Meal 9
Morris made his way to the Chateau of Cheese a terrible sense of dread and foreboding swelling in his head. If Skunk Kill had a reason to give him an incredibly long trek to face him it was to allow him to cloud his own mind with self-doubt and weaken his resolve. The worst part was that it seemed to be working. With each step closer he got, the more he felt he couldn't win. After entering into a valley of mountains the winds blowing in between the range forcefully blew him around and greatly slowed his progress. It soon became so bad he had to take shelter and wait for it to calm down.
"What's the point of all this?" groaned Morris. "I'm not the same powerhouse that Tagmer was. When it counted he was the one who made the killing blow and when it was time for me to take a stand I couldn't do anything. What am I even doing here?"
"If you really want to know," replied a voice riding on the wind. "Then you must seek that answer."
"Who is there?" he asked. "Are you some being of great spiritual power residing over his valley?"
"No, I'm up here," he said from atop the rock Morris was at. "I'm Vic."
"And I'm Ivy," said another voice coming from behind Morris this time. To his surprise he didn't even sense anyone else around and now they were surrounding him. It was a pair of humans, a guy and a girl. They were dressed and appeared normal, but it was clear there was more to them that they appeared. In their presence the wind seemed to grow tame.
"What do you two want?" he asked defensively.
"We wandering around this valley and got bored," Ivy told him. "Then we saw you so we thought you might help us kill some boredom."
"I don't have time," Morris commented. "I have somewhere to be."
"But you didn't sound like you were too excited about going to wherever anyway," stated Vic. "Something the matter?"
"If you are so eager to pry I might as well tell you," sighed Morris. "My friend is in trouble and I don't have the power to save him."
"Well what if we helped you?" suggested Ivy.
"I doubt I'd be allowed to help, but I don't see what a couple humans could do to help me," he explained.
"Hey we're not just a pair of humans," complained Ivy. The wind seemed to flare up around her as her temper showed a bit.
"Relax Ivy," Vic said calming her. "We'll be at the top of that mountain over there. Just meet us and we'll see if there's any hope for you."
"What are you talking about?" asked Morris, but his question was unanswered as both vanished when a strong breeze distracted him. He looked around, but nobody was in sight. Groaning, he started to continue on his way, but the turned back to the mountain. "There's no way I am going to go out of my way to climb that mountain." He turned away and headed back on his way to the Chateau of Cheese. A couple minutes later he was heading back to the mountain, his hand on his forehead unable to believe he was actually going to do it.
Logan and Bruce started their match and were already sizing each other up. Gut to gut and butt to butt they seemed to be evenly sized. Logan seemed quite nervous to make a strike afraid he'd be countered and beaten. The thought of what might happen to the losers filled him with worry. Bruce was probably just as nervous, but didn't seem to tense about the matter.
"Are you guys going to start any day now?" groaned Dillon half asleep. "You've just been circling each other for the last ten minutes and haven't even touched each other yet."
"Don't rush them," replied Zane. "This is clearly a battle of wits. The first strike is very crucial. They must wait for the right time, the perfect moment when they spot the flaw in the other's defense that they can exploit. This match could very well be decided in the very first, the very first mistake."
Logan broke out in laughter that filled the whole room. Without warning, Bruce attacked by poking him in his fatty side. He hit a ticklish spot on his body. Gasping for breath, Logan managed to recover enough to poke at Bruce's fatty side and tickle him into laughter. The battle quickly shifted away from a regular sumo match to a battle of wills to the highest degree, a tickle fight.
"You were saying?" chuckled Dillon a bit smug in his voice.
"Just wait until we get to our fight," stated Zane through gritted teeth.
"This climb didn't look this high from the ground," commented Morris after climbing so high people would appear like ants on the ground below him. "Why do I have to climb anyway?"
