It had taken a thirty-minute briefing for Eroan and Tolith from the professors before they all were ready to go. The Hawk easily fitted them all. Though cramped in chair space there was plenty to walk around or to simply sit on the floor. The hanger had another Crow inside, plus the Owl as the current first bridge docked. So, in total, they had three aircraft to use and divide them for the task. Eroan and Tolith found a nice space to sit down and were catching up on the fifty pages. After all, Fane constructed the missions in a way that allowed the students to do everything. They were chaperones for the most part. Their biggest problem was that they weren't nearly as fast as Fane.
"She intended to fly around for check-ups dashing across the map…" Eroan shook his head.
Tolith scratched his forehead his golden helmet right next to him tapping on it with his fingers, "Yeah… should we command the Crow?"
"Hmm," Eroan looked at the Crow, it was small, fast, and agile. "They'll need it to do the road work. That is a long list. Sharing might throw them back in the timetable. We could ask for reinforcements from the Council." He suggested instead his finger holding on the cold surface of the helmet.
"No, Vulmaro always hits several places. We shouldn't spread forces too thin," Tolith sighed deeply. They loved to help train these youngsters but missing the action while the rest of their team were in the hot zone felt off. Vulmaro simply was unpredictable. Sometimes all forces got riled up but besides one incident nothing happened. On other occasions, the hunt had gone for two weeks where they were so close to Vulmaro's heel just to randomly lose the trail, whisked away. And then there were the wildly spread Red Crystal instances all across the universe that never seemed to end.
Snow and some others were close by talking over their missions. No one was particularly listening in however she just had picked up the words when she had spaced out of the current team discussion. "Too thin?" Snow raised her voice blinking, "Both the Council Guard and the Hunter Division are big Orders. How could you be spread thin? Just who is that Vulmaro?" A question everyone had in the back of their minds.
Eroan looked up his blond hair draping to the front as he pulled up. "Trouble. Vulmaro's true identity is uncertain. Even the gender has been reported differently several times. It might even be a group. Or just one really good chameleon."
"Eroan…" Tolith noted a bit strongly, "That's not public knowledge…" He shifted the papers to the next page trying to focus on the job at hand. They already had been on a long shift with next to no sleep and now they had to babysit while the worlds might burn.
"Ah, come on, it won't hurt them. Our Sorceresses probably have already picked up some rumours considering Cloud Tower's networks," The Equester stretched his arm the sleek scale armour bending.
Breeze turned her head her orange bowties in her hair swishing with her movement. "A Red Crystal A-hole that hits multiple sites to either distract or achieve multiple goals. Very illusive. Considering the name already came up during police raids and that was months and months ago." She smirked some of the Fairies looked surprised. "What? I go to a lot of concerts on Melody…" As if to make a point she brushed over her coat which reminded of her preference for metal music, not that pop-crap as she liked to put it. And that crowd was a different kind than the more classic or pop concerts. The chance of shady people was a little bit higher. Not that they were all gangsters but gossip was diverse.
Tolith huffed, "Who knows maybe you talked to Vulmaro at a concert." He laughed strained. The joke didn't really reach his eyes.
"Uhm… does he like metal?..." Breeze wasn't sure if she should be worried now considering how powerful Votzaak and the rest were and that guy was still on the run. Or rather playing them for fools.
Eroan scolded his fellow guard, "Don't rile them up. There are no personal traits known. Not even how Vulmaro looks. Definitely not the strong type, rather an illusive one."
"Well, when using Red Crystals one does not need their own power…" Birdy walked up to the conversation as a shiver went down her spine. That Black Mountain Bear, way back when, had been affected by Red Crystals or at least a previous version of them. And the Jackels flooding the Destertian palace wasn't all that long ago either. Those Black Magic crystals could change an entire battlefield in the blink of an eye.
"…" Blade stood silently in the hanger door frame leading to the Owl. Her mind skipped to all the people they had lost. The fear those jackals had instilled in her. The panic. The deaths. "The crystals are no joke. So, with spreading too thin… you mean…"
Eroan smiled at them with a chuckle his cape rippling, "Now, now, we're not helpless. Don't worry there are enough Elves to keep you all safe and enough Division Hunters to hunt. We're the shield and Votzaak and his rough bunch the spear. All it needs is Vulmaro slipping up or us being faster, hence we swapped with Fane."
