1. |
Which Witch Two
03:50
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“I want a good, clean fight!”
Grub asks “got it? Alright?
No tail slaps girls- no bites!”
Kat and Astrid grasp their stones and prepare for their daily bout
Kat tries to maintain her focus as from the sidelines Grub shouts
“Whoever loses has to do all my chores for the next week!”
Astrid calls back “in your dreams!” without missing a beat
Then she blasts a fireball at Kat
But it’s snuffed in the air- “you better do better than that!”
Then by earth and water Kat fires mud at her foe
But Astrid’s lighting reflexes render the blast too slow
Forces of nature- taken on human form
Now second nature- each girl is her own storm
Five elements conjured within-
Fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind
Become the danger- or it becomes your end
Astrid fights back frustration, elects determination
She shows her fire stone to Kat and gaudily prepares to attack
To void the spell Kat holds her own fire stone behind her back
Her sleight of hand successful, Astrid casts a waterfall
Earth gem in her other hand, Kat can’t defend at all
The wave slams Kat down into the mat
Astrid grabs her volt gem to end the combat
But Kat predicts Astrid’s plan, and
Defends- a volt gem gleams in her raised hand
Astrid fights back frustration, elects determination
She and Kat both share a common foundation
Both know witch battles like the back of their hands
Which they see often casting lightning or sands
Moreso they know each other- know weaknesses, although
They’ve also learned to predict and prevent decisive blows
Kat is proud as they both grow
And new techniques are mastered
But Astrid the elder feels entitled to grow much faster
As Kat recovers Astrid slaps the volt stone from her hand
Kat is caught quite off guard- this wasn’t part of her plan
Astrid has won the match as Kat is unable to defend
Not too rare an occurrence, though Kat herself seldom wins
Kat grins and says “good job!” Astrid says “thanks, you too!”
Ghael says “now stick around- this evening I’ve got work for you”
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2. |
Til Stigmas Cease
03:02
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Ghael gathers the gang
“Seems a witch from Boraea
Has brought trouble to Bristol’s bustle
Seems whispers are growing louder
We must prevent a public tussle
"We have reason to believe she plans to burn a barracks down
Her motives are beyond me but we can’t let her turn this town
"I helped to save this kingdom all those years ago
A fact that damn near every Ellurian knows
"Still Phoebe takes in new girls each year
Off-colored eyes dumped off with their peers
We must preserve what respect remains here
We must stop this witch- we must persevere!
"Things could be better for us, but I have seen far worse
For our kin we fight to prevent what we could not reverse
"A certain man who joined the king’s army at a young age
Prone to outrage, he seems eager to engage
The King’s Right Hand- the strongest man in this kingdom
Fought his way up the ranks- all saw him overcome
If we spite him we might succumb
"Although past misdeeds can never be undone
I will break each thread of the web they have spun”
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3. |
Steadfast Outcast
03:20
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The suspect block is scoured
Their mark is found in mere hours
A twenty-something with hair pulled to a single braid
Even outnumbered, she looks far from afraid
“Since you just barged right in” she says
“I will take you for foes”
Grub says “I forgot my boots but, yeah
We’re here to step on toes”
“I heard about you three” she says “and figured we would meet
But I didn’t expect that it would take less than a week”
“We’ve eyes and ears” says Astrid “up and down these streets
Come willingly, or brace yourself for defeat!”
Kat says “wait, let’s back up” and asks her for her name
“It might be wasted on your tongue
Now wouldn’t that be a shame?
Katrina the kind-hearted, and Astrid the dexterous
I don’t need your sentiments
Let’s just see if you’re worth all the fuss”
She raises her right hand, eager to make her stand
A barrage of icicles erupts out from within her palm
Grub darts off behind cover
Kat and Astrid split right and left and manage to keep their calm
Their foe is from the frigid Mistral Mountains of northern Elluryah
They’ve seen spells like this before
Specialized water magic conceived in Boraea
Kat and Astrid prove to be worth their salt
The first round is concise and well fought
“We’ve heard what you are planning
But what could you be thinking?
