A\N HI! UPDATE! Well, a month of delay, what is my excuse you ask? Welp, a lot of work, a lot of stress, very little time on hand….Oh, and the little fact that this thing is 7k words long! Yup! This one is a biggie, it is finishing the introduction arc, kinda…sorta… never mind! Basically sorry for a long wait, here is continuation of the story.
And, as always…
READ AND REVIEW.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.
Chapter 6
Struggle
Betty Director walked through a forest, looking around for clues and tracks. Small twigs were crunching under her combat boots, as she waked deeper into the grove. Soon enough she walked into a clearing with, quite old, wooden cabin on it. As Betty approached it she started to notice a revolting smell. She entered through the opened door, carefully, making as little sound as possible. Smell was even stronger inside. Though the place itself felt long abandoned, with a thick layer of dust covering almost everything inside, there were also signs of recent visitors in it, like empty beer bottles and several empty packs of junk food. Despite being garbage, this little pile was noticeably fresh, comparing to the place itself.
As Betty the hunter looked carefully into the biggest room in the building, through a gap between wooden door and wall with her only healthy eye, she felt a sudden urge to throw up. Four teenagers, two boys and two girls, all were having sick grey color of skin, were biting pieces of flesh from a dead dear on a floor.
"Look at here." a growly voice rasped behind her. "Fresh food came to me on her own."
She turned around immediately, swiftly pulling a combat knife from a sheath on her hip. Several asian hieroglyphs were engraved on its blade.
Betty had a quick look on the man, or, to be precise, a large teen, towering before her. Same grey skin as other teens in the room behind her, however she also notices rusty-yellow eyes. As he tried to grab her, Betty stepped a bit to the side, and, after tripping him with her ankle, sent the hulk through the wooden door right into the room with other teens.
"Feisty one. Fine. I always like to play with my food." he stood from the floor immediately, grinning.
"You will make a great meal." same voice came from a teen girl, with mouth covered in deer blood.
Betty stepped over the broken door right into the big room, with a knife still in her hand, felling a hungrily look that every creature in it were giving her.
"Let me take a wild guess." she said, calm and collected. "All these kids are dead, am i right?"
"Quite right." Same raspy low voice came from the other girl.
"One deity, five bodies." Betty scouted the room with her eye, noticing an old opened book on one of the tables, and several symbols drawn in red on floor and walls. "Summoned by this foolish bunch. A demon, not of this world."
"I see you are not stranger to my kind." voice came from a boy in glasses, while getting closer to her, fast.
In a millisecond Betty stabbed the boy right in a chest. With a hellish scream, body fell on the floor like a rag doll. A second later, startling the hunter a bit, it came back to conscious and grabbed her combat boot.
"It hurts, really hurts!" all five growled in unison and launched towards her.
With a strong kick in a grey face, her leg was released. During next several seconds her blade stabbed three of teens, who got close first, while dodging their attempts to attack. Three bodies fell on top of the one who was still on the floor. A hulky teen's body tried to ram her, however Betty, with a great agility, stepped around him, stabbing in the back in a process. It fell on top of the others, pressing them to the floor.
"No use!" pile of bodies said, as each of them rose up from the floor, rather slowly. "These vessels are bonded to me."
'It would work in a simple possession case. Stupid kids had no idea what they were doing.' Betty thought and pulled out a metal flask from her jacket.
While demon was recovering, she poured some liquid from it on a blade. Putting a flask away, Betty pulled a lighter from a back pocket of her dark jeans. With a short flick, blade was caught in purple flame. As she did this, demon's vessels finally recovered and started to walk towards her, no scowling angrily. They were still too slow for her. Martial arts, close weapon combat, range weapon combat, tracking skills, stealth skills, she mastered them all. For every step they make, she could do three. First body was stabbed in a chest, between ribs. Before it even fell, inflamed blade went through a stomach of a second one. Both of them dropped on wooden floor, and immediately self-combusted in fire, only leaving a bunch of ash after them and burn marks a moment later. Before other vessels could react, she stabbed next two in the same manner, leaving only the hulky one.
"Wh-what is that?" his low voice sounded panicky, as his own skin started to crack. "What have you done?"
"I cleansed those vessels. And now…" Betty, in a flash, slashed demon's neck. "I cleansed all of them."