"So, you two got chosen cause you are the weakest – or slowest?" Vulcano asked cheekily her smirk widened.
"You wish," Tolith didn't fall for it. "No, in a good team, with long working hours, you swap around who spends most magic. Our last mission before the call came in we carried. So, we're not the weakest but most in need of some meditation and rest. Watching you I can do in my sleep." He strode towards the domino Sorceress and leaned in from above. "You may test it if you like to waste magic."
"No, thanks," She declined as she bent backwards further and further as he pressed closer. A quick pirouette to escape him. "No, thanks. I'm not scared!" She tried to convince everyone. "I just heard wards take a lot of magic," Vulcano straight went into the defence as she heard the others snicker.
Snow breathed in deeply not to lose posture it was funny how the almighty Sorceresses were so quick to back down depending on who was challenging them, "Well. You two are no wizards. So… who is the Wizard teaching us warding? Or was he not recalled? You do know wards… right?"
Eroan looked at the half-assembled team, "Of course we do. Council Guard specialises in wards among other things. Still, we're not the once teaching you this time around. I believe Slayer Nabu will, at least that's what the notes say."
"Nabu!?" Blade's voice broke as she uttered the name. 'Oh, crap… that guy…' They never had been on good terms. He was always suspicious of her and now she'd be stuck with him for days.
"Not a fan?" Eroan tilted his head, "He gets along with everyone and most Fairies have a certain awe for him."
Tolith coughed, "Crush." And pretended not to have said anything. The other Faries blushed a tiny bit. "Well, he is a Winx Club member, good-looking, powerful wave mage and of nobility. Let's not forget he once was to be King of Andros." His gaze wandered to Nebula who walked up behind Blade and placed her hand on her friend's shoulders.
Nebula was so disinterested in the name that it almost was off-putting, however, she never had cared for Andros all too much in that sense. She had only started to reconcile with her family back home. Tritannus had done a number on her side of the family. Regrettably her Uncle was still on that important mission for King Neptune of the merfolk for over a year now. "Who cares? I bet no matter who had come, Wizard or even our Paladins here, would all be able to teach us wards. In the end, it's us who have to learn how to ward. Where's the point in having a powerhouse or famous person? Theory is theory. Even nurse Ofilia could teach us as long as she can explain what needs to be done."
"Nebula?" Snow uttered ever so quietly. She among all here understood best how it was not to get along with the nobility of one's kingdom. "… You're right, who cares. Perfect time to see if Winx Club members actually live up to their names."
A bit of a commotion broke out from the Owl cockpit. "NO. You cannot just punch everything! We got a mission to free the forest of monsters not to eradicate them all." Mercury headbutted with Kitty.
"That's not your decision!" Kitty was more than ready to push back. "Right, Blade?"
Blade looked over her shoulder. Her mind still spiralling with the thought of having Nabu around. That bastard that had snitched on her to Iolas. "We'll go with the flow…" She simply shrugged undecided what she should do about the Nabu conundrum.
"SEE!" Kitty cackled triumphantly her fist balling as if to dominate the world they were flying to.
Kai shook his head, "That doesn't mean obliterating the entire forest. How about focusing on making some copies, hm? Widening your arsenal." He ruffled through his green spiky hair. Of all four of them, he was the weakest. "And not getting us in trouble…"
"Don't worry about that," Eroan butted in, "I'll accompany you. Can't have you get lost in the forest." It was one of the safest choices. Their mission was one of the most combat-heavy ones. Tolith could run around, Nabu at the dragon hort itself, and he was with the monster hunting group. 'Not to mention, her head is not in the game, Blade's mind is somewhere else… or is she truly that worried about leading a team? No… can't be… though… she never led an official mission.'
"Oh, come on!" Kitty growled annoyed. "You're going to take all the fun out of it," she kicked across the floor but there was no dust to stir.
