N/A: Welcome to this week's chapter of "Heart, Soul, and Mind"! Today, we're introducing a long awaited character, but that's not the only surprise. What is it? Stay "tooned"!
(Katie's PO.V)
After heading out of the desert land, with the new addition of Aya, we headed over to Sugar Land. Since Dice was defeated in sword fighting, we would have a window of an opportunity to get to Bon Bon first.
"I hope she's in, we need to make sure she's safe!" I mentioned as we reached the doors to the land of sugar.
"Agreed we can't lose anymore people." Liam mentioned.
"And we certainly can't lose the ones who have helped us." I added. "I had promised Sally that I would repay her for her kindness when she and her husband had found me and gave me shelter at the theater…"
Cuphead looked up surprised as he asked, "Oh you met Sally?! Awesome! She and her husband are super nice!"
I smiled. "I know. She was also the one who had suggested I should visit Misterie at her shop to learn more about the gems."
"That's awesome she took care of ya, Kate…" Lexie trailed off, looking down sadly. "Everyone here is very nice...let's do all we can to protect them..."
I couldn't blame her. We were all feeling the same way. Even though it was just three people, it still hurt, especially since one of them was Mugman.
I nodded but then confidently replied, "Right!"
We then went inside the cupcake structure and found ourselves in the land of Sugary delights. I have to admit this was different in person. It was like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory exploded and covered the entire area of sweets, and delights. With having such a sweet tooth on me, I was tempted to eat all that was in front of me, but I would end up with a terrible stomach ache.
That, and we don't have a lot of time.
"Ah, there's her castle." Natty pointed out, gesturing to the large pink cake like castle. I was both amazed and terrified, knowing that the castle can come to life and destroy any enemies that come and threaten the kingdom.
She then knocked on the door and the gum ball machine, Sargent Gumbo Gumbull answered the door.
"Uh, hello. Can I help you?" He politely asked.
"Hi, uh, you probably don't remember but I was here a while back with the Baroness?" Natty replied, hoping they would remember her.
"Oh! Yes, the lovely lady with the pink shirt!" He recalled. "Nice to see you again! What can I do for you?"
"We need to see her! It's important!" Cuphead replied.
"The Devil's after her soul, and we need to warn her." Lexie added.
"Is she home?" I asked.
"We need to see her. Like now." Natty simply replied.
"Oh dear! That is terrible if the Devil is involved!" He gasped. "Please come in
He then opened the door for us and we head inside. We passed down the hallways seeing more sugary delights and other scrumptious sweets. I have to admit seeing the inside of the castle was a whole new scene for us. We only see the outside of it during the boss fight, but it was still very lovely.
"Baroness Von Bon Bon? Are you home, ma'am?" Lexie called out.
Just then, we heard someone come rushing down the hallways. They got closer and closer and we saw none other than the Baroness Von Bon Bon come towards us.
"Yes, I heard someone-Natty! Oh, so good to see you again, dear!" She squealed as she approached us and hugged Natty.
"Oh, I'm so glad you've returned! Oh, and these must be your friends."
"Yes they are." Natty smiled as Bon Bon pulled herself away.
"Hi, I'm Liam and this is my little brother, Matt." Liam announced, gesturing to a shy Matt hiding behind his leg.
"Hi." He meekly replied.
Matt wasn't the only one who was shy. I have to admit meeting characters like her made me feel bashful. I mean sure I met Sally but this was the empress of treats herself.
"Hello, your ladyship. My name's Katie." I politely responded. I then motioned to Kaichi, claiming "And this is Kaichi the Sprigon
"Hey." Kaichi waved.
"Oh, he's so cute! Such a sweetheart!" Bon Bon squealed, rubbing his head gently.
I began to giggle as Kaichi blushed. He is a very friendly creature and very likable to a lot of people.
"Oh and you must be Chalice." Bon Bon smiled. "Cuphead has told me all about you and your adventures."
"Yes, ma'am that's me." Chalice beamed. "Glad to know Cuphead's got a friend with a great sweet tooth. I'll have to stop by here more often."
Bon Bon gave a giggle and turned to Lexie. "And what is your name, my dear?"
"I'm Lexie, and this here's-!" Lexie started, but Bon Bon gasped with joy.
"Awwww, sweet Aya! Oh, I've missed you so! Come to Auntie Bon Bon!" She giggled as she took the small kitten into her hands and rubbed her nose on hers.
"Oh, my sweet kitty, I've missed you!"
Aya gave a gentle mew and began purring, giving a cute smile. What surprised all of us was that she knew Aya.
"Oh! You've already met?" I asked.
"Oh, yes! When Dijimmi first got her, we were head over heels with her." Bon Bon explained, putting Aya in her arms. "There have been times where he brought her here so he can travel a bit. Oh, I've missed her."
The mention of Djimmi brought tension in the room, as Lexie looked down at the floor looking very sad and we gave each other uncomfortable looks. Bon Bon took notice.
"Hmm? Something wrong?" She asked in concern.
"Yeah, uh, King Dice took his soul." Natty sadly replied.
"We were too late to save him. We're so sorry…" I sorrowfully added, as Kaichi let his ears droop in sadness.
"And we found Aya lying under a blanket, scared and alone, so I thought to take her for a bit until we can get Djimmi's soul back." Lexie concluded.
"Oh no! How terrible!" Bon Bon gasped in fright. "Oh, that blockhead is gonna get it now!"
"Listen, we want you to help us! We're making a team that can take down the Devil." Cuphead chimed in. "He wants these girls for his evil plans, and he's throwing everything at us until he gets them."
"The more people we can add to our cause, the better chance we have at defeating the Devil." Lexie mentioned. "We'll definitely need all the help we can get right now."
"Of course I'll help! You and Mugman have done so much for me!" Bon Bon stated to Cuphead. "The least I can do is help!"
"Thank you. But also you have our greatest gratitude for finding Natty and giving her a safe place to rest when we were first brought here." I recalled. "It's good to know that there are plenty of good people on these fair Isles as well."
Lexie nodded as Natty beamed.
"Thanks, we really appreciate that." Natty added.
