Splatoon: One Missed Call
Urchin For Attention
"Spyke. Oy, Spyke Spyke Spyke Spyke Spyke. Spyyyyyyyke."
Spyke's single, beady eye opened slowly and drearily. The light peaking in from the window stung his eye ever so slightly as he stirred from his slumber. His spines pricked up slowly as he heaved himself out from the bed, his robe slinking behind him like a shadow.
"Oy, Spyke. C'mon."
Spyke left his bed, lifting himself out of the dozens of plush, comfortable rugs stacked on top of his sheets. He reached up to his head. Spyke plucked one rug out of his spines and flung it back on the bed with a small, new hole decorating the center of the rug. Spyke stalked about his apartment, sniffed once, and strode on past the tall creature in the shadow of his kitchen.
Spyke paused and glanced over his shoulder. Behind him, the gargantuan monster glared back at him. Two crimson eyes pierced out from the shadows of his kitchen. One thin, dangerous arm rested on the floor in front of him. The hand's fingers articulated and twitched slowly and deliberately as if it was debating what to do with Spyke. Spyke gazed back at the shadows which it occupied with a tired eye.
Then, leaning forward, Spyke opened the cupboard drawer behind the creature and snatched a coffee mug, and walked on with a slouch. The crimson eyes widened. As Spyke turned around to leave, the creature dashed out from the shadows into the light at a blinding speed.
"Oy! 'ave you been listenin'!" The larger urchin demanded, practically screaming.
Spyke closed his eye and shook his head. "Get through the day, just ignore him. Get through the day…"
The red-quilled, cowboy hat-wearing urchin in front of him seemed to take offense. The spindly urchin growled and clenched his hands into fists and made his own spines prick up. Granted, the ceiling was too short, and the strange urchin inadvertently pierced the ceiling. He stomped his foot on the ground, causing a slight shockwave to reverberate through the apartment room. The bed rumbled and several lavish rugs fell to the floor. Behind him, Spyke's cupboard swung open and out spilled several glasses and mugs. Most of the brave cups met their match with the floor that day.
Spyke, oblivious to the bloodshed of his mugs, simply sidestepped around the bigger urchin and continued on his merry way. In response, the taller urchin blocked his path with his sharp, long arm.
"Move, Tetanus," Spyke muttered, still half-asleep. He yawned in spite of the other urchin glaring daggers at him.
"It ain't fair!" Tetanus complained and stomped on the floor again, "Why do Tiny and I gotta stay inside? That's bloody bullshrimp!"
"I don't need the news feature flashin' 'Rampaging Urchin' on the telly today. Stay put or I'm throwin' your snail in the trash."
Tetanus glared as intense as he could manage with the power of ten thousand suns. Spyke glared back. After a few seconds, Tetanus relented and dropped his arm, crossing it over his other one irritably. Path no longer blocked, Spyke trotted on past Tetanus and the rug covered bed while the otherwise huge urchin deflated behind him in disdain.
Snatching a tiny bag from the floor, Spyke walked to the door, grasped the doorknob, then turned his head to the other urchin as he stowed it under his cloak, "Don't stomp in here either. Last thing we need is the landlord to get anxious."
"Who needs a landlord? Yer Spyke!" Tetanus argued with a huff, crossing his arms.
Spyke pushed opened the door with a light push and sighed to himself as he stepped out, "Didn't need one 'til you nearly killed those kids. I'll be back."
The door shut behind him with a thud. Tetanus watched the lock turn shut with a click. Gritting his teeth, Tetanus raised his fist in the air, then pounded the floor. He shuffled back into the shadows, arms still crossed. The moment he stepped out of the light and into the darkness, Tetanus plopped himself on the floor with and sulked to himself in the dark for a few seconds.
"Guh," he grunted in irritation to himself, "That's it."
