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"We must make sure it never happens again."
Those were the final words he spoke before leaving the forsaken church grounds behind, and they were words that still swirled in his head even now. Menthol Cookie found himself pacing back and forth in his and Seltzer's living room, on an early morning after a sleepless night. His time here in the Cookie Kingdom had been nice- re-integrating into society, making new friends, slowly recuperating from the trauma of that day- but, all this time, those words haunted him. What that paladin from the Republic had told him that day haunted him, too. The idea that, any time, that witch-forsaken thing could crawl out of any one of the many rifts around Earthbread and absorb who knows how many more poor souls. Never again, he thought. It can never happen again. But it could. It could, any day now.
He had heard of something going on in the city of Parfaedia. Apparently, the city had been a bit of a hotspot for rifts opening- and, more than anywhere else, those rifts' monsters had been sighted over the city numerous times. A guild of Parfaedian mages had formed to stand guard and repel the unholy beasts, and they were seeking assistance from any cookie who could lend a hand.
That was how he could do it. That was how he could prevent another tragedy; repel the Avatar, and protect the innocent cookies of Parfaedia, and maybe even more. He had to, even just this once.
He stopped pacing at the sound of the stairs creaking behind him. He turned to see Seltzer coming down the stairs, sleepily rubbing one eye with her free hand. She'd just woken up, clearly. Menthol envied her good night's sleep.
"Good morning, Menthol," she said, her tone flat and lethargic. Maybe she'd slept a little too well. "Did you sleep?"
"Ugh, no. Not a wink tonight." He rubbed his temple, trying to ease a vague, distant headache. "My mind is racing...it just won't stop for even a moment."
"Would you allow me to ask what about?" Seltzer replied, a mixture of curious and concerned. In response, there was a pause, as Menthol thought. Wondering if he wanted to share these thoughts, or if they were better off staying locked in his head.
"It's...difficult to explain." He adjusted his glasses, something that had become a nervous tic of his. "I have been...ah, how do I word this..."
"Take your time."
"...hmm...Seltzer, do you remember that paladin, the one we met after the church was...?"
"Which one?"
"The girl with less flashy armor. I never did catch her name."
"Right, her. Yes, I do; why do you ask?"
"Well...I've been thinking about what she said to us that day. About the Rift."
At this, Seltzer's expression shifted to a nervous frown, his words dredging a memory back up that she had forgotten until now. She began to wring her hands. "Ah...right, she said it was...it had appeared in the Republic, too, right?"
"Yes, that."
"I-I had forgotten..." She ran a hand through her hair, trying to stay calm. "Gosh...that's so scary to think about. ...I completely understand why you haven't been sleeping now, haha."
"Well, that and the nightmares..."
"That too...You poor thing."
"Anyway, my insomnia aside," Menthol continued, "it has been...haunting me. The idea that, any time, any day, the Avatar could emerge from a Rift somewhere and take more victims..." He shivered.
"I...you're right. It's horrible," Seltzer responded. "So many cookies have already..." She paused. "I still find myself wanting to say they 'became one with the Whole Dough', but...That's not true, is it?"
"No. Absolutely not." Another adjustment of his glasses. "I do not know if the Whole Dough even truly exists, but whether it does or does not, either way, that thing is not the Whole Dough."
Seltzer didn't respond verbally, but she tersely nodded. Menthol clenched and unclenched his fists in repressed anger.
"That insidious, divine disguise it wears...it means nothing. That witch-forsaken abomination is by no means holy. It is just a hungry monster, plain and simple."
There was another pause, as Menthol took a breath to re-orient himself, to pull his thoughts back together. "Anyway, where was I going with this? ...I've heard that, out in the city of Parfaedia, they have assembled a guild to fight the monsters of the Rift-world. To try and repel them, and keep them from returning for some time."
"Yes...?" said Seltzer. There was a tinge of worry in her voice, as if she already knew where this was going.
"I...I said once before, that it can never happen again. We must make sure it never happens again. And this..." He paused for a moment. "This is my chance, Seltzer. My chance to-"
"Menthol, no!!" Seltzer lurched forward the moment she understood where Menthol's train of thought was headed, tightly grabbing both of his hands and pulling them to her chest. "You can't do that! Nobody could stop it last time, we couldn't stop it, why would- What- what makes you think you-"
Menthol pulled away from Seltzer, fiery and angry. "Back then, we were alone, Seltzer!" She reached for his hands again, for a moment, but pulled back. "The cookies in that church were almost entirely defenseless, but this time...I would have more cookies by my side, well equipped, ready to fight. Then, we could repel it. Then, I could...avenge them." He paused. "You understand, don't you?"
