Ace was soaring through the air towards the beautiful chandelier right before crashing into it and pulling the whole fixture down from the ceiling by their weight!
"MYAAAAAAAAH?!" Grim cried out in horror as they plummeted to the ground with a thud!
"Now what have they done?!" Hoshi cried out in disbelief as the dust began to clear.
Coughing and spiting out dust from his mouth, Ace grumbled in disbelief, "I cannot believe you just did that!"
Grim, who struggled to walk, sprung around on the toes of his hind legs and fainted, "Myaaah..."
"Oh, right! I probably should have come up with a way to soften your landing after you caught him..." Deuce muttered in shock upon the revelation.
"You complete and total moron!" Ace got up and shouted at him, "We got Grim, but we broke the chandelier! If the headmage finds out about this-"
"If I find out about... what, dear Ace?"
"Ah! Headmage Crowley...!" Ace paled with fear as he froze in place upon turning his head slowly and seeing the headmage.
"YOU. THREE. AGAIN. What have you done this time?!" Crowley hollered at them angrily.
"Myaaah... Everything's spinning..." Grim muttered dizzily from the ground as all he could see was stars.
"Burning a statue wasn't enough for you? Now you've destroyed a chandelier?!" Crowley shouted before he heaved a heavy sigh, "Enough. All of you are expelled."
"Whaaaaaaaaat?!"
"Headmage, please! Give me a second chance! I can't get expelled from this school! I need to be here!" Deuce begged hurriedly.
"Then blame yourself for your own foolish behavior." Crowley pointed out to him in dismay.
"I'll pay for the damages! However much it costs!" Deuce added hurriedly.
"That chandelier is no mere light fixture." Crowley pointed to the fixture with a frown as he explained, "It is magical chandelier. Its candles are powered by a magical energy source, enchanted so that they will burn for eternity. It was created for us by a legendary artificer. Possibly their finest creation. It has been here since the school was established, and I imagined it would be here forevermore. Considering its historical value, I would estimate its worth to be no less than a billion thaumarks. And you intend to repay that sum?"
If her knowledge of currency was correct, Hoshi had every right to become scared! This would be worth way more than just a drop of lunch!
"A... A billion marks?!" Deuce exclaimed in horror.
"B-But I'm sure with your magical talent, sir, you could snap your fingers and fix it right up!" Ace questioned in confusion.
"B-But I'm sure with your magical talent, sir, you could snap your fingers and fix it right up!" Ace questioned in confusion.
"Even magic has its limits." Crowley shook his head, "Furthermore, its magestone - the figurative heart of any magical artifact - is cracked. A magestone cannot easily be replaced. I fear the candles of this majestic chandelier will never burn again."
"This is bad..." Ace muttered in disbelief as it dawned on him.
Deuce panicked, "What am I going to do?! How am I going to tell my mother...?"
Even Hoshi was beginning to wonder where she could go afterwards! Since she doesn't remember anything, it would be difficult for her to find a place for shelter! Even that dorm was given to her temporarily in consideration to her gender! What will she do after she is kicked out?!
Seeing them panicking and Hoshi just standing there in deep thoughts, Crowley frowned in disappointment before coming up with a solution, "Ah...! But there may be on way. One tiny sliver of chance to repair this chandelier."
"There is?!" The four looked to him in surprise.
"The magestone that powered this chandelier was mined from the Dwarfs' Mine. If you can acquire a magestone with the same properties, it may be possible to repair it." Crowley explained.
Dwarf's Mine?
Just the name of the place made her feel nostalgic. Could there have been a connection between her and that place?
"Then I'll go find a magestone!" Deuce announced before quickly adding, "With your permission, sir!"
"I should caution you that I cannot promise there yet remain magestones to find. The mines were closed quite some time ago. It is quite likely that all of the magestones have already been mined." Crowley reminded them with a frown.
Hoshi looked to him in confusion. If there were no magestones there, then why send them there to begin with?
"I will do anything to avoid expulsion, sir!" Deuce declared pretty much sealing the deal.
"Hmmm... Very well, then. I will suspend your expulsion for a single night." Crowley agreed after some thought, "But if you fail to return with a magestone by morning, then all of you are expelled."
Thrilled, Deuce responded enthusiastically, "I understand, sir! Thank you very much for this opportunity!"
In contrast, Ace sighed, "Fine, then. Let's hurry down there, find a magestone, and get this whole thing done with."
"You should be able to reach the Dwarfs' Mine instantly by using one of the gates in the Mirror Chamber." Crowley pointed to the direction of the school's main building.
