Day 3: The Black Light Time to Shine
"You saying you have been seeing auras around certain witches?" Asked Orsan calmly.
Danna nodded, and Orsan frowned, not that anyone could see it. He cast an analyzing spell and used it on the historian.
"Tell me," Orsan inquired. "How long has this been going on? And has this happened before?"
"...Just as long on I have been on the Isles," Danna replied, "And this is the first time it ever happened."
Orsan hummed and then looked at Drake. The florist was leaning against a wall, his attention on the "knocked-down" coven members.
A soft smile was on Drake's lips as he watched the group play a Boiling Isles game. He chuckled when he saw his child whisper something to Vee, and the basilisk's ears twitched as her face reddened.
"Drake," the oracle called to the human to get his attention. "You once managed something your grandfather told you."
Drake looked at the demon and nodded. "Yes. My grandpa believed that only the oldest gets the powers in the family because of something to do with blood. He said he read it in a book I now think came from here."
Orsan nodded and turned his attention back to the other Blacklight. His spell finished, and he looked over the result. He frowned as he read the results.
"Is it bad, Chairman?" Drake asked in worry.
The oracle offered a smile to the human and said, "Much like you and your child, your sister is producing bile. It is, however, even smaller than the bile Masha is making."
Drake nodded and looked back at the current child. He noticed that girls were starting to lose interest in their game and figured it was time to take them out.
"And from what you told me," he heard Orsan tell his sister. "What you're seeing sounded very similar to a potion aura. A potion aura is generated when someone uses a potion to transform. There is a basic spell potionists can use to see this aura."
"Should I be worried?" Danna asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Like I told your brother," Orsan replied kindly. "You have nothing to fear, but I would like to have my wife examine you just to be on the safe side."
Danna nodded and got off the examination table. Just then, the two humans and one witch heard a door open, and Orsan went to greet his wife. Drake went to join the kids in the living area while Danna went to the kitchen to help Sally with lunch.
"Welcome bac-Hettie!"
Startled, Drake hurried to the front of the house and came upon a startling sight. Hettie was unconscious and leaning against her oracle husband. Orsan was trying to support the large woman, but Hettie was too large. And since the oracle was using all four of his arms to support his wife, he couldn't create a spell circle.
Drake quickly moved to Hettie's right side and got an arm under her. He noticed that Hettie didn't weigh as much as he first thought. That worried him.
He put his questions on hold as Orsan got on Hettie's other side, and the two took her to the examination room. They put her on a table and got her as comfortable as possible.
Drake frowned as he studied the healer. Hettie looked like she was in bad shape, worse than he had seen her all week. Her outfit was loose, and the headdress looked close to falling off.
"Orsan, what's wrong with Hettie?" Drake asked, looking at the oracle.
Drake's frown deepened when he saw the oracle was lost in his own world, just staring at his wife.
"Orsan," Drake repeated, giving the other oracle a shake. "ORSAN! What's wrong with Hettie?"
Orsan came to his senses, looked at Drake, and sighed.
"Hettie and I are part of the R&D department," the oracle explained. "Our main goal at the moment is removing sigils. Unfortunately, we had hit a block we can't seem to overcome."
To prove this, Orsan took Hettie's right hand and removed her glove. Drake saw the healing coven sigil but was more concerned with the state of the healer's hand. It was thin, with nearly no traces of fat on it.
"My wife, probably in frustration, decided to use a technique created by one of the first healers on the Isles," The oracle explained, his voice growing quieter. "The spell she's been using allowed her to transform massive amounts of protein in her body into energy for healing spells. She has been using it in an attempt to modify the spell to remove sigils. But the overuse of this spell had given my wife a severe case of Healer's Hunger, and if nothing is done…"
Orsan couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. Drake could piece the rest of it together himself.
Hettie had been using the spell too much and was now paying the price.
"Is there anything we can do?" the florist asked the oracle.
Orsan sighed and looked Drake in the eyes. "If we could the special from Diablo's Delights, she should make a full recovery."
Drake cocked an eyebrow; he had heard about the sandwich shop from Masha. As such, he was wary that such a place could help an island-renowned healer.
