Hootie: "Damsel in distress? You've got another thing coming."

Airy: "Aw, yeah!"

Chapter 2 – Wings of Mystery

Seraph of Enigma gazed out the window from her armchair forlornly. She knew Hootie and Airy weren't the promptest of people, but twenty-five minutes late was pushing it.

"Argh! Seraph!" Jane, a pretty blonde high-schooler, paced along the hard wood floor of the citadel's great den, her eyes fixed on her cell phone. "Hootie's not answering! And neither is Airy! Where are they?!"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Seraph answered, staring at the fire crackling in the ornate stone hearth. "You know Hootie, she likes to take her time to make sure she didn't forget anything."

Seraph was the eldest of the friends, old enough to have kids back on Earth, but she never mentioned her age (judging from her appearance and anecdotes, the others guessed her to be somewhere in her early 30's). She played with her honey colored hair absently. Although, she is a scatterbrain, if nothing else… she thought.

"Hmph," Hex sniffed from her spot on the floor near the fireplace. The most reserved of the Portal Masters, Undead Prowess, was painting the necromancer's nails black while they waited. The flickering light from the fire shadowed their faces, and Hex had her back to the entryway. "It's poor form to keep others waiting in my book," the Skylander commented. "She's not setting a good example for little Airy."

Prowess scoffed, never taking her eyes off of the she-elf's pale, gloved hand splayed out on the book in her lap. "You don't think anyone sets a good example," she pointed out.

"So what?" Hex retorted good-naturedly. "I have high expectations for my peers. Is that so wrong?"

Prowess shook the bottle of nail polish. "It is when you've got a ramrod up your dress…" she muttered.

Prowess wasn't much older than Airy, but most people incorrectly guessed otherwise due to her ridiculous height. At five feet ten inches, she was a full head taller than Hootie, despite the five-and-a-half-year age gap (something Hootie was sensitive about, given people tended to think Prowess was the elder of the two of them).

Her raven-black hair draped down to her shoulders, and she had a penchant for wearing black and red. She definitely looked the part of a Portal Master specializing in the Undead Element, and it was reflected in her attitude as well to those who didn't know her.

Seraph had to crack a smile at their exchange. "Maybe something came up," she suggested.

They all heard footsteps pounding down the wood floors of the hallway and turned in time to see Air and Hootie hurdling through the open doorway.

"We're heeeeeeere~!" Air sang with a spring in her step. Hootie lacked her younger friend's boundless energy, and so doubled over with her hands clamped onto her knees.

"What…*pant*…what she said…" was all she could manage.

Jane rushed up to the arrivals and threw her arms around Airy. "Ermagerd, finally!" she expressed, hugging the smaller girl tightly before grasping her shoulders at arm's length. "What took you so long?!"

"Well—" Hootie started.

Air, ever the energetic one, beat her to the punch. "I tried—and failed—to dry my hair with the Air Element, so Hootie had to fix it!"

Hootie nodded. "Er, right, and—"

"—And then I warped us to Skylands, but I got the place wrong! We ended up at Crystal Eye Castle!"

"Uh, yeah—"

"—And THEN Pipsqueak showed up and tried to hold us for ransom!" She planted her fists on her hips. "But we showed him a thing or two about what happens when you mess with Portal Masters!"

Air beamed at Hootie, who gave up and settled with a thumbs up, taking Airy's bag and setting it down by the door next to her backpack and purse, where the others' belongings sat undisturbed.

Ransom? Seraph wondered as she rose from her chair to meet the arrivals. Hootie managed to get her breath back and straightened up, flashing a friendly smile at the eldest Portal Master.

"Good to see you, Serandipity," said Hootie, moving in for a half hug. Seraph returned it warmly.

"Likewise, Hootie," she replied.

"Sera!" Air didn't hesitate to push past Hootie and catch Seraph in a full-on hug. Seraph laughed at Air's enthusiasm before she let go.

Hootie put out her fist to bump with Jane's. "Sorry I didn't respond," she apologized, glancing at Air. "But it's kind of hard to mess with your phone when someone shorter than you is practically dragging you…"

Air, completely nonplussed, looked around. "Hey, where's Boom Boom Prow?"

