Riven x Reader

Chapter 17

A/N:... Just gonna... place this here...

The tunnel is dark and damp, with only Flora's flashlight leading the way in the musty underground route to the witches' school. After what feels like miles of walking blindly, we reach a dead end.

"We must have taken a wrong turn somewhere!" Stella protests, turning around and looking back into the muddy darkness behind her. I shake my head slightly, staring at the wall in front of us.

"We were walking in a straight line, Stella, there were no alternative routes," I mutter, touching the stone, just as I do, it slides into the rock, revealing a Cloud Tower hallway. I smile a little, "See," I reply, turning to the rest of the girls. I'm almost relieved; if all that walking turned out to be for nothing, I think Stella would have pulled my hair out.

Flora turns off her flashlight as we all quietly gather in the hallway, in the light of the flaming torches on the walls, the large purple-and-black stone staircases covered in shadows, and the scent of dark magic fills my lungs like smoke from a cigarette.

"I guess we'll have to use our magic to find the Trix," Bloom says quietly as we look around at our many options. I open my mouth to say something, but a distant shout from up one of the staircases cuts me off; it sounds distinctly like Darcy.

"Then again... maybe not," I reply, offering Bloom and the others a smile as we quickly and quietly follow the echo of Darcy's shout.

We search along the endless hallways, looking at the names of each dorm room, when we finally come across the Trix's room, Darcy, Icy, and Stormy scrawled on an ugly stone tablet next to their door. I tuck my dark curls behind my ear and press the side of my head against the door, trying to listen to any movement, before reaching down and slowly turning the handle.

The six of us quietly walk inside, looking around at the mess. The room is thick with the scent of dark magic and something else slightly more repulsive, "My nose is telling me the ogre lives here, too," I mumble.

"Come on, let's get busy finding Stella's ring. It could be anywhere in here," Flora replies, looking around the room in mild discomfort. "The longer we're here, the more likely it is that we'll be found out." We all nod in agreement, spreading out to search.

We search through their room, rummaging through their drawers and belongings like a bunch of creeps, really, stumbling through piles of dust and rubbish.

"Look at all this shit everywhere, I know they're witches, but come on, don't they clean?" I scoff, shaking my head at a particularly large pile of grime.

"Maybe they had a party?" Bloom shrugs as the girls walk over to me. I nudge the pile with my foot, causing half of it to fall down. I cough a little, covering my mouth with my hand as my eyes begin to water, not my best idea.

"If this is the leftovers, I'm glad I wasn't invited," Stella replies dryly, crouching down. I see a glint in the dusty pile, and my eyes widen a little.

"Oh my God, Stella, look!" I say, pointing my finger. She gasps and reaches into the pile with a big smile.

"It's my sword ring!" She beams, sliding the ring onto her dainty finger, "Welcome home, did you miss me?" She coos, and I let out a fond huff, shaking my head.

"Good, we can go now," Tecna replies, already walking towards the mirror portal, but the damn thing doesn't seem to open. I watch the technology fairy frown and shake her head, "either the lock is broken, or there's a safety mechanism." She mumbles, trying it again.

I tilt my head and place my hands on my hips, "Through the tunnel again, then." I mutter as we all sneak down the corridors again. It doesn't take long to spot the tunnels we entered through. I sigh in both relief and exhaustion, these late-night missions will not be doing me any good in the eye-bags department.