Zodiac Academy 8: Sorrow and Starlight
Sorrow and Starlight: Chapter 78

Tyler Corbin: Brooooo. You don’t even understand the level of snacking I just descended to. I got the munchies after I flew through a rainbow at sunset, but when I tell you this amount of food was unnatural…

It started with one little chip, but by the stars, that chip led to two and two led to three. Next thing you know, I’m neck deep in fifty flavours of chip, packets torn open, crumbs reaching regions of my body I never knew existed. But things be getting dry. Real dry in my chip pie. So I fetched the dips from the food store. Oh man, I had so many dips. Tzatziki. Hummus. Taramasalata. Sour cream and chive. So I’m stacking those chips, flavour mixing, dipping left and right, but my salt levels are overloading at this point. I’m talking swallowing your uncle Jimbob’s jizz after he ate a bucket of salt and dipped his junk in the ocean, salty.

So now I’m thirstier than a fish in a bucket of sand, but some star damned Heptian Toad has gone and got himself stuck in the water pipes in R.U.M.P. Castle, so the water had to be turned off while they rescue him!

So I’m out roaming the island for water, and I’m gonna put this bluntly fam, I am as naked as a #hornyVampire looking for some #Pegavag. I had shamelessly stripped down while eating those chips and I’d rolled in them too, because something has got me acting like a wild man tonight. Tell me, is there some kind of celestial force at work right now that’s turned me into a chip feasting phantom? Or did the rainbow fuck me up and jiggle my crazy juice?

Side note: I can’t lose my abs, man. I worked my ass off for these. But now I’m drifting in the sea on my back, typing out this post with my cock and balls floating on the surface saluting the moon, and I can’t think about anything else except that chip nest waiting for me back in my room. I wanna dive into it headfirst and crunch my way to glory #helpahorseout

#chipclop #pegabinge #chipshame #saltysurvivor #dipanddie 

Justine Irving: I heard there’s sun flares at the moment and my Aunt Grundig said sun flares give you the yum yums – it’s probably that Tyler! #sunyum #sunnytummy

Ameira Elias: Wait – there’s chips??? Oh I am so DONE with the hierarchy forming here. I’ve been begging my boyfriend Karl to make me some chips with his earth Element and he told me that only ‘healthy’ food is being made for the rebels #wheresthesnacks

Melissa Lewis: I saw Karl eating chips the other day – you know everyone gets a chip ration, right? Looks like he had a lot of chips too. Enough for two people…

Ameira Elias: Wait…what???? @KarlLagoon W.T.F.???????

Anna Parker: I just flew over the ocean and wondered what was sparkling down there, winking at me like a diamond. It must have been your #sparkly megaPegapeen and your #shinybrinyhiny

I snorted horsily in amusement, scrolling down to the next post, then frowning as I remembered Tyler’s room was my room, and that meant there were gonna be crumbs galore in our bed tonight. Dammit Tyler.

It was late, but my mind wouldn’t rest so I’d taken a walk out around the island, the wintry night air slipping over my back. I willed heat into my veins with my fire Element to keep the cold at bay, but a different kind of cold took hold of me as I scrolled onto a livestream on FaeBook.

“There are monsters everywhere on campus! They’re hunting us!” Milton’s voice carried through the speaker, the stream showing him running down a narrow stairway while screams rang around campus.

A horrid creature dove into view, like a giant mealworm with spines around its wide mouth and sharp, needle-like armour all over its body. Milton cast fire, the flames pouring from him, but the thing seemed to be immune to it, writhing towards him up the stairs and forcing him to retreat.

It caught him before he could make it away, and a girl’s cry sounded behind him. “Milton!” she yelled in fear.

“Brown Cow down – Brown Cow down!” Milton’s live feed cut out as the monster slammed down on his chest, static crackling across the screen and horror blurred my mind.

As I scrolled, I found more feeds, students streaming all over campus and showing fights breaking out in all the Elemental Houses against the monsters.

I took off running back to R.U.M.P. Castle, panic darting through me as I shot a message to the group chat, finding that someone had changed all of our names to some stupid nicknames. It was undeniably Seth.

Twinkle Stud:

Zodiac Academy is under attack!

Batty Betty:

Butter my bagels! We must rally together – meet in the bowels of the mighty R.U.M.P!

Twinkle Stud:

Where’s the bowels???

Batty Betty:

The entrance hall, you nincompoop!

Bitey C:

On my way.

Wolfman:

Me too. Heading there from the depths of the butt castle.

Fish Fury:

Gerry I really don’t know how you fused this bagel onto my dick but – fuck

**this message was deleted**

Wolfman:

OH. MY. STARS. Did everyone see that???!!!

