The Angel of the Owl House
Season 2: The Human Realm
Chapter 11: Mother Where Art Thou?
Osran, Hunter, and Lucy looked between these people and King, believing he was one of their species of Demon, while Amity saw King's horrified expression and whispered; "These guys aren't actually young Titans, are they?"
King shook his head and squeaked out; "Titan Trappers!"
They didn't look happy to see them either, and had weapons in their hands and spell circles at their fingers as they surrounded them. One particularly large Titan Trapper, whose skull featured curled horns and elongated fangs, and whose costume included wings, stepped forward and demanded; "Who are you to dare and trespass on this sacred land!?"
Osran slowly raised all four of his arms and said; "We did not mean to trespass upon your home, good sir. We came here by accident via a Primordial Wellspring!"
The Large Titan Trapper narrowed his eyes on them; "If you came through a Wellspring then you must be from the Carcass Kingdom!"
"If you mean the Boiling Isles, then yes. I am Osran, Head Witch of the Oracle Coven. These two are the Golden Guard and Silver Sentinel of the Emperor's Coven." Osran introduced. He was about to do the same with Amity, Luz, and King, when the large Titan Trapper growled.
"We care not who you are! We Titan Trappers have done business with that Upstart "Emperor" in the past, and we have no interest in being roped into his petty plots" he thundered. "Now return from whence you came! We've no patience for your "Coven" nonsense!"
Osran looked affronted, while Hunter scowled and Lucy grabbed her brother's hand to keep him calm. The reveal of their identities had set all of them on edge; if this clan was an enemy of the Titans, then it was dangerous to espouse the worship of Titans that they practised on the Boiling Isles.
Thankfully the large Titan Trapper ignored them and looked to the others, his eyes zeroing in on King immediately. In a hurry, he surged forward and shoved past the Coven trio so he was stood directly in front of Amity and stared down at King.
"You!" he gasped. His sudden action had drawn the rest of the Titan Trappers' attention to King, making the young Titan gulp in fear and making Amity subtly begin drawing a spell circle out of the man's line of sight.
King took a deep breath and prepared to unleash a sonic roar, before the large Titan Trapper suddenly cheered; "One of the Lost Children! You have returned to us!"
"What!?" King and Amity both yelled in shock, especially as the other Trappers began to cheer and celebrate, lowering their weapons.
"Lost Children?" Osran repeated.
"Indeed!" the Titan Trapper said, his tone doing a complete 180. "We are the Titan Trapper Clan, and many of our clansmen were separated from us during the Great Calamity five thousand years ago! Some of those lost members kept our traditions alive by passing them down to their children, who in turn passed it down to their children and their children's children! Some eventually found their way back to us, but others are still lost."
"Y-You think I'm one of you!? A Titan Trapper!?" King exclaimed in shock.
"Of course! That skull of yours is a dead giveaway! You inherited that from your parents, no doubt! Are they back on the Carcass Kingdom too?" the man asked.
"W-Well my Adoptive Mom is. My birth parents are gone…" King admitted truthfully.
"A shame… still, they did well to pass so much of our traditions on to you before they left this world!"
Hunter and his Sister exchanged looks, as Hunter muttered; "So the weird dog is from this clan of Demons? I guess that explains why I didn't recognise his species…"
Meanwhile, King and Amity were both still reeling from the sudden shift in tone. The Titan Trappers didn't realise King was actually a Titan! And the Coven Trio hadn't realised the skulls and fur of the Trappers was just a costume, so they hadn't figured out King's true identity either! King could use this!
Clearing his throat, King grandly proclaimed; "Yes, I am King Clawthorne-Noceda, child of a noble lineage of great warriors! And I come to you, my people, in need of aid!"
It had been a while since King had really channelled his old tyrannical side, but it seemed to work effectively here, as all the Titan Trappers stood at attention. They pounded a fist over their hearts and bowed their heads in return.
"Hail and well-met, young King! I am Tarak, the Right Hand of our Clan Elder! Allow me the honour of being the first to welcome you to Titan Trapper Island!" the large Trapper introduced.
"Uh, Hail and well-met!" King replied, "Now about that aid?"
"Of course! Tell us how we might assist you, Young King!" Tarak said jovially.
King pointed to Luz; "That's my adopted sister, Luz Noceda-Clawthorne! She's sick with an advanced form of the Common Mold and doesn't have any magic left to fight it off! She needs medicine!"
Tarak took one look at Luz and his eyes widened; "A child of the family that took in one of our own? We will certainly do all we can for her! Call for Denasu!" he said, shouting that last part to the crowd.
The crowd began repeating the shout of "Call for Denasu!" like a game of Telephone, until eventually they parted ways to allow a woman to rush forward. The woman was even larger than Tarak and was wearing white robes atop light grey Titan furs, with a Titan Skull that had ram-like horns on her head. Once she reached their little group, she turned her back on them and knelt down, revealing the real Denasu; a short old lady strapped to her back. Denasu was even smaller than Osran and only a little bigger than King, and was clad in white Titan furs and silver robes, while her Titan Skull had deer-like antlers and herbivorous teeth, to the point it could pass as a deer skull. She unstrapped herself from the large woman's back and hobbled forward to examine Luz, using a conjured cane made of bone to help her walk.
She lightly jabbed Amity's leg with it and said in a voice befitting an old crone; "Kneel girl, I need to take a look at the patient!"
Amity obediently kneeled and Hunter moved to help her lift Luz off her back and hold her in front of Denasu. The old woman cast a few spells, then hummed; "The lad speaks true; she's in quite a bad state. She'd die in a few hours if left like this. The fool girl was using healing magic to try and cure the Mold and made it worse, didn't she?"
"Yes. She stopped before it got too bad, but we were attacked before falling into the Wellspring, and Luz used what was left of her magic to defend us." King explained.
Denasu tutted; "Well at least she did that right. Worry not lad, I've got medicine that can fix her right up. No medicine for youthful foolishness, but I suppose the unpleasantness of her current state will teach her that lesson!"
"You can really help her!?" Amity asked hopefully.
"That's what I said!" Denasu snapped; "Need a cure for earwax blocking your pointy lugholes!? Honestly, the youth these days!"
