"Welcome to Ravenwood Academy." The headmaster welcomed us. "Normally, this is where you'd be enrolled and sent to your classes."
"But times are not normal. There's some kind of supernatural incursion in Unicorn Way that must be dealt with immediately. I wonder..."
Headmaster Ambrose stroked his beard.
"You've demonstrated such potential. I think practical experience will serve you better than lectures. Care to put your talents to the test?"
The four of us nodded our heads.
"Splendid! Time is of the essence, so I'll teleport you there directly. Seek out Private Connelly, the Wizard City Guard in charge of that area."
With a flick of his wand, we instantly ended up on top of a bridge in the designated area.
"Welcome to Unicorn Way!" Gamma the Owl appeared out of nowhere, causing us to stumble in shock.
"Wah!"
"There are creatures who will attack you if you get to close to them, so stick to the task at hand!"
Gamma perched himself on my shoulder.
"Did the Headmaster sent you to guide us, Gamma?" Julia asked.
"Indeed!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A Wizard City Guard stepped in front of us. "The street's very dangerous right now. Is there something I can help you with?"
The Wizard City Guard is blonde and has a beard.
"Oh, Private Connelly!" Gamma answered. "Headmaster Ambrose told these wizards to seek you out!"
"What's that?" Private Connelly was taken aback. "You say the Headmaster sent them to help us? Well then, you're just the people – er, Wizards – I've been waiting for!"
He continued. "This used to be a pleasant street, but we've been invaded by hordes of strange creatures!"
"The Guards and I have been doing our best to push the creatures back, but we're no match for their dark magic. Especially the Undead!" Private Connelly explained. "Maybe your fancy Wizard magic will do the trick! Go battle a few of those Lost Souls, then report back to me. Good luck!"
Gamma turn to us. "To battle the monsters, run up to them on the street."
"When you get close enough to them, they will summon a Combat Sigil and you will be pulled into combat. If you want to avoid battle, you can keep safe by staying on the sidewalk."
"If you can drive away some of these Lost Souls, we'll be in your debt." Private Connelly added.
Julia, Natalie, Marcus, and I nodded. We made our way to the street. As we did, the three of them frowned.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"The air and atmosphere of this place is choking." Natalie replied. "It's hard to breathe."
Marcus nodded. "There is a dark aura covering this place."
I did not even notice the fog earlier, but then I look at the street.
"Look." Julia whispered. "This is..."
"They're Lost Souls, but they are like ghosts." Marcus added. "They are wandering the streets. No wonder the Guards had a tough time."
"What a number." Natalie agreed.
Immidiately, we engaged combat with four Lost Souls.
"Frost Beetle." From the middle of the Combat Sigil, Julia summoned the beetle made of ice that charged at the first Lost Soul. Eliminating it effectively.
Next was Marcus, who summoned "Thunder Snake". A creature that has a resemblance to a cobra. It uses its tail to electrify the enemy.
Natalie casted the "Fire Cat" spell she used previously on the Draconian, while I used the "Imp" and "Dark Sprite" spell respectively.
One creature played the harp to disorientate the enemy, while the fae creature took its life essence.
Together, we cooperated with each other to defeat Lost Souls in Unicorn Way. Each of us defeated two Lost Souls, using all of our Level 1 Spells in our deck of Spellcards.
"Beaten by mere student wizards?!?!" A Lost Soul hissed. "Come Souls, let's get lost somewhere safer!"
The Lost Souls floated away promptly.
"Get to the sidewalk quickly!"
We ran to the sidewalk as Gamma urged us, and went back to report to Private Connelly in Unicorn Way.
"That turned the tide! We'll follow your lead and start pushing these ghostly things back."
Then, Private Connelly sighed. "But I'm worried we won't be able to drive the phantoms away for good without knowing why they're attacking us."
"We've got to find out what's behind this." He added. "Another intrepid student, Ceren Nightchant, also came to help. Maybe he's learned something useful."
Private Connelly pointed towards a male student in green robes and a hood. We proceeded to approach him.
"Oh. hey there. I'm Ceren." He greeted. "You're all new here, aren't you? Well, I for one am VERY glad you're here."
"I couldn't help but notice how you took down those Lost Souls. I have to say, I'm quite impressed by your spell-slinging skills."
We bowed. "Thank you."
