Chat and Ladybug walked through the portal a bit more apprehensively than last time (Although Ember swore to them he would not drop them into the ocean again).
"Welcome to Bohol, Jewel of the Philippines," Ember announced as they stepped through the portal. "Behold Tsokolateng Burol, remnant of the ice age's battle on this land."
"I've never seen anything like this," Ladybug said in awe.
Over 1200 domed brown hills dotted the 50square km of the valley. They rose from the green of the tropical forests around them, and were surprisingly concentric.
"What are they?" Chat asked looking as far as he could.
"It is the war ground of two limestone rock giants," a high pitched voice answered from behind them.
They turned around to find a carabao kwami floating behind them.
"How did you know to find us here?" Ladybug asked startled.
"I have been keeping watch for years. There are very few people who use this mound to view the valley except for weilders," he answered. "I was hoping that you would arrive in time. The hills are restless. They have been asleep too long."
"Sorry, but who has been asleep?" Chat asked confused.
"The giants," the water buffalo motioned with his horns. "Some legends say after fighting so long they died of exhaustion. Other versions say they finally became friends. But in reality they eternally battle each other, only taking momentary rests through cycles. The war of will that could shape or destroy the valley. Their names are Areitulak and Hilahin."
As he pronounced their names the ground shook in the tremors of an earthquake. Pebbles vibrated under their feet. Chat grabbed onto Ladybug's elbow to steady her. Two large mounds (over 100 meters high) on either side of the valley twisted and unfurled. They unveiled two limestone giants. The brown grass capes they wore on their backs looked like a costume of shag carpet. Their faces were stony and grim. Their voices were the sound of grinding stones shouting across the hilly landscape. They leapt at each other, bounding over the hills with surprising agility. They clashed and struggled in a vicious wrestling match. As they pummeled each other, Chat Noir and Ladybug were alarmed by the destruction in their wake. They were getting to close to the houses of the valley citizens.
"You woke them! Now they are going to destroy everyone in the valley!' Ladybug yelled at the carabao.
"It was their time to wake. It is your time to pacify them once more, as the weilders before you have done from the beginning," he responded calmly.
"Any suggestions how they managed to get these guys to settle down?" Chat asked getting his baton ready.
"They all had their own way, but those that succeeded never gave up," he replied.
"That is not a lot to go on," Ladybug sighed in frustration at the kwami.
"It will be like Iron heart, or one of the other giants we have faced," Chat cheered, twirling his baton. "It's been a while since we took one on together. It'll be just like old times!"
"Okay, you take Areitulak, and I will go after Hilahin," Ladybug deligated.
"Which rock guy is Areitulak? They both look the same to me!" Chat asked leaning on his baton.
"He is the one with the more greenish brown cape," Ladybug called over her shoulder. She leapt off the hill, and used her yo yo to hook onto the trees below. She propelled herself toward her heavy weight opponent.
Chat Noir taunted and struck Areitulak. Ladybug swung around Hilahin's head, trying to veer him off course. But their strategies did not work. The super sized match waged on between the two giants. The impact of the two miraculous holders might as well have been that of tiny nats buzzing around them.
Chat Noir saw Areitulak throw a massive stone towards Hilahin. The latter dodged the bolder, which flew straight towards a home. Chat rushed to intercept it, and threw his baton between two trees. The rock bounced back with a bang, and just narrowly skipped past the house.
Out of the window of the house that had narrowly been flattened Chat saw two little girls. The oldest (about five) had long black hair, and the youngest (no more than three) had hers in a tiny fountain of a ponytail at the top of her head. They popped up curiously to see what was going on. Their eyes went wide when they saw Chat Noir. The youngest clapped her hands in delight and sqweeled "Kitty Pusa!"
Chat Noir rushed up to their window, trying to be as friendly as possible so he didn't scare the girls. He told them to quickly go tell their parents they needed to get out of the valley as quick as possible before Areitulak and Hilahin threw more rocks.
"Those are funny names," the five year old in an over sized t-shirt giggled, not moving from the window.
"Areitulak!" her sister laughed shoving the other girl.
"Hilahin!" responded the other, grabbing her into a hug, knocking her onto their bed, then bursting into more giggles. (They both though this afternoon's adventure was much more fun than their afternoon nap).
"Of course!" Chat whispered, "Thank you!" he added to his tiny audience, "Now go find your parent quick!" he urged.
"Salamat Kitty," the oldest said following his instructions.
"Paalam pusa pusa!" the other waved her tiny hand.
"Paalam little friends," Chat saluted, and propelled himself off to reach Ladybug.
Ladybug had just retreated to the top of one of the brown hills, after another unsuccessful attack.
"Ladybug!" Chat called, "They are 'push' and 'pull!"
"What?!" Ladybug asked, bending over her knees, trying to catch her breath.