Amity blushed; "S-Sorry. I'm just worried about my girlfriend…"
Denasu's icy blue eyes softened; "Young love is it? Well I can forgive stupidity when it comes to love, and if ye be the lover of our clansman's sister, then ye be deserving a bit of consideration." she then turned to Tarak; "I'll take the girl to my hut and give her some medicine. If she's got a hardy constitution then she'll be back on her feet in a few hours. If not, it'll be a few days."
"Thank you, Denasu." Tarak said.
King and Amity both bowed their heads and thanked her as well. Denasu just cackled at them; "Nothing gets the younglings showing respect quite like having something that they want!" she winked over at Osran; "You get it, don't you Outsider?"
"That I do. Regardless of clan or country, the young exist to infuriate the old." Osran smiled, stroking his moustache. He liked this old healer!
Denasu cackled at his comment, then looked at King and said; "I'll be taking the mushrooms that grow from the girl's head later. That'll be my payment for my medicine!"
King nodded immediately. Denasu then whacked the large woman on the knee with her cane; "Galeh, grab the girl and her lover and take them to my hut!"
The large woman, Galeh, picked Luz up and cradled the smaller girl with one arm, like she was a baby. She then grabbed Amity in one meaty fist and put her on her shoulder while Denasu climbed back into her harness. Before Galeh could leave though, Denasu yelled at Tarak; "You're taking the Lad and these outsiders to Bill, right?"
"Of course. He'll decide what to do with the outsiders while I show King his culture and history." Tarak replied.
Osran, Hunter, and Lucy looked a bit alarmed at his phrasing, and since they'd actually tried to help him and Luz, King spoke up for them; "Wait a second! I know these guys are outsiders from that creepy Emperor's cult of followers, but they actually saved my life! They fought against their own people to save me and my sister!"
Hunter and Lucy tried to hide their surprise at King standing up for them, and the young Titan shot them a look that made it clear this was a one time thing, as thanks for helping protect Luz from Kikimora.
Tarak, Denasu, and the other Titan Trappers all looked at the Coven trio with appraising eyes, especially Tarak. "Did they now? Well then, our Grand Elder Bill is certain to grant them asylum in our lands, until it is time for them to return safely to their Carcass Kingdom. Now let us go and visit with him!"
Without waiting to be dismissed, Denasu had Galeh begin marching off back to her hut, taking Luz and Amity with her. Amity shouted to King; "Come find us later! I'll stay with Luz in the meantime!"
"Got it!" King yelled back as the two girls disappeared beyond the crowd. He then looked to Tarak, an idea forming in his head; if he was believed to be a Titan Trapper, then he could learn their secrets! Maybe he'd find their weakness and how to avenge his people! And since Titan Trapper Island was his mother's left hand, maybe he'd find some clue as to what happened to her, and why her two hands were so far away from each other!
On the opposite side, Osran, Hunter, and Lucy all had the same thought; if these Titan Trappers were the enemies of Titans, then perhaps they had some Titan Blood! And if anyone on the island would know where to find some, it would be their elder, Bill!
Tarak began to walk through the village to the large tower, gesturing for King and the Coven Trio to follow him. "Right this way." he said.
King and the trio walked behind him as the rest of the Trappers went about their business. For the most part, they acted like any other residents of a village, but there were a lot who were practicing with weapons and magic.
"You run a strict training regimen I see." Hunter said, impressed by some of their skills.
"Of course! It may seem strange to you poor deluded fools, who worship your dead god corpse, but we Titan Trappers swore an oath to protect our world from those giant monsters of death and destruction!" Tarak declared grandly, unaware of how his words angered all four of the people following him. "Sadly very few of us have actually seen a live Titan…"
That wasn't a surprise; it was more surprising that any of them had seen a live Titan, considering Orion the Boiling Isles Titan and his mate, Cassiopeia the Lost Titan were the last ones before King was born. Both had died 5000 years ago, so if any Trapper had seen them, they'd be at least that old, and few living things could live that long!
Tarak opened the doors to the tower, and as they walked in, Lucy signed something that Hunter translated. "Aren't the Titans extinct though? Our Boiling Isles Titan was supposed to be the last one!"
"Not all of them." Tarak said, leading them into the tower. The interior was largely a single massive open space that stretched to the very top, with a spiralling staircase in the middle that lead to the upper levels, as well as a planetarium built around a colossal Titan Skeleton. The skeleton belonged to an adolescent Titan; one that had grown beyond the infant stage like King, but yet to reach the full majesty that a Titan could reach. Their body was fairly standard by Titan standards, but their skull was elongated and crocodile-like, with bull-like horns. King also noticed that just like his Papa, this Titan had five fingered hands and five-toed feet, while he only had three claws on each limb, making him wonder when he was supposed to grow more.
As King and the Coven trio gaped at the massive skeleton, Tarak continued; "The Grand Huntsman, the God that elevated us from a clan of wandering nomads into the world's greatest warriors, has foretold that a single Titan still lives! So we train and sharpen our spears in anticipation of the day it raises its head from its lair, and the final hunt may begin!"
King scowled; the Huntsman was the name of the Archivist that started the downfall of his people by coming to their world to capture its creatures! Not only had their actions lead to the death of King's people, including his parents, but from what Eda had said about the Owl Beast's memories, they'd also been the one to turn the Owl Beast into a scroll, so Eda's curse could be laid at their feet too! Naturally no one present but him realised this, while the others focused on a different part of Tarak's sentence…
"A Titan still lives!?" Osran exclaimed, clutching his chest as if his old heart couldn't quite handle the revelation. Hunter and Lucy weren't much better, and King had a sinking feeling that Belos would pull something once he learned this little secret. Either that or he'd lie and say it was a hoax by enemies of the Titan; that seemed to be his go-to strategy.
"Indeed! But it matters not; I've shared too much with you Carcass worshippers already. Come! I will show you to our wise Elder!" Tarak said dismissively, leading them up the spiral staircase. He took them up to the very top floor, then down a hallway to the door into Bill's chambers.
"Now be sure to show the proper respect to Bill; he's my best friend and the coolest person on the island! He has even spoken to our god, the Grand Huntsman!" the large man gushed, before casually adding; "It's no big deal."
