Coven Fairy
"So, how can a Palisman become pregnant?" Luz questioned, sitting at the breakfast table with Kali, Eda, King, Owlbert and the expecting Sapphire, whose stomach was flat once more.
"Well it's not something that can be done easily." Eda said, putting down her mug of Apple Blood. "For one, the Palisman has to be carved with the intent of being female. Which already takes Owlbert out of the running since I carved him, with the intent of being male. Another thing is, the female Palisman has to consume at least three gallons of sap from the oldest Palistrom tree in the Bat Queen's forest to act as the, seed, for making the Palisman babies/eggs."
"An' since Blue Vermillions are the rare few dragons who don't lay eggs, Sapphire's gonna have actual babies kicking around inside her belly when she's far enough along to feel them move." Kali said.
"Usually the process of consuming the right amount of sap for a Palisman takes several days, if they're one as small in stature as Sapphire, but I've seen how much that dragon can drink, and how big she can grow in her Omega Formation, so it's not really surprising she was able to drink all the sap needed for the impregnation, yesterday." Eda said.
"But, how does the sap do that exactly?" King inquired.
"An' how do you know so much on this stuff Eda?" Luz asked.
"Well King, when the sap is digested by the Palisman, the magic it holds travels through the Palisman's body, and when the magic finally reaches the Palisman's womb via the bloodstream, that's when the impregnation happens." Eda explained. "As for your question Luz, the Clawthorne Clan were once known as the greatest artisans to ever perfect the art of carving Palismen. We pretty much know anything there is to know about Palismen, except for Sapphire. As Kali said, when Sapphire was nothing but a log of Palistrom Wood, the extended exposure to the unique atmosphere in Earthland caused it to mutate somehow, and now Sapphire's capable of so many things Palismen could only dream of, she's like a deity to the others."
"Case in point." Kali smiled as Owlbert hopped to Sapphire, and put a vine of grapes in front of her, before taking a couple steps back, and bowing to her. "Owlbert's leaving her an offering." She said, plucking the grapes from the vine and holding them in her hand for Sapphire to eat.
"That's so adorable." Luz smiled. "Gotta keep those widdle ones fed Sapphire." She cooed, scratching the Palisman Dragon's head behind the ear.
"It's too early in Sapphire's pregnancy to actually be able to hear or feel anything, but it won't be too long before that changes." Eda said. "A Palisman pregnancy doesn't take long to grow, but once it stops growing the babies will continue to gestate until the Palisman's reached term and gives birth. Gestation time generally varies on the species that the creature is carved to mimic. In Sapphire's case, Kali's the only one who's aware of how long the gestation for a Blue Vermillion pregnancy is."
"It won't take long, in fact Sapphire should give birth a couple days after Luz returns to the human world after her break from school is over." Kali said.
"No, that means I'm gonna miss out on the baby dragons." Luz said.
"I think it'd be better if you did." Kali stated. "After Blue Vermillions give birth, they tend to be very hostile to anyone who isn't their brood mate, that comes near their babies for a couple weeks afterwards while recovering. But since I'm Sapphire's creator and her best friend, I should be fine."
"We'll be sure to bring you by when it's safe to see the babies." Eda smiled.
"If that's what you think is best." Luz said. "So when will Sapphire start showing?"
"Won't be for a bit. But it should be in the next couple weeks or so, depending on how many she's carrying." Kali said. "Well, it's been fun talking about Sapphire's expectancy, but I gotta get going."
"Where are you running off too?" Eda asked.
"I ran into Gus on the way home yesterday, and he said he wanted me to come by and check out his Human Appreciation Society today. He said he got Bumps approval, so I'm off to Hexside." Kali stated.
"Have fun. Oh I wish I could go to Hexside." Luz said.
"Trust me, it's not as fun as it seems." Eda said.
"That's your opinion Eda." Kali said, slinging her bag over her shoulder with Sapphire jumping into it like a carrier. "I'll see you later."