With last body turned to ash, Betty took an old book from the table, and left the cabin, slashing the ancient curtains on her way out. With those curtains caught in flames, house started to burn, with fire quickly spreading through it.
"Let's hope it won't lit the forest on fire." Betty said and put the purple flame out of the blade with a leather cloth of her jacket, and put the knife back into the sheath.
Lately more and more teens and young adults are getting caught up in things they shouldn't. Places they shouldn't go, they go for fun, things that forbidden to do, they do to feel the thrill. That is how they meet creatures of this world and from outer ones, and also how they usually meet their demise. Kids in that cabin are part of the same local occult club. When they disappeared several days ago a local priest contacted Betty to investigate it. Sadly it was already too late when he did it.
Betty threw a book in a secret trunk compartment in her car that was parked outside the forest, and took a box from it, full of mobile phones. She turned off the one she had on herself, and put it in the box, selecting another.
'I had enough of this place, better to get far away for the next deal…let's see… tri-city area, perfect.'
She turned the small phone on. Green and black display lit and showed a voice mail icon. Betty pushed a button and moved the device to her ear, as a vaguely familiar voice came from it.
"This is Ryan Rockwaller. We worked on several cases together before. I need your help with a witness i have. I can't alter his memory through my potion, and i don't want to hurt him with the spell. I want to know if there any other ways to deal with this problem. I know you have enough connection to get me information i need. Contact me as soon as you can."
'The librarian-witch? Needs my help in covering his mess? Since when? Well that is something interesting.'
With a smirk, she put the phone in her jeans pocket, closed trunk and went towards a front seat of the car.
"Middleton, here i come!"
Meanwhile, between classes in Middleton high, Daemon Yard, star of the local school team, opened his hallway locker. He was going to pick up a book for the last period, however something was waited for him there. A torn up football jacket with a note lying on top of that.
"If you want to find your friend Carl alive and well come on the football field today at 20:00. Come alone. Don't ask anyone's help or he will share the same fate as your other friend. You will pay for your sins." Daemon read in his head.
Instantly he ran towards classes Carl could be at the moment. People told him that last time his friend was seen in Biology class, but he went during it to the bathroom and didn't come back. Feeling anger rising to his throat, Daemon rushed to find the only person he thought could do this, the one who he suspected all along. And he found him. Blond guy wearing red jersey and dumbfounded look on his face.
"YOU!" shouted Daemon, reaching his hand towards Ron, grabbing jersey's color tightly and slamming him into the wall.
"You know, you guys really need to think a new way to say hello, this one hurts." Ron said, cringing, and dropped his bag.
"What you have you done to him you punk?" Daemon hissed through teeth.
"To who?" Ron asked, confused.
"You know who!" Daemon showed a paper with a message to him.
"What the…?" Ron read the paper quickly. "Dude, it isn't even my handwriting! Is it a joke?"
"You little piece of shit!" Daemon slammed Ron against the wall again.
"Da hell are you doing?!" Kim appeared from a gathered crowd of people around.
"Not your business Kim! It's between me and this worm!" school jock snarled.
"Didn't i tell you to kay off from the new guy?" Kim tried to pry her housemate from her boyfriend's grip.
"I said it's not your business! Fuck OFF!" in anger he pushed Kim of with all strength he had.
Her body hit the side of lockers and the crowd went quiet.
"You…shoved me?" she said in slightly lower voice. "You raised a hand on ME?"
Kim stood and went towards still furious boy. She kicked him under his right knee, making him lose his balance and lose his grip a bit. Then she twisted his left wrist, turned around, and threw a school jock over herself right on the cold floor. People around were flabbergasted by display of her martial arts skills.
"What is going on here?" Barkin's low voice boomed through the hallway. "Daemon? What are you doing on the floor?"
"He slipped sir." Kim immediately said, and glared towards the crowd around, making them nod their heads.
"You sure there aren't any trouble in here?"
"Positive, sir!" Ron made the widest cheesiest smile.
"Everything is fine." Daemon rasped as he stood from the floor and, with his dignity hurt, turned his head towards Ron. "See you later."
As he went away other people got back to whatever they did before the incident, leaving old acquaintances alone. Both of them were quiet. He wasn't sure if he allowed to speak to her during school, she didn't know what to say. This awkward moment was broken by a bell.