"Right…" King muttered, unimpressed. Though if Bill had spoken to the Huntsman… did that mean Bill was 5000 years old!? Or had the Huntsman come back after his Mama Titan forced them back to the stars!?
"Now let us enter!" Tarak said, throwing open the door and leading them inside. Bill's room was exactly how one expected the chambers of a grand elder huntsman to be; it was full of weapons and trophies from past hunts, though many looked older than even Osran. Sitting on a dilapidated armchair at the far end of the room was Bill himself, a Titan Trapper only a little bigger than King, and with a very similar skull, though it had yellowed slightly with age. A black wax candle burning with a blue flame sat atop the skull, and tufts of Bill's real grey hair was poking out the sides of it, while one of his blue eyes was noticeably smaller than the other.
Upon noticing Tarak, King, and the Coven Trio, he grabbed some kind of horn that was on a stand beside his throne and put the narrow end against his ear, to help his hearing.
"Oh great and mighty Bill, I have brought to you one of the Lost Children! Returned to us by this trio of outsiders from the Carc- I mean, from the Boiling Isles!" Tarak declared grandly.
Bill listened as the others braced themselves, only to be surprised when Bill spoke in the voice of a crotchety old man. "Eh? A lost child? Oh right, one of our clansmen. Right right. But did you really need to bring the outsiders? Couldn't you have just tossed them in the sea or wherever they came from?"
The trio looked worried again, but King once again defended them with the same spiel he gave Tarak back outside. Bill looked mildly curious, especially as King and Tarak went on to explain the rest of the situation, namely what happened up to and including their arrival from the Wellspring and Luz being treated for her sickness, including introductions of his companions (excluding Luz and Lucy's angelic natures). As he listened, Bill stroked his chin with interest.
"The Wellspring, eh? Really should have plugged that thing years ago. Why, just a month ago a pair of outsiders arrived on our island and went to that place, then came back as Supreme Dragons! A massive Ice Wyrm and Fire Drake! They'd have destroyed us all, but then they dove into the Wellspring and disappeared somewhere else!" Bill complained.
King gasped; "Zara and Godric!?"
"You know those two, King!?" Tarak exclaimed.
"Yeah! My sister and I, plus her girlfriend, battled Zara! We managed to beat her! Then a while later, Luz fought Godric in his witch form all on her own and beat him too!" King explained.
"You two faced Supreme Dragons and won!?" Bill cried in shock; "That's incredible! Those beasts are servants of the Titans! They sold their souls to those monsters to get their powers! With how green my people are outside, a fight with two at once would have been the end of our clan! Boy were we lucky! But if you and your sister can fight them… Alright, I've made up my mind! Tarak!"
"Yes, Grand Elder? What is your will?" Tarak knelt before him.
"Okay first, stop doing that! Talk like a normal person, by the Huntsman!" Bill complained; "And take Young King and train him in our ways, and have our people learn from him about slaying dragons! Oh, and get that Luz kid to help out once she's better."
"At once, Grand El- I mean, Bill!" Tarak said, getting back to his feet and picking King up before running from the room, leaving Bill alone with the Coven Trio.
"Right, now for you three. Look, I don't like you Carcass Worshippers and I'm sure you hate us for killing your God's species or whatever, so let's make this quick. You did us a favour by protecting the kid and bringing him back to us, so we'll give you shelter until you're ready to leave. Just don't take too long!" Bill snapped, before picking up a book (The Last Titan: A Study of the Boiling Isles by Flora D'Splora) and beginning to read; "Now shoo. I want to see what this D'splora wench thinks she knows about Titans!"
Hunter and Lucy shared an affronted look, while Osran stepped forward; "Actually, we would like to ask a favour of you. Grant us it, and we will leave immediately."
"A favour? What favour?" Bill frowned.
"We originally went to Eclipse Lake in search of Titan Blood, but the reawakening of the Wellspring mixed bile into it and we've no way of safely extracting it. Bile makes the blood unstable and unusable, so we had hoped that perhaps as great slayers of Titans, you might possess some Titan Blood." Osran said diplomatically.
Bill hummed; "Yeah, getting blood from an active Wellspring isn't ever gonna work. You need to wait for it to stagnate, then the power of the blood will burn out the bile and you can collect it. But if the Wellsprings are active enough to transport people between them, then you're fresh out of luck; it'll be centuries before it stagnates now."
Hunter scowled; "Does that mean you can't help us?"
"Oh, I can help you. Just don't see why I should." Bill replied; "Why should I give Titan Blood, a powerful potential weapon, to outsiders from that Upstart's little kingdom?"
Lucy began to sign something, confusing Bill until Hunter translated; "My sister asks if there is a favour we can perform in exchange for the blood?"
"A favour, eh? Now that's an idea…" he looked at Osran; "You. When King introduced you, he said you were head of the Oracle Coven. That means you can use Oracle Magic, right?"
"Yes. Do you want me to use it for you?" Osran asked.
Bill nodded; "We don't have much in the way of Oracle skills, since we don't have any spirits in our clan. But if you use yours to help us, then I'll take you to a place on our island that should still have Titan Blood."
That sounded simple enough, so Osran nodded; "I can agree to that. What do you need me to do?"
Bill suddenly pointed to a poster beside his chair. It depicted an egg surrounded by stars, with the words; "The Lost Son of the Boiling Isles. The Grand Huntsman cannot return to us until the lost son is found by someone worthy." written around it.
"I want you to use your oracle magic to find the last Titan!" Bill declared grandly.
All three of the Coven Trio gaped at him; "What!?" Hunter exclaimed.
Lucy frantically signed something, but Hunter was too focused on Bill to notice and translate. The Elder chuckled at their shock; "That's right! You've got to swear an Everlasting Oath to use your powers to find the Last Titan for us! The Grand Huntsman needs their power to free him from his prison!"
Hunter and Lucy both looked horrified; they couldn't possibly betray the Titan by exposing his child to this band of Titan killers! However Osran was crafty; he didn't get to be as old as he was without picking up a few tricks. Besides, unless the last Titan was already on the island, his scrying would fail anyway since Oracle Spirits can't cross salt water on their own… but if the Titan Trappers didn't have spirits of their own, they might not know that fact!
