary quaking of his muscles so that he could curl himself into a ball. Although the memories of what happened during the second Trial were fuzzy in his mind, he so desperately fought to recount every minute detail of what happened.

Of what he did.

How ironic, that the one memory he so desperately wanted to recall was the only one purged in indisputable haziness. No matter, as the important parts still rang around his mind like cruel buckshot ricocheting off steel. The burns the Headmaster sustained, the amount of times he almost crushed Prune Juice Cookie and Kouign-Amann Cookie into insignificant ash, the raging fire consuming all in its path. Oh, what he'd give to see the horrified faces of his classmates and the other students as they watched his rampage from the colosseum.

And now, there he was. All alone, freezing, and imprisoned yet again.

He deserved it.

With every burning fiber of his body: he deserved it.

So why... Why did his heart feel as if it were about to crumble into a million smoldering pieces?

He pressed the back of his trembling arm to his eyes, holding them firmly shut as his cold, dented shackle scraped against his chilly dough from the action. "Why..." he thought to himself miserably. "... I deserve this... So why... Why..."

He grit his teeth as a whimper escaped his fortitudes. "... Why am I crying...?" he choked out, words barely a whisper as he began to quietly sob.

Orange tears wedged themselves from his closed eyes before rapidly streaking horizontally down his face and arm and collecting themselves on the cold floor. They felt lukewarm on his dough and started to slowly harden almost immediately upon contact with the ground. Despite their low ranking on the Scoville scale, they produced a soft orange glow as they accumulated.

His arms moved shakily to clutch his head as sobs continued to rack his body.

...

"Did you hear something?" the Paladin Cadet suddenly said, head turned to look at his partner.

She spared him an indifferent look with one eye, head still unmoving from her stationary position. "No" she replied curtly.

He internally sighed at her response. Of course he would be placed with the most stuck up cadet in his level. Eyes once again crept to look at the door separating them, a confused expression crossing his face as he did so. "Strange, it almost sounded like... Crying?" he thought to himself, eyes still lingering on the solid choco wood door.

Eh, must have imagined it.


"Caaapsaicin...!" Kouign-Amann whisper-shouted, face pressed against the stained glass window to the Scovillia Champion's Quarters. Despite her enhanced night vision, she was unable to make out many details of the interior. Huh, guess red and orange stained sugar-glass wasn't the best choice for a functional window. Despite the fuzziness, she could make out a weak light source emanating from a corner too far for the slender window to depict.

Beside her, Prune Juice stood. He had his arms crossed and was inspecting the frame with a rather impassive look. "Just our luck. This window lacks the mechanism that would allow it to open" he stated matter-of-factly, causing Kouign-Amann to lower her head and sigh.

"What, did they build the Scovillia Quarters last or something? Both yours and mine open...!" she huffed, annoyed at the architect that would erect such a discrepancy.

The inky Champion leaned back a bit from where he stood, eyes scanning the exterior of the Quarters. "Alright, onto plan B" he thought to himself, eyes skimming the rows of normal-looking windows that flanked the grand one denoting the Champion's Quarters. They lead to the regular Chambers for students, and -thankfully- could be opened. "... It's almost like they wanted students to sneak out at night" he mused aloud as he approached the nearest window. It was so low to the ground even he could enter and exit it easily. "Kouign-Amann, the Crème Knights aren't disturbed enough to watch another Academies' students sleep, correct?" he said, jolting the pink Champion from her peeping into the Champion's Quarters.

She removed her face from the window and gave him a questioning look. "Uh, no?" she said, unsure of where the hell that comment just came from. "... Well. Maybe Madeleine..." she added, mainly to herself.

"Good, good" Prune Juice replied as he promptly knocked on the window he stood before.

"W-What are you doing!?" she gasped, quickly abandoning her position to rush up to the inane potionmaker. "What if they turn us in?"

Prune Juice didn't look at her as he kept his sharp vision trained solely on the window. He could make out a bunk bed on either side, with seemingly sleeping figures in each of their stages. "Kouign, you've spent more time around Scovillians than I have in the past couple days. Do you REALLY think they'd be the type to lay down while stuffy paladins ordered them around?" he asked her in a nonchalant manner.

