Philip shrieked as the two brothers rushed at him. They swung their staves at him, magic in their signature colours glowing on the ends, but Eda and Lilith leapt from their hiding spots and parried them with their own staves, knocking the brothers off-balance.
As they staggered and tried to regain solid footing, Eda slammed her staff into the ground and created a shockwave spell that knocked them both (plus Philip) onto their backs. Lilith avoided this by launching herself into the air with a blast of silver magic, then once she saw the brothers knocked down, she shot two bolts of lightning at them. Red Fang was struck and yelped in pain as he was zapped, whilst Green Fang managed to roll out of the way in time. He rolled onto his feet and drew a spell circle that conjured some ice magic into his palm, which he then thrust towards Eda and Philip. Lilith landed back on the ground just in time to get caught in it too, and the ice magic became a spray of razor sharp icicles that nearly pierced the Clawthorne Sisters. Thankfully Luz was ready and created a crystal barrier between the bounty hunters and her allies, stopping the attack.
Even though his attack failed, Green Fang was able to use the opening to grab his brother and pull him to his feet, followed by Red Fang conjuring a massive ball of thick black smoke and cinders in his hand, which he threw at the ground to create a smokescreen, allowing them to back off. They tried to use the smoke to flank the ladies and get a clean shot at Philip, but Luz conjured some wind and blew the smoke away, revealing the brothers and allowing Philip to use a fire glyph to toss a fireball at them. Green Fang took the attack head on and was blown back, getting a large burn to his chest for his troubles, while Red Fang was able to throw up a barrier of his own before Eda or Lilith could finish their own attacking spells.
"Brother! Are you okay!?" Red Fang asked worriedly.
Green Fang nodded, using a healing spell to fix his burn; "I'm fine. Didn't expect the little turd to have his back up pretend to ditch him! You ladies should turn tail and run! The moment this human is done with you, he'll leave you to die just like he did to Blue Fang!"
Luz scowled; "I'm sorry about what happened to your brother, but killing Philip won't bring him back!"
"And besides, it sounds like you were all happy to take his money for this expedition or whatever." Eda said, "Mercs who try and kill their clients when things go south don't tend to get a lot of repeat business!"
"Do you even know for certain that your brother's death is Philip's fault?" Lilith asked diplomatically; "From what we heard, it sounds like you two weren't there! So how could you know his true fate?"
"That's what I've been trying to say! Blue Fang gave his life to protect me! He was a true and stalwart companion! I had hoped to pay you both in his stead, but you attacked me!" Philip yelled, patting down his rumpled clothing.
Red Fang snarled; "Liar! The Buzzard's got Oracle Magic! She told us the truth! She told us that you purposely used Blue Fang as bait and left him to die!"
The ladies looked at Philip with shock, but he shook his head vehemently; "The Buzzard has been trying to kill me for years! She's filled your heads with lies so you'll do her dirty work! Blue Fang gave his life to save me from a fearsome Stonesleeper hidden in the Titan's Skull!"
Lilith gasped; "You've been to the Skull!? But that's sacred ground!"
"Yes, because something very valuable was hidden there! Something I needed to complete the portal. A Stonesleeper guarded the place, and Blue Fang sacrificed himself to help me escape! Alas I didn't get the relic during that visit, but I was able to return with new companions to finish what I started with Blue Fang!" Philip explained.
Red Fang and Green Fang both glared hatefully; "We don't buy it! Blue Fang wouldn't have sacrificed himself for you! And the mercenaries you hired after he died didn't return from that expedition either!" Green Fang said.
Philip looked down with shame; "They fell defeating the Stonesleeper… I was able to avenge them, but I could do little else…"
Luz frowned; what was the relic in the Titan's skull that Philip needed to make the portal? It must be important if he'd been so determined to get it! Whatever it was, Luz hoped it wasn't a one-time use, or else she'd have to find one of her own to make the new portal!
Sadly she didn't have long to think about it, as Philip's answer had angered the brothers further, and both ran at him. Red Fang conjured another smokescreen to blind the Clawthorne sisters, while Green Fang conjured thorn covered roots from the ground and sent them towards Philip. Luz stopped both spells by using a gust of wind to blow away the smokescreen, then blasting fire at the roots. Her wind attack also fed the flames, causing them to grow even brighter and more intense as they burned Green Fang's roots to ashes. Eda and Lilith then prepared spells of their own; Eda using earth magic to summon a large golem of Hooty to try and devour Red Fang, while Lilith created a large arch out of silver magic, then used abomination magic to bend the ends together, forming a massive magic bow. Red Fang was trapped holding open the Hooty Golem's beak, while Green Fang threw up a barrier to protect himself from the salvo of javelin-sized magic arrows that Lilith shot from her bow. Luz saw this and decided to test a new trick she'd been working on since bonding with the wind glyph.
She fired a pair of light beams at Green Fang, who kept his barrier up to block them. However the beams were silver light (similar to Lilith's), and instead of hitting the barrier, they suddenly bent around it like a pair of snakes, twisting through the air and weaving their way behind the barrier to strike Green Fang in the shoulders. He yelped in pain and dropped his arms, causing the barrier to fall too, just in time for him to get hit by a second salvo of giant magic arrows from Lilith. These magic arrows inflicted burns rather than piercing wounds so they were non-lethal, but Green Fang was still damaged enough to fall to his knees, where upon a final headbutt from a second Hooty Golem knocked him unconscious.
"That's one down!" Eda smirked, dismissing her second golem. "Nice trick with the bending light, Luz!"
Luz beamed; "Thanks Mom! Normal light burns, red light disintegrates, blue light freezes, green light heals, and now silver light bends like the wind! I can't wait to see what the other colours do!"
Philip eyed her curiously; "To think you can create glyph combinations like a normal witch casts spells… there is certainly something strange about you."
The young Angel chuckled nervously and said; "Well I am Half Human! That's probably related to it."
Red Fang growled, utterly enraged to see his brother knocked out while his defeaters blabbered on! These humans and human sympathisers had taken one brother from him already, he wouldn't let them take another!
Wriggling as much as he could, Red Fang was able to reach a hand into his pants pocket and pull out a vial of orange liquid, which he dropped on the ground near where the Hooty Golem had emerged. The vial shattered and a viscous, glowing orange ooze began to eat through the earth at the base of the golem like lava. Eda saw this and prepared to reinforce the golem, but then the steam being given off by the ooze reached her nose, and she recoiled in revulsion.
"Ugh, is that stomach acid from a Salamander Eel!? Why would you even carry that stuff!?" she cried, holding her nose as she began to turn green at the foul stench. Lilith and Philip both went to cover their noses as well, while Luz used wind magic to blow the stench away. This helped them avoid breathing in the smell, but also kept them all distracted long enough for the acid to finish melting through the base of the Hooty Golem, cutting it off from Eda's magic. Once it was cut off, Red Fang cast a spell with his free hand and caused himself to bulk up, becoming strong enough to shatter the golem by flexing, freeing himself. He then bum rushed Luz, ordering his Palisman to attack Eda while his brother's Palisman attacked Lilith and stole her glasses. Luz threw up a barrier to protect herself, but Red Fang shoulder slammed it hard enough to make Luz stagger back a step. Before she could recover her balance, Red Fang punched the ground with his enhanced strength, making it shake and causing her to fall onto her backside with an "oof!"
