"Move it!"
The lobster-like demon captain shouted towards his crew. Unlike everyone else who was struggling to stand up straight on the quaking boat, shaken by the violent waves that early morning, the captain fiercely walked by without a problem. His right hand and left claw calmly crossed behind him while he walked by his crew standing by the sides of the ship trying to pull up a big and heavy net.
One of the crewmates was a familiar red-skinned demon who was once a high-ranking affiliate of the Emperor's Coven. Cast out by the society she used to outshine, Kikimora felt a heavy disgrace that weighed her down ever since the defeat of Emperor Belos. After the Boiling Isles was saved, she was sent into incarceration by the orders of a new government.
Kikimora was mortified. As a former dignitary from the Emperor's Coven, she was ashamed of herself for having to continue her life being somebody lower than what she used to be. She was eventually given a chance to reduce her designated sentence through community service. Being the former emperor's assistant, of course she received a sentence that'll take most of her lifetime.
But, Kikimora convinced herself to take on the job. After all, it's the only way she'll get her freedom, regardless of how many years it'll take. She had plans for how she'd move on with her life, one of which involved ruining someone she despised the most. That one specific person who she had to work with back in the coven.
That scorching hatred fueled Kikimora to keep tugging on the net she grabbed, assisted by the other crewmates.
"Looks like we got it!" One of the crewmates commented as he helped pull the net up to the ship. The crew was more than excited that they'd found their target trash slug. As opposed to regular trash slugs that were massive in size, the one they're after and managed to find was smaller, small enough to fit into their capture net.
The angry waves that hit the ship from left and right weren't helping. It kept getting the crewmates off balance and made them tumble, but after a while, they were getting the hang of it, all except Kikimora. Out of all the community services that she could've volunteered in, one that required physical work wasn't her expertise. She isn't someone who enjoys a day of physical work.
Visibly annoyed by the resisting catch, Kikimora pulled on the net like her life depended on it. To her startlement, just that exact moment, the catch wasn't resisting anymore. Instead. it eased off on its weight, causing Kikimora to tumble behind, unlike the others thanks to their incredible build.
The trash slug was pulled up into the ship and for a brief second, high over the floor. Kikimora, sitting weakly after accidentally hitting her back on the ship's wall, had her eyes on the flying trash slug being pulled up with the net, before realizing it was rolling across the deck towards her.
Having late reflexes, Kikimora failed to avoid being squished by the slug. Thanks to her small size, she was crushed under the slug, almost suffocating her to death. Seeing her little accident unfold, the crewmates laughed at her out of amusement and the captain snickered along.
"Better watch where you stand next time." The captain, Salty, chuckled as he picked up the medium-sized slug after failed attempts from Kikimora to push it away.
Not well-receiving of the laughter disdaining her, Kikimora's eye twitched. "Just who do you think you're speaking to?" She asked, trying to show her dominance.
The muscular lobster captain laughed, "Who are you? The new empress?" Salty said.
Kikimora groaned grouchily. She tried to brag about her not-anymore-existing status as the emperor's assistant. Almost everyone knew who she was, but ever since the coven was disbanded, no one cared in the slightest anymore. She was left to rot as an outcast known for formerly serving Belos.
No one seemed to bat an eye at her anymore. They never knew how Kikimora was technically one of the people who saved the isles. She led a Titan to unleash the Collector, who stopped the Draining Spell from annihilating everyone on the isles, but nobody would've believed her. What angered her more was that almost everyone who was ever loyal to the emperor was disgraced, like her and a few former coven leaders.
However, one coven leader was last seen by the public as a loyal right-hand man to Belos, but none of them seemed to even care. They don't disapprove of him like how they disapprove of her or the other coven members.
'Wonder what that brat is up to right now.'
-
(Press play and enjoy your day.)
Five months.
It's been five months since the Boiling Isles almost came to total destruction, all thanks to the Collector's antics. After critical complaints and intolerance from Boiling Isles citizens of the Collector's presence, which made them paranoid that he might go rogue again, a few people noticed his disappearance.
