When Filia opened her eyes. Everything around him seemed fragmented, as if the very space and time had been ripped apart completely and the whole place seemed on the verge of collapse.
"Samson? Where are we?" The girl asked with fear but she did not receive an answer. Filia started to look around her in fear but then the girl managed to recognize a person in front of her. Although the girl looked distorted, she seemed familiar to Filia.
"I thought you were my friend... why did you let me die?..." The girl asked with a distorted and ghostly tone of voice, making Filia cover her ears due to a strong noise.
"Filia...Filia..." Suddenly everything began to collapse and the ground began to break. The girl tried to run away but the ground collapsed and she began to fall into a deep dark cave while the female figure walked to the hole that was where Filia fell.
"You...were...my...friend." Was all the girl said and suddenly the darkness became eternal.
"Filia!!. Filia!!. Please wake up!!." I screamed desperately. The girl seemed to be having convulsions and she was moving in a very frantic manner.
"Who are you!?." Filia yelled with all her might as she sat up and looked around her with a frantic look. When I saw her eyes I couldn't help but be filled with worry and fear, the girl's eyes showed absolute panic and fear.
"Filia." The girl turned around and saw that I was next to her. Slowly Filia began to calm down and slowly lowered her head.
"Samson. Can we talk?" Filia asked with fear. The parasite had woken up with all the screaming and he could feel and understand the same things the girl felt.
"Give us a moment, Benja." The parasite said causing me to just nod silently before continuing to make breakfast.
"Another dream. Right?" Samson asked with some seriousness but also with concern. Filia was silent remembering that figure that she had seen before.
"It was a girl. She said something about me letting her die and that…we were friends." The girl said fearfully making Samson's concern only increase.
"Samson..."
"It was just a nightmare, girl. You shouldn't give so much importance to something so insignificant. Remember, we look for your wish and the idiot looks for his headmaster, that's all. Let's not talk about this." Samson said seriously making Filia sigh before looking at where I am.
"And if we ask Benja to help us? He would be a good help, maybe that way we can find Miss Bloodgood too." The girl said but that made the parasite sigh.
"Filia. Please, you only met Benja for one day. Did you forget the first thing I told you when we first met?" Samson asked seriously making Filia sigh.
"I know what you said. But, he's also looking for something, just like we are. Maybe if we find Bloodgood and the Skullheart we'll both get what we want. Besides, I think I'm considering the offer to go to New Salem." The girl said with a small smile while Samson closed his eyes for a moment before sighing.
"I'm going to regret it after this. All right, kid. But once this shit is over we're going to New Salem first thing in the morning. I'm not going to stay in this dump forever." Samson said annoyed making Filia smile before going to where I am.
"Filia, Samson. I'm so glad you're okay. What happened?" I asked with concern but before Filia spoke, Samson took the initiative.
"Filia often wakes up with nightmares. Don't be surprised if at some point during the night she wakes you up screaming." Samson said seriously making Filia look away.
"I understand. Being on the streets for so long, alone. It must be very difficult but I promise you that when it's all over, you'll be happy at Monster High with my friends. They're terrifying, look." I said smiling before showing photos on my Icoffin but Filia and Samson looked confused.
"They seem to be cute monsters but what is this little coffin in your hand?" The girl asked curiously making me see everything with surprise.
"It's an Icoffin. My cell phone, have you never seen one?" I asked curiously making the girl shake her head.
"Icoffin? And what would it be basically?" Samson asked curiously causing me to only see this with amazement and confusion.
"An Icoffin is like a phone but much more modern. With more functions like taking photos, watching videos or browsing the web." I said while looking at my friends but Filia and Samson would have a question mark in their heads.
"What is web?" That statement left me very petrified before I even thought about it.
'This is very impressive. Will Umbrella know about this?.' I wondered in my mind before sighing and laughing shyly.
"Better. Let's talk about this another time and we'll have breakfast." I said smiling before serving breakfast. Breakfast was just two fried eggs and two strips of bacon.
While Samson and Filia have breakfast. I looked at the city with some concern and doubt. It was somewhat shocking the fact that my friends did not know what an Icoffin was, but. If I think about it and remember, nobody in the whole city had a cell phone. They only walked with canes or read newspapers.
"So, what are you going to do today?" Filia asked before looking at me making her stop thinking.
"I'm going back to the city to look for more clues related to Bloodgood. I think I'm going to go to the pier to look for something, last night I tried to go but. I had problems." I said somewhat seriously before looking at my friends.
"Okay. Filia and I have business to attend to, tonight we'll go to a bar and try to steal as much money as possible from any idiot we can find." Samson said with a smile but Filia seemed very worried.
"Samson, is there no other place we can go?" I ask the girl. Throughout the days, Filia avoided going to bars, the girl hated the smell of cigarettes but above all, the perverts who had been looking at her for so long.
"I don't think so, Filia. Tonight maybe we can even get a bed and a roof. You don't have to worry, you know I can take care of any voyeur son of a bitch." Samson said seriously making me remember something.
"Maybe I can help you." At that moment Filia and Samson noticed that I reached out and suddenly a paper with Korean letters appeared in my hand.