"Yes sir!" Deuce shouted as the headmage turned around and left while leaving the mess for the ghosts to clean up.
"Myah! Wh-? Where am I?!" Grim sat up with a look of bewilderment over the collapsed body of the chandelier and the angry glare of the two students.
Seeing this, Hoshi shook her head in dismay as she grumbled, "You may end up wishing you'd remained unconscious. Anyway, things have taken a turn for the worse."
After a while, they made it to the mirror room when Hoshi first found herself in on her first day here. Still annoyed and bummed out, Ace complained, "Maaan... How did I end up in this mess? I swear, I have the worst luck."
"We don't have time to complain. Let's go." Deuce called out to the mirror, "Dark Mirror! Take us to the Dwarfs' Mine!"
The mirror turned dark as Deuce walked up the steps of water in a hurry and entered into the mirror. Though she was surprised, she didn't felt that same jolt as when Grim first nearly set the entire room ablaze. She then entered the mirror after Grim who entered the mirror with great curiosity written all over his face. She was met by a cold breeze as they are met with the scenery of a forest and a wooden cabin nearby. It was a strange place with a flowing river. However, none of it looked familiar to her. Yet-
"So this is the Dwarfs' Mine... Long ago, this mine was flush with magestones." Deuce's voice broke the silence of the night as he looked around in awe.
"Urgh... Who knows what lurks in there now?" Grim grumbled in disdain as he looked around as well after having heard everything from Hoshi.
"Look, I can see a house! Let's see what the people there have to say." Ace pointed out at it with a short glimmer of hope.
"Hellooo? Is anybody home...?" Ace opened the door after knocking on it and took a step in, "Must be empty. It looks like it's been abandoned."
Grim followed in only to walk into a cobweb as he spatted and wiped his face,
"Bwah! I got a spider web on my face! Ptchoo! Ptchoo!"
The inside of the cabin was dark and musty. Dust was everywhere and the room was rather small as she had to duck in through the doorway in confusion. It looked abandoned just as Ace said. However, she reached out carefully touched one of the chairs. It was cold to the touch, just like the room. Yet, she could feel a tinge of warmth inside, yet sad.
"Look how tiny these desks and chairs are. Did children live here?" Ace counted the scatter chairs in awe, "One, two... Seven! It's like a clown car in here."
Indeed, the furnitures was flipped over and scattered but the building was small and crowded.
"What happened?" She muttered quietly in confusion.
"When the mine was flourishing, this house must have been a lively place." Deuce explained.
"Well, this isn't getting us anywhere. If we're gonna find a magestone, it'll be inside the mine." Ace reminded them as he left the building hastily hurried for the mine nearby.
Seeing this, Hoshi nodded, "Let's head inside and take a look."
The caves of the mines were pitch black. She turned around seeing the wire for lights under the moonlight and followed it as the others continued to chat on.
"You wanna go inside THERE? It's pitch black!" Grim shouted angrily.
"What, are you scared of the dark?" Ace sneered, "Pathetic."
"Myah?! I'm not scared of anything!" Grim shouted before sprinted, "I'm taking the lead. You all follow me!"
"Wait! Grim!" Hoshi called out to him hurriedly as a sense of shock gripped her!
They can't go inside!
However the three already hurried into the darkness. Reluctantly, she had to go with them…
"Huh? Hold up!" Deuce hurried in after him.
The area was freezing. Hoshi was certain if it hadn't been for her robe, she could have froze! It was not just cold but also humid. Ace lit up his magic pen with light magic as the surrounding was revealed glittering with precious minerals. Seeing this, Hoshi was bedazzled by the brilliance of the beautiful place. Though it was abandoned and full of cobwebs, light sparkled off the surface of the raw gems glittering like a beautiful chandelier!
How could they say this place was abandoned?! There were so many beautiful ores still here! She quickly changed her mind as the thought of mining everyone and leaving behind a barren cave saddened her. It was perhaps better that the place was abandoned.
However, after looking around, Ace sighed, "No Magestone... What now?"
Suddenly, something moved from the corner of Deuce's eye as he shouted, "There's something there!"
Just as he said this, three white blobs floated and drifted into the air as though swimming as Grim cried out in shock, "Myah?!"
"Hee hee hee hee! Visitors! The first in ten years!"
Three ghosts appeared with with black capes and a top heat each as they sneered! She recalled taking care of a couple of ghosts back in the dorm, but why is it that these ones seem more intimidating than the last?!
"Do make yourselves at home... forever!"