Luz prepared herself as quickly as she could, arming herself to the teeth with all kinds of glyphs. She also put on her flexible clothes, knowing she'd need them, as well as her cape for moral comfort. The second she finished getting ready, she hopped on Stringbean and shot into the air like a bullet and flew towards Bonesborough.
She probably broke all kinds of safety regulations as she sped through the air, but she didn't care at that moment, and it didn't matter to her that there were people in town who didn't support her. They still needed her help, and she would never turn her back on those in need. Her family and Anna were not too far behind her. In fact, the only reason they weren't flying beside her was because she got a heads start.
Since they were traveling at such high speeds, it only took minutes for everyone to touch down in Bonesborough. And when they did, it was absolute chaos. Citizens were fleeing in terror away from the buildings on fire, while authorities were trying to lead them to safety. Meanwhile, others were trying to keep up with getting the flames under control, but were clearly struggling to do so.
At one point, a small group of soldiers ran past the group, and leading them was a familiar face.
"Darius!" Raine shouted
The former coven leader stopped and turned to face them, and looked relieved upon seeing them. "Whispers, thank the Titan! Things have gone to hell down here!"
"What happened?"
"You won't believe this, but we are under attack by a wendigo, and it showed up with a bunch of wild animals in tow! Me and some soldiers tried to stop it took care of the animals already, but we suffered heavy casualties when we tried to stop the wendigo! My magic barely left a scratch on it!"
Raine swore to themselves. Even when it was still daylight, Dysley was powerful enough to take on Darius and an entire squad of soldiers, and it would only get worse when darkness fell.
"Where is it right now?" They asked.
Darius pointed towards downtown. "I saw it heading towards the Emperor's Arena a few minutes ago! Just a heads up though, it had hostages with it!"
Luz's eyes widened in horror. "How many?"
"Five I think, but it might have more by now!"
The human witch winced and clenched her fists. This had gone far enough, and she needed to put a stop to it.
Alador then spoke. "Edric, Emira, and I will help Darius get the civilians to safety and heal the wounded. You guys go on ahead."
Amity nodded. "Alright. Just be careful."
"You got it, Mittins."
With that, everyone began sprinting as fast as they could towards the arena. Luz was down on all fours and was moving almost as fast as she was when she was flying, leaving everyone else in the dust, and Stringbean clinging onto her for dear life. As the human witch ran, she heard the panicked screams of everyone around her. Most were obviously focused on the chaos that was currently happening, but some did notice the human witch. A few seemed relieved while others seemed nervous that she was there. Luz blocked anything they said out of her mind though. That wasn't important to her right now. What was important was helping those in need.
It took only a minute for her to reach the outside of the Emperor's Arena. And when she did, she saw at least a dozen soldiers standing in front of the entrance, trying their best to keep everyone calm, but that was easier said than done. Given the fact that Dysley had taken hostages, some of the civilians were deeply distressed.
One of these civilians, a man in his early thirties, noticed Luz and ran up to her in tears. "Ms. Noceda, you have to help me! That monster has taken my son, and is threatening to kill him! Please, you need to do something!"
The man was absolutely hysterical as any father would be. Luz put her hands on his arms and nodded. "I know this is scary for you, sir, but panicking isn't going to help anything. Take deep breaths with me, okay? In and out."
The man nodded back and did as he was asked. Given the situation, it was a struggle at first, but after a few moments he was able to calm himself down at least a little bit.
"Great job." The human witch said. "Now, tell me what's going on."
The man choked. "This monster appeared out of nowhere and began attacking the town. It was horrible. It ignited buildings left and right, and killed anyone who tried to stop it. It took my son and several other people and brought them here. It kept talking about you, saying you forced its hand. I have no idea what it meant by that."
"We do!" Amity shouted as she and the others finally caught up. "That thing in there, that's Dysley!"
"What?!" Another civilian shouted in disbelief. "That has to be a mistake! How could that hideous beast be Dysley?!"
Anna shook her head. "He summoned an evil and powerful spirit called the wendigo. He…cannibalised someone to do so. He thought it was necessary to gain the wendigo's power to stand against Luz, and slaughtered his group when they wouldn't join him. I…I was the only one who survived."
