Upon explaining how the ring was indeed cursed, Pepper advised Shiori that the ring absolutely must be taken off from her. He also tells them that they knew of the origins of the cursed ring and the methods to destroy it. He then asks Knight "are you in?" concerning saving Shiori from her dark faith from this ring.
“Why are you even asking that? Of course I’m in. I mean I for one don’t ever want to lose Shiori.”
Astonished, she gasped as her cheeks quickly turned red and rosy. Everyone present saw Shiori’s beautiful Aurum tinted eyes glisten upon hearing those words.
“E-excusez-moi Knight?! Uh, oh, I never knew you felt that way about us!—even though we’re not even A-level support yet! Whatever the heck that even means!”
Shiori giggled a bit while tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Why of course! Who’s gonna pay the money you owe me if you succumb to that thing! I’m tired of sleeping in the streets Shiori! T-this morning I thought I wasn’t going to wake up from the cold!”
With a chuckle and a hand wiping your teary-eye, you looked at Shiori—who looked nothing short of a MONSTER that stood next to you.
“THEN EMBRACE THE COLD AND DIE”
Her shout was similar to that of a hundred angry demons’. With her oversized and grotesque arm, Shiori—the monster that was your partner—attacked with the fury and strength of a modern day Karen that was absolutely determined to take home all the toilet paper she grabbed at Walmart, and not even the Security, Police or being filmed with a smartphone could stop her. In simpler and none immersion nor fourth-wall-breaking terms, the force that struck you was so strong, it sent you flying towards the throne itself, effectively crushing it, and before you could even react, she then blasted you with cold magic that quickly encased you in ice in 2 seconds flat.
“Nyakuzaaa! Gather your courage nyaa~!”
Pepper was a big and fat cat, but no one ever thought he could jump on the top of the grandfather clock so quickly because he was so scawed to death. But he wasn’t alone in that; in fact, all the other Nyakuzas immediately sought their own hiding places in the chamber. The grandfather clock eventually snapped in the middle and Pepper fell to the ground with a loud impact, further scawing the hiding and cowering Nyakuzas, causing them to scatter and scram while making cat noises.
The attack was quite strong, but your endurance and durability can only be matched by Shiori’s stomach, which was rumored to be immune to mold and nearly every spoiled food in existence (the banana was indeed still fine btw) or like her vocal cords that could handle tangent after tangent after tangent after tangent and can’t even be stopped by using the skip tangent button.
With the sheer strength you had, you broke free from the ice that encased you, but you were indeed freezing as Shiori intended you to be.
“N-n-now that wasn’t a good time to tell jokes, wasn’t it?”
After realizing your mistake, you even wondered if it was really the cold alone that was making you shiver. But there was barely anytime to sit about, because the monster Shiori swiftly transformed into a shadowy entity and closed in on you within seconds. In reaction, you jumped out of her way and she crashed on the wall. After rolling on the floor and standing up, you turned to face her only to realize that she had another trick up her sleeve—literally, because her arm stretched across the room and there wasn’t much time to evade her attempt to grab you. You grunted and struggled to try and loosen her fingers that was gripping your body as she slowly reeled you close to her.
“S-Shiori! Listen! Just snap out of this! This isn’t you! Wait—WHAT IS THIS?! AAH!”
You felt an ominous thought—no, it was an entity… you felt it as it forcefully and aggressively entered your minds. It was a vision, and in it, you were in the Kingdom, standing in one of the streets.
“RUN! IT’S BEEBOO! THE DEMONIC OOMPA LOOMPAAA! AAAGH!”
One fleeing citizen yelled as he was running away with the other panicking civilians.
“My power shall be absolute…”
You turned towards your back only to see a group of guards get slashed by the “Judgement Cut End” attack move. A small figure was behind the surrounding guards, who then sheathed her dark-forged katana, and only then were the guards cut down and fell. In the chaos, a song could be heard to accompany the carnage that she was causing.
I am the stone that is approaching~
Provoking, Pebbles in isolation~
I am reclaimer of my Criiiiinge~
Born in memes! I have been Taxed!
My family crest is the Jem on my chest!
The smol girl with the dark-forged katana then jumped in the air over you and and landed to destroy more of the Kingdom’s buildings and attacked more guards.
“Pepper! What the hell is this?!”
You yelled at Pepper who was also dealing with the same dark vision.
“I-I don’t know-nyaa~! Maybe it’s what the spirit wants to do once it’s fully unleashed-nyaan!”
