The group of strange creatures were back at it again, training far away from the city.
Tang of course working on his noodle built arms.
Pigsy working up his mean ramen noodle recipe for lunch that afternoon.
Macaque observing the training going on between Mei and MK as they start to decimate dunes of sand.
Ren was meditating underneath a large umbrella, the sun and heat had started getting to to him from training with MK earlier.
Jinhua had gone off to speak with Sandy for a bit about a few issues that needed to be discussed between just the two.
"So. Did you get your lil' special delivery?" Jinhua mentioned casually with a small sip of her tea, her eyes slanted mischievously at the reaction of her blue friend.
Sandy meanwhile choked on his own cup of tea and spat it out, "D-Delivery—! Is that what you call it?" He patted his chest a couple of times before composing himself, "I would say a little surprise visit is what it calls for."
Jinhua smiled into her cup, "But in this scenario, I don't see that spider demon leaving anytime soon."
Sandy sent the demoness a small look, "I still don't know what had happened down there, but whatever it is, had scared the guy so bad that he wouldn't come out of his room for hours until I had to break down the door and drag him out to eat dinner."
Jinhua felt her lips form a thin line, "It'd be best to not bring it up." Her eyes glanced up briefly to meet his sea green irises, "It would only bring up horrendous reminders of the unfortunate events that transpired down there."
Sandy went quiet after observing the demoness for a moment before going back to finish his tea, "It's okay. I don't mind the company. Staying on the boat with just the therapy cats and myself, can get pretty lonely. So the new addition to the crew is a welcome one."
Jinhua smiled at that, "I'm glad."
Sandy chuckled, "As am I."
"Ma'! Ma'!" Ren had raced over to his mother's side and tugged on her sleeves to gain her attention. His spiked tail wagging in excitement, "Mr. Pigsy said that lunch is ready!" He licked his lips in wonder of the infamous taste of Pigsy's Noodles that MK and Tang droned on about.
Jinhua chuckled and ran her fingers through his messy and sweaty locks, "Go on first, I'll catch up."
"Okay!" Ren grinned before teleporting away and reappearing behind Pigsy with a empty bowl at ready.
The Pig demon turned around and jumped at the sudden appearance of the kid, "WHAOH—! What is it with you and your parents and teleporting!" He huffed out and began to pour a portion of his famous noodles.
Ren chirped happily and dug in as he sat next to Mei and MK.
Macaque had walked over and handed the Demoness' bowl for her, "Saved you some. In case the kids had the thoughts of getting another bowl." He smiled.
Jinhua chuckled and took the bowl gladly while Macaque took his spot next to her.
Everyone was enjoying the meal until a large beam of blue icy power struck up into the sky from the middle of the city. It's sudden decrease of temperature made the family of demons shiver at a chill that ran down they're spines.
Mei was the one to speak up, "That... Probably isn't good..."
Everyone ran across the hovercraft and made it to the rails on the side that was facing the city.
Everyone watched in surprise or fear as the beam suddenly dissipated and a strange mechanic spider contraption blasted out of a sand dune much closer than anyone expected it to be.
"Why is that Spider Machine white?" Ren muttered.
Mei glanced over at her friends questioning, "Spider Queen or nah?"
Staring at the machine MK felt a sudden headache from it and was mind flashed with an image of a certain menacing demoness that would forever haunt him, "No."
"MK's right." Macaque called out with his arms crossed. His eyes flashing a dangerous purple at the sight of the machine.
He was beyond angry. He was infuriated at this demoness that dared use his lover as some sort of plaything and manipulate her emotions as she wished. He had spent nights by her side, comforting her, from her endless worry for a future that had too many if's, all because she couldn't do a single thing against her.
"So who is this enemy if not the Spider Queen?" Sensing his father's anger and his mother's worry for this sudden enemy, Ren had armed himself with his special umbrella and was prepared to cast out any spell attack needed.
Jinhua brought out a blade, "Something much worse."
MK's rushed out and used the railings to propel himself forward as he used a Chi induced fist to punch the machine's glowing red eye.
But all it did was activate a frightening large sigil.
Ren's eyes widened at the sight, "That can't be good."
Somehow MK was pushed through the other side with his Chi Fist of Fury reduced to nothing and had no major effect on the machine whatsoever.
"Wha..?" MK fell through the other side.