The engines of the Hawk roared as after half a day of space travel they finally reached the planet. It was a rather small planet, not truly its own Kingdom in that sense. It had no King or Queen, but rather a simple settlement of many who had come from all over the universe. Most called these planets, Council planets, as all their grand scheme dealings were decided among all Kingdoms and sent delegates of the citizens. So to speak, otherwise, it was a planet like any other. Oceans glistened far and wide flowing into flourishing forests and burning deserts broke up the greens. Unmistakable were the whites and greys from the mountain ranges. Their rough edges came clear as the Hawk tiled their way. The descent to the Dragon Hort was slow through the clouds, all not to enrage the dragons roaming these skies. One could already spot parts of the Hort. A large compound right at the edge of wild forests on the west slope. It almost felt like a hazard waiting to happen. After all, the breeds at the hort were fire dragons for the most part. Nonetheless, the leaves were vibrant and the students could easily spot many birds and the occasional spooked Fairy animal rushing through the undergrowth. The forest thinned out towards the Dargon Hort.
"Woah…." Most Faries and Sorceresses could already feel the major magic presence from afar.
The ship quaked abruptly everyone not seatbelted stumbled across the Hawk, "Hold on!" Lion shouted startled. "What the heck hit us, Max!? Prepare weapons!"
"Easy, boys," Eroan chuckled the Elf stepped closer to him and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Normal dragon greeting. You're on their turf now."
"How did we not see them on the scanners?" Dean's big hands rushed over the panels trying to understand as another shake went through the ship when a dragon came out under the Hawk its wing caressing the hull.
Tolith smirked as he crossed his arms on his chest the sun reflecting off the golden scales of his armour, "Let's just say until you got the right security codes most ship functions are useless."
"Who cares? Just look at that!" Kitty could barely hold it together. They just parted the last of the lower clouds.
The Dragon Hort encompassed a huge area. They had expected a stable maybe a bit bigger than those in Red Fountain, but this was a lot more than just simple Dragon stables. A tiny village, seemingly lost in another century. Brick houses, tiled roofs, a town hall, loggings, storages and family houses. Yet it wasn't even comparable to a Nobel's estate in size and especially not to the actual Dragon stables.
Three rock formations towered high into the sky, barren of any tree or even grass. Instead the occasional deep gashes or scorch marks. The highest and biggest formation was wide and sturdy, with space for lots of dragons. It had a stream of lava running down its side. The water sizzled where it hit as the mountain river was diverted around that rock formation, an obvious security measure. The rich and heated-up stream flowed seemingly under a bridge into the herb fields.
The other rock towers were slim. One could barely make out carved-in rune circles currently inactive. Those rocks looked so boring compared to the main one, yet had an imposing aura around them even from afar. White dragons sunbathing on ridges and plateaus. Their white scales almost blinding in the midday sun.
Even more impressive was the lurking giant skeleton behind the dragon stables. It looked draconian yet it vanished from sight as the ship turned and cut the engines down for landing procedures. Now hidden by the enclosure that kept unwanted guests from getting fried by dragon flames. Ramparts that were three stories tall and adorned by large sky-blue crystal structures linked by massive chains. One could see magic shooting through it, bristling and strong a slight mist around each chain link. Beneath them active ward circles in a steady shine to match the sun.
Below the ramparts, the river flowed into the fields. The herb garden even put Alfea's Greenhouse to shame, which was baffling in itself. The sheer amount of colours drew the Fairies' eyes, while the simple fields and meadows for farm animals confused the Sorceress even more. A Dragon Hort was a wealthy institution all that simplicity was almost a mockery to them. There should be castles from gold and diamonds, not this… brick pile.
The descent finally guided them to the one area that looked and maybe was completely out of time and place. The techno-magic landing platform stood on paved grounds like everyone was so used to seeing, the one spot up to date. One Owl was already docked in the port. A bit to the right on the paved area stood a dormant portal station as one knew from Magix City and all other kingdoms.
The ship buckled when the landing skids of the Hawk dampened the final height drop. And now everyone had the MagicWeb Tower in full view. A blue shimmer around it from a magic shield ever protective and several dragons orbiting around it like moons a planet.
"Yoh," Memphis walked up to the Hawk, all teams just came down the ship's ramp. Their eyes searched the area. There was just so much to see. "Took you guys long enough. I thought you'd stay up there cuddling with dragons all day." He fist-bumped Lion and Julius first.
"Says the Chaos Squad leader. I already thought this place be in shambles before we arrived," Julius grinned back ever so cheekily.
"Hey, it's been five weeks since Detlev let anything blow up. Give us some credit," Memphis ruffled his dark brown hair. His orange eyes hopped to Nebula and he quieted down.
