CHAPTER 7: UNWANTED VISITORS

"TURN HIM TA BITS!"

A quiet saloon shattered as Bonnie crashed through the walls, stumbling to keep his balance before falling over near a customer, who casually spilled their hot cup of coffee over his head. His bandana tore, and he was now wary of contracting the deadly airborne plague. But before he could react, the Hexclaw Menace peeked through the fresh hole, scanning the area before locking its eye onto him. Taking notice of its six giant and clawed arms, as well as the walls that morphed into moss from its touch, Bonnie realized this was yet another magically gifted creature. Its solitary eyeball retracted, glowing blood-red with sudden aggression as it lunged forth toward Bonnie, but before it could land contact, a powerful blast knocked it back into the wall. Looking up, Bonnie spotted Rodri and Anna hovering on fluttering wings, with Elizabeth positioned between them, clumsily clutching a compact rocket launcher.

"Elizabeth?!" Bonnie exclaimed as he got to his feet—and as they reunited, chaos erupted around them.

"Do somethin, Bonnie!" Anna implored, floating to meet his height.

"Wh-What are ya doin here?" he inquired. "You were supposed to be asleep before we—"

"I-I'm sorry, Bonnie," Elizabeth interjected with a hint of remorse, concealed under her scarf. "I just didn't want ya riskin yer life for my sake. I thought you might have a hard time navigatin through the city and get caught up in some trouble so… I was real worried, you see…"

"Elizabeth, I ain't that weak. We're gonna find yer brother, we're gonna save the city, and we're gonna have some food. But you can't be here."

"But…but I wanna help. I can help ya'll find yer real identities."

"Elizabeth—"

A claw suddenly emerged from the ground, dangerously close to Elizabeth, but before it could seize her, Bonnie swiftly grabbed her hand and pulled her away. The collision between the two of them occurred just moments before the Hexclaw resurfaced. As it emerged again, it wreaked havoc, transforming everything into rapidly growing plant life while relentlessly pursuing all four of them.

"Bonnie, turn him ta bits!" Anna passionately declared, tossing him a metallic ball which he sharply directed toward their pursuer, and in a flash, it burst to flames, slowing the Hexclaw Menace, but only for a moment, as it regained momentum unfazed.

Amid the chaos, customers scrambled to make their way to safety. Bonnie and Elizabeth suddenly tripped over a rogue root, crashing down in a tangle as the Hexclaw too landed flat on its face alongside them. The cause soon became clear: a young man with his foot trapped between the roots, nervously trying to pull it free. The Hexclaw rose to its feet, fixing its malevolent gaze on the man, and it began to advance slowly. Rodri's heightened senses alerted him, and despite his blindness, he sensed imminent danger. Just as the Hexclaw was about to reach the young man, Rodri swiftly used his blindfold to ensnare its leg, and as the fabric unfurled, it unveiled his empty eye sockets revealing a hollow interior. After the young man fled to safety, the Hexclaw swiftly rotated its torso 180 degrees, facing Rodri still entangled around its foot. The menacing figure extended its hand, poised to strike Rodri. In a swift and protective maneuver, Anna swooped in with her wings, propelling him out of harm's way just before it could make the slightest contact.

Sensing a footstep on its created vegetation, it whirled around to find Bonnie slowly sneaking out while holding Elizabeth's hand. They froze under its stare, and the Hexclaw suddenly grew even more aggressive, claws at the ready. In a flash, it split into three—dividing its upper, middle, and lower sections into individual parts, each equipped with two swirling claws—three spinning tornadoes. Spinning rapidly, each part decimated the cafe, warping all into wild plant growth. Bonnie and Elizabeth fled desperately, barely evading the attacks. Cowering on the ground, ears covered, Elizabeth screamed in terror, but before she could encounter harm's way, a stitched hand abruptly landed on the spinning middle section, halting its momentum dead still. After that single touch, that particular piece of the Hexclaw disintegrated to dust in just milliseconds. The hand's owner emerged into view, revealing yet another peculiar individual, short and seam-skinned. He had pale skin, jet-black hair, pitch-black eyes, and a matching ensemble of pitch-black coat, pants, and boots. He didn't seem all too pleased, sporting an impassive expression as he held both hands out, the dust cascading from his fingers…

CHAPTER 7 of 'Bonnie's Touch' ends