"However," Orsan said, bringing Drake out of his head. "This is the worst I had ever seen. I don't know if she could hold out enough for someone to get the sandwiches."
Drake frowned as he looked at the healer. He didn't know much about magic, so he was at a loss.
"Can I suggest something?" Danna asked.
The florist and oracle looked to the clinic's entrance and saw the Hopkin family, Sally, and the "knocked-down" Coven Members looking at them with concern. Orsan nodded weakly, and the historian stepped up.
"In the human realm, we have something called an IV tip," Danna explained. "What it does is inject nutrients through into someone's body directly through their veins."
Orsan looked at the human for a minute and then back to his wife.
"I know it's not the best," Drake added, "But my sister minored in medicine. So, you can trust her and me. I will go and get these sandwiches."
Orsan sighed and took out his scroll. "At this point, I don't have much of a choice."
He called up the manager of the sandwich shop as Danna began to get to work to make the IV tip, Sally helping her.
"The order is placed," Orsan said, looking at Drake with regret. "I don't want to leave my wife's side, so it is with regret I ask this of you, Drake Lightlight Junior."
Drake smiled and put a hand on the oracle's shoulder. "You and your wife have helped my family a lot these last few months, and I will be honored to help you for a change."
"Besides," James piped in, "We're just getting sandwiches. How hard can that be?"
Orsan looked at the human historian with an unreadable expression. He then looked at Drake and made a spell circle. A case came from the spell and to Drake. The florist grabbed it and cocked an eyebrow when he looked inside.
"Glyph cards?" he squeaked out.
"Trust me," Orsan said, his tone turning ominous. "You're going to need them. And one more thing…try not to overact when you see the order."
Drake became a little confused by his benefactor's words but tried to shake it off as he turned to James and began making plans.
(SC)
"TWO DOZEN!" Drake screamed into the air. "TWO DOZEN SANDWHICHS!"
Jame sighed as he watched his brother-in-law begin pacing in front of the cart, flailing his arms widely and ranting in a near-incoherent manner. To his right was Jacob and Boscha and her friends. The transformed human looked a little shocked by her uncle and leaned close.
"Don't," James harshly whispered. "Just don't ask."
The historian walked over to Drake and slapped him on the back of the head. The florist didn't even make a noise as he rubbed his head and glared at James.
"Don't give me that look," James retorted. "We don't have time for one of your rare freakouts."
Drake glared at his brother-in-law for a second and then sighed. He nodded, and then he and the Hopkin's "men" loaded the current children into the cart.
"Why did we bring them along?" Jacob groaned as she placed Masha into the cart.
"It was your mom's idea," James replied, "She said having emotional children around could cause problems for the patient."
"And the kids needed some fresh air," Drake added before turning to the owner Diablo's. "On behalf of the Cutburns, I thank you for your help."
Alik smiled and waved. "The Cutburns are some of my best customers, so I don't mind coming in before opening time." the sandwich marker frowned as he looked at the cart. "Just wish I could have gotten a ratworm for you."
"We should be fine," Drake replied dismissively. "But thanks again."
Alik waved goodbye as Drake went to the front of the cart. He took four power glyphs from his pack. He handed two to James, and the historian went to the back of the cart.
Drake slipped a glyph onto each bicep and waited a few seconds. The florist didn't see black lightning surge around the glyphs as he felt their magic enter his body. He grabbed the handles and looked at the streets.
"Ready, James?" Drake called to his brother-in-law.
"Yeah!" James replied.
Drake then looked at Jacob, sitting with the "knocked-down" coven members. Seeing they were ready, he looked forward and began pulling the cart.
Thanks to the added power of the glyph, the cart felt weightless between the two men. Because the glyph gave power to their entire body, they walked briskly and would reach the Cutburns Healing House in no time.
Drake's group was passing by an outdoor cafe when his eyes suddenly flashed, and he came to a stop. A pig demon suddenly rocketed past him and into the sky. He watched as the pig disappeared, feeling a little weirded out.
