HoloJourneys

by vanderblast

A fateful encounter with a fluffy sheep inside a castle dungeon, begins a journey that will change the world. In a world of magic, swords, magical spirits and endless possibilities, Anon, sets forth on a journey with his friend Watame to see everything this world has to offer and to find their origins. The journey won't always be easy, but together, they can always make it through.

9. A showdown with a secret society

Through the harsh rain Harold leads you all to the lake's edge alongside the village. Polka's umbrella is thankfully holding strong against the torrential downpour. You have to admit it is nice to have Harold along for the ride on this one. What kind of adventures did he have in his day? Maybe when this is all over you can ask him to tell you some of his own stories.

"We're here kids!" Harold yells over the sound of the rain crashing against the lake waters. "So what's this idea of yours little fox?"

Polka hands the umbrella over to you as she reaches deep into her hat. With a big tug she tosses a large rubber raft onto the lake water. She practically shoves you all onto it before the rain can overflow it with water.

"Anon, Flare, Undine. I want you three at the back. You three are gonna propel us across the lake with water magic okay?" Polka instructs.

Not really in a position to argue about how you don't exactly know how to do that, you take your position at the end of the raft with Undine and Flare.

"You need only use your mana to add more water to the lake underneath us, summoner." Undine says to you.

It was worth a try you suppose, you get the feeling Undine might be doing most of the heavy lifting with this one. The three of you kneel down and submerge your hands in the water. All the rain had made it a lot colder than it probably would be normally.

"Annnnnnd Go!" Polka commands.

The three of you begin to focus your mana into water from your hands and just push with all you have. The water in front of you begins to ripple and wade. The raft begins to move forward. You double your efforts as you try to will the water around your hands to keep moving.

Undine suddenly stands up and the speed of the raft drops considerably.

"Something up?" you ask.

"I just may have a faster way to do this." Undine says smiling.

The water spirit lifts her arms above her as you feel the water under the raft start to sway and rise. The water begins to churn and the next thing you know, the raft is surfing forward atop a wave to take you to your destination. The ride becomes more bumpy as the speed of the water increases. More than once you have to grab Watame and Flare to keep them from bouncing off into the lake. Harold seemed to be enjoying the entire thing, you can hear him laughing after every jump of the raft. A few more rough moments later, you begin to slow down as you approach the lake's opposite edge.

Undine gently allows the wave to recede into the once again flat lake water.

"Everyone off!" Polka says, as the raft softly bumps against the land.

Finding your land legs again you steady yourself and help Watame and Flare off the raft. That little trip was just on a lake, were you even ready to sail on the seas? Thankfully you won't have to think about that until you can possibly get your hands on your own ship, which likely won't be for a while.

Harold starts to get antsy and picks up the pace for you all to follow as he starts to jog towards the mountain ahead. At the base there is an ascending path upward that the old man motions you all to follow him on. Could he really live inside a mountain? That might be pretty cool actually. You also cannot shake a strange feeling you have, or rather, a feeling Undine has? Since your spirit resonance with her, she has been quicker to pick up on whatever feelings or thoughts you might be having. You suppose it makes sense that it would work the other way around too, since you have this almost itching sensation that you feel something from within the mountain itself. That would explain her eagerness to move things along faster.

Soon the climb up the mountain path ends at the mouth of a cave. You all follow Harold inside, thankful to finally be out of the rain. This was the actual inside of a mountain! The solid stone that makes up its interior glistens with what appears to be water. Looking around you see stalagmites that hang from the ceiling, dripping drop after drop of water ever so slowly.

"Hey. Focus." Flare's voice comes as she pokes your cheek with a firm finger. "You're doing that thing again."

"What? I can't even just enjoy the scenery as we walk now?" you grumble.

"Not when we are in the middle of a wet cave. What if you aren't paying attention and you get lost? Or fall down a hole?" she retorts.

"For your information." you start. "I'm investigating."

"And what exactly are you looking for?" Flare asks back unconvinced.

"There's something about this mountain. I don't know what exactly, but I'm getting a vibe from it. I think Undine is too."

"There is something that draws me further in." Undine answers quickly.

Flare sighs and leaves the matter at that, but that doesn't stop her from sticking close, in case she would need to save you from an unseen hazard. Since when did she get so protective and laser focused anyway?

The inside of the cave surprisingly doesn't get darker the deeper you go. Sources of magical light are scattered through the cave along the walls, if this is Harold's home that is not too surprising then. You see a change in the light up ahead, something much brighter, something big. Harold's pace quickens further. For someone who is quick to remind you that he's old, he is certainly moving with no trouble at all.

Following him into the room within the mountain you can see the cause for excitement. A large natural spring rests peacefully in the middle and at its center is a raised pool of water upon a dais. All sorts of carvings, decorations, and sculptures spread along the walls and around the spring itself.

"This is…" you start to say, but the words escape you. A fully intact shrine to the water spirit was right in front of you, and it was beautiful.

"It's a shrine to Undine!" Watame says in awe.

Undine is also taken aback by the splendor of the shrine, but does not indicate that Watame is correct. You sense some uncertainty still within her. Like she is trying to find a lost memory or name.

"Baby! I'm back!" Harold calls out. "Where are ya honey?"

Honey? This old man has a wife? Or at least a girlfriend? Your surprise and confusion is put on hold as Flare calls you over to one of the carvings along the walls.

"Anon check this out. It's a little like the one back at the lake in Lu'shaldor. This doesn't really look like Undine though does it?" she says as she brings your attention to the depiction of a woman with amphibian-like features, not so dissimilar to Undine, but some parts were completely different.

"And over here!" Polka says a few feet away from you. "This carving here has the name 'Uisce' in it. Was that a nickname or something for you Undine?"

"Uisce?" Undine ponders. "It sounds familiar. Could this possibly be…"

Before Undine could finish her thought, you are all brought to alert by the sound of Harold's footsteps now frantic in pattern racing around the shrine. His eyes are stricken with panic as they dart to every corner of the room, hoping to find something that isn't there. Before you can utter a question you watch him kneel down to the spring and plunge his head into its waters.

While you are curious just who this shrine might be for, there was something clearly wrong with Harold. You walk over to the spring's edge next to him and put a tentative hand on his shoulder while he is still submerged. He jolts up in surprise and looks at you, his soaked gray hair falls in uneven strands across his face.

"What's going on Harold?" you ask calmly.

"What do you mean what's going on!?" Harold replies angrily. "Can't you see my wife is gone!?"

Not wanting to agitate the old man further, you take a look around the entire room again. As far as you can tell, you are the only ones here. You still can't understand the reason for Harold's hysterics. It doesn't even look like Harold actually lives here in the first place.

"What do you mean she's gone?" you ask, gripping both Harold's shoulders in the hopes it grounds him to reality somehow. "Do you both actually live here?"

One of Harold's eyes twitches at your tightening grip, almost eager to lash out at you, but he seems to manage to reel himself in from that.

"Just take a nice deep breath old man. Wherever she might have went, we can find her okay?"

Harold follows your advice and his rapid breathing finally begins to slow and the calm starts to return to his eyes.

"That's better. Could she have just gone into town to find you? You made it sound like you were running pretty late. She was probably just worried."

Harold shakes his head. "She should be right here." he answers. "You see…it's not exactly easy for her to leave."

That was certainly interesting. This shrine was in such good condition that maybe she was its caretaker. Still that wouldn't explain how there is not much to indicate that a person actually lives here. There are no beds, furniture, or anything like that.

"Harold." Undine's voice comes after she approaches from behind you. "What is your wife's name?"

"Uisce." he managed to get out. "Her name is Uisce. She's uhh….she's a water spirit too."

You look back at Harold in surprise. A water spirit? Like Undine? You thought she was the only one. Also this one was someone's wife? You guess why not right? Things suddenly began to make more sense in some areas and less in others.

"There are actually more water spirits?" Flare asks as she and the others come to join you.

"Of course there are." Undine says matter of factly. "You didn't think I could create all the world's waters by myself right? Even I need some help sometimes. I can remember now that Uisce is one of the higher ranked among my helpers. She made the mountain spring here that eventually became the source of water for the lake. Isn't that right Harold?"

"The top dog herself is right, kid." Harold says to you. "All this, this spring, the lake, a village to live off of it, all Uisce. This shrine is entirely dedicated to her, and this is where she lives."

Well it wasn't a shrine to Undine, but a connection to someone from her past is potentially better than that. It still doesn't explain Harold's panic though.

"So if she's a water spirit too." you start. "She could be any number of places right? Undine can go wherever she wants for the most part."

"That's because she's at the top of the chain." Harold sighs. "Uisce can't go anywhere unless she's in contact with water. That's why she stays here at her shrine. Also because she loves the place and I kinda do too."

Undine nods at you when you look to her for confirmation. Could other elemental spirits be like this? You guess it makes sense that Undine would be an exception to the rules, but if Uisce couldn't leave without water, then where was she?

"Wait a sec!" you exclaim as an idea comes into your head. "Harold! Could Uisce being away from her shrine be the cause of all this rain? It's very connected to the area around Bjornholm isn't it?"

"I suppose it could." Harold answers a little confused. "She's been away from it before of course, but we always had a way to keep her in contact with water while she was. The only thing we know for sure is if she were to die the water here would dry up completely."

"Well that's great news then!" Watame says. "Since all the water is still here that means she's okay right?"

"Watame's right!" you say excitedly. "It looks like we get to solve two problems at once here. We find Uisce and that should stop the rain."

"You make it sound so easy, kid…" Harold sighs. "If her being gone is really the cause of this rain, then that was over four days ago. She could be anywhere by now."

"Would she have any reason to leave on her own around that time Harold?" Flare asks, clearly already trying to piece everything together. "If she knew when you were coming back it's unlikely she would have left before then on her own. Plus if leaving on her own is not easy for her, this might be more than a simple disappearance."

"You're saying someone wifenapped my Uisce!?" Harold asks, his pessimism quickly changing to anger.

"We can't rule it out." Flare states. "Since you said she had left the shrine willingly before and no bad weather came of it, I have to guess that if she were to be forcibly removed the weather might reflect that."

"Plus with all the crazy stuff we've seen lately, it's not surprising someone would try to nab an elemental spirit if they could find one." Polka adds.

