Chapter 3

  Let's Get the Party Back Together!

  Knock, knock, knock.

  “Mmph...”

  “Excuse me,” Mia opened the bedroom door, “My King?”

  “...Yes?” answered a tired old voice from beneath the covers.

  “It is time for breakfast. Will you be joining your family or would you like to eat separately later?”

  “Mm… later,” the King murmured, still half asleep.

  “Sleep well, Your Majesty.”

  The door closed.

  At ten in the morning, King Solaris finally woke up. He ate breakfast alone in the dining room with only Mia helping him and the birds chirping outside. It was a long and empty room; his family had already started their obligations for the day. Gia had prepared breakfast for him: pork sausage, potatoes, and eggs, with a loaf of sourdough on the side. It was delicious, as usual, and he thanked her and the rest of the kitchen staff for the meal. Once he was finished, the King requested to be brought straight to the library to continue his research.

  The double doors opened to Izzy in the middle of sipping a cup of tea and reading a book with telekinesis magic.

  “Sol, you've returned!” the owl set down his things.

  “As promised,” he smiled.

  “Right then, I'll go on ahead and setup those books again for you.”

  The same three prospective books from yesterday flew out from underneath the counter and landed back on the table in exactly the same position.

  "Thank you, Izzy," the King said.

  “You're welcome,” he answered, then levitated an owl head tea kettle and a matching cup and plate into the air. “Would you like some tea too? I just made some.”

  “What type?”

  “Geneesian Breakfast.”

  “Caffinated?”

  “Very.”

  “Yes, that would be fantastic, thank you.”

  “Sure.”

  The tea kettle carefully poured the liquid gold out from its beak into the cup, which met the King just as he arrived at the table with Mia’s help. She bend down and read the first books' title.

  “Mioga?” she said, “You practice mioga, My King?”

  “Not at the moment,” he shook his head.

  “I heard it's very helpful at easing your emotions. Matter of fact, doesn't one of your old party members do it?"

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “Uh," Mia contemplated, "I think I read it in a newspaper, but I'm not too sure.”

  “Mm,” the King nodded briefly, then reached for the second book: Strategies to Help Maximize Your Healing Effectiveness.

  Immediately after King Solaris flipped to the first page, he was met with quite a jump-scare of the medical variety! It had a painting of the author, Saint Syra, using healing magic on a man split in half length-wise; zipping him up with a big thumbs up and a smile. It was incredibly graphic and unbelievably shocking; enough so that if I were to really describe it, then I'd be legally required to insert a warning at the beginning of this book. Any mentally sound individual would scrunge in disgust, which is exactly what the owl and the King did. Luckily they had their magically reinforced psychic defenses up, otherwise they'd end up on the floor like the maid next to them; passed out.

  The King briefly stared at her before saying, “You better take her to the infirm—”

  “Already on it,” the owl replied, partway through the library doors, having cast telekinesis on Mia's body.

  The King reluctantly gazed back at the book laid out in front of him and turned the page. Yup, there was another graphic image, this time of Saint Syra healing the skin back onto the face of a third-degree burn victim. He felt his mouth fill with vomit before he swallowed it back down and shuttered with an “Ooo.”

  On the third page the King came prepared. Immediately, he used his hand to cover any semblance of a picture or diagram, reading only the text underneath. But page after page, eventually, like a cat, his curiosity got the best of him. He sneaked a peek, lifting the bottom of his hand slightly. A boner most foul. Upon seeing the picture, his tongue unraveled like a red carpet; its celebrities: his eyes. Even the greatest of psychic defenses stood no chance against such a crime against humanity--no, such visual stimulation transcended humanity. Before him was a transgression against life itself, localized entirely within a picture on a fucking medical book.

  It seemed as though this so-called “Saint” had a fetish for healing people in extremely gory and disturbing situations. Well, either that, or he was clerically insane. Regardless, the information presented was helpful for learning general healing magic (rest in peace to any clerics in training), but unfortunately, after the King spent the whole day reading (quickly becoming the world record holder for the Insanity% speedrun in the process), there was nothing on these cursed pages related to fixing his bad back. Reconnecting a severed spine after a marching band incident? Sure. Healing chronic back pain? No.

  “As if that makes any sense,” the King thought. “Scholars have always stated our magic system is plagued with inconsistencies. You have to wonder if whoever is in charge up there actually put very much thought into it.”

