Principal Faust's fanged grin dropped when Darius Deamonne, in his ridiculous abomination-based costume, was thrown across the stage and slid off into a bush. Despite his best efforts, the flame on the end of his tail flared, betraying his anger at how easily his first choice of student to compete was so easily defeated. The crowd roared as the announcer moved to congratulate Darius' opponent, until the abomination student climbed back onto the stage. The purple sludge covering him was more fluid than chiselled, and it's bulk more slender without the obvious padding and cape, but Faust felt his smile, however imperceptible, return.

The combatant calling himself 'Goo Daddy' stood there, facing the repulsive creature. His earlier showmanship was gone, causing the crowd to grow uncharacteristically quiet until Gorgonzilla grew impatient enough to attack. Each heavy step met the stage with a wet squish as it charged forward, rearing back and dropping its maw onto Goo Daddy and snapping shut.

The crowd gasped, Faust growled in disbelief, and even the Golden Guard stood in surprise from his perch as the student was swallowed whole. "Well, this has certainly been a roller ghoster of a match." the announcer began to penetrate the hush that had fallen over the crowd. He stammered, trying to find the words to continue despite the apparent death of a contestant, and he drew in a breath to speak when an array of purple spikes pierced Gorgonzilla from the inside before the beast exploded in a shower of wet, pungent chunks. Goo Daddy fell to the stage, his abomination armor reforming from a spiked bubble before anyone could see the witch inside. Anyone but Principal Faust, at least.

Despite the disgusting explosion, Mephisto Faust didn't flinch. His small, dark eyes kept focus on the fight, and the wild auburn hair, pale skin, and gold eyes told him what he suspected. A cry rang out from the crowd and the audience parted to reveal a thin, darkly clad witch with long blonde hair, and thin arms ending in oversized hands. She fell to her knees, continuing to shout. "He cheated! I know it!"

The announcer turned its floating orb-like body from Goo Daddy to the interrupting audience member in confusion. "Uh, that's quite an accusation. Although the final move was unconventional, Goo Daddy won… wait, who are you?"

"She was the one controlling Gorgonzilla from outside the ring with Potion magic." Goo Daddy said.

"Doing battle from outside the ring is strictly forbidden." the announcer proclaimed. "The Brawler known as Gorgonzilla is disqualified, and Goo Daddy will continue to the next round!"

The witch pulled herself up to her feet, pulling a potion bottle from beneath her gothic cloak and took aim at Goo Daddy before being enveloped in a red, shimmering field. "Vitimir!" the Golden Guard shouted over the crowd, pointing his ivory and gold staff at the assailant. "Go home! You're embarrassing yourself."

She struggled wordlessly before finally relenting as she came to realize how many eyes were on her. "Fine," she grumbled, nodding to her captor. The magical field dissipated, and she returned the potion to her coat before slinking away, defeated.

With the immediate excitement over with, Principal Faust made his way through the crowd again to where Darius, Alador, and Earnie were exiting the bushes that the mysterious Goo Daddy had been knocked into, the two ladder boys helping the former to a clearing away from the crowd. Blocking their path, he looked down at Earnie first. "This is not adequate stealth, Eaglebeak," he growled, causing the scrawny boy to drop Darius' arm and retreat. Faust turned his attention to Darius and Alador next with a crackle of his neck. "As for you two…"

Darius pulled his other arm away from Alador and did his best to stand on his shaking legs. "It wasn't my idea, sir. I lo…"

"You did no such thing." Faust snapped. "I will not be embarrassed by your incompetence, Deamonne. Not while you have a suitable substitute, and especially not while the Golden Guard is here in person."

"The Golden Guard? Here?!" Darius asked in surprise.

"But why?." Alador said, his eyeline unable to match his Principal's. "Recruitment isn't for several months. Why else would he be here? Unless he's hunting something!"

"The Golden Guard is simply here to assess any threats to the Empire."

"Like that cheater? Vitimir?" Alador asked.

"Vitimir?" Darius chimed in. "The Potion Master? What all did I miss?"

Faust leaned forward from the waist, meeting the two boy's eye level and hissing between his teeth. "You would both do well to keep your little secret to yourselves. Vitimir is on her way to becoming the new Head of the Potion Coven, though this spectacle may slow that progress." He lingered on the last hiss before standing straight again. "In the meantime, you will continue this silly charade you've gotten yourselves into, and win this ridiculous tournament."

"No need, sir. I can do this." Darius insisted. "I can win this."

"After that pathetic display in the first round? No, Mr. Blight will take your place."

"What?!" Darius replied in anger.

"He's right, Darius. You're hurt."

Darius fell quiet, backing away and looking from Alador to Principal Faust and back again. "You think I'm pathetic? You stand me up, take my girlfriend, take my place in the Brawl, and now you're telling me I'm not even your equal?" he shouted, gaining the attention of several audience members. "You're a hack, Alador!"

"Darius…" Alador began.