Well, he had her there. Still, it wasn't the most enticing plan in her eyes. She didn't want to get too many students involved in their plan, both for the security of their 'stealth' mission, and because she didn't want to risk anyone else getting in trouble. "No...-" she started before movement from inside the window caught her attention.

A student from one of the bottom bunks stirred before slowly sitting upright and swinging his stumpy legs off the side of the bed before hopping off of it. He rubbed his eyes and slowly turned his head to look out the window.

"Um... Hi?" Kouign-Amann mouthed to the awoken student.

At seeing the two figurines shrouded in blackness, he instantly jumped back a bit and assumed a defensive position.

"Oh" Kouign-Amann thought to herself humorously. They probably looked absolutely terrifying, and perhaps even a little pervy. Two Champions just staring into another Academies' Quarters at night. Yep, totally creepy. Her face started to flush a shade of red as what they were doing started to sink in. Oho, if word got out about this to her Academy...!

She quickly bent her head to stare firmly at the ground.

Prune Juice snickered as he watched the flustered Champion. Looks like he'd have to take the lead in this phase of the plan.

He quickly put his hands up in a 'surrender' motion. He hoped this student was bright enough to understand what he was trying to convey.

The short-statured student cocked his head to the side and slowly approached the window.

"Yes! You can do it..." he mentally encouraged the student. Next, he angled his head towards the lock on the window and pointed a finger at it.

As Prune Juice was preoccupied communicating using the fine art of hand signals, Kouign-Amann's ears picked up on the sound of grass crunching underfoot. Immediately, she stopped trying to hide her embarrassment and whipped her head to the approaching sound. In the near distance, she could see the two paladin guards making their rounds again.

And they were approaching.

Fast.

"P-Prune! The guards!" she hissed, startling the inky Champion from his communications. So far, he had gotten the student to start fidgeting with the lock.

Ramping up the pace, he hurriedly pointed again and again towards the lock. "Oh, for the Witch's sake..." he groaned. They were going to get caught all because this student couldn't figure out how to unlock a latch.

Almost as if the student heard him from the other side, his expression deadpanned and he undid the lock and pushed the window open.

Kouign-Amann quickly pushed open the window further and half hauled, half shoved Prune Juice Cookie through the opening before tossing the bag of potions onto him and finally leaping in herself. She hastily closed the window and ducked the half-pint student and herself to the ground, JUST as the two guards walked past the window.

She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed, an indication that the two were unaware of what had just transpired.

"Um... Are you two going to explain what just happened?" the Scovillian student said, eyes staring up at the pink-clad Champion that had dropped him to the floor.

Oh, she hadn't thought this far ahead. "O-Oh! We... We're not spying on you! While you sleep! Or... Or anything like that..." she stammered out, that red blush returning to her light cream-colored cheeks.

The small Scovillia student tilted his head to the side and gave her an odd look.

"Ugh..." Prune Juice moaned. He was splayed out on the ground with the large sack of potions pinning him square on his chest. "Kouign... What is wrong with you..." he choked out, mouth contorted into a frown as he fought to re-inflate his lungs with the air that was so violently pushed out before.

"We're here to save Capsaicin" she said, finally managing to find her words before she found herself on a registry. "And sorry, Prune!" she added with a sheepish smile, sending an apologetic look to the downed Champion.

"Capsaicin?" the Scovillia student breathed, his eyes glimmering at the young Crème Knights' Champion. "You're... Going to help him?"

Kouign-Amann mentally braced herself for what happens next. The second Trial was broadcasted into the colosseum stands, and no doubt this student before her witnessed Capsaicin's... Well, for lack of a better term, outburst. They might've just found an adversary rather than an ally... "Look, I know, what you saw was... A bit scary. Believe me, I was there-" she began, trying to explain her reasonings.

"Let me help you!" the student quickly said, causing Kouign-Amann to stop mid-sentence. "Please. I'm Lil Pepper Cookie, and I'm Capsaicin's friend. If he needs rescuing, then let me help"

Lil Pepper Cookie dropped his eyes, a troubled expression crossing his face. "I... I saw what happened, and I know he needs help" he quietly said. "Anything you need, I'll do!". Determination flooded his sparkly eyes as he stood as tall as he could. He still fell a couple heads shorter than the pink Champion.

