A Cartoon of
Betrayal and Strife
M.C. Deltat
Chapter 3: Huntsman Comes
Dark. It was very dark. Likewise, something was also very wrong.
"WHAT IS GOING ON! WHERE AM I!" Shaggy could only shout into the darkness. With his arms and legs bound, almost painfully so, Shaggy was unable to get any sense of the room. Indeed, for all he knew, someone could have been waiting with him… watching as he screamed his throat dry into a room dense with shadows.
But he didn't know. As such, he forced himself to be content with gasps of desperation. The very air itself was heavy here. Every unit of his body felt ragged and sore; Indeed, touch seemed the only sense that still appeared to be significant. He could not see. He could not hear. He could not smell. Even the passage of time felt beyond his grasp. Whether it was for seconds or for hours, Shaggy screamed. He screamed for his life; he screamed to feel anything more than the ropes tightly bound around his person.
But then he felt something different; A new feeling unlike before. Shaggy suddenly felt hands upon his face.
"WHO IS THAT?!" Shaggy screamed. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
The hands sensually glided across his visage. They started on the front, caressing his nose, his eyes, his cheeks, before finally moving to the back of his head. It was at that point Shaggy suddenly became aware of some sort of knot at the back of his head. Almost immediately after, the very same hands undid that knot and removed the fabric blinding Shaggy.
Nothing could compare to the true darkness that Shaggy had just experienced. So absolute that any shift of visibility, no matter how slight, proved enough to momentarily stagger Shaggy.
Unconsciously, he spent a few seconds trying to blink through the shock – slowly he was rewarded with his vision returning. First, he saw the cave that he was in. It was still dark but not even approaching the darkness he had just experienced. Then, he saw a golden crown, followed by the blood red erupting out of the crown.
"Hello handsome." A sultry Princess Morbucks smiled; She leaned in to whisper. "Between you and me, I'm technically not allowed to be here… the Professor banned everyone from coming down to visit." The smile grew mischievous. "But I couldn't resist seeing you."
Shaggy's eyesight had finally cleared up. Before him was a battered Princess Morbucks. She was bloodied, bruised, and lacerated up beyond belief. Yet… and yet despite the clear evidence of battle damage, of a flaw, she still managed to capture the transcendent stature that all Powerpuff Girls seem to have.
"Morbucks?" Shaggy hesitated. He was sure she was dead. "RELEASE ME!" With his confusion, he couldn't think of much else to say.
Princess Morbucks ignored him however. In fact, she acted as if he said nothing at all. "I got to say," she whispered near his ear, "Your powers truly weren't undersold. Your grace and strength really encouraged me," she crooned, "to see you just one last time before the end."
"Wha…what?" Shaggy stammered.
Yet again, Princess Morbucks continued uninterrupted. "I can't help but do this… to feel you one last time… unrestricted by any observant gazes… or by any restraints." Her voice was almost a purr now.
Princess Morbuck's hands once again drew forward to Shaggy's face. He tried moving his head to evade as best he could, but alas, he was too securely shackled in place. Despite his best wishes, Princess Morbuck's hands fluttered to Shaggy's mouth and then… removed a gag?
'What?' Shaggy wondered internally. He watched as she dropped it onto the ground. "Has that been on me this entire time?"
A look of confusion must have been on his face, because Princess Morbucks adopted a mockingly sympathetic look and spoke. "Ah, you must be wondering why I care, why I want you?" She clearly didn't know why Shaggy appeared so dumbfounded. She started rubbing her hands over the many cuts laced across her body. Each agitation doing its part to draw further blood from the obviously open wounds. She shuttered each time her hand exacerbated the damage.
Shaggy didn't think it was a shutter of pain.
"Mmmmhhhh," Princess Morbucks moaned.
No, it definitely wasn't shutters of pain.
"OOHH YES! SO BEAUTIFULLY PAINFUL" Morbucks groaned. She eventually stopped groping once her body began convulsing. She began breathing deeply to fight the shuddering and eventually continued speaking. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for a man worthy of my time – of my attention." She eventually became content with her own body and refocused onto Shaggy. "But then, as if a gift from above, you appeared. Someone who could take every single gift I had to offer … and then return the favor." She started to fondle Shaggy again.
"GET AWAY!" Shaggy yelled.
"Aw, don't be like that daring." Princess Morbucks urged. "We had so much fun with each other." Her fingers began tracing the many scars along Shaggy's body; the air soon echoed with shutters of his own. "See?" Princess Morbucks asked. "I knew you loved it. I can already tell we had a special connection." Her hands slowly glided up; from Shaggy's abs to his pecs to his shoulders. "You were almost the perfect specimen… someone for me to hunt, to fight, to kill."
Suddenly, Princess Morbucks hands jumped to Shaggy's neck and squeezed. Shaggy struggled to breathe. He could just barely manage it and he was sure that was entirely because Morbucks allowed him to do so.
"But then," her voice was now shaded in rage and disgust. "You tried to run. Disgusting!" She spat. "Such a complete and utter disappointment. I had such hope that you would been the one I was searching for. A fire that burns equally as hot as my own."
Shaggy was confused now. He even forgot to add the rage as he spoke. "Run?" he inquired.
His answer was a slap across his face. "Don't interrupt me darling. Our remaining time together is insufficient." She watched as Shaggy's cheek slowly morphed into a bright red. Morbucks' own face softened as she brought her hand back to carefully caress the assaulted cheek. "Oh darling, see what you made me do? You bring out such emotions out of me" She said nothing for a few seconds, lost as she was. After a few moments, she shared her thoughts. "I can't blame you for your misbehavior. No, I can't. After all, you've been led astray by radicals." A smile returned to her face. "But you don't have to worry about them anymore."
Shaggy could say nothing. He couldn't find the words anymore. He simply watched as Morbucks spoke. Just what was she talking about.
Unaware of Shaggy's confused state, Morbucks pirouetted back into the darkness. She dipped deeply into the shadows obscuring the cave from Shaggy's sight. "Oh, be glad. Everything will work out perfectly." She paused speaking, filling the air instead with her high pitched giggles. "Maybe I'll be able to convince the professor to keep you alive. To give you to me."