They are but one out of the two sides: Scared that he would make a much more destructive return or happy that the Collector finally left the demon realm. Not only was he absent from the Boiling Isles, but no one in the demon realm had heard or seen the Collector anywhere in the other isles.
Some speculated that he listened to the people and left their realm, but they were not sure where would he go. Maybe to the human realm, where Luz Noceda is from. Hunter was one of the few people who noticed the Collector's absence. He wasn't sure where, but he knew he wasn't on Earth. If he was, Luz would've noticed and said something.
With no portal door to access between realms, Luz has been traveling back and forth between realms using a new, stellar-themed portal door instead of a gothic eye-symboled one, courtesy of the Collector. As her friends knew, she was having a hard time trying to balance her appearance in both realms, otherwise, misunderstandings would be made.
For the human realm, it would be as if she's missing, which wasn't really a problem when Vee showed up posing as her in summer camp. But for the demon realm... everyone knows why. She couldn't stay long in the human realm without her beloved Amity Blight. It wouldn't be a problem for Luz to bring Amity to the human realm, but that would mean Amity would miss her school.
So Luz worked to continue her school on Earth and sometimes went back to the Boiling Isles to study magic. Since glyphs no longer have a power source after the Titan's death, thus making them useless, she had much more to learn. She wasn't worried about it too much, though. Besides, she has a palisman now. That palisman's name is Stringbean, and she was perfect.
Ever since the disbandment of the Emperor's Coven, people have been voting for government officials to remove the coven system so they can practice whatever magic they desire, and that would mean Hexside losing their coven track system as well. People liked the idea of removing the coven system, and they considered it wouldn't affect much on education.
However, officials tried to pacify the situation, stating the coven system may still hold the purpose of keeping magic users in line. They figured, 'Belos could be right.' Who knows what kind of chaos can removing the coven system lead to? For all they know, maybe one person desires to master all of them and become the new Belos. That kind of power cannot fall into the wrong hands.
It so happens that the day Hunter enrolls into Hexside that Luz isn't currently in town. She would've accompanied him, maybe even thrown a party in celebration of his official enrollment into the wonderful world that is Hexside, The School of Magic and Demonics. Her absence wasn't enough to let Hunter down, however. He has plenty more friends to be happy with.
Hunter smiled at the thought of being with his friends at school as he stared blankly at the ceiling, half of him that is still in pajamas covered in a blanket. Then he remembered something. 'Shoot. The application.' He was so lost daydreaming about his preferred future that he forgot he hadn't applied yet.
Hunter then shot up from his bed quickly. As a result, he felt odd. His head felt like it was about to explode. Luz warned him about this once before, even ranting about it. He thought he even saw it happen to her once, back when he was staying in the human realm. He wasn't sure how it felt, even thinking that it would be relatively painless, but it looked like he overestimated himself.
Hunter stood in place, waiting for his head to go back to normal. "Ow! Ow! OW!" He said, closing his eyes.
He hurried up. So fast, he changed into a more appropriate attire for his meeting today with Principal Hieronymus Bump. After he was dressed, he fixed his ash-blonde hair that was recently trimmed after it grew out, combing it in the mirror. While he did, he couldn't help but stare at the multiple scars on his face, all caused by Belos' possession of him.
One tissue scarring is on his left ear, a small one on his left lower cheek, and one running down his neck. Really, it was all over the place. There is the biggest scar that ran across his face which to his horror, is similar to Belos' scar.
Hunter wasn't brave enough to stare at the same-looking scar every day. It gives him a sense of discomfort that he feared might attract unwanted attention if he didn't try to hide it. So, he bought himself a concealment stone to cover his unpleasant scars, a gold-colored one which he held in his hand.
After one last glare of his true appearance, he attached the concealment stone to a bracelet he wore on his right wrist. Locking the stone in place, it enveloped Hunter in a cloud of light-blue smoke before it dissipated. The scars on his body were gone, all that remained on his face was his original scar that ran under his right cheek.