"Oh, of course! I'll have my best troops help you out!" Bon Bon informed us.
"Thank you, Baroness." I smiled.
"Thank you so much!" Lexie added.
"Much appreciated!" Kaichi beamed.
"Well, that solves that problem." Cuphead mentioned.
"Sweet! Okay, let's move on to the next former debtors." Natty instructed.
Bon Bon then gently handed Aya back to Lex as she claimed "There you go, sweetie. Lexie will take good care of you."
"That's right." Lexie smiled as she perched her on her shoulder, hearing her purr happily.
I couldn't help but giggle. She was such a cute addition to the team.
"Again, thanks. Really appreciate it." Natty claimed, shaking Bon Bon's hand. "How can we thank you?"
"Just take down that overgrown rug and his good for nothing lackey. Then, we'll call it even!" Bon Bon informed.
I gave a wink and thumbs up, replying, "You got it!"
After thanking Bon Bon again, we started heading down the hallway, feeling pretty more confident in ourselves. We were thrilled that Bon Bon was going to help us and with her army in addition, we had a bit of strength for battle.
Things were finally looking up.
"Wow, that went better than expected." I mentioned.
"I'll say. Glad to know she can help." Liam added.
"Absolutely! We'll need all the help we can get." Lexie smiled.
"And how!" Cuphead confidently beamed with Chalice nodding in return.
Just then, as Cuphead was behind us, suddenly, something grabbed him and pulled him in through a portal.
"GUYS HELP-!" Cuphead shouted before vanishing.
"CUPHEAD!" I screamed.
"Oh no! Cups!" Liam gasped as he held onto Matt protectively.
"No!" Chalice cried.
"He's gone!" Natty exclaimed.
"NO!" Lexie cried as she collapsed onto her knees, upset. "I-I promised Elder Kettle I'd protect them…"
"Lex, it's not your fault. You didn't know something like this would happen… neither of us didn't…" I trailed off, as I sat down and rubbed her back.
"I bet Dice did this! He's making me really sick and ticked off right now!" Natty argued.
"I dunno… usually he would come face to face with us. This is new…" Liam muttered..
"Yeah. The boys told me about him and there was nothing about using new tricks like that." Chalice added.
I pondered it over for a second before mentioning, "Usually, old cheese cube would pop up from one of those black holes he conjures to pop in and out from the ground beneath his feet. But that portal… it's different somehow… and whoever it was, it's certainly not Dice…"
Liam looked down and spots something.
"Hey there's a note. And a…red rose?"
"What does it say?" Kaichi asked.
"Let me see…" Natty trailed off. She picked up the rose and the note, unfolded it and read it aloud.
"Hola amigos. I have your little cup friend in my grip. If you want him alive, come to the cave near Grim Matchstick's tower. I'll be waiting."
"Also, give the rose to La encantadora chica con el pelo de cuervo."
"'La encantadora chica el con el pelo de curevo'?" I asked with an arched eyebrow. I wasn't too familiar with it, since I mostly took French classes in school.
"That translates to 'The lovely lady with the raven hair'." Lexie replied, annoyed, gesturing to Natty, before facepalming herself. "Houston...we got another one."
"Oh, great" Natty groaned, tossing the rose off the to the side.
I gave myself a facepalm as well.
"Ugh! Seriously? It's bad enough I have the Devil wanting me to be his queen and Dice hitting on Lexie! But now THIS?!"
"Another unwanted suitor?" Chalice groaned. "Great, just great."
"Who the heck is this guy, and what could he want from us?" Kaichi asked.
"I dunno, but I need to know; what is it with us and having creeps hitting on us?! I'm literally dating Lee for God's sake!" Lexie groaned.
"Well, regardless we need to find Cuppy he's in trouble and whoever this creep is will hurt him if we don't show up." Natty mentioned.
"Right." I nodded. As much as we were frustrated that Natty had an unwanted lover for herself, he was dangerous and would hurt Cuphead if we didn't at least hear him out.
We exited SugarLand and made our way to the cave. Thankfully, Natty knew a short cut. She was hoping to use it to find Djimmi when she woke up, but no thanks to Dice, she was lured into a trap.
A while or so later, we carefully walked down the pathway of the cave. It was dark, dank, a bit wet but thankfully not threatening in any way.
"Okay, guys, we don't know who it is but we gotta stay on guard no matter what." Liam brought up.
"Right." Natty nodded.
As we passed through the cave, we heard muffled screams, echoing off the walls.
Natty gasped. "Cups!"
"Cuppy!" Chalice shouted. "HANG IN THERE!"
"We're coming, dude!" Liam called.
We raced down until we came to a large open area. The space was wide enough for a small gathering but not enough room for a large party. We came in and saw Cuphead bound and gagged by…shadows?
"Okay, the shadows are new…" Natty mentioned.
"Guys, hold up...I smell a trap. Be careful." Lexie warned.
"I think you're right, Lex." Chalice growled, pointing her finger gun ready to shoot.
"Got it." Liam nodded, as he summoned a fighting staff while Matt got his yo-yo.
"Ready for anything." Matt confidently stated.
"Keep your guard up." I instructed as I summoned my Keyblade.
"Nat, can you use a spell to help him?" Liam asked
"Uh, I can try a levitation spell." Natty answered. "It's still a bit new, but I can see if I can get him away."
"Yeah that's probably the safest way to get him out." Lexie agreed.
"One of us should get ready to catch him if anything goes wrong. Still… practice makes perfect, right?" I smiled sheepishly.
"I got it." Lexie popped in Turning to Liam, she handed him Aya. "Here Lee, take Aya."
"You got it. Come here, sweetie…" Liam calmly stated as he held the small kitten in his hands.
I took a deep breath.
"Okay… Don't worry, Cups! We're gonna get you down! Just stay calm!"
He nodded, unable to speak because his mouth was gagged with shadows. Whoever we were dealing with really enjoyed staying in the dark. But the light has to expose it somehow, right?
Taking a breath, Natty tried using the levitation spell. It worked fine at first, but then, something pulled him back down, causing Natty to lose focus and become frustrated.
