It was a quiet and peaceful day on the Spooner Continent, which would have been considered unusual had the Sorcerer Hunters not put Zaha Torte on the straight and narrow a few days earlier.
     The day was set when Alex and Andrew, a.k.a. Ice and Orion, would make their return trip across the bounds of time and space. The Sorcerer Hunters and Junior Hunters were gathered in a large clearing near the forest where the two, plus Alex’s guardian Star, first appeared. Tira Misu was in tears because Andrew was leaving her, and Andrew was near tears as well.
     “Darling, you can’t leave me all alone!” she wailed as Andrew hugged her close to him. This brought on a fresh fit of tears for both, since she was digging her fingernails into his back.
     “Tira, you need to calm down,” Chocolate Misu said, patting her sister’s back, “I’m sure they’ll be back to visit. Won’t you?” she added, giving the two the evil eye of her hunter form. Alex and Andrew nodded profusely..
     “We’ll visit as often as my powers will allow,” Alex said, inwardly shuddering at the thought of Chocolate when she was pissed off. ‘She’s creepy.’
     “Good luck on your trip home,” Gateau Mocha said, slapping Alex on the back hard enough to drop him to the ground. A sweat drop formed on his head as he said, “Sorry about that. I guess I don’t know my own strength.”
     As Alex was hoisted to his feet by Gateau a pocket dimension enveloped them, Dotta and Big Momma appearing.
     “Do we have another mission, Big Momma?” Marron Glace asked as the two appeared.
     “Yes my children, I’m afraid you do,” Big Momma said, “Near the northernmost tip of the continent there is a shop of sorts that is using the forbidden magic for something frivolous.”
     “Oh, what?” Strawberry Limone asked, raising an eyebrow, since the north was incredibly cold most of the time.
     “They’re making ice cream with the magic. Very exotic flavors,” Runella Limone replied, taking the wind from Big Momma’s sails by answering the question.
     “Well.... yes, that’s right,” Momma stammered, “how did you know that Rune?”
     Rune fumbled around in her jacket pockets and pulled forth a flier from the Friendly Ice Cream Boutique. “I found this tacked up in one of the towns we visited. Their flavor of the week is Forbidden Chocolate...”
     Alex instantly began to drool at the mention of chocolate. He grabbed Andrew in one hand, and Rune in the other before bursting out of the pocket dimension to head north.
     “Well, I guess that settles it,” Gateau said as he turned to go.
     “Oh, and one more thing, my children,” Momma said, catching their attention before they left.
     “Yes Momma?” Chocolate asked.
     “Could you, perhaps, pick up a couple of pints of Chocolate Strawberry Swirl for me? Or maybe a gallon or two?”
     “Sure thing Momma,” Strawberry said as the pocket dimension folded itself back into subspace. She sighed and said, “Why do I feel like the pizza delivery boy all of a sudden?”
     “I don’t know,” Tira said, “but I feel so cheap doing this.”
     “At least we can get some good ice cream there,” Chocolate said. The others sighed.
     “We need to hurry, though,” Marron said, “Ice is already far ahead of us.”
     As Carrot, Gateau, and Marron exited the pocket dimension, Chocolate pulled Tira aside and asked, “So.... have you and Orion... you know?”
     Tira raised an eyebrow above her glasses before saying,  in a shocked tone, “Chocolate?! That’s personal!”
     "So... are you going to spill or not?” Dotta asked, gazing at Tira with genuine interest.
     “Well... ahh... umm.... not per say,” Tira stammered, blushing hotly, “but we have discussed it and... well, why am I telling you this?!”
     “Because we’re like sisters or actual sisters,” Strawberry said, smiling at the trio. When she got blank stares from them she said, “Right...” and turned to leave. The other three followed quickly, leaving the pocket dimension to close.
     With the hunters gone on their mission Big Momma looked around the empty chapel of her church. A very bish young man with flowing blue hair dressed in oversized armor appeared and knelt before her.
     “Was it wise to send them on such a frivolous mission?” he asked in a very concerned tone.
     “Yes Milfuna, it was. Orion and Ice are heading home and I figured this little arrangement I have with the young wizard who runs the Friendly Ice Cream Boutique would be wonderful for a going away party.”
     Milfuna’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “You.... arranged this? Does Dotta know about this?”
     “Not really. She’s as in the dark as the other hunters are.”

