Sal, Butter and Pepper || ONC2024

Chapter 16: A missed opportunity

Butter concentrated on the door latch and tapped his tail. Once, twice, thrice. 

Why isn't it opening!?

The kitten had done this hundreds of times. Why wasn't it working now, he wondered. The answer came to him an instant later. He had given up his magic. All he had now were the wishes, wishes that came at the cost of pain. 

Without the power the entity- the one Butter was now beginning to think was none other than Lord Satan himself- had given him, he was no better than an ordinary house cat…worse, house kitten!

The familiar couldn't afford to waste any more time. Ten more minutes had passed; it was high time he knew where his mistress was. He worried what might happen to Sal and Pepper without him. No, he couldn't let his mistress offend or (worse) scare Sal away. They needed him.

His mind was made. He was going to use the spell. Yes, every part of him hurt, and he was barely able to walk, but he had to do it even if it killed him. 

Butter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I wish-"

"What if it actually kills you, Prince?"

Lord Satan? 

Butter opened his eyes and found himself back on the summit of Mount Balsh with the entity's crimson gaze on him. Embraced by mist and fog, the hooded figure drifted closer; it didn't help Butter see them any better. 

"It appears my cover is blown." The androgynous voice spoke as if to seduce. 

Butter lowered his eyes to the floor with his front paws stretched out. "My lord."

"You are good at pleasing people, are you not, little one?"

Little one? Wait, isn't that what Sal calls-

"Do I sound like the man spending time with your mistress?"

"Yes, my lord."

The lord of the magic folk laughed, plunging Butter into a dark pit of fear. 

"What if I am him?"

Butter dared to look up and into the dark, crimson abyss that made the mighty being's eyes. "In that case, I don't approve of my mistress hanging out with Sal…I mean you."

"You are one brave kitten, Prince. Are you aware that I can skin you alive?"

"Yes, my lord, but that still doesn't make you worthy of my mistress."

"Do you have a death wish, little one?"

Butter took a step towards his Lord. "I worship you, and so does my mistress. Your Mightiness, you are supposed to take care of your people." He hissed at the powerful being. "What kind of master takes advantage of his power to make their followers miserable?" 

"Tell me."

"The jerk kind." Butter replied with confidence, staring unafraid at his Lord. 

Satan's laugh sounded like a lion's roar to the kitten. "You have grit, little one. I love that in a man"—they leaned down—"or in your case, a kitten."

Butter was confused, no, he was baffled. For the life of him (and his aching body), he couldn't understand the point Lord Satan was trying to make.

"My lord-"

"Yes, little one?"

"Why are you here?"

"Because I like you, and I don't want you to die."

"I can't die. I am immortal."

"That you are. But what if your body begs for death, but it refuses to take you?"

"I don't understand, my lord."

The supreme evilness snapped his fingers. The mist disappeared, leaving the hooded being with Butter in Sal's room. 

"I knew it. You were tricking me into thinking that I was on Mount Balsh!" Butter's voice brimmed with excitement as Satan, who was at least seven feet tall, brunette and built like a boulder, plopped himself on the water bed. 

"Magnificent invention," The devil admired the giggly furniture much like Pepper had done. "Humans aren't completely useless," he commented. "Prince, I am not Salvador Hart. But he is not all that he seems to be either."

"How so?"

"I am not at liberty to answer that." The devil shook his head. "I shouldn't even be here. Pity, I have grown quite fond of you."

Butter blinked. Not knowing where the conversation was headed was giving him anxiety. Also, the man in front of him looked awfully familiar.

Who though?

"Don't overexert yourself. Using the spell has consequences. Your body is running out of steam. At this rate, you will become a vegetable, useless to your mistress, a burden she will have to carry for the rest of her life, and a curse you will have to bear for eternity."

Butter gasped.

"It's a fate worse than death, wouldn't you say?"

The kitten nodded in agreement before something occurred to him. "When can I use it next?"

"Not when; you should be asking how much more can your body take without breaking?"

"Eh?"

"You can use the spell once more. If you go for it again after that, you will suffer irreparable damage."

"Only once?"

"Yes."

"But you never said anything about this yesterday." Butter asked, feeling hurt and betrayed. 

"I didn't think you would continue to exhaust yourself like this despite the pain! One of your wishes angered The Fates. Do you know how much trouble you got me into?" The devil snapped back and rose to his feet. "I have warned you. The rest is up to you."

Butter couldn't let his guest leave just yet. He had questions. A lot of them. "My Lord, please wait." He yelled at the devil, who, once again, was shrouded in mist. "Just answer me this: why did my mistress's demon summoning spell fail?"

Satan turned. "I don't have all the answers, Prince. And even if I do, I am not feeling generous enough to give you one."

Butter bowed his head. "Please, my lord, show me a way. I don't know how to help her."

"Little one…This name, one the human has given you suits you," the mighty one said, sounding impressed. "Remember, you can't be your mistress's training wheel forever. Let her make her choices. If you don't, you will become her clutch…forever." 

With that warning, as suddenly as he had appeared, the Lord of magic folk vanished into thin air. 

Butter stood in the middle of the suite, invisible… speechless. Lord Satan had made some valid points that he couldn't overlook. But that meant he would have to let his mistress go make mistakes. Also, something the devil had said bothered him. Something about Sal not being all that he seemed to be. 

Butter grew apprehensive. Had he pushed Pepper into the arms of a man who didn't deserve her?

No, that couldn't be, could it?

Chapter word count: 1104