Prowess stood up from her seat on the floor to make herself known, Hex following her with her fingers carefully spread apart. "Right here, Airy," the Undead Portal Master answered, joining them by the entryway and suddenly looming over most of them. "Can't believe you're using Hootie's ridonkulous nickname for me…"

Air clasped her hands together and giggled. "Hee, hee, hee! 'Ridonkulous'…"

Hootie crossed her arms as she looked up at Prow's sassy smirk. "Stop making me feel short!" she feigned annoyance, unable to completely scrub the smile from her face.

Prowess patted Hootie's brunette head with a smirk. "Never."

Hex glided up and fixed her empty eyes on Hootie, who suddenly shivered. "Let me see if I have this right," she drawled, voice like silk with only a hint of reproach. "You were attacked by Cyclopses and you didn't use your mini portal to call for help? You instead used it to fight back with your own fledgling abilities?"

Hootie paled. "It-it was kind of a spur of the moment thing, Hex!" she defended, shrinking under the elf's steadfast gaze. "Y-you know how it is!" She held out her mini portal for emphasis. "The mini portal's not strong enough to summon Skylanders, just the Elements!"

Prowess made a noise, but said nothing, staring at the far wall.

Seraph knew that Hex wasn't terribly irritated with Hootie's conduct, it was more a matter of making sure the Portal Master understood her mistake. Also, it was no secret that she and a few of the other Undead Skylanders (namely Chop Chop) made Hootie uneasy, and Seraph got the feeling Hex enjoyed playing on that fear, just in a teasing rather than tormenting manner.

Air stepped forward, deciding to help Hootie out. "She did a really good job, Hex," she vouched. "My tornado wasn't strong enough without her Magic to power it up. And she took out a bunch of Cyclopses all by herself!"

Hex seemed to unstiffen at Air's statement. The enchantress had a soft spot for the younger Portal Masters, and Seraph guessed it was because she disliked scaring children with her somewhat ghastly demeanor. "Oh, did she now?"

Air nodded brightly. "Uh-huh! You should have seen it!"

Jane, who had fallen quiet as she typed on her phone, looked up. "Wait, Airy, did you say 'tornado?'"

Seraph could see that there was much to be discussed, and so stepped in. "Let's all go sit down, we can get caught up comfortably."

There were no objections, and so they all took a seat on the many couches and armchairs spread in an arc across the room, all facing the fireplace. Hex sat back down by the fireplace to dry her nails, much to Hootie's obvious relief.

As Air sat down in the middle of the couch and propped her feet up on the coffee table, Hootie looked a question at Jane, who sat at the other end. "I thought you didn't text?"

Jane raised her pretty face, the light from her phone making her eyes glitter. "I do when it's important," she said matter-of-factly. Hootie seemed satisfied, as she didn't press the matter.

Seraph leaned forward in her armchair. "So, you conjured a tornado, Airy?"

"Well," said Airy, looking thoughtful. "Hootie's mini portal helped a lot."

Prowess made a face, sitting in the armchair opposite Seraph. "You're still using that old thing, Hootie?"

Hootie looked down at her wrist a bit somberly. "Well, you know…better safe than sorry…" she mumbled.

Prowess shook her head. "You really need to have more faith in yourself, girl."

Before Hootie could respond (although she didn't look like she was about to), Airy turned to Seraph. "Hey, how are the kids?"

Seraph smiled. "They're great. Faith wants to write stories, too."

"Oh, cool!" Air enthused. "Just like her mom!" Hootie elbowed her and she realized her mistake. "Uh, you know what I mean…" she amended awkwardly, dropping her gaze to her clasped hands.

Hootie changed the subject. "Anyway, Air took out some Cyclopses by herself, too. Hey, what should we call that combo we pulled on them?"

Air looked thoughtful. "How about 'Enchanted Twister?' Ooh, or 'Air of Enchantment!'"

Hootie laughed. "I like that one."

"Ugh!" Jane suddenly plopped backward into the cushion, arms splayed out. "It's official. Sprocket's not coming. She'd rather work with Tech and Drobot down at his workshop," she sulked.

