XLVII

'All right ghouls, raise your hand those of you who want to infiltrate in the frightening and ominous fortress where our witchy singer friend is held hostage? No takers?' she asked. And of course the one who has a double set of extra arms wouldn't raise any of hers… after her grand failure the first time, so they would just throw me instead. 'Make yourself useful for once', she said. That rotten, foul breath bitch!

I never cared for Ghoulia, but how I hate her now.

To be fair I should have seen this one coming, I miean kinda totally got myself into this mess when I bragged about how I could outstealth Webarella and find my way in and out where she didn't. Me and my big damn mouth, and of course she didn't trust me enough to send me alone and sent her to gossip if I did anything unnecessary. As if I wanted to be here any longer. Sure, she claims is for my safety but I let's be clear I trust them as much as they trust me, which is to say I don't trust them as they don't trust me.

Well, you know what they say: never send a spider to do a cat's job… fine, only I say that… now. The point is they sent me to do this with the worst assistance because they don't like me, they despise me — even worse, loathe me! — but now with all the shattering pain in their hearts they see their chances of getting back to the real world rests on my paws, my beautiful and perfectly manicured soft paws, so who's laughing now?

That's right, I am. Silently so, for I am a professional, and as I infiltrate this ominous monument of evil, and oppression, I cannot by any reason make any noise that would draw unwanted attention. I wouldn't be much of a stealthy cat burglar if I did. I must move silent as a soft breeze that was never there, my movements quick, in every way calculated and necessary… like a shadow in the night, I remain unseen

Cat Tastrophe comes to a stop behind a large statue of a monster whose sole visage, even carved in stone, is enough to haunt her for the rest of her life, truly the thing of nightmares.

"What's the matter? Found something?" Polterghoul, her designated assistant asks her in a voice two Hertz too loud for stealth and with too much concern.

The first sound to come out of her lips this whole evening since infiltrating the fortress is Shhhh, an almost too subtle to hear but just perceptible enough order to shut up, perceptible for her who floats right behind her tail of course, emphasized by a uncharacteristically stern glare meaning serious business.

Focusing her pointy ears to capture any and all sounds, she confirms the absence of enemies around them, at the least on this hall. Her wildly acute and strong senses also tell her that Wonder Wolf is doing her part outside quite wonderfully, and unless the moaning from the floor above is actually an indication they're inside an R rated movie and not a PG-13, then that means they're close.

"Our loot is on the floor above." Cat Tastrophe indicates, pointing upwards with the tip of her tail.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, it sounds like the kind of dungeon where you hold captive a prisoner and make them suffer, but I might be wrong. It could the kind of dungeon where they get to have some fun too. Honestly I'm actually leaning for the second."

"You kidding, right?"

"Oh, who are you to judge, floating around with chains all the time — and now wrapped in leather?" Cat Tastrophe reacts defensively "You're not the only ghoul who's entitled to have some fun playing kinky and spicing things up every once in a while."

"What are you —?"

"Don't play saint with me, now float up there and tell me what you see! And please don't waste any time, if you see something fun, come and tell me right away."

"I'm not… sure is wise we split up." I'm not supposed to leave you alone is what she means, but too much of a nice ghoul to say it out loud.

"Just shove your head up there, or I'll do it!"

Polterghoul glares at her, agreeing to check through the ceiling, only to find the she chant phase through in a painful way, as though hitting an electrified steel wall.

Lucky for her the pain was so intense she couldn't really scream.

"What happened?" Cat Tastrophe asks as soon as she hovers down.

"I… I can't… I can't cross through…" she utters in a sluggish voice.

"Must be an enchantment to keep away prying eyes," she reasons. "Makes sense since one of the Leaguers is a ghost hybrid. Should have seen it coming now I think about it."

"Just now you think about it?"

"Well, as you know I'm more of a loner than a team player, usually working only with those who can follow my orders, or… you know… someone worth following. Sorry."

"Yeah, well… guess what? Since I can't get inside that room, now you will have to do the rescue all for yourself."