"I need to go to the class." Kim said and walked towards one of the doors.
"Kim." Ron looked to the sides, to be sure no one is around now. "Thank you."
"No problem." she half-smiled and disappeared behind the door.
Ron went towards his class as well, with a particular thought bothering his mind. On that note it said that someone will share the same fate as Daemon's other friend. Could it mean the guy who got hospitalized after an alleged bear attack? Thing is, there are no really any bears in Tri-city territory, except in zoos. Something wasn't right. As soon as next period was over, Ron told Bonnie about what happened during the break.
"Holy cow! Possible flipped the guy over herself? Isn't he, like, almost twice as big as she herself?" she said, putting some things in her locker.
"That is not the point." Ron looked around quickie and lowered the volume of his voice. "I think there has something to do with an attack on one of his friends. You remember, it was on the news."
"Yeah, they say a bear did it or something."
"I don't think it was a bear."
"Well, you are not alone in it." she closed her locker with a knowing smirk. "Dad and i was thinking the same."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But i don't think school is a best place to discuss stuff like this."
"Uhm, yeah, right." Ron put a palm on a back of his neck.
"I think i know a perfect place."
Ron just nodded and walked with her. In meanwhile they just talked about school stuff, homework, and soon to come tests. Ron honestly almost forgot about her being a witch. For him she was a funny, sometimes awkward and a little bit weird friend. She actually made each day a little brighter for him. Helping to forget, at least on a minute or two, about why he is in Middleton now.
After a quick stop at 24-hour grocery store for some ice-cream, they arrived into the small playground. Ron remembered this place from the day they began to know each other better. Thankfully it was empty once again, so they can talk freely.
"So, you and your father think that it wasn't a bear too?" Ron unwrapped an ice pop.
"Yep." she took a bite from ice-cream bar. "The next day it happened dad drove there to see for himself. He said that from the looks of it something either threw or punched the guy through the fence like it was nothing."
"Do you think that…thing… wrote a message to Daemon?"
"Hm…was it sloppily written?"
"No, handwriting was pretty neat."
"Doubtfully then." she bit the bar from the sides. "On the news it was said that guy had a giant bruise on his torso, plus several broken ribs. Who- or whatever it was, its hands must be massive. So, if what that note said was true, somebody must control the thing. Somebody with human hands and neat handwriting."
"So Daemon is in danger and his friend too."
"There is a possibility. Pretty high one, considering it all."
Ron became quiet for a moment. On the one hand he knew it wasn't really his problem, and it would be for better for him to just wait it over. On the other hand, something inside him just refused to ignore it. He couldn't make himself to leave things be. Yes, the problem concerned just Daemon and his friends, the very people who bothered him since he started the school for all the wrong reasons, but in the end something inside Ron just couldn't stand on the side.
"Dang it." Ron hanged his head and sighed heavily.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie felt worried a bit. "Was it something i said?"
"Ah? No, no, just… never mind." Ron shook his head. "Are you gonna be at the school field today?"
"I think so. Need to talk about it with dad first, he might want to look at that himself."
"Then, i'll be there too today." Ron stood from the chair and raised his hands to stretch his back and shoulders.
"Really?" her lips curved a small smile.
"Yup." Ron smiled now in his usual manner. "I did promise your dad to help you with this stuff, ain't i?"
Bonnie just nodded in answer. They said agreed to meet later at 7:50 PM near school and went to their respective homes. Ron went a longer route, dropping at the Bueno Nacho first, for some take-out. Soon after that he was back at the Possible's house. He went upstairs, towards the Kim's room. The door to it was opened, and some muffled hitting noises, along with several grunts was heard from it. Ron carefully looked into the room. Kim, standing on her bed, mercilessly punched a pillow on the wall. After a several lightning speed hits she grabbed poor feather-filled bag, threw it upward, and, with a twirl in the air, jump kicked it at the doorway. Ron barely managed to move his head backwards as pillow flew before him and smacked at the hallway wall.
"That was close." on breathed out, shaking a bit.
"Ah?" Kim noticed him. "Ron?"
"Hey Kim…" he waved her awkwardly in a doorway. "I, uhm, i brought you some snack to eat, so i just leave it here and go…"
"No." she stopped him mid-sentence, still standing on her bed. "Come in."