"Bummer," said Prowess, pressing her lips into a thin line.

Seraph wasn't surprised. She'd figured Sprocket was simply too tomboyish to really enjoy a girl's night.

"Hey, where are the others?" Hootie asked, glancing out the door for emphasis.

"You didn't hear?" Seraph spoke up, the others fixing their attention on her. "There's an emergency down in the Molekin Mines. Apparently, the workers were very suddenly overtaken by monsters, a huge horde of them."

"What?!" Hootie cried, straightening and gripping the seat cushion tightly, Air having a similarly wide-eyed reaction. "W-what—who's handling it, then?!"

"Chillax, Hoots," Prowess soothed. "A large group of Skylanders was sent to handle it." She folded her arms and leaned back. "Unfortunately, because most of the guy Skylanders are off on other missions so the girls can be free for our girl's night, most of the girls are down there right now. …Ya know, since it's an emergency," she elaborated.

"Who's the Portal Master?" Hootie demanded, stern gazing flickering between those assembled.

Seraph put a hand on Hootie's shoulder to calm her down. "Cynder was one of the first to receive the call to arms, so she called her Portal Master, an old acquaintance of mine named Shadowdawn199. I hope you don't mind, I invited her to our girls' night."

Hootie's face briefly flickered with recognition but she remained firm. "Shadow's my friend, too, I just haven't known her for that long. And I said you could invite whomever you wanted, no worries. Why is she handling it by herself?"

"She insisted," Seraph answered simply. "And I agreed with her. She needs the practice working with Skylanders. Besides, I told her we would be on standby in case she needs us."

Hootie scrunched her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can't believe no one told me before now…"

"I tried!" Jane spoke up indignantly, eyes flashing. "But you wouldn't answer my texts and calls!"

Surprised, Hootie dug out her phone and scrolled through the messages. Her face fell. "…Oh. Sorry," she apologized, embarrassed.

"We were also a bit distracted by your story about Pipsqueak," Seraph added.

Hootie sighed. "I guess girls' night is off."

"Aww…" Air moaned, plopping backwards. "…But we've still got the weekend, right? We can do it tomorrow night!" she suggested, full of hope.

"Of course!" Prowess agreed with a nod. "Girl, we ain't going anywhere. We can just chill out tonight, unless Shadow calls us."

Hootie brought up her contacts list, standing up to go stare out the window a good several feet behind the couches. "Better call Stargazer."

Stargazer… Seraph mused. She's a Water Master friend of Hootie's. This would be her first trip to Skylands, if I'm not mistaken.

Jane got up. "I guess I'll go hang out at the workshop."

"You sure?" Prowess asked.

Jane nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

Seraph knew Jane was good friends with Sprocket, sharing a bond with her and everything. Jane loved to learn about the Tech Element from the Golding, and so frequented the workshop. The only person who could change her mind was—

"Hello, ladies!"

Spy Rise, arms laden with neatly folded blankets, skittered into the room on his spidery robot legs. Jane's face lit up. "Oh, Spy!" she exclaimed, leaping off the couch and gliding up to meet him.

The robot grinned at her, flashing his perfect teeth. "Hey there, gigabyte," he greeted, holding out the blankets. "I brought these for your girls' night, but I heard the news on the way up here…" he explained, eyes downcast. "Sorry to hear it, ladies," he commiserated, genuinely disappointed that their night was ruined.

"Oh, don't be!" Jane fretted, taking the blankets from him and setting them down on the couch. Seraph could see her blushing when she turned back around to face him, her eyes bright with hope. "Now I can spend some time with you!"

Spy rubbed the back of his neck. "You sure?" he asked. "I mean, I don't want to drag you away from your girlfriends…"

Jane waved the comment off, the grin never leaving her face. "Don't be silly! We're doing girl's night tomorrow, so there's nothing to worry about!"

"Oh, uh, alright then!" Spy allowed Jane to take his hand and lead him out of the den, but not before he called over his shoulder, "See ya, ladies!"

Seraph, Air, Hootie (who had finished her call) and Prowess returned the farewell, and listened to the couple's conversation as they disappeared around the corner.