     Several miles ahead of the rest of the hunters Alex was bounding hyperactively towards the location of their mission. Thoughts of chocolate ice cream and time with his friends ran through his mind as he proceeded, each of his bounds threatening to dislocate the shoulders of his friends, whom were being held hostage by a madman, namely him.
     “Alex, you need to... slow down...” Andrew said as several loud pops came from his shoulder. He winced in pain, clapping his hand to the shoulder the sounds came from. “This bites.”
     Rune noticed how Andrew was acting and shouted, “Ice, you need to slow down and stop for a minute!”
     “But the ice cream,” Alex protested as he slowed down, releasing the other two from the death grip as he stopped and turned around. He arched an eyebrow when he saw the look of pain on Andrew’s face. “Andrew... you all right?”
     “Of course I’m not all right you pain in the neck,” Andrew growled as he set to work to relocate his shoulder. He grumbled a few more curses as several more pops and cracks filled the air. As one final super loud pop filled the air a scream of pain quickly followed.
     Alex and Rune watched in awe as Andrew performed this task, both turning rather green when the final pop filled the air.
     “Oh man, that is way sick,” Rune said, “I don’t know anybody who can do something like that without...”
     “Passing out,” Alex said weakly.
     “Yeah, passing out.”
     “No, I mean I’m going to...”
     And with that Alex passed out, one leg in the air, twitching. Rune looked down at Alex and sighed, giggling a little as she nudged him with her foot.
     “Is he dead?” Andrew asked as he cast a healing spell on his shoulder.
     “Not that I’m aware of,” Rune replied as she continued to nudge Alex with her foot. “C’mon sleeping beauty, we’re going to miss out on the ice cream.”
     Rune must have said the magic words because Alex was back on his feet in a split second and ready to go. Rune caught him by the back of his shirt and said, “Hold on a minute, will ya?! We should wait for the others!”
     A few minutes later the remaining Sorcerer Hunters pulled to a stop near them, all fairly exhausted from the continual running they had to do in order to catch up with the stomach that could move past mach 1.
     “We’re here,” Gateau said, breathing heavily from running. He looked at Alex before saying, “You certainly run fast for such a little guy.”
     “He was properly motivated,” Carrot said, chuckling.
     “Just like you and women, isn’t that right, darling?” Chocolate asked. A cold shiver ran down Carrot’s neck as Chocolate put her hands on his shoulders.
     “Let’s get that ice cream and enjoy our last day together for a while,” Tira said, clinging to Andrew’s arm. Unfortunately she grabbed a hold of his injured arm, causing him to turn blue and whimper in pain. She looked at him and asked, “Is something wrong honey? You don’t look so good.”
     A cry of immense pain filled the air a moment later, startling all of the birds in the trees around them, causing them to take wing en masse. The cry echoed across the land for miles on end, leaving people in towns many miles away to wonder what the cry was about.

     “Darling, you should have said that your shoulder was sore,” Tira said as she brushed her hair back into place. It was ten minutes after the scream, and people were just barely beginning to recover.
     “I don’t think we’re going to need any hair gel for a while,” Carrot said as he tried to stop the ringing in his ears.
     “I’ll agree to that,” Gateau said as he struggled to smooth his hair back into place. After a minute or two he gave up and let his hair remain standing on end.
     “I... don’t think... I can take... much more,” Alex said, his fingernails digging into his palms, his teeth grinding, and his eyebrow twitching.
     “Calm down and relax,” Chocolate said as she braided her hair to get it to stay down, “it’s a beautiful day outside and we should enjoy it.”
     “But what about the ice cream?” Rune asked.
     “You shouldn’t have said that,” Gateau said as Alex grabbed hold of his hand, then a hold of Rune’s, and took off at warp one with the others following quickly behind, all the while crying, “Ice CREAM!!!”

     Across the countryside a small shop was experiencing wonderful business that day. it was early afternoon, and all ready their ice cream and other food was selling like crazy. Crowds of people were lined up outside to get ice cream, and inside was bustling with activity.
     “What a day,” Mackie Myogi sighed as she watched the restaurant from her post of head greeter. She looked through the crowd outside in search of someone in particular. ‘Where are those guys? Big Momma told me that they’d be here by now.’
     “Miss Mackie,” a waitress said plaintively by her left elbow. Mackie turned her smiling green eyes on the waitress and nodded the go ahead. “Well... umm.. we’re out of the chocolate strawberry swirl and triple fudge ripple.”
