Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Tales of the Boiling Isles
Tales of the Boiling Isles - Trixx
Sometime before Walking down Memory Lane
Trixx could be seen peering into the window of the Beast-Keeping classroom of Hexside in her true form. She liked visiting the place. They were nice, she got free scratches (even though she could get plenty of those back home), she got tasty snacks, and best of all…
She had the perfect victims for her pranks.
Through the times she's visited, she always made sure to be careful not to talk unless there was no one around, barring whoever was left at the end to clean up. Her existence baffled the class, as none of them had ever seen a Zorua before. Thanks to this, the teacher decided to turn the opportunity to have the students study her, taking down everything they could observe about her in the thought that she was a newly discovered species.
Trixx would admit she felt a little bad leading them on like this, but at the same time, she supposed she wastechnically a brand-new species, just not in terms of fiction that is.
Plus, those snacks were really good!
So, she played along with it, allowing them to believe that she was just a curious little fox. There were certain things she wouldn't do, and for those, she always ensured they knew her displeasure with either scratching or a Dark Pulse to the face. It only took a few Dark Pulses for them to understand her boundaries. She at least indulged them by revealing she could understand everything they said, as well as informing them of her species' name by speaking in her native tongue.
Today there was one girl in particular that was on her pranking radar. Her name was Viney. Trixx recognized her from the Greater Basilisk incident and for her unique mix of Beast Keeping and Healing track colors. Trixx got along pretty well with her griffin Puddles.
Most of the class had already left, but Viney remained as she finished jotting down some notes and cleaning the nearby pens. She was still in the midst of trying to catch up, mostly due to being a multi-tracker which meant she had double the normal workload of others.
Viney sighed as opened the door from outside to the classroom, setting her broom with the others nearby. "Phew! All done!" Viney said as she let out a yawn. "Man, I'm beat. Time to go home, get in my jam-jams, and do nothing but snuggle up with Puddles." Viney said before walking over to Trixx.
"You sure look comfy," Viney said, scratching her behind the ear.
The Zorua sat up on the desk and leaned into Viney's hand. "A little lower please."
Viney smiled. "Okay, how's this?" Viney obliged, moving her hand lower and eliciting a satisfied purr from the fox. Viney cooed at that and stopped scratching her after a moment as she headed to open the door for Trixx. "Alright, let's-"
Viney paused as what happened just registered in her mind. "Wait, did you…" Viney turned to Trixx, rubbing her eyes and staring at Trixx.
"Say something." Viney requested.
Trixx tilted her head in faux confusion. "Ra?" Trixx said, reverting to her native tongue.
Viney stared at Trixx for a bit before pinching the bridge of her nose. "Knew I shouldn't have stayed up watching Die Bard," Viney grumbled before heading back to the door and opening it. "Alright little Zorua, time for you to head home."
Trixx stretched before hopping off the desk and trotting over to the door.
"Man, I must be more tired than I thought," Viney said to herself as Puddles walked over, tilting her head in confusion about what her owner was talking about. "Bye Zorua!" Viney bid her farewell.
As Trixx reached a bush near the edge of the school, she turned around and turned to her with a dead-serious expression. "No one will ever believe you…" Trixx said seriously, before donning a cheery smile. "Byyeeeeee!" Trixx said, before disappearing into the bush.
Viney and Puddles stared at the spot Trixx had once stood, both reeling at the Zorua's statement.
Viney raised her hand and shakily pointed at the spot. "You heard that too…right?" Puddles responded with a nod and squawk of confirmation. "Okay…good to know…" Viney's eyes rolled into the back of her head as Puddles caught her from falling back.
Meanwhile, Trixx couldn't help but snicker at the girl's reaction. "Well, time to head home," Trixx said to herself as she turned around-
And was met with a small, orange-furred humanoid staring at her curiously.
"Um…how long were you watching?" Trixx asked in her native tongue.
"Know fox speak. That how long." The being stated.
"Oh…I guess there's no point in pretending with you, is there?" Trixx chuckled nervously.
The being shook his head. "True. What name? I Eberwolf. Coven Head." Eberwolf introduced himself.
"Name's Trixx, and as you can see, I like playing them." Trixx greeted.
Eberwolf snickered. "Yes, yes. Eberwolf see. Eberwolf hear of odd fox, never see Trixx kind before."
Trixx smirked. "Even if I did exist until recently, we Zorua are sneaky. Illusions are our specialty."
Eberwolf tilted his head in confusion. "Illusions?"
Trixx's smile widened as she jumped into the air, landing as an identical copy of Eberwolf, startling the coven head and making him fall on his butt.
"What do you think?" Trixx said in Eberwolf's language.
Eberwolf circled his doppelganger, inspecting the disguise. He sniffed a bit. "Scent not match, but sound and look do," Eberwolf observed.
Trixx snickered before changing back. "Yep. Pretty useful to play pranks."
Eberwolf scratched his chin before a thought occurred to him, causing a devious smile to appear on his face. "Want to play prank on friend of Eberwolf?" Eberwolf asked.
"What do you have in mind?" Trixx asked, thoroughly interested.
Thirty minutes later
Eberwolf's hand could be seen reaching up to a door and knocking on it. The knocks were continuous and rapid, but not strong.
"Oh for the love of- You can stop! I hear you!" Darius' voice annoyed voice could be heard from the other side.
Darius opened the door in his casual attire (or at least the equivalent for his posh ass) pinching the bridge of his nose. "My shift for today is over. So this had better be an emergency, or news that Alador divorced that skank Odalia." Darius stated as he removed the hand from his face.
He looked down to see two Eberwolf standing at the door.
He looked down to see two Eberwolf standing at the door.
Why were there two Eberwolf?!
"Greeting Dar-Dar!" The one on the left said.
"Yes yes. Greeting!" The one on the right added.
Darius stared at the two, his eyes glancing between the two before letting out a hum. He then closed the door.
The Eberwolf on the right turned to his counterpart on the left, who raised his hand with three fingers outstretched, lowering them in a countdown sequence before-
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Darius screamed loudly.
The Eberwolf on the right's eyes shimmered to blue as Trixx's snickering came from 'him'. The real Eberwolf joined in on the snickering as well.
"Eber, was that honestly necessary?" Lilith's voice could be heard, as the two turned to look at her.
Eberwolf said something as Trixx reverted to her true form. "He says 'Yes. Yes it was.'" Trixx translated.
Lilith let out a long sigh. "Escort your new friend out of the castle please."
Eberwolf rolled his eyes before he and Trixx walked off, snickering the whole way. It was only after they were out of earshot for a few minutes that Lilith realized something.
"Wait a minute…I recognize that snicker!"
Tales of the Boiling Isles – Willow
Sometime after Emperor's Game Part 2
Willow stood in her room as she got ready for the day. She planned to head to the Owl House to check how Luz and Flint were doing. Ever since the day of the petrification ceremony, she had wanted to check in with them. It was…honestly pretty horrific what had happened to Flint. He somehow managed to come back, which led Willow to idly wonder if he had some form of regenerative ability, but dismissed it when remembering how sickeningly realistic it sounded.
Admittedly, the plant witch was still a bit peeved at Flint from the memory debacle, and she honestly did assume she was over it, but watching that happen sealed the deal for her in getting over it. His fight with the Emperor had also helped her understand what Flint had stated before, in how he hadn't felt in control that day. That odd fire construct he created was a testament to that.
Snapping herself out of her thoughts, she went to feed one of her plants (it baffled her that the Human Realm's carnivorous plants could only consume a mouse at most. It sounded very peaceful. She definitely wanted to visit at some point). She tossed the meat to it, and it greedily swallowed in one big bite.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Willow tilted her head in confusion, recognizing that someone was apparently at the door. Seeing as her dads were at work, Willow went downstairs to see who was there. She opened the door and-
Willow blinked. She blinked again. She blinked three more times.