Everyone was in shock, and struggled to process what they had just heard. Even the ones who didn't support Luz were at a loss for words. They may have been afraid of the human witch's curse, but this horrible event had come from one of their own. Also, Luz didn't choose to become what she was, and had no control over herself when she killed those people at the owl house. Dysley however was a different story. He willingly summoned the wendigo, and cannibalized another person to gain its power. He was fully aware of what he was doing when he killed the members of his own group. He had become more of a monster than Luz's werewolf form ever could be.
"I…I don't even know what to say." One woman said. "I thought this whole time it was Luz's curse we needed to be scared of. How could Dysley do something so horrible?"
Camila shook her head. "Because unlike Luz, he cares about nobody but himself, and this is what happens when someone chooses their pride over accepting the truth. They double down on their delusions, and will do anything to maintain that, even if it means hurting others. That incident at the owl house? That was Dysley's own fault. His people attacked Luz with light magic and prevented her from taking medicine that would have prevented her from transforming. That's why she lost control and killed those people! But that's not how you thought of it, didn't you? No! You're never at fault! It's always the other person! Well here's a tip of advice! Look in the mirror once in a while!"
The woman looked down with guilt and shame. Luz then stepped between her and her mother. "Mom, stop. This isn't the time for scolding and all that. Right now, there are people that need our help."
She then turned to the woman with a reassuring smile. "And I promise you, I will save them. Dysley will not win. I won't let him."
"You got that right!" Eda said. "Let's get in there and bust his head open!"
One of the soldiers there held their hands up. "You can't. Dysley said he'll kill the hostages if anyone aside from Luz enters the arena. Furthermore, he said Luz can't enter until nightfall."
"Damnit." Vee swore. "He's using them to get Luz to fight him alone. Coward."
"Not only that." Lilith said. "He's making sure she'll fight him when he's at his strongest."
"What are we going to do?" Hooty asked. "I don't know if Luz will be a match for him, even as a lycanthrope!"
The human witch pondered this for a moment. It was clear that great care needed to be taken with this situation. Hooty was right. Even with her werewolf powers and glyphs on her side, she would have a hard time fighting something like a wendigo by herself. What other options did she have though? If she tried calling for help, the hostages would die, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. It seemed that Dylsey was playing his trump card, one that would guarantee victory. But if Luz had learned anything from her time fighting Belos, it's nothing was impossible. Any situation could be beaten with the right strategy.
After a couple moments of thinking, she turned to face her family. "Okay, I have an idea. It's risky, but if we do this right, it'll work."
"We're all ears." Hunter said.
"First things first, we still have a few hours before it gets dark, we'll use this time to head to the museum and grab that light sword. We're definitely gonna need it."
"Okay." Masha said. "But how exactly are we gonna assist you? You heard what that soldier said. Dysley will kill the hostages if anyone aside from you enters the arena."
Luz sighed. "Yeah, which is why we can't attack him together. At least, not at first. If we want to make this work, I have to agree to his terms to an extent."
Everyone's eyes widened in horror.
"No!" Amity said. "This is not open for discussion! I am not going to let you fight that maniac alone! End of story!"
"Hang on!" The human witch replied, holding her hands up. "Let me finish. I don't have to beat him. I just have to keep him busy long enough for you guys to move in and save the hostages."
Eda calmed down a little bit. "Oh, I see what you're saying. You'll keep him distracted while we get the hostages to safety. Once we do, we can join the fight."
"Exactly. There's nothing Dysley wants more than a piece of me. So once I go in there, I don't think he'll pay attention to anything else. But time is of the essence here, and I'm not sure how long I'll be able to hold myself against a wendigo. So I need you, Amity, King, and Lilith to be on standby while the others help the hostages. The second they get them out and start escorting them to safety, you jump in."
Camila frowned. "But we'll be dividing ourselves by doing that. Wouldn't it be better if we all fought Dysley together?"
Luz shook her head. "No offense, but based on what happened to his group, I don't think most of you would be able to do much, if anything, to him. This isn't like when you fought my werewolf form. A wendigo is more powerful, and I don't want to see any of you get hurt."
She then gave her mother a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. With that light sword, me, Amity, Eda, King, and Lilith should be more than enough to take that lunatic down."
Camila wanted to argue, but there would be no point. If everything she had heard about this wendigo was true, then she'd only be adding to her daughter's worries if she joined the fight. Not to mention, there were other people's lives at stake here. And in these situations, Luz was just as stubborn as she was.
She reluctantly nodded. "Alright. But if you need me at any point, you just say the word. I mean it."
Luz smiled and hugged her. "You got it, Mom."