  And, as if the Creator was listening, Solaris Solaris received a flash of divine intervention; a video of a twenty-something year old man staring into his monitor, laughing while typing the response:

  No.

  Then the most wondrous of music serenaded his ears by the surprise, paired with a vision of heavenly clouds, otherworldly angels, and a mass of impossibly complex feathers interlaced with eyes; unveiling a... humongous middle finger.

  That night, the King updated his wife and son on his progress. It looked like the third book would have to be his saving grace if he had any hope of finding a cure. Phoenix was put-off after hearing about what images appeared in the Saint's book, however Veris sounded incredibly intrigued; laying on her side in their bed staring intently at the King describing them. Not surprising, considering she was a fully fledged demon and she wielded blood magic. This sort of thing was right up her alley.

  The next day began roughly the same. The King found himself in the library with Veris this time, who immediately grabbed the Saint’s book and began reading it while sat cross-legged on a comfy leather chair in the corner.

  “Ooo! Aah!” She was making sounds as if she was in the middle of a fireworks display. At one point she even turned the book sideways, probably because of the dreadful two-page spread of the woman who—well, I'll leave it to your imagination.

  “Don’t you have a demonic castle to run?” King Solaris wondered.

  “Ooo—oh?” She looked up at him. “Uh, I made our daughter take over today. I took a page out of your book, honey. Trust me, she is well equipped to handle a day on the job.”

  “I see.”

  The Demon King continued perusing the contents of her new favorite book, making noises reflecting her fascination every couple of seconds. Izzy came over to the side of the King and leaned into his ear with a whisper.

  “Would you like me to cast Sphere of Silence on her, Sol?”

  The King briefly looked at his enamored wife, then back at the owl.

  “Yes please, if you would.”

  Izzy pointed his right wing at Veris, muttering an incantation which roughly translated to: "Shut up." Then a translucent cube with foamy spikes covering its inside faces briefly appeared and disappeared around her. And over the course of two seconds, her sounds muffled into nothing; blending into the Cosmic Microwave Background Tinnitus. Fortunately, she was too locked-in to notice.

  “Much better," Izzy nodded.

  The King finally opened the third book, Hyper Specific Magics, Magical Artifacts, and the People and Places That Have Them, immediately covering any images that appeared with held breath, probably due to the trauma he incurred yesterday. Once again, his curiosity reared its head and he sneaked a peek, only to realize that this book was safe from any memetic hazards.

  “Hoof,” he breathed out, then shook his head into a ready smile.

  The first image was that of a gnome; the book’s author, Dotus (or 'Dotty' as he liked to be called), wearing a toga and a conical hat. He looked like he was about to go on an adventure, and by the length of the book, he did. Hours went by and the King had to put the thing down. His neck was killing him. He didn't want to end up like that one elf in finances; the one with gamer-neck. The book was so thick it would probably take him three days to read it. So he ended his day in his bedroom, with nothing but the gnome’s whimsical face and annoying catchphrase on his mind.

  On the third day of reading the damn thing, the King turned to not the last entry, nor the second to last entry, but the third to last entry of the book. He had already flipped to the last entry on the first day to see if he was wasting his time, but that didn’t work out. Now looking at the page in front of him, he read through its contents fast and with little care. But as he turned to the next entry, he realized his blunder. Quickly flipping back, his eyes stretched and physically scanned the contents, like an office worker searching for the 'X' on an intrusive pop-op.

  Magical Artifact 241

  The Bad Back Brew

  Description:

  “The Bad Back Brew, or scantly known as the Ultra-Rare Elixir of Chronic Back Pain Destruction by others, does exactly as advertised: it gets rid of chronic back pain. It’s coveted by many, usually the old, but only one was ever concocted using alchemical methods forgotten by all except the Goddess of Alchemy herself. Scriptures say that soon after its creation, it was cast down into the mortal plane to prevent some of the other quarreling old gods from getting their hands on it.”

  Location:

  “Past the Mountains of Musselheim and through the Valley of Dim, lies the Kingdom of Michael. Michael, its king and only resident of the Kingdom, has knowledge of the magical artifact’s location. I personally asked if I could see it over a nice dinner with him, and he gave me a note with the directions. However, he made me sign a non-disclosure agreement, so I can’t write about the location in this book. Sorry! What I can tell you, however, is that the chamber where the brew is housed holds many other concoctions. Make with that what you will, my fellow adventurers. Fungi-fortuam!”