Pepper yelled back while covering his ears, trying to silence the music in his head but it wasn’t going to work since it was in your heads.
“Shiori! You can fight this! I’ll—I’ll give you anything you want! Y-you like grits, right?!”
“I think it’s going to take more than just grits to turn Shiori back to normal-nyaa~! You silly Knight!”
“H-how about Cah-roots?! Or-or moldless cucumbers?!”
Despite the generous offers from your perspective, she just kept pulling you in.
“Or a perfectly fine banana?!”
“Stop offering her food-nyaa~!”
“YOU HAVE NOTHING I WANT”
Shiori said with her monstrous voice.
“No wait! I think I do!”
You quickly reached for something from inside your armor—it was a deck of cards that you began browsing. You were shaking so much from fear that you’ve dropped half of them on the floor.
“What are you doing now Knight-nyaan~?!”
“I-I found it! What about this baby over here?!”
You held a single card in the monster Shiori’s face. You were scared but at the same time felt weird, because you thought it was the stupidest idea ever and had no idea if it would even work. But you took the risk anyways.
“YOU HAVE NOTHING———DI-DIMITRI?!”
The Monster Shiori’s eyes widened and began to shoot rays of light as it looked upon the Awakened Savior King Dimitri card that you’ve been keeping in your deck, which Shiori has always been asking for ever since you showed it to her.
“AAARGH”
The light shined on the Dimitri card and reflected back towards Shiori, and her figure began to start smoking and reverting slowly back to human form. But as you did, another mysterious entity began invading your minds showing another vision.
“Oh my god, what is this now?! AAAAH!”
In the vision, some “beings” were dancing out of nowhere.
Sticking out your GYATT for Nerizzler~
You’re so BAU BAU~
You’re so Beeboo Tax~
I just wanna be your Shiori~
Everything eventually calmed down and Shiori lay unconscious in front of you. Your breathing was heavy from the confusion of what just transpired.
“I don’t know whatever the hell that was, but if it fixed Shiori, I’m not asking questions.”
“Uh… Aah…”
Shiori was regaining consciousness.
“Shiori! Are you all right?!”
You immediately helped her get up to sit on the on the floor.
“I’m—I’m okay-actually… I think. What happened?”
“Oh good. You almost waxed us just now. We really need to get rid of that ring Shiori. Can you stand?”
“Yeah, I think I’m fine.”
After Shiori and everything calmed down, Pepper invited both of you to an office. Pepper was leading the way as you walked the halls.
“I’m sowwy for attacking you earlier Knight.”
Shiori said with a remorseful expression on her face.
“You don’t have to apologize Shiori. Whatever that was, it was never you.”
Your breath was visible as you were still feeling a bit cold from the spell and your wet clothing.
“He’s still feeling a bit cold Pepper.”
“Nyaa—there will be a fireplace in my office-nyaan~”
The three of you reached the office and entered.
“Pepper, can you please now tell us about the ring’s origins?”
Shiori asked Pepper, who was still chewing on the Silver Vine, but now he thought of something different to do with it—
“Oh Shiowin… where to begin-nyaa?”
He tossed the Silver Vine catnip in front of him and cast magic on it to shred it and willed it into his smoking pipe which he lit with a match and started smoking.
“I made Salt gather information for us through our contacts-nyaa, but as you know, he is exceptionally forgetful about everything important-nyaan, so I made sure that he wrote the information about its origins and importantly, the method by which to destroy this accursed ring-nyaa! But first, let’s get your partner here warmed up with a fire-nyaa? He looks like he just had his nuts frozen just now-nyaan! Salt!”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Pepper called Salt who was busy with the Nyakuza outside.
“Oh, now I think I remember why I transformed earlier.”
With her arms crossed, Shiori turned her gaze towards you.
“Hey—if I knew you’d be pissed off by a single joke and turn, I would’ve held my punchlines.”
“Tee-hee-hee. So, how are those nuts doing, my coinci-fricking, backstabbing, purple-nurple-partner of a Knight? Are they still rock hard? Hm?”
“Yes, they’re doing just fine. That’s kind of you to ask Shiowi.”
“You called Pepper-nyaan?”
Salt walked in and asked curiously.
“Yes, prepare a fire to get him warmed up would you kindly, Salty-nyaan.”
“We’re out of kindling to get it running though, what should I use-nyaa?”
“Nyaa, any rubbish would do, paper should get the job done-nyaan.”
