"No, no, not that ring, the other one!"
Lala, I literally can't see anything with this goop stuff on my helmet! You have to be my eyes!
Witch was currently groping at her ring belt, trying to find the right ring to use to get rid of the goopy substance that was adhering to her helmet, and preventing her from seeing or doing anything. With that in mind, Witch employed the help of La Lechuza, who was trying to direct her to where the ring she needed was.
"If you lower your hand just a few inches, then go the right, you'll feel it."
Witch did as she instructed but ended up slapping her thigh. The hero let out a frustrated growl as she lowered her hand a little bit more and felt a ring. With the ring in hand, she took off her Light Owl Style ring, and replaced it with the Fire Owl Style ring. Witch patted her waist until she found the buckle of the WizarDriver and repositioned the Hand Author.
[Shabadoobi touch to henshin!
Shabadoobi touch to henshin!]
[FIRE OWL.]
[Moyasu! MO~YA~SU!]
A fiery construct of La Lechuza appeared behind Witch before it wrapped its wings around her. A pillar of fire roared around Witch for a few seconds before it burst apart, revealing Kamen Rider Witch: Fire Owl Style. The intense heat of the flames managed do the trick, as the goop that had covered her mask had now been burned away into ashes, allowing Witch to finally see.
"Finally! Okay, where did that creep get to?!" Witch asked.
"Last I saw, it jumped into the hotel through that hole, above you."
Witch looked up and saw the hole in question as she narrowed her gaze at it. With a snap of her fingers, Witch jumped into the air just as the Witch Speeder appeared under her. She flew straight up, once she was near the hole where the Super Potion Phantom had entered, the Rider of Light jumped off the Speeder and landed inside the hotel.
"Okay, ugly, time for round twoooooooooh no…"
What Witch was expecting to fight the Super Potion Phantom, but she did not expect it to have already found someone to bond with. Now the creature that stood before her was a Hybrid Potion Phantom.
"Hello…Witch."
"Alright, you're a Hybrid Phantom now. Don't worry, I'll free you from that thing!" Witch assured.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom chuckled as she replied, "I don't need your help. I like what I have become. Out of respect for what you have done for my…former friend…I will grant you this one chance. Leave us, and you will be spared."
Witch raised an eyebrow, the Hybrid Potion Phantom acted as if it knew her.
Wait a minute…
Witch started to take a closer look at Hybrid Potion Phantom, and the more she looked at it, the more she started to recognize certain traits. The maroon hair, and the third eye in the middle of its forehead.
"BOSCHA?!" Witch exclaimed.
"That is who I once was. But now, I am something more. Now, again, leave us," the Hybrid Potion Phantom ordered.
"Even more so, I can't! You helped me forge the Potion ring, and I'm not going to leave you like this!" Witch got into her fighting stance as she prepared to battle the possessed triclops. "One way or another, Boscha, I'm going to free you from that Phantom!"
"…Pity. My love, would you help me get rid of this eyesore?"
"Of course."
"Huh?"
The hero's eyes widened as she watched a certain someone walk from behind the Hybrid Potion Phantom. Standing to the left of the monster, was none other than Amity Blight, her girlfriend. Although, something was wrong. The whites of Amity's eyes were pitch black, and her normal golden irises were now glowing a bright neon pink color. Witch's eyes were then drawn to Amity's neck, noticing that there were two puncture wounds in it, with a small amount of blood coming from them. The moment that Witch saw Amity, she lowered her hands and abandoned her fighting stance.
"A-Amity…?!"
"I will not let you interfere with our paradise," Amity declared.
The lilac haired witch summoned her staff, and immediately after, drew a huge spell circle with it. With a wave of her hand, Amity summoned forth a torrent of Abomination goo that rushed towards Witch and swept her up. With a second wave her hand, Amity commanded the goo to throw her straight out of the hole she had come through.
"Wow, my love, your magic is stronger than I thought," said Hybrid Potion Phantom.
"Thank you, but my power is nothing compared to yours," Amity replied.
"True enough. Now, let us go and get rid of that nuisance so we can finally make this island our own!"
Witch found herself getting hurled by a huge wave of Abomination goo. The Rider of Light was now in freefall as she crashed against the ground below. Dust was kicked up from the impact, but it wasn't over. The Abomination goo that had taken her out of the hotel kept its grip on her as Witch was raised up and thrown towards a statue of Belos, cracking it in half. Witch rolled along the ground for a few seconds before finally coming to a stop. The hero of hope got into a kneeling position as she groaned from the fall and from getting thrown around. She then turned her attention back to the hotel, worry filling her heart.
"Boscha…she did something to Amity!"
"Whatever it is, we can counteract it. I am concerned that I can't hear Bast's voice, but it also seems that Amity can still tap into her mana," said La Lechuza.
Their talk didn't last long as a wave of Abomination goo flowed out of the hole in the hotel, and on that wave was Amity and the Hybrid Potion Phantom, both standing side by side as the wave brought them down to the ground. Without wasting a moment, Amity waved her staff, making the Abomination goo rise and fire off several sharp spears towards Witch. The Rider of Light hurriedly slipped on her ring and scanned it.
[Defend, Please.]
A barrier of magical flames appeared before Witch, and thanks to the enhancing power of Fire Owl Style, the flames and strength of the barrier were stronger than normal. Thankfully the Abomination goo couldn't go through the shield as it was burned upon contact. However, the ground started to rumble under Witch's feet. The ground cracked, and within seconds, Abomination goo erupted from under Witch's feet. The Rider of Light was dragged through the ground, and a moment later, was whipped into the air before an Abomination tentacle wrapped around her leg and threw her against another building.
Witch dropped down from the side of the building, and back to the ground. She groaned in pain front the sudden assault but managed to get back to her feet. When she raised her head, Witch saw Amity and the Hybrid Potion Phantom now standing in the middle of the street. There was a whirling stream of Abomination goo spinning around them as they slowly advanced on the hero.
"Amity! You have to fight this! Don't let her control you!" Witch begged.
"I will not abandon the one I love! You're trying to get in the way of our paradise, and I won't have it!" Amity stated.
She's got her completely brainwashed, thought Luz.
"It's time to stop holding back, Luz," La Lechuza urged.
Witch nodded her head and took hold of her Wonder Style ring.
"Okay, time to bring an end to this madness!" Witch lowered her hands to the WizarDriver to switch the Hand Author but paused when she found that it wasn't moving. "What the…?"
The hero of hope looked down and was shocked to see that the WizarDriver's Hand Author was completely covered in Abomination goo.
"Without your Driver, you can't cast spells. And without your spells, you're less of a threat," said Amity.
"Wow, my love, that was quite the genius move. You effectively cut her off from all her best powers and abilities in one move," the Hybrid Potion Phantom praised.
Amity blushed and replied, "I'm sure you would've figured it out as well, Boscha. You're quite cunning as well."
"I think I'm going to gag."
"Same here."
"Whatever, I'll just concentrate on Boscha instead!"
Witch dashed across the road, heading straight for Amity and the Hybrid Potion Phantom. The young Abomination witch, used the swirling goo to attack, launching more spears of hardened goo straight at the Rider. Witch did her best to evade the attacks, but some managed to strike her armor, causing sparks to fly from it. One of the spears nearly hit her in the chest, but Witch managed to move to the left just in time. But before the spear could pass her by, she grabbed it, twirled around, and threw it in the Hybrid Potion Phantom's direction. The weapon was on course to hit the monster, but before it could, the Abomination goo spear stopped in midair before returning to the rest of the swirling mass.
Amity got out in front of the Hybrid Potion Phantom and drew a large spell circle with her staff. Upon creation of the circle, more Abomination goo arose from the ground, gathering and swirling about more and more until the mass transformed into a huge serpent that hissed at Witch. The Abomination serpent attacked Witch, striking with its fangs. The hero of hope jumped into the air at the last second and ran down the length of the serpent's body before cocking back her right arm to hit the Hybrid Potion Phantom with a strong palm-heel strike. But before she could land the blow, Amity used the Abomination goo as a platform to raise herself up as she threw her arms out in a protective manner.
Witch's eyes widened as she drew back her attack, and forced her body to lean to the right, missing the Hybrid Potion Phantom and Amity as she hit the street and rolled along it for a few seconds.
She…Amity protected her!
'She's under that creature's control, she sees her as someone to keep safe.'
And I can't use my rings…dang it!