  The King collected his thoughts, before shouting, “Fuck! I wasted my time!”

  “What’s wrong?” Izzy flew over, accidentally knocking a few books off the counter in the process.

  “On the first day I immediately checked the last entry to see if I could find what I was looking for.”

  “Right.”

  “But it wasn’t on THAT one, nor was it on the PENULTIMATE one. It was on the damn ANTEPENULTIMATE one, which I only saw now! Of-fucking-course!” The King facepalmed in frustration.

  “Right…” Izzy stared at him like a fast-food franchise cashier would at a disgruntled customer. “By the sound of your frustration, I’m assuming you did find the cure for your back, yes?”

  “Yes, yes, I did,” the King sighed.

  “YOU DID?” Veris poked her head under his left armpit with a joyous look.

  “WAA!” The King farted in fear, launching off his seat in a five foot vertical. “GENEESUS, VERIS! You almost gave me a myocardial infarction!”

  “Sorry,” she rubbed her left horn shyly.

  “How’d you hear me anyway?”

  “The spell works only one way, Sol,” Izzy replied.

  “Spell?” Veris uttered, confused.

  “Nothing honey,” the King replied, quickly picking up the book and pointing at entry 241’s contents. “It says here that the Bad Back Brew fixes chronic back pain.”

  “That sounds like exactly what you need!” she replied. “Where can we get some?”

  “It suggests that we first travel to the Kingdom of Michael and ask the King of its location.”

  “Hm,” huffed the owl with crossed wings. “That’s quite a ways away from here.”

  “How long?” Veris inquired.

  An abacus flew out from underneath the librarian’s desk and levitated in front of him. He then swiped it and fiddled with its tactile toruses.

  “Factoring in the carriage rides, layovers, difficult terrain, possible encounters with hostile entities…”

  The Kings exchanged glances then returned to the mathematical avian who pushed the calculator in their faces.

  “About two months, plus-minus a day or three. This is without teleporting, of course.”

  “That’s pretty long,” the King replied, leaning back in his chair.

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “And only part of the journey,” the librarian added.

  “Sounds like an adventure!” Veris replied. “Just like our old ones,” she looked at her husband, “Right, honey?”

  “Right,” he nodded.

  “Sol,” the owl interjected. “I know it’s not my position to give advice, but—”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Right. Um, don’t you think it would be wise to dispatch a specialized group of knights and/or adventurers to see the task fulfilled?”

  “Yes,” he nodded.

  “Right then—”

  “But no,” he shook his head.

  “What?”

  “This is something I must do myself.” The King confidently sat straight in his wheelchair, supporting his lower back with his hand. This was painful.

  Slap!

  “Ow!” he yelped. “What the heck was that for?” He looked at the Demon King who was pouting at him.

  “Sol, we’ve been over this before!” she pulled at his cheek. “After your dark and edgy solo arc, you promised not just me, but the rest of the party--that you would rely on us more!”

  “Right, my character development…” The King looked off to the side in shame, remembering that phase of his life. The only good thing that came from that arc was the slick set of dark armor that his many fans pleaded for him to don once again. Oh, and the mounds and mounds of 'fanart' of him kissing their OCs posted on MagiNet. He blamed Veris for that revelation.

  “I’m coming with you!” she proclaimed with one hand on her collarbone and a hopeful smile.

  “Me too!” the owl saluted.

  “No you’re not,” the two kings simultaneously retorted.

  “Oh,” the owl looked down in shame.

  “Husband!” Veris said with her pompous royal accent, garnering his attention.

  “Yes?” he said, surprised at her sudden tone shift.

  “We must summon the others!”

  Wheeled by the Demon King onto his balcony, King Solaris pulled out the Summoning Horn of Blood and Friendship. Before his party disbanded, they cut their hands and wiped their blood in ringed grooves around the Horn’s bell. This attuned them to its magical effect: a tone only they could hear from any distance if it was blown. The King offered the horn to the sky, brought it to his mouth, and blew into it with a reddening face.

  “This concert’s amazing!” an elvish fan remarked.