"I will agree." Osran began, shocking his young companions; "However you must bring us to the blood first. And let us leave safely with it even if I can't find the last Titan. Agreed?"
The Oracle offered one of his hands, and Bill shook it happily; "Agreed! Now for the oath, so we don't double cross each other!" he said, drawing a spell circle around their joined hands.
"Is that really necessary?" Hunter frowned, not knowing what Osran was up to.
"The last time we had dealings with you people, your Emperor broke his word and damaged the talisman through which we speak to the Grand Huntsman! We won't trust any of your kind without an oath again!" Bill snapped, before clearing his throat; "Now I swear to lead Osran, Hunter, and Lucy to the only source of usable Titan Blood I am aware of, and I swear to let them leave with it even if they are unable to tell me where the Titan is."
Osran nodded and swore his own oath, being careful with the wording; "I swear to use my Oracle Magic to try and find the location of the last living Titan in exchange for being shown to the Titan Blood."
Bill gave a nod of approval and the oath was sealed. However Osran had a pleasant smile, and while Hunter looked worried, Lucy grinned secretly and signed to her brother, informing him of a crucial detail… Osran had sworn to try and find the last Titan, giving him room to fail without consequence… but he hadn't sworn to tell Bill if he did manage to succeed. Now on the slim chance he did find the last Titan somewhere on Titan Trapper Island (which they all agreed was impossible), he wouldn't actually need to expose them!
Satisfied with the oath being made, Bill clapped his hands and began to march out of the room; "Alright Outsiders, follow me. The sooner we get you that blood, the sooner you get me that Titan! And then we can get out of each other's lives!" he said grumpily. Osran, Hunter, and Lucy all followed hastily behind him, smiling as they did so; perhaps today would turn out to be a success after all!
[Meanwhile]
Amity and the unconscious Luz were brought into one of the village's large huts by Galeh and Denasu. It was notable, as it was two stories tall, with the ground floor being made from the carcass of a giant turtle with a red and blue shell, while the second floor was made from a second, slightly smaller turtle carcass with a purple shell that had been stacked on top of it. There were no stairs connecting the two on the inside, only on the outside (as cutting through the bone and shell to make a connecting hole was too difficult), so Galeh climbed the outer stairs to the upper floor. The inside of this turtle was a single large room filled with cauldrons, herbs, and jars of ingredients, and off to the side was a pile of pelts that served as a sickbed.
Denasu unstrapped herself from Galeh's back and hobbled over to the herbs and ingredients, while Galeh gently placed Luz on the sickbed and put Amity down beside it. Denasu grabbed some suspicious looking dried mushrooms and put them into a pestle and mortar, with a wheel-shaped pestle that she began to grind them down with while occasionally adding herbs or powder from other jars. Without looking up from her work, Denasu said; "Strip off those hot clothes. She'll overheat and her fever will get worse."
Amity immediately obeyed and began taking off Luz's winter clothes, leaving the girl in just her sports bra and boy shorts. Galeh tried to help, but Denasu stopped her; "Leave that job to the girl's mate. Go find the Brat and have him bring me some Chilly Peppers!"
Galeh nodded without a word and left, which was a relief to Amity as it meant she could remove Luz's winter clothes while applying a simple illusion to hide Luz's glyph markings, just in case the Titan Trappers recognised them. Once she was done, she got Luz settled comfortably on the furs and put one of the pelts over her while casting a simple ice spell to cool her forehead. Once her girlfriend was as comfortable as Amity could make her, the pink-haired girl stripped off her own winter coat, revealing her normal casual outfit underneath it.
A few minutes later, Galeh reappeared with boy held in her hand. The boy was wearing dull grey Titan furs under pale blue robes, and his Titan Skull helm had antlers like Denasu's, only with flowers threaded through them. He looked to be around the same age as Luz and Amity, and he was carrying a cloth bag overflowing with icy blue peppers.
"You called for me, Mistress?" the boy asked demurely.
"Aye! Make a salve of those peppers with some Thawrite Powder and apply it to the patient's forehead. We need to keep her fever down while still sweating out the spores of that dang Mold!" Denasu ordered.
The boy nodded and obediently began work on the salve at another mortar and pestle closer to the girls. Galeh disappeared to who knows where again, leaving Amity to sit in awkward silence and watch the others work.
"Um, is there anything I can do to help?" she asked; "I'm good with Abominations and know a little bit of most magic types."
"Keep holding your girl's hand. It sounds like an old wives tale, but physical contact from a loved one can help give a sick person the strength they need to keep fighting." Denasu said, now adding the powder she'd ground up into a flask of orange liquid.
Amity reached down and held Luz's hand with both of her own as she watched the poor girl fighting against her sickness. Oddly enough, Luz's pained expression did relax a bit, as if sensing Amity's presence.
A minute later, the boy walked over and knelt beside Amity, offering her a bowl of fine blue paste with what looked like white glitter mixed into it.
"Here; apply it to her forehead and the back of her neck. It will cool her fever." he instructed, bowing his head politely.
Amity took the bowl gratefully and applied the salve to Luz's forehead, then with help from the boy, pulled Luz forward enough to rub it into the back of her neck too. The boy instructed her to rub it in until the paste was completely gone, leaving only the glitter-like specks on the surface of Luz's skin. The stuff was effective too, as Amity felt her fingers almost going numb just from touching it.
The boy waited a few seconds for Luz's cheeks to go from red to a more natural shade, then gently felt her forehead with the back of his hand. He smiled and said; "Her fever is at a manageable level, Mistress."
"Good." Denasu said; "Right on time! The medicine is ready."
She hobbled over whilst holding a small bowl of what looked like some kind of mix between a potion and a stew. It was thick and gunky like some kind of chowder, but the smell of the steam rising from it was far from appetising. Denasu handed the bowl to Amity; "Pour that down her throat. It'll energise her and introduce an Anti-fungal compound to her system that'll target and neutralise the Mold."
"Wait, this is a cure!? You can cure the Mold!?" Amity gasped in surprise. Something like this would be invaluable back on the Boiling Isles!
