A Cartoon of
Betrayal and Strife
M.C. Deltat
Chapter 1: Light Chases Faster
Despite the rapidly shrinking castle in the distance, Fred directed his horses, Mystery and Machine, to quicken their pace. The secrets his team had discovered in that accursed place only served to scare him. It was his duty to share, and to warn, the others what he had learned. However, despite Fred's resolve, his hands gripped tightly upon the reins; He made every effort to encourage his horses to hurry into the outlying forest. It proved a challenge to force the bulky carriage, along with its five occupants, through the gnarled twisted trees and underbrush overgrowth on the dirt road. Indeed, even the weather itself, a cold and heavy rain, seemed to resist every effort of speed and stealth. If it were any other day, Fred would have been annoyed. Now, he was simply terrified. It would not be long until the Professor learned what had been done, what had been taken. And with that, other terrors come.
If nothing else, Fred did somewhat appreciate the rain. It, along with the denseness of the forest, would help his team evade whatever pursuers were sent after him – He hoped. The fact of the matter was that they had a long way to go, and not much time to do it in. Still, with the road quiet for the time being, Fred decided to turn his attention to his team in the back of the carriage. As he gazed towards them, he could instantly sense the air of despair about them. Although, Fred was pretty sure the atmosphere was not out of fear, but of shame. The implication of mission failure, the group's first, had likely infected the mind of all his compatriots. In truth, he couldn't consider himself above them either; he had the same thoughts floating around in his head. Every single one of them had been in that castle and they had all seen what would be sent after them. It would be a challenge to get away - all things considered.
Fred frowned. He shook his head and refocused. He banished the negative thoughts into a deep dark hole, and then gazed upon each of his companions in turn. The first was Velma, his chief strategist and second in command. She was currently fiddling with the fletching on her arrows; no doubt trying to mentally calculate the most effective route to take. Her normally neat armor was full of creases and folds; no doubt caused by their rushed escape. Daphne, his master sorceress, was busy playing with the brim of her overly large red cap; staff forgotten at her side. And lastly, the entwined pair: The Ranger Shaggy and his mount Scooby. Both were busy trying to calm the other down. In the past that played out in eating, and it remains true now. Fred sighed after looking at his crew. He was the leader. It is his job to present a strong face to guide the others forward. The first step to defeat was the acknowledgement of its possibility. Considering a plan B means accepting that your plan A has failed.
"Okay then" Fred muttered. He loudly clapped his hands, shocking the rest of the group. "ALL RIGHT GANG…" He began.
"FRED" Velma hissed. "QUIET!" She put her arrows back into her quiver. "In case you forgot, we are trying to be stealthy."
"Oh ya," Daphne mocked. "I am sure that the sound of," she gestured towards the horses, "THE FLEEING CARRIAGE wont alert anyone."
Velma glared at Daphne but said nothing in response. With the uneasy tension among the group, Shaggy decided to fill the air. "Like, guys, I think it was a mistake to take this job." Scooby's head sunk a little in agreement.
Fred frowned. "Come on guys. We have been in worse spots before and we always found a way." He made sure to give each member of his crew a look. "We haven't failed a single mission yet, and I'll be damned if we start now." He raised the satchel at his side to enunciate his point. "This will get to King Bugs - Even if I have to sacrifice each and every one of you."
"I don't think I'm in favor of splitting up anymore." Daphne muttered.
"What do you mean?!" Fred laughed unconvincingly. "I didn't say I have a plan yet."
"Sure Freddie." Daphne chuckled.
Velma, despite herself, couldn't resist the small smile forming on her face. To hide it, she decided to turn her head towards the castle some distance away now. She raised her fingers to her lips in ponder, "Well, at the very least, I think it'll be obvious when they discover what we took." She glanced back to the group; smile replaced with a serious posture. "An explosion of color."
As she turned her head back to Fred, she saw him nodding in agreement.
"Indeed. And I suspect that we only have a moment of calm left. We need to decide our next move." Fred paused, almost hesitant to say his next words. After a few moments though, he resolved himself. "Okay guys, Now, I have a plan."
"Please," Shaggy whimpered. He ceased petting Scooby… whom also looked distressed. "Like, don't say it; Just don't."
"What?" Fred asked. He looked to his companions; They had stern, jaded looks on their faces. Fred sighed and rubbed his eyes before speaking again. "Look, you know what I want to say. But you also know the condition we are in." He looked at Velma. "All we have to do is ask ourselves a couple very simple questions." He once again brought focus to the satchel. "Question one, does this have to get to King Bugs?"
Fred paused after speaking. Eventually, Velma figured out that he wouldn't start again until someone answered him. "Yes Fred." Velma let out a regretful sigh. "And not just because we want to complete our commission, but for the sake of our nation."
Fred nodded. "Alright then. One more question… just one." He put the satchel back down. "Knowing that forces will be sent after us; And knowing that it will be a pure unrelenting force that we will not be able to contest, does staying together in one group make sense?" Fred once again waited for someone to respond.
This time it was Shaggy who spoke up. "Alright. I see it." He began checking his weapons and armor for issues.
"Wait Shaggy," Daphne spoke up. "We haven't discussed how to split up yet."
"Ha." Shaggy chucked. He finished checking his own arms and began to look over Scooby. "Like, do we ever do it any other way?" Shaggy chuckled as he finished up his checks.
"No… well… but," Daphne stammered. She eventually decided that there was nothing to be said. She knew he was right; they all knew.
Velma, meanwhile, began to dig through her sack.
"I'll need multiple doses Velma." Shaggy insisted. "For me and for Scoob."
"Mhhh." Velma muttered in response. Eventually she found what she was looking for. "I dont know if I have enough. Hopefully it is." She brought up her hands to Shaggy. In her palms, rested 4 pills.
Shaggy grabbed all of them without looking. "It will have to be enough." He took two pills and swallowed them raw himself. The other two he gave to Scooby. "Come on Scoob, time for your Scooby snack." At first Scooby hesitated, but eventually, sensing the serious tone, slobbered them right up.
Nothing happened at first. But Fred watched as slowly, Scooby's fur grew darker and more feral. His ears stopped sagging, his teeth elongated, his nose grew fierce. Every inch of Scooby's body became more powerful and muscled. By the end of the process, Scooby almost looked like a mythical beast; As if he turned into a monster from stories of Gods and heroes. Turning to Shaggy, Fred could see that the change was less apparent. Shaggy's musculature grew more defined, his posture fixed up, and there was a looseness to his body. Shaggy's stance shouted of one ready to strike at any moment.
