Luz and Amity were currently resting together on their respective towels, due to the exhaustion of one of the most intense game of volleyballs ever. Earlier, Alador had shown almost next to none sympathy towards her daughter's exhaustion or the fact he pummelled his son in the stomach with the volleyball.
The twins stood over the respective girlfriends with sunscreen in their hands like they were ready to do something nefarious.
But they looked hesitant. "I don't know Ed."
"Yeah, Mitten's tummy looks a lot like a lighter shade of red." Edric said. "It will go back to pale soon."
"No! I feel this is kind of bad taste." Emira looked behind her to see her Dad playing a game of frisbee with Steve and Boscha.
"Am I still an old man?!" Alador laughed as he tossed the frisbee to Steve, who caught it.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're a lot better than I anticipated." Boscha remarked as she caught the frisbee.
"You see Boscha, you should never underestimate your elders." Alador said as he caught the frisbee.
"I get Dad is happy right now, but I miss his old attitude." Emira said.
"I miss that slouch on his back." Edric said.
"I miss his attempts to connect with us." Emira said.
"I miss when he didn't treat my belly like a target." Edric patted his stomach, which still had that tanning disaster, but now it had a frown as opposed to a smile. "I feel my abdominal organs have been rearranged. Is that possible?"
Emira shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."
"What are you two doing?!" Amity sat up on her towel.
Luz woke up but couldn't sit up due to exhaustion. "What? What's going on?"
Amity saw the sunscreen on her sibling's hands and quickly covered her stomach. "Were you about to draw on mine and Luz's stomachs?!"
"No!" Emira hid the sunscreen behind her back.
"Yes." Emira narrowed her eyes at her brother before shoving him aside.
"I just wanted to see if you were okay." Emira said. "Are you, Mittens?"
Amity sighed. "I've never seen Dad this reckless. He didn't care that I was exhausted. I felt like my entire body was about to shut down and he didn't seem to care. I get he isn't the most flawless Dad, but I don't like his new attitude coming from him."
"I don't either." Emira sighed.
"I've never seen him this competitive." Luz remarked. "It was almost terrifying."
"Yeah." Emira said before turning to Luz. "How are you holding up?"
"Tired." Luz said. "But if I rest a bit longer, I think I'll be fine."
"Okay. Just let me know if you need anything." Emira said before she walked away. But before she left, she dragged her brother away by her arm.
"I can get up myself!" Edric whined.
"I know." Emira shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanna drag you by the arm for my own amusement."
Luz exhaled. "Will your siblings ever grow up?"
Amity shook her head. "I doubt it. You feeling okay, Batata?" The witch lied down next to her girlfriend and took her hand in her's.
"I never reached that level of power before." Luz replied. "It was almost like, a god-like level."
Just then, King, Eda and Camila had approached Luz to see how she was holding up. "How are you holding up, Mija?" Camila asked.
"Tired, but okay." Luz replied.
Eda tapped Luz on her shoulder. "Hey, quite a crazy game of volleyball, huh?"
"Yeah." Luz managed to sit herself up slowly as possible. "Sorry I exhausted ya."
"I'm starting to get a sense of my own mortality." Eda said. "I swear most of my own body parts are falling off and I don't know about it."
"Hey! A finger! Whose finger is this?!" Gus cried. "Lilith?!"
Eda's eyes went wide with shock and she looked at her hand to realise that one of her fingers was missing. She sighed. "I'll be back." She walked away to retrieve her finger.
King jumped on Luz's shoulder. "What were those powers? I don't think I even reached that full potential yet."
"I made a ball vanish into thin air." Luz said.
"For all we know, it could be anywhere in the multiverse." Amity said.
"And not just that, but your form was slightly altered." King said as he pulled a photo from his trunks. "Good thing Willow brought her camera."
Luz took the photo from King's hand and began to analyse her new form. And she was ecstatic. "Oh my Titan! Look at me! I look incredible! The glyphs all over my body. Oh, and the eyes! My eyes look terrific! Hang on, is that a glyph button? Is my belly button a glyph?"
"Luz, do you feel anything else?" King asked. "You did cough up some Titan blood."
"It was probably due to the exhaustion." Luz theorised. "I mean, I still bleed regular blood, right?" Just then, Camila pricked her daughter in the shoulder with a needle and extracted some of her human blood. "Hey! Mom!"
Camila exhaled. "Sorry Mija, I feel this needs some testing once we get back to the Isles and once Alador ends his midlife crisis."
"Who's got a wrinkly body now, Lilith?!" Alador shouted.