Denasu shook her head; "Ha! If I could cure the Mold, I'd be living in a palace! No, I just use the mushrooms that grow from other sufferers to make a simple medicine, which weakens the Mold enough that the body can fight it off and largely function normally, only with the afflicted feeling minor versions of the usual symptoms." she then gestured for the boy to assist Amity by lifting Luz's head and opening her mouth; "Now get that down her. Try to get as little on her tongue as possible; it tastes foul and it'll make her try to spit it back out, even while unconscious!"
Amity grimaced and carefully began to pour the noxious smelling medicine down Luz's throat. She was very careful to avoid getting it on Luz's tongue, but the poor girl still grimaced in her sleep. Amity didn't blame her; it was a thick and unpleasant medicine, but she kept pouring while the boy massaged Luz's throat to ensure she swallowed it. Once the bowl was empty, they finally let Luz relax back into the sickbed, where her breathing immediately improved. She was sweating a lot, but Denasu nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this.
"It's working well. The girl's pallor has improved a good amount. Faster than I thought too; you've got a hardy lover, Lass." Denasu commented, making Amity blush.
"More than you could imagine, Ma'am." Amity said with a smile, even as her cheeks were still very red.
The boy smiled happily at her, while Denasu cackled and began to hobble off; "Well I've done all I can for now. I'll leave the rest to you and my apprentice, Lass. Just wipe down her sweat every hour or so and when the mushrooms start growing on her head, my apprentice will harvest them."
"Yes, of course. Thank you very much, Ma'am!" Amity said, bowing her head. Denasu just waved as she walked out of the room, leaving Amity and Luz alone with her apprentice.
The boy politely (and silently) stood and began working on various chores around the lab, mostly taking raw ingredients and prepping them to refill the jars that Denasu had used in Luz's medicine. Feeling awkward, Amity watched him in silence for a few moments as she pet Ghost (who was resting on Luz's chest). Unfortunately there wasn't much else to do with Luz unconscious, so Amity eventually spoke to the boy.
"Um, hello. My name is Amity Blight. Thank you for helping my girlfriend." she said.
The boy smiled; "Good day, Miss Blight. My name is Rakusa. It was my pleasure to help; as an apprentice healer, it was invaluable experience."
"Please just call me Amity." she replied, "So Rakusa, what's life like for you? I don't know anything really about Titan Trappers besides their… profession."
Rakusa frowned; "I get a lot of work, since the warriors often get hurt in training. Life in our clan is brutal, but skilled healers like Mistress Denasu keep it from also being short." he said, continuing his work as he talked; "In truth, healing is about the only thing I'm good at. I dislike violence, so my parents gave me to Mistress Denasu as a student, since I'm hopeless as a warrior."
"Wait, what do you mean "gave you" to Denasu?" Amity frowned, not liking where this was going.
"I wasn't abandoned, if that's what you're afraid of. Our numbers are too small for something like that to be allowed. We all need to pull our own weight and so we're given jobs that suit us. Some are craftsman, some are farmers, some are fighters, and some like me are healers and herbalists. Mother is disappointed that I'm not a brave warrior, but she and Father still care for me greatly. The Grand Huntsman would allow nothing less in our Clan!" Rakusa said, feeling a little touched that Amity had looked upset for him.
The girl was relieved; "That's good. Trust me, I know how tough it can be with Mothers who want you to be something else… Though your culture reminds me a little of something…"
She looked down at Luz; the Trappers being assigned to the roles that best suited them reminded her strongly of the Crest Orders. She wondered how the Titan Trappers would react to learn their culture had such a strange similarity with the Angels. Looking at her girlfriend's face gave Amity the urge to reach down and stroke her cheek, so she did so and was rewarded by Luz nuzzling against it and smiling in her sleep.
Rakusa looked over and watched the adorable scene with a grin; "She seems happy. I think she's dreaming."
Amity hummed "I wonder what she's dreaming about?"
[Meanwhile]
Luz felt like she was floating in a dark ocean as she suffered through the headaches, soreness, and general weakness that came with the Mold she'd contracted. For a while she'd been sinking deeper and deeper, and she'd feared she'd never escape as she lacked the strength to swim out on her own. But gradually, she began to feel a little better; the unbearable heat of the water cooled to a pleasant warmth, and she experienced a delightfully cooling sensation on her forehead and neck. She then tasted something truly foul in her mouth and the sensation of her stomach being filled, making her feel a little more nauseous than before, until she suddenly stopped sinking. It was a strange sensation; feeling herself grow heavier yet no longer sinking. She then felt a warm hand grasping her own, and another stroking her cheek as she suddenly began to rise up through the dark ocean.
She smiled at the comforting gesture as she rose faster and faster, as if the hands were pulling her from the water, until finally she felt herself break the surface. Luz gasped and staggered as she felt gravity shift around her so she was suddenly standing, and she looked around blearily, her eyes unaccustomed to light after what felt like eons in the dark waters.
She was stood on an expanse of glittering black water, her feet partially submerged as if it was only a shallow puddle. The water rippled as she moved, and the ripples glowed gold much to her confusion. Luz looked up from the water to see what looked like walls of some kind of iridescent rock, covered in swirling patterns and colours, and which appeared to have been eroded by something. In addition, odd black cubes were floating around, each with what looked like a galaxy inside it.
"Whoa… where am I?" Luz whispered to herself, slowly looking around. She still felt ill, but it wasn't enough to stop her moving around this bizarre place.
"This is the In-Between Realm."
Luz squeaked in surprise and whirled around, trying to draw spell circles as she did. However her magic didn't respond to her, which turned out to be a good thing as she came face to face with a familiar Titan. It was Orion, King's dad! However he was a bit different from when Luz had last seen him during the vision when she bonded with the wind glyph; he was significantly smaller (though he was still almost twice her height) and he wore black pants with his glyph symbols all over them, as well as one of Eda's Bad Girl Coven t-shirts and a brown lounge robe.
"Whoa! Papa Titan!" Luz gasped.
"Good to finally speak to you face to face, Luz the Arch-Angel." Orion said, his voice just like the one that had echoed in Luz's head back when she ascended into an Arch-Angel.
"Yeah! We didn't really get to talk back in my vision at the Reef! But how are we talking, and what is this "In-Between Realm"? I've never seen anything like this! How did I get here?" Luz asked rapidly.
