The entire noodle shop shook las MK let out another loud hiccup, The shadow twins merely giggled as they watched her hiccup.
"This is the worst case of hiccups I've ever seen!" Pigsy grumbled out, as he picked himself up off the floor, using the counter as a way to lift himself. "How'd it happen?!"
"Well, uh, do you remember meatball eating contest you told her not to enter?" Mei chuckled nervously, avoiding eye contact with the concerned pig demon.
"Yeah, I remember, under no circumstances, why?"
The Dragon girl pulled out her phone, scrolling through the images before finishing the one she was looking for.
Both Tang and Pigsy gave the kids looks of horror. "Yeah...We think they may have been cursed."
"I broke my own record though, yeah boi!" MK grinned with a thumbs up, before letting out another hiccup.
Pigsy growls in frustration. "MK, out of all the things you've done.." He trailed off.
"We've tried everything!! I tried rubbing her belly, giving her a good scare, and hitting all her pressure points, but nothing worked!!"
"Perhaps you should try holding your breath for a minute?" Rumble suggested, her tail swishing back and forth. MK lets out another hiccup and her and Savage clung to the stool.
MK took a deep breath while everyone watched, After a minute she exhaled and smiled. "Yay! It worked!" MK cheered until she lets out another again. "Augh!!"
"I may have a suggestion!" Sandy spoke up, from the booth where he'd been listening in on the conversation. "What if we used the Crimson Jimsonweed it could cure MK's hiccups!"
"Hm, If I remember correctly, that is an ancient and powerful flower that blooms every Crimson Moon."
"Exactly!" The water demon smiled, acting as if he didn't just asked one of them to go into a dangerous lake.
Pigsy, Tang and Mei all deadpanned at the water demon, who flinched with a nervous chuckle, as he realized what they were implying. "O-oh no, I'm strictly a Water Adventure kinda' guy."
"Pwease Sandy?~" MK pleaded in a cutesy voice, eyes watery, quivering her lip.
"Aww, you got it, I'll do it for my friend!" Sandy said and ran out the noodle shop to get ready for his journey.
"Bye Sandy," MK and Mei called out after the tea drinker. "Good luck!"
Tang looked around "Uh, where did the little rascals go?" He asked.
At the outskirts of the forest Sandy takes a deep breath of the fresh mountain air as he push some bushes away. "Ah! Could this day be anymore perfect?"
"Meh, we've seen better places." Voices made the cat owner jump in surprise, and look behind him, to where Rumble and Savage were stepping out of the shadow portal.
"O-Oh my?!" Sandy sputtered, sending the young monkeys a worried look. "How'd you two get here?!"
"Savage saw that you were leaving, so I followed him, well then followed you." The little she-monkey mumbled, pushing her glasses up.
Savage sighed, looking up Sandy. "Look I know we're gonna get lectured for this, but we promised our dads that we'd keep MK safe, and that's what we're going to do," He looks at the river demon with pleading eyes. "Please. We just wanted to help."
Sandy gave a sigh and gently patted the simians heads. "It's alright you two. I know you mean well. I want you guys to stay close to me so that that way we don't get separated, okay?"
"Yes sir!~" The young cubs saluted, and jumped onto his back as they started walking off towards their destination.
"The Crimson Jimsonweed!" Sandy said in awe as they approached to their destination, noticing the fully bloomed flower.
"Alright, we did it!" The twins cheered.
"Now to get this back to MK" Sandy gently taking the flower off its stem.
"Actually, I have a different idea~" A new, but gruff voice spoke up from behind him flinching and turning around to see Huntsman standing before him. "Now big guy," Huntsman smirked, the clanking of his metal legs on the stone, echoing across the valley. "How about you hand over that pretty flower?~"
Savage narrowed his eyes at him and crossed his arms. "How about no?"
Turning his back to the demon and quickly, but gently, placing the Crimson flower into his tea book, Sandy stood up with a frown, "He's right. This is for our friend--"
Eye twitching, the purple skinned arachnid tuned out the other's rambling with a growl, teeth grinding in agitation as he spoke to himself, "Is this guy for real?!"
Lunging forwards, Huntsman aimed one of his sharp metal legs in an attempt to skewer the cat owner, Fortunately enough, Sandy was able to dodge with a yelp of surprise, before he bolted for the path down the mountain, the book and the twins in his arms.
Huntsman hot on their heels, the sound of his laughter echoing around the pair of adventurers, "oh, oh, oh, I love it when they run!~"
Back in the noodle shop, MK now lying on a mat drenched in sweat and groaning in pain. Her hiccups were getting worser by the minute.
"Hang in there sweetheart," Tang reassured wiping the sweat of her forehead with a wash cloth. "You're going to be okay."