"...I do."
"Good."
He started to turn for the door, but Seltzer- gently, cautiously- grabbed his sleeve. He started to jerk his arm away, but stopped- knowing that he was just angry and acting irrationally.
"If...if you're going to go, then...Let me help, too, Menthol, let me come with-"
"No." His voice was sharp as a dagger, enough to make her flinch and pull her hands back- an action that visibly frightened him. He sighed heavily, before turning in her direction and taking one of her hands in his.
"I'm- I'm sorry. I don't mean to snap at you. I just...I know this is reckless of me. I would not be able to live with myself if I got you hurt, or worse." Light glinted off his glasses as he tilted his head a little. "So...I want you to stay here. Where it's safe. I promise I will do everything in my power to keep myself safe as well. I just...I have to do this, Seltzer. I have to."
She remained silent as he released her hand and moved to the door. Before he opened it, he paused, he looked over his shoulder, and his sharp eyes met her soft, kind...terrified gaze. He spoke one final time before he left.
"I'm sorry."
The sun was setting over Parfaedia, the blue flames of Unity lighting the Guild's stone ramparts, when the sky began to crack open.
Menthol watched intently, eyes fixed on the growing Rifts, as he leaned on the parapet. His gaze scanned the horizon in anticipation, jumping from one swirling tear in the sky to the next, watching and waiting. Waiting for the monsters to begin clawing their way out.
Senses sharp and keen, he quickly noticed the sound of footsteps approaching him, and he turned his head, expecting to see one of the Guild's members, or some other cookie he didn't know. He was startled by who he saw instead.
"I see Seltzer was right," spoke a familiar, accented voice. "She told me I'd find ye here."
"C-Charcoal? What are you doing here?" Menthol stammered, flustered and confused, clearly not expecting this spanner in his works.
"I'm here because o' Seltzer," Charcoal responded matter-of-factly. "After ye left the Cookie Kingdom, she came runnin' to me all panicky. Told me ye came out here to get some revenge on the Avatar, and wanted me to do somethin'."
A flare of anger rushed through Menthol, but he paused before he spoke, to beat the flame back. "...Look, Charcoal, I...I know you mean well. But please...don't try to stop me." He turned his head back to the horizon. "I came all the way out here because I have to stop that horrible day from happening again. I have to protect them. I have to...I have to stop it."
"Aye. I understand. This's been hauntin' ye fer a long time, I'm sure." Solemnly, he tipped his hat in Menthol's direction; a reflex, even though Menthol couldn't see him do it. "That be why I ain't here to stop ye. I'm here to help ye."
Menthol looked over his shoulder again, surprised. "You're...here to help?"
"She told me she couldn't come with ye. Didn't want her to get hurt, right? Well, she doesn't want you to get hurt either. So I came here to keep ye safe, and help ye get yer closure."
A pause. Menthol adjusted his glasses nervously, and left his hand on their frame for a moment, deep in thought- or perhaps just mentally jammed.
"I...Well...I appreciate it. I suppose."
An unearthly sound came from the hills before the duo, and Menthol turned back at the noise to see the rifts widening, the sky ripping open as though each rift was a seam being pulled apart at the edges. And, from those crackling portals, forms began to emerge.
"Looks like I showed up right on time, heh," Charcoal quipped.
"Indeed you did."
From one rift, the horned head of a mighty dragon emerged, unlike any dragon either of them had heard of before in legends. From another oozed a waterfall of black sludge, a roiling mass of heads, eyes, teeth and claws. A third was pried open from within by black taloned hands-
Menthol's heart skipped a beat. There it was. Oh witches, there it was. Before him again, vast white wings and unfeeling eyes, a flowing robe and a crown of spears. A glowing halo hung behind the Avatar's head, as it stared down upon the cookies of Parfaedia with a cold, hungry gaze Menthol could feel piercing his very soul, despite its closed lids.
