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(Third Person POV)
New Years always tended to be quite chaotic. It was a tradition to stay up and party until midnight for the cats in the village. This party was an inside party, full of snacks and games hosted at Floaty’s house.
Though Catto, Big boi, Violet, Cheese, and Minori didn’t quite enjoy the wheat village’s parties (as they tended quite the assholes,) they thought tonight would be a good night to show up. It’s New Years, may as well try, right?
It was 2 hours before midnight, and despite how long they tried to stay, Big Boi suddenly started to feel sick, so Catto walked him out of the party early. The other three joined them, not really feeling like staying if two friends left.
“Here, just breathe. The fresh air will probably help.” Catto handled him carefully.
“Ugghh..” Big Boi leaned up against him, walking slowly. Everyone slowed their own pace to stay with him.
“See, this is why we never go to their parties. They always have to put something in the food, or mess with Big Boi.” Cheese huffed.
“They messed with him before?” Violet questioned. Minori was also curious.
“Ohh, yes. They have.” Catto didn’t sound happy about it at all. “Putting catnip in biscuits and giving them to him, dragging him off to parties..”
“Yeesh, what’s wrong with them?”
“Dunno. That time with the catnip, though, the only reason I noticed Big Boi was gone was the fact that we had a hangout planned that night. Followed a trail back to the wheat village and to a party, which Big Boi was being forced to participate in.”
“Why, though?”
“They needed someone who was a punching bag (which Big Boi is NOT, by the way.) I got so pissed, I walked outta there with Big Boi passed out on my back.”
“Did you say anything to the cats who did it?”
“SAY anything? Yeah, I let them HAVE IT! I also talked with my damn fists.”
With his heightened emotions, the small remains of the scars from the Book of Greed began to glow. From what the group could tell, the influence of the book was mostly gone now, but remnants of it still remained. They would take a little longer to fade away.
“Catto..” Big Boi drunkenly pointed to his eyes, giving a slight warning.
“Agh, my bad.” Catto blinked a few times.
“So what got Big Boi sick?” Minori questioned. “He looks rough.”
“Probably the punch. It was definitely spiked, you could smell the alcohol coming from it. Not to mention the bottles in the garbage.” Cheese added.
“Those fucking idiots!” Catto cussed. “They know Big Boi can’t drink!” Upon receiving that information, Catto adjusted to just straight up carrying Big Boi.
“Catto… I-I.. can walkk..”
“Nope. Not risking anything.”
Big Boi didn’t protest. Cheese smirked as Big Boi flipped him off in return before settling down.
“How much did you drink?”
“Mmmhh..”
“Half a cup.” Cheese answered for him.
“Ok, at least it wasn’t a full one.”
“I didn’t know Big Boi couldn’t drink.” Minori seemed surprised.
“Nope. He can’t. We found it out in our teen years. The reason some of the Wheat village cats tend to be party animals is because we had a lot back in high school. Me and Big Boi had no parental supervision (because we don’t have parents) so we liked sneaking out and partying. The first time a cat brought alcohol to a party was both our junior years. Everyone was pretty pumped about it (mostly because we weren’t supposed to be doing stuff like that.) We were a few minutes in until Big Boi told us he felt super sick. His heart was racing fast and he was hyperventilating. I didn’t know much about being drunk, but compared to everyone else, it didn’t seem normal. I carefully drug him to the bathroom, where he proceeded to get sick several times over. It got to the point where I had to call an ambulance. Once they got to the house, I rode with him back to the hospital where the doctors asked what happened and how much he drank. I told him he only had a single tall shot, but they didn’t believe me until they checked his BAC. He was in the hospital for days as doctors tried to figure out what it was. It’s not a disease, nor was it something he was born with. They concluded that at a very young age, something happened that caused a very bad reaction when mixed with alcohol.”
“Damn. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the fact he had half a cup then?”
“I mean, mixing it with the punch probably lessened the blow by a lot.”
By the time Catto finished the story, the five arrived back at their home village.
“Me and Big Boi should probably head home so we can get him some water quickly. You guys have a good night, though!”
Everyone waved them off.
“..what a bunch of losers.” Violet commented on the party.