Amity lay there on her side, currently hogtied with her hands and feet behind her back. She was also gagged via a piece of tape over her mouth and flopped on the ground with the most frantic and enraged expression Willow had ever seen on her face. She honestly looked like she was about to go feral. The last thing Willow took note of was…well…a note that was stuck to her forehead, which she promptly reached down to pluck from the captive.
We heard you were sort-of friends again. Please. Calm her down. She's driving us crazy. -E & E
Willow read over the note again before looking back at Amity. "I assume 'E & E' means the twins?" Willow asked, getting a nod in response. Willow sighed, pocketing the note and reaching down, picking Amity up with one arm and onto her shoulder. "Alright, let's get you untied," Willow stated.
Amity stopped moving as she was left stunned at Willow carrying her with no issue into the house, letting out a muffled 'Whoa,' as Willow closed the door behind them.
Willow carried Amity up the stairs and dropped her onto her bed. Willow then reached down and ripped the tape off without warning.
"OW! A little warning next time!" Amity yelped, a red mark on her face where the tape had been.
Willow was unfazed as she moved on to untying the girl. "The more of a warning you have, the more you'd tense up to feel the pain," Willow stated plainly, as she freed the abomination witch from her remaining restraints.
With her limbs now freed, Amity readjusted herself to sit with her legs hanging off the bed as she rubbed her stinging face. "Right. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some siblings that I need to throw into the Boiling Sea." Amity said with determination, hopping back onto her feet and heading toward the door.
She didn't get far though, as Willow shot a half-lidded look toward a random wall, reaching over without looking and grabbing her by the back of her shirt's collar. This caused Amity to yelp, pulled like a dog reaching the end of their chain, and fell on her butt.
"They left you here because of what happened to Flint, didn't they," Willow stated, already knowing the answer. Amity didn't respond, but her wince said it all. Willow sighed, dropping onto her bed and sitting with her legs hanging off the side. She gestured with a pat to her left, implying for Amity to sit next to her.
Reluctantly, Amity got up and walked over to sit beside her. Neither said a word for a while as Willow waited for Amity to start.
Amity stared at the ground with her hands resting on her knees. "When…we had our duel at the covention, he gave me nightmares. I'd wake up sweating and didn't sleep well for a while." Amity started, surprising Willow with the bizarre choice of topics. "When he learned about…that, he looked crushed. We got to talking, he apologized for it, and after that night I didn't have those nightmares anymore. I was still afraid of fire after the duel though…but he also helped me get over that too."
Amity's balled her hands, tensing her arms. "But since the petrification ceremony…since that happened…" Amity's breathing quickened a bit as she tried to compose herself. "These ones…they're so much worse," Amity said shakily.
"I try to stop it, but no matter what I do…it still happens. And a lot of the times…he doesn't get back up." Amity said. "I've been going to the Owl House every day I can since then, but they haven't been home. I guess it makes sense, since I think Eda mostly benefitted from selling human stuff. With the portal gone now, I guess they've needed to start doing other things." Amity rationalized. Willow frowned a bit, realizing that she couldn't ask about seeing Earth for herself at the moment.
Amity hugged herself. "But…I haven't heard anything from them. I just…I just want to make sure it was real, you know. That he's…alive." Amity said softly, as her eyes began to water.
Willow's gaze on the girl softened. She cursed internally for not realizing this would mess with Amity this badly. Willow knew Amity was crushing hard on both of them, so seeing something like that happen to one of them was obviously going to haunt the one person they'd probably had the biggest impact on since arriving.
Willow sighed. "I get it. I've…kind of been dealing with some things too. I mean, I always admired the chance to join a coven. After seeing what Belos did though…I have second, third, and maybe even up to fifth thoughts about it." Willow stated.
Willow saw Amity's lips twitch a brief smile, the plant witch's attempt at humor seeming to have worked. Willow put her hand on Amity's shoulder. "But he is alive. It's like you said, they've probably just been busy lately. We just have to be patient."
A thoughtful look donned on Amity's face as she mulled over Willow's words. After a bit, Amity sighed. "I guess so…doesn't mean I'm not still gonna go over to check though."
Willow smiled. "If my crush died in front of me, I'm pretty sure I'd be in the same state too."
Amity went tomato as she leaned back, waving her hands frantically in front of her. "C-crush!? I don't know what you're talking about!" Amity lied through her teeth.
Willow shot Amity a flat look. "Amity…you moaned when he healed you the other day. A very satisfied-sounding one too, I might add." Willow said bluntly.
Amity stared at Willow for a moment. "…Wait, I did?" Amity asked, sounding almost more surprised than embarrassed.
Willow let out a sigh, removing her glasses with one hand and pinching the bridge of her nose with the other. "Oh for Titan's sake. You didn't even know." Willow said under her breath with sheer exasperation. She put her glasses back on and looked back up. "The point is, I get it. You just want to make sure he's okay, but this is Flint we're talking about after all," Willow pointed out.
That remark actually managed to get a chuckle from Amity. She was still a bit tired from all the worry, but she couldn't help but agree as the two shared a light chuckle. "Thanks…I needed that." Amity thanked Willow.
Amity sighed as she rubbed her elbow sheepishly. "Jeez, this just feels so…surreal, sitting here. This is the first time I've been in your room since…" Amity trailed off, a tone of awkwardness in her voice.
Willow's expression became neutral. "Right…it is," Willow said.
The two were silent for a moment before Amity groaned. "I don't blame you if you still hate my guts. I don't deserve to even call you a friend. I should have…I should have done something." Amity lamented.
Willow sighed. "I can't deny it, I'm still a bit bitter about it. At the same time though, after thinking about it more, I understand that you were trying to protect me in the only way you could."
"Thank goodness you met Flint and Luz that day. Professor Hermonculus was in a bad mood and gave extra homework to everyone but me because he wasn't pleased with their abominations. I tried to show off and save them, but Hermonculus wanted the 'best for last' and probably would've called you out in spite." Amity told her.
Willow cringed. "Yikes. It's like those two showing up was divine intervention from the Titan."
The two giggled at that thought. They hung out for a while longer until Willow's dads had come home from work. The males understandably glared at the sight of Amity, causing her to wilt a bit under their gaze until Willow got between them and explained the situation. It relieved them, with Papa even saying that he had a feeling it was Odalia's doing, but didn't have a way of being sure.
The two now stood at the entrance with Amity standing in the spot Willow had found her earlier.
"Thanks again, Willow. I…I really needed that." Amity thanked her, giving Willow a hug.
Willow smiled, returning the gesture before separating. "I think we both needed that."
Amity departed and Willow walked back up to her room. 'This was a nice day. Unexpected, but nice,' Willow couldn't help but think. It was nice to be on decent terms with Amity again. It didn't change all that she'd gone through because of her, but it was still better than the alternative. And Willow genuinely liked being able to hang out with Amity again.
She reached her room and blinked as she saw Owlbert sitting on her windowsill with a small pouch clutched in his feet. Willow looked on in confusion as he let out a hoot before flying off. Willow walked over, opening the pouch to reveal a couple of snails and a note.
For the bet. -Owl Lady
Willow counted ten snails in the pouch and could only stand there grinning. "Interesting.~"
Tales of the Boiling Isles - Palismen
During I Smell a Redemption Arc
Deep within the Bat Queen's forest, Flint was walking back to the Bat Queen with Dell and Amity in tow, having just finished carving his palisman.
Amity had told Flint about bonding with Ghost along the way, the palisman herself having jumped from her hands momentarily onto his shoulder to rub her head against his neck affectionately before returning to her partner. Flint was surprised to learn that Ghost had been carved by Odalia, and couldn't be prouder of Amity embracing her inner gremlin as she told him the two's plan to mess with the woman.