"It's a trick a friend taught me. Just burn this paper and I'll show up to help you." I said smiling making Filia take the paper before putting it away.
"Thank you, but. I really feel like we're being a bother, I mean. You feed us, you gave me a bed to sleep in and. I'm not doing anything." Filia said with disappointment but the girl noticed that I was smiling.
"Don't worry, Filia. I really like to help, especially my friends. If you need help, then I'll do my best to keep you and Samson safe." I said smiling making the girl smile shyly but the parasite rolled its eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, thank you very much. But you'd better find some work, kid. Don't think I'm going to share any of my money with you." Samson said seriously making Filia look away in embarrassment.
"I understand, don't worry Filia. When I find a job we can have better things." I said smiling before standing up.
"I'm going to keep looking for clues on Bloodgood. I'll see you later." I said smiling before walking away but the parasite noticed that when I got into the trees an electric glow appeared and then it saw me flying.
"What are you, snot?" Samson asked himself in his mind while the parasite seemed more serious than usual to Filia.
In another place, more precisely in a cafeteria. A gigantic person was seen wearing a trench coat and a hat, but the most outstanding detail was that on his back you could see the part of a protruding saxophone.
"Are the rumors true? She's here? Ugh, Doc. How can you be sure of that?" The man asked himself with some sadness but also with concern.
"And we continue to pass on this breaking information. Last night, the Black Herons, led by Princess Parasoul Renoir, managed to capture a pair of smugglers who were trying to sell their cargo at the city's docks."
"However, in the old warehouse where the illegal arms sale was to take place, roots of a gigantic size were found, and in the words of Princess Parasoul, she says that they found the arms dealers, trapped in the roots."
"The whereabouts of the roots and who grew them there are currently unknown. But everyone agrees on one thing and that is, is it a sea monster protecting its territory or is it the Skullgirl. We will continue broadcasting after these messages."
The man had seen this in an analytical way. He slowly raised his coffee cup to take a small sip before getting up and leaving some coins on the table.
"Okay, it's a very peculiar tune. I'd better try to keep up and find that guy. But, a sea monster? No monster I know of, not even New Salemians, would come here if they know what they look like these streets." Said the person before leaving the place.
Umbrella was bored lying on her bed. The girl was happy that she was not going to have classes today because Parasoul would have a talk with Molly and Adam, so today was a day where she could do whatever she wanted. However.
"Ugh, what a bore!! At least I would be much better if Parasoul would at least take me to the zoo or the park, I would even agree to go to a stupid library!!." the girl yelled before puffing out her cheeks into a pout.
"Right now I would like at least Benja to be here." Said the girl but suddenly she heard someone knock on the window.
"Umbrella. It's me, Benja." The girl turned around and smiled with delight before running over and opening her bedroom window.
"Benja!! I'm so glad you're here." The girl hugged me tightly making me laugh before accepting the hug.
"It's great to see you too, Umbrella. Umm, I came here to ask about something." I said looking at the girl, while Umbrella sat on the bed with a finger on her chin.
"Well, that will cost you." The girl thought for a moment before smiling.
"I'll tell you everything you want. In exchange for later we go eat ice cream together." The girl said with a smile making me smile.
"Very well, I accept the request." I said smiling before sitting on the bed.
"Um, Umbrella. I'd like to know, lately I couldn't help but that everyone in New Meridian has some old technology. Cell phones are very old, most everywhere has record players and everything looks very vintage. Why?" I ask curiously making the girl get up and walk to the door of her room.
Umbrella looked around to see that no one was there and there wasn't a guard. The girl sighed before locking the door and walking over to me.
"You know the Medici, Benja. They are responsible for that, and many other things." Umbrella said seriously before sitting next to me.
"The Medici, in addition to being one of the largest mafias in the city. They control everything down to the last detail. Those bastards were in charge of cutting all signals with the outside, from the transportation of food, to boats and means of transportation."
"According to Parasoul, the Medici had affected the foreign media very strongly, not to mention that they also cut off any ship with both technological and food resources. That's why they all have somewhat old technology."
"My sister was very generous in transporting food and clothing to those most in need, however. We still have difficulties getting a signal to the outside world. In simple words, the entire city is cut off from the entire world, and we, we struggle to get more freedom for the people and lock up the Medici for once." Umbrella said seriously while I listened to everything with surprise.
"So the Medici isolated the people of New Meridian from the world. But why doesn't your sister do something about it?" I asked curiously making Umbrella look at me.
"Benja. My sister constantly fights to defeat the Medici and free the city from their tyranny, but. Parasoul is also very serious because of the Skullheart. Once my sister tried to defeat the Medici once but she said that a Skullgirl appeared and kill a couple of Medici henchmen like they were nothing."
"Since that day my sister realized that there are threats even more dangerous than a group of gangsters. So Parasoul looks for a way to destroy the Skullheart, that way she will later go in search of the Medici. She worries about that if they go back to find those mobsters, possibly the Skullgirl will show up."
"The black herons suffered a lot of losses when they fought a Skullgirl last time. So, Parasoul wants to avoid more losses and find a way to avoid much worse chaos than last time." Umbrella said making me sigh.
"I understand. This is something very serious." I said shocked making Umbrella out of a settlement.
