Chapter Text
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The Dark Cacao Kingdom. A dark, snowy barren, located within the mountains, home to the Ancient of Resolution, and his denizens. The air was…calm outside. An event that was less than normal compared to the seemingly endless blizzards.
Dark Cacao sat atop his throne, glancing around the large, empty room—save for a few servants and warriors—he was bored. No major duties, nothing needing addressing, and…for the time, it seemed it would stay that way.
His eyes turned to the pure white of the ground outside, his mind wandering far from the kingdom as he stared, only being snapped back to attention when Caramel Arrow, his First Watcher, gently tapped his shoulder. "Sir," She started, noticing Dark Cacao's slight flinch. "...I apologize for the startle. I wanted to remind you that it's getting late. Go sleep." She stated, being one of very few who could tell Dark Cacao to do anything, really. But if she didn't, he would've never moved.
"I'm fine, Caramel Arrow. No need to apologize." Dark Cacao yawned, finally becoming aware of his own tiredness.
Dark Cacao rose from his throne, stretching his arms high above his head, his muscles tense from being in the same position for…hours, it had seemed. "ngh…Witches, what time is it?" Dark Cacao mumbled, glancing down at the shorter warrior.
"Quarter past eleven, sir. I was off to the barracks when I noticed you were here…is everything alright, your Majesty?" Caramel Arrow said, worry mixed with her tired state. Despite everything, she cared about her king, and wished he took better care of himself.
"I already told you, I'm fine. Go rest." He nodded, effectively dismissing the warrior as she turned and walked away.
Dark Cacao sighed, rubbing his temples as he walked to his chambers, the halls quiet with nothing but the guards' boots padding against the chocolate floors, leaving little sound behind. After all, he was unaware of the presence watching him from afar, their eyes glinting with a sadistic excitement.
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Burning Spice Cookie. The Great Destroyer, many would say. He was known for his destruction, the chaos he wrought upon any land he laid his eyes on, had grown…intrigued by the king who lived in such a barren land. After all, he had heard that the king was strong. Much stronger than that pathetic bird he'd tussled with.
He spent days—weeks, really—learning about the king. He was unsure why he'd caught the Beast's eye so deeply, but he finally found Dark Cacao, and he wasn't going to leave without a fight, the late hour be damned.
The kingdom was cold, far below freezing. And while the Beast of Destruction was unaccustomed to the low temperatures, the thought of getting into a fight with Dark Cacao had overridden any thoughts of turning back to the Spice Lands.
Burning Spice just had to get in, had to lay his eyes on this Ancient of Resolution, had to fight him, even if it was just for a moment. He doubted he'd be disappointed. After all, if the king didn't live up to his high expectations, he'd merely kill him. An Ancient unable to take on a Beast such as himself deserved no place on this Earthbread.
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Dark Cacao yawned as he slowly took off his heavy armor, leaving his sword to rest beside his nightstand, always within reach. It's not like it could be taken easily, Witches no. The Souljam embedded into it, however, was far more important.
Dark Cacao changed into comfortable robes, a gift from Pure Vanilla for his bakeday. They were warm, loose, and very soft. He had been very grateful for the present, as it had become his favorite item of sleepwear.
As the king settled into bed, a strange sense overcame him. The night felt…different. Strange, in a way. It felt as if he hadn't been alone for the past few minutes. He sat up slowly, his eyes scanning over every inch of his large room. It wouldn't be necessarily difficult to hide, but that didn't mean his eyes, nor ears, would miss an intruder.
Dark Cacao rose out of bed, his dark purple robe dragging across the floor as he grabbed his sword, preparing to exit his room.
Or rather, he WOULD'VE exited, if it weren't for the fact his door had been kicked open, revealing a tall, red-skinned cookie, wielding a parashu that would be hitting the ceiling if it hadn't been tilted down, being slung across his shoulder, rather than vertical to the ground.
Dark Cacao raised his sword, immediately on edge of the figure in front of him. Before he could strike, however, the figure in front of him chuckled, swinging his parashu right onto his neck, sending a sharp jolt through Dark Cacao momentarily, before everything went dark.
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Burning Spice scoffed quietly as the king fell, gently grabbing him before he made contact with the ground. This king was supposed to be stronger, was he not? He hadn't even expected a hit to the neck to knock him out. And yet here he was, with Dark Cacao passed out in his arms.
Burning Spice rolled his eyes, but threw the king over his shoulder, slamming down the butt of his parashu against the ground, causing the pair to effectively teleport to his own domain, the kingdom of Wild Spices.
