Chapter 13: Quest for the Crown
"Well Luz, did you ever in your life think you'd see something as breathtaking as this?" Eda asked Luz, tapping human girl with her elbow and pointing to something.
In front of them on the beach lay the carcass of a dead, giant worm with the characteristics of a leech. Its body was cylindrical and tapered toward its tail. Its mouth was a jawless opening lined with large pointed teeth and surrounded by five short tentacles. It had large eyes spread out on its back and head, and large black spines ran along its back between the eyes on its head and on its back. The coloration was dark green on the dorsal surface and light green on the ventral side, divided into segments like ringworms.
"I don't like this," Luz covered her nose,"And what is that, by the way?"
"A trash slug," Eda said, walking over to the big slug, kneeling down, and putting her hand on it. "It makes a home of life from others who have been thrown by the wayside," the witch stroked the beast before reaching into its mouth and pulling out a rubber chicken. She tossed it aside before turning back to her student and little demon.
"Until, BLAM!" she emphasizes it by slamming her first onto her palm. "It gets blasted by a wave one day and croakes by all the salt, and then we get to sell this stuff at ate."
"I thought we're looking for the ingredients for a potion." Luz's curiosity and excitement were replaced by confusion and disgust.
"One of them is the eggs of a slug. And because Jett's busy looking for a Lykosbane Flower, you two are gonna help me find eggs and collect some of the treasures." Eda said as she pulled out a pickaxe and offered it to Luz and King. "So, who wants the first swing?"
"I've more important things to do." King said, stepping aside.
"What sort of things?"
He pulled a toy bucket and shovel out of... Somewhere. Before he pointed at a small crab with two heads. "Today I'm going to build an empire which will be a place where I gather all these armored warriors together and train them. And very soon, my troops will fanning out across the towns to make me the ruler of the Boiling Isles. Muahaha!"
The little demon scampered off, laughing wickedly.
Eda didn't even bother trying to stop him. Luz waved goodbye to him and told him to have fun, thinking his "evils plans" are cute.
"Look like it's just you and me now, Luz." Eda handed her the pickaxe.
"Please don't make me…" Luz said as she leaned back from the dead monster slug.
"Ah, nuts with you two," Eda said, before getting down to the dirty work. Swinging the pickaxe into the monster's flesh.
Luz waited a moment and then she come a little closer to the slug.
"So, Eda..." Said the girl trying to get her attention, "I was thinking maybe we could choose a theme and level of complexity of my next lesson."
"Ugh!" Eda just groaned. She plunged her hand into the trash slug before taking out the surfboard with a shark bite in it.
Luz wincing as she looked away briefly from another swing. "Because I-"
"Okay, look, kiddo. If you want more lesson, you have to earn it." Eda turned toward her, "And you can start by sorting the treasures."
Luz hesitated, and considered heading home and look at pictures of animals that are still alive, but finally decided to help Eda with the trash.
Time passed, the pile of thing pull from a trash slug threatened to rival the pile of crumpled paper made by Luz.
After she finished sorting a trash by size and value, she sat down on the stone and started drawing in her notebook.
"Come on. Come on." Luz tapped the paper and intensely looked at it. Yet after a moment, nothing happened.
"Aww hombre!" She balled it up and threw.
Crushed paper ball bounced off the pile and ended up next to Eda's leg. She picked up the small paper ball and straightened it out. The drawing showed a strange combination of simple geometric figures.
"Luz, what are you doing?"
"Nothing," Luz touched a notebook again. "I'm just checking if drawing a parts of light glyph in a different way, can create other spell."
"This isn't gonna work." Eda put it so bluntly.
"Then how I supposed to find new glyph?" The way Luz said it, it made the witch realized that her student really want to know the answer. And doesn't want to wait till next lesson.
"Do what all great sorceress and sorcerers did, connect to the Isles." she said as though that explained everything.