Hunter looked in the mirror with a feeling of fulfillment, the scars that horrified him no longer. He smiled again at his more presentable image before he walked out of the bathroom.
He whistled, "Waffles!" A blue jay bird with yellow eyes suddenly darted from upstairs, flying towards Hunter. That blue jay was Hunter's new palisman, Waffles. "Let's go, girl." He said as Waffles perched on his shoulder. The two of them made their way out of the Deamonne house.
Once they reached the busy street, Hunter made sure to tuck his school application form into his brown belt bag before taking off. After a confirming nod to his palisman, Waffles unperched and turned into her staff form, manifesting a stick for Hunter to grab her with. Without another moment to wait, Hunter and Waffles took off from the ground, now soaring through the beautiful morning sky of Bonesborough.
Hunter rarely leaves the house so he never noticed how much has the look changed for the isles. The once resting left arm of the Titan's corpse, now raised vertically once in the wake of a former emperor. Residing at the Titan's head like a crown is the dormant Archive House. Hunter still wondered where the Collector might be. He, along with everyone else, hoped that he stayed out of trouble.
After a while, Hunter spotted Hexside from far above. He steered his palisman lower and then landed right on Hexside's front yard. Of course, following recent events that almost doomed the isles, Hexside had to rework their exterior architecture. Scaffoldings were placed near the left side of Hexside's front, a few construction witches already arrived that morning to work on it.
While he adored the look of Hexside, Hunter pushed himself further towards it as Waffles exited her staff form, again perching on his shoulder.
-
Hunter kept a smirking face in the presence of Principal Bump, who keenly read his application while he kept eyeing Hunter every now and then. Every time Bump caught a glance at him, Hunter intensified his smile. Hunter was grateful he wore a concealment stone, his unkempt look would've raised more questions.
Bump lets out a sigh, planting the paper on his desk. "Well, I can't say that you're promising,"
Hunter's eyes narrowed, a little offended and confused.
"But I can't say that you don't have the potential either." Bump added.
Hunter's eyes lit up, "So, does that mean I'm accepted?" He said, hands pressing on the desk.
Bump's face shifted.
"I'm not sure if I find your... expression something to be happy about," Hunter remarked.
"Look, err..." Bump peeked at the application form. "Hunter." It felt weird to call the former Golden Guard his real name, one that no one knew until the Day of Unity. "I understand that you wish to pursue education here but..."
Hunter leaned back in his chair, "Let me guess: It's because I'm the Golden Guard," He said sarcastically. "Well... used to be."
Bump fell silent, making a slight smirk while his eyes squinted nervously, all the while Hunter's pair of brown eyes grew wide. "For the record, I was just joking."
"Sadly, yes. I'm a little skeptical whether or not your history with our students will affect your time here in Hexside. I'm sure you know what I mean."
"What, you think people here will have a hard time trusting me?" Hunter asked.
"Yes, because you help the emperor back then," Bump said, with a tone that wasn't trying to offend Hunter in any way.
"Helped," Hunter commented. "Past tense."
Bump makes a face of uncertainty.
"Oh, come on! I'm different now! I've changed, I promise."
"It's just... I don't want you to get into trouble, Hunter." Bump said with a hint of sympathy.
"Don't worry. I'll try my best not to," Hunter said with determination before leaning into an over-confident manner. "And if it finds me, I'll just punch my way- I MEAN-" His words almost slipped out. "Avoid... the trouble." He corrected, a drip of sweat running down his forehead.
It's obvious that Bump wasn't buying it, but he couldn't reject the kid from desiring to study here. If he makes trouble, Bump can surely warn him a few times before it gets too far.
"I hope so." Bump replied as he made a spell circle, magically lifting the application form and storing it in a specific drawer.
Hunter's face changed as he saw Bump do it, "Was that a yes? Am I in?" He asked, thrilled.
"Your placement exam starts tomorrow morning after sunrise, here at the school auditorium."