“Oh, absolutely.” Cheese agreed. “I mean, if you spike a drink, warn people. He can die from that stuff.” Cheese crossed his arms with a huff.
“Well, should we head home?” Minori tiredly remarked, letting out a yawn.
“We can.”
“Gotcha. I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” Cheese turned and left.
Once all the goodbyes were done, Minori and Violet walked into their home and went straight into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. Minori laid down first, then Violet. Violet pulled the cover over both of them, moving next to Minori and cuddling up against her.
“Night, Minori.”
She yawned and smiled in return. “Goodnight.”
…
The sound of distant chatter woke Minori up. Despite just going to sleep, somehow, she woke up almost immediately feeling refreshed. The place she woke up in, however, was not her house. A velvet, king sized bed with some of the most comfortable bedding she’d ever felt laid under her. The room surrounding it matched, aligned with fancy walls and gold accents. It seemed royal.
Slowly getting up, Minori looked around some more. Was this a dream? It certainly felt way too real for a dream, but that seemed to be the only explanation.
A knock came from the door positioned opposite from the bed.
“Dearest Minori? Are you awake yet?”
She didn’t know what to say. That voice sounded familiar.
Before she could answer, the door creaked open as a head peeked inside. A tall serval spotted her and walked in. “Ah, so you are!”
It took Minori a moment to realize who she was. “..Rida?”
“Hello, dear.” She closed the door behind her. Her pink dress and crown glimmered under the light that the candles provided. “So sorry for the sudden surprise.”
“Is this a dream? Is something happening?! Is Kunshu back?!”
Rida laughed. “No, great heavens, no! Calm yourself. Kunshu is well dealt with.”
“Then what’s happening?”
“Well, there was no way for me to ask, being dead and everything, but I thought to invite you to the Hero Family’s Annual Ball.”
“Huh?”
“I know, let me explain. Every last day of the year, the magic concentration on the island increases tenfold. Since we’re so magically connected, we all come together at the end of a year and hold a ball in the spiritual realm.”
“So.. am I dreaming or..?”
“No, I simply temporarily pulled your soul from your body.”
“That's concerning.”
“Don’t worry, as long as I put you back within 12 hours you’ll be ok (and as long as you don’t die here, which you shouldn’t.) Now, I know you’re tired from already partying, but it would be nice if you stayed.”
“Well, I don't necessarily FEEL tired. I think I could stay. Besides, the party I went to sucked anyway.”
“Excellent! I’ll help you dress?”
“Dress?”
“It’s a ball, my dear, not a frat party.”
“Wh-” Before Minori could say another word, Rida dragged her over to the large walk-in closet. Various lines of dresses and proper clothing lined the walls.
“Hmm.. let’s see. Something to match your eyes would be nice.” Rida smiled, sifting through the clothes.
“Uh.. do you have any suits? I’m not really a dress person.”
“Of course we do. A little further in.”
Walking further in, Rida pointed out the suit section, pointing out one that she thought suited Minori. It was a nice orange color that didn’t outshine her eyes, but complemented their bright color. Rida helped her pick out a nice jewel and brush back her fur before leaving her to change outside the closet.
Once she was ready, Minori came out in the suit, stretching her arms, legs, and tail.
“Ah, you look amazing!”
“Thanks, where are we going?”
“Just outside this room, follow me.”
Walking outside, the two entered a hallway. It seemed like there were multiple of these rooms for all the guests that arrived. At the end of the hallway, there was a large door with light passing through the small cracks. Opening it up, Rida revealed a large ballroom full of cats. Different wildcats and house cats among the bloodline were all gathered here, all dressed properly. Most of them stood and talked, finally being able to see each other after a year. A snack table laid at the left side of the room, offering snacks for everyone’s taste. Fancy sandwiches, colorful biscuits.. cheese puffs? Sure.
“Wow..”
“I know! We’re quite a large family.” Rida smiled.
“Wait, if all of these cats are from your family, how am I here?”
“Everyone is allowed to bring one guest. Since me and my husband are the ones who host these balls, you’re actually the guest of honor.”
“Oh! Well, is Catto here?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Why not?”
“We really wanted to bring him in this year, (Berry especially), but the effects of the Book of Greed are still wearing off. The last thing we want here is to allow an opening for my sibling to crash the celebration. He should be here next year, though. Berry won’t stop talking about it.”