Orion chuckled and patted her head; "One question at a time, Luz. The In-Between Realm is… well it's sort of the birth place of all realms. It's both the border between them, and the glue that keeps them all stuck together and connected. From here, you can go anywhere in existence. As for how you got here…"
He suddenly flicked Luz's forehead with a claw, making her yelp; "You nearly died because you neglected your own health!" he scolded.
"W-What?" Luz squeaked.
Orion sighed and crossed his arms; "Normally the only way to come here is through a botched or incomplete portal, or by having your soul leave your body. Mine ended up here when my body died but I chose to linger and watch over my child. Yours ended up here because you were on the verge of death from that illness you foolishly ignored! I was able to bring your consciousness here thanks to the connection of the glyphs." he pointed to her chest, where the light glyph began to shine.
"I-I nearly died?" Luz said, suddenly afraid.
"Nearly. I brought you here so that if the people outside failed to save you in time, I could revive you. You're basically my God-Daughter now, so I have to take care of you!" Orion huffed.
There was a lot to unpack there, so much so that Luz didn't know where to start! Being called the Titan's God-Daughter was kind of nice, but Luz wasn't too shocked by that; his first words to her had been calling her his child since she was the sister of his biological child. However the idea that he'd brought her there so he could bring her back to life if she died was mind blowing!
"You can bring people back to life!?" she exclaimed.
Orion nodded; "Yes, but there are caveats. I need a connection to that person via the glyphs. I can also only do it once; if I revive someone, I lose the magic that is keeping my soul tethered here, so I'll be forced to move on to the afterlife."
"Oh. I guess it was too much to hope for it to be unlimited and without any costs… a power like that would be broken! We could just throw ourselves at Belos infinitely until he and his coven lost!" Luz mused.
"Yes. It would be quite "OP" as I've heard you and King say. Those video game contraptions are quite interesting by the way." Orion chuckled.
Luz smiled; "So… what happens now? You make it sound like you don't need to revive me."
"I don't." Orion confirmed; "Your girlfriend found assistance to save your life and now your body is stable. I can send your consciousness back anytime you want, no cost. But since you're determined not to pay attention to your health…" he gave her a disapproving frown, making Luz lower her head in shame; "… I've decided to basically keep you here for a chat while your body recovers some more."
Luz blinked; "Does that mean you've basically grounded my soul?"
Orion stared at her for a moment, before bursting into hearty chortles; "Ha ha! I suppose you could phrase it like that! But in all seriousness, there are some things you need to know and I can't actually keep you here for very long, or else your soul's connection to your body will snap, and you'll die for real."
That made Luz pale, but she shook it off quickly; "If you're going to explain stuff to me, can you start with why you chose to give me the glyphs?"
"That is simple; you were a powerless Cherub, yet you still threw yourself into danger to save my son and his adoptive mother from that Warden. There was no ulterior motive or scheme behind your actions; just a genuine desire to help others, even at the risk of yourself. You've pushed that particular habit a bit far since then with your disregard for your own safety, but I don't regret it for an instant." Orion said, patting Luz's head again; "Besides, you reminded me a bit of Zachael."
Luz gasped as she remembered King's Godfather, who'd effectively been raised by Orion and his mate before their passing. "I wondered if he was part of the reason…"
"He was, though only a tiny part of it. My mate and I took him in when he was almost an adult. He was a bit older than you and had just seen his family slaughtered by Witches and Demons. He was taken captive and was going to be sold by them as a commodity, but he slipped his bindings one night and killed them all in their sleep. Cassiopeia and I came across him soon after while paying respects to my father, upon whom Zachael's family lived. At first, he actually tried to kill us too; filled with hatred for Witches and Demons. He failed of course, and we convinced him to explain his story to us. After that, we took him in and gave him a home with us." Orion explained wistfully; "He's part of the reason Cassiopeia and I have a child, despite the difficulties and the fact we were both still young by Titan standards. We'd have adopted him had he let us, but his losses were still raw. Instead we convinced him to be the Godfather to our child and made him a part of our family in that way."
Luz felt a sadness creeping into her; she'd known most of those details from Zachael's final message to King, but he hadn't gone that far into his own past. The young Arch-Angel couldn't imagine the horror he experienced, and the hatred he felt for the people that took his family. The fact he eventually turned his life around with help from Orion and his Mate was a small miracle!
But that had ended badly too…
"We found Zachael's tomb and heard his last words on King's island. We know about the Archivists; the Huntsman who helped murder your people, and the Collector who distracted them." Luz said softly.
Orion's eyes hardened at the mention of the Huntsman, but then his face became one of grief upon hearing the Collector's name.
"The Collector is my deepest regret…" he sighed heavily, actually sitting down in the water. Seeing him so upset, Luz edged towards him and put a hand on his shoulder, and he responded by scooping her up and sitting her down on his knee.
"What really happened all those millennia ago?" Luz asked softly.
Orion took a deep breath as he remembered; "Everything Zachael told you was the truth. The Huntsman came and attempted to steal a Baby Titan. He was driven off, but then the Collector appeared… he loved the Baby Titans and wanted nothing more than to play with them. None of us thought anything of it… until the Collector's siblings came and took the children while our guard was down. With our young gone, many of us became reckless and hateful, and the Huntsman used this to raise up the witch clan that became the Titan Trappers, leading to the deaths of almost all of us. It was a war that killed 99% of both the Titan Trappers and the Titans, and ended when my Mate sacrificed her life to send the Huntsman and his fellow Archivists away… all except for the Collector."
Luz could practically feel the regrets bubbling up inside the Titan, who averted his eyes from her; "I had just lost everything; my brothers and sisters, my nieces and nephews, my entire race… and my beloved Cassiopeia. All I had left in the world was an Egg in my chest, and Zachael… and then I learned that one of the Archivists responsible for the whole affair was still haunting our world. He was apparently searching for more Baby Titans, and in a rage, I went after him and came face to face with the Collector. I wanted to kill him, but I couldn't; nothing we did to the Archivists would kill them, only wound them, and what's more the Collector was only a child. I was angry, but not enough to murder a small boy… so I sealed him away instead."