     “Did you check the stock room?” Mackie asked. The waitress, near hysterics and tears, nodded. “And we have none?” The waitress shook her head. Mackie sighed and brushed a few strands of her auburn hair back from her face. “O.K.. Maggie, you play greeter for a few. I’ll go and whip up a fresh triple sized batch of those flavors.”
     “O... O.K.,” Maggie said, wiping her eyes. “Is there anyone I should keep an eye out for?”
     “Do you know what the Sorcerer Hunters look like?”
     Maggie nodded. “Are those the people I should look for?”
     “Yep. When you see them please escort them to the special guest section, then come and get me.”
     “Right,” Maggie said, waving as Mackie walked off to the prep area.
     As soon as Mackie stepped into the back room of the restaurant, also called the preparation area, she began to perform a dance that was handed down from her mother and her mother’s mother. Her hands were surrounded by golden glows as she unlocked and unleashed the magic she used to make the wonderful ice cream which her shop sold.
     “Cream of the purest quality, sugar sweet like nectar, milk from the whitest cow. To one add chocolate and the freshest strawberries we can find. To the other add triple doses of chocolate, then ripple in the gooiest fudge one the continent. To both mixes add the most powerful ingredient of all - my love, mixed with my magic, to combine the mixes and make the spell complete.”
     As she danced and spoke the incantation the ingredients she called for floated through the air and deposited themselves into a pair of enchanted mixing vats. A magical whirlwind spun through the two vats, adding ice to the mix and bringing the ingredients together to form the two flavors of ice cream required for the day. As soon as she finished casting the called for two strong men to carry the vats into the cold storage room and scoop out enough to fill the containers for the front end.
     “Hopefully that takes care of things for the moment,” she said to nobody in particular as she stepped back into the main restaurant. As she stepped in she brushed her clothes back into place and smoothed her hair down. ‘I hope they’re here. I can’t stand to be kept waiting.’
     “Miss Mackie,” Maggie called before clinging to the manager’s arm like it was the last life preserver on a sinking ship.
     “Yes Maggie, what’s wrong?” she asked, not noting the forms standing in the shadows until the glint from two pairs of glasses caught her eye. She looked up to see the Sorcerer Hunters and Junior Hunters standing together, all striking poses with attitude. “You’re here.”
     “That we are,” Gateau said, brushing the dust from his clothes, “though I would have preferred to take it nice and slow rather than being dragged here against my will.”
     “Well I’m sorry,” Alex said, looking sheepish, “I wanted ice cream really bad, especially the chocolate that is so forbidden.”
     “Be quiet,” Strawberry said, clamping her hand over Alex’s mouth. “So sorry about that ma’am. He really can’t keep himself contained sometimes.”
     “Well, we have been expecting you,” Mackie said, bowing to the group, “please follow me.”
     “Be on guard guys,” Tira whispered as they followed Mackie, “I sense a strange force in this area.”
     “I sense it as well,” Marron whispered back, “it’s strong, but it doesn’t feel evil.”
     “She’s pretty,” Carrot said, making an ass of himself and completely missing the point, as usual. Chocolate and Rune smacked him for that one, giving him a death glare that made sure he wouldn’t say anything else for a little while.
     They entered into a large room in complete darkness, all immediately switching to battle ready mode. The lights came on with a blinding flash, and when they regained their vision they found a rather large table before them, a cake in the center and several handsome young men and beautiful young women with ice cream scoops and containers of ice cream waiting to serve them off to the sides.
     “Welcome to the send off party of a lifetime,” Mackie said, waving her hands at the decorations. Confetti showered down from the ceiling as she said, “Order whatever you want. It’s on the house.”
     “What is all of this?” Star asked as he was ushered into a comfortable chair. He felt the muscles in his back relaxing as he leaned back into the soft material of his seat. “Ahhhhh.... this is heavenly.”
     “I don’t know,” Dotta said as she took a seat in the air on one side of the table, “it’s all so wonderful, though.”
     “My good friend Big Momma arranged all of this especially for you,” Mackie said, smiling warmly at them.
     The hunters turned and looked at Dotta, who waved her hands and said, “I don’t know anything, I swear. Momma kept this from me as well.”
     “She wanted it to be a special surprise for all of you,” Mackie explained as the others took their seats, “which is why she only told you what she told you and felt you needed to know.”
     “Well, I’m pleasantly surprised,” Andrew said as he took a seat next to Tira and picked up a menu. “What will you be having dearest?”