"Control yourselves!" Faust growled, and for once his mere presence wasn't enough to snap his students out of their emotional commotion. "This outburst is doing nothing to further this farce you've created for yourselves." He turned his attention directly to Darius, narrowly missing Alador's head with a horn. "Must I remind you of the consequences should you fail to bring this trophy back to Hexside?"

"Expulsion." Alador whispered, though Darius said nothing. The boy was barely containing his anger, glaring into the eyes of his former friend.

"Precisely." Principal Faust replied. "Neither of you would want to wind up a coven-less Wild Witch, would you?" he asked, the corners of his lipless maw pulling back enough to expose a grin. As expected, neither boy answered. "I thought not. Now, bring me that trophy. I'm certain one student will be expelled come the next school day. Whether it's one of you two or the Clawthorne girl, I don't care which."

After being properly motivated, the pair of students returned to the Brawl, and perhaps if Mephisto Faust had the necessary biology, he'd be sweating as each bout that Goo Daddy, whichever boy was in the abomination suit, fought in resulted in narrowly winning. With the Golden Guard present, and taking an ever-growing interest in the pair, the consequences for Faust himself grew as well. The Emperor's most trusted enforcer's attention became even more concerning as he no longer seemed concerned with the Wild Witches who were using a multitude of types of magic that, in Faust's opinion, should have had them arrested on the spot. Most of whom he had expelled himself.

"Your student is doing well, Principal Faust." the Golden Guard said, appearing suddenly beside him. "Though his tactics have drastically changed since his first match."

Faust let out a hiss before replying. "Hexside students are taught to be both disciplined and adaptable. I'm certain that those that manage to graduate will make fine additions to the Empire."

"Yes, I've been told that your curriculum is particularly harsh, second only to the Emperor's Coven."

"Children today need discipline," Faust said, finding himself standing even straighter. "That's an unpopular word these days, 'discipline'.My Vice-Principal would say, 'Kids need understanding. Kids are living beings.' That's the kind of woolly-headed, weak thinking that leads to being eaten."

"An interesting point of view." the Guard replied. "I'd like to speak to your student after the Brawl."

Faust shivered. "For what purpose, if you don't mind…"

"I do mind. Make sure he remains after the event so that I can speak with him privately." he insisted, continuing to watch the current Brawl match. It was between a fiery demon using a plant-based vine attack from their sleeve to lash at their opponent; a witch that was seemingly very powerful in ice magic. By the time the former combatant shouted 'Get over here!' for another consecutive time while trying to grapple their target with a vine, the Golden Guard was gone.

He growled quietly, watching the duel continue for a moment before his attention turned back to his current students. His horns very nearly caught several nearby audience members as he suddenly twisted, and he replied to the resulting complaints with a judgemental glare that quieted them instantly. He crossed the audience efficiently, if reluctantly, and towered over the boys who were somehow more preoccupied with glaring at each other than cowering under his presence. "I assume you have been formulating a strategy for your remaining matches." It wasn't a question.

"Alador's trying to steal my thunder!" Darius shouted, spinning to face his fellow student.

Alador hesitated before turning, looking down at Darius' boots in frustration. "I never tried to steal anything. I was trying to help."

"I don't want your help, Blight!" Darius replied, staring Alador down confidently. His hands were balled into fists, and he was pushing through the pain of his injuries from his first battle. "I'm finishing this. I have to."

Faust groaned at the teen's dramatic display. "Deamonne, do not fail. Blight, stop distracting him. The next match is about to begin." he announced as the previous battle revealed its winner.

Darius continued glaring at Alador as purple sludge crawled up his legs and covered his body, defining itself into a mature, statuesque image of himself. "You won't be disappointed, sir," he assured the principal, his voice deepened by the abomination disguise. Darius turned, drawing a small spell circle and pulling his wrinkled cape to him, magically draping it over his shoulders as he strode back to the stage.

Alador watched his friend climb the steps, still walking with a limp from the first match. He wiped abomination goo from his cheek with the back of his hand, only to leave a purple smear on both surfaces. "If Darius gets expelled, what will happen to him?"

"He will be branded a failure, likely become a Wild Witch, and wander the Boiling Isles without ever reaching his full potential," Faust replied matter of factly. "But it will not be due to my attempts to better him through education." He left Alador to stand alone and approached the stage to witness the student's fate.

The floating orb of a demon called out as Darius approached his starting position. "Welcome one and all to the final event of the Brawl!", it shouted. Darius stepped forward, raising his augmented arms and flexing the biceps of his abomination covering. "On this side, a comeback story for the ages! A master of abominations, and ready to take the belt, Goo Daddy!" The crowd cheered, but Darius was unable to match their energy this time, knowing that he alone hadn't gotten to this point. "And in this corner, our reigning champion…" Darius pumped his arms again as he turned to face his new opponent, and he froze. "The emperor's finest, the Golden Guard!"

It was then that Darius knew the system was rigged. How could he defeat the Golden Guard without being labelled a traitor, but if he lost or threw the match, he would be expelled and lose everything. His opponent approached his starting position, the cheers of the crowd growing louder despite his more reserved display. His white cloak billowed in the wind, the hood whipping about the edges of his mask. He raised a gauntleted arm defensively while he held his staff in his other hand, aimed at the floor. "Bring everything you have." he said to Darius, loud enough for him to hear without the crowd being a part of the message.