Salt immediately collected some papers from the desk and in the office to use it on the fireplace which you walked towards to warm yourself up as soon as there was fire.
“You see Shiowi-nyaan, here at the Nyakuza, it’s all about effectiveness and efficiency-nyaa~. We’re all focused on the task at hand, we’re never tempted to stray from our mission-nyaa! It doesn’t matter if the enemy uses cat toys-nyaan—we ignore cardboard boxes with holes in them, even those fun and flashy wand toys with furry things on them—mouse-like or otherwise, and above all, we do not piss about-nyaa!”
He then sat on the chair behind his desk and continued smoking the Silver Vine in his pipe.
“Peppwer?”
“What is it Shiowi-nyaan?”
“The origin of the ring?”
“Oh yes-nyaa~”
He then stood up again.
“In the lands of Dormor, in the fires of Mount Mood-nyaa, that cursed ring was forged by a sweaty Blacksmith-penguin, because of the desires of a Legendary Oompa Loompa to attain even greater power than she already had-nyaan.”
“Oh you guys are so smart! Look at you! I also know that legend!”
Shiori interrupted with excitement.
“That Legendary Oompa Loompa Beeboo put most of her power into the ring! But when she finally died from cringg, the ring absorbed her soul and now she resides within the ring! And the reason she wants to destroy everything is because she wants to ‘Bury the cringe’ and because she believed ‘it was never a phase’. Whatever the heck that means! Phew! All that was very difficul-tow to remember!”
“None of that even makes sense, but one thing we’re sure of is that we need to get that cursed ring off of you and destroy it.”
You added as you stretched your arms towards the fire to help warm yourself.
“Could it be that we need to take it all the way to the lands of Dormor and burn it in the fires of Mount Mood to destroy it?”
“Pffft, Shiori, one does not simply Skibidi into Dormor.”
You did the thing with your hand to match the dialogue.
“Besides, I’m betting a simple hammer would do the trick, but I don’t think we can smash your hand along with the ring. Who knows what you’ll do to us if we did that.”
“Nyo, it must be more difficultow than that. Right Pepper?”
“Nyaa, that’s why we had Salt gather information from some ancient elves-nyaan. Salty, where’s the paper on my desk where you’ve written the methods to destroy the ring-nyaa?”
“Nyaa, it’s in the fire.”
“NYANYI?!”
Pepper did a double take on Salt.
“You did say to use any paper for the fire-nyaa!”
“We’re doomed then. Good job Nyakuzas. But hey, at least I feel warmer.”
You were warm, but you had nothing left but sarcasm for your impending doom.
“But do you remember what you wrote in it-nyaa?!”
“You literally just told them the fact that I have the worst memory in all of Nyakuza Pepper-nyaan~”
“Well what about the ancient elves you got the information from Salt?”
Shiori asked.
“I don’t think there’s time to even ask them-nyaa! They also took a vacation somewhere!”
You all went quiet for a bit to think of a solution out of this mess. Then Shiori broke the silence.
“Hold on, I have an idea!”
“Here it goes…”
You weren’t very hopeful about this one, but chose to listen anyway.
“Okay-okay! Y-you know how when you’re about to die, your entire life flashes before your eyes?”
“We don’t know if that’s true, but keep do keep going.”
“Well, you see, I thought if we can do that to Salt, he might remember what he wrote!”
You all thought about it for a second, including Salt.
“Now that is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard during these last seven pages—but worth a shot, LET’S DO IT.”
Salt was screaming as the three of you were drowning him in the toilet’s water. And soon the memories were coming back to him and he was allowed to raise his head.
“NYAAAAGH!”
He was almost out of breath.
“Well Salt? Anything?”
Shiori asked Salt whose face and fur was dripping wet.
“Nyaa! I’m 3 weeks old! Shiori is still helping me poop-nyaa!”
“Oh, I see—I think we need to do it more.”
Shiori told both you and Pepper as you all were supporting Salt by his body.
“Wait-nyaa! At least flush the toilet first!”
The toilet was flushed before you did it again. Salt was raised again after a while.
“Anything Salt?”
“I’m 3 years old and Shiori is still litter-training me-nyaan!”
“Okay, in he goes again.”
You told them as you were about to dip Salt again.
“No wait-nyaagh! I-I remember it-nyaan!”
“What is it Salt! Spill ze Quaso!”
“First, we need the Snot of a Giant Troll Wizard!”
With one fell swoop, the empowered Shiori has slain a Giant Troll Wizard and it fell on the ground in the nearby forest along with it’s mini army of forest trolls.
