The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and Hunter just barely ducked in time to avoid the spray of seeds that passed through where his head had just been. He turned around to see Willow smirking at him, a Shooting Seed Pod growing from her wooden bangles.
"Just you and me now, Goldilocks! Let's make this last duel count!" Willow grinned, egging him on.
Despite his disappointment at the duel with Lucy ending so anti-climactically, Hunter couldn't help but smirk; if there was anyone from Hexside he wanted to duel besides the Arch-Angel, it was Willow.
"Don't disappoint me now, Captain!" Hunter grinned right back. He immediately conjured a machete-like short sword and electrified it with Lightning Magic, then flashed towards Willow. He aimed a slash at her bangles, but Willow ducked and pointed one of her bangles at Hunter as a new flower grew on it.
It wasn't one Hunter recognised; it looked a little like the Shooting Seed Pod on her other bangle, but the opening of the pod had petals like an Artillery Azalea. A short spray of seeds were launched his way, and Hunter just barely flashed out of the way in time, then watched with wide eyes as the seeds exploded like the seeds of an Artillery Azalea. It looked like Willow had found a way to combine two different plants!
"Grafting Plant Magic! Artillery Seed Pod!" Willow announced with a proud grin, tracking where Hunter was fleeing to and spraying more explosive seeds at him. Hunter yelped as he dodged around the ring to avoid the blasts, ultimately having to fly up high just so there was enough space between him and Willow that he could dodge without needing to rely on his magic any more. Thankfully for him, the explosions were kicking up a lot of smoke, and the first few near the ground had torn up the ring a little bit, leaving the ground uneven and covered in chunks of rubble he could manipulate.
Using his limited ability with conventional Light Magic, Hunter conjured a simple throwing knife imbued with light and tossed it at Willow. She dodged as he expected, but the knife released a massive flash of light as it hit the ground, blinding the girl and giving Hunter a chance to flash behind her. He aimed an almost lazy lightning-imbued palm strike at her back, but Willow summoned another of her Grafted Plants to protect her. This one looked like a Bouncing Bellflower, but with the golden colour of a Gummy Goldenrod. As Hunter struck it, the rubbery petals not only protected Willow from the lightning via insulation, but it also got Hunter's hand stuck on it, forcing him to abandon his glove to escape.
"I call these Gummy Gold Bells! I developed these after seeing your little lightning palm trick back in Cartilia!" Willow smirked.
Hunter was impressed, but not cowed. His plan had been to get on the ground and prevent Willow from immediately stopping what he planned to do next, and the Gummy Gold Bell got in her way just as it did his.
First, Hunter electrified his machete once again and stabbed it into the ground in front of him, causing lightning to arc out in all directions, hitting the knife he'd thrown earlier as well as several others that he'd tossed out using the smokescreen as cover. The result was a web of lightning that forced Willow to hide inside a giant Gummy Gold Bell just to avoid being shocked. This further obscured her vision as well as getting her briefly stuck, giving Hunter the opening to spin Flapjack in the air and draw a large spell circle, which caused all the rubble from the explosions to gather together in front of Hunter and form themselves together into a rough golem.
"Time to pick some flowers!" Hunter smirked, leaping onto his golem's back so he could control it more directly. He had it reach for the flower Willow was hiding in and pick it up, tearing it and Willow out of the ground and lifting her high into the air. Willow withered the flower to free herself from its stickiness, resulting in her landing on the Golem's fist. She then slammed a palm down on the golem's arm and caused vines to sprout in the gaps and begin to worm their way through the gaps in the golem's body. Hunter countered by conjuring another machete and stabbing it into his golem's head and using it to release lightning into its body, striking and burning the vines to a crisp before they could do much damage. Willow was impressed by the boy's quick thinking and jumped off the golem, using another vine to safely swing down to the ground. She then summoned Clover back to her hand and used her staff to conjure a huge swarm of Daggerdil leaves, which were razor sharp by nature.
"I don't have any light or wind magic, but that doesn't mean I can't use Razor Leaf too!" she declared, sending the swarm of leaves at the golem.
They struck faster than Hunter was prepared for, resulting in the golem losing a hand before Hunter released his spell on it, causing it to fall apart into rubble again. Hunter then flashed above the leaves and shot lightning down at them from Flapjack. Daggerdil leaves were a kind of organic metal, so the lightning tracked them like each one was a lightning rod, causing them to burn up into ash. Hunter then conjured a breeze to blast the ash back into Willow's face to blind her. This kept her busy as Hunter reassembled his golem again (with a slightly hollower body, to compensate for giving it a new hand), but when the golem was complete and Hunter sent it stomping into the ash to grab Willow again, he found she was missing.
"What? Where did she go?" Hunter frowned, looking around.
He suddenly heard a rumbling beneath him, and ordered his golem to dodge backward just in time to avoid an uppercut from a giant fist made of vines and tree bark. The owner of the fist emerged from the ground a moment later, revealed to be a humanoid construct that was about the same size and proportions as Hunter's golem, only with a body made of vines and coated in shells of bark and the giant petals of Bouncing Bellflowers, giving it protection from both blunt force trauma and Hunter's Lightning. Willow emerged from a flower that bloomed on the Vine Construct's shoulder, grinning as she did.
"I can do this too, you know! In fact it was something similar to this that got me into the plant track to start with!" Willow said confidently, remembering how she and Luz had first met all those months ago.
Hunter chuckled, beginning to enjoy this fight; Willow was skilled with Plant Magic! Perhaps almost as skilled as Terra Snapdragon! If she'd had that woman's experience too, Hunter felt like she'd be the strongest Plant Witch to ever live!
"Alright then, let's see whose is best!" Hunter declared, riding his golem forward to attack Willow's. His launched a stony punch at Willow's, but thanks to the vines that made up its body, it was much more flexible and leaned its head to the side, before countering with an attempted body blow to Hunter's golem. However since Hunter's golem wasn't as held together as Willow's, he was able to shift the rocks that made up its torso so that the plant construct's first went straight through its chest without damaging it. The rocks then packed around the plant construct's arm to stop it from pulling back, and Hunter then created a blade of lightning from the end of his staff and swung it down like a glaive, slicing off the trapped arm.
Willow's construct staggered back, coming uncomfortably close to hitting the barrier, but then Willow regrew its arm and had it leap forward and attack again. Hunter tried to part the rocky body of his golem to trap the construct's arm again, but this time Willow was prepared and caused spiky roots and thorns to sprout from the bark and vines of her construct's arm, which speared the rocks when Hunter tried to pull them back. Hunter panicked, not wanting to lose more of his golem's body, and in his panic, he wasn't able to react quickly enough to the construct's other arm punching forward and hitting his golem in the side of the head, sending it staggering backward.