Once Luz was on the ground, Red Fang ran at Philip before he or anyone else could react, and grabbed him by the throat.
"Take a swim, Human!" he roared, before tossing Philip as far as he could off the cliff beside the clearing, sending him plummeting towards the sea.
Philip screamed in terror, and Luz yelled; "Philip!" before darting into the sky and flying after him at top speed. She used her wings, hidden by her Concealment Stone, and some extra fire and wind magic to boost her speed until she could reach Philip, just barely catching him before he hit the water. Even after being caught, Philip kept screaming like a frightened child and held onto Luz for dear life. However as he held her and frantically squirmed to get himself as far from the water as he could, his hands brushed against one of Luz's invisible wings and both he and Luz promptly froze.
"What the-? What did I just feel?" he muttered, reaching for the hidden appendages again. His finger brushed a feather and Luz promptly squeaked, then suddenly flew as fast as she could back to the clearing, where she dumped the surprised Philip on the ground and then leapt away from him. The human was briefly stunned, then began to stare suspiciously at Luz. He wasn't the only one either, as Red Fang was staring wide-eyed, not having expected Luz to suddenly fly without any staff or other flying device. He was so surprised in fact that he didn't react in time to Eda and Lilith shaking off the attacking Palismen (having Owlbert and Corvanc fight and defeat the twin bats) and then turning on him.
Lilith cast a spell that coated her hand in blue magic, which she then slapped against Red Fang's bulked up chest to begin draining his enhanced strength until he was back to normal size. Eda then charged her own hand with a powerful lightning spell, then poked Red Fang's neck, zapping him with enough electricity to knock him out. The sisters then cast sleep spells on the twins' Palismen to knock them out too, officially ending the fight.
"Well that was relatively easy. Good job on saving the Dweeb, Luz." Eda grinned as she pet Owlbert for his own job well done.
Lilith, doing the same with Corvanc, edged over to Philip and lightly nudged him with her elbow; "Ahem, you should thank her for saving you too. You'd have met quite a messy end without her." she said quietly.
Philip shook himself out of his surprise and nodded; "Y-Yes, thank you for your assistance, Luz. But I have to know; how did you save me? When you held me, I could have sworn I felt something…"
Luz went pale, and Eda's eyes widened as she got the wrong idea; "Felt something!? You dirty old geezer! Is that why Luz threw you off her so fast!? Did you use that chance to feel her up!?"
"NO!" Philip and Luz both cried, the former turning pale while the latter went beet red.
"Mom, it's not like that! He touched my back!" Luz quickly explained.
Eda narrowed her eyes as she took a moment to register what that meant, then gasped as it sank in. Lilith realised at the same moment, and the two rushed to Luz's side, each putting a hand on her shoulder while pointing their Palismen at Philip.
"Just say the word Luz, and I'll knock him out. I can make some Amnesia Tincture to wipe his memory!" Eda whispered to her.
"W-Wait! I thought you needed my help! We're comrades now, aren't we? We fought those ruffians together! Does that not earn me a bit of trust!?" Philip cried, putting his hands up fearfully.
"Fought them? All you did was throw one fireball then got tossed into the sea…" Lilith frowned.
"I didn't have the opportunity to do more!" he defended, before looking Luz in the eye; "Miss Luz, forgive me but… I know I felt something on your back! Something feathery! And considering you saved me by flying without any obvious means to do so… Please, are you what I think you are!?"
Luz stared into Philip's blue eyes and saw excitement there. The man was frightened, but also practically giddy with the idea that she might be what he thought she was… Luz had no doubt that he'd correctly guessed what she was too; if he'd spent years in the Demon Realm then he must have heard of Angels, and based on what Belos had said, there were probably Angels living on the isles at that very moment! Heck, considering Philip's diary had information on Angels inside it (not that Luz had ever gotten to those entries), there was a good chance he already knew some of her kind!
Deciding to take a gamble, Luz cast a spell on her concealment stone to alter the illusion. She allowed her hair to turn back to its natural white hue, and allowed her two central wings to become visible. She kept her second and third sets of wings hidden, remembering Rasiel's warning about not revealing more of herself than needed, especially since she wasn't totally convinced Philip was trustworthy (his actions had raised some red flags).
Upon seeing Luz's (apparent) full glory, Philip's face became one of adoration and he dropped to his knees.
"My hunch was correct…! Oh, you are magnificent! My Lady, please forgive my earlier rudeness and impertinence!" he bowed his head to the ground at Luz's feet; "If I had known that you were one of God's Angels, I would have treated you with the respect you deserved!"
Luz felt herself cringing a little; she'd expected a human from the 1600's to be a lot more… devout than the humans she was used to dealing with, but she hadn't expected Philip to drop to his knees and start worshipping her! It was especially weird since most people in the Demon Realm who didn't have any experience with her treated her with a degree of distrust or fear, with only the most die-hard of Belos followers believing her to be some holy figure of worship!
Eda and Lilith looked shocked by Philip's reaction too, especially Eda. "God's Angels? What's he talking about?" she asked.
"In the Human Realm, Angels are worshipped by a few different religions as the direct servants of God. And I mean capital G, created the world, Alpha and Omega God. It's a really big deal to some people!" Luz whispered to her.
Lilith gasped, comparing it to how her people worshipped the Titan, whilst Eda just laughed; "Heh, you're wasting your time worshipping this one!" she said to Philip as she playfully slapped Luz on the back; "Luz is an amazing kid, but she's not some figure of worship! Just last month, she ate a whole bucket of my night market ice cream and got herself glued to the ceiling!"
Philip looked utterly flabbergasted, while Luz blushed; "Hey! That was a sleepover dare from Willow! And you're the one who gave me the ice cream and egged me on!"
"Well of course I did! It was funny!" Eda grinned unashamedly.
"I-I must admit, you're not what I expected from an angel, Lady Luz. I have heard stories of your kind living amongst the witches and demons of this realm…" Philip said, a hint of disgust in his voice as he spoke of the realm's denizens; "But still, if you are an Angel then you are a servant of the All-Mighty! Please, allow this humble servant of the Lord to assist you in any way that I can!"
Luz knelt down and grabbed Philip's hands, then pulled him to his feet; "Thank you, Philip. However nothing I told you before was a lie; in fact, an Angel cannot lie! We have to tell the truth, or we're punished pretty harshly!" Luz said, wincing as she put a hand to her throat and remembered how it burned whenever she was forced to lie. "That means I really am half Human and need your help to complete a portal and return to the Human Realm!"
Philip nodded and smiled; "Ah, it is refreshing to know there is someone I can truly trust! This realm is a hive of villainy and deceit! Those brothers are not the first to try and kill me or impede my holy mission! Not to mention the Bloody Buzzard of Bonesborough! Though I admit to being surprised that an Angel was permitted to have a child with a Human! Your father must be quite the man."
