Before a growing crowd of excited Volties, the immortal spirits of Trick and Treat stepped onto a stage, giving each other a gracious greeting. The Reaping Ritual was finally here, and as was yearly tradition, the witch and the reaper would exchange meaningful gifts as a sign of peace and friendship between them.
Treat appeared to be holding a small wrapped gift, while Trick had a large object concealed by a tarp. Trick shuffled nervously, gesturing towards his massive present as he stammered, "I..I'll go first... I prepared a special gift for you..."
Treat lifted an eyebrow curiously. The last two Rituals had been complete disasters, ending in nothing but trouble for her. The first year, the magic book Treat gave her had been hijacked and used to spawn chaotic imps that terrorized her and the rest of Voltra. The second, she had been captured by an evil demon who tried to steal her soul. To say she was a little apprehensive was an understatement, and while she was cautiously on edge waiting for disaster, she nodded to her friend, trusting him, "Alright then, let's see it."
With flourish, The reaper pulled the sheet away from his gift, "Be-Behold! I had a special statue commissioned to capture your very likeness... It resembles you do-down to the last detail!" As he spoke, Trick watched for her reaction. To his surprise, what he thought would be an impressed smile was instead a dark scowl, her fingers curling tightly around the box in her hands. The crowd had also fallen into a hushed silence, prompting the reaper to finally glance behind him at the display he had unveiled.
"O-Oh.... Oh no........."
There, standing in all its glory, was a ridiculous caricature of Treat, almost blasphemous in its sculpting, a smear upon her very name.
There were no words to describe the fury that flooded Treat's very being. She took a step towards Trick as her magic curled around her darkly, her appearance subtly becoming more foreboding in each second that her anger grew. "You dare make a statue like so to mock me and the Ritual?" she screeched, her voice reverberating through the air, "Can I have ONE Ritual where I'm not insulted, belittled, or mistreated?!"
Trick stared at her. "No, I... It wasn't s-supposed to be like this..." he anxiously glanced at the statue again, and turned back to Treat, shocked as he watched the witch smash the box in her hands against the ground. As the token of their friendship was destroyed before his very eyes, the reaper seemed to snap, his usual timid demeanor instantly disappearing, "I mock the Ritual? You have just declared an end to our treaty! Let it be known on this day, your foolish disrespect has declared war!" His voice seemed to grow guttural and inhuman, his already inhuman face twisting wickedly as his bony fingers clenched around his scythe.
"Very well..." Treat seethed, haughtily raising her nose to the air before she addressed the crowd, "Mortals of Voltra, you have witnessed this fool's betrayal and slander towards me... Will you stand for this? Or will you stand by me? Join my forces to crush this reaper, and I will reward your efforts."
"Don't be so easily fooled..." Trick stepped forwards, gesturing to the crowd, "You saw her disrespect! Fight for the truth and side with me! It will be impossible for her and her followers to defeat us!"
