Ghoul Break: The Familia's Final Out:

Day 2: The "KDC" Usual Chaos

Lake Shin, since it was so close to the Knee, enough magic comes down from the area that cools the waters around the area enough for swimming. And every member of the "knocked-down" Coven couldn't wait to play in or around the water.

"Before you all drive-in," Lilith informed the current children, "I believe it's good to go over some rules."

Beside her, Eda groaned and looked ready to say something. Camila and Raine put a stop to that by lightly slipping her arms. Lilith ignored her family's antics and kept her attention on the kids.

"Now," Lilith said seriously, "You are to stay close to the edge of the beach and be sure you don't stray from either one of us or the lifeless guard on duty."

The group looked towards the guard. The Lifeless guard lived up to his name; it was a skeleton with a pair of shorts and sunglasses. The humans and one basilisk wondered how a skeleton was able to watch over anyone.

The Lifeless Guard suddenly moved, like responding to the unspoken question. The skeleton looked at the KDC and lifted its eyewear. The guard's eyes glowed an eerie yellow and let out a laugh that sounded like a little girl.

"Also," Lilith added, regaining the "Knocked-down" Coven's attention, "Though unconfirmed, there is a rumor that an abnormally large trash slug is in the area. If you see anything abnormal, please hurry away from the shore."

"Oh, lighten up, Lily!" Eda said and grinned at the kids. "Don't listen to this stick in the mud. Go wild. It's Ghoul Break, the "knocked-down" week after all!"

Lilith sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Edalyn, please," she said slowly. " I just want our children to be safe."

"But at what cost?" Eda asked sharply. "This is the beach! We can cut loose as much as we like!"

The Clawthorne sisters began to bicker, which meant poor Raine had to try and stop the two before they started fighting.

The other "knocked-down" adults decided to lead their children away from the two sisters.

"Now," Camila said in a soft tone, "I Don't want you to ignore either of your aunts' words, but I want you to be safe while you're having fun. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Mami/mommy/Auntie Cammy!" the KDC said together.

Camila couldn't help but gush at the sight and studied the group. The group of "knocked-downs" wore nearly identical swimwear; the girls wore one-piece swimsuits, and the boys had trucks with white shirts on to keep the sun off their skin.

Luz's outfit was purple with a white frilly skirt, and there was a picture of an otter on it. Amity's suit was levander, and she had frills around her arms. Pictures of cats decorated Amity's entire outfit.

Next was Willow; she wore a lime green suit with bees and flowers. Boscha wore a yellow suit with pictures of crabs, and Vee wore a white suit with robins. Finally, Masha wore a plain black suit, and Heather wore a pink suit with frills all around it.

The boys were wearing trucks in their colors and with pictures of their Palismen on them.

Camila smiled at the scene and then said," Okay, kids! Have fun!"

The group cheered and hurried on their way. The "knocked-down" adults watched their kids for a minute and then decided who would watch the kids first before they broke up to do their own thing.

(SC)

Once the "knocked-down" coven found the perfect spot, they broke into smaller groups and began to do their own thing. Luz dragged Amity into the water, and the two began slashing each other as they giggled loudly.

Boscha decided to lie on the sand and catch some sun. Heather was close by her and slightly red in the face as she stared lovingly at the three-eyed witch. Not too far from the witch and human was a napping King.

Masha and Vee were close to Boscha and Heather. The "knocked-down" human was giggling as she buried her girlfriend's tail in the sand. The poor basilisk's ears were going a mile a minute as she listened to her partner's heavenly giggles.

Finally, Hunter, Willow, and Gus were all playing in the sand. The witch and grimwalker couple were making a sand castle, and Gus was digging out a molt.

Things were going good, and the group was having a good time, so the titan saw fit to throw them a curveball.

The group stopped what they were doing when they heard King scream. Anger immediately replaced their joy when they saw King's tail being pulled by Snotty. Next to him was the former Warden's son, Braxas.

Strangely, Bria was with them, accompanied by her two so-called "friends". Even stranger was that her follow Glandus classmates had been "knocked-down", not that the KDC cared; all that mattered to them was having King.

"No bully, Ki-Ki!" Luz screamed as she ran out of the water with Amity following.

When Bria saw the group, a look of shock crossed her face. She was thankful the group was more focused on one of the boys she was hired to babysit and didn't seem to see her.

The "knocked-down" coven quickly gathered around their leader and readied themselves for a fight; the witches made spell circles, and Hunter flared his magical aura. Luz took out a few spell cards and handed a few to Vee, Masha, and Heather.

"Well, well," Snotty said, ignoring the group in front of him, "If isn't my old foe, small once again."

Snotty gave the "knocked-down" titan's tail another pull, and this caused King to let out a cry. This angered Luz, and she was readying a fire spell. Gavin saw this and acted; he made a spell circle and sent a pair of abomination hands at Luz.

Amity saw this and growled as she created her own abomination arms and threw them at the Glandus student's arms.

The two sets of abomination arms became locked in a power struggle as the two "knocked-down" abomination witches tried to overpower the others.