"And how they did it?" Luz was definitely hoping to know more, "Does it require focus on my 5 senses and practice mindfulness to stay in the moment? Or mastery of magic requires mastery of self; Sorceress sat alone in a cave for days asking one question: Who am I? Or maybe-"
"I've told you before," Eda interrupted, "The knowledge about the human magic and glyphs was lost along with era of human enchantress and sorcerers."
"If no one knows anything about this kind of magic, there's a chance I might never learn more glyphs." Luz looked away sadly. The Owl Lady has to say something - immediately. Otherwise, her student will be unwilling to performance of duties.
"You forgot something very important."
Eda continued after Luz looked at her with a questioning glance, "You already forged some sort of connection to the Boiling Isles once before, your light glyph is proof of this."
Luz looked down at the notebook on her laps.
"You really don't need to know everything about old ways and methods of linking to wild magic. You just need to... you know." Eda forefinger tapped the notebook, "Figure out what happened what did you do to saw this. And do it again."
The witch's words makes Luz sick in the stomach
When she found the light glyph, it wasn't connection.
It was a coincidence.
The sudden realization was like a slap to her face.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Luz said as she put the notebook in her pocket. "I think I better go check on King. He should use sunscreen regularly to protect his skull."
She was gone before Eda could ask what exactly is sunscreen.
King was in the middle of his new kingdom when Luz found him.
Sand Sculptures was big, but a very simple - one castle with a very long wall. About two dozen crab walked around the demon.
"As your King, I command you to form formation: Killer Wrecking Ball." King's paw raised imperiously.
The only reaction from the crab, a soft clicked of their claws.
"Close enough." King nodded as he walked up to the stone, placing the rubber chicken on it. "Now, I want you to pay particular attention to me. This'll go fast."
He take a deep breath and blow out.
"Feet together, back straight, inhale. Now take all that repressed anger from being picked on, and called a munchkin, being mistaken as a teddy bear, LET IT ALL OUT IN A BLAST OF FIRE SO HOT IT WILL MELT THE BONES OF YOUR ENEMIES! NOW FIGHT!"
King came at the rubber chicken like a rabid missile! Then he started, tearing it apart.
"Ouch." Luz was surprised when the head of rubber chicken hit her face.
The small king of demons looked at Luz, "You come to join our combat training?"
"Well, actually, I wanted to see your sand castle."
"Sand castle?" King was outraged that she called his sand empire a little sand castle. "I have built this kingdom on the blood of my own subjects. It's a fortress, full of the strongest warriors in realm. Speaking of which, I want you to meet the best of them, colonel Sulfus."
He pointed at a crab, which was a mistake because the crab pinched his finger.
"Ouch!"
Luz looked in alarm as a demon screamed, frantically trying to shake the crabs from his paw.
After about a minute of running so fast King was able to get rid of crab.
"You won't get away with this attack on me, traitor!" He wanted step on the crab but Luz rescued it at the last moment.
"You can't interrupt a execution!" King said that accusatorily, pointing towards her.
"King, you can't squish this little guy." Luz held crab in very protective way.
"Why?"
"You are its king."
"And the king want to punish this blundering assassin!"
"But it's the truly great rulers that know how to show mercy." Luz quoted character from her favorite book.
A deep, foreboding voice opined, "Wise words, young lady."
Luz and King whirled around, nearly falling into each other. "GAH!"
A man in a wizard's robe and hat raised one eyebrow. "My word. What a greeting."
"Magical wizard," Luz bounced around in excitement, dropping the crab. It scuttled under stone and disappeared.
"A weird old man in jim-jams," King deadpanned.
"Forgive my lack of manners. I am called Adegast." He bowed his head, "I've come to ask for your help."
King climbed up to the nearest big rock, and pointing at the wizard. "I'm the king of demons. So I warn you, I'm not cheap."
"Not to seem rude, but I wasn't actually talking to you." Adegast kept his tone polite. "I need help of your companion."
"My help?" Luz asked, pointing towards herself.