"Sealed him away? So the Collector is still out there?" Luz questioned.
Orion nodded; "Not out there; in here." he said, gesturing to the In-Between Realm. "I removed my son's egg from my body and gave it to Zachael to care for, then sealed the Collector in a nigh-unbreakable barrier using most of my life force. I then used the last of my life to drag him down here, where he has been trapped every since. During the sealing process, I turned the tears he shed into mirrors through which he could see and communicate with the outside world… a further punishment in my mind. I even set defences around them, warning people away from them if they got too close. But I was wrong about him… so, so wrong…"
He bowed his head in shame and gestured to the black cubes; "Those are Portal Seeds; they act like windows between the realms and can show you anything you want in the other realms. For almost the entirety of the last 5000 years, I have been using them to watch over King's egg and Zachael, before his passing. However on occasion, I also looked to the Supreme Dragons; those who had taken some of my power or my mate's, and one such Supreme Dragon 1000 years ago discovered the truth about the Collector… I had been wrong; he was no monster or murderer! He was just a child! A frightened little boy whose older siblings had set him up as bait while they kidnapped and murdered his Baby Titan Playmates!"
Luz gasped in horror; "No! That's awful!"
"It is… I've never forgiven myself for it. I jumped to conclusions, and he suffered for it." Orion said, head still bowed with shame and disgust.
Luz felt horrible for the poor Collector; his situation reminded her a bit of Rasiel's; being sealed away by someone who didn't know or care about his true nature and only saw what he was and not who. Still, unlike the Divider that sealed Rasiel, Luz knew Orion had good intentions. He'd been grieving and genuinely believed the Collector was responsible for everything that happened to his people.
"Can you release him?" Luz asked.
"No. Only a living Titan or Titan Blood can do that. Though you might be able to as well, since you've been infused with so much of my magic." Orion revealed.
That perked Luz up; "Then tell me where he is and I'll free him!" she said, looking around the In-Between Realm for signs of his prison.
She found nothing at first glance, and Orion shook his head; "I'm sorry, but you won't be able to find him in time. I've been avoiding his prison out of guilt, so we're about as far from it as we can get. Also, I'm afraid that if he is released, he'll go after King in revenge for what I did to him."
"If that happens, I'll protect King. The Collector is innocent; he deserves to be free!" Luz argued fiercely.
Orion blinked in surprise, then nodded his head in agreement; "Very well. I trust you. Thankfully you can just use the mirrors I mentioned before to release him, as they serve as connections between the Demon Realm and his prison. I've removed most of the magical protections around my skull, where one of them can be found. However I don't know where the others are; one was lost in a Primordial Wellspring by Lars, the Supreme Dragon who discovered the truth about the Collector, but the others were destroyed by my worshippers over the millennia. The one in the skull is the only one that should be untouched."
"Wait, can't you use these Portal Seed thingies to show you were they are?" Luz asked.
"Sadly not. They only show people, not things." Orion said, "But the Collector and my sins towards him are not the only thing I had to tell you about; I wanted to tell you something important about my Cassiopeia."
"King's Mama? I remember she was trying to show me something in the last vision. Something about her heart?" Luz questioned, remembering the gaping hole in the silhouette of Cassiopeia in her last vision.
"Yes. I need you to find it… find it and destroy it." Orion declared, his face deadly serious.
Luz went pale at his words; "D-Destroy it!? Why!?" she cried.
"Because when Cassiopeia drove off the Archivists, her body was destroyed in the process and one of the Archivists sealed her soul inside her heart as a final act of revenge. It was what inspired my plan to seal the Collector. Because of this, Cassiopeia is sealed in a limbo between life and death. Only a Titan or one with our magic can undo the Archivist's magic, and sadly I could not reach her heart before my own demise." Orion explained sombrely.
Luz frowned; now she understood. If Cassiopeia was sealed in limbo, then destroying her heart and freeing her would also kill her, and the only people alive who could do that were Luz and King. Asking a child to kill their own mother, even to save her from hell, was just too cruel, so it would be up to Luz to do it. However as Luz was about to open her mouth and agree, her body began to glow and start floating slowly.
"W-What's happening!?" she cried.
Orion grabbed her hands to stop her floating away entirely as he replied; "Your time here is almost up! If you stay any longer, the connection between your body and soul will wither and you'll die, so your magic is dragging you back!"
"No! There's still so much I need to ask! How do I find Cassiopeia's heart!? What about the Black Tombs, and her Glyphs? And King! What do I tell King!? You've gotta have some words for him!" Luz cried, desperately trying to hold on even as she felt her body straining to yank her back.
Orion hastily answered; "You'll find it by going through the Primordial Wellspring! It's the only way! You will find a Black Tomb resting with the heart, but I know not where the final one is! As for King… tell my son…"
He pulled her down a bit so he could whisper in her ear, making her gasp softly and feel a tear come to her eye; "O-Oh… He'll love that."
"I know." Orion smiled; "Give my regards to your mothers! And we will meet again soon!"
With those final words, Orion released Luz's hand and she floated up until she hit one of the black Portal Seeds floating above her. Upon touching it, she felt a pulse of magic come from the wind glyph on her foot, and the entire world around her became an empty white void.
Floating there, unable to move from that spot, Luz looked around in confusion, wondering if this was where she'd be forced to wait until her body regained consciousness. But then suddenly, eight figures appeared around her, all of whom were very familiar. Four of them were the silhouettes of Orion, and each one was made from a different element represented by his glyphs; light, plant, ice, and fire. They each had their glyph symbols etched into their chests too. Then there was the other four, whom were the silhouettes of Cassiopeia, just as Luz had seen her in her last vision.
As with Orion, these silhouettes were made from the elements represented by Cassiopeia's glyphs; there was one made of silvery winds, one made of bronze-like earth and stone, one made of crackling yellow lightning, and one made from black and purple shadows whirling around. However unlike Orion's, most of them were missing the glyph symbols; only the wind silhouette had the symbol on its chest, while the others had nothing there at all.
One by one, the silhouettes with glyphs flew at Luz and merged into her body, causing the corresponding glyph on her skin to glow brightly. The Lightning and Shadow Cassiopeia silhouettes then disappeared, while the Earth one drew closer to Luz and whispered in her ear in a distorted voice.
