LC Presents: Brimstones and Broomsticks

by JP-Ryder

A Luz Clawthorne spin-off, when Emily and Zee decides to stay in another Isles, a whole new adventure for them awaits. A journey of self-discovery and finding their place in the world.

6. 5: E-Zee to be Proud

So as a reminder, our OC contests are still up. We're looking for MLP-expies, Descendant OCs, and HR counterparts of the Boiling Isles characters. Submit your OCs to either in your reviews, PMs, or DMs.

So this is pretty much an OC-centric fic. However, existent canon characters, seen or mentioned, still belong to their creators.

---

Chapter 5: E-Zee To Be Proud, E-Zee To Say No

It was the middle of the night.

Near the shores of the Inwell Isles, there was a shack house. It was small, painted blue with gray steps and a patio, but it was big enough to fit a young witch. Such as Zinnia "Zee" Drakescale, the current owner.

Inside the shack, there was some décor to give the dwelling some personality. There was a net hanging on the wooden wall and the wooden floor had a blue rug. There was an orange couch and a table with a crystal ball on it while off to the side there was a small kitchen with a sink, dishwasher, and oven, with a fridge in the corner.

There was also a bedroom, where Zee was trying to sleep in her bed while her walls were decorated with large shark teeth, a wooden paddle, and a picture of her family.

Zee was shifting her head back and forth, grunting while in her bed. This woke up Aqua, who turned to see her owner struggling to sleep.

"Grrr…. that does it!" Zee shouted as she shot up from her bed, startling the turtle Palisman. "Titan's crack, I can't sleep on this!"

This was the same night as Emily's birthday party. Zee hadn't been feeling well ever since Emily had rejected her. Instead, the Drakescale girl felt… deflated.

She noticed Aqua looking at her and sighed. "Oh, I didn't mean to wake you up," she said as Zee picked up her Palisman and let her lay on her lap. "Sorry, it's just… I'm still bummed by Emily's rejection. I mean, this is the first time I've ever been rejected. Nobody has ever rejected me before, cause look at me!" She waved her hand over herself. "I mean, it isn't no accident that I just look this awesome, right?"

Aqua gave her a nod while Zee just looked down with another sigh. "Sad thing is, I do understand Emily's decision to not date me and want me to move forward. But… it still bums me out. Especially since I came all the way here to be with her. Was I an idiot to expect another outcome?" she asked her Palisman. "I just… feel so embarrassed right now…"

Aqua gave some purrs of comfort, which Zee appreciated. She patted Aqua's head. "Thanks for being a good listener, Aqua," she said while looking at the time. "Huh, it's early in the morning, and I can't sleep…" A smile formed as an idea popped into her head. "You know what, Aqua, this is the perfect time for… clubbing!"

Hearing this, Aqua immediately saw that this was a terrible idea and tried to talk her owner out of it, but Zee ignored her and continued. "Like, this is just what I need to get my mind off of the rejection!"

She jumped up from bed and went to look for a good outfit to go clubbing in. Aqua stayed on the bed, looking disappointed about how Zee was handling her own grief…

---

Later, at the luxurious hotel where Zee's friends were staying, Whitney and her sister Rebecca are sound asleep in their shared bedroom.

"Oooh, yes Darius, I'd love to go…" Whitney said in her sleep, wearing a sleep mask while enjoying her dream. "Oh, but that would be scandalous, sir~!" But before her dream could get too spicy, her sleep was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who is it in the morning…?" Rebecca groaned while burying her head in her pillow.

"Yo Whitty! Reba! It's me, Zee!"

Whitney groaned as she got up while wearing a white nightgown and took off her sleep mask, glaring at the door. She forced herself out of her bed and marched towards the door, opening it to see Zee.

"Do you know what time it is?!" Whitney demanded angrily before she noticed what Zee was wearing. "And what's with that outfit?!"

"Oh, I just thought we could go out clubbing!" Zee suggested while wearing a black mini-dress that stopped at her thighs and had an orange stripe pattern around it and black ankle boots.

"Clubbing?" Rebecca asked, rubbing her eyes as she got out of bed and walked over. She was in her nightwear, which consisted of a black tank top with red flannel shorts with mismatched red and black checkered and white socks.

"That's right! Look, I know we're all tuckered out from Emily's birthday party, but I thought we could keep the night's momentum going and hit a club before sunrise!" Zee explained.

Whitney sighed. "Zee, that sounds like-"

"Fun!" Rebecca finished, her tiredness immediately replaced by excitement.

"No way," Whitney said as she tried to shut it down. "There is no way I'm going out clubbing. Especially this time in the morning."

"Oh come on, it's not like you guys got anything better to do for the rest of the day," Zee told her, but Whitney just crossed her arms. "Okay, fine, let's put it to a vote then. All in favor of sleeping in, hands up."

Whitney raised her hand up, but groaned when she saw she was the only one.

"And all for clubbing?" Zee asked as she raised her hand up, Rebecca doing the same. "Great! Two to one!"

"Hold up, we haven't gotten Darcilia's vote yet," Whitney pointed out.

"Then to Darci's room it is!" Zee declared.

---

Darcilia was asleep in her own private room, laying on the bed… in her werecat form… naked. She laid on top of the covers, revealing her round breasts, slim figure, wide hips and long, toned legs that were spread out on the sheets. Her tail curled around as the sleepy cat girl rolled up in position, sleeping peacefully… until she heard a loud knocking on the door.

"DARCI!" Zee shouted, which startled the werecat so much she jumped out from the bed with a shriek.

"YEEOWWW!" Darcilia cried out as she fell off the bed, landing on the floor with her paws.

"Darci! Darci! Darci!" Zee shouted repeatedly while smacking on the door.

"I'm up! Give me a minute to dress!" Darcilia shouted as she got off the floor while changing into her witch form. In her witch form, her chest was more average-sized, but her figure was still slim and her butt was plump. She quickly rushed to her drawer and started looking through her clothes.

"Wear something hot, cause we're going clubbing before sunrise!" Zee declared, causing Darcilia to look confused.

"Clubbing?" she wondered while finding an outfit.

---

"Yeah! And I know just the point we can go to!" Zee told her from the hallway. "And I just need your vote for us four to go together!"

"Whadda ya say, Darci?" Rebecca asked, excited to go clubbing.

"If it's a tie, we're definitely not going," Whitney said before seeing the door open.

"So where are we going?" Darcilia asked while dressed in a blue short top with a chest window, blue short skirt, black and blue striped thigh-high stockings, and black heel boots.

Zee smiled while Whitney just frowned. "You heard her, Whitty," Zee said as she smirked at her friend.

"Just let us get dressed accordingly," Whitney said with a sigh while Rebecca looked thrilled.

"Yeah! Team WZRD's going to party!" Rebecca declared.

---

After they finished getting ready, Zee brought her friends down to a club she knew. A club whose building was the shape of a large whiskey bottle with a sign hanging over it that read 'Whiskey Willies'.

"Welcome to Whiskey Willies!" Zee announced as she led her friends toward the club, stopping in front of the bouncer. "Hey, Segar, this your shift today?"

"You know's it, Zee," Segar the beefy cyclops demon responded, showing off his larger forearms before seeing Zee's friends. "They with you?"

"Yup! Thought I could bring my gal pals here for some clubbing," Zee said while pointing to her friends.

"Hi, this is my first time, by the way," Rebecca said while dressed in a red pixie dress with a black corset tied, black sleeves, and maroon leggings and red boots.

"…I could've gotten my eight hours," Whitney mumbled while dressed in a short, glittering dress with a color gradient of gray blue to white at the hem, a sweetheart neckline, a white, tulle petticoat with a white sash around her waist, white strap heels, and a Titan skull necklace.

"So are we in?" Zee asked him before Segar opened the door for them.

"You goils have fun," he told them as the four entered the club.

"Thanks, sailor," Zee saluted to him as they went inside.

"Wow…" Rebecca said in awe, as she, Whitney and Darcilia looked impressed by the club.

The lights were flickering black and white and gray while many of the young party goers danced on the dance floor. Up on the stage, jazz musicians playing their instruments. Clubbers who weren't dancing or listening to the music were either eating or drinking and behind a bar a demon octopus bartender was passing around the drinks.

"So… where should we start?" Zee asked her friends while forming a smile.

---

Team WZRD went to the dance floor. Zee raised her hands up while shaking her hips to the music. She ended up bumping her hips against Darcilia, who was startled by the act. When the disguised werecat turned to her, she couldn't help but be mesmerized by Zee's dancing, her smile, and the motion of her body…

Darcilia shook her head and moved to dance somewhere else. She just hung her shoulders while motioning her feet and bopping down her head, doing a little gothic dance.

"Come on, Whitney! Dance along!" Rebecca encouraged her sister while dancing.

Whitney just stood off to the side, watching her sister. After some more encouragement, she couldn't help but give a sigh as she walked onto the dance floor. "Well, I'm up anyway," she said as she started to dance, doing her ballerina-like dance moves which drew some attention. After she did a spin, the club goers cheered for her.

Zee looked around at her friends, seeing them enjoying themselves on the dance floor. She was trying to enjoy herself as well, but despite her best efforts, Emily's rejection of her was never too far away…

---

After dancing, the four headed to the bar. They got their drinks from a barrel of non-alcoholic beverage and sat down on bar stools.

"You guys having fun?" Zee asked them.

"Yeah!" Rebecca declared while drinking her beverage.

"I gotta admit, this hasn't been awful," Whitney admitted while leaning back. "But I still wonder… why did you suddenly decide to go clubbing, Zee?"

"Yeah, even straight after Emily's party," Darcilia added.

"Oh, well, you know… I just didn't feel like the party had to stop after Emily's birthday party ended," Zee replied. "I wanted to keep things going."

"Then why not invite Emily as well?" Darcilia asked.

"I… think she's partied enough," Zee quickly claimed. "Besides, how long has it been since just the four of us hung out together?"

"Too long," Rebecca said while the other girls nodded in agreement.

"To Team WZRD?" Zee asked as she raised her glass.

"To Team WZRD," the other girls said as they raised their classes as well.

The musicians then suddenly stopped playing their swinging music, earning them claps from the audience. Zee and the other girls clapped as well as they heard a voice speak up. "Give it up for the Whiskey Willies orchestra, everybody!"

Up on stage, someone stepped out from behind the curtains. It was a dark-skinned witch man with light blue hair pointed at each side, green eyes, and a mustache. He wore a dark-blue and white striped vest with red sleeves, a blue furred tie, purple pants and dark purple shoes. He came out sliding on the floor with his feet.

"Seriously, give it up to the band!" he told the audience as the club goers clapped some more for the band. He gave a smile. "Now most of you know me and know what I'm good at. But in case you newcomers don't know, you may address me as… the King!"

"Is that your actual name or an alias?" Rebecca shouted out of curiosity.

"Um… a title, since I own this club and everything," the King said as he looked over at Rebecca and her group. "Hmm, and I haven't seen you girls here before. Why don't you lovely newcomers come up on the stage and introduce yourselves!"

The spotlight settled on Zee, Darcilia, Whitney and Rebecca. The girls were surprised to be in the spotlight, but Zee looked thrilled.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Zee asked as she stood up and started walking toward the stage. "Let's go up."

"I'm not good on the stage…" Darcilia admitted, though she followed Zee regardless.

"Come on! We're the stars of the show now!" Rebecca declared while Whitney followed her.

Once they got up on the stage, the King got a look at the girls. "So is this your first time at the Whiskey Willies, girls?"

"Well, it isn't mine," Zee admitted. "But it is for my friends. They haven't been on the Inwell Isles for very long."

"Ah, I thought so," the King said. "Are you enjoying yourselves so far?" The girls all nodded while vocalizing their enjoyment, making the King smile. "Good, good. Now why don't you girls introduce yourselves to our audience?"

He handed them the mic and Zee started. "Well, my name is Zee Drakescale, and these are-"

"Just call me Darci," Darci said in a monotone voice. "Just call me Darci." She didn't want to use her full name, especially in a public place like this.

"I'm Whitney Carmine and this is my sister Rebecca," Whitney introduced.

"Although since we have the same father but a different mother, I go by Knightcore in the mornings and Carmine at the nights," Rebecca declared with a big smile.

"Hmm, Carmine," the King said, seemingly recognizing the name. "That does sound familiar."

"I'm not surprised," Whitney admitted. "Where we're from, the Carmines are major weapons manufacturers."

"And where are you girls visiting us from?" the King asked.

"Well, we're all originally from the Boiling Isles," Zee revealed, which caused some members of the audience to gasp in surprise, followed by whispering.