"Argh! Darn it! Something's keeping him down!"
"What the heck is going on?" Kaichi asked nervously.
"It looks like he's bolted to the wall." Lexie pondered. "Kate, think you can shoot an arrow behind him?"
"I'm not sure. I'm used to hitting targets back in archery club." I nervously replied. "I'm scared I might hit him by accident if my aim is off…"
"I might be able to guide your shot with my paintbrush. Go ahead." Lexie nodded.
Taking a deep breath and confidently replied "Okay."
I took my Keyblade and turned it into a bow. An arrow of light shot from my bow as I saw Lexie jump up toward it, swiping at it with her paintbrush, creating a path directly behind Cuphead.
*TWANG!*
The arrow hit its mark, freeing Cuphead from his bindings, while he peeled the shadowy gag off his mouth.
"Guys!" Cuphead gasped as he ran over and hugged us. "Oh man, that was crazy!"
"You okay?!" Natty asked, concerned.
"Are you hurt?!" Chalice cried.
"Yeah, I'm good. Some creep came from behind and snagged me and wanted to lure you guys into a trap, but I'm not sure where he's at…?" He answered as he looked around nervously.
"Do you know who's done this to you? It wasn't Dice, was it?" I asked.
"No, it-it was someone new!" Cuphead informed us. "It was kinda hard to see who it was because of the shadows, but he seemed pretty desperate to kidnap me."
"Catch a name at all?" Liam asked.
"No, not really."
"I've got a BAD feeling about all of this…" Kaichi trembled.
"That makes two of us…" I muttered. Turning to Cuphead, I asked, " If this is indeed a trap, what about our nameless kidnapper? Where is he?"
Before Cuphead could answer, we heard laughter echoing in the cave. This laugh was unfamiliar, but nonetheless terrifying.
"Show yourself, coward!" Lexie shouted.
"Bienvenidos, mis amigos...you're just in time." Someone called out.
"Who are you?!" I demanded. "What do you want from us?!
"Okay, getting a bit freaked out…" Natty claimed as she pulled out her Keyblade.
"It's okay, Nat. We can handle this." Lexie reminded her.
Liam could feel Aya shake with fear as he gently stroked her back whispering "It's okay, sweetie. No one'll hurt ya."
"I'm so glad to run into el grupo. You made my job very easy…" The figure sneered.
The shadows merged right in front of us until it formed a shadowy jackal with what appeared to be a sleeveless trench coat with some body armor. And he had fingerless gloved hands, a red streak of fur on one side of his head…and purple eyes.
"Well, if it isn't our rag tag team of heroes…" He shot a devious look in our direction, giving us shivers. "Katie Gemwing, Alexis Luthor, Liam and Matthew Jones…"
Seeing Natty, a lustful smirk forms in his face. Almost hungry looking.
"And Natalie Poke. Muy bonita, señorita…" he cooed.
So, it turns out he was the unwanted lover for Natty, and the one who wrote the note.
I held out my arm out in front of Natty while glaring at the jackal, making a draconic growl in warning. He didn't seem startled by that. Not even a little.
"Who are you?!" Lexie demanded.
"I am Anubis, chiquita." Anubis replied. "In other words... Death."
He took out his scythe and lifted it to his eye level, carefully caressing it while approaching Lexie and me.
"And no, I don't mean metaphorically, theoretically, or anything else with a 'ly' at the end…"
With a wicked sneer, he leered towards us while quickly scraping the scythe on the ground. "I am muerte. Straight up…"
"T-That means 'death'". Lexie gulped.
I should have every reason to be unnerved and a bit afraid of this newcomer, but I found it ironically odd that he is named after one of the Egyptian Gods, yet he speaks Spanish. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that his mother really liked that particular name and decided to name her kid after someone from old historian myths and legends.
Despite the fact he's named after the Egyptian God of Death, I wasn't going to let this mangy psycho intimidate me or harm my friends.
"Back off, Grim Creeper!" I shouted.
I heard a slight giggle from Natty at my comment. "Hey, nice one Kate."
"Thanks." I smiled.
"I don't care WHO or WHAT you claim to be! You'd better leave Cuphead alone!" Lexie shouted. "He's just a boy! He's NEVER done anything to you! And it was wrong of you to kidnap him!"
Anubis strode a few paces before claiming, "I could...but if my memory serves, this little chico owes his soul to El Diablo. I'm afraid I can't let him go that easily…"
"El Diablo'?" Kaichi asked. "What's that mean?"
Lexie gave a deadly glare while replying, "That means "The Devil" in Spanish…
"Oh…" Kaichi said.
Natty rolled her eyes and muttered, "Terrific, my unwanted lover means death and works for someone who causes death. Greeeeat."
Well, death or not, I was not gonna let this fleabag of a bounty hunter do anymore damage around here. I kept myself between Natty and Anubis, glaring at him.
"Ever since he and his brother had beaten the Devil, their debt had been cleared!" I snapped. "Neither of them nor the former debtors owe him anything! So, crawl back into the crack in whatever ground you crept out from!"
Anubis gave a vile chuckle. "My, my, señorita. El jefe wasn't kidding when he talked about you. You sure are more lovely than he described you to be."
"Watch it, dog breath!" I growled, which sounded more draconic.
"And also I think your master forgot to mention that Cuphead no longer owes his soul to him, since the contracts were burnt up along with the others." Natty piped up.
"That's right! So leave him alone!" Liam shouted.
"That may be, señorita dulce, but contract or no, El Diablo always gets his man." Anubis lustfully stated. I could tell Natty felt a bit nervous, but she quickly shook that off before glaring at him again.
"You tell your stupid boss to let my brother and the other debtors' souls go right now!" Cuphead shouted, his voice shaking a bit.
"Unfortunately it's not my place to give him the orders that would be no Bueno. I could, however, strike a deal with you all." Anubis suggested.
"A deal?! Fat chance, you overgrown hyena!" Kaichi retorted.
"Very well then I guess the souls of the debtors mean nothing to you at all…"
"Of course they do!" I shouted at Anubis, cutting him off. "We'll protect them…WITHOUT making a deal with either you or that wicked old demon!"