"Uh, ok." he entered the room and put a large paperback on a desk nearby. "I wanted to say sorry for today. This is kinda my apology, in edible form."
"It's ok, i'm not mad." she said, stepping down on the floor.
"You sure?" Ron took a quick look on a beaten up pillow in a hallway.
"Well, ok, i am mad, but not at you, so you can relax." she opened paper bag and looked inside. "This is sorta too much food for me alone…"
"Really?" Ron blinked, since it was a normal portion of fast-food for him.
"Yeah. You'll have to help me out with that."
"Gladly!"
Kim took a burrito and sat at the corner of her bed, while Ron occupied a chair, holding plastic bowl of nacho in cheese sauce. He looked around with his eyes. This room is certainly changed a bit since he was 12. It became, for a lack of better words, more girly than before. Amount of different cosmetic products i certainly grew up, as well as her cuddle buddies plushy collection, which carefully resides in a corner of the room. Not to mention a poster on a wall, that had a same half-naked ripped individual with hair on his head staying in the same unnatural way, probably due to dubious amount of hair gel. Ron kind of recognized him as a character of currently popular in tween, especially female part, demographic TV-series called Moon Way of Sun Walk. It was about half-vampire half-werewolf guy named Ben Dover who, despite being in high school, already had the most tragic love story of all time…twice. Ron tried to watch the show one time, however seeing guys constantly taking or ripping off the shirts of themselves and a bunch of bland, or straightly unlikeable female characters quickly destroyed all interest in it.
"Ron, i'm…" Kim said hesitantly. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine, you didn't know i was at your doorway, and pillow missed me any way…"
"Not about that. About school and other stuff." Kim felt guilt rise again. "I mean, i cut you off on your first day in school, when i could help you instead."
"It's not biggie, honestly." Ron shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like i would fit in a popular clique anyway."
"Maybe, but you would be at least higher on a Food Chain. And boys wouldn't pick on you in that case."
"As much as my back would appreciate not get slammed against the walls of school again." he stretched his back a bit, still feeling small bruises on it. "I'm actually comfortable where i am currently, despite the unpleasant run-ins with a certain bunch. So, don't worry, i'm fine. Really, i think it's actually better this way."
"How can it be better?" Kim raised her voice a bit. "People starting to think that you are as weird as Miss Weirdo herself!"
"Miss Weirdo?" Ron raised a brow in confusion.
"Rockwaller!"
"Why are you calling her this way?"
"Because that is who she is in our school, a local weirdo." Kim started to explain. "She barely communicated with people, looking gloomy most of time, she doesn't belong in any known clique, she even ignored Goth clique, which would be perfect for her. She is kinda eerie you know, you never know what to expect from that quiet type. Some people said that whoever make her mad will be punished in a way, like fall from the stairs, flower pot will drop near you, etc.. But for all i know it's just a rumor, when stuff like that happened there were witnesses of her being in different place every time. Still, students prefer not to mess with her."
An overall picture became clearer for Ron. He knew already that she isn't really a people person, since she had to hide her powers and occupations, however the part of bad things happening with someone who bothered her was new to him. Was it coincidence, or his friend used her abilities to do so? Maybe he'll ask later.
"And the worst part is that people starting to think of you as equal if not a bigger weirdo than her now!" Kim added.
"Wait what?" Ron asked. "Why?"
"Maybe it has something to do with an antisocial introvert suddenly starting to talk and hang out with you, and ONLY you?" she said bluntly.
"Ah, so that why people give a strange look at me at times and here i thought it was because i am new in school."
"Well, that too."
"You know what, i think i found my clique." he snapped his fingers.
"Really?" Kim looked hopeful.
"I am weirdo." he smiled widely. "I don't really fit in at that school, and Bonnie is a fun person to be around, so i'm going to join her clique."
A loud slap sound was heard as Kim's palm connected to her face.
"Never mind, whatever makes you happy." she frowned and finished burrito, crumpling the wrapper and reaching her hand forwards. "Pass me a taco."
Ron out away now empty plastic bowl and took two wrapped tacos from a paper bag.
"Here you go." he passed one to Kim. "Can i ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why are you dating Daemon? No offence, but he is total asshole."
"I'm NOT dating him anymore!" she angrily bit of taco and quickly chewed it.