The two duellists exchanged looks from the tops of their creations, Hunter frowning as Willow smiled. Hunter was at a disadvantage; he could disassemble and reassemble his golem to easily dodge blows, and its rocky body could hit harder, but that was its only advantage. Willow's construct could dodge more easily thanks to its vine skeleton making it flexible, she could regrow damaged areas, manipulate the shape of its body in ways Hunter couldn't match, and the rubbery petals of the Bouncing Bellflower served as not only good insulation, but also a way of reducing the impact of his golem's blows.
Even with these disadvantages though, Hunter still gave a good fight. The two creations threw punches and kicks, turning the Witches Duel into an impromptu cage match between two elemental magic automatons. Both fighters were using their staves to primarily control their creations, while occasionally using Plant and Lightning Magic to take pot shots at each other whenever their creations got close enough and they had a clear shot. The two stood almost rooted to the spot as they exchanged blows, and Willow couldn't help but laugh.
"This is like that Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots game that Gus bought from Eda!" Willow said, having a shocking amount of fun.
"Oh yeah? And how does that game go then, Captain?" Hunter asked as his golem landed a solid hit to the plant construct's head.
Willow almost fell off her construct's shoulder, then grinned wide as she replied; "It goes like this, with me knocking your head off!"
Twirling her finger to create a green spell circle, Willow suddenly grew a large tree out of the ground behind her, causing it to shoot out of the ground at an angle and hit her own construct in the back, propelling it forward after Hunter's last blow had sent her staggering back. As the construct was launched forward, Willow used Clover to massively swell her construct's arm as it swung for an uppercut. The increased size, the unexpectedly quick counter attack, and the extra speed kept Hunter from reacting in time, and Willow's construct landed a devastating uppercut, knocking the head of Hunter's golem straight into the ceiling. Hunter had avoided getting smacked in the face by the golem's head as it flew up, but he'd leaned back too far and ended up toppling off his golem, only barely avoiding a painful landing on the ground below thanks to Flapjack.
Once he'd floated safely to the ground, Hunter tried to have his now headless golem continue its attack, but Willow had her construct tackle it, smashing it into the ground and causing the rubble that made its body to scatter everywhere. Her plant construct then glowed green and disintegrated into raw plant magic, which spread across the entire ring, coating it in moss and grass that grew so thick that each chunk of rubble was covered, keeping Hunter from easily rebuilding his golem.
Hunter drew a spell circle around himself with Flapjack, which killed the grass and moss growing directly around him. He then drew a second circle and began to charge a large amount of raw golden magic into a ball floating on the end of his staff. Once it was charged, he would unleash a blast of magic that would hopefully be enough to finally send Willow out of the ring and end the duel in his favour.
Willow saw this and decided that if Hunter wanted to end things like that, then she would respond in kind. She began to channel raw plant magic to the end of her staff, creating a green ball of magic that grew to match the size of Hunter's. For a moment, the two looked up and locked eyes; both realising the duel was about to end.
With a battle cry, Hunter thrust his staff forward and fired the golden beam of magic straight at Willow. She immediately returned fire with her own green beam of magic, and the two blasts collided in the dead centre of the ring. The force of their collision gave off a shockwave that pushed the audience back in their seats, and for several seconds, there was a stalemate as both witches used all the magic they had at their disposal. One moment, Hunter's beam would overpower Willow's and inch closer to her, and then the next Willow would force it back and turn the tables, before the two equalised and the struggle was even once again.
Both were filled with feelings of exhilaration, enjoying the sensation of pushing their magic to the limit. Willow and Clover were the stronger team, each having magic of their own to fuel the blast, but Hunter and Flapjack held their own with skill and experience. Flapjack was an unusually powerful Palisman and had almost as much magical power as Willow and Clover did, and thanks to his years of experience with an artificial magic staff, Hunter knew how to maximize the power of every drop of magic. Slowly, Hunter began to overpower Willow and as his beam crept closer and the girl realised she had nothing more to throw back, a voice in her head sighed.
She'd done enough; she'd done her absolute best and come pretty dang close, but she'd lost. There was nothing to be ashamed off…
But as Willow looked up, her olive eyes locked on Hunter's ruby ones, another voice inside her said; "No. We are not done!"
Throwing caution to the wind and forgetting everything but the opponent in front of her, Willow allowed Hunter's beam to overtake hers a little more so she could use a bit of magic to cast a spell on the grass and moss she'd coated the ring with. All of it melted into green light and flooded into her, converting plant matter into raw magical power, and with this massive windfall, Willow was able to blast back against Hunter with all her might. The added power was too much for Hunter to counter and to his shock (and no small amount of amazement), his beam was completely overpowered and Willow's blast struck him in the chest and sent him flying backward. He hit the barrier and passed through it, before being caught by Mia's Oracle Spirit.
Willow's beam dissipated and the girl collapsed to her knees and panted as she heard the Referee stutter out; "T-The Golden Guard has been eliminated! The winner of the Tie-Breaker Event is Hexside!"
The audience burst into roaring cheers and cacophonous clapping, all of them practically losing their minds that a seemingly normal girl from Hexside had managed to actually beat the Golden Guard; the Right Hand of the Emperor! It may have been a severely restricted duel that ended very differently than a real battle, but it was still a tremendous achievement! Even St. Epiderm and Glandus' teams couldn't help but be amazed.
Willow panted tiredly as she listened to the sound of the cheering crowd. She'd done it! She'd beaten Hunter! She's won!
The girl suddenly froze as horror came over her… she hadn't been supposed to win! She was supposed to put on a good show and then let Hunter knock her out of the ring! But Willow had gotten so caught up in fighting him that she'd forgotten the plan and actually gone all out! Now everyone was cheering for her and her team, the winners of the Grand Prize none of them wanted! Willow could barely bring herself to look over to her friends, all of whom looked shocked and worried, while Lucy had gone very pale and looked terrified. Even Professor Lavestra was looking concerned as the Referee called the Hexside students up onto the duelling platform.
Hunter, for his part, was just as shocked that he'd lost… he'd known Willow was strong, but he'd not expected to get knocked out of the ring like that! He was a little disappointed, but also weirdly happy for the other girl. He climbed back onto the platform to congratulate her and finish his hosting duties, but the girl's pale face concerned him.
"Are you okay, Captain?" Hunter asked kindly.
"Y-Yeah." Willow swallowed thickly; "Just… adrenaline, you know? I wasn't expecting to win… sorry about that last hit. I got a little carried away."
Hunter grinned and slapped her on the back; "I get it! The come down after an exciting fight can be intense in its own way! But seriously, well done!"
The boy then gestured for Lucy to come over to make the final announcement with him, but he saw her pale face and frowned. "She must have used too much magic… Is that why she lost so easily before? I don't remember her doing anything strenuous today. Still, best I let her rest more." Hunter thought, deciding to handle the Award Ceremony himself.