"Areitulak and Hilahin," Chat said, "their names mean push and pull."
Ladybug stood up and looked at them wrestling. "We could….but no, then…but if we could…" she evaluated different scenarios in her head, forming her plan.
"I could used my cataclysm on Areitulak," Chat Noir volunteered.
"I think we will need your cataclysm for both of them, and if we have to wait for you to recharge, they might be back up again," she cautioned.
"Somehow we need them to be so close you can hit them with one strike," Ladybug pondered out loud.
"Sounds like we need a bit of luck on this one," Chat winked.
"I think you're right," she smiled, "Lucky Charm!" A red domino with black spots fell into her waiting palm.
"Of course," she held the domino up for Chat Noir to see.
"If Areitulak pushed and Hilahin pulls at the same time, they will bring each other down...domino effect," Chat Noir responded.
"Exactly," Ladybug nodded. "We will just have to hold them tight long enough for them to be linked and you can use your cataclysm to finish them both off."
"Let's do this!" Chat called sprinting off, and spinning his baton like a helicopter over toward the clashing Titans.
Ladybug was close behind. Areitulak was charging Hilahin, who was thrashing back. When Areitulak leapt forward with his full force Ladybug laid out her yoyo wire before his feet. This tripped him, sending him full-on into Hilahin. Hilahin grabbed him, and pulled him back to the ground on top of him.
Chat thrust his baton through their rocky joints to pin them in place. Ladybug strained to wind her yoyo around them like a spider catching a fly in its web. The goliath creatures beneath them struggled and pressed against the hold, grinding their rocky teeth in frustration. Areitulak was less than a foot apart from Hilahin, but they needed to be pressed together to make this work. Chat pushed the pressure onto his baton. Ladybug pulled her yo yo string taunt, looping it over their arms to tighten the hold. Working together they gradually, painfully slowly, inched them closer together. Even when Chat's muscles spasumed from the strain, and the string cut into Ladybug's hand, making it feel numb, they would not let up. Ladybugs earrings started to beat, counting down her allotted transformed time, but she refused to leave Chat's side. Finally Chat saw his chance. Their two elbows finally clicked together and he yelled "Cataclysm!"
The destruction power shot through both of them, splintering the rock with a groan. Ladybug's yo yo retracted back into her hand, and Chat raised his baton, ready to follow up the attack. Both giants stood up and stumbled back from each other. Then in unison fell backward over two of the faded grass domes. Each grumbled indiscernible 'rocky' mumbling, and curled up under their turf capes. Then they were still.
Ladybug threw up the domino calling "Miraculous Ladybug!" restoring the valley, and then bolted away to the trees. She just barely got out of sight before she lost her transformation. "Wow Tiki, that was close, but it seemed like I was able to last longer than five minutes after my lucky charm!"
Tiki nodded, taking the cookie Marinette offered her, "that is because it was longer!" Tiki said in between munching, "After completing each trial your powers will keep on getting stronger!"
"Well, that should come in handy! I wish we had extra time when we were fighting Hawkmoth!" she said allowing Tiki a chance to recharge, before calling for her transformation.
When she reached the crest of the hill, Chat Noir was already sitting with Ember and the water buffalo kwami. He sat on a ledge kicking his feet, after having recharging Plagg. The wild kwami hovered down to them with a pleased look on his face.
"Everything is once again restored," he sighed, "and you both have the will power to overcome invincible creatures of immense ancient power and physical size and strength. You refused to back down, even when physically drained, and risking yourselves."
"Did the cataclysm destroy them?" Chat asked hesitantly.
"No, they themselves have a power to rival that of the kwamis…but it subdued them enough that they will sleep for another age, until they once again rise to battle again."
"So we passed the test!" Chat grinned, holding out his fist to Ladybug, who gave him their signature fist bump.
"Yes…the first part…" the a carabao nodded.
"First part?!" Ladybug questions, "How many are there?"
"Four tests in two parts." Seeing their faces drop he explained, "You see all will power comes from within. It is tied to desire. Sometimes one must pursue their desires, while other times they must resist. To have will power you exert control over your actions, thoughts, emotions, and urges."
"So this first test we had to prove we could show determination through our actions?" Chat concluded.
"Exactly," the water buffalo stamped his hoof, "your next test will be will power over your thoughts. You'll have to find the twin waterfalls here on Bohol. The tarsier kwami will be waiting for you.
With that he handed Ladybug ¼ of a stone sphere of polished Agate. Lines of different colors ran through it. "Complete the remaining tasks, then put the pieces together. This will be the key to the kwami council," he added. He then bowed his shaggy head low. "My thanks to you weilders for returning peace to these hills…and to me."
I just want to say a huge thank you to Light Mega Z for suggesting the Philippines as one of Chat Noir and Ladybug's destinations! Also a thank you for your ideas and connection to a really amazing country and people!