"Really?"
"Well, not after today. Who does he think he is? Raising a hand on a girl! I knew he wasn't Mr. Perfect before, but today he crossed the line!"
"Why did you date him anyway?" Ron asked.
"He is the best football player, well now probably was, the most popular guy in Middle High. So the chances of me and him becoming a star couple, King and Queen of our school were pretty high."
"Sounds stupid…" Ron said instantly without thinking.
"Stupid?" Kim's eyes fired up. "It's not stupid! It is my goal in school. Everything is possible for a Possible! I must reach the highest highs! To be on top of the life, including this school! Mom and Dad aimed high, and now they are one of the best specialists in their field, even dweebs achieved more in their twelve years of life than most of the kids of their age combine! I'm not going to be a black sheep of the family!"
"Fine, fine, i get it!" Ron put up his hands defensively. "But, could you at least choose less douchery guy to be with, i mean if you that popular you can up his stand in your Food Chain too…probably…"
"Well." Kim calmed down a bit. "I'll have to do it, considering all. But not now. Going to pull myself from the market for a bit, so people wouldn't think i am desperate or a slut."
"And that is why it is cool to be a weirdo, do not care about people's opinion and stuff." Ron smiled. "Just live a life like you want."
"Ups and downs." Kim shrugged and bit her taco.
"You know, you've changed a lot since we were 12." Ron noted. "I wonder where that timid girl who got hyped after eating chocolate went."
"She grew up. I still going hype after chocolate though." she smiled a bit. "You, on other hand, didn't change at all. Still a doofus."
"And proud to be." he mockingly bowed. "By the way, where did you learn that sweet move?"
"You mean the one i used on Daemon?" she saw him nod. "I started to attend karate lessons when i was 13. Dad thought it was important for me to learn self-defense. I even went on couple competitions. Still visiting dojo times to times."
"You threw the guy almost twice your size over yourself, without any problem. I say that was awesome!"
"Thanks." She took a compliment. "It's not that hard really, you just need to mess with person's balance, and once he or she lost it you can do all sort of moves, like that time when…"
Kim's phone ringed a loud melody, interrupting her story. She quickly scooped it from a nightstand.
"Hey Liz." she answered the call. "Yeah it really happened…no we are not…don't…really it's not necessary… fine fine, i'll be there in half an hour…ok, bye."
Kim put her phone on a bed, and quickly munched the rest of her taco.
"I need to go, girls decided to organize a mall raid for me, to heal my broken heart as they say." she stood from the bed and went towards her closet. "Can you tell mom that i'll be a little late for a dinner, just don't mention about the Daemon situation, ok?"
"Sure." Ron nodded and went towards the door.
"Oh and, thanks for the food." she said with a grateful smile.
That evening, at the Rockwaller home, Bonnie was telling to her dad about the trouble that was about to happen in school. After listening her report, Ryan and pondered on what course of actions to take. He could easily deal with this problem himself, however it could be used for something more productive. His daughter needed real life experience, without him around, holding her hand. And as much as he disliked this thought, it was a necessity for her growth and future safety. Losing almost everyone dear in his life taught him a valuable lesson, nothing is eternal. If something will happen to him, she must be able to take care of herself. Still, letting her go alone would be terrible idea too, so some precautionary measures must be applied.
"Bonnie." Ryan corrected his glasses. "What do you think about dealing with this problem without me around?"
"That would be awesome!" Bonnie jumped on a spot from excrement, but quickly regained her posture afterwards. "I mean, i'd like to try myself again Dad."
"Good." he barely held a smile from such display of emotions. "And i will allow you to, with certain conditions. Firstly, the boy, Ron, must be by your side."
"He will be there, he promised." she said.
"Second, i will place a spell on you to monitor what is happening."
"Really dad?" she raised her brow.
"Yes, really. And thirdly, take the House talisman with you. If you feel that it is too much for you use it to return home immediately. With or without Ron."
"Without?" Bonnie asked, a little in shock. "You want me to leave him in danger?"
"If it means your safety, then yes. Otherwise i will activate it remotely. Either way you'll be home in a second. Do you agree or not?"
"Fine." she said through teeth.
"Don't be mad sweetie. It is just for this time."
"This time? You mean there will be the next one?" she asked hopefully.