“Understandable.”
“In any case, you’re our guest of honor tonight. When midnight strikes, we’ll toast to your honor and celebrate. The party ends when morning begins, or 7 am. If you want to leave at any time beforehand, you let me know.”
“Of course.”
“Ahem.” A deep voice cleared his throat behind Minori. She jumped before spinning around, coming face to face with a lion, which also made her jump.
Rida just laughed. “Hello, dear! Please don’t frighten our guests.”
“My apologies. Minori, it’s been a minute, hasn’t it?” Rida’s husband smiled and extended a large paw. Minori took it. She never expected in her life to be meeting an actual lion like this, but here she was.
“Nice to see you too.. Uh..” It occurred to her she never learned his name.
“Lucious. Call me Lucious. It’s so nice to properly greet you when the fate of the world is not at stake.”
“Agreed. I’m flattered to be the guest of honor.”
“Me and Rida have been discussing it for a good while. You certainly deserve the title tonight.”
Rida walked up beside her husband.
“We have a few events to set up. Please, enjoy yourself. The games room and bar is in the leftwards room behind the snack table. (We advocated to add it for the more modern-timed cats.)”
“Thank you!” Minori called out as the two proceeded towards the main stairs.
Thus, she was alone. Once Rida and Lucious left her, she felt a lot of eyes and excited chatter in her direction. It was intimidating in a way, as she didn’t know many of the cats here, but she knew they thought well of her. Having not much else to do, Minori made her way to the snack table and grabbed some items to eat.
The food was immaculate (not better than Big Boi’s, though.) Minori mainly stayed in the corner to eat, though her eyes glanced over to the bar every now and again. Would she really want to get drunk right now? …could spirits even get drunk at all? Shrugging, Minori made her way inside.
This setting certainly felt more familiar to her. A bar greeted her as soon as she entered, and to its sides were a few games. Axe throwing, bean bag toss, etcetera. She meekly approached the bar and took a seat, seeing what drinks were available.
A mixture of different flavour beers, a few fruity cocktails, and a selection of shots to just take. She just voted to take a fruity drink, not wanting anything too extreme on a night she was supposed to be a guest of honor.
“AYY! LOOK WHO'S HERE!” A loud voice yelled behind her, a paw clapping her back. Minori jumped a bit before seeing the cat in the chair next to her. Berry grinned as soon as Minori looked over.
“Ah- Berry!”
“Minori! How’ve you been, sister?”
“Good. Still a little lost, but good.”
“Ah, I get it, this is your first time at one of these parties, ain’t it? I take it you don’t drink much?”
“Haha, nope.” Minori smiled as she received her drink.
“Berry, ya can’t just quit a game to go talk to random people for crying out loud!” A persian cat with an Irish accent hopped in the seat beside Berry.
“Sorry, sorry, I’ve just been waiting for her to show up!”
Minori gazed at the persian. “You’re.. Forge, right?”
Forge seemed puzzled. “Who is this?”
“She’s Minori! Yknow, the cat who beat down Kunshu and saved Catto?”
“Oh-!” Forge’s expression immediately shifted. “Well, shit, it’s extremely nice to meet ‘cha!”
“Same here.”
The two shook paws. Once she pulled away. Minori picked up her drink. “..can.. Can we get drunk here?”
“Most certainly. Berry has already downed two beers.” Forge giggled.
“You.. do know we still have a ceremony to get through, right?” Minori sipped from her drink.
“Oh, two beers is average.” Berry shrugged. “Most cats don’t do the heavy drinking until AFTER midnight. Plus, drinking here doesn’t have the bad effects of when you actually drink. Also, the beer they make here tastes WAY better than the stuff out there.”
“I see. You two must be fun.”
“Forge is crazier than me.”
“You bet yer ass I am!” She snorted.
“Enough about drinks, how’s Catto doing?” Berry seemed way more interested in that question, so did Forge.
“He’s doing just fine. He’s been recovering really well, especially with Big Boi’s help.”
“Aww.. so great to hear my boy is doing well..”
“Big Boi?” Forge questioned.
“He’s Catto’s boyfriend.”
