GW: Here's another chapter of 'RMC.' Enjoy!
Call to Castle Duty
Later, the mayor, a band, and some kids throwing flyers around were parading through town.
As people picked up the flyers and read about the war, a rock golem in disguise walked right past two women talking.
Meanwhile, Raimundo, with his new hair color, was lying in his bedroom, which was an oddly decorated room when Renee, Yakumo, Deni, Willow, Kat, and Harima entered. Renee was carrying a tray with a cup on it.
"We brought you some water. Would you like some?" Renee asked politely. Despite Rai's little tantrum, she managed to forgive him when he calmed down. He shook his head in response.
"I'll leave it here in case you might want some," Renee said as she put the tray down on the stand next to Raimundo's bed.
As she and her friends turned to leave, Rai muttered softly, "Renee…wait."
"What does he want now?" Kat grumbled, but got a glare from Deni telling her to shut it. As they came back, Yakumo asked, "You want some milk?"
When Rai shook his head again, Renee sat down in a nearby chair with Harima standing next to Yakumo, while she and her animal friends rested near Renee and Harima.
"What's up, Rai?" Harima asked his friend in worry. Even though Rai acted like a drama queen, or king, he was worried about how his friend was.
Before he responded, a black rock above the bed glittered red as Rai opened his eyes for the first time and gasped, "Wuya's trying to find my castle."
"We saw her henchmen at the harbor today," Willow said as her friends looked shocked. "Do you think she's found us?" Renee said in a concerned tone.
Instead of answering, Raimundo sighed, "I'm such a coward; all I do is hide," he turned to the side a bit before continuing a bit sadly, "and all this magic is just to keep everyone away. I can't stand how scared I am."
Deni cocked her head to the side before asking, "How come that hag is after you all the time?"
Rai paused before he answered, "She was once beautiful, so I pursued her. Then I realized she wasn't, so as usual old me, I ran away."
"Figures," Renee mumbled with an eye-roll as Kat gagged, "Why'd you ever think that ugly witch was hot, I'll never know!"
"You do realize you have more serious problems, Rai," Harima said seriously. The wizard nodded as he said, "I can't run much longer, though; I have to report for duty at the palace as both Wizard Mung Daal and Merlin. Man, I should've just stayed Shoku Warrior if my life was going to be this messed up."
"How many aliases do you have?" Renee asked with a raised eyebrow.
"As many as I need to keep my freedom," Rai said simply. Renee then said, "Just tell the king you don't want to go."
Raimundo pointed above him to a piece of paper and said, "See that? That's the oath I took when I entered the Royal Sorcerer Academy. It means I have to report to the palace when summoned."
Renee smiled, "You know Rai, I think you should see the king."
"What?" Rai, the animals, and Harima asked in astonishment.
"Give him a piece of your mind! Tell him this war is pointless and you refuse to take part. What do you say?"
Raimundo sighed dismally, "You obviously don't know what these people are like."
"I do; they're scum-bags!" Katrina laughed with Deni barking, "Shut up, Tweety!"
Renee then told Rai, "But he's our king; surely he would like to hear what his citizens have to say."
Suddenly, Rai gasped as he jumped out of bed, literally, and shouted excitedly, "I got it! What don't you go to the palace for me?"
"…Are you feeling alright, dude?" Willow asked then turned to Deni and said, "Did I get the phrase you humans use right?" Deni just rolled her eyes.
Renee, however, was stunned by Rai's proposal. "Huh?"
"Just say you're Merlin's mother," Rai explained. "And say that you're son is such a cowardly wizard and won't even show his face! Maybe then Juliet Douglas will give up on me!"
"Who's Juliet Douglas?" Yakumo asked Harima, who replied, "A woman who terrifies Rai to no end."
"Be careful; I heard she's actually a Homunculus named Sloth," Riko said worriedly as Linus handed Renee, wearing a pretty purple dress Rai gave her to wear, her hat that she's had since she came to the castle and Yori handed her the cane Turniphead gave her. "Or, that's what the rumors say," Yori shrugged, casting a glare at his eye-rolling sister.
"You're wearing that hat, even after the magic I used to make your outfit pretty?" Raimundo, with a blanket around him, said to Renee in disappointment.
"Take care of him, Linus and company," Renee said as she took a letter from Rai and she and her animal friends went to the door. "Bye," Linus, Riko, and Yori nodded as Duckula, Nanny, and Igor said, "Good luck."
As Renee switched the knob to red, Rai put a ring on her finger and said to her with a mysterious smile, "This charm will guarantee you a safe return. Don't worry; I'll follow behind you in disguise."
