It felt like time just stopped. Everything was going too slowly. Gantlos growled behind his razor sharp fangs and red sclera. He walked in circles in Gardenia's public park and Ogron couldn't do anything but wait for a signal by him.
"Magic magic magic magic...I need magic!...hmm, who didn't I get yet...that nature fairy's a good target. She's too vulnerable...but her magic is strong...", he mumbles to himself.
Brandon and Stella look at the stalking figure before looking at eachother. Stella signals to Flora and Aisha who nod and get into place. "You ready, Brandon?", Stella asks him. Brandon nods, "Always read when you are." Stella smiles and tucks the steak away in her skirt pocket. She flies over to the ghoul. He darts his red gaze at her, an evil curl painted on his lips. "Come back for more?", he taunts.
"Oh, so much more. I'll bring you down once and for all!", Stella huffs. Gantlos chuckles again, but this time he was more tired than prideful. "You and your friends always say this, but you don't know how to defeat a vampire, so why bother? Just give up, sunshine, you're better off surrendering."
Stella giggles her turn, "Oh but now we do have a way, sweetie." She pulls the wooden stake out, Gantlos' eyes widen, veins just under his eyelids visible.
The stake! She'll take our powers away with that thing! You have to stop her, by any means. Maybe it's time to really rain blood...
He scowls at Stella, bearing his claws with a single hand move. "Give that to me!", he yells before charging at her. Stella flies up to dodge the blonde wizard and he quickly backtracks, summoning a seismic wave to hit her. Stella quickly pulls out her shield then drops it. Brandon comes out and aims his gun at Gantlos. "Lights out sucker!" The gun echoes his shot, the silver bullet travelling faster than Stella can blink in surprise. Gantlos steps away and dodges, Brandon firing more attempts. He dodges them and gestures to Ogron over to take a hit. "GAHHHH-", Ogron internally screams as he hits the floor in pain. Brandon looks at the bullets left in the cartridge. "Shit, only one..." he mumbles. He looks back and Gantlos. No limps, uninjured, dammit! Brandon wishes he was as good with a gun as Timmy.
Gantlos's hand glows with purple magic as he goes over to Ogron, clutching his bullet wound as he summons flickering red embers. "There, now go get the sun fairy again!", Gantlos hisses. Ogron nods and swings up, he hastily moves his way to Stella and teleports behind her, floating in mid air like a ragdoll. Stella shrieks a bit before Aisha jumps in and tackles him down. Stella sighs in relief and thanks her. "No probs! You need to hurry up with taking the vamp down!", Aisha tells her. Ogron pushes her off of him before getting back up. "Grab a weapon to defend yourself with!" Gantlos tells his minion. Ogron looks at a beefy tree branch and goes to snap it off the tree. Flora's temples suddenly sting as she hears the hollow shrieking of the plant. It sounded like a distressed banshee and a broken flute harmonizing.
Aisha's holding up well against Ogron, chipping away at his stick but only little by little, and steps back and pants, the sword dragging her arm down. She grips the handle tightly and roars as she strikes the branch again. Gantlos is still dodging and firing at Stella as Brandon contemplates when to fire. Some kids dressed up as a zombie and a skeleton who passed by the loft earlier spot the fight. They stop chewing on the candy corn and chocolate as they watch Stella summon light out of thin air as she fights the crazy ghoul.
"Ooh what are they doing? Let's check it out Chelsea!", the zombie kid tells the skeleton. She nods and they go over to the entrance of the park.
"Oh no, children!!", Stella gasps. Flora notices them and decides to fly over. The two kids gasp as she flutters down in front of them.
"Woah how does your costume do that?", Chelsea asks.
"Oh, it's not a costume.", Flora giggles, "I'm actually a fairy. And you see, we're busy doing a vampire exorcism, but it's for those of age 18 or older."
"We can't at least watch?", the zombie asks
"Kyle, it's not different from an X-rated movie." Chelsea scoffs.
"Yes it is!"
"No it's not!"
"Well, it is, technically. And it's also very dangerous so you should get away before you get injured," Flora tells them.
Stella looks over at the kids walk away and sighs, relieved. Suddenly she feels some shockwaves crash into her stomach and she flies into the base of a tree. "ACK!", she shrieks before falling to the ground. The steak falls out of her pocket and in front of her. She reaches a shaky hand out to grab it but Gantlos seizes it before she can. His gaze drifts down to her twitching body as he chuckles. "I told you so. I gave you an advantage by getting rid of those moon powers but it's obvious you're too weak.", he scowls. His other hand glows that same blue color as her moon magic. Stella gasps as he raises his hand up. "Perhaps it's time the sun finally sets..."