Lilith stood nearby looking confused. "I-I didn't say a thing. Where did this come from?"
"For now Luz, I think it's best you don't go that far with your Titan powers again." Amity suggested. "Who knows what could happen?"
Luz sighed. "I'll do my best. But someone better snap Mr Blight out of his crisis."
Meanwhile, Alador had caught the frisbee with his hands and tossed it towards Boscha. "I got it!" She cried out before catching it.
Far from them, Viney and Skara were both watching the frisbee game with keen eyes. That's when they realised something important.
"Hang on, I just realised something, Barcus isn't catching the other frisbee." Skara said.
"Yeah. Almost like he vanished." Viney remarked. "He hasn't come out of that cave." Upon the mention of the caves, Vee and Masha gave each other some cringed looks, knowing what this could mean.
"Do you think he's fine?" Skara asked.
"Probably tearing up the frisbee as we speak." Viney said.
Vee and Masha looked between the cave and everyone else. "You don't think he discovered the beach, right?" Masha asked their girlfriend.
"I mean, what would he do there?" Vee asked.
Meanwhile, Hunter and Willow were on the coast together, just cuddling while staring off into the deep blue ocean.
"I always forget how beautiful the human ocean is compared to our own." Willow remarked. "The boiling seas are filled with so much death."
"It might not boil but it is still filled with death." Hunter said. "That ocean drowns people, or the current could cause you to crash into a rock or worse, a shark."
Willow snuggled against her boyfriend. "There won't be any shark attacks. I can assure you."
"You say that, but I'm worried about Jerbo." Hunter said.
Jerbo was still in the ocean looking for his lost swimming trunks. "Oh man! Oh man! Where could they have gone?" He dived into the water to try and find them.
"He'll be fine." Willow said. "Remember when he somehow lost his trunks in that hot tub?"
Hunter laughed. "That was different."
They noticed how close the waves were getting to their feet and came up with an idea. "You know, there's an iconic human movie scene I wanna recreate with us."
Hunter began to think about it since he didn't know what Willow was referring to. But then, Hunter eventually figured out what movie Willow was referring to.
"Oh yeah! One of the most famous Human Realm movies of all time." Hunter smiled. "A masterpiece if nothing. The movie about that funny ogre."
Willow shoved Hunter on the sand, getting on top of him. "The very one." She began to share a passionate kiss with him that he returned.
As they were kissing, they were suddenly covered in a wave of water. Once the water cleared off of them, they were covered in seaweed, fish, seahorses and starfish.
As Luz and Amity were resting, Steve approached the two. "Hey Luz, how are you holding up?"
Luz sat up. "Tired, but a lot better than I was before. Is there something up, Steve?"
"Nothing, it's just, I forgot to tell you, I invited a friend." Steve said.
Luz smiled. "A friend? The more the merrier. It would fill the Barcus shaped hole I'm starting to notice. Where is he anyway?"
"A Luz, this friend…Isn't really my friend, let's say that…" He was blushing while rubbing the back of his head. "…She is a bit more…" He stopped talking when he saw Luz's eyes sparkling. "Luz, are you okay?"
Amity sat up and waved her hand in front of Luz's face. "Oh, she gets that when she recognises romance."
"You have a girlfriend?" Luz exclaimed as she stood up and got into Steve's face.
Steve smiled. "Yeah. I have a girlfriend."
"What's her name?! What's her name?!"
"Luz, calm down." Amity placed her hands on Luz's shoulders. "He is about to tell you."
"Well, I ask you kind of cool down a bit to help her ease into this." Steve suggested.
"Ease?" Luz asked.
"Let's just say, she isn't exactly used to this kind of group yet." Steve explained.
"Steve!" Coming down from the slope the group entered came a woman in her mid to late twenties with blonde hair and dressed in a blue bikini while holding a bag in her hand. But the woman was in fact the barrister at The Robin's Roast Cafe where Vee went to look for magic to recharge her shapeshifting skills.
She looked nervous to be here with the group. For obvious reasons since this was a group she wasn't exactly used to be around more weird magical creatures.
"Court, you made it!" Steve exclaimed as he walked up to the woman.
The woman smiled. "Hey, Steve." She and him shared a quick kiss on the lips.
"You got here okay?" Steve asked.
"There was…Traffic." She replied.
"Hey everyone, this is someone I'd like you to meet." Steve said. "This is my girlfriend, Courtney."
Hooty suddenly slithered up to her. "Hey, Courtney! It's good to meet you again!" Hooty smiled. "I forgot to tip you extra, hang on." He began to gag in order to spit out some cash. Courtney, having met Hooty before, backed away in terror.