"Yes, young miss. Recently I've heard from someone that human arrived on the Boiling Isles and entered to the Order of the Keepers." He informed her, King looking annoyed.
'Wow. Word travels so fast around here.' Luz mentally commented, even though she enjoyed the fact that she is recognised by people.
"I assume it's you, ma'am."
"Yes, it's me. Luz the Human." Luz responded.
"Glorious." Adegast said, "So I've just got one question for you: Do you want to go on a quest?"
"A quest?!" Luz exclaimed cheerfully.
"You see... The prophecy foretold speaks - A human who will claim the celestial staff, and free this world from the antion evil. And only, the Chosen One," he said with eyes looking to Luz with a smile. "Can pull the staff from it's post."
"... Chosen… One…" Luz said slowly, shaking with excitement. And the burning fire of self-esteem and self-confidence came again.
"Yes." Adegast nodded, "For the last 77 years I have been guarding the post. However, recently the thief we know only as Hoard stole it, and he hid it deep in his vault." He said. Not in sadness, but with solemnity.
"Then you better find yourself a new post with a staff." King told him blatantly. "You never get back what Hoard took. Nobody knows the exact location of his vault."
"True, but I was able to get a map to this place."
King looked at Adegast with disbelief and shock gleaming in his eyes. "You know how to get to the lair of Hoard?!"
"To my misfortune the Dark Forest, the place where is his lair, is not available to everyone. Especially me." Adegast reached into his beard and pulled out a scroll. "And that's why I came to you, young lady. Dareth I say, I sense something unique about you. And I believe you the one that will prove worthy to wield the power of Celestial Staff."
He looked her into eyes - dramatic pause -and then extended his hand, offering the scroll.
"Now, can I trust you with that map? Would you like to go on a quest? Are you ready to face destiny?" His tone was designed to communicate the gravity of what he was asking of her.
"Yes!" Luz willingly took the map that was handed to her.
"Wonderful!" said Adegast happily.
Meanwhile, Eda was tying a bag of slug eggs to her staff. "Not a bad haul. That oviduct was loaded. So, a few of you will find a new home among items sold at the Black Market."
Along with these words she came to large pile of human treasures. She will have to decide if she wants to bring it all home; if she does, Luz and King will have to help.
'I wonder what the children are doing.'
Then, as if in answer to her question, heard the voice, calling her.
"Edaaaa!" Luz shouted as the two arrived, jumping up and down. "Eda. Eda. Eda!"
"You got sand in your pants?" Eda was convinced that may be the only reason for the human teen pretty strange jumping behavior.
"You'll never guess what just happened." Luz did not wait for a response from the Owl Lady. "I just met a real wizard!"
"Ugh! Wizards are the worst. Never trust a man in a sloppy drape wearing scandals," said Eda, waving her hand as if it weren't her own. "What did he want from you?"
"He was robbed of Celestial Staff which he guard for years, so he asked me to retrieved it. And he told me that I am the Chosen One!"
"Wait, wait," Eda shook her head in disbelief, "Some guy just came out of nowhere, and babbling on about a quest he wanted you to pursue?"
"Yes!" Luz shoot her million-watt smile as grabbed a toy sword from the garbage pille. "So, Eda, which Chosen One should I be? Should I be full of optimism and goodness, like the Good Witch Azura? Or should I be like a bad girl Chosen One with black nail polish and a mysteriously withdrawn attitude?"
Eda just looked at her for a moment before she started laughing so hard she fell to the floor.
Luz looked down at the Owl Lady, and the teen began to look very confused, trying to understand what does the witch find so amusing.
"Eda?"
"I'm done. I'm done." Eda chuckled a little more. Getting up, she walked over to Luz. "I must disappoint you, Luz. But the Boiling Isles is full a various types of swindlers. So everything your wizard said was a lie and nonsense."
"What?" Luz held the map, tighter and tighter.
"You didn't think it was real, did you?" Eda asked despite already knowing the answer. "Ah, don't worry. Couple more months here and you won't look like such a mark."