Suddenly, the Abomination serpent slithered along the sides of the buildings before it landed right in front of Witch. The Rider of Light quickly backflipped away from it, but that was part of the plan. Witch landed in an Abomination goo trap, as her legs were swept from under her, throwing the hero high into the air. An Abomination fist came flying at her, but Witch managed to counter with a palm-heel strike while in midair, but she couldn't dodge the second one that struck right in her lower back. Another Abomination goo fist sailed towards her and punched Witch in the gut.
Just then, a geyser of Abomination goo rose high into the air and formed a bubble at the top. A moment later, the bubble burst open and revealed the Hybrid Potion Phantom. The creature's black nails had extended, just as the six vats on its back began to pump their chemicals into the monster's body. Purple, black, and green colors flowed through her veins, and then her claw-like nails started to shift with those same three colors. The Hybrid Potion Phantom dove straight down and slashed at Witch with her claws, causing a massive amount of sparks to fly from the armor upon impact. The strike sent Witch hurdling back towards the ground where she crash landed into the street.
Witch clutched at her chest as pain radiated from the spot where the Hybrid Potion Phantom attacked her. There were long claw marks on her coat and armor, and a noticeable hissing sound. Not only that, but Witch started to feel bad, her breathing became labored as her body started to feel pain all over.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom somersaulted in the air for a few seconds before landing on a platform of Abomination goo. By Amity's command, the platform floated down until the Hybrid Potion Phantom was standing at her right. The monster chuckled as she stroked Amity's hair affectionately.
"Now that's great teamwork, Amity," said Hybrid Potion Phantom.
"Well, we were the best pairing on the Grudgby team," Amity noted.
"And we'll be the best off the field now." The Hybrid Potion Phantom turned her attention back to the still writhing Witch as she chuckled with sadistic glee. "Hurts, doesn't it, Witch? A little cocktail I made to help me get through that armor just enough to hit you with a little something that's going to make your death a slow and painful one. I can't wait to use it on that Luzzer the next time I see her."
Witch felt as if her veins were on fire, it was getting hard to think, hard to breathe. The young Rider managed to get onto her hands and knees, trying to stand, but finding the task incredibly arduous. She couldn't even use her Healing ring with the Driver gummed up with Abomination goo.
"A-Amity…p-please snap out of it…!" Witch pleaded.
"Should you really be wasting your time calling out to me, Witch? You don't have much longer," said Amity.
"Hmm, maybe I should go ahead and put her out of her misery? After all, how many of those Phantoms probably had her on the ropes only for her to pull some last-minute crap? Well, not this girl, not today," said the Hybrid Potion Phantom.
Another mixture flowed into the Hybrid Potion Phantom's claws as she approached Witch, getting ready to deliver the final blow to the hero. However, as she slashed with her claws, an orb of blue light surrounded Witch just in time for the Hybrid Potion Phantom's claws to bounce off it.
"WHAT?!" she exclaimed.
After that, several bolts of yellow lightning shot down from the sky, forcing the Hybrid Potion Phantom to back away, from Witch.
[Hornbill Drill, Now!]
The Hybrid Potion Phantom heard this but was too late as Kamen Rider Crusader dropped out of the sky and landed right in front of her. The Hornbill Drill had formed on his left forearm just as he thrust it forward. The drill bit spun rapidly as it released a burst of energy at point-blank-range, blasting the Hybrid Potion Phantom back several feet before crashing into a carriage.
"BOSCHA!" Amity cried out in concern. "HOW DARE YOU!"
Before Amity could attack, the avian-themed Rider used his Falcon Shield Wing to create a barrier bubble around Amity.
"Sorry, not sorry about this, Blight," said Crusader as he flung is wrist to the side.
The motion made the barrier bubble rise and toss itself across the way, crashing right into the same carriage that the Hybrid Potion Phantom was thrown into a second ago. Crusader flared his wing armaments, and prepared to engage, but stopped when he felt a tug at his cloth. When he looked down, he saw that Witch wasn't looking too good.
"Hey, what the heck's wrong with you?" he asked.
"I got…poisoned…H-Hunter…D-Don't…you can't hurt them…A-Amity is…she doesn't know what she's doing…!" Witch informed.
Crusader glanced back at the carriage where he had thrown Amity and the Hybrid Potion Phantom, and back to Witch. With a frustrated groan, he dismissed the Hornbill Drill, picked up the injured hero, and flew off in a random direction away from the battle.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom and Amity managed to get out of the carriage wreckage, and watched as Crusader flew away with Witch.
"Sorry, Boscha. I let him catch me off guard," said Amity.
"Eh, don't worry about it. They won't get far, not after we're done. Take us to the roof, Ams."
Amity nodded and summoned another torrent of Abomination goo, wrapped the two of them in it, and then flew them up towards the roof of the hotel they were staying at. Once at the top, the Abomination goo dispersed, dropping them, feet first, onto the rooftop.
"So, my love, how are we going to make this island our personal paradise?" Amity asked.
"Allow me to demonstrate." The Hybrid Potion Phantom held out her hand, but nothing appeared. She kept waiting, but still nothing appeared, causing the monster to growl indignantly. "GRRRR! MAYA! GET YOUR CRABBY BUT UP HERE, NOW!"
Reluctantly, the Palisman in question zoomed out of a window and flew up to her in staff form. The staff floated before the Hybrid Potion Phantom, where she snatched it out of the air with annoyance.
"Do NOT make me ask twice next time," the Hybrid Potion Phantom warned.
Now armed with her witch's staff, the Hybrid Potion Phantom used it to draw a huge spell circle in the air above them. Once that was done, the Hybrid Potion Phantom raised her left hand towards the center of the circle. The vats on her back started to release another chemical mixture, and upon doing so, the film on her left palm and fingertips began to release a neon yellow liquid. This liquid continued to seep out of her hand and formed a basketball sized sphere of the glowing chemical. The Hybrid Potion Phantom cocked back her left hand and then thrusted it forward, launching the ball of liquid through the circle. Upon passing through it, the energy from the spell kicked off a chemical reaction inside of it as the ball rapidly ascended into the air.
About a minute after it reached the desired height, the Hybrid Potion Phantom closed her hand into a fist as she cried out, "BURST OPEN AND MIX!"
The ball of neon glowing liquid suddenly exploded, but instead of showering the area in it, something else occurred. The few clouds that were around Cagile Island started to gather to the spot where a glowing vapor awaited the clouds. It didn't take long before the vapor began to mix with the incoming clouds, and the moment they made contact, the sound of thunder rumbling echoed through the air. The clouds started to turn an angry dark color and expanded with each passing second. The thunder kept rumbling, and then yellow lightning started to flash through the clouds. The storm cloud released glowing neon yellow colored rain, prompting Amity to create a shield of Abomination goo out of pure instinct when she saw the rain. However, the Hybrid Potion Phantom chuckled as she knelt next to Amity.
"It's alright, Amity. This rain is different from the plagues we normally get," she said.
"What do you mean?" Amity asked.
"It's my own special concoction. Once this rain hits someone, they'll automatically start to become my servants. You're immune thanks to my own special mixture," the Hybrid Potion Phantom explained. "Sorry about having to get rough with you when I injected you."
Amity rubbed the spot where the Hybrid Potion Phantom bit her neck, but still smiled back at her.
"It's okay, I know you didn't do it to deliberately hurt me. You just needed to set my mind straight," said Amity.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom smiled wickedly at how devoted Amity was to her.
"Okay, now I need your help, my love. I need you to create Abominations, as many as you can, and I want them to go into each building and drag out anyone who is trying to avoid getting doused by my rain," she ordered.
"That's quite the tall order, I don't know if I have the stamina to create that many."
The Hybrid Potion Phantom got behind Amity as she brought her lips close to the lilac haired witch's pointed ear.
"If you wish, I can give you a boost to your stamina. You'll be able to pull it off with my help," she told her.
"Whatever you think is best, my love."
The Hybrid Potion Phantom extended her right pointer finger, making the sharp nail extend a few inches as another concoction flowed through her veins and into the nail.
"You'll feel a rush, Amity, but don't be afraid. I'm also injecting you with a regenerative potion to keep your body healthy while your stamina is boosted."