"When I heard there was trouble on Unicorn Way, I rushed right over. But then I saw what's out there... Skeletal Pirates!"
Ceren shivered. "Skeletons I can handle. But Skeletal Pirates? Yaarr, NO THANK YOU. Pirates give me the heebie-jeebies."
"Excuse me, did I hear you two talking about Skeletal Pirates?" An old lady in green asked. "If you're going to face them, please come talk to me first."
"Understood, Olivia Danwillow." Gamma nodded.
We turn back to Ceren. "It would be good to know exactly what we're up against. Do you think you could battle a few Skeletal Pirates to see how tough they are?"
Everyone nodded.
"Great! I'll mark their location on your Map. Thank you so much for doing this. Good luck!"
We looked at our map. There, are the locations of enemies.
"Because you will be engaging in combat, it is imperative you know how to regain Health and Mana." Gamma advised.
We looked at the owl in surprise.
"If you need to boost your Health, collect the Red Wisps you see along the street. If you need Mana, collect Blue Wisps. Remember, casting Spells cost Mana, and fleeing combat drains it completely, so keep your reserves full!"
"I was wondering what those things were floating..." Natalie nodded solemnly as she looked around.
In this world, we are surrounded by floating blue and red wisps. This allows Wizards to replenish Mana and Health.
"Go battle a few of the Skeletal Pirates on Unicorn Way. The Guards will appreciate a report on their combat tactics." Ceren added.
Julia, Natalie, Marcus and I then talked to Olivia.
"I'm glad I overheard you wizards talk about Skeletal Pirates. They're looting the street and making such a mess! If something isn't done, we could be forced to leave the city! Please, will you help us?"
"Of course." We answered, accepting her side quest.
We ran to the streets where the Skeletal Pirates walked around. Together, we defeated 4 Skeletal Pirates.
"Yarrrrgh! Parley! Parley!" One of the Skeletal Pirates cursed. "Ye got guts, little Wizards, more'n us to be sure, but ye be no match for that which rattles in the Darkness! Bwaharhar!"
He laughed wickedly as he withered away...
We made our way back to Olivia.
"Oh, bless you, children! I don't have much to offer in thanks, but please take this Magic Ring. Maybe it will help you in your adventures!"
Olivia gave us each a Magic Ring and we received gratefully.
All of us received a Flawed Opal Band Ring. Immediately I put it on my finger.
"Thanks again, young Wizards! Maybe I can find another helpful young wizard to help sweep up all these eyepatches..."
We then walked to talk to Ceren.
"Oh wow, you made it back! I mean, how'd it go? What did you learn?" Ceren asked.
We told him what we know from the Skeletal Pirates.
"The Pirates warned about a 'rattle in the Darkness'? See, this is what I was talking about. Pirates are always creepy and frustratingly vague."
Ceren shook his head. "What is clear is that some evil magic has emerged here, and we're going to need more than a handful of Guards to stop it."
"There is a powerful ancient being who may be able to help us understand the dark forces we're facing: the wise Seraph, Lady Oriel."
Ceren added. "Not only does Lady Oriel possess strong magic, she's also the Warden of the Fairies, and they keep her well informed. Perhaps she's heard something about this 'rattle in the Darkness'. Go speak with her in the Hedge Maze at the far end of Unicorn Way."
Suddenly, Julia walked up to Private Connelly.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Private Connelly is worried about something."
I looked at the Wizard City Guard. He was looking around anxiously for someone.
We approached him.
"Private Conelly, are you looking for someone?" Natalie asked.
He sighed. "I sent Private O'Ryan down the street a while ago, and he's not back yet. With all these Lost Souls about, I fear the worst."
"O'Ryan is a good friend of mine. Could you go see if he is alright? He may be hiding in one of the houses – see if you can find him."
We ran back to the streets of Unicorn Way to search the houses for Private O'Ryan.
We finally managed to find him in one of them, but...
"Get back, undead fiend!"
We jumped back from the surprise attack, but the Guard calmed down when he saw us.
"Oh, students, is it? You're brave ones! Connelly sent you to check up on me? I'm well, but I did have a bit of a scare."
Private O'Ryan explained. "I was making my rounds when a horrifying ghost swept out of nowhere! I recognized her from the old stories – Lady Blackhope, the Wailing Widow!"
"I'm not ashamed to say she scared me half to death! I high tailed it here and shut the door. I can't leave this this place if she's still out there."