"There's no time to lose then." you say as you pick Harold up to his feet. "We're gonna help you find your wife, old man. Now are you gonna dust off some of that adventurer's experience and help us? I promise that if we work together we can find Uisce and bring her back safely."

"You are definitely the real deal kid." Harold laughs softly to himself. "I didn't just stop adventuring because I got old, you know. Uisce is the real reason for that."

"Guess you're coming out of retirement again!" Polka chuckles. "Least the big chief guy can't hold that over you this time."

"Where do we start Harold!?" Watame asks.

"At my house. My actual one." Harold says, standing up straighter and prouder. "If Uisce really was nabbed by someone. I'm gonna need my staff. There'll be hell to pay if they harmed one hair on that gorgeous head of hers."

It lifted your spirits to see the old man back to more like how he was when you first met earlier. He was of course still concerned and upset, but at least he stood with purpose now. The scenario Flare had proposed troubles you greatly however. How could someone kidnap an elemental spirit? Who could even be strong enough to do such a thing? The biggest question of all though was, why?

These are all questions you can worry about later, the first priority is finding Harold's water spirit wife. You can't help but wonder what Undine thinks of all this. Was it acceptable for the spirits below her to marry mortals? Was it normal for spirits to intermingle with mortals like that? Also questions you can worry about later, since you can feel Undine's urgency to find Uisce.

Harold leads you all out of the shrine and cave back to the downpour outside. After a brisk run down the mountain path, you are brought to a small wooden house near the lake's edge. The sight of the front door barely hanging on its hinges causes everyone to tense, but that does not stop Harold from walking inside.

If not for the fact that someone clearly broke in since Harold had been gone, this place would have a comfortable air to it. Simple wooden furnishings had their rightful spots alongside walls in which to hold a variety of interesting objects, no doubt from Harold's past adventures. A small table for two sits in front of the fireplace, almost everything here seemed meant for two people. That is a little strange to think about since Uisce apparently can't be without water, but maybe the old man had worked out some temporary solution for that sometimes. As Harold walks into one of the rooms at the other end of the house, the rest of you try to look around for any noticeable clues. It is likely that whoever removed Uisce from her shrine also came here too. For what, you can't be sure.

"Ah good they didn't touch my staff!" you hear Harold say from the room he went into. "But they took my bathtub!? Who does that!?"

That is certainly a surprise. You can see Polka trying her best to hold in a laugh, it takes you some restraint to keep yourself from laughing too.

"That might explain the door then." Flare muses. "But surely there are more valuable things to take than just a bathtub."

"Not if you are trying to kidnap a water spirit." you answer confidently. "I think that cements the fact that whoever was here and kidnapped Uisce are the same."

"But if they knew they wanted to take her, how come they needed to take the old man's tub? Shouldn't they have been more prepared?" Polka asks.

Polka did raise a good point. If this was all really planned, why did it feel so botched together? It was hard to imagine someone incompetent trying to capture an ancient water spirit, who in theory could have power comparable with Undine. Before you can think on this further, Harold emerges with a long gnarled wooden staff in his hands, and eyes that blaze like fire.

"I don't suppose you kids have any better ideas than I do about where to look next huh?" he says.

"It doesn't look like whoever did this left any meaningful clues behind." Flare answers. "We should try to look around outside. With any luck the rain didn't wash away all the signs of where they might have gone."

It is certainly a longshot, but better than any ideas you had. With Undine covering you and Watame from the rain, you take one side of the house outside, and Polka, Flare, and Harold take the other. The ground was absolutely mush after so much rain, you doubt the area can take much more of this. The combination of the dark clouds and the deepening night make it hard to see much of anything, so you create a bigger ball of starlight in your hands to help light the way.

"You are getting really good at that." Watame praises you. "It's brighter than a campfire right now."

"It is starting to come easier to me huh?" you say back. "I love using water magic of course, but doing this simple little spell is just so satisfying. I hope you don't mind me saying that, Undine."

"Not at all summoner. If you are to make pacts with my sisters you will need an understanding of all the elements, so I would encourage you to practice whatever you can."

"Is there a spirit of starlight Undine?" Watame asks.

"Not that I am aware of." Undine answers. "But that is not to say one might not exist. There is still much I can't remember from my own past, so it is certainly possible."

A spirit of starlight huh? It would be cool to meet the one responsible for making the stars. You wouldn't even need to make a pact with them, just being able to thank them for the gift they gave to the world would be enough for you.

Remembering you have a very important task, you focus back on looking for almost anything that might lead to Uisce's trail. After finding nothing but mud you turn your eyes to the side of the house. There isn't much to look at, an exterior made from the same wood as the strong trees that surround you. You bring your light closer and notice an inconsistency in the ground levels. Something heavy used to definitely be here.

"Check this out." you say to your two friends as you point to the indents in the earth. "Looks like they might have taken something else too. It kinda looks like wheel marks, like from a cart."

"Maybe they put the bathtub in it and ran off with it?" Watame suggests.

"That makes sense." you reply. "This might be the break we needed. If the cart by itself could leave a mark like this, even after rain, there is bound to be a trail after they loaded more into it."

"Hey everyone!" you barely hear Polka's voice cut through the rainfall. "We might have found something! Get over here!"

Polka's colorful umbrella is easy to spot even in the heavy downpour, the golden light emanating from Flare's hands is also quite helpful as you run up to them.

"We might have found a clue too." you say to Polka. "You go first through."

"Take a look." Polka says casually as she points to her right. Through the help of both yours and Flare's lights, you can see once mighty trees cut down, their trunks lay along the ground next to their stumps that were pulled right from the earth.

"I'm guessing you weren't planning on expanding your home with all this Harold?" you ask half in jest.

"I was thinking about a little remodeling if you must know." the old man played along, it was good that his hearty spirit was not completely extinguished. "But can an old man rip the stumps from the ground like that? Not to mention, that's just a waste of a perfectly good seat in nature."

"It's almost like they were making a path for themselves." Flare adds. "But why would it need to be this wide?"

"Anon found signs of a big cart on the side of the house." Watame says. "Heavy enough to make tracks!"

"They took my good cart too?" Harold gasps. "No respect at all for an old man's things."

"Well I'll be." Flare says after she finishes trying to focus on something in the night. "There are actually still wheel tracks along that path."

"This plan of theirs is looking more botched by the second…" you remark.

"Who cares how stupid of thieves they might be!?" Harold retorts. "I'm not going to argue with a possible straight path to my wife. Let's go, and try to keep up!"

Everyone follows Harold's lead and pace through the woods, the heavy indents left from the cart guide the way to what you hope would be Uisce safe and sound. You couldn't fault the old man for his eagerness, you have already been guilty of the same kind of behavior a few times already, but you still want to at least try to be careful. Whoever is responsible for this is also capable of cutting down immense trees with a single slash and pulling out stumps by the roots. On the other hand, they might also be extremely careless. Only one way to find out, you suppose.

The number of cut trees dwindles as the path itself widens, at least the forest wouldn't have to needlessly suffer any more losses. A break in the rain can also be seen ahead. Have you come this far from Bjornholm already? You not only welcome a reprieve from the downpour, but also how much easier the open sky will make your search.

After leaving the path of the rain, you all take a second to catch your breath and shake off whatever water has managed to make it onto you. The sky above is clear and the stars are beginning to make their full appearance. This is probably going to be another late night, you think to yourself.

Harold kneels down in front of the group and confirms the tracks from his cart are still present in the dirt. The look in his eyes tells that even if he has to follow this lead to the ends of the earth, he will. You would go that far in a heartbeat if any of your friends were taken like this, you can only imagine how simple the decision would be if you were married to that someone, but you can't even imagine the stress and the heightened emotion that would go along with it.

Wanting to reunite the old man with his love as soon as possible, you take the lead and begin to briskly follow the cart tracks. The trail begins to wind and make almost erratic turns as whoever was pulling it was trying to weave through the trees. You can only make guesses, but it seems like you are heading closer to the shore that you first arrived on. Before long, a large clearing comes into view. It was surreal to see such a perfect circular patch of land within the thick forest.

What looks to be a camp sits right in the middle of the clearing, but it is unlike any camp you had ever seen. A few standing lamps that are skinnier and emit a more artificial light than what you are used to, illuminate various shapes. One figure can be seen sitting in front of a large metal box that holds something you can't quite make out. Another stands next to what you assume to be Harold's cart, complete with his bathtub. Before you can look further, you feel Polka's hand cover yours that holds your ball of light, snuffing it out. She does the same for Flare and motions for you all to get lower to the ground.

"You all see this too right?" she whispers. "Do you or Undine sense anything? Anything…watery?"

You close your eyes and try to do as Polka asks. It has not been something you could do intentionally so far, the presence of water has always made itself known to you without your asking. To your own surprise you do feel…something. It is certainly different from lake water or even the sea, but there isn't a doubt in your mind that it is something connected to water on a magical level.

"It's Uisce." Undine almost gasps. "She's just up ahead. I know it."

"Me too…" Harold says as he attempts to spring upward before you quickly push him back down.

"Old man you gotta chill." you say sternly. "Let's get closer first. They'll see you coming from this far away. We don't know what they want with Uisce yet."

"Anon's right." Flare adds. "We might put her in more danger if we go in without a plan."

"Fine." Harold grumbles. "So how do we get closer then?"

That was a good question. While the dark of the night hid you all within the borders of this camp, you will be noticed the second you step into the light of this camp.

"Alright Polka. Got anything in that hat of yours that will keep us out of sight?" you ask.

"Nope. My hat of tricks is better for bringing attention to myself than preventing it." Polka says as she shakes her head.

"So it has its limits after all." you chuckle. "Pretty much all my spells bring a lot of attention to myself too."

Before you can further consider your options, voices start to carry over from the camp.

"Did you two finally capture the water spirit like I told you to!?" a girl's voice comes, it is almost as though it was speaking through something, the pitch was slightly distorted.

"Y-Yes we have." a more soft-spoken woman's voice answers. "My deepest apologies for the delay…there were a few…setbacks."

"You really should have had it all packed up and ready to be picked up days ago." the distorted voice scolds. "Was it really that hard to get just one little water spirit? All you had to do was yank her by the ears and carry her out of the mountain. What was so hard about that!?"