"This isn't going to be easy." A soldier said to the human witch. "Dysley's keeping the hostages in some kind of force field. I only saw it for a moment, but I could tell that it will take a lot to get through it. Not to mention, though I agree Dysley will probably focus mainly on you, he might still notice if someone is messing with the force field."
Luz smiled and turned to King. "Well, I don't think a force field will be a problem for the power of a titan."
King smiled back and gave a thumbs up. "You got that right, and I've been practicing with my powers too! That force field won't stand a chance!"
Willow nodded, but still looked concerned. "Okay, but how are you gonna do that without Dysley spotting us?"
"That's where Hooty and Gus will come in." Luz replied. "Hooty will dig a tunnel to right underneath the force field so King can get in unnoticed. When the force field is dispelled, Gus will create an illusion to look like it's still there while he and the others get the hostages out of there."
"Weh?!" King shouted in concern. "Wait a minute! You didn't say anything about spelunking! I'm claustrophobic!"
"Don't worry, buddy!" Hooty said. "It'll be fun, and it will all be worth it to see the look on Dysley's face!"
King was about to protest, but realized this wasn't the time for something like that. There were people's lives on the line after all. So he reluctantly nodded his head. "Okay, but only because there are people who need us."
"That's the spirit, pal!" Gus said before turning to Luz. "And you can count on me to get the illusion in place!"
Luz smiled and nodded. "Great! Are we all on the same page with this?"
Amity frowned. "I still don't like this plan, Luz. Even if it's temporary, you'll still be fighting Dysley alone, and I don't think I need to explain that lycanthropes can be killed by other supernatural creatures. If something were to happen to you…King's dad won't be there to help you this time."
Stringbean whimpered and nuzzled the human witch's cheek at those words. She was one of the few that saw her owner's brief death with her own eyes, and she never wanted to see anything like that again.
Luz gave her a reassuring scratch under the chin before turning to her fiancé. "I won't let that happen, Mi Amor. Like my mom always says, I'm too stubborn to let anything keep me down. I'll make it."
Camila nodded as she tried to hold back tears. "You better, or I'll find a way to kick your butt."
Luz smiled and gave her mother another hug. "I'll be okay, Mamá. I mean it."
She then formed a serious face again and turned back to the others. "Same question as before, are we all on the same page?"
Her family looked amongst each other for a moment before turning back to her and nodding.
She gave another smile. "Alright, team Luz, let's do this!"
….
Luz and her family spent the next few hours scrambling to get everything in place for the plan they had, triple checking everything as they went. The lives of the hostages hung in the balance, and they only had one shot at this, so they had to make sure everything was perfect. Given the fast pace they were going at, one might think that time flew by for them, but that wasn't the case at all. The minutes leading to nightfall dragged on at a painfully slow pace, especially for Luz. She knew the hostages were probably terrified at that moment, and she badly wanted to charge in there and get them out, but she knew she couldn't. Doing so now would result in their certain deaths. So as much as she wanted to, she had to be patient.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the sun began to dip below the horizon, and its rays were soon replaced with the light of the moon and stars. The time had come for Luz to enter the arena, and she soon found herself standing in front of its entrance.
She felt her heart hammering in her chest, and beads of sweat trickling down her neck. She was determined to save the hostages, but also terrified. Based on everything she had learned about the wendigo, she was in for the fight of her life, and she prayed to the titan that she would be able to hold her own long enough for her family to get the hostages to safety. She took a deep breath to compose herself as best as she could.
This was it. There was no turning back now.
A hand on her shoulder got her attention, and she turned to see Amity with an equally as scared look.
"Everyone is in position." She said. "Please…be safe."
Luz smiled. "I will. I promise."
She gave her fiancé a kiss before turning and slowly walking through the arena's entrance, the eerie silence sending a chill up her spine. Normally this place was bustling with people attending to see whatever event was being held there that day. Now however, it was quiet, too quiet, and Luz knew in her gut that this was the calm before the storm.
This silence wouldn't last long however. As she walked into the main arena, her eyes caught sight of a glowing red sphere in the stands. It was the force field for sure. Inside it were at least seven people, and they were all absolutely terrified. Some were crying, while others were shaking uncontrollably, and the reason why was obvious. Standing next to the force field was their captor, and it was the most horrifying thing Luz had ever seen.