"I'm not a mark. I'm the Chosen One." Luz's not willing to give this up. She really believed that an average teenager like her, actually had a predetermined path of greatness. Just like Azura. "I'll go on grand adventure."
"And I'm going with you!" King insisted.
Eda facepalmed, "You fell for this 'the chosen one' crap too?"
"No, of course not, not at all." King huffed negatively. "But that bearded guy gave us a map to Hoard's lair. So, I can finally get my crown of power back."
"Your crown of power?" Luz asked in confusion.
"Here, let me explain." Eda said as she steeped back and waved her fingers in a circle, creating a magic visual as she explained their issue. "King used to be the powerful King of demons until his crown of power was stolen from him, reducing his might to that of the state he is before us." Eda said as Luz looked to him.
"I feel sorry for you." Luz quickly said before she went back to listening.
"The crown was stolen by the evil gatherer, Hoard, and placed in his secret vault. Everyone knows that this place exists but nobody knows where." The owl lady finished as she stopped her magic visual.
"And I just got the map to this secret place." Luz mused and made a little excited shiver. "Its destiny!"
"Destiny is an invention of some grifters from Oracle Coven." Eda said bluntly.
"Destiny or not, my crown is waiting for me." King argued, "I am going to get my power back, with or without your help."
Eda sighed. She know that Luz's wizard is probably just some sort of imposter and there is no point wasting time. But she also know that if she tell them to throw away the map, King could talk Luz into help him or Luz'll try to fulfill "the chosen one" destiny.
"Trust me, the two of you can't go alone." The Owl Lady made one last attempt to dissuade them from this crazy idea.
"Well then?" Luz urged, smiling with encouragement.
"Fine." Eda groaned. "Let's see where this stupid map leads us."
"Yay! The Owl Lady, the Witch's Apprentice and the King of Demons are going on the quest!" Luz looked a little starry-eyed when she held up the map and King crawling onto her shoulder. "Give me your trust and follow me."
"This is NOT a quest." Eda said, 'Eight seconds, and I'm already having second thoughts.'
"Yes, it is!" Luz ran ahead, with King still sitting on her shoulder. "This way, into the Dark Forest!"
"It's going to be a long day." Eda groaned, she then followed the two who were running.
This Dark Forest was awfully dark. But thesome sunshine rays first rays and some magic stones, as well as noodle-like masked ghosts lit up the forest. It looked like someone had splashed a bunch of purple paint onto everything. Except the grass and the ground.
Eda winced and smacked her right shoulder. "These fairy bites are getting more frequent. How much further?"
"Map says.. we cross the bridge of Riddles. Then wander the fields of Silent, and arrive at the Heavenly Lake." Luz told the others as they headed deeper and deeper into the forest without difficulty. "And the bridge should be...Here."
And she was right.
Ahead of them was a huge bridge that had a huge chunk of it cut off. Leaving the otherside in pieces. Two statues at the sides, with one statue with a sword, a crown and angel wings. The other one… very unsettling. The statue was headless, it had bat wings at the back, a long nice dress, and it was holding its own head.
They were about to cross a bridge when a low faint growl ripped through the air. The trio stopped and backed up as a giant ogre stomped onto the path before them.
"Halt!" he commanded. "You interlopers are trespassing on the property of mine!" A sly grin broke across his features. "If ye wish to pass, first ye must solve the seven ancient riddles, each more difficult than the–"
"No, thanks, but maybe another time." Eda waved a finger to make a hand of first statue break, so its stone sword fell on a ogre's head. The ogre fell back with loud THUD!
"Eda!" Luz turned toward the witch.
"What? He'll live." Eda said while King held out his hand, booping ogre on the nose. "Bap! Yep. He's just out. Bap!"
"But you can't skip a part of quest!" Luz complained.
"Luz, I'm not on a quest. l've come along to make sure you two don't get lost or eaten. Or both."
"This is my first mythical quest. Eda, please let me do it right." Luz begged her mentor, even making her eyes big and pursing her lips a bit to give off an especially begging look.