He added. "Blackhope Tower's not far away – that must be where she came from. Maybe something in there can drive her spirit away."
We nodded and made our way to the Blackhope Tower to confront Lady Blackhope. When we entered the building, we saw a ghostly lady with a Skeletal Pirate.
"Hey!" Natalie shouted. Gaining the attention of both the Skeletal Pirate and the ghostly lady. "Are you Lady BlackHope?!"
"Yarrrrgh! Who's asking?!"
"Please stop haunting Unicorn Way." Marcus frowns, displeased with the way Natalie suddenly made an outburst. "The City Guards are afraid of you."
"You say the City Guards are scared of me? Well, they should be! EVERYONE should be!" Lady Blackhope yelled.
"Malistaire has opened the seals – the Dead shall rise! Let all who still live beware – my Dark Master will be avenged!"
"Malistaire..." Everyone frowned and glared at Lady Blackhope.
"You want me to stop haunting this street?" She shrieked. "HA! Let's see if you have enough spirit to stop me!"
We engaged in combat with Lady Blackhope and her henchmen. We launched spells at her and defeated the ghost.
"I suppose you do have enough spirit after all. Go tell the Guardsmen I will haunt them no longer."
"Yay!" The three kids cheered and danced.
We went back to tell Private O'Ryan the good news.
"You defeated Lady Blackhope? Thanks, Wizards, I'll return to my post now. As a favour, please don't tell Private Connelly what happened."
I raised my eyebrow, while the three kids tilted their head. "Why?"
"I don't want him to think I'll flee from the first ghost that chases me – I only run from the REALLY scary ones!"
We sweat dropped as Private O'Ryan left the house.
Shortly after, we went back as well to report to Private Connelly.
"I see you found O'Ryan. I supposed some monster scared him out of his wits and he was too frightened to come back?"
'Ah, so he knows.'
"Well..." Private O'Ryan stammered. "Well... see, what had happened was..."
"Well, it's not the first time. And I wager it won't be the last. All's well that ends well. Thanks for finding him, Wizards."
"You're welcome." We immediately made our way to the far end of Unicorn Way.
When we reach there, we saw something unusual.
"Are these... bone cages?" Julia peered at the particular pair of cages hung from the streetlamps of Unicorn Way.
We looked further down the street. "Wait... are those dark fairies?"
Tiny creatures with red wings, black hair and dressed in purple, floated about the street.
I immediately took out my Starter Deck of cards. "They kinda look like the one in this Dark Sprite spell."
Sure enough, they matched.
We exchanged glances of concern and made our way to the Hedge Maze hastily.
As we entered the building...
"Halt! What purpose brings you into our Hedge Maze?"
Standing at the pinnacle of the Hedge Maze, was a tall blonde woman with blue eyes and dressed in white. She has angel wings, wears a crown of leaves and has a sword in her hand. She floats in mid-air, with fairies flying around her.
'This must be Lady Oriel, the wise Seraph.'
She looks like an angel.
When the woman saw us, her face relaxed.
"Forgive me, young Wizards. These dark times make me leery of new faces, but now I see the Light within you. We've much to discuss."
We walked up to Lady Oriel.
"The evil forces that unleashed the Undead upon Unicorn Way have also corrupted my precious Fairies. Please, you must help them!"
"So those Dark Fairies were yours..."
"Vile Bone Cages have appeared along Unicorn Way. They are filled with a mysterious dark magic that corrupts all Fairy folk who venture near them." Lady Oriel added. "Dispel the Dark Magic in the Bone Cages. Then bring me Fairy Dust from those it corrupted. It may reveal to me who is behind this atrocity."
"It pains to say it, but the only way to obtain the Fairy Dust is to wrestle it from the Dark Fairies in combat. Try to be gentle. Once you've dispelled the Bone Cages and collected the Fairy Dust, return to me immediately. Good luck, young Wizards. May the Light guide you."
We promptly left the Hedge Maze.
"I think we should split up."
They looked at me in surprise. "Why?"
"I saw four bone cages. Each pair are at the beginning and end of the street from we walked. We should be taking down the bone cages more easily and defeat the Dark Fairies." I answered.
"I see... Alright. So, do we meet back here?" Julia asked.
I nodded. "Yes."
We went off on our own way to open the bone cages along the streets. Each of us managed to defeat two Dark Fairies and collected the dust in a small bag.