     “Whatever you order for me,” Tira replied, blushing, “it’s good etiquette for the man to order for the lady.”
     “I’m going to need a barf bag if they keep this up,” Alex commented to Gateau and Strawberry.
     “That’s because you haven’t experienced love like theirs yet,” Strawberry replied. “I think it’s sweet.”
     “So darling, what are you going to order for me?” Chocolate asked Carrot, completely catching him off guard as he stared at one of the serving women.
     “Ummm... what would you like to have Chocolate? You can have anything on the menu...” Carrot replied, quickly opening a menu to look through it.
     “I know that darling," Chocolate said, emphasizing the darling, "What will you order for me?”
     “Ummm... well... that is...”
     Gateau, Marron, and Rune chuckled as they watched Carrot sweat under Chocolate’s glare of death. Mackie looked from person to person, a sweat drop forming on her head. Finally she sighed and said, “So, what will you be having?”
     And then all hell broke loose.

     In the woods near the restaurant a lone figure stumbled along the path. The clothes she wore were more suitable for a day at the beach, not for hiking through the woods in a cold climate.
     “I will have my revenge,” she kept repeating, occasionally brushing snarls and twigs from her long sea blue hair. She tripped and fell on her face, landing in a pile of something or other. She slowly pushed herself up so that she was on all fours, slowly looking around at her location. As if on cue a sunbeam illuminated the Friendly Ice Cream Boutique.
     “They must be there,” she said as she rose to her feet, “and I, Tempest, the weather bitch... er... witch, shall have my revenge!!”
     As she cackled maniacally a thunderstorm began, rocking the countryside with powerful crashes of thunder. Bolts of lightning struck the trees around the shop, dropping some, setting others ablaze, and more or less wrecking havoc with the peaceful establishment and the surrounding area. People who had been in line outside scattered like flies, running for cover from the suddenly inclimate weather.
     “Mark my words, Ice Dementh,” she shouted at the top of her lungs, “I will have my revenge!!”

     Meanwhile, inside of the establishment, the Sorcerer Hunters and Junior Hunters were about to commence eating dinner when the storm struck and knocked out the power. The sudden loss of lights sent people into action, or in this case reaction. To put it simply, hell broke loose once again.
     “I’m frightened,” Chocolate called out,” darling, please hold me!”
     “I don’t know who I’m holding, but they are definitely female,” Andrew said, squeezing what he had his hands on. A moment later he was whacked over the head by Dotta’s crystal orb.
     “You pervert!” Dotta cried, “Marron! Gateau! Carrot! Help me!!”
     “People, please calm down,” Mackie said, trying to maintain order and reason. Someone grabbed her breast, causing her to scream. “You PERVERT!!”
     A light spell blinked into existence, illuminating their chaotic situation. Carrot was wrapped around Mackie like a tight dress. Gateau was holding Andrew and Marron. Rune and Strawberry were on top of an unconscious Alex. Tira and Chocolate were clinging to Dotta, who was turning pale from lack of oxygen.
     “Joyous,” Rune said as she lifted Alex to his feet and slapped him a few times, “snap out of it or else I’ll eat all of your ice cream.”
     “What the hell are you doing?!” Alex demanded as he regained his senses, catching hold of Rune’s hand in a steel grip. Rune smiled at him and nodded towards the others.
     “I sense strong magical forces outside,” Marron said, releasing himself from Gateau’s grasp, “and they seem... familiar.”
     “Now that you mention it, I sense it too,” Alex said as he released Rune’s hands. “That must be Tempest’s power.”
     “The infamous weather witch,” Mackie sighed, holding her right hand to her chin, “oh brother. We’re S.O.L. if she unleashes her full power here.”
     “We took care of her once,” Alex said, his ice scythe forming in his hand.
     “And we can finish her again,” Chocolate added as she changed into her hunter form. In a somewhat more sultry tone of voice she said, “Come on darling. Let’s go and teach her not to ruin our last day together.”
     “Hurry back,” Mackie called as the Sorcerer Hunters stepped out through a side door. She added hurriedly, “And call if you need any help.” The door swung shut a moment later, leaving her to wonder how the battle would go.

     Meanwhile, outside of the restaurant, the weather was changing from rain to sleet to hail to snow and back to driving rain, and this cycled every few minutes. In the middle of the chaos stood, or to be more precise, floated Tempest, her hair blowing wildly in the gale force wind she was creating, Her eyes were glowing blood red as she poured her energy into her storm summoning.