"Why the sudden stop?" James called out. "Is everything okay up there?"
"Yeah…" Drake replied slowly. "Just something in the streets."
The florist looked at the sky where the pig disappeared, frowning, and then began walking.
The trip was uneven after the incident with the cafe. The group did stop to rest for a bit after their power glyphs wore off.
Drake leaned up against the cart, slightly winded from the walk. He frowned as he looked at his brother-in-law and saw him in worse shape.
James was sitting on the street, panting slightly and sweating a little. Drake could also see James shaking even so slightly.
"You're not dying on me, are you?" Drake joked, trying to break some tension.
"Using that power glyph is cool and all," James replied, panting. "But it leaves you drained. How are you not feeling it?"
Drake frowned as he thought that over. It was weird that he wasn't as tied as James. Then there was what happened at the cafe. It was concerning, but not to the point where it took away from his current task.
"I don't know," he answered honestly. "But are you nearly ready to go?"
"Just another minute?" James replied, breathing a little easier than a minute ago.
Drake nodded and handed him another set of power glyphs. He then went to the front of the cart.
"How's the kids?" he asked his current niece.
"Bored, like me," Jacob retorted dully.
Drake cocked an eyebrow and looked at the current kids; they didn't look as bored as Jacob made them out to be. Masha and Vee were reading a book about a bookmaking bunny, and Boscha was showing Heather something on her scroll.
He smiled when he noticed the faint redness on his friend's daughter's cheeks. He grabbed the handle of the cart and was about to call to James when his eyes flashed.
"JAMES! GET DOWN!"
An explosion happened a second after Drake's warning, coming from their right. Drake heard someone scream something as he hurried to the back of the cart. Jacob, worried for her father, jumped off the cart and hurried after her uncle.
"James! Are you okay?" Drake asked in concern.
James coughed due to the smoke from the building and slowly stood up.
"Yeah," he replied uneasily. "You're warning saved me."
Drake felt relief that his brother-in-law wasn't hurt but still gave him a quick once over. Save for a scrape, James was completely fine.
"Drake?" James asked, concern lacing his voice. "What's going on with you?"
Drake just sighed and said, "I don't know. All the more reason to get this done, and so the Cutburns can look me over again."
James nodded, and the two got ready to move. Jacob was about to head to the front when her shoe bushed up against something.
The transformed human looked down and saw a potion vial. Curious, she grabbed and opened the vial. Suddenly, sparks flew from it. Startle, she throws the vial, and it shatters against the cart.
The spilled potion began to spark even more, and the Hopkins jumped back as jets of flames came from the potion.
Drake had just grabbed the handles when the cart rocketed forward and hit him. He screamed as the cart's momentum pushed him off his feet and into it as it rocketed down the street.
James and Jacob could only watch stunned as the cart disappeared down the road.
(SC)
The girls were screaming, and Drake was fighting hard not to join them. For reasons he couldn't understand, the cart was moving on its own. It was also picking up speeds at a dangerous rate.
"Pickle and cheese," Drake muttered when he saw a wall coming up.
Now fighting back his panic, Drake remembered the spell cards he had and took one out. He prayed this would do something as he tipped the glyph. He felt like cursing for real when a ball of light surging with black lightning was created, and the wall was coming up fast.
Thankfully, Basha was on it and made a spell circle. She summoned a thick vine and tied it around a lamppost. She used a lot of her magic to turn the cart onto a different road.
Drake sighed with relief when they saw nothing but open roads…that were heading straight up! The florist cursed as the cart went up the incline and took to the air. The girls screamed as they were flung from the cart, the sandwiches remaining in place thanks to a spell.
Drake reached for and managed to catch Masha and Vee as they flew through the air. He tried to reach for the others, but Boscha and Heather went past his reach, and he cursed again.
Thankfully, Boscha was on top of things again; she created another vine and used it to grab Heather. She pulled the human close and then tied them together. She then used another vine to pull them back to the cart as he came down on a certain demon Hunter's leader.
The cart continued down the street, the hunter getting dragged behind it thanks to a rope that somehow got tied around one of his ankles.