Witches sail stormy waters- we must fight to keep from sinking”
“You and Astrid are just kids- fighting for a lost cause
Sharks tirelessly follow with ever-open jaws”
“Sharks frenzy when there’s blood- which you intend to spill”
“I’m not afraid of sharks- because I’m not afraid to kill”
“We will not let you undo everything that we’ve fought for”
Astrid chimes in “I’ve heard enough- it’s time for an encore”
“Two-on-one is hardly fair” a voice from the entrance declares
But then if I step in, the two of you can’t hope to fare”
“About time you got back- these are the ones we heard about”
The rival witches square up and prepare to go all out
Gems gripped tight, it’s time to fight
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4. |
Chill for a Spell
04:00
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Two new witches in town, of no renown
That won’t be talked down
Clearly they’ve thought up a plot and will not leave unfought
Won’t turn around, no, they’ll rebound
Gems grasped, ready to cast
Introductions passed, don’t even ask
Number Two sprays flames at Kat
But Kat sways and stays a ways away from that
Number One, not to be outdone
Fires ice but Astrid’s able to outrun
Astrid and Kat now both up to bat
Kat thinks of rain and Astrid of the sun
Two’s flames are drowned; One’s ice is seared down
Kat counters with mud but it thuds to the ground
Astrid throws a quick kick; Number One is disarmed
But she smirks, unharmed- clearly not alarmed
Something about this fight
Just doesn’t sit quite right
Two halves of a single soul
Subverting its own goal
One shows Astrid two empty palms
Composed and calm, has she already withdrawn?
But then she casts ice again
Was it stored within? And if not, what then?
Astrid, perplexed, left with no time to check
She avoids the vertex but she feels the effects
Cuts on her calves cut her speed in half
What strange, arcane powers does One have?
Two is in trouble, as Kat casts in doubles
Throws her own spells and turns Two’s to puddles
A frantic stone swap botched- Two’s gem dropped
Kat waits “pick it up, or be smart and just stop”
But Kat’s kindness is also her blindness
Two finds her mindless, and swaps stones behind this
Her barrage of snow may blow quite slow
But Kat, surprised, is pinned as the pile grows
One says “even with no stone I can cast my ice spells
My friend here will soon obtain this power as well”
Astrid can no longer run due to her freezing pain
She too is pinned under snow, her struggling is in vain
“Withered old Ghael can’t offer the special skills I’ve got
We could kill both of you right now, but on second thought-
If you want true power find us, we’ll let you meet the seer
Oh, my name’s Nora and Shina is the new recruit here”
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5. |
Arcana Profane
03:12
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The gang explains everything to Ghael
She is surprised- displeased that her students could fail
Astrid describes Nora’s skill to cast without a stone
Ghael is skeptical for such power is unknown
Arcana profane
Days pass, rumors amass
The girls can’t help but feel outclassed
But Ghael keeps them steadfast
Fight to forego this forecast
Spells blast, limits are passed
The girls won’t again be surpassed
No, Ghael keeps them steadfast
Fight to forego this forecast
Grub’s commentary lightens things when they’re too heavy
“Hey, I’ll take them next time I just wasn’t ready
Remember in Shinrin I showed that thug my true power”
Kat recalls “Oh and Astrid still owes me a purple flower!”
But danger remains
Ghael keeps the girls focused on their own progress
Grub does his best to keep them free from distress
But Astrid isn’t receptive- rather she is obsessed
Grub feels there’s something that she’s keeping repressed
Ghael says next time Kat will be the one to face Nora
“Your skills are better suited to contest her rare aura”
Astrid trades sleep for study
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6. |
The Setting Obscene
04:00
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The smell of blood is so thick they can taste it
“Whatever went on here- someone’s erased it”
Garth had seen a few scenes just like this before
Wade was warned but not quite prepared for
A dozen robed men felled by blades
Now twenty-four pieces left on display
A slaughter expertly carried out
Not one slash wasted, no timely bout
Stranger still-
Money and valuables lie on the floor
Clearly not what the swords had come for
And it seems they left nothing at all
Aside from a fresh coat of paint on the wall
Garth tells Wade that it’s been a few years
But he’s seen this group’s work in the past
“These robe guys though- guess they’re new here”
“Too bad there’s no one left to ask”
Wade asks Garth what they should do
Garth replies “I know nothing more than you
Maybe our seer will find us a clue”
And then adds “It’s beyond my purview
“What has become of this mighty kingdom?