There was a pause for about a minute or so when Anubis mused, "Hmmm, perhaps I should be a little more… persuasivo."
Suddenly, he moved his hand in a strange motion, and without warning, he managed to grab Cuphead, pull him back, and hold his scythe at his neck.
"Cups!" Natty gasped.
"No!" Liam cried while Lexie gasped in horror.
"LET HIM GO, YOU MONSTER!" I screamed.
"DROP HIM!" Chalice snarled, pointing her finger gun at Anubis. "NOW!"
"Try anything, chicas and I'll be shattering glass. You wouldn't want to tell his abuelito about his demise would you?"
"Easy, Kate, he's got Cuppy. We need to be very smart about this." Natty whispered in my ear.
As much as I wanted to run over there, and beat the living daylights out of that freak, I had to stop myself. If Cuphead was hurt, I would never forgive myself.
With a sigh, I lowered my Kebylade. I saw Lexie lower her paintbrush, Chalice lowering her finger gun following suit.
"Nat's right, we don't want him hurt." Lex stated calmly. To Anubis, she demanded, "What are your terms?"
"You are to surrender yourselves to El Diablo." He informed us.
Shooting Natty a lustful look, he claimed, "For you though, mi bonita, I might make an exception. Señor Diablo might be willing to spare your soul if...you become mi novia."
Everyone looked at each other, confused. Except for Lexie.
"And… what does "mi novia" mean, exactly?" I asked.
Liam shrugged as he replied, "Your guess is as good as mine."
"It can't mean girlfriend right…?" Natty asked. "I know I took two years of Spanish in college, but terms are slipping by me."
"Worse…" Lexie gagged. "He asked you to be his BRIDE!"
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed.
Kaichi's ears drooped while looking green in the face, looking like he was gonna throw up or something.
"Gross! That's just nasty!" Liam retorted.
"Eww! I'd never marry you!" Natty shouted.
"Pero, mi amor, El Jefe already arranged the marriage between us." Anubis explained to Natty. "I may be a bounty hunter, but I can be very gentle while holding you in my warm, loving embrace."
"Ugh! Over my dead body!" Natty shuddered. "And FYI, where we come from, marriage is an option! So you can forget about it!
"And she's only 23!" I added. "And you're, like, what? No older than that pompous old cheese cube, Dice?"
"A bounty hunter never reveals his secrets to his prey, but there's nothing to be worried about, mi amor." Anubis grinned at Nat. "El jefe will help arrange the ceremony, and I'm sure you'll look increíble mente hermoso."
Anubis started approaching Natty, when Lexie suddenly got in front of her, her cheeks red with anger.
"¡Si te acercas a ella EN CUALQUIER LUGAR, te cortalé y usaré tu piel como abrigo!" Lexie shouted.
We all arched an eyebrow in confusion.
"Uh, anyone understand that?" Natty asked.
"Nope not a clue." Liam shook his head.
Anubis gave a shocked look as he gasped, "Qué?! Habla Español?!
"Si, tomé muchas lecciones, ¡pero ese no es el punto! ¡Dejala sola!" Lexie shouted.
Next thing we know, the conversation turned into a heated argument, back and forth…in Spanish.
"Annnd they're fighting." Natty sighed. "Sheesh this is getting crazy especially since they're arguing in Spanish…"
"She took a lotta lessons in elementary and high school." Liam pointed out. "I guess living in Texas kinda had that effect."
"Oh that's right…" Natty recalled.
There were times I had wondered if my former school had been the right choice of school to attend for my education. Not only did it fail to help me with my autism and bullying problem, but they did not have any lessons for everything. Learning how to speak Spanish would help to understand this conversation right now.
"I just wish they had taught us more than French back at the school I was sent to…" I sighed.
I spotted Lexie sliding an arm behind her back and pointed toward Anubis. She was giving a signal.
"She's doing this to distract him." Natty whispered in realization.
"But he has Cuphead in his grip!" Liam whispered back. "How can we get him away without that Grim Creeper knowing?"
"Leave that to me." Kaichi stated, as he slipped out of my pocket. Being the smallest next to Aya, he flew around us and towards Anubis while he's distracted.
I have to say, I was very impressed at how well Lexie was keeping this up. I may not know what they were arguing about, but at least she kept him busy. Though, the look on his face made me think he was talking about Natty…and not in the pleasant way.
At one point, I guess Anubis must've said something horrible, because Lexie let out a loud gasp.
"You did NOT just say that!"
"Jeez, scared to know what he said." Natty muttered, biting the tip of her finger nail.
"Let's just be happy Matt doesn't know Spanish because from the sound of it, he said something really nasty." Liam pointed out.
I noticed that Kaichi was getting closer to Cuphead, and Cuphead noticed him too.
"Help me!" Cuphead whispered to Kaichi. He gave a nod and knew exactly how to deal with Anubis.
As Anubis and Lexie were still arguing, Kaichi had latched onto the hand holding Cuphead. He opened his mouth wide and…
*Crunch!*
He bit down on Anubis' hand. Hard
"AYYYYYYYYY! OUCH!" Anubis howled in pain.
The bite was enough to make Anubis lose his grip and drop Cuphead, who nearly stumbled while landing on the ground.
"Cuphead! Get out of there!" I shouted. "NOW!
"Don't tell me twice!"
He rushed over back to us and Lexie, seeing he was safe, took out her paintbrush again.
"Let's see how tough you are when I punch ya back to the casino!" She snarled.
Kaichi managed to get away as Anubis tried to swat him, only to miss. Seeing that both friends were safe, I got out my Keyblade, ready for battle.
"You will pay for that, Eres una bola de pelo molesta!" He growled.
"Oi, hyena boy! Pick on someone your own size!" I shouted.
"I am a JACKAL!" he shouted. That caused Natty and Kaichi to bust out laughing.
"Ohhh, Kate… I think you struck a nerve." Lexie smirked.
I shrugged. "What can I say? He does almost look more hyena-like to me."
"More like a lobo estupido…" Lexie taunted.
"I am NOT a wolf or a hyena!" He shouted, clearly frustrated.