"Never fails to impress," Velma said in awe. "No matter how many times I see it." She looked at the hand that had given over the Scooby Snack. "Shame it only works on you. We could help."
"Noooo…" Shaggy's voice was gravely. "It's better that it only works for Scoob and me." He began to mount up onto his dog. "This isn't as pleasant as it looks."
"Really?" Fred began. "Because it already looks painful." Shaggy didn't respond.
Daphne, meanwhile, leaned forward to pet Scooby's nape. She was rewarded with a dull growl. "Shaggy, Scooby …" she began.
Suddenly, a giant burst of light exploded from far away. Coming from the castle in the distance, various shades of colors created from different partitions of pink, azure, green, and a little bit of gold tinted the sky.
"Do see that?" Velma asked as she gazed at the light show.
"I feel that." Daphne answered.
"That's the que then." Fred extended out a hand to Shaggy. "When we see you again, I expect a message of succuss." Fred commanded.
Shaggy had a confused look on his face. "What do you mean." He grabbed Fred's hand regardless.
Instead of answering, Fred grabbed the satchel, for the last time, and handed it over to Shaggy. "You are right. We only ever do this one way." He grinned as Shaggy took the bag away. "Let's do it different this time."
Shaggy nodded. He grabbed the satchel, broke the handshake, and mounted Scooby. With his last moment, he looked at his friends and said, "Good luck." Before anyone could respond, Scooby launched himself, and rider, out of the carriage before racing into the forest.
In but only a few seconds, Fred couldn't even hear them anymore. Shaggy and Scooby were gone. He looked to his remaining team and saw the wistful looks on their faces.
"Alright girls," Fred knocked them out of thought. As they turned their heads to him, Fred was already back in place at the front of the carriage, with the horse's reins in hand. "They have their job, we have ours." Fred wasn't didn't bother looking back at them. "Let's get to it."
"Right." They both squeaked.
Fred heard their affirmative responses, but there was something missing. As he turned his head back yet again, he forced himself to look upon their faces. There was something there - a regretful stare towards the direction that Scooby and Shaggy charged. Fred sighed; a sigh which proved enough to draw both Velma and Daphne from their thoughts.
"Did you say something?" Daphne asked.
Fred said nothing for a few seconds, considering how to move the conversation forward. After a while, he decided how to proceed. "Are you scared?" Fred muttered.
"What?" Daphne asked.
"For Shaggy?" Velma, quicker on the uptake, followed up.
Fred nodded. "For Shaggy," he confirmed.
It was Velma's turn to sigh. "Look, I know that it's the right move – to send him out alone. Its just…" she sighed again. "Its just…" she wandered off.
Daphne stepped in to complete the though. "It's just the fact that every other mission we do seems to result in him putting his body on the line."
"And us?" Fred raised an eye brow and looked around, baffled. "I am so confused as to what we are doing right now."
"Alone Freddie." Daphne said in a no-nonsense matter. "We always send him out alone."
"He has Scoob." Fred offered.
Daphne raised her hand, as if to smack Fred. He braced himself, but after a moment, Daphne thought better of it and relented. Instead, she said nothing and smoldered.
"Look Daphne." Fred began again. "It's just as Velma said," he gestured towards her, "What we are dealing with, here and now, requires his abilities. And just as in every other mission we've had, he will perform."
"You sure?" Daphne hesitated.
"Every time I send him out - alone, I know that death is just as likely an eventuality as any other." Fred took a deep breath before continuing. "And yet, I still make the call…. I still make that call. Shaggy will get what I ask of him done. I know he will." Fred explained.
Velma chuckled. "Does Shaggy know that you think so highly of him?" she asked.
Fred laughed in return. "Maybe." He answered. "Perhaps when we see him again at King Bugs' castle, one of you will tell him."
Daphne, with a hopeful smile on her face, promised "I definitely will – for all of us." With that, the crew fell into a silent satisfaction; focused surviving the ride ahead.
As the horses pulled the carriage down the road, Fred, Daphne, and Velma each ensured that their equipment was in good state. Fred took his maul out and held it at the ready. Daphne looked over her many magical foci and ensured their clarity. And Velma went through all her arrows, checking that they would indeed fly true. The light radiating out from the tower was still some distance away from them, but the forest itself was unnerving. Despite the current lack of apparent danger, the very aura emanating out put the three of them on edge. It was almost as if the dirt path was purposely maintained in a state of disrepair; to discourage visitors and prevent escape. To that end, the road seemed to have been almost seeded with bones and viscera. Although, for the sake of his life, Fred actually couldn't remember the condition of this path being quite this poor. When his crew had originally rode to the castle, it was blighted with waste. However, there is no chance that it was quite to the magnitude that he was currently witnessing. At least, he was pretty sure…
"Uh, Velma?" Fred eventually decided to ask. As he learned his head over the carriage to gaze at the bones, he continued his line of questioning. "Do you remember all this garbage on the road?"
Velma, along with Daphne, followed Fred's gaze. With a frown, Velma brought her head back up and voiced a quiet, "no".
"Where do you think it all came from?" Daphne polled the group. "Uh, I think I can see some rusty old weapons among the bones too."
Velma pondered the situation. Where could have all this junk came from? Velma was pretty sure that they would have been aware of a battle occurring during their limited stay at the castle. And all of a sudden, it became clear. She launched towards Fred and Daphne. "PULL YOUR HEADS BACK IN." Both her hands shot out to her compatriots' backs and pulled them back in.
"What?" Fred began to ask. His answer was soon evident as a blade replaced the space his head was once in. With a gulp, Fred quickly muttered out, "Thanks".
All around the carriage, the bones littering the path slowly began to coalesce into many many skeletal forms. Some were as small as dogs and some were as large as horses; All were armed with the weapons that Daphne had observed. And despite the speed of the horse-drawn carriage, the skeletons were easily keeping pace. Not that it would have mattered, as Fred observed, considering the skeletons where located everywhere. In fact, the only reason that the carriage was still moving forward was due to the horses' trot impeding some of the bones from combining.
"Is this what the Professor was sending after us?" Daphne asked.
"No." Fred answered, hefting his weapon. "This is from the Reaper… and its only phase 1."
Daphne nodded. She brought up her staff and began to chant. "DROT MUT KAVIR…"
However, before she could finish her incantation, Velma interrupted. "NO WAIT." She cried.
"What?" Daphne asked annoyed; a frown on her face.
"We can't use magic." She nodded towards the light beams in the sky; still looming in the distance. "It will lead them right to us. These skeletons are brain dead. They can't send messages. They just activated automatically to deal with us."