"The Boiling Isles?" the King asked, also surprised. "Isn't that neat? Everyone here has been talking about the Boiling Isles since word first reached us about what went down on the 'Day of Unity'."

The girls looked out at the audience and saw members murmuring to each other.

"Since you were all there, perhaps you could clarify for us if the rumors are true," the King suggested.

Whitney stepped up to address this. "I guess it depends on what you heard. But what happened is that our former emperor, who is now deceased, tried to drain almost everyone of their magic through our sigils."

"Yeah, he was really into committing genocide against another world," Zee said while holding up her wrist to show her sigil brand. "And he wasn't just trying to drain adults. He was even branding students like me so he could drain kids of their magic and leave them powerless." She looked up at the audience, seeing them frightened at the thought of losing their magic. "Belos lied to us for decades, all the while covering up his many crimes, including the deaths of many innocent witches. And most of his Coven Heads were complacent in his scheme. We managed to stop him and overthrow him, but it was not easy…"

While the audience responded to this, the King stepped up. "Yes, and we in the Inwell Isles offer our sympathies to our neighbors from the Boiling Isles," he said in a sincere tone. "So with all of that going on back home, what brings you girls to Inwell Isles?"

"Well, we came here to check up on our friend, Zee, who is currently living here on the Inwell Isles," Rebecca told while everyone turned to Zee.

"And I came here because… I needed to get away from it all and I wanted to stay in touch with a close friend of mine," Zee responded.

"And how long have you been living on the Inwell Isles?" the King asked Zee.

"A few weeks," Zee explained.

"And have you been enjoying living on the Inwell Isles?" the King asked.

"Yeah," Zee confirmed. "I have."

"Good," the King said. "Hopefully you continue to enjoy your time with us. Now I have one more question, so forgive me for being nosy. Do each of you have anyone special in your lives?"

The girls gave different reactions from his question. Rebecca looked bashful, Whitney gave a deadpan look, Darci gave a stoic look, and Zee… looked dead inside.

"Let's start with you, Red," the King said as he handed the mic to Rebecca.

"Um, well… there is this guy I know," Rebecca admitted, deciding to hide the fact that she was talking about Zee's brother. "But I don't think he feels the same way."

"Oh? A case of unrequited feelings?" the King asked her, intrigued. "Care to tell us what he's like?"

"Well… he's a… pretty handsome guy, and… he's kind, and pretty cool, if a bit of an introvert," Rebecca said. "But he already has two girlfriends."

"Two girlfriends?" the King asked though he didn't look surprised. "Hmm, sounds to me that this young man might be open for a third girlfriend."

"Third…?" Rebecca asked while looking flustered.

"Don't get any ideas, Rebecca," Whitney warned her sister.

"I wasn't!" she retorted.

"What about you, Winter?" the King asked while holding the mic out to her. "Does anyone get you hot and bothered?"

"Well… I do have one crush on someone, but he's… a little too old for me," Whitney admitted, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"Oh? So you like mature men?" he asked her.

"Oh, um," Whitney said, sounding nervous and looking a bit flustered. "W-Well, they do kinda appeal to me…"

"Makes sense, a mature lady like you would aim for a mature man," he replied, making Whitney blush even more.

"Um… thanks," she said as the King moved the mic to Darci.

"And what about you-"

"I don't have anything to say," Darci responded with some hostility in her voice.

"Oh come on, Darci," Zee nudged her. "What's the harm-"

"I don't. Want. To. Talk about it," Darci snarled while giving an intimidating look.

"I think we shouldn't push it if it's too sensitive for her," the King said while turning to Zee. "And that leaves you last, Zee. Tell us if you have someone in mind?"

"Oh, um…" Zee said as she looked around. She hesitated, wondering if she should talk about her feelings for Emily or not. After a moment, she decided. "Well… not at the moment."

"Oh? Are you sure about that?" the King asked her while Zee's friends looked at her in confusion.

"O-Of course, I don't! Heh, I mean, I don't have any feelings for anyone," Zee fibbed.

"Hmm… I don't believe you," he told her.

"What? What do you know?" Zee asked him.

"Well, for one, you look like you haven't had any sleep, due to the tiredness in your eyes being red and all," he said as he pointed to her eyes. "I believe that you did have feelings for someone, but it didn't go the way you wanted. And now you're trying to distract yourself from your feelings. Not to mention that I can see how sleep-deprived your friends are… did you drag them out here to go clubbing this early in the morning?"

"Um… well…" Zee said as she looked over to her friends. She saw Whitney look a bit tired while Darci just looked cranky. Rebecca looked a bit manic, but still rubbed her eyes. "I mean, we're just enjoying ourselves, and how can you know what I'm feeling?"

The King looked at Zee, crossing his arms. "Because I am an expert when it comes to this sort of thing," he revealed. "And you are showing signs of heartbreak. Probably one of your first times being rejected too."

"How-"

"Oh, it's obvious," the King told her. "It's all over your body language, not to mention your general vibe. I've seen it all, love, I know when someone is trying to compensate for something. I've seen it many times before… and I'll tell you what I told them…"

As if on cue, he snapped his fingers and the band started to play. The spotlight hovered over him and Zee as the King started… to sing.

"Heedle-heedle-heedle-heedle, deedle-deedle-deedle, ski-la-lu-bap-du, dee-do-zee-zaym," he sang in a skit skat beat, while waving his arms and legs around as he ended up between Zee and Darci. "Ooh-woah-oh! Ooh-woah-oh-oh-oh, zoo-dee-bee-da-du, bwee-du-dee-buay!"

He held on the mic as he sang to Zee. "Now I've seen good times, I've had hard ones too, I've seen the highest highs and the bluest of blues. Now, times can be real hard, given no guarantees…"

The spotlight changed from gold to blue on the blues.

"Well, they can knock you down, and leave you livin' on your knees," he sang as he used his magic to knock Zee toward the floor, but before she could hit the ground he caught her by the hand and pulled her up. "So, when you're down on your luck, and life ain't treatin' ya' too nice, I highly recommend that you… roll the dice!"

He held up a pair of dice and rolled them out of his hand, up his shoulders, and to his other hand while Zee watched in awe.

"When you've nothing left to lose, you place your money down…"

"Gotta try and turn your life around!" the crowd sang along, much to the girls' surprise.

"If you need a second chance, then heed on my advice, cause sister, you gotta roll the dice!" he sang as he threw the dice up in the air.

The dice turned giant and began falling towards Zee, who shut her eyes… but didn't feel herself get crushed. When she reopened her eyes, she saw that she and the King were suddenly in a dark void, all alone while a trumpet played in the background.

"What the…?" Zee asked in confusion as she wondered where her friends and everyone else were.

"Ooh…" the King sang. "You gotta take a chance, when your life begins, you've got to roll them bones…"

A duplicate of the King pops up, tapping on Zee's shoulder. She turned around and looked surprised to see the duplicate. "To bounce right back to the top, you cannot win if you don't play!"

"Ha! You got to get into the swing!" the first King declared.

"There is no better way to go from beggar to king!" they both sang as they and Zee suddenly appeared in front of a gambling table. Zee found herself dressed in a red slit dress with an orange boa around her neck while holding up a pair of dice.

"When you've got nothing left to lose, you place your money down," the two Kings sang while knocking off the chips.

"Gotta try and turn your life around!" the dice spoke to Zee, who dropped them after getting started.

"Gotta try and turn your life around," the second King sang. "Tell her how!"

"If you need a second chance, then heed on my advice," the King sang as he grabbed Zee's hand, dancing with her as they swung around and danced. The void was then surrounded by neon lights. "Sister, you gotta roll the dice~! One more time!"

The music continued to play as the King and Zee ended up dancing while standing on a pillar. Zee didn't know what was going on, but ended up going along with it as more neon lights flared up, giant dice rolled around in the air, and gambling chips and cards flew around them.

"Sister, you gotta roll the dice!" he declared as he sang his heart out. "Sister, you gotta roll the dice…! Ahahah… yeah…"

And suddenly, they were no longer in the void. Instead, they were up on stage, the audience clapping for them. While Zee looked around in confusion, the King took a bow.

"Thank you, thank you all!" he declared while Zee walked over to her friends. "Thank you all for joining me up on stage."

"Um, yeah…" Zee responded as she and the girls got off the stage.

"Oh, and Zee," the King said, getting Zee to stop and look back. "Seriously, you gotta pick yourself up again. Rejection stings. Heartbreak stings. But there is always a way to turn things around. Don't dwell on it. Don't ignore it either. Instead, confront it and move on."

"Uh, thanks," Zee said before she turned and followed her friends.

Once they were offstage, the band started playing again and everyone resumed clubbing. Zee and her friends sat down at a table.

"You alright, Zee?" Rebecca asked her, noticing how strangely Zee looked.

"Yeah, I'm just… dazed and confused," Zee responded while rubbing her head. "Like, where did that guy take me?"

"What are you talking about, Zee?" Darci asked as she and the rest looked confused. "You didn't go anywhere."

"Yeah," Rebecca said. "You and the King were up on stage the whole time."

"What?" Zee asked, just as confused. "But, then what-"

"You're probably just suffering from sleep deprivation," Whitney noted.

Zee considered this before rubbing her temple. "Yeah, probably. Maybe I should just sit down for a few minutes."

"Are you going to be alright?" Darci asked.

"I'm fine, guys, really," she insisted.

An awkward silence fell over the group, Zee's three friends looking at each other before Whitney decided to speak up.

"Zee, do you want to talk about what that guy said?" Whitney asked. "About you going through heartbreak?"

"It's Emily, isn't it?" Darci asked.

Zee didn't answer, but her silence was just as revealing, causing Rebecca to gasp.

"Oh my Titan!" Rebecca exclaimed. "She rejected you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Zee hissed before sighing. "Look, just… don't worry about me, why don't you three go clubbing while I sit this one out."

The three looked at each other, showing they were still concerned for Zee. Once again, it was Whitney who spoke up.

"Alright, Zee," she said. "But we won't be far. Call us if you need us for anything."

"Yeah, Zee," Rebecca said with a reassuring look. "We're here for you."

Zee managed to smile at them. "Thanks, guys. Now, please, go and enjoy the club."

The three looked at Zee again before they complied and went to join the dance floor, although Darcilia briefly strayed.

"I'm sorry," she said while Zee sighed.

"Thanks," she said, not looking at Darcilia.

The werecat girl did seem conflicted about leaving Zee alone, but after a moment she decided to respect Zee's wishes and follow Whitney and Rebecca, though every now and then she still looked back at Zee to make sure she was okay.

Now alone, Zee looked down as she contemplated the meaning behind the King's song. 'Gotta roll the dice… what the hell does he mean by that?' she thought to herself. 'Gotta take a chance… what kind of chance does he mean? Do I…?'

"Hey, Zee!"

Zee was taken out of her train of thought when she heard a familiar voice. She turned around and saw, to her surprise, someone she knew. "Zara?"

"That's my name, don't wear it out," Zara said with a smile while shown to be nicely dressed for the club. She was wearing a one-strapped sparkling purple sleeveless shirt, frilly green skirt, a black belt that had an emerald gemstone buckle, and black boots. "I saw you and your friends up on the stage. Didn't expect to see you here."

"I didn't expect to see you here either," Zee responded as she scooted over to let Zara sit next to her. "So what brings you here?"

"Oh, well I thought that since I was still in a party mood, I figured that the party didn't really need to stop with Emily's," Zara responded. "Same with you?"

"Yeah," Zee admitted.

"So how are you doing, Zee?" Zara asked her. "Are you feeling well? Because I noticed that you're here by yourself while your friends are on the club floor."

"Oh, I'm just… a little dazed and confused, I guess," Zee responded. "And no, nothing alcoholic or drug inducing."

"Oh don't worry, I figured that you were not that kind of girl," Zara said before she realized something. "Hey, come to think of it, I don't really know much about you besides you being Emily's friend. But I bet you have some interesting stories to tell, especially with the whole dragon thing…"

Zee smiled. "Yeah, I have some stories to tell," she admitted. "Did they have any dragons where you grew up, Zara?"

Zara paused, surprised by the question. She bit her lip and thought about her answer. "Oh, they did," she said, nodding. "I never saw one, of course. Well, a real one, at least. But I remember hearing stories about them when I was a kid. According to those stories, dragons are the oldest creatures in existence."

"Really?" Zee asked, intrigued. "I've never heard that before."

Zara nodded. "I heard that the first creature ever created was the original dragon. Because he is as old as the world, he remembers everything that has happened since the world was created and is the wisest of all living things."

Zee noticed something. "Wait… you said 'is'. Is the first dragon… still around?"