Kouign-Amann's gaze softened and she gave the petite Cookie a smile. "Of course" she said as she gave the little student a head pat. Despite not wanting to get more Cookies wrapped up in this, she couldn't deny the little student's request to help.

They knew were Capsaicin was, made it into the building, now all they had to do was get to him.

"What we need is a way to distract the guards" she said aloud, pondering the answer to the question she just posed.

"Oh, just leave that to us" a unknown voice said.

Startled, she looked around as she saw two 'sleeping' figures sitting up at the edge of their beds. One of them even had her head lowered down from the top bunk to get a better look at the newcomers in their Quarters.

"C-can someone... GET THIS OFF ME!?" Prune Juice choked out as he squirmed on the ground, still held firmly in place by his own creations.

"I gotcha, ya little noodle" the Hot Scovillia Student gruffly said as she hopped off her bed (which, Kouign-Amann noticed, was on the top bunk) and effortlessly picked up the potion sack off the Parfaedia Champion. "Sheesh, do ya need a workout regiment? Because I can totally hook ya up..."

Prune Juice dusted himself off as he shakily got to his feet. Phew, getting your chest crushed by your own potion sack was a shade of irony even he didn't want to dabble in. "I... I'll pass, thank you" he said to the strong student that just saved his life. After having regained his composure, he shot an irritated glance at Kouign-Amann.

"Alright, so the Crème Knights' Champion and some random Parfaedia student-" the Spicy Scovillia Student- and the owner of the previous voice, started.

"... I'm the Parfaedia Champion, you know" Prune Juice Cookie interjected.

"-are going to save Capsaicin Cookie? And all you need us to do is distract the guards? Did I hear that right?" he finished, eyeing the two. His mouth morphed into a smirk as he gave an exaggerated sigh. "You sure you don't have a HARDER job for us to do?"

Prune Juice gave the group of Scovillia students a dubious look. "Isn't this place teaming with paladins?" he asked, remembering the patrolling guards and those at the main entrance.

"Nah, it's just some square-cut old lady and two rookies in front of the Champion's Quarters" the Hot Scovillia Student replied nonchalantly.

"I wouldn't call Financier Cookie an 'old lady'..." Kouign-Amann muttered to herself. Despite being on opposite factions here, she certainly still respected and admired her senior.

Then, a thought hit her.

"By the Light, what am I going to do if I encounter her?" she thought to herself incredulously. She's only ever sparred with Financier, and even then she could always tell the graduate paladin was holding back on her.

"Well, this definitely has put a bend in the plan..." Prune Juice Cookie began, catching the attention of everybody awake in the room and snapping Kouign-Amann from her thoughts. "... But, luckily for you guys, I can make this work" he said, one sly eye cracking open as a smile crossed his face. While he certainly didn't wish that his plans would fail, a situation like this is perfect for a certain brew of his to finally get some action...

He quickly turned his attention to the giant canvas potion sack that had nearly claimed his life a few minutes earlier. Kneeling down in front of it, he gingerly undid the drawstring and began rummaging around for specific brews. A cascade of glass-on-glass rustles spelled the end for his searches as he pulled out three vials of strangely prismatic liquid.

"Alright, listen closely everyone..." he said slyly as he waved one of the shifting potions in front of the intent group. "... Who here has ever taken an acting class?"


The door to one of the Scovillia Student Quarters slowly opened out into the hall. Thankfully, it seemed maintenance had been doing their job in-between tournaments, as the hinges did not utter a single squeak as two figures quietly crept out from its interior. The hall was dark, yet that was not enough to shroud the figure's presence from the perceptive guards standing at the dead end of the long corridor.

"H-hey!" the Paladin Cadet said aloud, immediately causing the three figures to freeze in place as his hand immediately reached for the hilt of his sword. "Return to your Quarters, Preceptor's orders!" he commanded.

At seeing their uncooperativeness, his partner took a few strong, calculated steps towards the idle figures. "Return to your chambers, else you'll be escorted back. By force" she said curtly, putting steely emphasis on that last part. When that still didn't garner a reaction, her eyes narrowed as she carefully approached them. Their features were shrouded in darkness, but their silhouettes were easily discernable as she opened her mouth to give them one final warning.

Until, their silhouettes promptly disappeared.

Well, disappeared was the wrong word to describe what had she had just witnessed. Because they did not simply vanish, they combined.