"F-Forgive me! We had to make alterations to the plan when we learned she would die without water! A-And then she fell into the lake, and then the cart was too wide to get through the forest, and then-"

"Stop it, stop it!" the voice replies, growing more shrill and angry. "I don't care about your bumbling! You bring that spirit to the pick up spot in the morning so I can finally study it and bring something actually worthwhile to the organization. Does that sound simple enough for you?"

"Y-Yes Miss Koyori. We will do as you ask."

"If you're going to insist on being so formal all the time, the least you can do is call me Doctor Koyori! I am too brilliant to be some lowly 'Miss'."

"Sorry…"

"Whatever. Koyori out."

Just what was that exchange you just heard? One thing is clear though, whoever the two people in that camp are, they took Uisce. Another piece of good information is that whoever had the strange sounding voice wants to study the water spirit. She also comes across as someone that did not tolerate failure, so Uisce is likely unharmed.

The brief silence is cut off by the sound of a fist slamming against metal.

"That twisted hound!" the once soft-spoken voice snarls. "She has no idea what we went through for her. This entire mission has been one nightmare after another. She has no right to talk to us like that!"

"I know Koyori can be a bit of a pain sometimes, but you can't let her get to you so much." a new, kinder voice responds. "What matters now is that we finally got the spirit and can bring her back with us tomorrow. No more worries right?"

"I guess so…I just wish she would be nicer to us. We're all on the same team after all."

"We get picked on because we're newer. Once we get more members and do more jobs they will start treating us better!"

As the two strangers continue to converse with one another you start to consider what action to take. You are already on a time limit, Uisce would be gone in the morning, so there is no coming back later with backup or anything. These two alone had the strength to clear a path in the forest for themselves, but on the other hand it sounds like they're just a couple of goons.

"This is ridiculous!" Harold growls as he stands up. "I'm not gonna let some basket cases take my wife for some research project!"

Before you can stop Harold, he darts off towards the camp. Oh well. You're much better at tackling problems directly anyway.

"Uisce!" Harold yells as his approach alerts the two strangers. "Your Harold's found you! It's all alright now!"

"H-Harold!?" a softer and more reserved woman's voice gasps from the bathtub.

The two girls, who are much shorter up close, step in front of the cart that holds Uisce and the bathtub she sits in to halt Harold's advance. Your group brings up the rear and you finally get a look at the supposed kidnappers.

A blond haired girl wearing an open cream colored coat, that flows just past her waist. A pattern depicting clouds in the color of mint appears near the ends of the spacious sleeves. The same pattern can be seen in turquoise on the skirt that she wears. A white long sleeved shirt appears to be held to her small frame by a belt at her midsection, which is also open to reveal a white chest wrap attempting to keep her chest contained. White stockings run all the way down her legs and over her feet which stand upon strapped sandals. Your eyes finally meet the long sheathed sword she carries on her back, as she raises one of her hands to its hilt. Her light blue eyes stare at you all cautiously.

The girl next to her could not have more dissimilar clothing. Her wavy silver hair curled ever so slightly below her neck, while her prominent bangs cover most of her forehead. They would be covering her forehead, that is, if a black mask with solid white eyes was not already doing that. A black leather hood, that sports a pattern meant to depict the same solid whites as her mask drapes over her head, red and black plaid bows adorn its sides. An open leather jacket starts below her bare shoulders, the cuffs at both ends are folded over to reveal a plush red interior. Two separate belt straps hold the tops of the sleeves around their owner's arms. A simple but lacey white blouse, held close by another belt around her breasts, and two overlapping around her midsection, sits just above a black and red plaid skirt. Gaterbelts hold see through stockings in place along her legs, one of which has clearly seen better days due to all the holes in it. High rise black leather boots cover her feet while she is given an extra half a foot of height thanks to the red heels that sit below them. Like her companion she also sported black fingerless gloves.

"Not another step." the blond one demands as she unsheathes her sword, revealing the curved single edged blade.

"Now you listen here you little trouble makers!" Harold barks. "I don't know what you're up to, and I don't care, but that is my wife you kidnapped and I'll be taking her back with me. I'm only going to warn you once."

"This…water spirit, is your wife? Get a load of this guy Iroha! That's probably the funniest thing I heard all week." the one in the black remarks while giggling.

"We should not ridicule the preferences of others, Chloe. As outlandish and perverted as they might be." Iroha says, clearly adding her own skepticism to the fire.

Now you finally got to get a better look at Uisce. An aquamarine humanoid form a lot like Undine's sits within the bathtub. Her long green hair flows flat down her back, where you can see the slight glimmer of scales. She also has amphibian-like ears and her red lips were simply vibrant even in the artificial light of this camp. Her eyes looked at nothing else but Harold. All at once you can see hope, longing, and love, when she looks at him. Harold's eyes held more of the same, but with a twinge of fear for the situation they find themselves in. Even when being mocked they can think of no one else but each other.

"And what does that matter!?" you bark, unsheathing your own sword. "Where you might be from or what you look like isn't worth a damn when it comes to the feelings we have for each other. Anyone with eyes can see how much these two care for each other, and if you want to come between them, then we're gonna have a problem."

"Who the hell do you two think you are anyway!?" Polka joins in next to you. "Who the hell kidnaps someone from a clearly sacred place and shoves them in a bathtub?! She was waiting patiently for her husband to come back, you know?!"

"Well since you asked so nicely!" Chloe starts as she raises her arms in dramatics. "From within the shadows we work."

"From within the shadows we strike." Iroha joins in, almost begrudgingly.

"We are disaster."

"We are renewal."

"We will snuff out of the light from this world."

"So that all may revel in the light of darkness."

"I am its fixer and cleaner, Chloe Sakamata!"

"I am its bodyguard, Iroha Kazama."

"We are, HoloX" then they end in unison, both of them locked in dramatic battle poses.

"That's great and all." Harold sighs. "But I did say I don't really care. I just want to take my wife home. Are you gonna step aside or am I going to have to make you?"

"An old man? Taking on us?" Chloe mocks. "Sorry! But this little spirit is coming with us. She's gonna be crucial in some new project we got going. But if you really wanna try to take it from us. I've been kinda bored and itching to do some cleaning."

"Chloe." Iroha says, nudging her comrade. "Look at what is beside the younger human. She looks a lot like what we captured right?"

"Ohhhh. You're right Iroha! Looks like they have their own water spirit too! So what's your deal? Are you married too?"

Undine was practically boiling with anger beside you, you could feel it bubbling within you as well. In a flash her trident appears and she points it toward her aggressors.

"You will bite your tongue, defilers!" she declares. "I am the ruler of the waters, Undine. You have committed an act of transgression against one of my own. You will stand down and let us return Uisce to her rightful place, refuse, and the consequences will be severe!"

The command and power behind her voice makes the air shake in the night. You had never seen her so angry before, but who could blame her?

"L-Lady Undine? It's really you then?" Uisce says.

"It is Uisce, my child." Undine says softly. "I am sorry I have been gone for so long, but I have been brought back to this world by this young human. I am overjoyed beyond words to find that you are still here. Please be patient just a little longer, my friends and I will see you returned to your shrine safely."

"Did you mean child as in…your child?" Harold asks, unable to help his curiosity, you can admit to having the same question yourself.

"There will be time to properly explain all that later. For now we must focus on freeing Uisce." Undine answers.

"That's really great and all." Chloe starts. "But we aren't going to let you mess up this job. We worked too hard to finally get this spirit all nice and contained. You may have a water spirit that can walk on dry land with you, but that isn't gonna help you. Not against us."

"She has a name." Harold grumbles, his hands start to shake and glow with blue mana. "I won't tolerate anyone disrespecting my wife!"

Harold holds his hands in front of him and a torrent of water erupts from both his palms, aimed right at the pair. Nothing you could produce on your own could hold a candle to what Harold had just unleashed, he really was a master of his art.

Chloe steps in front of Iroha with a confident smirk. She begins to inhale as the water from Harold's spell approaches, and like a vacuum it all begins to funnel right into her mouth. With a hard gulp she swallows what was supposed to be a devastating attack.

"Tasty!" she chirps. "It's been a while since I got to drink some good magic made water."

"C-Can a person even drink that much at once?" Polka asks stunned.

While you are all shocked at the display you just witnessed, Chloe begins to make her next move. With another strong inhale she gathers her own mana before exhaling a rush of water the size of a river toward you all. Polka and yourself manage to jump out of its way before it can make contact. You look back and see Watame and Flare safely in Undine's arms who stayed to protect them, Harold however, was struggling to keep his head above water.

Okay, so this is an enemy who can neutralize water attacks and toss them right back at you. That may be slightly panic inducing, but you can bounce back from this.

"You good Polka? That tail of yours still dry enough so you can fight?" you say, hoping a joke will help lighten the situation.

"Yeah, yeah it's fine!" she answers, taking her cane sword from out of her hat and readying it. "Let's get these jerks Anon!"

The two of you charge forward, you may not be able to use water magic against this Chloe girl, but there was more to you than just water. As you close in on your foe the sound of steel shattering fills your ears. You turn and see Polka flying backward, her sword in pieces in the air in front of her. The girl called Iroha stood ducked with his sword at her side. She was able to break Polka's sword just like that? You didn't even see her move forward either.

The growing panic in your gut is interrupted by Chloe's firm fist, knocking the wind right out of you. A second steady blow to your midsection sends you flying backward as you roll against the ground. It feels like your bones could be breaking. This girl was as strong as Noel was!

"Polka! Are you okay?" you shout between coughs.

A groan is all you're answered with. You pick yourself up and spit some blood out of your mouth. You rush to your circus fox expecting the worst, but thankfully she was not cut anywhere.

"These two are nuts." you say as you lift Polka up to a sitting position. "What the hell happened Polka?"

"I wish I knew…" she grumbles. "It was like a flash of lightning, she was just suddenly in front of me. I didn't even see her fully draw her sword before it was all over."

"Anon! Polka!" Watame's voice comes as everyone else hurries back to join you.

"Just what the hell are we dealing with?" Harold asks as he sees the shape you and Polka are in. "Here, I'm not the best when it comes to attacks, but my skills in support magic have gotten my comrades and I out of more than our fair share of tight spots."