"You are an idiot for thinking you can just tell me you're gonna marry me when I don't!" Natty argued.
"And above all… you're NOT her type!" I added. "So, I'm warning you for the second and last time, you Grim Creeper; leave her and the rest of my friends alone!"
"You think I'll quit like that?!" He growled. "She will be mine even if I have to drag her back to the casino!"
I let out a draconic snarl, while Natty simply glared at him.
"Yeah I'd rather jump off a cliff then go with you!" Natty retorted.
"Don't worry. I'll handle this freak!" Lexie claimed.
She charged at him and the two clash weapons for a bit, but I could tell fleabag had a trick up his sleeve.
"Lexie! Wait!" I cried.
All of a sudden, Anubis swiftly moved his scythe and slashed Lexie's leg, creating a large gash.
"GAH!"
Lexie could barely react before he elbowed her chest and hit her back towards the group.
"Lex! You okay?!" Liam gasped, helping her up.
"Yeah," Lexie replied, wincing in pain. "Jeez, that smarts…"
"Hey! Leave her be!" Natty shouted.
"She got in the way, mi amor." He shrugged. "Now, how about you come with me? I'm sure el Jefe would be pleased to see his little girl home."
"Want me?! Come and get me!"
She then pulled out her Keyblade and began to fight Anubis herself.
"Natty, don't! I think that's what he wants!" I warned.
The issue was she was too distracted to hear that, but she tried to keep up a good battle. Weapons clashed for a bit when he decided to go a different route. He moved his hands in that same strange direction and suddenly rocks were thrown at us!
"Look out!" Natty shouted.
She quickly cast a spell and before it could hit any of us, it turned into snow, which landed on us safely.
"Whew! Thanks, Nat!" Liam called as he kept Aya close.
"What the heck was that?!" Kaichi exclaimed.
"That, fur ball, is what I call shadow bending." Anubis explained. "I can tap into the shadows of living beings and use them for my own purpose."
"'Shadow bending'?" I repeated. "As in similar to… blood bending like from out of Avatar: The Last Airbender?!"
"Sí, something el jefe wanted me to learn and I was more than happy to get lessons on it."
"Great…" I sarcastically replied.
"You know, speaking of lessons, there is one I'm hoping to master soon." Natty stated.
"Oh?" Anubis inquired. "And what is that, mi amor?"
"Kicking you into next week!"
The two of them continued to clash weapons and cast spells.
As the battle progressed, I motioned Liam and Lexie to lead Matt and Cuphead to a corner, far away from the battle so that Anubis wouldn't try anything. As the oldest, I covered up the rear while readying my bow
"You doing good, Lex?" Liam asked as he helped Lex sit down.
"Yeah I'm good. Man, that was startling."
"Glad you're okay. I'm sorry, I feel like this is my fault I was captured and you got hurt." Cuphead admitted.
"You're not to blame, Cuphead." I reassured him. "None of us saw any of this coming. And frankly, I didn't know that the Devil even has another minion outside of King Dice."
"Yeah, he's a new one." Liam added. "Never saw him once while playing the game. Where did he come from?"
"Not sure, but all I know is he means business and he's got sights for Natty." Lexie groaned.
I clenched my fists at the very thought of that fleabag pulling the exact same nonsense that Dice pulled with Lexie.
"I swear, if he does the same that Dice did to you, I'll smack him back to the Stone Age!"
"Don't worry, Kate, we all will." Lexie calmly assured her.
"But judging by the way she's fighting, she's able to hold her ground." Lee stated, as they continued to watch Natty battle. "Gotta say that's pretty impressive for someone who hasn't done a ton of fighting."
"Still… we should be ready to give her a hand should this fight turn south." I commented. "Since he's still literally new to us, Anubis seemed like the sort to be… unpredictable…"
"He's really scary too, especially since his name means...death." Matt gulped.
"It's okay, big guy. He's not gonna hurt ya, not while we're here and I won't let him hurt Aya either." Liam stated, as he rubbed Aya's back, who let out a gentle mew in response.
"I just hope Nat doesn't lose focus too much." Lexie pointed out. "That's how Dice nearly got me."
Liam nodded as he replied, "Yeah that's what I'm worried about too. But if I know Natty, when she needs to focus on something she will; studying for a test, homework, you name it."
Lexie nodded in response while I looked down, lost in thought. First Lex, then me, and now Nat? Why was this 'unwanted lover' business happening to us…?
"Kate you alright?" Cuphead asked.
"Everything okay, Kate?" Lexie asked.
"I'm just worried. It's bad enough that the Devil wants me as his queen and Dice is hitting on Lex." I answered. "I had hoped that Nat would be spared from this whole unwanted suitor nonsense until that mangy shadow bender had crept in…"
"But if I know you three, you're not one to let them beat you. I mean, Kate, you threw his pitchfork at his butt which was awesome, Lex nearly clobbered Dice and now Nat is battling the Grim Creeper." Liam pointed out. "I know you're worried about the Devil making you his queen but honestly, while its a scary situation, you're doing a great job, wanting to protect others and are willing to stand up to bullies like him. I know that even Princess Peach would be scared when Bowser tries to marry her but she doesn't love him. Let me ask you something; do you love the Devil?"
"No." I answered.
"Then, he's not worth it." Liam claims. "He just wants your power, and wants to control Inkwell."
"Exactly, Kate. The Devil doesn't care about no one but himself. The whole "family" thing...it's a facade." Lex added. "Just something to tempt us into becoming slaves of his."
I was hesitant for a bit, but I realized…they were right. The only thing that mattered was what I wanted…and it was definitely NOT to marry the Devil.
"You're right. We can't let him win." I said, determined. "Whatever it takes, we have to protect everyone and think of a way to put an end to this nightmare. Once and for all!"
"Atta girl!" Liam smiled, patting my back.
"Amen to that." Lexie nodded.
"No matter what, I can't let the Devil get away with this." I thought to myself. "Like Sonic had said in Sonic Forces, I WON'T let my own fears own me!"