Fred with a great swing of his maul, destroyed several of the skeletons trying to slash at the horses. "Then we do this the hard way." He recovered from his swing and readied for another. "BRING IT ON" He shouted. He stood in place and made every effort to prevent the skeletons from harassing the horses. Luckily, Fred and Shaggy had been rigorous in outfitting the creatures with many defenses; armor least of all. Otherwise, the beasts would find the constant impacts of bones upon their bodies as highly irritating. Instead of slowing down though, the horses continued to pull the carriage down the path with single minded determination.
Meanwhile, Daphne had an angry expression on her face as her grip reversed on her staff. Flipping it around to the other side, she revealed a spearpoint laced with several runes; each rune glowing implicit in their power. "All right. We do this the barbarian way." Daphne gritted out through grinded teeth.
Her expression of annoyance and lamentation was soon interrupted by several tremendous leaps from multiple skeletons. Daphne, finally accepting the situation, swung her staff through the air. Following the staff through the air, one of the glowing runes left behind a shimmering line of golden light in the air. Once the leaping skeletons finally got close, the arc of light exploded in a blast of vibrant lighting. Any momentum from the leaps of the skeletons promptly ceased as the blast launched the charred bones backwards. Instead of their intended goal of Daphne's neck, the skeletons only collapsed into their bony compatriots.
With a grin on her face, Daphne was about to exclaim in glee … until she saw Velma's look of disapproval. "What?" Daphne asked.
"I didn't say anything." Velma answered. She let loose several arrows that swiftly pieced several skeleton ankles. With legs no longer connected to their feet, the targeted bonemen swiftly collapsed to the floor and were promptly crushed by the steps of their fellow spooks. "I mean, I might as well not say anything. You didn't listen to the whole 'no magic' thing." Velma clarified after a moment.
Daphne continued to use the runes on her staff to blast apart any skeletal form that attempted to leap onto the charging carriage. "What?" Daphne whined. She gestured to the runes before continuing. "This isn't technically magic. Its runecraft." Before she could explain further, an undead gorilla leaped from the trees above onto the carriage. Before the shaking caused by the impact subsided, Daphne pointed her staff towards gorilla and stabbed forward. Instead of the golden rune used earlier, a different rune released a mute rusted color. Once the beam of light came into contact with the undead animal, the entire length burst into a force of energy that slammed into the gorilla. Almost as fast as the carriage, the gorilla launched away from the crew and collapsed into the trees along the edge of the dirt road.
Velma, witnessing the trade, pivoted her attention away from the path and towards the upper branches of the trees. "Jinkies" she cried out. She began notching arrows two at a time now and decided to be less precise with her aim. The branches were full of similar undead simians and Velma had determined that quantity was now more valued than quality.
"So, as I was saying," Daphne continued, ignorant of Velma's observation. "Runework, not magic." As she spoke, she continued to use the many runes on her staff to draw light all around carriage. They depleted in bursts of thunder and explosions as skeletons charged headfirst into them in mindless assault. Daphne, however, continued to redraw them without a care in the world. "The arcana in runework is implicit to the runes themselves." She continued her explanation to Velma. "To those that can sense it, the difference between runes being used and the runes simply existing is negligible." She nodded towards the light beams, still piercing the sky itself. "If the runework could give us away, them just existing would be enough."
"Well then." Fred commented. "That's enough for me." Still at his post defending the horses, Fred's maul began to glow a dull green. At face value, nothing obvious changed. However, Fred soon began to manipulate his maul faster and faster. Soon, the enemies chasing along the sides could barely even reach the horses, let alone truly impede the gang's escape.
"In any case, I suspect that the ambient magic of the runes is disguised by the surrounding woods." Daphne added as an afterthought. She gestured to a zombie hawk just as it collided with one of the light lines protecting the carriage… it promptly exploded. "I mean these things are clearly artificial. I have to imagine that this much necromancy far outweighs whatever miniscule output our weapons are radiating."
"Going to be honest with you." Velma commented as her arrows knocked more leaping apes out of the air. "Sounds like you are putting your faith more into your latter argument than your former one."
Daphne grimaced. She said nothing for a moment as she evaded a few spears thrown by some skeletons. As she dodged, she gazed at the light beams in the distance. "Well," she began after a while, "based on those pillars, I don't think we have a problem."
"Not that I mind the situation," Fred grunted out in between of smashing several heads, "But I want to say that arguments in retrospect… generally not a fan of them." As the horses charged forward, Fred found his own moment to look back at the pillars of light still rising out of the castle. "And not to rain on your parade, but don't those things look like they are getting closer…FUCK" Fred cried out as a spear grazed his side. Refocusing, he turned his head forward and found skeletons trespassing on his horses; He reengaged into the melee. Regardless of any discussion into the nature of runes and magic, the carriage would not be allowed to stop.
Before the skeletons could find a gap in the horses' armor, Fred had already decided what his next course of action would be. Carefully preparing for a leap, Fred positioned his tensed legs on the edge of the carriage. With an explosion of effort, he jumped off the carriage and landed on top of Mystery. Whatever magic powered the skeletons clearly wasn't high spec and they failed to react. Fred was able to slam his maul into the chest of the several of them before they finally realized that he was a greater obstacle than the horses. The two remaining skeletons brought their own weapons to bear in time to deflect Fred's continuous strikes.
"Not enough!" Fred shouted. Carefully bracing himself against the horse, Fred slammed his maul into the defending weapons as hard as he could. That blow combined with the constant shaking of the horses; the skeletons found themselves unable to hold on. They collapsed onto the dirt and were soon left behind by the carriage.
Now alone on his horse, Fred gazed at the remaining skeletal steeds chasing alongside him. "NO ONE ELSE IS TOUCHING MY HORSES!" he shouted.
And it was as he gazed upon those bony bodies; he could truly appreciate the state of the skeletons. They were filthy things, likely due to the mud that once hid them.
"Wait…" Fred spoke out loud. "Wait a second." Was that mud? Or was it instead dried-up caked blood clinging to the bodies of murders?
"What's wrong Freddie?" Daphne shouted his way.
"Uh, not to distract you and Velma…" Fred began.
"No, its fine. I'm not doing anything important." Velma mocked. At this point, the skeletal gorillas had apparently gotten sick of trying and failing to leap onto the speeding carriage. They merely satisfied themselves with throwing logs and rocks at the carriage in an attempt to slow them down. Unluckily for them, due to Daphne's rune magic defense, Velma was able to largely focus on the projectiles. The assault from the gorillas might have been an attempt at hurting the carriage's momentum, but with Velma's archery, it was only a failed attempt.