"Baba, I *hic* everything hurts..*hic* MK said through hiccups, tears leaking from her eyes. Tang whimpered, was on the brink of tears, one that his little girl is Ill, and that fact she'd finally called him "Baba"
Pigsy stared out the door his arms crossed. "C'mon Sandy what's taking so long?" Pigsy murmured clenching his arm tightly praying for him to return.
A rumble shook the valley, followed up by screaming from the twins and Sandy, as they both fell down from the top of the rock spire, Huntsman still following.
As they approached the rocky floor, the water demon was quick to shift his backpack from his back to his arms, using himself as a shield so that his little simian companions wouldn't get hurt from the impact, right before getting back up and continuing to run straight into the forest.
"Come on, don't you want to stick around and fight?" Huntsman's voice echoed around them. "Or are all those big muscles just for show?~"
"H-hey, there are children present!" He sputtered, pink in his cheeks. Sandy lands on the rocky ground hopping up in the air while dodging the web, he gasps when he saw the Crimson Jimsonweed flower fly out of his book and quickly jumps in the air closing his tea book with the Crimson Jimsonweed Flower in it and nearly got hit by the web.
He soon lands and run/slides with the book reading out the map in his book. "Past the sleeping panda rock, across the winding serpent stream, turned left at the marker I--gasp!" All the red ribbons the pair had tied the trees with earlier were gone.
"What happened to all the ribbons!?" Rumble asked, looking around frantically.
"Trying to find your way back, gentle giant?~" The spider demon's voice mockingly cooed. "Might be hard without these!" The sound of a fist hitting bark echoed around them, before a rain of shredded red fabric fell like snow in winter around both the companions.
"We're lost..." The blue skinned tea drinker yelped in surprise, when he stepped back on a trap that Huntsman had set up in the forest earlier.
"So what's your deal big guy?" The lilac skinned arachnid hummed with a smirk, slamming down onto the floor from the tree he had hidden in "A frame like that? Now that's a warrior's build!"
"Leave him alone, you ugly little spider!" Savage growled before getting in a pouncing position, He then pounced towards Huntsman, he yelped when he's suddenly tying stringing up on a tree.
"Savage!" Rumble cried out before going to her brother, trying to set him free.
"You know," Huntsman smirked, turning his attention back to Sandy. "I've heard some at the docks say you were quite the fighter back in the day~"
"I'm n-not like that anymore!" Sandy sputtered out, paled at mention of his past, memories flashing in the water demon's mind. "H-how about we talk things over? Yeah? I have this nice Chamomile tea blend that--!" Sandy was cut off when the spider demon grabs the net and with a quick motion wraps the water spirit in a cocoon. "I have a better idea." Huntsman said and swung the trapped Sandy around, slamming the said cat owner into a rock wall.
"Oh, that's gotta hurt?" Huntsman replied with a sadistic laugh. "Come on!" The arachnid shouted, slamming the larger male into a boulder. "I want to see you go crazy!"
Sliding down with a groan, Sandy looked up as Huntsman--who was now on his normal two legs, approached with an angry scowl.
"Seriously? Nothing?" The shorter demon huffed. "What is with you?! All that potential, wasted, being that little chimps errand boy?" Huntsman said his hands on his hips.
"Well you threw did save me the hassle of tracking this down myself, for that I gotta thank you," Huntsman laughed mockingly. "You guys keep doing that, your making this whole endeavour real easy for me."
"Hurting others isn't a measure of one's strength, it took mean a really long time to realize that," Sandy groaned, looking up at the demon restraining his friend.
Huntsman let out a groan. "Oh boy, here we go." Huntsman grumbled.
"As long as I'm doing something to help out a friend, I don't mind what it is, I just wanna be there for them, when they need me." Sandy said as a snake he helped pulled on the webs around him.
"Yeah, sure, whatever you say blue." Huntsman said with a shrug.
Sandy continued on. "Because at the end of the day, helping my family, is more important than anything else in the world!" Sandy exclaimed.
While tied up, the twins teared up, tails wagging happily at Sandy's speech exclamation. "Wow~" they said in unison.
Rumble looked to see the animal friends that Sandy helped were surrounding them, possibly wanting to help.
"Lightbulb," Rumble muttered, an idea formed in her head. "Savage, I got an idea. Have you managed to form your weapon?"
He nodded, a little confused. "Yeah, but why...Oh." He suddenly got what she was planning.
"But what are you doing huh, why are you her errand boy?" Sandy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Growling, Huntsman clenching his fist tight. "I ain't no one's errand-Ow!!" Huntsman felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and he turned to see Rumble, a rock in her paws as she shook in place, trying to be brave. "Hey ugly! Why don't you pick on someone your size!"
Scowling, the spider stalked over and grabbing the young monkey by the back of her clothing, "You have a real smart mouth, little chimp."