~Hexside~
"Behold, the wonders of the human realm." Gus said, displaying all the human items he had on display, before picking up the item on the end. "An' this little fella's one of their most valued objects. It aids in the compiling of printed wisdom, the scratching of gunk from under your nails, and my favorite, it even mimic's the sound of the human ocean."
"Hey Gus, sorry I'm late." Kali said, coming into the room, carrying Sapphire over her shoulder. "Sapphire had a bit of morning sickness and she's not doing too hot right now."
"Ah Kali, you're just in time to learn about the…"
"Oh cool, a paperclip." Kali said picking the item from Gus's hand.
"A what now?" Gus asked taking it back. "Also, no touching the items."
"Sorry." Kali apologized, before turning to the others. "Hey everyone, it's nice to meet you I'm Kali Clawthorne."
"Nice to meet you." The others said.
"So Kali, what did you call the pay-per-clorp?" Gus asked.
"Dude, it's actually called a paperclip." Kali chuckled.
"Please explain."
"Well for one, the paperclip is just a cheap piece of wire you can buy in the human realm as a set in a bag. They're not all that important, and are the main object of devourment by people with pica, an eating disorder where someone eats something that's actually inedible." Kali said. "In fact, you got all this stuff mislabeled."
"Really? Well I've never been to the human realm so I'm more then willing to hear you out on what you've got to say." Gus said.
"Well I've used Eda's portal to get to the human realm plenty of times. In fact most of this stuff, we've also got in my realm. For one, this nail clipper, is actually a cooking tool called a cheese grater. We have these in my realm as well."
"Okay."
"An' this isn't a whoopie cushion, this is a communications device called a flip-phone, keeping a bag of what I'm assuming, is moldy chips closed." Kali said, separating the next items.
"I see. I'm tossing that." Gus said, throwing out the bag of chips, while keeping the phone.
"Oh she knows a lot about human stuff." One of the students said as they all began to murmur.
"This isn't a food bowl, it's an umbrella hat. Granted it can be used like one if there's no other options available, but it's actually something people put on their heads to keep from getting sunburns, or shield them from the rain." Kali explained.
"Huh, how does it keep their bodies from getting burned alive by the rain?" Gus pondered.
"The rain doesn't boil in the human realm, or mine for that matter. It's just a nice cool shower of water that happens when rain clouds pass overhead." Kali stated, going to the next item. "This isn't a weapon, it's a puzzle toy meant to challenge the mind. Granted you can throw it at someone who's breaking into your house if it's close by, but that's not what it's generally used for. I actually have three of these, all different sizes for more of a challenge. Haven't gotten the first one finished though. What you're supposed to do is match all the squares of the same color to one side on all six sides."
"Huh, so it's supposed to look something like this?" Gus asked, using his illusion magic to make the cube look like how it would be when completed.
"Yep. But magic isn't allowed. You gotta use your brains." Kali said. "Any questions?"
One student raised their hand.
"Ah, our newest member, Matholomule." Gus said.
"Augustus, is this what the president of the Human Appreciation Society, thinks passes as human artifacts?" Matholomule questioned. "An' who even is this? Claiming she's been to and from the human realm?"
"Where the hell do you think Eda Clawthorne gets all her garbage she sells at the day market?" Kali asked.
"Shut up, no one's talking to you." Matholomule said, pushing all the artifacts aside. "At my old school, we had real treasures."
Bringing up his bag, Matholomule dumped the contents onto the desk, catching the attention of the other students. But Kali looked unamused.
"Go ahead Titan Tits, try to prove these aren't the real deal." Matholomule said, with a confident smirk.
"Oh no." Gus said, backing away from Kali as he knew Mules made a mistake.
