This Child's Complete Us:
The Heat Is On

Eda growled as she put Camila behind her and summoned her staff. She brandished it and put some of her magic into it. The staff surged with golden magic, and Eda slammed into the ground.

A shockwave of magic surged out of the staff and flew at some of the cultists. Two cultists, one with the colors of construction magic and the other with abomination sleeves, made spell circles.

A wall rose in front of the cultists and was covered by abomination goo. Eda's magical shockwave hit the wall, and while it shook slightly, the wall withstood the impact.

Eda growled as she watched the wall absorb her magic and began making a spell circle with her staff. Suddenly, two vines came in from her right, and she didn't have time to react. One vine hit her in the side, and the second struck her shoulder half a second later, breaking her momentum.

Eda's spell circle disintegrated as she held her side. She growled as she looked around and saw the cultists had her boxed in. Looks like she would need to hit the sky if she wanted to get away from the cult.

That idea was dashed when four cultists, two plants, and two abominations made spell circles. Quicker than Edea was expecting, a dome of plants was created, covering the area, and was reinforced with abomination goo.

The wild witch was getting worried; it was becoming clear there was more to these cultists than first appeared. They were more coordinated than the Emperor's scouts, and their reaction time wasn't anything to scoff at either.

Eda could feel the human shaking beside her, but she didn't dare look away. She braced herself as the cultists began to advance on her.

Suddenly, a melody filled the air, and bard magic soon covered the vines. Eda, Camila, and the cultists watched as the abomination goo hardened and bittered as the vines withered quickly. With one final high note, the dome exploded.

Eda smiled as Raine, violin in hand, walked up to them. The bard joined the two and got beside Eda.

"Boy, I am glad you're here, Rainestorm," Eda said gratefully, then scowled as a thought came to her. "Wait, were you watching us?"

"Not now, Edalyn," Raine said firmly.

Eda wanted to retort, but the sound of casting spells brought her attention where it needed to be.

Eda watched as two plant cultists finished their spells and fired seeds at them. Raine stepped in front of Eda, ready to protect her and Camila. The wild witch gasped when she got a good look at the seeds coming at them.

"Raine!" Eda screamed, " DOWN!"

Eda grabbed Camila and dove to the ground, and Raine followed soon after. The bard watched as the seed soared overhead and then looked behind them.

They watched as a cultist tried to make a spell to stop the seeds. The cultist was too slow, and the seeds hit him. Raine gasped when purple and red vines covered the cultists, and they realized why Eda told them to hit the dirt.

"Blood drainers," Raine muttered, face paling slightly as they watched the sight.

The cultist flailed as he tried to get the vines off him, but it was all in vain. The plants quickly drained the cultist of their blood, and he fell to the ground.

"Eda," Raine whispered as they got to their feet. "I will keep these guys busy. When you see an opening, you take Camila and get out of here. And for once, don't argue with me."

Eda did want to argue, but one look at the cultist covered in the Blood Drainer and decided against it. She looked her partner in the eyes and gave a quick nod.

Raine returned the gesture and brought their violin close to their chin. They began playing, and bard magic covered the area. Some of the cultists tried to counter with spells, but they weren't fast enough. Soon, they were hitting themselves with both hands.

Eda took that as her cue; she grabbed Camila and helped her into her staff. She jumped onto her staff, telling Owlbert to "gun it, magic stick," and took to the air.

Eda quickly climbed high into the sky and thought she was out of range of any spells. She was proven wrong when something hit her from behind.

Camila screamed as she held on tight to Eda as they were suddenly plummeting towards the ground.

"Owlbert! Owlbert! What's wrong with you!" Eda screamed as she tried to pull up.

But it was all in vain; whatever spell was on her palisman was too strong to fight. So, she made a spell and cast it on the ground. Vines burst through the ground and formed into a bed of sorts.

The human and witch crashed into it, and the bed softened the impact enough that they weren't hurt.