"Wow. Man, I so wish I could see her face!" Flint said.
Amity smiled. "We have some surveillance crystals around the house, so hopefully I can send you the footage of her reaction at some point."
Flint nodded his head excitedly. "Yes! Please do!"
Dell couldn't help but chuckle from the side. "Oh, this brings back memories. You remind me of Edalyn. It always did surprise me how much of an entity of chaos she was…is." Dell corrected it at the end.
Flint snickered at that as the quartet arrived at their destination, with Lilith and Bat Queen waiting for them.
"Ah, I see you have finished." Bat Queen stated before looking at Flint's palisman curiously.
"Your palisman looks…unusual," Lilith noted.
Flint smiled. "I used my fire to carve it, wood-burning it in the process. Gives it both color and a protective finish." Flint explained.
"What an unusual carving method." Bat Queen remarked.
"Why am I not surprised you would do something different like this?" Lilith asked flatly.
"Because you shouldn't be," Flint stated matter-of-factly.
"In any case, all that should be left for you to do is state your desire," Dell informed.
Flint frowned in thought, stroking his to-be palisman's creases. While he'd been carving, he had been in a sort of meditative state, sorting his thoughts out. He believed he knew what he wanted now, but he still felt like something was missing as he felt his palisman.
He looked down at his arms and locked onto something in particular.
Flint held the palisman to Amity. "Could you hold this for a moment?"
This request understandably confused everyone.
"Um...okay?" Amity accepted, gently taking that unactivated palisman from his hands.
With his hands free, Flint traced a spell horizontally with his right hand. When the circle was complete, a pocket knife solidified in the air and landed in the hand. He flicked the blade out before bringing the blade's tip against the area of his left palm between his thumb and index finger.
Everyone's eyes widened in realization too late, as Flint then dragged the blade across his left hand, cutting his hand. When the gash reached the other side of his hand, Flint inspected the hand, his brow furrowing in confusion. Even in the limited light of the night, he could tell his blood wasn't the usual red. Instead, it looked to be tinted more of a plum color.
"Flint! What are you doing?!" Amity said in shock.
Flint put the knife away before gesturing with his right hand. "I'm ready for my palisman again," Flint said.
Amity was still in shock at Flint cutting his hand, but swallowed her worries for a moment to comply, handing the palisman over to him. Flint took hold of the palisman carefully, before pressing his left hand against it, wiping the blood across the palisman. With the stroke of his hand, the palisman absorbed the blood, and a ripple of scarlet energy pulsed across the palisman's body.
"What did you do?" Lilith asked.
Flint continued to look at the palisman. "I...I'm pretty sure I infused it with my power." Flint said, mildly confused. "It just felt right, for some reason."
Bat Queen let out a hum. "Blood bonds can often make a stronger connection to their partner, or even make the palisman stronger depending on the natural strength of the user." Bat Queen explained.
Amity looked at Flint's hand. "You're still bleeding. Here, let me help you with that." Amity said, holding the back of his hand up with her right and tracing a spell in her left, causing the wound to begin to mend slowly, but noticeably.
"Since when can you do that?" Flint asked.
"Since I asked Emira. She's been helping teach me a bit of healing. Given you have a tendency to get hurt," Amity said, shooting a half-hearted glare at him.
Flint blushed. "It's not like I try to get hurt!
Amity rolled her eyes. "Well, you do." Amity stopped the spell. "There. All fixed up." Amity said, letting go of his hand.
Flint rubbed the spot. "Thanks." Flint looked back to his palisman. "I just wish I could get you active, little one," Flint said sadly.
"I'm certain you'll realize your drive soon, lad," Dell said.
Flint smiled. "Thanks for this opportunity. And it's nice to finally know why Tabatha was so interested in me that day." Flint said.
Everyone looked at Flint strangely...except for one. Flint looked at them confused. "What?"
"Who's Tabatha?" Dell questioned.
"I am."
Everyone looked to Bat Queen in surprise, seeing her face scrunched in thought.
"It has been so long...I had forgotten." Bat Queen said before looking at Flint. "How did you know it?"
"I...how did I know that?" Flint wondered. He hadn't even realized he said something different.
"Wait. What about the 'old soul' you spoke of? Could Flint somehow have been the one to carve her?" Lilith asked.
Bat Queen shook her head. "No. My memory of them is lost, but I know for certain that is not the case. Though, his soul does feel familiar." Bat Queen said.
Flint slumped. "Great. More questions without answers." Flint groaned sarcastically.
Amity gave him a light nudge. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually."
Tales of the Boiling Isles - Luz
Luz sat in her pajamas, in her and Flint's room with her legs crisscrossed on the sleeping bags. Disney was still being a stubborn little rat, so she had elected to take on a different task at the moment, one that she still didn't feel like she deserved yet…her palisman.
Sitting in front of her was the log of palistrom wood that Eda had acquired (read: stolen) for her. With Gray having awoken Luz had become a tad jealous, but was still apprehensive. Similarly to Flint, Luz still didn't know what it was she wanted, but this was compounded by the fact she didn't even know what she wanted her palisman to be.
Luz was fairly certain that Hooty was off reading his letter from Lilith, seeing as the two had become pen pals (it still baffled everyone that those two became so chummy. Like, it's Hooty for Titan's sake!) and Lilith's letter had come in earlier. Luckily, that should keep him distracted for a while as she tries to brainstorm…if she had any ideas in the first place. Otherwise, Eda and Flint had gone aside with him to make sure he understood not to bother her right now. They all knew he meant well, but he wasn't exactly the sharpest lightbulb in the crayon box.
Luz groaned as she flopped onto her back in frustration. "How is it that I've dreamed of this kind of thing, yet never thought of a familiar? I mean that's basically what the palisman are, but also combined with a staff." Luz wondered to herself. Even after all the time reading Azura, as well as other magic-based shows, books, and anime, something like this had somehow never crossed her mind.
Eda had made sure to teach her how to carve with some practice wood, something that was always done before the real thing. Luz still found it hilarious how bad Odalia had supposedly been at carving, from what Eda and Amity had told her. Luz had gushed when she pointed out how it made it more like Lilith had been the one to pass Ghost to her instead.
Luz's eyes widened as she snapped her fingers. "Amity! That's it! Maybe she can help me figure this out!" Luz stated as she walked over and grabbed the Penstagram scroll sitting on the table nearby. Lighting her hand with a light glyph, the scroll opened.
THEGREATLUZURA: Hey, you up?
WITCHCHICK128: Yeah. You wanna talk?
THEGREATLUZURA: Yeah. Can you start a video call? I still haven't figured out how to do that yet.
Flint had gotten Luz a Penstagram scroll, apparently having gotten two when he'd gone to get his. It was much more useful than the Tamagotchi she had found and originally wanted to use, but Luz thought those were more fun.
A moment later, Luz got a notification for a video call. She accepted and was met with the sight of Amity sitting at her desk and Ghost sitting nearby.
"Hey, Luz. What's up?" Amity asked.
Luz chuckled as she sat back down on the sleeping bags. "Oh, you know, just sitting here trying to figure out what I want to make my palisman." Luz said semi-casually, pulling the palistrom wood into the frame.
Amity looked in surprise. "Whoa! Wait, I thought you said you didn't think you were ready? Also, where did you even get that palistrom? Was it Tabatha?" Amity wondered.
After learning about it, the group agreed to refer to the Bat Queen by her apparent original name to make her more anonymous. The Bat Queen herself had approved of the idea as a way to disguise talking about her sanctuary in the event of scrying eyes.
Luz pulled the log away and placed it on the ground in front of her. "Not from Tabatha. Eda stole it from the Bonesborough Garden Club."
Both Amity and Ghost shot her matching flat looks. "That does not surprise me. So, I take it you're having some trouble?"
