"Well, well, look what we have here."

Mozzarella turned to Almond, still holding a terrified Roguefort by the collar despite the Cookie's struggle to get away.

"Let him go!" Almond pleaded.

"No one listens to commands, sweetie."

Using her empty hand, Mozza chucked out a gun from her belt, firing immediately at her rival in front of her.

"No!"

Almond slides and dodges the bullet, sprinting towards the female Cookie in front of him, determined to save his friend.

"Such a nuisance." Mozza sneered as she fired more shots.

Almond was frantically dodging them left and right, as he thought of a way to utilize his surroundings for a weapon.

It wasn't like he could use things in the shops, since there was already chaos in those. Pipes weren't an option...

Until he remembered the tranquilizer darts and crossbow he had in his pocket.

His mother Cashew had given some of them to Almond before they went to Dreamy Cookieland. Almond remembered declining the offer, but took them to reassure his mother.

Almond realised he had a chance to defeat the Cookie who'd murdered his father.

He just needed a solid plan.

Thinking quickly, he charged at Mozza, who simply blocked his punch with her arm, loosening her grip on the gun that fell out of Mozza's hands.

Seizing the chance, Roguefort broke free of Mozza's grasp, bolting away as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

"You won't escape so easily, brother..."

Mozza continued the chase down the alley, Almond following suit.

I can't let him return to his family's grasp! Not this soon!

Roguefort ran as fast as he could, panic coursing through his veins as he took every step.

I need to leave!

I don't want to see her!

Mozza was slowly catching up to Roguefort, who was incredibly fatigued as he had run for a long time.

Almond slid the dart into the crossbow, aiming as he ran.

"Come on..."

Luckily for him, Mozza ran in a straight line, unaware of her enemy preparing to fire since she was completely focused on getting her brother back.

Making sure there was no one in the way, Almond fired the dart straight at Mozza's leg, the dart hitting its target.

Mozza stopped as she flinched, looking at the needle in her leg.

"Really? That's not going to stop me."

Wait, what?

Tranquilizer darts don't work immediately like in the movies?

You have got to be kidding me.

Mozza darted away, evidently a bit slower than before, as Almond chased the siblings with all the strength in his body.

The assassin was slowly getting closer and closer to his best friend, who was running with all his might, determined not to return to his old life again.

Almond was also catching up to Mozza somehow, as his dart had slowed her down enough for him to reach her quicker, but Roguefort's fatigue had also caught up to him. making the chase still pretty even.

Almond noticed two Cookies on the building above, running alongside them.

He knew backup had arrived.

"Roguefort! Full speed!" he shouted, hoping his voice would cut through the brother's panic.

The Cookie heard his friend's voice and sped up with a newfound burst of energy.

Just as Mozza was about to speed up, the two Cookies swooped down, Mozza stopping just in time to avoid crashing into them.

"Move out of my way." Mozza commanded, frustrated at her sudden enemy.

"Not today, Mozzarella."

Angered by the two Cookies, Mozza charged at the female Cookie, who blocked her punch and pushed her backwards.

Mozza tried to get through the two Cookies but they were extremely skilled, blocking Mozza's every more and even returning some of her attacks.

Almond rushed to Roguefort, the two best friends collapsing to the ground due to exhaustion from running for so long.

"You alright?"

"I-I'm fine, I think."

"Come now, we need to get back home. You two need some rest."

Cashew had appeared in front of the two in a simple disguise, handing both her hands out to her son and his friend.

"Mom!" Almond exclaimed.

"Well done, Almond. I knew giving you those things would be useful. Let's get home."

Both the Cookies took Cashew's hands as she led them to the Nuts' mansion through the back door, which was surprisingly not far from their original location as the chase had led them closer instead.

~♤~

"Ugh, they're gone!"

Mozza was still in the fight with the forces that had appeared before her, and she knew she was going to be outnumbered soon as the government would send more.

Curse you, Cashew. Why did Roguefort had to be with Almond and not any other Cookie?!

A swipe kick to the foot was enough to send the two Cookies tripping.

Knowing that the tranquilizer dart was going to come into effect very soon, Mozza readied a smoke bomb.

With the little time she had from the two Cookies standing up again, she threw the bomb to the ground and sprinted off, abandoning her target as her priority was to avoid being captured.

As she reached one of the many underground tunnel entrances, she found a glistening object on the ground.

This might be useful.

She grabbed the mysterious object and dived in.

Knowing she didn't have much time left until she would fall unconscious, she darted towards the base, where she would be able to rest and heal from her fight.

Luckily for her, the base wasn't far.

Unluckily for her, there were two Cookies at the base.

And they weren't happy, to say the least.

Mozza burst open the door to the base, nearly unconscious due to the dart.

Her vision cloudy, Mozza staggered towards the nearest chair, collapsing immediately as the dart took effect.

Gouda, anxious for her daughter, made sure that her computers were going to work properly before running over to check if she was alright.

Cheddar, however...

"What is with her?! So many years of training and she can't even retrieve a single Cookie?!"

"A tranquilizer dart...and this type too..."

While Cheddar was fuming that his daughter had failed him, Gouda was taking a look at the dart that was stuck in Mozza's leg.

"Cheddar, we have a bigger problem here. The type of dart that hit Mozza...

"It's only the type obtainable through government arsenals? I knew it!"

"I'm afraid we'll have to heal her fast. I'll get her to her room."

Gouda carried an unconscious Mozza, staggering as she wasn't able to move well.

Leaving Mozza on her bed, she saw the glistening object that she was holding.

"A...music box?"

~♤~

[Originally published Sep 18, 2020]

We reached the 20th chapter!! 

Normally I'd give up after making 10 or so but WE DID IT! Thank you for all the support!!

Also I've decided that I'll update this book every two weeks (at least) because school is great.

Thank you for reading, remember to drop a vote and see you next chapter!

Bye!

Next chapter:

"Oh, you're up, Roguefort? Are your legs alright?"

~♤~

"The City of Wizards? But why? I'd recommend waiting a little bit more. You guys just had a run-in with Roguefort's family two weeks ago..."

~♤~

The words hit him like an arrow to the heart, and he finally regained control of his body, falling to his knees as the demons criticized his every flaw.