It stood at least nine feet tall, with reddish brown hair covering its body from top to bottom. Said body was gaunt in appearance, yet somehow looked powerful as well. Its arms were almost as long as its legs, and were topped with ghoulish looking hands that had long fingers and claws. Rather than feet, this creature had hooves, and these hooves had a sharp point to them at the end. Its head was similar to that of a stag or an elk, complete with antlers on top, but its mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth. The most terrifying part however was its eyes. They were black and hollow, almost like that of a doll's, and appeared to lack any emotion or soul whatsoever. There was no question as to what this creature was.
This was the wendigo. This was Dysley.
Luz shook her head, shaking her fear off with it, before yelling at the beast.
"Let them go, Dysley!"
The monster turned its head to face her. And when he did, he gave a nod in acknowledgment and spoke in a demonic voice. "You're right on time."
He then leaped off the stands, soaring at least twenty feet in the air, before landing in the arena with a loud thud. He then stood up tall before speaking again. "You're alone. Good. You've made the right decision. And if you keep it that way, these people won't get hurt."
Luz felt a surge of rage run through her body. "Don't you dare talk to me about morals, you bastard! You have no right to! Not after you murdered so many people!"
Dysley narrowed his hollow eyes. "You say that like you are innocent. Have you forgotten that you have done the same?"
"Self defense is not murder! I had everything I needed to keep my curse under control, and your guys screwed it all up! I would have been fine if they had not butted in! Even then, I was acting like a cornered animal, not a psycho killer!"
"Motive does not matter. You're still a killer."
Luz growled and took a step forward. "Oh no. The only killer here is you. You know why? Because I couldn't control my actions, and my curse forced me to do something I didn't want to do. You however? You willingly killed those people! You…you even cannibalized one of them!"
Dysley sighed. "Yes. It was unfortunate that it came to that, but it was a necessary sacrifice to gain this power."
"Necessary?! Calling upon an evil spirit is never necessary!"
"It was in this case! Every other person here is either too delusional or too scared to actually do something about your curse. So I decided to take matters into my own hands, but I knew that I alone could not raise a hand to you or your family. To do that, I needed more power, and the wendigo gave me exactly that."
"And the people you murdered?"
"They were cowards who couldn't do what was necessary, and I couldn't risk them warning you. Of course, it didn't go exactly to plan since Anna escaped, but it still gave me enough time to do what I needed to do."
Luz's eyes were now blazing with rage, and she had to will herself to keep her curse under control. "They were not cowards! You were! When those people realized what you were doing, they understood that it was going too far! Not only that, but they saw what a monster truly is! And news flash, it ain't me! You however still refused to accept it! You just had to be right no matter what, didn't you?!"
Now Dysley was starting to get angry. "And you are? Don't be stupid, Noceda! Lycanthropy is something that can never be controlled! It is a poison that will live inside you forever, just waiting to burst out and destroy others! Don't you see that?!"
The human witch gave a small smirk. "That's where you're wrong."
She then closed her eyes and focused, allowing her power to come out with full force, and immediately felt her body starting to change and her clothes stretching with it. This time however, it was not painful. This time, she was in control. And within only a moment, she was in her full werewolf form, her cape slightly blowing in the wind.
She opened her now glowing green eyes and looked at Dysley, who looked caught off guard. "If there's one thing that I've learned over the years, it's that nothing is impossible. Yes, I will have this curse for the rest of my life. And yes, I know that, even if it's ludicrously small, there will always be some form of risk involved. But you know what? I wouldn't change it even if I could. I realize now that this curse is a gift, a gift that has taught me strength in ways I didn't think was possible. A gift that has brought me and my family closer than ever before."
She then lowered herself, ready for battle. "It is a gift that will help me stop you."
Dysley regained his composure and scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. At the end of the day, you're still a lycanthrope. Not to mention, your power pales in comparison to mine. However, you are the savior of the Boiling Isles too, so I will offer you one final chance. Turn yourself in. Help this realm be free of lycanthropy once more."
He then spoke in Amity's voice. "Besides, it would be a shame if your family saw you die here."
Most people would be freaked out to hear a loved one's voice coming from such a horrific creature, but not Luz. She was now seething with anger. How dare Dysley use her fiance's voice to try and manipulate her. He deserved a world of pain from that alone.
The human witch let out a deep guttural growl. "The only thing this realm needs to be free of is people like you."
Dysley's eyes narrowed and he bared his sharp teeth, letting out a growl of his own.
"So be it."