Twinkle Stud:

We need to go!!

Bitey C:

I saw everything. And I’ve been in the entrance hall for ages.

Where are you all? Shall I zoom around and grab everyone?

Twinkle Stud:

I’m almost there!

Batty Betty:

I am riding the banister down at this very moment, you fine Vampirious man, with the Flail of Unending Celestial Karma resting upon my shoulder, ready to bring certain doom down upon the skulls of our enemies!

Bitey C:

Has anyone heard from Tory?

Wolfman:

I heard something…

Bitey C:

What did you hear??

Wolfman:

I heard she’s gonna use a breast reduction spell to wither her tits away.

Anyone bothered by that?? **eyes emoji**

Batty Betty:

LIES! The bosoms of the true Queens shall never be shrunk!

Wolfman:

Okay FINE it was a lie. But would anyone be bothered by that if she DID shrink her tits???

Bitey C:

Whatever makes her happy.

Wolfman:

Oh I get it. It alllllll makes sense now.

Bitey C:

What does? And is anyone actually going to get here because I could have run fifty laps of the island by now.

Wolfman:

**pancake emoji** **wolf emoji**

Herald of Truth:

Sorry – just saw this! I’ll wake Sofia. We’re coming with you this time so I can report it all to The Daily Solaria ASAP. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I shoved my Atlas away as I made it to the drawbridge, running across it and heading inside to find Caleb there, spinning one of his twin blades in his hand.

Geraldine came sliding down the banister behind him in full armour, yodelling as she went. As she made it to the bottom, she leapt off and did a forward roll across the floor before leaping upright and placing her hands on her hips. “What-ho, dear Pegobrother?”

“Er, no ho. Just waiting to go,” I said, and she slapped me on the shoulder hard enough to send me stumbling sideways.

Seth stepped through a door to my right, innocently combing his fingers through his hair.

“Hello,” he said dramatically, casting a sidelong look at Caleb who scowled at him.

Max came running down the stairs with a strained expression as he hooked his bow over his shoulder. “Gerry, I need a word,” he hissed.

“Have a hundred words, Maxy boy. I shall not silence your luscious lips,” she said, waving a hand to beckon him into the middle of our group.

“In private,” he said through his teeth.

“Is there really a bagel stuck on your cock?” Seth jogged over to Max, resting his chin on his shoulder.

Max batted him away, glancing around like he really wished we weren’t all here to witness this.

“Bandicoots,” Geraldine laughed. “Are you blushing, you sweet salamander? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Maxy boy. We are an adventurous duo, you and I. And a little rumpus with a bagel is hardly a shock to the ears of an orgy-bound Wolf such as Seth Capella, and we all know Caleb Altair enjoys a public Pega-pounding-”

“I do not,” Caleb barked, eyes flashing in rage.

“We need to get going,” I said in concern, thinking of Milton.

Washer came running down the stairs in a pair of Y-fronts which were baggy around the ass but way too tight at the front.

“You dinged my dongler, Miss Grus?” he said, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“I didn’t ding any such thing,” Geraldine balked. “But I did send you an urgent message, Brian, for it is time for you to step up and summon the rebels into action. Rally the troops. Arm the people. Raise the army and bring them to Zodiac Academy. We shall forge ahead and begin the battle as we await the arrival of the army!”

“What’s happening?” Washer asked in fright, tugging at his Y-fronts to adjust them and I wrinkled my nose.

“The academy is under attack,” I said, and Washer gasped.

“I shall rouse the whole legion with my Siren power, sending it deep into their dreams and tugging on the shafts of their souls, squeezing and pulling until they are primed and ready to blow, to spray our enemies with the seed of rebellion,” he swore.

I grimaced and Caleb took a pointed step away from Washer before our old professor turned and ran back upstairs.

“Well, he shall do the job, even if he does it disturbingly so,” Geraldine muttered.

Tyler appeared on the stairway, holding Sofia’s hand as they ran to join us and she placed my metal horn into my grip. I put it on, strapping it tight under my chin, ready to go to war for the rebels and Sofia whinnied fiercely, looking equally prepared to fight.

“I’ll open the wards so we can use stardust,” Caleb said, pulling a pouch from his pocket it.

“Wait,” Max said urgently. “I can’t go yet. I…” He looked to Geraldine in desperation.

“There’s no time, my dear dolphin. Ignore the crumbles along your codwhacker and I shall free you of the bagel’s grasp when the fight is done,” Geraldine said, jogging towards the door.

“Gerry!” he snapped at her, and Seth gave him a pitying look.

“Can’t you just, break it off?” he whispered, but we could all hear him easily.