"So, what did you want to do?"

"Well, I'm just dying to draw you in a French maid outfit!"

They heard girlish giggles and a muted sigh. "I should have figured…" The voices faded too much for them to hear any more.

Airy and Hootie laughed out loud and Seraph shook her head with an amused smile. "Oh, Jane…"

Prowess nodded in agreement, and Hootie choked out, "She's a real hoot, isn't she?"

There was a collective groan.

Hootie gave a contented sigh, and then perked up. "Ah, right!" She faced Seraph, trying and failing to look serious. She enjoys those puns far more than what's healthy, she thought genially. But it is good to take such joy out of simple things.

"I'd like to talk to you," Hootie requested, jerking her head back toward the hallway.

Seraph stood up, twisting her torso with her arms out to stretch a bit. "Of course."

"Gonna be all secretive, huh?" Prowess said jokingly. "Well, fine, then. Be that way."

Hootie was already leading Seraph out the door. "We shall."

The door shut behind them, leaving Air to ponder her next activity. Prowess appeared uncertain as well, and the two looked around the room awkwardly until their gazes met.

Air cleared her throat, glancing over at Hex, who'd remained silent throughout the entire exchange (Air'd forgotten she was there). "So…were you two just planning on being emo tonight?"

"I take it this is about Pipsqueak?"

"Nothing escapes you, Miss Enigma."

Seraph folded her arms over her chest and gave Hootie a look. Hootie only ever called her by that moniker when she was serious about something. I know it's her way of showing respect, but I kind of wish she wouldn't. It makes me feel old.

"I do find it strange that he would attack you two, especially after the thrashing he took back in the Molekin Village," she admitted.

Hootie looked away and leaned against the wall, brow creased in thought. "That's not what worries me."

"Oh?"

"From the looks of things," Hootie began. "Pipsqueak has taken up residence at Crystal Eye Castle." She fixed her gaze back onto Seraph. "Why would he take control of a stronghold so close to the Skylanders' base of operations?"

Seraph caught on. Crystal Eye Castle had been virtually uninhabited since the Crystal Eye had been appropriated for the Core of Light two years ago. "That is strange. Why position yourself so close to your enemies if you weren't planning an assault or reconnaissance?"

"Exactly," Hootie said. "And you see what's wrong with that."

Seraph nodded slowly. "Pipsqueak is far too timid for that now. He remembers his defeat only too well, so there's no way he'd endanger himself like this of his own accord."

Up until recently, the Skylanders had been keeping tabs on wanted felons. They had gathered that Pipsqueak rarely left his castle, and whenever they did catch him in the open, he was perpetually surrounded by Shadow Duke guards on all sides. It was clear that he was terrified of getting apprehended, a sign that his family's influence had weakened considerably.

Lately, however, troll and greeble assaults had increased exponentially, and the watch had to be decommissioned until the Skylanders could get the sudden outbreak under control. Pipsqueak had since jumped off the radar.

Hootie considered Seraph's statement. "That means he's either suddenly became very brave and vengeful—unlikely—or, more likely, he's being coerced by—"

"Kaos," they finished together.

"But the question is, why?" Hootie mused. "When we wandered into his territory, he tried to take me and Airy for ransom…but…" A spark of comprehension flashed across her face. "I think we'd be more valuable as a bargaining chip than a pile of gold."

"That's true," Seraph agreed, grasping her arm lightly. "It's not everyday a Portal Master wanders into one's clutches. I think maybe the ransom was just a side prize."

"So…" Hootie had a sudden look of hopelessness. "…what are we gleaning from this?"

Seraph held up a finger. "Pipsqueak has usurped the throne of a castle long abandoned." Two fingers. "He is most likely working for Kaos."

Hootie pounded a fist into her hand. "Three: Pipsqueak's sudden relocation leads us to the conclusion that Kaos is planning an assault on the Ruins."

"Crystal Eye Castle being so close," Seraph agreed. "Leading an army here would be child's play."

Hootie still looked perturbed. "I don't know…the whole thing still seems kind of outlandish…"

A Cockney voice cut in. "Outlands?"

