Calm/Storm
A/N: What's this? A three chapter story suddenly only has one chapter? Never fear. After not having worked on this story in forever, my attention was suddenly brought back to it by a new review. I tried to reread the story and get my bearings, but I simply could not understand the direction I was taking the story in. My notes involved time travel, world souls, and a whole lot of other convoluted nonsense that I simply could not make sense of, giving me no choice but to start over. Hopefully with this new start, I can update more regularly and make this story even better than it was before. Thank you for your patience.
Hamelin was without a doubt the most industrialized city in the Another World. This was what allowed it to have its Royal Procession, a tourist attraction renowned across every continent. Every time this astounding event occurred, everyone came out to see its splendour.
At least, all of the upstanding citizens of Hamelin. As wonder eyed children, nostalgic adults, and wizened seniors gathered on balconies to witness the spectacle, a turmoil that would shake the core of the city was brewing in the depths of the bestial city.
In one of the many narrow alleyways hidden in a forgotten corner of the city, a woman wearing a hooded cloak sighed. Her slight frown gave the appearance of someone who had been told the shop was all out of ice cream on a very hot day.
The man across from her shook like a leaf. His eyes quickly moved all over the tight crevice, as though looking for some escape. His hands shook, and his legs looked as though they would give out at any minute. Even in the dim light, the woman could easily see the sweat pouring off him.
Beside the woman was a cat very different from what one would normally expect in our world. It was a yellow tabby with brown-black ears and stripes, and it stood on its hind legs as comfortably as a human. It wore a blue vest, a brown belt, and black pants. However, these clothes were incredibly ragged. Rips and tears made them seem more like ravaged curtains than proper clothing. Like the man, the cat's eyes twitched, but not in the same manner. The cat's eyes had an excited, manic appearance to them. The cat looked like, if it was something in the realm of possibility, it would sink its teeth into the fabric of reality itself and tear it asunder. While erratic, the eyes were mainly focused on the quivering man on the other side of the alleyway.
"P-Please…" It was more a whimper than the actual utterance of a word, but the man forced it through his quivering lips nonetheless. The woman's frown only deepened. As if sensing this change in mood, the cat gleefully whisked a razor sharp knife from its belt and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she licked the sharp edge of the blade, and swallowed the blood that appeared on her tongue with relish.
"You don't have the money." It was not a question. The woman, known as the Loan Witch, was not in the habit of not knowing things.
"You have to understand, I have bills, a family to feed, taxes, I just…" The man's voice felt like nearly shattered glass, barely appearing in the air before breaking into a thousand pieces.
"No." With one word from the Loan Witch, the cat was suddenly behind the man, pressing a knife to his throat with just enough force to avoid drawing blood. She had dashed over to him, not teleported, but the speed was such that the man could not comprehend what had just happened. As the man's nightmare became reality, the distant sounds of cheering, shaking, and motors reminded everyone that there was a world outside of the hell that existed in the small alleyway.
But for Bella the Puss in Bouts, there was no world outside her own personal hell. With mirth, she sliced the man's head off in a sawing motion.
If the man screamed, it was drowned out by the sounds of the royal procession. Her yellow coat now transformed to orange by the blood, an insane, sadistic smile spread across Bella's face. The Loan Witch's frown disappeared as well. "Oh, Bella, I did want to have a bit more fun with him."
Ignoring the blood covering the alley, the Loan Witch marched beside the body and kneeled. "You understand, don't you? I have a reputation. If I just let you borrow money without doing something… Well, I wouldn't want my other… Loyal customers to get the wrong idea. I knew you'd understand perfectly." Not toothy like that of Bella's, the Loan Witch's smile grew stronger at the idea of her imagined conversation with the dead man. Raising her hand, a purple-pink light started to emanate from it. This light focused into a laser sharp point on the man's forehead, and the letters L and W were inscribed red hot into his forehead. "I so wanted to do that to him when he was alive." She turned to Bella, her eyes narrowing and the frown returning. The look could only be described as fierce. Raising her hand, she threw Bella against the wall of the alleyway with the force of a tidal wave.
In an instant, Bella's appearance of manic glee had vanished, replaced with what could only be described as that of a despondent kitten. Any resemblance to the savage killer from moments ago had vanished. Like most familiars, Bella could not talk to voice any objection to the force used by her master. Unlike most familiars, she had not always been this way.