"Okay. The next big guy'll be all yours." Eda agreed just for her own piece of mind.
Luz thanked her before crossed the bridge over the river - and they headed straight ahead.
Soon, they stepped over a log and ventured under a much darker canopy of trees. They started bumping into each other, stepping on each other's feets, stepping in mud but not knowing it at first… but no one saw any trees with scary faces.
After that, they found a way to a stone path.
"I'm getting tired of this walking." King griped as he climb Eda's skirt to get to her hair. Then dug his paws inside Eda's mane of gray hair.
The moment Luz wanted ask the reason why the demon was behaving like that, King presented the answer himself. A bag of the Hex Mix was holded in his paws.
Suddenly a low faint growl ripped through the air. It was so low Luz almost didn't hear it over the noises King making when eating. Looking up she spied a shape moving in the shadows across the road.
"What's this?" Luz's eyes widened as the shape's dimensions began to appear. It was huge with a thick body and four legs as much as she could tell.
Eda just turned to shadow, sort of nonchalantly, and said, "It's a manticore."
"I always wanted to see a manticore," Luz smiled. "They're like big kitty-cats."
"Not this." Eda drew a circle, and a ball of light appeared. When Luz saw the manticore in the light she had to hold back a scream.
Sure she had seen illustrations of a manticore in her Azura books but they were fanciful and were edited to seem less terrifying. This beast had the same characteristics as a manticore such as a spiked tail and lion-esque face but there is where the similarities ended.
It's maw was wide and long rows of jagged teeth emerged from the chasm. It's head was scarred and bruised resplendent of previous fights. the fur decorating the long sinuous body was sparse and coarse. Four legs bulging with muscle and tipped with sharp and deadly claws prowled slowly towards you. The tail of it was at least fifteen foot long and waved dangerously like a rattlesnake's tail the end of the tail had a large splintered spike on the end that looked like it had pierced the flesh of many.
As it got closer freezing Luz in fear she could clearly see it was at least ten foot tall towering over them. The manticore growled again disturbed from it's slumber.
Eda's voice snapped Luz out of her fear. "Now, as promised, you can take care of it yourself."
Luz eld up the toy sword when Eda pusehed her forward.
'I can do it! I'm the chosen one!' Luz repeated it like a mantra in her head and take a fighting stance.
The manticore turning around much faster than a creature its size should and running at them. And Luz just got hit with deja vu.
Luz reached for a glyph in her pocket.
But then, to everyone's surprise, something happened.
The manticore ran straight ahead, - and then it just suddenly stopped. The large creature fell on the ground, and started to shake like a leaf.
"I don't know how you've done it, Luz, but you pulled it off." Eda said and then slapped her hard on the back.
"I didn't do anything." Luz said, putting the toy sword into its sheath.
In that time the whole fear of the fight with monster was taken away and it was replaced by a huge compassion for manticore. The creature clearly suffered.
"You don't look a stroke of luck in the mouth," Eda walked past the manticore. King do the same. And only after a while they noticed that Luz doesn't follows them. So, the Owl Lady turn around to see why Luz stand still.
"Luz, have you lost your mind?" Eda yelled when she saw Luz gently approached the manticore, which roared at her, but the human teen stood her ground and touched its head.
"Shhh... It's okay." Luz said as she grabs the large manticore's paw revealing to be a few black thorns in it. "Oh, you poor, poor little thing."
"Little?" King pointed at the creature.
"Now this might hurt for just a second." Luz said as she took the thorns out of the manticore's paw making it roar in agony.
The mythical beast rise up then the manticore roared right in her face, messing up her hair from the force of its roar.
"Run!" Eda started drawing the spell circle, but it was too late. Suddenly, the manticore's moved forward. Luz closed her eyes and flinched - 'Here it comes.'
She expected fangs and pain, but instead felt something cool and slimy on her face, something oddly like-
A tongue.
Luz opened her eyes, only to be met with another face-full of tongue as the manticore licked her again.