"If you'll succeed, i will consider leaving Middleton High territory under your watch."
"My own territory." Bonnie's eyes sparkled with glee.
"Yes, without my supervision. You could ask my help if you'll need it though. However you must prove that you are ready for it first."
"Got it!" she nodded.
"Alright, let's cast that monitoring spell on you, give me your hand please." he took her hand and put his thumb in a middle of a back of her palm. "Summon Eye of Beholder show me sight beyond sight."
Bonnie felt a ticklish sensation on her palm. As Ryan released her hand, she noticed a small white symbol that looked like an eye, drawn on the spot where his thump was. Second later it flashed and disappeared, leaving a bunch of white smoke i the air above.
"What was that?" Bonnie focused her sight after a flash and noticed as the white smoke took a form of an eyeball with bat wings on the sides. "This is so cool! Teach me that!"
"I will, in time, your control isn't even near the point you need to perform spells of this level." Ryan said, seeing a disappointment on his daughter's face. "Anyway i need to test it first. Sight activate."
Ryan's irises became grey-ish white. He could now see everything from the point of view of a flying smoky eye.
"Seems fine. Sight deactivate" his irises were back to normal.
"I never understood how you control spells with a spells." Bonnie said, clearly impressed with her dad.
"Key word once again is control. I mastered it since my actual magical potency is average at best. You however possess much bigger potential that i ever had. Don't rush things."
Keeping these words to her heart Bonnie went upstairs to prepare for an upcoming encounter. And she wasn't alone to do it that evening. Ron, sitting in his room, was preparing himself mentally as well. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that going on a battlefield and standing between a guy who wants to beat the hell out of him and an unknown monster wasn't a best idea of his life. But he did promised to be there to Bonnie, and he was forced to promise her dad to be around her in this situations.
He looked at the digital clock on a nightstand, it showed 19:27. It was time. Since Kim's parents are currently in the living room, getting towards a front door would be impossible. It was late for a light stroll, and he didn't have any good excuse why he had to go outside. Thankfully an unusual design of the house gave him a good alternative. He could climb down from the window in his room right on the garage's roof, and safely drop on the ground from there. After execution of such brilliant escape plan, and bruised buttock, since garage's roof proved to be higher from the ground than he expected, he went to towards the meeting spot. Soon after he noticed bonnie, sitting under school's reader board.
"Heya!" she smiled, full of energy.
"Hey." he answered. "What time is it?"
"19:53" she looked at her phone's display. "Let's go to the field, we can hide behind the bleachers and wait there."
"Good idea."
They moved themselves to the field and sat in shadow behind the white bleaches. Needless to say it wasn't perfect lookout point, considering many bear bottles, cigarette buds and couple needles lying around. Soon enough, Daemon appeared in their sight view. He stood in a middle of the field, with an aluminum bat in his hand.
"Where are you?" Daemon shouted as loud as he could. "You wanted to see me here at 8 p.m.? So here i am! Show up! I'm not afraid of anything you prepared for me you little shit!"
Another figure appeared on the field, slowly walking up closer and closer to Daemon, while holding something in its hand. It was a teen, a boy, thin, wearing a pair of glasses with rather thick lenses. Ron recognized the guy almost immediately.
"I know him, sorta…" Ron whispered quietly. "I helped him to escape from Daemon at the first day of my school…"
"Seymour?" Daemon said with surprise in his voice.
"Who did you expect to appear?" Seymour mouthed confidently. "You thought it was Ron Stoppable aren't you? Ha. What a dimwit. No matter how stupid it sounded, no matter how many times you were told it wasn't him, you still stubbornly pinned everything on him. It was hilarious."
"So it was you who wrote that note?" Daemon clinched the bat in his hand, feeling the anger rising inside him.
"Yes, i was the one who wrote it, i also was the one who hospitalized that walking bulk you calling Jason. Not to mention that i used it to put Carl at the place you all deserve, inside the locker, where he is current reside. A suitable punishment for someone like you people. Ha-ha. It was too easy, too easy."
"Bullshit!" Daemon spited out. "How a scrawny worm like you could do this?"