"H-He was… he was the best Dad a girl could ask for." Luz smiled sadly, remembering Manny.
Philip saw the grief in her eyes and bowed his head; "My condolences for your loss. I too have lost my father, though I barely knew him. But you still have your Angelic Mother!" he said, trying to cheer her up as she looked towards Eda.
Eda shook her head; "Oh, I'm not her blood Mom. I adopted her when she first came to our world. I'm a regular old witch! Same as my sister here." she pointed to Lilith, who nodded politely.
Philip looked horrified; "Adopted by a witch!? Is your true mother going to be alright with this!?" he asked Luz.
Eda and Lilith both looked offended, but Luz just nodded; "Mami knows all about Mom, and she's accepted it. She actually gave me permission to live in this Realm, since it was making me a better angel."
"I see." Philip muttered, not looking convinced. "Well, if an Angel cannot lie then surely you must be telling the truth! Thank you for all of your assistance thus far, Lady Luz. As promised, I will do all in my power to aid you on your quest! However I'm afraid our objective hasn't changed; without my portal or the notes I compiled on its construction, I cannot give you the help you need."
"Which means Angel or not, we still need to go after this Bloody Buzzard." Lilith said. "Remember though Philip, you can't let anyone know what Luz really is! Not everyone is as accepting of Angels as you."
Philip nodded gravely; "Yes, I am aware. This barbarous land views Angels as monsters for trying to show them God's light!"
"I wouldn't go that far." Luz said uncomfortably, "I think these people have just had some bad experiences with Angels a long time ago and still have some grudges."
"You are most kind, Lady Luz. I suppose it only makes sense for one of God's chosen servants to be filled with His Love." Philip smiled at her.
Luz just chuckled nervously, not really sure how to respond to that. "Ehehe yeah, that's me! Just chock full of love! Um, should we get going?"
"Of course. Allow me to lead the way!" Philip said, beginning to march towards Bonesborough. His whole demeanour had changed; while before he had seemed bitter, cold, and nervous, now he was standing tall and proud, with a confident smile on his face that turned warm whenever he looked in Luz's direction. Luz and the Clawthorne Sisters followed after him (once they'd seen to Red and Green Fang's wounds and tucked them up safely inside a tree hollow), and Luz was sure to readjust her concealment stone again to hide her angelic features before they could get into the town proper.
"The Bloody Buzzard lives on a small estate just outside of Bonesborough, towards the south east. If we walk through town, it'll take about 40 minutes but it should avoid drawing her attention like flying." Philip said as they walked through the west gates of town.
"Right. We'll follow your lead, Philip." Luz replied politely.
"I shan't disappoint you, Lady Luz!" he said, grinning as he held his fist aloft.
Eda and Lilith watched him curiously. "He's certainly gone through an attitude adjustment!" Lilith murmured.
"Yeah, he's a total angel worshipping wacko! I bet if we brought him back to our time, he'd fall in line with Belos and his empire in a heartbeat!" Eda muttered derisively.
"Mom, that's mean. I know he was kind of jerk to us before, but humans from his era are even less tolerant than the ones in our era." Luz defended, "He's from Gravesfield almost 400 years ago from the one we know; back when it was a Puritan town! Witches and Demons would be scary things for humans like that, just like Angels are for Witches and Demons."
"That doesn't make it okay, Luz." Eda frowned.
"I know Mom. I don't mean to make excuses for him, but he is the way he is because of the society he grew up in. The best way to stop him acting like that is to show him he's wrong about witches and demons being "barbarous" you know?" Luz said.
Eda pouted but didn't argue; Luz did have a point after all. It was hard to change someone's mind by being rude about what they believed; you caught more flies with honey than with vinegar!
"Is that why you haven't tried correcting him about Angels serving this "God" of his? Or told him not to worship you so much?" Lilith asked. She'd noticed how uncomfortable the "Lady Luz" stuff was making her niece, but Luz hadn't really tried to stop Philip yet.
Luz nodded; "Sort of, yeah. He'd probably just think I was being modest or something. I can already tell that his faith is a big deal to him, and I really don't want to try and mess with that; especially since we need his help. If we try and convince him that Angels aren't what he thinks they are, he might start to think I'm actually just a Demon trying to tempt him away from God or something."
The Clawthorne sisters exchanged looks, both having different thoughts on the matter. Eda wasn't a religious person; she'd never truly bought into the Titan worship either, and had primarily just been respectful of magic and the wild power of the Isles. On the other hand, Lilith had been quite devout towards the Titan and still prayed to him, though she'd somewhat fallen out of the habit since learning about King. She still struggled with the idea that her nephew was the child of the God she'd worshipped, while her niece was an anointed champion and "god-daughter" of that God. It was a testament to how far she'd come that she could be normal around them at all! As such, Eda was a lot less understanding of Philip's faith, while Lilith was very understanding.
With little else to do but keep an eye out for threats, the sisters began to chat quietly to each other about their perspectives on faith, Gods, and Titans, while Luz picked up the pace a little to walk beside Philip so she could get to know him a bit better. He wasn't what she was expecting, but she did still owe him and his diary a lot!
"So, are you from Gravesfield in the Human Realm?" Luz asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, I am! I'm quite surprised you know that! Did you come through your portal near there too?" Philip asked with interest.
"In a manner of speaking, yeah." Luz nodded.
"Fascinating! To think an Angel lived so close by! Perhaps that is why our town has such a strong faith! And perhaps that's also why it attracts so many denizens of darkness, who come to corrupt our souls!" the man's eyes narrowed as he looked around at some of the townspeople they were passing by.
Luz didn't like those looks, but her curiosity compelled her to ask; "How exactly did you wind up going through a portal anyway?"
Philip's went cold as he answered; "I was chasing a witch that had come through and bewitched my brother, Caleb." he said, "My brother and I were tasked with protecting the souls of the townspeople from evil, but one day that infernal monster stepped through into our world and began causing all manner of trouble. She cast spells on our crops, did strange things to our animals, and drew the eyes of almost every man in town. My brother went to run her off, but she did something to his mind and instead lured him back to her world. I arrived too late to help him, just barely seeing him disappear into that portal by the graveyard. I followed them but the portal began to close as I was passing through it and I was nearly lost. I ended up emerging here on the Boiling Isles, somewhere far away from my brother and the witch that took him captive."
Luz almost couldn't believe it! A witch had come through to Gravesfield and begun causing trouble? It reminded her a little bit of Eda and the antics she'd allegedly gotten up to under the guise of "Marilyn", but while Eda had caused plenty of mischief, it had been just that; mischief. The worst thing she'd done was enchant some food at a cafe, which later caused some rats to turn sapient, which was a far cry from messing with a developing town's food supply and enchanting their men!
"That's awful! Are you still looking for Caleb?" Luz asked.