“Done—now what?”
Holding a handful of Snot from the dead Troll Wizard, you asked Salt who was standing in the back.
“Nyaa, you need to rub it on her arm to dissolve the ink and lubricate her finger-nyaan!”
“Lubricate her what—you know what? Fine. Stay still Shiori!”
Without hesitation, you grabbed Shiori’s arm to do the deed.
“Wait, Knight! Don’t—Aaaagh!”
The Snot began to dissolve the cursed ink on her arm and it looked like it was burning and smoking.
“Just endure it Shiori! It’s gonna be over soon!”
“It doesn’t hurt! It’s just disgusting! Eew!”
Upon hearing her reason, you couldn’t help but look annoyed.
“Got it!”
You said as you pulled the ring clean from Shiori’s middle finger.
“Now what Salt?”
“Nyaa! You need to take the ring to lands of Dormor, and burn it in the flames of Mount Mood-nyaan!”
“See! I told you we needed to go to Dormor for this!”
Even though her arm was fully covered in troll Snot, you’ve never seen anyone as Smug as Shiori was now.
“Or you can just smash it with a hammer-nyaan!”
“WHAT!”
Shiori couldn’t believe it, but it is what it is.
“Pepper! Hammer!”
One of the Nyakuzas tossed Pepper a Metal Hammer
“Catch Knight-nyaan!”
The hammer then reached your hand as Pepper tossed it to you.
“This is for Freezing my nuts you monster! HAAAA—ARGH!!”
You swung to strike the ring on the ground, but before you could hit it, a magic projectile blasted you, landing yourself near Shiori.
“Knight!”
“Ugh… What the frick was that?!”
The cursed ring floated in the air as a hooded figure approached it. Shiori soon recognized who it was, it was the leader that tasked the two of you to find the cursed ring itself.
“You!”
“Hehehehe…”
The person then pulled his hood down to reveal his face.
“Hey darlings—or should I say Hiya darlings~”
Within seconds, she’s transformed and revealed her true face and appearance, a tall and beautiful demon with one broken horn.
“Do you remember me Shiowi?”
Raising her index finger, Shiori’s mouth was open as if she’s about to say something. She then looked upwards as if trying to remember, and then she did the same thing again.
“Nyo, I don’t recall.”
“Keh—w-why you cute little thing—A-ahem…That’s what I’ve always loved about you, Shiowin.”
It seemed like she took a minor critical hit from Shiori not even remembering her.
“She’s that Demon witch we were jailed with in that fort, if you still don’t remember. Wasn’t your name Ne—Newisslers—”
“IT’S NERISSA YOU UGLY OAF!”
She snapped abruptly while stomping with one foot repeatedly.
“Woah, relax! The only other thing I remember about you is that you love some husbandos of yours just like Shiori… I just can’t remember who though.”
“Hmph, how I’ve always despised you Knight… You’ve spent all that time with my dear-dear Shiowi. When we were in that cell, you two told me you were coming back to find the key and release me from my chains—But you never came back.”
“I’m sowwy we fowgot about you Nerizzlers—”
“IT’S NERISSA SHIORI”
“But some gosh-darn-bourgeois-Doog-Girls went BAU BAUIN’ at us and started chasing us and we just forgot about you!”
“Heh—never mind all that. But now that I am free once more, let us continue where we left off and just Marry each other just like you promised in that cell!”
Shiori, you and everyone else was just as confused.
“I told you I’d marry you?”
“No you didn’t, that Demon is just down-bad-delusional—”
“SHUT UP”
The Demon Witch Nerissa cast a dark projectile towards you.
“Knight! Watch out!”
Shiori glomped at you, effectively moving both of you out of the way. The projectile hit the cadaver of the Troll Wizard behind you and disintegrated it.
“Agh, that was cutting it close. Thanks Shiori.”
“It doesn’t matter what she said or didn’t say—”
The Demon Witch Nerissa then commanded the floating ring to be worn on her left ring finger.
“Shiori will become my bride, and anyone who opposes…”
Hellish flames came out of the ring and crawled on the ground, and in a flash, made an infernal ring of fire preventing anyone to enter nor escape on the ground.
“Well, I don’t think I even need to tell you what happens then, right darlings?”
“NYAKUZAS! OPEN FIRE!”
At Pepper’s command, the firing team of Nyakuza’s began shooting Nerissa continuously with their guns, but the bullets all kept being deflected by her Magic as she walked towards them. She then struck them with her transmutated arms and they were thrown away by her might in groups.
