Continuing the Story
Spotty gave Ila a look that could only be described as equal parts exasperation and amusement. “You tell them,” Spotty said, gesturing with a wave of her hand. “This was your idea.”
Ila smirked, crossing her arms. “Oh no, the story works better if you start from the beginning. Go on, impress them with how you charmed the security guards.”
Spotty groaned, muttering under her breath, “Red-haired, amber-eyed menace,” though there was no malice in her tone. With a resigned sigh, she began, her crystalline blue eyes gleaming with mischief. “Fine. So, the story begins with Ila and me stepping through the portal and finding ourselves immediately surrounded by security guards pointing automatic weapons at us. Standard welcoming committee, nothing new.”
Ila interjected with a grin, “And I may have said, ‘Great, this crap again,’ because, honestly, how often do we get greeted without someone aiming weapons at us?”
Spotty chuckled. “Fair point. Anyway, I told them we were there to see their boss and—believe it or not—they actually listened. Their leader told us to follow him, and before Ila could make one of her usual quips, we were on our way to the boss’s office.”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “They just let you through? That’s... unusually cooperative.”
Spotty nodded, smirking. “Surprisingly, yes. I guess I can be persuasive when I want to be.”
Ila laughed. “Persuasive? You basically dared them to try something.”
Spotty shrugged playfully, then continued. “So, we walked into the office and found none other than Angelus and Marcus Hamilton. Marcus was sitting there looking all smug, and Angelus... well, he was brooding as usual. You know, classic ‘I’m the biggest bad’ energy.”
Fred leaned in, her curiosity piqued. “Angelus? You met Angelus?”
“Oh, we didn’t just meet him,” Spotty said, a mischievous glint in her eye. “We had a little... exchange.”
“What happened next?” Elizabeth asked, leaning forward with a mix of fascination and dread.
Spotty’s smirk widened. “Angelus, being the predictable idiot that he is, tried to punch me. I let him think he’d succeed, waited until the last second, then sidestepped. And as his fist came past, I grabbed his hand, broke a finger—pop!—and yanked the ring with the gem of Amara right off.”
Fred gasped, her eyes wide. “You just... took it? Just like that?”
“Well, I don’t like to waste time,” Spotty said with a nonchalant shrug. “He didn’t deserve to have it anyway.”
“And that’s not even the fun part,” Ila said, her grin widening. “You should’ve seen Spotty’s face when I pulled out my 300MT focused antimatter missile launcher and casually threatened to blow up the entire building while we were still inside it. Just to make a point.”
Spotty gave her a sidelong glance. “Oh yes, very helpful. Because nothing says ‘we’re here to talk peacefully’ like threatening mutually assured destruction.”
“Hey,” Ila said, holding up her hands defensively, “it worked, didn’t it?”
Fred shook her head in disbelief. “Wait, wait, go back. You broke his finger, took the ring, and then Ila threatened to blow up the building. What happened next?”
Spotty leaned back slightly, crossing her arms. “What happened next? Angelus decided to keep testing my patience. He started making all these big threats—‘If you betray me, I’ll destroy you,’ blah blah blah. So, I grabbed a pencil from his desk, let him take one last swing at me, dodged it, and then staked him. Dust. Just like that.”
Fred’s jaw dropped. “You defeated him just like that?” she asked, her tone a mix of amazement and disbelief.
Spotty smirked again, leaning in slightly. “Like I said, I don’t like to waste time.”
Ila laughed. “You should’ve seen his face. Priceless.”
Spotty leaned casually against the makeshift table they’d been using to organize maps and documents they’d taken from Angelus’ office, her crystalline blue eyes glinting with her trademark mix of confidence and mischief. She had everyone’s undivided attention as she recounted the events with an air of nonchalance that only Spotty could pull off.
“Anyway,” Spotty began, gesturing broadly with one hand, “Marcus Hamilton turned out to be much more reasonable once Angelus was dusted. I mean, I did have to remind him a couple of times about what happens to people who try to cross me, but ultimately, he saw the light. Well, the metaphorical light.”
Ila leaned against a wall, arms crossed, her smirk practically oozing amusement. “Reasonable meaning he realized that Spotty here wasn’t bluffing when she said she’d blow the entire building to kingdom come if he didn’t cooperate.”
Spotty chuckled. “Exactly. So, in exchange for letting him and his crew pack up and leave this universe permanently, he handed over everything. I’m talking full documentation on Illyria, on the First Evil, and even those legendary source books.”
Fred’s eyes widened as her mind raced. “You mean... the source books? The ones that can supposedly conjure up any piece of knowledge?”
Spotty nodded. “The very same. And they turned out to be as useful as advertised. We spent some time in Angelus’ office going through everything, and—” she paused for dramatic effect, her smile widening— “we found Illyria.”
Fred leaned forward, her voice tinged with anticipation. “She’s here? On this Earth?”
Spotty shook her head, still smiling. “Not here. Not in this universe. But we now know exactly which one she’s in. So, once we’re done helping you and your people reclaim this world, we’ll be heading there to have a little... let’s call it a conversation.”
Elizabeth, who had been standing near the crates of supplies they’d brought earlier, raised an eyebrow. “A conversation? Is that what we’re calling it now?” she asked dryly, though there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes.
Spotty smirked but brushed off Elizabeth’s comment. “Oh, and before I forget, we made a slight change of plans while we were still in Angelus’ office.”
Ila snorted, clearly struggling to keep a straight face. “Oh, you mean you made the slight change of plans, Spotty.”
Spotty sighed dramatically but smiled. “Fine. We made the slight change of plans. After going through everything, we decided we’re not going to kill the First Evil after all.”
Fred blinked in confusion. “What? Then what are you going to do?”
“We’re going to capture it alive,” Spotty said, her voice almost casual, as though discussing the weather.
Fred and Elizabeth both stared at her, completely stunned. Elizabeth was the first to recover, narrowing her eyes. “You want to capture the corporeal manifestation of the First Evil? For study? Is that what this is about?”
Spotty shrugged as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Pretty much, yeah. It’s not every day you get the chance to capture something like that.”
Elizabeth’s voice was dripping with dry skepticism as she said, “That’s not a slight change of plans, Spotty. That’s a complete 180.”
Ila burst out laughing. “Oh, but it gets better,” she said, clearly reveling in the moment. “We left a little present for anyone who might’ve stayed in the building. Spotty, of course, being the most responsible person alive, let me set one of the 300MT focused antimatter missiles before we left. Because, you know, why not?”
Fred’s jaw dropped. “You... you blew up the building?”
Spotty smiled mischievously, her crystalline blue eyes sparkling. “Of course we did. It was the perfect way to wrap up our visit.”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. “And this ‘slight’ change of plans you mentioned?” she asked, her voice heavy with dry sarcasm.
Spotty smirked, tilting her head slightly as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. “Slight?” she echoed innocently, the glint in her eyes betraying her amusement.
Elizabeth just stared at her, waiting for the inevitable explanation, while Ila leaned against a nearby crate, trying to stifle her laughter. Fred stood frozen, still processing the idea of capturing the First Evil alive and everything she had just heard, her mind swirling with questions.