"According to the stories I grew up with, he lives on the other side of the world with many of his offspring," Zara said before noticing Zee getting excited. "But they could just be that. Stories told to bored children to keep them entertained." She shrugged. "There are other stories I know. Stories of dragons who live underground and only come up to eat once every hundred years. Stories of a two-headed dragon named Evangeline who was gentle by nature and would be chased around by a knight who loved to fight dragons. Oh, don't worry, it was a game she loved to partake in." She sighed. "But I never saw a dragon in my lifetime. Until I met you, of course."

"Did I live up to your expectations?" Zee asked, causing Zara to laugh.

"Oh, you weren't exactly what I was expecting," Zara confessed while smiling at Zee. "But I can't say that I'm disappointed. So what dragon lore can you share with me, Zee?"

Zee smiled back, feeling comfortable enough to tell Zara her story. "Well, as you know, I'm from the Boiling Isles. I came from a family of dragons, the great Drakescale Clan," she declared with pride in her voice. "We're the last dragon tribe on the Isles. There is my father, Damien, and my grandfather, Drayden. And there is my brother, Cross, who you already met."

"Fascinating," Zara replied. "And what about your mother?"

"Oh, um well… she's not a dragon… well, neither is Cross's mom," Zee admitted. "Also my dad doesn't have a dragon form since it skipped his generation."

"Oh… wait, what do you mean neither Cross's mom?" Zara asked her, immediately picking up on this. "Are you, by any chance…"

"Yeah, me and Cross are half-siblings," Zee replied with a sigh. "My birth mom passed away when I was really little. I… don't really remember her, to be honest. Or at the very least, it is hard for me to tell if what memories I do have are real or just how I want to remember her, you know?"

Zee's face fell when she remembered her mother's oracle stone and what happened to it. Since her memories were not reliable, that oracle stone had been her main connection to her mother. And now it was in pieces…

"I'm so sorry, Zee," Zara said, her tone sympathetic. "And I think I do understand where you're coming from. To not really know what your mother is like, to have to rely on what people tell you she is like as if that is a good substitute… but it isn't."

"Yeah, I know," Zee replied, though she would prefer not to dwell on that. "But I do see Cross's mom as my own mother. Hence why I have this orange streak of my hair since, well, the Clawthornes are known for being natural hotties if you know what I'm saying?"

"Ah yes, I am sure that side of your family is interesting as well," Zara said. "And I do think it is good that you have connections to that side of your family. Otherwise, I imagine it would be pretty lonely for your family, being the last dragons in the Demon Realm."

Zee was about to agree with Zara, but then she paused. "Well… that might not be true," she admitted, which surprised Zara.

"Oh? What do you mean by that?" Zara asked her.

Zee leaned back and looked up as she remembered something from her past…

---

Little Zinnia Drakescale, about six years old, was climbing up a tree. A very tall tree to add. The young witchling in an orange shirt and black overalls managed to find a place for herself on branch near the top of the tree, from which she was able to enjoy the view.

"Wow…" Little Zee said in awe, unaware that the tree branch she was on was gonna break…

SNAP!

The branch broke, causing little Zee to fall. "Yaaaah!" she cried out, yelling out as she fell toward the ground. Fortunately, before her fall could catch too much momentum, she was caught in the air. Zee stopped screaming when she saw she was safe in the arms of a dragon. "Oh, thanks, grandpa-" She turned around, only to see that it wasn't her grandfather. "Oh, Uncle Gio!"

"Are you alright, Zinnia?" asked the dragon. This dragon was different, as he had a brown and white striped mane that went from his head to his back. He had burgundy red scales all over his well-built body, with large, purple wings that had long round fins at the end. He had dark-purple horns that curled at the end, a purple underbelly with some scars, with purple claws, and a long tail with purple spikes all over the backside of his body. He also had noticeable blue eyes. He held Zee in his arms as he flew them back down to the ground.

"Mhmm, thanks for the save, Uncle Gio!" Zee replied.

"Just what were you thinking of climbing up that high, Zinnia?" the dragon, Gio, asked her.

"I wanted to see the view from up there," Zee answered.

"You know you could have just asked me to fly you up that high," Gio pointed out.

"I know… but I wanted to see if I could get that high on my own," Zee answered before seeing the adults rushing over.

"Zee! Are you alright?!" Damien asked as he, Drayden, and Clair, who was holding a young Cross, ran over.

"We heard her fall," Clair said before acknowledging the dragon holding Zee. "Oh, thank Titan you caught her, Giovanni."

"Is she alright?" Drayden asked.

"She's fine, Drayden," Giovanni responded while changing into his witch form while still holding Zee. His witch form was that of an elderly witch man who had brown, comb-back hair with a white streak tied into a ponytail. He had thick eyebrows, blue eyes, and complex-tanned skin. He wore a black suit with a purple tie, a red button shirt, and dark shoes. He handed Zee over to Drayden while smiling. "Your granddaughter is quite a handful, old friend."

---

"Giovanni…" Zee said, earning Zara's curiosity.

"Who's Giovanni?" Zara asked her.

"He's my godfather," Zee explained. "Giovanni Darksmoke was an old friend of my grandfather's, since the Darksmokes were the only dragons besides the Drakescales to survive Belos's purge."

"Purge?" Zara asked, looking shocked by this. "You mean… this Belos…?"

"Yeah, the other dragon clans in the Boiling Isles were killed by Belos and his allies," Zee said sadly. "My grandfather and Giovanni were the only ones to have managed to survive. For a while, Giovanni used to live with us because he had no other family…"

---

Giovanni was showing little Zee and Cross his magic. He could summon fire, but he was able to form the fire into a miniature dragon, letting it fly around them.

"Wow! That looks so cool, Uncle Gio!" Zee said in awe while Cross also looked up in amazement.

"It is, isn't it?" he asked with a smile before he changed the mini-fire dragon into one made out of ice, which landed on the coffee table. "Now it's an ice dragon."

"Just like grandpa," Cross said while looking at the ice.

"It is!" Zee shouted while impressed.

---

Giovanni played a little song with the lute he had. As he strummed it, Zee sat next to him with a sleepy Cross next to her.

"Oh misty eye of the mountain below," Giovanni sang. "Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls, and should the sky be filled with fire and smoke, keep watching over Titan's sons…"

He kept strumming while Zee silently watched and listened to him sing, staring at him in awe. "If this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together. Watch the flames climb high into the night, calling out, father, oh, stand by and we will… watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside."

"Where did you learn that song, Uncle Gio?" Zee asked him.

"Oh, it is an old song I've learned from my mother, Zinnia," he told her. "She taught me this song when I was just as young as you and your brother. It was sung by your draconian ancestors."

"Do you know more songs like it?" Zee asked, which made Giovanni smile warmly.

---

"I say he was my godfather, but really he was more like an uncle to me and Cross when he was living with us," Zee said, smiling fondly at the memories. "Or a great uncle, I guess. A grunkle. He and gramps were the best of friends, brothers by bond if not by blood. Uncle Gio was also very passionate when it came to teaching me and Cross all about our dragon culture, since he didn't want us to forget our roots. Forget what makes us great. He took great pride in his heritage, more than even my grandfather."

"He sounds like a cool guy," Zara commented. "So is he still around?"

Zee looked down, her smile vanishing. "I don't know. He didn't live with us forever. Not after this… field trip he took me on…"

---

Giovanni was with Zee in the living room, telling her stories about his family through his family photographs.

"These are my brothers and sisters," Giovanni pointed out to Zee. "We used to live together in our cottage in the woods. The Darksmokes were regarded as the masters of mysticism, survivors of the scalding seas."

"Wow…" Zee said in awe.

"Wow, indeed," Giovanni said with a smile, taking pride in his family history. But then Zee asked him a question which caught him completely off guard.

"What happened to your family?" Zee asked innocently.

Giovanni's smile fell instantly. Taken aback, he looked down at Zee, who gazed up at him with nothing but innocence. "Well… they…" he said as he struggled to find a way to explain this to her. He looked down at the photo of his family and an idea occurred to him. He briefly debated with himself over the idea before he decided to go through with it. "Maybe… I could take you on a little field trip, just the two of us."

"Ooh, what kind of field trip?" she asked him.

---

Giovanni and little Zee stood in front of the entrance… of an abandoned zoo.

"Was this a zoo?" Zee asked as Giovanni took through the entrance. They looked around, seeing the empty cages. Zee couldn't help but get a bad vibe from the place.

"It was…" Giovanni replied as he showed Zee around the zoo.

Zee paused when she saw several statues ahead of them. Only they weren't just statues… they were petrified witches. When she got closer, she could see their faces, frozen in agony and pain for all time. "W-what is this place?" she asked as she looked around, noticing that a few of the nearby cages were filled with bones and not all of the bones belonged to animals. She also noticed some faded posters of Belos, the previous Golden Guard, and Captain Coven…

"These statues you see here?" Giovanni asked as he pointed to them. "This is where Belos sent his enemies. Not just covenless witches, but also lycans, political leaders, and historians that chose to stay true to the real history of the Boiling Isles. Before the Conformatorium, this zoo was used to hold anyone that didn't agree with or disliked Belos. Before they met their fates, the Emperor's Coven would lock them in cages, like animals."

As Zee looked around at the old zoo, she began to notice names carved onto the walls. "Why did people write their names on the walls?" she asked her godfather.

"So they won't be forgotten, Zinnia," Giovanni answered while looking over the names. "I… knew some of the names. Old friends, acquaintances, allies… family," he said while seeing the names of his brothers and sisters, along with the name of his… mother. He shut his eyes. "What the Emperor's Coven did… was evil…" He slammed his fist against the names. "But they still haven't been held accountable for this. And it hasn't changed. They just replaced a zoo with a prison. Nowadays, they brand witches as a means to control them and their magic, rob them of their full potential. But everyone is afraid of what might happen to them if they don't get branded. Including your parents…"

Zee remained quiet as she looked around some more before she noticed something inside one of the cages. It was a discarded doll… a discarded doll that looked like it belonged to a young witch no older than her. This image was very haunting for the young Drakescale girl and at such a young age, this whole thing was too much for the little Zinnia. But Giovanni didn't notice how bothered she was about this until she started to break down.

"Oh… oh… eeeeewaaaaaaaaahhhhhH!" little Zee cried, which caught Giovanni's attention.

"Zee? What… what's wrong?" Giovanni asked, kneeling down to her.

"I-Is this what's going to ha-ha-happen to me and my family, uncle Gio?" Zee asked him while brawling in tears. "A-Am I going to die?!"

"What? No, nonononono, you're not!" Giovanni immediately reassured her, attempting to comfort her in a hug. But she continued to cry and he realized his error. "Okay, this is… this was a mistake bringing you here," he muttered, worried for Zee's sake. "Let's, um, hey, let's go home and forget about this with some ice scream."

Zee nodded, her face still stained with tears as Giovanni decided to immediately leave the abandoned zoo.

---

As soon as Giovanni brought Zee back home, they were confronted by Damien and Clair.

"Zee, Giovanni," Damien said when he saw they were back.

"Where have you two been?" Clair asked, worried. "You left suddenly without telling us where you were going, you had us worried sick, and… why is Zee in tears?"

"Um… well, it's like this," Giovanni said while setting Zee down. "I… took Zee to the zoo…"

"What zoo?" Damien questioned before walking over to his daughter and kneeling down in front of her. "Zee, what zoo did you and uncle Gio go to?"

"He… he took me one with the… statues and bones, it was abandoned…" Zee answered while sniffing.

"WHAT?!" Damien and Clair shouted as they turned to glare at Giovanni.

"You took our daughter to that abandoned zoo?!" Damien scouted.

"I… I thought it would be an educational experience," Giovanni defended himself. "I didn't mean to upset her."

"How did you think she would react?!" Clair yelled at him. "She's seven, for Titan's sake!" She held onto Zee and started attempting to comfort her. "There, there, Zee, it's alright."

"Not only did you take her to that accursed place, but you did it behind our backs!" Damien told him off. "You did not ask us about taking her there, but you knew that we wouldn't approve, didn't you?"

Giovanni didn't say anything, he just stood there in silence. Damien glared at him in disgust before he turned to Zee and decided to help Clair comfort her.

---

Later, after they managed to calm down Zee, Damien and Clair stayed with her in her bedroom.

"Are you feeling better now, Zee?" Damien asked her.

"I… I am, daddy," Zee replied while holding hot cocoa. "Thank you for this hot cocoa."

"We're glad that it helps," Clair replied while patting her head. "Do you… wish to talk about what you saw there?"

"It's okay if you don't want to," Damien said.

However, Zee wanted to talk about it. No, she needed to talk about it.