“Er.. not yet.” Minori corrected her. “They’re still figuring it out.”
“Whatever makes my son happy. Honestly, I always figured he might turn out to be a lil gay.”
Minori nearly choked on her drink. “I-?!”
“I watch over him when I’m able to! From what I’ve been able to see, I mean.. Can you blame me?”
“..no.”
The three laughed together.
“How do you know about Big Boi? Did you see him at all?”
“Well I hadn’t seen him until I watched your battle with Kunshu. What a brave cat.”
“You watched that?”
“I couldn’t keep myself from watching. I also know you have a girlfriend, huh?”
Minori’s face flushed as she looked away. “Haha.. yeah.”
Forge smirked. “Ooohhhhh.. Really?”
“They kissed on the battlefield.”
Forge emphasized her reaction. “OOOOOHHH…”
“It was to break me out of a spell, ok?! Yeesh..” Minori playfully shot back, remembering the moment.
“That’s adorable.”
“Can we move on..?” Minori muttered.
The three spent most of their time together, knowing each other better than the rest of the cats. Berry taught Minori how to axe throw. She turned out to be pretty good at it, which her newfound friends rejoiced with pride at.
The time flew by as the moon rose higher and higher into the sky. By this point, it was a few minutes from midnight. While the trio was in the middle of a game, Rīda interrupted them.
“Hey, you guys. Just so you know, it’s five minutes from midnight. You should probably come out into the main room. Minori, you should come with me.”
Nodding, Minori waved off the two and followed Rīda out into the main room and up the grand stairs. Lucious awaited the two at the top himself. At the back, there was a large fancy clock as well as a large glass ceiling. The night sky was very different in the spirit realm, a lighter blue that faded into black along with bright stars. Once they arrived, Rīda clinked a glass and got everyone’s attention.
“Hello! Lovely afternoon, isn’t it? Firstly, I want to welcome everyone back to..”
Hearing the general announcement, Minori admittedly zoned out a little. There were so many cats here, all looking at Rīda, some looking directly at her. Her eyes wandered to the back of the crowd near the door. The large door was opened a sliver. She caught a glimpse of something green slipping out of the main room. Minori blinked a few times.
“..as you all know, the clock is about to hit midnight, but before it does, I want to announce the guest of honor I’ve brought along this evening. Much discussion about the Book of Greed has been passed from here to there this evening, and yes, it did indeed happen this year to Berry’s son.”
The crowd murmured as lots of cats turned to Berry. She just lightly nodded.
“Yes, this year was a scary year for us. However, we’re glad to inform all of you that Kunshu has been properly defeated, and we have our guest of honor to thank for saving our kin. Please, welcome with open arms, Minori.”
At that moment, she stepped forward. A roar of applause shook the ballroom. Minori bowed her head in humble appreciation.
“Her and her friends took a stand against my sibling, and she was the one who wielded the Sword. For her efforts, for her friends' efforts, we will remain forever grateful. Minori, would you like to say anything before midnight?”
Minori stayed silent for a moment before speaking.
“To say I completely understand everything that happened to me these past months would be a lie, but if it weren't for this family, I’d certainly understand a lot less. The cats within this room today guided me through my journey to take down Kunshu. If it weren’t for them, I’d certainly be lost, so thank you. All of you.”
The room cheered once again as Minori stepped back.
“Beautiful words, now if you’d all quiet down, we are 30 seconds away from midnight.”
Those 30 seconds seemed to take forever to pass by. Silence hushed over the whole room as the clock ticked and counted every second.
Eventually, midnight struck and the clock sounded out to a round of applause.
“Now, enjoy the rest of the party! Long live the glory of the hero's blood! Hurrah!”
Everyone cheered and the party finally kicked into full swing.
“Sorry for suddenly putting the spotlight on you.” Rīda apologized.
“No no, I don’t mind. Thanks for thinking to have me.”
“Of course! ..I think you have some cats waiting on you.” Rīda smiled and pointed to the bottom of the stairs. Forge and Berry were there.
“Ah..” As much as she wanted to have some more blind fun, what she saw earlier seemed to plague her mind more.
“Are you ok, dear? Would you like to head home?”
“Ah- no it’s not that. I was just thinking.”
