While Hunter flew in the direction Flapjack pointed out, Vee and Luz were listening to Gus and Willow's explanation. When the two arthropods were finished, neither of the two was very convinced. "I don't like it" Luz said.

"Me too" Vee confirmed. "This could end... very badly"

If Hunter really was intent on capturing… or even killing… a basilisk, then it wasn't a good idea to bring him with them. If he had discovered that Vee was a basilisk he might well have decided that one was as good as the other and that he could capture her instead of her aunt. And since Willow had promised him that Vee would explain all the basilisks' weaknesses to him, it was likely that Hunter would sooner or later wonder why she had such accurate knowledge. If that had happened, they could have found themselves facing someone as dangerous as the Inspector, if not more so. The only thing they could do was hope that if Hunter found out Vee's secret he would keep his word and not attack her as long as the Inspector was dealt with, giving them time to get back to Eda and ask for the her help. After all, fairies were weak against basilisks, not against… whatever Hunter was. But it was still a big gamble.

"We don't like the situation either" Willow said. "But we didn't have much choice. He's the only one in the whole town who can defeat your au... I mean, the Inspector, and therefore also the only one who can stop her from chasing us"

Vee bit her tongue. Even after everything she had done to her, she was not happy to let a hunter eliminate her last remaining relative, even if she knew that her aunt didn't love her. "Can he really defeat her?"

"We had doubts too, but after seeing him fight they are completely vanished" Gus replied. "Trust me, it looks like he has received the training of a real soldier... in fact, maybe even something more"

"Can you stop mumbling? I can hear you, by the way" Hunter grumbled. "Hold on tight. We're about to go down"

The four fell silent and did as Hunter told them, holding on tightly to the staff. Following Flapjack's directions they landed in a small corner of the woods not far from the fields. "This is your safe place? It's barely a clearing" Hunter grumbled.

"It's a clearing with a guardian" a voice said, and a large bat landed in front of them with a screech. Vee, Willow, and Gus squealed, while Hunter got into an attacking position despite Flapjack trying to stop him; Luz, however, remained impassive. "Bat Queen? What are you doing here?"

"Huh? Hey, you are that wooden girl I met this morning!" the Bat Queen exclaimed in recognition, then she giggled. "Do you still think money trees can grow?"

Luz frowned. "Do you really want me to scream, you rude bat?"

The Bat Queen dropped her smile. "Tsk! You really don't change, huh? You're such a bad girl!"

"I've been telling her since the day she was born but she never learned her lesson. Forget it, you'll dry your tongue from scolding her" Willow said jumping on Luz's head. "Do you know this giant bat?"

"Yes, well... let's say it's the one that allowed me to understand the true nature of Adrian and Terra" Luz replied blushing slightly. "Flapjack was with her before she came to help me... hey, now I get it! Did you take us to your house, little bird?"

"Flapjack? Do you know his name?" the Bat Queen looked surprised, but then the red cardinal flew next to her and chirped something. "Oh, it's all clear now! You've found a master! Is it that masked guy?"

"Apparently yes, but this is a temporary situation" Hunter answered, taking off his mask. It was the first time Luz and Vee had seen him without it, and they had to admit that his face was pretty cool... and besides, it was at least ten times less creepy now. Willow had been telling the truth: he really didn't look older than sixteen. "You can take him back if you want. I'm not interested in having a Palisman"

"It is the Palisman who chooses his master, not the other way around" the Bat Queen replied. "It's not my choice"

"Well, in this case that idiot can prepare himself to be abandoned on the streets. I work alone" Hunter grumbled, trying in vain to ward off a particularly insistent Flapjack who was trying to get his attention.

Luz found that whole scene strangely exhilarating, but despite this her mind managed to focus on one detail. "Wait, how can you talk to Flapjack? Not even Willow and Gus can" she asked the Bat Queen.

"Isn't it obvious? The Palismen can understand each other, it's well known" Vee said.

"Palisman? Wait, you're a Palisman!?" Luz exclaimed looking at the Bat Queen, who seemed taken aback and involuntarily took a step back, and that was enough for the puppet to notice that under one of her legs there was what looked like a tiny stirrup. "I don't believe it… how did you figure that out, Vee?"

"Well, it's an instinct... you know, being able to absorb magic I can also perceive it, that's how I also understood that Flapjack was... mmmmph!" Vee suddenly found Luz's hands in front of her mouth and the puppet's expression signaled her to be quiet. Vee realized too late that Hunter was staring at her and that he had definitely heard every word, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

But contrary to her expectations, Hunter shook his head. "Let go of your friend, I already know she's a basilisk"

Luz, Vee, Willow and Gus' eyes widened. "How did you figure that out!?" the puppet exclaimed, worried about what would happen.

"Don't underestimate my ability of observation, it is far superior to yours. From the moment I saw you in that cell I noticed the particular eyes of your little friend, and by listening carefully to your conversations I picked up on nuances that... ouch! Hey! Stop it!" Hunter screamed as he tried to grab Flapjack, who was pecking at his head as if he was offended.

Willow raised an eyebrow. "He told you, didn't he?"

"Tsk! Of course not! I told you, I work alone, I don't need a... ouch! Can you stop, you little rascal!?" Hunter growled, trying in vain to protect himself from the attacks of the furious Flapjack.

Luz would normally have laughed out loud, but she was too tense to do so at the moment. "For starters, Vee isn't my friend, she's my new sister!" she said, standing in front of her. "And I won't let you..."