There was a long silence as all manner of emotions flitted through Philip's eyes. Eventually he settled on saying; "No." in a voice thick with sadness. Luz gulped upon hearing it; she didn't need to ask what had become of Philip's brother… it was clear on his face that the man was no longer with them, and it felt inconsiderate to ask how he died.
The two fell into an awkward silence as Luz thought about Philip's story. His disdain for witches made even more sense now that she knew one had taken his brother from him. Still, at least he wasn't too far gone into hatred; he was still willing to work with witches and demons after all, even if it was out of necessity. After a few more minutes of silence, Luz decided to change the subject.
"So, what are some of the other ingredients needed to make a portal? I know about Titan Blood already, but none of the others." she said.
Philip perked up; "Ah, that was quite a tricky question to work out for me too. A little Titan Blood mixed into water seems to be enough to make a very unstable portal, but its impossible to determine how long it would last or where it would lead. To make a stable portal, fine-tuned to connect where you want it to, you need many other ingredients and precise magical calculations!"
Philip reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass vial filled with a thick black liquid. "This is one of the ingredients I discovered to have a potent effect on the stability of portals; Titan Bile!"
Luz instinctively flinched away from him and the bile, remembering her experience with it at Belos' hands. Philip frowned upon seeing her reaction; "Is something wrong, Lady Luz?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I just… I didn't have a great first experience with Titan Bile." she frowned, rubbing her arms at the memory.
"Oh? What happened, if you don't mind my asking?" Philip asked.
"Well, let's just say that injecting Titan Bile into someone can turn them into a vicious, uncontrollable monster. I've seen it happen twice, and both times were really unpleasant." Luz said, intentionally hiding the fact she was the victim. She didn't want to give Philip reason to believe she'd been corrupted by evil magic or anything, though she did add; "I know it works on Angels too… it's really not a pretty sight."
Philip looked surprised as he glanced between her and the vial of black ichor. "I've never thought of injecting this into a person! And you say it made the victim go on a rampage? How awful!" he said, a strange lilt to his voice.
"Yeah, it wasn't a good time. The only bright side is that there weren't any real side-effects when it wore off." Luz told him, "But I've avoided the stuff as much as possible ever since… though I guess I'll need to find some of my own if it's an ingredient in the portal."
"I'm sure you'll be fine; if need be I'll give you mine. It's the least I could do for one of God's messengers." Philip smiled benevolently.
Luz smiled back; "Thank you, Philip. But I think I'll be fine; we're already helping each other enough as it is."
"As you wish." Philip nodded, "Though there is something I'd hoped to ask an Angel such as yourself; in my travels, I have discovered two unusual temples containing large black cubes, which the locals refer to as Black Tombs."
Luz snapped her head towards him, her eyes growing wide. Philip raised an eyebrow; "Ah, you've heard of them I see."
"Yes! I've been looking for them! There are supposed to be four in existence, but I only know the location of two." Luz replied.
"Me too. I discovered one in the Ice Temple up on the Knee, and another out in the desert. Both were sealed shut." Philip recounted.
That news made Luz sigh sadly; Philip only knew the temples she'd already visited, so it looked like he wasn't going to be any help finding the other two. That was a shame, but at least his revelation that the Black Tomb at the Fire Temple was still sealed meant that the tragedy that had taken place there had yet to happen. Luz was sorely tempted to go to both Caplacier and Volcarpalis and free Rasiel before that tragedy could happen, and so he wouldn't end up losing a finger, but she quickly shrugged that thought off. If she did that, it would create a time paradox and who knew what would happen as a result?
"Aw man, those are the same ones I know about. Too bad." Luz sighed.
"I was actually going to ask you about them. I've discovered the keys needed to open it are the Blood and Magic of a Titan, a Denizen of the Demon Realm, and an Angel. Naturally I have the first thanks to my trip to Eclipse Lake and my use of the Picto-Glyphs, and the second aren't hard to come by, but I haven't been able to acquire the blood and magic of an Angel. Would you perhaps be willing to share some of yours with me?" Philip asked hopefully, "Or maybe once we've retrieved my portal and notes from the Buzzard, the two of us could go open them together?"
Luz shook her head; she knew Philip didn't open the two Black Tombs that were opened in the future, so she couldn't help him without causing a paradox. "Sorry, but I don't know if that's a good idea. Those tombs must be sealed up for a reason, right? It's probably best if you leave them alone."
Philip looked suspiciously at her; "Then why are you looking for them, Lady Luz? Why search for them if you don't want to open them? And does that mean you know what's inside? Could you tell me?"
"Uh…" Luz hesitated, racking her brain for an excuse that wasn't a lie. "I- uh, I'm looking for them just as a favour for a friend. A fellow angel who's interested." she said, technically speaking the truth about Rasiel. "And the tombs are still closed as far as I know, so how could I know what's in them?"
Again, this was technically true; the tombs were closed in this time period, and without opening them, she wouldn't know what was inside. Philip just didn't know Luz had opened one in the future and thus knew the contents that way.
Philip seemed to buy those excuses, but then asked; "If you don't know what's inside them, why worry about opening them? Could it not potentially be something of great importance to your people? Angel blood is needed to open it after all; it has to involve your race."
Luz gulped, but thankfully Eda had started listening to their conversation and mimed to Luz from behind Philip, pretending to roar and breath fire. Luz realised what she was getting at and quickly came up with an accurate excuse; "You don't want to mess with the Black Tombs! Each one is guarded by a big statue that awakens into super powerful Supreme Dragon if the tomb is disturbed! No one has opened the tombs and gotten away unscathed!"
"Yep! Super deadly! A lot of people have become lunch to those statue dragons!" Eda chimed in.
"A Supreme Dragon is hidden in the statue!?" Philip exclaimed. Luz could see in his eyes that he was imagining the giant snake statue that held the tomb in Caplacier, and probably a similar salamander statue at Volcarpalis (which Luz never actually saw, since someone had opened that tomb before she got there).
"I have heard of these beasts! The Stonesleeper I found at the Titan's Head would be nothing compared to one of those! Perhaps I should abandon my attempts to open the tombs… it was only out of curiosity anyway. I assumed something sealed by angelic power must be something important, but I don't wish to anger a Dragon!" Philip shuddered at the thought. Still, the man still felt suspicious; the young Lady Angel seemed fairly keen to keep him from the tombs. Was that a personal matter for her, or was it the will of her adoptive witch mother, who'd been awfully quick to jump in to their conversation.
Changing the subject, Philip then asked; "How exactly did you come to be the adopted daughter of a witch? I wouldn't think such a thing would be allowed for a young Angel."
"Oh, that's a bit of a long and complicated story. I wandered through a portal one day and met Mom almost right after. She took me into her home and has been looking after me ever since! I couldn't even do magic before I met her; I was just a weak little Cherub, but thanks to her I can do tons of spells now! And potions too! Mom's a real whiz at them!" Luz happily explained.
Eda smiled and ruffled her hair; "Aw, you do as much to take care of me as I do for you, Owlet!"
"Indeed. Life would be unimaginable without you." Lilith added, also ruffling Luz's hair, knowing how much her niece enjoyed that.
