My Dream

🐙 Enter The Benevolent Merchant

"You're lightening magic, and your athleticism, give all of it to me!" Azul had a maniacal look on his face.

A Scarabia student screamed in pain as light was pulled from him, before he collapsed on the ground.

"What exactly is Azul absorbing from everyone?!" Ruggie asked. "People are collapsing one after another!"

"It looks like he can take everything from someone with his unique magic if there's no contract in place." Leona theorized. "My guess is that contract acts like a check and balance for his magic."

"Oh golly, are you serious!?" Gwen wrapped her arms around Leona even tighter.

"Eeeh!?" Ruggie flinched. "That's freaking terrifying!"

"Yeah." Leona reached behind him to wrap an arm around Gwen. "That forbidden class of magic is gonna build up an excessive amount of blot in an instant."

"Azul!" Jade and Floyd were rapidly approaching, followed by Jack, Ace, Deuce, and Grim. "Just what are you doing!"

"Uhwah, what the hell is happening?" Floyd asked. "Hey! Little Shrimp's got legs!"

"Gwen!" Ace opened his arms for Gwen to run into them. "Things are crazy right now!"

"Save the hugs and kisses for later!" Gwen cried, not moving from her spot attached to Leona.

"Is Azul... on a rampage!?" Deuce asked.

"He's absorbing abilities from students left and right." Jack observed.

"Eeek... Leona!" Grim flew onto Gwen's shoulders. "This is because you picked on him, isn't it!?"

"This is my fault?" Leona looked over his shoulder to glare at the cat. "You're the one who told me to turn his contracts into sand."

"Jade, Floyd, aaah, you've finally come back to me." Azul cooed. "These bastards went and stole Angelfish and destroyed all of my precious contracts. Please, my loves, give me your strength, too. Give it to me!"

"Stop this instant." Jade commanded. "You know that you can't control your unique magic properly without a contract in place, it's too strong. If you keep on like this you know what will happen!"

"It's all gone, you know, everything..." Azul frowned before bursting into laughter. "I don't wanna go back to the way I was before!"

"Zuzu, come on, you're way lamer right now than you ever were before." Floyd said.

"Ah... is that so?" Azul replied. "You're aware I am a stupid, clumsy octopus that can't do anything by himself. So I'm going to keep taking until I'm the best version of myself I can possibly be. A beautiful singing voice, powerful magic, everything belongs to me! Give it all to me!"

Azul absorbed light from the crowd of fleeing students, making them collapse by the dozen. An ink like substance began to spread around him.

"The hell is that?" Floyd asked in fear. "Black mud is coming from Azul. That's not ink... right?"

"He's using his magic too much." Jade realized. "He's accumulating blot beyond safe levels! At this rate... he's going to overblot!"

Azul was cackling manically. "Just a stupid, clumsy octopus. Of course you'd leave me too."

"What? Azul, no!" Jade's eyes widened.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Floyd shouted.

"Jade, Floyd, and Angelfish." Azul seemed not to hear them. "They're all going to leave me. No. No, they can't! I'll become a perfect version of myself, and then they'll stay with me!"

"Azul!" Gwen tore herself away from Leona to run to the side of the Leech Twins. "Azul please!"

But it was too late. The ink filled Azul's heart completely. When it cleared, someone else was standing in his place.

"Ffgna!" Grim's jaw dropped. "He's an octopus where his legs should be!"

"That's what Azul looks like underwater." Jade replied.

"Don't I look disgusting like this?" The Merchant asked. "No matter. I'll just take even more to become better."

"Zuzu! You're gonna get hurt!" Floyd snapped.

"If I'm going to be forced into this disgusting form, then I'm going to take what I want." Azul smiled at the Tweels and Gwen, holding out his hands. "My darlings! Come to me!"

"Azul!" Jade unclipped his pen. "I apologize in advance, but you've left us no choice."

"Sorry, Zuzu." Floyd followed his brother's lead. "I'll have to squeeze this out of you."

Gwen held her paintbrush and reached into her pocket. Then she gasped, her face paling. "I don't have any ink! I stopped carrying bottles with me after I gave Jade my paintbrush!"

"Get behind us then." Leona commanded.

"Yeah, let us do the work." Ruggie grinned.

"Leave it to us!" Grim said.

Gwen nodded and rushed behind the group for safety. It was awful, watching them fight while she could do nothing. It was worse than when she was forced to sit back and watch when Riddle overblotted.

Then she got an idea. "Floyd, Jade!" She called.

"Little busy!" Floyd shouted back.

Jade slid close. "What's the matter?"

"I have an idea!" Gwen said. "We have to give Azul what he wants! We have to go to him! It's the only way to calm him down!"

"You're right." Jade agreed.

"Azul!" The three called in unison.

Azul turned his attention to them. "My loves!"

"Azul, we're sorry." Jade put his hand over his heart. "We would never leave you."

"Yeah, no one else is a fun as you!" Floyd agreed.

"Azul, everything will be okay." Gwen assured him. "We're right here!"

Azul looked overjoyed, swimming over to them. "Perfect! Stay with me and I'll give you everything! Anything you want, as long as you're with me!"

"I'm just happy to be by your side." Jade assured him.

"I want these cool new shoes!" Floyd said, before Jade harshly elbowed him. "Ow, what?! Oh! Uh... I'm happy with my Zuzu!"

"My lovely little mermaid!" Azul turned his attention to Gwen. "Stay with me, and I'll get rid of your scars!"

Gwen put a hand over her chest, right where the scars were. "You... how do you know about..." Her eyes widened.

"What scars?" Leona asked in the background.

"You can get rid of them?" Gwen asked.

"Of course!" Azul assured her. "With all this magic I can posses, there's nothing I won't be able to do for you!"

Gwen began to tear up. "Azul..."

"Oh, Angelfish!" Azul pulled her close. "Shh... shh. It's alright."

Azul gently tilted her head up and pressed a soft gentle kiss to her lips. Gwen wrapped her arms around his neck. Then she squeaked in shock.

That's his tongue! His tongue is in my mouth!!

Gwen felt around for her paintbrush, finally pulling it out of her back pocket. While Azul was distracted by playing with her hair... and her tongue... Gwen reached up and tapped his eye with her paintbrush.

Then it all faded to black.