Both her and her partner gazed up in petrified horror as the singular silhouette towered above them, with slitted emerald eyes piercing through the darkness that were illuminated by an unknown source of light.

The Paladin Cadet could make out the features of a long, tail-like body, stumpy -yet strongly muscled- forearms fitted with razor-sharp talons, and a narrow reptilian head with its mouth agape, revealing rows of pointed and jagged teeth.

His partner stumbled backwards as her head craned upwards to gaze in fear at the creature before her.

By the Divine Light and all that is Holy,

IT WAS A HYDRA!

... earlier ...

"This, uh, this isn't going to horribly disfigure me, is it?" the Spicy Scovillia Student gulped as the Parfaedia Champion handed him one of the prismatic shifting brews. Blotches of red, blue, purple, and green swirled and bubbled on the surface of the liquid as he held it in front of his face.

Prune Juice gave the student a sly smile. "Just a little" he said while chuckling. This brew of his, dubbed 'Now You See Me, Now You Wish You Didn't', had very little practical application in combat. Sure, it turned the consumer into a large and intimidating- but randomized; the inky Champion hated banking on luck- creature, but it was all smoke and mirrors. Granted, VERY convincing smoke and mirrors. "You've fought monsters before, correct?" he asked in return, getting an uneasy nod from the Spicy student in exchange.

"Good, then all you have to do is act like whatever you turn into!"

... end ...

The hydra reared up on the lower portion of its tube-like body as it let loose a chilling hiss, which somehow reverberated around the hall as if it were an echo chamber. The paladin before it quickly yelled in alarm and dashed past the menacing beast, keen on not being trapped at the foot of the hall.

The serpentine beast immediately gave chase, its muscular forearms digging into the flooring as it dragged itself in pursuit, maw agape and snarling as it clawed after the fleeing Cookie.

"By the Divine Light...!" the Paladin Cadet choked as he watched the monster chase after his partner. Ugh, stuck up or not- he wasn't going to let his partner be devoured alive! He shakily clutched the hilt of his blade and drew it as he stared down the hall where the monster had gone.

Shaking off any hesitancy, he leapt ahead and bounded after them.

... earlier ...

"Amplify my voice? But I'm already the loudest at cheering!" the Hot Scovillia Student boasted as she held the violet and white shifting potion that Prune Juice Cookie had given her.

The inky potionmaker gave her a look as he crossed his arms. "Volume is one thing, but I doubt even you could manage to make your voice reverberate and distort like the shrill cry of a monster" he replied, a sly smile crossing his face as the Hot student widened her grin and swirled the potion around, clearly hooked.

He felt a tug on his robes and looked down to see Lil Pepper Cookie, looking up at him with those sparkling auburn eyes. "What about me? What do you need me to do?" he asked the taller Cookie, eager to assist.

"You, my friend, will play the most crucial role..." Prune Juice said as he handed the half-pint student the last shimmering, almost pure white potion.

... end ...

The corridor was now empty, save for one ajar door with which the two figures had first emerged from. It didn't last long, however, as a speedy flash of shadow darted out from it. It was a blur of darkness as it sped from one closed door to the next, quickly turning each knob and flinging open them open as it visited each of the Student Quarters.

"WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP!" a high pitched and incredibly fast voice squeaked out as the lights in each of the rooms were abruptly turned on.

Almost immediately, the voices of yawning and groggy students started to fill the hall as the muffling effects of the chambers were broken from every door being flung open nigh simultaneously.

"THERE'S A HYDRA IN THE QUARTERS!" it bellowed repeatedly, not losing even a hint of its fastness.

The uproar that resulted from that one sentence was enough to be mistaken for an erupting volcano. Once fast asleep students now leapt from their beds and hurriedly filled the corridor as they all scrambled to get out. Shrieks, yells, and confusion rang out in the hall as the torrent of students filled up every square inch.

Kouign-Amann Cookie thought they sounded less afraid and more excited to battle the alluded to beast.

She quickly shot a glance to Prune Juice, who stood crouched beside her, as they quickly slipped out from the chamber they hid in. Despite their unorthodox appearance to the stampeding Scovillian students, they did not garner even a single look as they maneuvered their way into the hall and b-lined it for the end of the corridor.