“Okay then. Have a good time!”
Stepping down, Minori met up with the two older cats and walked back to the bar. Forge immediately ordered beers for the three of them. Once the mugs arrived, Forge raised hers.
“To the guest of honor, eh?!”
The other two raised theirs in kind and drank. Minori didn’t seem as happy as the other two, though. Berry took notice of this halfway through her mug.
“Everything ok?”
“I’m just.. I saw something earlier, while Rīda was speaking.”
“Hm?”
“I could’ve sworn I saw something green in the backdoor..”
This immediately raised Berry’s concern. “Like, magic?”
She nodded.
“Hm.. I would say to just brush it off but..” Berry considered all the factors present before shaking her head. “If it helps any, why don't we go look for ourselves?”
“..it would.” Both Berry and Minori got up.
“AY! Where are you two goin’?!” You could tell Forge was already a little tipsy, as her accent had gotten stronger.
“Just to look at something! We’ll be back, save our seats!” Berry called back.
“You’ve got it, Berry Pie!~”
Walking out of the game room, the two snuck their way to the back of the room and pushed the door open. The hallway was dark, the single light coming from the moon and stars outside. Closing it behind them, the two walked side by side further down.
“I really doubt it was anything.. Maybe it was the drink I had.” Minori started second guessing herself.
“Hey, better safe than sorry.” Berry reassured her, placing a paw on her back.
Further down the hallway, they herald the sound of shattering glass. They both jumped.
“No one should be down here.” Berry drew her axe. “Stay behind me.”
Approaching the room it came from, Berry pushed the door open. All the lights were out and a thin layer of green fog covered the floor. Berry knew this setting all too well. The grip on her axe tightened.
“Minori.. go get Rīda and Lucious.”
Without a second thought, Minori rushed back down the hall and into the ballroom. She bumped into a few cats on her way towards the stairs. The couple was still at the top, laughing together. She climbed the large steps as fast as she could to reach them. Out of breath once she reached the top, Minori rushed over.
“Minori? Is everything ok, dear?” Rīda looked over.
“There’s something wrong. Kunshu might be here.”
The two seemed confused.
“During the ceremony, I saw something near the back door. Berry and I went to investigate and we both saw a room covered in green fog. Something’s back there.”
The confusion turned to concern. “That’s.. Lucious?”
“Show me.”
Minori nodded and led him back to the hall and to the room her and Berry looked at. The green fog was still there. Berry was gone.
“Berry? Berry?! Where’d you go?!” Minori looked around.
The closet door creaked open.
“I’m going in for her.” Lucious summoned and drew his sword.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No. That’s far too dangerous. You need to go tell Rīda to evacuate everyone into the bar room.”
“But-”
“I’m aware you know how to fight. The difference here is that you’re still alive compared to the rest of us. If your spirit dies here, your physical body will die too as your soul will remain trapped in the spirit realm. Your life should not be so short lived, so go.”
Minori simply nodded and headed back out to go tell Rīda. If Kunshu was here, and Minori could easily die here, it could not bear good consequences.
Hurrying back, Minori climbed the steps again and told the news to Rīda, who obliged.
She clinked her glass again to get everyone’s attention.
“Attention please! I do not mean to alarm everyone, but I need everybody in the main hall to evacuate to the bar room immediately. There’s-”
Without any warning, the back door slammed open. Lucious fell through and slid across the floor, arms over his chest and shivering. The lights flickered and began to burn a bright green as the same fog from earlier poured into the room. Everyone backed away from the door, a few going to check on Lucious. Heavy footsteps began to approach from the hallway. A path to the stairs cleared itself as a cat dragged Lucious to a safer place within the crowd.
Sighing, Rīda stepped halfway down the stairs, properly carrying her long dress.
A silhouette made itself clear, their green eyes making everyone freeze in place.
They walked through the door, dragging a limp Berry by the scruff. At this point, Forge had come out to see what all the chaos was about. When she saw Berry, she immediately ran over.
Kunshu threw her to the side like she was nothing. Forge caught her as she slid across the floor. Her eyes were green and she was twitching.
“..hello, Kunshu.” Rīda stood tall and looked at her sibling coldly, the only cat in the room not displaying fear.
