Adventure 2 – Both Beauty and Beast
A woman is known to wonder the world asking people if they think she’s pretty. She wears a mask around her mouth, but she has pretty black hair, shining brown eyes, and a decent dress. No matter what you answered, she would take the mask off from her mouth to reveal her shark-like teeth then ask you again if you thought she was pretty. If you said yes with a convincing tone of voice and expression, then she would leave you alone. If you couldn’t do this or said no, she would take your face off your head without ripping it off and you would suffocate to death because you couldn’t breathe. If you were female, she would take your appearance and your body would look like her previous victim. The woman was originally a princess who was rejected by every single prince in the land, so she sold her soul to The Inverted Light and goes around stealing other people’s beauty and getting rid of those who don’t like how she looks. Her real name is lost to time, so people call her the Princess of Many Faces
Rumors have been circulating of this woman being in Inanis and Ricky is on the lookout for her even though she isn’t known to harm animals of any kind. His friend Jasper joins him.
As Jasper eats some grapes they found, he says, “Do you really think you can get rid that freaky princess, Ricky?”
“I’ll try to get rid of her from this town at least.”
“What’s your plan?”
“I’m still thinking of that.”
“Great.”
“Wait. I see a woman who could be her.”
“You do?”
Ricky points to a woman walking the streets.
“I’m going to go after her.”
“What if he’s just a woman wear a mask because she doesn’t like the smell of the town? Maybe we should wait until she does something?”
“We have to take a chance before she takes another life.”
Without a second thought, Ricky rushes down to the woman, runs up her body, then removes her mask. She isn’t the princess he seeks. The woman smacks Ricky off her face and runs away.
Jasper rejoins him and tells him that, “You aren’t going to find that woman like this.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“Keep an ear out for a woman asking if they think she’s pretty. You know it takes longer than a few seconds for that beast to attack.”
“But that could happen anywhere in the town! We could be late…”
“Huh. Do you hear that?”
“Oh no.”
Jasper and Ricky run around the corner to find the woman who Ricky demasked now faceless and suffocating. Ricky tries to cut out a hole in her face to help her breath, but all he does is scrape her face.
A voice above him hands him a cloth then tells him, “Put this cloth over her face.”
Ricky takes the cloth and puts it over the woman’s face. After a few seconds, she gets up with her face back to how it used to be. She gasps for air then looks around for her savior. For some reason, she realizes it’s Ricky, so she picks him and thanks him.
“Thank you so much for saving me! I had no idea that a rat like you would save me,” she says.
“You’re welcome,” Ricky responds.
“What?! I can understand you!”
“You can? Well if that’s the case, can you tell me where that woman who stole your face went?”
“I don’t know, I’m sorry. Once she took my face, my vision went completely black.”
“Oh, well I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m going to catch her and drive her out of town.”
“Let me help you.”
“Thank you. What’s your name?”
“Pepper.”
“Thank you, Pepper. You’re saving lives by helping us.”
“No, thank you. If you hadn’t been here, I would’ve died. I’ll carry this cloth with me as a good luck charm.”
Both Jasper and Ricky travel on Pepper’s shoulders while looking around for the woman with Pepper’s face.
“You’re lucky you have the Caretaker on your side Pepper,” Ricky says.
“Who’s that?”
“You don’t know who the Caretaker is? The Light?” says Jasper.
“Oh, I know who you’re talking about now. You’re a special rat, aren’t you Ricky? Are there more like you?”
“None that I know of.”
“It’s a shame that a rat has to do what a more capable human should. No offense.”
“Hey, you would’ve been dead in the streets if it weren’t for Ricky.”
“It’s okay Jasper. No offense taken Pepper.”
“Why aren’t there more people out today?”
“What? You aren’t from these parts?”
“No, I’m a traveler who wanted to see this town to see if I can find an urban legend.”
“A lot of humans get into trouble when they come here for that reason.”
“Yeah, you should leave town for your own safety.”
“I will once I help you two out.”
Pepper and the two rats travel through the town until the find someone who looks like she has Pepper’s face. She’s turned around, but Ricky urges Pepper to check her out anyway, but once she turns around, the woman is revealed to not look like Pepper. It’s only their hairstyles that are similar.
“I’m sorry miss.”
“Uh, it’s-Oh! You have rats on your shoulders!”
“It’s fine. They’re harmless and friendly.”
Ricky smiles and friendly waves to the woman.
“Uh…hi there.”
“Be on the lookout for a woman with a mask on her mouth. She’ll steal your face.”
“I heard of that legend roaming the streets. Thank you for the warning. I’ll be heading home now.”
“Be safe!”
After patrolling the town for a bit longer, Pepper sees the princess they’re looking for as the turn a corner.
Pepper quickly steps back and hides then says, “That’s her! What should we do?”
“We’ll use the cloth that gave you back your face,” Ricky says, “If it can give you back your face, it should give the princess back her original face.”
Jasper asks, “And that will get rid of her how exactly?”
“I don’t know, but it should do something.”
“I’ll try to help…in some way. She already has my face, so I don’t think she can do anything else to me,” Pepper says.
“Alright. We should move before she gets away. Come on!”
Ricky and Jasper sprint towards the princess. She knows their intentions because of the Inverted Light and she takes off her the faces she’s obtained and throws them at them. Each one of them screams and home in on Ricky or Jasper with their mouths wide open. Pepper grabs a nearby sharp two-by-four piece of wood and protects her rat friends with it.
“You took my face you witch! You aren’t going to harm anyone ever again!”
Pepper then breaks her weapon over the head of the princess, which allows Ricky and Jasper to put the cloth over the princess’s face. The princess tries to get it off, but Ricky and Jasper keep it on her face until she stops struggling. Once they take off the cloth, her face goes back to the one she originally had. Her face along with her body turn to dust soon after.
“Thank you for helping us Pepper,” Ricky says, “We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”
“No, thank you. This was a great adventure for me despite almost dying.”
“I guess this is goodbye. I hope I’ll see you later.”
“Me too, but first, tell me if you know this. Do rats and other animals go to Heaven?”
“We have souls like humans, so we do in a way.”
“Ok then. I hope to see you again!”
“Me too! See Jasper? Some humans aren’t so bad.”
“I guess not.”
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