Darius looked at Principal Faust, who stood straight and expressionless as always. His eyes flicked to Alador for a moment, who was shaking his head as though to suggest that he should yield immediately. Instead, Darius grimaced at his former friend and turned his attention back to the match. When the announcer was certain both combatants were ready, he shouted, "Fight!"

Spikes protruded from Darius' back and streamed around him, seeking out their target. The Guard lifted his staff and twirled it, intercepting the numerous tendrils and winding them up before pulling Darius toward him in surprise. Adjusting, Darius drew back a spiked fist and connected, knocking the Guard back. He shook his head to clear it, and leaned into Darius, wrapping a gloved hand around his opponent's head and tearing away the abomination fluid that was keeping Darius' identity secret. Looking at him in shock, Darius backed away, refilling the exposed gap in his armor and allowing the Guard to aim his staff, sending a beam of red, crackling energy at Darius.

Lifting his arms and forcing abomination goo to take the brunt of the attack, Darius felt the energy wash over him, breaking down his defence. He cast the thick shield of goo to the side and rushed the Guard, drawing a spell circle in the air with both hands as he ran, causing an abomination to reach out of the floor of the stage and grab the Guard's staff. Darius let out a shout, bringing an oversized abomination fist into the gold carved mask of the Guard, causing it to fall to the floor. The crowd gasped at the face behind it. A young witch, barely older than Darius, with chiselled features and violet eyes that were darkened by years of hardship with a scar that ran down one eye. His hair was platinum blonde, with a sweaty curl that fell over his vision and a crooked nose that could have been broken at some point. He grinned, clearly enjoying himself, before the ruby at the end of his staff glowed bright red, causing the abomination holding it down to explode onto the crowd. He landed a powerful kick into Darius' chest, knocking him back and giving himself the space necessary to bring his staff to bear.

Another beam lanced out, knocking Darius back to the edge of the stage. The Guard vanished in a glimmer of magic and reappeared in front of him again, pressing the tip of his staff into Darius' outstretched palms as he tried to defend himself. The staff flared again, melting away the abomination fluid as Darius pressed more and more into the shield until it eventually began to retreat from the rest of his body. First, the goo around his feet and legs began to peel away; then his back, and as his face became exposed, he focused as much of the substance into a sickle-like blade on his free arm.

He swung the blade up, his voice cracking as he shouted. The Golden Guard moved his staff in time to parry the otherwise deadly strike, but the tip of the blade was strong enough to knick his cheek, drawing a trickle of blood. With a flash of light from the Guard's staff, the blade broke and Darius cried out in surprised pain as he realized the sickle blade wasn't covering his hand, but was transformed from it. "Impressive." the Guard whispered. "Yield."

Darius slumped down to his knees, cradling his broken fingers in his other hand. "I… I yield." he agreed, hanging his head.

The crowd erupted in cheers and the announcer came forward. "And there it is!" he shouted into the leathery-winged amplifier that continued to float in front of him. "The Golden Guard retains his belt for another season!"

The Guard used his staff to levitate his mask back to his hand, placing it back on his face before holding his hand out to Darius. "Well done, Mr. Deamonne. I haven't had a fight like that in a while."

Darius raised his head again and glared at him before standing on his own power, his legs shaking despite his stubbornness. "Don't patronize me." he sneered. "This game is a setup. Whether I won or lost, I was finished."

The Guard paused for a moment before continuing. "No, not in the way you think, anyway. Walk with me. I have a proposition for you."

"But Darius Deamonne is the Head of the Abomination Coven!" Amity protested. "His books are required reading in Hexside! He couldn't have been expelled!"

The sudden outburst caused her Uncle to slip, his carving tool taking a substantial amount of wood from his practice piece. He growled in frustration before listing his beady-eyed gaze toward his niece. "He wasn't." he murmured, before reluctantly adding, "I was."

"What?"

"Tara Snapdragon, the Head of the Plant Coven, and a former colleague of mine, decided that despite Edalyn Clawthorne's abject failure and treasonous actions at the Instructing Future Witches of Tomorrow seminar, she should remain at Hexside for her ingenuity and imagination." he scoffed. "Paired with the Golden Guard's recommendation, I was forced into retirement, only to have your current Principal take my position."

Amity had to resist gasping in the karmic justice of her Uncle's fate. "That's, uh… too bad." she choked, using as much will as she could muster to keep her lips from twitching in a smile.

"Indeed. Hexside has become little more than a factory of weak witches."

Amity's attitude turned sour at the accusation, but she said nothing. Instead, she stood from her Uncle's carving table and pushed her chair in. It was the first moment that he had opened up to her, only to show that he had learned nothing from the consequences of his actions. She could attempt to prove him wrong, allowing her temper to get the better of her, but for now, she was still trapped in his house until he decided that she had learned the lessons that her mother had insisted she learn.