Jinhua watched with increasing worry as she saw ancient text form on the sigil. But it was outlined in gold instead of the original blue.
The machine however was thrown back by the reaction of the sigil.
Pigsy couldn't help watching this any longer and tried to climb over the rails, "Come on—!"
"Right!" Sandy agreed, fists ready.
"Wait—!" Jinhua called out but the hovercraft was already tilted away from the sigil by none other than Tang at the handle.
Jinhua turned to Macaque and Ren hurriedly, "Please stay together...! I don't know what evil this woman plans to do, but I'd rather have you guys in my vision."
Ren nodded frantically, "Not a problem, Ma'!"
Macaque placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Together, we'll get through this."
Jinhua smiled and gave a firm nod back before the family all turned to see MK get body slammed by a raining spider machine.
"NOOOO—!!"
"Kid—!"
"MK!"
"What the fuck—!"
"Bud!"
"Wha—!"
That is, until MK used his sizing ability to grow into a mega sized simian, to explode the machine into pieces.
The hovercraft lowered down so the group could let MK hear them.
"Yeah, MK!"
"You showed them who was boss!"
"You won! That's my boy!"
"Nice move, bud."
"You went kaplow and wham—!"
"Good job, honey."
Tang looked on a little bit longer but his eyes finally stared down MK, "Uh... MK. It feels like you aren't telling us something."
MK paused for a moment to think of his options but eventually couldn't hold back from being honest to his friends, "I-I met someone..."
The whole group immediately thought of a love interest for our little young simian and all started to geek out and 'ooo' with 'awww'.
MK flailed his arms around at the sudden misunderstanding, "AUGH! NO-! NOT LIKE—!"
Jinhua let out a sigh and cleared her throat, "Continue MK."
"Remember how we fought DBK? How I thought he looked different? Spider Queen attacked, and she was stronger?" He closed his eyes and let his tail curl around his ankle in shame, "I was trying to protect you... Keep it a secret. It was all this... girl. She calls herself..."
Jinhua felt a sudden pressure weigh her down like a sudden dozen boulders flew down at an alarming speed and hit her with all it's force.
"The Lady Bone Demon."
The atmosphere suddenly grew cold and dull as if the sudden warmth of the desert had been sucked dry and withered into ice.
MK let out a frightful gasp as the sudden whispers started to cloud the air around him, making it all think they were in his head.
And there she stood, not a lick of worry nor emotion that could have given away her intentions.
A sudden eruption of power flowed out on the hovercraft as Mei let out a angered yell, "This was that girl!! The one that has been tormenting you, Ren, and Jinhua!?" Her anger allowed her to instantly let out her dragon projection as it coiled around the hovercraft like a deadly Python waiting to sink its teeth into its new victim.
"NO—! Wait!" MK turned around to warn them but it was too late as the Lady Bone Demon already begun to use her might on the new pesky insects. Immediately exuding her presence alone had wiped away the projection and forced back Mei, Tang, Sandy, and Pigsy. Trapping them on the Hovercraft's flying board.
"You've done well MK. Mastered so many powers."
MK slowly turned around to see the souls of ghastly and disfigured forms swarmed around her like an aggravated hive nest, "It seems you are ready to meet your destiny."
A flicker of golden flames, dark shadow chi and swirls of purple mist warped around MK protectively and allowed the Bone Lady to see Jinhu, Ren, and Macque stand protectively in front of the Simian.
"Nobody's touching my brother!" Ren spat with his canines bared, his tail whipped around aggravated, and his umbrellas pointed.
Macaque stood off to the side with his spike ended staff at ready, his red cape flowing freely and covering the sight of MK away from Lady Bone's view, "Seems to me we're gonna have a problem if you touch my student."
Jinhua stood in the front with her sword drawn and ears peeled back in silent rage, "Touch a hair on this boy and you'll have Heaven to pay."
The Lady Bone Demon in question was observing the three new demons that had arrived.
"My... What an awfully interesting three you are." Her eyes trailed over them carefully before she tilted her head and gave a mocking smirk, "A fallen warrior. A failure. A pawn. And a caged beast."
The four immediately released a agitated hiss at the demoness. Her eyes gleamed with amusement as she raised her hand up to the sky, "What a happy little family, you've collected Jinhua... I apologize for what's about to come next."
