My Sudden Monster Convergence

“I guess that makes sense but why not tell him already? You guys are best friends right?” Kathy asked giving me a stern look.

Lowering my head, I closed my fists. “I don’t know. When-whenever I try to talk……..the chance slips by.” I admitted with a shaky voice.

“Just grab him and go somewhere. This isn’t something you can play around with. Whatever your dad said about dragons, you can’t risk one of his other friends doing something, you know Emily’s going to become a succubus sooner or later and you know how they get.” She reminded me.

“Yeah.” I looked at my fist, slowly opening it, looking at my fingers. Just regular fingers, there wasn’t anything dainty or colorful about them. Just a guy but would’ve it hurt? Body pulling and stretching? Would I be ok……like Oliver? “But it’s the way my dad said it….it shook my bones.” And it reminded me of something else.

Kathy sighed. “If it’s bugging you that much then I can talk to him for you.”  She offered.

I shook my head. “Can’t. You have the race to worry about and I have to try, you know how angry he can get.” I said still looking away.

“Then what are you doing here? Come on. I know you can do this, it’s no different than what happened last time, just don’t hit on him and you’ll be golden.” She said with a smile, the kind that told me she believed in me.

“You’re right, I just have to consider it a friendship thing, nothing too big.” I said with false confidence. Just gotta believe I can handle it, no biggie, none at all.

“Try to talk to him after the petal festival. Belle said he was participating in it. Just cheer him on then pull him aside after. And I’d hurry up, time moves differently in those mini towns.” She advised me.

 

 

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While I was talking with Phoebe I heard a strange buzzing sound that sounded like a mix of bees and a beetle followed by a couple other buzzing. Phoebe’s smile hardened somewhat as someone called out to us.

“Hey~! Just here to cheer on our grateful losers.” Came a smug voice.

“So true! Can’t be winners without losers. I thank the gods for your honorable sacrifice.” Came an oddly jolly voice. She sounded super humble in my opinion.

“No Aine! You gotta sound smug about it! Not thankful! Smug, I say, Smug!” Shouted the previously smug voice.

Turning around I saw a duo of pixies, all of them wearing gold bands with flowing fabric but none of them wore any other clothes. The one that was shouting had an odd pair of metallic and glass like wings shaped like those of a dragonfly. It kinda looked like he shaped solar panels into bug wings. His hair was amber and styled like a spiky anime character entering their second form while his body was a light brown.

The pixie he was shouting at was taller than him but also skinnier with similar metallic wings. These wings weren’t as long as his were, more oval like and shined a gold color. Her hair was short and almost a punk like pink Mohawk with a long bang curling over her forehead while her skin was a pale green color.

While they were talking, the sound of a helicopter roared above us. Looking up I saw a small figure hovering for a few seconds before lowing itself. This one looked like another pixie, just with Blueish skin but instead of wings they wore a metal shell with a pair of helicopter blades attached to two arms coming from the shell. Her hair was void white, like all blood suck out of my body white and styled into a bowl cut with bangs that only covered her left eye brow. Instead of gold bands she had purple ones that looked more like plastic than metal.

“Would you two shut up? We’re here to advertise our superior technology and crafting skills.” She said flatly almost bored.

“Right Rez!” announced the taller fairy.

“Hey Caitlin, what’s up with this Rez?” Phoebe asked with a sweet smile. This immediately annoyed Rez or Caitlin as her face looked like she bit down on a sour candy.

“Shut your trap witch! Our grand Re-“ Began the loud fairy before Rez  waved her arm, making him shout up.

“We aren’t here to agonize them Rory. Just to be good sports.” Rez said but flashed Phoebe an pissed look.

“I hope you do well out there Caitlin.” Phoebe encouraged her with a friendly face.

“Could you not use my trash name.” Rez asked somewhat dejected.

That’s when Phoebe’s sweet face vanished to one of annoyance. “Playing Maeve to do this just to parade around here again isn’t how I’d call being friendly Caitlin.” She said angrily.