The girl blinked as mythical creature then began to gently nuzzle into her chest, like a dog eager to be pet.
Luz leaned to the side slightly to get a look at the manticore's tail and, sure enough, it was wagging.
Ignoring the confused mutters of the witch and small demon, Luz did the only thing she could think to do. She reached up and began to pet manticore, right near its ear. It made a contented rumbling noise and pushed against her further, almost knocking her off her feet.
After about a minute, the manticore licked Luz's face for the last time. It jumped on tree then shut its eyes tightly, curling up into a ball and quickly fell asleep with a rumbling purr.
"The Chosen One always helping them what needs help." Luz explained when she came to Eda and King.
"You better be careful, Luz. No good deed goes unpunished." Eda warned her.
"Aw, Eda. It never hurts to help." Luz said as she looked at the map.
Time was passing by, and they were just keep on going.
They had stumbled upon a few different ways around the forest; like a stone arch, small river, and path covered with a very elaborate and big spider web.
After a few mishaps, the gang arrived at the place a map led them.
It was a small glade with tall pine trees around it, and a lake nearby. The only noises one could hear was the summer breeze blowing and the crickets singing, only interrupted by the sound of water.
"I don't understand. There's nothing here."
Luz looked at her map, "But according to the map, it's our destination."
Eda opened her mouth to speak. Something snappish and snarky was undoubtedly about to bubble forth. When she got... Sidetracked by a little demon.
"Hey! What's happening there?!" King pointed out to the lake.
At first it felt like it was an illusion, but the truth was that the water seemed to be bubbling. Moved by curiosity, the gang decided to investigate. The water was really bubbling, like someone had turned on an air valve like in a jacuzzi. And on top of it all, something seemed to be glowing in the water.
"This is our cue to come clouser." Luz said before stopping in front of the lake.
A stone path rose from the depths of water to the glowing spot. The trio walked down the path toward the middle of the lake. Stopping at the end, they found something like a well.
Luz peered into the hole, holding her breath in a vain attempt to keep the stench of fish and wet lichen from her nostrils.
"It stinks!" King declared. "Is it really Hoard's lair?"
"Let's find out." Luz retorted as she to put him in her hood. Her next move itself probably wasn't the smartest idea. But in a situation like this, epinephrine is very effective.
Then she crouched all the way back, sprang her knees and launched herself five feet into the air, spread-eagled until her weight dragged her down, and her body fell into the darkness of the pit.
Eda could still see her silhouette against the soft light as Luz shouted "WE ARE STILL FALLING!" for no apparent reason other than a pointlessly obvious statement.
Five seconds later, the witch heared the sound of a body bounces off something.
"I'm fine! King too." Luz declared, "I guess the giant mushroom broke the fall.
"You got a lot of guts, kid." Eda considered summoning her staff to fly down, but she decided to jumped into hole.
When she hit the ground Eda winced. She had landed on a spot where the ground was covered with soft and giant mushrooms. So, she not broken any bone, but she bounced up and landed butt first on the stone ground.
"A perfect landing." King said sarcastically.
Eda was going to got a good comeback, but she got distracted by the beauty of the place.
"Ooh, Shiny."
The cave looked like the inside of a rainbow coloured geode.
"This is amazing, right?" Luz said excitedly, her voice echoing on the cave's walls. "This is like, the 8th wonder of the world."
Looking around, the human teen was marvelled with everything that surrounded them.
"Hey, what is that over there?" she pointed out to a mysterious hole almost completely obscured by giant rock.
"Let's find out." Eda drew spell circle, moving stone a bit.
The trio peeked inside and there, standing perfectly still on top of a twenty-five-foot pile of gold, pearls, gems, ivory, coins, metals, scrolls, teeth, pebbles, rocks, rings and chalices was the Celestial Staff.
"My crown! It's close. I can sense its power," King ran over and started go through gold.