Jinhua felt her world too into a icy coldness that spread throughout her whole entire being.
Because what she heard wasn't the whispers of the enemy before her.
It was the screams of her son.
Jinhua whipped around to see her dear little boy on his knees clawing at his head as if icy spikes had stabbed it multiple times. He released another blood curdling scream as the Lady Bone Demon held up a scroll in her hand.
Macaque held the boy closely as he tried to ease the pain just a bit.
Jinhua growled in frustration, "What have you done to him!!" She glared up at the evolving Spider Machine which had now transformed into a scorpion looking contraption.
"All I did was finish the requirements to obtain my final pawn to this grand plan of mine." The Lady Bone Demon held the scroll open and showed the contexts of what was written.
MK's eyes widened, "Is that...?"
"WHY DO YOU HAVE HIS SLAVE CONTRACT!!" Jinhua roared, her regular golden flames lit up around her, eating up her anger and using it as fuel. The blazes grew in power and in heat.
"Now, now... I'm sure it was you, who agreed to these terms.. Not me." Lady Bone giggled with a sickening grin, "So really... I'd like to thank you for giving me this beautiful opportunity of gaining such a powerful creature on the side of this cause."
"You—!" Jinhua seethed, her tails flicking wildly as she would love to do nothing more than tear this bitch, limb from limb.
"Let go of my friend—!!" MK had had enough of this and blasted off the ground to attack the distracted demoness.
"No wait—! Bud!" Macaque called out, his hand holding his son closely as he writhed in his arms in agonizing screams.
Taking a patch of hair from his scalp, he created his dozen of clones to fly down and try to land a hit. Or in better options, to obtain that contract, "GIVE ME THAT—!" But as soon as the clones all flew down to strike at the same time, the machine wasn't even scratched and his clones had been destroyed by the impact.
A gong sounded throughout the area as the giant floating sigil had written more ancient texts, as if absorbing the attack.
Tang leaned forward, worriedly, "MK, the more power you use, the more powerful—!"
"I become—!? Very observant!" The Lady Bone Demon finished with a giggle of glee. One of the claws twisted forward and grabbed hold of the young simian in a death locking grip.
She held up the contract and whispered a small chant and summoned a small quill with a bone decoration, "You see what I hold? I'm sure you know what signing this contract will bring me."
"No—!" Jinhua rushed forward and swung it horizontally as the scorpion tail struck down to impale her but it was cleanly cut in half as the demoness rushed by.
Lady Bone began to summon pillars of spiked ice to slow the Nekomata down but it seems to be physically impossible to escape this feline's wrath.
If she didn't have a card up her sleeve.
"Oh... Jinhua... How foolish and soft you've become..." She chuckled amused. Her tone nothing of the sort of pity that she played at.
Jinhua felt her limbs lock up the tattoos on her arms and legs began to tighten at a unimaginable strength that made her suddenly drop her sword. Her arms and legs immediately lost circulation and went limp. Her whole body fell forward and was about to crash into the ground if it weren't for Macaque's shadow clone ascending from her own shadow.
"Jinhua—!"
Macaque rushed over with Ren in one of his arms. He slid to her side on his knees and gently cupped her face, "Are you okay—!" His breathing sounded out of breathe, it seems the Lady Bone's presence had been having an effect on him as well.
Jinhua hung her head in frantic thinking as to how she was going to fight this battle, "I-I don't know how to help our son..." Her eyes glossed over at the still writhing boy that reached out to her in a silent plea. She forced her numb fingers to move as she gritted her teeth in pain as she weakly held out her arms to the boy.
Macaque shifted his hold on Ren into Jinhua's purplish, arms. After he made sure she wouldn't drop him, he stood up defiantly and guarded the two protectively with his staff at ready.
MK watched the whole scene unravel before his eyes as he still couldn't escape, even after trying to use his shrinking and growing ability, "I still have one final move to make—!" He gritted his canines and reached out his palm and summoned his golden staff.
Using the rest of his Chi energy reserves, MK began to summon the Monkie Mech. Just as the Mech stood towering over the Lady Bone Demon, MK felt dread shower him at the sinister giggling come from her.
And with that the whole area exploded into a frenzy of cold power, sending the hovercraft, along with, Mei, Pigsy, Sandy, and Tang, flying off into the distance, all yelling desperately for the four remaining members.