Suddenly, as if a veil was pulled back, the darkness seemed to receded into the cave. Shaggy gazed around his newly visible location, looking for where the giggling women had gone. He was in a musty and dank cave. It was still too dark to truly be aware of color, but physical forms were now open to his eyes. It was overgrown with stalactites, moss, stagnate water, and many stalagmites. One of which he was currently tied too. But once he turned his attention back to the still twirling Morbucks, Shaggy saw something that shook him; one of his greatest fears.
"GANG!" Shaggy cried out. Before him were the still unconscious forms of Daphne, Fred, Velma, and Scooby. The only apparent movement was Morbucks, who continued to dance in-between the stalagmites used to bind his best friends. And it was as Morbucks bounced from person to person, Shaggy saw her hands confidently leap out.
It was one thing to endure Morbucks groping himself. It was something different seeing her grope his best friends. But the thing that inspired true seething rage in Shaggy was watching Scooby's leg shake in response to some head scratches.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" The very cave itself shuttered at the rage expressed by Shaggy.
"Ooooh, I love it when you get mad." Princess Morbucks didn't seem distressed from the ire directed at her though. Instead of ceasing her activities, she merely dismissed Shaggy with but a shake of her hand. "But hush darling. Remember, I shouldn't be in here." She left Scooby's side and returned to Daphne at the center, almost draping herself over the tied-up women. And as Morbuck's hands explored every piece of Daphne's body, thoroughly, a glimmer appeared in her eyes as she began to reminisce. "You fought with power, with strength, with conviction and fury. Everything I would want in a man. These weaklings however," Morbucks caresses turned into firm painful grasps, "decided to run. The entire time, they had but one goal on their mind. To escape, to flee, to live for another day." She grimaced. "Filthy. Nothing more than rats – with the same level of intelligence mind you. As if they could ever escape from us."
As Princess Morbucks spoke, Shaggy's eyes were drawn to the long nails on her hands. Hands that were precariously over Daphne's neck… hands that soon began to piece and draw blood. Shaggy had to fight to resist the look of horror that was creeping its way forward.
"These run-aways don't deserve the attention that The Professor has directed their way." Princess Morbucks was clearly aware of her fingers slowly piercing into Daphne's neck; she was carefully modulating them in, watching for Shaggy's reaction. "I could cull all this filth right now, without second thought."
Her finger paused its journey deeper into Daphne's neck for a moment. It was difficult to trace, but Shaggy could see the look of deep reflection in Princess Morbucks' face. As to what she was thinking about however was up to anyone to guess. She did eventually cease her thoughts with a deep exhale followed by a sigh.
"But the powers that be have made their choices already." Princess Morbucks slowly pulled her finger out of Daphne's neck. The bleeding accelerated but Morbucks wasn't worried. She could see that Shaggy was though. "This won't be a problem. After all she only needs to stay alive for a moment longer." She began walking closer to Shaggy. "Don't weep for her. She isn't worth your beautiful gaze." Morbucks was face to face with Shaggy now. There was a regretful look on her face; although it still looked twisted. "Despite my wishes, I will not be able to keep you. Your end," she paused to gesture at each member of the gang, "All your ends have been decided already."
Shaggy swallowed with an audible gulp. With firm and unerring eye contact, Shaggy declared, "I'll win."
"I hope you do," Princess Morbucks agreed. "Because then, only I'll be able to touch you." She put her hand on Shaggy's chin. He could see the hand coming, but his still restrained head could not move out of the way. Her hand softly rested on Shaggy. "I suspect what comes next will be a challenge though." She pushed Shaggy's head up, to Shaggy's surprise, as if he was never locked in place.
"WHAT?" Shaggy shouted. Shaggy could finally see the ceiling of the cave and what he saw had his jaw dropped in shock. "Spiders." He gasped. On top of each stalactite were monstrous spider beasts. They were even larger than what he had seen back in the warrens and it appeared that only Morbuck's presence held them back.
"I'll look forward to watching you survive Shaggy, because I know that is what you do – Survive." Not that Shaggy could see it, but Morbucks gazed hungrily at Shaggy's open mouth. "But until then, I'll take a taste of you as a treat."
Morbucks suddenly slammed Shaggy's head back down in place. Before he could close his mouth, Shaggy watched as Morbucks closed her eyes and launched forward for an intense, completely one-sided, kiss.
He felt tongue.
Frozen in shock, Shaggy did nothing as Morbucks had her way with his mouth. Eventually though, she had her full. She began to pull back, but first, with an audible moan, her tongue went to Shaggy's face and licked all the way from his lower cheek to his forehead. That made her moan more.
"OOOOHHH I LOVE THE TASTE OF YOU." Princess Morbucks yelled. She brought her lips close to a disgusted Shaggy's ear and whispered. "Make sure you live lover. You'll enjoy your existence as mine."
She then left without another word or glance. Shaggy meanwhile could only stand there and wonder if the liquid on his face was saliva or blood. He didn't know, and he honestly couldn't tell. His attention however was soon captured by a new liquid dripping onto his face, a liquid that promptly began to sizzle as it melted its way through his cheek. Looking back up, Shaggy watched as the spiders made a few hesitant steps forward; cautious in making sure that Princess Morbucks was not coming back. In but a few seconds, they were confident. They almost sprinted their way down.
Shaggy could only struggle against his bonds. He could feel his body bruising and his bones creaking as he tried to free himself from his restraints. There were moments when his body unconsciously tried to stop, but a glance at his still knocked out friends was enough to keep his resolve strong.
However, despite the greatest of efforts, Shaggy could not free himself. He felt his bruises turn into lacerations, the creaks in his bones turn into fractures, yet the chain did not break. All he could do was watch the spiders, who were now content to savor their meal, as they slowly descended down. He could feel tears glide down his face as long spider legs were brought out. In but a blink of an eye, those legs quickly stabbed through his friends; Fred, Velma, Daphne… Scooby.
Each of them skewered, to be slowly brought up to the main body of each respective spider. Unable to act in defense of them, Shaggy could only direct his ire at the nearest spider… the one whose was about to stab Shaggy himself.
Shaggy roared with all his heart. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL. DO YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL COME BACK AND END EVERY ONE OF YOU! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO LIVE A MOMENT OF PEACE WHEN I GET…"
Shaggy's shouts were interrupted by the spider leg thrusting through his chest. He felt a single new pain in the moments before everything went black. One that far outstripped the pain caused by the Scooby Snack backlash. It only lasted for a moment though. Afterwards, everything did eventually go dark, and with that every sense he had dulled to nothing.
