Rescue Op.

"Are you really okay with this?" I asked.

"Being a king? Yes. Absolutely." He grinned, "I always knew I was destined for royalty."

I chuckled.

"You know what I mean El."

"Just be straight with him." Margo interjected.

"Phrasing!" I quipped and got a deadpan look from her.

"There's been a bump." She told Eliot.

"Bigger than a total stranger-ette." He asked.

"Apparently marriage here is different." She stressed, "Really different."

"Right but as High King I can get, like, a royal annulment... "

"No. Never." I said, "That's a divine decree, apparently."

"Once you get married you won't be able to be with anybody else." Margo added, "Literally, for the rest of your life."

That seemed to shake him, his voice cracked.

"Here. But when I go back, I can-"

Margo shook her head.

"I can never leave Fillory.... " He realised. And it broke him a little. This was never his quest. He was just a casualty of it. An innocent bystander.

I felt for him.

"Jesus." He swore, pacing back and forth as he drank from his flask.

"El, you don't have to do this." Margo said.

"No. Don't." He stopped her.

"We used those coins. We saw our deaths. Jay is right. We need this. I'm..." He handed his flask to Margo with a shaking hand, "I'm doing this."

And that didn't sit right with me.

Seeing him like that....

He was someone I cared about. One of the few friends I had.

No. I need to at least give him a chance.

"If you want, I can... Maybe try something. I have my ways. Undo this." I said, laying out his options, "But people could die. And... you're one of the few people I actually care about El....so I'll give you this choice. We can go there. Kill the smith. Steal the blade. There's a chance he has enchanted the blade against that but even if he did, maybe we can figure something out-"

Eliot walked over and pulled me in a hug.

"I like your whole.... Wholesome serial killer vibe. Don't ruin it." He quipped.

"I'm trying to save you the hassle, asshole." I smiled.

"I know. And thank you. But just let me do this." He sighed, stepping back.

"Margo, Jay. I am miserable."

I figured as much from how much he drinks. It's as if he's trying to run away from every waking moment of conciousness.

"My life, it doesn't work. Nothing's ever fixed that. Drugs, sex, food, booze.

Not even magic. But maybe it all led to this, to now, for a reason that's actually finally going to make my life not just about me, and my thoughts, and my feelings. Something... "

"Bigger." Margo finished the thought for him.

"How wise you are ... Margo, The Destroyer." He cupped her face and she giggled.

"Is it okay if I hate that you're getting married." She sniffled, "Shit."

She wiped her tears

"I think you're the only person I can stand."

"I'm right here." I said.

"A moment, Jay?" She glared at me and I backed off, leaving the two of them alone, and returned to help with the wedding prep.

Well.... I tried. But if he wants to be a martyr so much, I'm not going to stop him.

I will however help him get out of this stupid marriage once I get all that I want.

For now however, let's enjoy the wedding.

.

As the night and the wedding wrapped up, the smith returned with the box containing the blade.

"The blade is yours. As promised." He opened it up, free for us to take.

Instinctively Quentin reached out for it when-

"Fuck!" He recoiled back, "That's hot!"

"Here." Eliot came around, "Maybe it's just for High Kings-Woah Jesus!"

He shrunk back in pain.

"Okay, father-in-law, why is this blade a 1000 degrees?"

"It may only be handled by master magicians." The smith looked at us confused, "Are none of you masters?"

I was, but I didn't want to reveal that yet.

Thankfully, just then Penny came running back from the harn where he had hidden out the whole booooooring wedding ceremony.

And it was boring. All twelve hours of it!

Seriously, I envied him.

"Okay, I found the castle. We can- oh cool." He went for the blade too, just grabbing it off the box and burned.

"Fuuuuck!" He cried out, dropping the blade, "I hate this place!"

"Why make a weapon to kill a master magician that can only be wielded by other masters?! I mean if any of us were masters, why would we even need the weapon?" I acted frustrated too.

"There has to be trick right?" Josh suggested.

"We can't trick it into thinking we're powerful. I mean the trick is that we have to be that poweful." Julia said.

"I gather the crowd you usually hang out with nods like you're smart when you say incredibly obvious shit, but what we need is ides."

