[will wood>>
I love this song so damn much omfg]
This chapter has got feelings... :)
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"So this is the Dwarfs' Mine. Long ago, this mine was flush with magestones." Deuce said as he looked around.
"Urgh... who knows what lurks in there now?" Chills ran down Grim's spine, his fur was stood on ends. "Look, I can see a house. Let's see what the people there have to say." Ace pointed to the small cottage.
"Do people even live there?" You questioned to Ace. "I don't know. Maybe? You never know." He shrugged.
The 5 of you entered the small cottage, receiving a storm of dust. "Gosh... this place is as bad as Ramshackle..." Yuu coughed. "Hellooooo? Is anyone home...? Must be empty. It looks like it's been abandoned." Deuce called out.
"Bwah! I got a spider web on my face! Ptchoo! Ptchoo!" Grim jumped. "What?! There's spiders?! Where?!" You jumped onto Yuu. He just chuckled and patted your back.
"Look how tiny these desks and chairs are. Did children live here?" Ace asked, you shook your head. "I don't think so. They look too small, even for children."
"One, two... seven! It's like a clown car in here!" Ace gawked. "When the mine was flourishing, this house must have been a lively place." Deuce looked around.
"Well, this isn't getting us anywhere. If we're gonna find a magestone, it'll be inside the mine. Let's head in and take a look." You nodded, following Ace and Deuce towards the mine.
"You wanna go inside THERE? It's pitch black!" Grim felt reluctant. "What, are you scared of the dark? Pathetic." Ace mocked him. "Myah?! I'm not scared of anything!"
"Dude, do you ever shut up?" You glared Ace.
"I'm taking the lead. You all follow me!" Grim stomped off.
Inside the mine, it was dazzling. Beautiful gems illuminated the dismal cave. It was quite appealing, possible the most pulchritudinous (beautiful) thing you have ever seen. The radiant gemstones felt oddly alluring.
Or read.
"Huh? Hold up!" Deuce exclaimed. "What now?" Ace narrowed his eyes. "There's something there!" Deuce alarmed everybody.
"Hehehe! Visitors! The first in ten years!" It was ghosts. "Do make yourselves at home! You can stay forever!"
"Oh. My. God." Your eye twitched.
Before you knew it, you all were running all around the mine to escape the ghost. But no matter how far you got, they were everywhere. "More ghosts?! They're floating around here too!" Ace grimaced.
"If we stop to fight, we'll never get anywhere. Let's just keep moving." Deuce commanded.
"Sure, but don't act like we voted you team leader." Ace grumbled. "The only reason we're here in the first place is because of that stupid stunt you pulled."
"Oh? I'm pretty sure this happened because you tried to shirk your window cleaning punishment."
"So we're bringing up ancient history now? Then if you wanna get down to brass tacks, this all happened when a furball torched the statue!"
"Myah?! Maybe you shouldn'ta made fun of me, then!" Grim argued.
"Guys! We're in real hot water, remember?! If we don't come back with a magestone by morning, we're all being expelled!" Deuce reminded them all.
"Yeah, which is why we don't need you ordering the rest of us around. It gets old real fast." Ace was agitated.
"Will you all shut up?! All three of you take equal responsibility in this, so stop bickering!" You had enough of their arguing. "!" You froze.
"Y/N? What happened?" Yuu asked you with a hint of concern in his voice. "I hear something..." You narrowed your eyes.
"...iiivvv... ...oooouuu..."
"Huh?!" Everyone was taken back.
"Wh-where's that comin' from?" Ace stuttered out.
"...neeevvvaaa... ...iiivvv... ...ooouuu..."
"Sounds like... it's getting closer..." Deuce muttered.
"Stoooonesss... Stooonesss aaare miiiiine!" The thing appeared. It was some kind of monster with a red outfit and a glass bowl for a head. Black ink was dripping out of the glass head.
"Bwah! There it is!" Everyone yelled.
"What is that?!" Deuce was at a loss for words. "Myah! No one said that there'd be monsters! Let's get out of here! Grim cried out.
"That thing's super creepy! But didn't it just say something about 'stones'?!" Ace remarked.
"Stooonesss... nevvva givee stoooonesss...!"
"Ah!"
"So there ARE still magestones here!" Deuce tried to hide his excitement. Grim violently shook his head, almost knowing what Deuce was thinking. "We need a magestone or else we'll get expelled."
"Deuce... don't you dare..." You mumbled.
"I'm going in!" He announced. "Are you outta your mind?!" For once, you agreed with Ace.