"Yeah. Ugh, y. Those are things I hate. Parasoul is so busy doing that kind of shit that she doesn't even have time for me. The last time she and I went out was to see a movie, but the room was packed of soldiers, and at no time did Parasoul stop criticizing the movie!!." the girl yelled before pouting childishly.
"You can't blame your sister, Umbrella. She only seeks to protect everyone including you, that's what a princess always does, she seeks the protection of her people." I said smiling making the girl sigh.
"Yeah, I guess. Oh, I almost forgot!!" Umbrella jumped up and ran to her closet. The girl returned and I could see my mask in her hands
"You left it when we last met. I was saving it until you came back." Said the girl with a smile while I took my hero mask.
"Thank you very much, Umbrella." I said smiling but then the girl felt a chill down her spine when we both heard footsteps in the hallway.
"Umbrella?." The girl turned around slowly only to see a shadow under her door. The girl was shaking with fear before she started to push me.
"You have to go, quickly!!." The girl screamed in fear as she pushed me to the window.
"Umbrella? What's going on in there, who are you talking to?" Parasoul started to turn the knob only to notice that the door was locked.
"Quick, fly!! Get out of here!!." Umbrella yelled in fear, the girl's fear intensifying as Parasoul began pounding on the door.
"Umbrella, open the door right now!!" Parasoul yelled seriously, drawing the attention of some guards who quickly approached the place.
"I'll see you another day, now go!!" The girl yelled causing me to nod before quickly flying away.
"Umbrella Renoir!!. Open the door right now or I swear I'll take away your ice cream for a whole month!!." The girl was petrified by that and she opened the door only to see her sister crossed her arms with a serious expression and some soldiers with weapons ready for her.
"Umbrella. Explain yourself right now. Why did you lock the room door?" Parasoul asked seriously making the girl look around before seeing a small table with stuffed animals and a teapot.
"Me. I was playing a tea party with my stuffed animals." Umbrella said with a smile before going to the table to start playing while Parasoul watched everything with a raised eyebrow.
"Days ago. You told me you weren't going to keep playing that because according to you, it was stuff for little kids." Parasoul said seriously making Umbrella laugh.
"I said that to annoy you. Also, the last time we played this, you started talking about diplomatic and democratic issues." Umbrella said with a smirk making Parasoul sigh.
"And why the hell did you close the door?" The woman asked seriously making Umbrella roll her eyes.
"You have your privacy. Can't I have mine?" Umbrella asked with a blank look.
Parasoul looked straight into Umbrella's eyes seriously. The girl began to sweat due to her nerves until she saw her older sister touch the ground with the tip of her umbrella.
"Very well, I'll take your word for it, for now. Soldiers, return to your positions." Parasoul said before leaving as the black herons saluted.
"Sir, yes sir." The soldiers said before walking out and leaving Umbrella alone. The girl looked out the window and noticed that I had already left, making her sigh in relief before looking at the sky.
"Benja. Perhaps he will help us stop the Medici. However, I don't know how Parasoul will take this. Possibly she distrusts him and refuses to accept Benja's help. I'll have to talk to him next time." Said the girl before closing her windows and going to continue playing.
Filia and Samson had arrived in the city. The girl was nervous while the parasite said the directions until the two arrived at a casino.
"Samson. You said we were going to a bar." Filia said nervously. The last time she and the parasite were in a bar, they had to run when Samson punched a security guard and a couple of bartenders.
"Listen, kid. If I had told you we were going to a bar, you would have quickly become very nervous, not to mention that you would not stop insisting on leaving. But don't worry, we will only be here for a while and then we will leave." Samson said causing the Filia to enter the place with concern.
Meanwhile at the top of the casino. Lorenzo was signing papers and drinking as usual, but the man then sighed before going through an old photo in a drawer. The photo showed a man, a woman, and a baby in their arms.
"Dad, I want you to meet our daughter."
"He has the same eyes as you, son. What's his name?"
"We were thinking about it and. I think, Filia would be the perfect name."
"Filia Médici. It is the perfect name for the future of our family."
"Dad." Lorenzo was startled and saw that in front of him was Vitale.
"Vitale. What kind of pranks are these? You know perfectly well that I'm not in my years to receive this kind of scares." Lorenzo said but then he saw that Vitale was looking at the photo that the old man had in his hands.
"Dad. Don't you think it's time to let go of the past? It's been a while and I know you miss..."
"Vitale, enough." The man stopped talking when Lorenzo interrupted him and then he saw the old man walk a bit and look at the sunset.
"I can't let go of the past. That disgusting Skullgirl, just knowing that she murdered not only your brother, but also my granddaughter and her mother, is not something I forget and let go of so easily." Lorenzo said seriously but Vitale became serious too.
"You shouldn't be thinking about Marcus, he decided to abandon you for that woman and thinking about a different future, ignoring the things we've accomplished." Vitale said but then the man had to dodge a shot that Lorenzo threw.
"Marcus was also my son, just like you Vitale!! What does it matter if he abandoned us, he was free to choose his own path and make his own decisions, but even so, Marcus was always there to help us and also to fulfill his obligation as a Medici." Lorenzo said angrily before relaxing back in his chair and touching his forehead.