A giant mechazoid claw reached down from the bright light that eluded from the cold power.
"AUGH—!" MK screamed out in fear as he finally gazed upon the robotic mech that towered over his own like a child holding onto a broken toy, "Now.. Do you understand? You never had what it took to defeat me..." The Scorpion Mech's eye flowed fiercely, "All your power could do was make me.. Strong enough to carry on to my next task at hand." The Mech red eye was then directed at the small family, "My new fun little puppet."
Lady Bone Demon held the quill in her hand and felt the sudden urge of a looming figure looking over her shoulder. His red eyes gleaming with overwhelming greed and entertainment.
"My... What an unexpected twist..."
The whisper blew into the Lady Bone Demon's ear.
"Time to rightfully claim what was mine from the beginning...!" She then began to sign her name as the rightful owner of this contract.
Ren let out another bloodcurdling scream as his body began to emit a glowing light that shined from his eyes and mouth. His form was then grabbed by familiar chilling chains, and was ripped from Jinhua's own warmth.
"NO—!" Jinhua tried to go after him but Macaque held her back. He knew full well that it was too late. His lips thinned into a silent rage that burned frighteningly.
Ren began to float in front of the sigil as chains held him up to be showcased as his transformation began to shift into Lady Bone's favor. His sunny red robes transitioned into a moon design as his curls were then filled back into a neat bun. His two small horns were stretched out painfully to look like a crescent moon. His once beautifully golden eyes were a hauntingly ghostly blue that stared fully back at Jinhua's grieved form.
"Ren—!" She reached out pitifully, her violet eyes begging for this to all be a nightmare that she'd wake up from and meet her charming and smiling boy waiting for her.
"Jinhua—!" Macaque began to pull her back, "We have to go—!" He couldn't help himself as he gazed up at the once cheerful boy to now see a empty shell of what he once was.
Jinhua looked over her shoulder at her lover with an almost agonized look of confusion, "But that's my boy!! That's my baby boy!" She teared up, pools of tears began to run down her face at the sight, "I can't leave him again!!!" She tried to fight back, but her limbs have long lost all feeling and strength, "Please... Macaque—!!"
The Lady Bone Demon turned her attention onto MK as he struggled to get out of his seat that had been trapped under a metal chuck of the Mech's torn off head, "Ugh—! No—!" He fired off his staff out of fear and self defense, but the Lady Bone Demon immediately stopped it in it's tracks like it was nothing more than twig. With that the sigil had been complete and the ground underneath MK had been freezing over.
The staff in his hands have never felt more heavy in his life, "What! No! The staff!" He squeaked terrified. From the far end of the staff, MK saw ice begin to grow farther up at a rapid pace, "Please stop!"
Jinhua perked up at MK's frightful pleas, "MK!" Her glossed eyes grew firm as she put her focus on MK for now, "Macaque!"
"Already on it!" He rushed forward into the pools of shadows and reappeared before MK with his staff out.
Jinhua fell to her knees and held MK's hands, trying to pry them free as Ice had already taken over half of his arm.
"Jinhua—! Ren he...!" He felt his own tears of frustration falls down his face at the turn of events, "What do I do!"
"Do not resist your fates, you can rest after knowing you've served your purposes." She spoke in a determined tone, "Destiny has found you."
"He's coming..."
A shining bright light flew down and interrupted the ice spreading, separating MK and Staff.
MK was more than happy at the surprise party crasher.
Jinhua and Macaque? Not so much.
MK looked up at the simian's unyielding form in front of him, "Monkey King?"
Macaque growled lowly at the new arrival, "Sun Wukong..." He stepped closer to Jinhua with his tail wrapped around her arm gently.
"Destiny cannot be undone, Sun Wukong—!" The Lady Bone Demon exclaimed with a hint of annoyance as she obtained the ice covered staff and a new servant at hand.
Wukong looked on with a defeated expression at the options weighed against them. His eyes then found MK, Jinhua and Macaque behind him. He then glanced up at the Lady Bone with a smirk, "Let's test that theory." He then turned around and snatched MK out of his daze and summoned his cloud, "Macaque—!"
"Don't tell me what to do!!" The simian growled out annoyed and he held Jinhua close and descended into the clouds shadow, making the grand escape from the Lady Bone Demon.
And without Ren.