Harold holds his hands above you and Polka as the dim glow from his mana starts to envelop you both. It was a feeling similar to the healing magic you received from the elves, but this was somehow more invigorating. Polka springs to her feet and takes you along with her. You almost feel like you didn't just get slugged twice by someone who could probably punch holes through stone.

"Wow this is awesome Harold! Thanks!" you exclaim.

"You can thank me after we've won." the old man scoffs.

"I implore you all to leave!" Iroha shouts at you. "There is no reason for you to lose your lives over just one spirit."

"Do you really want to scare them off Iroha?" Chloe interjects. "Since the boy got back up, I'm gonna have some more fun with him. Besides, Koyori said to make sure no one catches us, remember?"

"I think we get a say in this too!" you add as you take out your spell book. These two might be powerful, but you won't let anything stop Harold and his wife from being reunited. The book shines brightly in your grip, your strengthening resolve building its power higher and higher.

"And here's my answer for you two! Stellar!"

The stellar spell produces an even stronger blast of starlight than usual as it flies toward your enemies. Chloe steps in front of her comrade and braces herself with her arms locked in front of her chest as the spell collides with her. The dust clears to show her still standing firm, but your eyes do catch that her legs shake a little as they restabilize.

Iroha steps to the side, her stance is low and she looks ready to draw her sword again. Her eyes lock on you with purpose as you can feel something coming. With the speed of lightning her sword is pulled from its sheath as the blade flies in front of her. A bright light flies forth toward you, this girl is able to turn the energy from her own blade into projectile weapons!

"Stellashield!" you shout. The shield of starlight appears in front of you just in time to block the crescent slash. The impact against your spell shudders through your body as you will your shield to stay intact.

"What a curious technique." Iroha remarks. "My slash usually can pierce right through spells of mana."

"The first one didn't feel like mana either." Chloe adds. "I wanna beat him up even more now. He's mine, so don't touch him okay?"

"Alright everyone." you start. "Our top priority is getting Uisce and bringing her back safely to the shrine. Who wants to help me keep those two busy?"

"Count me in!" Polka answers. "That sword of mine might have been an old hand me down, but I'm gonna pay that girl back in spades for it."

"Are you really sure about this kid?" Harold asks. "Shouldn't we all attack at once?"

"We need to get Uisce out of here." you answer. "The longer she's here the worse things are gonna get back at Bjornholm. Every second counts. The ground has almost had it because of the rain. Plus, if we split their focus they will be that much easier to beat right?"

"That…kinda makes sense." Harold says before chuckling. "You might have a knack for this after all, kid. All right, count me in too."

"Thanks, I think. Then that leaves Watame, Flare and Undine to rescue Uisce, and I can't think of a better team to do that."

"Summoner, are you sure?" Undine asks. "I would prefer to help you defeat these opponents."

"I know Undine, but since one of them can just suck up any water spells we throw at them, that unfortunately takes away a bit of our arsenal. I need you to help protect and cover Flare and Watame so you can get Uisce out of here. Once Watame and Flare get a safe distance away, we can join up and finish things."

"We'll do it Anon!" Watame says, showing her confidence in your plan. "I'll use my combat sheep strength to pull that cart all the way back to the mountain!"

"I know you will Watame! Alright, here we go!"

Converting the energy stored in your shield to light that shines in your fist, time to try something a little different.

"Stellaruke!" you shout. The spell takes the extra energy you gathered and puts it toward the enhancement spell like you hoped. The veil of starlight around your body is brighter and thicker than it ever has been before, this should put you on more even ground with that hooded brawler.

Polka prepares herself as well, from her hat she pulls out a black baton, the top of it is adorned with what looks to be a little ball shaped fox wearing a top hat.

"My magic works much better when I use this anyway!" she beams. "Plus it's more fitting of a circus fox like myself than that sword was."

"I'll take your word for it, Polka. I'm gonna go hard and fast at the one in the mask. Remember, I got your back when you need me okay?"

"Likewise Anon! Let's show this HoloX or whatever they call themselves how we party!"

The two of you charge forward together with burning resolve. The power of the spell that envelops your body lets you close the distance between you and Chloe in a flash. You bring your sword down from above to strike, she is quick to guard herself with her forearms that glowed with a deep blue mana coat. It was like trying to slash through steel as your blade was deflected the instant it makes contact.

The solid white eyes of her mask can't tell you exactly where she is looking next, but your instincts scream at you to move. A quick step backward is all that saves you from what might have been another devastating blow to your gut. It was time to show what your own mana coats could do! The life and focus of water take form around your sword as you slash for Chloe's midsection. Your blade is stopped short of its mark as it grinds against a thick dagger that now occupies Chloe's grip. It looks like she pulled one out of its holding place from inside her coat.

"Not bad." she taunts as she begins to slowly lose ground against your own strength. "It's bad news that you like to use water too though. Even your mana coats aren't safe from me."

With a small inhale, all the mana you had gathered around your sword funnels straight into her mouth. With a giggle and a hard push, she breaks your clash as you stumble backwards. You regain your footing in frustration and look at your opponent smiling back at you smugly. It was bound to happen at some point, an enemy who would be strong against your water magic. You were just hoping it didn't happen until you had a better handle on more types of magic.

Polka is not faring much better than you are. Iroha's quick reflexes are so quick that all the fox can manage to do is use her flexibility and agility to dodge her attacks. You see a slash, meant to cut her in two, miss its mark by a mere second, as Polka created a small spring pad to launch her to safety next to you.

"I see you're having fun too." you say sarcastically.

"This girl is crazy fast Anon." Polka says between haggard breaths. "How do we get ourselves out of this one?"

As Chloe and Iroha start to close in again, not willing to give you any reprieve, several beams of magic fly downward from overhead toward them. They hit the ground with a crash, as dust and dirt blow past you.

Harold stands closer to you both now with his hands raised. The stellaruke spell wearing off is a sign that you need to regroup. Polka shares the same sentiment as you both back up to meet Harold.

"Thanks for the save, old man." you say as you switch back to your spell book.

"You made it sound like you had this grand plan earlier, but all you did was try to meet those two monsters head on." Harold scolds you. "The rest of your friends are going to try to take the long way around. So if you got any actual ideas for how to keep those two away from Uisce long enough for a rescue to happen, I'm all ears."

It was a tough situation to be sure. The samurai can easily dance circles around any of you, your only hope to meet that kind of speed is through spirit resonance AND the stellaruke spell. The spirit resonance might not even work if that other girl can just suck the water magic out of you. It dawns on you that maybe you are not the best strategist, so far you've been able to just power through your problems with strength, teamwork, and a bit of luck.

"Polka, what do you think we should do?" you ask.

"Hmmm…" Polka hums. "Can I borrow those arms of yours? We can pull them away from the bathtub so the others can get to it."

Polka begins to channel her mana into her baton as the entire length begins to glow a bright pink. She begins to swing it above her as the pink light starts to expand past its head. A few more motions and a giant lasso of pink mana is ready for action. In her usual flair, Polka casts her trap toward Chloe and Iroha, who can only watch as the pink light dances in the night. Iroha looks ready to cut the magical rope in two, but before she can act Polka commands the circle to enclose, wrapping tightly at the shoulders of both of its prey and pulling them together.

"Now Anon! Grab and pull!" Polka shouts.

Gripping the magical light, you do what the fox asks, and yank towards you with all you have. The sudden pull causes Iroha to start to fall forward, but Chloe digging her heels into the dirt keeps her from going too far. You and Polka try to pull against the immense might of your opponent, who was slowly coming closer, but not quickly enough. You could see that Chloe was already trying to break free of the bright binding, you can hear Polka strain to keep it together.

Suddenly Chloe's struggle against you begins to waiver, you are actually pulling her closer now. You feel strong, surprisingly strong. To your side you see Harold focusing another spell on you and Polka, the faint glow and feeling of magic covers your arms and chest.

"This is great!" Polka cheers. "I feel like I have the strength of ten Polkas!"

"Just get the job done!" Harold says. "This isn't exactly easy to keep going on two people at once you know."

"You heard the man Anon! Let's take these two for a ride!"

Together, you both give the rope one last hard yank, which finally causes Chloe to lose her footing and fall forwards with Iroha into the dirt. Suddenly Polka turns around and starts to book it.

"Come on Anon! Let's go!" she calls.

With no other ideas you follow behind her, pulling your catch with you. You can hear Chloe curse and scream at you as she slides along the ground.

"Go on to Uisce Harold!" you say to the old man. "We'll be fine! She's waiting for ya!"

He takes your invitation with a smile as he heads toward his wife, where Watame, Flare, and Undine can be seen approaching as well, making good use of the opening Polka had helped create.

"Anon! My magic isn't gonna hold them for much longer!" Polka calls back to you.

Chloe was frantic with rage, undoubtedly making that impressive strength of hers even more dangerous. The pink binding is quickly being spread apart until she is able to maneuver her hands to take a grip on it directly. It was apparently your turn to go for a ride now as she pulls back hard, stopping you and Polka instantly as you fall backwards onto your butts.

"That was pretty clever for a couple of clowns." Chloe grumbles as she picks herself and Iroha off the ground. "You're both in for it now though!"

It is probably just your brain panicking and playing tricks on you, but you can swear you see the whites eyes on her mask furrow in anger toward you. Another stellar spell would just be guarded against, and your sword would bounce off those mana coats of hers, your water blasting spell was also useless at this point, she would just eat it and talk about how tasty it is. Did you have literally anything else to try? Subconsciously you dig into your pockets for something, anything that could help or give you an idea, when you feel the grainy texture of that clump of dirt you pocketed when you first arrived in Bjornholm.

"Iroha, get back to the spirit! I'll finish off these jokers." Chloe growls as her fists begin to glow with mana.

It's crazy, but this just might work, you think to yourself as you clench all the dirt in your pocket within your fist and begin to channel your mana into it.

"You might not want to do that." you say, in unsure confidence. "Your friend is gonna need your help after I completely destroy her with this spell."

"A-Anon!?" Polka asks. "You're not really gonna use a water spell on her right!? Right?!"

"You're damn right I am!" you answer as the blue magic around your fist grows larger and larger. This was going to be your biggest one yet, all the training you've done with Undine and Flare is going to come through right here. "I think our masked friend here knows she's not ready for this. She's so not ready!"