"Well… I saw… statues of witches who were… petrified and… cages. A doll was in one of them," Zee said, her voice quiet. "Uncle Gio told me that this is what the Emperor's Coven did to lycans, to coveless witches, to… witches like us. I'm… I'm scared that the Emperor's Coven will be coming for us and will take you all away or take me away…"

"No, Zee, they're not going to take you away," Damien reassured her. "Nor will they take us from you."

"Nothing bad is ever going to happen to us, or grandpa, or Cross," Clair said.

"R-Really?" Zee asked, her thoughts still on the zoo. "They won't?"

"Of course not, sweetheart," Damien assured her. "Your godfather, he… he shouldn't have brought you there in the first place. What he did was wrong."

"He should've consoled with us about it," Clair said. "Though we wouldn't have allowed you to go to that place anyway."

"So… the zoo?" Zee asked them.

"It was shut down because the Emperor's Coven doesn't do those kinds of things anymore. Even the werecats were even given their own reservation where they could live in peace," Clair said.

Zee looked up to her parents… and noticed their sigils. She remembered what Giovanni had said. "Is… is that why you all got branded with sigils? So the Emperor's Coven doesn't come for you?"

Damien and Clair turned to look at each other before they then turned to Zee. "Well, these sigils… they do help protect this family," Clair admitted.

"Including you and Cross," Damien added.

"Does that mean I'll get a sigil someday?" Zee asked them, sounding worried.

"Well, you might, but not for a long time," Damien pointed out. "The Emperor's Coven doesn't brand kids."

But even with their reassurance, Zee was unsure "I'm… still scared…"

"Zee, trust us," Damien said as he patted her hand. "Look, try not to dwell on anything that uncle Gio told you or showed you. He's… troubled, but he shouldn't have exposed any of that to you."

"And maybe to make you feel better, why don't we treat you to something nice and fun tomorrow?" Clair suggested.

"Really?" Zee asked them, feeling her spirit lifted up.

"Yeah," Damien said as he nodded. "Now why don't you get some sleep, and we can have fun tomorrow."

Zee smiled, set her cocoa aside, and laid back in her bed. "Thank you, daddy, mommy."

"You're welcome sweetheart " Clair responded while she and Damien both kissed her on the cheek before leaving Zee to sleep…

---

However, Zee was unable to sleep that night, so she decided to sneak out of her bedroom and help herself to a snack. However, while in the hallway heading for the kitchen, she overheard an argument going on in another room. When she realized that the ones arguing were her grandfather and Giovanni, she stopped to listen, peeking through the crack in the door.

"What were you thinking, taking Zee to that place?!" Drayden angrily told off Giovanni.

"I was only showing her what happened to my family," Giovanni defended himself. "While I apologize for going behind your backs over this, it needed to be done. Your grandchildren need to hear about what those coven-shills did to our kind, our families…" He looked down at the floor and Drayden's expression softened.

"Gio…" Drayden said as he attempted to pat his shoulder, but Giovanni moves aside.

"I am tired of living like this, Dray. Unlike you, I'm not content to hide from the Emperor's Coven, slowly losing my connection to my heritage as our kind gradually becomes forgotten," Giovanni told him. "And I am especially worried about your grandkids losing their connection to their heritage. They are the future, Dray. The next generation. They need to understand this stuff. They need to know about what could happen to them."

"Giovanni, I understand what you're going through and where you're coming from," Damien said. "But these are dangerous times for them. I don't want the Emperor's Coven to potentially come after them. I don't want them to end up fighting."

"Oh they'll have to fight eventually, Dray," Giovanni pointed out. "Maybe it's not a fight we can win, but it's a fight that's going to happen. I don't want to just survive, Drayden, because I feel like I'm disrespecting my family's own heritage by not doing anything to avenge it."

"Well I am not letting you drag my grandchildren into this," Drayden argued. "They will not be put in danger because of me."

"Come on, Dray, you can at least fight for them," Giovanni pointed out. "After all, we both know that you're willing to do whatever you have to in order to protect your family."

Drayden knew what he was referring to, making him glare at Giovanni. "Don't you dare bring that up…"

"What? How you killed Captain Coven?"

Drayden paused, his fist tightening. "What I did wasn't for my family. It was a huge risk and I'm lucky it was never traced back to me. And I asked you never to bring it up again!"

"I am not sure why you're ashamed of it, Drayden," Giovanni said while crossing his arms. "It wasn't like that Captain Coven didn't deserve to die. You did what you had to do."

"It's called revenge," Drayden retorted.

"It's justice!" Giovanni countered. "For what they did to our families, to our species… Belos and his worshipers need to pay for what they've done. If Belos had it his way, our people will be completely forgotten, removed from his version of history. We will be erased from memory and I can't stand for that." He looked at Drayden with a pleading expression. "Don't you want what's best for your family, Dray?"

Drayden looked at his old friend and sighed. "I do want what's best for them…" he admitted. "Which is why I can't have you around anymore."

This shocked Giovanni. "Drayden…"

"As much as I don't want to do this, Giovanni, you leave me no other option," Drayden told him sternly. "I need you gone."

From the other side of the door, Zee looked just as shocked as Giovanni.

---

The next day, Giovanni picked up his suitcase while wearing a trenchcoat and hat. He looked at the Drakescales with a sad expression. However, Damien and Drayden only looked at him sternly while Clair looked at him with a look of pity. Cross and Zee were there with her.

"Where are you going, Uncle Gio?" Cross asked him.

Giovanni looked down at the kids. "Oh I'm… I've decided to… spend some time away from the Boiling Isles in order to look for other dragons in the Demon Realm," he claimed with a forced smile. "There has to be others out there." Feeling bad for leaving like this, he knelt down in front of them. "Zinnia, Cross, I… I'm sorry that I have to leave like this."

"Will we… see you soon?" Zee asked him.

"I don't know," Giovanni admitted regretfully before deciding to give her one last message. "Please, never forget where you came from, Zinnia."

"I… I won't forget my ancestors, uncle," Zee promised.

"I know, but I don't just mean the Drakescales, Zinnia," he said before smiling more genuinely. "You… you remind me so much of your mother," he told her, surprising Zee. After a moment, Zee went to give him a hug and he hugged her back.

"I'll miss you, uncle Gio," Zee told him, letting out tears.

"I'll miss you too… Zee," Giovanni told her, before letting her go after the hug.

He then made his leave, the Drakescales watching him set out to look for other dragons… at least, that was what he claimed. But Zee knew that he had been forced to leave by Drayden, even if Zee never told her grandfather that she had overheard their argument. No, Zee never told anyone what she had heard, including Giovanni mentioning that Drayden had killed someone…

---

"That was the last time I saw Giovanni," Zee explained to Zara, obviously leaving out a few details she preferred to keep to herself. "Since then, we haven't heard a word from him. Nobody has." She sighed. "I believe he's probably dead, else I would have heard something from him by now. I didn't want to think that, but… I don't think he survived out there. From what I heard, it wasn't just the dragons of the Boiling Isles who were hit hard. All dragons in the Demon Realm were targeted."

"That's just… horrible," Zara said, though she did look confused by something. "But how did Belos manage to do that?"

"Oh, it wasn't Belos," Zee explained. "My grandfather once told me that when Belos was exterminating dragons on the Boiling Isles, he had help from a group of dragon hunters who came from another Titan. Now, Belos was usually very xenophobic when it came to the other Titans. He was incredibly paranoid about anyone who wasn't from the Boiling Isles. But for these dragon hunters, he made an exception. And these dragon hunters apparently were going all around the Demon Realm, from Titan to Titan, killing dragons."

"Are you… worried at all about these dragon hunters?" Zara asked, concerned. "Like, do you think they are still out there? You're not exactly hiding your dragon heritage."

"I… haven't really thought about that," Zee confessed. "But yeah, I guess they are probably still out there." She shrugged. "But maybe since they already thought they crossed the Boiling Isles off their list, they have no reason to come back. They could be anywhere in the Demon Realm by now, so it would take forever for news about the Boiling Isles to reach them. If it even reaches them at all."

"I guess you have to be grateful about this realm's terrible information network then," Zara said before her expression became one of genuine pathos. "But I am sorry about your godfather, Zee. Even if he isn't dead, he is missing from your life. And from the sound of it, the two of you must've been really close."

Zee gave a saddened sigh. "Yeah, we were," she admitted. "He was a bit part of some of my early childhood. I think I want to believe something happened to him, something that kept him from coming back to see me. Because the alternative is… he didn't care enough to come back for me." She shook her head. "I do miss him though."

An awkward silence settled over the duo, a silence that Zara broke by deciding to change the subject, by asking Zara. "Say um, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure," Zee responded.

"What is it like… being a half-sibling?" Zara asked her.

"What do you mean by that?" Zee asked her, surprised by the question.

Zara tried to find her words. "I mean, do you ever feel like Cross gets special treatment due to actually being Clair's kid while you're just the kid from the previous relationship before she and your dad hooked up? I mean, he has to be the favorite, right?"

"What?" Zee questioned, taken aback. She shook her head. "No, no it's nothing like that at all. Clair loves both of us, and she's the only mother that I had ever really known because of how young I was when my birth mom, Anna, died."

"So… you never felt neglected or abandoned by your parents?" Zara asked her.

"Of course not," Zee told her. "There's literally no issues between me and Cross about being half-siblings, especially since we both grew up together."

"No issues at all?" Zara asked.

"The only issue I have with him is why does he take his girlfriends on such boring dates," Zee joked. "Like, would it kill him to spice things up a little?"

"Well… it sounds like you two have it good," Zara pointed out, a hint of envy in her tone. "You have it lucky with your family, Zee. I hope you know that."

"I do," Zee assured her. "So what about your family? What are they like?"

Zara looked down, being quiet for a moment before she mustard up an answer. "I… I have no idea who my father is, honestly. Pretty sure my mother didn't know either. She could go into a tavern, pick out a random guy, and he would have been just as likely as anyone else she would have picked."

"Oh," Zee said, surprised by this. "I'm sorry-"

"I'm not done," Zara said, her tone dripping with anger. "I think it is pretty obvious that my mother never wanted me. She made that especially clear… when she abandoned me. Left me to fend for myself." She slammed her fist on the table. "Fucking whore went off to sleep with more men and have their babies. Well, I don't fucking need her. I turned out just fine without her."

"Oh… oh Zara, I'm so sorry," Zee told her, taken aback but not surprised by Zara's anger, seeing it as perfectly justified. "You have my sympathies. I guess, it's no wonder you and Emily got along well, since she was also abandoned… at least, she believed she was for years."

But much to Zee's surprise, Zara scoffed at this. "Please, Emily had it so much better than I had," she pointed out. "She actually had people who gave a damn about her. I mean, look at all the witches who were willing to come here just to celebrate her late birthday. She has no idea how good she's got-" She stopped herself when she saw the way that Zee was looking at her and she decided to change the story. "Um… anyway, your friends over there? Team WZRD?" She pointed to Zee's friends across the club, chatting with each other. "What's your history with them?"

Zee looked over at her friends and smiled. "Well, it is a funny story, I met them around the end of my freshman days…"

---

Over at the headquarters of the Beast-Keeping Coven, a young fifteen-year-old Zee Drakescale was looking at the bounty boards. She was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue jacket wrapped around her waist, brown cargo shorts, and boots.

"Hmm, pet finding, pet sitting, pet training," Zee said as she looked over her options before seeing a bounty that grabbed her interest. "Ooh, stopping a rampaging beast that came out of the old Dryad Forest. Worth forty-thousand snails! Now this is a bounty, eh Aqua?"

Aqua purred in response, agreeing with her. "Yeah, that's right! We can find this Dryad Forest Beast and claim our prize!" she declared. "And maybe win the heart of a damsel in distress if there is one…"

---

Soon, Zee was flying down her staff to the Dryad Forest, a part of the Titan that not many witches dared to venture to.

"This is the place," Zee said as she walked through the forest. It wasn't long before she noticed some claw marks on the trees, along with some tracks on the ground. "I think these might belong to our big fella," she commented while turning to Aqua. "Be on high alert for anything."

Aqua nodded while changing into a staff. Zee caught the staff and continued to silently walk through the forest as she attempted to track the Dryad Forest's Beast…

As she looked around, she heard a noise coming from the bushes. She turned around, holding her staff ready and-

"HIYA!"

Zee heard the cry and quickly moved out of the way before the scythe struck the ground next to her. She whirled around to face her attacker, who was a witch girl around her age.

"What the hell?!" Zee shouted.