After a while, Nat and Anubis were still fighting each other, weapons clashing and spells casting all over the place. I could tell Natty was getting exhausted from all that fighting. I just hoped she could keep this up, because if she stops, Anubis could grab her, and we would have one less fighter with us.
"Man, and I thought fighting boss fights in Mario games was stressful…" Natty muttered, panting a bit.
"Why don't you give up now, bonita?" Anubis crooned. "Señor Diablo can train you, give you a safe place to be."
"Hmmm let me think; give up fighting for a good cause and come with a freak like you to see your boss, who is already a monster, and be in a place that could potentially be the end of me? No thanks. I choose life."
I watched with amazement as she cast a wind spell, pushing him back.
While that was great, it wasn't very effective. Natty could see that until she came up with an idea.
"Give me power!" She called out.
Then her Keyblade began to glow and from it the Beast from Beauty and the Beast appeared! "Whoa! That's awesome!"
"Wow! This is so cool!" I exclaimed. "I haven't seen him as an ally since KH2!"
The Beast then gave a thunderous roar and charged at Anubis and began to attack him.
"OW! OW! DEJALO! OW!" He shouted.
Kaichi winced and covered his eyes while Liam covered Matt's eyes.
"Sheesh, that's crazy!"
Noticing Cuphead looking on with surprise, I quickly covered his eyes while cringing.
Apparently, Chalice didn't need anyone to cover her eyes as she had seen to that herself.
"Yeesh! And I thought his beatdown on those scary wolves from the movie was intense!" I commented.
After a bit, the Beast finally stops and Anubis looks a bit banged up.
"Thanks." Natty smiled towards the Beast, as he gave a nod and then vanished. She then pointed her Keyblade at Anubis. "So, ready to give up, el fracaso?"
Anubis growled, while replying, "I told El Diablo I would not fail him…and I won't disappoint him!"
Just then, he reached down and using shadow bending, disarmed Natty, grabbing her and pulled her close to him.
"Hey! Let go!" Natty shouted, squirming in the shadow's grip.
"NATTY!" Lex and I cried.
"Hey! Let her go!" Liam shouted.
We all tried to charge at him, but he used his magic to shove us back.
"Eso es mejor…" He sneered.
He then wrapped his arms around Natty, holding her a bit tight but not to the point of suffocating her, and ran his disgusting fingers through her hair. He even scratched behind her ears, making her really uncomfortable.
"I'm so glad to have you back in my arms, mi bonita, and seeing those hermosos ojos que tienes makes me want you even more."
"Ugh!" Natty retched, squirming in his grip. "Get your filthy hands off me!"
As much as Natty tried to act tough, I could hear a bit of fear in her voice, considering she's never been hit on by a guy like this.
He then pressed his nose to the crook of her neck, much to her disgust, and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her perfume.
"And the smell of warm vanilla, very sweet and fresh, como tu." He cooed in her ear.
Natty began to tremble a bit, squeezing her eyes shut.
"S-stop that! Leave me alone!" She shouted. "I-I'll never be the Devil's kid! And I'll NEVER marry you!"
"I couldn't possibly do that, mi bonita." Anubis crooned. "El jefe will be very pleased to see his hijita come home."
Just seeing Natty so scared of how Anubis was treating her was too much to bear, but a flickering flame of anger began to build up inside me as my pupils dilated into draconic slits, my growl became more dragon-like and I couldn't hold it in.
I had never felt this angry since Dice had gleefully gloated about kissing Lexie and had stolen Mugman's soul with zero remorse over either of those heinous acts. This newfound anger was new to me. I wondered if this was the same sort of anger Ann felt when Andrias callously threw Sprig out the window of his floating fortress in the second season finale of Amphibia, "True Colors".
I let out a draconic growl, but it was more guttral than the other times before. At least, that's what Lex and Liam noticed at the time.
"Uh, Kate, you alright?" Liam asked.
"Yeah, seriously, this growl is a bit more tense than last time." Lex pointed out.
"Let her go…" I growled in a low voice.
Anubis gave a nasty chuckle. "And what do you plan to do about that, Señorita? If you or your amigos try to hurt me, you'll hurt bonita Natty here."
He then held Natty closer to him, and caressed her cheek, as he sneered at me, "You wouldn't want that, would you?"
I simply got angrier as I shouted, "Let her go…!"
Liam could tell something was gonna happen and he knew it was gonna get intense. He grabbed Matt in a protective state, backed up a bit and informed Lexie, "Uh, might wanna take a step back.
"Yeah, good plan." Lexie agreed, as she stood up, held Aya close and backed up as well.
Even Kaichi, Chalice, and Cuphead looked nervous.
"Kate…?"
"Let. Her…GO!"
I suddenly let out a thunderous roar as a beam of blue light washed over me…it wasn't long before I transformed into…
"A dragon?!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Ay caramba!" Anubis cried.
"Gadzooks! That's definitely new!" Chalice commented
Snarling, I charged at Anubis, tackling him. This forced him to let go of Natty as I pinned him to the ground. I saw the practically terrified look on the fleabag's face.
"Ooooohhhh, he's in trouble…" Lexie giggled.
Snarling, I grabbed his arm in my mouth and threw him at a wall. Anubis grunted upon impact before he crumpled into a heap to the floor, groaning.
"Ooh! That's gotta hurt!" Liam flinched.
Anubis managed to get his second wind bended some shadows to subdue me. But, out of instinct, I opened my mouth and breathed fire, incinerating them before they could even touch me. Once the shadows were burned away, I bared my teeth at Anubis, growling at him like a dog protecting its family's home from a burglar.
"What the?! Impossible!" Anubis exclaimed in disbelief.
I charged at Anubis and began to pummel him with some melee moves like in The Legend of Spyro, even whacking him aside with my tail like Ignitus did in the cutscene of the raid on the Dragon Temple in The Eternal Night. As Sparx the Dragonfly had said in A New Beginning, the old dragon's got some moves.
And although I was still angry and busy beating the mess out of Anubis to notice, it would seem that I do, too.
"Sheesh! Ouch!" Liam winced as Natty nervously covered her mouth and cringed at the sight of the beatdown.