"What? How so? I can't do it all by myself!" she protests.

"Well, since you're a loner and not a team player, I see no problem for you stealing her by yourself."

"You're the worst," she stares, narrowing her green eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll be outside the door for moral support."

Well, here is the thing, I'm not a freaking hero, so they shouldn't trust me to do the whole rescuing thing (they are right on that, okay?) and with good reason, I am a thief, a cat burglar — the cat burglar. I shouldn't be part of this team, yet here I am because they know that even though I can't be trusted to play along, I can always be trusted to do what's best for me, and as of now, that's something that falls in line with their goal. My skills, acquired through sheer hard work, are most fitted for this task, getting in and out unseen. My companion here has skills even more fitted for that but lacks the… moral leeway, to get the job done. I don't have that problem, but my other talents, wrecking havoc and unleashing chaos everywhere, are best used when I got someone with said moral flexibility. I am certain she'll have some issues with the things I'll have to do. That's a natural skill of mine by the way, chaos is my superpower, no matter what I can't stop doing what I do best, in fact I must put an actual effort to not bring chaos wherever I go. It was easier with the collar, though… I think I had collar that made everything a mess for everyone but me… but then again I'm not so sure. My memories — everyone's memories really — have gotten messy since getting here, I have had a bit of trouble to tell what's me and what's not… still do.

Oh well, if am to have a past, better it be multiple choice, am I right?

Like this memory where I make the ridicule out of all these ghouls in their dumb flashy costumes. Really rather believing I did that for that real. Is a bit blurry but clear enough to say that's me. I mean it sounds like something I'd do. Or this other, is a bit neater than the others though I can't tell if it happened, I mean it sounds like something that couldn't have happened but it feels right to say it did. Can't say when though… something about me stealing from a rich dumb guy with some… rather exciting partner. An easy job, nobody knew we were there till he said let's make a grand escape and we did! The follow up was… another memory I feel like saying yes… if know what I mean.

The skills that come with these memories are not a bad thing either. I suddenly got images of training to be a stealth master, greater than usual, that comes in handy. No need to become a ghost to move like such around a tower full of enemies, like seriously, I just made it through fifteen floor unseen — granted the security is lacking here since somebody is doing her part very well., most likely whatever security is left is all packed up in this room with her waiting for me behind that door. Because of course a hero would do something like breaking through the front door, by lucky for her I am not such thing, and can you believe they got air conditioning ducts in this fortress of evil? I guess some wanna be overlords like their rooms chilly.

Good thing I got some extra fur in my suit.

"Hey, are you outside the door? she asks, with eyes on her prize, chained to the wall, on her knees, inside a magic circle glowing red, with a red gleaming globe around her, and a memory she really wishes is not hers comes to her mind for a brief second, a memory where she's is a similar position.

"Yes, why?"

"Just asking to make sure," says taking aim from the air ducts, "you're standing right there as visible as you can get, drawing all their attention. Now, when you get the cue get creative," says pulling the door open with her wrist's grappling hook, exposing Polterghoul to enemies.

"Come again?" Polterghoul utters confused the second the door opens.

"Soon, get creative!"

"You're a cunt!" Is all she says before the golems aim their spears at her.

"What? You wanted me to be a team player! This is it, I'm including you in my plan, this is teamwork!"

"How is this teamwork? Polterghoul asks, while dodging their shoots.

"You're bait, the crucial part of my plan."

"How lovely! What plan was that anyway?"

"I just told you, you stand right there as visible as you can get, drawing all their attention."

"That — that's not even a plan!"

"Oh, do you have a better idea? I'm all ears, tell me what alternative plan do you have in mind? How would you like to do things instead? Do you except me to fight with the powers I don't have?" Cat Tastrophe snaps. "Sure, I'm fairly certain I'll be done with all of them by sunrise, and don't worry, chances of Casta getting caught in the fight are so high there is no way she'll make it unhurt. Or perhaps you'd rather getting inside the room with me and keep them distracted while I pick her chains? Oh wait, that's right, you can't get inside the room, so you have to get them out with you where you can douche it out like you dumb heroes do while the my specialty."

