Jiang held on to the table that was beside her as the ground violently shook. But the cause wasn't an earthquake. Or an aftershock of one.

No, the shaking was caused by MK's own severe case of the hiccups. Everytime he hiccup'd, something bad or strange happened, and he's been having them all morning. Jiang had her guesses as to what caused the hiccups in the first place, but she didn't have the faintest idea as to why they were so powerful.

"This is the worst case of hiccups I've ever seen! How'd it happen?!" Pigsy cried as Tang, who seemed completely unaffected by everything, continued to eat his usual noodles. "So, remember how you told MK not to enter that beef ball eating contest?" Mei said as she pulled out her phone, making Jiang's suspicions grow. "Under no circumstances, yeah" Pigsy said as he remembered that moment.

Mei showed him and Jiang the pictures on her phone of MK stuffing beef balls in his mouth with Mei beside him. "Five hundred - hic - beef balls in five minutes!" MK said before spinning around in a bar chair. Then he hiccuped again, which sent him through the roof.

Jiang looked at the whole in the ceiling for a moment before looking at Mei and Pigsy. "So, we discovered the cause for his hiccups, but that doesn't explain why their so powerful" she said. "Yeah, we think the beef balls might've been cursed" Mei said, looking a little apologetic.

Jiang facepalmed. "Of - fucking - course they were" she said, mentally cursing whoever cursed the beef balls. "- hic - So good though" MK said from wherever he was, making Jiang roll her eyes in slight amusement.

"MK, of all the thoughtless adventure set ups you could think of, this takes the cake" Pigsy said. "We tried everything! I've tried rubbing his belly, scaring him with a good story, and hitting all his pressure points! But nothing worked!" Mei cried. MK let out another hiccup that flung him into something that, based on the sound of it breaking, was rather fragile.

Jiang then had an idea. "Have you guys tried tea?" She asked. Everyone gave her a strange look.

"What? Tea always helps me when I have the hiccups" Jiang defended herself. "Granted, I never had hiccups like MK's before" she added. Mei turned to the scholar.

"Mr. Tang! You gotta know some ancient techniques for, uh, food poisoning curses, right?" She asked. "Right noodle guy? Huh? Huh?" MK joined in. Both kids were knocked away by Sandy, who didn't seem to notice.

"I'm not fun when I'm not feeling so hot. A special brew of tea perks me right up!" He said. "Oh thank gods I'm not the only one" Jiang said, sounding relieved. "Oh, Sandy is in this one I see" Tang said with a slightly emotionless tone that made Jiang giggle a bit.

A giggle that was quickly cut off by a hiccup that seemed to release a shockwave, throwing everyone to the ground. "Ow" Jiang muttered as she pushed a chair off of her. "Uh, Sandy, Jiang? Somethin tells me that a bit of loose leaf, ain't gonna help us in this particular scenario!" Pigsy said as he stood up.

"Keep an open mind when it comes to Sandy's tea, could you?" Jiang deadpanned at him. She had experienced the amazing properties of Sandy's tea herself. The first time she tried the sleepy time leaves, she slept all the way through the night without any nightmares.

And one time, when she was sick with the flu, Sandy had given her a tea that didn't cure the flu, but it made her feel a whole lot better. Not to mention all the times he let her borrow certain tea leaves to cure her cases of the hiccups. "Don't underestimate the power of the tea leaves. Besides, I'm not talking about any old tea" Sandy said before pulling a literally book out of his orange beard.

At this point, when it came to Sandy, Jiang learned to never really question anything about him. The blue skinned demon opened his book to show them what he was talking about. "I'm talking about the tea made from the leaf of the wild Crimson Jimsonweed, an ancient and powerful flower said to have influence over mortality itself! In the wrong hands, deadly. In the right ones, deadlier!" Sandy explained.

"Um, we're not trying to kill him Sandy" Tang said. "I would prefer my brother to be alive, thank you very much" Jiang said as she rested a hand against her hip while leaning on the bar counter. "We just want to cure his hiccups" Tang added.

