"You're a disgrace. How could you?"
————————————————————
"Alright. The plan is simple." Hunter said as he walked towards (Y/n), "We wear these uniforms I found, find the best and the brightest witches and prove to Darius that we're deserving of that patch."
"Mhm. Sounds like a plan." (Y/n) nodded as she took the uniform and left to get dressed. She put on the familiar orange and grey uniform before returning back to Hunter.
(Y/n) came back and found Hunter wearing a potions uniform. "Aw, you look so cute in that uniform-" She blurted.
The words slipped off her tongue and her hand flew over her mouth with regret. Her face flushed red.
WHY-
Hunter's face did the same, his ears too. "Thanks- uh- you.. you too." He smiled bashfully.
HIS EARS BLUSH, HE'S SO- HE SAID YOU TOO?! Oh my titan.
"Ahem. Anyways."
The pair peaked out from behind a tent to see many other tents set up in the field in front of the school.
"Oh, it's club day." (Y/n) noted,
"Club day?"
"Mhm, it's a perfect day to recruit students."
"Yeah, look at all these potential recruits!" Hunter exclaimed as Flapjack chirped on his shoulder, "Well, sure, I've never actually spoken to witches my age besides (Y/n), but teens are probably into the same things as me! Like authority! And rules! Right, (Y/n)?"
"Mmhm. Yes they are, Hunter." She smirked, "Go on, go give them a pitch."
Hunter walked over to a biped demon who was looking at their scroll, "Classmate!" He exclaimed. "Ignore the fact that we've never met. What if I told you all your dreams could come true? And all you'd have to do is just leave your home, friends and family.. forever?"
The demon stared at Hunter with a nervous look. "Ehh..."
"Nice job, buddy." (Y/n) smirked and placed her hands on his shoulders.
"Thanks, I've been working on that pitch the whole way over from the castle."
(Y/n) steered Hunter away from the demon to move onto another potential recruit.
They found a group of teens playing Hexas Holdem together and Hunter approached them.
"You think these are cool? Not as cool as the Emperor's Coven!" Hunter boasted, "I hear you get to sleep in 'till 6am."
One of the students coughed up a Hexas Holdem banish card onto Hunter's face.
"Ew." (Y/n) grimaced as she tried to pick it off his face.
Hunter and (Y/n) kept walking and found their third attempt. A tall lean boy with brown hair.
"You!" Hunter exclaimed, "How would you like to rise to the top by joining the Emperor's Coven?" He asked dramatically while striking a pose with his staff.
"Eh. Not interested." The boy said, brushing Hunter off.
"WH-You aren't?!" Hunter shouted in shock.
"I mean, do I wanna study different kinda of magic? Heck yes! But why is joining the Emperor's Coven my only option?" He asked. "When I get older, I 'm gonna give this system a long-overdue update."
Hunter began slowly backing up as his eye twitched. "What're you talking about??"
"Hey- Hunter watch-"
The blond boy bumped into a giant furry mass that began screeching at him. It was a griffin.
The griffin angrily screeched at him while its owner tried to keep it calm.
"It's okay, Puddles! No. He didn't mean it!" The griffin, however, didn't calm down and lunged at Hunter.
The boy quickly pulled out his palisman staff and fled from the beast.
"(Y/N) HELP ME!!" He called as the griffin chased after him, "YOU'RE IN BEAST KEEPING, CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS THING?!"
(Y/n) took out her own palisman and flew alongside Hunter, "NO! THE GRIFFIN'S GOT AN OWNER, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO HER OTHER THAN HARM HER!!"
"FUUUUUCK-" Hunter screamed as the griffin began to catch up to him. "CALM DOWN, FLEE MAGNET!"
The griffin nabbed at his foot and stole his boot.
"HEY!" He yelled as he charged at the griffin. The griffin flew upwards and Hunter flew downwards, stealing his boot back.
The griffin turned to chase after him before vines wrapped around her.
"Hey, you!" A girl yelled at Hunter.