"If you really think that. Then bring it on! I can already tell from the mana you have that it's gonna be water! You can't trick me at this point. I'll swallow every last drop. Then we'll see who's not ready!"

This is it, this is going to be what helps you swing things in your favor. Let's shut this girl up.

"You got a good handle on water, but you sure as hell don't respect it like you should." you snap, letting the storm in your heart build. "I'm just the guy to teach you though. Chew on this if you think you can handle it!"

With a step forward you extend your first toward Chloe and open it, a jet of water surges forward, big enough to blast both of them away. Chloe stands firm with confidence at your oncoming attack, ready to neutralize it like all the rest. She begins to inhale as the water changes direction to flow into her, but just as she takes that first gulp, her mouth clenches and tightens. She begins to choke violently, trying desperately to expel something that did not belong from her throat. The lapse in concentration is all you need to take back control of your spell and bring the waters crashing down onto your foes.

Polka looks on in shock at the fact your spell actually made contact. Now that the two are in the waters you created, it was time to crank things up. With a heavy swing of your arm and will, you force the water to lift itself into the air, only to come crashing back down onto your opponents. You breathe heavily from the magical exertion, but you can't help but feel pride in the spell you created.

Now, Chloe and Iroah are coughing as they lay on the wet earth after the water recedes.

"You jerk!" Chloe screeches. "That was just plain dirty!"

"Anon? What did you do?" Polka asks, curious to how your spell actually succeeded and what the masked girl meant.

"It's just like she says." you shrug. "It was dirty alright. Actual dirt."

Polka bursts out laughing at the realization of what you meant.

"That's hilarious!" she cries, slapping her knee. "You actually made her eat dirt! That'll teach her to overhydrate huh!?"

"Stop laughing!" Chloe demands. "You two are so dead! Iroha! Help me shut them up for good!"

Iroha slowly gets up after finally getting her breath back and looks back toward their camp, the spirit they had worked so hard to capture was gone.

—-

Harold raced toward where his wife was effectively trapped as you and Polka ran off with your enemies in tow. Without the strengthening spell being cast he knows you might not be able to buy him much more time. He cannot look back, he can not waste this chance that two brave kids are trying to give him. The old man's legs burn and strain to carry him faster, he was getting so close, he could see Uisce looking back at him. Harold could hear you saying something in the distance, he could feel the water gathering in the air, he thought it had to be some desperate attempt to buy just a little more time.

As Harold approaches the cart carrying the bathtub that carries his wife, the sound of crashing water echoes in the night, he still does not look back, the face of his beloved being the only thing on his mind. Finally face to face with Uisce, they are reunited. Harold could cry he was so happy, Uisce looks ready to do the same. Not needing words, they touch their foreheads to one another. Fear and anxiety disappear like bubbles. It was all going to be alright now.

"Let's get you home, Uisce." Harold says softly, as Watame, Undine, and Flare join them.

—-

"Chloe! The sheep!" Iroha gasps and points at a certain fluffy sheep as she races towards the forest pulling the cart behind her.

Torn between two sources of anger, Chloe can't decide where to go next. She steps towards you, and then towards the escaping spirit, then towards you again growling, and then back again with a panicked yell.

"I'll make this real easy for ya." you say as you take out your spell book. "You and me are gonna finish what we started. I'm not gonna let you go after them."

"Fine!" Chloe snaps. "I'll just kill you and then find your friends. Not like we don't already know where they're going to be right?"

"That is true." Iroha agrees, her calm slowly returning. "They will have nowhere else to go but the shrine. We will retrieve the spirit after we ensure that you both will not be in our way."

"Bring it on! Polka and I can take you both on!"

"That's right! We can't lose to people so heartless that they would try to keep two people in love apart!" Polka says taking a firm stance beside you. "If your little group is all about taking the smiles away from people like that, then I have no choice but to stop you!"

"Whatever." Chloe scoffs. "I'm gonna enjoy punching your lights out! Whatever your name is!"

You shout the stellaruke spell and switch to your sword as Chloe charges you. Just managing to block her right hook with the flat of your sword, you struggle to keep yourself steady, it was really no holds barred now.

Iroha steps forward to join Chloe assault on you before Polka cuts her off. Her sword was already drawn as this is what she hoped for, but Polka was not going to be so slow on the uptake either. With a flick of her hat, a small pink ball drops onto the ground and erupts into a cloud of pink smoke. The swordswoman jumps back, unsure if the gas could be dangerous or not. Polka then springs toward you, her free hand clenched to a fist that glowed with an impressive purple flair. She lands a punch right into Chloe's cheek, freeing you from your clash.

"Let's go Anon! I'm making this my show and I need a top notch assistant!" She says to you with her hand open to you. You smile and take it as the smoke covers you both. Leave it to Polka to turn a life or death fight into a show.

She pulls you both out of the cloud of smoke as she begins to scan the area to make sure your foes have not run off.

"Alright Anon. It's time for another magic crash course. If we wanna win this we need to use our mana to the best of our abilities. Which means you'll need to strengthen yourself with mana coats. You get what I'm saying right? It's time you increased your variety."

"You mean with light magic don't you? But can I really make mana coats with that magic yet? I was only able to manage water because I'm able to put into words how it makes me feel."

"Just do the same with starlight you dummy." Polka chirps. "I noticed how long you would stay above deck just to look at the stars while we sailed here. You can't tell me you don't feel something special from that like you do from water."

Polka has a good point. Why should making a mana coat out of starlight be any harder than water? The stars also always gave you comfort, they were a reminder of just how vast this world can be. They are also a symbol of hope for you. It was time to turn that hope into action. You recast the stellaruke spell on yourself again, if you are able to make a mana coat of starlight, you can hopefully pull another fast one over Chloe.

Closing your eyes, you focus on what the stars mean to you, their light, their guidance, their infinite number and possibilities. In a small flash the mana responds to your feelings and a sleek cover of starlight covers your fist.

"See!? Nothing's impossible for a student of Omaru Polka!" she praises you. "And no enemy is unstoppable either! Now hop on!"

With a twirl of her baton towards the ground, a small trampoline appears. You happily jump on next to Polka and you two are sent high above the cloud of smoke that was just starting to dissipate. Iroha is below you both and looks above at you in brief surprise, but quickly readies her sword again.

"Coming at me from above will be your last mistake." she snaps.

"How about the sides then!?" Polka retorts as she twists her body so that her feet are planted against your arm. With a mighty push, she sends you on a different course while sending herself to the ground faster at an angle. You are now dropping towards a raving mad girl in a mask, she grinned to welcome you back.

You raise your fist to meet hers as you fall toward her, the mana around both your fists sparks in the exchange.

"Another mana coat huh!?" she remarks. "You're just full of surprises aren't you? A shame I have to kill you. A cute boy like you with such unique abilities would do well in HoloX, and I would finally have someone to boss around."

"Forgive me if the feeling isn't mutual." you retort, gripping your spell book tightly in your other hand as you let the veil of starlight fall. In a swift motion you grab Chloe's balled fist in your palm as your spell book shines brightly. A look of shock paints her masked face. "Stellar."

The point blank blast from your palm sends you both flying backward, you did not really think this through. You slide right beside a pair of slender legs in white stockings, and immediately have to roll as a sword almost finds its way through your head. Having been in as many life or death situations as you have already still does not help the feeling of the blood leaving your face after being mere fractions of a second from death.

Iroha makes another slash for you as you spring to your feet. The blade catches your arm, ripping through your clothes and drawing blood easily.

"Hey! You leave my assistant alone!" Polka barks. She steps forward to meet Iroha again in battle, but not before rolling her hat down her arm and into her hand. She waves it across her body in a flourish and playing cards begin to fly out of it. The deck encircles and closes in on Iroha, who stands unsure what might come next. With a flick of Polka's wrist, one of the cards zips past Iroha's cheek, drawing blood.

You are enthralled by this display, you had no idea Polka could control simple playing cards to be weapons. It's so cool! Something in the corner of your eye breaks your focus from Polka's cardplay as you just dodge another blade meant for your face. Chloe had thrown one of those daggers you saw earlier at you, and was now barreling toward you.

Another stellar spell leaves your lips as you try to keep Chloe at bay. She takes the blast of starlight in full stride, not letting anything keep her from her prey. Polka's cards are swiftly cut to pieces by Iroha's lightning fast sword strikes. Shoulder to shoulder, you grab Polka and push her behind you, as you hold out your hand for an emerging stellashield spell that blocks the pair of enemies that lunged toward you.

A joint strike from the two of them shatters your shield instantly. Polka acts quickly and conjures something behind you both. She pulls you by the arm and throws you inside a canon! You hear the lighting of a fuse as your space suddenly becomes more cramped.

"You really couldn't have made this thing a little bigger?" you grumble as Polka's foot digs into your shoulder.

"No time. Now hang on!"

"To what?!" you ask as the canon erupts, sending you both flying through the air towards the forest.

The ground is quickly approaching as you notice a bright flash of color come from Polka yet again. You feel her arm wrap around your chest as she pulls you closer to her. This clever fox somehow managed to create a trapeze swing attached to one of the nearby trees. As you both swing around the massive tree trunk you can't help but wonder if this is what it feels like to fly. It was simply exhilarating.

Polka lets go of the trapeze bar once you are within a safe falling distance.

"That was really quick thinking Polka!" you say. "But now what? In a few seconds we'll be back in the same situation."

"Not exactly the same." Polka says smugly.

She was technically right, the world around you at the edge of the forest was much darker save for what moonlight could peak through the tall trees. Not everyone has eyes that can see as well in the dark as hers after all, and using your spell book in any way would give away your position instantly. With a second to collect yourself you begin to feel what exactly Polka meant. Undine was nearby!

"Let me guess…kitsune eyes?" you say dully.

"No flies on you!" Polka answers. "Now we got backup, so why don't you give our new friends something to run toward?"

Going along with her plan you grip your spell book tightly and begin to funnel power into it. You couldn't be sure what exactly the plan was, but you trust your friends, and that's all that matters.

"Think you can just escape!? We can see you dummy!" Chloe's voice shrieks. It is just too easy to bait her, isn't it? You almost feel bad…almost.