Summoning a microphone, he smiled brightly; "Well everyone, that was an amazing series of duels! Hexside and Glandus both gave it their all, as did Lucy and I, but it looks like it was Hexside that came out on top! The stiffness in my shoulders is testament to that!" he joked, getting a laugh from most of the crowd; "Now it my great pleasure to announce Hexside as the winners of this year's HECK event! Give them all a round of applause!"
The crowd did so, and so did the Glandus team (at Ukla's urging). The Emerald Entrails tried not to let their true feelings be too obvious as they waved at the applauding crowd and took a bow, though they all looked nervous and Willow looked (and felt) ready to throw up.
Hunter applauded too, then spoke once more; "And as the winners of this year's event, they are the recipients of the Grand Prize, provided by the Emperor himself! And that prize is… a place in the Emperor's very own Coven!"
Now the Emerald Entrails all went as white as sheets as the audience went even wilder. The Entrails looked at Lucy, who had apologetic tears in her eyes as Hunter continued his announcement; "That's right! These five promising new recruits will all be immediately inducted into the Emperor's Coven! You guys have got a promising future ahead of you! I'm looking forward to working with you! Plus now you'll be away from Bonesborough and those nasty Rebels!" Hunter smiled, completely missing how distressed the new "recruits" were.
Viney, the only one able to maintain some degree of composure due to her experience as a Healer and a Beast-Keeper, just chuckled nervously; "T-That's a wonderful prize!" she lied, "But we really should go home and get the approval of our parents first! We are all underage after all!"
"Oh, don't worry about that!" Hunter smiled, "The Emperor obviously knows below legal aged witches and demons would be taking part today! That's why he made a special exception for the winner of today's event! No parental approval needed and your age doesn't matter! You can start your scout training right away!"
The Entrails began to look panicked; refusing could be tantamount to exposing themselves as rebels in the middle of the Capital City, whilst surrounded by Coven officials! Maybe they could pretend to accept, then make a break for it back to Bonesborough without getting caught?
Sadly, that option was taken from them when the Referee, now acting as a regular Scout Captain again, signalled to their troops. Every Coven Scout in the place suddenly swarmed the stage, and picked up the five winning students. They snatched the staves from their tired hands, then each student was hoisted onto the shoulders of two scouts, who began to take them away. It looked to the audience like the winners were being carried out triumphantly, but in reality they were basically being apprehended. Professor Lavestra tried to protest, but the Scout Captain dismissed her by saying they had received their orders straight from the Emperor.
Lucy watched with horror, while Hunter frowned. "What's the meaning of this, Captain? I gave no such orders and the Emperor didn't tell me anything about this!"
The Scout Captain replied; "The orders were given by Head Witch Vernworth, with a letter of authorisation signed by the Emperor. In the event that Hexside students won the Grand Prize, we were to apprehend them, confiscate their Palismen, and take them to the Precinct so Head Witch Vernworth can pick them up and take them to the Illusion Coven HQ. Their minds need to be thoroughly checked to remove the Owl Lady's brainwashing."
Hunter blinked; brainwashing? Of course! That was why they were so against the Emperor! Like Luz, they must have been poisoned against him by the Owl Lady! She'd had free run of Bonesborough for years, so Hunter wouldn't be surprised if the entire town had their minds messed with! Edalyn Clawthorne was a skilled potioneer… maybe she'd spiked the town's water supply? That had to be it!
Lucy was less convinced, but this was a direct order from her Uncle (admittedly given via Adrian). She couldn't defy him… and maybe he was right? He was wiser than she could ever hope to be and had lived for countless centuries as an Immortal Grand Seraphim! Surely he knew what was right. Lucy had to believe he was right! Even if deep in her heart, it felt so, so wrong.
The two Elites followed the scouts and their prisoners outside and watched as they were loaded into a cart. Hunter saw how upset they all looked and decided to try and cheer them up.
"Listen, I know this whole thing is scary, but you don't need to worry! Once Head Witch Adrian pokes around in your heads and undoes the Owl Lady's corruption, you'll all be back to being loyal Imperial citizens! Then there won't be any delay in branding you with coven sigils and taking you away from your friends and family forever. Hooray!" he grinned. That last part was a joke of course, but the Entrails didn't seem to appreciate it… in fact, they looked kinda mad.
Lucy face-palmed; Hunter was an amazing fighter and a great Golden Guard, but he had about as much skill in social situations as he did in using magic without a staff…
The Entrails glared furiously, and Skara (who was treated a little gentler due to her father's position), managed to rip an arm free from the scouts long enough to punch Hunter right in the face, giving him a black eye and knocking him flat. She screamed like a feral animal as the scouts grabbed her again and tossed her into the back of the cart with her teammates. Lucy picked her brother up from the ground, eyes full of tears as the cart drove away.
"Well that wasn't fun." Hunter complained, conjuring a bit of ice and a handkerchief to dab his black eye with. He noticed Lucy's miserable expression and smiled kindly; "Hey now, don't make that face. I'm okay! Something like this is nothing. And they may be mad now, but they'll come around once Head Witch Adrian fixes them! Then we can all be friends!"
Lucy didn't answer; she wasn't so sure. None of this felt right…
Seeing his sister still needed some time, Hunter gave her a hug and a ruffle of her hair, then said; "I'm going to follow them to the precinct and try to cool them off a little. Come along when you feel up to it, okay? I'm sure Gus would be happy to see you."
With that, he walked off and Lucy was left to stand alone outside the Manubrium Covention Centre, feeling nothing but doubt. She hated that she felt that way… she was loyal to her Uncle! He'd saved her life! She owed everything to him, so how could she doubt him!? Why couldn't she be like Hunter, who never seemed to have these doubts!?
Lucy was briefly snapped out of her funk by the sight of Professor Lavestra hurrying out of the Covention Centre. She looked around, but upon seeing Lucy and no sign of her students, she frowned. Lucy briefly told her what had happened and where the Entrails were being taken, after which she saw Lavestra summon her scroll and run off, no doubt calling the students' parents… or perhaps the CATTs? Maybe she was warning them that some of their members had been captured? Lucy didn't know, and she walked away so she wouldn't find out. She didn't want another confrontation right now.
Instead she grabbed her Oracle Stone and said; "Shade, please connect me to Head Witch Osran. I need some advice…"
[Later]
Hunter was still rubbing ice into his black eye as he watched the Emerald Entrails being placed in a cell back at the Manubrium Precinct. He'd tried to insist on more comfortable accommodations, but the Scout Captain had said it was standard procedure with violent suspects, and Skara's punch had ensured they'd stay in a cell until Adrian came for them. Still, Hunter had at least been able to take temporary custody of their Palismen, so they wouldn't immediately be taken to Belos. He was hoping to deliver them personally, so he could appeal to his Uncle and convince him that it wasn't necessary to eat them now that he had a passable alternative.