“I said I was sorry already, can't you let it go?” Rez said, looking away.

“That’s what you said last time too but I haven’t seen any change. It looks more like you redoubled your efforts.” Phoebe said with a pissed face.

“Come guys, our competition is being spoil sports. We’ll just crush them.” She muttered under her breath as the group flew away.

“Phoebe what was that?” I asked after they disappeared over the flowers.

“A self-proclaimed gnome. Don’t trust what she says otherwise she’ll make a firework out of you.” She said as she walked over the lodge.

“What happened?” I asked chasing after her.

Phoebe froze, her body trembling as if it was freezing. “Never trust her.” She said before clenching her fist and rushing off. Leaving me alone with the wind softly blowing behind me. Why are you acting like that?

 

After some time Maeve showed up, rocketing over the flowers like an orange comet, she did a few loops until she did a somersault in the air before planting her feet in a perfect landing. Standing almost like a bow, her silhouette colored by her orange glow, as she straightened her posture. She waved her arms out, making her orange glow and wings vanish like a swarm of fading butterflies. I had to clap at her awesome entrance, it was like watching a magic show!

“Thank you, thank you!” she said as she waved her hands and bowed her head.

“That was awesome! It was just like an anime!” I cheered.

“You’re too kind!” She said before noticing Phoebe tinkering in the lodge. “Did something happen?” She asked turning to me.

“Yeah…. The other team showed up and a gnome? Uh, Rez seemed to just set her off just by being here.” I explained before looking back at Phoebe’s sullen face. “She kept calling Rez, Caitlin and said she wasn’t trustworthy. She wouldn’t tell me anything else after that, she’s been working in there since.”

At this Maeve crossed her arms and leaned her head back in thought. “Hmmmmm…Oh! I might not have the solution but I do have something to pick up the mood.  But first.” She turned to me with a conflicted face. “Listen, about Rez, she did a lot of bad things. She even hurt me, I…it hurt my reputation for a while and Rez took off at the start of fixing the issue. So yeah, basically had to deal on my own, as for phoebe well….. She didn’t take what Rez did too well.” She said sounding sad.

“Oh… I see.” That was a lot to chew, how I could approach this without sounding pushy? I guess I need to be patient with her at this point, see if I can hear her side of things. “So you said you had something good?” I asked, hoping Maeve had something to pull her out of this.

“Yup!” she pulled out a rainbow colored butterfly wing that looked like crystal. “Fairy Sticks!” She said as we rushed over to Phoebe.

Phoebe sat there mixing powders from white paper books and using a weird glass bug leg to mix them, her eyes were glued to the stone bowl. “Hey Maeve! Could you clean those dishes? They have some honey and sugar mixed in them.” She explained with a calm but forced voice.

“Gotcha!” Maeve said before handing me the fairy stick and pointing it at Phoebe before taking off.

Looks like it’s up to me, the new friend, not the old one…. But who am I kidding, I really want to cheer her up, thanks Maeve! “Hey Phoebe, I saw those tubes upstairs could you show me how they work?” I asked trying to sound friendly and maybe cute, I couldn’t tell, honest.

She looked at me with a hard long stare before cleaning her face of some purple powder. “Alright, yeah. You’re helping so we need you up to snuff in case we call on you again to launch the flowers.” She nodded to herself, almost like she was trying to convince herself.

 

“Ok so this nozzle pours out the starter fluid and that hammer sparks the ignition, shooting the Kai-mays or prepared petals into the air. Those square plates suck up the fluid and allows for multiple to be launched at once.” Phoebe explained with a small smile.

“This one you need to change every now and then.” She pointed at a gear. “It can’t handle the magic used in launching for too long.” She pointed a few gears. “And those are…….. Is that true celestial!?” She shouted in a wild panic.