Hunter took notice and tried to fly away before getting wrapped in vines himself. (Y/n) followed him as he was dragged into the ground.
A girl with dark hair and glasses stared at him intimidatingly. Hunter stared up at her with a nervous face.
(Y/n) stood next to Hunter and looked at the girl. She looked familiar. (Y/n) guessed she'd seen her around school.
"Wanna join my Flyer Derby team?" The girl asked cheerfully as she let Hunter go out of the vines she'd wrapped him in.
Hunter dusted himself off while the girl spoke,
"This is Gus Porter, and I'm Willow Park. Future captain of Hexside's first Flyer Derby team." She said as she took Hunter and (Y/n)'s hands and shook them violently.
"Nice- to- uh, meet you-" Hunter said in between shakes.
"Your flying was amazing. You're a new student, right?" Willow asked.
"Yeah. Weird we've never seen you around. What's your name?" Gus sneered as he narrowed his eyes.
Flapjack flew down and chirped on Hunter's shoulder.
"Uh.. Caleb? Oh- Caleb! Uh, Jasper.. Bloodwilliams. And this is.. uh. E-"
"(Y/n) (L/n)! The beastkeeping student that got inducted into the Emperor's coven!" Willow exclaimed.
"Heheh, yeah..!" (Y/n) nervously cheered. "My buddy, Caleb, here just transferred from the.."
"Uh.. toes?" Hunter finished her sentence. "But! We're not here to play fly dooby or. Whatever that is. We've got our own mission."
"Yep. I'm showing him around the school today." (Y/n) nodded.
"Okay." Willow said upset, "At least take a pamphlet?" She asked as she held out a pamphlet for Hunter to take.
Hunter took the pamphlet and began to walk away. He looked at the pamphlet as it read, "Flyer Derby. A sport for the best and brightest."
"Wait!" Hunter paused. "Do you really think your club will attract the best and the brightest?"
Willow turned around, "Absolutely!" She exclaimed, excitedly. "Flyer Derby's not for the faint witch."
"Then, maybe we will give it a try. Put the tour off until tomorrow."
"Really?"
"Well, okay. How do we evaluate others? A Witch's Duel? A maze full of traps? Oh! Leave everyone at the top of a mountain and see who makes it back to the bottom alive!"
"Oh! I remember that one!"
"Heheh, classic."
Willow was slightly shaken, but patted Hunter on the shoulder. "Uhh, we might not have time for all of that, but you can help by attracting people with your sick sky skills!"
Hunter touched his hand to his forehead, "Hm. I don't.. feel sick..?"
"Hey." Gus scoffed, "I don't know what kind of mission you're on, but it's been a tough hear for Willow. And she's really looking forward to making this team a thing. Don't mess this up for her."
"You got it, Gus!"
(Y/n) and Hunter followed Willow into the school's hall.
"Okay. I'll go out there, give everybody outside a pitch for the Flyer Derby team, and you two can do some cool flying tricks. Got it?"
(Y/n) and Hunter nodded and sat on their respective staffs.
"Alright, you think you can fly standing up again?"
"Mhm." (Y/n) nodded, determined.
"Students of Hexside!" Willow exclaimed, "Got a palisman? Got a need for chills, thrills and theatrics? Well, this could be you!"
Hunter took hold of (Y/n)'s hand and they flew out of the hall doors swiftly.
(Y/n) and Hunter rose to their feet and stood on their staffs, still holding each others hands.
Flapjack flew out from under Hunter's feet and (Y/n) threw him.
Hunter spun for a little bit before impressively landing back onto his palisman.
After their stunt, they hovered in the air for a bit.
"This girl will be a perfect candidate for the Emperor's Coven! If there're more witches like her, we're set!" Hunter exclaimed to (Y/n).
"Hey! Come on down!" Willow shouted at them.
The pair flew down to her and landed,
"Allow me to introduce you to the best and the brightest of Hexside." Willow said, gesturing to four students.
The four looked... a little less than the best.