As the Loan Witch stared at Bella with savage glee, the sound of footsteps echoed through the tiny hallway. Any joy disappeared. No, this isn't right, the royal procession captures everyone, just how I planned it, why would anyone possibly be here…? Unless… No…
Whatever the Loan Witch was expecting the footsteps to be, she had not expected the young black girl in a light blue nightie to come across her bloody scene. The girl's frizzy hair bobbed as she stared at the scene before her. "Hmph. I only planned to murder one person tonight, but… Well, how can I say no to such fun when it walks right into my lap?" Normally one would expect maniacal laughter from someone like the Loan Witch, but the sound that permeated the alley could only be described as a girlish giggle, one that sounded more at home coming from the little girl's throat than the old sociopath known as the Loan Witch. The sound of applause and machinery remained steady as the girl and the Loan Witch stared at one another. Bella continued to stare despondently into space.
"Bella, you are forgiven. Savage her." The Loan Witch's last word almost sounded musical. Bella jumped to her feet and charged at the girl, who did not move at all to avoid this attack. Knife still drawn, Bella brought it to the girl's throat…
And stopped.
Terror consumed Bella. Not following one of Master's orders was unimaginable. She could not even dare to imagine the consequences, but no matter how much Bella wished it, the knife would not continue its path towards the girl's throat. The Loan Witch's eyes grew huge, and her face became beet red.
"BELLA! What the fuck is this? What the fucking hell is wrong with you, you little shit? Do you know what I've FUCKING DONE FOR YOU?!" The Loan Witch's voice had changed from its previous melancholy to a raspy grunt. Bella shook with terror, but the Loan Witch's abusive tone and language did nothing to move her hand.
As though nothing was happening, the girl moved to leave. She could have been in the crowds of the royal procession rather than the scene of a grisly murder for the way she was acting.
As the girl made to leave, Bella suddenly seemed to be dragged away by an invisible force. The Loan Witch could not make it out due to the darkness, but the bizarre occurrence only heightened her anger. She simply could not fathom the occurrences of the past few minutes. Her body had been in pure euphoria after bestowing justice upon one of her unfaithful followers, but this ecstasy was quickly demolished by Bella's insubordination, the ridiculous girl and the irksome shadow that had stolen her most deliciously sadistic servant away from her. Fury boiling within her, she decided the only way to release it was another anointment. Her sullen child could wait until later. This would only be further punishment for the bitch's reluctance to kill.
She summoned the laser from before, more quickly now due to its recent summoning. Swinging it with all of her magical force from before, so as to make the gift even more satisfying, she struck the little girl with the full forty years of her practiced magical abilities. The entire alleyway was consumed by a bright pink light, flying up into the sky like a firework.
However, the girl was not consumed by it. Even though the Loan Witch had cast a small shield to protect herself from the blast, she looked extremely ragged.
"H-How?" For the briefest of seconds, a transparent blue sphere surrounded the girl. Still acting as if she were strolling down the street, the little girl left the alleyway, rejecting the Loan Witch's existence. Pure fury consumed every aspect of the Loan Witch's being. She wanted to screech with the full force of her magic powering it, but it was not worth loosening her iron grip on the city of Hamelin and revealing the shadowy underdealings of the city to the complacent civilians.
Thus, the Loan Witch was forced to content herself with mere seething as her body was filled with ragged breaths. Her vulgar language echoed off the alleyway back at her, another reminder of the monster she was.
She had to kill someone. She had to kill someone now. It was the only way to distract herself.
No, that was wrong.
She had to kill lots of people.
She had to kill everyone.
I can't believe that worked. Trix the Puss in Boats breathed heavily atop the rooftops of Hamelin. She wanted to shout with relief, but her mouth was occupied firmly biting into the nape of her sister's, Bella's, neck. She couldn't bear to think what might happen if she slackened her grip.
As Trix's entire world shook, the jubilant screams of Hamelin's main street showed that the rest of the world still turned normally.
This had been the goal Trix had strained at for so many years. I finally have my sister back. She's mine. All mine.
She's not your sister. Familiars don't have sisters.
Trix ignored the voice in her head. She had to consider her next move, but nothing came to her mind. Trix hadn't thought past "Get Bella back." That was just the way Trix was. Now that Bella was back, what could Trix do? She was just a Puss in Boats. She had no magic, but she had heard tales of her sister. The Loan Witch's Terror. The Monster. The Demon Spawn. She refused to believe them, but the scene in that alley only confirmed what she had heard. The Loan Witch never used knives, and Trix remembered from the days when they were Purrloiners that decapitation was Bella's favoured mode of execution. But this… There was a certain savageness to it that made even Trix's cruel blood curdle.
She had to bring her to Marcassin. He was a wizard. He could change Bella back to the way she had been. Now that the Royal Procession was on, Marcassin was out in the open. Whether the public would cry out for Bella's execution or understand that Bella's insanity was not of her own doing, Trix could not predict. But she had no choice. She had to at least try. She owed Bella that much. She would give herself up to imprisonment if it would save Bella.