  “Yeah! Mimi’s doing great!” another agreed.

  A mind-blowing number of elves filled Twiggleton’s outdoor amphitheater, all hailing from a multitude of different towns and villages across Doow (Dew). They congregated to see Entente, live in concert, whose tickets were ludicrously expensive; often sold out immediately once they were available on the International Magic Market (IMM). Scalpers and those with connections had methods to snatch them from the jaws of the rabid fans, who would much rather spend their money on entertainment than their essential needs. It also didn't help that ticket distributors on MagiNet, such as TicketWizard and TickOrb, drove up prices to a ridiculous amount.

  Mimi bounced on stage with a hyper pink cosmic dress and curled twin-tails down to her sides. The audience wagged around their glowing fairy dust sticks to the beat, as she sang in a high-pitched voice.

  With the light of flame, and the music of fame

  The heroes challenged the monster of unsanctioned eldritch pain

  The fight was long, and the damage was strong

  It only took one mistake for everything to go wrong

  The audience went quiet while the magical lights dimmed. Mimi’s band mates, Digi, Bitchy, and Floo paused as her solo echoed across the room.

  And the lights dimmed, and our wills slimmed

  Digi ramped up the drum-beat as Bitchy and Floo repeated an increasingly loud note on their guitar and basses. The lights flew up to the leafy sky.

  But the hero-king never strayed from the hymn

  The lights suddenly wiped across the space and Mimi’s outfit rapidly transformed. She now wore a loose-fitting, black short-sleeved shirt and ripped jeans. Gloomy lipstick desaturated her lips as many rings slid onto her hands and pointy studs pierced her ears. Her hair transformed into a deep violet color; spiked rings holding her twin-tails in place. She breathed in.

  YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  The whole band went wild as she screamed into the ethereal microphone, the crowd head-bobbed into concussions, and the lights flickered at an insane rate. If this book ever became a show it would need to have an epilepsy warning at the start of this episode.

  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

  But just then, something foreign infiltrated Mimi’s ears, making them wiggle, and she abruptly lurched forward, heaving. Whatever the sound was, it made her puke all over the front rows of the audience as the music came to a sudden halt.

  “Did she just throw up?” a fan shouted from the crowd.

  There was a long pause.

  “THAT’S SO METAL!” another fan in excitement.

  So the music continued, quickly becoming one of the best concerts in Entente’s history.

  Bird folded backwards on his sky-blue mioga mat. His face: calm and collected. His stress: diminished. And his tusks: privy to the wind caressing their curvy surfaces.

  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

  Bird opened his eyes and stared at the lone tree sticking out of the rocky surface in front of him. In its shadow was his prized tea set, ready to be served. He rolled into a headstand and lifted the kettle high in the air with his feet, curling his carefully manicured toes through the handle with utmost precision. He poured a steady stream into his tea cup, and gently placed the kettle down again. It was now time for his tea break.

  Bird sat down crossed-legged on the floor and lifted the cup up to his lips. He took a whiff. Oodong Tea; his favorite. With a relaxed smile he tipped it into his mouth—rapidly throwing it down the hatch with a graceful crunch and a content rub of his belly. But just as he swallowed the last of it, something assaulted his ears. Instantly, he dove to a nearby ledge, heaving the porcelain-liquid duo out of his mouth and down the side of Blizzcliff Mountain. We are talking gallons of liquid. A vomit waterfall. And not wanting to waste any time, Bird quickly slid down the vomit-slide on his mioga mat, from alpine-ice to grassland-green, doing a couple Feist-Air's along the way. Finally, he came to a stop. He stepped off the mat and onto the soft ground, the density of which was no match for his hands. He dug, and dug, creating a hole; his hole; the one meant for him, ultimately making a highway tunnel straight to the Kingdom of Dawn.

  King Solaris spit the Summoning Horn of Blood and Friendship out of his mouth and vomited the contents of his lunch into one of two potted ficuses nearby. Mia quickly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, much to his thanks. Veris, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the tone that caressed the gyri of her cerebral cortex like a siren’s song.

  “Honey?” the King prompted. “Did it work?”

  “I believe so, yes,” she responded, rocking side-to-side with bliss. “Didn’t it sound delicious?”

  “Sure,” the King raised his eyebrow. “Anyway, what do we do now?”