"Right." Hunter nodded, his eyes blank. Not long after contemplating, he stood up from his seat and walked to the door. Inches away from it he stopped and turned around, "I won't let you down."
Bump, with the same stoic expression as before, stares at Hunter dead in his eyes. "You better not."
-
Back outside, Hunter can hear the doors of Hexside closing behind him, a gust of wind blowing on his back. He descended the stairs slowly as he drowned in his thoughts full of disbelief. The lower he went, the wider his smile got.
'I'm finally enrolling into Hexside.' The thought kept him enthusiastic the whole time. A chance to be a normal kid was finally within his reach.
"Hunter!"
He heard a voice speak beside him. Flapping its wings beside Hunter catching up to him walking was a crow phone. The voice speaking through was Gus Porter's.
"He-hey, Gus!" Hunter greeted.
"So, how did it go? Did you get accepted?" Gus asked with excitement.
"You already know, buddy. It wasn't that hard."
"Oh, this is great!" Gus' voice became more and more louder, the crow phone flying beside Hunter. "We can finally be in the same school together!"
"Don't get too excited just yet, Gus. I still have a placement exam to take, remember?" Hunter said.
"Oh, right! The exam. You've mastered more than just one spell, right? I mean, I thought it would be hard for you since you're uh...-" Gus refrained from saying that word, knowing Hunter wouldn't really appreciate him saying it.
"No worries! I have Waffles by my side!" Hunter said confidently as Waffles snuggled into his neck. "Say hi, Waffles."
Waffles eagerly complied and chirped at the crow phone, which made Gus' heart melt.
"Oh hey, Waffles!" After that, a hissing noise of a chameleon came through. "Emmiline says hi too!"
Hunter and Gus shared a laugh about the friendly exchange.
"So, should we celebrate? Maybe grab some food? I know this new place that makes good fairy pies!" Gus asked.
"Hey, hey. Like I said, don't be too excited just yet. We'll celebrate after I take my placement exam tomorrow, does that sound good? Besides, I need some me time right now."
"Oh." Gus, despite sounding disappointed, still maintained his respect for Hunter's decision. "No problem, we could do that tomorrow! If you want to, of course."
"Yeah, man. Of course, I want to. You're my friend and all, why wouldn't I?"
"Alright, awesome! I'll see you tomorrow then?" Gus asked.
"Tomorrow it is!" Hunter said as his final sentence before the crow departed, disconnecting his contact with Gus. With a sense of new determination and focus, Hunter strolled down the streets of Bonesborough to find something to eat or drink.
Hunter started to find himself in a small market area. Merchants and buyers were scattered everywhere around him going about their day of trading. Hunter's eyes scanned from stand to stand. There were also traveling merchants, carrying their items to trade in sacks and bags.
Eventually, his eyes landed on a specific not dog stand. 'I haven't had those in so long.' He couldn't exactly tell when was the last time he ate one. Eager to give it a shot again, Hunter eagerly approached the stand. But, a short figure ceased his walking, standing in front of him.
"Greetings, my good man!" The figure greeted Hunter. Their face was invisible, being enveloped in a shade and their head covered with a hood. The figure carried a basket of apple blood drink boxes. "Would you be interested in a box of apple blood or two today?"
Apple blood. Hunter again remembered that he tried the drink before, but again, no recollection of when he last drank it. 'Time for a trip down memory lane, then.' He tilted his head to the side. "Okay, then. How much is one?"
"Only fifteen snails!"
Hunter jumped slightly, a little startled by the drink's price. "Sounds a bit... expensive." The only thing he remembered is that it was relatively cheap, so it's clear that this wouldn't be a fair deal.
"Oh, come on. It's not even that much. Please, can't a guy just get a living to feed his family?"
It's kind of weird for the seller to bring up such a personal statement. Now that he brought that up, it attracted a slight sympathy from Hunter.