That void lasted until he began to feel his heart pounding. It pounded harder and harder and harder. The rage blossomed into a firestorm of passion which caused every part of his body to burn with righteous fury. Then he felt his body, desperate for air, begin to heave.
Shaggy's eyes opened up once more. It was bright, but he didn't worry about that. Instead, since he could no longer feel the chains binding him to rock, his legs launched him up. Shaggy shouted. "I'll FUCKING KILL YOU. I'll FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!"
Shaggy stood in place for a little while, hyperventilating and panicking. He eyes rapidly jumped around to absorb his setting. The first thing he saw was Scooby lying in the corner of the room. Without thought, Shaggy leaped to his best friend's side and wrapped his arms around the hefty wolf's stomach. Shaggy's head collapsed onto the dog's flank as he immediately focused on finding rhythm of Scooby's heart.
Beat…beat…beat…
Shaggy lied there for an unknown amount of time, just listening. Eventually, the hyperventilation ceased and Shaggy felt calm enough to take a fresh look at his setting. The first thing that struck him was the sunshine. The light invading the room's window made it quite clear that it was a little past dawn. It also served to illuminate the room well enough for a cursory glance. At first, the room appeared foreign to his eyes. Gaudy would be the wrong way to describe it, but it still far more aristocratic than most of Shaggy's former dwellings. The bed he had just slept upon was richly draped in fine woolen blankets. All the furniture was artistically crafted using elm. The windows, that previously blinded Shaggy with light, even had colored glass in their frames. None of that, however, was what reminded Shaggy of where he was. Even the new equipment resting on the table, from the King's very own quartermaster, wasn't the key to his awakening. Instead, Shaggy's mind was accelerated into awareness by the rich tapestries hung across the walls; massively flamboyant fabrics that made every possible effort to display King Bugs as an awe-inspiring leader.
Shaggy sighed. "I overslept."
Despite the claim, however, he made no effort to move. Content to continue lying on Scooby, Shaggy was thankful for the calming effect the wolf's heart had on his own. If it were up to him, he would have been pleased to stay alongside his companion all day. Unfortunately, as his memories slowly bled back to the forefront of his mind, scores upon scores of meetings with the King, Shaggy knew that it wasn't to be. Despite burying himself deeper into Scooby's fur, Shaggy's eyes couldn't help but make continuous glances at his new sword… He had work to do.
Beat…beat…beat…
Surely there was nothing wrong with resting for a few more moments though?
Beat…beat…beat…beat…
He really didn't want to leave Scooby.
Beat…beat…beat…
He had to leave Scooby.
As a great sigh left his mouth, Shaggy resolved himself. There was a lot to do today. Slowly, with great regret, Shaggy untangled himself from his partner. His limbs felt depressingly cold as they cut off contact with Scooby. The desire for warmth was almost enough for him to recoil back.
Shaggy had no more time to waste though; he walked over to his armoire without further delay. The cold air stung against his bare skin as he vigorously ripped the door open to reveal a shiny new set of armor. Hastily, he began to toss pieces onto his person. Truthfully, at the pace he was going, it was only his mountain of experience that preventing him from doing it incorrectly; although, the exceptionally well-crafted metal aided somewhat in preventing any mishaps. All things being the same, Shaggy eventually found himself standing alone in his room, fully outfitted in a shiny new set of armor.
"Well, it fits decent enough," Shaggy muttered as he flexed his armor-bound body, checking that he still had his full range of motion. He was greeted with shrill whining brought forth by the squeaky joints resisting his stretching. "I hate breaking in new armor…" he sighed. The armor would eventually loosen up. He just had to get his reps in.
Shaggy chuckled. "Ha, I won't have to worry about getting any action today."
Ultimately satisfied with the armor, Shaggy closed the armoire doors. He turned his gaze to the table, the one with his new sword. As he grabbed it, he took a second to appreciate the sheathe protecting the blade. It was an ostentatious thing; embossed with all sorts of fancy rocks. Although, it somehow didn't interfere with his grip… it was remarkably nice feeling to hold. Shaggy's freehand glided to the hand and a half grip, also remarkably comfortable, and pulled the sword out. A truly beautiful blood red messer slid out of the sheathe.
"Ha ha," Shaggy couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, the sword definitely fits with the King's style. Flamboyant, but still ironically enjoyable. I suppose that's why he wanted the Blood Panther to have this blade." He pondered.
"Sirrah." The sound of knocking echoed throughout the room. "Are you awake?"
Shaggy violently refocused. He glared at the door. "Who is it?"
"King Bug's Knights." A voice responded. "Are you almost ready? It's time to set out."
Shaggy put his new blade back into his sheathe. "Yes. Give me a few seconds. I will be with you in but a breath." He was about to begin tying it to his belt, but faltered for a moment. He quickly ripped a piece of fabric off from the bed and did his best to hide away the gem encrusted sheathe from the prying eye.
Satisfied that the glare wouldn't blind anyone, Shaggy fastened the less garish blade to his waist. With everything in place, he walked over to the exit. He took a deep, silent breathe, and opened the door. Three smartly armored soldiers stood a respectable distance away from him. The tallest of the trio was also the most densely built. In fact, his red and gold chicken themed armor almost seemed designed to call attention to a finely sculpted body. The middle tallest was a very lanky man. Nowhere as built as the tallest man, he had skinny limbs and a skinny body. He wasn't as heavily armored either. Instead of plate mail, he had a set of brigandine on. Based on the bow and arrows on his person, this was the archer of the group. The final soldier was the shortest, and most loosely protected. The mage hat, and robes automatically called out this man's role as a mage. Despite their differences of apparel, each of them had a clean air about them. Frankly, their decorum was annoying.
Upon seeing him, they each proceeded to salute. They were even more annoying now.
"Zoinks, cut it." Shaggy ordered. "I ain't your lord nor am I your bulldog of a captain. I am just a hired merc. I don't have the time for application of a code of chivalry, only rookies bother with that."
"With respect," the chicken headed knight spoke up. "Rookies, or those who have survived long enough to have respect for a way of living."