Angmar didn't want to leave his friend hanging and made two spell circles. Vines rose from the ground and formed into a hand. Next, sand rose and covered the vine arms, quickly hardened into a sort of armor.

Willow and Boscha weren't going to let this stand and began to draw spell circles. The two joined their circles and created a vine arm that was twice the size of the one Angmar created.

The larger arm descended on the smaller arm, ready to crush it. Suddenly, Angmar's arm's armor exploded, turning into spikes and piercing the larger arms in several locations. Next, the sand wrapped around the larger arms and hardened.

Boscha and Willow struggled to keep the arm upright due to added weight but couldn't, and it began to fall. Bria said this and sighed as she made a spell circle.

"How do I keep getting messed up with this bunch?" she asked tiredly as she finished her spell.

The sand where the large arm was coming from hardened and was lifted into the air. With a wave of her hand, Bria sent the arm towards the edge of the shore, far away from anyone.

Bria thought she heard a noise from where she threw the vine arm, but didn't focus on it and turned her attention back to her charges and the other "knock-down" witches. She cocked an eyebrow when she saw that her group and KDC weren't bothered by the fact that a large plant arm covered in hardened sand nearly crushed them.

With another tired sigh, she decided not to dwell on the matter and continued to watch the drama unfold.

The KDC and their foes had reached a stalemate; despite what Bria thought, the incident had shaken them enough that neither group was willing to make the next move. Gus, surprisingly, was the one to break the stalemate; he had an idea based on something he saw from the human realm and created a circle.

The area was covered in illusion smoke, and when it cleared a few seconds later, a wrestling ring appeared around the two groups. Surprisingly, Hunter and Braxas were wearing wrestling outfits.

Hunter wore an orange one-piece suit with short sleeves and red lines running around the outfit. He also was wearing his old gloves and an ugly mask that gave him one big cow lick.

For Braxas, he was wearing black pants, armored boots, gloves, and a full armor chest piece with spikes coming out of the shoulders. He also wore a full helmet of European design with a feather hanging off the right side.

Everyone gawked at the sight and then turned their attention to Gus. The "knocked-down" illusionist just grinned innocently and then removed his spell. The spell ended, and the group returned their attention to the task at hand.

Suddenly, Luz gasped as an idea came to her and quickly got between the groups.

"Wwestle! Wwestle!" she cheered.

The two groups quickly got the idea and decided a match was the best way to settle King's "Fate."

So, Amity and Gavin made poles with their abomination magic, and Willow and Angmar created some ropes out of vines. They also went with the pairing that Gus chose and, after a light protection spell from the babysitter, Hunter and Braxas were in the ring.

Bria watched all this unfold as her confusion grew slightly; she couldn't understand all of this fuss over a dog-like demon. Still, she wasn't going to complain, she hadn't had any bad luck since running into the KDC and was hoping to keep it like that.

So, she took a seat near Snotty, who still held King by the tail, and settled in for the show.

Hunter and Braxas began to circle around the ring as they sized each other up. The biped demon made the first move; he charged Hunter and tried to get him in a bear hug. Hunter waited for the biped demon to get close and made his move.

He sidestepped just as Braxas lunged for him, and the biped flew into the ropes. Hunter turned and faced his opponent just in time to see Braxas nimbly twist his body around and use the ropes to rebound back at Hunter.

The grimwalker wasn't prepared for this move and took a clothesline to the chest. Hunter dropped to the ground as Baxas ran past him and used the ropes again for a burst of speed. He leaped off his feet and went for a body slam.

Hunter saw this and rolled out of the way just as Braxas hit the ground. He jumped to his feet as his foe rolled out of his reach and also got to his feet.

The grimwalker charged at the biped and crouched low; he slammed into Braxas's side and took him to the floor. Hunter rolled to the side as he got a good hold on his opponent's arm. He grabbed his hand and pulled.

Braxas grunted with discomfort but didn't let it stop him from fighting back. He tried to get his arm free, but Hunter's grip was too strong. Still, he wasn't done yet; he had the trick his dad taught him.

Braxas got his free arm under him and then pushed with all of his might as he got his right foot under him. Hunter was surprised when the move actually allowed his opponent to roll onto him and, with all the biped's weight on him, caused him to release Braxas's arm.

The young demon rolled away from Hunter and used the tentacle he turned his arm into to push himself to his feet. Hunter growled as he got up and watched Braxas turn his arm back to normal.

Hunter's magical aura flared up, and suddenly, he was wearing the suit Gus made for him. He crossed his arms in front of his face and, with a cry, thrust them to his side. Hunter's muscles suddenly became more defined, and his cow lick pushed up as a strange symbol appeared on his forehead.

Everyone gawked at this for a second and then turned their attention to Gus. The "knocked-down" illusionist just grinned innocently as he stopped his spell. Hunter returned to normal, but his magical aura was still around him.

Hunter took a step forward and then teleported to the right. He charged at Braxas and when close, teleported again. Hunter got behind his opponent and went to get him into a hold. Suddenly, he felt tentacles wrapped around his ankles and pulled his feet from under him.