Hunter gritted his teeth while considering buying the drink. After a while, he sighed, rolling his eyes, "Okay okay, fine. Fine, here." He brought out exactly fifteen pieces of snail from his pocket.
The seller then jumped up to grab the pack of snails, despite Hunter lowering his arm for him to reach it. While the seller counted his earnings, Hunter reached for the basket and grabbed a box of apple blood.
"Enjoy your drink!" Waiting for no goodbye, the seller made his exit and walked away.
Attaching the straw into the box, Hunter took no time to take a sip of the apple blood, eager to taste it again. The moment his tongue met the liquid, he spat it out immediately. Whatever he just drank is extremely bitter to be an apple blood.
Hunter almost threw up, but he held it back. "What in the...?-" He glared at the box's cover, which looked the same as a regular apple blood box. "This isn't apple blood!"
His eye fell on the same seller, quickening his pace and beginning to flee from Hunter. The seller suspiciously held hugged basket tight in his arm, his head still covered by a black hood.
"Hey!" Hunter shouted at him, loud enough for people to hear him.
The seller turned around at first, seeing Hunter's mad face before he started running faster. It was obvious that he didn't want to deal with the repercussions of selling whatever he just sold.
"Come back here!" That does it for Hunter as he drops the box, running towards the mysterious fleeing merchant.
The seller shrieked like a pig. Hunter chasing him through the market made him run quicker. Meanwhile, Hunter's eyes were fixated on the short figure, darting through an ocean of people. A familiar sense of danger and adrenaline surged through Hunter, he forgot he could catch up with his palisman.
Hunter decided on a way to get closer. For a second, his body illuminated in a yellow light like a lamp, before he warped out of the street, teleporting on a higher platform on the side of a building. While he safely ran into an empty space, the figure had to bump into multiple people, which irritated them.
Meanwhile, Hunter could see the fleeing merchant clearer, blocked by wandering market patrons no more. "You!" He called out to the little scammer.
The hooded figure, seeing Hunter a lot closer, panicked. The fact that he was running out of road, with nothing but a wall ahead, made him panic even more. After gaining momentum, Hunter launched himself off the platform. Mid-air, he teleported closer to his target since he was to fall flat on his face if he didn't.
The only path to take for him was the little gap to the left, but it was a tight one. He doubted that he would make it out, considering his fat body. Hearing Hunter right behind him, the figure whimpered before diving into the tight alley that was tighter and tighter the further he walked into it.
Hunter crashed into the wall, thanks to his target dodging into an alley. He shouted out of frustration before directing himself into the alley, where the seller was struggling to get out on the other side that led to another street. Hunter squeezed his body so he could catch up to him, reaching out to him with his right.
"Get back here!" Hunter said.
After a few more seconds of forcing his body further, the hooded figure jumped out of the small alley, tumbling on his stomach. Apple blood boxes fell out of his basket, so he used a spell circle to round them up and put them back in the basket.
Hunter's eyebrows narrowed, still stuck in the alley as he saw his target standing up again. His hand gripped violently and balled into a fist. His temper encouraged him to teleport out of the alley. Before the figure knew, Hunter pinned him after teleporting above him, scattering the boxes of apple blood on the pavement again.
"Gotcha." Hunter pinned the figure down who's trying to struggle his way out. Hunter grabbed the hood, lifting it, revealing the figure to be the piglike scammer demon who goes by the name Tibbles.
"Hey! Get off me!" Tibbles demanded.
"Not after you tell me what you just sold me!"
"Not apple blood, that's for sure!" Tibbles giggled slyly.
"What even was that? Sewage water? Mud water? Ugh, it tasted awful." Hunter stuck his tongue out, still feeling the liquid sticking on it.
"Well..." Tibbles didn't have to finish his sentence for Hunter to realize.
Hunter's eyes widen before retching in disgust, "Aw, come on! Gross!" He proceeded to cough the water out of his mouth, all the while Tibbles chuckled at his suffering. "Give me back my money!"