  “All it does is summon them, dear. We still have to wait for their arrival. I estimate, mm--no longer than three days.”

  “Alright then. I’m just going to… lie-down now.” The King nodded to Mia who wheeled him inside and helped him into bed.

  “I’ll join you in a bit,” Veris replied, facing the horizon. “I’m still enamored with that scrumptious sound.”

  Three days passed and the King’s legendary party arrived one after the other.

  The first to arrive was Mimi, in her tour carriage. The moment somebody recognized her a crowd began gathering along the main street, cheering as if veterans were returning from a won war. Not wishing to deny them, she blasted an impromptu concert on wheels. Clerics had to be called-in. A rabid fan was rabid in the very real sense of the word, collapsing onto the street, frothing at the mouth. Finally, Mimi arrived at Castle del Sol to a wondrous reception. Even the highest ranked guards lined up for an autograph and/or an overly expensive picture taken with illusion magic.

  The second to arrive was Bird. During a sparring match adjudicated by Phoenix, he poked his head out of the paved ground, much to everyone’s surprise. After a moment of confusion, they pointed their weapons at his thick, dark green neck.

  “Commander Phoenix!” one of his men shouted, “An intruder has just dug their way past our defenses!”

  The soldiers split apart just enough for him to walk through.

  “Hiya, Phoenix!” the orc shouted. “Boy, it’s been a while!”

  “B-Bird?” Phoenix replied, flabbergasted, then signaled his men to stand down. “What the hell are you doing inside the ground? And why didn’t you use the front gate?”

  “Oh, uh, I dug my way here from Blizzcliff!” Bird responded. “It was more direct than traveling on the surface!" He scanned his surroundings. “Although, I kinda missed the mark a bit. I was actually aiming for the front gate!”

  The soldiers all stared at their commander with dumbfounded expressions. He sighed.

  “Bird, just walk into town next time. Please.”

  “Roger!” he replied as his arm burst from the ground and saluted.

  “Here," Phoenix offered his hand, "let me help you out.”

  “‘Preciate it.”

  Bird took Phoenix's hand, and it didn’t take much effort to pull him out of the ground. Some soldiers looked into the hole left behind, fascinated that such a thing was possible through bare strength. Others analyzed the orc instead. He had an impossibly ripped figure, and jutting out below it was his marvelous—

  “GENEESUS, BIRD,” Phoenix covered his face. “WHY DON’T YOU HAVE CLOTHES ON?”

  “Oh,” he gazed down at his member. “I guess they got ripped up on the way. HA-HA-HA!”

  Some soldiers whispered to each other, comparing the sizes of everyone that they had seen in the locker room. Others stepped back in disgust, already drafting complaints to HR. And the final portion ogled at the goods, imagining a good time.

  “For the love of—” Phoenix spun around and put two fingers to his temple, casting a message spell to his mother who was currently sulking in her demonic throne.

  Ring, ring!

  Veris put two fingers to her head.

  “MA!” Phoenix’s voice reverberated in her mind.

  “What?” she responded in kind.

  “Bird just arrived, and he—”

  “Doesn’t have any clothes on?”

  “YES!”

  “One second.” Veris snapped her fingers, and next to Phoenix, a starry portal farted out a pair of Bird-sized clothes into his hands.

  “Thanks!”

  “Mhm. Go ahead and show him to the dining hall, I’ll send for the others to meet us there.”

  “Right,” Phoenix nodded and ended the spell. “Bird!” he looked in his direction.

  “Yeah?” he responded, while the other soldiers quickly put away a tape measure and whistled. Their commander scowled at them and shoved the clothes into Bird’s meaty arms.

  “Put these on. We are heading to dinner.”

  “Fantastic!" Bird shouted with glee. "Boy, I sure am hungry after three straight days of digging!”

  Bird happily walked alongside Phoenix, swiftly changing into a fresh outfit like he had done so a million times before.

  “As for the rest of you,” Phoenix pointed at his men. “Lieutenant Dross will oversee the drills for another hour.”

  “Yes, sir!” they saluted.

  “Oh, I can never get enough of Miss Gia’s cooking!” Bird rubbed his bulbous stomach.

  “Yes, thank you, Gia!” Mimi added.

  “You have my thanks,” Phoenix nodded.