Plus, it helped that the skeletons had not been programed with a knowledge of vectors. More often than not, they aimed for were the carriage was and not where it would be.
Still, Velma knew that she shouldn't get sloppy. Afterall, the gorillas only have to hit the carriage once to be successful.
Fred decided to ignore the sarcasm however. "So, these skeletons that we have been fighting," He paused as he bashed away another couple of boney-men who tried to leap onto the carriage. "Have you actually taken a good look at them".
Daphne shook her head. "Can't really say so. None of them have gotten past the light mines for gaze."
"Nope." Velma agreed. "To busy hitting junk out of the sky… But please … do share."
Fred sighed. "Alright then." He muttered. His eyes darted around the scene; they quickly settled on one particular skeleton leaping off its mount and onto the racing carriage. "Oh, how convenient." Quicker than a sapient could react, one of Fred's hands grasped onto the skeleton's skull while the other hand, still armed with the maul, battered the neck apart. As the skeleton body fell away, Fred tossed the head over to Daphne and Velma. "Coming your way."
"FREDDIE." Daphne shouted. She stepped forward to catch the head. Threat or not, if it hit the light, it would explode. Despite almost fumbling it, her hands eventually stabilized and firmly grasped at the severed head. With what few seconds of downtime she could spare, Daphne quickly gave the head a once over. "I give up. What's the deal?" Daphne admitted as she tossed it over to Velma.
"Ah." Velma only needed a look.
"Is that mud or dried blood on the skull?" Fred gave voice to the unaired thought.
Once Velma knocked a few more logs out of the sky, she spared a pair of fingers to give the skull a touch. Bringing the residue to her face, she looked closely, gave it a sniff, and quickly decided the origin of the coloring upon the skull.
"It's blood," she confirmed.
"That is what I thought." Fred nodded.
Daphne quickly shifted her gaze from Velma to Fred and back. "I'm sorry, but what am I missing?"
"These are undead skeletons, but they don't bleed." Fred began.
"This blood had to come from somewhere." Velma continued.
A confused look grew on Daphne's face. "It's a trap. It was meant to kill people."
"It wasn't here when we traveled into the castle." Fred amended. "This is new; I am sure of it."
Realization came to Daphne. "This was planted." She said, "And recently too."
"Yes, but not just that," Velma made sure to add, "Don't forget; either these skeletons were freshly harvested or freshly used."
"Well then." Fred grimaced as he broke several more of the endless horde. "Which of the two?"
"This is very interesting, but does it matter?" Daphne inquired. "These things are here now and they are threat now."
"Well…" Fred began.
"Wait. Wait. Wait." Velma interrupted. "Oh Jinkies."
"What's wrong" Fred pivoted over.
"Daphne, remember how you mentioned that the runes wouldn't be enough to give our position away?" Velma asked.
"I didn't say it so confidently, but sure," Daphne responded.
Velma pointed over to the light beams in the sky. "I think you were wrong."
Despite the clear and present danger represented by the surrounded skeletons, all three could not resist turning their sight towards the light beams still visible from the castle now beyond the horizon. Before, the spectrum of light had been pure vertical. Now? Well now, there was a definite bend and said bend was in the direction of the gang's current position. Although, interestingly enough, the golden edging that had been present before was now gone.
"And I thought light only travels in straight lines." Fred muttered. He shook his head before speaking again. "I don't think it was the runework. If those beings knew it was us, they would have arrived much faster." He thought about the situation for a moment. "I think it's the skeletons".
"I thought they couldn't directly communicate with them?" Daphne asked.
"No, but if you are flying, a few thousand skeletons polluting the dirt road will definitely be obvious after a while." Fred clarified.
The bend of light grew sharper and sharper as it began to draw closer in the direction of the carriage's neck of the woods.
"Whatever the reason, they are coming closer!" Velma shouted. "And we can't afford to be neck deep in skeletons when they arrive!"
"Don't worry, I have a plan." Fred yelled.
"Fred, I think it's too late to split up!" Daphne cried out.
"Don't worry. It isn't that this time." Fred assured. With a steady hand, Fred directed the horses off the path and right into the trees.
"What?" Velma shouted. Before she fully comprehended the new plan, Velma found herself having to strafe side to side as the carriage slammed through into the forest. Branches and trees and even falling skeletal apes were all blasted out of the way as Mystery and Machine obeyed Fred's new heading. Velma was aware enough to take care of those last beasts though. Any non-sentient object, incapable of independent movement, was quickly blasted away by Daphne's light lines.
"FREDDIE!" Daphne shouted as she frantically drew more rusted lines in the air to prevent the carriage from getting battered apart by the trees. "ON THE RECORD, I must say that I am not a fan of this plan!".
Fred gazed up into the sky without saying anything. He was greeted with a trio of light beams quickly cutting through the sky towards the dirt road path. The air itself almost seemed to recoil away as the energy blazed forward. With a shake of the head, he turned back to his current heading, intent on directing the horses and responded. "Well," Fred shouted back, "Best way forward far as I see it."
Velma continued letting loose her arrows at the few skeletons with the dexterity to follow them. They tended to be the same beast skeletons already in the trees … and they tended to fall quickly under her focus and aim. "You know, he might be right." Velma admitted. With the ever-present light in the sky, Velma couldn't help but be worried. "Eventually, even if we could batter through the skeletons, the shear volumes of waste would slow us down." She paused in her archery and looked frankly at Daphne. "That dirt road was one way in and one way out. With the skeletons stalling us, eventually, we would be stopped." She pointed at the beams and continued, "That is already faster than us, but if we stop, we no longer have a chance of getting away."
"Well, we could do our job of attracting attention." Daphne muttered. "For Shaggy."
Despite himself, a hearty laugh left Fred. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that." He bashed away the remaining skeletons along his flanks. "We made an impact. We are being followed. If anything, going into the woods forces their attention upon us to be focused. They can't afford to broad out their search."
A nervous giggle left Daphne "Who knows, we might…"
"Wait." Velma interrupted. "There is something coming."
"I'm sorry, there has been something coming for a while now." Fred answered.
"SHUT IT" Velma insisted. She directed her bow towards a few beast monsters in the trees, but she did not release. "Something is coming fast… faster than skeletons should be able."
A great hairy monster suddenly landed on the branches with the great skeletons. Its impact was enough to completely part the skeletons. And as the bones sprinkled to the ground, Velma fired, even before she was consciously aware of what she sent arrows to.