"Cure, kill, you say potato, I say potato. However, Crimson Jimsonweed only grows in the mystic jungle off of the emerald lakes. So, who's gonna get it?" Sandy said then asked. Mei and MK both seemed out for the count. Jiang, Tang, and Pigsy all glanced at each other before looking back at Sandy with deadpan expressions on their faces.

"Huh?! No, nononononono. I'm strictly a water adventure kind of guy" Sandy said. "MK's life is at stake" Tang pointed out. "Okay, I'll do for my friends!" Sandy cried.

"Well, that didn't take much convincing. Sandy, I'll come with. Simply for the hell of it" Jiang said. "Tang, anything you could tell us about this flower?" She added. "Hmm, Crimson Jimsonweed produces just one flower. And blooms only under the glow of a Crimson moon" Tang replied.

MK sat up with a gasp. "That's tonight!" He cried. "Ooo" Jiang said, looking off to the side a bit.

Okay, now it's time to worry. Just a little bit. "By the gods of blunt convenience, let's go!" Sandy cried, running out of the shop.

Jiang followed him as Mei called out, "Bye guys!". Later on, she let out a few pants as she carried a camping backpack on her shoulders, struggling slightly to keep up with her blue toned friend. "Ah, could this day be anymore perfect?" He said.

A pretty blue butterfly landed on his shoulder, making Jiang chuckle slightly, and the girl took a moment to snap a picture of it so that she could draw it later. While she did that, Sandy checked out the map. Directly ahead of the two was the very mountain that they would have to reach and climb before the sun set.

And with that in mind, the two set off through the jungle forest they were in. Soon enough, they had reached the base of a cliff. "That's a long way up" Jiang commented, shielding her eyes a bit.

"Think you can do it?" Sandy asked her. "Hey, for me, the farther away from water level I am, the better I'll be" Jiang told him before she began to climb. Sandy followed after her, making sure that she knew where to grab at, and wear to put her foot.

And he was also in the perfect position to catch her if she slipped or fell. Which she did end up slipping. Twice.

Along the way, they said hi to a mountain ox. And when the hit the forest that was at the top of the cliff, they saved a family of birds from a hungry snake (Sandy gave it tea instead), and everytime the two passed by a tree, Sandy tied a red cord to it so that the two could find their way back. Sitting upon the edge of another cliff as the sun began to set, Sandy ate some food he had prepared, but ended up giving it away to the band of monkeys that had surrounded the two.

One was even perched on Jiang's head as she sketched out the sunset that was happening in front of her, pausing every now and then to give her monkey friend a gentle scratch under the chin. Which it seemed to absolutely love. And after their little break, Jiang and Sandy continued in their way, eventually coming to the base of the mountain.

The sun had set by the time they reached the top, by the crimson moon came out, greeting them with the beautiful Crimson Jimsonweed flowers that bloomed right before their eyes. "Oh, wow. This place is beautiful" Jiang said, snapping a picture before looking around. Everything, the trees, the leaves, the flowers, it all seemed to glow under the crimson moonlight.

"The Crimson Jimsonweed" Sandy breathed as he approached a fully bloomed flower. "Wow, it's even better once you actually see it with your own eyes" Jiang said, the flower's glow casting a soft light over her facial features. She took a picture of the flower, then put her phone away.

"Now, to get this back to MK" Sandy said as he gently took the flower off of it's stem. "Actually, I had a different idea" said a raspy voice from behind the two. Turning around, Sandy let out a yell while Jiang took up a fighting pose.

It was one of Spider Queen's lackies. "Now, how about you two hand over that pretty pretty flower" he said. Sandy placed the flower in his book and closed it.

"Uh, no. This is for my friend" he said. "Is this guy for real?" The lacky asked. Jiang nodded.