"Oh, I could feel the Darkness done in my bones, but now that terrible cloud has been lifted! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" The Fairies bowed and flew away. I ran back to the Hedge Maze to meet up with the youngsters.
Just as we met back up, we heard a tiny joyful voice calling our names and a fairy magically appeared.
"Thank you for helping us, kind Wizards. Your courage and benevolence will not soon be forgotten by the Fairy folk."
We bowed in return. With that, she disappeared.
"You've cemented your reputation as a hero to the Fairy folk, young Wizards." Lady Oriel commended us as she approached. "With the Bone Cages dispelled, I can help the other Corrupted Fairies in time."
"Now we must root out who is behind this attack. Please, let me examine the Fairy Dust."
We took out our bags of Fairy Dust and showed it to Lady Oriel. She widened her eyes in disbelief when she saw it.
"Is that? But how...? The Fairy Dust displays scars of a dark magic banished from this world long ago."
We told Lady Oriel the vague words of the Skeletal Pirates.
"Could it be... 'rattle in the Darkness'..." She muttered softly before her eyes lift in realization.
"Rattlebones!" She scowled. "In life, a ruthless tyrant who was banished to the Underworld for his crimes. If I focus, perhaps I can sense his location..."
Lady Oriel closed her eyes. "Ooh, so much Darkness! No, my vision is obscured. All I see is a Tower ringed in bones. Ceren Nightchant knows Unicorn Way. Perhaps he can help?"
"You must hurry. Here, take this Broom. It will allow you to travel to Ceren much faster. Now fly and may the Light guide you!"
Lady Oriel gave us each a broom. "Quickly, you must ride to Ceren at once. Ask him if he knows of a Tower ringed in bones. Go!"
"Alright, let's fly!" We hopped on our broomsticks and flew back.
As we did, we saw Ceren looking for us.
"Hello! You were gone for so long I was beginning to worry you'd run off and joined a Skeletal Pirate crew. What did Lady Oriel have to say?"
We briefly and quickly told him everything.
"Oriel thinks an Underworld tyrant named Rattlebones is behind all this? Wicked! Let me think... He's in a Tower ringed in bones?"
We nodded.
"Well, the Skeletal Pirates do seem to be concentrated around the old Archives. Try looking there! Here, I'll mark it on your Map."
"Thank you!" We immediately ran to the Old Archives. When we entered, we saw a burly skeleton speaking to a Dark Fairy. He was wearing thick armor.
"Good Work, my thrall! This could be the Tome Malistaire seeks. Now we-" As he took the book from the fairy's hands, Rattlebones saw us, and they turned to meet our gaze.
"What's this, young Wizards? Excellent. I could use a combat break. Let's play!"
In an instant, we got into combat mode. We launched various spells at them.
I summoned the Imp to play music on the harp to disorientate and weaken both enemies. Before summoning the Dark Sprite against the Dark Fairy. A bit ironic.
Julia, Natalie, and Marcus summoned their respective elemental creatures. The Frost Beetle, Fire Cat and Thunder Snake all dealt heavy damage to Rattlebones. It was a tough battle that used quite an amount of Mana.
In the end though, we managed to defeat Rattlebones and the Dark Fairy.
"Agh! The day is yours, young one. But the Dark Master's plan is already in motion. You haven't heard the last rattle in the Darkness!" He cackled.
In his haste to leave, Rattlebones dropped the Tome he was holding. I picked up the large book.
"This looks important." Julia noted.
"Perhaps Ceren will know what to do with it." Marcus added.
As we walked out of the tower and back onto Unicorn Way.
"Huh..."
"What's wrong, Natalie?" I asked curiously.
"The Dark Magic that was previously choking the street seems to have abated."
I looked around. "Oh, you're right."
We walked along the sidewalk to regain our Health and Mana.
Ceren ran up to us excitedly. "The Darkness plaguing Unicorn Way is lifting. Look!"
"With Rattlebones defeated, the Guards should be able to drive away the rest of the Undead horde."
Then, we showed the book to Ceren.
"Ooh, that Tome looks important. You should take it to the Library in the Commons. Harold Argleston will know what to do with it."
As we were about to leave, the Wizard City Guard stopped us.
"Say, can you check up on someone for me?" Private Connelly asked. "I usually see Dorothy out shopping by now, but I fear she's too afraid to leave home."