It was both a lucky and unlucky thing for Morris that the mountain was perfectly climbable without any special equipment. It meant he was quite capable of climbing it with nothing more than his hands and feet, but it also meant he had to strain his muscles at the same time. Having such a big heavy gut didn't make this any easier and got an occasional scratch on his body or a tear in his cloak from some shark rocks. He fought through the pain because he knew if he allowed himself to slip that would be the end of his store right then and there. The only comfort he has was that nothing else seemed crazy enough to climb this mountain meaning he didn't have to worry about getting attacked. Then he grabbed a loose rock and knocked it free of the mountainside. He had a strong enough footing to prevent a slip, however he found it released a worse problem. Oversized insects started scurrying out and surround Morris.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he cried as he started climbing faster. The bugs climbed after him in a frenzied pursuit of fresh prey. This didn't give him any time to move with caution. He grabbed whatever was before him and ended up getting cuts all over as he tried to keep moving. Despite his best efforts, they still caught up with him and started jumping onto his legs and cloak stinging him with their venom to weaken him. As he moved, Morris shook them off, but there was already more coming to take their place.
The only positive of this nightmare plaguing Morris was the top was coming into sight a lot quicker. The downside was the venom being injected inside him was started to take effect, blurring his vision and numbing his body. It was difficult for him to know if he'd make it to the summit or if he'd lose to the venom and the insects. Already his arms and legs could barely bend and were swollen at least twice as large as they normally were. The lower half of his body was covered in the clustering cretins. Even if he did reach the top he still had to deal with them. There didn't seem to be a way out; no way out unless he did something desperate and crazy.
With one shaking hand he reached into his cloak and grabbed a bomb. They had a special pull string detonator on them so they'd go seconds afterwards. With his other hand occupied he had to use his teeth to remove the string and then let it drop. It was an extreme gamble doing this. If it went off too soon he'd either get killed by the explosion or knocked off the mountain and plummet to his death. If it was too late he'd fail to get rid of the bugs and he doubted he would have a second chance.
As the bomb hit the side of the mountain and bounced off it went off creating a small explosion that fried all the bugs in its blast radius and scared the rest off. The explosion also burned at Morris's legs, rear, and cloak, but besides a few first degree burns and some charred fur he was alright and able to climb the rest of the way to the top.
Such an accomplishment didn't leave a fulfilling taste in Morris's mouth. His body was ravaged to the breaking point. He could hardly move let alone stand and he had a searing pain coursing through him. If there was a point to this he was waiting to hear it because as far as he was concerned it was a waste of time and there was no way the trip down was going to be any better.
"So how was the journey up here?" asked Vic appearing before Morris.
"How do you think?" he groaned looking up at him and Ivy. "In the condition I'm in I can't do anything now."
"Was there any difference with how you were before and how you are now?" asked Ivy. "You had doubts that you could defeat Kill at your best."
"How did you two know about that?" shouted Morris getting to his feet. "Have you been spying on me? Do you work for that rat or skunk or whatever that cretin is?"
"He says he's at his limit," commented Vic. "But he seems pretty fired up for more."
"Looks like we've put him in a corner, but he's not completely backed into it," replied Ivy. "Just a little more of a push should suffice."
"Then I guess we'll have to be the ones to push him," said Vic.
"What are you two talking about?" cried Morris. "Who are you two?"
"He's quite annoying when he's angry," joked Ivy. "Let's just show him." Vic nodded and in a fierce explosion of wind they were surrounded by fierce winds that were threatening to knock Morris from one mountaintop to the next. Feathers unlike anything he had ever seen scattered from the wind vortexes, but when the wind died down he became acquainted first hand with the type of bird they belong to.
Soaring overhead of Morris was now a pair of mighty Lugias whose bodies shined brightly in the sunny sky. In contrast, Morris was in the dark, their bodies blocking the light from him. Their wings created big gusts of air, though it didn't compare to the tornados from their transformation, but all this hadn't even been them attacking yet.
"So are you surprised yet?" they asked looking down on him. "Are you ready to show us your real power now?"
"You want to see me fight?" he screamed at them full of both rage and fear. "Then eat this!" Grabbing his bow he readied and arrow and fired it. It flew true at first, but the wind created from their wings knocked it away like they were swatting a fly. Seeing his weapon was no more effective than when he tried them on Killajor was very disheartening. Nothing in his arsenal could reach them and even if they came into close range it wasn't like he had anything else to fight them with. His body was already being pushed to his limits just to stand and it was his rage that allowed for his attack.
"Is that it?" Vic asked sounding a bit disappointed.
"Well I guess that's all we should expect," replied Ivy. "If this is all the strength he can muster then this is as far as he will go."