Eda groaned as she looked up and scowled; three cultists with sleeves in the color of the Beast-keepers were upon them. The cultists were riding some kind of artificial staff that was strangely familiar.

"You know," Eda said aggressively, "You jerks just went to the top of my list. And that's saying something!"

Eda made a spell circle and threw her hand out, sending several vines at the cultists. The cultists were ready for the attack but not for the vine exploding. The air around the cultists became thick with smoke, and Eda used that to make her escape.

The wild witch grabbed the human and shoved her staff into Camila's hand as she dashed down the streets. Eda grinned as she realized the street she was on and how she could use this to finally ditch the cultists.

Speaking of cultists…she looked over her shoulder and saw the three from before had caught up, and she grinned. She cast a spell and was covered in blue smoke. Seconds later, many Edas and Camilas ran from the smoke and took off in different directions.

The cultists didn't even stop to ponder which was the real; they just kept flying forward.

From her hiding spot in an empty house, Eda watched this with a frown.

These cultists were really starting to worry Eda. It was becoming all too clear that they weren't just simple radicals. They were too well-trained to be simple dorks who thought the same thoughts.

And what the cultists just did proves that and more. Eda had used a typical illusionist tactic; create illusionist copies and send them in every direction with the hope that the dorks would follow one while you ran away until an invisible spell.

The reason Camila and she weren't being chased at the moment was that she knew of this empty house and had ducked in it during her little show.

"Birdie, okay?" Camila asked in concern, bringing Eda out of her thoughts.

The wild witch looked down at the human. Camila was looking at her palisman with concern, and Eda couldn't help but smile slightly at this.

"Don't worry your hair gray," the wild witch said encouragingly. "Owlbert is one of the toughest palismen on the Boiling Isles."

Eda gently grabbed Owlbert by the head and softly turned him counterclockwise. Camila watched as wood became animated, and the palisman jumped into Eda's hands. She frowned as she looked her companion over.

Despite her claims, Eda was troubled by the spell those cultists used on her friend. So, she gave him a quick look. She couldn't find anything wrong with him; she was, however, worried when Owlbert tried to fly and couldn't.

With a sigh, she put her palisman into her hair and made her staff disappear.

Eda looked around the window and saw no sign of the cultists. She scanned the streets and came up with a plan of action. She got down on her knees so she was at eye level with the human.

"Listen here, squirt," Eda said seriously. "We're doubling back to the market. Now before you get all panicky, I know of a stand with an enhanced basement that blocks most magic. We're going to hide in there until the heat dies down."

Camila looked uncertain, and Eda frowned.

"Look," she said softly, "I know it's not the best, but it's all we got. You have to trust me on this. This isn't my first getaway."

Camila still looked uncertain but realized there was little time to sit on this. So, she nodded, and Eda returned the gesture.

The wild witch cast two spells, and a cloak appeared in her right hand. The second spell changed the colors of Camila's outfit; now she was dressed in the colors abomination coven, and her cloak was red.

Eda slipped on her cloak and did one last cheek. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she grabbed Camila's hand and hurried out of the house.

Eda kept her eyes and ears sharp as she and Camila made their way back to the marketplace. She hoped that Raine would have finished with those other cultists, and they might run into them along the way.

She looked to her right and saw the turn that she needed to take coming up. She took it, and suddenly, something tripped her.

Eda groaned as she hit the street and then heard a voice.

"Miss Clawthorne!"

Whatever pain she felt was immediately forgiven. She got into a kneeling position and saw one of the cultists trying to run with Camila. Eda's brow narrowed as she thrust back her right arm.

The tether that tied the human and witch together snapped, and Camila went flying from the cultist's arms.

Eda was on her feet in an instant and spell-wrapping to Camila's location. The witch caught the crying human and continued down the street.

"You're okay, kid," Eda assured the kid as she stopped her spell.

