In the northern forest of the island, Chef Saltbaker still wandered about. Half the time he picked up items to aid in healing. The other half he spent lost in thought. Mainly about how much time he had wasted messing around with ideas on how to get to the astral plane. He had been so blinded by desperation that he had wasted years of his life toying with things that had gotten him sent to prison. Even after he had gotten out, he went right back to his bad habits. The chef kept playing the children's words back in his head. About how Ms. Chalice told him that nothing survives in the astral plane and Spoonfred saying that Sue would not have wanted this kind of life for him. He very much regretted his actions now. If only he could undo all the wrong he had done.
Saltbaker reached down and plucked a handful of weed-like growths from the ground. He heard a rustling behind him. It was definitely not the first or the second one he heard. No, there had been plenty of those throughout his trek. The salt shaker began to get a bit annoyed by his follower. He had known the fork was following him for a while now. Saltbaker sighed before ratting out his stalker.
"I know you're following me, Forkington. You can stop trying to hide now." He said without turning around to look.
The utensil emerged from the brush, disappointed that he had been spotted. "How long have you known?" The fork asked sheepishly and uncomfortably rubbed his arm. His head dipped down a bit, not wanting to make eye contact with the chef.
"Long enough." Saltbaker said tersely. "You're following me to make sure I'm doing what I said I was. Well, you can see that I am." He turned around and lifted up a fistful of twigs, plants, and herbs. "If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have anything left to fight for. My bakery's gone, my wife's….*gulp* gone. I still don't want to believe she's gone. How do you move on when everything you love is gone? I've done some bad things that my wife wouldn't be proud of. I just….don't know where to go or what to do from here…." His grip on the plants tightened in his anguish.
"You know, I haven't exactly been a good person myself." Forkington confessed to the chef. "I used to beat my kid and enforce strict rules."
"What? Why would you do that?" Saltbaker said aghast.
"Well, I guess it might have stemmed from the fact that I never actually asked for a kid. My dream growing up was to be wealthy and successful. And I did achieve that. My life had been going exactly how I wanted it to. That was until the day someone left a bundle on my doorstep. Inside it was Spoonfred and his birth certificate stating that I was his father and only living biological relative. Officially under my custody, I had no choice but to take him in and raise him. Unfortunately, my desire to not have a child came through a lot more often than I'd like to admit. Every time I would admonish him, Spoonfred apologized and told me he would try to be better. Spoonfred eventually left me on his own accord. That was after Mugman showed him a different – better – way of living. I didn't realize how much I actually cared for him until he was gone. I just… felt empty after he left. So now I'm working hard at my community service because I want custody of my boy back. But more importantly…. I want his trust, his love."
"Forkington….I wouldn't have known any of that. Your relationship with him doesn't hint at any of that right now." The salt shaker said in awe.
"That's awfully nice of you to say. But I still have a long way to go to achieve his full trust." His gloved fingers nervously ran along his fork prongs. The utensil then cleared his throat. "Anyway, what I'm meaning to say with all my ramblings is that if someone as deplorable as me can have a second chance, then so can you." Forkington placed a hand on the chef's shoulder.
"I….I don't know." Saltbaker was unsure about that.
"I know…for sure. Those boys back there are willing to help you….and so am I." He finally got a smile out of the salt shaker.
"Thank you, Forkington. I suppose it's time to head back to the group now." To which the fork nodded.
Before they could turn around to go back, a cry for help rang out. It sounded fairly close. Without saying a word to one another, they raced toward the cry. The two of them stopped short when an insect buzzed by. Something considerably bigger pounced on it, forcing the creature to the ground. Forkington and Saltbaker watched as a mutated Chalice raised up one of the mob's fly minions. The insect panicked as it was picked up by the wings and dangled above a pair of open jaws. It cried in terror yet again.
"Ms. Chalice?" Saltbaker cautiously called, interrupting the monster. The sickly pink chalice grumbled in confusion. This gave the fly an opportunity to wriggle free from the grip and run away. Chalice's piercing gaze looked in the direction of the salt shaker and fork. They were unsure of what this creature was thinking. Before they could decide on what it might be thinking, the chalice's body started convulsing. A long, gangly figure forced its way out of the girl's body. It stood tall, towering above the mortals. Ms. Chalice's body shrunk back down to normal. That sickly pink faded away to reveal her golden tone. Although it didn't seem as bright and shiny as it once was. For the demon had been draining her energy, paling her complexion. Her glossy gaze said that she was quite disoriented. The red furry creature picked her up and held her close to his gleaming eyes. A wicked smile spread across his face. Tanuki was clearly enjoying his joy ride a little too much.
"Boy, I haven't had that much fun since….never!" The demon boomed in the girl's face. "Perhaps we should see what else you can do? After all, we have all eternity to have some fun."
"Please stop! You can't really use my body for all eternity!" Chalice weakly argued between her deep breaths. Her tough-girl resolve was fading fast. Tanuki had been impressed with her attitude at first, but now it was just pathetic.
"And why not? You've been so easy to manipulate and control. Your will bends like the weakest branch on a tree." A clawed finger slid down her cheek in a mocking manner.
"Hey, stop that!" The onlookers yelled out. They watched as the creature's piercing gaze whipped over to them. Forkington flinched and shrunk back a little, hoping to make himself invisible. Saltbaker, on the other hand, stood tall and tried his best not to show his fear in the presence of this being.
"Well now, what do we have here?" Tanuki said with interest. A couple more mortals that could possibly fall for his tricks. He elongated his body and slithered along the ground like a snake. All the while, he kept hold of Chalice so she could not go anywhere. The creature slithered around the chef, seeming interested in his aura. Forkington was happy that it didn't seem to take notice of him at the moment.
"You look like a gambling man." The furry demon said and brought his head up level with the victim.