The two girls run toward you, fueled with purpose and rage, but you keep your book shining as a beacon. The next thing you feel is the rising and rushing of water up ahead. Waves from both sides of Iroha and Chloe form and come crashing down on them before they have a chance to react. It carries them a short distance further back into their camp before Chloe's anger fuels her own magic to push the water away from her and her comrade.

Undine and Harold step into view in front of you. It is time for another counterattack.

"Glad you both could make it." you say, genuinely happy to be close to Undine again.

"We can never be that far apart anyway, summoner." Undine says as a joke.

"And some people would try to tell me Uisce and I are locked at the hip." Harold chuckles. "This summoner pact thing you got going might have that beat though. You kids did a good job stalling by the way. Thanks for that. Truely."

"I kinda thought we were on the slow and steady path to victory." Polka argues. "I still have a few good tricks up my sleeve we could have used."

"We may still need those tricks, Polka." Undine says. "Our foes are coming back."

"Let's end this then." you say. "They said they wanted to learn a little more about spirits. Why don't you and me teach them just what we're capable of when we work together?"

"I would very much enjoy teaching them that lesson. I am ready when you are, summoner." Undine says as she walks to your side.

You grin and hold up your hand that she grips tightly. Your goals and feelings align which sparks the spirit resonance to take hold. Switching to your sword you marvel at the deep connection to the water you now feel. You can now also sense another presence, farther away, was that Uisce?

"Damn kid…the story you told about it doesn't do it justice." Harold says in awe. "It's really both of you in there huh?"

"Sure is!" Polka answers for you. "Unlike last time, I'm not gonna let you do this alone. I got your back, you and Undine both!"

"If you really wanna get back in the fray, you might need this." Harold says as he walks towards Polka while weaving a spell.

Water appears in the air around Polka before converging into a soft blue light around her body. Transport armor made of clear blue magic begins to take shape around her. A set of armguards, shoulderpads, shin guards, and finally a breastplate. Although it was all see through, you can make out lettering and symbols similar to the ones that made up parts of Uisce's shrine. Polka is amazed at her transformation and the supposed feeling it brought with it.

"I call this one the armor of Uisce." Harold says proudly. "It bundles every single magical enhancement I can come up with into one fashion statement. It won't last forever, so you gotta get the job done quickly, but with the power this baby will give ya, who needs more time right?"

"I feel awesome!" Polka says jumping at least ten feet into the air. "Check me out Anon! Now I'm the champion of a water spirit too!"

"It suits you quite nicely, Polka." Undine says fondly.

"Thanks Undine! I think so too! Now let's go kick some ass!"

With a burst of water at your heels, you spring forward to bring the fight to HoloX. Once again your sword meets Chloe's mana coated arms in a fierce clash. Iroha looks to flank you but is stopped by Polka's impressive new speed. She too clashes against Iroha's sharp blade with the shaft of her baton.

Even with your respective boosts of power, you both still struggle to overpower your opponents. You also notice a strange draining feeling, when you see Chloe's mouth open slightly while she inhales.

Summoner! She is able to drain the power of water that fuels our resonance!

This was not too surprising, but troubling all the same. Extending your will alongside Undine's you create water around Chloe's feet to grab hold of her and pull her back along its current. The sudden shift surprises her for a second but she quickly regains her footing and becomes unmoved by your waters.

Polka was at least starting to fare better than you, as you catch her creating a catapult right under Iroha and throwing her further back toward the camp. She gives you an encouraging smile and wink as she races to remeet her opponent. Go get her Polka.

Chloe is already back in your face as she lands a hard punch to your jaw, sending you stumbling back. She gives you no time to fight back with another strong step forward she lands another blow to the other side of your face. You try to bring your sword up to stop her, but the heels of her boots knock it right out of your grip. A swift kick to your chest is what you feel next and you onto your back. Turns out heels hurt like hell when they get pressed into you.

"What a pain you are!" Chloe spits. "We're gonna be up all night now getting that little spirit back. I was ready to finally relax."

"Well." you manage to say after spitting out a little more blood. "So sorry we inconvenienced your little kidnapping. Don't you even care that Uisce is someone's wife!?"

"I wasn't told it was some old man's wife!" she yells back. "I followed my orders, and my orders were to obtain the water spirit that was said to live in that mountain."

"Your little organization or whatever you call it, is really messed up." you groan as you get back up to your feet. "I'm not gonna stand by and let you have your way."

"You're not going to be standing at all soon. Your little book spells don't pack enough punch to hurt me, and water is basically useless against me. Just give up and let me put you out of your misery."

"You're right about one thing. They aren't enough to beat you…on their own anyway." you respond as you take out your spell book, your resolve to stop this girl's schemes at all costs fuels its power further.

"But together." Undine starts. "We can break past your defenses and punish you for your misdeeds!"

"Try taking a bite out of this one if you can! Stellar!"

A large beam of starlight erupts from your open palm, but is now accompanied by a spiral of water around it thanks to Undine. The concentrated blast of dual magic hits Chloe dead on as she puts up her guard. Water and starlight glitter in the night air in the aftermath.

As the air clears you see the masked girl on her knees, groaning as she pushes herself up. That last attack took more out of her than you could have hoped, one side of her mask was now completely gone, revealing a scarlet eye that stared at you in defiance.

She begins her next move as she inhales deeply, and with her exhale comes a torrent of water. She must be getting desperate, you think as you and Undine stop the water dead in its tracks in front of you. You fail to notice that Chloe had jumped into the water she created and was now already emerging in front of you, one of her daggers tight in her grip.

A searing pain is all you feel next, as she plunges the dagger into your shoulder. In a panic, Undine pushes the suspended water away, but Chloe is quick to jump out and deliver a powerful kick to your chest.

With you on your back again, reeling from the flaring pain in your body caused by the foreign object, Chloe kicks your side hard. She kicks again, and again. Even with the spirit resonance strengthening your body, you feel your body pulse with pain.

Through squinted eyes you see Chloe look at something ahead of her before she jumps back. Rays of light chase her until you hear the crash from their impact. The rush of rising water comes next, as Undine erects a temporary barrier to hopefully give you some reprieve.

"Hold on kid. You'll be alright." Harold's voice comes as you feel his hand grab ahold of the dagger that's still lodged in you. "Grit your teeth for this one." He says next before suddenly pulling the weapon out of you.

You wanted to scream from the pain, but your ribs on the verge of breaking make that hard too. Suddenly the hot pain in your body begins to cool down, your vision becomes clear again, your breathing less intense. You could not stave off your curiosity as you looked to your wound, which was already beginning to close itself under a comforting blue light.

"Thanks again…Harold." You manage to say.

"That girls a monster." he says back. "It would take something massive to put her down for the count."

"I might have just the thing."

"Then why haven't you used it yet you lunatic?! Do you like getting beat up or something?! I'm not gonna judge you if you do, but there's a time and a place for everything kid…"

"What? Goodness no! It's just a spell I haven't exactly used on my own yet. Flare has been the only person to cast it so far."

"Oh…well that's better I suppose. What do you need, kid?"

"Just Polka back here where she won't be in its line of fire. Undine, do we have enough left for a few more combination spells?"

"Yes, I believe so, but between our efforts and the damage you have endured, I'm afraid our resonance will not last much longer."

"Alright, we're gonna keep hitting Chloe with everything we got, and get the word to Polka that I'm going to end this with the fifth spell. It's the best chance we have left."

"We might wanna hurry kid. The girl who clearly has it out for you decided to head back to her friend by the look of things."

Fueled with panic, you and Undine race forward as she lets the wall of water fall. Chloe was definitely heading towards where Polka and Iroha were fighting.

"Stellar!" You shout. A spiraling beam of water and starlight causes Chloe to stop her advance and meet your attack head on with her own mana coated fists.

You see Polka and Iroha turn their attention toward you. Thankfully Polka looks relatively unharmed, worse for wear sure, but no visible wounds is definitely a good sign. The spell Harold had cast on her is fading fast too, even though Polka is keeping her opponent on the ropes, the tide could quickly change once that spell wore off.

"Polka!" You yell. "It's time for the fifth spell!"

Her face flashes with excitement at the sound of this. You wish you could be as excited for this, since you know the spell will likely be the last move you can make, if you can even make it work on your own.

"That's my queue to leave!" Polka says cheerily to Iroha. "I would not wanna be in your shoes right now though, hopefully see you never!"

Giving Polka another stellar spell alongside Undine's waters, you cover her exit from her fight as she hops, skips, and vaults over to you. This leaves Chloe and Iroha in front of you, perfect.

"Undine! Let's push them further away. Everything we got left!"

Using a final burst of power from your spirit resonance, you and Undine create a tidal wave that descends upon the pair from HoloX. Chloe is quick to step in front of her comrade and begin to try and inhale all of your waters, but even she can't stop the wrath of the ocean in its tracks. The resonance then ends with a glittering flash, Undine nods to you, believing in your victory like she always has. It was time, time to unleash the power of the fifth spell.

You think about what is riding on this, the safety of Bjornholm and its people, the safety of your friends, and the pure love and happiness of two people. The spell book in your hands shines brighter and brighter. Whoever this HoloX really is, they are dangerous, cruel, and twisted.

"What a dumb move!" Chloe barks. "You just gave me enough fuel to really drown you idiots!"

"Chloe…" Iroha says. "Look at the boy's book. We need to be ready for anything."

"Book schmook! That thing can't compare to either of us. He's standing there all tough and determined looking, but I'll knock him down again."

"You can try to knock me down all you want!" you retort. "I'll just keep getting back up, again and again. You may only care about following orders for whatever sick goals you have, but my will to protect my friends and good people will trump that every time!"

Watame, Flare, Polka, Undine. I'll protect all of you. Please come out, fifth spell! Help me protect everyone!

"The fifth spell! Urou Stellaruga!" you yell as the book's light completely envelops you.

Just like at the master's tower, you can see nothing but silver-white light in front of you as the spell begins to take shape in the night sky. The light in your eyes begins to fade to let you see the shock and horror on Iroha's and Chloe's faces as they look up at the starlight bear that roars to the heavens. This feels so different than the first time the spell was cast, you feel like you are almost in full control of yourself, but you also feel displaced, almost like your mind is in two separate places at once.

"What the fuck!?" Chloe gasps.

"He hasn't made anything close to that before!" Iroha cries.