"You're not getting away that easily, Dryad Beast!" the girl shouted as she turned around. It was a young Rebecca in a red cowl, black shirt. red skirt, black leggings, and boots. Unfortunately, her cowl covered her eyes, making it impossible for her to see.

"What?" Zee asked in confusion. "I'm not a beast!"

Hearing this, Rebecca lifted up her cowl, saw Zee, and immediately panicked. "Oh… oh Titan, I almost attacked someone… again!"

"Ugh, I told you to wait, Rebecca," said the young Whitney, who walked over while wearing a white jacket over a gray blouse, a blue skirt, and white leggings and boots.

"What… are you two doing here?" Zee asked them.

"Sorry, me and my sis are after a bounty on a monster, but my little sis here can be… trigger happy," Whitney responded.

"I'm not that trigger happy!" Rebecca complained.

"Last week, you destroyed our toaster after the toast popped out and startled you," Whitney pointed out, causing Rebecca to blush in embarrassment.

"Hey, I'm here for the bounty as well," Zee said as the two looked at her.

"Oh? So you're here to turn it in for the snails too?" Whitney asked her.

"Well, only partially," Zee admitted. "I mean, forty-thousand snails sounds nice, but I also came here to see if I could tame the beast. Plus if there's a chance of saving a damsel in distress, that would be nice too."

"Well, that's… a goal," Whitney said. "Me and my sister Rebecca are here for the bounty and reputation. Normally we wouldn't need the snails, but our dear mother wants us to learn the value of earning snails for ourselves…"

"Plus if we capture this dangerous beast, I might even be able to impress Calypso Brooke," Rebecca added hopefully.

"My sis idolizes her," Whitney quickly added. "She wants to very much be the new Red Hood Huntress."

"Right… so… you're rich girls?" Zee indicated.

"From a prestigious family, yes," Whitney replied.

"Right, so maybe you two can just get out of my way and let me handle the beast," Zee told them confidently. "I don't think you want to ruin your fancy dresses or get your hair wet or anything."

Whitney and Rebecca looked offended by Zee's comment.

"Are you underestimating us?" Whitney called her out.

"I think she is!" Rebecca declared.

"Look here, missy, we were here first," Whitney said while walking up to Zee and pointing at her chest. "So you don't get to call the shots. This bounty is ours, understand? So perhaps you should get out of our way."

Zee looked amused. "Really?" she asked. "Is that how it's going to be then?"

"Yeah," Whitney said, unthreatened by Zee. "That's how it's going to be."

Zee just smiled. "Well, I didn't want to do this, but…"

Both Whitney and Zee drew spell circles, but Zee was faster and a gush of water struck Whitney, pushing her back. Whitney fell on the ground, her hair wet as she spat out some water that got in her mouth.

Zee laughed. "I did try to warn you about getting your hair wet," she teased Whitney.

Whitney looked up at Zee in anger. "This means war!" she declared. "Rebecca, back me up!"

"Hooray! War!" Rebecca shouted while folding her scythe to shoot magic beams at Zee.

Zee dodged the beams while shooting her own magic shots with her staff. She and Rebecca exchanged spells, red and blue beams flying at each other. Whitney got to her feet and joined in by firing white magic blasts towards Zee using her rapier sword. It was a two on one fight as Zee kept moving to dodge the spells while drawing more spell circles, attempting to splash the sisters with water, but this time Whitney was ready and she managed to freeze the water with her ice magic.

"An ice user, eh?" Zee asked while drawing a circle. "Perhaps I need to turn up the heat!" she declared while summoning some firebees, which started flying towards the sisters, Whitney's eyes widening.

"Firebees… my Titan," Whitney said as she dodged the firebees, which melted through her ice structures. As they came for her, she jumped up and spun around in the air, using her boots to draw a big spell circle which summoned a large gust of wind that blew the firebees back. She drew a spell circle with her fingers, casting a snow spell that combined with the wind spell created a blizzard that caused the firebees to lose their flames.

While Whitney was dealing with the firebees, Rebecca continued to swing her unfolded scythe to shoot out red slashes at Zee. The Drakescale girl dodged them, the slashes instead hitting the trees around her, causing a few to be sliced into several pieces. Zee dodged more shots from Rebecca, seeing the crazy look from the girl. 'Is she trying to kill me?!' Zee thought before drawing spells to shoot fire and water together, resulting in a steamy fog that she used to cover the area around them.

This causes the two Carmines to start to sweat. It was hard to see through the steam, giving Zee the chance to strike them. She shot a spell at their feet, resulting in them backing away. But Whitney felt a kick to the back, which caused Rebecca to turn around and see her sister down. Rebecca then saw the reflection in her scythe, seeing Zee's next attack. Rebecca dodged Zee's attack, making the Drakescale girl fall over, but she quickly got back up. Zee then saw Whitney shoot an ice blast towards her. Zee dodged the attack, but it still hit her arm and caused it to become encased in ice.

"Shit!" Zee cursed as she used her fire magic to melt the ice. "I'll admit, you two are resilient."

"Well, if you're looking for damsels, we don't fit the bill," Whitney said before she gracefully leapt toward Zee and swung her leg at her, forcing Zee to duck underneath the kick.

Zee dodged several more kicks from Whitney, which were very quick. She saw how Whitney kicked like a dancer, always spinning and lifting her legs up high enough to reach her stomach or head. However, Zee tried to duck too soon and ended up getting kicked in the chin by Whitney's boot. Zee fell back and Whitney jumped over to deliver another kick, but she dodged the attack and held her hands up to block the kick. She attempted to hold onto Whitney's leg, but was forced to let go of it when Rebecca shot several magic blasts that almost hit her.

Unfortunately, once her leg was free, Whitney blasted some ice at Zee's shoulder, making her back away. Rebecca then actually managed to hit Zee and the combined attack sent her crashing into a tree. Zee looked up to see the sisters coming toward her, but Zee quickly drew spell circles to push them away with Earth magic, knocking them back. Whitney did flips to land gracefully on the ground while Rebecca uses her scythe to flip down on her landing. Zee then proceeded to get up, cracking her knuckles.

"Alright, time to-" But Zee stopped when she realized that something was glowing beneath her feet. She looked down and saw that a symbol had been drawn on the ground. "What the-?!" she shouted before her ears picked up something coming at her and just in time Zee jumped away and rolled forward to avoid the arrows that passed by her and hit the nearby trees. "What the fuck?! Did you two do this?!"

"That's not our doing," Whitney said in confusion.

Rebecca took a step back and her foot landed on a small rock, which was pushed into the ground, activating another trap. Bolos shot out and entrapped Whitney, bounding her.

"Whitney!" Rebecca cried out.

"Yah!" Whitney cried out, bound by the bolos. "What is this!?"

Zee noticed a large log coming at them. "Watch out!" she shouted as she jumped up and kicked the log swinging at them, surprising the girls.

"You… saved us?" Whitney asked.

"Guess that makes you damsels after all," Zee teased while holding her pendant, her mother's pendant, to use its oracle magic to predict if there were any more traps. "Arrows to your south!"

Rebecca turned south and used her scythe to block the arrows. Zee drew a spell circle and used flames to burn a net that was almost dropped on them. The two ended up working together, back-to-back, to defend themselves from the traps, all the Whitney was struggling with her own bonds and getting impatient.

"Hey um, can one of you release me?" Whitney asked.

Zee then summoned some large pillars with construction magic, using them to cover Rebecca as she cut the bolo bonds from her sister, allowing Whitney to get up. "Let's get out of here!" she suggested.

"For once, I agree," Zee responded as the three began to flee from the area… only to set off a pit trap that the three fell into.

"YAAAAAH!" they screamed as they fell into the hole and landed on top of each other.

"Ow…" Rebecca groaned while on top of Zee and Whitney.

"Of course there'd be a pit trap," Zee said as she checked on her Palisman, who was unfortunately knocked out.

"You two are on top of me," Whitney complained. "Get off!"

"Chill, legs," Zee told her while getting up after Rebecca got up. Whitney then pulled herself up. "But all those traps mean that someone else might be out here…"

"Hey, look!" Rebecca shouted as she pointed up. The other two girls looked up and saw someone standing at the edge of the hole, looking down at them.

"Well, this is surprising," said the young Darcilia, who was wearing a black cowl, a black top and black pants, and sandal heels. "Especially since I came out here with the understanding that I would not be disturbed…"

"Um, can you please get us out?!" Whitney shouted.

"Hmm, I could… but what's in it for me?" Darcilia asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"How about I take you out for dinner?" Zee offered. "I'll pay."

"What?! You're asking out the one who trapped us in here?!" Whitney asked in shock.

"What? She's cute, can't pass up a potential date," Zee replied with a shrug.

"Um… how about we split the bounty with you?" Rebecca suggested. "We're looking for a beast that came from this area, and if you help us, you can share the reward!"

Darcilia raised her eyebrow at them before she held up her crossbow. The three gasped as Darcilia pulled the trigger, but instead of hitting them, the bolt hit the top of the hole's wall on the side opposite from where Darcilia was standing and attached to the bolt was a rope.

"Climb up," Darcilia told them.

They each managed to climb up, with Whitney insisting to go first. Once they were out of the pit, Zee checked on her Palisman.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked. When Aqua confirmed she was, Zee turned to see the two Carmine sisters talking with Darcilia.

"Thanks for bringing us back up," Rebecca said gratefully to Darcilia, who stayed a careful distance away from the other girls.

"Just why were you setting up all of these traps around here?" Whitney asked her.

"Because I like my privacy," Darcilia responded while setting her crossbow aside. "Of course, now I'm thinking of moving."

"What would have happened if one of your traps killed us?!" Whitney questioned her.

"Well, that would've been a pathetic way to go then, would it?" Darcilia asked with a shrug, which only further irritated Whitney. "So what's this bounty you girls are after?" she asked, ignoring Whitney's glare.

"I'm here for the same reason these two princesses are," Zee said. "Looking for the Dryad Forest Beast. By the way, name's Zee, nice to meet'cha," she said, offering her hand.

"Uh… yeah, nice to meet you too," Darcilia responded, looking at Zee's hand but not shaking it. She turned to Rebecca. "You're all hunting for the same beast?"

"Yep. I'm Rebecca, by the way. And this is my sister, Whitney," Rebecca introduced herself. "What's your name?"

"Unimportant," Darcilia answered.

"Uh, okay," Rebecca said. "Well, have you by any chance seen a huge beast rummaging around the forest?"

"Well… I did hear some noises around here," Darcilia admitted. "You know, some roars, followed by large thumping noises…"

"Grrrrr…."

The four paused, hearing the growling noise as they turned to the source of the noise. They saw the bushes rustling. The four got into fighting positions as Zee held up her staff, Rebecca held up her scythe, Whitney held up her rapier sword, and Darcilia held up her crossbow. They were ready for a fight as out of the bushes…

…came a young Taraskit cub.

"Yeow!" it roared as the young cub with the armored shell on its body walked up to them, causing them to lower their weapons.

"That's your Beast?" Darcilia asked the others.

"That's a Taraskit," Zee identified as she saw it walk up to them. "Aw, it's just a little cub."

"So the whole time the Beast was actually a cub?" Whitney questioned.

"But… that doesn't make sense," Rebecca said while looking concerned. "Those tracks we saw had bigger paws than this little guy…"

"She looks scared," Zee realized while petting the creature, attempting to calm her down. "Almost as if it… wants to get away with something."

"ROOOAAARRR!"

The four felt a rumble and the Taraskit hid behind Zee as the four girls saw the source of the roar.

"What…" Zee said in shock.

Whitney's eyes widened. "...the…"

"FUCK?!" Rebecca shouted.

"ROOOAAARRRRRR!" cried out a creature with pure black fur and bone spikes popping out from its back, shoulders, and hindlegs. It had a skeletal face with three red eyes, crooked teeth, long horns, and a large tail. All around its onyx body are red lines.

"What is that?!" Whitney cried out.

"I think… that's the Beast," Zee realized.

"Really? I was completely unable to figure that out," Darcilia responded sarcastically before holding up her crossbow. "I'm taking it down!" she declared while marching toward the creature.

"Hey, wait!" Rebecca tried to stop her, but Zee was already charging in as well.

"Not if I take it down first!" Zee declared as she charged in.

"Um, guys…"

"Come on, Rebecca, let's not let them take all the glory!" Whitney told her while also charging.

Rebecca just looked at the Taraskit cub and sighed. "This is not going to end well for us…"

The three charged at the beast, Zee drawing a spell circle to shoot fire at the creature. It disturbed the beast, which swiped its claw at her. She got hit and rolled across the ground while Whitney went up to blast the creature with a spell from her rapier. The Beast responded by shooting out a red blast from its eyes at her, which Whitney and Zee both managed to dodge as it hit the trees behind them.