"Get out of my office right now, Vitale. And I hope that when you come back here, you show more respect for your brother and his family." The old man said as Vitale left with an angry look.
Outside the casino. A person wearing a long trench coat and a hat was standing in front of the building.
"Meow. It's time for this kitty to hit the big shot tonight." The person said with a smile before entering the casino but she seemed to be looking at everything seriously.
Suddenly the person turned around only to see Filia playing and winning causing the annoyance of many people, and then he noticed another person but a large one drinking in a small bar.
"Seems like a lot of people tonight, some lucky, some not so lucky." The person said in a mocking tone before continuing on his way.
"And player four wins again." said a woman wearing a rabbit outfit but with a mask before handing the chips to Filia.
"Keep it up, kid. Pretty soon we'll have a comfortable spot tonight." Samson said in a low voice while Filia seemed somewhat flustered due to the other players' annoyed looks.
"Samson. Let's go to another table." Filia whispered in fear making Samson refuse.
"No, Filia. We're on a roll right now, focus on the cards. If these idiots don't like our game then they can go whining elsewhere." Samson said mockingly while Filia moved one of the chips for the game to start.
I was on top of a building looking at the stars. I was thinking about everything that had happened so far. The Skullheart, the Medici, low technology, Filia, Samson. It was all kind of shocking. However, my thoughts were interrupted when I received a call and saw that it was Draculaura.
"Hello Draculaura. How are you?" I asked with a smile. The vampire girl smiled happily hearing me.
"Better than ever now that I know you're okay." Said the vampire girl making me laugh.
"Thanks. How are things at Monster High?" I asked curiously making Draculaura laugh.
"Everything's fine. But, umm. Dad's still having a hard time being the new principal of the school." Draculaura said before walking into his father's office only to see Dracula sleeping on top of a pile of documents.
"I didn't have any luck finding Bloodgood either. I've been searching almost the whole city and still can't find anything. But, there are also things in this city that catch my attention a lot." I said seriously making Draculaura serious.
"What kind of things?." The vampire girl asked seriously before returning to her room.
"Enough to say that instead of a different city, I can say that I'm in a city almost the same as Gotham City." I said seriously making Draculaura even more serious but also worried.
"Do you want me and the rest of the team to go help you? If it's something serious enough to compare it to that city, then you must be in a lot of trouble." The vampire girl said with concern before walking to her closet to look at her hero outfit.
"No, Draculaura. I appreciate the help, but I don't think it's a good idea. Although I'm not denying that if the rest of the team were here it would be easier to find Bloodgood. The truth is that there are so many dangers in this city that I prefer that all of you be safe before you put them in danger." I said seriously making Draculaura sigh.
"I don't know, Benja. This sounds very dangerous. I don't want anything bad to happen to you." the girl said with fear while the girl played with a necklace making me smile.
"Draculaura. I know you're very worried about me. But I promise I'll be fine, and if anything happens I'll call you. I promise when it's all over, I'll go back to New Salem and never leave you alone again." I said smiling making the vampire girl smile.
"Vampire word?." The girl asked raising her palm making me do the same.
"Vampire word." I said smiling making the vampire girl smile happily.
"I'll call you tomorrow. I'll go to rest, the girls and I were patrolling all night and I have an exam tomorrow. I love you, brother." Draculaura said with a smile before leaning back on her bed.
"I love you too, sister. Rest up, and have a good day tomorrow." I said smiling as we both ended the call.
"I'd better keep looking for Bloodgood. I don't think Dracula will last long." I said laughing but then my whole body froze and I felt a deep chill.
"What, what is this?" I ask fearfully. My fox tails fluffed up and my hair had stood on end.
"That. It's dark magic. Dark magic, pure." I said fearfully before looking around and then seeing the cathedral.
"But. Why would such a large concentration of dark magic be in the cathedral?" I ask curiously before starting to fly to the spot.
I slowly opened the doors of the cathedral and entered only to see that the place was empty, cold and dark.
"How strange..." I used my magic to create a flame in my hand and slowly started to walk around the place.
Samson had a huge smile while Filia was very nervous. Right now, the girl was still at the table while many people were around her. At the table there were many people who seemed to be millionaires.
"Look at all this loot, Filia. With this, we're never going to have to worry again." Samson said with a huge smile while the girl was sweating due to her tension and nerves.
"Samson. Please, let's go now. I'm more than sure that with all this money, you, Benja and I will be able to live comfortably until we find Miss Bloodgood." Filia said fearfully but that made the parasite chuckle softly.
"Are you kidding, kid? This is our moment, and we won't leave until we run these idiots out of money." Samson said with a smile while the girl just looked at her cards with her trembling hands.
Filia and Samson never noticed. But the giant person wearing the sack had been watching them for a while now.
"That girl. I could swear I saw her somewhere." the person muttered before taking his drink but he seemed to be glancing at the waiters.
"Ladies and gentlemen, your letters." Filia, like the rest of the people at the table, had shown her cards but to the anger of the millionaires, the girl had won.
"The lady here wins." The girl who dealt the cards was going to continue but one of the players hit the table in anger.
"This is unacceptable!! You are cheating!!." The man yelled causing everyone to turn and look at the table causing Filia to start sweating while Samson was nervous.