"So, you say old Rooster." Shaggy retorted. He gazed back to the window inside his room. The day was only moving on. Shaggy sighed as he locked up the entrance to his room. His hand faltered on the door for a moment before ultimately pulling away. "Well, we have things to do. In interest of getting to said things, let's do introductions as we walk." He began his way down the hallway, not bothering to wait for a response. "My name Shaggy. I am a ranger serving with the Mystery crew. I am quite the skilled blademaster. My usual responsibilities in battle range from…"
"How are you feeling?" A voice interrupted Shaggy's introduction. Shaggy paused speaking as he turned his head to look at the following knights. The shortest of the three spoke up again once he saw that he had Shaggy's attention. "When you first came into the city, when you spoke to Captain Hector, you looked exhausted. Actually, you looked dead."
"You where there when I first arrived?" Shaggy inquired.
"Yes, yes I was." The short knight confirmed.
"I don't remember you." Shaggy thought back for a moment. "You don't make a very massive impression."
"Some would say that is a positive. A mage avoiding attention means a mage that can cast their spells."
"Indeed." Shaggy muttered. "I am good enough for today. Don't worry about me, I'll survive. What's your name?"
"Tweety." The short knight answered.
"Well?" Shaggy gestured. "Tell me about your skills. It's your turn now" Shaggy resisted the urge to sigh. "Don't you dare stop moving to salute. We have a party to get to. Keep walking."
Tweety faltered. "Uh, well, okay. My full name is Tweety Bird. I am a mage focused in support magic; communication in field, personal enhancements, that sort of stuff."
"Alright. Sounds good." Shaggy commented. What about you Chickenhead?" He nodded at the tallest of the group.
"My sir, I am known as Paladin Leghorn. Full name is Foghorn Leghorn." He paused speaking for a moment, before getting the nerve to say what he wanted to say. "With respect, I would request you stop calling me chicken head."
"Maybe when you get a new helmet Leghorn." Scooby answered. "Alright, we are almost where we need to be. Final knight, give me your info."
"Roadrunner... Precision Archer." Roadrunner grunted out.
"Aren't all archers precision archers?" Shaggy couldn't help but ask. Roadrunner didn't respond. "Man of few words. I can respect that." Shaggy paused speaking for a moment as he finally got to the castle party hall. "We are here anyway, so it works out here." Shaggy approached the door, but halted just before he got in. "I have to speak to some people before we move on. Wait for me, Alright?" He watched the three soldiers' nod. "Alright. We will be on our way as soon as we can."
Shaggy left his compatriots behind as he entered the guest hall. The ultimate festivities weren't being held here, it was merely a staging ground for the entertainment to come. Still, that seemed excuse enough to decorate this hall to King's Bugs usual standards. Not a single stone face stood uncovered by huge, no doubt soft, fabrics. Likewise, gazing at the floor, Shaggy guessed the carpets on the floor where several inches thick at minimum. There was a half-dozen long tables setup throughout the hall with incredibly foreign food. Lounging throughout each of the tables, sampling the curious food, where the guests invited to help King Bug's celebrate the birthday of his bride. Just in the distance, Shaggy could see the Queen and Princess from the Kingdom of Foster enjoying a snack with the Jetson Royals.
There were other notable guests here: The Berenstains, The FlintStones, even a representative serving The Herculoids. However, what captured Shaggy's eye, at the expense of all else, were some incredibly baroque stone statues that had been placed throughout the hall as decoration.
"What is this garbage?" Shaggy couldn't help but ask out loud. Approaching one of the statues for a closer look, He really had to struggle to figure out what exactly was meant to be represented here. Was it two men locked in a death grip? Was it some sort of metamorphic beast crying out in pain? Perhaps it isn't a literal piece, instead meant to symbolize some primal force of nature.
"Appreciating the art?" A deep voice joined from the right.
Shaggy sighed. He knew whose voice that was. "Jonny Quest. You back from robbing another tomb?" He turned to see a blonde haired, well-dressed man.
"Depends," Jonny began, "Have you finished clearing out another tomb yet? Much easier to strip the dead than the living."
"Careful, sometimes you have to work really hard to make sure something is dead." Shaggy retorted. "Not as easy as a casual stab in the back."
"I'll make sure to remember that." Jonny laughed. "Do you like the statues? I brought them all myself"
"I should have known. All this tasteless stuff fits your reputation perfectly." Shaggy frowned.
"Tasteless? I'll have you know that this is all the height of culture right now." Jonny assured.
Shaggy rolled his eyes. "I'm sure it is. It definitely fits Bug's aesthetic I suppose." Shaggy gave the statue a few more gazes. "What is it supposed to be anyway? I've been looking at this for some time now, and I just have no idea what I am supposed to be taking away from it."
"Ahh, for shame," Jonny scolded. "You must never be so simple, so direct, so philistine."
"What?"
Jonny began to trace the hard rock edges of the statue. "The question is rarely so simple as 'what does this mean.'. The true purpose of this statue is beyond something so introductory. To find that purpose though, you must look beyond, for its nature is hidden between the façade of what it is."
"Oh really?" Shaggy mocked. "Tell me professor, what greater purpose does this statue serve then."
"It's a distraction." Jonny answered. "What you see when you look at the statue matters not. Instead, it opens you up to every random passerby that wishes to share what they see as well."
"Right." Shaggy rolled his eyes.
"Hahaha. Tell me, how did our conversation begin?" Jonny chuckled.
Shaggy glanced at Jonny caught in the midst of what seemed to be a laughing fit. He really didn't want to dignify his garbage by continuing the conversation. Instead, in the distance, he noticed quite a loud clammer. Curious, but also thankful for the escape vector, Shaggy decided to just leave. As he walked away, he decided to at least wave goodbye as Jonny laughed out a farewell. Quickly, Shaggy approached the large crowd commanding most of the hall. There must have been quite the show in the center for this many people to have their attention captured; probably everyone hounding the maid of honor for the night.
"Wait a second." Shaggy muttered. Queen Lola was standing on the outside of the crowd, sneaking away some snacks. Shaggy marched over. "What exactly are you doing alone?" he almost shouted. Lola's head went up in shock. Evidently, she hadn't had much attention yet tonight. Looking at her dress, Shaggy couldn't tell say why. In a few words, she was the very definition of the word radiant. With his attention upon her body, he had to struggle to force his eyes back up to meet with her gaze.
"Good morning Sir Shaggy." Lola curtsied. "I hope this day finds you well so far."