Amity readied herself as the Hybrid Potion Phantom pierced her right arm with its nail, injecting her with the special potion mix. The moment she did, Amity felt an incredible rush of strength and vigor as her eyes glowed even brighter. Wasting no time, Amity drew a large spell circle overhead with her staff, making it grow wider and wider as it now stretched out over the entire building. The spell circle summoned forth a massive amount of Abomination goo at the base of the hotel. And with a wave of her staff, the goo began to take form, becoming hundreds of Abomination golems, but these were bulky and brutish in appearance.
"ABOMINATIONS! CEASE! BRING THEM OUT INTO THE RAIN!" Amity ordered.
The Abomination golems nodded and began spreading out through the resort. The Hybrid Potion Phantom stood up and drew three more spell circles in three different directions. Once she had, she fired three more of the same rain making liquid orbs, where they exploded in the distance and began their process of making mind-controlling rain yet again.
"Soon, this whole island will be ours. And wherever that Luzzer is hiding, we'll have her as our personal servant. Or kill her, whichever comes first."
Amity smiled up at the Hybrid Potion Phantom, but unbeknownst to the monster, it seemed as if Amity was clutching at her staff harder than she needed to.
Crusader eventually managed to find a safe location in a building far from where the fighting took place. Once inside, he brought Witch to an empty room, and once inside, Witch's transformation ended. She reverted to civilian form, but now she was writhing around on the floor. Crusader's transformation was dismissed, as he knelt next to the human.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?!" Hunter asked.
"P-Poisoned…I…I need to heal…" Luz answered.
"Then do it! You got a ring for it, right?"
"I…I can't…Driver's…covered…"
Hunter looked down at the WizarDriver still present around Luz's waist. There was Abomination goo all over where he normally saw the human girl place her rings to activate them. Hunter furrowed his brow and tried to tear it off with his gloved hands, but the goo was stuck on there, refusing to be removed.
"You gotta be kidding me! It won't come off!" Hunter looked at his rings and cursed, not a single one had the ability to heal, they were all for combat. "Dammit, what do I do?"
Luz, out of desperation, reached for her ring loop, but the poison was taking its toll, making even small movements painful.
Just then, Flapjack flew out from his cape pocket and hopped along the floor until he was at Luz's ring loop. The cardinal Palisman looked through the different rings, scrutinizing each one as he tried to determine which would help Luz. That's when his eye fell on the one navy blue colored ring with the symbol of the Healing Coven on it. Flapjack, with a determined gaze turned to face Hunter as he began chirping and pointing his right wing at the ring.
"What?" Hunter reached for the ring in question and detached it from the loop. "Okay, I got it, now what? Her Driver is gummed up, she can't even use it!"
*Chirp! Chirp! Chi-Chirp!*
"Wait, seriously?! We don't even know if this'll work! My Driver and hers–!"
Hunter stopped when he looked back at Luz, her eyes screwed shut as she tried to hold on, with the life starting to leave her body with each passing second. Flapjack was concerned for the human girl, but then turned back to Hunter and chirped at him again.
*Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!*
Hunter furrowed his brow, he had mixed emotions when it came to Luz Noceda, especially after that recording got spread around.
"Fine! But don't blame me if it doesn't work!"
The Golden Guard quickly slipped the Healing ring over his right middle finger and positioned it over the Arcane Driver. Nothing happened.
"Ugh…I told you, there's no way her rings and my Driver would–!"
[Healing, Now!]
"What…the…Titan…?"
Suddenly, the navy-blue ring shined brightly upon his hand, and Flapjack smugly nodded at him.
"Don't make a big deal out of it," Hunter grumbled.
He held his hand outstretched before Luz, and when he did, the ring released a wave of healing magical energy that washed over the Latina. Wave after wave hit her and with each one that passed over her, Luz's breathing became easier, and the pain that radiated through her body was disappearing. After about thirty seconds, Luz felt completely fine. She managed to sit up on her knees as she started taking slow breaths to make sure not to overexert herself.
Luz glanced at the scar faced boy, smiled, and said, "Thank you, Hunter."
Hunter averted his gaze and replied, "Thank him, it was his idea for me to use your ring."
Luz looked down and saw the cardinal Palisman, who hopped onto her lap and chirped happily at her.
"Aww! Little Rascal! I haven't seen you in so long!" Luz gushed as she scooped up the Palisman and nuzzled him to her face.
"Flapjack."
"Huh?"
Hunter crossed his arms and said again, "His name's Flapjack. That's what he told me."
"Awww, even cuter than Rascal! Well, Flapjack, glad to see you found someone to be your partner," said Luz.
Flapjack chirped at Luz happily, giving a little flap of his wings for emphasis. Hunter sighed and took off Luz's spell ring before tossing it at her.
"Catch."
Flapjack flew out of her hands just in time to snatch her ring out of the air as the cardinal Palisman landed on her shoulder.
"Thanks, and how did you know to come here?" Luz asked.
Hunter looked back to Flapjack.
After entering the throne room, Flapjack stealthily flew out of Hunter's cape and up into the rafters of the room. The cardinal Palisman kept his eye on the Emperor as he talked to Hunter about investigating Witch and Heka, but when Hunter left the throne room, that's when things got interesting.
Flapjack watched as a couple of creatures appeared on Belos's right, and not long after that, he summoned a more grotesque creature in the middle of the throne room. The cardinal Palisman hurriedly flew out of the throne room through a crack he had found up above and found his way to Hunter. The cardinal Palisman then began pulling on his bang, making the Golden Guard yelp at the harsh tugging.
"Ow! What are you doing?!" Hunter exclaimed.
Flapjack stopped and began chirping.
"Go to Cagile Island? What for?" he asked.
Flapjack made a few more chirping sounds of determination.
"Well, no, I don't know where to investigate, but all the way out there?"
Flapjack's expression then turned sly as he chirped again.
Hunter rubbed the back of his head as he said, "Well…no…I never have been there. I've heard a lot about it but…"
The cardinal Palisman landed on his shoulder and nudged him with his wing, chirping again.
"I guess it couldn't hurt to check that place out."
"That's my secret."
"Riiight, well, still, I'm glad you're here," said Luz.
"So, what's the story here? One of your little experiments go rogue on you and attack you?" Hunter inquired.
Luz released an annoyed sigh. She shouldn't be surprised that Hunter bought that lie, but a part of her hoped he was smarter than that.
"C'mon, Hunter, you really believe that fake footage?" Luz inquired.
Hunter shrugged his shoulders.
"Why shouldn't I? The Phantoms and your appearance as Kamen Rider Witch all happen to coincide with each other. And until me and the Blight girl showed up, you were the only one who had the power to fight against and destroy those things. Although, given that Blight has the power to fight against those things as well, and that apparently, you're together, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise that she was in on it," Hunter stated.
"Hunter, how do you know that wasn't just an elaborate illusion spell? It could've easily been someone trying to frame me and Amity to make us look like the bad guys," Luz explained. "Plus, not to be rude, but your uncle isn't exactly above reproach either."
Hunter glanced back at Luz with a furrowed brow.
"Pardon? How do you figure?"
"For one thing, this Coven System that stifles the witches' ability to use magic as they want."
"It's a decree from the Titan. I wouldn't expect a human to understand our ways," Hunter retorted.
"Then there's the petrifying of witches who don't conform to the system. Essentially a death sentence."
"It's the law."
"How many times has that been said to the family members of those witches?"
Hunter didn't respond that time.
"Look, let's not fight, we have bigger problems right now."
Thunder started to rumble through the sky, making both teens look at each other with confusion.
"I thought Cagile Island can't get plagues with the barrier up?" Luz questioned.
"It can't, something's wrong," said Hunter.
Luz and Hunter rushed to a window, and that's when they saw dark clouds covering what was once a sunny and clear sky. Yellow lightning arced through the clouds, and a moment later, the clouds began to release neon yellow rainwater. The two teens watched as the area started to get drenched in the rain, but it didn't hiss like boiling rain, but it was still cause for concern.
"What the heck is going on now?" Hunter asked as he looked at Luz.
"Why do you think I know what's going on? I'm just as clueless as you are," Luz retorted.
"Uh-huh."
Luz grumbled as she rolled her eyes and looked back outside. But that's when she saw something that gave her cause for alarm. There were Abominations, lots of them, and they were roaming through the streets. Hunter and Luz watched as three of them broke into a shop, a few seconds later, all three of them came walking out, dragging two demons and a witch out of the store. Once they were outside, the Abomination golems held them still as the neon yellow rain fell on them. The two demons and one witch kept thrashing against their captors, but ten seconds after getting pelted with the rainwater, they stopped. Their eyes started to glow the same color as the rain, and once they had, the Abomination golems released them. The two demons and one witch stood up and then began following the Abominations and moved to the next building. This time, all six of them entered, the Abominations and the mind-controlled witch and demons. Three minutes passed, and soon more witches and demons were dragged outside and into the rain. And just like before, they too were exposed to the brainwashing effects of the rain, becoming part of the zombified collective.
