Silver Sentinel

𝓗𝓮𝓵𝓹𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓟𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓶𝓮𝓷

I flew towards the town and spotted Hunter... He was with Luz. Oh boy.

Before I landed and faced my fears, I noticed a little stand and on it, a mask. I grabbed the mask chucked a few snails on the table and have a proper look at it.
It was a fox mask. Perfect. I flew to where they were and landed.
"Missed me?"
Hunter rolled his eyes and Luz tilted her head to one side.
"That's a bit of a mask downgrad-" Hunter elbowed her to shut up.
"Why? Just why would you waste time and snails buying a mask?"
"'Cause unlike you I value my secrecy."
"Touché."

"Anyways, seems like neither of us want Kikimora to win right now. So, let's work together to take back those palismen." Luz raised her fist in the air.
"We're annoying Kikimoron? I'm in." I said.
"Then what? You think I'll just let you walk away with them?" Hunter asked Luz.

Maybe you won't have a choice!" She spins Hunter's staff around, "I'm more formidable than you think." She almost drops it over the edge, but catches it just in time.

"I doubt that, but fine, a truce till then." Hunter grimaced.
Luz extends her hand, "Truce!" When the Golden Guard reached to shake it, she took her hand away and ran it through her hair.
"Too slow." She ran off chuckling.

"Ugh, let's get this over and done with." He attempted to walk after her but I stopped him by grabbing his arm. He spun around.
"What?" He asked smiling slightly.
"This'll be fun."

I watched Luz draw circles and triangles and squares and... other shapes on a wall. I guess they're glyphs? Hunter came back.
"Huh, I've never seen magic like this. What will it do?" He asked.
"Well, we don't want to spook Kikimora's steed, because it might drop the nest and hurt the palismen! So, using these fire and ice spells, I can command the glyphs to produce a thick mist!"

"And the sleeping nettles?"
"They're essential! Combined with the magic mist, it'll create-"
"-A sleep-inducing smoke, forcing Kikimora to land!" Luz stared at him, confused.

"Oh, um, I-I-I read a similar spell in Bones to Earth-"
"-A Study of Wild Magic! Eda once pickpocketed the guy who wrote it."
"I've never seen glyphs before, but, it seems very similar to the elemental magic practiced in the savage ages."
"Really?"
"Actually, not many people know this, but... No. No, no, no, no. This stuff is restricted for a reason. You should forget about it before you're hurt."

"Uh huh... Other than Lilith, I've never spoken to someone inside the Emperor's Coven. What made you want to join?"
"You were right before. I'm a powerless witch. We both are. A lot of my ancestors were. I never thought I'd have a future in a world like this. But then, Belos found me and gave me a staff with artificial magic. He said the Titan had big plans for me."
"At least you have your future figured out." Luz said.
"At least you can figure out your own." Hunter replied.

"And you?" She gestured to me.
"I-uh-I-uh..." I began.
Hunter smiled, "You never told me why you wanted to join."
"I..." I tried to think of a lie but I failed.
"I'm also a powerless witch but... that isn't the only reason. Uhm, my mum wasn't the best, she would do and say some not very nice things. And, uh, I don't know my other parent. My mum never spoke about them. And when I got the chance to leave that house and go live my dream in the emperor's coven, I said yes." I smiled weakly at Luz. She gave me a kinda confused, very concerned look.
Oh crap.
Did I forget to mask my voice?

"Are... you okay?" I froze. Out of all the things I think she would ask, this was not one of them.
"..."
"I have a friend, y/n, who has a similar story." Phew. She definitely didn't know.
"Oh, cool. And yeah, I'm fine."

A red cardinal pecked Hunter's leg.
"Hey! Stop, get away from me!" He shouted.
"He's just being friendly."
"I don't care! These things are made from wild magic. It's dangerous."
"And does he seem dangerous to you?"
Kilimoron's dragon roared.

"Masks on." Luz said. Luz and Hunter put their masks on instantly but I turned around first. I lifted my mask up and tied the piece of material over my mouth. Then, I put my temporary mask back on and turned back around.

"Once they're surrounded by the smoke, we'll need to stay close to see where they land." Hunter nodded. Luz offered the staff back to him.
"Are you sure?" He smiled.
"Just take it!" Kikimora's dragon flew overhead. Luz activated the connected glyphs. After, she got on His staff, to go after the dragon.

"Oh. There's no room for me... it's fine. Hu- Golden Guard, don't tell Belos about this." I clicked my fingers twice and Pebs appears.
"What... is that?" Luz's eyes opened wide.
"My palismen..." I replied, nodding my head.
"I-Y/-Wha..." Hunter cleared his throat, "You didn't tell me? I thought we weren't supposed to have palismen? Does Belos know about it? Why is it a rock?" His questions felt endless.
"Well, I-" Kikimora and her dragon both became drowsy.
"I think it's working!" Luz announced. He gave me a confused glance. I sent a hurried whisper to him, "I'll tell you later, Goldie Locks."

"Stop!" Kikimoron crashed onto the ground and was thrown off the dragon.
"The palismen!" Luz ran over to them. I looked at Hunter. We both nodded and pointed our staffs at Luz.
"Hello, babies. Aw, you guys must be so cold and scared. Here," she took off her cape, "make sure you share. Now, stay in here, okay? We'll get you home safe and-" She looked back at us. She chuckled nervously.
"Right, I didn't think this through. Again." She looked at us with pleading eyes. She shut the palismen door and stood.

"So you're really gonna do this? You're just gonna hand all these innocent little guys over to Belos? I know what he does with them. I thought you two might've been good guys. But I guess that was just wishful thinking. You're not my friends. You're just the Golden Guard and the Silver Sentinel."

Hunter took off his mask.
"My name is Hunter."
"Yeah, I can't do that but if I could, I would. Uh, I'm 15? I don't know if that's just as good or whatever but yeah." Luz gasped. Then she smiled.

At that moment, Hunter was hit by an energy bolt fired by a drowsy Kikimoron.
"I can't tell who's there, but I know I've got you!" Kikimoron shouted. She continued shooting energy beams at us.
"This is treason against a Coven official!" Omt Kiki, we get it. Hunter and I kept dodging and getting closer.
"I will have your head!"
Luz blows the whistle, waking the dragon. It flew into the night sky.
Hunter deflects another attack from Kikimora, which knocks her unconscious. We both look at the sky, Luz is on the dragon flying away.

I looked towards Hunter.
"Never mention this again?"
"Yep."