"I've warned you to leave her and my friends alone, bounty hunter, but you didn't listen." I growled in warning. "If there's one thing you and your cohorts should know… neither of you would like me when I'M ANGRY!"
Instead of smirking and shooting me another callous barb, Anubis simply gaped at me in stunned fear. Good! He should be afraid!
No one kidnaps, threatens, hurts and/or puts my friends in emotional distress and gets away with it!
I then closed my eyes and began to levitate above the floor. I may not have noticed this, but my wings sparkled and started to glow with bright blue and purple auroras while a fiery aura glowed around me
"Oh, man, what's going on now?" Natty asked as she slipped back towards the group.
"I think we oughta take cover, 'cause I have a feeling this is gonna get a little messy!" Kaichi claimed.
"Good call. Everyone get back!" Liam instructed.
Just as the group moved out of the way, I opened my eyes and roared, unleashing a Fire Fury, which blasts Anubis back. They all covered our eyes, Liam covered Matt while Lexie covered Aya, as the fire fury blasted out.
Once the heat (pun not intended) died down, I landed on all fours, glaring at where Anubis was thrown back. He was burnt to a crisp and when he gasped for air, a puff of smoke came out.
He then dusted himself off and smirked.
"You won for now, señorita Gemwing. El Diablo will be pleased with what transpired here."
"Just go back to the nasty pit where you came from and stay there!" Liam snapped.
"Or does Kate here need to beat it outta ya?" Lexie sternly asked.
"Again." Natty added.
I snarled at Anubis in warning, and after a long pause he finally spoke.
"Very well. I may have not gotten mi bonita but at least I got to see your powers unlocked señorita Gemwing. This isn't the last time you will see me. Until then, adios, amigos."
He then taps his scythe and vanishes in the shadows. Finally, he was gone. Never thought he would leave.
" I don't like him…!" Kaichi piped up
"Same." Liam grunted, sending his fighting staff away.
"Hate him." Lexie added.
"Despise him." Natty groaned.
Sighing in exhaustion, I sat down on my hunches and inspected my claws, stunned. I then looked over at my wings, which were more feathery and… unless I'm wrong, but they appeared to occasionally shimmer with a starry effect much like my eyes back at the theater.
"Giiiirl, you look amazing!" Natty exclaimed in glee.
"Yeah! That dragon form is awesome!" Lexie beamed.
"Incredible!" Liam added
"This is going to take a lot of getting used to…" I spoke up, still trying to let all of this sink in.
While it was awesome that I am able to turn into a dragon and back again, it was still hard to believe it. I always knew I was different from everyone else since I was bullied at school and I often clash with Tony over the smallest of mistakes, but… I was also a bit scared what everyone else back on Earth would make of this if they'd ever see me like this.
Would some people think of me as a freak? Would some of the most inhumane sort think of me as some sort of test subject and cut me open regardless of my human emotions?
Or would most accuse me of being… a monster?
No! I can't think like that! I'm a good person! I had saved Natty from Anubis! I'm NOTHING like him! Not like King Dice! And NEVER like the Devil!
I looked over at Cuphead and Matt and asked "I'm sorry if I might have alarmed you boys. Are you both alright?"
"You kidding?! This is so cool!" Cuphead squealed.
"I was a bit startled but knowing it's you, I love it!" Matt piped up.
"And you look beautiful!" Chalice chimed in. "Really love the wings!"
Even Aya wasn't afraid of me in this form as she bounds up to me, mewing. She then begins to nuzzle up against my forepaws, purring contently.
I gathered everyone into a hug in my wings and arms as I sighed in relief and gratitude. "Thanks, guys."
"Yooo, this is really warm." Natty commented as she touched one of my feathers, which I didn't mind.
I then noticed the box Misterie gave me was on the ground after it had something fell out of my bag when Anubis threw us back. I picked it up and opened it to see the necklace and bracelets were still intact.
I took a sigh of relief.
"I think I now know what Misterie meant when I might need these…
I placed the bracelets on both my wrists and secured the necklace around my neck and smiled.
"So… how do I look?"
"Very lovely." Natty replied.
"Amazing." Lex added.
"Very fashionable" Liam politely claimed.
"Very pretty!" Matt giggled.
"Thanks." I smiled as I felt my cheeks grow warm as I blushed.
Even when I'm a dragon now, I often like to add in some accessories. It might be one of my autistic traits or something, but I do feel a bit naked when my wrists are bare.
"I wonder what Misterie meant by the necklace having some uses?" Kaichi pondered.
"Who knows?" Natty shrugged.
"Guess we'll have to wait and see until we face another issue with either blockhead or the Grim Creeper again." I concluded.
I then turned back into my human form and took a breath. Wow, that was a lot to take in. I stood up, dusted my hands and smiled.
I then noticed Nat was rubbing her arms, looking really uncomfortable. My smile dropped into a concerned frown.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Y-yeah, I-I just feel, ugh, disgusting, when he ran his fingers through my hair and when he leaned in close to smell my perfume…ugh I hated it." She shuddered. "Never had someone do that to me."
I shuddered as well, remembering my own ordeal with the Devil. When he had me chained up in that chair after he had decided to drop the generous host act, I was still a nervous wreck with how he had stroked my cheek and how he had whispered into my ear, and how unsettled he had purred out the selection of pet names he had given me.
And how he had cupped my chin and played around with my hair while he had the girls and me at his complete mercy in his throne room didn't make me feel any better either.
"Trust me, I know how that feels…" I spoke quietly, parting my hair a bit.
"It'll be okay, Nat. We'll make sure that that stupid wolf doesn't come anywhere near you." Lexie informed Natty, as she rubbed her back gently.
"And if he doesn't, he'll have to deal with me again!" I sternly replied.
Nat gave me a weak smile. "Thanks again Kate I owe ya. Besides, he was so startled."
"It's no problem. I know that you and Lex would do the same for me. Whatever we face, we always got each other's backs."
"You know it! " Lexie nodded.
"Best of friends to the very end!" Natty announced
"Friends forever!" I cheered
The three of us made a fist bump with each other, and then gave a group hug. I could have never asked for better friends.