"Looks like Boscha's created some kind of brainwashing rain, and she's having Amity use her Abominations to drag people out to expose them," Luz observed.
"Yeah, what was up with that? After Blight's whole 'awesome girlfriend' bit back at Eclipse Lake, I didn't think she'd turn on you this quickly," said Hunter, with just a slight amount of smugness in his voice.
"She's not doing this because she wants to. Boscha, the Hybrid Potion Phantom, she did something to Amity, and now she's…she's turned her into her love slave or something."
Hunter raised an eyebrow at that.
"Uh…what do you mean 'love slave'?"
"Ugh, it's complicated, but basically, Boscha – a classmate of mine from school – she has a major crush on Amity and can't stand that me and her are together. I guess the Super Potion Phantom I fought earlier must've combined with her because of her negative emotions, her anger and jealousy towards me for being with Amity. And the Phantom is helping her fulfill her desires." Luz shivered after saying that and hoped that Boscha wasn't doing anything else to Amity right now.
"Huh, easy enough then. Take out the Phantom, stop the brainwashing," said Hunter as he started to make his way towards the exit.
"WAIT!" Luz cried out as she ran ahead of him and blocked his path. "You can't destroy her!"
"She's a Phantom now, if we don't stop her, she might not stop at Cagile Island," Hunter argued.
"I can stop this! I just need to get Amity to get rid of this Abomination goo! Afterwards, I can use Wonder Style to separate Boscha from the Phantom she's become!"
"And how do you know that'll work?"
"It worked the last three times I've done it, with Skara, and then Viney's parents. It's possible, Hunter, I just need to get through to Amity."
Hunter shook his head at the human's optimism.
"Seriously? Blight was helping that Phantom kick your butt up and down the street, and you want to try and get through to her? How? You can't use any of your rings. You got those glyph things, but last I checked, you don't have a glyph to stop mind control."
Luz frowned, he did have a point there, she did not have glyph or glyph combo that could undo the effects of the what Boscha did to Amity.
"No, you do, Niña."
What do you mean?
"Remember what happened at dinner last night? Boscha did something similar to this."
Luz's eyes widened as the realization hit her.
"That's it!" she exclaimed.
"What's 'it'?" Hunter asked.
Luz reached into her pocket and whipped out some of her Light Glyph papers.
"I might be able to free Amity from whatever spell Boscha has her under, but the only way this is going to have a chance of working, is if we team up," Luz explained.
"Really? I pretty much said I don't trust you," he replied, curtly.
"Look, you want to help the people out there and so do I. I also want to save my girlfriend from being mind-controlled, and – despite everything she's done – I want to save Boscha from being trapped in that form!"
Hunter glared down at Luz for long minute and asked, "And what if she doesn't want to be saved?"
Luz paused.
"You said that that Super Potion Phantom latched onto her because of her negative emotions towards you, human. If she believes that the only way to get rid of you and have Amity to herself is by staying in the form of a Phantom, then will you have the fortitude to take her down?" Hunter asked.
Luz paused again, that was unfortunately a good question. Up till now, the people she's saved have wanted to be saved, they wanted to be separated from the Phantoms that took them over, which helped her in the separation. But if Boscha didn't want to, if she was hellbent on staying a Phantom if it meant being able to have Amity for herself…could Luz take out Boscha? The Latina steeled her resolve as she shook her head.
I can't think like that, I know I can save Amity and Boscha, that's just all there is to it, Luz thought.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we need to separate them. Just fight Boscha for as long as you can, and I'll deal with Amity. Once she's back to normal, the two of us we'll join you and we can save Boscha."
Hunter crossed his arms and said, "Okay, but only on one condition."
"What?"
"In the event that you can't save that witch girl, you take her out. Or if you can't, you let me do it, no interference from you or Blight." Hunter held out his hand. "Deal?"
Although this wasn't a deal like the Everlasting Oath, she still hesitated. Luz didn't want Boscha to die, she did want to give the triclops a piece of her mind but killing her was not something she wanted. But if she didn't agree to this, Hunter might end up trying to kill Boscha any way. At least if she agreed to this, he would let her try. Reluctantly, Luz reached out and shook his hand.
"Deal."
The Hybrid Potion Phantom and Amity were still on the rooftop, watching as the brainwashed masses were growing in number. The monster smiled happily, knowing that at the rate things were going, the entire island would be under her control. A paradise for only her and Amity, and they would have plenty of servants to wait on them hand and foot. But she was annoyed by one thing.
"I still can't believe they haven't found that Luzzer, yet," she said. "Where the hell can she be hiding?"
"Despite how she looks, Luz can be resourceful and creative when she's backed into a corner. I would stay on guard just in case, my love," Amity warned.
"Pfft, I'm not worried about that stupid human. And Witch is probably dead or dying thanks to my poison. Without the ability to use her rings, she can't do anything about her condition. The only thorn in my side I have to worry about is Crusader."
"YOU RANG?!"
Suddenly, Kamen Rider Crusader rose over the edge of the roof, and just as quickly shot the Hybrid Potion Phantom with a barrage of lightning feathers from the Lightning Eagle Wing. The Hybrid Potion Phantom's chest exploded with sparks as she was sent flying backwards, unprepared for the sudden attack. Amity was about to draw a spell circle to help her lover, but Crusader, once again, used his Falcon Shield Wing to create a spherical barrier around the young witch teen. Once she was contained, Crusader raised his hand into the air, and willed the sphere to rise as well. With a flick of his wrist, Crusader threw the sphere into the hotel several floors below them. The Hybrid Potion Phantom managed to recover from the surprise attack and growled with fury at the Rider.
"DAMN YOU! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH AMITY?!" the monster demanded.
"I'd worry less about her, and more about yourself."
[Crow Scythe, Now!]
[Raven Talons, Now!]
[Hornbill Drill, Now!]
Crusader's body glowed as three separate bird constructs formed in the air before merging with his body. When the light faded, Crusader's left arm was armed with the Hornbill Drill, his right forearm had a shortened version of the Crow Scythe, and both his lower legs were clad in the Raven Talon boots.
"Unlike Witch, I'm not going to go easy on you just because you were once a person," Crusader warned.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom crossed her arms in front of her chest in an "X" formation as her nails grew out into claws.
"Who said I needed you to go easy on me?!"
The Hybrid Potion Phantom slashed the air out in front of her, releasing liquid energy crescent blades, eight in total. The crescent blades flew straight for Crusader, but the winged warrior quickly ascended, moving out of the way of the attack. But it was just a feint as the Hybrid Potion Phantom shot out a strand of liquid that started to turn into a sticky substance. That same strand latched around Crusader's waist and began reeling him in like a fish on a hook. The avian-themed Rider used the Crow Scythe to slash the sticky strand off him, and then launched his own crescent wave from the Crow Scythe. The creature used her staff, drawing a large circle as she combined it with her potion fluid, forming a barrier out in front of her.
Heh, bad move. The scythe's power lets it pass through any defense; you won't be blocking this! Crusader thought.
However, when the crescent hit, the liquid didn't stop it, but it did bend against it. Crusader watched in confusion as the Hybrid Potion Phantom waved her hand and staff around, wrapped up the energy crescent in the liquid, and then fired it back at the Rider. Crusader hurriedly formed his barrier, but the moment he did, the attack passed through the barrier and struck him directly, causing sparks to fly from his armor as he flipped over three times before coming to a stop.
"What the hell?!"
"Surprised?" the Hybrid Potion Phantom mocked.
She can redirect my attack. She wasn't defending against it, she was capturing it, and maintained its ability to bypass defenses even when redirected, he thought.