Luz sighed. "Yeah, I am. I still don't know what I want, both for how I want to carve it and overall. Eda and everyone else convinced me that I deserved to carve it, saying I was ready, and after seeing Gray finally awaken I might be a bit jealous." Luz sheepishly admitted, the last with a hint of jealousy.
Amity just chuckled as she scratched Ghost's chin. "Yeah, I get that. I kinda got lucky by following Flint to his meeting. But I'm glad I did since it meant I got to meet this little sweetie." Amity said as Ghost rubbed up against her hand and purred in approval. "So, I'm guessing you wanted to hear my thoughts?" Amity asked.
Luz nodded. "Yeah. I was hoping talking with you might help. I already know thanks to the situation with Gray that it's okay if my palisman doesn't awaken immediately."
Amity hummed. "Well, I can't help much when it comes to the carving part for obvious reasons. Did Flint tell you much about how he did it?"
"He said that it just came naturally. Then again…from what you guys told me, he didn't exactly carve Gray in a typical way." Luz reasoned.
Amity and Ghost both nodded in sync. "Yep. It was pretty cool to watch. Well, I say 'cool' but technically it was 'hot'." Amity said in air quotes. "Then again, when is he not?" Amity mumbled to herself.
Luz chuckled. "True. But Flint's been pretty vocal in the past about thinking phoenixes were cool. I mean, he has the design of one on his blankets back home. They're his favorite mythical creature." Luz said. "I wanted to ask what it was like when you bonded with Ghost."
Amity rubbed her chin in thought. "Well as you know, I wasn't sure what I wanted either. I talked with Lilith about it and she helped me figure it out." Amity took a breath. "Before I met you guys, everything for my life was planned out, probably even an arranged marriage too. It was a routine and I just had to follow it…that is until you two showed up."
Amity smiled. "After that, everything changed. Ever since, this has been the most free I've ever felt. Free to just be me and not some copy of Odalia. She always wanted my hair dyed green for 'color coordination' but Dad pretty much confirmed it was mostly so I'd look like an Odalia 2.0. I don't really care what she thinks anymore. In the end, I figured out that I didn't know what to expect anymore, but that was okay as long as I finally got to make my own choices. And after I expressed that, Ghost jumped into my hands, and the rest is history," Amity explained, rubbing Ghost's head and getting a purr from her.
Luz became thoughtful as she took in Amity's explanation. While she had paid attention the first time when Amity had told everyone about her experience at lunch, this was different. Luz was actively looking for a clue for what to do this time. Where Flint connected with Gray out of his desire to protect the people he cared for, Amity's connection with Ghost was spurred by her desire to make her own choices. As she thought, the gears in Luz's mind began to turn. She found herself fixating on one thing in particular.
"Choice…" Luz said under her breath, the word resonating with her. The sparks of an idea began to form.
"What was that?" Amity asked curiously. She had seen Luz say something, but it was too quiet for her to hear properly.
Luz let herself smile a bit. "I think I have an idea. I'll talk to you later Amity. Thanks for the help." Luz replied.
Amity smiled, seeing that her girlfriend had an idea. "Talk to you later. Good luck Batata." Amity said before hanging up.
Luz got up and grabbed a chair, sitting herself at the table her scroll had been on. Luz reached over and grabbed the knife and palistrom as she prepared to get to work.
"Wait…did she just call 'Sweet Potato'?"
One hour later
THEGREATLUZURA: Hey! Are you still up?
WITCHCHICK128: I am.
THEGREATLUZURA: Great!
Luz then set her scroll to start a call, and the screen was replaced a moment later with Amity sitting on her bed with Ghost seemingly asleep beside her.
"I see you figured out calling. And you look pretty happy, so I take it something good happened?" Amity asked.
Luz nodded rapidly. "Something great happened! Before I get to that though, do you know you called me 'Sweet Potato'?"
Amity blushed lightly as she scratched the back of her head. "I was trying to learn some of that 'Spanish' language you speak sometimes. Mainly from this human language book I got from Gus." Amity said, showing the aforementioned book in question…which was titled 'Mama Pura's Recipes'.
"Um…that's a cookbook," Luz stated after a bit.
Amity was quiet for a moment as she stared at Luz before turning back to look at the book. "Huh…that explains why I kept getting hungry while reading it," Amity said thoughtfully.
Amity turned back to the scroll. "By the way, I've heard Flint say 'Nani' a few times as well. What does that mean?" Amity asked.
"What," Luz answered.
"What does 'Nani' mean?" Amity repeated.
"What," Luz replied.
Amity frowned as she shook the scroll a bit. "Is there something up with the connection?" Amity wondered out loud, growing frustrated.
"No, nothing's wrong with the connection, I heard you the first time," Luz informed her.
"Then what does it mean?!" Amity asked in exasperation as Ghost opened one of her eyes to look between the two before closing it again.
"What," Luz answered again.
Amity stared at her for a moment, her eye twitching. "...You're messing with me." Amity accused.
"I'm really not! It means 'what'!" Luz clarified.
Amity blinked in baffled confusion. "Wait, seriously?"
"Yes! 'Nani' means 'What'. At least in Japanese, that is. Flint mostly just says it because it's a bit of a meme." Luz explained.
"...what's a meme?" Amity asked.
Luz pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll leave that for Flint to tell you." Luz grumbled before lifting her face. "Back on track, guess what happened?" Luz said.
Amity tapped her chin in faux thought. "Hm, I'm gonna say...you finished carving your palisman?"
Luz smiled widely. "Yep! Here it is!" Luz stated, before reaching behind the scroll and pulling out her inactive palisman, which had been carved into the shape of a teal egg.
Amity blinked at the sight of the palisman. "An egg?" Amity wondered, causing Ghost to open her eyes and look on with a curious head tilt.
Luz held the palisman egg gingerly. "I didn't know what to make and after hearing you say you connected because you wanted to make your own decisions, I thought that maybe this is something for them to figure out. To let them decide what they want to be instead. I don't know what they'll be, but I know that'll love them no matter what they decide." Luz said, gently stroking the egg.
Amity and Ghost looked at one another before smiling, with Amity beginning to laugh.
"Leave it to you, Luz. Letting your palisman choose is such a you thing to do," Amity said, wiping a tear of joy from her eye.
Luz's smile didn't fade. "Yep, but I'm okay with that."
Ghost let out a meow and Amity smiled. "Ghost says she looks forward to meeting them."
"I'll be sure to introduce you as soon as possible," Luz responded to Ghost before looking at Amity. "Thanks again for the help. I'll see you at school, Sweet Potato~." Luz said with a knowing smile.
Amity blushed. "S-see you then!" Amity responded before the call was ended.
With the call over, Luz looked down at the egg and held it close, closing her eyes. "I'll love you no matter what you become, little one." Luz softly.
The egg felt warm for a moment, as Luz could almost feel the wave of approval from her palisman.
"ALONE!"
Luz heard a scream as she felt the room shake a bit. "What was that?!" Luz yelped in alarm before heading to the window, opening it as she saw Flint on the ground outside.
Tales of the Boiling Isles - Eda
Eda groaned in frustration as she went over various documents. Her talks with the BATs had left her a bit paranoid about things. Sure, their little resistance was starting to gain traction in other places across the Isles, but whatever was going to happen with the Day of Unity was going to be catastrophic. She's supposed the only catastrophe around these parts, thank you very much!
It didn't help that she was also trying to figure out what to do with Luz and Flint. Luckily, she had already helped Luz by teaching her how to carve. It was a bit annoying how much she denied that she felt deserving of it, but that was a fat load of shit. She was doing amazing with those glyphs, using them like she was a natural. Eda and Flint had finally managed to convince her earlier and was now isolated in her and Flint's room, hopefully carving at that moment.