"Check her sleeves, she's hiding something." The man said angrily making the woman look at Filia.
"Miss. Please show us your arms." The woman said, that caused Filia and Samson to get even more nervous but the girl was the most affected.
"Filia". Samson tried to speak but suddenly the man grabbed the girl's arm and revealing that part of Samson was wrapped around Filia's arm which caused everyone a great shock.
"Fuck, let's get out of here!!." Suddenly everyone saw Filia's hat explode before watching Samson take all the chips from the table and put them in a bag before wrapping himself around Filia's legs to start running at high speed.
"Secure the doors. We have a scammer and a parasite. I repeat, secure the doors!!." One of the waiters yelled and suddenly Filia saw the front door close.
"Samson, what are we going to do!?" Filia yelled in fear causing the parasite to look everywhere in search of a way out.
"Calm down honey. No one will hurt you doll, just come with us and you'll be fine." Filia turned around and saw the waitresses and waiters approaching but also part of Vitale's gangsters.
"Shit. Get ready to fight, kid. If we have to get out of here, then it's going to be on them." Samson said seriously making the girl go into a combat stance but her legs were shaking due to fear.
"Oh honey. Don't try to fight, you're alone against us. You don't stand a chance." Said one of Vitale's men with a smile holding a knife.
"Think twice, wretch." The man spun around only to be sent flying when a gigantic brass fist hit him causing the mobster to crash into a wall.
"Catch that idiot!!" one of the waiters yelled. But before anyone could get close, the huge man suddenly began to fly due to thrusters before landing next to Filia and Samson.
"I hope you don't mind doing a duet with me, miss." The man said before looking seriously at the gangsters and waitresses.
"Who are you?." Filia asked in amazement. The person turned so that Filia could see that she was a person but that she had some kind of oxygen mask.
"Call me Big Band. Now let's give these idiots some music." Big Band said making Filia and Samson prepare to fight.
"Finish them!!" A mobster yelled causing the waiters to pull out some shotguns but suddenly Big Band made a giant drum cymbal appear causing the bullets to bounce.
"Girl, your turn!!." Big Band yelled making Filia jump thanks to Samson.
"Let's go, Samson!!" Filia yelled before starting to spin around like a ball.
"Oh yeah!!." At that moment Samson and Filia rolled to where the gangsters are. The waiters quickly fired but noticed that Samson had covered Filia's entire body with thorns making her immune. They tried to move but Filia knocked them down with no problem.
"My turn." Big Band quickly went in to attack the gangsters. The men tried to aim their weapons but the giant man was faster and Big Band suddenly launched a flurry of punches before landing a final blow with all of his might causing the men to crash into a wall.
"Dammit, call Mrs. Dahlia!!" yelled a waitress before being knocked out when the Big Band hit her with two huge cymbals.
"Shit. Come kid, let's get out of here!!." the man yelled before bowing. Quickly Filia and Samson got on his back and suddenly they saw Big Band fly, but suddenly the man fell to the ground along with my friends.
"Are you leaving the party so fast, Big Band?" The man looked ahead only to scrunch his face in disgust at the sight of Black Dahlia next to Cerebella.
"It's been a long time since we last met, Big Band. You haven't aged one bit." Dahlia said with a laugh as the man looked at one of his broken thrusters before getting up.
"Well. Let's just say that being a person made of metal has its advantages. You don't seem to have aged either, Dahlia." Big Band said angrily as Dahlia laughed before stroking the barrel of her gun.
"How sweet. Well, it was nice to see you. It's too bad I now have to tear your tin body to pieces." The woman said with a sadistic tone making Big Band serious before looking at Filia and Samson standing up again.
"Kid, stay out of this. I'll take care of her, you find a way to escape." Big Band said as the man walked a few steps in Dahlia's direction.
"Cerebella. Take care of that girl. I have business to attend to, an old friend." The woman said with a smile before walking to where the Big Band is while the acrobat girl smiled and followed Filia.
"Are you going somewhere, sweetie?" Filia stopped walking when Cerebella landed in front of her.
"You are very bold to come to our casino and dare to rob us like that. It's not much fun to play if someone cheats, it takes a lot of fun out of people and money out of our pockets." Cerebella said with a smile before cracking her knuckles as the giant arms of her hat did the same.
"We only do what we must to survive. I have no money, and I had no other choice." Filia said nervously while Cerebella laughed.
"How sweet you are. But I'm sorry, girl. Right now you will come with me, my boss will be very happy to receive you and talk about your little tricks." Cerebella said with a smile but then she saw that Filia's hair seemed to be moving.
"I don't think so, bitch. If you're going to take us, then you'll have to get past me first." Samson said angrily making Cerebella smile even more but in a forced way.
"A parasite? Yuck, I must admit it will be interesting, I've never fought a parasite. This is exciting." Said the girl with a smile causing Filia and Samson to be on their guard.
"Samson. Let's use the paper Benja gave us, I don't think we can beat her." Filia whispered fearfully making the parasite more serious.
"No way. We don't need that idiot. Just hold your ground, Filia. Leave it to me." The parasite said seriously, causing the girl to be on her guard but with fear.