She is diseased, I can see the symptoms
Warriors unwilling to fight for our king
Some unwilling to fight for anything
“Witches and mages wield such power but
They didn’t earn a single thing that they’ve got
And then with their gifts, undeservingly dealt
They seek only to serve themselves
It makes me sick!”
Garth continues “who were these guys in the robes?
I don’t have a clue but clearly someone out there knows
Someone killed Silver but no one seems to know who
Imagine the damage monsters like these could do!
"Now two witches and a mage have come down from up north
Straight to the back alleys according to reports
Spellcasters, demonslayers
These robed men, and those with blades
I’ll collect answers or heads, mark my words, Wade!”
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7. |
Kat and Mouse
03:36
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Finally a lead brings the gang to their marks
“You don’t look ready to fall in” Nora remarks
Behind the barracks- Garth just beyond the wall
Kat urges “please, there’s no need for a brawl”
But before Nora can respond, Astrid charges towards Shina
Lightning drawing her path across the arena
Shina is struck and stunned, Astrid leaps for a side kick
But Nora knocks her from her path with a blast of snow so thick
That it can’t be from a stone alone
Kat does what she must and counters with fire
Nora turns the intensity up even higher
An avalanche roaring from her hands
Kat conjures combustion the best that she can
A fire stone in each hand and pushing her limits
Both girls can withstand but neither can win it
The struggle rages on
Kat shouts out “this has to end now
We need to talk this out somehow
If we leave the streets battered and charred
Then we reopen healing scars
"I can’t claim to understand your goals
But I know the bruises on your souls
I’ll drop my stones, remove all doubt
I don’t want to fight, I want to help you out”
Shina sheds a tear, then her stones
Nora raises her hands “guess I fight alone”
Astrid blindsides Shina, she falls out cold
Kat’s heart sinks as things unfold
Just then Garth rounds the corner
“Now take a look at this-
A secret coven? But, oh! Something’s amiss?”
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8. |
Mismatch / Impact
04:01
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Garth scans the scene- looks down his nose
On his face the day’s last light glows
Over a sea of shadows
“Three of you belong to Ghael
Two of you I’ve never seen
I’ve heard you’re from up north
And here to achieve something obscene”
Nora’s eyes dart around- in the path where she could flee
An ally of Garth stands, bow drawn and ready
Kat stands distraught with no means to defend
If Nora takes her out maybe it would distract her friends
Quickly she starts to charge
And blast icicle shards
Grub hops in front of Kat, his dinky shield grasped tight
It absorbs most of the blow, seems they’ll both be alright
Nora raises a hand at Wade, shouts “move, let me get by!”
Wade stays so she blasts ice
But takes an arrow through the thigh
She and Wade both go down, Garth moves to check on Wade
Astrid moves in on Nora, Garth screams aloud- outraged
Nora asks Astrid “what could you gain from this fight?
I gained power beyond yours- no longer finite”
“But your plan will put all witches under attack”
“The stigma will never cease- we may as well fight back”
Garth rises and tells Astrid “you get out of my way
Because I don’t mind crushing you too
Should you decide to stay”
His hundred-pound warhammer held high above his head
He charges Nora- Astrid darts away just as he said
Nora blasts a barrage of ice with force enough to kill
But Garth’s royal armor deflects it all and he charges still
The hammer falls with unreal force
Bones shatter, she screams- the sound of sheer remorse
Her left leg battered into an unfamiliar shape
Grub blocks Kat’s view- she sits wide eyed with mouth agape
The hammer rises again- Nora has no hope of getting away
Astrid looks away as Grub shouts
“That’s enough, you got her, okay?”
Garth seems to be unphased
Enraged, it seems that he’s crazed
With a shout he swings his hammer, Nora closes her eyes
When “don’t do it!” Wade calls out, much to Nora’s surprise
Garth stops, looks back to Wade- sees that he is okay
Tells Nora she may live, but live to regret this day
“And to you three under Ghael- if you ever hinder me
Remember your friend here- you might be this lucky”
Nora tells the gang “thanks- we didn’t plan your role
But I think you’ve lead my group even closer to our goal”
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9. |
At Sixes and Sevens
05:02
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Roots that intertwine bind to their common ground
But will variables find each one unbound?