"Okay Mule, you wanna see how authentic these are?" Kali asked, picking up the first item, while seething mad as his comment about her tits pissed her off. "This is nothing more then a rock with a picture glued on the front of it, and held in place at the bottom, by the label." She stated, peeling the picture off and crushing the rock to gravel. "An' call me Titan Tits, one more time. I dare you."
Matholomule, or Mule, paled when he realized he's just fucked up by challenging her, and calling her Titan Tits, as she picked up the next object.
"This, is nothing more then an egg with a skull painted on the shell." She said, slamming it on Mule's head, making the egg drip down his face, before picking up the third object. "An' this, isn't a shoe. It's just a bunch of sticks and leaves plastered together by mud in the shape of a shoe."
"But, I… how did you know they were…"
"Fake? As I said, I've been to the human realm, hell I even have a human living at the Owl House with me and Eda the Owl Lady. An' if you think, bullying Gus and making him look like an idiot will get you any kind of sympathy from your fellow students, then guess again. Because I will be attending this school starting next semester, and I will be on the lookout for bullies." Kali stated. "I don't know how things were run at your old school, but at Hexside, we don't sexually harass potential students, or try to pull stunts like faking human realm objects, to gain any sort of power. I have half a mind to take you to Principal Bump's office and report you for sexual harassment and bullying."
"No need Kali."
The Clawthorne teen looked behind her and saw the door open, with Sapphire sitting on Bumps shoulder.
"I heard everything, and your Palisman brought me as soon as she could." Bump said stepping forward, and looking right at Mule. "Young man, I am shocked and appalled at what I have just heard. We hold our students to a certain level of morality and code of conduct here at Hexside, and you have broken that code. It is not survival of the fittest here at Hexside, like it is at Glandys. At this school, the students are expected to support, and build one another up, to help fulfill their ambitions. Detention."
Suddenly, from out of nowhere behind Bump, a giant hook that came forward and pulled Mule out of the classroom.
"How'd Sapphire know to go get you?" Kali asked.
"Palismen are far smarter then you think Kali." Bump smiled. "They're not just connected to their partners spiritually, but mentally, and emotionally as well."
"I know that, it's how Witches and Demons are able to communicate with Palismen." Kali said.
"She came to find me, when she felt how insulted you were after Matholomule's sexist comment about your body." Bump stated.
"She shouldn't be flying around in her condition though." Kali said, Sapphire returning to her shoulder, and muzzling against her cheek.
"I'm aware of your Palisman's, growing treasures, but do not fret. It will take a lot more then flying to get a teacher, for her to lose those precious treasures." Bump said.
"Uh, Principal Bump. There is something I'd like to talk to you about, since you're here." Kali stated.
"Walk with me." Bump said with a soft smile.
"I'll catch you later Gus." Kali smiled, waving him goodbye.
"See ya Kali." Gus said, as Kali and Bump left.
"So Kali, what is it that's troubling you?" Bump asked.
"Well… I'm worried Eda's lessons might be, a bit of a bad influence on Luz." Kali said. "Don't get me wrong, she's a great teacher, but Luz hasn't been learning much aside from skills for surviving on the streets, from Eda."
"I see."
"So I was wondering, if it would be possible for Luz to enroll here at Hexside?" Kali inquired.
"Not a bad idea actually." Bump said.
"I understand, guess it was worth ask… Wait what?" Kali asked, having expected a totally different answer as she turned to look at him.
"I'll admit her sneaking into school to help Willow get a good grade, was a bit of a shock and surprise. But her heart was in the right place." Bump said, as they passed a student with a heart beating under the skin of his forehead. "I believe it would be good cultural diversity for all the students, if a human were to attend Hexside."
"Oh that's great professor. I'll do whatever I can to help out." Kali said.
"Well, if you're willing. As payment for enrolling the human Luz, you could help by cleaning up some of the messes your grandmother left during her school days." Bump said.
"I'm on it." Kali smiled, drawing a circle in the air, and creating crystal golem's, like the ones that cleaned Hooty.
