Rising Shards

Outside of the low hum of the engine of the void ship, the room was silent as Chumbler, Z.O.K., Rain, Chellsi, and Mikeila-Keila stood across Ovie, Aira, Laenie, and a Wildfire Hearts student apparently named Narkissa.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Chumbler said. “I know what you’re thinking, ‘how’d she end up here?’ Well, it’s a long story. It all started—”

“Oh, it’s just Chumbler,” Aira said. Laenie hid behind her. “What’s going on, Chumbler?”

“You know, livin’ the dream and such.” Chumbler said.

“It’s just Chumbler?” Ovie said.

“Hi Ovieeeee,” Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila said.

“Chumbler, can you not do the freaking cliché opening right now?” Z.O.K. asked. “They’re gonna like beat us up and stuff.”

“Aw, we wouldn’t beat up Chumbler and pals,” Aira said. “Well, I didn’t realize Rain and Chellsi-Mikeila-Keila were her pals. Hi, Rain! Haven’t seen you around these parts yet.”

Rain waved politely despite her headache from overusing her mind powers.

“Speak for yourself, I’ll kick their asses easily,” Ovie said. She turned to Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila. “Not you two, obviously. But the rest, fair game.”

“She’s got a hairpin trigger for beating people up,” Narkissa said. “It’s a really unattractive character trait.”

“Shut the hell up, Narkissa, or I’ll give you matching black eyes.” Ovie said. “Now can you freaks explain why the hell you’re in my void garage?”

“Ovie Chirhart, real charmer,” Chumbler said, cracking her knuckles. “I’ll handle this one.”

“Please don’t flirt with her.” Z.O.K. said.

“No, do it, Ovie could use some positive reinforcement!” Aira said. “I’m pretty sure no one’s ever been nice to her before.”

“I have a girlfriend.” Ovie said. “Everyone who isn’t Chumbler just shut up and let her explain why she’s standing before me before I beat her ass out of here!”

“Ooh, feisty,” Chumbler said. “Well, Miss Chirhart, you lovely beast, fanged though you may be, what you are also is a former Rising Shards student. And that’s whomst this little party of miscreants is here foreth. For gambling purposes.”

“Why do you talk like that?” Z.O.K. muttered.

“Z.O.K., do you have the pamphlets? The brochures?” Chumbler asked, snapping her fingers rapidly at Z.O.K. to make it real clear she wanted those pamphlets and brochures ASAP.

“No.” Z.O.K. said.

“Wha—? How come?” Chumbler asked.

“Because we never made pamphlets or brochures?” Z.O.K. said.

“Then how are we gonna explain any of this to them?” Chumbler whined.

“The same way we did with the others? Just talk to them? Dumbass?” Z.O.K. said.

“Fine, whatever. We here at Chumblerosa have built the best Cani casino ever so if any of you raided people wanna gamble with us, it’s a safe and fun way to go back to your old school.”

Ovie sighed deeply. “Oh, my g—”

“That makes perfect sense to me,” Aira said. “I’d love to visit!”

“Gambling’s illegal…” Laenie said.

“If anyone’s gonna do gambling by the books, it’s Chumbler.” Aira said.

Chumbler crossed her arms and nodded.

Someone’s phone rang, a cheery ringtune that sounded like it was from a kid’s cartoon theme song with a lot of clapping. Aira pulled out her phone.

”Oh! I have to take this, sorry.” She answered, stepping away from the group. ”Hello? Zeta Faleur?”

”Ew, why the hell is Zeta Manure calling you?” Ovie asked.

”Heh, ’Manure,’ good one.” Chumbler said. ”I’m gonna steal that.”

Aira went off into a corner to continue her call. She started to walk back as she was wrapping up.

”You didn’t, I’m just sitting around at Wildfire Hearts deluxe-io bored,” Aira said. ”I hope your broken thing works out! But I got some people waiting here. Bye Zeta!”

”Are you done?” Ovie asked as Aira put her phone away.

”I suppose so.” Aira said. ”Zeta and company busted something up apparently. Not the first time that’s happened, and probably not the last knowing their—”

”I don’t care.” Ovie said.

”I do, I wanna call her later to find out how it worked out.” Aira said.

”Well you lot definitely are done,” Ovie said, pointing to the ”You let out your inane stupidity out into the world, now leave. We’re about to go on a mission.”

“What kind of mission?” Chumbler asked.

“I am under no obligation to tell you,” Ovie said. She looked at Aira, Laenie, and Narkissa. “And if any of you tell them anything, I’ll be very pissed.”

“Chumbler, she’s getting angrier, let’s just go.” Z.O.K. said. “Before she goes all child soldier on you.”

“’All child soldier’?” Chumbler asked.

“Yeah, this is the freaking child soldier school, they’re all super dangerous!” Z.O.K. said. “Their mission is probably a super murder assassination deal in the void and they’re gonna go all guns blazing in there! A mission we’re keeping them from doing! She probably has techniques to break someone’s butt that we could only dream of!”

“I dunno, Rising Shards is pretty child soldier-y, yeah?” Chumbler asked. “I mean, we go into the void and fight stuff too. We have swords and stuff. I even have a double bloodsaber, because I’m badass.”

“Rising Shards is like a school for literal babies compared to Wildfire Hearts,” Ovie said. “The combat training you receive is entirely based on fighting sludge monsters. Here, we’re making a real difference.”