She could feel the human shaking and heard her sobbing but couldn't afford to slow down; instead, she held Camila close as she came to the street's end and took a right.

She breathed a little easier as she saw the market come into view.

She suddenly felt the ground shake under her and jumped back just as a stone pillar shot up. She looked past the pillar and saw two cultists in her way.

Eda bit her lip to keep herself from barking out a retort as she used a spell to blast the pillar to pieces.

The magical blast continued after destroying the pillar and hit the construction cultist who created it. Eda fired off another blast to take out the second cultist in her way and jumped over them as she passed them.

She could see the "Mr. Elixir's" stand coming up fast but knew she couldn't use her first plan. Instead, she ran full force to the stand and released the tether that tied her to Camila.

"Get behind the counter, and don't come out until I tell you to!" Eda quickly said as she helped the human over the counter.

Camila quickly ducked behind the counter as Eda turned to face the cultists. She took Owlbert from her hair and called her staff. She quickly screwed her palisman onto her staff and got ready to fight.

The cultists gathered, and to Eda's horror, the entire group that she countered her early was all together. That caused a feeling of dread to form, and a stray thought popped into her head.

She pushed that thought down and focused on the threat in front of her. She couldn't lose focus, even if the thought of Raine being injured or worse was clawing its way to the front of her mind.

A beast-keeping cultist made a spell and summoned two medium-sized ratworms. Next, a plant witch called forth some man-eating plants. The rest of the cultists readied spells as they advanced on the wild witch.

Suddenly, a crescent beam of magic came between the cultists and Eda, cutting one of the man-eating plants in half. Eda stole a glance to her right, and relief flowed through her when Raine stepped into the area.

The Bard Coven's Treasurer quickly joined their girlfriend. Eda took a moment to study her partner; Raine wasn't in the best shape, but nothing too dire. Their outfit was a mess, with tears and holes littering their clothing, and their right sleeve was hanging on by a single thread.

Eda growled when she saw the bleeding cut on Raine's cheek but kept her anger in check; she didn't realize it until this moment, but she could feel the beast coming closer to the surface.

"This is your last chance," Raine said, speaking in a firm tone. "You may be strong, but all the noise you made would no doubt bring the Emperor's Coven here soon."

Eda watched the cultist, gauging their body language. The cultists didn't seem phased by the news that the Emperor's Coven could be on their way. In fact, like proving they weren't afraid of the EC, one construction cultist fired a good-size rock at the two witches.

The wild witch and Bard easily dodged it, and Eda felt like cursing when it soared into the stand. She was about to call to see if Camila was unharmed when a slitherbeast roar filled the air.

Suddenly, the demeanor of the cultists and a few of them pulled potions from their robes. They tossed them to the ground, and an explosion of thick smoke blocked the cultists from view.

Eda growled and made a wind spell to blow away the smoke. She groaned when she saw the cultists had vanished in the short time they were out of sight.

"Why am I not surprised," Eda grumbled.

She looked at Raine, and her face softened. She reached out, but Raine gently grabbed her hand.

"I'm fine. This is nothing like all those adventures you used to drag your sister and me on," they replied, offering a small smile, but quickly turned serious. "What about Camila?"

"I'm here," a voice replied weakly.

Eda and Raine hurried over to the stand. Eda jumped over the stand as Raine climbed over, moaning slightly.

Both gasped as they took in the state the human was in; Camila was covered in a potion of some kind. But even though her brow was wet with the potion, the witches could see the human sweating massively, and her breathing was labored.

Eda was on the human in a second and pressed a hand against Camila's forehead. The human was burning up, and this wasn't because of a fever. Camila was emitting so much heat that Eda could feel herself start to sweat.

"Hey, Squirt," Eda said, trying to keep the worry from her voice. "How are you doing?"

"Hot," was all the human could say before her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell to the floor.

"CAMILA!"

(G Corner)

And with this, we have our first real look at the cultists in action.