The girl blushed as she smiled widely; "Right back at you, Tia Lily! You know, I wasn't kidding when I called you my Cool Tia! That's how I write about you in my journal! You're almost as cool as Mom! Even Amity thinks so."
Lilith went red, but smiled happily, glad to be so loved by her niece. Eda grinned teasingly at her too, while Philip watched the trio with a strange expression.
"You are certainly very close. And your Angelic Mother is truly okay with this arrangement?" he asked, doubt clear in his voice.
"Yep! It was kinda touch and go for a little while. I thought Mami was going to forbid me from every coming back here! But we talked it out and she agreed for me to live in the Demon Realm, doing my best to help people as an angel. She even accepted Mom as, well, my Mom!" Luz chirped happily; "I think it helped that Mom wasn't a replacement for her or Papi."
"Truly? I'm surprised your mother was so agreeable after initially reacting so badly." Philip commented, "What changed her mind?"
"I… actually don't know." Luz admitted, suddenly realising she'd never heard the full story. She'd run off and when she came back with Vee, her Mami was already open to letting Luz stay in the Demon Realm. She'd always just figured her Mom and friends had convinced her Mami, along with having her read Luz's diary. That and making her realise her own experiences in running away were similar to how Luz felt.
"You don't know what changed her mind?" Philip raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I sort of ran away when she reacted badly at first… when I got back, she was willing to talk it out. Come to think of it, was it you who convinced her, Mom?" Luz asked Eda.
Eda grinned and nodded; "You bet! Your Mami and I had a heart to heart! I had to do my best to make sure I didn't lose my little girl so soon after she finally started calling me Mom!"
Luz smiled brightly, but Philip narrowed his eyes on Eda. He knew he wasn't getting the whole story here, and he really didn't like it! He opened his mouth to subtly hint at the unusual nature of Eda's explanation, hoping to goad Luz into perhaps noticing it herself, but Luz continued speaking before he could get the words out.
"But part of the condition for me staying in the Demon Realm with Mom was going back to visit regularly! That's why it's so important I remake the portal that was stolen!"
"Yes, I remember you saying the portal you possessed was stolen. Obviously I know who stole mine, but what about who stole yours? Would it not be easier to fight and get it back?" Philip asked.
Luz bit her lip, trying to figure out how to explain that it was stolen by another Angel on behalf of a corrupted Angel Emperor that wouldn't begin rising to power for another 300 years… Come to think of it, was Belos alive right now? If he was really an Angel like he claimed, he certainly could be!
Seeing her daughter's difficulty answering, Eda answered for her; "We don't really know who stole it, so we can't just go after them to get it back. Believe me, I tried to track it down, but it didn't work out…"
Unbeknownst to her, Eda's words had just made Philip even more suspicious. An Angel stumbles into this hellish world and is immediately adopted by a shady witch, who convinces her biological mother to accept the situation while the young Angel was absent, then the portal that allows the young Angel to return home as per the conditions her biological mother set is suddenly stolen with no clue as to who by or where it was taken? There was no chance something shady wasn't going on, and Philip felt that it was his sacred duty to help this young Angel! Once he got his own portal back, he'd send her home to Gravesfield where this "Edalyn" could never bother her again!
"I see. What a horrible thing to happen. Do not fear, Lady Luz; I will ensure you get home safe and sound." Philip smiled warmly, putting a hand around her shoulders. Luz instinctively tensed, and the Clawthorne Sisters looked annoyed by the gesture, but none of them said anything, even as Philip made sure Luz was close by his side; "We are nearly at the Buzzard's home, so stay close. I will protect you with all I have."
"Um, that's really sweet Philip, but I'm pretty tough. I can protect myself, and you too." Luz replied.
The man nodded; "I'm sure you can, but it is my duty as a Servant of God to do all I can to aid his Holy Messengers. Please allow me to do this, as recompense for my earlier rudeness."
Luz fidgeted a bit, but ultimately just smiled and said; "Alright then. I accept the help!"
Philip gave her a pleased smile; "I won't let you down, Lady Luz."
With that, he picked up his pace just a little, though since he was keeping an arm around Luz's shoulders he was sure to not walk too fast. Eda and Lilith watched the man suspiciously; Luz tended to be easily taken in by people being excessively kind to her, as she was the type to feel guilty if she didn't return their kindness, so it was up to them to make sure she wasn't being taken advantage of. However as they reached the south east edge of Bonesborough and found themselves once again surrounded by forest, Eda couldn't help but look around curiously.
"Hey Lily, you recognise this place, right?" Eda asked.
"Yes. It's a bit more overgrown than I'm used to, but I know this place well. We're not far from our childhood home. It will one day be built just over… there!" Lilith pointed directly eastward. The forest in that direction was still very thick, as it'd be almost 100 years before the Clawthorne Home was constructed there. From what their parents had told them, the Clawthorne Clan had once had a large compound that grew as the clan did, but they were infamous for their wanderlust and so many of their clan disappeared to different parts of the Isles, or left them entirely for parts unknown. As such, homes would be torn down and new ones built in the old plots; they were the type of family that always moved forward, leaving behind what their descendents would need and nothing more, instead expecting them to build their own lives and homes independently. The Clawthornes were supportive of each other, but they valued independence above all else! It was that same spirit that allowed Eda to run away from home at barely 15 years old and eventually build the Owl House.
Seeing the forest still thick and wild and largely untouched made Eda and Lilith feel oddly nostalgic, but as they were also heading towards the home of a potentially dangerous enemy, they also felt a strange sense of foreboding. Philip lead them into the forest, quietly speaking to Luz to help guide her through the bushes and brambles, until they eventually reached the edge of a small clearing, surrounded by thick trees and bushes. Philip crouched in the bushes, and the ladies crouched around him and peered into the clearing.
The inside of the clearing was blocked from view by a stone garden wall that was just barely tall enough that Eda couldn't peer over it. The walls were covered in ivy, and they could just barely see an archway on part of the wall with a wrought iron gate inside it. There was also the thatched roof of a house visible over the top of the wall, with a chimney that was releasing a plume of pale smoke. As the ladies examined the wall, Lilith noticed that the clearing extended quite a bit to the north and a cobblestone path had been created that led in the direction of town.
"There is an actual path here, and you brought us through the forest?" she whispered.
"The path is full of traps. This is the Bloody Buzzard's nest, so one can't be reckless!" Philip whispered back, eyes full of hatred as he stared at the wall ahead of him, as if every brick was a personal enemy.
"So what's the plan? Do we sneak in and try to steal the portal back?" Luz asked.
"We should launch wide scale attacks. Large fireballs, explosives, and other such things. With any luck, we'll burn the Buzzard with her nest!" Philip growled.
"Yeah, and the portal and your notes along with her!" Eda whispered angrily.
"I'd also rather not kill someone if I can help it!" Luz added.
"She will not afford you the same courtesy, Lady Luz. You'll see; when this evil witch discovers what you are, she'll do all in her power to kill you!" Philip warned.