     “Come out, come out little mage, and donate your powers to me and my ultra monsoon,” she said, spreading her arms wide as she cackled maniacally.
     “Give it a rest, will ya?!” Alex growled as he stepped around the corner, scythe flashing in the lightning that streaked the sky every few seconds.
     “We defeated you once, and we’ll defeat you again,” Rune growled, daggers in hand, the runes inscribed upon the blades glowing.
     The wind picked up to force five in a matter of seconds, picking full grown trees out of the ground like they were weeds or match sticks. The hunters clung to the side of the shop, desperately trying to keep on the ground, or at least keep from being swept away.
     “I can’t hold on much longer,” Strawberry cried, her nails sliding through the hard wood of the shop like it was butter. A moment later her grip failed and she was carried off into the maelstrom.
     “Strawberry!” Tira cried as she whipped off her dress, revealing her hunter form. A whip seemed to materialize in her hand, and this was lashed out, wrapping around the junior hunter’s foot. A moment later, though, Tira found herself over balance and was pulled into the storm as well.
     “Oh, bloody hell,” Gateau grumbled, “if I could get airborne then I could teach that little witch a lesson.”
     Andrew grabbed hold of Gateau’s collar, releasing him from the wall. A moment later the hunter was launched skyward, a Diem Wing pushing him onto his destination. He reared back one mighty hand for a strike, shouting something that was lost in the wind. He got within a foot of his intended target before a bolt of lightning swatted him out of the air like a fly. He crashed to the ground, blasting out a smoking crater from his landing.
     “Oh man.... we’re gonna get anally reamed unless something miraculous happens,” Andrew said when he saw Gateau twitching in the crater.
     “If it’s a miracle you want, it’s a miracle you shall receive,” Dotta said as a wand formed at the end of her crystal. She waved this about, the crystal glowing as an energy dome formed around them, blocking the wind and other weather. The sudden change in pressure dropped the hunters like flies, since one moment they had powerful wind pressing against them, and the next they had nothing pressing against them. Dotta looked at them, a sweat drop forming on her head. “Sorry about that... I forgot about the wind.”
     “No worries,” Rune said, the runes on her bracelets glowing, “that bitch took my sister from me, and she’s going to pay dearly for that mistake.”
     A brilliant glow encompassed Rune as she joined her daggers together at the hilts. She leapt skyward before swinging the twin blade downward, an arc of fire sailing from her weapon. “Rune Strike!”
     The runic fire struck Tempest’s barrier, passing harmlessly through it to lick at the weather witch’s hair and clothes. Tempest screamed in shock, her power wavering for a moment. The winds around them died down for a split second, giving enough time for Tira and Strawberry to get into the barrier before the hurricane outside resumed.
     “Nice shooting sis,” Strawberry said, her axe forming in her right hand, “however, it’s my turn to give her some payback.”
     The blade of her battle axe glowed rainbow hues as she began to spin it before her body with the skill of a professional baton twirler. She brought the spinning axe above her head before hurling it at Tempest, a glow encompassing the weapon. The axe appeared to split into many axes, each one zeroing in on Tempest and striking her before the original returned to Strawberry’s hand.
     “That was a taste of my Rampaging Saw blade attack,” she said, smiling maliciously. “Keep doing what you’re doing and you may be on the business end of my Sparkling Rampage attack.”
     “You snot assed little bitch,” Tempest grumbled as her powers reached a peak, “do you really think your puny powers are any match for me?! I’m going to tear this place asunder and take you with it!”
     She laughed maniacally moments before an enraged Mackie stepped out of the shop, her hair streaming freely behind her, her green eyes blazing with fire. Her long skirt and business jacket melted away, being replaced by a short pair of cargo shorts, a tight black leather jacket, and a white midriff top.
     “I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget, little miss all that,” Mackie growled, a wind of power blowing up around her. “I struggled to get this shop to run smoothly and get advertising out to all the corners of the continent. My business is my life, and I love it. I love my customers and my employees, and I will not have some little wanna be wizard destroy all of that! Now, en guarde!”
     ‘Oh man, Mackie’s totally flipped,’ Alex thought as he felt the power in the area rise. “Marron, do you think she stands a chance?”
     “Mackie against Tempest, or Tempest against Mackie?” Marron replied, staring in awe at the power standoff outside of their dome.