"Like this…"
Seymour moved an object in his hand to his face. It was a wooden half-mask. As soon as it touched boy's face, a black gooey substance started to pour out of it, covering his whole body. In seconds goo shaped itself in a form of much larger, lean muscular body, with it legs hunched, long strong nails on big palms. Its head however wasn't even distinctly human. It had large snout, blood-red eyes, and middle-length black horns. As the transformation completed he roared loudly right into football player. This caused a sensuous-emotional overload for Daemon. His eyes rolled upwards, and he lost his conscience, falling on the grassy ground.
Understanding the danger the boys is in, Ron and Bonnie ran into the field from the bleachers.
"Hey!" Ron shouted, almost stuttering. "Seymour, right? You can stop now, ok?"
"Stop?" low voice growled. "No, i just started. This is my revenge for all that pain, all that humiliation. He must suffer!"
"That is bad, really bad." Ron started to panic.
"Roots!"
Around dozen thick vines burst from the ground under the beast and instantly tangled all over its body, becoming solid in the next moment, immobilizing him.
"What is this?" Seymour growled, trying to get out from it.
"We need to move away Daemon first!" Bonnie commanded and ran towards an unconscious body.
She grabbed his right hand, while Ron took left, and the started to drag him towards the bleachers. A sound of wood breaking was heard, as the monster began to tear his binds apart.
"Maybe you can use that thing that tied me up at your house?" Ron tried to generate ideas.
"No use." Bonnie answered, grunting a bit as they continued to drag Daemon. "It doesn't really work on magical bodies. And that thing aren't natural. It looks like some kind of magic costume or armor, the real body is inside it."
"In that case, how do we stop him?"
"He transformed when he put on some mask." Bonnie took a look on the struggling beast and lowered her voice. "Mask is still there, above his snout. We need to take it off, or break it...i think…"
"And how do we do it?"
"No idea."
They finally managed to place unconscious Daemon on the bleachers, just in time, as Seymour finally managed to free himself, by basically breaking all wood vines one by one.
"ARGH! Stop messing with me! I am going to get my revenge, even if i'll need to get through you for it!" he roared and dashed towards them.
"Roots!" Bonnie tried the same spell again.
As soon as vines started to appear under Seymour, his hands swiftly slashed all of them with its strong nail, before those became wood.
"I won't fall for it again…" he growled.
"Gust!" Bonnie threw her hands forwards, summoning a strong wind.
This constant blast of air managed to stop the beast, as he dug his big toes into the soil.
"I can't keep it long." Bonnie shouted through the wind noise.
Ron desperately tried to think up a solution. They needed to do something with that wooden mask, however there was no way he could get close to Seymour, without sharing a sad fate of wooden vines. Not to mention, he was taller, stronger and faster than Ron. Suddenly a solution struck his brain. With his eyes, he looked for a dropped aluminum bat. It was still at the spot where Daemon stood not so long ago.
"I have an idea!" Ron said through wind. "Can you keep him stay a bit longer?"
"Gust!" Bonnie casted her spell again "Just a little bit. So whatever you do, do it fast."
"When he'll start to fall, stop the wind."
"Why?" she asked, but Ron was already dashed somewhere.
Ron rushed towards the center of the field, and picked up the bat. Immediately after that he ran towards the beast, positioning himself behind his massive back, so the wind wouldn't blow him away too. Thankfully Seymour didn't have eye on his back, and a strong noise of wind didn't let him hear as someone was approaching him. As Ron reached the beast, he, with all might he had, kicked right at the back of Seymour's knee. Bonnie noticed as their opponent started to fall back and immediately stopped her spell. Ron, thankfully staying on his feet, stepped away and raised the bat above his head, letting Seymour fall on his back. Without a second though Ron made a decisive strike with a bat in his hand right to the mask between beast's red eyes.
"NOoooooooo!" Seymour's roar turned into the human scream as his knew body rapidly turned into the black goo, disappearing in the air soon after.
Now, on the grassy field, lied just Seymour, still conscious, with a broken wooden mask lying nearby. Meanwhile, high above the ground, an Eye of Beholder transmitted all that happened with into Ryan Rockwaller's eyes.
"Dismiss Eye of Beholder"
Creature disappeared with a distinct puff sound.
"What…" Seymour stood from the ground slowly. "What have i done?"
"Well, for starters you attacked some football players and us too." Ron said plainly.