"So far," Shaggy nodded. He made a show of glancing from Lola to the crowd decidedly giving her no attention. "So, is it someone else's birthday? Or I am missing the reason why everyone is ignoring the beautiful Queen on her special day?" Surprisingly, a sly grin formed on Lola's face. Honestly, it made it even harder for Shaggy to resist staring at her.
"Oh, don't worry about that." Lola grinned. "I am getting a unique sort of pleasure from this." As she spoke, a clearly confused look developed on Shaggy's face. "Truthfully. Afterall this," she gestured towards the crowd, "is all the result of my own request."
"Your request?" Shaggy questioned.
The grin grew. "Yes, my request." She lowered her head back to her food and gestured Shaggy away. "Go over there and see for yourself. I think it's time you speak to him anyway. You have a schedule to keep after all."
Confused, Shaggy walked away as ordered. He stepped over to the crowd and slowly made his way through. It was easy to do so, seeing as he was an armored knight surrounded by lightly dressed nobles. Despite some griping on the way in, Shaggy eventually forced his way to the center of the crowd. Inside, he initially found himself blinded by one of the most ostentatious dresses he has even seen in his life. It was massively pink, massively frilly, massively lacey… just about every single thing that could be added to a dress was added, just in a massive manner. With very little doubt, Shaggy could claim that dress as the gaudiest piece of clothing he had ever seen. However, once his eyes regained the ability to ignore the blazing sun that was the dress, he finally noticed the person wearing it. There standing, in the middle of a crowd, in a massive ball gown, with a great floppy bonnet to tie the whole outfit together, was King Bugs.
King Bugs immediately dismissed his current company, upon noticing Shaggy. Then, with much more grace than ever would be expected, King Bugs walked over to engage his mercenary in conversation. Frankly, Shaggy couldn't look away as King Bug's gait also revealed the six-inch heels on his feet. Although, there seemed to be something wrong with King Bug's outfit. Stare as he might however, Shaggy couldn't figure out what was causing the whole apparel to seem off.
"See something you like buckaroo?" King Bugs laughed. Evidently, he noticed Shaggy's intense inspection of his person. He made a show of sensuously gliding his hands across his entire body; although, he was really careful around his chest area. "I assure you; this is all grade A love rabbit.
"I can't help but feel like you are missing something though." Shaggy paused in thought. "Or maybe you have one piece too much on. Either way, something feels off."
"Mutt, you know I've killed it," King Bugs waved Shaggy's concern away. "I look as fabulous as fabulous can be."
"Well, if you have to say it yourself, I don't know."
King Bugs affixed Shaggy with a death stare. "Say it about me then. I order you as your king."
"Technically, I am not one of your bannermen." Shaggy corrected. "I am merely a mercenary who…"
Who is currently contracted to me." King Bugs interrupted. "Now tell me I am beautiful."
"You are…you are very pretty." Shaggy regretfully bit out.
"Am I the belle of the ball?" King Bugs continued.
"Well, that would have to be Queen Lola, wouldn't it?" Shaggy carefully edged out. "It is her birthday after all." When King Bugs kept quiet, Shaggy continued talking. "Speaking of which, is this part of her secret plan for the mission? It definitely seems like it …. Somehow."
"Ha ha ha ha ha." King Bugs laughed… until he finally stopped. "No." he added completely seriously. "No, the Queen just wanted this as her present. This has nothing to do with that." Bugs brought a hand to his chin. "But now that you bring it up, lets discuss what needs to be discussed." He sent his free hand over to Shaggy to drag him along. "We were able to…"
"Wait, should we be discussing this out in the open?" Shaggy interrupted.
"First, don't interrupt me. Second, yes. We will have this conversation now. The party is loud, the atmosphere is joyous, and we are surrounded by my guards." King Bugs gestured to men in suits quietly doing their best to direct traffic away from the pair. "In any case, we are in a room containing some of the powerful people this side of Hannos, maybe a little beyond. Plus, I am literally the most conspicuous thing in the room. Trust me, we don't have to worry about people having to steal secrets here."
Shaggy could only shrug. "If you say so. Did you finally find my target then?"
"Yes. It's a bar in the upper quarter, called The Grape Ape." King Bugs answered.
"The upper quarter? That's actually fairly close." Shaggy thought out loud.
"Ya, you can probably run there. Which is good, cause you will." Bugs agreed.
"I guess they wanted to have a close mission zero location." Shaggy added. "Or maybe they wanted a close fallback position?"
"Either way, you have your next step." King Bugs finished walking Shaggy back to the exit. "I expect this completed flawlessly."
"Nothing is ever done flawlessly." Shaggy whispered.
"Try your best for me," King Bugs requested none-the-less.
As King Bugs began to leave, Shaggy was once again struck by how something felt off about his outfit. "Hey King Bugs," Shaggy interrupted.
"Yes?" King Bugs turned back to look at Shaggy once more.
"Are you sure that you have that all on correctly?"
A coy smile returned to King Bugs' face. "Oh definitely. Queen Lola herself made sure that everything was put on perfectly."
Shaggy could only nod. "If you say so King. If you say so." He paused before continuing. "Do enjoy the races when you finally get to the colosseum. Apparently, they'll be wacky."
King Bugs only turned back around to rejoin his wife's birthday party.
"That's my sign to move on, I guess." Shaggy also walked away to rejoin his compatriot knights. After a few moments of walking, he found them exactly where he left them. "Did you guys stand exactly still this entire time?" Shaggy couldn't help but ask.
"Well, you told us to stay here," Tweety answered. "So, we did."
"Sure…" Shaggy hesitated. "Well, we are leaving. I have our target location. We are moving out." He once again began leading the knights, but this time out of the castle.
"Wait," Foghorn can't help but interrupt. "Was our target not known until just the moment before this attack?"
Shaggy nodded in affirmative. "Yes. We wanted to make sure the window for leaks was as narrow as possible. Fewer hands trading knowledge also mean fewer hands leaking knowledge."
"What if they just learned we know" Tweety asked.
"What if they do?" Shaggy asked. "We are raiding it now. No time left to mount a withdrawal before we get there."
"Neat." Roadrunner voiced.
Shaggy glanced at Tweety. "You friend doesn't say a lot. I like that." No one said anything in response.