All but Willow were glaring at him as they watched him place their Palismen in a cage, making him sigh; "Okay, listen; I'm sorry about the whole cell thing, but did you really have to punch me, Skara?"
"Are you kidding? You're handing us over to the Head of the Illusion Coven so he can brainwash us into Belos' minions!" Emira snarled.
"No, I'm handing you over so he can undo the Owl Lady's brainwashing! Trust me, you'll understand soon enough." Hunter smiled. No use getting mad at people not in their right minds.
Viney groaned; "How deluded can you be!? After everything you've seen Belos do, how can you not get that we rebelled of our own free will! We don't want to be a part of his creepy coven! When will you understand that!?"
It was at that moment that Lucy returned, her eyes ringed with red to the concern of Hunter and Gus. She'd clearly been crying, but she kept a neutral expression as she looked to the scouts still in the room with the Entrails' cell.
"You're all dismissed. Go about your duties elsewhere." she ordered softly.
The scouts looked amongst each other, confused. Then one brave man stepped forward and said; "Lady Sentinel, we have orders from the Captain and Head Witch Adrian to-"
"And those orders have been countermanded by the Left Hand of the Emperor and an Angel in service to the Titan!" Lucy growled, spreading her wings out and allowing magic to flood them, making them glow silver as her eyes glowed purple, and the shadows at her feet rippled. The scouts all flinched back, then without another word, they bowed their heads and left. Lucy watched them go, and then as soon as they were gone, she released her Oracle Spirit to act as a look out, then approached the Entrails' cell.
To the shock of everyone, she bowed her head to them and said; "I'm so, so sorry… I should have just broken my promise to Hunter and told you what the prize was, then you probably wouldn't be in this mess."
Gus shook his head; "Lucy, you tried to warn us and you played along with out plan to throw the duels. You did everything you could."
Lucy opened her mouth to disagree, but Hunter cut in; "Wait, you "warned" them not to win? They were trying to throw the duel!?"
Lucy nodded, and looked back to Gus; "I called Head Witch Osran and asked for advice… but he said your recruitment and Head Witch Adrian's actions are all orders from the Emperor and I can't go against him… he said all I could do to try and make this right before it's too late is apologise."
The Entrails, as upset as they were, accepted the girl's apology. She really had tried to help them after all and it wasn't her fault things had gone wrong… their team should have been more overt about throwing the duel and letting Glandus beat them easily. Or they should have surrendered and let Glandus win without even the duel, claiming they were too tired to fight. But they'd been proud and hadn't wanted their hated rivals to win… they'd wanted to lose only to the Golden Guard so they could say Glandus had only won because of the Right Hand of the Emperor…
As the saying goes, Pride cometh before the fall.
"Thank you for trying, Lucy. We understand." Emira said kindly.
"Well I don't." Hunter scowled, stepping forward; "You're joining the best coven there is! You can keep all your magic, you get free room and board, and you can even play Flyer Derby on your day off! Well, this year's day has already passed, but next year is only 52 weeks away!" he tried to sound cheerful, but his words weren't reaching them as they scowled back at him. "Come on, it's not even going to be that long! Once the Day of Unity is over, members of the Coven will become the nobility of the new world! Skara, Willow; you saw what the old nobility was like in Cartilia; you must know you can do a better job!"
Skara growled; "Get it through your thick skull that we don't care! We don't believe Belos' lies and none of us want this!"
"You will eventually, once Head Witch Adrian fixes what the Owl Lady did to your brains. Trust me, once this is done we can all be friends!" Hunter smiled.
"We aren't brainwashed, Hunter! And friends don't stab each other in the back!" Gus argued.
"Sure they do! The Coven Heads do it all the time back at the castle!" Hunter said dismissively, not getting it at all. He'd been raised to believe what Belos wanted him too, and that left him a lot more sheltered than he liked to think.
The boy looked to Willow, who'd been silently facing away from her friends this whole time. Hunter smiled at her; her lack of argument and the fact she'd gone all out and won the event despite her team's plan must mean she was on board with him!
"Captain, you're on my side right?" he asked expectantly.
Willow shook her head miserably; "This is all my fault… I thought I'd changed. I thought I'd gotten better. I thought I'd grown… but I screwed up. Just like Boscha at her worst, I put aside the feelings of my friends and teammates and focused entirely on winning against you without even thinking what it could mean. I got carried away and made a bad call out of stupid pride… and now… I've ruined things for all of us. Adrian will brainwash us into pawns of the Emperor… and it's all my fault!"
She fell to her knees and began to sob as Skara and Gus moved to comfort her, each muttering that it wasn't her fault alone and that they could have all done more to stop this. That their pride had led them here as much as Willow's. Viney and Emira instead glared at Hunter, who was stunned into silence. Seeing Willow, who'd been so strong and confident, break down in tears over this whole affair had struck him like a bolt of lightning straight to the heart. He looked at Lucy for some kind of answer, but all his sister could do was lower her head and send a shadowy hand into the cell to pat Willow's back; a small comfort.
Hunter could do nothing but watch as his heart troubled him. This… this wouldn't matter, right? It was just the Owl Lady's corruption, right? Adrian would fix them! This was the right thing to do...
… right?
The boy watched on in silence, before a giant mass of abomination slime seemed to emerge from the ceiling of the cell and engulf the five Entrails, before it and them were sucked into the floor and vanished. Hunter and Lucy both gasped; that was Head Witch Darius' magic! They turned just in time to see the Palismen cage disappear in the same manner, and then ran outside to see what was going on. They were shocked to find the Entrails bound in abomination goo and sitting behind Head Witch Darius, who had arrived via airship, and who was currently arguing with both Head Witch Adrian and Head Witch Osran, who had arrived with their own airships.
"I won't tell you again, Darius; I was ordered to take these brats back to my coven so I could turn them back into loyal citizens of the Empire. Are you defying the Emperor's order?" Head Witch Adrian demanded.
Adrian Graye Vernworth was a pretentious witch obsessed with his appearance and vanity. He appeared to be purely a witch, but he had a long lion-like tail sprouting from his tail bone, which ended in a tuft of tan fur. His complexion was pale and perfect, and he had cornflower blue eyes and a slicked back and curled hair style that made him look extra pompous. His outfit consisted of light cyan shoes, a teal bodysuit with gold accents on the cuffs and thighs, and a cyan and gold waistcoat with tan fur on the shoulders and a mirror pendant on the chest, as well as dark blue fingerless gloves. His body suit even extended down his tail, ending with a cyan coloured bead, and he wore a strange mirror-like earring on his left ear.
He was currently glaring at Darius, but he looked away to glare at Osran instead; "And you! What are you even doing here, Osran!? This has nothing to do with you."