"Yes, but I'm still going to stop you from taking that flower" she said. The lacky threw himself at her, but Jiang altered his direction with a harsh roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling against one of the trees. The kick would've been much harder if she didn't have all the extra weight to carry around, but for now, "Run!" She cried, tugging Sandy along.

"Hang in there just a bit longer little brother" she breathed as she ran. The two ran off the mountain and into the forest, but there was a problem. All of the red cords that Sandy had placed were no where in sight.

"Trying to find your way back, you two? Might be hard without these!" The Spider Queen lacky said. He hit a tree, and all of the cords came floating down, from the tree tops. "Oh, not good" Sandy said as he stepped back.

He was very much surprised when he was caught in a web net trap. And he lost his hold on the book, which fell to the ground, unnoticed. "Sandy!" Jiang cried, but she took a couple steps back when the Spider Queen lacky landed on the net.

With a spurt of spider silk, Jiang's foot was trapped to the ground, keeping her where she was. "So, what's the deal big guy? A frame like that, now that's a warrior's build! I heard people talking about how you used to be a ruthless fighter back in the day"  the lacky said. "Huh, kinda gay my guy" Jiang murmured.

Thinking back to her time as Spider Queen's prisoner, she thought about the lacky's name. She heard someone refer to the guy as Huntsman. Whatever kinda name that was.

"I'm not like that anymore! H-how, how about we talk things over, huh?" Sandy said. "Trust me, a therapy session with him is a life changer! So I've heard" Jiang called out, spotting the book in the ground out of the corner of her eye. She really had no idea how his therapy sessions were.

She only heard the stories from other people. "I have this nice camomile tea blend that-" Sandy was cut off when Huntsman ripped the netting away, making him fall to the floor. Then, his body from the chest down was caught in a cuccoon.

"I have a better idea" Huntsman said before he swung Sandy into a wall of rock. "Sandy!" Jiang cried as she struggled to reach the book. The webbing on her foot was really starting to frustrate her.

"Oo, that one hurt, didn't it? Come on! I wanna see you go crazy on me!" Huntsman called as he continued to swing Sandy around like a ragdoll. Jiang grunted with the effort that it took to try and pull the webbing off her foot, but nothing was doing the trick. Finally, Huntsman stopped his assault when Sandy didn't show any signs of fighting back.

"Seriously? Nothing? Pfft. What is with you? All that potential, wasted being a little chimp's errand boy" the spider demon said. Jiang scowled at him, but was quickly distracted by something moving the webbing to her foot. Looking back, she spotted the little monkey that she had befriended earlier.

It and a couple of it's friends worked at the webbing, and the stuff finally came off, freeing Jiang's foot. "Aw, thanks little guy" she said, gently scratching the little monkey under the chin. Then, she watched as Sandy lectured Huntsman.

The Spider demon tried to fight, but Sandy simply caught his fist before he could deliver a blow. "An enemy is just a friend you haven't won over yet. Like I say, there is no problem that can't be overcome by a good cup of tea" the blue skinned demon said with a bright smile. Suddenly, the bird that the two had saved from before slammed into Huntsman's head, making him let go of the book that held the Crimson Jimsonweed flower.

"Ugh, damn thing!" Huntsman snapped, cursing at the bird. "No! Wait!" Sandy cried. Then, Jiang stood beside him as they watched all of the monkeys attack Huntsman.

However, the poor little creatures were quickly overcome, and they all fell to the ground. A couple of them were whimpering in pain, and some weren't moving at all. Jiang desperately hopped they were only knocked out, and not... that.

However, Sandy's eerie silence caught her attention, and she looked over at him. And quite honestly, she was absolutely terrified of what she saw. Sandy looked like he was ready to murder someone, and the deadly glint in his eyes only added to his now terrifying appearance.

Jiang took a couple steps back, her eyes locked on Sandy, then she tripped over something, which turned out to be the book. She remembered Huntsman dropping it when he was attacked by the mama bird. Grabbing it, she tucked into her coat pocket and looked back up in time to see multiple hovering orbs appear around Sandy.