  “And mine as well,” Gwen, his blonde, human wife stated.

  “BURP! Ah, I wish our demonic cook was as good as you.”

  Phoenix’s sister, Demon Prince Aurora, sat back in her chair picking at her teeth with her pointed nails. She inherited her mother’s pink skin, but flaming rings circled the edges of her sleeves, pants, and horns. She was a rebellious reflection of her mother; unafraid of showing her bellybutton to strangers. But somehow, she married her complete opposite.

  “Uh, mind your manners, honey,” said the sheepish, shadow-demon man next to her. The only thing that popped out from his void-like figure was the piercing glow of his icy eyes.

  “Tch, shut it, Umbrak,” Aurora responded, crossing her arms and blushing away from his view.

  “C’mon kids, what do we all say?” he gestured while looking in their direction.

  “Thank you Miss Gia!” the four young cousins shouted, and quickly ran over to hug her.

  “Wonderous meal Gia, as always,” Veris praised, patting her mouth with a fancy napkin. In front of her sat a humongous rack of ribs, entirely picked clean.

  “Thank you, Gia, again,” King Solaris nodded with a thumbs up.

  “It’s always a pleasure to serve his majesty, his family, and friends," Gia bowed, returning the thumbs up with a confident glint in her eye. And with the twirl of her finger, the rest of the maids swiftly cleared the dining table like a pit crew and exited into the kitchen. Soon after, the popping of champagne resonated throughout the throne room due to the successful meal service.

  “Now then,” King Solaris continued. “Does anybody other than Veris know why I summoned everyone here today?”

  “You found a cure for your bad back—”

  “WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

  The four cousins dove under the table after a slinky figure appeared in a seat that they were pretty sure was previously unoccupied.

  “...And want to re-form the party to search for it, again?”

  “Correct," the King snapped his fingers.

  “When did you get here?” Ash poked his head out from underneath the table, to find the seat empty again. “Dad, who the hell was that?”

  “That was Domino, son,” Phoenix replied. “He does that. Also, language.”

  The cousins crawled back into their seats and made intermittent glances at the suspiciously empty seat.

  “Are you sure you're fit for the task, father?” asked Aurora.

  “I won't lie to you, my children. I'm not—”

  “Then why are you going?”

  “Because he won't forgive himself if he doesn't, hun,” Veris interjected.

  “So what, are we just gonna ferry him around, Veris?” asked Mimi.

  “He has a wheelchair,” she replied.

  “Shouldn't be a problem, Mimi,” Bird commented. “We're strong, we can handle it.”

  “Sorry, My King,” Umbrak spoke. “But who is going to run the Kingdom when you're gone? You're heavily implying that you, the Demon King, Mimi, and Bird are all going together.”

  “That's true,” he answered. “But Phoenix and I have already discussed it. He and Aurora will be taking over Veris and I's territories while we're gone.”

  “Aw shit, really?” Aurora replied.

  “Language, daughter. But yes, really.”

  “Hell no, I ain't doing that!” Aurora's hair flared into a lava flow, drops quickly disappearing upon hitting the enchanted ground.

  “Sister, I believe this will be a nice trial for us to see if we are fit to govern,” Phoenix remarked.

  “That's right, son,” the King agreed. “Aurora, it is your duty as the Princess of Dawn and the Demon Prince of Mal to undertake this task.”

  “Honey,” Umbrak put his hand on her shoulder.

  “Ugh, fine!” she crossed her arms, her hair dimming back to normal. “Mimi, next time you visit I'm going to travel with you for a while.”

  “Sounds good to me!” she nodded.

  “What day are you leaving, Grandpa?” Vala asked.

  “Tomorrow,” he answered.

  “Aw, so soon?” Hess remarked.

  “Yes, Hess,” Veris answered. “The sooner we leave, the sooner Grandpa's back gets better, and the sooner we can all have fun together as a family!”

  “Oh! Yay!”

  “Alright!” Flint said excitedly to Ash. “That means we'll be able to bet at—I mean go to the Hell Bowl again!”

  “Dad?” Phoenix looked at the King with a twitchy eyebrow, who just broke eye-contact anxiously.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but Miss Gia?” Bird lifted a finger.

  “Yes?” her head popped out of the kitchen.

  “Do you have any seconds?”

  “They should be out shortly!”

  “Radical.”