Tibbles picked himself up, this time without bothering to collect his scam basket. "No refunds!" He said before attempting to run away but before he could, Hunter ensnared his leg with a glowing golden rope. It magically lifted Tibbles by his leg, off the ground and turned him upside down. Bystanders took a moment to catch a glance of Hunter threatening Tibbles.
"I'm not asking." Hunter snarled, his fists visibly forming, to Tibbles' horror.
Before Hunter could throw a punch or anything harmful, he felt a hand gently pressing on his shoulder in an attempt to stop him from hurting Tibbles. When he felt the hand touching him, Hunter turned around. The golden-toothed lady with the grey hair was none other than Edalyn Clawthorne.
"Eda?"
-
"Way to keep a low profile, kid," Eda remarked.
With Tibbles apprehended by security officials, Hunter and Eda conversed on a rooftop, privately. Hunter sat on a stack of crates while Eda was standing before him with her arms crossed.
"I was just... trying to get back at him. That's all." Hunter said. He looked at Eda as if she's unconvinced. "What, do you think it was my fault?"
"You were drawing a little too much attention to yourself," Eda said with a lecturing tone towards the blonde boy.
"Is that such a big deal?" Hunter asked.
"If you wanna enroll to school, then yeah."
'Right.' Hunter almost forgot that he told Eda about his plan beforehand. He's beginning to see what Bump was talking about back at that office.
"Look," Eda sighed, taking a seat next to Hunter. "I won't lie, kid. You're a good and smart kid, and you deserve a better life... A normal one. I don't know what your life taken care of by Emperor Dorks was like but I can tell that you had a rough time, and maybe it's just me but... you seem like you're still holding onto your old life."
Maybe it was Hunter's Golden Guard instinct that made him chase after Tibbles as if he was going after a hardened criminal. It was then he realized he had no mask to protect his identity anymore, and thinking about it now really made him feel insecure. "Yeah..." Hunter whispered.
Eda crouched closely in front of Hunter, holding his hand. "Listen: Whatever life that forged and caged you back then, it's gone now. Try to let it go. Be who you wanna be." Eda said with a reassuring smile.
Hunter had never heard anything like that coming out of the Owl Lady before. Her words of encouragement touched his heart so easily that he felt like shedding a tear, but he held himself back.
"That way, you'll fit in nicely," Eda added.
After a brief tender silence, Hunter looked back at Eda appearing more committed than before. For what felt like forever, her words were permanently attached to his mind like glue. In some ways, he still doubted himself that he could forget about his old life, but not as much after Eda comforted him.
He remembered precisely how she worded it out until the day of his placement exam. Hunter stood frozen on stage, disregarding the spotlight that shined on him. Staring at him with an unbroken attention was Principal Bump, on his hand was a clipboard with a paper.
"Hunter?"
Hearing his name being called out, Hunter's head jolted. "Arh! Huh?"
"You okay?" Bump asked, noticing his silence after his properly written introduction.
"Oh," Hunter figured he just reminisced about Eda's motivational words for him. Shrugging it off, he continues, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good. Shall we proceed?"
Hunter took a deep breath full of concentration before his blue jay staff manifested in his hand out of thin air. After twirling it around for a moment, Hunter pressed the bottom side of his staff against the stage's surface. A giant mash of plants and vines suddenly came bursting out of the stage floor, creating a loud boom noise that startled Bump and made him lean back on his chair.
The mix of botany grew larger and larger by the second while Hunter, with a flairful stance, stood on top of the giant pink flower. Several of the vines crashed into the walls, leaving holes that would need fixing. While spinning around, Hunter had his staff outwards, summoning orbs of light that surrounded him.
"Ta-da!" He exclaimed as he finished. With a smirk, he lent his hands outward in a fashion that said 'Behold what I just did.'
Hunter noticed the look of awe on the principal's face. Bump was speechless. "Not bad, right?"
Meanwhile, Bump's jaw hung loose, his mouth agape out of admiration. He shook his head when he got out of his trance. "Right. Uh..." His eyes scattered. "Obviously, your experience being Golden Guard would make it easy for you to master two spells."