"Please, don't be stupid! ... you can't do it alone." You slightly grinned.
"Wha- ugh, no!" Yuu facepalmed. "Both of you, don't even try! It's too dangerous!" He scolded the two.
"I won't be expelled! No matter what!" Deuce was really determined.
"We need a pla- huh? Deuce- NO!!" You tried to hold him back, but he dashed directly into battle with the monster.
"Begone! Begone! Begooone!"
"Agh!" Deuce was launched to the wall, his back painfully crashed against the wall as he slid down like a cartoon character.
"Aw, crap! He's got Loosey-Deucy on the ropes! Not on my watch! Heeyah!" Being the dumbass he is, he also directly attacked the monster, only to be met with the same fate as Deuce.
"Myaaah! Stay away from me!" Grim screeched as he dodged Ace's body flying right past him. He released a wave of fire, to which the monster was completely unaffected by. "It's like nothin's even hurtin' it!"
Suddenly, something sparkled from the corner of your eye. "Huh?! Did you just see that sparkle?" You quickly snapped your head to look at all the boys.
"Behind the monster! There's something sparkling in that mineshaft!" Ace pointed out... which is exactly what you said just a second ago.
"Could that have been a magestone?!" Deuce asked with eyes as wide as... a rectangle [I have no ideas for a simile]
"GWAHHHHH! Nooo giiive yoooouuu stoooooooooone!" The monster yelped out after hearing Deuce.
"We need to book, and fast! That things gonna pound us into tuna paste!" Grim cried out as he flailed his arms around.
"GRAAAAWWWWWRRRR!!"
"Run for it! Come on!" You loudly announced, running for your life. You were in front of the boys with Deuce right behind you, then Ace, then Yuu with Grim in one of his arms. They were all pretty fast, but not enough to match you. Worrying for Yuu's safety, you slid past the boys to hold Yuu's hand in hope for helping him run faster. The interaction elicited a bitter look from Ace and Deuce, but they kept running nonetheless.
"This should be far enough, I think?" Grim huffed out as all of you panted. You were now in the middle of the forest, but the small cottage was not too far away.
"Owwwwwww... what was that thing? No one said there'd be anything like that!" Ace grunted. "That was no normal ghost, that's for sure." Deuce crossed his arms.
"Let's just give up and go home. I'd happily take the expulsion if it means never having to fight that thing again." Ace slightly rolled his eyes, shaking his head lightly.
"What?! Nuh-uh! Not happening! I'd rather die than get expelled from Night Raven!" Deuce quickly waved his hands around, clearly showing that he has not given up yet — or, will not give up. "How can you give up when the stone is right there?"
"Pfft. Big talk form someone who's not even half the mage I am. You want that stone so bad, go get it yourself. I'm out." Ace kicked a rock on the floor.
"Oh YEAH?! Fine, go back to your coop, you big chicken!" Deuce's tone changed drastically. The Ramshackle Trio's eyes widened and immediately backed up.
"Whaaaat?! Who're you callin' chicken, huh?!"
"Whoa, Deuce... it is just me, or did you, like, turn into a totally different person just now?" Grim shakily breathed out. Deuce fake coughed. "Sorry... lost my cool for a second there."
"Stop arguing already, it's annoying. Can't you do something with your magic?" You questioned the two— or three.
Ace looked at you. "Don't tell me what to do. Why are you even here?" You blinked in confusion and shock from his words. "You and him don't even have any magic." He pointed to Yuu, before looking back at you. "Plus, you're a girl! You shouldn't be here! I bet you're just here for boys. So why don't you just go back to your family and—" How dare he. Not only did he insult you and Yuu, make a disgusting accusation about you, and talked about your family without knowing anything.
You clenched your fists, "Shut up." You muttered out.
"What? Did I hit a sensitive spot?" He sneered, although he couldn't get rid of the bitter feeling in his chest. It felt... wrong to say this, but he felt the need to. "I said, go back to your fam—"
"Shut... UP!" You yelled, smacking Ace right across the face with great force eliciting a look of pure shock from everyone around you.
"H..huh...?" Ace slowly lifted a hand to his cheek, forming a red tint. Before he could move back, you grabbed his shirt right where his heart was and pulled him forwards, slightly bending your knees to level his face with yours. [they're both 5'7, but let's just say y/n is slightly taller.]