Luz frowned and was about to ask if Philip had meant if the witch discovered what she was, but before she could a strange flower rose out of the ground in front of them. They all froze as they stared at it, and Luz recognised it as a Speaking Saffron, which began to glow a faint purple colour as a woman's voice emerged from it.
"Do you really think I would limit my alarms and defences to the path and walls after your last attempt on my life, Philip?" the voice said. "I have alerts all throughout the forest; I knew of your arrival as soon as you stepped foot back in Bonesborough. You and your newest mercenaries are welcome to use the front gate like civilised people… now let's make this quick; I'm in the middle of making lunch."
Luz and the Clawthorne Sisters exchanged shocked looks, while Philip growled and crushed the Speaking Saffron.
"Infernal witch! There is no end to her trickery!" he spat, "It looks like we have no choice but to go in from the front. She'll be waiting for us though, so we must be prepared!"
He stood up and began marching towards the front gate leading into the Buzzard's home, but Luz reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"Wait! She was expecting us! How many times have you actually tried to take her out like this!?" Luz cried.
"More times than I can count. The two of us have been trying to kill each other since I first came here. It's been almost a decade now… or perhaps longer; it's hard to keep track of time in this realm." Philip grumbled.
Luz stared at him for a moment as Eda and Lilith emerged from the forest to join them. As she stared, she began to piece something together; Philip and the Buzzard had been fighting since he came to the realm, and Philip had come to the Demon Realm to rescue his brother, who was abducted by a female witch… and had since been lost. Considering the Buzzard was also female…
"Philip… is the Buzzard the one who took Caleb from you?" Luz asked in a small voice.
The man's eyes flashed with pain, and he nodded slowly; "Yes." he croaked out, "I should have known better than to try and hide it from the eyes of Heaven… forgive me, Lady Luz."
"There's nothing to forgive; you're entitled to privacy." Luz replied, lowering her hand from his wrist to his palm, which she gently squeezed in a comforting gesture that Philip seemed to appreciate.
Eda and Lilith didn't know what the two were talking about, but Lilith piped up; "It might be wise if the three of us go in and Philip stays behind. Without magic of his own and only the glyphs to support him, it would be safer for us all. A witch who can trap the entire forest with alerts is bound to be powerful and I don't know if someone relying solely on glyphs is going to be able to cut it."
Philip shook his head; "No! I will not have Lady Luz battle that defiler without my assistance! I may not have given a very good showing against the Slitherbeast or those Demon brothers, but I assure you I am quite competent at the old Fisticuffs!"
Eda snorted; "No one who calls it Fisticuffs should ever get into an actual fight, especially against a witch!"
"I will not sit on the sidelines and that is final." Philip declared, then turning to Luz; "You understand, right Lady Luz? My soul screams out for justice! I must do this, even if I must martyr myself!"
Luz did understand where he was coming from, even if her Mom and Aunt just assumed he was being overly dramatic, considering they didn't know about Caleb. But seeing as he wasn't going to back down and would likely get in the way, Lilith made a suggestion.
"Luz, perhaps you could give Philip an Angelic Blessing? That would allow him to use magic like us for a short time, right?" she said.
Philip gaped; "What!? Lady Luz, what is she talking about!?"
"Oh, it's a power we Angels have. We give small portions of our magic to others, temporarily boosting their power if they've already got magic, or granting magic to those who don't. I've mostly been giving these blessings to Mom and Tia Lily, but I have given magic to a human before." Luz explained, thinking of Masha. During one of her trips home since Masha, Gray, and Rebecca learned Vee's secret, Luz had given a blessing to Masha so she could cast spells alongside Vee, who was also learning to cast magic with spell circles. Masha had a blast with it, and the two spent most of the day playing with magic until the blessing ran out.
"Y-You would be willing to give me some of your power!?" Philip asked, eyes shining with joy and some other emotion Luz couldn't quite identify.
"Sure! It'll protect you, and the magic I give you will only be temporary anyway." Luz smiled, conjuring a ball of white and gold flame; "Just touch this. You'll catch on fire, but it won't burn you, I promise."
Philip didn't even hesitate. With his head bowed reverently, he gently clapped his hands into the flame, putting them together in a praying gesture. Immediately, his entire body was covered in the golden flames and he felt his body practically singing with the power that settled into him. The flames melded into his flesh and bones until they vanished entirely, leaving behind only the sensation of immense power on his skin. Philip stared at his hands and then focused on the feeling of magic inside him, channelling it subconsciously to his index fingers, which began to glow. Picturing a fireball, Philip drew a circle with his finger and then gasped with delight as the glowing gold circle transformed into a ball of red flames.
"Incredible! This is utterly incredible! My Lady, thank you so much for this blessing!" Philip got down on his knees and bowed his head, even as he clasped his hands together in prayer. "I swear, I will use this power to continue my God-given mission, and spread the light of righteousness in his name! Thank you, Lady Luz!"
Luz blushed; "Aw, it was nothing. With this power, you can fight alongside us now! Let me give you a real short crash course in how to use it!" she said, before beginning to explain the true nature of Angelic Blessings.
Angelic Blessings weren't just a boost of magic after all; they were a piece of an Angel's personal magic, which included all the instincts that the Angel themselves had. Basically, any person Luz gave a blessing to would have the instinctual knowledge to cast any spell Luz herself could cast, albeit in a much weaker and more limited form since they lacked the glyphs and an Angel's body. However since Philip knew the four glyphs of the Boiling Isles, he would be able to use pretty much any spell Luz had learned, with the sole exception of the wind glyph-related spells.
As Luz was explaining this, Philip was still staring at his hands and feeling the radiant magic there. This was beyond anything he'd ever imagined! The literal power of God was in his hands, gifted by a benevolent young angel! However, it also didn't escape his attention that the two witches with them had apparently been using Luz for blessings as well… Was that the reason for them keeping her so close? Were they using her for power? Philip fully intended to find out!
Putting that thought aside for a moment and focusing fully on what Luz was telling him, Philip focused on visualising spells and how to channel his Divinely Given Gift, then nodded confidently.
"I am ready, let us confront this Bloody Buzzard!" Philip declared. Luz, Eda, and Lilith all nodded, the latter two preparing their staves as Luz created a light sword from her hand. They walked to the wrought iron gate that blocked entrance to the Buzzard's home, and found it opening on its own. As they walked through the gate and into the Buzzard's garden, Eda looked at the archway and the gate with a strange expression, finding it oddly familiar.
She was drawn out of her thoughts by the voice of the Buzzard; "You certainly took your time. Did you have to take a moment to spin new lies for your mercenaries?"
Everyone looked ahead, through the beautiful little garden overflowing with flowers, herbs, and vegetables, to a woman standing with her arms crossed in front of the quaint and homey little cottage that she called home. The house reminded Luz a bit of a more rustic Owl House, which was a very strange coincidence, considering the woman in front of it reminded her bizarrely of Eda!