While Bump continued talking, Hunter jumped off the giant flower. He conjures a slide made with an ice spell, sliding towards Bump and stopping in front of him.
"Three," Hunter added. "And more."
Bump's eyes rolled, "Yes, yes. I get your point."
"So, did I pass the exam?" Hunter asked with a smile.
Bump's lips formed an annoyed frown, masking his feeling of pride for Hunter's competence. He then pulls out a school pamphlet from his robe's pocket, handing it for Hunter to collect without uttering a word.
Seeing the pamphlet, Hunter yelped in excitement, "Yes!" He thrusted his hands before taking the pamphlet.
"Just don't mess it up." Bump commented.
"I won't," Hunter said, looking at the pamphlet. When he turned to look at Bump, he nodded. "I promise."
Meanwhile, leaning back against the wall with his hands in his pocket, waiting for Hunter to come through the door was Gus. Hunter already informed him that he was taking the placement exam right after the sun arrived and greeted the Isles. Knowing how quick the exam could be, Gus thought to pay a visit at Hexside, hoping to celebrate with Hunter if he passed.
It's been more or less thirty minutes since Gus came by at Hexside. Feeling his legs start to go sore, Gus sighed before taking a seat at the feet of the school's entrance stairs, still patiently waiting. Not long after he thought to just walk into school to find him, Gus could hear the door swing open in a heavy, slow woosh.
Gus turned around, and just like he expected, it was Hunter who came out from behind the doors. He greeted the blonde with a smile, and the other greeted him the same way.
"So, did you pass?" Gus asked.
Hunter only replied by showing him the pamphlet, to Gus' delight.
-
"A flower tower?" Gus asked as he picked another scoop of sludge chunk ice cream from the cup. He chuckled at Hunter's supposed exam story. In a way, he finds it unbelievable, but at least he's happy that Hunter passed. "Really? Gee, I wonder who taught you about that one."
It was pretty obvious that he was referring to Willow Park. The mention of her name merely gave Hunter a tingly sensation in his cheeks. He didn't know what it was, but Gus knew what as he noticed Hunter's cheeks redden. The two of them continued their conversation near the crowded Slayground, all the while enjoying their ice cream.
"You already know. Speaking of whom, where is Willow?" Hunter asked while savoring his scoop of franken fruit-flavored ice cream. "I half-expected her to come along with you."
"I told her, but she couldn't come today. A family business, from what I can remember. She says congrats, though. That is if you pass, obviously." Gus chuckled taking another scoop. He's always so ferocious when it comes to ice cream.
"Oh." Hunter's eyes visibly lowered, a little disappointed in Willow's absence, but he understood. If it's anything about family, he's fine with it.
"So, what about Principal Bump?" Gus asked.
"What about Bump?" Hunter raised a brow.
"What does he think about your admission? Is he... I don't know, a bit shook about your request to enroll into Hexside?"
Hunter faintly nodded, "He didn't expect it. He was, eh... a bit reluctant at first. But, he passed me." He leaned back against the playground's metal fence. "I'm allowed to be in Hexside under one condition."
Gus leaned a little closer to him in full curiosity, "Which is?"
Hunter eyed at his cup of ice cream, "I won't, in any way, cause trouble or anything that'll draw attention to myself." Another breeze of self-doubt passed through Hunter in that particular moment after he recalled Bump's proposition, despite his earlier confidence that he would make it, added with Eda's words of conviction.
Gus noticed how Hunter's face changed, thinking it was anxiety that raced across Hunter's mind. A sense of sympathy Gus displayed to Hunter, not in an obvious way, but more of an understanding silence. The two of them were caught in the moment, they didn't realize the mysterious green ooze flowing out of a sewer hatch right in front of them.
"Hey," Gus' voice pulled Hunter back to reality as he looked back at him. "It's okay. No matter what, I, Willow, and the rest of the gang will always have your back. It's what we do. You know that, right?"