"No, no, it wasn't me, i s-swear!" Seymour's voice wavered, as tears started to appear in corners of his eyes. "It was that mask. I d-didn't want to kill them. Mask did!"
"Where did you get it?" Bonnie walked towards them.
"River bank, in a small chest. I- found it there couple weeks ago. But it was dirty so i just l-left it in my room under the bed."
"So what happened next? Why you did all of this?" Ron asked, seeing how actually afraid the guy seems right now.
"It s-started the day, when you helped me, to escape from Daemon. I saw what they have done to you. I was afraid that if Daemon would know that i helped you in any way, s-so i chickened out and ran away. Once i got home… i took mask, cleaned it and put it on. I thought if i was braver, like a superhero, i would help you, and not just you. B-but when i actually put that m-mask on…i thought differently…i-i don't want to remember it. It's too dark, too scary!" Seymour became almost hysterical.
"Hey man, it's fine." Ron tried to calm him down.
Bonnie pulled out a small perfume container filled with a memory-altering potion, and sprayed a doze in front of Seymour.
"Nothing happened when you put on the mask. You put it on to try to hide you identity as you were going to prank Daemon and his friends. You found a wild animal near the river…"
"A rabid raccoon…" Rom whispered it quickly.
"…a rabid raccoon…" Bonnie raised an eyebrow and continued. "... and used him in your plans. You made it to attack Jason, Carl and Daemon, but in the end it turned on you and broke your mask. Now you want to go home before Daemon woke up. Got it?"
"Yes." Seymour said in a zombie-like state, and walk away from them.
"So that's how it works." Ron noted.
"Pretty much." Bonnie walked up to Daemon, and raised her palm above his face. "Water."
A small amount of liquid appeared under her palm and splashed on boy's face.
"Wha- what the…." Daemon tried to get up, but was immediately sprayed by the potion.
"Seymour met you today on a football field, there was a scary looking raccoon with him. It attacked you, but you slipped and hit yourself with your own bat and lost conscious. When you woke up there weren't anybody around you. You are going home."
"I am going home." Daemon said non-emotionally and went away just like Seymour did.
Bonnie opened up her fanny pack and pulled out a plastic grocery bag. After that, she carefully picked up the broken pieces of the mask, through the bag, like people picking up dog doo-doos and sealed it with a knot.
"Mission accomplished!" she smiled triumphantly.
"Ehm, not exactly." Ron said, ruining the moment. "There are also guy named Carl, i think, who is probably in the boy's locker room."
"Oh, right…totally forgot about him. Oops." Bonnie's smile turned into a bit awkward one.
Finding the locker in which poor Carl resided wasn't that hard, since it was the only one that snored. Bonnie put her palm on the lock.
"Unlock." she mouthed, and the thin metal door was open.
"Huh?" the commotion woke up Carl. "What are you two…"
Spray of herbal smelling liquid reached his face, making him suggestable.
"Seymour sent raccoon to attack you, you tried to hide in a locker but accidently locked yourself inside. While you slept in there somebody unlocked it, you didn't see who it was. You woke up and going home."
"Home…" Carl stepped away from the locker, and strolled towards the exit.
"So, is mission accomplished now?" she looked at Ron with a satisfying smug.
"Yup." Ron answered with a wide smile.
"Yes!" she jumped on a spot several times. "We did it! This school is mine now!"
"I'm sorry, what?" Ron asked in confusion.
"Dad told me today that if we successfully deal with this problem he will give me the school territory to look out for. So, starting from today, if anything of the magical or otherworldly kind happens in school, it is up to us to fix it!" she said, beaming with enthusiasm.
"Hooray…" Ron wasn't that excited.
"I need to show dad this mask now, so i'm taking a shortcut." she said and pulled out the familiar talisman.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Ron said.
"Sorry, i'm just too excited to wait. Thank you for your help! Return!" her echo-like witch voice spread through a locker room, as she herself disappeared from it if a flash of light.
Even if more similar problem might appear for them in a future now, Ron was just happy for this particular one to be over. He went home, and quietly opened the front door. Nobody was in the living room or kitchen, so no one heard him. Feeling the relief he sneaked into his room. He did felt somewhat guilty for this little stunt, but on the other hand what choice did he had. Ron dropped on his bed and closed his eyes. He didn't know what fate prepared for him.