"Who cares!? I got a belly of prime water ready to go! I'll blast that dumb bear right out of the sky!"

With a deep breath Chloe gathers what is likely the last of her magic, as she blows a giant stream of water toward your spell. Without your conscious instruction, the bear lifts one of its mighty paws and slams it down toward the water, pushing and wading through it. A claw of starlight slams into the ground in front of the pair that makes the ground quake beneath them, Chloe's opposition is completely neutralized.

Iroha is next to act as she channels her will and mana into the blade of her sword. With a series of slashes, crescents of force fly at incredible speeds at your spell. Each one crashes into the mighty bear, but it is unwavering, unrelenting, it will crush its prey.

The foreign feelings start to come to surface again, almost primal in nature. You can think of nothing but crushing these two where they stand. You want to make sure they never try to hurt Uisce or Harold again. "Attack!" you call out in your own mind.

The bear roars in response and brings down another paw to squash the pair beneath it. Barely missing its mark, Iroha and Chloe are sent hurling backward from the impact.

"Finish it!" you hear yourself say with your own voice aloud.

With a final lunge, the giant bear of starlight crashes down toward its foes. Chloe stands in front of Iroha once more, her whole body radiating with mana. In a bright explosion of starlight and blue mana, the spell completes its journey.

The bear roars a cry of victory in the night before glittering into the night sky above. The light from your book fades completely as you feel yourself return to your full senses. Your legs are the next thing to go, and you fall flat onto your stomach.

Polka and Harold run to you to make sure you're alright, so you give them both a strained smile.

"Flare was not joking." you mutter. "That one REALLY takes it out of you. How did I do?"

"That was amazing Anon!" Polka says as she hoists your arm around her shoulders and lifts you up. "Did you get to see more of it that time?!"

"I actually did, but it still felt so weird. Like I was not myself, but also me at the same time."

"I don't mean to break up this little introspection, but the girl with the sword is getting up." Harold mentions as he points ahead. Iroha was struggling to her feet with help from her sword.

How is she still standing!? That spell took all you had and then some. Not even Gildmoore's most powerful magic could protect him from it.

She looks directly at you with defiant eyes, before darting back to Chloe who lays on the ground beside her.

Harold steps forward with his staff in his hands, he intends to finish things now.

"Wait a sec old man." you say. "You! Promise you'll never bother the water spirit that lives in the mountain again or the people of Bjornholm."

"Kid are you nuts!?" Harold hisses. "Do you think these are the type of people who just keep their promises?"

"I'm not gonna let you risk getting gutted over there. Besides, if you manage to kill them what do you think will happen next? What if the people above these two are even stronger? Why not just let them go? Do you really want them coming back?"

"They kidnapped and terrified my wife!"

"And we paid them back in spades for it." you argue. "You have my word that we will make sure Uisce stays protected from now on. Remember why I came here in the first place? If Bjornholm begins trade with the elves like I asked, they can count on each other for protection. The elves care about spirits like Uisce, you know!"

Conflict paints Harold's expression. He was at least considering your proposition, and despite how much he might not have liked it, it was apparently a sound argument. You just might have a knack for this whole reasoning thing, at least with people who are not insane.

"If you give me your word that no more harm will come to my comrade, we will leave." Iroha says. "My first priority is the safety of my fellow members. Nothing else matters. Not you, not the spirit. But know this, you have made a powerful enemy today. While we will not pursue the spirit of this region, I cannot make such promises regarding yourself. My darkness will not tolerate your interference in our affairs."

"I get the feeling we'd end up seeing more of each other anyway." you say back. "You can tell this darkness or whatever, that I'll always be more than ready to step up to stop whatever crazy plans you got."

Not saying anything else, Iroha gives you a slight bow as she lifts up Chloe over her shoulder and walks away. It is rather surprising she did not look back even once, like she knows you will actually keep your word and not try to blindside her.

"I hope you know what you're doing kid." Harold grumbles.

"Yeah Anon, are you really sure you just want to let them go?" Polka asks.

"It's the best bet to keep Bjornholm safe for now. Besides, if they want to try and fight us again, they will get to see how strong the rest of our friends are. They got nothing on us!"

"Damn right!" Polka says back to you. "I had that sword girl against the wall, you know. I think she was starting to lose her cool."

"You'll have to tell me all about it later, Polka. For now, I think we put off the old man's plans for tonight long enough already."

"Now you're finally making some sense. This is why I don't like to come out of retirement. I'm way too old for this shit."

Polka and Harold help you walk through the forest until more of the feeling comes back into your legs. Soon you are greeted by the welcome sight of the full moonlight shining over the lake of Bjornholm. It's breathtaking.

"This place is much better without all that rain!" Polka exclaims. "It looks like getting Uisce back home did the trick!"

"Careful kid, now that he knows you can deliver results the chief might not leave you alone." Harold says jokingly. "Though that also means he might finally leave me alone, so that might not be so bad after all, for me anyway."

"I'll just be sure to exaggerate some of your contributions then." you say back. "No reason for me to take all the glory after all."

"You would never be so cruel to a tired old man would you?" Harold says feigning distress.

"After what we saw you do today, I don't think you can keep playing the old man card." Polka chuckles.

"That doesn't mean I won't try."

Each step up the mountain path is more challenging than the last, but you keep lifting one leg after the other. You want to see this whole thing through and finally reunite Harold and Uisce in their rightful place, but you also want to see Watame and Flare again. Watame's voice up at the shrine's entrance calls down to you. She comes barreling down the path toward you with Flare slowly following behind.

"Anonnnn!" she yells happily as she crashes into you while wrapping you in a fluffy but tight hug. If it weren't for Polka firmly pushing you upward from behind, you would have easily fallen flat on your back.

"Watame!" you manage to get out from your tightening chest. "You're crushing me a little!"

She hears you, but still gives you one last squeeze before letting you go. "I'm just so happy that you're safe." she says as she looks at you with those deep purple eyes.

"Likewise. You two did it. Uisce is back and the rain is gone. I know I could count on you both."

"You honestly gave us the easy job." Flare says after giving Polka her own welcome back hug. "What exactly happened out there? We saw the fifth spell come out from over the trees. Did you manage to defeat those two?"

"Pretty much!" Polka says. "Those two are pretty tough customers. It was a little touch and go for a while, but they were no match for us!"

"I knew you wouldn't lose!" Watame cheers as she looks at you proudly, but then seems to notice the bloodstains and the overall rough shape you must be in. "Wait! Are you okay Anon! Your shoulder!? What happened?!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright." you say to try and calm the sheep down. "The one in the mask got some good hits on me, that's all. Harold patched me up before I was in any real danger."

"I don't think being stabbed is just merely 'a good hit', summoner." Undine interjects behind you.

"You were stabbed!?" Watame shrieks.

"Y-Yeah…but I paid her back for it! She ended up taking the fifth spell head on! She was down after that."

"I am not leaving you alone again." Watame states firmly.

"So where are those two now?" Flare asks.

"Gone." Polka says. "Anon made them promise to leave and never bother Uisce or the people here ever again."

"And you think that will just work?" Flare asks you skeptically.

"I just had a feeling that it was the right thing to do. They didn't fight as dirty or with malice as you might expect, so they at least seem to have some honor. The one with the sword mentioned that the lives of her comrades takes precedence over everything, so that seemed like a good bargaining chip."

"Well what's done is done." Flare sighs. "We don't have to worry about it right now anyway."

"Yup! Like I keep telling the old man, we've kept him waiting long enough." you say as you notice Harold is absent from your conversation.

"Looks like he decided that he wasn't gonna wait for us any longer." Polka says.

You didn't know Harold for very long at all, but that seems so like him already. The five of you make your way up to the cave within the mountain and back to Uisce's shrine. Near the pools of the spring you see the bathtub and the cart that was used to carry it on their sides. You wish you could have seen how Watame and Flare maneuvered getting Uisce safely back into her waters.

Your imagination is put on hold when you see Harold and Uisce embrace each other within the spring. Seeing two people so in love and not afraid who sees it, is definitely a first for you. Neither one of them has to say a single word. Harold takes his wife's slender cheeks in his old but sturdy hands and touches his forehead to hers. They both close their eyes and relish the touch of the other, before they pull back and their lips meet in a deep passionate kiss.

The girls all make noises to indicate how cute and romantic they think the scene is. It is a rather heartwarming sight, two people meeting intimately on both a physical and spiritual level, no pun intended. This is what you all fought so hard for tonight, for two people in love to not be without one another. You continue to be impressed by what Harold has endured tonight. The fear of his love being gone and in danger, and the courage to stand and fight for her till the end. It makes you hope that you too will find a love like this.

Their kiss continues, and continues, and continues, growing even fiercer. Both sets of hands start to explore more of the other's body. Alright, this has gone from endearing to just plain awkward for you. You clear your throat to hopefully make your presence known, but it is not met with any response.

"Is there a problem summoner? Are you feeling unwell after our battle?" Undine whispers to you.

"I uhh…just well figured you would want to talk to Uisce a little before we leave for the night. Make sure she's okay and all that, but they don't seem to notice that we're here."

"I see. Can we not just wait until they are done with their reunion?" she asks you next.

"I don't exactly want to see that. And you shouldn't either! Uisce is your friend right? Surely you find this getting more awkward to see and hear."

"Uisce is actually my daughter. If you are also referring to their coupling, is that not a normal thing for married mates?"

Thankfully Undine gave you what is hopefully a sure fire way to break up this situation politely. You ignore her question for now, hopefully never having to revisit it again, but seeing how you are literally attached at the soul, you are not sure how realistic that is.

"Hey!" you shout. "The girl's mother is right here you know! At least save it for after we leave!"

That seems to reach Harold's ears as he suddenly pulls away from his wife's face.

"M-Mother!?" he chokes.

"That is right Harold dear." Uisce answers him. "Undine is the one who gave me life, so she is essentially my mother."

"So I have a mother-in-law…" Harold mutters. "The top of the water elemental food chain herself too…oh boy…"

"I suppose that means I have a son-in-law too." Undine muses. "What exactly does that mean, summoner? Is Harold now my responsibility?"

"I think he's a little too old for that now, but he definitely needs to respect you. Not to mention he needs to watch how handsy he is with your daughter when you're within sight." you say smugly.