The Elderly Coven Head stroked his moustache as he replied; "The Silver Sentinel called me, saying she had a bad feeling about this whole affair. As an Oracle in training, her bad feelings should not be ignored, so I decided to try and view the immediate future of these events, and no matter how many times I did, it ended in your demise, Adrian. Naturally, I came to make sure you were safe."
Adrian's eyes widened as he began to look around fearfully; "My demise!? By what means!? What kills me!? Them!?" he pointed at the captive Entrails.
"In one future, yes. In another, I saw you devoured by those Palismen after they broke free. In a third, I saw you assault Darius out of anger and trigger a duel ending in your death. In a fourth, Belos himself executed you, though my visions surrounding the Emperor are always clouded, so I know not why. The worst was the Arch-Angel of Bonesborough attacking you though; at least I assume it was her, since I witnessed you turned to ash and bone by a beam of light." Osran explained, smiling casually.
Adrian shrieked and looked up at the sky for signs of Luz, before backing away from both Darius and the imprisoned Entrails, including their caged Palisman. He began demanding Osran give him more details of these potential futures so that he could avoid them, distracting the man completely. Darius turned to the Entrails to have them subtly board his airship so they could depart to safety, but he was distracted by Hunter rushing up to him like an overeager puppy.
"Darius, I did it! It wasn't how I planned, but I did my job at HECK perfectly and got us some strong new recruits!" he smiled brightly.
Darius narrowed his eyes; "Yes, yes, very good." he said dismissively. He then drew a spell circle and conjured the cloak he'd taken from Hunter a few days ago. "Take this and quit bugging me."
Hunter gasped with delight as he accepted the cloak, looking at the sigil he'd stitched on its back. The stitching somehow looked worse than he remembered it, and something inside him twisted a little. "I can wear this proudly now, right?"
Darius frowned, some unknown emotion flashing in his eyes; "Can you, Golden Guard?"
For some reason, that title sounded like an insult when Darius said it, and Hunter found his doubts returning full force, especially as he looked between the cloak and the expressions of the Emerald Entrails. Could he wear this proudly? Could he wear this symbol while starting to feel doubts about the man who'd bestowed upon him the title that went with it?
Hunter looked over to Lucy; the one person he could always read and understand, and saw her fidgeting like she was trying to think of something to say. He could tell she was trying to think of an argument to make Darius and the other Coven Heads let the Entrails go. His sister truly felt strongly that this was wrong… and Hunter was starting to feel that too.
Swallowing his pride and his lingering doubts, Hunter shook his head and thrust the cloak back at Darius. "No, Head Witch Darius. I don't deserve to wear this."
The man raised an eyebrow; "And why is that?"
Hunter's mind raced for a second, before he replied; "Because I failed in my mission. These five are belligerent, disobedient, and insolent! They are unworthy of joining the Emperor's Coven! Just as I am unworthy to wear that cloak. I recommend these five be dumped back in Bonesborough where they belong."
Lucy and the Entrails all stared at him, each beginning to smile. He averted his eyes from them, only looking briefly at Willow. The girl's olive eyes, still ringed red from her tears, seemed to regain a bit of their spark as a soft smile spread across her face. It was the gentlest, most earnest smile Hunter had seen from her… and it set his heart ablaze.
Darius, eyes wide with surprise, began to smile as well. Perhaps there was hope for the Little Prince after all. He might be less of his Uncle's Nephew than Darius had thought!
However before he could say anything in response, the Abomination Head's attention was drawn over to Adrian and Osran, who were still talking, the former getting more agitated with the latter's vague responses to questions about his death.
"Okay, I get why attacking a fellow Coven Head in anger could lead to my death, but w-why would the Emperor execute me!? I am doing his will!"
"Not any more." Darius cut in smoothly, pulling a roll of parchment from inside his abomination slime hair. He handed it to Adrian with a smirk; "The Emperor rescinded the order. It appears that he and his two Hands are of the same mind and believe recruiting students from Hexside is just inviting trouble from the rebels. The Day of Unity is close at hand after all; he wants no unnecessary risks."
Adrian took the scroll and read through it quickly as Darius watched. After Professor Lavestra had reported what happened back to the school and the CATTs, Lilith had written new orders for the scouts in the Emperor's own handwriting, which she'd learned to mimic back when she'd done most of his paperwork for him. The orders were now for Darius to take custody of the children and drop them back at Hexside to avoid unnecessary conflicts with the CATTs, and had even been stamped with the Emperor's seal, a copy of which Lilith had in her possession ever since before she fled the Emperor's Coven.
As Adrian read the new orders, Darius went over the plan in his head. Only himself, Eber, or Mason could be used for this due to their Coven Head status, so if word of the fake orders got back to Belos, which they almost certainly would, questions would be asked. Darius intended to lie and say the orders were passed along by a scout, but since there was no guarantee it would work, Darius had been selected to complete this task since his abomination transformation and movement abilities made him the most likely to escape with his life should he be discovered. This plan was also safer than trying to launch a rescue mission in the middle of the capital city, with the Emperor's Castle so close by… such a thing was possible with their current strength, but why take such a risk when safer methods were still available?
However, he was fairly stumped by Osran… he had no doubts Lucy had called him; the two had been close since the Titan Trapper incident, but for him to come and seemingly try to help prevent Adrian from completing his mission… what was the man's endgame?
Darius was drawn out of his musings by the sudden laughter of Adrian. The man seemed thoroughly amused by something, making Darius scowl.
"Something funny, Adrian? Or have you finally lost your mind as well as your fashion sense?" Darius snarked.
Adrian smirked at him; "Oh, I'm in my right mind or not. But you must not be… after all, you're betraying the Emperor!"
Hunter and Lucy both gasped and backed away from Darius, while the watching Coven Scouts began to ready weapons and spells, waiting to see what Adrian was talking about.
"You really have lost your mind, haven't you Vernworth? That is an official order written in the Emperor's own hand and marked by his seal. You receive that and dare to call me a traitor?" Darius growled. "Perhaps this is how Osran's vision of your demise comes about?"
"Oh, I have no fear of that now that I know what to expect. With all these scouts and Osran as back-up, I'll be able to trap you so deep in an illusion you'll never know what's real again! And speaking of what's real; these orders are certainly not! You see…"
Adrian reached into his waistcoat and pulled out another scroll, which carried the Emperor's orders for him. He unfurled it, and while Darius couldn't make out the words from this distance, he could see the seal at the bottom… a seal that now looked like the Emperor's mask, but with the sword and wings of the original seal sprouting from it.
Darius cursed and Adrian smirked; "See your error, do you? The Emperor has changed his seal! You never bother reading official orders and only take verbal orders so you wouldn't notice, but ever since Lilith absconded with a copy of the old seal stamp, the Emperor replaced it with a new one! And since Lilith is the only one who has that old seal now AND can copy the Emperor's handwriting, that means you're working with her! Which makes you a traitor and one of the CATTs!" Adrian declared triumphantly.