"I can't believe how well that worked" Prune Juice Cookie gasped as he squeezed in-between two stocky students. If this had been the Parfaedia Quarters, all the students would've sat in their bed and cowered as they waited for the Principal. But these Scovillians, each of them was a live wire!

"Not out of the woods yet!" Kouign-Amann yelled over the cacophony of noise. The potion sack she carried was starting to lose its bulk as their mission progressed, which made it far easier to fight against the current of outpouring students. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she deftly ducked underneath a trio of tight-knit students.

The crowd was starting to thin, and not a moment too soon, as the two Champion's reached the Champion's Quarters unscathed. Prune Juice, seeing as how Kouign-Amann was still encumbered with both her sword and HIS potions, quickly grasped the knob jutting out from the ornate door and turned it, pulling the door open just enough for the two of them to slip inside.


It was dark, and their night vision potions were already starting to wear off. Kouign-Amann squinted in the blackness as she and Prune Juice quietly walked around the cold room. "Capsaicin...?" she whispered, hoping for any sort of reaction. When none came, she began to have doubts about his whereabouts. Surely... They didn't make a mistake, did they? Why would the guards be flanking the Champion's Quarters if not? Unless... Was it just to get a broad range over all the doors to the student Quarters?

A sniffle coming from one darkened corner put her worries at ease. "Capsaicin? Is that you?" she softly asked once more, taking tentative steps towards what she could now perceive to be a figure curled up in a ball, facing away from her. "Darling?"

Prune Juice idled a few paces behind her, keen on letting the pink Champion handle all the 'touchy touchy' stuff with the Scovillian Champion. Comforting others was... Not one of his fortes. Especially when he couldn't even comfort himself sometimes.

"L-leave me alone..." the unmistakable, although lacking in its signature enthusiasm and spice, voice of Capsaicin choked out.

Kouign-Amann's face dropped with worry as she carefully set her belongings on the floor and knelt down next to him. He was shivering and withdrawn, and she could just barely notice strange pools of hardened basalt dotting the ground around him. "Oh, Capsaicin..." she said softly as she slowly brought one arm up and brushed away a lock of his hair to lay a comforting hand on his shaking shoulder. Even through her white elbow-length gloves, she could feel just how absolutely freezing the poor thing felt. She could feel her own warmth being sucked out in an attempt to mitigate the imbalance, to no avail.

He shrank away from her touch and curled more into himself. "P-please... I don't w-want to hurt you..." he sobbed, words so racked they were barely audible.

Not dissuaded, she once again put her hand on his back and began gently rubbing it in an attempt to soothe the distressed Champion. He continued to shiver, but thankfully did not pull away again. "Capsaicin, I know you'd never do that" she replied sympathetically.

"B-but I did...! I almost... A-almost killed you..." he choked out as he tucked his head in tighter.

"Well, ah, that wasn't exactly you in that moment, darling" she said, pity tinging her words. She couldn't imagine how absolutely horrible he felt after what had transpired during the second Trial.

He didn't reply after that, merely continued to cry quietly as sobs periodically escaped his hidden face.

Kouign-Amann looked at him and sighed. Her eyes slowly looked him over before she drew up both her arms and, in one swift motion, picked his torso up and brought him in for a hug. The horrid cold that engulfed her upper body almost sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, but she fought against it as she continued to rub his back and hold him tightly. "Shhh, it's alright..." she assured him as the much bigger Cookie buried his head in her shoulder and continued to sob.

Weakly glowing orange tears dripped down from her dress as he did so, though they were more akin to melted candle wax and caused her no harm as they caked the lacy fabric and started to solidify. She sent a glance to the still motionless Prune Juice Cookie and angled her head to point at the sobbing Cookie on her shoulder.

Prune Juice looked at her oddly before it hit him.

Oh, she wanted him to join in, too.

After all, actions always did speak louder than words.

He dropped his head and gave a slight sigh, but relented as he took the steps necessary to reach the two. Kneeling down, he brought his arms up and hesitantly wrapped them as far as he could around Capsaicin's back, his face having no choice but to bury itself in the spicy Champion's long, unnaturally cold hair.

"There... There..." he said, unsure if the words that he had just uttered were comforting or patronizing. It felt... Odd- but not unwelcome, as he did his best attempt at comforting another person. Strangely enough, he found himself involuntarily hugging Capsaicin tighter with strength he didn't know his upper body was capable of mustering.