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Dark Cacao woke up in a cell, his mind hazy from what had happened. He sat up quickly, his eyes wide with confusion and sudden alertness. The cell, which…was quite large, from the looks of it, was guarded by two cookies of the likes he'd never seen. Sharp teeth, intricate tattoos, and…they looked almost animalistic, in a way. Not in the sense that they were insane, or akin to a wild beast, no. Their bodies seemed to be mixed with some other animal. One had claws and a tail, the other had four legs, with an extended torso. He'd seen cookies crossed with animals before, of course. Crunchy Chip was a prime example. But this was different, in a sense.
He glanced over the room, silently pushing himself off a bed—which was really more or less a pile of pillows, but he digresses. He was still wearing his sleep robes, despite how unbearably hot they felt at the moment, he'd rather keep his pride in the dungeon of another.
Finally, one of the two cookies guarding his cell had noticed the movement, practically hitting the other in a successful attempt to grab their attention. "Grab the Destroyer, his 'guest' is awake." The clawed one said, their voice gruff, but clear, amongst the lack of much noise. It seems deafening, almost.
Dark Cacao, who'd been staring at their interaction, watched as the four-legged one had run off—knowing better than to keep their Great Destroyer waiting longer than he had to.
Dark Cacao huffed as his eyes turned over the cell, only now realizing that his beloved Grapejam Chocoblade, which also had his Souljam, had been pushed out of the room, unable to be seen from his peripheral view. He was annoyed. Of course he was. He was a king, in the cell of a Beast. Still, he glanced up, hearing the large, heavy footsteps of the Beast approaching.
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Burning Spice seemed…more excited than usual, as of late. Well, ever since he brought back the King. It was strange, really. He never usually got so excited to be around playthings he kept prisoner. Still, his guards knew better than to question him. Not unless they wanted to be crumbled into the sands of the Spice Desert by the Destroyer's hands.
Burning Spice walked up to Dark Cacao's cage, his sharp, yellow teeth having twisted into a large grin. After all, Dark Cacao's glare in return only seemed to make him more eager. Dark Cacao, pulling himself up to the bars, stopped just shy of what he considered 'too close' to the Beast. "You," Burning Spice started, noticing the small huff coming from Dark Cacao in return. "You are going to fight me, whether you like it or not, king."
"Absolutely not. I won't entertain a Beast like you." Dark Cacao stepped back, distancing himself further from Burning Spice.
"Then I will drag you out of this cage myself, and neither of us want that, don't we?" Burning Spice put his large hands against the bars, roughened and calloused by his many, many years of living.
"You don't scare me, Beast." Dark Cacao started, intending to go further before Burning Spice ended his sentence.
"I still have your Souljam, yes? Unless you'd like me to rip it apart until it's nothing but another speck of dust within my kingdom, you'll comply."
Dark Cacao paused, seeming to weigh out his decisions. Dark Cacao could call his bluff, yes. But given the red gem embedded into the Beast's chest, and Dark Cacao knowing him to be the Beast of Destruction…would he really lie? But given he looked at Dark Cacao like he was the most interesting person he'd ever seen, the King couldn't be too sure. Finally, he spoke. "...Fine, I'll comply. Under one condition I will even think about fighting you, however." Dark Cacao stated, making sure the Beast was listening.
Burning Spice chuckled, his antennae twitching in what Dark Cacao assumed as glee or excitement. Sensing his attention, Dark Cacao continued. "I will only accept your duel if you make it a fair fight. Return my sword to me, with its Souljam."
Burning Spice rolled his eyes, but glanced over at the clawed one, who suddenly snapped to attention under their Destroyer's gaze. "Open the gate and escort him outside. Make sure he doesn't run off." Burning Spice growled, with the clawed guard immediately moving to open the cell, pulling at chains beside the cage with what looked like an overexaggerated amount of force, but eventually, the bars pulled away from the center, leaving Dark Cacao fully able to leave by now. Initially, Dark Cacao thought about running. It wouldn't be…too hard, he assumed. However, his Souljam was still in that Beast's possession, erasing his initial thoughts of escape.
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Dark Cacao was led outside, but not before stopping just short of exiting the half-broken palace, where Dark Cacao was handed back his armor, along with a proper set of clothes, seeing as he'd been in nothing more than sleepwear for the time he'd been here.
Dark Cacao was brought outside, finally. A short distance away, stood Burning Spice, holding up Dark Cacao's sword in one hand, while his parashu had been in the other. Dark Cacao walked over, taking his sword from Burning Spice and glaring at him as he stepped back. As much as he positively did not want to entertain this Beast more than he already had, what choice did he really have? Burning Spice may have been barbaric, but he wasn't stupid. Not to the degree that Golden Cheese had made the brute out to be. Irregardless, Burning Spice finally stepped back, grinning ear to non-existent ear, as he finally raised his parashu.