Layla had teleported herself, Michael, Vodeen, and Eric to a location far from the vampire residence. Upon arrival, Layla gazed at her staff with a mixture of concern. She turned to the group and asked, "Did anything happen to my staff?" The group was taken aback by her question. Eric replied, "What do you mean?" Layla explained, "My staff is drained of energy. It's as if something has sucked out its power. I won't be able to perform spells to get us back to the human world." Vodeen's eyes widened as he asked, "So, your staff can't take us back home?" Michael added, "The vampires are likely searching for us already." Layla reassured them, "The good news is that my staff isn't completely useless. It just needs time to recharge. We were lucky that the magic wasn't entirely drained when Eric brought it to me." Eric inquired, "How did your staff get drained? Can staff even get drained like that?" Layla shook her head, "I don't know, but I want to know who else took my staff." Vodeen explained, "I saw your staff lying in the corner of your house; I picked it up.when Michael and I arrived at this place I gave the staff to Eric, who disguised it with his vines." Layla's gaze narrowed, "Only two people have touched my staff - you and Eric. Eric, I think your vines might have drained the energy from my staff." Eric protested, "That's not possible. I don't have that kind of power." Layla pressed him, "Then how do you explain your ability to bring trees to life?" Eric trailed off, unsure of the full extent of his powers. "I'm sorry if I'm the cause of our predicament. How long will it take for your staff to recharge?" Layla replied, "At least an hour, as long as it's in my hands." Michael interjected, "We don't have that kind of time. The vampires will catch up to us. Where can we hide?" Eric suggested, "I think I know a place where we can hide safely from the vampires, but it's inhabited by various monsters." Layla looked at him skeptically. "You've been on this planet for only a few hours and already know a safe place?" Eric explained, "I've been exploring, and I've seen a lot, but I don't know the exact location from here." Layla said, "I have some energy in my staff. I can teleport us to the place you're thinking of. Just hold my staff, think of the place, and we'll teleport to the location." Eric approached Layla, placing his hand on the staff. The staff began to glow; it seemed to be losing power. Layla quickly removed Eric's hand, saying, "Your hands are draining the energy from my staff!" Eric looked at his hands in surprise, noticing his tattoos growing more vibrant as they absorbed energy from Layla's staff. Michael's eyes widened. "You mean your hands can drain the power of a witch's staff? That's disastrous! What do we do now?" Eric was the only one who knew a safe place to hide, but he couldn't touch the staff. The group pondered their next move. Vodeen suggested, "We could just walk in a direction that seems safe to us." Layla disagreed. "That's a bad idea. I'll use my remaining energy to scan the planet and find a place to hide." Layla focused her staff, using the last of the staff energy to scan the planet. After a moment, she spotted a safe zone and told the group, "Follow me!" As they walked, the group arrived at the edge of a forest. Eric's eyes widened as he saw the pink-leafed trees surrounding the forest. He recalled a similar place where his tree monsters were destroyed by a massive beast. The troublesome bunny-like creature also came to mind. Eric turned to Layla. "Are you sure this place is safe? I've been here before, and it's not exactly a safe place to me." Layla replied, "This place is indeed filled with dangerous beasts, but it's the safest option for us now. My remaining powers can help conceal our presence, allowing us to go undetected." Eric asked, "When you say we're going inside, do you mean the forest or a specific location?"
Layla explained, "I discovered a cave within the forest that contains some kind of power I can utilize. The cave seems unguarded, making it a wise decision to investigate and see if it can aid us." Eric's memories flashed back to the cave he had fled to during the destruction of his trees. It seemed to be the same cave Layla was referring to.
With Layla's staff concealing their presence, the group entered the forest. She warned them to remain silent, as her staff lacked the energy to cancel out sounds. As they navigated through the forest, they encountered various beasts, including a bunny-like creature and a turtle-like beast with plant-covered shells. The group carefully made their way to the cave.
Once inside the cave, Layla canceled her staff's power, and the group breathed a sigh of relief. Eric asked, "What exactly are we looking for?" Layla replied, "I sense an energy that could help my staff recharge quickly and allow us to create a portal without waiting an hour."
As they ventured deeper into the cave, they spotted a light in the darkness. Cautious and prepared for a potential threat, they slowed their pace and readied themselves for a fight. Eric prepared his seed to summon his minions, anticipating potential danger.