"Maybe next time you'd at least pretend you're discussing it with me!."

"Well, we'll see if there is a next team-up," she answers, lackadaisically.

With all the guards distracted by the ghost girl in spiked leather, she proceeds to the next part of her made-on-the-way plan, carefully descending to her side, head first, ordering her to be quiet with her finger pressed to her lips.

Ok, so the room is ghost proof, but I'm guessing this needlessly complicated warding is not the source of that spell, but rather used to keep any and all idle hands away from her, she reasons, testing the protection around the witch by throwing a mouse she had caught earlier and hoped to eat later. Her hypothesis is proven to be right seeing how it turns to ashes with barely a flicker of a crimson flame, and as it burns there is a glimpse of a protective sphere, bright and scarlet with swirling waves of black, forming around her upon contact with the mouse, it fades quickly along with the flame, yet what truly pains her is that she is going to have to settle for frozen yogurt for dinner. Not the fruity flavored kind, the simple white kind which isn't close to her favorite.

There's barely any ashes left and it burned in less than a second. That spell is top notch security, I gotta memorize it and see if I can use it to keep my diary safe. Seriously though, there is no way I'm touching her now, not even with a ten foot long pole.

"All right, that makes things more complicated, don't worry. I'm still getting you out of here," says under the noise of the battle outside. Just as she planned the guards have forgotten entirely of the prisoner in the room and focused on the intruder outside.

Looking around to room, the is only but Enchantress and her. The large eerie statues looming over them as if in a tomb and black curtains swooshing on the windows somehow give out an exciting vibe as of dread, but the important is that there is no one to be seen.

Good job partner, really good at keeping them distracted while I do the hard part of breaking the witch out of an evil circle of dead. Now… how am I supposed to do that?

Shit!

Now, I had intended to melt her chains with some acid Ms. Dead Fast provided me, but that doesn't seem likely to happen now. On the other claw… this might be a wild guess, but since since she is trapped inside that intricate magic circle drawn on the floor, if the circle is broken somehow — say, by accidentally melting the floor — then the spell should break. Granted I don't know much about magic, but as I said I got this acid for an hour now and I've been really looking forward to use it since the very second she gave it to me, so let's put two and three and see what happens when magic meets acid.

Don't know about you but that sounds like a recipe for disaster, and you know I wouldn't be me in any guise if I didn't didn't go for the most chaotic option?

Carefully landing on the floor, she takes out the acid from the pouch on her leg, and as she is ready to pour it on the floor a large scabbed looking claw comes out from the shadows around her seizing her claw.

A wraith, waiting in the shadows, must have been set as a back up in case the others left. How did I miss it? I… the curtains, right. Must have hidden behind them and since they got no feet… that is so stupid it had no choice but to work. Well I have a work here and I'm not about to go around like my sidekick out there, with some… unfinished business.

I harness all my strength in my free claw for an open palm thrust, putting some rage into it as fuel, and I hit the wraith in the face with the base of my palm — a maul strong enough to shatter its skull. He goes out in an explosion of bone and a strange black thick liquid like oil that I can only assume is its blood and brains, since I assume they got any… ooze black as night, chances are this I isn't even real blood but for that thing it was its blood and maybe brain and now it paints my fist and arm up to my elbow.

In a second she sees what's he's done, in another she feels the cold liquid soak in her hand and sleeve, and then in a split of a second she can feel how her face makes a whole new expression of disgust. A shriek of shock would have followed… but is hard to scream when a fist knocks the air out of your lounges. Then she sees them, the rest of the back up, because naturally it wouldn't be just one.

All right, then… they wanna fight? I can fight. I have been using them to blow out steam since I find out they ain't real but I haven't really felt good til I broke that one's head. Didn't know I could. What's weird though, is I can't seem to recall where does all the anger come?