Ignitor ambled down the hall to meet the girls by the doorway. He blazed merrily, armor shining even brighter than usual, and his sword was strapped to his back beneath his shield, leaving his hands free to swing by his sides. "'Ello, miladies!"

"Oh, Ignitor!" Seraph greeted with a smile. "How nice to see you!"

Ignitor bowed in a most knightly fashion. "The pleasure is all mine, Mistress Enigma. And Lady Hoot, I hope you've been well?"

"Very well, sir knight," Hootie humored him as Seraph curtsied. "What have you been up to? You look very…shiny."

Ignitor put his hands on his hips and flared up with pride, armor glittering even more. "Just got back from a fresh polishing! Mistress Sprocket really works wonders with a buffer."

"Sprocket?" Seraph echoed.

"Indeed!" Ignitor confirmed. "She's 'oled 'erself up in that workshop again. I'm surprised she's not on the mission." He gestured to his glinting form. "She offered to give me a good shining up due to being, as the mistress put it, 'bored out of 'er mind!'"

Hootie shrugged. "Maybe she didn't get the memo," she suggested, her tone laced with hints of self-reproach.

"Now then," Ignitor shifted his weight, his fiery spirit burning lower to indicate a casual air. "What's this about the Outlands?"

"Not Outlands," Hootie corrected. "Outlandish. We were just discussing Pipsqueak's relocation to Crystal Eye Castle."

"Relocation?" Ignitor echoed.

The two eldest Portal Masters retold the story to Ignitor and shared the conclusion they had reached.

"This is most unsettling…" Ignitor mused, low flames crackling gravely. "Do you suppose it could be connected to the sudden resurgence?"

Hootie looked surprised that she hadn't thought of that, but Seraph had already deduced the knight's suggestion. "I'm almost sure of it," she said.

Ignitor crossed his arms with a grating metallic scrape. "Then it'd be wise for all of us to keep on our toes. If Kaos 'as been operating discreetly, then we ought to respond just as quietly. Give 'im no sign that we are arming ourselves."

"Speak softly…" Hootie began.

"And carry a big stick," Seraph finished. Although, Kaos no doubt has already received word from Pipsqueak of Hootie and Airy's little adventure.

"I'll go alert the others," Ignitor offered. "And tell Master Technow that the island's defenses need reinforcement. It is imperative that…uh…"

They all turned at the sound of splashing liquid. A small, conical flask filled with an effervescent purple substance waddled down the hall on two stubby glass feet, making its way to the three colleagues.

It stopped at Seraph's feet and tilted back, as if to look up at her expectantly, and they stared down at it. Ignitor coughed a puff of smoke. "Erm, it would appear that Pop Fizz is looking for you, milady."

Hootie knelt down to inspect the bottle, and it turned to her curiously. "Hey!" she exclaimed, picking it up. "There's a note shoved in here!" She removed the half-soaked paper, careful not to touch the wet parts, and handed it to Seraph.

The eldest Portal Master read it aloud. "Seraph, please come down to the lab. I'm in need of gore acceptance." She looked up, puzzled.

Hootie and Ignitor leaned in to look. "…Oh!" Hootie pointed to the letters. "The potion smudged it. He means your assistance."

Ignitor tapped the paper with an armored finger. "The letters 'aven't been smudged, they've been changed. I'll wager the Magic in the potion altered the message."

The potion bottle in Hootie's spread palm bowed up and down, trying to nod. Hootie brought a fist to her chin. "Intentionally?"

Ignitor shrugged. "With that bloody lunatic, one can never be sure."

Seraph continued. "I'm hurking up a knew motion, and wood apprehend it if you lint me tore credibility with teh Strife Elephant."

"I'm working up a new potion…" Hootie translated.

"And would appreciate it if you lent me your ability with the Life Element," Ignitor finished.

"Sore end, Poop Fish—wait, what?!" Seraph's jaw dropped into an enormous smile and her body wracked with silent, heaving laughter.

"Poop Fish?!" Hootie and Ignitor exclaimed before breaking down in a much more raucous manner. The little potion bottle shook with bubbly mirth.