“What should we do Knight?”
You thought for a moment, afraid of what was going to happen… But you had to tell her what needs to be done.
“You should just fly away and escape Shiori!”
“What? I can’t just leave you all here!”
“I don’t think we can hold her here long enough, but you need to get back to the Kingdom to get reinforcements!”
“No I won’t!”
Shiori began crying saying those words.
“JUST DO AS I SAY SHIORI”
She thought for a second before she ran and rode her broom, wiping her tears as she took to the sky. The Demon Witch Nerissa saw her escaping.
“WHERE ARE YOU GOING SHIOWI~”
She extended her dark inky arms to try and grab Shiori from the air.
“Over my dead body!—HAA!”
Your two handed sword spun in the air towards her arm after you threw it and it stabbed her arm, preventing her from grabbing Shiori.
“AS YOU WISH”
Nerissa’s other arm then forcefully grabbed you instead, her grip was slowly but surely squeezing your very durable armor, and with it your body.
“AAAAGH!”
Shiori heard your scream from the pain and stopped several meters in the air.
“Knight! Hang on!”
Seeing how Shiori has stopped, Nerissa threw you away and grabbed Shiori from the air in a flash.
“No! Shiori!”
“Let go of me you Monster!”
Shiori struggled to remove Nerissa’s grip on her body, but it was futile.
“Is that how you should call your soon to be wife Shiowi?”
She then looked at the cursed ring on her left ring finger and then looked back at Shiori.
“I even have my wedding ring on already.”
“I will never be your wife Nerissa!”
“Oh don’t worry, I just need you to wear your own wedding ring my darling Shiowi~”
She raised Shiori’s left hand and began creating another cursed ring on Shiori’s left ring finger using the ring’s ink and dark energies.
“What are you doing Nerissa? STOP IT! STOOOP!”
Shiori yelled and screamed, but the ring was slowly, but surely, was being crafted on her finger.
“S-Shiori…”
Recovering from the painful attack inflicted to you, you saw Shiori suffering and you had to think fast. You looked around you and you found yet another deck of cards that were thrown out when you were tossed to the ground. Seeing the familiar cards, a familiar memory just came back to you… it had something to do with ‘husbandos’
“T-that’s it!”
You quickly grabbed the deck of cards and looked for one specific card in it.
“Shiori! Use this on her! It’s her weakness!”
Shiori heard you shout as you threw the card towards her and she caught it in her hand using her magic.
“Hahahahahaha!”
Nerissa laughed while reverting her face and head to normal.
“You think I’m going to have a weakness at this point Knight? And of all things, a card? You’re just as stupid as your intelligence stat appears to be!”
“But Nerissa, I think he’s right—”
Nerissa looked at the sweating Shiori who was in pain earlier, but then also had the expression of relief on her face as she remembered something. Nerissa caught a glimpse of the back of the card that Shiori was holding; it read ‘Twilight’ and Shiori revealed the card to the Demon Witch Nerissa.
“You do have a weakness, oh dear Wissa.”
Nerissa’s eyes began to glow upon seeing who was in the card.
“CARLIIIIIIIIIISLE!”
Her eyes began shooting a really bright yellow ray of light against the Carlisle Cullen card and Nerissa began to revert back to her normal Demon body.
“Knight! The Snot and Hammer!”
Shiori asked for both as she held the barely conscious Nerissa’s arm to the ground.
“We’re fresh out of Snot; the Wizard Troll’s body is gone Shiori.”
You told her as you tossed her the Hammer and she caught it.
“But I don’t think we’d need it for her anyways, right partner?”
You, her partner known as Knight, smiled at Shiori, and in turn, your partner Shiori the mage gave you back the same grin, before looking back at Nerissa who was slowly regaining her consciousness.
“Ugh, Shiori…”
“Well, well, well Newissa, Gomenasorry, but I think we’re gonna have to postpwone that Marriage of ours—indefinitely. Because after all—”
She leaned close to Nerissa’s ears to whisper.
“You weally can’t wear a wedding wing if you’re missing the finger… Right Newissa?”
Maybe because of how Shiori said it, at the very last moment Nerissa finally regained her consciousness.
“SHIORI! WAIT—”
A very loud and long scream erupted from the forest, which disturbed every creature that has ever lived in it.
And that was the story of how Shiori and Knight found a cursed ring, and Nerissa, who was already missing one horn, also lost a finger.
—END—