“Ah.. young, sweet Rīda. How rude to not invite me to a family event! I mean, this place is so packed and you didn’t even think to invite me?” Their smile was toxic and vicious.
“You know exactly why you’re not welcome here.”
“Aww.. so mean. Rejecting your own sibling and inviting their murderer to the party!” They flew face to face with her, grabbing her paw. “What hath become of us?”
Rīda pulled away. At this point, all the cats besides Forge, Berry, Lucious, and Minori. retreated into the bar room.
“I know you didn’t expect me to be here, dear sister, but you see, the security systems you put into this place don’t really work! The only reason I haven’t been showing up is because my spirit was trapped within the book. Now that I’ve been freed, I’m free to attend this lovely party you’ve set up.”
“Get out.”
“Goodness.. goodness. Fine, I will, but I only have one thing I want to do before I take my leave..”
Backing up to the middle of the floor, Kunshu raised a paw and grabbed Minori telepathically, dragging her towards them. Minori trembled, grabbing at her throat and choking, trying to gasp for air.
“You rat. Destroying the book, dragging my FAVORITE nephew away from me? I’m NOT letting you go without the sweet taste of vengeance.. if you want to be a hero so bad, then DIE WITH THEM.”
Suddenly, something hit Kunshu which knocked Minori out of the air. Rīda had punched them in the back of the head, immediately rushing over to get in front of Minori, fists up.
“Out of the way, Princess.”
Berry, Forge, and Lucious came to her side.
“Berry, are you ok?” Rīda whispered.
“I’m fine. I just had some very vivid hallucinations.”
“You’re not touchin’ her.” Forge scowled.
Rīda turned her head to Minori, who was currently catching her breath on the floor.
“Minori, go back to your room and go to sleep on the bed you woke up on. It’ll take you home and put you back in your physical body. I don’t want you risking your life. You can’t regenerate like spirits can. Go home, thank you for attending.”
With that, the four cats rushed into battle. As much as she wanted to help, Minori knew that Rīda was right. This wasn’t worth the risk. Regaining her balance, Minori got to her feet and booked it back to the hallway.
“NO!” Kunshu screamed, trying to go after her. Rīda swiped, pushing them back with her claws. It was a sign for everyone else to start attacking too. Berry pushed them back further with a swing of her battle axe as Lucious came down for an air attack. Swiftly, Kunshu dodged him and threw him back with magic. Forge took that as a chance to strike their backside, in which she succeeded before being struck back at. Kunshu pushed back against their attackers with a quick spell before launching for the door. Berry got up and guarded it, delivering another strike. Kunshu took her one on one, casting several spells which Berry dodged. Unfortunately, one of the spells caused the wall behind her to crumble, sending pieces of debris flying. A piece of the wall hit Berry in the back which pushed her away.
Berry struggled, trapped under rubble. Kunshu saw this as an opportunity to take her out, rushing right at her. Before they got the chance to attack, though, Lucious had recovered and cut through the spell they were preparing. His constant swift sword movements cut through Kunshu’s spells, pushing them back while Forge went to help Berry.
Suddenly diverting their attention, Kunshu looked back at the door again. The only one blocking it was Rīda, unarmed. Smiling, they made a sharp turn towards her. Lucious tried to get in front of his wife before they casted the spell, but it was too late. Rīda was pushed out of the way, falling unconscious against the floor.
“RIDA!” Lucious panicked, giving up his defense to help his wife. Her eyes were green as she painfully blinked.
While everyone was down, Kunshu burst the hallway doors open.
…
Minori had entered her room, but couldn’t find the heart to go back home. Just leaving them there felt wrong, and from what she could hear from the other room, it sounded like they were losing.
Hearing the hallway door thud open, Minori panicked and ran into the large closet where she’d found her suit just earlier, shoving things in front of the door.
The door to her room slammed open. “Minori..? Where’d you go, you little PEST?!”
The sound of several items being destroyed made her jump. Minori backed up further into the closet as she heard the door to the closet rattle, hinges starting to come loose. She was shaking. Nothing in her could help defend her. The best she could do was hide in a closet. Opening it, Minori didn’t find a hiding spot, but something else.
A sword, encrusted with a beautiful dark crystal handle and holder. Several pieces of armor, which was also a beautiful dark purple, laid beside it.