Darcilia fired several bolts from her crossbows, the magically enhanced bolts exploding against the side of the creature. It snarled and swung its tail to slam into Darcilia, who avoided the hit with cat-like grace. However, the tips of some of the bones coming out from the Beast fired red blasts towards her, causing her to jump back.

"What kind of beast is that?!" she shouted while shooting at it with her bolts.

"It's nothing like I've seen before, not even in the books!" Zee shouted while avoiding the creature's attacks.

The Beast then unleashed a loud roar that caused them to be launched away from the Beast, hitting trees and boulders as they flew back. The creature then snarled as it charged at them. The three quickly got out of the way, causing it to crash through the forest before it managed to turn around.

"Alright, large beast with smaller hindlegs," Whitney noted as she made some calculations. "If I could just get it behind-"

"I got it!" Zee shouted as she jumped over to blast the creature with steam, attempting to scald its face. But this proved to be ineffective and the Beast simply shot red beams out of its eyes and through the steam, hitting Zee and knocking her back through the air. "Gah!"

"Hang on!" Rebecca shouted while using her magic to slam on the ground and launch herself up from a pillar to catch Zee before she landed with her in a tree. "You alright?"

"Yeah… I'm good," Zee replied as Rebecca set her back on her feet. "Guess that makes us even."

"Yeah," she replied while looking back at the Beast and the others fighting. "There's no way we can fight this beast individually."

"What do you suggest?" Zee asked her.

Whitney kept shooting her ice blasts at the Beast while Darcilia kept shooting it with her bolts. It responded by firing red blasts from its eyes and bones, causing them to make a hasty retreat toward the trees.

"There's no way to stop this thing!" Whitney shouted. "It's like nothing the Isles has seen before…"

"That's basically what I said," Zee said while she and Rebecca went up to them.

"I can't believe that I got roped into your shit," Darcilia said with a frown.

"Hey, we're just trying to take on a beast that's been terrorizing other witches," Zee said.

"Which you've been apparently doing nothing about despite living here," Whitney pointed out.

"Guys, enough!" Rebecca shouted at them, earning their attention. "Look, arguing and fighting among each other isn't going to get us anywhere. That Beast over there." Rebecca pointed to the Beast as it chased around the Taraskit cub. "We need to deal with it one way or another, and to do that, we need to work together."

"Work with them?" Whitney asked in disbelief. "I'm not so sure, Rebecca…"

"Look, I think it'll benefit us if we did," Zee admitted. "I'll admit, it will probably take more than one Beast-Keeper to take on that thing. So if we work together, we might have a chance. I'm definitely willing to team up, if only for this one time."

Whitney looked at Zee, then at her sister, who gave her an encouraging smile. She contemplated her options before giving a sight, realizing that her sister was right. "Fine, I guess… an alliance would be beneficial."

"You three can do that, but I'm going elsewhere," Darcilia said as she started to get up.

"Wait! But you could be a big help!" Rebecca told her.

"Look, I'm not really the most social witch," Darcilia said. "Besides, I don't have anything to do with this. I'd rather just leave and find a new spot…"

"So you're just going to walk away from this?" Zee asked as she stood up while facing Darcilia. "Look, I may not know what your deal is, but I've seen how good you are. Setting up those traps, that crossbow, and your moves. Now you're just gonna turn tail out of here? Like a coward?"

This irked Darcilia, who glared at Zee. "I am not a coward!"

"Then prove it by helping us put an end to that thing," Zee told her. "This thing has been leaving this forest to attack witches. If we don't stop it, who knows how many animals or witches it will hurt. This thing clearly does not belong here. I think it might be some kind of invasive species. And because of that, it needs to be stopped."

Darcilia was still glaring at Zee, but her expression softened when she heard Zee's explanation about this creature hurting witches. Yes, she could leave. Yes, she could continue to watch out for only herself. But… the last thing she wanted were more regrets. She looked at Zee before holding up her crossbow.

"Fine," Darcilia said while loading more bolts into her crossbow.

Zee smiled and turned to Rebecca. "So what's the game plan?"

Meanwhile, the Taraskit ran up a tree as she attempted to hide from the Black Beast. She looked down and saw the Beast staring up at her before its bones started to charge up, indicating that it was about to blast the tree and her to kingdom come… until it got hit by some bolt.

"Hey, ugly!" Zee shouted, causing the Beast to turn towards its attackers and spot the four girls getting its attention. "Pick on someone your own size," Zee added while punching her own fist.

The Beast roared and charged at them.

"Whitney, Zee, to the sides!" Rebecca shouted while twirling her scythe. The two girls she named dashed around while Rebecca turned to Darcilia. "You… um, name?"

"Call me Darcilia," she declared. "And I know what to do," she said while shooting explosive bolts at the Beast, making it roar in irritation. It tried to blast them, but before it could finish charging its attack it suddenly got hit by a blizzard from one side and fire from the other. The Beast roared as Whitney and Zee simultaneously attacked the creature, causing it to fall onto its back.

"Reba, now!" Zee shouted as Rebecca charged in with her scythe.

The Beast, while even on its back, had a defense mechanism. It had the ribs open up to fold at the center, producing a ball of red light that shot a beam at her. This happened while Rebecca spun her scythe to draw a spell circle, which unleashes a large flow of red rose petals at the Beast. But the red beam just shot through them as Rebecca was forced to dodge the beam as well.

As the Beast started to get up, Zee and Darcilia ran over and drew their spell circles. Darcilia summoned illusions of herself and Zee to keep the Beast confused. When it got back up, it saw multiple Zees and Darcilias surrounding it. It roared and began blasting away the illusions. However, a few Zees spread out steam around the creature, creating a fog that made it harder for the creature to see.

"Go for the paws!" Zee shouted as Whitney and Darcilia aimed spells at its four legs. Whitney's ice froze up its front claws while Darcilia aimed at the back legs with her bolts. Her bolts contained tubes filled with potions that, once they made contact, turned into ice spikes that pierced through the legs of the beast, causing it to roar in pain before a thorn suddenly came from the ground beneath it, shoving through its chest and out its back. While this did not kill the creature, it was unable to move courtesy of Rebecca, who was using plant magic.

"Zee, now!" Rebecca shouted as she and Zee charged at the Beast.

"YEEEEAAAHHH!" Zee shouted while drawing her fist as it burst flames while Rebecca jumped up to use her scythe. The two launched themselves up in the air and came down on the creature, Rebecca swinging her scythe while Zee sent her fiery fist at the creature. Both of their attacks manage to break and pierce through the skull, causing it to crack…

"AAAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEE!" it screeched. Once its skull cracked completely, it began to spew a black substance from its head and its body.

The four girls were shocked as the creature spewed a lot of the black liquid around. The liquid started staining everything from the grass, and the trees, and themselves…

The four girls watched in shock as Black Beast roared while black ooze poured out of its jaws. Then the creature started to melt into the ground until the only thing that remained was a black, puddle of its substance.

"What… was that?!" Darcilia asked.

"Whatever it was, it really stained my dress and my boots," Whitney said with a wince.

"This is… ink," Rebecca said while looking at the black substance on her fingertips.

"Ink? How can you tell?" Zee asked her.

"Eh, just a guess," Rebecca said with a shrug.

"There is no record of this thing in the Isles," Zee repeated while kneeling down, looking at the remains. "Like I said, I think this was probably an invasive species. I hope there weren't others like it, although I'm not sure if the bounty is still good if we have no proof we killed it besides a puddle of ink," she said before the Taraskit ran up to her and started licking her. "Oh hey, are you okay, girl?" she asked while holding the cub up.

"Is that poor thing all alone?" Rebecca asked, looking sympathetic for the cub.

"We're not taking it home with us, Rebecca," Whitney immediately told her, much to Rebecca's disappointment.

"I haven't seen any other Taraskits around here," Darcilia noted. "If I were to guess, its parents were probably… killed by that Beast."

Zee also looked at the cub with sympathy while seeing the black markings on her face. "I think I'll take her home with me," she decided.

"You will?" Darcilia asked her.

"Well, gotta wash her up, but yeah," Zee said as the cub licked her. "I think I'll call her… Yang," she said while petting the young beast.

"Looks like she likes it," Rebecca noted.

"Yeah, and you know, we actually did pretty well together," Zee commented while turning to the girls. "Not bad for a forced team-up, honestly."

"Well, you are pretty skilled yourself," Whitney complimented.

"Yeah, I don't actually regret doing this," Darcilia added.

"Ooh! You know, with our powers combined, maybe we could do this again!" Rebecca suggested. "Like, with us four working together, we'd be the badest huntresses in the Beast-Keeping Coven!"

"More team-ups? With them?" Whitney asked while pointing Zee and Darcilia.

"Yeah, not sure if I would do well in a team…" Darcilia said before Zee wrapped her arm around her and Whitney's shoulders.

"I think this is a good idea," Zee said. "Could be fun, even if we did get off on the wrong foot."

"Yeah! Even Zee agrees!" Rebecca pointed out. "What do you guys say?"

Whitney and Darcilia looked at each other before Whitney just sighed. "Rebecca, we don't even know these other witches," she pointed out.

"Well, if we're going to be a team, then some proper introductions should be good."

"Oh, well, my full name is Zinnia Drakescale," Zee explained as she extended her hand. "Student of Merlin Meadows and hot shot Beast-Keeper. You can call me Zee."

"And my name is Rebecca Knightcore," Rebecca said while shaking Zee's hand. "Nice to meet you, Zee."

"And I assume you're Whitney Knightcore as well?" Zee asked Whitney.

"Actually, since I go by my father's last name, it's Whitney Carmine," Whitney corrected.

"Carmine?" Zee asked in surprise. "Wait… you mean, you're-"

"Heir to the Carmine Trade Company, yes," Whitney said with a bit of pride. "You see, me and my sister share the same father, but also different mothers."

"And I took my mom's maiden name," Rebecca added.

"Wow… you two are half-siblings," Zee said in awe. "So am I! I mean, I also have a half-sibling. Same dad, different mothers."

"Ooh, I wonder what else we have in common," Rebecca wondered before turning to Darcilia. "What about you, Darcilia? What can you tell us about you?"

"Darcilia?" Zee asked while turning to the secret werecat. "Is that really your name? Or is it just an alias?"

Darcilia briefly hesitated before she gave her answer. "It really is my name," she told them.

"And you were living in this forest?" Whitney asked. "Why?"

Darcilia shrugged. "I like my privacy," she answered. "And I'm not really the best when it comes to interacting with other witches."

"Honestly, I get it," Zee admitted, surprising Darcilia. "My brother is an introvert who likes to keep to himself when it can be helped. Is it similar for you?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Darcilia confirmed with a nod.

"But what about your folks?" Whitney asked.

"Oh, they're still around, but I'm independent," Darcilia said. "It's, um, nice to meet you guys."

"Now that proper introductions are out of the way, we can talk about being a team," Rebecca said before hearing her stomach growl loudly. This made her blush and she chuckled. "Um… actually, is anyone up to grab a bite?"

"I did offer to pay for dinner," Zee joked to Darcilia, who raised an eyebrow at Zee… before cracking a smile.

"Actually, I think the heir to the Carmine Trade Company should pay the tab," Darcilia said while gesturing to Whitney, who looked flabbergasted.

"What?!" Whitney shouted before seeing Zee, Darcilia, and even Rebecca all looking at her expectantly. She let out a sigh. "Ugh, fine. I'll pay."

And with that, the four girls and the one cub left the forest together, ending one adventure but opening the door for many others…

---

Back in the present, Zee finished up her story.

"So even after that, we still didn't immediately become Team WZRD until later on," Zee explained. "But the more time I spent with them, the more I came to really enjoy their company. Rebecca is the more outgoing member of the team and Whitney may seem cold at times, but she's alright. Darcilia, however… it took her a while to warm up with us. She's sort of like a lone wolf type."

"Hmm, they all sound interesting," Zara said while looking at them, particularly Darcilia. "Say, your story does have me wondering… what do you really know about Darcilia?"

"Oh? Well… less than you might think," Zee admitted while looking at Darcilia. "To be honest, Darcilia's the only one who hasn't talked much about her past or where she came from. I still don't know what she was up to before I met her. She did admit that she was not originally from the Boiling Isles, but that's all. I figured that her reluctance to talk about her past is because she was either really hurt by someone at some point… or she was ashamed of something she did." She sighed. "Either way, I respect her privacy, and I don't pry. Especially since I don't need to know everything about Darcilia to know that I trust her completely."

"Hmm, I can respect that," Zara said while forming an interesting smile. "Though, do you like her?"