Dissonance within brought about from without
But will dichotomy prove the only route?
Upon being briefed on the way that the evening unfolded
Ghael is outraged that her gang couldn’t better control it
“Kat, I had you fight Nora because you’re stronger than Astrid
But I guess it’s wasted if pleading and crying is all you did”
Astrid chimes in “I won the last time that we sparred
And I beat my mark tonight yet Kat’s held in higher regard?”
Ghael says “just like tonight, Kat’s always holding back
If you were as good as you think then you’d be able to see that
I’m off to meet with Ghenim
Come Grub, we need to go”
“You could show them the slightest bit of sympathy, you know?”
Grub remarks as he and Ghael head out the door
Then adds “is this not the first time they’ve ever failed before?”
“I am a trainer, Grub- I am not a mother
We aren’t all here to coddle one another”
“Well I’d argue that you’re both
You can support without spoiling, you know?”
“I’ll leave that stuff up to you
You’re great with Kat, at one time Astrid too”
“She and I have grown apart, sometimes her actions worry me”
“Astrid does what she must, I can’t say that I agree”
Back home the girls sit alone, Kat’s not sure what to say
When Astrid asks “is it true? Do you spar with me that way?”
Telling a lie is something Kat could never do
“It’s just that winning matters so much more to you”
“You know I’d be stronger if you’d not been benign
Your special gift makes you strong, while I am left behind”
“When I’ve won in the past, you’d often be upset”
“For a moment, but experience is a valuable asset”
“When you knocked my stone away
You won for real, you know?”
“How great for me- for a single day
I escaped from your shadow”
Astrid quietly leaves the house, Kat retreats to their room
Tries to come up with a plan but disappointment looms
Echoes of the evening resound in Astrid’s mind
Perceived ineptitude has her stuck in a bind
Ghael and Grub meet Ghenim under the veil of dark
To discuss, for one, what Nora meant by her last remark
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10. |
Peril Impending
04:36
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Ghael and Grub meet up with Ghenim
To discuss the state of things with him
Robed figures slaughtered, rogue witches employed
The peace they’ve enjoyed may soon be destroyed
Ghael and Ghenim some twenty years ago
Helped defeat Elluryah’s unsurpassed greatest foes
A group of cultists with some bizarre skills
Who nearly bent the entire kingdom to their will
Grub asks “so, you think that they’re back?”
Ghael responds “it’s too soon to say that
But who hired witches to burn the barracks?
Was murder the goal, or hysterics?
“Garth knows now it was their plan
Rousing news- insane man
He only does good as he is told
An earthquake just barely controlled”
Ghenim is no less displeased
“Garth brings naught but unease
“They murdered our late king, but Garth kept the prince alive
A child charmed by his savior- his Right Hand had arrived
“Garth is loyal to our king, and cares greatly for his men
Hate to admit he’s an asset if they should rise again”
Ghael chimes in “so foe of a foe is a friend?
Let him become a martyr- then everybody wins
“Don’t forget what I turned down
Because Garth became the King’s Right Hand”
Grub says “you say that but
Would you follow orders from some other man?”
Ghenim butts in “as I recall,
You didn’t want to join our army at all”
Ghael looks away and says “fine,
But truly Garth had me even more appalled
“The question stands- are we prepared if they should return?
Despite the mines collapsed and literature burned
They swore that when we grew weak they would be back
Can we defend ourselves and counterattack?
“My girls are in need of more training
Their powers grow, but time is waning
I’ll make them stronger, days will grow longer
They’ll be our best defense against the warmongers”
Grub says “just don’t forget you’re discussing people here
They aren’t weapons, and they could choose to disappear”
Ghenim nods and adds “and you mentioned the mines
I’ll ask the king to have them checked one last time
And hope that we find only peace of mind”
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Unicorn Hole Lexington, South Carolina
Nintendocore artist from Lexington, SC. Uhole is Lawrence Nelson.
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