Chapter Text
Labelling the atmosphere in the town square as heavy would be an understatement.
While pacing, Frogue glanced between the newly built-up Red Kingdom and the gates which faced the opposing kingdom, watching out for any unwanted visitors.
"Sausage couldn't you have picked any other location for this spell? This is quite out in open," he said before letting out a ribbit, eyes going wide in a way that was slowly becoming more normalised to the Red denizens.
The Neck-romancer in question was preoccupied with his grimoire. His face shoved deep into it as he read over texts in a language only he could understand. Running his hand down his beard, Sausage muttered out half sentences - probably directed to Lady Death - that Frogue could barely make out.
"No, no, no! It needs to be here, Frogue. Lady Death herself commands it!" he announced, opening his arms out wide to the ominous looking circle in front of them.
Unlike the deepslate structure used to reanimate the horse, all dark and gloomy with red candles; this structure was surprisingly more cheerful. Brightly coloured red and green wool surrounded a circle made of leaves while red and white candles dotted the outside. In the centre of it though, stood a stone pedestal which looked oddly out of place surrounded by the festive colours. Even more so peculiar was the slab of fresh pork sat on top of it, blood and sinew still hanging off of it.
Shutting his book with a thud, Sausage picked up his scythe and marched closer to where his companions stood. "All we have to do is channel our divine power into this circle and BOOM! The Princh will appear," he instructed Frogue and a visibly zoned-out Cam.
Noticing this, the frog man gave a light tap to the healing mage. "Cam you heard him, yes? I will not have my life taken from me because you were busy staring off into the distance," he grumbled out when the mage shot up to look at him.
As if taking in his surroundings for the first time, Cam stared at the ritual circle in front of the three of them. He scrunched his face, lifting his glasses further on his face. "Um, what are we doing?" he questioned.
Rolling his eyes and letting out a noise, Sausage pointed to the cycle and back at the healing mage, "You will blast your magic into that pork chop while I do the same and recite the magic words."
Hearing his explanation, Cam raised an eyebrow but aimed his arms in front of him nonetheless. "Alright let us do this then."
Seeing his lack of hesitation, Frogue stepped back, eyes going wide again. "Wait we're doing this now? are we sure this is safe?"
The Neck-romancer let out a giggle at that before waving him off. "Relax! I have read the ritual many a times. I know what I am doing."
"Ha. You have wreathed the ritual. Get it? Wreath? Because of the-"
"Yes, Cam - huzzah to that. Now start blasting please."
Frogue crouched down behind a nearby bush as Sausage pointed his Scythe inwards. After a second, the mage started reciting an unknown language - demonic in nature - as his voice slowly deepened to a hellish degree.
Suddenly, wafts of energy whirled towards the circle from both mage's palms; Sausage's, a dark black and red hue while Cam's was a mix of a burnt grey and light pink.
Letting out a grunt, Cam strained his arms as more of his power flew into the centre. Meanwhile, Sausage's speech hastened, also feeling the tensity of the rite being performed.
The combined light from both of their streams was instantaneously consumed by the pillar as the two forces touched. The glean from it reflected back onto the three men, causing sparkles and snowflakes? to appear around them.
"Nearly…there!" Sausage laboured out, tampering off his words to stare at the orb which now glowed in ahead.
While that occurred, Frogue stared forward from his spot crouched down behind the bush, clearly having forgotten the fact that he was supposed to watch out for any interruptions.
A shame really.
"Oh hello fellow kingdom members! I must admit I could not find any of you before-" the posh voice of Ser Bek cut through the commotion that was rapidly unfolding. She herself, had not yet realised what was occurring and was walking straight into it.
Cam's head shot towards the direction of Ser Bek. Raising his left arm away from the circle and to the ever so closely inching knight, he let out a hoarse yell, "Wait, Ser Bek no-"
BOOM!
The force of the ritual managed to blow him backwards. His head landing on the dirt path leading towards the castle's entrance. Cam's ears were deafened by the sound of ringing as he scrambled around to find his glasses.
Places them on his face again, the mage opened his eyes and observed the smoke that was slowly dissipating into the air, revealing Frogue and Sausage who were both slowly getting back up.
"Is everyone alright?" Frogue asked, letting out a grunt as he pulled his hood back on, covering the lilly pad which rested on his head.
Sausage squirmed into a standing position, using his scythe as a cane to prop himself up. "I believe I felt my tailbone crack."
Cam meanwhile scrambled up, squinting towards where the town centre is and trying to find a glimpse of the gullumfing knight he had come to consider a friend.
Rubbing and shaking his head, the frog man glanced over at the heaing mage, "Cam did you hear my question? And where is Ser Bek? She could have cost us everything with her actions just now."
Ignoring the question once more, the mage in question only stared in front of him, his face cringing in horror.
As the smoke wafted out, the armour-clad physique of Ser Bek came into view.
She stood there, arms braced with her back to the men around her. Unexpectedly, her arm shot outwards.
And twisted backwards.
The same happened to the other arm. And then her hand. And then both her legs.
The limbs twisted and cracked in a direction they clearly were not made to, the audible sound of bones snapping and reattaching drove into the eerily silence around the three men as they just watched frozen.
After a moment of silence, the limbs turned themselves and then popped back into their original place - hands and arms and legs and shoulders and even neck clicked back as Ser Bek leaned forward and caught herself before straighting her posture in a way that was…seemingly unlike her.
Cam reached out to the knight, "Ser Bek? Are you alright?"
Instead of responding, Bek swivelled her head, glancing at her surroundings and almost taking them in again for the first time.
Finally at arms length, the healing mage outstretched his hand to the knight's shoulder.
Before he could though, the sound of a high pitched giggle made him hesitate.
Giggle? Bek does not giggle-
"This isn't very festive, hmmm yesss."
Cam flinched,"Bek?" Behind him, both men braced for action.
Bek's head lifted and faced the healing mage, her eyes while still the same sapphire colour no longer had that shine to them. In fact, they had no shine at all - just two dark pupils that seemed to suck in all the light.
Bek's lips meanwhile twisted and widened into what would be assumed a painful smile, her teeth glistened as they peaked out.
"Bek seems to be a bit busy at the moment hmhmhmmm," she declared to the mage.
Cam shakily took a step backwards, nearly stumbling. "W-what?" he squawked out.
"Yesss. She's gone for now. But! No worries. Princh is here! And I'm going to make things better hmhmhmmm!" the being responded, Bek's body bent backward to accompany the repeated giggle.
Behind him, Cam could feel Frogue creeping closer with caution. The frog let out a hesitant ribbit, "Make things better? What do you mean by that? And where is Ser Bek?"
Princh turned Bek's head to face him. Even that simple action in and of itself was excruciatingly different from how their knight would move her own head, increasing the level of uncanniness around the group.
Staring at the Frogue for a second, Bek's smile seemed to widen even more - a feat that the man thought impossible.
"Well hahaha! That would be telling!" it simply responded.
Instead of waiting for a response, the Princh turn around and skipped towards the Kingdom's gates and through the entrance, leaving Red while humming a tune.
Behind her, Cam, Frogue and Sausage stared at eachother, eyes going wide.
They had royally screwed up. And things were going to only get worse from here.