Nebula looked at him shortly from afar and gave a short smile before she turned to her team, "Hey Alex, we should ask how many carts the caravan has…"
Memphis smiled to himself, "At it girl. – Well, welcome to the Dragon Hort," he turned with wide open arms. "Lots to see and do here. Who's assigned to my time as a stand-in for Detlev?" He went straight to business.
Julius waved to the Fairies, "Our one and only fire Fairy, Amber. I expect her back in one piece." He glared at Memphis shortly.
"My, my, are you actually taking the job seriously? Are you ill?" Lion snorted surprised as he gave Julius a heavy slap on the back to loosen up a bit. Yet stifled his amusement as they saw villagers already approaching.
Memphis shook his head, "Dude, first you get the work done or at least make sure you will be on time. THEN you drag out the mission and take all day to get back. You two never learn, doing more jobs than necessary. Well, not anymore, considering your study load. And look who's here… sheperon Nabu, man am I glad to have him off my heels…" He almost dug away as the Andros noble came swooping in on a White Dragon.
The blue-coloured insides of the wings flashed up in every beat as the dragon settled down. "And how do I owe the pleasure of you two gentlemen greeting me instead of my superior Marksman?" Nabu ignored the grouping up kids for now. He slipped off the dragon's saddle and held the reigns in a tight grip. He inclined his head ever so slightly.
"Nabu," Eroan nodded to him. They knew each other from teacher meetings by now after all. "Vulmaro poked out his head so…"
Nabu already tensed up at the mention of the name. "If it's this urgent I should have-"
"It's handled. The worlds didn't end before the Winx Club was around and they will be around now that it is inactive. So no, you don't have to be at every sighting in their stead," Eroan looked him deep into the eyes.
Nabu clasped his hands around his golden staff. The purple crystal flared up for a second. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he refaced on the here and now, "Being benched still feels wrong…"
"Indeed, but our mission here is not less important," Tolith side glanced at Alyssa and Polarissa getting into a bit of a disagreement over how to proceed with 'harvesting'.
"You wish! You'll pull your weight!" Alyssa pulled her hoody down.
Polarissa turned away ignoring her, "Why? You got plant powers I will only be in your way. This group up is pointless!"
"I don't care! And if you have to get a damn shovel! I'll not waste double the magic just so you can skip out and dilly-dally!" Alyssa summoned a sphere to her side. And Polarissa was only a second behind.
"And I thought they would put on their best behaviour. They know Fane is still grading this even if she's not here, right?" Nabu raised his eyebrows.
Eroan stood there a bit puzzled. "Colour me impressed, Fane guessed correctly to the letter. It seems we go to phase two on time for that mission. She barely spent any time with them. How did she know?"
"Fane? She created the problem so of course it comes to pass. She has to wrangle Sorceresses all day long in the Hunter Division. One gets used to the beginner's nonsense. Let me, that was the plan after all." He twirled the staff shortly and stomped it on the ground. "Quell Upsurge," a wave of light shot out and drenched them both in Light Magic.
"Stay out of this!" Both girls turned to the three grownups and promptly blinked in confusion staring at their hands as tiny little runes formed. "What shit is this!?"
"A spell that will subdue your magic till you find a way to reconcile and form a plan that doesn't involve fighting or slacking," Nabu let his staff point to the floor.
"With her!?" They roared in synch.
"With each other," Nabu said without malice or doubt. "Of course, there is still the option of you using the shovels like all the other harvesting personnel. Your decision. If I were you I vigorously seek a better option. Time is short and harvesting time is nearly past. I believe you are aiming for a good grade, yes? I'll consider lifting the spell tomorrow once you present a sound plan, that leaves you with max four days. If you take longer to reconsider, your loss. There are many time-sensitive missions out there. You can't expect to always get double the time." With that, he turned to the ward team. "Very well, let's get started. I'll teach you the basics first…"
Polarissa and Alyssa looked at each other, blinked, "Shit."
It wasn't just them who now quickly understood that this time any sidesteps, mistakes or inefficiencies would have dire consequences on the timetable more so than ever and Fane wasn't nice in her evaluations. A stormcloud of bad grades was brewing over their heads.
Eroan whistled, "Ouch. I thought he'd have some mercy. I better get going myself then." His eyes searched for Blade and her group. "Stay in touch, make sure they don't blow up the MagicWeb Tower first." He waved over his back.