Stella closes her eyes as she sinks deeper to the ground. But before Gantlos can do anything, rose vines wrap around his wrist and drag him away as he drops the stake. "What the—" he yanks his arm away, snapping the vines in half, but more spring up and tighten around his joints. He tries to get out but the more he thrashes the more vines appear to keep him from hypnotizing her. He darts his gaze at the culprit; that damn nature fairy. Gantlos scowls, trying to free himself. He looks over at Ogron who Aisha's restraining.
"Sorry Gantlos, but this ends now," Flora politely says. He bares his teeth and summons blue embers to burn her plants before swiping at Flora. She flies up and Brandon shoots the final bullet. Gantlos screams as he gets blasted in the shoulder. He holds himself as he stares at his bullet wound.
Stella quickly takes the chance to get the stake back. "Gantlos, I know you consider you and your vampirism different, but I know it is and will always be a part of who you are! Trust me, I would know, and I know those moon powers are only half of my mana you took away, not something separate. And thus I can't take that away like how you took away my moon powers. But what I can do is seal it off again, like you have done for centuries." She embues it with solar magic and golden trimmings appear on the stake. "Now, the power of Solaria shall banish away this beast and give back what he took away!"
She rushes over to Gantlos. A vampire's final weakness. It was not just getting stabbed by a stake made from a magical tree, Solaria's magic was also aiding her. She has one shot. And she strikes him in the heart.
SLASH!
"Gh!...ah..." Gantlos utters. His eyes widen as the blood red starts to fade away, his hand shakily moves up to the wound burning a million lights - Flora, Aisha and Brandon shielded themselves from it - as he feels the same glow he got from absorbing their powers slip away from him. Seven sparks rise, all of different colors, and return to their former hosts. Aisha gets her spark back and happily cheers, Flora flying over to hug her. Musa and Bloom waited at the apartment with the rest and Tecna notices the sparks come through their window. Bloom and Musa hold theirs before taking their magic back, Riven hugging Musa and Bloom using the staff to teleport to Stella immediately after feeling her dragon fire ignite again. Anagan and Duman's sparks return directly to them and Duman quickly shapeshifts back into his human form. "Oh god! Is the nightmare over?!", he huffs as he looks at Anagan, "dude stop holding me close!"
"Sorry, I thought you'd need it," Anagan says, Duman scoffing and rolling his eyes, but still letting Anagan hug him. Ogron regains his sentience and powers, no longer a zombie or swaying pendulum. He inhales a great amount of oxygen as he pants, feeling in control of himself again, opening and closing his hand, feeling his face. And finally, a blue and teal spark slowly drift down as Stella anxiously anticipates it. She holds her moon powers in her hands, unsure about taking it back. Brandon rests his hand on her shoulder and nods while smiling. She sighs and lets the magic absorb back into her body. The green patches and sore throat appear again to her disappointment.
Bloom appears at the park in a fog of light, Solarian staff in hand before she turns it back into it's portable ring shape. She rushes over to Stella and hugs her. "You did it!", Bloom cheers. Stella smirks with pride, "Hah, of course I did. I'm a princess for a reason. But honestly, I'm glad Flora, Aisha and Brandon helped, otherwise I would be a sunny-side up before I know it."
Bloom giggles before her smile drops as she looms over to Gantlos. The stake was still planted in his chest and he was covered in dark burn marks. It also burned through his clothes, leaving them a ripped mess, and some strands of his hair were burnt too. He wasn't dead or anything, that only works on ghost vampires, and he was twitching and groaning in pain. Bloom walks over to him, Stella crossing her arms. "Helloo? I need more praising," she taunts. Bloom looks at Gantlos, then Stella.
"Remember when he said Ogron pushed him to this? I could see his aura was angry, distressed, it just doesn't feel right to push that further ya know?", Bloom starts. Stella nods and replies: "I think it's clear Gantlos wasn't power hungry, or at least knew his limits, but someone didn't care. Plus we have a certain vengeance that's a bigger threat once the blood moon's over." She looks at Gantlos who Bloom's helping up. "I think I went a bit overboard...", Stella says before darting her eyes at Aisha, "Aisha, you fine with wizards at the loft?"
"That's fine. I'm more upset at someone else anyway..." Aisha replies, giving a death glare at Ogron. He looks away as he gets back up to his feet, limping a bit from the hastily healed wound. "You guys are helping us? Why?..."
"We both don't like what those Earth Fairies are up to," Bloom replies, swinging Gantlos' limp arm across her shoulder, "(jeez he's heavy) We can use some more allies, take down Morgana."
Ogron blinks, then sighs, "Ugh, I suppose I should say thank-"
"Zip it coward," Aisha scoffs. "You and the others will accompany us to the loft without saying anything, understand?"
"Wha- I'm trying to be nice!" Ogron huffs.
"After what you put your own teammate through? You're better off not trying," Aisha scoffs, dusting off the phantoblade as she walks away from Ogron and goes get Anagan and Duman.