Hunter let out a short chuckle after Gus gave him a playful knock on the shoulder, "Yeah. I know." He smiled. "Thanks."
Gus nodded at Hunter, who took a moment to think about what he said, staring deep into his ice cream cup full of purple. His eyes focused only on the cup. The more he did, the more he could see himself in the reflective surface of the ice cream. When he did lose his focus, his eye caught something outside of the cup.
The blur that was outside of Hunter's ice cream cup disappeared, and he caught a glimpse of a green shade moving like a snake in the corner of his eye. Once he actually paid attention, he thought it was something like a plant vine slithering its way towards Gus' leg, but it was a little too slimy to be one. 'Why does that look so familiar?' Hunter's eyes grew wide when he thought exactly that.
"Gus..."
"Hm?" Gus raised a brow, not noticing the slimy green tentacle that's surrounding his left ankle.
"There's someth-"
Before Hunter could point it out, the green tentacle inexplicably pulled itself back after tightening around Gus' ankle, causing him to drop his cup of ice cream. Gus yelled, falling on the floor without a warning. What he didn't anticipate was the tentacle suddenly beginning to pull him away fast, almost out of Hunter's reach.
"Gus!" Hunter dropped his ice cream and warped in a yellow flash inches further from where he was to catch up to Gus. Once he did, he grabbed his arm, pulling against the mysterious sewer tentacle. Realizing how strong the pull was, Hunter summons his staff, using the tip of it to create a sharp energy razor that cuts the tentacle, stopping it from dragging Gus away.
With his ankle free, Gus crawled backwards in fear, away from the sewer hatch. "What was that?! What was that?!" He said, breathing rapidly. His heart raced after the unforeseen happening.
Hunter helped in picking Gus up, "I don't know!" He grabbed a firm hold of the younger boy in a protective manner. "Why did it look like-"
Another unexpected event occurred that almost made Hunter and Gus' hearts stop. The sewer hatch jumped out of place, pushed open by an exploding goo of mixed brown and green. Several people who were in the area started to yell out of shock and some even fled in panic like the children playing by the Slayground. Bursting out of the sewer, the goo slowly formed itself into something like a sentient clay.
Initially confused, the familiar shade of brown and green made Hunter's mind shift into terror. 'No. It can't be.' He and Gus were frozen in horror as the sentient ooze formed by itself. Eventually, the sludge became a form that was easy for both of them to remember. Heck, a form that everyone in the isles would recognize.
Belos.
An animalistic screech left Belos as he revealed the blue eyes that covered the rest of his body, strands of saliva dripping out of his teeth. What made him so noticeable to be the former emperor was the two horns that stuck out of his head like the mask he once wore. Collectively, all of his glowing blue eyes turned to Hunter and Gus.
Belos's head turned around completely, to their disgust. The two of them were so petrified by his uncalled-for presence they didn't know what to do, all they did was freeze and stare at Belos, giving him a chance to send tendrils that pinned Hunter and Gus up against a wall over the now vacant Slayground, with Hunter dropping his staff in the process.
Gus couldn't summon his palisman or use a spell circle since a smaller tendril covered his hands, rendering them useless. Hunter's palisman, on the other hand, became sentient. Waffles flew her way towards Hunter but even she was powerless to do anything without her owner's ability to use her. All she could do was poke her beak at Belos' lengthy arm.
Belos glared at Waffles, which Hunter took note of. Another tendril from Belos' back suddenly appeared, and it smacked Waffles away like a fly, sending her hitting a wall and leaving a crack in it.
"Waffles!" Hunter called out in desperation, seeing his palisman being hurt. Mentally and physically, he was overwhelmed. Feelings of dread and guilt came flooding his mind as Belos' head approached him and Gus in a way that intimidated them both.
Hunter's brown eyes met with Belos', mesmerized by its glowing blue aura.
"Impossible."
Those were the last words Hunter whispered before Belos made another angry growl. Belos' mouth opened wide before he thrusted his head towards his prey.