The resemblance was not uncanny, but it was enough to give Luz, Eda, and Lilith pause. The Bloody Buzzard had similar bodily proportions to Eda and a similarly shaped jaw, but her facial features were softer. She had a button nose and large, forest green eyes, as well as extremely wild and vivid red hair, which flared about her head in the gentle breeze almost like flames. Her hairstyle was a little bit like Gwendolyn's was when she was younger, only longer as it flowed down her back, and a fiery red that put even the orange hair of Eda and Lilith in their youth to shame. Her sense of style was also a little bit like Eda's, as she wore a red dress that clung to her curves and was torn along the bottom, better showing off her brown boots which were also similar to Eda's. However unlike Eda, the Buzzard's dress had pale red sleeves with torn cuffs, and a white fur pelt around her waist that looked almost like an apron, though adapted to the wild aesthetic the Buzzard seemed to like.
Despite her softer features and almost bored tone of voice, the woman glared at Philip so hatefully that it actually made Luz and the Clawthorne sisters flinch. The witch looked from Philip to them and her frown grew more severe, especially when she looked at Luz.
"A child? You've brought a little girl to fight me? I knew you were a pathetic worm of a human, but I never thought you'd sink this low!" she spat.
"That child helped defeat the two assassins you sent after me! Red Fang and Green Fang stood no chance!" Philip sneered.
The Woman's eyes widened slightly, before her expression became mournful; "So, you defeated them… I guess that's two more lives ruined by this long battle of ours…"
"Actually, we didn't kill them." Luz piped up, "We don't like killing people! We don't even want to kill you, Miss Buzzard! But we need the portal and notes you stole, and we can't let you get away with what you did to Caleb!"
Again, the witch looked shocked, before she glared furiously; "What I did to Caleb!? I did nothing to him! If you want justice for Caleb, then you should be pointing that spell of yours at the man behind you!" she snarled, pointing to Philip.
Philip sneered hatefully, while Luz looked back at him with wide eyes; "Philip? What is she talking about?"
"Nothing but foul lies! This evil witch took my brother from me and led him to his death!" Philip roared. "What else can you expect from someone called the Bloody Buzzard!?"
The witch's lip curled into a snarl; "That title is one I got after our last battle, Wittebane! I still don't know how you managed to slink away, but the people of Bonesborough haven't forgotten! They still speak of the day that Evelyn the Bloody Buzzard of Bonesborough destroyed you and the gang of thugs you'd hired to attack me! Not a single person in town will even say your name any more! Soon you'll have nowhere on the Isles to run to!"
She punctuated her sentence by summoning her Palisman, which took the form of a large red buzzard. It transformed into Evelyn's staff and she twirled it expertly before pointing it at Philip, while her eyes drifted to Eda.
"Take the child and leave; whatever he's paying you is not worth it!" Evelyn spat.
Eda scowled and pointed her own staff back at Evelyn; "Oh no sister, we aren't running! I don't know who this Caleb guy is or what beef you and the bearded dweeb have, but my kid needs those portal notes, so I'm not going anywhere without them!"
Lilith nodded in agreement; "We can end this peacefully, or we can fight. It's four vs one, and we're no slouches in combat! Give us the portal and the notes, and we'll leave."
Philip shook his head; "I'm not leaving without this foul witch's head! I lost my brother to her!"
"You lost your brother to your own blind zealotry! It was your knife that ended his life! It is you who'll pay for killing him!" Evelyn screamed furiously, a thick aura of burning red magic appearing around her.
"W-What!?" Luz cried; "That can't be true!"
Evelyn glared at her; "Oh, it's the truth alright! Caleb was my Lover! When he told Philip the truth, that worm attacked his own brother with a knife! They fought, and Caleb lost his life!"
Luz wanted to deny it, but the look in Evelyn's eyes made her freeze. She looked so fierce and righteously angry… was she telling the truth!? She turned to Philip, hoping to hear a denial, and while she got one, it wasn't the one she expected!
"Caleb would never have fallen in love with you! You used foul sorcery to enthral him and turn him away from his mission in life! She defiled our town and twisted Caleb against his flesh and blood, and against his Lord!" Philip declared, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a crooked knife; "Your magic forced us to fight! I was trying to save his soul, but you compelled him to turn on me! I was given no choice!"
Luz, Eda, and Lilith began to panic and look to one another, hoping for an answer. Philip had all but admitted to killing Caleb, but claimed he was being controlled by Evelyn, whilst Evelyn was claiming Caleb had been in love with her and Philip had started the attack! But who should they believe!? Luz wanted to trust Philip over Evelyn, but that was because she needed his notes! Could he be lying or deceiving her? Or was this a trick of the Bloody Buzzard? Luz was paralysed with indecision, and even Eda and Lilith seemed unsure of what to do; Lilith wanted to do the right thing but had no idea what that was, while Eda just wanted to get the notes for Luz, though she didn't want to side with Philip if he was as much of a monster as Evelyn claimed.
The choice was taken out of their hands by Philip, who began to proudly boast; "Your lies will not sway the hearts of the Righteous, Evelyn! Lady Luz is no mere witchling that you can buy or turn away from the light of God! She is an Angel, who stands against all evil!"
Philip's companions turned to him with a mix of shock and outrage, while Evelyn's eyes widened as she focused on Luz. "An Angel!? Impossible! The Elders all say they are monsters who wiped out the Titans and tried to enslave us to their twisted order! There's no way one of them would become a mercenary! Unless…" her eyes narrowed on Luz, burning with emerald flames. "… that's why you've sided with this human! You've joined his crusade to destroy us!"
"No! I'd never do something like that!" Luz cried.
"Then deny his words!" Evelyn demanded; "The Elders say that Angels cannot lie! So tell me you are not an Angel!"
Luz bit her lip in hesitation, and that was all Evelyn needed. If the girl was not denying it, then it was because she couldn't! And while she may have insisted she wouldn't destroy them, Evelyn would not allow a monster like Philip to have such a weapon at his side! For the sake of the Boiling Isles and the entire Demon Realm, she had to purge this Angel, one way or another!
Eda saw the moment Evelyn had made up her mind to attack, so she rapidly conjured a barrier of golden magic between them and Luz, just barely getting it up in time to block the blast of red magic that Evelyn shot from her finger. Despite the witch not using her staff for the spell, Eda still find her barrier cracking under the deluge of power. It shattered at the same moment Evelyn's spell stopped, but Eda wasn't going to let it go to waste! The golden shards of her barrier were like glass, so Eda cast a spell to point them all at Evelyn and fire them forward. Evelyn leapt over the shards with a surprising display of acrobatics, causing the shards to slam into the front door of her house. Evelyn briefly looked back at the damage with a scowl, but relaxed a tad when she saw the shards hadn't gone all the way through.
"Gotta protect the house!" she muttered, beginning to draw a red spell circle with her finger. Lilith conjured a jet of icy cold water to knock Evelyn off her feet, but the other witch revealed that she'd been using her heel to draw another spell circle in the ground, causing a rock to suddenly rise up from the garden soil and block the jet. At the same moment, Philip used his newly gifted Angelic Magic to draw a spell circle and create a javelin of light magic, which he tossed at Evelyn's head. She responded by releasing her Palisman from the end of her staff, and the red buzzard coated itself in red magic and flew at the javelin, destroying it at the cost of being knocked to the ground with a squawk of pain. Evelyn's eyes widened, not expecting Philip to have such power, but she shrugged it off and completed her spell.