Harima then came to Yakumo and said to her as he put a pretty dark blue collar around her neck, "This will also protect you and your other animal friends. Be safe." If Yakumo could blush, she would've right then.
Rai then opened the door and ushered the five outside in Radiant Garden, the capital city.
As Renee and her friends stood outside and Rai closed the door, Renee sighed as she looked at the ring, "Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?"
"Because it's true?" Deni tried as they took off down the street to the palace.
As they passed by a roof where Murkrow were perched, Renee mused, "I wonder what Raimundo disguised himself as? Surely not a Murkrow."
"Yeah, he's not that creepy-looking," Kat agreed. Walking through the town, Renee spotted a flock of Swellow perched on a statue, she said, "Can't be a Swellow; too flamboyant for that."
Just then a hi-tech plane flew overhead as a woman on board was laughing in fun. The five got a deadpanned look as they said in a bored tone, "That could be him."
As the girls reached the half-way mark and saw the palace ahead, Yakumo sighed, "We still have a few more ways to go," before they took off to the large building ahead of them.
In the middle of the bustle of the city, a pudgy little Zigzagoon ambled by, sniffing the air. When he saw Renee and her crew walk past him, he followed right beside them with a bit of trouble.
"Raimundo?" Renee muttered to the Pokemon when she and her friends spotted him as they kept walking. "You disguised yourself as a Zigzagoon?"
When no response came, Deni said to the Pokemon, "Uh, hello; earth to Rai?" No answer. "Fine; keep silent," Deni shrugged.
"I can't believe you didn't think of something useful," Renee scolded 'Rai.' "Do you know how hard it is to do things when you're old?"
"Uh-oh; trouble coming our way," Willow said as familiar golems carried a familiar carriage beside Renee and her co. The curtain opened to reveal Wuya herself. "Well, look who's here; the tacky hat shop girl and her little friends," Wuya smirked maliciously.
"That witch…let me at her!" Kat squawked angrily as she tried to attack, but Willow grabbed the bird-girl by the teeth.
"Did you deliver my love letter to Raimundo?" Wuya asked as Renee kept her eyes on the road. She looked briefly at the Zigzagoon, who was glaring at Wuya sideways. "Who's he doing anyways?"
"He's acting like a big baby," Renee answered. "And he works me and my friends to the bones as his cleaning lady and animal cohorts."
Wuya chuckled, "How delightful! So, tell me; what business do you have at the palace?"
"Job-hunting," Renee said casually. "I'm sick of working for Raimundo." "And you?" Yakumo growled.
"I received a royal invitation," the witch said smugly. "That idiot Sloth finally realizes just how much she needs my powers."
"So she is a Homunculus," Renee mumbled, knowing the facts about Juliet being Sloth were true.
"If you're so great, why don't you lift the spell that's on us?" Willow snapped at the witch.
"I'm sorry, dear," Wuya said, not sorry at all. "My talent lies in casting spells, not breaking them. Bye, granny." With that, the witch closed her curtain and the golems sped up ahead of them.
"Now, wait right there, you hag!" Renee shouted as she hurried along, raising her cane. "You get back here right now!" She looked at the Zigzagoon and said to it, thinking it was Rai, "If I didn't have you or my friends to worry about, I'd have clobbered her senseless."
As the golems walked through the gates of the castle, they started to fall apart until they completely collapse into a pile of rubble and drop the carriage ungracefully. At this, Kat snickered as her friends watched.
"What on earth is going on!?" Wuya snapped as she looked out her window. A messenger nearby, Donald Duck, quacked, "Sorry, madam. But there are no vehicles beyond this point. You must continue on foot."
"That Sloth…if she irks me one more time, I'll expose 'Juliet Douglas' for the monster she really is," Wuya muttered as she got out of her carriage. As Renee and her crew approached the stairs, Renee whispered, "We can do this, you guys. Just act natural."
"If we act natural, Willow would question everyone, Deni would be acting uptight, Yakumo would give everyone the cold shoulder, as would you, I would be annoying people, and Rai would go drama queen on us," Kat joked, making her friends roll their eyes as the Pokemon kept trotting along.
The five heroes started to make their way up the very long flight of stairs as Wuya was having trouble. The Zigzagoon, however, ran about in circles, for he was so stubby you couldn't climb up.
"For Pete's sakes, Raimundo; we don't have time for shenanigans!" Renee said as Yakumo went back down and picked up the fat creature with her mouth and they started to move up the steps again, more slowly.