Following her gaze I saw one of the pixies carrying a stick that glittered like it had thousands of flashing lights. What? Is that some special component? Turning back to Phoebe, she rushed off calling Maeve about something special hype? Uh? Looking back I saw more of those fancy glow sticks being carried by the gnome’s backpack shell. Shit, whatever they have, it’ll blow us out of the water by a lot. 

 

“Are you already!?” shouted a voice from nowhere.

We were standing outside the lodge and Phoebe told me to stand on one of the glowing disks that appeared on the floor. They were organized in a V formation and glowed like a fairy. The moment we stood on it, a screen appeared, there we could see a crowd of people but it wasn’t just Sprites but monsters on the outside real world watching. The announcer looked like a short fairy in a black tux and wore a crown of white leaves that hid his entire body except for his wings.

“More than ready!” Shouted Maeve, waving her hands in wild abandon.

“Perfect! In today’s launching of petals, we welcome our very school’s artist’s trove sprites! And this little piece of home’s resident Undine, Miss Cecania!” The announcer called as the crowd began stomping their feet wildly.

As the crowd stomped and clapped, the air began to shimmer and ripple like water as the rooms became dark before a hand, made of flowing blue, red and green water reached out. It pulled out a massive blob of water from the rippling air that shifted shape several times before some of the water fell away like pulling your face from underwater. The blob formed the face of a beautiful woman with shining red eyes and watery green hair. High cheeks, a sweet smirk and gentle eyes of a mother, she was the image of pure beauty and kindness. I couldn’t look away from the giant water woman, she… Just wow. Did god himself create this magnificent woman? Was it someone amazing or was she herself able to grow into this?

“Hello! I welcome all that have attended today’s special event! Remember to feed yourselves properly as you enjoy today’s fliegende Blütenblätter!” She froze before covering her lips, hiding a chuckle. “My, please excuse me. I hereby welcome all to the launching of petals!” she corrected herself.

Giving short waves like a princess on a float, everyone that got waved at screamed like wild animals, Some even tore off their shirts and swung them with the energy of getting a million bucks. Miss Cecania covered her mouth, cutely giggling at their show like her crush was asking her out. without missing a beat, her hand covering her mouth glowed as she kissed her hand, raising it above her head. once her hand reached high above her head, rays of light poured over the audience, making everyone sparkle. some looked better, others looked hotter(?) even a fat guy looked like a god chiseled his form from a mountain.

“Have fun everyone!” Miss Cecania shouted, giving one last wave before her watery form fell apart like water falling from a lowering geyser, disappearing into thin air. 

After that the announcer took over. “To those unaware. The teams are to gather petals and pollen for their crafts! All while avoiding any and all traps set by pixie teammates, the wild growth of flowers and as an added obstacle, magic vortexes!” He announced with a bow and smile. “The teams can use two members to gather and send back to home base or use only one to do so. Where they will build their Kai-mays to launch at the end of the event, at each other!”

After giving his welcome we were given time to do a last minute checkup before starting the event. But the faces of Maeve and Phoebe were pale as if a dead ancestor cursed their future to ruin.

“They changed the rules?! We’ve never attacked another’s team Kai-may before!” Maeve whispered surprised.

“Why would the board do that? This isn’t how these events go!” Phoebe said with an irritated glare.

“Think it’s to get back at my um, ‘item gathering’?” Asked Maeve, looking nervous.

“No, I highly doubt that but this does seem familiar but I wonder why?” Phoebe said while leering in the direction of the other team. Quickly turning around she made her way to the lodge. “Let’s make a few plans before they catch us with our wings stolen.” Phoebe said with an angry face.

I was confused how this could happen. Most events don’t change the rules without some early warning. Did someone plan for this to happen when the garden town couldn’t argue against it? But how did they withhold that info from us getting it. My face soured from the possible realization unfolding in front of us. Unless this board neglected to tell anyone or the message never got sent. Either way, we’re being fucked with, and I hate that more than anything. With a scowl I turned towards the lodge, I wasn’t going to let this go.