"You... you don't know ANYTHING about my family! Don't you ever dare talk about them again. Got it?! And who do you think I am?! I- I never wanted to be here! How dare you insult not only me, but Yuu as well!" Your grip on him loosened as a stream of tears rolled down your cheek. "I guess I was right about you from the start..." You fell to your knees and lowered your head, your hands by your side. "You're... a heartless jerk..." This, coming from you, cracked Ace's heart a little. Your tears dripped onto the melancholic and mellow grass, and the atmosphere became suffocating.
Slowly, Yuu made his way over to you and bent down to give you a comforting hug. Deuce also made his way over to you and sat beside you, with Grim on your head giving you head pats.
"Hey... don't worry about what he said about me, alright? I'm fine, see?" Yuu spoke in a soft voice, gently holding your chin and turning your head towards him to give you a reassuring smile.
Ace fell on his bottom, putting his head in his hand. "I'm... sorry." He mumbled. Deuce gave him a disappointed glare. He felt his heart ache. You weren't the same girl who threw snarky comments at him, the girl he was running from when he tried to escape his punishment, the girl who made him shiver under her glare.
"It's okay Y/N, ignore him! He doesn't deserve yer attention!" Grim wasn't the best at comforting but he clearly tried his best.
You sighed. "I'm sorry.. did I overreact?" Your voice was slightly breaking, but you tried to keep yourself composed. 'This is not how 'mother' taught me to react... gah! I'm still thinking about her stupid expectations!'
"No, I'm sorry." Ace repeated in a clear voice. "It was... wrong to say that, I'll admit. I didn't mean to.. make you react like that."
You slightly shook your head and spoke in a barely audible voice. "You're an idiot." Ace threw his head back. "I know." Maybe, you were the same girl he knew. The girl who calls him an idiot. Deep down, Ace knew that he felt a way he never felt before around you, and he never meant to hurt you. After all he has put you through, why were you willing to help him? Help him avoid expulsion? You got crushed by a chandelier because of him. Ace's mind was filled with regrets, and he decided that he would to anything to gain your respect.
You got off the ground, the others also doing the same. You stared at the puddle of tears. You shook your head. 'Grow up, Y/N. You can't expose your weak side to others.'
"You sure you okay?" Yuu placed his hand on your shoulder, you nodded.
"So! We all good now?" Grim bounced. You lightly chuckled. "Yes, Grim. Everything's okay now." Although, everything was not okay. Ace's words sharply stung you, but you had to keep your composure.
Deuce smiled. Although he felt guilty, if he didn't start the argument with Ace, this wouldn't have happened. And he didn't even know what to say to make you feel better! [I'm writing this in class rn and I'm about to cry lol]
You noticed the awkward situation you all were in now. There was nothing to say. "Let's just forget all that happened, yeah?" You chuckled nervously. The boys nodded to your request, however they most definitely will not forget about this. "So, about the stone... I have a plan, but it will need us to work together."
Ace scoffed. "Work together? No way..." He folded his arms. Deuce pointed to Ace, "No way I'd work with him!" You turned to Yuu, the only hope you had, and although he didn't say anything, even he was visibly conflicted by the idea of working with Ace.
You sighed. 'Alright. Plan B.'
You tried your best shot to make puppy eyes — it was quite beneficial your 'mother' taught you acting when you were younger. You could use your acting skills to your advantage. "Please...?"
The boys (-Grim) jumped at your reaction, all of their cheeks being tinted with a pink blush. Yuu, unfortunately was weak to puppy eyes so he gave in almost immediately. "Fine.. only for you! Not him!" He glared at Ace.
Ace put his head in his. "Alright alright! Just stop doing that!"
Deuce nodded, avoiding all eye contact with you. "Yeah, what he said!" He stuttered out.
"What's wrong with them?" Grim bewilderedly muttered.
'Heh, success!' You tried to force the grin that was forming on your lips back down. "Here's the plan..."
You found yourself back at the mine with Yuu, and the two other guys nowhere to be found. "Y/N... is this plan of yours really gonna work? I'm sca—I mean, I'm a little... uh, hungry." Grim nervously glanced between you and the mine. You pat his head, "I'm sure. Now, let's do this?" He nodded along with Yuu.
You took a ran backwards to a tree a decent distance away, hiding behind it while Yuu and Grim took a step forwards. Grim took a step breath in, "H-hey monster! I'm uh... I-I'm over here!" He yelled.
The monster snapped it's head backwards. "Begoooneeee! BEGOONEEEEE!!"
"Run!" Yuu picked up Grim and ran towards your direction. You gave him a thumbs up, replacing your position with Yuu.
"Hey! Over here!" You waved your arms above your head, successfully getting the monster's direction and leading it away from the tree.