Drake wasn't so lucky as he was close to having a nasty meeting with the street. He held his child and their girlfriend tight as he angled his body so he would take the brunt of the fall.
Suddenly, Masha took something from their father's pack and threw the spell card with all of the strength her little body had. The card hit the ground and created a snow-jelly platform. The florist bounced off the platform and surprisingly landed on his feet, his leg bending as he groaned.
"I'm going to feel that in the morning," Drake muttered.
He straightened up and looked at the fleeing cart. He frowned as he noticed the cart was slowing down, but not by much. With a sigh, he put the two current children onto his back.
"Hang on tight," he told the two as he took off.
He could feel Vee wrap her tail around his body and felt a scaly hand do the same. Drake didn't need to look to know the basilisk had shifted-shaped some of her body parts and was probably using them to keep herself and Masha tied to him.
The florist took off after the cart, moving as fast as the body would allow.
"PICKLE AND CHEESE!" Drake screamed as a jolt of pain ran through his legs, not even aware of his surroundings.
Drake was right; the cart was slowing down. However, his body was in no shape to catch it. It felt like his body was about to give out at any second.
He was about to drop from exhaustion when he something entering his mind, eyes flashing. It was like a voice was telling me to look at his spells, and he listened. After a quick search, he found the one that he felt was calling to him.
He looked at the glyph combo, hesitated for about a second, and pressed the paper. Drake felt lightning jump from his hand, and a second later, he felt his entire body surged with magic.
He felt some of his aches and pains subside enough to give chase again. He took a step forward and yelped when he rocketed down the street.
(SC)
Boscha could tell the human was scared; she was, too. But, despite her current age, she was still Boscha Noceda-Trisight, the toughest witch in all of Hexside and a member of the strongest Witch family on the Isles.
With that firmly in her mind, Boscha looked at Heather. "Me Pwotect."
She meant to say that to herself, but Heather heard her and looked at her with admiration. Boscha realized her mistake and was about to look away when the cart rocked suddenly. She grabbed Heather by reflex and held her tight.
Suddenly, they came to an abrupt stop. "Ah, I see the order had arrived without problem and without carriers, either."
Blinking, the witch and human looked up and saw Councilman Orsan looking at them warmly. The "knocked-down" Coven members blinked again and looked past the ex-witch.
Boscha couldn't help but groan when she realized they had stopped at the Cutburn's Healing House. She looked at the council member and was about to voice her annoyance when something hit the cart. She yelped in surprise and looked behind the cart.
It was Drake who hit the cart. He was moaning slightly after having the wind knocked out of him from the sudden impact. They watched as Vee and Masha dismounted as the florist tried to pull himself free, but lacked the strength.
"Ah, Drake," Orsan said kindly. "I see you brought the order without incident. And thanks to your wife, my dear Hettie recovered enough not to be in immediate danger."
The only thing Drake could do was groan out a response and slip off the cart, landing on the unconscious hunter.
Orsan smiled with his eyes and then looked at the group of current children. "Come," he said warmly. "Once we get Hettie her lunch, I will perform a minor mind cleansing to help you with the more…thrilling parts of your day."
The ex-coven head made a spell circle and the sandwiches lifted into the air. He entered his home/workplace with Vee and Masha following him.
Boscha was about to jump down from the crate when Heather grabbed her hand. She looked at the human's blushing face as Heather got closer. The "knocked-down" human quickly gave the witch a peek on the cheek and then hurried after the others.
Boscha, with a red face that could put Amity to shame, slowly brought up a hand to her cheek. "Wow," was all she could think about saying.
(G Corner)
Well, I hope you enjoyed Drake's only starring chapter. I kicked out a few ideas with this chapter; first I wanted to be more action-packed so I could showcase Drake's going magic. I changed it to be a little comical.
Now, onto The Healer's Hunger; as I have stated before, Healer, in my stories, turned large amounts of protein into energy for their healing spell. However, overuse of their spells would eventually lead to malnutrition and eventual starvation. In Hettie Cutburn's case, since she was using the spell created by Vennassa, her Healer's Hunger is much worse.