Eda POV
I rolled to the side to avoid yet another magical blast sent by Odalia. I responded by slamming the bottom of my staff into the ground, sending shockwaves through the ground towards the Blight mother. She dodged the attack but I followed up by swinging my staff and sending a flurry of fireballs hurdling towards my old classmate.
She summoned a force field and deflected the attacks with ease. I mounted my staff and began flying through the air, putting significant distance between the two of us. I drew spell circles as I flew, sending arrows of magic, icicles, fire balls and all sorts hurdling towards my opponent who did her best to block or dodge the attacks but still getting hit by a fair few.
Then in frustration Odalia threw her arms up as massive vines erupted from the ground and came flying towards me. I used my flying skills to narrowly avoid the vines. I flew over and under the vines, spinning around.
As a massive vine blocked my path I jumped off my staff to barley clear the vine before landing back on my staff and soared towards the ground.
Odalia summoned abomination hands in an attempt to gab me but I jumped off my staff and rolled forward, landing at her feet. I then launched myself off the ground and landed a string hit onto Odalia's chin sending her flying backwards.
She landed hard on her back and I summoned my staff to my hand again.
Odalia drew a spell circle and summoned a handful of clones who drew spell circles of their own. They sent vines, fire, blasts of magic, icicles and all sorts of fun stuff flying at me.
I spin my staff in a circle and summon a force field and just barley deflect everything. I then use my staff to draw a large spell circle on the ground and summon a massive hooty from the earth and send it to attack Odalia.
"You are so insufferable as always Edalyn." Odalia spits.
"Aww you always were sweet." I say as the owl tube crashes onto the ground. I run past the trees drawing circles on them as i run causing more owl tubes to erupt from the trees and fly towards my opponent. "This is gonna be fun."
Luz POV
I roll out of the way to avoid Lilith's blast of lighting and slam an ice glyph on the wall as an icicle jets out of the wall but Lilith dodges it.
I follow up by sending vines at her but she just waves her staff and blue flame engulfs the vines in an instant and the burn to ash.
I roll forward and try and use light glyphs to blind her but the more experienced witch grabs me by the shirt and slams onto the wall and uses a spell to cause the wall to fold some restraints on my arms, torso and legs, holding me in place.
"You can't beat me kid." Lilith says.
"Lilith please don't do this." I plead. "Amity needs help."
"Amity has been brought to her family where she belongs, away from you and my troublesome sister's influence." Lilith responds coldly.
"Lilith, Amity's parents hurt her!" I yell. "Don't you care about that?"
Lilith's eyes widen for a moment before she shakes her head. "No, I know Odalia and Alador. They wouldn't do that."
"Stop being so blind Lilith. What do you think they're doing to her now? Why would we be coming to rescue her if she wasn't in danger."
Lilith backs away, shaking her head desperately. "No they wouldn't, the emperor ordered me to help them, he wouldn't order me to protect child abusers surely."
"Lilith please." I beg once more, tears stinging my eyes. "If we don't get to Amity soon it will be too late."
Lilith sighs and after a moment of contemplation she releases me from my constraints. I run my wrists where they were held as Lilith speaks. "Understand I am doing you a great favour here." She says. "This will likely make me an enemy of the emperor like my sister."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I argue. "Now come on." I grab Lilith's arm and pull her towards the basement where I hope Amity is being held.
Nick POV
I threw a knife at Alador which hit his hand and interrupted him drawing a spell circle. I closed the distance and punched him in the gut.
He doubled over in pain and then I grabbed him by the side of the head and slam it into the wall. I follow up with a kick to the torso and send him skiing backwards. As he hits the ground I try and close the distance again but he draws a quick spell circle and an abomination hand emerges from the ground and goes to attack me. I draw my long knife I slash at the abomination and it gets destroyed by the attack.
However, Alador had already gotten back onto his feet and drew more spell circles and more abomination hands as well as vines erupted from the ground and walks and held me in place by my limbs, sending my knife clattering to the ground. There were two abomination hands holding my legs and vines restricting my hands by my wrists.
"Wow Alador." I smirk. "I didn't know you were into bondage."
"Oh shut it Nick." He spits. "Don't you realise the gravity of the situation you're in."
"Oh Cmon Al." I tease. "You know that this is part of my charm.
Alador furrows his brow in annoyance as he draws a spell circle and places his hand in the centre of it. Lightning erupts from his hand and it connects with my torso.
A burning agony shoots through my body and I grunt in pain. I do my best to not let my pain show, only a handful pained grunts escaping me.
After about a minute Alador stops the attack and I slump in my restraints and pant heavily out of exhaustion. "Do you understand now Nick?!" He asks angrily.