"Who invited you in anyway?" Harold grumbles.

"Perhaps we can save the rest for later, my love. I would like to thank your friends for my rescue." Uisce says to Harold warmly.

"That sounds more than fair, love." Harold says, his annoyance with you gone in an instant.

The two part and the water spirit motions for you all to come closer. She gives you a small bow in respect.

"I would like to properly extend my thanks to the summoner of Lady Undine and his companions. Thank you for coming to my rescue. I can never express how much it means to me to be back with my love, Harold."

"I think you more than got that point across…" you say without thinking. "B-But you are very welcome. We would do whatever it takes to make sure the wife of a friend as well as the daughter of someone very important to me is safe and sound."

"I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw Lady Undine and Harold at the same time." Usice begins. "Two people I never expected to see again, both there when I needed them most."

"I'm afraid I might be developing a habit of reuniting with others through traumatic circumstances." Undine laments.

"Half of that is on me at least." you add. "But anyways, I'm glad we were able to get you back here safely, Uisce. It is a really wonderful shrine you have. The lake is also beautiful, I'm looking forward to seeing it in the sunlight."

"That is high praise from the summoner of Lady Undine. Thank you very much."

"You can just call me Anon."

"And I'm Polka!"

"Watame and Flare told me a lot about you both already on our way back. You both must be tired after your hard battle. You are more than welcome to stay the night in my shrine if that sounds favorable."

"That's much appreciated Uisce, but we really should head back to the town. I got one more thing to take care of before we can take it easy for a little." you say, knowing full well how grievous of an intrusion you would be imposing upon poor Harold were you to accept his wife's offer.

"Don't worry though! We will come back and see you tomorrow!" Watame adds.

With a warm goodbye, you all leave Harold and Uisce to fully bask in each other's presence again. Even with your legs about to give out from exhaustion, you could not get out of there fast enough. At the edge of the lake you find the same raft you used earlier still in one piece where you left it. This time the trip across is much smoother and more relaxing. Flare offers to use her new mastery of water magic to gently propel you all across. You sit next to Watame and just look up at the now clear sky.

"Okay." you suddenly say. "Was I seriously the only one getting uncomfortable in there?"

"It was getting a little ummm…heated…" Flare admits.

"They probably would have stopped before things went too far." Polka says casually.

"I thought it's sweet how much they love each other." Watame adds.

"They can love each other as much as they want, but I don't exactly want to witness the whole thing." you say.

"They are probably right back at it now." Polka says mischievously. "I bet as soon as we left the shrine. You saw how into each other they are."

"Polka! Could you not!" you snap. "Uisce is like…she's like…I don't know what exactly being Undine's daughter makes her to me, but all I know is that it's awkward!"

"If I do not mind the idea of Uisce making love to Harold you should not either, summoner." Undine says to you.

"Undine has you there, Anon." Flare laughs. "If she doesn't care, then you have no choice but to not care either. I'd say her opinion trumps yours in this case."

"How do I always get ganged up on like this…" you groan. "Fine. I'm just going to block the images from my memory, then and that will be that."

"That's the spirit Anon!" Watame chirps. "If there are memories you don't like all that much, just replace them with new ones you like a lot!"

Watame's glowing smile and hair in the moonlight more than fits the bill for that. Make sure you burn this one into your memory. You can't help but smile at the beautiful scene around you. No matter how battered and beaten you get, the radiant smile of this fluffy sheep and your friends make it all worth it.

The light of a bonfire dances at the approaching lake edge next to the village of Bjornholm. You guess it makes sense that the second the sound of pelting rain finally stopped, people are eager to take advantage of it. Many of the villagers can be seen dancing and cheering in the night. If they are late night partiers too, then your friends will fit in quite nicely.

As the raft touches land, you are met with thunderous cheer from the celebrating villagers. How could they be so sure you had anything to do with this?

As if to answer your question you see the towering chief push past the crowds and walk up to you all.

"This is a fortunatus night indeed!" he bellows. "You young adventurers really did it, didn't you?! I assume Harold is back at his home where he prefers to be as well?"

"We stopped the rain just like you asked." you answer. "And Harold is also taking some well deserved rest. We couldn't have done it without him after all."

"Excellent! Excellent! Come! You all look exhausted, please entertain us with the tale of how you saved our village."

You take the chief's invitation and take seats at a long wooden table outside. No shortage of drinks and food are present as you all tell your recollection of the night's events. The villagers are in such high spirits, not even the still muddy ground beneath them could stop them from dancing, drinking, and even fighting? You guess when your faith of choice involves the bear, you end up having more than a few rituals to show off your own strength.

Nene is of course present as well, and she beaming brighter than the moon itself. The fight with Chloe and Iroha was one of your toughest yet, but seeing this friendly girl and the people who live here so happy, makes it all worth it.

Once your bellies are full of food and drink, you begin to tell the chief all that happened tonight. While Uisce's existence is known to the village, they all pretty much just see her as Harold's wife, so no one had thinked to check if she was actually still at the shrine or not since the rain began. The chief chastised himself for this lapse in judgment, but to be fair, Harold did not know that Uisce's forced removal could cause torrential rain either.

As you begin to describe the scene of your battle the chief waves Nene over to your table to sit next to him.

"Nene will want to hear this part, my new friends. She is the strongest to ever wield the spirit of Ursol!"

"Nene is the strongest!" she says with pride.

Where fatherly pride ends and reality begins, you can't be sure. Could Nene use the power of spirits similar to you? You can't help but wonder if this Ursol is somehow here right now, but surely Undine would notice something, so you write it off for now and humor the pair.

"It would have went a lot easier if you were there then Nene." you say with a smile, before you begin to explain who Chloe and Iroha are, their objectives, and the lengths you went to bringing Uisce back, and hopefully ensuring HoloX would never bother Bjornholm again.

"To think such fiends were right at our doorstep…" the chief comments. "And you really think they will not be back?"

"I do." you say confidently. "I think I was able to more than drive the point home that they aren't wanted here if they plan to mess with things like they did."

"You were actually able to cast the fifth spell on your own?" Flare asks. "How did you like that little aftershock that comes with it?"

"Oh the feeling of losing all sensation in my legs was just fantastic." you remark.

"Next time you call Nene." Nene says from across the table. "Nene will beat up whoever you want so you don't get stabbed again. Okay?"

"Sure thing Nene. If I ever get in trouble like that again, I'll be counting on you."

It was almost endearing how easy it was to make this girl ecstatic, but with a smile like that, how could you resist doing so? She certainly knows how to liven up a room.

"This spell of yours…" the chief starts. "You make it sound like it is quite grand. We do not have a mind for most magic here."

"Yup!" Polka answers for you. "Anon's strongest spell makes a giant bear made out of starlight! It squashed whatever those two troublemakers tried to throw at it. This is only the second time I've seen it, but it's so cool!"

"It even rose above the trees! And how it disappears into the sky afterward is so magical!" Watame adds.

"So that really was you then?!" the chief gasps. "Some of the villagers came to me when they saw it. It was although the spirit of Ursoc appeared from the heavens themselves. This is quite the occasion then." The chief says to you with a glint in his eyes.

"How so?" you ask curiously.

"Since ancient times it has been said that the spirits of Ursoc and Ursol intertwine the destinies of two people meant for one another. They are strong individually, but together, there is no challenge, and no foe they cannot overcome. Is it through their example that one of our most cherished traditions is performed. Through your actions, the joining of two souls can begin!"

"What exactly do you mean?" you ask. "No disrespect, but joining of souls might mean something different to you than it does for me. I do have an elemental spirit that can live inside mine after all."

"I mean marriage of course!" the chief bellows.

"Someone's getting married!?" Watmae and Polka gasp in excitement.

"That's great!" you say, excited to see how extravagant an engagement party could be. Perhaps it was by your own hand helping the clouds to part, set the stage for a romantic declaration of love. Or maybe the sight of your spell urged them to pop the question, given their beliefs. That feels pretty good, being responsible for two separate instances of love in just one night. You will have to rub Chloe and Iroha's noses in it, if, and when you see them next.

"So whose engagement is it?" you ask.

"Why my daughter Nene and yours of course!" the chief says heartily. "That is, if she approves."

"Nene approves!" she chirps. "He seem very strong and nice. Good for Nene, good for him."

"Oh nice. I don't know who Yor is, but I'm happy for them."

"Yor? There is no one here who goes by that name." the chief says, before his smile widens as he seems to come to a realization. "Oh I see! That was a joke! You are pretty funny!"

Wait. He actually meant "yours"? As in, YOUR engagement, you, Anon, who is now apparently engaged to someone. Engaged to the chief's daughter, Nene.

Oh no, oh no no no.

You look over at the blond bubbly girl who only looks at you fondly, as she starts to flutter her eyes at you. Please be a joke. This has to be some prank Polka put together right? Flare was probably in on it too. You look over at the two of them. Polka is not laughing. Why isn't she laughing!? Your friends look as confused as you probably do. Someone please start laughing, just to let you know this isn't for real.

"There must be some misunderstanding." you shakily say, trying your best to hide your panic. Maybe downing half of your mug will help. This stuff hits you faster than anything they had in the elven kingdom that's for sure.

"I mean…*hic*…I didn't propose to anyone. I wasn't even proposed to. Isn't that normally how these things go?"

"Not for those blessed with the power of Ursoc and Ursol!" The chief says with pride. "Throughout our history they have always joined together. Together they will bring out the best in each other, and in doing so, ensure prosperity and protection for our people."

And there goes the rest of what was in your mug. Luckily there is a fresh full one within arms reach, that you are more than happy to snatch and begin work on.

"How can you be so sure that I have the power of this Ursoc?" you ask, trying to claw desperately for some logical way out of this. "How can you be sure of anything about me for that matter?"

"It's all obvious isn't it? You came to us in an hour of need. True, you had your own motives for helping us, but I know honorable eyes when I see them. Ursoc does not favor the selfish. You and Nene will be an unstoppable pair!"

This is not how your day was supposed to end. A fun victory party with good food, drink, and the company and performances from your friends was what was supposed to happen. Instead you are to be married to someone you barely know and have not even taken on a date yet. You haven't even had your own first date with anyone for that matter. You are not ready for marriage in any capacity.

How are you going to get out of this mess?