"F-l-o- m-. M- b-o- i- l-m-t-d. C-n o-l- b- g-v-n h-r-."
Luz blinked, trying to make heads or tails of what the Titan had just said to her, but before she could, the white void around her grew brighter and brighter, until she had no choice but to close her eyes.
In an instant, her eyes flew open again and she found herself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling that looked kind of like a turtle shell. She panted like she'd just awoken from a nightmare and looked around in confusion, quickly finding Amity at her side, smiling brilliantly and holding her hand.
"Luz! You're awake! Thank goodness, I was so worried!" Amity cried with joy.
"A-Amity? Where am I? What's going on? Was all that a dream…?" Luz asked, her voice croaky and her mind struggling to focus. Now that she was back in her body and fully conscious, she could feel the effects of the Mold still in her body, making her throat feel sore and her head feel stuffy. Thankfully she could breath easily enough though, and she slowly sat up with some help from Amity.
"Easy there, Batata. You almost died! The medicine will help you, but you've got to take it easy." Amity said, letting Luz sit up but firmly forcing her to stay seated in the pile of furs.
Luz looked around at Denasu's healing hut, and then looked down at herself and saw she was just in her underwear. She blushed a bit, but Amity had seen her in less when they wore swimsuits for their beach date so she quickly shrugged it off. She also noticed the Concealment Stone and recognised it from Lucy's cloak clasp. She prepared to take it off, but had to hide her wings first, only to be shocked when her magic didn't respond.
"Hermosa, what's going on? I can feel my magic, but it won't do what I want it too!" Luz asked in a slight panic.
"Oh, that'll be because of the medicine." said a new voice coming in from outside. Luz gasped as a figure walked in, looking like an older King with deer-like antlers and robes worn over his fur. "Since using magic will make your condition worse, the medicine includes a magic numbing effect. It'll make it hard to cast spells for a little while." he explained.
Luz gaped at the boy, and Amity could see where her mind was going, so she quickly introduced them; "Luz, this is Rakusa, one of the Titan Trappers just like King."
She put enough emphasis on the words "just like" to ensure Luz got the message, and the young Angel looked at her beloved with fearful eyes.
"Amity, please tell me what's going on. Where are we?"
"Okay, just stay calm and I'll explain." Amity said, as Rakusa looked on with puzzled eyes. Amity explained everything that happened from the moment they awoke beside the Wellspring to the moment they split up so Luz could be taken and healed, while King went with Tarak and the Coven trio to see the Elder Bill. Rakusa helpfully added that the meeting with Bill had finished and now King was in the village, training with the Titan Trappers, while the Coven Trio had gone with Bill and a few soldiers to look for Titan's Blood somewhere called the Rising Mines.
"You let King go off on his own!?" Luz exclaimed with horror, making Amity flinch.
"I-I'm sorry! I was just so worried about you that I didn't think…" the girl replied in a shaky voice.
Luz immediately felt rotten for yelling and quickly took a deep breath to calm herself; "Sorry Hermosa. I didn't mean to yell or sound like I'm mad at you; I'm just worried about King." she apologised, leaning over to kiss Amity's cheek.
Amity took it in stride and smiled; "I understand; he's your little brother after all!"
"If it makes you feel any better, he'll be more than fine." Rakusa chimed in softly. "He spoke of how you and he defeated the Ice Wyrm and Fire Drake that passed through here not too long ago. Compared to that, the training we offer to one his age would be nothing."
"Zara and Godric!?" Luz gasped in shock.
Rakusa smiled broadly; "So it's true!? I had wondered if he was exaggerating! This is incredible!"
Luz stared at Amity in shock, and the pink haired girl nodded along, having heard about it from Rakusa in the couple of hours Luz had been recovering. Luz was just about to question it when she suddenly saw something moving behind Rakusa, and tilted her head to get a better look. She immediately gasped as she saw the Earth silhouette of Cassiopeia, just casually standing behind the young trapper. Amity and Rakusa noticed her shocked expression and followed her eyes, only to see nothing of note.
"Luz? What are you staring at?" Amity asked, looking between her lover and the random spot she was looking at.
"You don't see it?" Luz whispered so only Amity would hear her.
"No? What is it? I just see Rakusa and a bunch of herbs and medicinal stuff." she replied.
Luz stared back at the Earth Cassiopeia, who walked towards her. She phased through Rakusa, who seemed to notice something as he shuddered and looked around for the source of the sudden chill. Ghost, who was resting on Luz's lap, also stared at the silhouette of the Titan, but her expression was confused; she could sense something but not actually see it.
Earth Cassiopeia knelt beside Luz and then just like she had in the white void, leaned in and whispered in her ear in the same distorted voice.
"-o-l-w -e. -y -o-n -s -i-i-e-. -a- -n-y -e -i-e- -e-e."
It sounded different, yet Luz was sure she was saying the same words. She tried to focus on the words and repeated the first few over and over in her head; "F-l-o- m-. o-l-w -e. F-l-o-, o-l-w… Follow? Follow me?"
"You want me to follow you?" Luz whispered.
Amity gave her a strange look, and noticed Ghost staring at something beside Luz's head, putting her on guard. Mindful of Rakusa, she leaned forward and whispered; "Luz, is something really there?"
Before Luz could answer, the apparition of Cassiopeia stood and dashed out of the room, making her gasp. Luz leapt to her feet and chased after her, summoning her Holy Raiment so she wasn't just running around in her underwear (this didn't require magic from Luz, as the Raiment itself possessed the magic needed to summon it). Rakusa blinked in surprise as Amity gave chase after Luz.
"Luz! Wait!" she cried.
"I can't! She's leaving! She wants me to follow her!" Luz yelled over her shoulder as she ran. She staggered outside, her legs still unsteady from her sickness and her head beginning to pound from exerting herself.
"Who!? Who wants you to follow her!?" Amity yelled back, mindful of Rakusa following along.
"Please, Miss Luz! You're not better yet! You could hurt yourself! Come back!" he begged.
Luz didn't respond to either, focused entirely on Cassiopeia's apparition. She didn't know where she was leading her, but Luz was going to find out!
[Meanwhile]