Flint was a…different case. His abnormalities were only continuing to become more and more mysterious, and it felt like the glyphs he used were only getting stronger and stronger. When she took him to see a healer, they learned that whatever they originally thought was a bile sac connected to his heart had completely disappeared. From what the healer had managed to tell her from some tests run on his blood, was that it held potent magic. His blood was no longer red either, and judging from the scans it looked like those wings Gray became weren't just Gray fabricating them, but more like displaying a future trait of his biology. Flint was eventually going to grow his own wings.
'Seriously, what the hell is this kid?! I haven't seen anything like this since I spent four months straight when I tried to figure out what King was!' Eda thought.
Flint had also been displaying some unusual behavior lately. Sometimes she'd catch him just staring off at nothing in particular, or at King specifically. With every entry of the journal that was recovered, she could practically feel his blood boiling, even if it was an important entry, same with every time he looked at some of the remaining sigil gloves they still had from Trixx's raid.
Sometimes the only way to calm him down was by scooping King and putting him in Flint's arms, which would cause him to curl up protectively around him… it'd be sweet if he didn't give off the vibe that he'd attack anything that came near them though.
Right now the kid was sitting nearby as he continued tinkering with some of the tech they still had in reserve. He seemed to be assembling it into the shape of a doorframe. His goal was to utilize it to make a portal door, adapting the information from the journal into a tech-based equivalent. It still baffled Eda how much he seemed to know about things he shouldn't.
The sounds of shifting metal helped keep the tired Eda awake but were also becoming increasingly distracting.
"Hey Flint, you think maybe you could work on your Sigil Removers instead for tonight?" Eda asked.
Flint paused what he was doing, looking at her with those unintentionally piercing gray-sclera eyes. "You think you could maybe stop panicking so much?" Flint shot back. "We'll figure things out and stop Belos. Refusing to sleep isn't going to help get things done."
Eda looked at Flint for a moment. "Flint…don't you think that maybe you should be panicking a little more?" Eda asked.
Flint's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wait, are saying you want me to be freaking out?" Flint asked incredulously.
Eda's eyes widened as she raised her hands and waved them defensively. "That's not what I meant! Look, I was about your age when I was cursed, and I was stressed out the wazoo. Yet you just seem to keep taking all the things happening to you in stride. Don't you think that's a bit…weird?" Eda asked.
Flint shrugged as he used his finger to weld two pieces of metal together to make a corner. "Maybe. I guess I've just…been a bit desensitized by all the years of weirdness. Learning I'm not completely human, nor even part witch, just felt like a solid explanation." Flint said nonchalantly. "Still don't know how I'm genetically my Mom's kid. And sure, growing horns and a bushy tail would probably cause other humans to degrade into an existential crisis, but I mean I also straight up died, so I think that's probably taking all the existential dread-space in my head at the moment." Flint stated.
…
…
"…You know…after saying it out loud…I suddenly realize I have a lot more issues than I thought." Flint said after a moment. "Any chance you let me try some of that strong apple blood?"
"Not even remotely," Eda said bluntly.
Flint snapped his fingers. "Drat, Mama Eda is starting to live up to the name."
Flint swiftly moved his head to the side to avoid the woman's slap.
"Damn it! Stop dodging!" Eda demanded, repeatedly failing to smack the boy upside the head.
"I refuse to disappoint Gohan's dad," Flint stated.
Eda grumbled before realizing that her arms now had some feathers jutting from them. "Great, I need to take another elixir." Eda sighed, moving to leave the room until Flint grabbed her hand, a dim scarlet glow appearing for a moment before disappearing.
"Hold on a sec, I have an idea about that," Flint said, drawing a look of confusion from Eda.
"What? About the curse?" Eda asked.
Flint nodded. "Yeah. The other day I was practicing some oracle magic, specifically a spell regarding possession-" That earned Flint a creeped-out look. "I wasn't gonna do it on any of you! Jeez! I was just gonna use Jean-Luc or Louis," Flint defended.
Eda rolled her eyes. "Sure you were."
"When I was in that state, I was able to see the mental energy around everyone. What caught my eye though, was that you had two mental energies coming from you." Flint revealed.
Eda blinked at that. "What? That doesn't make any sense. The only way I could have two is if…" Eda trailed off, seeming to come to a realization.
"If there are two minds in one body. Whatever your curse is, it seems more like a form of possession. The Owl Beast is like an animal, so I was thinking that maybe if we delve into your mindscape, we could try to tame it." Flint suggested.
Eda shook her head. "I doubt it'd work. Let's just go back to you building your techno-portal, and I try to figure out Belos' plans." Eda said before turning back to her documents, only to find them…blank? How did they turn blank? She was just looking at them a second ago.
Flint chuckled sheepishly. "Hehe…about that…" Flint trailed off.
Eda turned back to him with a glare. "Flint…what did you do?"
"I…might have just cast a variation of the spell you used to put us in Willow's mind when I grabbed your hand." Flint smiled sheepishly.
Eda stared at him. "Then does that mean…"
SCRAAAAAWWWW
The 'house' around them shook like an earthquake had hit, causing everything to crumble until only the grayscale world of Eda's mindscape remained, with the two standing on a thin layer of water. The two looked at the source of the sound to see the Owl Beast, though it had a face more reminiscent of a barn owl compared to when Eda would get possessed. The beast glared at Eda in particular.
Eda turned slowly to look at Flint, the mental manifestation of the boy now looking like he did the day after arriving in the Isles, and fixing a glare at the sheepish boy.
"…Oops?" Flint said with a shrug and a nervous smile.
"I'd say you're grounded when we get out of here, but I literally can't overpower you. The sentiment is still there though," Eda stated.
"Duly noted." Flint acknowledged.
The beast started to charge at them screeching all the way. It stopped right in front of the two, standing tall and at full attention before lowering its neck to screech right in Eda's face.
Eda growled. "Stop ruining my life!" Eda yelled at it, punching it across the face.
The beast stumbled a bit before letting out an angered screech, rearing its arm up in preparation for a swipe at Eda as she prepared to counter.
"Stop."
The one word halted both Eda and the beast, the sheer authority behind it causing both of their mental bodies to lock up. Both managed to glance over to see Flint, whose mental manifestation now matched his real-world appearance, the only difference being that his pupils glowed a piercing scarlet.
After a moment, Flint blinked, returning his eyes back to their new normal as he stepped to the side next to both of them. "I didn't bring you both here so you could fight, I brought you here to talk."
Eda scoffed. "Are you serious? After all this thing has done to me?"
The beast snarled angrily at Eda in response, seeming to understand her.
"If I heard it right, it just said, 'You're one to talk you alcoholic-' Flint paused. "I'm pretty sure the only acceptable way for me to say that last bit is if I was a girl, British or Australian," Flint stated.
Both residents reacted to that, turning to Flint in surprise. "You can understand it?" Eda asked in shock before the rest of his words finally clicked as she turned back to the beast angrily. "Wait, did you just call me a cu-"
"Yes, I can understand it. I'm using some Beast Keeping magic to help do it since it doesn't resemble anything I've seen before," Flint confirmed.
Eda looked at him in surprise for a moment before turning back to the beast. "What do you mean by 'You're one to talk'?" Eda asked.
The beast let out some snarls. "'I did not wish to be trapped with you either.'" Flint translated before the world around the three shifted.
Flint and Eda watched as the mindscape changed. They now stood along a cliff as a copy of the Owl Beast walked up to the ledge. They looked to the surroundings to see it was sunset and the cliff was overlooking a large body. What struck both as odd was the familiar-yet-unfamiliar appearance of the body. The body bore a resemblance to the Boiling Isles' Titan, but the structure and size were all wrong.
"Is that…" Eda began.
"Another Titan..." Flint continued, both of them looking out in shock at the sight.