"Ha ha ha!" Seraph rolled up the note (which had dried apparently by Magic) and pocketed it. "I'm not letting him live that one down!"

"Y-you—ha, ha!—you better not!" Hootie choked out, leaning on Ignitor for support. The bottle dropped out of Hootie's grasp and landed lightly on its feet, hobbling away down the hall.

Still heaving with laughter, Seraph followed, leaving her friends to eventually regain their composure.

The little potion bottle led Seraph down the stairs that led to the basement, clinking every time it hopped down a step. With the stone walls and wooden beams lining the place, the Portal Master felt as though she were descending into a well-kept dungeon.

Pop Fizz's archaic potion lab was surprisingly well-lit, with oddly-shaped candles and light bulbs scattered about the room. A long wooden table sat in the middle, laden with all manner of alchemy equipment, from beakers to scales to mortars and pestles, and more advanced tools like hot plates and voltmeters.

"Fizzy?" Seraph called out, her voice ringing hollowly throughout the chamber. The only sounds were of the fire burning in the hearth (a sign that Pop Fizz had yet to retire for the night) and of the many colorful liquids bubbling in their glass containers.

The purple potion bottle waddled up to the bench by the table and hopped in place, contents sloshing around and spilling onto the floor. It had stopped right in front of a huge pile of parchments stacked high on the countertop, on top of which sat a rather out-of-place looking leather-bound book, a huge tome no bigger than the alchemist himself.

Curious, Seraph carefully reached out to pluck the book from the pile.

"Ah-HA!" Pop Fizz suddenly sprang up from beneath the pile, holding up a sheaf of parchments triumphantly.

"WAAAAH!" Seraph cried, startled out of her wits. Book in hand, she stumbled backwards, accidently flinging it across the room. As the papers settled, the book landed and slid along the floor, coming to rest dangerously close to the fire.

"I found you, you elusive report, you!" the gremlin exclaimed as a fluttering parchment landed squarely between his ears.

Seraph clutched her chest, bunching up a large wad of her shirt. "Pop Fizz! You very nearly gave me a heart attack!" she scolded, her concern for her health taking precedence over her inclination to be polite.

Having developed a bond long ago, the two were very close, to the point where they could be perfectly honest and frank with each other without repercussion. Pop Fizz often cooked up batches of her prescription medicine when she needed them, and Seraph used her Life abilities to cultivate rare herbs and other organic ingredients to quicken the progress of the gremlin's projects.

Pop Fizz finally noticed the Portal Master sitting on the floor and his face lit up. "Ah, Sera, my little six-winged angel, you came down!" he greeted, hopping down from the table to help his friend up. He was only about half Seraph's height, not counting the tips of his ears, so it made for a comical sight.

"Of course I did," Seraph said, brushing herself off. "It sounded important…or at least, I'm sure it did at one point in time!" she giggled with a smirk, recalling how hilariously the phrase "Your friend, Pop Fizz" had been altered.

"Huh?" The gremlin frowned and tilted his head, making it look like he was about to fall over sideways. He apparently hadn't considered that a note shoved in a bottle filled with a Magic potion might skew the meaning of the message.

Seraph shook her head. "Never mind. You needed something?"

Pop Fizz brightened and waddled over to the far desk. He brusquely shoved some test tubes aside (Seraph winced as a few of them shattered), and retrieved a large flower pot from the mess. "As matter of fact, I do. Work some magic on this Wallowing Willow, wouldja?"

From the pot, a spindly willow sapling grew, although it clearly wasn't happy. Its leaves had shriveled into dried crisps and its bark was rough and peeling.

Seraph spread her hand out over it, the Life symbol lighting up on the back of her hand, and a low hum of Magic filled the air. Before their eyes, the willow trembled, straightening back up and sprouting new leaves from its dangling branches. Fat drops of water started to form on its leaves before running down and dripping back into the soil. Seraph retracted her hand, satisfied with her handiwork.

Pop Fizz looked pleased and set the pot back onto table. "Thank ya, kindly! Now to finish what I started…" He set about gathering supplies and equipment from all over the lab, often forgetting something and returning to the place he had just visited to grab something else.