Darius scowled as he looked around; just about every scout in the Manubrium Precinct was now approaching with their weapons drawn, and he also now had Adrian and Osran to deal with, on top of Hunter and Lucy (who both looked shocked to their cores by his reveal as a traitor). It was disappointing timing too… the Little Prince looked like he was just about ready to pull his head out of his behind! But Darius had bigger things to worry about; he could try and escape with the kids using his slime, but his range was limited when taking so many people and Palismen… He could also release the kids so they could help him fight, but that would just put them in danger and they'd still be at a disadvantage since the kids were tired from HECK.
"What to do, what to do…?" he thought, keeping calm.
To his surprise, it was Osran who made the first move. He conjured a large Oracle Spirit from the crystal ball he always carried around, then ordered it to strike at his fellow Coven Head. However to the shock of everyone, the fellow Coven Head it attacked was not Darius, but Adrian! The large spirit shrieked like a banshee as it swiped its claws at Adrian, making the man scream in a very unmanly fashion as he tried to dive out of the way. He avoided the brunt of the attack, but the claws still managed to scrape his back, damaging his clothes and leaving very shallow cuts in his skin, while also ripping open the seat of his pants and exposing his underwear, much to the man's mortification. If everyone wasn't so surprised by Osran's brazen attack, they'd have been laughing at Adrian's dramatic scream and visible underwear (which amusingly had little blue love hearts all over them).
"What are you doing, Osran?" Darius asked, stunned.
The old man sighed; "Finally retiring, so it seems. I lied when I told Adrian what I saw in his future… but I did not lie about looking into the future that lead from these events. Had he succeeded in taking these children back to his Headquarters, he would have brainwashed them into slaves of the Emperor. It would have permanently erased their original personalities and made them nothing but obedient drones."
Hunter and Lucy both went a little green at the idea; "N-No… is Adrian a traitor too!?"
"No, boy. This would be done on your Uncle's orders. Adrian is ambitious, but an act like this earns him nothing. Belos wants mindless servants with insight on the CATTs… he would have questioned them and they would have answered, only to die as a result of an Oath they took to keep the Rebels' secrets." Osran informed him; "I decided that enough was enough. Belos has given me plenty of reasons to doubt him, and the brainwashing, enslavement, and second hand murder of five children is just the final, very large nail in the coffin of my loyalty. Darius, I am with you!"
The (now former) Abomination Head grinned; "Well isn't this a surprise. Never knew you had a conscience, old man!"
"Y-You'll pay for this!" Adrian spat, getting to his feet; "Kill the traitors and seize the students!" he ordered, before hobbling over to hide on his airship. The man wasn't badly hurt, but he was a drama queen and a weakling when it came to anything physical, so no one was surprised to see him running like a coward.
The Coven Scouts all nervously approached the two Rebel Coven Heads, both of who prepared their own spells to fight back with. Darius freed the kids and their Palismen, allowing them to stand and fight too, evening the odds a little more. There was a brief stand-off between the two groups, with Hunter and Lucy not entirely sure what side they were on after hearing what Osran had just said. They couldn't fully believe what Osran had told them; not without proof anyway, but they also couldn't risk capturing the Entrails if he was telling the truth! Rebels or not, Hunter and Lucy didn't want them to die!
Thankfully, there would be no battle. Osran's spirit started to get agitated after a few seconds, then shrieked and hid inside its Oracle Stone. Lucy briefly thought it was reacting to her, but she wasn't using any magic at that moment, and Shade was also shuddering inside her stone.
Then, a massive beam of light descended from the sky above the Manubrium Precinct. The beam was monstrously large and silver in colour, and as it descended from the clouds, it suddenly split into dozens of smaller silver beams, which wove through the air and struck each individual scout. Their weapons were destroyed in an instant, and they themselves were blasted over with enough force to knock most of them out in a single hit. The remaining scouts, injured but conscious, looked around in terror for the source of the attack.
At that moment, a swirling gale filled the air and the clouds above the precinct parted, like the eye of a storm, and revealed two things. One was an airship bearing the emblem of the CATTs (a black cat's head with golden eyes and white owl wings), and the other was Luz, in her Holy Raiment with her six wings spread wide. Her eyes were glowing softly in the evening light, and the scouts below began to shake in fear.
"I-It's her! It's the Arch-Angel!"
"S-She took out half the precinct with one spell!" one of them shrieked.
"Half the precinct in one spell… that's a good idea." Luz declared, before suddenly whistling sharply. She closed her eyes, using Bardic Magic to turn the whistle into a sonar so she could detect all life inside the precinct. Once she knew who and what was inside, she smiled and conjured another monstrous beam of light, though this one was golden in colour. She blasted it down on the Precinct, vaporising half of the building that happened to be empty thanks to the scouts being outside.
The scouts could only stare in horror at the smouldering crater that had once been half a building, as well as the numerous unconscious bodies of their fellow scouts around them. This was the power wielded by an Arch-Angel… the power of one on the same level as the Emperor!
"R-RUN!" one scout screamed, before fleeing into the city. The rest of his companions soon followed suit, as did any scouts or EC personnel in the remaining half of the Manubrium precinct. Adrian poked his head out from his hiding place on his airship and screamed at the scouts to come back and do their duty, but then Luz looked in his direction and he shrieked like a little girl, before ordering his guards to take the airship into the air so they could retreat too. Luz considered shooting them down and taking Adrian captive, but her showy destruction of the precinct and the defeat of so many scouts with her silver light had actually winded her a little, so she decided to let the man go for now and focus on securing her friends.
She flew down to join Darius, Osran, and the Emerald Entrails, and gave the latter group a big hug.
"Hey guys! Glad to see you're all okay!" Luz greeted.
"Yeah, thanks to you and Darius! And I guess Osran and those two as well." Willow replied, looking over to Hunter and Lucy, who hadn't fled and were still half-heartedly pointing their staves at Darius, looking conflicted.
"Yes… it seems I've been exposed as a traitor." Darius sighed; "As have you, Osran. I don't suppose I could convince you to join the CATTs? Having a second Coven Head on board would be an excellent boon."
Osran smiled; "I'll agree happily. I allowed myself to be deluded by Belos for too long. But we should go elsewhere; it won't be long before Belos learns what happened here and comes looking for us with a larger force."
"Good idea. I kinda want to get home too and let Dad know I'm okay." Gus said, getting murmurs of agreement from the others.
"Your parents are all up on the airship." Luz replied, pointing to the airship she'd arrived with. "Raine didn't like sending Darius on his own with the fake orders; they said too much could go wrong, so we all came along too for back up. A good thing too!" Luz explained.
"Indeed. I'll have to thank Raine, though Edalyn won't let me hear the end of this, I'm sure. Be a dear and tell whoever's flying the airship to pick us up outside of town in a few minutes; I think Osran and I need to have a little talk with the Hands of the Emperor." Darius said.