The quartet eventually made their way out of King Bug's castle. Indeed, once they were passed the great doors of the fortress, with morning light now illuminating their faces, Shaggy took a moment to reveal some more to the crew. "We are going to the Upper Quarter. Specifically, A bar called The Grape Ape. Spy slaying. That's all we know, and that's all we need to know. Now we run." Shaggy, and his crew, began their sprint to new location
It wasn't a long run. The streets were remarkably unclogged with people. Everyone who mattered was at the party trying to schmooze up to the royal family. Considering the type of people that habited the upper quarter, Shaggy figured many of these socialites felt themselves important. Truthfully, they probably didn't need to full sprint their way here; Upper Quarter was close after all. Shaggy had a secondary motive though. A test: can these soldiers keep up? As it turned out, yes… more or less. Frankly, Shaggy was a little impressed. He expected as much from the archer, Roadrunner but not from the paladin or the mage. Usually, speed isn't the among the top priorities of such classes, but they held up admirably enough in the sprint. That would be good.
"Not totally useless." Shaggy muttered.
"Did you say something," Leghorn muttered through gritted teeth.
"No… Wait, yes." Shaggy amended himself as he finally saw the bar enter view. "Yes, that is the target." Shaggy held out his hands to end the charge.
"Oh brilliant." Tweety wheezed out. "We are here already? Well, I could go running…"
"Yes yes, I'm sure you can." Shaggy waved him down. "For now, we will just walk slowly this last 200 paces."
"So I say, it's that building right at the corner… Grape Ape?" Foghorn asked. "What was there reasoning for locating their hideout so close?"
"Does it matter? All going to be murdered anyway." Tweety responded. "They are spies. They all do the same stuff. Sedition and sabotage. We are here to stop that."
"Talk too much Tweety." Roadrunner added.
"Eh" Tweety dismissed him.
Foghorn looked disapprovingly at Tweety and Roadrunner for a second before turning to Shaggy. "How are we assailing the structure?" He made a show of inspecting the building in the distance. "I see its connected at the roof. We could climb over. There are a bunch of us. We could do some multipronged attack, half go high, half go low."
"It has a lot of windows." Tweety added. "Could hit every floor at the same time."
"Yall are overthinking this." Shaggy attempted to placate Foghorn. "Relax. We haven't been revealed. No one is expecting guests. We are going to do this simply and directly." He explained.
"Is that the smartest way to do this." Forghorn asked.
"Honestly, I don't care if it is. I am tired. Frankly, I really don't feel like dealing with complicated plans or traps today." Shaggy admitted.
"Well, you are leading this op." Foghorn admitted. "What would you have us do?"
"Tweety link our minds. You are managing communications for us."
"Ah, I hate doing this. Always leaves me feeling dead exhausted afterwards." Tweety complained. "Can't use any other spells while focusing on this as well."
"Well, I am sure you can tolerate it." Shaggy insisted. "It will make the rest of this easier."
"It'll help for me to be in your head Tweety." Roadrunner chuckled. "Tell you the right moves to make."
"Well, I'm happy you've volunteered Roadrunner, because you're going to be babysitting each him." Shaggy added.
"Fantastic." Tweety grumbled. "Alright, everyone get in close. This spell has limited range." He began flourishing his hands as magic energy densified in the air. "Woss Peeele". A puff of air erupted from his palms, flying out from his fingers to bubble up around the four men."
'Can you all hear me?" Tweety thought out loud.
'Unfortunately." Roadrunner answered.
'Yall are a lot meaner now than your were before we started our run here.' Shaggy thought.
'Well, you ordered us to relax, I suppose' Foghorn thought back.
'Indeed. Indeed.' Shaggy admitted. 'Anyway, Roadrunner, can you get onto that roof opposite of the bar, the one due south.'
'Of course.' Roadrunner answered.
'Good, take Tweety up there with you. Your jobs will be to cover me and Foghorn through the windows.'
'Oh great, more exercise, I'm...' Tweety began to joke.
'NOW' Shaggy yelled in mind.
'Jeez, sure.' Tweety relented. He looked at Roadrunner, who directed the pair up the roof.
Shaggy looked at Foghorn, and nodded him towards the bar entrance, which was now but a few steps away. 'Wait, Foghorn, had around the corner from the door. I'll be knocking myself.' Shaggy directed.
'If you say so.' Foghorn hid around the building corner, hidden away from whomever would open the door. 'Should I pull out my sword.'
'Yes.' The thought was mirrored by the glint of metal reflecting sunlight. Shaggy walked right up to the door. Before knocking, he glanced at Foghorn. 'Are you ready, Foghorn?'
'Yes'
'Roadrunner and Tweety, you ready?'
'Yes,' came the response from two minds.
'Alright.' Shaggy acknowledged. His hand reached out and knocked on the door.
'You know, this has to be the simplest plan I've ever been a part off.' Foghorn admitted.
'Same for me.' Shaggy agreed. 'Sometimes that's nice.' A few moments passed after Shaggy's knock, but no one responded. Shaggy simply knocked again. Still no answer.
'I don't think anyone wants to answer.' Foghorn pondered.
'They will.' Shaggy ensured. His hand moved in to knock again. 'Unrelenting knocking is really annoying. They will either answer the door, or we will stop knocking. And we aren't stopping.'
Eventually, Shaggy was proven correct as loud footsteps could be heard walking up to respond to the knocking. The door slammed open to the left forcing Shaggy to step back a bit. 'Don't move yet.' Shaggy ordered Foghorn internally.
"Are you blind or dumb man!?" A tall guardsman yelled. His ginger freckled face was obscured by his helmet, but his features were quite striking still. Body wise, he was nothing to write home about, but his leather armor seemed well made enough. The sword at his side seemed surplus though. "We are clearly closed. Everyone is out at the Queen's Party. Leave!"
Shaggy glanced past the guard. It wasn't hard, the man was lanky. "I suppose those men drinking in the back didn't get the memo then?" He asked.
The guard bent to the side to block Shaggy's view. Placing a free hand on his sword, he attempts to make himself look big, threatening. "Look sir, I'll ask you one more time. You need to leave. Otherwise, I can't be blamed for what happens next."
"You can't be blamed, I'm sure…" Shaggy smiled. "But the Professor will be."
The face of the guard was one of definite shock; It was hilarious. Out of what only could have been fear, the guard pulled out his sword to engage in a sloppy thrust. Deftly, Shaggy simultaneously maneuvered his body around the thrust while also sending out a hand to grab the hilt of the overextended blade. With a firm grasp on the guard's own flesh, Shaggy pulled as hard as possible towards himself. The guard fell away from the protection provided by the doorway, exposing his body.