As they approached the source of the light, they saw a staff floating in the air on top of a pillar, seemingly unguarded. The staff had a pink hub at its tip. Layla's face lit up with excitement and joy, her eyes fixed on the staff. The others noticed her enthusiasm but didn't understand why she was so ecstatic.
Vodeen asked, "What is that?" Layla answered with joy, "That's a Grand Witch Staff, one that's been used by witches for centuries. The power emanating from it must be over 200 years old and holds immense energy. It could even teleport us back to the human world."
The group exchanged surprised glances, realizing the staff's significance. They considered the implications: what if the vampires knew about the staff's existence and location, putting them at a disadvantage in the cave with only one entrance and one exit. They wondered if taking the staff would trigger an alarm, similar to the one in the vampire residence.
Michael asked Layla, "If we take the staff, how long will it take you to create a portal to the human world?" The group held their breath, eager for an answer. Layla's response sparked hope: "Just a few seconds."
The group's faces lit up with excitement. Eric said, "Then we have nothing to worry about. Once Layla get the staff, she could create a portal and we could escape before any vampires show up." Vodeen agreed, "I think it's worth the risk. The staff is our best chance of getting home quickly."
After the group agreed, Layla approached the platform and grasped the staff. As soon as she did, the cave began to shake violently, causing an earthquake. When the tremors stopped, they heard the sound of approaching beasts. Eric quickly summoned two trees to scout ahead, and they revealed a horde of monsters charging towards them.
Eric warned the others, "We're about to get attacked! Layla, you need to create a portal now!" Layla raised the staff, but to their surprise, nothing happened. She realized that the cave's walls were made of magic-blocking stone, rendering the staff useless.
The group was frustrated, knowing they had to leave the cave to access the staff's power. With beasts closing in, they faced a desperate situation.
Back in the vampire castle, Anos trembled with fear as he approached the throne room. He knew his father, the ruthless King of Vampires, would unleash his wrath if he discovered the witch's escape. Anos hesitated, pondering whether to reveal the truth. He hoped his vampires would recapture the witch before she could escape the planet.
As Anos entered the throne room, his father looked up, sipping wine. Anos gulped, deciding not to mention the escape... yet. His father's piercing gaze made him realize he was already seen. "Come in, Anos," the king sed.
Anos approached his father, who asked, "How is the witch in the basement doing?" Anos's heart sank, knowing his father was aware of the escape. He confessed, "The witch has escaped due to the help of some intruders. They wore our scout uniforms and used perfume to mask their human scent."
The king's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. "Intruders infiltrated my palace?" Anos nodded, bracing himself for his father's wrath.
The King of Vampires was angry. "You mean a group of humans infiltrated my castle and took my prisoner, and you did nothing?" Anos quickly defended himself, "I sent the guards after them. They shouldn't be able to leave the planet yet."
The king's anger turned cold. "You sent guards after them? Why didn't you follow them yourself? Listen carefully, Anos: if those humans escape and you fail to bring them back, don't bother returning to this castle."
Anos was shocked by his father's words. He knew the punishment was severe, but he had no choice. "Yes, Father. I'll go personally to ensure the intruders are captured and brought to you."
Just then, a guard burst into the throne room, kneeling before the king. "Your Majesty, it seems someone has taken the Grand Witch Staff from its resting place, and it wasn't one of our vampires."
Anos's face fell, despair washing over him. He knew he was in grave trouble. The king's gaze pierced him. "I hope you retrieve my staff and prisoner. I don't care what you do to her saviors, but bring the witch back alive. She must perform the necessary magic to teleport our settlement to the human world."
With that, Anos stood up and left the throne room, heading towards the cave where the staff was kept.
The group was still trapped in the cave with monsters waiting outside. Eric's trees were holding their own, but they wouldn't last much longer. Eric suggested they face the monsters head-on, hoping to create more trees to aid in their escape. "If we can make it outside, I can create more trees to protect us and help us get out of this forest," Eric sed.
The group agreed it was a good idea. As they charged towards the exit, Eric's trees were on the brink of collapse. He quickly summoned four more trees to support them. The group fought their way out of the cave, and Eric threw out his remaining seeds to create more trees he had. The trees fought off the beasts, allowing the group to escape the forest.
Just as they thought they were safe, a stone was thrown at Layla, hitting her hand and breaking her fingers. The staff fell to the ground. The group turned to the direction of where the stone had came from only to see Anos and a group of vampires approaching them.