"This is an idea. We need the power of a god." Julia shot back.

"Yeah." Mr. Simp-tastic chimed in, "Or gods. Ember and Umber!"

"Who haven't been seen for decades so good luck with that." Josh said.

"Okay I have a much less idiotic idea." Penny interjected, "Why don't we use a magician who's actually been around the Beast. The girl in his dungeon."

"Victoria isn't a master either." Josh said.

"And how do you know that?" He asked.

"Because she was my girlfriend?" Josh replied.

"Who you haven't seen in what, two years? Nah, I say we at least get her out. Maybe she can help somehow. Maybe she knows a weak point or something?" I said.

"Yeah, I second this. Let's save Vicky first." Josh raised a hand.

"No one gave you a vote, fatty." Margo shut him down.

"Hey!" He protested.

"So what? We go to save her and walk right into the Beast's dungeon? No thank you." Margo argued, when suddenly, Alice spoke up.

"I'm with Penny. We came here to save her. Might as well kill two birds with one stone."

"Eliot?" Margo turned around to ask him.

He had been busy listening to his new wife whisper in his ear.

"Yeah, according to the fine print not actually written down, I have a virgin farm girl to impregnate."

"Right this second?" Margo asked annoyed.

"This very one. Best of us all. You're welcome." He said, bailing on us, as he extended a hand to Fen, "Mrs. Me?"

"If I die while he's balling himself limp, I will haunt the shit out of his ass." Penny groaned.

"Well, it's four to three." I slapped my knees, "Shall we go save the damsel? Where was she again?" I asked.

.

"You've got to be shitting me." Margo said, narrowing her eyes at the guards that exited a door that came out of nowhere.

"That's why they call it The Castle That Isn't There." Quentin explained.

"'Cause it's invisible."

The truth is, the castle was built invisible primarily for budgetary reasons.

The royals had spent their entire allowance of parties and then realised they still needed a castle built. So they decided builder's grade material was fine if no one could see the castle.

Yeah. Fillory was weird like that.

"Okay, I'll distract them, you guys run in." Josh volunteered.

"No." Margo said, "Don't be stupid. They're men." She stood up and began to unbutton her shirt when I stopped her.

"I have an invisibility function on my suit. I'll go in and get them out. You guys just need to distract the guards and run away." I offered.

"Then why didn't you say so sooner."

"Because it was funny watching you brainstorm stupid ideas?"

"Asshole."

"My asshole." Yue chirped, "And I'm coming too."

"Sure." I wrapped her under my coatas I deployed the invisibility field.

And with the others distracting the guards with noises, we walked right in.

Finding the dungeons was easy. They were practically labelled scaru dungeon, what with the raised bulbs and pins on the door.

Penny had checked and found that Beast wasn't in, likely still healing himself at the Wellspring, so I wasn't worried.

Not that he could do anything to me either way.

Ooening the door, we found a girl in an off white robe stuck through with chains, habging suspended in the air.

"Yue, if you will."

Yue nodded as a burst of jet blue flames melted through them, freeing the girl. I caught her in my arms, supporting her as she gained some lucidity.

"Wha-no. I-"

"Shhh... We're here to save you. Don't worry." I assured her.

"There's someone else too. In the cell over." She managed to whisper from her bruised and beaten lips.

I nodded.

I knew who it was.

Even before I opened the door.

"Christopher Plover. I hate to say this, but we're her to save you. So keep your mouth shut and cone along." I didn't like the pedophile, and nothing was going to change that.

Just thinking about him made my blood boil.

The thought of what he would have done if Star was in Martin's place.....!

I will gut him.

Just not now.

Right now, I need Victoria to cooperate.

And I need the location of the Wellspring from him.

So he lives. Barely. And only for now.

He nodded silently and I freed him, before teleporting us all out of the castle and back to the smithy.

____________________

MC saves Plover and Victoria.

Next time, Quentin gets the jizz. And mc confronts the Beast.

Three more chapters till the Beast arc ends. And then, godslaying and Saiyans.

Till then, thanks for reading!

Next extra chapter at 600 powerstones.

Bye!