Just looking at it again, he could feel his whole body reacting. Arms tensing, heart racing, panic welling up inside him...but he pushed it aside, shaking his head and adjusting his glasses. He couldn't turn back. He had already come this far; what a coward he would be if he gave up now. It was time to face his fear and avenge his fallen companions.
Not far from him, he saw a group assembling; Parfaedian mages' hands pointed towards the distant Avatar as they talked with a few cookies who appeared to be gearing up for combat. He didn't recognize most of them, but a couple of them seemed familiar, like perhaps he had seen them in the Cookie Kingdom before.
There was a tall, thin young fellow a lot like himself in build, hands tapping gently on the floating keys of a piano hanging neatly around him as he seemed to practice for what was to come; a petite cookie wearing a heavy coat and sailor's cap, a piece of glittering blue coral tucked into her hair, and a tiny cookie who looked just a bit under Charcoal's age despite their diminutive frame; body mostly coated in creamy "fur", trailed by a long, soft tail with a white bow tied around their neck.
The small cookie was the first to notice the pair; specifically, they were the first to notice Menthol's clearly anxious countenance, despite his efforts to suppress his fear. With a look of concern on their face, they came trotting over, tail swaying gently behind them.
"Is everything okay, mister?" they asked. Their voice was small, sweet and surprisingly youthful given their apparent age.
"...I am alright. Don't worry about it," Menthol responded, tersely. Trying to brush aside the small cookie's concerns, to keep his fear suppressed. "I've just never done this before, so I am...nervous." A lie, but one that made sense.
"Oh, well, of course!" they responded, accepting Menthol's story without question. "Any Cookie would be scared, facing off against big scary monsters like this, let alone for the first time!" They spoke as if they were talking to a child; something that irked him a little. "Which one are you here to help with?"
There was a pause, as Menthol's nerves briefly locked him up.
"That one," Charcoal answered instead, pointing in the direction of the Avatar. "The one it looks like yer preparin' for, yerselves."
In response, the small cookie's furry ears perked up, and their tail swayed a little faster. "Oh, good, good! That is the one we're getting ready for. That means I can help you!"
Menthol fussed with his glasses again. "W-well, I appreciate it, but I don't think I-"
"Thank ye," Charcoal said, cutting him off- and giving him a subtly-annoyed look. "In a situation like this, we need all the help we can get, don't we?"
"Yup! Cookies can do just about anything if they work together. Including fighting big scary monsters!" With that, the small cookie turned on their heel and gestured for the pair to follow them. "Come this way. I'll introduce you to the others."
The small cookie merged right back into their group as Menthol and Charcoal followed; the other two cookies looking up and waving hello.
"Okay! So, I'm Cream Ferret Cookie," they said, placing a hand on their fluffy chest. "That's Creme Brulee Cookie-" they pointed at the tall, thin cookie with the piano keys- "and that's Star Coral Cookie," they concluded, pointing at the cookie with the lantern and the coral piece. "What're your names?" They looked toward Charcoal in anticipation.
"Name's Charcoal Cookie," he responded, tipping his hat in greeting.
Menthol nervously grabbed at his sleeve with his other hand. Still trying to suppress his nerves, and still not doing a very good job. "...Menthol Cookie."
"Nice to meet you," Cream Ferret happily replied, before gesturing for Creme Brulee and Star Coral to move forward- getting all four other cookies in a line, with them in front.
"So, Creme Brulee, Star Coral, we've been over the plan, right?"
"Yes," said Creme Brulee. "We have done this a few times now."
"Weeell, do you mind if I repeat it for the two newcomers, here?"
"Go right ahead," Star Coral replied, nodding.
"Right, okay, so!" Cream Ferret started pacing as they recited the cookies' battle plan, still carrying a playful energy about them despite the serious circumstances. "Creme Brulee, you're our main heavy hitter. Keep your distance from the Avatar and keep playing your piano, and you'll have it beat in no time." They nodded in the pianist's direction, before turning their attention to Star Coral. "Star Coral, you can protect and support. Keep your lantern shining, so we're all shielded! We don't want that nasty thing taking us out in one go, do we?"
"Haha, no we don't," she replied, holding her lantern in both hands.
"And as for me," Cream Ferret continued, "I'll do what I do best! I'll help you all out with my Creamcraft!" A playful swish of their tail followed their words. "If you get hurt, one fuzzy hug from me and I'm sure you'll feel better."
