Mi

Misty returned to see everyone on Flame and her team sitting on their hands while the Minotaur scolded them.She thanked her stars she got out while she could. “Crazy… Reprehensible… Loony…”

She listened as Nike seemed to gain a larger vocabulary the longer as he lectured them. She half expected him to start giving “School-house equations.” That was the phrase right? She hadn’t pressed Rhodney when he had used that comparison during the conversations in their group of friends.

Navy had been getting a bit too in-depth on basket-weaving and knots.

The boy used such silly metaphors.

The minotaur was wrapping up Flame’s horn in a thing of bandages pulled from… somewhere? She honestly wasn’t sure.

“To injure another demon's horn is dangerous, wind girl. Of course he attacked you,” he scolded harshly.

The Minotaur ran damage control on Flame, telling the boy to suck it up and that it wasn’t so bad.

Little good it was doing.

Flame, on the surface, had recovered. He showed the minotaur it was okay and that he felt better, but it only went skin deep.

Whenever the Minotaur would walk away to go wrap more bandages on other imps, he’d give the lesser death glances. Which prompted a gesture from Rhodney that she’d never seen before.

It looked… disrespectful.

Navy caught on and gave more secret gestures of his own, Showing two pinkies to the boy. Smokey and Torrent joined in which prompted… not too good of a reaction.

Flame’s mouth billowed with smoke and Misty feared he was going to blow their heads off.

“Oi…Oi! If any of you kids start fighting again I’m bringing out the paddle!”

The hell did that mean…

The minotaur fumed as she walked up to him. Being hyper focused on finishing treating the kids wounds. Misty wondered why the Minoutar hadn’t just ordered Rhodney to heal the kids, but maybe it would be unfair.

This was a test and a lack of magic could be a huge disadvantage. Misty walked up to the minotaur. “Um, sir, can I start now?”

She asked, using the honorific that Rhodney taught her.

The minotaur immediately swung around, angered flames in his eyes.

Then his look softened, looking down and realizing it was her. He looked down at her pink skin and round horns and said, “In a second lass…” in a far softer tone than she’d heard from him before. He patted her on the head in a caring way, then continued his commute.

…That was weird.

She walked up to the ten imps sitting in a circle, now devolved into making mocking noises as they sat in their cold war. Smokey stuck his long tongue out at the bigger female on Flame’s team, who responded with even louder noises.

Jeez.

“Rhodney,” she called. He looked over and turned over to her. “Could you… tell me what to do?” She’d been slowly noticing how his abilities worked.

Healing and making things much stronger than normal. That commanding yell he gave Navy had given him a pinch when things got dire.

She wasn’t sure how draining it would be on him. All Rhodney’s magic seemed to suck the life out of him, but this particular time he didn’t seem that fussed.

He may have just been good at hiding it. Sometimes she’d try to hide how weak she was so her friends didn’t think less of her.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” She quickly added. “I just…”

Confidence.

Speak your mind.

The reason you respect Rhodney and ‘begrudgingly’ Navy is because they’re so stable.

Think about how they did it in your mind.

Then just… Do.

She breathed in, and squeezed her hands like Rhodney would.

“I… We need to win. I… don’t think we’re actually screwed.”

“Wait…What?” Rhodney tried to get up to try and speak. The goat man automatically spun his head on a dime and hissed at the boy, flames burning in his eyes. causing him to immediately sit back on his hands.

Flame broke in a laugh and pointed at him, but was met with the same hissing head.

“...Scary…” Flame muttered.

“Well… What’s your plan?” Rhodney asked.

Misty started to pace while talking. “In the forest, I figured out how to do something that gives me strength for a short period of time. While that already would be enough for a pig, I'm not confident in my ability to aim…” She was honest, she told him about her shortcomings.

She really wanted to get three members of her team to win this and this was the first time she felt like she was actually a factor.

After she was done spewing all that information onto her team members, Rhodney sat quietly in thought. Navy looked over to him and asked, “Could you do it again? The command thing?”

Rhodney thought for a while. He stared into space and subtly, they saw his blessing tattoo glow green.

He searched his mind palace and knocked over books, dusting off the old and trying to get to the new books. Upon entering, he searched and ran through everything he’d been through that day.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

From Misty’s point of view, they just watched as his blessing took hold of him. Piloting his body and making his eyes flick as he thought like he’d never thought before.

A flash of his eye.

He’s caught it.

Rhodney looked up and nodded.

“Are you sure?” Navy asked, giving Smokey a slight side eye.

…

Nike placed the pig down onto the field. Misty heard and felt the slight autumn breeze ruffle the blue trees.

The pig wasn’t as docile as the one Smokey and Torrent had received. It was a beast of a monster that even had a black tattoo running down the side of its head.

The beast snorted and snarled at Nike as put it down. The only reason Misty thought it didn’t attack was probably because it’d be a losing battle. She heard Nike silently mumble to the beast. Speaking in hushed tones.

He could speak pig??

The pig slowly nodded ‘begrudgingly’ and turned to her.

It probably thought it had good chances as it sized her up. Her weedy frame, smaller than average size and her rounded out thick horns attached to her head.

And her wide eyes dilated with fear.

Misty would probably like her own chances. Misty shook like a scared animal, making herself look even more enticing as she counted down the seconds.

Cmon… Wait.