Seraph noticed that he was about to step on the massive book by the fireplace and snatched it before he could kick it into an unfortunate end. She inspected the cover as she carried it over to the middle bench with some difficulty. It was inscribed with ancient Skylands runes in gold lettering, so Seraph couldn't read it. From the looks of it, the book was extremely old and only recently restored to look new again. "So, is it called a Wallowing Willow because it's dripping water or because of you neglecting it?" she asked jokingly.

"Double meaning," the gremlin answered, taking some herbs from a jar and mixing them together in a mortar with some oil from a bottle. "It's a fussy houseplant that's hard to take care of, fragile as an orchid. When it is happy, it infuses the water in its vascular system with a special Magical essence only found in rare trees in the thickest jungles, which is where the willow originates."

"Why don't you talk like this all the time?"

"Let me finish," he shushed her. "It was never domesticated properly, which is why it tends to freak out when someone puts it in their home. See? Not my fault."

"We have a similar tree on Earth called a weeping willow," said Seraph, opening the tome to a bookmarked page. "It doesn't actually drip water, but I wonder if they're related?"

"Meh, anything's possible," Pop Fizz said with a shrug, eyes never straying from his work. "Especially given how Earth and Skylands used to be connected." He snorted. "If you ask me, both trees need to get over whatever it is they're cryin' about."

The first marked page had a note stuck to it that read "Athlete's Foot Cream." Flushing, Seraph hastily turned to the next page before Pop Fizz saw her reading it.

It was just in time, for he turned from his work when he heard the rapid rustling of pages. "Ah, I see you found my recently acquired tome of ancient arcane alchemy," he noted, leaning over from the adjacent bench to peer at the page Seraph was reading.

"I didn't find it," she said pointedly. "I saved it from a fiery demise."

Pop Fizz either ignored her or wasn't paying attention in the first place. Knowing him, Seraph supposed it was the latter. "This is actually the potion I'm assembling," he told her, tapping one of the many sticky notes plastered to the page, most of them translations of the runes. "It's a very important project that takes precedence over everything else I was working on."

"That would sound more impressive if half of your projects didn't involve changing skin color or repelling imaginary kamikaze watermelons."

He looked up sharply and leveled a clawed finger at her. "I don't care what anyone else thinks, those watermelons are self-aware and out to wreak havoc on my work!"

Seraph rolled her eyes. He never had gotten over Camo's elaborate prank a few months ago. "So what is it you're working on, exactly?"

"Top secret."

Seraph was surprised. "Really?" Pop Fizz told her everything, as they each served as the other's confidant. Their bond ran so deep, she was the only person aside from the late Master Eon ever to bear witness to the alchemist's true genius.

It was thanks to their bond that she felt a sudden pang in her chest, and waves of guilt from her friend seemed to wash over her. "I'm sorry, Sera," he apologized, his bulbous eyes oddly downcast. "But this is something I can only trust myself with."

"You make it sound like a life and death matter." She found herself wanting to believe it was just another of Pop Fizz's practical jokes, but the pang persisted, a constant reminder that it was just as dire as he was insisting it was.

"It is."

Seraph placed a hand on his wrist, expression firm. "Can you at least tell me why you're working on it, then?"

His answer disturbed Seraph.

***"Because Kaos would move Skylands and Earth to get it."***

Um, rather than give a lame excuse for why I never update anymore, how about we move on to the question of the chapter?

...Please?

"I usually come up with the catchphrases, but I'm plumb out of ideas for Undead Prowess. What do you guys think her catchphrase should be?"

Hootie says: "It was originally 'Chills and Thrills!' But I want something better. I dunno, what do y'all think? Should it change?"

So, yeah, sorry for being gone for so long. To any of my Down to Earth readers who might be reading this, yes, I am resuming work on it. This little project will probably get updated more, however, simply because the chapters are intentionally shorter.

With that said, see you owl again soon!

...Ignitor came out sounding more like a butler than a knight. Le derp.

P.S. Don't forget, if anyone wants to insert an OC, shoot me a PM so I can make a decision. And don't worry, I'll only say no if I can't figure out how to fit them in, which…really isn't that hard considering how big the cast is already.