First, there was Gus who was struggling to fly on his palisman, then there was a bard track girl who was mindlessly staring at her scroll, and finally, there was the owner of Puddles the griffin.
"Look, Puddles! It's the friend you made before!" The beast's owner exclaimed as the griffin tried to lunge at Hunter again. "Ah! No, no! Do not claw Mommy's face!"
Hunter grunted and grabbed (Y/n)'s wrist and began walking off. "Ugh. Come on. We just wasted time." He muttered softly.
"Caleb! (Y/n)!" Willow called after them. "Where are you going? The field is this-a-way."
"You said you'd find the best witches for this team! But them? They're pathetic." Hunter sneered.
"You just met them. Give them a chance."
"Oh, where I come from, even chances have to be earned... especially if you're considered half-a-witch like me."
(Y/n) rested her hand on his shoulder reassuringly and gave Willow an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Captain. Good luck with your match." Hunter said bitterly as he dragged (Y/n) away.
Willow smirked and twirled her finger.
The grass they stood on encased their feet while a vine wrapped around the pair and squished them together.
Their faces flushed red before they were dragged down into the ground.
WHAT THE FUCK, WILLOW I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS-
Suddenly, the two were thrown up, out of the ground onto the field.
"Huh?" Hunter grunted as he looked around terrified and holding up his staff in defense.
*insert flyer derby match*
"I can't believe I almost bailed on you guys. Today was amazing. Thanks for giving me another shot." Hunter said bashfully.
"Always nice making a new friend." Viney smiled.
"We wouldn't have gotten here without you." Willow noted to him.
"Yeah, I shouldn't have been so suspicious." Gus shook his head and smiled.
"Pshh, we can forget all about that when we play next time as a part of the Emperor's Coven!" Hunter exclaimed.
"The what?!" Gus exclaimed.
"My name isn't Caleb, it's Hunter! And I'm the Emperor's right hand man, the Golden Guard!"
Everyone stared at Hunter and (Y/n). "Heh. You can't be serious. You're not the one Luz told us about, right?"
"Yes, I am!" Hunter waved his staff and was suddenly in his Golden Guard attire, minus the cloak. "Yeahh, this would usually look cooler with a cloak, but I don't have that at the moment. Long story."
"Wh- what about you, (Y/n)? You're.. you're not..."
"Part of the Emperor's Coven? Of course I am, isn't that how you knew my name?" (Y/n) asked as she waved her staff and was suddenly dressed in her shiny Silver uniform.
"You're the.."
"Emperor's left hand, at your service." (Y/n) nodded.
Without warning, suddenly, Coven Scouts surrounded the Emerald Entrails.
"Woah there, Scouts. I didn't give you orders to come here."
"Darius sent us to collect your recruits." The scout replied.
"Ah. Okay, good! Then there won't be any delay in branding you with coven sigils and taking you away from your friends and family forever. Hooray!"
———
"I don't get it, you're joining the best coven there is! You can keep all your magic, you get free room and board, you can even play flyer derby on your day off! Well, this year's day has already passed, but next year's is only 52 weeks away!"
"Yeah! And you can visit your families on your day off!" (Y/n) cheerfully said as she rested her chin on the cell door. "So we're not actually taking you away from them forever!"
"When was the last time you visited your family?"
"I- oh.." She hadn't seen Ms. Adeline or her siblings in.. forever. She hadn't had time to visit. And she'd... forgotten.
No, that's not right. She couldn't have forgotten. She has a new family now, the Clawthornes. But, what about Emmie? Ollie? Elora and Wen? What about Merley?
Oh.
"See? None of us want this!" Skara sneered.
"You will eventually. Trust me, I'm your friend now!"
"Friends don't stab each other in the back." Gus snapped back.
"Sure they do. The Coven Heads do it all the time back at the castle."
"That's fucked." Viney spat in disbelief.
"Captain," Hunter smirked, "You're on my side, right?"
Willow looked down sadly, "I.. thought I could be good at this, but we're here because I made a bad call. I'm just- Half-a-Witch Willow."
Hunter felt a new sensation—a weird one. He felt.. sorry? He felt bad?