"What? Um… yeah, she's good in my book," Zee responded. "I thought that was pretty obvious."

"No, I mean, do you like-like her?" Zara asked with her smile. "Like, do you like her in a liking-like way?"

Zee blinked, surprised by the question. "That's a lotta likes… but why are you asking me this?"

"Oh please, I heard your story. The first thing you did when you met her was to ask her out," Zara pointed out. "Honestly, I have a hard time believing that you wouldn't, and pardon my language, want to munch those peaches. I mean, look at her."

Zee looked over at Darcilia, who was dancing along with the music. "Tell me you don't find her attractive enough to ask her out," Zara told her while Zee ended up eyeing Darcilia, eyes locked on her dancing form as she stared at her curves and that pretty face…

Zara smiled when she saw Zee staring at Darcilia like she had only just realized how amazing her friend looked after it was pointed out to her. It took a moment for Zee to snap out of it.

"Yeah… I will admit, Darci's pretty hot," Zee replied while looking flustered. She shook her head. "But, right now I have my eyes on Mily… even if she friend-zoned me… twice."

Her voice ached with pain, which did not go unnoticed by Zara.

"Well, that sounds like a good sign for you to move on then," Zara told her.

"I don't know, maybe I still have a chance with Emily once she's ready to-"

"Zee, listen," Zara interjected, her voice stern. Zee looked over at her and her voice became calm again. "Look, Emily is my friend… but she is an absolute mess right now and nowhere close to being ready to date again. If she has made that clear to you, you should at least respect her wishes. If you keep pursuing her despite this, you'll end up missing out on a lot of opportunities with other potential partners. You can't be stuck with one girl."

Zee paused, thinking about what Zara had said. There was a time when she would date around, come home with a new guy or girl or enby every other week. She could go back to doing that. Maybe not necessarily with Darcilia, but there were a lot of hotties on the Inwell Isles. Lots of options.

"I'm… not sure," Zee admitted, sounding hesitant. "I don't want Darcilia to feel like she's just my rebound."

"It doesn't have to be her," Zara suggested. "It could probably be anyone in this club. Just as a way to put yourself out there again. And maybe it could be Darcilia. Maybe this is just what you need. Look, would you rather wait for this one girl you're pursuing to finally respond to your feelings or would you rather move on and have some new experiences with other witches? Besides, you've known Darcilia a while, haven't you? And you've known Emily for, like, what? A substantially smaller time, I imagine. And remember what that King guy said. Sometimes you just gotta… roll the dice. Take a chance. Have fun."

Zee gave it some thought while looking at Zara. "I… I'll think about it."

Zara smiled. "That's all I asked," she said as she got up from her seat and patted Zee on the shoulder. "I'll see you later, Zee. It was nice getting to know you. We should do this again sometime, okay?"

Zee gave her a nod. "Sure," she said as she watched Zara leave. Once Zara was out of sight, Zee decided to get up and make her way towards her friends. "Hey, girls!"

"Zee?" Darcilia asked her in surprise and concern.

"Glad to see you up," Whitney said with a nod.

"Are you feeling better now?" Rebecca asked her.

Zee put a big smile on her face. "I'm just ready… to kick things into overdrive!" she declared as she started to dance along with her friends.

After that talk with Zara, Zee had started to feel a little better about herself, enough to club with her girls…

---

Speaking of Zara, we find her walking down to where she lived. Deep into the woods, Zara headed over to a circus-style wagon, which had 'Zara, the Great and Terrible' printed on the side.

"Well, that was a lovely night," Zara said to herself as she entered her wagon. She slipped off her boots while setting her bag down. She looked around at her wagon, which was filled with her outfits, mirrors, and all kinds of items for her shows. Her gaze settled on a trunk that she walked over to while pulling out a key from her pocket. She knelt down to use the key to unlock the trunk, opening it. "Now, I think it's time for my next act…"

She pulled out something from the trunk. It was a hat… a black pointed hat.

She gave a little hum as she placed the hat over her head. She then got up as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Hmm, something's missing… oh, right! I have to drop the illusion..." Zara said before she snapped her fingers.

Her blue skin and pale purple hair started to change… to dirty-blonde hair and green skin… and her purple eyes were replaced by blue eyes. Her outfit was changed into a all-black gown with fur trims around the shoulder lines and silver shoes.

In this wagon, only Zara Ziggs and Zara Ziggs alone knew that she was Emily's sister.

Zara gave a smile, a wicked smile. "Ah, now that's better." she declared as she clicked the heels of her silver shoes together three times. "Time to go home…"

---

Which was none other than the Land of Oz. Specifically, Winkie Country.

In the castle that once belonged to the original Wicked Witch of the West, Zara appeared in a cloud of red smoke.

"Home again, home again, jiggity-jig," Zara said as she walked through her castle, passing by a pair of statues. "Hi mom, miss me?" she asked the statues as she walked over to her crystal ball. "Yeah, we'll chat later." She took a deep breath. "It's good to be back, but I should really check on how my new friend is doing…"

She twirled her hands over the crystal ball and in it she saw the image of Zee along with her friends exiting out of the club.

"Yeah! Now that was fun, wasn't it, girls?" Zee declared.

"And I'm already regretting it," Whitney said while yawning. "Can we please head back to the hotel now?"

"Yeah, yeah, you can go ahead," Zee told her as Rebecca helped Whitney head back, since she needed to physically support her older sister to keep her from falling over.

"See ya later, Zee," Rebecca said before escorting Whitney back to the hotel.

It was just Zee and Darcilia now. For a moment, the two just looked at each other, neither of them saying a word, since neither of them were sure what to say. Zara was watching in anticipation, almost like someone watching their favorite soap opera.

Finally, Zee broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Um, thanks for coming with me tonight, Darci," Zee said. "Sorry that I had to wake you up to do it though."

"Hey, it's no problem, Zee," Darcilia replied with a smile. "Clubs aren't usually my thing, but I just like spending time with you… and Whitney and Rebecca," she quickly added before pausing and looking Zee over. "You look like you could use a good night's rest, Zee," she noticed.

"Yeah," Zee said with a sigh. "I know I do."

Darcilia nodded. "Go get some sleep and take it easy tomorrow, okay? Don't make me worry about you."

"Don't worry, I won't," Zee assured her. "So… see you tomorrow then?"

Darcilia smiled and nodded. "See you tomorrow."

And so the two girls went their separate ways, though they did stop to look back at each other, their gaze holding for a moment before they continued on their way.

Zara cackled out of excitement. It worked. She had planted the seeds to make sure Emily and Zee didn't get together, the seeds that would eventually drive them apart. It was just too perfect.

"Finally the moment I was hoping would come, the moment she would realize she chose the wrong one," Zara sang while walking away from her crystal ball. "There isn't any curse I could cast to match this feeling~

"The pain I knew when mother turned her back on my heart, at last will be Emily's when her life falls apart," she sang as she walked over to the statue of her mother and her mother's husband, which she smirked at. "Suddenly the future's looking more appealing~!"

She extended her hand and a broom flew into it before she rushed toward the window. "Once I was filled with rage, now I enjoy the ride, it's so electrifying!" She jumped out of the window while sitting on her broom and rather than fall, she started flying away from her castle. "Watching all her dreams denied~!"

"Oh, I!" she sang as she flew over to Munchkin Country, in the East. As she flew down toward a village of Munchkins, the inhabitants looked up and were terrified to see her. "Will fly into tomorrow! My sister full of sorrow~ finally paying for her sins!"

"I'll smile~!" she sang as she threw a fireball at a Munchkin, setting his rump on fire and making him run like a scared animal. "All the while she is crying! Inside she's slowly dying, learning wicked always wins~!"

She landed in the center of the village, the Munchkins running for their houses or any other hiding spot they could reach.

"Oh evil may be powerful, but wicked always wins~!" she sang while the Munchkins hid from her, trembling in fear.

She started to stalk around the village, scaring Munchkins left and right as she sang. "If mum could see me now she would ache with regret, 'cause she'd witness all the glory wickedness gets!" She spooked some hiding Munchkins, making them run. "She chose Emily over me, making my blood boil! But that's all history!"

"Time they all understood!" she sang as she levitated some Munchkins into the air and spun them around before launching them to the bushes. "What they call green with envy, I just call looking good~!" She winked at her reflection in a window, scaring the Munchkin family inside.

"Oh I~ will fly into tomorrow! My sister full of sorrow, will finally paying for her sins!" she sang while sniffing a flower, scaring the flower shop keeper

"The strife! Her life was so enchanted! She took it all for granted, now she'll dream what could've been!" she sang as she walked up to a fountain and jumped on it. "Oh evil may be powerful, but wicked always-"

"Wait a sec," Zara interrupted herself as she had a thought. "Why just settle my grudge, when I can use the grudges of others to my advantage?"

"W-Why are you asking me?" asked a Munchkin in front of her, causing her to roll her eyes and throw a fireball at his feet, making him flee.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Zara shouted before she decided to fly back to her castle.

Once she made it back to the castle, she continued to sing while walking over to her crystal ball, "I'll gather up her enemies to help take her down, then when they all stand victorious I'll swoop right into town!"

"When she learns the plot was mine, my sister she will see," she sang as the faces of those who held a grudge against Emily flickered in the crystal ball, making her smile. "That it was always me!"

"So I! Will fly into tomorrow!" she sang as she scrolled through the crystal ball, remembering the faces. "Delighting in her sorrow as a better day begins!" She summoned illusions of Emily and Zee reaching out to each other, before forcibly pulling them apart.

"This time nobody's gonna stop me! No evil's gonna taunt me! Oh wicked always wins!" she sang while holding up her crystal ball. "Her happy ending will be mine…"

"'Cause wicked always wins!" she declared.

She then clicked her silver heels together and was gone…

---

Sometime later, Zara was in the base located at the Swampy Toes of the Boiling Isles. She hid herself in the shadows, listening in on the conversation going on.

"So you got called here as well?" Ray asked Merkle as they looked around. "And you don't know the reason either?"

"I know just as much as you do," Merkle responded. "Which is nothing."

"Well, look who dropped in…" Caesar said, seeing Paul, Barbara and Erik showing up.

"Oh, you guys," Paul said. "So you got an invitation too?"

"What is this place?" Barbara asked while looking around.

"This was a coven precinct, and from the looks of it, it was abandoned, and not recently either," Erik said, also looking around.

"So you guys are here too?!" Cana shouted, earning their attention.

"Oh great… the scream queen," Barbara groaned.

"Well, hello to you too, Pesty," Cana responded as she crossed her arms. "So do any of you know what this is about?"

Zara remained patient, wanting to wait for everyone to show up.

"I believe we can answer that," said Linnia as everyone turned to see her coming out of the shadows with Tex, Bolger, Gor, and Mek. "I am so glad that all of you could make it."

"So this meeting was your idea?" Paul asked. "Here at the Swampy Toes of all places…"

"This base is mine," Tex said. "Me and Linnia got together to discuss the Emily thing, working out the details. That's why we're all here today."

"To plot our revenge against Emily?" Cana asked, smirking when Tex nodded. "Sweet."

"So how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Caesar asked.

And this was Zara's cue. "With my help," she said, earning everyone's attention. As she revealed herself, everyone looked surprised to see her. "I hear that you all have it out against Emily… and I can offer you all my assistance."

"Um, who are you?" Ray asked her, curious yet cautious around her.

"Someone who can… sympathize with all of you," Zara claimed as she gave a wicked smile. "Like you all, she wronged me at some point. And I can only take so much." She patted her own chest. "Emily Tricks' days are numbered…"

---

"Are we born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?"

---

Emily looks in shock to see who's in front of her.

---

Zee turns around, giving a shocked look at what she saw.

---

Zara gave a smirk as she winks at someone.

---

Maleficent simple smiles at something that goes accordingly.

---

Lupe shows himself while removing his hood, giving an indifferent look.

---

Tex Toothor in a gold and purple suit folds his arms behind his back while standing next to Linnia, who wore a organic green leotard with arm-gloves and boots,. Behind them are the rest of their little legion of Emily's enemies…

---

Eustace and Serpentina stands while they each holds swords. Each giving derange looks.

---

The three sirens shows up on a stage, holding their necklaces as they all smirk at the crowd.

---

Finally, there's Vitimir who crackles an evil laugh while brewing his potions.

---

A ship is shown, as embarking at the docks, are Jackie, Tracy, and Tabrella, who's holding Katie.

"Ahh! So glad to see you guys again!" Andrea squees as she bounce up to hug Tracy and Jackie.

"Welcome to Inwell Isles, girls." Lindsay states while Emily is shown with an awkward look.