They pounce at her unhesitant, but their claws cut only the empty space she leaves behind, escaping in a jump so high and graceful it would be easily worth a perfect ten in a gymnastic competition. Clearly this is the combination of her natural skills, those feline agility, reflexes and coordination of hers that is, and her hard work and training to become Cat Tastrophe.

Before they decide what to do next, she jumps at them with the ferocity of a tiger, channeling the spirit of the great feline ancestors she might or might not have had, assaulting them with a relentless rain of open palm thrusts, each blow a maul on its own right, her claws tearing them apart like nutshells.

The room might be filled with darkness but to her is all red… black and red blurs as rage takes over, but from where does all that anger come? Could it be from the memories of a life on the dark mean streets?

Surely this place reminds he of where she grew up til the day she was given a place to call home… minus the invading horde of alien demons. Or perhaps they come from the memories of past humiliations, past defeats, past rejections…

There is one in particular that bubbles up the most and burns brighter only she can't tell when it happened, the memory of… somebody rejecting her… his face untouched and uncaring as he says the worst words she has ever heard.

"Truth is you're not worth it. You're fun, but I want better, and she is better…" Those are the words he used that night and though it seems unreal the sole idea of any guy saying no to her, though she wants to believe it is fake… she knows that memory is not such thing because the pain in her heart is real, the pain of someone telling you're lesser and worthless, unwanted…

He's an idiot! He's an idiot and I'll prove it to him! I'll prove it to him that he choose the wrong ghoul, that I I'm better than her!

The room — the world itself is lost behind the red haze in her eyes and everything becomes bloodstained pictures of torn skulls and ragged sheds. The wounded animal inside her takes over and she strikes every single wraith with a wrath to be reckoned and dreaded. Every blow of her palm hits with the strength and ferocity of a tiger fighting for something precious as a prey or a mate while taking delight in bloodshed, her claws mauling and tearing them to shreds, all the while she is still gracefully jumping and swinging around them, dodging most of their attacks in a deadly dance — until the last one of them dies, and there is nothing left for her to vent her rage.

Hovering on the door, Polterghoul stares in shock at Cat Tastrophe who stands victorious over a pile of wraiths, soaked in their black blood, her costume barely torn on the sleeves and the back, holding something large in her hands. As the world becomes clear again, she realizes she's holding an arm from one of her victims.

"And here you said… and here you said I couldn't handle myself… alone with these… without powers…" she says exhausted like she has never been, between deep breaths, her heart rate lowering but still beating fast.

"I stand corrected. It was scary watching you fight those things. Your got issues, you know? I mean… I'm worried about you."

"I just… needed to blow out some steam. That's all."

"You okay now? You sound a little… distressed."

"I'm okay! Is this place that's all. The memories of our characters, they… blend too much with our own. I… I think I…"

"You remembered things you really don't wanna remember anymore? Because I've been getting memories of the past… and the ones that I know aren't my past… and I know… the pain is what makes them real."

For that instance, she's glad to have such large lenses covering her eyes… bidding the tears running down her eyes.

"Let's get this mission over with."

Tossing away the arm, she strides towards the witch, pulling out the acid and pours it around the circle caging her, while her companion stares at her from the door with true concern shadowing her eyes

"Hey, it worked!" exclaims with unrestrained excitement as she carefully levels the girl with steady paws. Using her thieving tools she picks the lock of her chains, grateful she didn't need the acid for it.

"Not the theft I had in mind," says looking at the mess in the room, "but I guess it's better than none. How do we get out of here now?"

"Don't worry, the exfil team is on the way." Replies, hovering past one of the many frightening statues that decorate the place.

"Man, these things are ugly as stuck, " the cat girl says, touching one in the tail.

"Careful with… the statues…" the witch mutters.

"What?"

"They're sentinels…"

And as if waiting for the words to come out of her lips as a signal, the statues come to life surrounding them and unlocking their way out.

"I'm gonna leave it to you, because I'm all out fuel." Cat Tastrophe says, hiding behind the witch.