"Fascinating. Is that a take on Abomination Magic?" Bump asked.
"Sort of." Kali said. "In Earthland I was sort of an outcast by my hometown, because of the nature of my Boiling Isles Magic, and my curse. So I experimented with the different elements of my Wild Magic, and eventually created the Crystal Golems."
"Impressive. You are quite a protege." Bump smiled.
"They should be finished cleaning up even while I'm gone." Kali said.
"Where are you going?" Bump asked.
"Back to Earthland for a quick pit stop. I'm working on a special project for Luz and I need a special but rare item for it. Thankfully, I happen to have a garden full of just that item." Kali said.
"I'm just gonna assume it involves Palistrom Wood." Bump said.
"You bet, and I'm needing quite a bit of it. Thankfully, thanks to my plant magic, I've got practically an entire forest of Palistrom Trees. With barrels and barrels of seeds for replanting." Kali stated, pulling out her portal blade.
"We do not allow weapons here at Hexside, unless it's for combat classes." Bump said.
"This isn't meant to be a weapon." Kali said, using the curved blade to open a tear in the fabric of reality. "It's my portal that allows me to open a gateway to and from Earthland."
"Well, safe travels then." Bump said.
"I'll see you at the start of the semester Principal Bump." Kali said, walking through the tear before it closed.
~Earthland~
"Ah, it feels good to be back here." Kali smiled, walking through the forest, the bark of the trees glowing a woodsy brown, before they slowly began to shift in hue to a vibrant violet color, Sapphire flying through the air in joy as she weaved through the Palistrom Trees.
Kali couldn't help but take in the beauty of the woods she'd planted herself, not long after Saphira's departure. She considered this land to be sacred to her, and even to Makarov. Stopping to smell a flower blooming from one, Kali couldn't help but give off a smile, before she made her way to a familiar cave, she'd called home for four years, sealed off by a wall of stone.
Sitting at the back of the wall, was a smooth stone, rounded at the top with a small stone dragon statue sitting in the center, a flower pot to the right with dying flowers, an incents holder, and Saphira's face carved into the stone's surface. (Look to the cover art for an example. Or my DA page if you follow CrimzonAuthor.)
"Hello mother." Kali smiled softly kneeling in front of the stone, and pulling three incent sticks from her bag, and using her magic to light them up, and start making them smoke, before putting them in the holder. "Sorry I haven't been by for a while. I finally managed to perfect my portal to the Boiling Isles, and it only took three hundred tries. Thankfully the liquid magic was reusable after each failure." She said, putting her hands together in prayer. "Oh I've got some great news. Sapphire's pregnant. It's a bit complicated to explain, but it's so exciting."
There was still nothing but silence as she lowered her hands onto her lap, and looked at the carving of Saphira on the stone.
"I recently had a run in with Laxus, ended the usual way." Kali said.
Sapphire perched herself on Kali's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek, having sensed her creator's sadness, and wanted to cheer her up.
"Also, I met someone recently." Kali said scratching Sapphire behind the ear. "I don't know if he's the right one for me, but he really seems to like me, and he even stood up to Laxus when I was given a beating, even though it was just an illusion to distract him. I finally got to meet my grandma, and she's every bit a con-artist Gramps warned me about. But she genuinely seems to care about me, and her apprentice Luz Noceda." She smiled turning to her Palisman. "Sapphire, why don't you go get Bessie to bring me a tree while I finish up here."
Scree.
Sapphire flew from Kali's shoulder, and headed a bit deeper into the Palistrom Wood forest.
"So anyway, I've been enrolled in Hexside to help me learn to control my Boiling Isles magic better. I've even managed to get Luz enrolled. I miss you, and I wish I could see you one more time." Kali said. "But I know you'd want me to be happy and move on. An' I'm trying, I'm really trying. But I can't get, what happened that day, out of my mind. I love you mother." She said with tears rolling down her cheeks. Using her plant magic, Kali replaced the flowers with fresh ones. Getting up from her crouched position, Kali turned around just as the ground began to quake, and a large shadow fell over her, before a thick Palistrom tree hit the ground in front of her feet. "Good girl Bessie. Now go plant three more to replace it." She smiled.