"Calm down, dumbass. I made a deal and I'll keep it. I'm a man of my word" Hunter stopped her immediately. "I won't hurt you... for now. After I get my trophy... I'll think about it". He looked at Vee: "Come on, girl, start talking: what are the weaknesses of the member of your species who hides in the palace in the form of the Inspector?"

"Hey! At least talk to her with some respect! Damn, I never thought I'd say something like that" Luz said, since she was literally the living embodiment of disrespect.

Vee was happy to see someone fighting for her like that, but she wasn't at all sure it was a good idea to antagonize that dangerous individual. In their situation it wasn't a good idea to risk angering anyone, especially when the aforementioned anyone could explode stone walls and metal bars with a single swing of his strange weapon. "Luz, this is not the time for..."

But obviously the puppet didn't listen to her. "Don't talk about it, no one messes with my sister! Especially not a stupid blond guy without a tooth!"

Hunter became livid. "What did you call me, wooden girl?"

"Tsk! Is this the biggest insult you can come up with? I'll beat you whenever I want!" Luz replied by sticking her tongue out at him. "For example, I could tell you that you're an all-brawn, no-brain fool with a nest for hair! Oh, and is that mascara under your eyes or did you just get into a fight with someone?"

"Luz..." Willow murmured as she put a hand on her face. She couldn't believe the childish levels this bad girl could stoop to.

Hunter's eyelid quivered slightly. "You're the most annoying and irritating being I've ever met" he growled. "You know what? The Bat Queen is absolutely right, you really are a bad girl! You should go to my uncle's amusement park, he loves wild kids like you, I'm sure he would welcome you with open arms!"

"Wow, your uncle has an amusement park!?" Luz exclaimed with her eyes shining, completely oblivious to the fact that she had been insulting her interlocutor until a few seconds before. "Is it beautiful? Where is it?"

Hunter looked confused, annoyed and amazed at the same time. Evidently he didn't expect the puppet he was arguing with to suddenly change topic and expression. "Um... yes, my uncle has an amusement park... and yes, it's beautiful, since my uncle takes all the kids there, especially the disobedient ones who don't want to study. And it is on an island... well, more or less..."

"Wow, this sounds like the perfect place for me!" Luz said with a smile that got wider and wider.

"Oh, believe me, I'm sure it would be really perfect for someone like you!" Hunter replied with a strange tone in his voice.

"Ok, ok, that's enough" Willow intervened, flying between the two. "For starters, Luz, stop dreaming. We're not going to this amusement park, because if it's really on an island then it's definitely in the middle of the ocean, and we're inland at the moment" she said, and she wasn't surprised at all to see Luz's annoyed expression. "As for you, Hunter... treat Vee and all of us with respect. You may be a very strong, very skilled and very agile hunter, you may have a staff that can do magic and you may have an uncle who runs an amusement park and who therefore I assume is also very rich, but that doesn't give you permission to look down on us. I've punched a lot of people these days, don't make me punch you too"

Hunter didn't know whether to laugh or take a direct shot at the cricket. "Do you really want to fight me?" he asked, expecting her to back away since the difference in strength was far too great.

But to his surprise Willow didn't falter in the slightest. "If you force me to" she replied in a firm tone instead.

Hunter stared into the cricket's eyes, but he found no hint of panic or fear in them, only determination. She was really ready to fight him. He found this rather honorable for such a small cricket. "Ugh, okay. I'm feeling good today and your courage is admirable, so I'll do as you say. Alright, I'll treat Vee with respect, and I'll even try with that wooden girl over there, although I seriously doubt I'll succeed"

Willow wanted to say a few words in defense of Luz, but she found it really difficult to do so, also because the puppet had reacted to Hunter's last words with a stick out tongue. To prevent the argument from starting again, she tried to divert the conversation: "Anyway, you're interesting too. I mean, you have an uncle who manages an amusement park, but you're a hunter looking for basilisks, and you have a staff with which you can do magic and a golden mask as if you don't want to be recognized. Who are you really?"

She didn't expect Hunter to immediately confess his identity to her, and in fact she wasn't disappointed. "Who I am is my own business. We're not friends, we just have common interests, don't forget that" he reminded her.

Willow sighed. At least that brief interaction had served to dissipate the tension from earlier. As silence reigned for a moment she heard the sound of flapping wings and saw the Bat Queen land next to them again. She was surprised: in the midst of the confusion none of them had noticed that she had left. "Excuse me, but I called someone I think you should talk to"

"Someone else? Who would that be...?" Hunter was saying, when suddenly an arrow emerged from the ferns and pointed at him; with a swift movement of his staff, he cut it in two.

From the ferns came a voice. "Wow, so you really are a formidable warrior like the Bat Queen said. When she told us about a strange trio consisting of a basilisk, a living puppet and a young soldier with a magical weapon, I thought she was kidding us"

Three people emerged from the branches. One was a rather robust boy with glasses and spiky red hair who was holding a sword, while another was a slightly taller guy with long hair down to his nose who was holding a bow with his who had previously fired the arrow that nearly hit Hunter; however, the one who attracted the most attention was the girl in the center, who had black hair and almond-colored eyes, and who was advancing towards them with her hands behind her back and a confident smile on her face. "You're the strangest group I've ever seen, but you might be just what we need"

"We're not a group. Or at least, we are, but not with him included" Luz said, glaring at Hunter, who glared back with the same intensity. "Rather, who are you?"

"Someone who has the same goal as you: to get the Inspector out of the way" the black-haired girl said. "My name is Masha. I am the leader of the resistance"

Again in case there's anyone who doesn't understand: Masha's two henchmen are Vee's two boy friends who are shown in the episode "Yesterday's lie", whose names we obviously don't have.