Together they flapped their wings faster sending rays of sharp wind at Morris. They tore through him as if he were made of tissue paper. He had been injured many times before, but as these mortal blows struck he could feel himself dissolving as the end of his story was upon him. Each attack took away a bit more of him and his consciousness seemed to be fading.
"Is this really the end?" he thought to himself.
Rasping voices of laughter were the only sounds coming from the battle room as Logan and Bruce battled. They had been laughing so hard for so long they were both ready to collapse from a combination of sore throats and lack of oxygen entering their systems. Occasionally hiccups escaped their lips. Despite not landing a single punch on each other, Logan and Bruce seemed like they had gone several rounds in a wrestling ring. They had sweat dripping from every fatty fold in their body and found it becoming increasingly difficult. Despite how bizarre the fight began the audience was cheering with excitement for their side.
"Come on!" shouted Zane. "You can do it Bruce!"
"Go for his pits!" egged Van. "That'll take him down."
"Use the flab," said Dillon in a wise-sounding voice. Then his voice started to turn derpy and foam frothed in his mouth. "Smother him! Smother him in your endless flab like the blob dog you are." Bruce and Van slid over in their seats getting a bit more distance between them and Dillon, not sure if he was turning rabid. Snow also had words of encouragement for Logan, but his voice was smothered by Obamon's breasts.
Being able to caress and tickle one another was practically impossible at this point for Bruce and Logan at this point. They wanted to scream and let out all their laughter at once before they ended exploding from over tickle stimulation. How they hadn't already could only be attested to iron nerves, but one had to be better and it was finally realized when Bruce stopped moving. Everyone became quiet and Logan stepped back in wonder. Then slowly he fell backwards like a tree and made just as powerful an impact as he hit the floor.
"Excuse me," said Logan running out of the room. He shut the door right before an explosive boom shook the whole house mixed with tons of Logan's laughter. It went on for only a minute before it stopped and the victorious dog reentered the room. He hardly managed a single step before falling over. A smile adorned his face since he knew that he was the winner of the match. The others were speechless at what had transpired.
"Well that was highly unorthodox," commented Obamon. "But nonetheless Logan is the winner and you all know what that means." Obamon waved the flag indicating that Logan's team had won the match and tied things up for the final round. As this happened, Bruce shrank down like Snow had and was scooped up into a bottle and placed in the space between her breasts. "And with this we have one win apiece. Then next fight will be between Zane and Dillon. Take your positions so we can begin."
Dillon and Zane took their respective spots on the ring. Dillon wore an eager and silly grin across his dillo face. Slobber and drool dripped down his muzzle despite this fight being horribly one-sided against him. Zane remained calm and unflinching. He showed his years of intense and focused training. Together they did the sumo greeting and Obamon waved the flag for them to begin.
"This won't last long, da'gya," snickered Dillon as he flexed his fingers getting ready to strike.
"No it will," replied Zane opening his eyes and grinning. "It has been far too long since I had a good fight and I want to unleash a bit of pent up fury."
Before Dillon could respond, Zane vanished from where he stood only to reappear in front of Dillon with a lightning fast punch right into his gut. It sank deep into his fat and made Dillon's whole body undulate. A look of intense pain the likes of which nobody has even felt surged through Dillon's body while his eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of his head in a comical fashion. What everyone else knew at this moment was that they didn't want to be in his place right now and nothing Obamon could do could be worse than feeling the wrath of Zane.
The duo Lugia didn't let up on their attacks. If Morris wasn't hanging on like a thread it would be no different than beating on a dead cow. If there was a pause in their attacks it was to let the dust settle and see if he was still breathing.
"He's tougher than he looked to still be alive," commented Ivy.
"His body is trashed though," replied Vic. "He won't be moving for a while after this."
As Vic said that they heard a low groan coming from the mortally injured Morris. Then with all his might he started to force himself off the ground. It was excruciatingly painful for him with all the wounds creating blistering pain over every corner of his body. "I should probably just lie down and wait for the end," groaned Morris. "But for some reason I can't. I never thought I'd hate myself for being so stubborn about winning a fight. I'm going to be sore tomorrow. Ugh, actually I'm sore right now."
"You were saying?" said Ivy. "Though it looks like he's still got a bit of fight left in him. He might be able to do it after all."