Daphne noticed though. She watched as the arrows flew at and proved more irritating than damaging.
"That is a massive spider." Daphne whispered. She hoped that saying it quietly would somehow disappoint her less than if she was to announce it loudly. As if she didn't want to accept the truth before her eyes.
Fred, not hearing however, turned his head to ask. Before he did, he saw the beast, now leaping after them – tree to tree to tree. "Oh No… It's one of his beasts".
A truly monstrous arachnid was now jumping after the carriage. It didn't waste time spinning webs, it merely launched itself with long and terrifying legs. From sight alone, it almost felt like the trees shouldn't have been able to support the arachnid's weight. And indeed, after each leap, trees soon collapsed to the ground.
After every log impact with dirt, the crew were gifted a massive audible crash. And each impact made Fred cringe internally. "Well, there goes not leaving a trail." He gazed back into the sky. "Well, good news, the light isn't coming towards us yet." Fred assured his compatriots.
"And worse news," Velma continued, "We have to deal with this now." Her hands went to her reserve quiver. She needed the good stuff for this.
"Well, there is something else." Fred joked.
"Oh, what? What else?" Daphne braced… her staff and herself.
"Definitely going to be attracting attention now." Fred released another hearty chuckle.
"Everyone's a comedian." Daphne bit out through gritted teeth.
As Fred urged the horses to go faster through the underbrush, the mystery crew could only watch the spider with baited breath. It hadn't made any direct assaults upon the carriage just yet; rather it only followed, menacingly hopping from branch to branch.
"Is it going to do something?" Daphne asked. It seemed content to simply pace after the carriage for now. "Is it waiting for something?"
"Well," Fred began, "It may be waiting for something, but we aren't. Take it down." He ordered.
"Finally," Velma thanked as she nocked her special bows. "A plan of yours I agree with".
Before Fred could express how much his feelings had been hurt, Velma let loose with a torrent of arrows. With the spider already in mid jump, it was trivial for Velma to predict which branches it would land upon. And as her net of arrows shot towards the spider's target, she could tell that it was fully aware and could have pivoted away; It chose, however, not too. That was its mistake. Quickly after the spider landed on its next branch, the arrows impaled in the bark exploded in a blinding display of light. The spider, without the proper support, soon began to collapse along with the branches.
"HA," Daphne laughed. "Let's see it follow now!"
She was about to taunt more, until she saw the spider rotate while in midair. From its abdomen, a sticky web erupted and latched onto a branch. Using its weight for momentum, the spider began to swing forward using the web.
"Uh…" Daphne muttered.
"Daph… It's a spider." Velma deadpanned. She quickly sent another arrow flying to cut the spider thread. Using its built-up speed however, the spider launched forward and landed several hundred units in front of the carriage.
And it screeched.
It screeched such a sound that Fred had to struggle to keep the horses charging forward. The screech caused Velma to fumble her bow, and drop many arrows out of her quiver, to the ground. And the screech caused Daphne to collapse to her knees, her staff fallen out of her hands.
Barely fighting the horse urge to cause, Fred glanced back for a spare second and saw the state of his compatriots. Turning back forward, he was greeted to the image of the spider angling its abdomen to launch forward several more webs.
"GET UP!" Fred yelled. "GET UP NOW!" With his eyes tense with uncertainty, Fred secured his maul with one hand and the horse's reigns with the other. He would have looked back to shout at his friends more, but it was too late. The spider had begun its curtain assault already. "INCOMING." Fred shouted.
Using the reigns, Fred forced the horses to strafe as best as they could. To dodge the incoming web, the horses had to jump left and right, and behind large trees. The two horses were directed by Fred to evade as quickly and efficiently as they could handle while still dealing with the many complex maneuvers forced upon them. It wasn't enough; for many globs of web, the horses couldn't evade in time. Those, Fred was forced to deflect carefully with his own maul. Although, as Fred looked at his maul after each interception, deflection seemed the wrong way to describe what he was doing with his weapon. Sacrifice was probably more accurate. Each impact on his maul made it heavy and more cumbersome to use. Even worse, he had to be more aware of his maul positioning… if he accidently touched the web blighted maul incorrectly, he wouldn't be able to pick it up again.
"Girls, I could really use…" Fred began.
"Keep it quiet; Focus on your part."
Fred stopped talking as a voice appeared by his ear. He didn't need to avert his gaze to know it was Velma. "I won't be able to keep it steady," Fred hesitated as he swerved the carriage back and forth.
With her bow already up, Velma began to track the oncoming web. "I won't need you too."
Fred nodded in response. He carefully positioned his maul away, and grabbed the reigns with both hands. "Let's get it on then. GIDDYUP" He directed the horses to focus less on evasion and more on speed. The horses sped up, but at the cost of their dynamic movement. The spider was shocked at the new tactic; Fred could tell. Instead of continuing its release, it began to back peddle as fast as its 8 legs could manage.
Evidently, it clearly didn't want the carriage in front of it again.
Once the spider deemed itself with a sufficient distance advantage, a challenge considering the rate that the carriage was traveling, it began to launch webs again. The assault wasn't as fierce as before. The spider had apparently decided to multitask; its new plan was to attack and waddle as fast as it could manage, so as to not be overwhelmed by the carriage's speed.
Looking at the spider's attempt to balance the two actions, with its abdomen stuck up in the front as its 8 long legs frantically paced back, well, Fred couldn't help but chuckle. Frankly, the beast looked ridiculous. And based on the firm and steady pace of the carriage, Fred could tell his horses agreed with him. They charged onwards – through the bushes and shrubs, around the stumps, and past the trees. It wasn't a smooth ride, the carriage was shaking something fierce, but it was a fast one.
The spider frantically fired webs at the horses. If it had one thing on its side, its target was no longer attempting to evade as much. It was now on a death charge forward … and the spider easily could tell that it would not be able to keep its lead… At least Fred thought so. The incoming webs were less scattered and more pinpointed towards the critical points of the carriage – the horses, the wheels, and Fred himself.
The carriage was directed without fear though. Velma had already determined that they would make their way forward safely. Countless globs of web found themselves propelled towards the carriage and countless globs of web found themselves repelled. Soon, the spider found itself with more projectiles flying towards it than against it. The arrows exploded but left the spider with little else but newfound irritation. Still, the spider seemed to recognize that its current plan would no longer work against Velma's archery. Faced with the revelation, the spider made another great leap to the side.