Filia quickly ran to attack Cerebella but the girl easily dodged the attacks. Samson tried to attack by surprise but the parasite saw the gigantic hands of the acrobat girl hold him.
"Time to fly!!." Cerebella suddenly tossed Filia into the air before catching her with one of her giant hands. Suddenly the acrobat girl held the other hand tightly before beginning to roughly whip Filia on the ground before throwing against some tables causing them to break.
"Filia, can you get up?" Samson asked with concern as the girl slowly struggled to her feet.
"What's wrong, honey? Can't you keep up with me? Well, too bad, because I'm just starting." Cerebella said before taking a table and throwing it to where Filia is. The girl quickly dodged it with difficulty making the acrobat girl laugh.
"Come on Filia. You can do it, this circus bitch is nothing compared to you. Get up and fight!!." Samson yelled causing the girl to get serious before launching herself to fight Cerebella.
Look everywhere in the cathedral for magical energy. This was very worrying, it was a monstrous power.
"I don't understand. Where is that magic?" I walked around the center of the room again until I saw a light come out of some cracks in the floor.
"Perhaps." I took a step forward only to see a secret passage open up and suddenly some torches were lit only to illuminate a deep descent.
I slowly started to go down only to feel the magic increasing more and more until I reached the deepest part of the place. I looked ahead only to see that the place was a catacomb, inside the tombstones souls came out and they all went to the center of the room where there were giant skulls but also a person.
"An intruder?." Suddenly a giant skeletal hand caught me and began to float up to the person. She was a girl in maid clothes.
"I've never seen you before. Who are you?" The girl asked looking into her eyes. The girl's eyes were pure red.
"My n-name is Benja. W-Who are you?" I asked nervously. Being this close, he could feel that it was a very enormous power.
"My name is Marie, the Skullgirl." Said the girl with a cold tone making me see this with shock.
"You, you are the Skullgirl. That means, here is the Skullheart." I said fearfully making the girl raise an eyebrow.
"Do you know the Skullheart? Who told you about it?" Marie asked coldly making me scared even more.
"She told me, the princess, Umbrella Renoir." I said scared but that caught Marie's attention.
"Renoir. Like the last Skullgirl that lived before me, huh?" Marie said but then she noticed something sticking out of my jacket. The girl slowly stretched out her hand and I suddenly felt a strong cold before seeing the girl hold my Icoffin.
"What a strange object you are carrying. You are certainly not from here. Where do you come from?" Marie asked making me more nervous.
"I'm from New Salem. I'm a Monster High student." I said afraid. The woman looked at me with a raised eyebrow before setting me down slowly.
"New Salem. It's been a long time since I heard the name of that city. Speak, tell me in detail everything you know and why you're here." Marie said making me nervous before starting to speak.
Filia was in very deep trouble. As much as she tried to fight against Cerebella, the acrobat girl was very agile and fast, not to mention that the giant arms of her hat made Filia and Samson have to avoid being crushed or hit.
Big Band, on the other hand. He and Black Dahlia were on a par. The woman, despite all the shots she fired, the man quickly protected himself with a giant saucer, and when the Big Band attacked, his attacks were very slow, which meant that the woman could dodge them.
"Girl, how are you doing?" Big Band asked before launching a strong punch at Dahlia, but the woman easily dodged it before firing causing the man to jump to evade the bullets.
"I don't think I can take it any longer. Samson, we must burn Benja's paper and make him come. We won't be able to last any longer." Filia said exhaustedly looking at Cerebella. The parasite clearly noticed that the acrobat girl was fine while Filia was about to faint.
"With a demon. Well, find a lighter or something that can burn that paper, Filia. But you better do it quickly, I doubt that man can against those two women." Samson said making the girl look at Big Band.
"Hey sir!! We have to do something, can you please try to buy us some time?" Filia asked as Big Band evades another shot.
"Fine. But hurry up, girl. I'm not young for two against one." Big Band said making Filia quickly run to find something among all the chaos.
"Oh, poor Big Band. Are you afraid to fight two women?" Black Dahlia asked with a giggle as the man adjusted his hat.
"I'm glad that girl doesn't see this. Because I'm about to sweep the floor with you." Big Band said seriously. Suddenly the man began to move at great speed thanks to some thrusters on his back. Black Dahlia tried to move but was hit by a giant fist causing her to move back a few meters.
"So you've got more tricks, huh? Well, me too." The woman said with a smile before loading her gun and firing. As Big Band dodged the attack, she saw that when the bullet hit the ground, ice was generated.
Filia searched among all the abandoned tables until she found a lighter. The girl ran to take it but saw Cerebella in front of her.
"I'm sorry, honey. But Dahlia hates it when someone interrupts her fun. So you'll still have to deal with me." Cerebella said with a smile as Filia became serious.
Cerebella quickly attacked Filia causing Samson to help the girl dodge the acrobat girl's attacks. In an oversight, Filia took the opportunity to jump before kicking Cerebella's back causing the girl to fall.
"Filia, now or never!!." Samson yelled causing Filia to quickly run over to grab the lighter. The girl quickly took out the paper but suddenly she was grabbed by Cerebella's legs before being hung upside down.