Luz nodded and flew with the Entrails up to the airship, leaving Darius, Osran, Hunter, and Lucy on the ground. Before the young Elites could make a move, Darius used abomination slime to swallow them all up, then spit them out in a forest clearing outside of town.
The instant they arrived, Hunter grabbed Lucy and flashed away a few paces; "W-What are you doing!? Why did you kidnap us!? Why did you betray the Emperor!?" he demanded.
Darius sighed; "You just heard what Osran said about Belos' plans, and yet you still ask that?"
Hunter frowned; "I-I can't be sure he's telling the truth! He's a rebel now!"
"Yes, he is… but you started having doubts too, didn't you? After all, you tried so hard to get recruits to prove your worth and get your cloak back…" Darius held up the cloak Hunter had returned to him; "… and yet when you got what you wanted, you rejected it and tried to save them instead. Don't try and lie that those five were unfit to be recruits, like you did in front of the scouts; you became fond of them and didn't want to see them forced into something they hated. Right?"
Hunter bit his lip; "I… I just felt that something was wrong."
Darius smiled kindly; "You stood up to me and risked the Emperor's wrath, because you knew what was happening was wrong. Your conscience overpowered your loyalty. I'm impressed. And you…" he turned to Lucy, who straightened up a little; "You called Osran because you felt it was wrong too, but couldn't bring yourself to defy your saviour, right? That was brave, in its own way."
He then twirled his finger and caused two scrolls to appear; "You've made friends, finally. You're what? Sixteen and Twelve? It's about time you made proper friends, and ones outside the castle at that. Consider these a gift to celebrate the occasion." Darius said, giving a scroll to each of them.
Lucy accepted hers happily, bowing her head and thanking Darius, while Hunter eyed it suspiciously. "I-I shouldn't take this… you're a rebel now!"
"It's not bugged if that's what you're afraid of." Darius smirked; "But do with it as you please. Along with this."
He returned Hunter's cape, and used Abomination Magic to redo his poor stitches into something actually respectable. Hunter accepted the scroll and cape with wide eyes as Darius ruffled his hair; "If you keep following that conscience of yours, I think you'll make your predecessors proud. Look after yourself and your sister, Hunter. Next time we meet, we'll sadly be on opposite sides."
With that, Darius turned and walked to the other side of the clearing, where he could see the CATTs airship coming to pick them up as requested. He'd taken the kids out of the city so he could have a private talk with them, and so Hunter and Lucy could honestly say they'd been kidnapped and escaped when they returned to Belos. No use forcing the kids to be rebels; it had to be their choice.
Meanwhile, Osran approached Lucy and smiled kindly; "You did very well today, Lucy. It might not be what the Emperor wanted, but by trying to help those kids avoid Belos' "prize" and then calling me, you truly did save them from a terrible fate. I know you might not believe me, and Belos will certainly deny it should you ask him, but it is the truth."
Lucy's eyes began to glisten with emotion; "Head Witch Osran…"
"I'm not a Head Witch any longer, though I shudder to think who Belos will have replace me. Instead, you can call me Grandpa if you'd like. You could do with more family members who care for you and your brother. Besides, all my actual descendants are far too snobbish and up themselves to bother spending time with this old man. Whatever you decide, I'll always treasure the time we spent together. Teaching you was a delight, my dear." Osran smiled, reaching up to pat the girl's hand.
Lucy sniffled; "Grandpa Osran… I'm so confused. I can't believe the things you said about Uncle, but I can't believe you'd lie like that either! I don't know what to do!"
"I understand. But you know you can trust your brother, just as he can trust you. Trust in each other and your hearts, and decide for yourself what you should do. No one else can make that choice for you. And even if we're now on opposite sides of this war, you can always come visit me in Bonesborough. I'm sure I can find a quiet spot to continue our lessons. I'll even make tea, and those little ghost shaped cookies you love."
Despite herself, Lucy giggled and hugged Osran. He returned the hug and then began to slowly hobble over to the airship, which had landed now. He turned back only briefly to smile at Hunter; "Darius is right about you, Lad. I've met many Golden Guards, and I think they'd be proud of the man you're growing into. Now be sure to protect your sister! I'll give you a scolding that'd make your ears ring if she gets hurt on your watch!"
Hunter nodded seriously, even as he felt so strange inside. Today had been so confusing… why were the people on his own side making him doubt his life so much, while the enemy were the ones reaffirming him? He put a hand on his sister's shoulder as she cried and waved to her Grandpa, wondering if she was feeling the same things he was.
They watched together as Darius and Osran boarded the CATTs airship, then surprisingly, Willow and Gus hopped off and came running over. The two Elites had no idea what the two wanted, but Gus was smiling and Willow had a strange expression on her face that Hunter couldn't identify.
Gus ran right up to Lucy, beaming at her unabashedly. "Lucy! Sorry to bother you again so soon, but I couldn't leave without thanking you properly."
"Thanking me? For what?" Lucy frowned.
"For trying to warn us about the prize! And for calling Osran! None of us knew he was gonna turn rebel, but him showing up really helped save our butts! And I know this could all land you in hot water with Belos, so it means a lot that you tried to help, especially since we're rebels." Gus explained. There was really no hiding that fact now… though it was admittedly an open secret by this point.
The young Angel blushed; "B-But my warning didn't help… and I didn't know Grandpa Osran would show up. I called him because I felt guilty and wanted advice on what I should do… it was for selfish reasons. That doesn't deserve thanks."
Gus tilted his head; "So? You still tried to help, and it not working wasn't your fault. Sometimes trying is enough, y'know."
"Back in the castle, it doesn't matter how hard you try… if you don't succeed, then nothing you did mattered." Lucy mumbled.
"Well this isn't the castle, and I say you helped a ton! So put her there!" Gus grinned, raising his hand for a high five. Lucy just stared at him, touched by his words and a little confused by the gesture. The boy chuckled and whispered; "Slap my hand, it's a human thing!"
Lucy weakly slapped his hand in response, and Gus smiled so widely that Lucy could feel it infecting her, and she smiled too. Then, unable to help herself, she hugged the boy with both her arms and her wings, wrapping him up tightly. She seemed to realise what she'd done and let go with a squeak, but Gus just put his arms around her shoulders and hugged back, blushing a little himself, but still smiling. The two eventually separated, both laughing and blushing nervously, but smiling all the same.
Willow and Hunter watched the two for a few moments, the former smiling at the joy of one of her best friends, and the latter puzzled by his sister's reaction to the friendly boy. Lucy seemed to like Gus a lot… Hunter didn't realise they'd become such good friends!