"GRRRR!"
You took the long route and sprinted like your life depended on it — because it did. The plan was working, and the monster was getting tired of chasing you. It seems like your 'father's training turned out useful as well. You dodged branches and jumped over fallen logs. Making a sharp turn, you held your hand up making a thumbs up, a signal for the boys to come out. "Now!"
Ace and Deuce jumped out of two large rocks from both sides and you going behind one of the boulders to catch your breath. "You bet, I got this! Once extra-large gust of wind, coming right up!" Ace smirked, pointing his pen to the monster.
Yuu appeared from behind them, dropping Grim off next to Ace and going to run next to you to catch his breath. "With a side of Grim's blazin'-hot fire! MYAAH!" He breathed out a large quantity of his blue fire.
"Grrraaahhh?!" The monster bellowed.
"How's that taste? With my wind fanning them, even Grim's feeble flames can become an inferno!" Ace laughed. Grim glared at him in annoyance. "What do ya mean feeble?! Ya really don't know when to shut your mouth, do ya?"
"Now, Deuce!" You looked over the boulder at Deuce.
"Just stay calm, aim carefully... and pull out the biggest, heaviest thing I can think of..." The bluenette muttered. "Get 'em, cauldron!" He swiftly swiped his pen down as a cauldron dropped from the sky, completely crushing the monster like Ace.
"Gwaaahh!!?" The monster yelped in pain.
"Nailed it! The plan's workin'!" Grim cheered. "Look, that monster got smashed by a falling cauldron, just like Ace did!" He snickered, causing you to snicker as well as you walked up to him with Yuu.
Ace glared at you two. "Coulda done without the reminder, thanks! This has been one drag after another."
"Quick, while it's distracted we need to get the magestone!" Deuce announced. And so, your group ran back into the mine.
"Guh?! Waaaait! Noooooooo!" The monster shouted in panic.
As you all arrived inside, a beautiful stone glowed a vibrant mix of colours. It was rather appealing. "That's it! That's a magestone!" Deuce exclaimed like an awestruck child.
"Dooooon't toooooouch thaaaat!" The monster screamed, shaking off all the weight on top of it.
"Uh-oh! Looks like it's nearly wriggled free!" Ace pointed out the obvious. [I'm running out of 'said' synonyms.]
"Hey, Deuce, you gotta add more weight!" Grim nudged the blue haired male.
"Y-you mean something heavier...? Uh... I summon thee, cauldron! And also, uh... um... another cauldron! And a cauldron on top of that! All the cauldrons!"
"Nnaaaghh!" The monster hollered.
"Is that the only thing you know how to summon?!" Ace shouted at Deuce. "Pipe down already! I'm worked up enough as it is!" Deuce argued.
"We need to run, and fast!" You exclaimed, quickly swiping the magestone in your hands. "Roger that!" Ace agreed with you. You all ran out of the mine.
"MYYYYYY STOOOOOOONE!!!"
Swiftly dashing out of the mines, you all ended up back at the small cottage from the start. But unfortunately... the monster was still hot on your heels. "Are you kiddin' me?! It's still coming! It pushed off all that weight!" Ace cried out.
"Giiiiive... it baaaaaack!" The monster demanded like a child throwing a tantrum.
"It's too fast! It's about to catch us!" Deuce said with panic in voice as clear as day. Even for you, the monster was decently fast.
"We've weakened it though, so strike now! Aim for the glass head!" You spoke up, taking shelter behind Ace and Deuce as your little group turned around to face the monster. Yuu stepped in front of you to create some sort of shield with his body.
"Let's just smash the thing. Try not to wet yourself, Deucy!" You deadpanned. Was now really the time to make fun of him? "Same to you, Ace!" Deuce punched his fist.
"I'm gonna show you why they call me Grim the Great!" Literally nobody calls him that, but each to their own, you thought.
After a long battle, Ace and Deuce were completely worn out, and the monster was successfully defeated.
"Is it... over?" Ace panted. "I think... we won? I think we did it!" Grim cheered. "Gimme a victory high-five!"
"Yeaaah!" The boys cheered, high-five-ing each other. You chuckled at the scene, and a soft smile crept up Yuu's face.
"Shared adversity really brings people together, huh?" You smiled as you walked closer to the boys, them quickly retracting their hands and moving apart from each other.
"Uh... I don't think that has anything to do with it." Deuce defended. "Yeah, spare us the cliches Y/N!" Ace grimaced. "There's no 'together' here! We won 'cause of me! This is all because of me being a magical genius!" Grim folded his arms.