Menthol had been nodding along as the little cookie spoke, listening intently and filing away all this new info in his head- looking for a place where he could fit himself and Charcoal into this team dynamic. When he was sure Cream Ferret was done talking, he spoke. "I am...not entirely sure how much I am capable of helping, in comparison to you all, but I will do whatever I can." Charcoal didn't say anything, but he nodded affirmatively.
"It's okay, it's not like you have to steal the show or anything," Cream Ferret joked. "Every little bit helps, so just do your thing!"
"Aye. I'll lend a hand however I can, too." As Charcoal spoke, he turned his fire iron down, dropping its upper half into his free hand. "The spirits'll have our backs."
"Well, is everyone ready, then?"
The four cookies all looked amongst each other for a moment, then turned back to Cream Ferret and nodded.
"Then let's go!"
By the time the team of five arrived at the edge of the ramparts, the Avatar had noticed the commotion. It hadn't moved, but it had turned its head towards them, quietly observing. Menthol took a deep breath as his eyes fixed upon the thing, ignoring his shaking legs and violently thrashing heart, that seemed to beg and plead- run, Menthol. Save yourself. Run.
He turned to Charcoal, eyes carrying with them a plea for reassurance- only to immediately notice something wrong with his friend.
Charcoal was trembling, too. Not as much, but a little. His eyes looked glazed and unfocused, brows subtly twitching as though he were in pain. Already, how? The Avatar hadn't even moved.
"Are you okay?" Menthol asked, stepping towards him, taking his attention off the situation at hand for a moment.
For a moment, Charcoal didn't respond; then he brought a hand to his temple with a pained groan. "Can...can ye hear that, or...?"
"Hear what? The monsters, or something else?"
"No, it's...it must be me, then." He shook his head, trying to focus. "It's...I'm hearin' spirits, I think. Can't make out any words...they're just...screamin'. There must be a lot of 'em...agh, it's loud."
Menthol nodded. "That does make some degree of sense. Combat has been happening here for a long time, after all."
"N-no. No, it can't just be that. The spirits in the catacombs, they crumbled in battle, but they don't- They're not this loud, not this-"
"Here it comes!" Cream Ferret shouted, as a blast of pale yellow light bathed the ramparts. The light cleared just as quickly as it emerged, and there the Avatar was, unfurling its wings in a display of power- clawed fingers curling in anticipation as its wing-mounted eyes glared down at the five of them.
With an energetic leap into battle from Cream Ferret, the game was on. Mid-jump, they transformed into a small, furry white creature- a ferret, of course, no wonder they were named that- as Star Coral lifted her lantern high and enveloped the team in shields of blue light, and Creme Brulee began playing his heart out. But Menthol didn't have a chance to fight, or even to face the thing at all- not yet. Not while his friend needed help.
The moment the Avatar arrived before them, massive and imposing, Charcoal had collapsed. A scream of pain leapt from his throat as he fell, clutching his head with both hands. Menthol dropped to his knees next to him, placing his hand on his back, eyes darting around, confused and frantic.
"Charcoal! What's going on?!" he shouted in alarm.
Charcoal, crumpled on the ground with his body propped up on his elbows, grimaced in obvious agony, groaning through gritted teeth, before he could explain.
"I-it's- It must be- agh- the Avatar-!" His voice was strained to near breaking. "They- Menthol, they- They won't stop screamin'!"
"They-?"
"Hundreds! Hundreds of 'em! Every last one, screamin' their heads off- ghh-! Beggin' and pleadin' fer help, all of 'em-!"
Menthol couldn't respond. He'd theorized about this when he'd been told that the church was empty, not a spirit to be found...but now, as Charcoal writhed in pain before him, his fears were proven true. The Avatar really had taken all of their souls, hadn't it? And now, trapped inside, all they could do was scream. And if he was right, and there really were hundreds in there...dear Witches.
"I-I can't help ye like this, Menthol- ngh-...it's too loud, they're- They're rattlin' the thoughts outta me head- agghh, it hurts-!" He slammed his fist into the ground, tears starting to fall from his eyes. "'m sorry, just- just go, help 'em, leave me-!"
"G-got it!" Turning on a dime, Menthol bolted towards the others- towards the active combat.