~Owl House~
"I'm back." Kali called, Hooty opening the door for her. "Thanks Hooty."
"No problem. I helped, Hoot." Hooty said with a smile.
"Welcome back. How'd Gus's presentation go?" Luz asked, sitting in the living room with King.
"It went pretty well actually." Kali said, pulling two thick logs of wood behind her. "Stopped back in Earthland on my way home."
"Whoa, what's with the logs?" King asked.
"It's Palistrom Wood. I have a practical forest of my own in the mountains near the cave Saphira raised me in." Kali said. "It's protected by a stone dragon golem I made with my Crystal Golem spell I named Bessie. So anyone who tries to cut any trees down, are chased away. An' I'm instantly alerted if the dragon has been taken down, so I can defend it myself. You wouldn't believe the number of times I've had to chase away the Magic Council's goons for trying to steal a couple trees."
"Why don't they just talk to you and make an offer for studying one of them?" Luz asked.
"That would have been possible, if I hadn't caught one of their goons trying to cut down one of my trees, before they tried negotiations." Kali stated.
"So really, they've only got themselves to blame for the missed opportunity." King said.
"Hold on, how can it be illegal for them to go hiking in the mountains of that region?" Luz asked.
"The mountain and forests surrounding it are private property. Back when S-Class quests could still be done by those not of S-Class accompanied by someone who is, I completed three S-Class jobs that paid out the wazoo, and bought the land, making it my property. I could have bought the land with just one payment, but I had to give Mira her share from each job, so it took three." Kali said. "But apparently, the Council believes the rules don't apply to them."
"Oh, I'd like to go on an S-Class quest. Do you think Erza will take me?" Luz asked.
"Unfortunately, due to an incident that happened three years ago, Gramps revoked that rule, so now only S-Class mages can go on an S-Class quest." Kali said, before she paused in thought. "Actually, I think he might have put it back in play after the Guildhall was rebuilt."
"Whoa, kid what's with the Palistrom Logs?" Eda asked.
"A project I'm working on. Gotta figure out a way to turn the wood into thread." Kali said.
"That's easy, just use your plant magic." Eda said. "You gotta remove the bark first though."
"Thanks Eda." Kali smiled. "Oh what am I doing, I can't do a project like this in my room. Hooty, can you take these around back for me?"
"Right away ma'am." Hooty said, before swallowing both the logs and heading out the front, closing the door as he left.
"You might wanna be careful though, if any of the scouts from the Emperor's Coven notice you have those logs, they'll think you stole them from the Plant Coven without sounding the alarm." Eda said.
"Right, didn't think about that." Kali said. "I'll make a shed for my workshop."
"It better be a sizable one. You could even do your statue carving in there." Eda said.
"Yeah, I could, couldn't I?" Kali smiled heading for the back door, with King and Luz following.
Heading up the slope of the hill leading to the forest in the back, and stepping around the saliva covered logs, she stopped at what looked like a good enough clearing. Using her earth magic, Kali made a building from a strong and sturdy looking stone material, before using plant magic to make the roof out of vines and flowers, giving it a fairy tale living sort of vibe.
"Oh my gosh, it's just like the Good Witch Azura's cottage home in the woods." Luz gasped.
"I was going more for something similar to the original Fairy Tail Guildhall, but whatever works." Kali smiled, before her head snapped forward.
"Kali, what's wrong?" King asked.
"I gotta go. Bessie was just taken down." Kali stated.
Grabbing her portal blade, Kali opened up a portal, but before she could walk through it, she stopped Sapphire from following.
"No Sapphire." Kali said, the Palisman perching on her arm. "You're gonna be a mother in a matter of months, I don't want to risk the lives of you and your babies in a fight."