“WHAT DID YOU DO?! LET ME IN!” Minori hadn't even noticed it, but Kunshu had already broken the defenses she put up, but something else was keeping her out. Not knowing how long this sudden luck would last, Minori took the equipment and quickly armed herself. Before she grabbed the sword, she spotted a note. Picking it up, she read it.
“Consider this to be my way of saying thank you.”
Minori checked the note front and back. No signature or sign of who left it. Then again, there were hundreds of cats at the ball. But before a few minutes ago, no one really knew who she was. And how would they have known about Kunshu’s attack? Deciding to ask questions later, Minori took the sword. Once it was in her paws, her equipment started to glow a bright purple. The suit under her armor gained a nice purple fade.
Looking back at the door, the defense was almost broken thanks to Kunshu relentlessly attacking it. Readying herself, she rushed at the door and swung her sword right at Kunshu. It knocked them back a good few feet, allowing leeway for Minori to run back out to the hallway. Even though Kunshu was right on her tail, Minori managed to make it back out to the main room.
“Minori?! Lass! You’re supposed to be at home!” Forge spotted her with Berry still on the floor.
“Supposed to be!” Minori turned and waited for Kunshu to come through the door. Once they did, they clashed together as Minori swung her sword at their paws. Kunshu bounced off and chose to summon anything she could. Fire, ice, even plants with green petals covered the floor and walls of the ballroom. The sword she was given didn’t have the same effects as the Sword of Truth, but it did do considerable damage. Minori was able to dodge and weave, cutting through the brush trying to grab her. While she was distracted, Kunshu went in physically, landing a few hits that left marks. Minori was able to get away with a kick. Fortunately, she was way speedier than Kunshu.
At that moment, Kunshu closed their eyes and whispered. They had summoned lots of magic ferals, all bearing sharp teeth and claws. Some cats were normal sized that Minori could take on with ease, but others were lions, tigers, panthers, larger cats that would most likely eat her alive. Shaking, Minori assessed her options. Going for the normal cats first would be the smarter option. She’d just have to take them out quickly in order to not be caught by the larger cats. Taking a breath, Minori leapt down the stairs and slashed into a cat her size.
It disappeared in a puff as Minori continued to strike down the rest. While taking out her last one, though, the jaws of one of the larger cats caught her arm, growling as it did. Minori yelped and attempted to pull away before another large cat grabbed her other arm with its jaws, causing her to drop her weapon. Kunshu smiled as they raised a paw to them. Gradually, they started to pull in opposite directions. Minori yelped again, shaking and still trying to break free before the magic cats ripped her arms off. Her struggle only made her pain worse.
Before they could rip her apart, Lucious left Rīda’s side and launched at one of the big cats, causing their jaw to unlatch. He sunk his teeth into its neck, dragging it across the ballroom floor and letting it crash into the wall.
Recovering, Minori grabbed her weapon and cut through her other assailant with ease.
“WHY YOU-!” Kunshu snarled as Lucious shadowed Minori, both locked onto Kunshu.
“I’m not quite sure how we should go about getting rid of them..” Lucious whispered.
“I have an idea. See that glass ceiling that extends all the way to the floor?”
Realizing what she was hinting at, Lucious nodded with a smile.
As Kunshu launched back at them, they both ran up the stairs. Kunshu, of course, chased them up the stairs in a rage. Both attacked at once. Kunshu dodged Minori’s blow but was caught off guard by Lucious. Floating upwards, they unleashed several flurries of magic at them both. Dodging gracefully, Lucious launched Minori upwards. She grabbed Kunshu and used her feet to kick her towards the glass window. They impacted and broke the glass, leaving their back end dangling into the expanse below. Both Minori and Lucious cornered them, pointing their swords at them.
“End of the line.” Minori scowled.
Kunshu started to laugh. “Oh.. oh is it?! Minori, you’re the most interesting and powerful cat I’ve fought in a long, long time.. I can’t believe that I rather enjoyed that experience. You’re so.. interesting.”
She was just confused.