     “Prepare to eat blazing death sister,” Tempest shouted as thousands of bolts of lighting struck Mackie. Everyone gasped in shock. Tira and Rune screamed. Carrot passed out. Chocolate hid her face in Gateau’s chest. Dotta began to cry.
     “I’ll pass,” came from amid the lightning bolts, which ceased as Mackie swung a glowing sword skyward. “I’m on a diet,” she added, leaping heavenward, the sword vanishing, or to be more precise, melting around her fist to form a pair of brass knuckles. A golden glow surrounded her fist as she dove at Tempest. “Heaven’s STRIKE!”
     The energy release of the attack was intense, since it leveled the treetops for a radius of a mile and created a shockwave that was felt five miles away. The flash from the impact was so intense that day seemed like night compared to the brilliance. When Mackie landed she brushed her fingers through her hair, turned to the others, and said, “Big Momma taught me that attack.”
     “Is she dead?” Strawberry asked as she looked into the hole where Tempest had impacted.
     “Uhhh.... my head,” came from inside the hole. Tempest floated out a moment later, a look of abject despair on her face. “I... I lost. I lost again.”
     “Why don’t you come in and share some ice cream with us,” Mackie said, draping her jacket over Tempest’s shoulders. “Maybe some of my special Forbidden Chocolate will take your mind off of your problems.”
     Tempest’s face brightened up. “Can I get sprinkles and chocolate syrup?”
     “Of course you can. It’s all on the house, after all.”

     Following dinner and several more courses of ice cream Alex, Andrew, and Star decided that it was time for them to be returning home. More of what occurred before Big Momma gave them their mission was to come, and Alex and Star sighed as they watched Andrew’s and Tira’s tearful reunion.
     “If this keeps up we’ll never get home,” Star commented.
     “If this keeps up I’m going to lose my lunch,” Alex added, making a face.
     “Come on you two, lighten up,” Gateau said as he embraced Alex and Star, “it’ll be a while before they can see each other again, so give them a break.”
     “I guess you’re right,” Alex sighed as he relaxed a bit, “but we really do need to be on our way, otherwise I won’t have the energy for the teleport home.”
     “Do hurry back,” Tira cried as Andrew joined Alex and Star, “and don’t forget me.”
     “I can’t forget the love of my life,” Andrew called back as a circle of red formed beneath the trio. A moment later the circle became a column of light, which shot upwards through time and space, leaving a gentle shower of glitter to rain down upon the hunters.
     “Are they really gone?” Rune asked as the shower ended.
     “I guess so,” Chocolate said, “but they’ll be back. I just know it.”
     “How do you know so much?” Carrot asked as they began to walk back towards the restaurant.
     “Women’s intuition,” Chocolate, Tira, Rune, Strawberry, Dotta, Tempest, and Mackie replied. Carrot fell over, a leg twitching in the air.

     Across the ocean of time and space, in a small college town called Durham, a portal opened in Oyster River park, belching forth two humans and a very puzzled cat. The shorter of the two humans was the first to regain his feet, and took great pleasure in nudging the second with his foot.
     “Time to wake up, sleeping beauty,” he said, rearing back for a swift kick to the solar plexus. As he brought his foot down he suddenly discovered that his target had moved. He continued his follow through and wound up on his ass, something wet and squishy soaking through his jeans.
     “I’ll talk to you later,” a voice said, the words carried by the wind. Andrew looked around for a moment, then sighed and grumbled a few curses.
     “He didn’t even stick around for some fun,” he muttered as he pulled himself to his feet and headed towards his house, which was less than 100 yards away. “Oh well, I’ll bother him later.”
     From a nearby tree Alex and Star watched Andrew trek through the park, a large brown stain on his ass. Alex couldn’t help but chuckle, since it seemed like just punishment for the little accident in subspace that sent them towards the Spooner continent.
     “Alex, when are we going back to the Spooner Continent?” Star asked as they leapt down from the tree.
     “As soon as I get stronger and catch up on my work,” Alex replied as they turned to head towards the university. “And I hope to have that happen really soon. But don’t tell Andrew that, O.K..”
     “O.K.,” Star replied as he hopped up on Alex’s shoulder. “Home Jeeves.”
     Alex sighed as he walked off into the lengthening shadows of sunset.

     “Hey, don’t go too far. More adventures await Alex, Star, Andrew, and all of their friends. Stay tuned to Slayers Moon, Slayers Fantasy, and the Crossover Wars for more fun, more new people, and more places to visit.”