Luz cast a lingering glance at the Celestial Staff and wondered if she should just take her chance. And then, after a while, the girl join King in search for crown. Eda, on the other hand, she was more interested in beaten gold and gems.
Suddenly, Luz saw a object. It was something similar to a crown.
It wasn't too long before she made it to the spot and Luz looked down at the crown with smile. However, her smile disappeared when she saw it.
"King, I found something, but..." She held out the crown to reveal it was nothing more than a Burger Queen paper crowd.
"My crown!" Give me! Give me! Give me!" King begged the Dominican girl, jumping up and down to try and grab for it
Luz gave it to him and he put it on. "Yes. Yes! I can feel my powers returning. You there! Nightmare critter," He was pointing to a stuffed rabbit, picking it up. "I shall call you Francois, and you shall be a minion in my army of darkness. Ha ha!"
"That crown doesn't give him any powers, does it?" Luz wondered, gesturing to him.
"Uh, no." Eda answered the question.
Luz was so confused. According to the Owl Lady herself, the main reason for join them was the crown.
"Look Luz. I'm not a sentimental witch and I don't have much in my life that I care about." Eda looked back at little demon as she added, "But I do value my family, very much. King is part of this family. So if that dumb crown is important to him, it's important to me."
Luz felt touched by the witch's words. Who would've thought? The Owl Lady have a soft side.
"Family is everything."
"And us weirdos have to stick together." The witch then winked at the human.
Luz smiled and gave a bashful blush, before looked at the top of the pile.
"Well maybe the crown is fake, but the Celestial Staff is totally real."
Her eyes were glued to the white staff determinedly as she edged closer and closer to where it waited. Once she finally reached up the top of the gold pile, she held her breath, waiting a second before grabing.
Then white energy bursts from the staff and the gem started to glow, Luz pulled the staff out in triumph. "Yes! I am the chosen one! I knew it! I always suspected that there's a reason nobody understands my crazy antics back home, now I have concrete proof! Ha ha!"
She smiled triumphantly, but her joy was short-lived, because Adegast's voice spoke from the crystal.
"Luz the Human If you're listening to this, my congratulations. Your hubris has failed you, Witch Apprentice. I'm no wizard. And you're no Chosen One. I've tricked you. Your mentor has been stealing customers from my potions business for years. She must be destroyed."
His voice echoed through the place.
"And you lured her right into my trap, all because you wanted to think you were special. I wish you a great time with my old friend."
The staff in the human teen's hands had dimmed the lights of its crystal, turning to dust and away from existence.
"What did he mean by his friend?" Luz asked in bewilderment.
Before Eda could answer, the ground rumbled and the treasure that they had been standing on began to shake off some gold flake which fell to the floor, bouncing off stones and directly under where the pile had been coming from.
"Make it stop!" King grabbed Luz's leg as the ledge reached a twenty foot vantage point, revealing that the pile was standing on nothing more than a shell.
What they were now standing on belonged to a brownish-orange crab with spikes scattered around its body, and black joints connecting his limbs together.
Each of its legs came down like a meteor, leaving craters in the ground. Its claws were the size of city busses, swinging like wrecking balls at the stones with the misfortune of being in its path.
The demonic crab, Hoard the Shiny Sheel, shuddered as it woke, forcing the trio to jump back down the ground.
"Oh my gosh a giant crab!" Luz shrieked, unwittingly drawing the beasts attention.
"Don't move guys!" She told them, "If we stand perfectly still it won't see us. It works in that movie I saw once."
The demonic crab gurgled as noticed three intruders. It hate all kind of uninvited guests.
Not surprisingly its anger quickly overcame it just seconds later and its mighty pincer held out towards the trio.
Eda grabbed the two kids and jumped into the air. Raising her staff high over her head. The owl palisman then opened his wings, and after placing the kids on it, Eda flew off just before the crab could grab them.
"I think that movie was about dinosaurs." Luz admitted.
"I think it's time to go." Eda started flying down to the hole they had just walked inside not ten minutes ago.