Violet light flares suddenly hit the ground in front of the memory beast before a net was thrown over it, causing it to let out a cry of alarm. The beast was dragged along the ground by a shadow before the shadow rose nearby, taking the shape of a person and looming over the beast menacingly as it cackled evilly. When the person took shape though, it shockingly took the shape of something the two had seen before.
"Wait, isn't that what Grom turned into when it looked for your fear?" Eda asked in shock.
Flint stared at the figure in equal shock. "It-it is! But how?!"
The figure's sinister laughter continued. "Don't bother, beast. You can't run away anymore. It's over," They spoke.
The memory beast lets out a frightened screech as it somehow manages to break free from the now magically-charged net that shrunk around it. The Owl Beast then proceeded to fly away as the figure continued to cackle. The Owl Beast's wings suddenly burn up before it falls into the boiling sea. The group's perspective changes to follow the memory as they watch the beast's form get compressed into the form of a scroll, eventually washing up on the shore near Bonesborough. The scroll is picked up by a merchant who was skimming the shore for any treasure and picked the scroll up with a look of confusion. The merchant shrugs before placing the scroll in a basket with other items they'd likely found the same way.
Eda stared at the sight with a stunned look. "You were never just a manifestation of the curse…you were a living creature," Eda said.
The Owl Beast stared at her and let out another screech. "'I was trapped for so long. I know not why man from stars hunt me. My kind could only flee. I finally am free, only to find myself ridiculed on a land I do not know, by creatures I do not know, and forced to be a part of you.'" Flint translated.
Eda looked at the Owl Beast with pity. "I had no idea," Eda said as she walked up to it before letting out a sigh. "Look, neither of us wants to be stuck like this, but if we keep fighting for control over my body, all we'll do is just suffer. I understand that you want to be free, but this is still my body. I can't even use my magic anymore because you've ended up corrupting it, and I can't even use spells with Owlbert either." Eda stated, compassionate but firm. She had already tested trying to cast a spell using her palisman to no avail.
The Owl Beast let out a growl. "'Then what do you suggest?'" Flint translated.
Eda tapped her chin for a moment in thought, before her eyes were drawn to Flint, particularly his horns and tail. Eda's eyes lit up with inspiration before turning to the Owl Beast again. "What about a hybrid form? I can't rely on the glyphs forever to get me by, it's only a matter of time until those are no longer enough, and I can't exactly get you free if we get captured or killed. If I could use a hybrid form to use your strength together with my usage of the glyphs, it'll be easier to get things done, and maybe even help get us out of this situation faster."
The Owl Beast actually seemed to ponder the idea for a bit. Whenever it transformed Eda's body, it could feel the outside world again. The feeling of the wind under its wings, the ground under its feet, and the taste of other beasts were things it greatly missed. Being trapped in a mindscape meant that even if it imagined those things, none of it was truly the same as experiencing it in the real world.
After what felt like forever, the Owl Beast looked over at Flint and let out a screech.
Flint blinked in confusion for a bit before turning to Eda. "Um, it says 'As long as we can hunt other beasts, specifically voles, I am willing to try.'" Flint said.
Eda turned to the beast. "Why voles specifically?"
The beast snarled. "'Fun to hunt and taste good. I miss being able to hunt them.'" Flint translated. "I guess the guy is a bit stir-crazy from being stuck in here for so long. In fairness, I probably would be too," Flint added.
Eda hummed. "Okay then." Eda turned back to the Owl Beast and held out her hand. "Let's give it a try then, shall we?"
The Owl Beast stared at the offered hand for a bit before reaching up with its claw and shaking. Immediately, the group's surroundings began to glow, the night-like sky bearing resemblance to a rainbow-colored aurora, causing all three to look at it.
"Whoa…" Eda breathed out as a white light surrounded the two with a pulse, knocking Flint back and ejecting him from the mindscape.
Eda closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was back in the living room with Flint, who was groaning as he sat up against the wall next to the door.
Eda's eyes widened. "Flint!" Eda called out in worry as she attempted to take a step, only to find herself suddenly off-balance. She was confused as she pulled her hand up to hold her head. "Ugh, my head."
Eda then noticed her feather-covered arm. Eda turned to a nearby mirror and took in her new appearance. She had long dark gray hair with a light gray streak on the top of her hair, yellow eyes with black sclera, and tufts of hair that come out of her elongated ears reaching past her knees. Sprouting from her back were a pair of gray owl-like wings. Her maroon dress was now two-toned and now looked to be merged with her body with part of it creeping up her neck to attach to her face. Her torso, shoulders, arms and hands are covered in dull spikes protruding from where the sleeves of her dress would be. Finally, her feet were now covered in light gray fur with dark gray talons like an owl, and her hands were more monstrous-looking with small yellow claws. Surprisingly, the Glyph Grafters on her hands hadn't been torn apart, but would probably benefit from a stretch and slash resistant enchantments to ensure they wouldn't be damaged.
Eda stares into the mirror and lets out a wolf whistle, performing a small spin and posing. "Oh, girl. This is a hot look." Eda said, admiring her new appearance while noting her now deeper, and had a slight echoic reverberation to it.
Eda was snapped out of her self-admiring session when she heard Flint groan, causing her eyes to widen. "Shit! That's right! Flint!" Eda swore, having gotten so enraptured by inspecting herself that she forgot to check on the boy.
Eda quickly amended that by running over to him and helping him to his feet, noting she was a bit taller than before as well. "Fireboy, you there?" Eda asked worriedly.
Flint held his head before shaking it. "Yeah, I'm okay. Must've been a side effect of being flung out of your mindscape abruptly." Flint stated before turning to look at her and took in her new appearance.
"…Still not into cougars, but I won't deny that is a hot look," Flint admitted after a beat of silence.
Eda snorted as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah. But hey, I guess this means you and I can be wing-buddies." Eda glanced over at her wings and flexed them a bit. "This harpy transformation is definitely gonna take some getting used to though."
Flint brought up his right hand and traced a spell, causing Gray to fly out of it and look around, surprised by seeing Eda's current form. He flew around her for a quick inspection before looking at Flint. With a look, Gray understood Flint's intentions and nodded, before the flames across him grew. He then flew into Flint's chest, a pulse of light radiating from the boy's torso before his own wings appeared behind him.
"How about we run some tests? That is, if you're up to a little spar, old lady," Flint said with a challenging smirk.
'The problem owlet must be taught the pecking order,' The Owl Beast supplied into Eda's mind.
'To be fair, Bump made sure to call me 'problem child' too.' Eda defended.
"Oh ho ho! Ballsy move to call me old, Firebrat!" Eda countered with a similar smirk. She didn't actuallycare all that much, but was still ready to whoop his smartass.
"ALONE!"
The room shook a bit with the power of a sudden shout. Eda rebalanced herself and looked around in confusion. "What was that? Why did it sound like King?!" Eda yelped.
CRASH
Eda saw Flint barrel through the window, all of the glass stuck to him superheating with the heat he was radiating as he frantically looked around outside.
Tales of the Boiling Isles - King
King was having an…interesting time tonight. His voice lately had been acting weird, randomly breaking with seemingly no pattern. His Mo-Eda had suggested it could be something like what his big br-err, Flint was dealing with in some kind of demon puberty. Luz had even told him a funny story about Flint's voice originally being different to the point his grandmother had mistaken him for his mother over the phone (it was funny watching him chase Luz around the house after that).
For whatever reason though, Hooty had apparently decided to take it upon himself to help figure out what King was, since Hooty was…surprisingly very knowledgeable about demons. King supposed it made sense, since even Eda admitted to not knowing just how old Hooty was before he decided to stick with her, but he was mostly just how Hooty manages to know people when he barely even leaves the house.