Crusader decided to go for the direct approach as he flew and came in with a flying roundhouse kick. The bladed tip of the Raven Talon boots gleamed from the light of the lightning as it came within inches of taking off the Hybrid Potion Phantom's head. The monster narrowly escaped as she leaned back as far as she could, watching as the blade passed her by. When she came up to attack, Crusader attacked with a thrust kick to her chest, making the Hybrid Potion Phantom skid on its heels as she growled at the Rider.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom then began releasing another chemical compound that seeped out of her left hand and into the air. The vapor began to engulf the area, unseen to Crusader, but very noticeable to her thanks to her eyes' unique vision. Crusader started to attack her more aggressively, trying to slash her with his Crow Scythe or Raven Talons, or failing that, strike her with the Hornbill Drill. The monster danced around the rooftop, spreading the unseen vapor as she did so while keeping Crusader in the middle.
"You can't dodge forever!" Crusader stated as he fired lightning feathers at her.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom jumped into the air, flipped around, and made a three-point landing on the roof, keeping her left hand extended as she did so. She then had her staff, Maya, float as she sat on it and gave the Rider a smug grin.
"I'm not running, it's called a tactical retreat," she corrected.
"Difference being?"
"Retreating implies giving up, I don't give up. A tactical retreat is a part of a strategy, numb-nuts."
The Hybrid Potion Phantom raised her right hand and her left, getting them into position as if to clap them together. However, as she did, her right hand started to emit chemical vapor of a visible hue this time.
"I'm not captain of the Banshee Grudgby Team for nothing. Clap!"
The Hybrid Potion Phantom clapped her hands, and the moment she did, the invisible vapor and the visible one mixed. The chain reaction was immediate as hundreds of tiny sparks started to fill the air around Crusader.
"Oh–!"
A massive explosion went off on the roof that continued to go off as it went higher and higher and spread out further and further until it looked like a halo and pillar of fire were forming on the roof at the same time. A blue orb appeared out of the inferno, with Crusader still inside, but his armor was scorched and damaged some, showing that he hadn't been able to completely escape the explosion.
"How did she pull that off?!" he questioned.
When the flames died out, the Hybrid Potion Phantom strutted back to the center of the roof, standing tall and proud as she twirled her staff in the air before striking the butt of it against the roof.
"Don't underestimate a potion witch, Crusader."
Amity found herself back inside the hotel, she groaned a little as she got rose to her feet and then growled indignantly as she looked upwards past the stone and concrete to the Rider above.
"Damn you, Crusader! You think you can just toss me aside like an afterthought?!" Amity exclaimed.
"Don't blame Hunter, Amity, I needed him to separate you from Boscha."
Amity paused when she heard that voice and began to look around the lobby.
"Luz…where are you?" she asked.
"Right here." Luz walked out from behind a pillar as she stood a few feet away from her girlfriend.
Amity drew a spell circle and summoned a large mass of Abomination goo. With a wave of her hand, she commanded the Abomination goo to strike, launching several tendrils in Luz's direction, each one sharpened to a point to impale her. Luz acted quickly as she took out two Fire Glyphs, funneled some mana into them, and thrusted her arms forward. The result was a huge plume of flames that created a fire wall out in front of her. The Abomination goo crashed against the wall of flames, and instantly started to burn up.
Amity growled as she made the Abomination goo weave around the fire wall and attacked Luz from the sides. The teenage Latina hurriedly let go of her Fire Glyphs and took out two Ice Glyphs which she slapped onto the floor on her right and left. After channeling mana into the glyphs, she created two large blocks of ice that acted as shields. The Abomination goo pierced into the ice blocks, but upon impaling the ice, the goo suddenly started to freeze, becoming solid as the ice started to creep along the goo tendrils and back to its origin. The lilac haired witch quickly cut off the goo tendrils from the main mass, letting the rest freeze up, and a moment later, the tendrils shattered into hardened chunks of goo.
"This is just like our Witch's Duel back at the Covention. We weren't exactly the best of friends back then, nor were we even close enough to be girlfriends," said Luz with a chuckle. "We've come a long way, Amity."
"Single worst mistake of my life! You were never a real witch, Luz! Even with your Rider powers, all you're doing is pretending to be a witch! I shouldn't have undone the Everlasting Oath, maybe then that lesson would've stuck, and I wouldn't have settled for someone below my station!" Amity shouted.
Luz bit her bottom lip a little as she replied, "I-I know you don't mean that, Amity! I told you what happened when the other you did the same thing, it made things so much worse for everyone, you and me included!"
"That was just one outcome of a different universe! So, don't bank on that happening twice in a row!"
Amity made the Abomination goo rise and transform into multiple fists that began launching themselves at Luz. The Latina quickly inhaled deeply and pressed the Invisibility Combo Glyph onto her chest. A couple seconds after applying it, Luz vanished from sight. The fists that Amity shot at her all collided with the floor, not a single one managing to hit Luz.
The Latina took a breath and dropped out of her invisible state, rolling across the floor as she whipped out another Ice Glyph, pressed it between her hands, and thrusted her hands forward. The result created a wintery gale that blasted towards her girlfriend.
Amity quickly drew a large spell circle and blasted forth a stream of purple flames that roared towards Luz's blizzard blast. The two attacks collided, creating a huge amount of steam that filled the lobby and obscured their view of each other.
"Listen to me, batata, I know you're fighting against her control."
Amity shifted her gaze around as she began molding the Abomination goo that floated around her, and remarked, "What makes you think I even want to fight against it? Boscha's finally opened my eyes to the truth! I don't need you, Luz! You're only holding me back!"
The lilac haired witch made the goo she summoned swirl around her more before she swiped with her staff, the result caused the goo to instantly harden and shoot out hundreds of spikes that flew off in all directions. The Abomination spikes embedded themselves in pillars, furniture, the walls, floor, and parts of the railing of the upper levels. Unfortunately, it was still hard to know if she even hit Luz with that attack thanks to the steam.
"You can keep saying those things, hermosa. But I know deep down you don't mean them. Just like I know you're trying not to kill me."
Amity rolled her eyes at the insinuation.
"Pray tell, how do you figure? Because nothing would please me more than to finally get rid of you so I can be with the person who's truly worthy of me!"
"Because if you really wanted to get rid of me. If you really wanted to help Boscha, you would've told her that I was Witch."
Amity paused when she mentioned that.
"I…I just didn't think it was relevant! I knew you'd come here to try and 'save me', so I saw no point in having my beloved worry about small details like that. Killing Witch essentially equates to killing you, so, either way, we were going to get rid of you," Amity explained.
"You have a point, but there's another big reason why I know you're fighting her control."
"UGH! GET TO THE POINT ALREADY AND SHOW YOURSELF YOU COWARD!"
"You could've transformed into Heka at any time, and you could've used your Final Form to completely destroy me back there. You blocked my Driver from being used, I couldn't go into Final Form to match you, if you did transform, I'd be dead already, and you and Boscha would be ruling this island without any worries. So, answer me, Amity, why didn't you?!"
Amity looked confused, she wanted to please Boscha, she was her everything. It didn't make sense as to why she wouldn't fight at full strength to end Luz, the one who got in the way of their love. Transforming into Heka would've easily solved all their problems, so…why?
"I…I…"
"It's because you want to protect our secret. It's because you wanted to protect me as much as you could. And it's because you knew that I could save you," Luz answered her.
"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Amity yelled.
Suddenly, vines sprouted from beneath the floor, wrapping themselves tightly around Amity's arms and legs and anchoring her to the floor. This forced Amity to drop her staff as it clanked against floor, and the moment it did, the staff changed and became Ghost as she looked up at her partner with concern. The steam started to dissipate, revealing Luz crouched low to the floor as her hands were pressed against a pair of Plant Glyph papers that she placed on the floor. The young teen panted, having narrowly escaped getting torn up and punctured by the spikes from earlier, although that was not without some wounds. Some of the spikes managed to cut across her arms, legs, and one cut into her side.
"I do know you, Amity. But I also know there's more to know about you, and I want to keep learning more about you," said Luz as she got up and made her way towards Amity.
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Amity demanded.
Luz held the Light Glyph in her hand and crumpled the paper as she funneled more mana into it. She didn't know how much she would need, but hopefully what she put into it would be enough to break the hold Boscha had on her.
"Amity, try and fight harder! I'll help you!"
Luz raised her right hand and let the Light Glyph shine brightly. The glyph's golden rays shined upon Amity as she averted her gaze from the strong light. When Amity opened her eyes to a squint, Luz could faintly make out that Amity's eyes were shifting from the altered state they were in now, and to their original state.
"C'mon, mi amor! I know you can do this! Fight with me! Take back control!" Luz encouraged.
"I…I…! AUGH!" Amity yelled as her mind swam with conflicting thoughts.
