Two weeks have passed. Maska became a folk hero. Every time Bastinda arranged some punishment, he appeared out of nowhere and saved the unfortunate ones, making the sorceress a laughing stock for everyone. Sometimes Toto, Kaggi-Carr, and Taffy would appear with him, helping the Mask humiliate Bastinda. The reward for it grew every day. As a result, Mask became the most wanted man in the Purple Country, and the reward for him soared to a bag of jewels. But none of the Winkies thought to catch the Mask. Inspired by his actions, the little men began to prepare an uprising, but then one unforeseen event led to an unexpected denouement.
Bastinda kept thinking that she needed to get hold of Ellie's silver shoes. For the sorceress, this was the only opportunity to maintain her power over the Purple Country and deal with the annoying hero in the hood. Finally, Bastinda came up with a plan.
Once, when neither Fregosa nor Ellie was in the kitchen, the sorceress pulled a thin string tightly over the floor and hid behind the stove.
Ellie went in, tripped on the string, and fell; the shoe on her right foot flew off and rolled to the side. Sly Bastinda jumped out from behind the stove, instantly grabbed a shoe and put it on her old withered foot.
"Hee-hee-hee!" And I've got the shoe on! Bastinda teased the girl, who was speechless with surprise.
"Give me the shoe!" Ellie shouted, coming to her senses. "You thief! Shame on you!
- Try to take it away! the old woman answered with a grimace. — I'll take the other one off you, too!" And then, rest assured, I will avenge you for my sister Ginghema! You will be eaten by rats-hee-hee-hee, huge greedy rats! "they'll eat your tender bones!"
Ellie was very scared and angry. She loved the silver shoes very much, but she hated Bastinda just as much — she had already done so much harm to her! The witch began to step on the girl, raising an umbrella over her head, when suddenly…
"Get your paws off Ellie, you old bag!" a voice called from behind. A swing of the sword — and Bastinda's hand with the umbrella flew away. The blood did not enter — it had dried up over the centuries. But the old witch felt the pain. She turned and froze in place. Mask was standing right in front of her, sword at the ready.
"You again!" Bastinda screamed, holding her hand. — I'm so sick of you!"
— You're just as annoying as I am, you scum!" - said the hero. "Give up, you can't beat me!" You don't even have any magic left.
"You're wrong," the witch hissed. "I left something for last... Burido, fema, lema, gema, yoriki!"
A column of flame flew out of the remaining hand, flying towards the Mask. He immediately blocked it with his sword. Bastinda kept pushing, and the hooded hero found it increasingly difficult to contain the pressure of the fire. Sparks began to fall on the suit, burning it.
Ellie didn't know what to do. To somehow save the Mask and put out the fire, she grabbed a bucket of water, ran to the old woman and doused her with water from head to toe.
The sorceress gave a startled cry, stopped casting the spell, and tried to shake herself off with her remaining hand. In vain: her face became nostrils like the snow melting in spring; a thick steam rose from her; her crooked figure began to settle and evaporate…
— What have you done, you naughty girl! — No! " she screamed. — I'm going to melt!"
"I'm sorry —" Ellie said. "I really didn't know. But why did you steal my shoe and attack the Mask?
— For five hundred years I have not washed my face, brushed my teeth, or touched any water with my finger, because I was once predicted to die by water, and now my end has come!" the old woman howled.
The voice of the sorceress grew fainter and fainter; she melted like a lump of sugar in a glass of tea.
Ellie and Mask, who had dusted off the sparks, looked on in horror at Bastinda's death.
"It's your own fault," Ellie said.
— No, who's gonna fuck you... fffff…
The sorceress's voice trailed off, and she sank to the floor with a hiss, and in a minute all that remained of her was a small muddy puddle, in which lay the sorceress's purple dress, an umbrella, strands of gray hair that turned out to be a wig, and a silver slipper. The severed hand also dissolved, as the puddle reached her.
"That was close," Mask said, cooling his sword in a puddle. — Just a little more and…
— How do you know my name?" "Why did you come here and try to save me?" I don't even know you!
"You know me very well, Ells," the Mask said, grinning.
Ellie's eyes widened. That's what Nikita called her the last time she saw him.
— No.… This is impossible!
Mask took off his hood. Below him was a smiling young man with green eyes and dark brown hair. He slid the straps off his left wrist, revealing a black watch-shaped device.
"Do you believe it now?" Nikita said, still smiling.
Ellie's eyes filled with tears. She rushed to the owner of the Omnitrix and hugged him tightly. He hugged the girl back.
- I thought… I thought you were dead! Ellie said, still crying, stroking her lover. — How did you survive?"
"I'll tell you all about it," Nikita said. — But first…
He whistled. Toto and Kaggi-Carr burst into the kitchen with Taffy on her back.
- Toto! Ellie shouted, rushing to hug her pet.
"And we?" Taffy and Kaggi-Carr said, feigning resentment. Ellie hugged them too.
— So how did you survive?" the girl asked after finishing the hug.
"It'll be all right," Nikita said. He took from behind his back the silver shoe that had been stripped of Bastinda's remains. "Your loss?"
Ellie kissed Nikita on the cheek, put on her shoe, and sat down on a nearby chair. Toto sat on her lap, and Kaggi-Carr and Taffy sat on the table. Nikita sat down on the second chair.
"Well, it was like this," he began. — These macaques come up to me…