Yuu walked next to you. "They really act like children, don't they?" He whispered to you, eliciting a soft chuckle from you which brightened his entire day.
"Y'know... I hate to admit, but... we mostly won because of your plan, Y/N." Ace sheepishly rubbed his head. "Yeah, if you didn't tell us what to do, we would have never got this magestone." Deuce agreed.
"Oh, what's this? Ace and Deuce agreeing to something?" You teased, causing a glare from both males to be sent your way. "I'm just glad no one was hurt." You let out a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, yeah, lessons were learned, etcetera. Can we just go home already? I'm wiped." Ace yawned. "Usin' all that magic made me hungry!" Grim whined. "Oh, what's this?" He spotted something on the floor, his big eyes peering at it. "Is that a part of the monster we just beat?" Ace questioned, bending down to look at it closer.
Grim sniffed it. "What IS this? It smells amazing!" His eyes lit up. "Are you insane?!" Ace and you were taken back. Grim ignored you two. "Must be some kinda fancy monster candy that it was hidin' from us! If it tastes as good as it smells..."
"Grim, no! Do you seriously think a monster like that would hide something like candy?!" You concerns were too late, seeing as Grim had already devoured that thing. "No, no! Spit it out! Bad cat!" You tried to shake him, but he didn't budge.
"MYAAH!" Grim's eyes went wide as he froze in shock. You all panicked. "Are you okay?!" Deuce questioned. "That's what you get for eating trash!" Ace shook his head with a disappointed look.
"Ooooooourgh.... Urrrggghh... that... WAS amazing!" Grim threw his fist— or, paw up.
"What?!" All of you flinched at the sudden reaction.
"Rich in favour and full bodied... like sweet, fragrant flowers burstin' into bloom on my tongue. A whole field of 'em! Right in my mouth!" Grim ranted on with a rather specific and vivid description.
"Gross! Monsters must have real weird tastes." Ace scoffed, side eyeing Grim with disgust. "You might be onto something there..." Deuce sighed. "Most humans don't take random stuff they find on the ground and just pop it in their mouth."
"You sure you're okay?" Yuu glanced at Grim. You sweat dropped, nervously eyeing Grim. He stared to laugh, "Man, that was great!" He threw his arms up. "Don't worry about me. I don't got a weak stomach like you humans do." Ace rolled his eyes. "Let's see if you're still so smug when you get sick later tonight."
"Okay, let's pull ourselves together. We need to get this stone back to the headmage!" Deuce announced.
With that, you all moved forwards. Your attention was caught by a small glow from the corner of your eye. You looked back, only to see... nothing. Nothing except a faint light emitting from the puddle of tears from earlier. Quietly separating yourself from the group, you moved towards the glow, it getting fainter with each step you took. Eventually, it completely disappeared and all that was left in the dried puddle was two flowers.
"That's... totally not ominous.." You mumbled under your breath.
The first flower was a cosmos flower. It had a beautiful magenta shade and 8 petals. The colour faded from a dark to lighter purple as it reached the ends of the petal.
The second flower was a black and blue rose. It had black petals that faded into a midnight blue. The thorns were dangerously spiky, so you'd rather not touch it.
You couldn't help but wonder — why were they there? And who put them there? There was one thing you could agree on, and it was that they were ethereal. It was like they were a reflection of you if you were a flower, specifically the rose.
Before you could think anything else, your hands moved forwards to pick up the flowers. It was like they moved on their own — they moved faster than your brain could process what was going on.
"Agh! Ow..." You quickly adjusted your hold of the rose to prevent getting poked by any more thorns. 'Why are these flowers specifically here?'
A sudden voice snapped you out of your thoughts.
"Y/N!" You jolted up, turning around to see who it is. It was Yuuken. "Are you okay?" He walked towards to and put a hand on your shoulder.
"Y-yeah... I'm fine." You replied, hiding the flowers behind your back. The boys behind Yuu stared at you in confusion and concern. Yuu could clearly tell something happened, and he would definitely ask you about it when you get back to the dorm. "Let's just go, yeah?" The boys nodded and soon, you are were walking back to school.
[Oh my goshhh!!! 4198 words! Wow, that is 1000+ more than what I originally planned. Anyways, here's pictures of the flowers so you can visualise them better.
Cosmos flower:
Rose:
I had two because I couldn't decide. If there are any typos, please forgive me because I can't proofread it due to lack of time. Anyways, I hope to see you in the next chapter. Farewell!]