Rumble narrowed his eyes at him and chuckles, a sinister smile appearing on her face. "Well we do take after our father."
Huntsman noticed something, Savage was no where to be found. "Wait, where's the other one?"
"Isn't it obvious...I'm the distraction...~" Rumble grinned. "Now!"
All of a sudden a bird swooped into Huntsman's face and started pecking the spider demon "Ugh! Damn thing!" Huntsman groaned, dropping the book he was holding.
Savage then landed on the ground, in his arms was a mallet. "Savage Attack!" He cried before charging towards the spider.
"No, wait!" Sandy called out, just then the monkeys came and attack the spider demon as the water spirit watched in fear.
"Yeah, get 'em Savage!" She cheered for her brother, she summoned her weapon as well, that which was a spear.
Enraged, Huntsman roared and with a quick motion throws all the monkeys, even the twins off him.
Savage fell to ground holding his injured arm, as Rumble hit her head on a sharp rock and passed out.
Sandy gasped as a ringing noise filled his ears as he watch his fellow companions land on the ground hurt, his mind glitching to a battlefield, all of the bodies that surrounded him.
'No...No...' He thought in his head, the tears started to form around his eyes.
A butterfly lands on Huntsman's hand, Sandy's breathing quickened as he looks around at the hurt monkeys as Huntsman chuckles.
"Bye bye, little butterfly~" Huntsman said with the butterfly in his hand as Sandy look at a hurt monkey his mind flashing and then...The beads on his necklace broke and floats in the air becoming fireballs as a large gust of wind appeared ripping Sandy's sweatshirt to shreds, Huntsman shields himself from the blast of wind and looks up to see Sandy standing there as multiple orbs hovered around the river demon.
Huntsman chuckled, "Is that it? All it took to bring out the beast inside you was to smack around some of your woodland friends," Huntsman taunted. "Are we doing this, or are you gonna brew me another cup?"
Not responding to his taunting, Sandy began glaring daggers at him making a large gust of wind blows at Huntsman who tried to stand his ground but was soon flew against a wall.
he flinched as the water spirit was already in front of him staring down at the spider demon with glowing pink eyes.
"What's wrong? Isn't this what you wanted? Now let me show you why I promised NEVER TO FIGHT AGAIN!!" Sandy shouted, with enough power from the orbs Sandy throws his fist towards Huntsman who gasp and close his eyes for the impact.
But the fist stops when it was about an inch away from Huntsman's face, the spider demon open his eyes and saw not only was the water spirits fist an inch away from his face but a blue butterfly was on the fist gently opening and closing their wings.
"Leave this place." Sandy commands with that, the demon disappeared into the forest, leaving the pair of heros confused, the blue giant opening the book with a gasp as he saw that a single petal was missing from the flower.
After Sandy had gone over the twins injuries, to make sure that they were both still okay to make the journey back, he'd noticed a map drawn in his book, leading to the way back to the city. The two resting in his arms. When he made back into the noodle shop, he made the tea right away and gives it to MK.
MK takes a sip of the tea, all of her friends looking at her expectantly. "Well, are you still in pain?" Mei asked curiously.
MK laughs triumphantly. "Ha! This tea really works! Im cured. Thank you, Sandy!" MK turned to the gentle giant smiling.
"No problem little lady, although I couldn't have done it without these two fighters." Sandy said, patting Rumble and Savage on their heads.
"Thank you my little sweeties, I'm so proud of you~" Mei cooed, cuddling the both of them.
"Aww~" Savage sighed lovingly into her arms, a light blush on his face.
"So, why did the Spider Queen wanted the Crimson Jimsonweed?" Tang asked wondering why the Spider Queen wanted the flower.
Mei gasped, "You think she ate cursed meatballs too?" They all groaned.
while the others discussed about what happened, Sandy looks down at his book opening it to the page where the petal of the Crimson Jimsonweed flower was taped on his mind thinking about Huntsman.
Meanwhile, back in the Spider Queen's lair. The child looks at the petal in disappointment. "Is this is all you managed to retrieve?" She asked.
Huntsman replied nervously, "Uh... Yes, M'Lady"
"No matter. This should suffice. That will be all Huntsman." The child dismissed him, Huntsman pulls out a small tea bag from his jacket pocket as he looked at it.
Sandy must have slipped this into his pocket.
"Was there something else?" She asked, making Huntsman quickly hide the tea bag away.
"Uh, nothing. Uh, well I was, uh, haha.." He fumbled his words before asking, "Why am I doing all this for you?"
The child had a confused and an annoyed look on her face. "You're asking me this now? Because that is your role to play in this game." LBD stated as she looks at the hologram mech.
"Uh, For the Queen..?" He asked, but she didn't reply and then Huntsman walks away, leaving LBD alone.