As he approached, he unhooked his censer from his belt, uncoiling its string into his hands. Pale blue smoke had already begun trailing from it when he skidded to a stop before the Avatar, the others all around him moving in perfect formation. Running in complete fight-or-flight mode, he couldn't even tell he was afraid anymore- it was do or crumble, now or never. Lifting his censer high, chilling vapor practically fired out of it as it swung forward, a heavy cloud billowing in the Avatar's direction.
The Avatar didn't even flinch as the cloud enveloped it, paying no attention to Menthol's efforts. Even when the smoke burst in a flurry of blue sparks, it didn't react. But he wasn't deterred- he was sure there was something he could do.
It would take a short time before he'd be able to throw out another smoke cloud from his censer, but he could still direct it with its tail end. As he pointed the censer's diamond tip towards the Avatar, another, smaller explosion of sparks burst into existence upon its side. And Menthol persisted- keeping his distance, allowing the other three to occupy the front lines. He pointed again, and another explosion. Again, and another. He lifted his censer again, and another sparkling cloud enveloped the monster, bursting in beautiful sparks.
But, still...well, it didn't react as though it was being hurt, but it did finally react.
It flared its wings wider for a moment, lifting its hands- and just then, in an instant, Menthol felt a staggering pain rip through his whole body. He dropped to his knees, stunned into inaction by sudden agony- a pain like a thousand speeding blades had just torn through him from a thousand directions, all at once.
He looked up, and saw the other cookies in the same situation as him. Instantly, the team was thrown off, and they no longer had the lead.
Shields broken and pain reverberating, none of them had a chance to act before it turned its attention towards a single cookie- its wings' eyes falling upon Star Coral, who was reaching for her lantern and visibly panicking. She looked up to see its hand curling, index finger pointing straight towards her.
It wasn't clear what happened, but right at that instant, Star Coral flinched- and then she went limp.
"Oh no, Star Coral!" Cream Ferret cried, fur puffed up in fright. "Crumbs, we can't fight the Avatar without her shields-! We gotta get out of here before it tries to eat us!"
Creme Brulee hooked his arms under Star Coral's shoulders and picked her up as Cream Ferret shifted into animal form again, bounding away with impressive speed. The trio retreated, knowing they'd been beaten.
But Menthol did not.
Now that he'd seen the Avatar take out one of his allies in an instant, seen his close friend incapacitated without it even having to do anything, seen his other allies flee as though they were powerless- all of his bravery utterly deflated. He stared up at the Avatar's emotionless face, paralyzed with fear. All of the crushing terror that he had tried so hard to suppress. All his support was gone, and now it was like he was right back in the church all over again.
He heard a dreadfully familiar sound, just then- the sound of its tentacles emerging from its body.
A sound that painfully reminded him of the very real possibility of that thing devouring him...and adding his voice to a wailing chorus of tormented souls.
A possibility that suddenly seemed very much like a certainty, if he didn't do something.
That was enough to break him out of his paralysis. He had to do something or he'd be crumbled in the most agonizing way he could imagine. He scrambled to his feet, and his eyes shot around frantically, looking for something, anything, to help him either defend himself or get away. His eyes passed over Charcoal for a moment, his fire iron, and-
Wait. Charcoal! Oh Witches, CHARCOAL! If he didn't do something, Charcoal would be devoured too! He dropped his censer in a panic, rushing over to his incapacitated friend. He didn't bother explaining the situation to him, he just grabbed his hand, helped him to his feet and pushed him toward the guild hall, away from the ramparts.
"Wha- What's going-" Charcoal started to ask-
"DOESN'T MATTER! JUST RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"
Charcoal didn't ask any more questions. He took off running as fast as he could. Menthol started to follow him- but he didn't get far.
A pale limb wrapped around his legs, dragging him back with terrifying ease. He screamed, louder than he'd ever screamed, in pure mortal terror.
Time slowed to a crawl. This was it. He was done for. A thousand thoughts flashed through his head- how much was it going to hurt? What sort of agony would his spirit endure? Would Seltzer be alright? How badly would she handle losing him? Oh, Witches, he didn't even get to say goodbye. His reckless desire for vengeance had gotten him crumbled and he was leaving her behind, lost and alone.
He felt horribly guilty.