"Where did it go?" Fred shouted. With unerring focus on the way forward, he forced the horses forward with ever greater haste; he didn't have the time or ability to look for a spider.
"Looking…" Velma's head frantically paced back and forth among the trees. "It can be literally anywhere." She grabbed another arrow from her quiver and prepared it in place…ready to draw. "Get up!" she hissed at Daphne. "We need another set of eyes – get up."
Daphne still cowered despite the order. It wasn't until some gentle nudging from the many kicks sent over by Velma, until Daphne finally found the resolve to get up. And as Daphne slowly got up, another loud screech echoed in the forest.
"Faster," Velma begged. "Faster please." The screeching grew louder and almost seemed to piece through the forest itself. Desperately, Velma's eyes shot across the horizon.
"Ah ah, I got it." Daphne finally was at the ready. With her stave up, she joined Velma in vigilance. "Have you hurt it at all" Daphne asked.
"No." Velma answered with a frown. "It seems resilient but skittish and intelligent. My arrows didn't seem to do much, but it decided to move on once its current plan of attack ceased performing." She continued to explain.
"I would argue it never started performing." Fred added. "Especially once y'all got off your butts." He added in a mumble.
Velma heard him and shot over a glare. It wasn't seen, since Fred was currently focused on directing the horses through the undergrowth, but the action satisfied Velma none-the-less; She continued speaking. "Even so. I suspect we will have to deal with it. Else our escape will be rather hampered." Velma finished.,
"Tactical withdrawal" Fred corrected. "It's a tactical withdrawal to deliver important information."
"Call it what you want," Daphne replied. "All the same; We are currently going as fast as our horses, and these trees, will allow."
"Deal with the giant monster spider and I'll slow the pace down a tad." Fred replied.
"I got it." For the first time today, every rune on her stave began to glow brightly.
Hearing the sudden collapse of trees on their flank, Velma turned to Daphne. "I know that stuff usually takes a while, but, uh, speed it up."
"It'll be done when it's done." Daphne griped.
Fred sighed. "All right then. I am sure the spider won't mind waiting."
"Snark is unbecoming of you." Velma commented.
Framed by the continuing collapse of the greater trees in the distance, Fred could only shrug. "Well, I could hope." Fred frowned. "I can always hope."
"Well right now, you need to get the horses going faster." Velma gasped at something in the distance. Following her gaze, Fred saw the spider charging as fast as it could towards them; battering logs and rocks and who knows what aside. "Daphne, really, running out of time".
She didn't say anything, focused on her stave as she was.
"All right then." Velma muttered. Bringing her bow up, and drawing the string back to her chin, she carefully aimed. "I'll give the spider a reason to slow down."
Through the branches and into the woods, Velma sent her few remaining arrows. In two separate waves, the arrows staggered as they arrived at their designated targets. The first few arrows flew straight into the eyes of the spider.
A gut-wrenching roar entered the air; not one of pain or fear, but of rage. To the shock of the crew, the spider somehow managed to scuttle forward even faster.
"NO." Velma whispered.
The spider charged through the explosion, with wraith in its many eyes. So quickly the beast moved, it completely avoided the second wave of arrows sent by Velma. Distantly behind the spider, the few arrows still in flight, uselessly exploded against the base of the surrounded trees. Instead of collapsing upon the spider, the massive splintered logs collapsed upon Velma's goals.
"TIMES UP!" Velma shouted.
"DAPHNE!" Fred added.
"SHUT… SHUT IT." Daphne responded. "I'M … I think I got it." Bringing her stave up, Daphne began to draw a multi-color spectrum of light in the air. "This will be violent."
"Noted." Fred and Velma commented.
The massive spider drew closer and closer until it was just behind the carriage, keeping pace with them; bearing down over them. While 7 of its legs continued to scuttle onwards, one single leg was brought up and promptly slammed down onto the carriage. Instead of stabbing through the wooden structure however, Daphne's artistry began to glow. Suddenly a dome materialized and held the spider leg back.
"Uh…" Velma began as she gazed upon the rainbow colored, rune inscribed, dome. "Was this supposed to do something else?"
"It was supposed to explode upon receiving sufficient impact!" Daphne shouted. "I think it's trying to time out the mana implicit to it."
"What do we do?" Velma asked.
"Easy enough." Fred assured. He held out the horse reins to Daphne, "here hold this."
"What?" Daphne asked dumbly. She grabbed the reins and took Fred's former position as he moved towards Velma.
"I'll take this." Fred assured as he swiped Velma's final arrow.
"Wait that's my last one." Velma shouted.
Her hands went out to grab it back, but Fred was to fast. With a firm grasp, he held the arrow back, before launching directly into the dome.
For a moment, the arrow and spider legged touched. And then, loud. It was very loud and very bright. Daphne struggled to keep the horses from panicking. With great effort, she kept the carriage's heading true.
"AAHHHH." Velma groaned. "Jinkies, that's mighty rough." She waved a hand to dissipate the smoke around her.
With a big grin on his face, Fred turned to Velma. "See? Don't worry about your arrow. It was used well."
A screech once again filled the air, and a leg instantly swiped all the explosive remnants away. There, chasing the carriage still, was the spider.
"UUUHHHH." Fred groaned. "ITS STILL FINE." His eyes shot across the body of the beast, hoping for any sign of damage.
"What will it take to kill this thing?" Daphne asked, still struggling to maintain control of the horses.
"Wait, wait." Velma held Fred. "Look" A pointed hand shot forward to direct Fred's attention. "Its carapace is cracked, and in many places too." Throughout the Beast's body, cracks with oozing ichor colored the beast. They were proof of damage, despite the face the spider presented forward.
Fred began nodding as he took in what Velma pointed out. "Alright" He paused in thought. "Alright, I can work with this." With a firm hand, Fred grasped, yet again, his maul and whispered to Velma. "Use her stave."
"What?" Velma asked. She watched as Fred quickly stretched out his legs and took a strong stance.
"You are going to have to tie a rope to it and help me." Fred explained. Before Velma could say anything else, Fred saw his moment; The spider had gotten close enough. With prodigious effort, Fred made the leap to the spider.
"FUCKER!" Velma shouted. "I need this." Velma quickly grabbed the stave away from Daphne.
"What? Why?" Daphne whined. She turned her head to get a better grasp of the situation. She was first rewarded with the sight of Velma frantically wrapping a rope around her stave. "What… are… you… doing?" Daphne slowly asked. It was at that moment she was punished with the sight of the tail end of Fred's great leap. "FREDDIE!"