"So, now that Bon Bon's been warned and has joined the resistance, who else should we warn next?" Kaichi asked.
I pondered for a bit and then remembered the note Anubis had left us about his location after he had kidnapped Cuphead.
"Since his place is the closest to where we are now, maybe we should go see Grim Matchstick." I suggested.
"Good call. Let's go find him." Natty agreed.
We nodded and then quickly departed the cave to find Grim. Given how endearing he is in most fanworks, he's a really sweet guy and he could be of great help to our cause. We're gonna need all the extra fire power we can get.
And we have already lost Ollie, Dijimmi… and Mugman. We can't afford to lose more friends and allies. No matter what, we can't let the Devil or his goons get Grim's soul, too!
I just hope that we're not too late.
(Normal P.O.V)
As the team departed from the cave, little did they know that Anubis was looking through the shadows with a terrible grin on his face. While he didn't complete his mission and failed to retrieve Natty back to the casino, he was at least very satisfied he got to be very close to his future bride. She was more lovely than they first described her.
He knew he had to have her, one way or another.
"Corre corre, mi loba escarlata. Algún día serás mía …" He whispered, before vanishing from sight.
Back at the casino, the Devil was in his office, counting the casino's recent earnings while smoking on a cigar, when there was a knock at the door.
"Enter." He called, not bothering to look up from his work. He figured it was Dice or Henchman, telling him about the recent updates on the casino.
The door opened and instead of Dice, Anubis entered the office, looking pretty proud of himself. Despite losing the battle and not stealing Natty, he had some info that would please his master.
He approached the desk and bowed, before stating, "Hola, Jefe. Como esta?"
The Devil rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Enough of that, Anubis. I see you've come back early. And empty handed. Was Natty too hard on you?"
Anubis gave a chuckle. "The little bonita did put up a good fight and I did have the little one in my arms. However, it seems tu novia reacted and turned herself into… el dragón."
Devil looked up from his work, now interested.
"She-she did? Her powers...they're unlocked."
"Si, Jefe." Anubis replied.
Intrigued, the Devil summons his magic looking glass and taps a claw against the glass. It shimmers until the rippling effects clears away to show him a vision of that Cup, Chalice, and the five humans as they traverse down the path towards the home of that stuttering flying lizard, Grim Matchstick.
Or should that be four humans and a blue dragon?
The Devil was shocked, surprised, satisfied and mesmerized by the sight of Katie in her new form.
Her scales were a brightly radiant crystal and almost gem-like as they glistened in the sunlight like it would on the blue sea. Her underbelly is splashed in pure white and she has large yet dainty, deer-like ears Her crest was white as snow and resembled hair and has a small mane cascading down her neck as well as small white spines on the base of her elegantly long tail and the tip has a tuft of white fur. She has four pearlescent white claws and a du claw on each front paw. Atop of her head are a pair of slightly curved white horns
However, her most distinguished and most beautiful features were her wings. Instead of the traditional bat-like appearance, they were feathery and bird-like while still draconic. The feathers are a deep, velvety midnight blue and they occasionally sparkle like stars. It was almost like her wings were gifts of the night sky.
The only things that remained the same were her beautiful blue eyes, which still had their sunlight glistening over the ocean glimmer. And no surprise she still adds in some accessories as she donned a necklace and bracelets, which made her vibrant white and blues stand out even more.
The Devil gazed at Katie's new form with a terrible, lustful grin, his eyes flashing blood red.
"Ahhh, I can see my bride is already discovering her abilities." He hissed with satisfaction. "This is good. So I was right, it's all based on emotion. Natty had her's unlocked when she wanted to save Lexie and my sweet Kate had hers unlocked to help Natty. This pleases me greatly."
As her companions were walking, Katie had decided to try out her new wings. It had taken her a couple of tries to keep her balance and not to fall, but she quickly became a natural in just a few minutes.
Managing to get the hang of flying, Katie did a backflip in the air, impressing her friends. The sunlight glinted off her scales and wings as she smiled, enjoying her new form while her friends were also in awe.
"Yo, that's awesome!"
"You're amazing, Kate!
"Way to go!"
"Thanks, guys! I could definitely get used to this! I've always wondered how it feels to fly!" Katie beamed with a wide grin as she was actually happy with all of this.
"Her wings...they glisten in the sunlight, much like how her eyes sparkle like the sunlight glistens on the ocean... she's mesmerizing." The Devil marveled.
His eyes never leaving the vision of the smiling dragon, the Devil took a couple of puffs from his cigar before he took it out from his mouth and blew smoke against the glass, smirking with satisfaction.
"Well done, Anubis. Not only has Dice unlocked Natty's powers, but you also discovered my queen's as well."
"Anything for you, El jefe." Anubis smirked, taking a small bow.
"Since they're heading over to see Grim Matchsticks, I'll pop in for a visit. Maybe I can see if I can sweep my bride off her feet. Until then, stay at your post and wait for further orders."
"Si, jefe, si." Anubis bowed.
He took another small bow and then disappeared out of the office, leaving the Devil alone to watch the group through the looking glass as Katie was about to give Matt, Cuphead and Chalice a little joy ride on her back.
"Hold tight!" Katie called as she prepared to take to the air.
With a mighty leap and a great push of her wings, she soars high as the young kids hold onto her as tightly as possible.
"Whooooaaaa!" Matt squealed.
"Whooooooooo! THIS IS SOOOOOO COOOOOL!" Cuphead cheered.
The Devil took another puff of his cigar and blew a smoke ring in the shape of a heart as he smirked with lust, his eyes turning red.
"Oh, my darling Katie. You may try all you want to escape me, but in the end, I will have you as my wife and queen, and you will rule beside me as we take down Inkwell and all those who oppose us. And our daughters will join us, too."
He reaches towards the mirror and caresses the image of Katie with a claw. Oh, how he longed to run his fingers along those soft, sparkling feathers.
"You will be mine. Forever."
A/N: It seems Katie has discovered her true power! But oh dear... the Devil really has it out for her now that he knows. What will happen next? Stay "tooned" for next week's edition of "Heart, Soul, and Mind"!