There were three types of demons. Bug, Beast, and Bi-ped. Nosa had already clobbered him in a quick fight to prove he wasn't a bi-ped, and for bug he had both attempted speaking through dance and to spin a cocoon. His attempt at a dance had offended Hooty, who attacked him for apparently saying something about his mom, and the cocoon…he'd rather not think about the cocoon. It was embarrassing, and they'd already went to grab a mop to clean up the…attempt.
So now he was sitting on the top floor of the tower with the night sky above him, waiting for the results to confirm if he was a beast type. Nosa had taken a blood sample (he always though the light blue shade was pretty cool) and was analyzing it.
"After reviewing the results, we've come to a conclusion," Hooty announced, stretching close to him.
"Okay. Lay it on me. Beast, bug, biped, I don't care. I just want to know what I am!" King demanded. Was this how Flint felt too? No wonder he was so annoyed by the mysteries.
Hooty stretched closer. "You...are you!"
Lights came on from around them as a banner saying the same thing and some balloons appeared. Nearby, Nosa was also holding a…was it a cake? In the shape of his head.
"Hooway!" Nosa cheered.
King could only look on in disbelief as Hooty, now sporting two party hats on him that made it look like he had ears, put another hat on King's head. The surprise of all this made him let out a confused 'Weh?'
"The blood tests were inconclusive. We don't really know what you are. But that's okay 'cause we don't need to know that to be your friends." Hooty explained cheerfully.
King stared at the two, his eye twitching a bit. This was what he wanted, this wasn't what he wanted at all. "I-I thought you had real answers..." King muttered with a frustrated laugh, trying his damnedest to not cry.
"The only real answer is inside your heart!" Hooty said, nuzzling his face against King, but King wasn't having it.
"I don't need you to tell me to love myself, Hooty. I want to know where I came from. What my dad looked like. What I'll look like when I grow up." King sadly, tossing off the hat and holding one of the balloons to look at his reflection shimmering in it, only for the balloon to pop a moment later.
"I don't have any responses to my video yet. Or my wanted posters. Maybe my dad is gone. Maybe there's no one else like me. And I'll live my whole life without any answers! Maybe-" King's tone continued to get angrier and angrier. "Maybe Lilith was right! Maybe I was an accident! And he didn't want me!" King yelled.
"No! I didn't want to make you mad." Hooty said with a frown. This hadn't gone how Hooty wanted it to.
King let out a mocking laugh, angry tears welling from his eyes. "Well, you did a great job then! I am mad! At him, for not being here!" King couldn't stop the tears from flowing as he sniffled.
"He left me ALONE!"
King opened his mouth, letting out a scream that sent a powerful soundwave all around him. The soundwave causes all the balloons to pop and the cake to blow up. The effort from the shout leaves King panting for a moment before he notices the damaged decorations.
"Huh?" King muttered in confusion, looking down at his paws
Hooty sagged as he gained a disheartened expression. "Oh, no. Now I'm sad, too."
Nosa walked over to him, now coated in the food. "At least the cake is good."
"It was supposed to be a crumble!" Hooty exclaimed.
Before Hooty can retract, the shadows of two figures appear on the ground around them, as the crackling of plants sprout can be heard nearby. From the direction of the crackling, vines were now attached to the ledge of the tower as Luz climbed over a moment later with an egg poking out of her hood. At the same time, the shadows descended as Flint and Eda, the former with his wings from Gray out and the latter in some kind of harpy form, landed nearby.
Flint immediately rushed over and grabbed King by his shoulders.
"What's wrong?! What happened?! Who do I need to kill?!" Flint demanded worriedly.
"The readers know the first two. And possibly Lilith for the third question." Nosa answered, momentarily drawing looks of confusion from everyone.
"Um, Hooty was trying to help me. I got mad and yelled, and then suddenly things started breaking when I did. I think I got a power!" King explained, the last bit excitedly.
"Wait, you're saying that you caused all this? Just by screaming?" Eda asked, walking up closer.
Luz looked at Eda in surprise. "What the-?! Dang, girl. You are rocking the harpy look." Luz complimented.
Eda smirked before noticing the egg poking out of her hood. "Is that your palisman?"
Luz nodded, pulling out the egg-shaped inactive palisman. "Yep. It'll be their choice for whatever they wanna be." Luz stated.
Flint and King looked over at her. "Huh, neat." The two said in sync, causing the girls to snort at their antics.
"Wait…so I did help?" Hooty asked.
"In a roundabout way, I suppose so." Eda responded.
Hooty's expression immediately brightened. "HOOT-RAY!" Hooty cheered loudly, his mood doing a complete 180.
"I think I'm just gonna leave before they start questioning me for fourth-wall knowledge." Nosa said to herself as she fled the scene while they were all distracted.
Tales of the Boiling Isles – Hooty
It was early in the day and Hooty was typing away on a typewriter, writing a letter for Lilith.
So, my plan last night didn't work quite as I intended, but I still see it as a win in my book! Sadly, I wasn't able to help Luz, Eda, or Flint like I originally wanted, but at least the girls managed to get some help from Amity and Flint. Ooh! Speaking of which, I still need to figure out a ship name for my favorite power-throuple!
Hooty eventually finished writing his letter to Lilith, but as he went to put his letter in the mailbox, he realized something.
"Darn! I forgot a stamp!" Hooty frowned.
"I gotcha, bird-tube." Flint's voice sounded from behind him. Hooty turned to see Flint holding up a sheet of stamps.
"Oh! Thanks Flint!" Hooty thanked before realizing something. "Say, what're you doing up so early?" Hooty asked with a head-tilt.
Flint stuck the stamp onto the letter and placing it in the mailbox. "Was coming out to get try testing some glyph combos. I saw you grab your letter and noticed you didn't put a stamp on it." Flint stated.
"Oh, well thanks!" Hooty thanked again.
"Excuse me, young man?" A sudden voice called out.
Hooty and Flint turned to the voice to see a bipedal demon with wings and a skull-face that bore a resemblance to King's walk up to them with a letter in his hand.
"I saw you in the video. Would you see this finds its way to King Clawthorne?" The demon asked, handing the letter to Flint.
"Oh, um, sure," Flint responded, unsure how to react.
The demon gave an eye-smile. "Thank you." The demon responded before leaving.
When the demon was gone, Hooty watched as Flint stared intently at the letter in his hand. His pupils glowed an ominous dark purple as an enraged expression on his face. His hand suddenly burst into flames, but these flames matched the glow in his eyes, vaporizing the letter. Not even ash was left of the letter as it burned.
A moment later Hooty watched Flint suddenly blink. He looked at his hand in confusion as all traces of what he had done disappeared.
"Wait, what was I doing out here again?" Flint asked himself in confusion, seeming to have forgotten the entire encounter.
Flint shrugged. "Eh. Probably not important." Flint said before walking back toward the house.
Hooty frowned as he watched Flint walk away. He was about to say something until he heard a clattering sound. He looked to the source to see a golden bug crawling on the rock.
"Oh, my gosh, a bug!" Hooty screamed, swooping down and consuming the bug, having completely forgotten what he was just thinking about.