Sapphire murred in disapproval, but respected Kali's decision as the Clawthorne teen handed her to Luz.
"Please watch over her."
"Don't worry, I will." Luz said with a salute.
Running through the portal, Kali made her way into Earthland, specifically her Palistrom Wood forest. But running in, she stopped at the clearing in front of the cave's sealed entrance, and saw Bessie, the crystal golem made of gemstones, lying on the ground with someone, who looked like a walking tree, petting her on the snout.
"Ah, I apologize. I did not mean to cause you to panic child." The man said, turning around to reveal his entire body was made of wood and bark.
"Uh hi… usually Bessie's alert means someone managed to subdue or damage her." Kali said. "An' that generally means someone's trying to cut down my trees."
"Oh no need to worry about that my dear." The man said. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm…"
"Warrod Sequen." Kali said, giving a bow of respect to him. "I'm well aware of who one of the Four Founding Members of Fairy Tail are."
"I see Makarov has taught you well. I'm not surprised, you are his blood. As well as the great grandchild of my dear friend Yuri Dreyar." Warrod said.
"I was told Grandpa Yuri was a mage unparalleled in the use of Lightning Magic." Kali said.
"That he was." Warrod smiled. "An' he was one of the fiercest warriors during the Great Guild Wars."
"So, if you don't mind me asking. What brings you to my forest?" Kali inquired. "I don't mean to be rude, but you are trespassing on private property."
"I believe you know why I'm here." Warrod said.
Kali was silent for a moment, before she sighed.
"The Magic Council asked you to speak with me." Kali said.
"They did. But I am unsure on how I should proceed, since I do not know why you are giving them trouble with allowing them to study your forest." Warrod explained.
"I'm being difficult, because they tried cutting my forest down when I first grew it. I didn't grow it until I had the ownership of this land, and when the trees did grow, they just came waltzing in acting like they own it, and tried cutting down my trees." Kali stated. "So in retaliation, I destroyed the equipment they were using and sent their goons to the hospital."
"I'm surprised you weren't arrested." Warrod said.
"I was, but I was released and all charges were dropped, because my attorney used the fact that they were trespassing on my private property, as justified means for what I did, as an act of defending my land and my trees." Kali stated. "Which it was."
"They had failed to mention that bit of information to me." Warrod said. "They only told me what they want to use the Palistrom Wood for."
"What are they wanting with my Palistrom Forest anyways?" Kali asked.
"They want to make weapons. Palismen that can fight off any attack." Warrod said.
"Not happening." Kali stated. "Just think of the damage those Palismen could do if pointed at innocent civilians."
"I thought you might say that." Warrod smiled, pulling something from his pocket. "They gave me something they thought might interest you in agreeing to an exchange." He said, holding out the item to her.
Kali looked at the item in his hand and gasped, as she recognized the gold encrusted heart that Saphira had given her.
"This is but a token of trust." Warrod said dropping the pendant in her hand. "They wish to speak with you, and they don't want anymore friction between each other."
Kali examined the pendant, before using her magic on it. In a puff of red smoke, the pendant remained, and Kali smiled in satisfaction.
"I'll talk, but they should know better then to try and bug something of mine, to spy on me." Kali stated.
"Excellent." Warrod said, as he began to leave.
"Master Warrod wait." Kali said, holding something out to him. "Take this. I want you, and only you, to have it." Warrod turned to Kali before she dropped a seed in his hand. "It's a Palistrom Wood seed. I know how much you like to take care of new plants, and Palistrom Trees grow faster then normal trees, so I thought it'd be a good project to keep you busy."
"Thank you child. I'll inform the Council you agreed to talk, and they'll be in touch with you about it as soon as possible." Warrod said, putting the seed in his pocket.
Bowing to the man as he left, Kali couldn't help but feel, like there was something wrong with what the Council was planning for their meeting.