'NOW!' Shaggy mentally screamed.
Foghorn Leghorn turned the corner to reveal himself, his massive greatsword already raised to attack. Dropping it in a slashing guillotine motion, Foghorn brought his blade down over the guard's terror-stricken face. He didn't have time to scream as Foghorn bisected his entire body clean through.
"WHAT!?" A cry echoed from inside the bar. Not enough time passed for the guard to cry out for help. What alerted them to something being wrong, was the sword on floor clang, followed by an immediate explosion of blood in the sky.
Shaggy wouldn't give them time to collect themselves however. 'ROOSTER, TAKE CARE OF THE ONES IN THE BACK. I'll COVER THE LEFT.' Foghorn nodded, sword already back at the ready.
The pair ran over the bleeding body into the bar. Shaggy was faced with the atrium of the bar. A hardwood countertop was immediately to the left; behind which was 2 men polishing alcohol glasses and sorting bottles. Forward, through the narrow plaster way, were drinking tables with random assortments of men. As promised, Shaggy shot at to the left, towards the bar, while Foghorn barreled through into the back.
Still paralyzed in shock from the explosion of blood at the front door, the first of the two men could barely react as Shaggy's hand reached out and grabbed his head. He could do nothing still as Shaggy fiercely slammed said head down hard into the hardwood countertop. Then using the barely conscious man's head as a pivot point, Shaggy launched himself up into the air at which point he came down with his knee fiercely onto the man's neck.
At this whole display, the second man at the bar could only scream in terror. "HELP!" he cried floundered uselessly with his sword jammed in his scabbard. Not giving him anymore thought than needed, Shaggy bent down a bit further onto the first man's neck and drew a sword away from his scabbard; he would not need it anymore. Faster than the average man could see, Shaggy tossed his new sword right into the crying man's eye. He would have fallen to the ground if he wasn't nailed to the wall behind him, frozen in terror forever. Shaggy meanwhile, finished his time on the dead man's neck and landed onto the other side of the countertop. He lined his body right up against the shelves next to the open door and waited for his next victim to appear.
He didn't have to wait long. The next enemy soon came up.
"What is going on over here!" yelled another spy as he loudly approached. He already had his sword drawn too. Unfortunately for him, his peripheral vision wasn't up to spec. The moment Shaggy had a target, his right hand shot out in a vicious jab to daze the man. Meanwhile, his free left hand drew his blade completely free of its sheathe before immediately re-sheathing it completely within the stunned man's neck. Truthfully, that might have been a mistake as the collapsing man's body nearly forced Shaggy to drop his grip on the blade. This was an issue because it turned out that this man had not approached alone.
"Intruder," The man said more in shock than angry. Seeing that Shaggy was momentarily unable to use his blade, he charged at him.
Shaggy struggled to get his blade out of the dead man's neck, but found it difficult to maneuver with such an unmoving mass resisting him. Before the man could threaten Shaggy's life however, a long arrow pierced right through his unprotected head. The man dropped, noiseless, onto the ground.
'Welcome' Roadrunner echoed.
'Ya, thanks,' shuttered Shaggy as he finally got his sword out of the limp body. Standing back up, Shaggy charged into the backroom area of the bar. He found three massive long tables lined up against each other taking up most of the floor. The walls were lined with shelfs containing scores upon scores of drinks. Furthermore, inside the southern building walls were 2 windows, the closest of which had broken glass lining a circular hole. Running up to that window, Shaggy turned north to gaze at the three long tables. There were 9 people sitting at their various seats. They had all since stopped drinking. Instead, they were stuck in stupor from the rapid pace Shaggy had set.
"COME AT ME!" Shaggy shouted. '9 of them. I'll need help Roadrunner.' He added internally.
"AAAAHHHH!" The invitation was enough for the drunken hoard to collect themselves. They each drew their swords and charged. Honestly, it was a rather uncoordinated charge. Clearly drunk as they were, the men stumbled over each other.
Shaggy held out his crimson red blade in a defense stance and waited. Then, the first blade came in for a slash to his right. Shaggy easily dodged the sloppy attack but didn't have the time to make a counter-slash himself. He sidestepped to the left only to find several more blades coming in to slash his chest. Frantically, Shaggy brought the whole length of his blade parallel to his own body which was then used to block several attacks at once. Kicking the bunch of them away, Shaggy then brought the hilt of his sword forward to smash the face of a man getting too close to his left. Then he had to bring his right foot up to evade a low slash before landing right on top of the flat of an enemy blade. Unwilling to let go of his captured blade, that enemy soon found himself slashed in the face, courtesy of Shaggy's sword. It wasn't deep, nor was it lethal, but it certainly was annoying. But Shaggy could do no worse; a few more blades were stabbing aggressive and they had to be parried.
Shaggy was struggling, but he was surviving. Honestly, he found it insulting that he was forced to frantically dance around the attacks of 9 very drunk, very lethargic conspirators. It could be seen as proof that he still wasn't fully healed from his overdose of the snack days ago. Still, Shaggy had to find himself wondering where Roadrunner and Tweety were.
'Sorry. On your left.' Came Roadrunner's and Tweety's voice in sync.
Shaggy pivoted to the right, revealing a prior unseen arrow that flew into the room. It traveled straight through the already created hole, right into the forward most man, causing him to stagger back a few steps. It was a shame said man happened to be midscream, as the arrow went right into his mouth.
'Walking Bomb.' Tweety warned Shaggy.
Nodding at the warning, Shaggy suddenly launched forward to kick the cursed man into a crowd of his peers. Not knowing the threat, they caught him, desperate to help their friend with the arrow penetration. Their kindness only killed them when the body exploded in a shower of gore only a heartbeat later.
'3 down. 6 left.' Shaggy updates his team.
Before anymore spell laden arrows could fly in however, the surviving 6 men fell back to the long tables. They then proceeded to throw up the tables for cover. Then they start lobbing glass at Shaggy. Frankly, they got fairly close for drunk men throwing shit.
'No clean shot.' Roadrunner warned Shaggy.
'FOGHORN' Shaggy yelled.
'I'm coming' Foghorn responded.
A few shakes echoed through the first floor. The men throwing glass stopped in puzzlement as they consider if an earthquake is happening. Their theory is quickly proven incorrect though.