“See? What did I tell you?” Z.O.K. said. “Even their regular uniforms look like they’re gonna fight someone compared to ours, and they probably have sick like military-looking void clothes too.”

“Both sets of Wildfire uniforms are pretty cool, yeah.” Aira said. “But I’d take the more explorative/void-condensation fighting style of Rising Shards over here easily.”

“Agreed.” Laenie said.

“Oh my god, wrap this up.” Ovie said. “Chellsi, Mikeila-Keila, we’ll hang out later. For now, my group really has to go.”

“Okie dokie, bye Okie!” Mikeila-Keila said. “Oops, I mean Ovie dovie, bye Ovie! Wait…”

“Don’t strain yourself there…” Narkissa said.

“I feel like I should give one last quick rundown of all the amenities Chumblerosa has to offer.” Chumbler said.

Ovie growled and shoved Chumbler towards the door. Z.O.K., seeing an even further angered Ovie, screamed and ran ahead of them. Rain, Chellsi, and Mikeila-Keila followed more casually.

“Come to Chumblerosa!” Chumbler yelled before Ovie shut the door on her. She turned to her companions. “Pretty successful mission, I’d say. Let’s call it a day, team!”

“Please,” Rain said, still holding her forehead. “I need some acetaminophen.”

“Um…guys?” Z.O.K. asked. Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila looked panicked as well as they saw two people approach them, a teacher and a student. Chumbler recognized the blue dragon girl as Elisa Burwell, who still wore bear pajamas even under her new Wildfire Hearts uniform. She was nose deep in her phone. The other…

“Kitty!” Chellsi said. “We weren’t breaking the rules.”

“Right, we were saving them.” Mikeila-Keila said. “Well, okie dokie bye oki—”

“Hold on just a second, dears,” Kitty said. “Baes. Boos. What have you. I dunno a good nickname for my studeeeents, what a bummer. But what’s more pressing…” Kitty loomed over Chumbler, Z.O.K., and Rain. “Is you three.”

“I technically go here,” Rain said. “It’s these two you’d be most interested in, Ms. Kilander.”

“Oh my god, Rain sold us the hell out there!” Chumbler said. She expected Rain to run off, but she went back to clutching her forehead.

Kitty squinted at Chumbler and Z.O.K. It was weird to have a pop singer/haven fighter/Kilander with actual celebrity status look down so intimidatingly.

“Visitors from Rising Shards? Thinking of defecting?” Kitty asked, winking with one eye, then the other. She jangled her earrings as well for some reason, possibly for emphasis.

“Uhhh. Sure?” Chumbler asked. “We were just getting the tour.”

“And what part of the tour brought you to…” Kitty looked at the door they’d left from. She scanned her wristband over the door and the room’s info beamed to her. “Ovie Chirhart’s room, eh? Their ship just left…must have been in a hurry to get where they were going.”

“Quiet ship, I didn’t even hear it go.” Z.O.K. said.

“Ovie’s on a secret mission, we can’t even talk about it.” Chellsi said.

“Is she, now?” Kitty asked, much more interested in that than in whatever Chumbler and Z.O.K. were up to. “Elisa, Chellsi, Mikeila-Keila, would you like to join me on a lil itsy bitsy little scouting little void trip? Little?”

Elisa looked up from her phone and shrugged.

“Wonderful.” Kitty said. “I think The Exile’s little stooges need to remember which Kilander truly is the Kittiest.”

Kitty paused before turning to Elisa. “Thoughts on that as a new catchphrase?”

“Will it affect you letting me meet Osiris?” Elisa asked.

“No.” Kitty said. “I want your honest opinion.”

“It’s complete garbage. Maybe even worse as a one off.” Elisa said.

“Chumbler,” Z.O.K. whispered. “We should run away now while she’s distracted.”

“Right, good thinking!” Chumbler said, not at all in a whisper, immediately foiling their attempt before it started. Kitty moved back to Chumbler and smooshed her face all weirdly like Chumbler was clay to her.

“Who aaaare you?” Kitty asked. “You’re my favorite now, I’ve decided.”

“Awww, but you said we were your favorites!” Mikeila-Keila said.

“Fine, fifth favorite,” Kitty said. “After me, of course, I’m number one, you gotta love yourself, then Chellsi, then Mikeila-Keila, then Elisa, then new girl.”

“My name’s Chumbler, ma’am.” Chumbler said once Kitty released her clamping hands.

“Chumbler, cute!” Kitty said. “In that like, not cute way. Do you three wanna come with us as well? Big void party!”

“Uh…” Chumbler said. “No?”

“And keep in mind, I won’t take no for an answer!” Kitty giggled, but in a menacing way.

“Right…still no?” Chumbler asked. “Rain here, despite her prior betrayal of us, really needs some head pain meds. Ya feel me?”

“Oh I feel you,” Kitty said, smooshing Chumbler’s face up again. “Come on, we’ll just go in and out, real quick! A little big void party!”

“Fine, do you have any gummies or something that can repower up Rain here?” Chumbler asked once her face was freed once more. “I feel like we’re gonna need her brain power more and she’s pretty catatonic right now.”

“Probably, I can pick some up on the way to my very cool void ship. It’s like cotton candy colors, bae.” Kitty said.

Chumbler looked over at Z.O.K. She wished she could like telepathically talk to her and come up with a cool plan to get out of this, but instead she just winced and shrugged. Z.O.K. did the same. They were cornered here, and the only way out seemed to be by following Kitty Kilander into the void.