"Good to be here with you guys!" Tracy declares, before the rest saw Emily. All gave cold glares to her "Well… almost good."

"Um… hi, guys." Emily said meekly, while looking down in guilt.

"This is going to be a long, fall break." Jackie states.

"So what is there to do at Inwell Isles?" Tabrella asked…

---

Adventure of Inwells awaits!

---

Zee ends up hanging out with Zaraff, who shows her his menagerie of beasts.

"Here is my menagerie of beasts," he showed her, as Zee looks around in amazement.

---

"An invitation?" Cross asked Donna, who holds it up.

"Yeah, apparently, the Inwell heirs are inviting the visiting rich kids to a little meet and greet at the Inwell Manor." Donna states, "It looks promising… but mom said if I get asked into a marriage deal, I get my ass out of there… her words, not mine."

---

Donna, Tabrella, Whitney and Rebecca all being let inside the mansion. They all wear fancy dresses.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" Rebecca said in awe.

"I'll admit, it does look courteous." Tabrella comments.

"Welcome, welcome."

The girls turn to see the Inwell kids, Don Blutholle and Spearubi Inwell "Welcome, to the Inwell Manor," Don declares.

"We can't wait to get to know you all." Spearubi states while petting her cat.

---

Then, Whitney is shown in a sparring against Spearubi in magical fencing. Their spar is so intense, Whitney drew a sweat from facing the girl.

"Had enough?" Spearubi asked, with a smirk.

---

Donna is shown pulling out her keyblade, which surprises Pryce.

"No way…" Pryce said in shock, recognizing her weapon "The Keyblade…"

---

At the Inwell Manor where a ball is held by the Inwells, Emily is shown wearing a masquerade mask and costume.

"And now…. We dance!"

Emily goes along with the dance, as she ends up dancing with someone…

---

"Hello, you must be Emily."

Emily was eating somewhere when she meets the young, pale-skinned witch woman with long, dark violet hair with mint-stripes all over her hair. She wore a green suit, purple button shirt and green skirt with boots. "Kelly-Susie Quirks, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Emily respond, while shaking her hand while looking in confusion "Do I… know you from somewhere?"

---

New complications follows Emily and Zee…

---

Emily ducks away as she saw someone holding a wand aiming at her.

"Emily Tricks." spoke the hitman, ready to aim at her. "I'm here for your head…"

---

"Someone has put a hit on me, Zee." Emily told her while showing the poster that has Emily's picture of her with a lot of snails.

"Oh shit! Don't tell me it's like, the mob or something?!" Zee asked in shock "Like, those former Tarot Guilds of Belos loyalists?!"

"I don't know, but someone out there really wants me dead." Emily said while both look worried.

---

Emily faces Vitimir, as he threw a potion at her "Have some of this, Tricks!"

Emily tries to dodge, but gets hit by the potion…

---

"He turned you into a rabbit?" Zee asked in shock, seeing Emily's rabbit form.

"Somehow, this isn't the most humiliating thing I've been through." Emily states while giving a deadpan look.

---

Another scene shows Zee fighting an unknown masked figure, who uses various weapons against her. While she uses her fire spells in defense.

"Seriously, what is your deal?!" Zee shouts while backing away, as her opponent aims to kill her…

---

In another scene, a witch starts throwing up a bit of black ink in front of Zee. She looks to see him groan, as his eyes turn black and is suddenly, raised from the ground.

"What the fuck?!" Zee exclaims, disturbed by what she saw.

---

"So have you figured out that there's something going on around these Isles?" Kelly's voice is heard, when asking Emily this question…

---

Follow By the Songs…

---

Meanwhile, a gang of goblins start to sing.

"We've got babies, we can feast! We can dine three days at least!" the singing goblins sang while the others cheered for their song. "Baby blood, and baby bones, baby butter for the baby scones!"

---

"Beware the Siren's Songs," Goonla gave the warning "Or else you'll fall for their enchantment…"

---

The Sirens start to sing, as they're controlling the crowd of people. They attract the audience.

"Welcome to the show," they sang, "We're here to let you know…"

---

Serpentina roared as she starts to grow giant, causing the group to watch as she grew gigantic. Like a giant mermaid.

---

"Seriously?!" Tracy complains "Why does weird shit happens here at Inwell Isles, just as much as the Boiling Isles?!"

"That sounds more like a rhetorical question." Jackie points out.

---

Follow by… New Friends…

---

Looking around the town, there are two figures. One is a dark skinned witch girl with dark sapphire blue hair with, purple and raspberry streaks, dark skin with violet eyes, wears glasses, and wore a dark purple sweater vest with a pink collar button short-sleeve shirt, blue flannel skirt, white kneesocks and black pointed boots.

With her is a short, green haired boy with green eyes, tanned skin, and wears a purple jacket with a lime-green shirt, black pants and purple shoes.

The two look around, being new to Inwell Isles…

---

And of course… Old Foes…

---

A familiar figure comes to a stop and smirks while giving a mocking wave.

"Did ya miss me?" Mel asks.

---

Next scene shows Emily showing Zee the magic doorknob.

"This doorknob can take us anywhere, Zee." Emily states, "And it's not just limited to the Demon Realm…"

"Really?" Zee asked in awe, looking at the doorknob.

---

And take a trip… Over the Rainbow…

---

A scene shows Emily looking at Emerald City from a distance. She is quite at awe by the large, green city.

---

Follow by Emily finding a huge statue in front of her. This statue is held in honor of a young, human girl with a plaque that reads:

'In honor of Dorothy Gale, hero of Oz.'

---

Walking down, Emily saw huge posters portraying a green-skinned witch. Alarmed by this, especially when reading the text Beware the Wicked Witch.

---

Flying monkeys roam the skies while the people run…

---

Emily's eyes widen when she saw the giant spiders popping up in the woods.

---

A bear with a tiger's head shows up, letting out a roar.

---

Rolling down the street, are a gang of long-limed, derange looking men with wheels for hands and feet, crackling in laughter while chasing someone.

---

Another shot shows walking down the yellow brick road, was Emily along side three companions.

---

Last scene shows Emily in a dark room, asking "Who are you?"

"I… AM… OZ… THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE!"

Emily looks at the fire engulfing the room she's in. The fire forms, into a large head made of it's flames.

---

What to expect for the story...

Now to talk about the new OCs, first we have the King, owner of the Whisky Willies. He is based off of King Dice from Cuphead, especially the show. Another is Giovanni Darksmoke, who is the other dragon and godfather to Zee and family friend to the Drakescales. Giovanni will be a new character that is created for the LOWTH spin-off, but we felt that we could start setting him up here. We just thought it could be really interesting if there was another Boiling Isles dragon, an old friend of Drayden as someone who has a history with the Drakescales. In fact, we feel like there's a lot of potential for stories with this character and it helps to further flesh out the dragons of the Demon Realm by introducing a new character with his own perspectives and experiences. And yes, I did named Giovanni after the iconic Team Rocket leader.

And yes, we'd like to confirm that Captain Coven is indeed a real witch. He was a major figure in the early days of Emperor Belos, basically serving as a poster boy for the Emperor's Coven. The Captain Coven comics are based on him, although nobody on the Isles knows what happened to the original Captain Coven. Well, nobody except for Drayden and Giovanni. This is another idea we had for the LOWTH spin-off that we realized we could put set-up for here.

For music references, we used:

"Roll the Dice"- from The Cuphead Show, sung by the King.

A part of "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran for The Hobbit trilogy, is sung by Giovanni.

Lastly, "The Wicked Always Wins" from Once Upon a Time, sung by Zara… who we've now decided to talk about the twist around her.

There was a lot of foreshadowing that Zara was Emily's sister. Like, there was a lot of stuff that makes more sense in hindsight. Like, right from her introduction, the first hint of her was Zara wearing silver shoes, which is a reference to the Oz books. So is Zara considering in calling herself both "Zara, the Great and Powerful", and "Zara, the Great and Terrible." Since the former is what the Wizard Oz is called in the MGM movie, and the latter is what the Wizard Oz is called in the book. Even Zara's name is an Oz reference, since her first name starts with a 'Z' just like Zelena, the Wicked Witch from Once Upon a Time who is also Zara's main inspiration, and her last name is Ziggs, which rhymes with Diggs, the last name of the Wizard in the books. She is even introduced working out of a circus, which is similar to the Wizard's background. So right from her introduction, there were lots of references hinting at the Oz connection.

But there were definitively even more bits of foreshadowing during Emily's birthday. Like, even during the bumper cars, Zara lets out a laugh which is exactly like Emily's but she quickly covers it up since she doesn't want Emily to realize that their laughs are similar. Her birthday present to Emily is literally an Emerald City snowglobe. Also there is the fact that Zara is always conveniently around when Emily screwed up during her birthday. She being the one to interrupt Dona and Emily's talk in order to bring them inside, hints at her listening in to their conversation, and Zara was the one who gave the advice that ultimately led to Emily rejecting Zee for a second time.

Zara being Emily's sister puts all of her actions in a different light, which includes her disguise giving her blue skin, exactly like how Emily's disguise while living with the Shystreams gave her blue skin. Also the fact that Zara intentionally introduced herself to Emily as someone she could relate to by placing herself in a position similar to Emily, where she was working for an asshole illusionist, since she knew that Emily would be reminded of her experiences with Graye.

That said, we've actually decided to reveal that Zara was Emily's sister at this point in the story because well, we don't want to draw out the twist too long. At least one of our readers did manage to figure out that Zara was Emily's sister after the birthday chapter, and we knew that it was only going to become more obvious that Zara was Emily sister the more time we spent with her. We did leave enough clues, if obvious or not, for the readers to put it together, though obviously Emily is unable to since she has no idea that she has a half-sister, or that Oz is even a place that exists.

Which is why Zara is using her real name, because it isn't like Emily's going to recognize it somehow. Zara even told Zee stories about dragons in Oz, because it isn't like Zee is going to make the connection that those stories are from Oz and therefore Zara must be from Oz as well. Like really, Zara has no reason to hide her name or parts about her home without revealing she lives in Oz. You guys could have made the connection between Zara and Emily's sister because you know that Emily has a half-sister plotting her downfall, but Emily doesn't, so she has no reason to see Zara's behavior as strange or suspicious.

Although we have to admit, we did hid the twist by disguising Emily's sister as a Trixie expy, which was really just a red herring. We were always planning on having Emily's sister disguise herself to get closer to Emily, though originally she was actually going to pretend to be a descendant of Judy Goreland, the original Head Witch of the Illusions Coven.

And of course, we've also decided to show how Team WZRD is formed. They all gathered together to face off against this black beast, who may look similar to the Grimm. Where ever this thing was, and it could be an invasive species, it was trouble. There's also to highlight a moment where Zee meets Yang the Taraskit, the beast that she ends up trained to be one of the Beasts she has.

Think that's about it. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and soon. Also, the LC blockbuster will be coming soon, so we've determined that it might come either by late Argust, or early September. If the latter, it's probably be a Post-Summer Blockbuster. But hey, scheduled released date changes happens sometimes, just ask Disney with their MCU movies…

Now for the review section:

Matteso585: 1) No Matteso, she didn't realized it back then, Glinda was reminded by how her relationship with Emily was toxic. 2) This is obviously not the case here. 3) Obviously still checking in on the Northstars here and then. She's still a social worker, nothing more.

Crash X Fusion: Well, I guess one of the readers have thought about Glinda that way, which is pretty much true. And now you see what Emily's half-sister, Zara, has it out on Emily. As for Tracy… she's probably just be more antagonistic, not as bad as what Linnia and her legion(not an official name) has in stored.

Shuffollower: Glinda will appear in the other stories, yes. Karvan is still around, checking in on the Northstars even after the Day of Unity, she is a social worker that works outside of the Emperor's Coven's usual activities. As for the new OCs and who are they based off of, well it should be obvious but if you must know…

Tex Toother- based off of Lex Luthor

Merkle- based off of Giganta

Ray- based off of Black Manta

Caesar- based off of both Brainiac and probably the Thinker

Barbara- her name is a dead giveaway to be based off of Cheetah

Paul- The Riddler

Bolger- The Scarecrow… Batman's Scarecrow

Erik- Toyman

With Linnia, she is pretty much like Poison Ivy in the mix. So yeah, they're pretty much a borderline homage to the Legion of Doom. Cana, Gor, and Mek will also have their own spin in this little rogues gallery…

Spantidem7: 1) What does that have to do with Brimstones and Broomsticks? 2) Yes. 3) Not relevant for B&B. 4) Probably at the end of Summer. 5) Not relevant to Brimstones and Broomsticks.