As Trix remained in deep thought, a bright light illuminated the rooftop. Turning while still firmly biting Bella's nape, Trix saw the little girl from before.
Time stopped as the two stared at each other. The ruined shingles that provided Trix with her only foothold made the encounter even more tense. One misstep and Trix had no idea what would happen. She could fall and release her grip on Bella, or else this girl might do something.
From the way she had simply walked through Bella's carnage, Trix knew the girl was no mortal being. The fact that the girl was now glowing while floating in midair while staring despondently at Trix and Bella only confirmed this.
Time resumed as a beam of light shot out from the girl's heart to Bella. The mad cat fell from Trix's grasp. Trix's terror dissipated as she noted that Bella remained unmoving on the ground. At first Trix was scared that the girl had murdered Bella, but she could see faint breathing coming from Bella's chest. Familiars did not really need to breathe, but as they were the result of human imaginations, they did so because normal cats breathed. Regardless of the function being unnecessary, Trix was relieved at the sign that her sister was both alive and not about to burst into a homicidal rampage.
"…What did you do?" Trix's tone was muted so as not to attract attention, as well as to show she knew the girl must not have meant any harm. In response to Trix's inquiry, the girl's glow faded, and she collapsed with a thud onto the rooftop.
"…That was short." Only concerned for the welfare of her sister, Trix bit Bella's nape and ran, slowly at first to adjust to the darkness left in the girl's wake, then as fast as she possibly could.
The wind ran by her fur viciously. The continent was always windy, and the altitude of Hamelin's buildings only made matters worse. Trix wanted to put as much distance between her and the Loan Witch as possible, but she was not used to running on all fours, as was necessary to maintain her grip on Bella. She knew the girl had probably made Bella safe with her spell, but she had no idea how long it would last and Trix held no faith in the powers of magic.
After perhaps her fifth rooftop of painful sprinting on rough shingles, reality itself seemed to begin to shake. Trix was forced to stop moving.
The air seemed to be quivering, and the roof she had just landed on felt as though it might vanish from existence at any moment. It was not like an earthquake, but more as though the fabric that made up everything was being torn apart. Unable to focus on her surroundings, Trix simply concentrated on keeping her grip on Bella as tightly as possible.
The cheers and vehicle sounds coming from main street were gone, replaced by confused shouts and cries. As if making reality seem to disappear was a drum roll meant to introduce her, a voice boomed throughout the city.
"Hello, my faithful subjects." It was the cold, cruel voice of the Loan Witch. Trix felt even more immobilized than before. If the Loan Witch could turn Bella into this… what would she do to her? And judging by the source of the voice, the Loan Witch had cut off her access to Marcassin.
"Most of you probably know me. For the naively uninitiated, I am known as the Loan Witch. Over half of the city is in my debt. I own you. I do not know who thought this course of action was wise, but whoever decided to challenge me will face a fate worse than death. Give up what you took and I will forgive your loan, and even give you a position in my company. If you are foolish enough to not have upgraded your life with me already, then I will give you the most generous loan you could possibly imagine. Give me back my familiar. Hand Bella back to me. I give you one hour. If she is not mine by then, this city will become a black mark on the map. In a few years, I will ensure that you and your absurd pig masks will cease to exist in the minds of the entire world, nay, the entire universe. I will end you. Give me Bella, or face the most nightmarish annihilation you could ever imagine. I hope you enjoy watching your family scream in pain as it takes them hours to die." The Loan Witch's dictatorial tone left no room for argument. Her switch to the cheery tone that felt more at home on the lips of a receptionist flattened the city. "Please have a lovely day!"
Trix's plan was finished. Getting to Marcassin was impossible now, as the entire city would attack her in order to get Bella. Very few things motivated like fear. Trix was both skilled and powerful, but even she was no match against thousands. Her only option was to leave the city, find a boat, and hide in another continent. Hopefully another magician could help save Bella.
As Trix turned to gaze across the multitudes of roofs between her and the outskirts of the city, the girl from before floated directly in her way. Raising a hand, the girl made Bella fly through the air into her hand. Gripping firmly onto Bella's nape, the girl uttered two words: "Save them." They were barely above a whisper, but Trix could not help but understand perfectly.
Turning back towards the main street of Hamelin, Trix saw the menacing hooded figure floating above main street. Trix hissed. That horrid demon girl had given her no choice. What gave her the gall to just show up and steal the ambition of decades? All the gold, all the training, all the slaughter, to finally track this monster down and get her sister back.
She had no choice. The girl would not return her sister unless she saved the city of Hamelin. Reluctantly, Trix slinked towards the monster reining over the halted royal procession. Trix tried to think of a plan. None came. Regardless, there was no possibility. The Loan Witch would be dead before the hour was finished.