"She's just down the road a bit and she usually keep her lights on. She doesn't like all the Lost Souls roaming around. Can't say that I blame her."
'So, he's worried for a neighbour...'
We nodded and went to search for a house with lights on.
When we entered the house, there was a girl with brown hair and green eyes.
"Oh, hello! You say that Private Connelly was worried about me?" Miss Dorothy asked. "He always does fret so."
"I'm alright, but I wish someone could do something about all those ghosts outside. Sometimes I wish Auntie Em could join me here. I'd feel better with her around." She added.
"Say, I was having my friends over for dinner, but they are running late. I fear for their sake with all those ghosts roaming around."
"Could you check up on them?" Miss Dorothy asked. "My two friends live on this street, down towards the park area. Look for a house with a light on in the window. You can't miss it."
We nodded and flew our broomsticks to the Unicorn Park area and entered the house with the light on. However, we encountered a surprise and our eyes widened.
"What?!" The Tin Man exclaimed in shock. "You say that Dorothy is looking for us? We were just about to be on our way."
"Oh, I told you we should have left earlier. Now we've gone and made her worry about us." A brown dog called Mr. Toto remarked.
Natalie stuttered in shock. "A talking dog..."
"I'm sorry but I cannot find my oil can." The Tin Man rebutted. "You wouldn't want me seizing up on the way there."
"Oh dear, we always go through this." The brown dog turned towards us. "Can you return to Dorothy and tell her we'll be running late as usual?"
"Ok..." We slowly and awkwardly walked out of the door and returned to Dorothy's house.
"They are safe and sound? It's good to know that they are just running late. Now I won't have to worry."
Miss Dorothy heaved a sigh of relief. "I always fear a wicked witch might show up and whisk them back to the her castle. This land is so strange. Not like back at the farm."
We remained silent as she rambled about her previous life.
"But I do like it here. Headmaster Ambrose is such a nice Wizard. And my new friends are nice too. I'd say that in all, this place is as fun as a barrel of flying monkeys! Would you say hello to Private Connelly for me?" She asked.
We nodded and headed back.
"To think we encountered a person from another world..." Natalie muttered.
"Not just any person." I added. "That was ACTUALLY Dorothy Gales from the fairy tale, Wizard of Oz."
"We're not the only ones brought here..." Julia muttered. "Is the Headmaster the Wizard of Oz then?"
"I don't know, Julia. I don't know."
We reported to Private Connelly.
He smiled at the news. "Glad to hear Dorothy is doing well!"
We sighed in relief as we made our way to the Commons to find Harold Argleston in the Library.
"I know the Librarian in Wizard101 is talking dog as well, but.."
I looked towards the youngsters who stared at Harold Argleston with a dumbfounded expression.
It's clear that whatever they will see in Wizard City, will keep surprising them.
"Well, hello there. I don't think I've seen you in the library before. I'm Harold Argleston, master librarian extraordinaire."
We showed him the Tome that Rattlebones dropped. I could see the librarian's eyes bulging out, and his glassses almost dropping when he scanned the book.
"You say you recovered this Tome from an Underworld Tyrant who was going to give it to his Dark Master, Malistaire? My, my. I do believe this is a matter for Headmaster Ambrose. You should take the Tome to him at once!"
We were about to leave quickly but the Librarian stopped us. "Ehh, but before you go, allow me to reward you for your heroics. Please accept this Treasure Card on behalf of the denizens of Wizard City."
The Treasure Card was "Sprite."
Natalie smiled. "Thank you."
We rushed back to the headmaster's office to tell him the news.
"Oh good, you're back. I'm anxious to hear your update on Unicorn Way. Evil Darkness summoned from the Underworld? Oh my!"
The headmaster was shocked. "Rattlebones, you say!? But he was banished centuries ago! How could- Malistaire. Of course. But why?"
We showed him the book.
"Rattlebones was searching the Unicorn Way Archives for this Tome? Let me see what it is... 'On the Trail of the Order of the Fang' Oh my stars! I will certainly look into this!"
"While I do that, you need to attend to the matter of your long delayed enrollment! If you are to truly master your magical talents, we must induct you officially into our Academy."
He added. "I'll send you now to Mr. Lincoln, our Registrar, in Ravenwood. He will introduce you to our professors and help you begin your studies."