She grabbed one of her three javelins strapped to her back and continued her shakes. The pig snorted happily at its future meal. It licked its lips. Its sharp tusks shined with light as it assumed that it was going to eat good tonight.

This time, very real sweat beat down her face as she squeezed her spear. Her act of trembling turned easy because she was scared. Her legs betrayed her and shook her more than what she planned for.

“You’re scared because you want to succeed,” Rhodney whispered into her ear, “Just perform,”

“And what if I fail?”

“...” Rhodney’s silence made her look once more at the tusks of the pig. They gleaned even brighter as the clock hit twenty five seconds.

“Don’t,” he ordered with supernatural power.

The pig charged across the field. Excitement and hungry looks in its eyes as it charges. It soaked the ground with a slobbery tongue hung from its gaping mouth like a dragging paint brush.

Misty aimed her javelin and focused. Steam swirled around her body as she forced herself to remember. She breathed in and out like Navy had taught her.

She was no Navy or Rhodney, she lacked the ability to have knowledge from the sky’s above or search her mind for wisdom and knowledge that could pierce the world.

But there was something she was good at.

She hung her javelin aloft, and began to spin.

“What are you doing!”

She didn’t answer, continuing her spin. Rumbles' body appeared in her mind and she saw it. The way he held that rock. That method he’d used to destroy the scarecrow. She may have not been able to shoot fire, or earth, or wind.

But she could certainly take an example.

FWISH!

She didn't let go and Slams! the pig in the face. Blood gushes from the pig's body as the wooden tool breaks off into pieces on its hide.

With roaring tenacity, the pig charges at her again.

Misty turns on a dime and; she kicks into a side step, and watches with calculating intent as the pig hangs in the air.

The world goes black, and it’s just the three of them.

Its mouth headed directly toward Rhodney. Its mouth is opened wide and headed toward her friend. She watches the thoughts. The shock. The freezing. The miscalculation. An error. She should’ve said more, she should’ve… Now they were going to… Rhodney was a hair's breadth away from sending this pig sky high.

Green light flicked along his clenched hand.

Flashes of the worst case scenarios appeared in her head as she held her javelin. Rhodney killed it with a blast that disqualified her attempt. Misty missing her now imperative shot, or…

No–

Rhodney holding up his arm.

He held in his scream as the sound of teeth broke flesh,

His eyes glowed.

“FIGHT!!!” He roared.

Misty clocked her arm back and pushed all of her energy to her back and arm. Her arm shook and waved in the air as the lance rocketed from her arm.

SLAM!

The pig wobbled in the air as the lance ripped it from her companion's arm. The pig was sent streaming straight into a tree.

In less than a second it, Popped!

It spread into a pile of meat and viscera as the javelin and tree met like a sandwich.

Misty heard Nike scream in jubilation as she rushed over to Rhodney. “Gods! Are you ok?” She asked, as the stomps approached. Rhodney grit his teeth as he clutched his arm.

He looked like he wanted to say a million other things, but just nodded with a slight smile on his face. Green healing magic coursed through his body and slowly healed his wounds.

As Misty watched his wounds start to pull themselves back together, she was suddenly scooped off the ground by a giant hand.

“THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!” Nike screamed in his ear as he danced with Misty in his hands. Gentle heat came from his hands as he held her entire body in there. The old goat gave her a look of pride that was…

Shocking, to be sure. “I shouldn’t have doubted you, you were amazing!” He yelled. “Using a brute’s power this early, you really are–”

She looks him in the eyes as he cuts himself off. Realizing where they were. Misty has a look of slight happiness and confusion. Happiness as she’d been praised, confusion as the man cut himself off.

“I’m what?” She said in a giggle.

“...”

The man slowly puts her down and pats her head again. “I’ll tell you when you’re older, lass…” He said to misty. She nods, and runs back to her group.

They exploded into cheers for her. The adoration nourished her like water. It’s wonderful. She smiles happily and begins to cry,

“Stop being a cry baby! You actually did it!” Torrent yells.

“So much for failing with style…” Smokey says…

They were happy tears this time.

—-----

Yawwwwnn.

That was a good nap. The Cradle had never been this quiet. Usually he had to sneak in small naps when the others had run low on energy, but now.

Nobody was here.

The more observant of the imps had given him weird looks as they walked out of the cradle. He chuckled to himself.

Idiots.

Who’d lose the opportunity for some good peace and quiet. The tree’s roots gingerly hung down next to him, giving him another fruit.

“Thanks Plum, you get me.” He’d named the Tree after the purple fruits it provided to him. Regardless of the fact that they weren’t plums…

What were plums?

Eh?

Who cares?

He grabbed the eggplant shaped fruit and greedily snacked on its juicy body. It was sooo juicy. It filled his body with a rush up his spine that he could easily get addicted too.

“More,” The shadow boy beckoned the root for more, and the root tilted itself as a dog would its head. “More fruit,” The boy asked.

The little root looked down sadly, saying without words that it had run out.

“Four’s your limit per day?”

The root nodded.

The shadow boy stared at it, before laying back with his hands behind his head. “It’s okay,” The Shadow said, “I don’t like working either.”

He closed his eyes and relaxed. They sat together, relaxing in the cool autumn wind.

“Hey,” he stated leadingly.

The root turned.

“You want to try something?” he drawled, a smirk crawled across his face.