Tales of the Boiling Isles
Tales ỏ̶̝f̷͉̅ ̶͓̓t̷̝̓h̵̼͝ẽ̶̠ B̷̘̜̲̤͈̩̞̍̀̎͘ở̢̛̝̝̔̎̾̍̒̕i͚̯̦̞̙͂̚l͚̽̑̉͛̂̒̎͠ĩ̴̭̙͈̮̿̓̈̍̅͊̑̄̾̓n̴̛̩̻̯̘͍͌̅́̄̓̄̌͜g̴̱̤͚̗͙͍͇̙̙͈͉͐̌̽̀̈͘ ̢̠̯̥̼̺̙̳̱͓Ị̅̊̐̔͠s̴̢͇̞̻͉̺͙̼̯̯̫͆͌̎͊̀͒̓͂̌͂͘͠l̴̗̫͙̺̰͈̤͓̮͝ͅͅe̖̤̥̬̹͂̓̐̌͑̌̚s̵̛͔̖̪̼̲͓͑̽̾̐̒͐̿̈́͘͝ͅ
T̵al̴e̶s̴ T̵al̴e̶s̴ I̵͔͈̳̽̂̉s̷̲̟̙͑͝l̷̫̹̃ȩ̴̙̣̓̚s̵̰̭͒ B̴̧̡̨͚̤͙̪̺̤͈͔́̑̇̉͛̀̏͠͠ǫ̸̦̤͕̖͈̗̟̝̤̞̈́̎̿̒͋͂́͝͠i̵̹̾́̒̎̈́̂̏͛̂͝͝l̶̛̤̊̏̌͂̀͋̐̚í̸̡͓̦̺͐̓̈̊̎̈́̀̃̐n̴͍̼̪̦̗̲͎͖̂͆̋̀͑̅̚̕͜͝ḡ̸̢̨̛̟̣̫͙̣͚̼͎̮͎̀͂
T̸͉̬͕̼̳̫̳̙̦̗̋̇ͅą̶̧͍͙̠̠̬̙̪͚͕̦͆͑̔ļ̶̱̖͉̦͎̞́ͅͅe̴̫̠̣͊̿̈́͜s̴̟͙̞̰͎͕̱̋͐̉̚̕͝ ̴̢̡̛͔͕̲͙̤͋̔̏̂̆̚͝͠ͅo̸͖̱͖̹̥͔̍̃́͊̂̏̀̋̊͝f̵̡̞̣̓́͌͒͑̐̾̕̕ ̸̡̹̠̲̬̦͈̣̂̉̒̉͑̑̊͜͠͝t̷̰̓͋́̈̿͑̎͛͠ḩ̶̛͉̟̱̥͕͙̞̫͎̻̗̀̅̌͆̍̈͠͝e̷̡̢͇̟̋͝ ̵͈̳̘͔͔̯̣̭͈͑̎̓͠ͅ-̵̨̥͂̎͂͠ o̸̟̪͔̰̬͉̲̹͈͋̐͜͝f̴̫̓̒̏́̎̚͝ ̴̡̱̩̗̻͈͇̯͎̰̆e̸̡͍͖͖͗͆̍͛͑̋̓̇͒͝ǎ̵͙̮̰̋́͌̉́̉̊̕Ŗ̶̭͍̓̊̌̒͛̈̔̊̄̚͠ͅẗ̸̳̘͇͍͖̙̠̥̖́̄̉͌͛̊͘̚H̶̯͓̅̋̌̀͂̀̑̕͝
…
Recalibrating…
Nearly 15 years ago
Madelyn Smith, an only child, was feeling pretty good about herself. At the ripe age of 25, she quickly got a job as an accountant after graduating from college nearly two years ago. Many of her friends back in high school thought it was odd that being an accountant was her dream job even back then, but hey, Madelyn enjoyed it, and that's all that mattered. Plus, you know, it paid pretty damn well. That was a pretty nice benefit. Things had been going well with her boyfriend-turned-fiance, their relationship having gone strong for the past 3 years. And for two months, the two had decided to try to become parents.
Madelyn Smith, an only child, was feeling pretty good about herself...until about two weeks ago, that is.
Madelyn had decided to go to a doctor, concerned about the absent results of their...passion. Unfortunately, she would discover later in her appointment that she would never be able to bring a new life into the world. She was born with a rare disorder that left her infertile...incapable of ever being able to give birth. She was heartbroken at that discovery. While she could always adopt, it saddened her that she couldn't even have a biological child if she tried.
Her fiance had been comforting at first, but then he began to interact with her less and less over the next six weeks. Eventually, Madelyn would discover that her would-be husband was cheating on her and had been before the news. It was an insult to injury and after breaking it off with him, she was left to her lonesome, kicking him out of her home. She could make do when it came to payments, given the good pay from her job, but those weeks after had left her in a bad state. Multiple mornings she'd wake up with a hangover, having drunk her sorrows the night before.
Her parents, extended family, friends, and coworkers had all expressed concern over her in the days following. With every little check-up they did, no matter who, it was reassuring to know she had so much support...but it didn't help her nearly as much as she wished it could.
Madelyn Smith, an only child, was feeling pretty fucking shitty right now. Her room was a mess, she barely ever did anything other than go to work, eat, sleep, and cry. Her eyes, once bright and full of energy, had been replaced with a dead look accompanied by eye bags.
On this fateful night, Madelyn stared at the TV screen ahead of her in her living room with contempt. Ages ago, she had been a massive Cosmic Frontier nerd, but later found great interest in romance and more...eroticcontent. Unfortunately, the latter content was now like a punch to the gut to her, so she was currently scrolling through the stations, nothing particularly catching her interest.
The TV stood as the only source of light in the room as the channels flickered in and out every five seconds.
"In other news-"
"Do you ever feel-"
"If you're gonna ride Dano, ride in style!"
Madelyn paused after the last one taking note of the channel number. If nothing else, the classic Transformers Movie was always a pretty solid watch. [Side note: I watched Transformers One. It was awesome!]
Madelyn continued flipping channels until another one caught her eye for a different reason...one that only served to sour her mood further.
"The wilderness must be explored! Caw caw, rawr!"
Madelyn sneered. "Ugh. I used to love this movie so much too," Madelyn muttered. Now all she could feel was bitterness at the unfortunate similarity between herself and Ellie.
Madelyn sighed sadly, muting the TV and picking up an unopened bottle of beer from the table in front of her. "Looks like we're starting already," Madelyn said to herself as she went to open the bottle. She struggles with the cap for a bit before eventually popping it off.
Madelyn stared depressingly at the bottle in her hand. 'Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?' Madelyn questioned internally. After a moment she sighed, moving the bottle up, the opening about to reach her lips-
Then she heard...wailing?
Madelyn moved the bottle away from her lips before she could get even a drop, frowning in confusion. She looked at the TV and saw that the mute indicator was on, so it wasn't coming from the TV. The wails continued as Madelyn looked toward her front door. She got up and went to check, turning the outside light on only to find a startling sight.
Madelyn nearly threw the door off its hinges when she opened it, being met with the sight of a basket. Within the basket and wrapped in a gray blanket...was a baby.
Madelyn looked around outside to see if she could find whoever had put the baby there, but found nothing. Madelyn reached down and picked the basket up, bringing the baby inside and closing the door behind her.
Madelyn brought the basket to her kitchen table, carefully reaching into the basket, pulling the baby out, and taking it with her to the couch she had been sitting on.
"Shhhh. It's okay. Um...shoot. What do I do?" Madelyn questioned herself. Where did this child come from? Why was it left on her doorstep?
'Think Maddie! What did Mom say she used to do to try and calm me? I think she said she'd gently rub the back of my head.' Maddie thought.
Maddie reached behind the baby's head and was suddenly hit with a jolting shiver that crawled all over her body. 'IT'S SO COLD!' Maddie internally screamed, instinctively bringing the baby closer to herself.
Maddie quickly checked the clock. It was past nine pm. Maddie picked up a phone and dialed the number. After a few rings, someone picked up.
"Ugh, what do you want Maddie? You know I go to bed at nine." A grumpy male voice asked.
"I need you to come to my place and pick me up to take me to the hospital," Maddie responded.
The was a pause on the other side. "What's wr-"
The infant suddenly began to wail louder, cutting the man on the other side off as he stopped mid-sentence.
"...Give me five minutes." The male responded, now very much awake.
"Thank you. See you in a bit Hal." Maddie said gratefully.
Recalibration Complete:
Tales of The Boiling Isles - Madelyn
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone