64Ok, so I know it's been a long time...
Summer classes had me busy, Fall semester just started, and all that good school stuff prevented me from posting, but here it is!
I think this chapter perfectly captures Chat's risk taking personality, but you'll just have to read to find out!
I respond a lot to reviews, so please leave one if you'd like!
Chat debriefed Ladybug on the situation as they made their way over. He had explained that there was the main akuma who had a scepter that she was firing beams with, who he thought likely had the akumatized object, and another akuma who wielded a bladed staff (which he got to see up very close and personal!). He could only assume that the staff girl called sorceress was her lackey, as she took orders from the pompous one (he still refused to use her stupid name). He also guessed that she likely had some sort of ability that allowed her to transform others around her, explaining why there was two of them.
The two heroes arrived at the Dupain Cheng residence in a flurry. As they approached, they could see that the front door was smashed to pieces.
"Maybe she does also have an ability that gets information from people." She said, looking down at the large chunks of wood littering the bakery entrance. "How could the akuma know that Adrien Agreste had been here otherwise?"
"What do you mean had been here?" Chat asked, taking notice to her choice of words. "Shouldn't he still be here?"
Marinette wanted to slap herself at her slip of the tongue. Before she could even think of anything to say however, the distinctive scream of her mother's voice pierced their ears from inside the bakery. She looked over to Chat who wore just as startled of an expression as her own. Dark thoughts briefly crossed her mind, but she hardly had time to think before her body went into auto pilot.
She bolted through the entrance, just praying that her mother and father were okay. Chat had different thoughts on his mind as he raced just behind his partner. While he held concern for his friend's parents, it was his sweet friend that was front and center in his mind. He rushed into the door trailing just behind Ladybug, and the sight made him gasp.
Pots, baked goods, and broken furniture was scattered about. In the short amount of time since he last saw the akuma. Stood in the middle of the kitchen was Sorceress, holding Sabine up by her dark locks with her legs wildly dangling inches from the ground beneath her. In a heap in the corner of the room laid Tom, who appeared to be knocked out cold.
"Where is she!?" Sorceress yelled, shaking the small woman around violently who only responded with a whimper. Her face was crumpled in pain and fear, tears staining her delicate features. Sorceress took notice to the presence of the heroes and smirked.
"Looks like the life of the party has just arrived. These two were just the party favors."
Marinette froze.
The sight of her father on the ground made her blood grow cold, and the expression of absolute terror on her mother's face was enough to send her over the edge of reason. The ensuing reaction inside Marinette was like flicking a lighter in a room filled with gas and watching the flames envelope everything around.
It was an instant explosion of madness, an incomprehensible chaos of raw and unpreceded rage that took control of her body and mind. She couldn't even form a thought, but the expression that grew on her face in that second was indescribable. Chat watched the mess of her mind unfold onto the canvas of her face, and it sent a chill down his spine.
"L-Ladybug?" he barely had time to speak before she bolted into action without fear or hesitation. The next few moments were a blur. She grabbed for her yoyo, her mother was in her arms, and then…
Sorceress gasped in pain as she was smashed into the floor on her back. Her weapon flung across the room. Ladybug's foot was nestled just between her chin and neck as she applied pressure.
"I'm going to end you right now." her expression was cold and intimidating.
"P-Please!" She sputtered out, reaching for her foot. "I can't breathe!"
"Ladybug, stop!" Chat grabbed for her shoulder, but she ignored it.
"This girl is a monster Chat, I've never seen an akumatized victim be so cruel before to innocent people!"
"She can't help it Ladybug, it's Hawkmoth… She's not in control of her actions right now…" Chat said, beckoning Ladybug to release her foot on the girl.
Ladybug scowled down at the girl, seeing the fearful look on her face; the fear for her life. She then looked over to her mom, who immediately had went over to her husband to see if he was fine. The pigtailed hero gave a sigh as she thought about. There was no denying that Chat was right, this was just cruel of her.
"I- sorry I overreacted. You're right…" Ladybug gently began taking the pressure from the girl's throat, but she hadn't yet removed her foot. Her weapon was still across the room, so she figured there was no way she could harm either of them.
"Chat, go get her weapon and break it. We'll make sure she can't hurt anyone else."
As Chat went over to retrieve the staff, an unnoticed smirk crossed Sorceress's features.
"Awaken!" Sorceress called out as Chat touched the staff. A dark light enveloped the weapon, causing Chat to quickly yank his hand away.
"What did you do!" Ladybug yelled out. The girl shook beneath her foot as maniacal laughter overtook her. The dark light that enveloped the weapon had begun its slow descent up Chat's arm.
"You think I have any power? It's all in the weapon. This is the first time I've activated its power, so I really don't know what's going to happen to that stupid sidekick of yours."
"You…." Ladybug hissed.
The initial touch didn't hurt at all, but Chat was beginning to feel the onslaught of pain forming as the dark magic passed his finger tip.
"Quick Chat, break the weapon!"
"I wouldn't do that!" Sorceress chimed. "Even if you break the weapon, the effect of the black magic will still remain so long as Majesty is akumatized. I am the only one who can remove it, and I can only remove it so long as my weapon remains intact."
Ladybug was beginning to panic. Was this girl telling the truth? If the magic overtook Adrien's body, what would end up happening to him? Would the miraculous cure bring him back if it ended up killing him? She couldn't stand the thought of losing her partner, especially now that she knew he's actually Adrien. She looked over to Chat with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. She could see the panic forming on his face as well, yet for some reason he still remained calm. He looked over to Ladybug, meeting her gaze with a cheeky smile.
A plan was developing, and a reckless one at that.
"Well, there's no reasoning with her then I guess. Eliminating me doesn't mean she gets my miraculous, so I might as well just cataclysm the weapon and take my chances." Chat said, reaching back for the weapon.
"Wait!" Sorceress called out. Chat was annoyingly right, killing him didn't mean getting the miraculous.
On top of that, Majesty was already untrusting of her to begin with, and she hadn't managed to find Marinette or Adrien in the place where she said they'd be. There was no way Majesty was going to trust her again if she turned up empty handed and managed to have her powers stripped away from her. Even if Chat ended up down for the count, the dark magic was slow progressing so he still had time to get the akuma before it fully affected him. And even if it did kill him, Ladybug had so many other heroes she could bring in to replace him. The odds were simply not in her favor
"I didn't say that you don't have any options."
Chat laughed at the irony in her proposition. "Last time I checked, it's not such a good idea to make deals with dark magic wielding sorceresses."
"There's a first time for everything. How about this- You don't cataclysm my weapon, and I will dispel the black magic."
"That sounds good to me!" Ladybug nodded.
"Wait" Chat interrupted, holding out a paw. "You have to dispel me first. You could easily just run off with your weapon and leave me here to well uh- let the black magic do its thing."
"And how do I know that you won't just cataclysm my weapon after I dispel you?"
The leather cladded hero smirked down at the girl. "Because" he said simply. "I have a plan, and if you don't agree to it, I am more than willing to take one for the team. Who knows, if I'm lucky, the miraculous cure might just bring me back."