"Quiet." Velma ordered. "Keep the carriage steady." Daphne nodded and refocused on the steeds.
Fred, meanwhile, finished his leap and firmly grasped onto the spider's abdomen. The spider was either indifferent or unaware of Fred, focused as it was on the fleeing carriage. Slowly, and with great care, Fred carefully climbed his way forward; the central thorax of the beast his goal. The climbing was rough and precarious as each step exposed him to increasing masses of ichor still stuck to the spider's fur. Making the climb a greater challenge, as Fred inched toward his goal, branches and other such organics began to rain upon him; impacting upon various parts of his body.
"Almost there," Fred muttered to himself. Actively focused on the modulation between speed and care, Fred knew he had a limited time frame to get to his goal. Seeing a leg narrowly miss its target against the carriage, Fred quickened his pace. Despite a few faltered grasps, Fred reached his goal…more or less intact. With a deep breath, Fred collected himself. "Showtime. GET READY!" Fred shouted.
Velma heard the shout, paused for a moment, before frantically hurrying to complete the complex knot on the stave.
"HERE WE GO". FRED launched to his feet in a burst of movement. With immaculate grace, Fred elegantly twisted and turned to evade any of the branches quickly flying past him. Satisfied that he wasn't at risk of falling, Fred turned what remained of his focus towards the long cracks leaking ichor present on most of the spider's long needle legs. Through immense rage and furious will, Fred's maul shot forward and impacted onto every crack that he could possibly reach. At first, Fred couldn't lie to himself, as there was a shred of doubt in his mind and heart. The sustained blows provided Fred with very little visual feedback regarding his blows.
But then, he saw the near-clotted ichor on one of the cracks begin to leak once more. With that proof, he re-doubled his efforts while also focusing on the cracks expanding the quickest.
At this point, the spider decided that the human on its back was now worthy of attention, but it was too late. The spider's legs soon exploded, once more, into a shower of gore. Fluids rained all over the spider… and Fred himself. The spider began to slow down its pace, almost unintentionally. Aware that it would lose its prey, the spider tried to push itself still.
Instead, the legs began to trip on each other and themselves.
Fred once again braced himself for another leap. "VELMA. I NEED AN ASSIST NOW!" he shouted.
Velma, hearing Fred's plea, ceased any further efforts unto her knot; it would have to do. As she tensed her muscles in preparation for a toss, Daphne firmly grasped onto the rope tied to the weapon with her free hand.
"GOOO!" Daphne shouted.
With a hearty grunt, Velma threw the stave directly towards the collapsing state of the spider. Or rather, threw the stave as accurate she could towards Fred, who had just leaped.
And it was as the spider fell and cartwheeled onto the ground, rapidly growing farther and farther away from the speeding carriage, Fred caught the stave midleap. Velma shifted her hands to the rope, and along with Daphne, pulled as hard they could.
Fred, with a death grip on his end of the stave, was dragged away from his decaying leap and onto the carriage. He landed onto the carriage standing, until he collapsed down into a sitting position. With a tired breath, Fred couldn't help himself. "Well, I think the spider is dealt with."
"Are you sure, because I can still smell it." Daphne attempted to bat away the scent from Fred's blood ridden clothes.
Velma watched the spider rapidly falling further and further away. She said nothing. Instead, she quickly refocused back onto Fred and began to look over him for any unseen injuries.
"Freddie, would you like to take the reins back?" Daphne asked.
"No, you are doing fine." Fred responded as he was inspected by an annoyed Velma. "Besides, I do believe we are, soon to be, out of these beast cursed woods."
"Indeed, we are," Daphne agreed with a smile on her face.
Gradually, the trees became less and less dense while also shrinking vertically. No longer were the trees as massive as they were in the heart of the forest; they were but seedlings just entering their majority. As the path grew calmer, Daphne took a moment to turn her attention aware from directing the carriage and turned around.
"I would just like to say," She began. Fred and Velma nodded, waiting for her comment. "If you broke my stave, I will kill you myself."
Fred grinned. "No doubt… no doubt."
Velma, finished with her examination of Fred, sighed. "Well, hopefully Shaggy and Scooby got away from all that." With a sly grin directed at Daphne, she continued. "I can only assume we provided sufficient distraction." Daphne didn't react. Velma sighed again. Directing her gaze forward, she finished her original thought. "I can't wait till we get to King Bugs. It'll be nice to be reunited and in safety again."
"Personally, I think I'll get a large warm meal first." Fred muttered. "I'm so tired."
"First, I think you will be cleaning the rope marks off my stave." Daphne griped. Inspecting the structure of her weapon, Daphne was faced with hordes of scars and rope burns. "This won't be a quick task either."
"I'll think about it." Fred answered.
"Freddie…" Daphne began.
"Guys, we have another issue." Velma had a tinge of exhaust in her voice. "Maybe better, probably worse."
"OH LORD, WHAT?" Fred slowly moved to the front of the carriage and looked where Velma was. "Oh. I see."
Daphne as she turned her head couldn't wait. "What is it?"
"The bridge is out" Fred answered. "The dang bridge is out." He repeated in a murmur.
"What do we do?" Daphne watched as Fred retook the reins.
"We jump the gap, obviously." Fred directed the horses straight towards the ruins of the bridge.
"What?" Velma gasped. "Are you serious?"
"Would you rather we go back into the forest and look for another way around the canyon?" Fred snapped.
"No, but…" Velma began.
"No buts about it. Our options are limited and the path forward is clear." Fred began whipping the horses harder and harder. "Mystery and Machine will likely hate me once this is all and done, but at least we all, horses included, will still be alive to feel the hatred."
"If they don't die of exhaustion first." Daphne commented.
"After this mission, we are going to have a conversation regarding what counts as a plan and how to get sufficient approval for them." Velma muttered.
"Look, if you have any other idea that we could do, then go ahead, feel free to speak up." Fred was met with silence. "Great. We are going with this then. Be quiet and hold on."
Despite their state, despite the continuous chase they've been forced through, the horses found the energy to keep going on. And it was as the horses finally approached the entrance to the shattered bridge, Velma noticed something else.
"There is a sound coming from the trees again." Velma brought up.
"It's a forest. There are always sounds coming from it." Fred grunted.
Daphne looked towards the forest. In part because she wanted to inspect Velma's warnings, and in part because she didn't want to see the leap.
It only took a few seconds to see the producer of the sound. The dread in Daphne's heart was immense.
"No No No NO." Daphne shouted. "How are you still alive?"
"Oh please," Fred begged. "Please, I'm so tired."