Red runes suddenly appeared on the stone walls surrounding Evelyn's property, and similar runes appeared on the boundary between the garden and the cottage. The runes then extended up into the sky, forming a pair of immensely powerful red barriers that protected the cottage from spells, and kept Luz and her companions inside the garden, unable to escape.
"I can sense the magic of those barriers without even trying! They are incredibly dense with magic! How did she produce two barriers of such strength!?" Lilith cried.
Evelyn smirked; "I'm not a weakling! I carefully enchanted my property over the course of months, and now the protective barriers draw from the Titan's own magic! Even the stolen powers of the glyphs are no use against them!"
Philip scowled and decided to test this by creating a stream of fire and blasting it towards the cottage. Evelyn made no attempts to stop it, and the flames splashed harmlessly against the barrier, not even causing it to shimmer. She smirked knowingly; "You see? Unlike some people, I'm not a liar!"
"Fine, then I'll destroy everything else instead!" Philip declared, drawing a large spell circle and creating a huge ball of fire. "Lady Luz, take to the skies where you'll be safe!"
Luz, still stunned by the sudden descent into violence, obeyed and flew up into the air, with Eda and Lilith joining her with their staves. Evelyn saw her flying, apparently without a staff, and wondered if this was because of her hidden angelic wings. She wasn't left wandering for long, as Luz altered her Concealment Stone to reveal one pair of her wings, as well as her white hair. However, Evelyn sensed that the stone was still hiding something, though she didn't have time to think on what as Philip completed his spell.
"Burn, you witch!" he roared, throwing the giant fireball at his feet and causing waves of fire to spread through the garden, destroying everything it touched. Philip himself was protected by a coating of ice he'd created while the others were focused on the barrier, but the rest of Evelyn's garden was reduced to ashes.
In a flash, Evelyn snapped her fingers and summoned her Palisman back to her side, then sank the bottom of the staff deep into the soil at her feet just as the waves were coming towards her. She disappeared behind the flames, and when they died down (revealing a field of ash where flowers and herbs had once been), there was no sign of Evelyn.
Luz and the Clawthorne Sisters landed back on the ground, the former looking around forlornly at what remained of the once beautiful garden. Philip saw her expression and said; "Chin up, Lady Luz. The battle isn't over yet; there's no chance that evil creature died so easily!"
As if to prove his point, a hand suddenly shot out of the ashes at Philip's feet and grasped his ankle tightly enough to shatter his icy protection and crack the bone. He screamed and fell on his backside as the owner of the wrist rose from the ground, revealed to be an Abomination made of mud. Lilith swung her staff at it, coating Corvanc with magic to turn him into a magic glaive to take the Abomination's head clean off. The head splattered to the ground, then both it and the Abomination's body began to glow and swell.
Luz had seen this before while practicing with Amity, and reacted fast. She coated her right leg in wind and kicked the Abomination between the legs, sending it flying high into the air with a powerful updraft, whilst using her left hand to fire one of her Aurora Beams at the head, freezing it solid. The head cracked and fell apart as whatever magic inside it stopped working, while the body of the creature exploded against the roof of the barrier. It sent mud raining down on them all, but Eda casually made a barrier to keep them from getting splattered.
Five more Mud Abominations rose from beneath the ashes around the group and began lumbering towards them. Eda cast a spell on the patch of ground that the first one had emerged from, as Luz's wind kick had removed the ash and exposed the earth, giving her a clear target to make one of her Hooty Golems. The Golem slammed its way through the torso of two of the Abominations instantly, while Lilith drew a green spell circle with her foot and then stomped down, causing the ash to be absorbed into the soil by a wave of green magic, which then caused grass to sprout from the entire garden, once again turning it into a verdant paradise. The grass tangled the feet of the remaining three Abominations, and Lilith further demonstrated her plant magic by causing roots to rise from the ground and impale them.
Luz, seeing that her Mom and Aunt had things under control, knelt down and cast a healing spell on Philip's ankle. The man opened his mouth to thank her, then saw a flash of light from a corner of the garden and suddenly grabbed Luz's shoulders and shoved her away. This may have saved her life, as the flash of light was the creation of an intense red beam of magic, which shot directly through where Luz's head had just been. It missed her and hit the wall surrounding the garden, melting a five inch wide hole directly through it.
"She's invisible!" Philip yelled, pulling an ice glyph from his pocket and triggering it with a spark of magic, resulting in a massive blizzard being blasted in the direction the beam had come from. The intense snow clung to the invisible form of Evelyn, revealing she had hidden herself and then taken flight with her staff to avoid leaving footprints in the ash.
Upon seeing Evelyn, Luz transformed the light sword she was still wielding into a spear, which she tossed at her leg. The witch tried creating an eruption of flame to both destroy the blizzard and the spear, but she only succeeded in the former, wiping out all the snow (and a good deal of the grass that had grown beneath her) whilst sustaining a hole in her leg from Luz's spear.
"Argh! Titan Damn it!" Evelyn cursed, dismissing her invisibility as she floated higher with her staff. She reached into her dress and pulled out a purple stone, but whatever she had planned for it didn't work, much to her frustration.
"Why won't my spirit answer my call!?" she growled under her breath.
"Oracle Spirits won't work around an Angel! You might as well give up now if that's the last trick up your sleeve!" Eda boasted.
Evelyn scowled as she turned to look at Luz; so the girl was why her spirit didn't answer? No matter; she was no one trick pony! Still sitting on her staff, she whistled to her Palisman and it began to fly her around the garden on its own, while she began casting a different spell in each hand. Her left hand created a deep blue spell circle that began to heal the wound from Luz's spell, while the right hand create a yellow spell circle that began transmuting the blood spilled from her wound into a cyan coloured liquid that she flicked at Luz and Philip. Luz blocked the liquid with a crystal barrier, then gasped as it began to eat through her defences at remarkable speed.
Lilith saw this and immediately identified it; "A Null Magic Potion! It dispels any magic it touches and will stop you casting spells if it touches your bare skin! I've never met someone who can transmute it!"
Evelyn smirked proudly; "I ingested all the ingredients necessary to make it, so trace elements are in my blood stream. My potions spell just completed the steps needed to brew those elements into a working potion!"
Luz, Eda, and Lilith were all impressed, though they didn't have long to be amazed as the Mud Abominations they'd impaled earlier began to swell rapidly. The Clawthorne Sisters moved their roots and Hooty Golem high into the air so the Abominations wouldn't hurt them when they exploded, but to their horror, the Abominations instead caught fire as a swarm of Fire Bees emerged from each one. The expansion hadn't been the work of a bomb spell, but rather the awakening of the dormant Fire Bees Evelyn had placed inside the Abominations.