“No, she’s done something to it, so it feels as soft as butter, but it’s as hard as stone if I try to break it,” Max hissed.

“Let me take a look.” Seth reached for Max’s pants, but he knocked his hand away.

“No,” Max growled. “Just leave it.”

“What’s going on?” Tyler asked curiously and Max’s back straightened.

“Nothing. Let’s go.” Max marched to the door, walking a little awkwardly and if I hadn’t been so worried about the attack on Zodiac, I would have laughed.

“You can’t go to war with a bagel on your cock. As your bestie, I can’t let you.” Seth ran at Max, Pitball tackling him to the ground and shoving his hand down his pants.

“Seth!” Max shouted, a wave of anger crashing from him into everyone around him and I stamped my foot as the emotion took hold of me.

Seth did some weird twisting motion within Max’s pants then lifted the bagel above his head with a smug look on his face.

“How’d you do that?” Max gasped in relief.

“Believe it or not, this isn’t the strangest object I’ve jangled off a guy’s cock, Max,” Seth said, pushing to his feet and pulling Max after him. “You wouldn’t believe the things some Fae stick their dicks in. Packs of crayons, flower pots, cakes, Pegasex dolls.” He threw a look at Caleb whose expression turned volcanic.

“Fuck you.” He shot out the door after Geraldine and Seth swallowed a whimper, fixing his features into something far colder.

“What’s going on between you two?” I asked and Seth growled at me.

“This shit’s getting bad.” Tyler moved forward, showing us the screen on his Atlas and Seth’s brow furrowed as he took in the live stream on FaeBook.

“Lame Lionel has sent this monster to murder us!” Frank cried through the camera, showing a huge, beetle-like creature raging through the Aer House common room ahead. “Please help us!”

Seth howled in agony and raced outside while the rest of us hurried to follow him. Caleb shot ahead of Geraldine with a burst of speed, raising his hands skyward and using a flood of power to carve a hole in the wards to let us out.

We gathered close around him and he tossed stardust into the air, the stars yanking us away into their grip and the view of the island disappearing into the dark. We were thrown this way and that, the stars seeming to be in a turbulent mood before they spat us out and we crashed violently to the ground.

“Holy fuck, who pissed in the stars’ oatmeal?” Seth cursed, shoving upright, and pulling Caleb with him.

“There’s some weird shit going on. I’m just so hungry, man,” Tyler said. “Even you look appetising right now.”

“Hark!” Geraldine cried, gaining all of our attention as we turned to her and the tall fence that circled Zodiac Academy. “We must stay together this night, forge our path as one and cut down any enemy who crosses us. This academy belongs to the people of Solaria, to the newly Awakened, the children of brawn and might, and it belongs to each and every one of us too. It has been a home to many, a place of solace and safety. But now, a darkness creeps between its halls, and it is time we banish it for good. We must reclaim these grounds, for they are ours!”

I neighed in reply as hollers and howls went up from everyone else, and I moved forward, feeling the zest of the wards tingling against my skin and warning me away.

“We need to break through this,” I said. “I think we should power share.”

I looked over my shoulder at the others and Geraldine stepped forward, slapping her hand into mine. “We are friends through and through, and we must lay our trust in each other now, allow our power to ram into one another, and construct a colossal instrument that can slice through this here barrier and cleave it asunder.”

She offered her hand to Sofia, and she took it, taking hold of Tyler’s hand next. The Heirs fell beyond them, all of us linking up in a line.

“Let us plunge our power into our dear Xavier,” Geraldine said, her magic flooding against my palm and I focused, letting my shields down and allowing it to come in.

I gasped at the feel of her magic merging with mine, the wildness of her twisting into a rumbling, swirling power inside me. Everyone else worked to let down their barriers and suddenly all of their power crashed into me at once, making me neigh in surprise, the shock it all sending my heart galloping.

It was ice and fire and earth, all of it crashing and swirling and begging for an outlet. I channelled it towards the wards and it slammed into it like a bolt of fury, a flash of red light billowing up and away from us, arcing along the wards and bringing them down in a cascading rain of light.

Geraldine released my hands and I whinnied from the thrill of it, dizzy from so much power and stumbling a little.

Seth jogged closer, looking anxious to keep moving as he used his air magic to yank open a gap in the fence. I followed him onto campus where screams and the horrid sounds of some twisted monster carried from somewhere ahead. I steeled myself as my gaze fell on Aer Tower which was standing tall above us in the distance, the turbine at its peak twisting in the wind.

Howls of pain carried from inside and Seth howled in reply, terror lacing that sound. He took off without a word and we all fell in at his back, chasing after him towards the havoc, ready to fight with all the passion in our hearts.

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