Ghost looked between Luz and her partner, narrowed her gaze, and then hurried over to the human. The cat Palisman jumped up until she was now perched on Luz's shoulder, and once there, Ghost's eyes shined bright blue, and the light that shined from Luz's glyph also shined brighter.
"Ghost…?"
*Meow!*
"Okay, let's get her back, together!"
The Palisman and human combined their magics together, and released a powerful burst of light that filled the entire room. That blinding light started to fade after a minute, allowing Luz to open her eyes fully. When she did, Amity was on her knees, her arms and legs still wrapped in the vines. Luz slowly made her way towards Amity, with Ghost still perched on her shoulder, and just as anxious as Luz was about the condition of her partner.
"Amity…? Batata…?" Luz called out.
The lilac haired witch suddenly rose and growled as she tried to attack Luz, making her jump back out of fright. Her eyes were still black and glowing pink, and Luz feared that their combined efforts weren't enough. But then Amity's aggression started to fade, she stopped struggling against the vines, and started to take a step back. That's when Luz and Ghost saw the white return to Amity's eyes, and the neon pink glow of her irises faded and were now back to their normal color.
Amity shook her head, wobbling back and forth as if in a daze. That's when the young witchling blinked and looked upon Luz.
"Luz…?"
"Amity?"
"Luz, I…I was…" Amity looked closer and saw the injuries she had caused to her beloved girlfriend. "Oh, Titan! Luz, what have I done?!"
"Nothing that I can't fix with my Healing ring," Luz assured.
"I…I said all those things to you…! I…I'm so sorry, Luz!"
Luz walked closer to Amity and brought her into a hug.
"It's okay, I know that wasn't the real you."
"I…I saw everything I was doing, heard everything I said! I tried fighting it, but it was all I could do to not transform…"
"I know, it's okay."
Ghost nuzzled against Amity's cheek as she purred comfortingly, and Amity leaned into it, happy that her Palisman was okay as well. Suddenly, several explosions went off high above them, making Luz break the hug as she looked up with concern, but Amity's expression was less concern, and more anger.
"Amity, I know you've been through a lot, but–"
"Get these vines off me, we have score to settle."
Luz blinked.
"Uh, right, okay."
"Also, how did you escape the effects of Boscha's poison?" Amity asked as Luz got the vines off her limbs.
"Oh, believe it or not, Hunter was able to use my Healing ring with his Driver," Luz explained.
"Huh…so…why didn't you have him use the Abomination ring to get it off?"
"I did…buuut…Your magic is really strong."
(Earlier…)
"Look, if you can use the Healing ring, then you can also use the Abomination ring. Maybe you can get the goo off my Driver?" Luz suggested.
"Fine, we'll give it a try."
Luz handed the ring over to Hunter. The young man slipped the ring over his right middle finger and scanned it with the Arcane Driver.
[Abomination, Now!]
The ring started to glow, and that's when Hunter pointed his right hand towards the goo blocking the WizarDriver's Hand Author. The goo on the Driver started to squirm and wiggle as he focused on it.
"I think…it's working," said Hunter.
That turned out to be false as the goo glowed a bright magenta color before turning into a fist and decking Hunter in the face and returning to its original state.
"OW! What the hell?!"
"Sorry!"
Crusader maneuvered through the air as he dodged the Hybrid Potion Phantom's attacks. She launched pressurized spheres of liquid from her hands, firing them at high velocities that would potentially take someone's head off if they hit. Never mind what they could actually do if you did get hit. In this case, the Hybrid Potion Phantom fired acidic liquid spheres, forcing Crusader to move away from them, but even when he did, the droplets that sprinkled onto his armor would cause it to hiss for a few seconds before stopping.
Definitely can't let that stuff hit me, he thought.
Another sphere was shot at him, but Crusader formed a spherical barrier around himself, letting the acidic potion mixture impact against it, splashing all over the shield. Thankfully, his shield held up against the brew, but it did limit his attack options.
"What's the matter, Crusader?! You afraid of me?!"
"You wish!"
The Hybrid Potion Phantom conjured two more spheres, but this time they were fired at the roof in a diamond formation. Once the spheres splashed against the rooftop, something odd occurred. Instead of burning through the concrete, or exploding, the blue puddles started to glow. A few seconds after they started glowing, huge writhing tentacles burst forth from the blue puddles, five each. The tentacles had sharpened black talon at the ends of each of them, along with many curved, black spikes along the back of the tentacles. At least, that was what the first one had.
The second puddle had tentacles that were green and sickly looking and dripping with a viscous substance. When it dripped onto something solid, it hissed and ate through the stone and concrete with incredible speed.
The third puddle's tentacles were made of what looked like, molten lava. The goopy tendrils whipped back and forth, releasing some globs of lava that burned through whatever they touched.
The fourth's resembled something eel-like and released bolts of electricity with each movement they made.
"Oookay…didn't see that coming."
The lava tentacles lashed out towards Crusader, immediately wrapping up his barrier sphere, and surrounding it with molten lava. The avian-themed Rider couldn't see anything outside of his barrier, and if he even dared to release it he would get bathed in the lava. The lava tentacles raised him into the air and began to squeeze harder and harder around the sphere. The harder the tentacles squeezed, the more intense the heat appeared to get, changing from red hot and slowly turning yellow. Crusader was starting to feel the heat even inside his barrier.
Meanwhile, outside of the barrier, the Hybrid Potion Phantom was grinning maniacally as she watched the slow death of Crusader, knowing that he had no real way to get out of his current predicament. If he stayed in the barrier, he'd succumb to the growing heat and fry, and if he released the barrier, the lava tentacles would incinerate him. The second one was more likely to happen either way, because if he passed out, the barrier would fall, and he'd get burned and crushed.
"I need to kill this annoying little gnat and get to Amity, I've wasted enough time with him as is," she said.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom saw something strange in the air above her. She looked closer, and that's when she saw a pink magic circle.
"What the…?"
"FREEZE, PLEASE!"
Suddenly, a blast of icy energy came howling through the pink magic circle. The wintery gale immediately struck the lava tentacles, and despite being made of lava, the cold was so intense that it made them start to harden into rock. The moment it did, a bright blue light shined inside of the stone before Crusader busted through it, sending chucks of rock scattering all over the place.
"WHAT?!"
From the circle above them, two people dropped down from it. The first was Kamen Rider Witch in Wonder Style, and the second was Kamen Rider Heka in Champion Form. The two Riders slowed their fall to a hover as they looked down at the Hybrid Potion Phantom. Crusader flew up to where the others were at, hovering beside them.
"Thanks for keeping her busy, Hunter," said Witch.
"Don't go thanking me yet. You haven't forgotten our deal, right?" Crusader asked.
Heka glanced at Witch and Crusader as she asked, "Wait, what deal?!"
Witch sighed and replied, "In exchange for Hunter distracting Boscha…I promised him if we weren't able to separate her from the Phantom…that…we'd destroy her."
Heka looked down at the Hybrid Potion Phantom, her left hand unconsciously rising and rubbing the spot where the creature had bitten her not too long ago.
"Amity, I know what Boscha did was wrong, so wrong. But even she doesn't deserve to be killed," Witch argued.
"…Luz, I'll handle this."
"Uh, Amity…after what just happened, I think it might be best if we did this…"
"I said, 'I'll handle this'."
"Do not argue with us," Bast stated.
Crusader blinked under his helmet and whispered to Witch, "She seems…angry."
"Oh, he doesn't know the half of it," La Lechuza commented.
"Uh…okay…?"
Heka dropped down from the sky and landed a few feet in front of the Hybrid Potion Phantom.
"Heka, what the hell do you want? And how the hell is Witch able to use her magic again?!"
Heka really wanted to tell Boscha her true identity, but doing so would end up causing more headaches for herself and Luz later on.
Note to self: look into instant memory erasing spells, or at least carry around some memory tweezers.
"I heard you used your powers to take control of a young witch girl."
"You say, 'take control', I say, 'made her see reason'. What does it matter to you anyway?" she asked.
"Because that girl is no longer under your control."
The Hybrid Potion Phantom growled indignantly.
"So, you managed to get rid of my special concoction?"
Heka smirked under her helmet as she answered, "Oh, no, not us. Turns out a human girl managed to do it all on her own. She's quite a valiant person, risking her life for the person she loves. I gotta say, it was very romantic. I'm kinda jealous. But yeah, thanks to her, we had that witch girl get rid of the obstruction on her Witch's Driver."