And a gush of wind seemed to come from him. "All it took to bring out the beast inside you was to smack around some of your woodland friends?" Huntsman asked before cackling. "Are we doing this? Or are you going to brew me another cup?" He taunted before laughing again.

Buddy, if I were you, I would shut the hell up, Jiang thought as she backed away into the cover of the trees. There, she took out a med kit, and began to sneak the injured monkeys over there one by one, where she treated them for any wounds that they might have. What could she say?

She did study veterinarian medicine as a side hobby to pass the time. Thanks gods she remembered what she had read, otherwise she didn't think she would be able to help the poor creatures. She kept her back turned to everything that was happening behind her, and did her best to block it out so that she could focus.

But she had to admit, it was difficult. And when everything went silent, she couldn't help but take a peek behind her. Sandy held his fist about an inch away from Huntsman's face, who looked absolutely terrified.

A single, blue butterfly, that looked just like the one Jiang had spotted at the beginning of their journey, rested on her friend's fist. "Leave this place" Sandy said in a dark tone that didn't sound like him at all. Huntsman took off running, and Jiang turned her attention back to her current patient.

Luckily, none of the monkeys were too badly injured, and the ones that had been motionless before, were now slowly coming back, leading Jiang to believe that they had simply been knocked out. Sandy aided her, though he kept a bit of distance between them, and together, the both bandaged up the monkeys, freed any creatures that had been stuck under fallen rocks, returned mama bird back to her nest, and waved goodbye to their monkey friends. "Wait, the book! I-" Sandy started, but Jiang took it out of her jacket, making Sandy sigh in relief.

Upon opening the book, the two discovered that, during the tussle, a single petal had been torn away. Or maybe it had been purposefully taken off by a certain Huntsman. However, they still had enough to make the tea.

Getting back, the tea was brewed, and a cup of it was given to MK, who looked like he was alright, though the hiccups hadn't really let up yet. MK began drinking the tea, while his friends and sister looked in with nervous looks. "Anything?" Mei asked.

After a moment of silence, MK let out a laugh. "No hiccups! This tea really does work!" He cried. "Oh thank gods" Jiang said, giving a soft smile and a breath of relief.

"Thanks Sandy. Your the best" MK said. "Anytime" Sandy said, clapping the boy in the back, which began a coughing fit. "Drink your tea buddy" Jiang told him before heading over to the bars stools where everyone else was.

"I still don't understand why the spider wanted that flower" Mei said before gasping. "You guys think Spider Queen ate cursed beef balls too?" She asked. "Oh man, I could so go for more of those right now" MK said.

Mei took something off the counter and flung it at him, making Jiang's brother fall off his seat. "I doubt it" Tang said in response to Mei's question. "Okay, smart guy. You tell us why those spider goons were after it then" Mei's voice faded into the background as Jiang looked over at Sandy's turned back.

Letting out a soft sigh, she pushed herself off of the counter and walked over to him. "Hey. We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to" she said in a low voice as she patted Sandy's shoulder. He seemed to know what she was talking about.

"Nah, not really" he muttered. Jiang gave a light nod. Then, suddenly.

Hic

All conversations stopped, and everyone slowly turned to look at Jiang, who had a look of horror that was slowly spreading across her face. Another hiccup came from her body, and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. In an instant, Mei had poured another cup of Crimson Jimsonweed tea and raced it over to Jiang, who blew off the steam a bit, and took a couple sips.

Gods, it tasted amazing. It first tasted sweet, but if you drank it long enough, you could detect some bitter undertones. All in all, it was delicious. "I need to keep this, in, like, a never ending canteen, and just carry that with me everywhere I go. Because my gods this stuff is amazing" Jiang said.

"Alright, I think the rest of us need a taste" Tang said, making everyone chuckle. Cups were handed out, and the rest of the hour was spent laughing, talking, and drinking magic tea.