"Then one more strong attack from each of us should be the breaking point," stated Vic. "Either he'll do it or he'll die. Either way we did all we could for him."
Ivy nodded and the two of them launched another blast of razor sharp air blades at Morris while he was still struggling to his feet. As he looked up to see their attack he had a look of determination on his face. There was no way he could withstand the attack or dodge it at this point with all the damage he sustained, but he could feel something filling him up inside, a power that he never knew. He let out a shout that echoed throughout the valley as the attacks made contact.
"So this is it," said Ivy.
"Yeah," replied Vic with a grin. "I didn't actually believe he could do it. Guess I lose that bet."
"You didn't even know if this was going to work," complained Morris in a cloud of dust. "But I guess I should be grateful it worked out and I feel a lot stronger as a result. As thanks I won't kill you. Instead I'll just beat you both to a pulp." As the dust cleared Morris stood there mightier than ever. He was larger than ever, like he was a brand new skunk. Despite being incredibly obese he had some bulging muscles showing now and his tail was longer and wider, practically able to drape it around his body like a toga. His bow had also changed into an awesome cross between a crossbow and a Gatling gun. Even his clothes were new and improved mixing in some body armor on top of his cloak. Every injury he had was healed, even the poison that had been in his veins was no longer bothering him. "One, why did all my stuff change with me? And two, why did you two go through all this to help me?"
"It was fated to happen," said Vic in a sacred tone.
"Don't give him that load," groaned Ivy. "We saw how down you were at the tavern and decided to give you a hand. Besides that, we were bored. As for why you changed that is how hero tales go. When you need the power to go on you find it and create something new. Now let's finish this cause this fight isn't over yet."
"I wholeheartedly agree," replied Morris readying his weapon at the two targets in the sky.
Once again they blasted his with razor wind at him. Using his newly enforced cloak Morris guarded against the attacks and they didn't so much as scratch him. This gave him the opportunity he needed to take aim. His eyes were even sharper than before, like he had a targeting system built in. He locked onto them and sent a flurry of arrows at them with a single pull of the trigger. Unlike before when they got knocked back on the wind they sliced through it found their make. Both Vic and Ivy got covered in arrows on their chest belly and wings. It was hardly enough to kill them, but it took the sail out of them and they plummeted to the ground in a grand crash. As they scrambled to get up, Morris was already on top of them with the finishing shots just a finger twitch away. They had no choice but to concede.
"I hate having to play the nice guy and end up losing," groaned Vic. "But it looks as though you'll be able to save your friend now."
"Maybe," replied Morris. "Kill is a pain in my backside and that it putting it mildly. Just defeating the last one was tough and took more than we had. This fight could be even harder."
"Well not our problem anymore," replied Vic. "Let's get going Ivy."
"Vic!" groaned Ivy refusing to leave Morris in the lurch. "Let's give him the other thing."
"Oh, fine," moaned Vic as they both reverted to their human forms. They then handed Morris one Lugia feather each.
"What are these?" asked Morris slipping them into an inner pocket in his cloak. "Well I know what they are, but what do they do?"
"If you need a hand, you just need to hold them up to summon us," explained Ivy. "They require a little magic to use, but you look like you have plenty to spare."
"Then I'll keep them close should the need arise," he explained. "Thanks for all your help and I hope we meet again." He started towards the edge of the mountain and saw the long way down. "Uh, do you mind giving me a lift?" When he turned back to them they were already gone and out of sight. "I really hope I don't have to call them any time soon."
In a large building not too far from Morris's location his evil opponent awaited his challenge. The building was about as lavishly decorated as one could decorate a building with beautiful stone that fine wood one would expect only a millionaire could afford to live in. All over statues decorated the place both inside and outside. However, the one Kill admired the most was the one he brought in himself.
"Don't worry," he told the statue as he caressed Tag's fat body with his fingers. Your friend will arrive soon and then you will have a friend to be with for a bit. Well, at least until it is time to dispose of you both." Tagmer wasn't conscious to snap at skunk Kill so he could tear him apart with his bare hands. "It must make you feel so vulnerable to be trapped in there and that a simple shove could end you for good." Delicately he pushed on the statue threatening to knock him over and smash him to bits. "I wonder if you can see while like that. Would you be filled with fear at how you are? Well get used to it because once this story comes to an end so will you."