Crusader raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Witch, causing the hero to blush under helmet as she rubbed the back of her head.
However, for the Hybrid Potion Phantom, she was completely livid. All three of her eyes shined with anger as she realized that Luz Noceda somehow managed to break her hold on Amity and was now with her again.
"THAT STUPID HUMAN! SHE KEEPS RUINING EVERYTHING!" the Hybrid Potion Phantom yelled. "I SWEAR, WHEN I FIND HER, I'M GOING TO TORTURE HER SO SLOWLY THAT SHE'LL BE BEGGING ME TO KILL HER!"
Heka narrowed her gaze at the monster before her, and then pointed her MaguScepter at the Hybrid Potion Phantom before unleashing a quick blast of gold and purple flames. The Hybrid Potion Phantom quickly sidestepped to the left, narrowly missing the attack, and then waved her left hand in Heka's direction.
The lightning tentacles coiled and then bolts of electricity shot at the golden Rider. Heka immediately conjured a shield around herself, blocking the bolts from hitting her. The acid dripping tentacles attacked next, but Heka dashed out of the barrier and towards the Hybrid Potion Phantom. The creature smiled with glee as she tossed her staff aside and readied her claws to inject the same cocktail she had given Witch earlier.
However, before the Hybrid Potion Phantom could strike, Heka leaped over her, just as the monster slashed. Heka used the MaguScepter's wing blades and slashed the Hybrid Potion Phantom in the back, causing sparks to fly from the creature's body and shattering two of the six canisters.
"AAUGH! NO!"
Heka twirled in the air once before landing on her feet, but when she did, the black barbed tentacles dove to impale her. The golden Rider didn't flinch as a wall of Abomination goo formed behind her, the black talons of the five tentacles tried to pierce through to the other side but couldn't as the Abomination goo was proving too resilient to even try. Heka swiped her staff in the direction of the wall and made the goo that had caught the tentacles begin to rapidly spread over them before completely enveloping all five of them. With the snap of her fingers, the Abomination goo blossomed with hundreds upon hundreds of sharpened spikes that pierced and tore apart the tentacles from the inside out.
The Hybrid Potion Phantom growled louder as she slapped her palms together, creating another mixture as she threw out her arms in a wide arc. The result creating a huge pink web that was meant to ensnare Heka, but the golden Rider thrusted her left hand towards the incoming web, and a moment after, the web burst into golden flames, burning it to ashes. The Hybrid Potion Phantom was caught off guard, allowing Heka to dash in again, and slash the monster across her chest, sending another shower of sparks into the air.
The acid dripping tentacles and the lightning tentacles attacked at the same time from the right and left, but Heka easily jumped into the air and summoned another wave of the Abomination goo, creating two giant flaming hands that grabbed both sets of tentacles at the same time. Heka's eyes shined as she had the fists' flames intensify, swallowing the two sets of tentacles in golden flames.
"I'm not done yet!"
"Oh, you are," Heka retorted.
"You've only hit me twice! That's not enough to take me do – AUGH!" Suddenly, the Hybrid Potion Phantom felt a searing pain flow through her body, as if her body was being burned up from the inside out. The Hybrid Potion Phantom fell to a kneeling position as she felt herself getting weaker. "What did you do to me?!"
"My unique magical ability. Every time I strike my opponent, my flames burn your magic, and cause continuous damage to you. Good luck using your powers," Heka taunted.
"YOU!"
The Hybrid Potion Phantom drew a huge spell circle and used what remained of her potion mixtures to shoot a blast of liquid energy towards Heka. The golden Rider quickly inserted her ring into the MaguScepter and turned it twice before pointing it at the incoming attack.
} ROARING BLAST! {
A beam of purple and golden light roared from the MaguScepter and crashed into the liquid beam that the Hybrid Potion Phantom fired. The two beams created a powerful explosion that kicked up a huge smoke cloud out in front of them. But the Hybrid Potion Phantom didn't have time to wonder what Heka was going to do, as the golden Rider dashed out of the smoke and slashed the Hybrid Potion Phantom in the side. The Hybrid Potion Phantom tried to slash again, but Heka weaved under the attack. She then shoved the MaguScepter against Hybrid Potion Phantom's stomach, placed her ring into it, and turned it twice.
} ROARING BLAST! {
The Hybrid Potion Phantom looked down, and then looked up at Heka. The golden Rider smirked under her helmet as she fired the Roaring Blast at point-blank-range. The beam of energy sent the Hybrid Potion Phantom flying off the roof as multiple sparks exploded off her body before she fell towards the streets below.
"Wow," said Crusader.
"Yeah, wow," Witch concurred.
"Luz, I need you to use your Illusion, Bard, and Oracle spells. I have a plan that might be able to separate her from the Phantom."
The Hybrid Potion Phantom groaned as she tried to stand, feeling the effects of Heka's burn magic on her own power. Suddenly, a blue mist shrouded the area, despite the rain still falling, it seemed to do nothing to dampen the haze.
"Now what?" she complained.
"I'm surprised at you, Boscha."
"What?"
"Since when do you need a monster's help to be great?"
The Hybrid Potion Phantom looked around through the strange mist, and that's when she saw a figure approaching her. Despite her weakened state, the Hybrid Potion Phantom readied to attack, but paused when the shadowy figure made itself known.
"A-Amity?"
"You didn't answer my question, Boscha. Since when do you need a monster's help to be great?"
The figure of Amity Blight's eyes flashed violet, and when they did, the three eyes of the Hybrid Potion Phantom suddenly had a ring of violet light around them.
"What are you talking about? I AM great!"
Amity crossed her arms as she frowned in disappointment.
"Really? You had to let that Phantom turn you into this thing, just so you can finally have me to yourself. What? You don't think you're witch enough to win me back on your own?"
The Hybrid Potion Phantom growled as she stood up and replied, "You do whatever it takes to win! We both know that!"
"And yet, can you really say that you won?" Amity questioned. "Is it really satisfying to know that the only way you could have me was by using the power of a potion? Or the power of a monster? Instead of truly convincing me that you are the better witch? You're just proving that a human is leagues better than you, actually, you're just proving that you have to resort to things like this just to win against a human. That's really sad and pathetic."
"SHUT UP, AMITY! I DON'T NEED THIS POWER! I CAN WIN YOU ALL BY MYSELF!" she declared.
Amity smirked as she retorted, "Then show me, Boscha. Show me you're stronger than a Phantom, and maybe I'll think better of you?"
"YOU WANT ME TO SHOW YOU I'M STRONG?! THEN I'LL SHOW YOU!"
A crack started to form in the center of the Hybrid Potion Phantom's chest. Something that the monster itself seemed to be surprised about. At the same time, without the monster noticing, Witch's magic circle appeared underneath its feet. Outside of the Illusion mist, Witch was focusing her magic, giving Boscha the power to break free from her bonds.
"Boscha is attracted to power. She's stubborn, and she sees herself as better than everyone else that's not at the same social standing she is. But at the same time, that's our greatest asset to having her free herself from the Phantom," said Heka.
"How do you figure?" Crusader asked.
"Simple. I'll taunt Boscha. If there's one thing she can't stand, it's her pride getting damaged. If I can convince her that she's basically using the power of the Phantom as a crutch to try and win me over, she won't stand for it. She'll want to prove that she's stronger than the Phantom, that she's strong enough to 'woo' me on her own."
"As crazy as it sounds, it just might work," Witch commented. "But…Amity, I don't think I have it in me to really go at her like that."
"That's why you're going to create an illusion of me in civilian form and hide my Rider form with it. Use the Bard magic to alter my voice so it sounds like how I normally do, and then with the Oracle magic, we can connect to the Boscha inside of the Phantom and help her rid herself of the Phantom."
C'mon, Boscha, thought Heka.
The crack in the middle of the Hybrid Potion Phantom's chest started to get longer, now perfectly bisecting the monster. Just then, the crack began to widen as a hand grabbed one of the edges. Another hand joined it, and afterwards, both hands began to push on the edges of the crack, widening it even further. That's when they saw Boscha, with a defiant growl, rip herself out of the Hybrid Potion Phantom, landing on the street as she panted heavily from the effort of freeing herself. The Hybrid Potion Phantom stumbled backwards, visibly shaken as the crack sealed itself shut. Boscha got up on shaky legs and stared down the Amity illusion.