"Oh honey. That was playing dirty, and I hate it when they play dirty." Cerebella said before slapping Filia over and over again, but the last blow from her, the acrobat girl used the other arm of her hat causing Filia to fall to the ground near Big Band.
"Little girl!!." Big Band tried to go help Filia but the man noticed that Dahlia had frozen one of her legs causing Dahlia to laugh.
"Oh, Big Band. So sweet but so clumsy. Have you forgotten what happened the last time you tried to be the hero? It's a shame, it seems you didn't learn anything." Dahlia said before pointing her gun at Filia and the Big Band.
Filia weakly raised her head and saw Dahlia about to fire. The girl crumpled the paper with the last of her strength before throwing it, when Black Dahlia fired, the bullet hit the paper causing a strong shine which surprised everyone.
Marie listened to every detail everything I told her. Bloodgood, Monster High, my mission here, the things I did. The girl just listened to me while I answered all her questions.
"Impressive. I never expected to find something like this." Marie said with slight surprise before stopping for a moment to think.
"But still. I must ask, did you only come here to find that woman called Bloodgood, or do you also wish to find the Skullheart to give it to her?" Marie asked seriously making me a little nervous.
"No, I'm not interested in the Skullheart. And I don't know why Bloodgood is here. She only said she would come here to take care of certain matters, but she didn't specify what. I don't think she wanted the Skullheart's power." I said nervously making Marie relax.
"Your heart and soul are pure, and I hear no deceit in your voice, I will trust your word. For now." The Skullgirl said but suddenly a turquoise glow appeared on my chest which caught Marie's attention but also me.
"What was that?." Marie asked but I was worried.
"It's Filia. She's in danger. I must go help her." I said worriedly before accumulating magic on the ground and suddenly a turquoise colored circle appeared.
"I'm so sorry I bothered you, Marie. I promise I'll just go after Bloodgood and we'll leave you alone." I said before disappearing in a hurricane of turquoise fire.
"Filia Médici. I haven't heard from her for a long time. If Benja is with her, this means that there will be changes in the Médici?" Marie asked but then a voice was heard in her head.
"Don't be ignorant, Marie. They are nothing more than a plague that must be eradicated. Did you forget what they did to you? How many times have they made you suffer, how many times have you and your friends starved because of them? A Medici is and always will be what he is, scum." The Skullheart said making Marie look serious.
"True. Still, I don't deny that in that girl, Filia. I find things that the others in her family didn't. A heart full of determination and purity." said the girl before sighing and looking at the sky in silence.
Everyone recovered from the Light only to see that there was nothing and only a flash of light had appeared. That made Cerebella and Dahlia start laughing.
"Such a waste of fireworks, honey. Now let me show you a real firework." Dahlia said with a smile before pointing at Filia. The girl quickly closed her eyes expecting the worst when black Dahlia fired.
Suddenly a hurricane of fire appeared and I came out only to see Filia being shot. I quickly made a shield appear that covered Big Band and the bullet girl, which surprised Dahlia but angered Cerebella.
"Filia!! Are you alright!?" I asked with concern before seeing the girl. Filia had multiple bruises and her clothes were almost destroyed.
"I'm fine, Benja. But how did you do that?" Filia looked at me but then she started coughing making Big Band and Samson worry as well as me.
"Rest, Filia. I'll take care of this." I said before touching the ground and making a plant appear. The girl looked at the plant for a moment and suddenly when the petals opened, the flower expelled a gas that slowly began to heal Filia which amazed the girl and Big Band.
"We meet again, mage." I looked ahead only to see Cerebella.
"I knew Filia was in danger. But I didn't think she would be fighting you." I said seriously making the girl laugh.
"Well. Those are the rules in this casino. Anyone who tries to rob us will answer to me and my fists." Cerebella said with a smile, hitting her fists.
"My friends are hungry and cold every night. The Medici shouldn't worry if some money goes missing." I said seriously making Black Dahlia stand next to Cerebella.
"Sorry mage. But that doesn't work here. Money is like our home, only we can have it, and we don't share. Maybe your friend would have better luck working in a corner." Black Dahlia said before laughing with Cerebella but that bothered me a lot.
"Nobody talks like that about my friends, let alone pity them." I said seriously before walking to where the two girls are but Big Band stopped me.
"Boy, think for a second. Those two women are strong. Are you sure you can take them?" The man asked seriously making me more serious.
"I take care of the ones I love. And anyone who tries to hurt my family will be sorry." I said while my hair caught fire which surprised everyone except Cerebella.
"How touching, but don't think that setting your hair on fire scares us." Dahlia said before shooting me but I just used a shield that protected me from the shot before taking a big jump.
"Fire Element: Dragon's Breath!!" I yelled before releasing a strong flame causing Cerebella and Black Dahlia to dodge it.
"Take this!!." Cerebella grabbed one of the tables and was going to throw it at me but the girl only saw that I made a sword appear to cut the table in half.
"Water Element: torrent shot." I yelled before shooting a strong blast of water causing Cerebella to crash into a wall.
Black Dahlia quickly seized the moment to start shooting at me but I started to dodge the shots with some difficulty before accumulating magic.