He felt empathy.
The Entrails were teleported out of the cell and onto Darius' airship while Hunter and (Y/n) raced outside.
"Darius!" Hunter exclaimed, "We did it! We found recruits!"
"Yep, and you're making me work on my day off." The man complained, "Take this and quit bugging me."
The cloak floated down from the air ship into Hunter's hands. "I can wear this proudly now. Right?" He asked.
"Can you?" Darius responded. "See you at the castle, Golden Guard." He said with a sneer and took off.
Steve walked outside and met with Hunter and (Y/n), "I do not envy those kids, man."
"Oh, they just have to go through basic training before becoming scout. It's not too bad."
"Dude do you even remember what we had to do? The duels, the mazes with the traps, that time we were left alone on a mountain??"
"Classic." Hunter smiled and reminisced.
"And of course, Belos likes to collect everyone's Palismen. Ugh. Steve is beginning to regret his choices."
Hunter gazed at the flying airship and sigh, "I think Hunter is too."
(Y/n) looked at the puzzled boy and drew her lips to a line, "Ugh, come on." She said as she grabbed his hand and hopped on her palisman.
Hunter sat on Flapjack and the pair took off. They chased after Darius' ship.
The blond boy grabbed (Y/n)'s hand and used Flapjack's magic to teleport onto the ship, distracting Darius.
"Now!" Willow yelled.
Oh damn, they already have an escape pla- oh, it's literally just to jump overboard. I- okay.
Hunter, (Y/n) and Darius all ran to the edge of the ship and watched them poof into blue smoke.
"An illusion?" Darius sneered when the real Emerald Entrails reappeared.
"Land the ship!" Willow commanded.
Darius called after them, "Wait!" He yelled.
The ship crashed into a lake and the Entrails retrieved their palismen. But just as they were about to escape, they were blocked by a massive abomination,
"Did you really think you could get away with endangering a Coven Head" Darius sneered amongst the chaos, "Do you have any idea what I'm capable of?!" He shouted as his arm transformed into an abomination scythe.
Willow tried to defend her classmates with her vines, but he slashed right through them.
Darius raised his scythe above his head and Willow tried to shield her teammates with her body.
"Wait!" Hunter yelled as he jumped in front of them.
"Out of my way, little prince" Darius sneered with cold command.
"No! I was mistaken. These four are insolent agitators who aren't fit for the Emperor's Coven... and I'm unfit to wear the sigil of the Golden Guard."
He turned to face the Entrails,
"You can go." He said.
Willow didn't budge.
"Go, Captain." (Y/n) said reassuringly with a nod, "Please."
"Let's move, Team. We need to find a replacement. After all, it'll be 52 weeks before Caleb and (Y/n)'s next day off.
The Entrails walked away and left Hunter and (Y/n) with Darius.
"You.. befriended them.? And then you disobeyed me to protect them?" He angrily shouted and raised his scythe above his head.
Hunter braced for pain but all that came was a head pat.
"I'm impressed." Darius said, "I had you all wrong. You're what, 16? It's about time you made connections outside the castle. You too, (Y/n)."
Darius twirled his finger and a scrolled fell into Hunter and (Y/n)'s hands.
"I was just going to drop them off at Hexside. We have more than enough recruits in my opinion."
"Are you.. gonna tell Belos about this..?" Hunter apprehensively asked.
"Are you going to tell him about your secret palismen?" He asked in return, gesturing to the fox and cardinal.
Hunter flinched, frightened.
"Magic or not, I think you'll make your predecessors proud." Darius smiled and threw Hunter's cloak at him. "But you could still use a sewing lesson."
"Hey! I was the one who sewed most of that!" (Y/n) jokingly yelled.
Long chapter and not grammar checked bcuz I wanted to get this one out of the way in one chapter because I have big plans for the next chapter. 😈 so pls ignore any spelling errors or typos lol.
Kind of a boring chapter, but it needed to be in the story to set up further plot.
Okay toodaloo
2851 words wow