Eda eventually stopped Hooty by grabbing him by the head and shoving him backwards. "Alright, Hooty! Enough scaring everyone! Sorry about him, he can be a handful sometimes."
Courtney eyed Eda. "Hang on, aren't you the woman who tried to buy a coffee with a raccoon?"
"Aren't you the woman who wouldn't accept it?!" Eda asked, getting defensive.
"Woah! Woah! Woah!" Steve got in-between them. "Let's not fight. Courtney, you know Hooty and Eda." He then pointed to everyone else. "And you met Lilith, Luz, Camila, Vee, Amity and Masha."
"Hey, Court!" Masha gave her a wave.
Courtney waved at Masha. "Hey, Masha."
"That's Viney, Skara, Alador, Gus, Darius, Raine, Boscha, Edric, Emira, the ones covered in seaweed are Hunter and Willow."
Willow reached removed a crab from her ear that was pinching it. "Ow!"
Hunter reached into his trunks and removed a lobster. He smiled and waved at his adoptive Dad. "Hey, Darius! I got lobster for dinner tomorrow!"
"The one out at sea is Jerbo." Steve explained. "And that little guy is King."
Upon seeing King for the first time, Courtney's eyes shimmered in the sun. "Oh my gosh! He is so cute."
"Weh?" King saw the look in Courtney's eyes and quickly hid behind Luz's back. "Luz! Don't let her hug me!"
Eda began to analyse Courtney. "So you're dating a human. Okay, okay, perhaps I should be a little nicer. Edalyn Clawthorne." She offered the woman a handshake, but then her hand fell off. The sight of this made Courtney yelp in surprise. The Owl Lady looked at her detached hand and sighed. "Sorry, I had an intense game of volleyball and most of my body parts are falling off."
"Here." Steve picked up her hand and attached it back to her arm.
Courtney was still irked by this. That's when, she began to analyse everyone around her. Every single being from another world.
She could see Hunter and Willow trying to get every last bit of seaweed off of them. Until the latter came up with an excellent idea. She drew a spell circle which caused all the seaweed to jump off of them and to dance their way back into the ocean.
Then Courtney took a look at Vee, whom knew that she was a Basilisk all thanks to Steve. She then saw Vee, turning her arm into a bicep and flexing it for Masha to feel.
Courtney cringed before looking at Viney, whom was just casually standing in place allowing her abs to sizzle in the sun.
Courtney looked confused and intrigued with this display and wondered if she could get her gym membership back.
Then, she began to stare at Boscha, whom was just standing in place, drinking a can of soda. She then noticed the woman staring at her and narrowed her eyes at barrister.
"What are you looking at?!" Boscha asked defensively.
Courtney stopped looking and already became uncomfortable. She began to doubt whether coming here was a good idea. She should just go home.
"Hey Court, want me to apply some sunscreen on your back?" Steve asked his girlfriend. Or maybe she could stay for a bit.
A bit later, Courtney was resting on her stomach while her boyfriend was busy applying sunscreen on her back. Sure she felt relaxed feeling Steve touching her back, but the people she had encountered so far were kind of overwhelming.
Sure, she knew Steve was a witch, but a whole bunch of witches was a little too intense for her to comprehend.
"Court, are you okay?" Steve asked.
"I am." Courtney assured her boyfriend.
"Your shoulders are tensing." Steve said.
"Well…" Her cheeks turned red. "…Well, feeling your touch is pretty sensual."
Steve sighed and gently turned his girlfriend on her back so she could face him. "Court, I know we started dating a few weeks ago, but I can tell when someone isn't okay. You're allowed to tell me these things. I won't judge. You know I won't."
Courtney sighed. "Steve, I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."
"You want to explain why?" Steve asked.
"I don't know." Courtney said. "Maybe it's because I'm just a human surrounded by a bunch of witches and demons that I feel so out of my league. I'm just a boring barrister and they're incredible and powerful witches. And I'm not used to how weird things are getting already. The three eyed one just gave me the evil eyes. I'm sorry, Steve. I know you invited me to this get together as a means for me to get used to some your friends before I get to The Demon Realm. I probably sound like I'm being rude."