"AAAAHHHH" yelled Foghorn Leghorn as he slammed through the bookcase lining the northeast wall. Books and wooden paneling flew into the air as Foghorn forced himself into the space behind the fortified soldiers. Covered in the blood of his enemies, he cut quite the terrifying figure.
The 6 remaining men drop whatever they were holding as they all break into a panic. In their shock, they quickly fall to the combined pincer attack from Foghorn and Shaggy.
'You get all your guys?' Shaggy asked.
'Yes.' Foghorn confirmed. 'You get all yours?'
Shaggy makes a show of stabbing one of the fallen. 'Yes, I am quite sure.' He looked around to doublecheck though. 'Yes, I am quite sure,' he repeated. 'Let's go upstairs,' Shaggy pointed to the east. Foghorn nods. 'Alright Roadrunner, Tweety, we heading upstairs now. Be ready.' Shaggy thought out loud.
'Roger'. He got back.
Shaggy and Foghorn turn east towards the stairway. Carefully, they attempted to climb the creaky steps as silently as possible. Although, logically speaking, after all the noise downstairs, further stealth is without purpose. Mutually agreeing, both Shaggy and Foghorn kick up their motion to make it the next floor in a few seconds.
"Who are you working for!" Shaggy turned back to the east to see a trio of spies standing, weapons already out.
"People who know better than to politely wait for invaders to approach" Shaggy yelled. He charges alongside with Foghorn to engage the three. Two of the soldiers look the same as the bunch of them below, albeit less drunk. The center one seems much more professional; better dressed in more decorated armor. Presumably, that was the leader here. 'The captain is mine' Shaggy ordered. 'Kill the other two.'
Foghorn's greatsword slammed so strongly into a guard's blade that it flew straight out of his hand. That weaponless guard then had his head cut off by Shaggy.
'I thought the other two where mine?' Foggy asked.
'Stop whining.' Shaggy replied.
Foghorn did the mental equivalent of a frown before engaging with the final guard. Shaggy didn't keep watching, he didn't think it would take long.
"Where you sent by that fool Bugs?" the captain asked as he flourished his sword.
Shaggy didn't respond. He merely rushed forward.
The captain believing in his own skill, didn't hesitate. He mirrored Shaggy's charge, sword in hand. Not wishing to be set behind in tempo, the captain made every effort to be slightly faster than Shaggy to get his own thrusts out first. It wasn't massively difficult, since Shaggy was still recovering, but more actually because he purposely held back his own attacks. Shaggy wished to see the power of the captain's opening attacks. A few lazy parries from Shaggy later, the captain soon found himself being pushed back as Shaggy relentlessly slashed first at his shoulder, then stabbed into the dead space between the armor joints, finally culminating Shaggy's sword hitting a sweet spot on the captain's sword hand.
The clang caused by the Captain's sword hitting the ground echoed throughout the floor. Now unarmed, a face of terror grew on the Captain's face. Before he could make a final plea for mercy however, Shaggy bisected his head from his neck.
'I guess your weren't special after all." Shaggy shrugged. 'Foghorn,' He called out. 'You done?'
'Yes' Foghorn agreed. 'People are dead.'
'Alright then. Come over here.' Shaggy ordered. 'I have to imagine that's everyone.'
'Give me a moment. I found an armory. I wish to see if there is anything worth notice here.'
'Sounds fine to me.' Shaggy starting walking to explore. 'I think I found the captain's room. I'll investigate over here for a bit.'
As Shaggy explored, it became evident that room was probably too strong of a way to describe the area. More actually, it was a space partitioned using a couple shelfs, a cabinet, a bed, and a desk. It had the bare minimum needed elements to imply a room, but it was less than that. In any event, there was enough to snoop on. To his disappointment however, there was nothing on the shelf, very little beyond some clothes in the cabinet, and fuck all on the bed.
'Please let there be something valuable here' Shaggy begged as he approached the desk. As he tossed away some of the more useless maps and tokens, he eventually did actually find something. Buried deep underneath all the other paper trash, Shaggy found some personal notes. Investigating them, he could tell it wasn't any actually critical information but instead just some of the spy captain's listed gripes. Evidently, these agents struggling. They didn't have enough supplies, they didn't have enough men, and their contact meant to assist them hadn't arrived yet.
'Wait,' Shaggy thought to himself. 'Wasn't today when the mission was supposed to play out? What does he mean that the promised one had yet to arrive?' Shaggy inspected the notes for anything further, but only found more general complaints. It seems as if these spies were having a lot of second thoughts regarding their mission playing out correctly without the promised agent. 'Well, I suppose that is why they seemed to be spending today getting drunk instead of moving out. But, surely Mandy's attack on King Bugs wouldn't be so simple.'
'Hey Shaggy' Foghorn suddenly called over. 'Come back out and head over to the beds on the western side of the floor. There is something I want to show you.'
'I thought you were inspecting the armory, not the bunks?' Shaggy asked as he walked from the captain's desk.
'I was, but the armory had nothing but trash. This is far more interesting.' Foghorn promised.
Shaggy followed the directions to a massive open area filled to the brim with bunk beds. 'Jeez, this must take half the entire floor.' He commented.
'Ya sure,' Foghorn waved across. 'not the interesting thing. Walk over here.' Foghorn was all the way at the northwest corner of the floor.
Shaggy headed over with a confused look on his face. He said nothing once he arrived, instead he just waited.
'Look,' Foghorn pointed at the four closest beds 'All sleeping'.
Shaggy followed Foghorn's pointer and did indeed see 4 spies just lying on bed sleeping. 'So, they are just some heavy sleepers, I guess? Why waste time? Just end them before they wake up.'
Foghorn leaned in close to one of them. 'Something is off about them. We were really loud. Surely no one would stay asleep the entire time we were fighting?' Foghorn rhetorically asked. 'Plus, my divine sense is going nuts around these four. The air is heavy with their taint.'
Suddenly, the eyes of all four bodies launch open at the same time, revealing green soulless orbs.
'I saw what' Foghorn asked before he was punched in the face by one of the previously asleep bodies.
Shaggy watched in shock as Foghorn was literally launched away from his spot over the bunkbed and into the bookcase in the distance, smashing into it.
'Uh, Roadrunner, Tweety,' Shaggy watched as the four bodies all got out of bed in perfect mirrored motion, 'We might have an issue.'