Hoard made this really loud noise as if it was angry or something and then they heard a very strange noise. Luz turned her head to saw that the crab was now erratically shooting blue-purple lasers from it's eyes.
"It shoots laser beams, THE CRAB SHOOTS LASER BEAMS!" She screamed as one narrowly zipped past their heads.
Instead of blowing them into dust its laser beam hit the large stalagmite right above them, smash it to pieces.
One of these stones hit the back of the staff, knocking them off and sending them crashing.
As they hit the ground King's crown fell off the demon head. It flew between the few falling rocks but then was hit by laser beam.
King's eyes widened as his pupils shrank as he watched his crown burned down.
"No! My power! He began crying.
"Luz, wait for the right moment and then get clear." Eda pusehed the teen and the demon behind the rock.
"What about you?" Luz asked worriedly.
"I'll distract him."
"But..."
"No but. If you think this guy is bad, you shoulda seen my last creepy fan." Eda said as she ran towards Hoard. "Hey you, Shellfish! Catch me if you can!"
Hoard hissed like a rattlesnake and sprang out his claws like a switchblade.
Eda spun around and created a wooden pillar to block it off, then she spun her fingers to grabbed one of its legs with her magic
The grip of her magic faltered as Hoard tried to pull it's leg away from her. She poured more of her effort into her hold, barring the leg. Just long enough for her to bring in giant boulder like a wrecking ball to it's leg joint, snapping the hinge inverted.
The armor of the leg might have been impervious, but the leg was nonetheless broken. Even so, it had five others, and they were all scurrying towardsthe Owl Lady in rapid stabs.
The witch bobbed and weaved from the legs, giving them only stone ground to strike.
"SKRAK!"
"Upset about something or just tired? How about a drink?" Eda asked as she dove out of the way. She then used her magic to fired a jet of hot water at Hoard.
But the shot was blocked by the broad side of its claw, shielding itself from her magic. Then the crab fired back a laser beam of its own.
As Eda rolled, it's other claw swung across in a fast attack, knocking her into a wall.
"Eda!" Luz and King wanted to run up to her, make sure she's okay.
But one giant claw grabbed King's tail while the right claw picked up Luz by her hood, bringing both to the level of crab's dark eyes.
The giant eyes began to shine in preparation for a deadly blast.
"Un-claw us!" Luz's free left hand grabbed the toy sword and threw a fake blade, and immediately it hit Hoard in the eye, causing the crab to hiss in pain and it let go of her. Luz's back landing on a few of small rocks painfull
"Luz, help me out!" King's voice pierced the air as he continued to flail at his captor's grip on him.
Luz watched helplessly as the other claw reached over to cut the demon's head off.
"Don't you dare!" Eda draw a magic circle with her finger, the fire flew towards Hoard.
Seeing the attack coming, it retracted its eyes in time to avoid Eda's magic.
Luz seized the opportunity and took out a notebook. She drew the glyph she learned and pressed a hand against it then just tossed it up in the air.
The notebook turned into a spell, flashing a powerful light. The crab let King go as the bright flash blinded it.
"Got ya." Luz caught King at the last second.
Hoard turned and brought its leg up to stomp it back down again at her. The leg's jab was fast, but Luz was faster, diving out of the way as the tip made an enormous pothole in the ground, scattering broken stones.
The crab staggered and stood on the broken leg. So in effect, it fall on its back.
Hoard went berserk, and started shooting laser from the eyes. The ray of energy shoot out in every direction across the place, causing destruction of the walls.
Finally one of these rays landed right on the edge of stalagmite above the Hoard's body.
The giant stone hit the crab dead center.
It sounded like a tree trunk snapping in half, followed by a shrill hiss from the creature.
Then it was just so quiet.
"So, kiddo, you know a good Jumbo recipe?" Eda broke the silence.
Author's Note:
I am so sorry it's been so long, my new job was a challenge over the last few weeks. I will try to get on a better upload schedule.
Please let me know what you thought of that in the comments