"Saltbaker, please help me!" The golden chalice squeaked.
"Quiet!" Tanuki deepened his voice and roared at her, tightening his grip so that she could not cry out again. His attention then reverted to the salt shaker. "Surely, there has to be something you want, something you desire?" A big toothy grin threatened to blind Saltbaker.
"Well…..there's – nah!" The chef waved him off. Saltbaker had considered telling the demon his predicament, but then decided not to.
"No, go on." Tanuki urged. "I can grant pretty much any wish you desire. Take this chalice for example." He glanced back to the female in his grasp. "She used to be a ghost, believe it or not, and I have granted her a body in exchange for a small favor for me." Chalice shook her head, trying to tell Saltbaker not to fall for it. The chef caught a glimpse of Forkington sneaking around back of the demon. The utensil motioned for the salt shaker to keep the furry creature talking and distracted.
"Perhaps there is something…. But it's probably too difficult for you." His glass shoulders shrugged. This only intrigued the demon even more. His greed was getting the best of him.
"What? What is it? Tell me! I'm sure I can do whatever it is."
"All I want is to see my wife again. But she's gone." Saltbaker said with a truthfully sad voice. "So unless you're able to bring someone back from the dead…"
"Hrmm…I might have to pull a few strings…" The demon pondered on it. He sensed the fork coming up from behind him. The utensil's gloved hand reached out for the creature's prisoner.
"Hey!" Tanuki roared and whipped his body back around. His free hand grabbed onto Forkington's. The red hot grip burned the utensil's hand, causing him to scream in agony. Tanuki let go just as the person went to pull away. This caused Forkington to collapse on the ground. The creature then resumed his conversation with Saltbaker as if nothing had just happened.
"Yes, I can let you see your wife." He said with a sly smile.
"You can? Really?" The chef now sounded truly interested.
"Think about it. You get to see her and say all the things you wanted to say to her. And after that, you will be a magnificent warrior for my cause just like her." Tanuki brought Chalice up next to his head. The poor golden chalice looked close to tears as the furry demon mockingly nuzzled her head with his.
"Saltbaker, no! It's probably not what you think!" Came Forkington's voice. For he was still curled up on the ground, cradling his smoking hand close to his chest.
"You need to shut up!" The red creature hissed and attempted to strike the utensil with his spade tail. Forkington yelped in surprise and did his best to roll away. Luckily he didn't get whipped by the sharp appendage.
"What do you say? I call it a win-win." Tanuki winked and extended a paw towards the salt shaker. The chef hesitated but looked like he might actually take the deal. He started to extend his glass hand when the demon's paw twitched and retracted.
"No! I won't let you make a deal with him!" Chalice heard an angelic voice ring through her head. She realized the demon must have heard it too, because he looked very disturbed and annoyed. His free hand seized his head as if it hurt.
"Aaargh! Shut up! Go away! You are not the boss of me!" Tanuki yelled at supposedly nobody. Saltbaker and Forkington looked about, not knowing whom that was directed to.
The chef took his open hand back. This creature was clearly too unstable to be wagering anything fair.
"I…think I'm going to have to pass…" Saltbaker said nervously and stepped back.
"What?" The creature roared. Its anger level was clearly getting too high. A steam started to emanate off his body. It gave off an intense heat that said the furry demon was becoming a ticking timebomb.
"I think we'll just be on our way." The salt shaker said as he helped Forkington to his feet.
"Rrrgh! You made me lose another host!" It roared out, shaking a fist like an upset child. But then he composed himself and looked back at the mortals with a look of pure hate in his eyes. "Fine. If you won't join me, then you will be destroyed." His voice lowered, intimidating the two victims.
"I think it's time to run!" The fork said.
"Good idea." Saltbaker replied as they started away from the demon as fast as they could. Tanuki did not seem worried that his prey was running away. For he knew with certainty that he would be able to catch up and do what he wanted with them.
"You ready to have some fun?" He asked Chalice.
"No! Please don't make me do this!" She desperately pleaded with him.
"Don't act like you don't like the feeling of all that power. It's time we started to spread a little malice." The demon sneered at her before forcing himself back inside her soul. For the golden chalice did not cry out in the same way this time. The girl did not have the energy to muster such a scream anymore. It only took a few seconds for the transformation to take effect. Once it was complete, the mutated chalice promptly gave chase. The thrill of the hunt was now coursing through her body.
It didn't take long for the demon to catch up to his prey, even with the female's heels being a hindrance. Those would be coming off eventually, Tanuki thought. Perhaps after he had taken care of these idiotic mortals. Once they were in sight, the demon summoned sickly pink balls of hellfire at the chalice's hands. They were lobbed forward. His aim seemed to be a bit off (possibly because of the wobbly heels) and they collided with the trees and brush. It started to spread that fire of unnatural color across the island. Saltbaker and Forkington cried out for help as they ran for their lives.
The cup brothers heard the pleas and immediately followed the trail. As they got closer, it was not only a trail of sound but that sickly pink fire as well.
The chef and fork ran for their lives. They were forced to stop as a flaming tree fell down and blocked the path in front of them. The heat from the hellfire was intense. Being near it for even one second would cause you to burst into the most uncomfortable sweat. They turned around and saw the mutated chalice running for them at full speed. Its fist winded up for a punch. Pink embers swirled around the gloved hand as it prepared to strike.
"Watch out!" Saltbaker said and instinctively shielded the utensil. A powerful strike to the gut sent the salt shaker flying away. This left Forkington exposed to whatever punishment the chalice was going to give him. Ms. Chalice promptly picked up the utensil by his shirt and tossed him into a tree. The fork struggled to stay conscious. And Saltbaker was still writhing on the forest floor too. The mutated chalice roared in delight. It began to think up all the awful things it could do to its new prey.