Moving on instinct, his hands shot out to grasp for anything to hold on to...and they landed on Charcoal's fire iron. It was a heavy, imposing thing, one he'd never even touched before- but in his life-or-crumbling panic, that didn't matter; right then, his whole train of thought immediately shifted. Now he had a big, sharp thing in his hands and maybe that could save his life.
The ground grew further away from him as the Avatar lifted him high, preparing to absorb him into its mass.
Now was his chance. His last chance.
Holding the fire iron in both hands, he whipped his body around, and he plunged it into the tentacle's pallid dough.
The Avatar made a noise for the first time he had ever heard. It screamed. It was an unholy, unnatural scream, one like nothing he'd ever heard before. He wasn't sure if the response was from pain or just from being startled, but he felt its grip loosen as it dropped him. It curled its wings around itself, and a yellow light enveloped it-
right before everything went black.
When Menthol awoke, he had no idea what had happened. He was in what appeared to be the guild's hospital, lying in one of several cots, for cookies that had fallen while fighting the Rift-things. He turned his head to look around- to one side of him was Star Coral, still unconscious; to the other was Charcoal, groaning in pain and rubbing his head, but awake. As he looked around, he became aware of two things, two physical sensations- a brilliant, pounding headache, and a feeling around his neck like soft fur.
He sat up, confused- and dizzy, as he was now suddenly aware. As he placed a hand on his head, the world spinning around him, he felt that soft fur around his neck move. A white scarf, that he had only just now noticed the presence of, shifted around his neck, and from his left shoulder, up popped a small, furry head.
"Menthol Cookie," Cream Ferret softly cooed; again, like they were talking to a child. "Please lay back down, okay? You're really hurt. The doctor said you have a concussion." They idly scratched their face with their paw as they spoke. "You hit your head really hard, and-"
"Y-yes, I know what a concussion is." Menthol slumped back down in his bed. "Speak to me like an adult, please."
"Oh, oops, sorry. Force of habit." They chuckled. "I take care of a lot of little ones. Sometimes I act like that without thinking when I'm trying to help grown-up cookies like you." They started shifting around to get comfortable again. "Is this okay, or should I move?"
"You're fine. ...Your fur does feel nice."
"Haha! I do get that a lot. The little ones love my fluffy tail."
"I'm quite sure they do."
"...By the way," they began to remark. "I saw what you did before you fell. When the Avatar got you."
"...Right..." He shuddered as the memories, cloudy as they were, reformed in his head. "I was...I was panicking. I just wanted to get away, by any means necessary. I certainly did not think it would result in a head injury." He reached for his glasses, only to realize that he didn't have them on- a nurse must have removed them. "Though," he continued, "I don't know why I didn't, it seems like an obvious conclusion, being dropped from a considerable height- well, I was panicking, so I wasn't..."
Cream Ferret giggled listening to the gears turn in Menthol's head as he spoke. "It's okay, it's okay. Nobody thinks about stuff like that in these kinds of moments." They patted their paws against his shoulder. "And what I wanted to say was...that was really cool, what you did. Admirable. I bet you saved his life-" they lifted a paw to point towards Charcoal, who looked over at the pair, but didn't respond- "and you saved your own, too. I was really scared for you. We all were."
"I was scared, too. Terrified." Just the thought of what almost happened to him made his jam run cold. "I didn't...I-I don't want to crumble...I don't. The idea of it is, just..." He could feel himself shaking, could feel his heart beating in his chest, and it was clear Cream Ferret could, too.
"It's okay. You're okay." They rested their head on their tail, speaking in as calm and gentle of a voice as they could. "I know it's still scary to think about, but you're okay. You're okay, and the monster is gone. It's not gonna hurt you anymore." They paused. "Deep breaths, okay? In, and out. In...and out."
"In...and out..."
Menthol slowly calmed down as he breathed, just as Cream Ferret hoped. His body relaxed, and his mind relaxed, too.
It was okay. He and all of his friends were alive, new ones or otherwise- and he had repelled the Avatar in his last desperate act, or at least it seemed that way. It would be back eventually, he knew, but...at least he had done something.
But, really, it was more important that he was alive. He was alive, and he could go home to Seltzer, and tell her how much he missed her. Tell her, shamefully, how right she had been to tell him not to go. But more importantly, tell her how much she meant to him.
It was going to be okay.