The horses had just made their great leap off the remains of the bridge. And as the carriage followed the momentum and was dragged into the air by the animals pulling it forward, a bloody and lacerated spider launched out of the trees; ichor dripping from its fur as it catapulted forward.
"How is it here?" Velma cried. With a desperate look on her face, she gazed at the scared spider body. Its legs were broken beyond function. There is no way it could have possibly chased them on foot.
"GOING UP" Fred gave a status report to the gang.
The carriage flew over the canyon. And it was as the crew drew ever closer to the height of their jump, Velma was hit with the obvious solution.
"THE SPIDER IS GOING TO WEB US!" Velma shouted.
Almost to confirm the thought, the spider somehow pivoted in midair to get its abdomen towards the carriage.
"Velma!" Daphne shouted. "Do something!" She watched as the webbing launched out of the spider and shot towards the carriage.
"I… I… I CAN'T" Velma shouted back. "OUT OF ARROWS". Even as she said it, her hands frantically grasped at her two quivers. They grasped at nothing but air and achieved nothing except filling Velma with dread. With no option, Velma could only watch as the webbing somehow approached the carriage faster than made sense.
"FUCK." Daphne shouted. She grabbed her stave, still at her side, and began chanting. "HEMOS VANTIV FLET!"
A pulse of energy echoed out from Daphne.
"NO, YOU'VE KILLED US." Velma shouted.
A grand shield materialized behind the carriage, but still in front of the web. Once stuck on the shield, the spider found itself pulled forward, following the momentum of the carriage. When the spider reached a critical speed and positioning, Daphne cut the spell. In the middle of the canyon, the spider found nothing close enough to grasp onto to save its life.
The spider fell, deep into the scar marring the world itself; screeching the entire way down.
Meanwhile the horses, and carriage with it, successfully landed onto the far side of the canyon. The remains of the bridge shattered further and the carriage overturned onto the ground, but the crew made it.
And yet, tt was as Fred tumbled through the dirt, he considered that perhaps death from great heights would have been a less painful experience. Eventually though, enough of his speed was stolen by the ground that he stopped.
"OH LORD." Fred groaned. Everything hurt; Every square inch of his person burned in pain. He was a mess of dirt and blood, most of which wasn't even his own. Still, he eventually forced himself up and began looking for his comrades. Every movement was a struggle though and he could only shift himself slowly. To his surprise however, Velma stood over Daphne's still prone body, shouting at her.
"YOU RUINED US! YOU RUINED US!" Velma repeated over and over again.
Fred found himself over there eventually, and tore Velma away from Daphne. As he helped Daphne up to her feet, with no help from her, Fred attempted to clarify the situation. "What's wrong Velma? Daphne was just as critical as you were."
"SHE USED MAGIC." Velma shouted. "RIGHT AS THE END, WHEN THAT WEB WAS ABOUT TO HIT US, THAT WOMEN" Velma pointed at Daphne, "SHE USED MAGIC TO SHIELD US FROM THE IMPACT".
Fred's face morphed to anger. "Wait wait wait. WHAT!" His helpful hand morphed into a rough grasp. No longer was Fred helping Daphne up - instead he pulled her up. "WHY?"
Daphne had a firm look on her face. "I saved us." Daphne answered. "If I didn't do that, the web would have hit us, and we would have fallen into the canyon." Daphne paused. "Just like the spider."
"You don't know that for sure." Velma interjected. "You can't know that."
"Are you sure about that?" The resolute look still present on Daphne's face she continued. "I am not. In fact, I think you should be thanking me. We would been dead without my actions."
Fred let go of Daphne. With the sudden loss of support, she almost fell again. She caught herself quick enough however. Unaware of her struggle though, Fred gazed at the light beams in the sky, now unerringly approaching their direct position. He carefully modulated his voice so that it wouldn't all come out as screaming; He pointed at the light and began. "We had either a chance of survival then, or a guarantee of death later. It wasn't your choice to make, but you made it none-the-less." He put his hand down, Velma and Daphne aware of the light's ever approaching position, and sighed. "Well, the choice has been made. We can only hope that the consequences of your actions don't reap us, instead of the other way around."
Daphne and Velma looked at Fred, unmoving.
Fred looked at the ground for a moment before finding his discarded, now completely filthy, maul. He bent down and picked it up. The pain almost overwhelmed him, but then he began using his own magic. The fire dulled to a small shadowy corner in the back of his mind, and he soon felt lighter than he had this whole day.
"FRED!" Velma hissed.
With his maul at the ready, caked in blood and dirt, Fred sighed again. "They know where we are," he began his answer. "There is no longer any fault with trying our absolute best, no quarter given." His allies nodded, and began looking for their own weapons. With seconds to spare, they soon found them.
Velma began charging her bow with energy; enough that the bowstring started to glow with power. Effortlessly, she brought a hand to the strung and drew back… an arrow of pure energy materialized, ready to fly straight and true. Daphne, stave in hand, began outputting so much energy that the very air around the tip of the weapon seemed to densify. The stave exuded so much power, that Fred felt as he could reach out and physically touch it.
No time for that though. The trio of light beams finally reached its target… Daphne, Fred, and Velma. The dirt, a few units away, exploded from the impact of the light, and prevented Fred from fully identifying the pursuers for a moment. That moment soon passed however, and a trio of women appeared - standing proud, fierce, and clear in front of Fred.
There was one woman standing slightly ahead of the other two, whom were at her flanks. The frontmost one was tall and had bright, almost glowing, orange hair. On top of her head stood a large red bow, which was mirrored by her equally red eyes. To the left, stood a slightly shorter women who had almost ethereally perfect blond hair and peaceful blue eyes. Far too peaceful for the aggression that this trio represented. The final women, seemingly the shortest and angriest of the trio, had a scowl marring her otherwise perfect face. Her hair was as black as night, and served to frame a face containing brilliant green eyes.
Fred swallowed. The appearance of these ladies could have not differed from Fred's battered and bloody appearance more. The scowl on the black haired one was the only hideous thing on these ladies. They all were in the most fantastical dresses, and he knew it was because none of them needed armor. Everything was beautiful, perfect, and a lie. He knew who this trio was… everyone did.
"Powerpuff girls." He stated. Near him, he heard Velma and Daphne fight to suppress the shaking; unconscious as it was.
The lady in front, the one dressed in red, lifted her hand and gestured the number 3 to Fred. "3 minutes. 3 minutes is all we can spare to play with you."
"Try to make it fun, will you?" the black haired one added.
Fred said nothing. He only charged forward.