Steve just stared at his girlfriend, already thinking about what he should say to her. Thankfully, he already knew what he was about to say. "Courtney, don't feel guilty. It will probably take you some time to get used to what I know from my own home. Look at Luz…" He pointed at Luz, whom was showing something to Amity on her phone while the witch rested on her shoulder. "….She stumbled into my world accidentally and was whisked off for an adventure of a lifetime. There were trials and she undermined it, but she became familiar with them and in turn got friends and a girlfriend. Camila as well." He pointed at Camila, whom was laughing with Eda about something. "She was terrified for her daughter once she found out she was stuck in The Demon Realm. She didn't know what my world was like. But this kind lady took in a lost basilisk and a bunch of refugee witches whom were torn from their homes. Not because of obligation, but from kindness. They were strange to her, sure, but eventually, she grew to accept these strange quirks. And that Masha person…" He pointed to Masha, whom was feeling Vee's muscles that she shifted into existence. "Actually, they took everything well despite the fact their girlfriend is a shapeshifting reptile. You're obviously going to need some time and I promise that I will help you transition into this. And it will take as long as you need."
Courtney smiled at her boyfriend's words, feeling touched by his encouragement. Ever since meeting him, every word that came out of his mouth had always been honest and sincere. She reached for his face with her hand and began to stroke his face.
"Why is it that guys like you don't exist in my world?" She asked.
Steve smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Guys like me probably exist in your world. You just happen to find me."
Just then, Willow and Hunter approached the two, holding their own surfboards. Hunter's had a drawing of a red cardinal while Willow's had one that was anti ladybug.
"Hey Steve, you wanna surf?" Hunter asked.
Steve grinned. "I sure do."
Courtney sat up upon the mention of surfing. "Did you say surfing?"
"We did." Hunter replied. "Though, I am cautious."
"He is kind of afraid a shark might attack." Willow explained.
"Well shark attacks are rare, but, ya know, you're cautious." Courtney remarked as she stood up. "I'll be right back, Steve. I'm just going to get my surfboard."
"Alright. Hey, Hooty!" Just then, Hooty slithered up towards Steve.
"Hoot! Hoot! What can I do for you Steve?" The Owl Tube asked.
"You have my surfboard, right?" Steve asked.
"I got everyone's surfboard." Hooty began gagging before spitting up his surfboard.
Courtney stared at the owl demon in disgust and shock. "I'm not gonna get used to that."
Not far off, Alador saw that everyone was getting their surfboards and smiled. "It's time." Then, he caught the frisbee from his right side without even looking. He made a spell circle and from his nearby backpack came a case. A very big briefcase shaped like a rectangle that stretched about 22 meters.
Boscha, Gus, Skara and Viney approached the man with their eyebrows raised. "What is that?" Gus asked.
"Feast your eyes on what I am about to show you." Alador turned the 3 dial lock on the briefcase which was 999. Then, with a click, the case was open to reveal a golden glow that stunned the four witches surrounding him.
"Is that what I think it is?" Viney asked in disbelief.
"Mr Blight, isn't that board illegal?" Skara asked.
"Only on The Boiling Isles." Alador replied.
Meanwhile, Hunter, Willow, Steve and Courtney were far out to sea, waiting for a wave to arrive. As they waited, they decided to get to know Steve's new girlfriend.
"So Courtney, how did you and Steve meet?" Willow asked.
Courtney rubbed the back of her head. "Where do I begin? I think it started when I first met Hooty. You see, for some reason, Hooty was digging through the trash at the cafe I was working at. Then, he ate me and brought me back to Lilith."
"What was it like inside of Hooty?" Willow asked.
Courtney shivered. "Cold, hopeless, disgusting. Every negative emotion you ever felt is inside that."
Steve patted Courtney's back. "Luckily, Lilith called me to help her out. I was here to explain everything. But instead, she happened to fall in love with me. I don't think she listened to a word I said."
"I barely noticed we were at my house by the time he dropped me off." She explained.
"When I returned home, I felt like I should have apologised to her properly." Steve continued. "So, I went to the cafe she worked at and ordered some coffee. I thought it would have compensated as an apology. So, I paid her in snails as opposed to dollars."
"Which I didn't notice because I was far too smitten with him."
"And that's how I got banned from the cafe." Steve said.
"I thought I needed to apologise to him so before he ran into that door, I…Kind of asked him out." Courtney said.
"And then, we did it again and again." Steve explained. "We ate at a restaurant and we ate at her place. Honestly, I never thought I would have found a partner, but I guess I was looking in the wrong realm." Courtney blushed at Steve's words.
"So Willow, Hunter, how did you two meet?" Courtney asked.
Hunter smiled. "Oh, I tried to indoctrinate her and her friends into The Emperor's Coven and she pulled me out of the sky."
Willow grinned. "I can confirm that."