"I AM BOSCHA BARBTALONE! CAPTAIN OF THE BANSHEES GRUDGBY TEAM! AND MOST BADASS WITCH ON THE BOILING ISLES! AND I DON'T NEED SOME STUPID PHANTOM'S POWER TO PROVE THAT I'MTHE BEST! I AM THE BEST!" Boscha declared.
Unfortunately, that declaration used up the last of her strength as all three of her eyes rolled up just before Boscha passed out. The Amity illusion disappeared as Heka swiftly dashed towards the demon-witch girl and caught her before she could hit the hard ground.
"Heh, who knew that stubborn pride would be what saved you in the end," said Heka with a chuckle.
However, the Hybrid Potion Phantom was not done yet, as it looked at the girl in Heka's arms.
"Give…her…back!"
"No, you're not getting her back. Crusader!"
[ KICK STRIKE, RIGHT NOW! ]
The Hybrid Potion Phantom heard the announcement and looked up just in time to see a blazing emerald comet with fiery green wings descend upon it. The monster, too weakened from Heka's earlier assault, had no chance of defending itself as Crusader impacted with his kick, right on top of the Hybrid Potion Phantom's head. A powerful explosion erupted through the area, dispersing the Illusion Mist and revealing Witch, Heka, and the passed out Boscha. A dust cloud was kicked up around where the monster once was, but with a swipe of his armament wings, Crusader blew the smoke away, revealing that the Hybrid Potion Phantom had been destroyed.
Witch released a sigh, as well as Heka. Boscha was alive, the monster was destroyed, and the mind-controlling rain clouds that were covering the island were now starting to disappear. The people who were zombified by the effects of the rain, suddenly saw their eyes return to normal, no longer under the Hybrid Potion Phantom's command.
Many Coven Scouts made their way to the island after the battle was done, along with Construction Coven witches who were tasked with helping rebuild the damaged structures. The citizens were checked out by Healing Coven witches and Potion Coven witches, in order to make sure that there were no lingering harmful side effects by the Hybrid Potion Phantom's mind control rain.
Luz and Amity mixed themselves in among the rest of the civilians, pretending to be just as shaken up as the rest were. The Latina had used her Healing ring on Amity after the battle was over, just to make sure that there weren't any surprises inside of her lover, and to heal the wound that the Hybrid Potion Phantom inflicted on her arm and neck.
The Golden Guard, Hunter, was busy coordinating the relief efforts as part of his job as the Head of the Emperor's Coven. He was relieved that he didn't have to resort to killing an innocent civilian in order to stop the monster, but at the same time, this did not completely dispel his suspicion of the human and the youngest Blight child. Even though he had no evidence – currently – to prove that they were behind this, that still didn't mean that there wasn't any evidence linking them to this fiasco and the video that was making its rounds through social media. Still, for now, he would do his part investigating and keeping the people safe.
After many hours, the resort goers were ferried back to the mainland. Understandably, a lot of them were annoyed and saddened at having their vacations cut so short due to the appearance of a Phantom, but the staff of Cagile Island promised that once their facilities were back up and running, they would welcome back all those who had their vacations cut short, free of charge.
Luz and Amity were at the bow of the airship, watching as the mainland was starting to come into view. The two teens sighed as they stood next to each other and leaned against the railing.
"That was…not how I wanted our first date/vacation to go," said Amity.
"Why? It was fun," Luz remarked.
"Well, yeah, for the most part. But Boscha's antics ruined the mood more than once, and today, on the last day, well, that happened. This whole thing was supposed to be my way of showing you that I care about you, but it got all messed up…"
Luz smiled as she moved closer and rested her head against Amity's left shoulder.
"Batata, I know you care about me. And while, everything didn't go as planned, the stuff before that was fun, and…well…you helped me."
Amity glanced at Luz with a curious eyebrow raise.
"For a while I had this negative body image of myself, but you helped me get over that some. It'll probably take a little more time before I'm as confident as you, but you made me feel better about myself."
Amity's eyes widened.
"So, no, this vacation/first date wasn't a complete disaster," Luz affirmed.
Amity smiled and then nuzzled the top of the human girl's head.
"Well, then I'll count this vacation/first date as a success. By the way, how the heck did the Golden Guard know to come to Cagile Island?" Amity questioned.
Luz paused as she thought about that.
"You know what…I never did ask him how he knew. I was just happy he was there."
"Ugh…guess I have to thank him for saving your life now…"
"Human!"
"Here she comes to wreck the daaaay~" Bast and La Lechuza sang in unison.
Luz and Amity had deadpan expressions as they reluctantly turned around and saw the one who turned their vacation date upside down. The triclops was standing a few feet away, her arms crossed, and with a defiant look in all three of her eyes.
"I want to talk to you," said Boscha.
"Boscha, I swear to the Titan, I am this close to chucking off this ship and into the Boiling Sea!" Amity threatened as she pinched her index and thumb together, leaving barely a needle's point of a gap between them.
Luz furrowed her brow and put her arm out in front of Amity.
"No, I'll talk to her."
"Luz…"
"Amity, I love that you want to protect me, but there are times when I have to stand up for myself. And this is one of those times," said Luz.
Amity glanced between her girlfriend and her former friend, and with a reluctant sigh, she backed down.
"The moment she does something suspicious…" Amity warned.
"I know, I know." Luz lowered her arm and walked across the way to meet Boscha. She now stood face to face with the girl who had not only picked on her best friend, but who was also trying to break up hers and Amity's relationship. "Okay, Boscha, what do you want to say?"
"…You're serious about being Amity's girlfriend, right?" she asked.
"I am."
"Even if it means she has to keep protecting you?"
"I won't be a burden on her. I will get stronger, and we'll protect each other."
Boscha glanced over Luz's shoulder, her expression softening slightly as she gazed upon Amity for a few seconds before returning it to Luz.
"Okay. I recognize that you are her girlfriend. But that doesn't mean I've given up on Amity, either," said Boscha.
"You really do care about her?" Luz questioned.
"…" Boscha looked away and answered, "More than even I knew. My friends have distanced themselves from me…and the only one I can rely on now is Amity."
Boscha sighed as she composed herself and looked at Luz again.
"I will say…I'm sorry, for using that potion at the dinner. I was…desperate."
Luz blinked, she was not expecting Boscha to actually apologize, for anything really.
"Oh, uh, well, I won't say it's 'okay', but thank you for the apology," said Luz.
That's when Boscha raised her right hand and pointed her index finger right in Luz's face. Amity got on edge, believing that Boscha was about to draw a spell circle and harm Luz. To her credit, Luz didn't blink, she stood tall and strong, her gaze never flinching. Boscha narrowed her gaze and smirked a little.
"As of this moment, Luz, we're rivals. No more tricks, no more potions or magic. I won't stop showing Amity why I'm the superior choice, so…you better do whatever you can to make sure she's happy. Otherwise, the moment I see you can't cut it anymore, I'll swoop in and take Amity for myself," Boscha declared.
Luz grinned as she put her hands on her hips and replied, "Challenge accepted, Boscha."
Boscha lowered her hand and put both into her pockets as turned around and began walking away, parting with the words, "Game on, Luz."
Once Boscha was gone, Amity walked up to Luz and asked, "What was that about?"
"I think Boscha just declared me her rival in love," Luz answered.
Amity blinked.
"Wait, Boscha called you her rival?!"
"Y-Yeah…why?" Luz questioned with dread.
"It's just…" Amity shifted her gaze towards the retreating form of Boscha. "She never acknowledges anyone as a 'rival' unless she sees them as someone of equal skill. At one point, she called me her 'rival', but that changed to us being 'best friends' when she saw how skilled I was. There's barely a handful of people that Boscha refers to by that term, and she just declared you her rival."
Luz looked back at Boscha, it seemed the triclops may not have completely changed her ways, but, perhaps, this could be a start?
Guess something else good came out of this trip after all.
It took several long hours, but eventually, Hunter and the Coven Scouts managed to get things situated back on Cagile Island. The young man trudged into his room, shut the door behind him, and plopped himself onto his bed. The little cardinal Palisman, Flapjack, flew out of his cape pocket and landed on the bed next to his head.
"Ugh…that was exhausting, and still not any closer to figuring out what those two are up to," said Hunter. "By the way, that was a good hunch about heading to Cagile Island. How'd you manage to figure that one?"
Flapjack shrugged and chirped.
"Just lucky? Well, keep that luck coming. I have a feeling we're going to need it."