"Ivy Element: Wrath of Mother Nature!!." I quickly hit the ground hard causing a large amount of roots to suddenly attack Dahlia. The woman tried to destroy the roots but unfortunately she would run out of bullets, the woman tried to reload but she was caught by the vines.
"Well done, boy." Big Band said with a smile but suddenly we saw a group of gangsters, including Lawrence and Riccardo.
"Stop those bastards!!." Black Dahlia yelled as the woman struggled to break free.
"Shoot!!" Riccardo yelled while I quickly ran to where my friends are before creating a shield to protect us from the shots.
"We are surrounded, we must get out of here now!!." Filia yelled in fear as I watched my shield slowly being destroyed.
"The only way out of this is to destroy the entrance so we can escape. But we need something powerful to destroy that steel." Said Big Band as the man broke the ice at his feet.
"I have an idea. But I need everyone to hold on tight to me and not let go." I said as she closed my eyes and concentrated.
Slowly the gangsters stopped shooting when their bullets ran out. They quickly started to reload but then noticed the shield gone.
"Quick, let's go get them!!." Lawrence yelled making everyone go to where we are but Black Dahlia and Cerebella looked at everything with concern.
"Something is not right." The acrobat girl whispered while everyone else was close to where my friends and I are.
At that moment, when the gangsters were about to arrive, they were stopped when a strong turquoise glow appeared causing everyone to close their eyes. They slowly opened their eyes only to see what seemed to appear, that creature began to grow bigger and bigger making the gangsters back in fear.
"What the fuck." Dahlia stared in shock at a gigantic tailed snow fox. The creature looked at everyone before roaring loudly causing the group of gangsters to fly away due to the force.
"Everyone, hold on!!" I yelled before running all out as Filia and Big Band held each other tight while I released a giant fireball causing a loud explosion at the entrance. I quickly started running before starting to jump from building to building to escape.
The minutes passed. Now he was on the outskirts of the city with Big Band and Filia. The three of us watched the city in the distance while I returned to my normal form.
"Benja. How did you do all that?" The girl asked with impact making me sigh.
"I am a hero, Filia. I am a hero of New Salem, my mission is to protect and care for the monsters and the people of my city. I came here with the purpose of finding Bloodgood after being missing for so long. She gave me a home, and I couldn't sit idly by." I said while looking at the ground.
"Well. This is something you don't see every day, and I thought I saw it all thanks to Peacock." Big Band said before looking at us.
"I must be grateful to you children. But I must tell you this girl. It was not very smart to play dirty and try to rip off the Medicis." The man said looking at Filia causing the girl to sigh in disappointment.
"However. I understand the situation of the three of you, so let me give you something." Big Band said before giving us some money and an address.
"There's enough money and a hotel location. It's not very fancy, but. At least you'll have a bed and a roof for the night." The man said with a smile before adjusting his hat.
"Thank you very much, and what is your name?" I asked curiously making the man laugh.
"Call me Big Band, kid. I hope we can meet again another day. And by the way, I hope you don't mind us talking one of these days. I'd like to get to know you more and hear from your director, maybe I can give you a hand." Said Big Band making me smile.
"Thank you very much, Big Band. I hope we can see each other soon." I said smiling as the man used his thrusters on his back to drive away.
Vitale was furious. First his father doesn't listen to him, and now in front of him was the entrance to the completely destroyed casino while Lawrence, Riccardo and other gangsters cleaned up the mess.
"Black Dahlia. Who is responsible for this?" Vitale asked seriously while the girl looked at Lorenzo's son.
"I understand that there are three people responsible for this. A man I already know, a girl, and the magician Cerebella fought the other time. That magician is responsible for this destruction." Dahlia said making Vitale angry.
"This is very serious. If all this destruction was caused by that wizard, then this is something just as dangerous as that Skullgirl." The man said before sighing and touching his forehead.
"I want you to find this wizard, and bring him to me and my father. We cannot allow another threat to be loose on these streets. That girl and the adult can go, but that wizard. We must do something about him when or if no, our entire empire will be destroyed if that wizard and the Skullgirl work together." Vitale said seriously looking at all the destruction in the place.
Filia, Samson and I arrived at the Hotel. Luckily we were able to request a room before the place closed. The interior was simple, a small table, a bar with a kitchen, a room with two beds and a bathroom.
"Well this is much better than sleeping on a train." Samson said while I left my things on the couch.
"Umm, I'll go take a bath." Filia said before walking to the bathroom while I walked to the window before looking at the sky.
"Bloodgood. Because, because she decided to come here. Is it because of the Skullheart?" I asked with concern looking at the sky. Right now I wish I could know why she decided to come here.
"I'd better go see the beds. Tomorrow will be a long day." I said before walking to the room but in front of a building there was someone watching us.
"Meow, what an interesting monster. Well, we'll have our time to get to know each other. Something tells me he'll be a great help." The person said with a smile before disappearing into the shadows.
So far today's chapter. I'm so sorry for leaving this story absent for so long, but that's what I get for having so many stories and not devoting time to each one of them. But that doesn't mean I'm leaving this story.
I promise I'll try to upload more Skullgirls chapters, and I won't leave this story behind. I hope you liked the chapter and I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I hope you have a good day, afternoon or night. See you later, bye dattebayo.