Courtney looked shocked by what she had heard. "Hey Court, you think that's bad? Amity tried to dissect Luz when she first met her."
"What the…"
"Wave!" Hunter exclaimed.
Behind them, a big wave was coming right towards them. And so, everyone dropped to their stomachs on their boards and began to paddle.
Once they got to a perfect position, they jumped up on their boards and began to ride the wave. "Woo!" Steve cried.
Hunter manoeuvred around the wave while laughing his head off. Then, he teleported on top of the wave. "Come on shark, get me now!"
Willow shook her head. "Him and his shark." She remarked while jumping over the wave with her board.
Meanwhile, Courtney was losing balance on her board. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!"
"You okay?!" Steve asked his girlfriend.
"Yeah! I just haven't surfed in a while!" She replied. "I used to do it all the time in college. But, I think I'm getting the hang of it. Wait, I thought water boiled in your Realm. When did you learn how to surf?"
"Oh, a lot of residents surf on the boiling waves." Steve replied while he and his girlfriend continued to surf. "Even Alador."
"Isn't he the old man?" Courtney asked.
"He's only forty-nine." Steve retorted. "But he is approaching fifty. So I doubt he will be doing any surfing."
Then, bursting out of the wave was none other than Alador himself. And his board was unlike anything Steve had seen before. It had blades at the bottom, shark like-dorsal fins in the back and was cloured in black, purple and dark brown.
The sudden appearance of Alador caused Courtney to stumble off her board. Thankfully, Steve managed to catch her in his arms. "I got you."
Alador manoeuvred around the wave while Abomination tentacles sprang from his back. Then, he jumped over the wave while doing a pose. Unfortunately, he didn't notice Hunter still riding the wave on top and accidentally knocked him off his board.
The Blight patriarch rode the wave while spreading his arms out and grinning. "I haven't felt like this in years! Wooo!"
Soon, the wave began to get smaller and to die down. Suddenly, Courtney and Steve fell off his board into the water.
Willow thankfully returned back to shore by graceful manoeuvring her board so it could slide on the sand. While Alador performed a front flip and landed on his feet. His board landed right next to him.
While a huge wave of water returned Steve and Courtney to the shore. once the water cleared, it was revealed that Steve and Courtney were making out with each other.
"Woo! I was pumped!" Alador exclaimed.
"Hunter?! Hunter?!" Willow shouted out for her boyfriend.
"I'm okay!" Far out into the water, Willow could see Hunter was floating on his back on the water's surface. "Alador just knocked me off my surfboard." He touched his face and saw blood on his hand. "Yup, I got a nosebleed."
Willow narrowed her eyes at Alador. "Mr Blight…"
"Oh come now, it's just a nosebleed." Alador argued. "Just plug it back in and he'll be fine."
"Mr Blight, you're being awfully careless today." Willow said.
"Don't you mean, care free?" Alador put on his shades and marched away.
Willow stared at Alador with a worried look on her face. She had never seen Mr Blight like this before but she didn't like it. She then looked to Steve and Courtney, whom were still making out on the sand.
"Really?" Willow responded.
Then, Hunter arrived on shore, nose still bleeding, while holding a pair of swimming trunks. Willow ran up to her boyfriend with concern.
"Hunter, are you okay?"
Hunter wiped the blood coming from his nose. "I'm fine."
"We should take you to Viney, she'll help heal that up." Willow said before noticing the article of clothing Hunter was holding in his hands. "Whose trunks are those?"
"I don't know." Hunter said. "I found them after I was knocked off by Mr Blight. They must have been far out at sea someone would have struggled to find these." Hunter laughed. "That poor guy must have run off naked."
Meanwhile, Jerbo resurfaced on a beach while covering his privates with his hands to keep his dignity intact. "Might as well just face it, Jerbo. Accept the humiliation that will come to you."
All of a sudden, Barcus ran past Jerbo. But what Jerbo noticed was the fact that his friend wasn't wearing his trunks.
"Barcus?!" Jerbo exclaimed.
Barcus, standing behind a bush, turned to Jerbo with a surprised expression. "Where are your trunks?"
"Where are yours?" Jerbo asked.
"I removed them once I knew this was a nude beach." Barcus barked.
"I'm sorry, what?" Jerbo asked. The dog witch demon motioned to the sign that stood nearby the cave.
The witch walked towards the sign with intrigue and began to read it to see if his friend wasn't lying. And to his surprise, he wasn't.
"Phew. Now I feel better about losing my trunks." Jerbo said to himself. But then, he head laughter coming from Barcus, causing the witch to cringe. "Why did I say that out loud?"