Hunter hit the ground and groaned as he felt the wind knocked out of him. His head was also spinning and was barely aware when Braxas dropped on him and pinned him to the ground.

Bria took that as her cue and got to her feet. She walked up to the edge of the ring and began counting.

"1..."

Hunter had gained his second wind and realized what was happening. He tried to push Braxas off of him, but the biped demon had his full weight on him.

"2…"

Hunter's eyes snapped open, and he struggled harder to get free. From the sidelines, the other members of the "Knocked-down" Coven began cheering him on. But it was no good; Braxas was just too heavy to move.

"...3!"

And with that final count, the match was over, and Braxas was declared the winner. The young biped rolled off of Hunter and jumped to his feet. He threw his hands into the air as his group cheered at his win.

The KDC looked more concerned than saddened at Hunter's loss, and they made their way to their friend. Willow and Amity broke down the ring as they walked up to Hunter. The "knocked-down" grimwalker set up but didn't look his friends in the eyes.

"Sowwy?" Hunter muttered sadly, head hanging.

Willow frowned as she looked at her boyfriend and then smiled warmly. She sat next to Hunter and snuggled into his side. The grimwalker's cheeks and ears flared even after dating the young witch for such a long time. Still, he leaned into the embrace and took in Willow's scent.

It wasn't long before the rest of the KDC joined them in one big group hug.

Bria watched as all this happened and admitted the sight was cute. She suddenly heard a noise and looked over his shoulder. She sighed as she saw Snotty pulling on King's tail again.

"Alright, you have your fun," Bria told Snotty, walking up to him. "Now it's time to let that kid go."

Snotty looked at his babysitter defiantly. He tightened his hold on King's tail, which caused the young titan to squirm more. Bria wasn't having anything of this and crossed her arms as she gave Snotty a scolding glare.

"Listen here, young man," Bria said authoritatively, "I'm not having the mothers of the most powerful witch family breathing down my neck again. So, you will let that demon go…or else."

"Or else what?" Snotty asked defiantly.

"Or I will tell my aunt about this," Bria replied, and then grinned, "I love to see what she would do when I tell her you were bullying someone currently younger than you…again."

Snotty gasped when he thought what his mother would do and let go of King's tail. The "knocked-down" titan wasted no time and ran to his family, whining the entire time.

Luz heard her little brother's cries, broke from her friends, and rushed to meet King. The "knocked-down" human witch opened her arms, and King jumped into them. Luz comforted her little brother as their friends gathered around to comfort the young titan as well.

Bria might have smiled at the scene if didn't she suddenly feel so tired. With a heavy sigh, she fell onto her back and closed her eyes. She felt like she could sleep for a month and still felt like she hadn't slept in three months.

The Glandus student was able to nod off when she heard a noise. With an annoyed groan, she opened her eyes and set up. She half-expected the two groups to be fighting again. She was surprised when she saw the two groups mingling.

She looked to her right and saw Amity and Boscha talking to Gavin and Angmar about their type of magic. She looked to her left and saw Braxas helping Gus, the two humans, and the basilisk build a new sand castle.

Not too far from those five was Luz, who was still comforting King. Bria did see that the human was looking at Amity and the others. She probably wanted to join in their conversation, but comforting her little brother was the more important task at the moment.

Willow and Hunter were close to Luz, and the "knocked-down" plant witch had gone back to snuggling with her boyfriend. Then there was Snotty; Bria's cousin was sulking not too far from the group, probably still mad at the scolding he got.

Bria sighed as he got into a more comfortable sitting position and watched the group interact with each other.

"I don't get it," the Glandus student muttered to herself, "They were just fighting a second ago, and now they're all playing together."

"Oh, that's just typical kids' things," a familiar voice replied, "One second, they're fighting like cats and dogs, and the next, they're playing together like kittens."

"What are you doing here, Steve," Bria said dully, looking to her right.

She cocked an eyebrow when she got a good look at what her ex-friend's brother was wearing. Steve wore a pair of blue jeans, brown loafers, a red and white striped long-sleeved shirt, and a matching winter hat. He also had a large, tan suitcase in front of him and was wearing black glasses.

Steve looked at Bria with a cheeky grin and replied, "Oh, Steve is going to be popping up randomly in this story, as per the instruction of the boss girl. Now, if you excuse Steve, I need to bother a certain uncovered rogue witch as they had gotten in the middle of the usual chaos the "knocked-down" coven brings."

Steve stood up, grabbed his suitcase, and waved goodbye as he headed in the direction Bria threw the plant arm a few minutes ago. The Glandus student watched as he left, let out a sigh, and turned her attention back to the group.

"How does anyone put up with that guy?" she asked offhandedly.

(M Corner)

Man, after my ulcer and hernia problem, it feels good to get back into this final entry of this series! Also, if you're wondering about the "knocked-down" Adults' outfit, don't worry, I will get to that in the next chapter.

Once again, if you get the references in this chapter, you're as old as me.