"So… I'm guessing you want an apology for everything I said earlier." Hunter eventually said, turning to Willow. "A part of me still thinks the Owl Lady brainwashed you, and Osran is lying to try and make Uncle look like a bad guy… but another part of me thinks that something is wrong about this whole situation. Still, I'm sorry for being callous and not understanding how you and the other Entrails felt."
Willow shook her head; "I didn't come for an apology. What happened today was my own fault… I enjoyed bantering with you, and when we duelled, I got so into it that I forgot the plan and endangered my whole team. Darius and Osran were exposed because of me, and my team were almost brainwashed, enslaved, and murdered because I screwed up. Even so, everyone forgave me… both back in the cell, and on the airship. They all said they understand that the adrenaline of the duel got to me, and that by winning I was actually saving those Glandus kids from being forced to join the coven, since the CATTs might not have moved to save them quickly enough… But it doesn't change the fact that I know in my heart that I did something wrong… just like you knew in your heart that what Adrian was doing was wrong."
Hunter nodded slowly; "I guess we both made stupid decisions today. For the record, I'm sorry for my part in all of this. I… I'm going to have a talk with Uncle, and ask him about all of this. I know that deep down he's a good man trying to do the right thing; I just want to understand how all this results in that."
Willow stared at the boy for a moment; he really did believe his Uncle was good… Hunter's faith in Belos was as unshakeable as Willow's was in Luz. She could understand why, given what she knew of him, but she still felt compelled to try and make him see the truth. Hunter was already taking the first step of starting to question things, so Willow decided to tell him a little story of her past.
"Do you remember how awful my records were, from when I was in the abomination track?" she began. Hunter nodded, wondering where this had come from. Willow continued; "Well I didn't choose that track. My Papa was in that track when he attended Glandus, and he felt it was the track with the best opportunities… Abomination Witches are highly sort after and well respected after all. He did it thinking he was doing what was best for me… but he was wrong, and it ended up hurting me a lot. The bullying and confidence issues I had all stemmed from that decision, and the fact I was pretty useless at everything but Plant Magic."
Hunter frowned; "That must have been difficult."
"It was. If it weren't for Gus, I would have been completely alone in the world. Then when Luz came and everything changed, I was finally able to tell my Papa the truth. I'd never said anything because I was scared of disappointing him and hurting him… and in the end, Papa was hurt. But he was hurt because he'd been hurting me all this time. We were both doing something we shouldn't have because we thought it was what was best for someone we loved." Willow explained, before looking Hunter in the eye; "But the reason I'm telling you all this Hunter, is that Papa thought he was doing what was best, only for him to be wrong. I want you to think about if Belos is doing the same; could what he's doing be wrong… and would he be willing to change if he realises he's hurting people… hurting you. Because if he knows and doesn't care, or refuses to believe he could be wrong no matter how much evidence there is against him… then maybe you should reconsider the kind of man he really is."
The scarred boy could do nothing but stare back at Willow, trying to comprehend what she was telling him. He wanted to say she was just trying to exploit his doubts to turn him against his Uncle, but he didn't feel like Willow would do such a thing. No, the comparison to her situation with her father seemed to be less about Belos' actions towards the isles, and more about Hunter's relationship with the man.
"I… I'll keep that in mind." Hunter conceded, having too much going on in his head to say anything more at the moment.
Willow smiled; "I'm glad. I also wanted to thank you for standing up to Darius for us. He may have been on our side, but you didn't know that and it was very brave. Despite everything… I'm glad I got to know you better today."
Hunter smiled in return; "Yeah, me too."
"And who knows; Gus and Lucy seem to be pretty happy over there, so maybe we can be friends too? I could use a new player on the Emerald Entrails! Emira's not really that into it; she's just doing it as a favour for her girlfriend, so I'd be willing to give you a shot… on your next day off that is." Willow said with a cheeky grin.
Hunter blushed; he really loved that grin.
"I'll be sure not to let you down, Captain." Hunter replied, a faint blush on his cheeks.
Willow blushed too and turned to walk away, looking back over her shoulder just long enough to wink and wave at the boy, before returning to the airship. A few moments later, she was joined by Gus, while Hunter and Lucy stood together and watched as the airship took off. The two had a lot to think about, but no matter how their next talk with Belos went, they wouldn't regret today and the friends they'd made. The Civil War was starting to become complicated for them though; neither side looked evil to them… they needed to talk to their Uncle.
Meanwhile, as the CATTs airship took off and headed to Bonesborough (Darius' airship had been abandoned in Manubrium, since it belonged to his coven anyway), the gathered kids sat with their parents. Emira sat beside her father as he piloted the ship, both muttering quietly about the day's events. Viney was sat between her boisterous Mom Valtora, and her calmer Mama Meesha, who was a 5ft 11 Snow Leopard Cait Sith wearing a pretty white dress with a blue hood to denote her job as a Healer. The girl was recounting her day as Valtora listened with a proud grin and Meesha gently groomed Viney's hair. Willow sat with Gilbert and Harvey and talked quietly as they asked her several pointed questions about Hunter. Gus was going through a similar, more light-hearted experience with his dad Perry too, who grinned while asking about Lucy.
The only one without parents' present was Skara, so she sat with Luz, Darius, and Osran as they discussed the latter's defection.
"So you've been having doubts about Belos since learning about King being a Titan?" Luz asked after listening to the man's story.
"Indeed. He made up some excuses about knowing all along and pretending not to so people wouldn't think a Titan favoured the rebels, but I'm old enough to know when someone is trying to scam me. He tried to hide his surprise when we told him by using redirection, but I'm not so easily fooled. I'm unable to scry on him or predict his future, but I can predict the futures of those around him, and after Lucy called me in such distress and told me what was going on with Belos' "prize", I had to look into the future of those children." Osran explained.
"And what you saw was horrifying enough to make you finally turn on Belos." Darius finished. "And now you want to join the CATTs?"
"Want is a strong word." the elderly Demon replied; "I want to retire and have nothing to do with this fight. But so long as Lucy and her brother are still being used by Belos, I can't just sit back like some old fogey. So if you promise not to hurt those two, then I'll sign up with the CATTs and help however I can."
Luz smiled brightly; "That's great! You'll need approval from Mom, Raine, and our other leaders, and you'd also need to make an oath, but it shouldn't be a problem! With your help, we'll be one step closer to beating Belos and saving everyone! Hunter and Lucy included!"
Osran smiled; Luz was an interesting girl. His only experience with her had been the sickly child he'd met back at the Knee and on Titan Trapper Island, but now that she was in good health, he could see just how similar and yet how different she was from Lucy. In their faces and their core natures as kind-hearted and helpful young ladies, the two were nearly identical, but the rest of their beings were like night and day… or like light and shadow.
The old man chuckled. He had a feeling that spending time with Luz would make him miss his new grandchild very much. Still, it would be worth it to make a happy future for the Little Shadow and her loving big brother.