They stayed like that for a few quiet moments, the only noise being Capsaicin's sobbing and Kouign's gentle shushing as the two Champions comforted their friend. When those sobs turned to dampened sniffles, Kouign-Amann gingerly lifted the burly Cookie's head from her shoulder so that she could look at him.

Dried tears stained his face, which was contorted into a look of absolute anguish as he tried to avoid her gaze. She brought his head in and pressed hers to its side as she hugged it and combed a hand through his hair. "It's going to be okay, Capsaicin" she said quietly as she nuzzled his dulled hair.

Capsaicin squeezed his eyes shut to prevent more tears from escaping as he lifted his arms and drew both of his friends into a hug.

"Let's get you out of here..." Kouign-Amann murmured as she gave him one last squeeze.

The spicy Champion bit back tears as he breathed out a shuddering breath and shakily nodded his head, wiping the stains off his face with one quivering hand.

Prune Juice carefully stood up and took a few paces back as Kouign-Amann maneuvered herself around and presented her back for Capsaicin to lean on. "C'mon, I'll carry you" she said sweetly. He dully slumped himself forward so that his neck rested on her shoulder as she looped an arm under each of his knees and hoisted him up. He was a fair bit bigger than her, and she reminded herself to thank the Divine Light for gifting her the power to support her friend like this. "Um, Prune..." she asked, her eyes looking down at her greatsword and potion sack. "A little help?"

"Ahem, right" he coughed, regaining his usual sly demeanor. He strode forward and bent down to hoist his bag over one shoulder, but could barely get the mighty greatsword to even budge as he attempted to drag the massive thing by the hilt. "... Yeah, I'm going to have to take a rain check for that one" he stated, abandoning the task. The sword didn't even make a clatter as he released it. "Let's first figure out how we're going to get out of here" he thought aloud, eyes falling on the lone window to the room.

Sure, it couldn't open, but Kouign-Amann and him certainly didn't need the element of surprise anymore after the cacophony of noise they just stirred up trying to get to the Quarters.

Speaking of noise, he definitely needed to get the material used to insulate these walls!

"Hmmm..." he murmured, dropping his potion sack to the ground as he began rummaging around in it yet again. A smile crossed his face as he pulled out a flask of concentrated destruction. "Bingo"

He turned around to look at Kouign-Amann and Capsaicin, the latter of which had his arms wrapped around her neck and his head burrowed in them. "Watch this" he said, his usual sly smile accompanying the words as he lifted up his chosen brew and swirled its obscured contents carefully before her. He turned back and carefully climbed up onto the slate desk at the foot of the window. Lifting the brew in one hand, he twisted the cap and poured a steady arc the whole width of the window, ensuring that it received a plentiful dose of the liquid.

Almost immediately, the glass began to warp and bend, liquefying as the brew dissolved its structure. Before long, a gaping hole had replaced the intricate design that the window once boasted.

"Hmm, I do hope they don't bill me for that" Prune Juice chuckled as he stepped down from the desk. "Shall we?"

Kouign-Amann took a few relatively unencumbered steps towards their exit before stopping and looking down at the greatsword at her feet. Her hands were occupied keeping Capsaicin from sliding off her back, and Prune Juice was too... Uh, not equipped with the necessary fortitudes, to pick it up. "I'll come back for it later" she said nonchalantly. Partly due to the second Trial, she wasn't too perturbed at the thought of her weapon leaving her.

"Alright, Cap. Let's get you out of here" she said happily as she stepped onto the desk and carefully took a step through the melted window, making sure that Capsaicin wouldn't get stuck in-between its frame. He was relatively silent now, save for the occasional sniffle, but he held on tighter as she hopped onto the soft earth below. Behind them, Prune Juice followed.

"So, where to next?" Kouign-Amann Cookie asked quietly, unsure of whether or not the patrolling guards were still nearby.

Prune Juice looked at her dumbfoundedly.

He, uh, hadn't thought that far ahead...


Despite the deafening noise that could jolt even a hibernating dragon from its slumber tearing through the whole Quarters, one lone figure slept peacefully in the top bunk of her bed.

The slumbering Scovillia Student Fan didn't even stir as she slept through the night.