"Geez, Rai; why are you so heavy?" Yakumo groaned through clenched teeth as they kept on working their way up.
The five passed Wuya, who was having extreme trouble and was sweating profusely. "Wait, help. I…can't…make it," she panted.
Renee, also sweating a bit, while poor Yakumo looked ready to keel over, retorted, "What did you say? Something about how you can break the spell on us?"
"I…told you…I make spells…not break them," Wuya snapped weakly as Deni and Kat teased, "Then, we can't help you. Sorry!"
"You better start studying then," Renee said sternly as the five, with Pokemon dangling in the wolf's mouth, kept going. Wuya stopped, looking utterly tired, commented, "Where do they get all that energy from? Must be nice to be young when you're not under a spell."
As they got halfway there, they paused as Yakumo dropped the Pokemon and breathed, "Need…a rest for a bit." As the girls rested, they watched the struggling Wuya was Willow said curiously, "Just give up. You look like you're about to die."
"I've waited years to be invited here again," Wuya said solemnly. "Ever since Sl…Juliet Douglas…banished me to the Wastes!" Instead of saying Juliet's real alias, Wuya used her disguise name, just in case she didn't get in trouble.
"Hmmph, good luck in your futile effort," Renee said in her snarky tone. "Too bad I'm not young, or I'd help you up." This time she grabbed 'Raimundo' and started her way up as Yakumo added, "Also, we'd help, too, if we weren't animals. Good day."
"You little brats! Next time, I'll turn you senile and the animals dumb, too," Wuya growled. Then, they finally made it to the top of the entrance. Why it's so big, I have no idea.
Catching their breaths, Renee turned to the struggling Wuya and called out in encouragement, "Almost there! You can make it!"
Just then, a boy with brownish-black hair, violet eyes, and wearing a black hoodie, black pants with a silver chain, black boots, and brown wristbands named Chaos approached the five companions. "All guests follow me," he said in a bored tone.
"You should go and help her up," Renee scolded as Chaos replied, "I'm forbidden to do that, lady."
"How horrible," Willow hissed, only sounding like a cat to Chaos. "Let's go," Katrina urged on, sounding like chirping to anyone but her friends and Wuya. "You can make it!"
"Are you or are you not a witch!?" Renee said as Wuya finally made it to the top floor. "Oh, shut up, all of you," Wuya snapped tiredly.
"What happened? You look SO much older," Renee teased with a smirk. Wuya glared at her as her friends, even the Zigzagoon, chuckled.
The group walked inside the palace as a voice announced, "Mrs. Merlin and Wuya."
"Pull yourself together," Renee said firmly as Wuya hobbled along.
"Mrs. Merlin and Wuya!" the voice announced again as Wuya asked Renee, "Merlin? Why does that name ring a bell?"
"Uh…because that's what the tacky hat shop was called," Renee lied. "Don't you remember or are you that senile?"
Too tired to make a come-back, Wuya mused, "Is that what it was?" as they arrived in a fancy room where a chair stood in the middle of the room.
"CHAIR!" Wuya shouted as she hobbled to the chair and sat in it. "It's mine!" As Wuya collapsed in the chair, Yakumo spotted that the Zigzagoon scurried off into another room. "Raimundo, get back here!" she called, but the Pokemon didn't respond as he left. "Where's that ding-bat heading to now!?" Katrina scoffed as the five girls followed where they spotted the Pokemon heading to.
Just as they got there, a door opened to reveal two kids. One was a boy with red hair and wearing a black vest with a cross-zipper, black pants, and black and white sneakers. Next to him was a girl with long blond hair with black streaks and wearing a black tube top with a white lace around the edge and a cross-shaped zipper, a black miniskirt, knee-high, black zip-up boots, and black gloves. Both kids had violet eyes. They were Spite and Malice.
"Oh," Renee said, startled to see a smiling Malice and a bored-looking Spite.
"Hi," Malice chirped friendly as Spite nodded. "This way, please," he said dryly as the woman and animals followed the two kids into the door.
With Wuya, who was still relaxing in the chair, she was surprised when a curtain opened to show a giant light-bulb.
She then became more nervous when more of the light-bulbs were revealed, but she didn't act fast enough when someone flipped down a switch and the light-bulbs began to glow.
Wuya looked down, due to the blinding light, as weird figures danced around her until she stopped groaning in pain and just sat there.
GW: What happened to Wuya? Are Spite and Malice taking Renee to see Juliet Douglas/Sloth?
Kat: Will GW ever stop asking cheesy questions? Remember to read, review, and suggest.