“Affiliating with another witch to confront me? How incredibly bold. She was a stupid one, anyway.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that this isn’t over, Minori. You’ll be in the ground soon, I’ll continue to resonate and haunt your life. And when you least expect it? I’ll take everything from you and reclaim my throne. I am the MONARCH and you are nothing but a WRITHING, STUPID-”
“Oh, would ya put a fucking sock in it!” Someone else threw a rock at Kunshu, which caused them to fall into the empty expanse below. Looking back, it was Berry with Forge holding her up.
“God, they’re so annoying. I’ve had enough of listening to that bitch in my dreams, I do NOT need to hear them here.”
“That’s fair.” Minori shrugged.
Slowly, Rīda came up the stairs as well, a paw on her head.
“Rīda, dear..” Lucious dropped his sword and ran to her, cupping her face in his large paws.
“I’m alright.. just lightheaded..”
They shared a small kiss.
Berry and Forge walked over to Minori.
“Where’d you get all that fancy armor from?” Forge questioned.
“I.. dunno. It just showed up in my closet with a thank you note.”
Curious, Rīda let go of her husband and made her way over to see for herself. The purple glow and material made her head tilt. “Hm.. that’s curious. It’s not from anyone here. If I may?”
Nodding, Minori handed her the sword. Rīda felt it. “No.. most definitely not. This is from another outside source.”
“Oh great, we have more people breaking in here?” Berry griped.
“It appears so, but they are likely connected in some way. In any case, we’re grateful for their help in defending Minori.”
Suddenly, all the equipment Minori had gained had just vanished in an instant. Her suit faded back to its normal orange color. The lights in the room flickered as the room restored itself.
Slowly, cats began to file out of the bar room. Rīda sighed and walked over to address the cats.
“Well.. the issue has been dealt with now. I’m so terribly sorry, everyone. The party will go on, but if you’d prefer to leave early, that is perfectly fine.”
The crowd murmured among themselves as Rīda turned back to Minori.
“Well, I suppose we owe you a lot more now. I’m so sorry Minori. I should’ve known our protection around this place was outdated. I put your life in danger..”
“Eh, don’t mention it. So.. are they gone now? Like gone-gone?”
“I’m afraid not. For as long as spirits resent their life and the world they live in, they’ll continue to roam on. This will not be the last we see of them until they pass on or are forcefully banished. But, for now, we can stay in peace. Would you like to go home? You must be exhausted.”
“Hmm..” Minori thought about it. “..nah. It’s not that late. I could go for a round or two if Berry and Forge are ok.”
“Yeah, we’re fine!” Berry stood up straight, Forge getting off her. After that whole thing, I think we need another few drinks, eh?”
…
The rest of the night was pleasant, chugging drinks, playing games and also embarrassing themselves dancing. 6 am rolled around faster than anyone was expecting, and most cats were beginning to take their leave until the only catswere Berry, Minori, and Forge.
At 6:30, the trio tumbled out of the bar together, smiles on their faces and laughter filling the air. With a smile, Rīda descended the stairs.
“Yeah.. it was sfun spending the night with you all..” Minori stuttered out, a little loopy.
“I’ll say! I hope you come back next year!” Berry somewhat shouted.
“I’m certain she will.” Rīda approached them. “Minori, we should send you home.”
“Ah.. right. Well, thank you both.”
“Anytime!” Forge smiled. “We’ll miss ya!”
“Hah, you too.”
Before she left, Minori dragged them into a final hug before heading back to her room with Rīda. She threw her suit off and crashed onto the bed, to which Rīda finally sent her home.
…
Blinking, Minori cringed at the sudden daylight filtering through the blinds and onto her bed. She turned over, blocking the sun from her eyes when she noticed the lack of Violet. She was likely already awake. Sitting up, Minori looked at the time. 10 am. She’d completely missed the alarm.
‘I guess I slept in after leaving, huh?’ Minori sighed, stretching. She felt surprisingly refreshed considering the time she had last night.
January 1st. First day of the new year. Minori figured she should probably explain the whole family thing to Catto sooner rather than later so that he wouldn’t be completely confused, but that could wait until the presence of the Book of Greed wore off completely, especially with Kunshu’s sudden presence.
“Minori!” Violet called from another room. “You awake, yet?”
Minori smiled. Evil witch or no evil witch, she didn’t have all too much to worry about.