I pant a few more times before forcing my head up to meet my former lovers' eyes. "That all you got in ya?" I smirk. "I was more exhausted after just spending the night with you."
At this his eyes burn with unrivalled fury as he draws another spell circle, this one twice as large, and fires another spell using both hands. From the spell circle a mixture of fire and lightening erupts forward and come crashing into my body.
I strain against the vines in pain but they keep me from moving at all. I let out an agonised scream that echoes through the halls. But despite feeling the draw of unconscious taking hold I force myself to stay awake, to endure the pain, he can't keep this up forever. His magic may fill me with excruciating pain. But when you spend 6 years as soldier and five years as a mercenary...
Pain is something you learn to live with.
Willow POV
Me, Gus and the twins were at the back of the manor. There were 5 emperors coven guards keeping watch. There were 3 stationed in the ludicrously large garden and 2 keeping watch on the roof.
We were waiting for the right opportunity to cause a distraction when we suddenly hear a lot of commotion going on at where Luz, Eda and Nick were.
"I'm guessing Luz didn't stick to the plan." Gus jokes.
"Can we really be surprised at this point." Edric adds.
"Well what do we do now?" I ask the group but Edric and Emira look at each other a smirk that tells me things are about to get very hectic.
"We do what we do best." Em begins before her and Ed finish the sentence simultaneously while drawing spell circles. "We cause some trouble."
From their spell circles fireworks fly into the centre of the garden and gets the attention of all the guards. Edric and Emira then summon a handful of clones and run out of our hiding spot and start making an absurd amount of noise.
The guards spot us (obviously) and begin doing their best to apprehend us however to my surprise the twins are impressively illusive.
Edric rolls behind one of the soldiers and pulls his cloak over his mask so he can't see. As the guard struggles to clear his vision Emira decks him in the face and he falls to the ground unconscious.
The two other guards on the ground begin rushing towards the twins but I make use of all the vegetation in the garden to take out the attackers. I draw a spell circle and suddenly all the flowers between the guards and the twins grow to an abnormal size and block their path.
As the guards goes to destroy the plant I cause it to eject pollen right into his face and he stumbled back. They go tumbling blindly into their partner and Gus crouches down directly bending their legs. Using his small size to his advantage and trips up the guards and they land flat on their backs and I summon a bunch of vines that cover their bodies and hold them to the ground.
The two soldiers stationed on the roof finally are able to reach the ground but they are met with Edric and Emira drawing a large spell circle and blasting magic at one of them, hitting him square in the torso and he flies into the wall and he falls to the ground. The other guard is then overwhelmed by Gus and his clones who jump on his and beat him until he falls unconscious.
"Not bad you two." The twins say to me and Gus as they dust themselves off from their fight.
"Same thing could be said for you." I respond and they smile.
"Well, shall we?" Emira says gesturing to the back door. Me and Gus look at each other and nod and we enter blight manor.
Luz POV
Me and Lilith cautiously make our way down the stairs to the basement. The air is cold and devoid of life. The walls are grey and lacking any expression. The basement doesn't share the same expressive richness of the manor, it doesn't have expensive furniture or paintings that exist to exaggerate the status of the Blights. This place doesn't need to exaggerate itself, it was never meant to be seen.
When we finally emerged into the main part of the basement I notice a large number of bookshelves lining the walls. There was a table that had an assortment of potions that had very ominous liquids residing in them.
I scan the room until my eyes fell upon a girl with green hair chained to a wall, slumped against her restraints.
"Amity!" I yell as I run to her.
"This isn't right." Lilith says quietly but I ignore and rush to Amity, shaking her, trying to get her to wake up.
"Where's Zoe?" Lilith asks as I pull Amitys head up so she's facing me and her eyes open.
I gasp as I fall back, her eyes are burning red, the same burning red as the symbol on Zoe's neck. "She's in her head." I answer Lilith's question.
"She must be altering her memories directly in the mind." Lilith explains.
"You have to send me in there!" I beg Lilith, grabbing her cloak. Desperation in my voice.
Lilith looks surprised as she looks at me. "Luz I cannot."
"Yes you can!" I continue. "Eda was able to send me in Willow's mind so you can do the same."
Lilith paused for a moment. "If Zoe is in there and something happens to you" but I interrupt.
"If we do nothing then Amity will lose these memories forever and her parents will get what they want!" I plead.
Lilith sighs. "Fine." She looked at me seriously. "But if things get ugly in there ring the bell." Lilith summons the same type of bell that Eda gave me when I went into Willow's mind.
I nod my head as Lilith begins casting the spell and instead of a golden light this time it's blue like the rest of Lilith's magic.
I take a deep breath as I enter Amity's mind.