Pressing two of his fingers to his lips, Tetanus blew out a sharp whistle. The apartment was silent for a while. Suddenly, one of the walls exploded, launching chips of plaster and wood. Dust filled the room, and the debris littered the floor next to the several shattered pieces of the mugs. Disregarding the destruction, Tetanus' face lit up. The urchin shot up to his feet and laughed gleefully.
Tetanus raised a palm to the side of his mouth and shouted, "Oy, good mornin' to you, Tiny!"
Eventually, the dust settled. Out from the cloud of white dust revealed a Super Sea Snail, a rather large one at that. The snail towered over the furniture nearby and scraped the ceiling. Its shell was painted in coats of black and red, complete with a shining glossiness. The snail towered over the nearby fridge, which was tipped over, and sat eagerly in front of the new, sizable hole in the wall. Not only was the snail painted in black and red, but four rocket boosters were attached to its shell also painted black and red, and by the looks of the smoke trailing from the back of them, operational.
It hopped over toward Tetanus, effectively ratting the apartment, and announced its presence with a boisterous, "Meep!"
Tetanus chuckled and pet the snail's giant shell affectionately. "Ready to start the mornin' off right, Tiny? We're headin' out to Inkopolis today to show 'em our stuff!"
Tiny's beady black eyes stared at Tetanus worriedly before he let out a smaller, "Meep."
"Oy, wot? 'Course we're- I'm gettin' out there! Can't stake a claim and become the residential super-ultra-mega-lord if we don't make ourselves known," Tetanus explained to the snail which listened patiently, "The name Tetanus 'Destruction' Shadowflare'll be known 'cross the city, and we'll be celebrated for how glorious we are!"
"Meeeeep," the oversized snail squeaked with a shiver.
"Oy," Tetanus murmured softly and dropped to one knee, "Don't worry 'bout ol' Spyke. He's a softie! Fact is," Tetanus leaned in to whisper, "He won't ever know we're gone."
The snail stared up at him. Despite only having dots for eyes, Tetanus could practically feel them boring into him. Tetanus just grinned.
"It'll work, or my name ain't Tetanus!" Tetanus announced and chuckled as he tipped the brim of his cowboy hat.
Tiny chirped up eagerly and hopped over to Tetanus. Tetanus gripped Tiny by his shell and hefted it over his head. Tiny's shell scraped pieces of the ceiling off as Tetanus walked outside through the newly made hole in the wall. However, as he left, his frame created an even bigger, urchin-shaped hole.
Stepping out onto the streets, Tetanus took a deep breath through his nostrils and yelled out, "Look out, Inkopolis! Here I come!"
Several glass windows shattered behind him as Tetanus cackled, running with Tiny perched above his cowboy hat.
"Meep!" Tiny cheered.
Spyke shivered in the frosty morning air. He suddenly had second thoughts about getting out of bed. Frozen puddles of water and unknown, dark substances clouding the ground and leftover snow spilled from the tops of trash bins and onto the cement. Carefully, Spyke made his way past the trash and frozen hazards towards the exit of the alley.
Spyke glanced around the alley. There was almost nothing in sight but slush and trash, including a dumpster. Spying the dumpster, Spyke made his way towards it, crossing over the ice. The dumpster was buried under a mound of snow, and nearby, there were a few mounds of piled trash bags. Spyke's eyes darted from left to right then back to left. Finally, he raised his fist and reached up toward the dumpster. His knuckle rapped on the dumpster for about a split second when the dumpster lid opened up almost immediately.
"Aaagh!" A voice screamed out from the trash container.
The pile of snow on top dropped from the top of the dumpster and down into the dumps. The dumpster diver inside squirmed and complained, causing the snow to shift as if it were alive. His complaints, however, were muffled by the mounds of snow piled on top of him. Spyke rolled his eye and leaned on the dumpster bin, raised his other arm, and waved around his mug. The mug made distinct clinking noises as it moved around.
The pile of slush stopped dead in its tracks. "Spyke? That you?" The voice asked through the snow.
Spyke cleared his throat. "Oy, garbage man. Got more 'garbage' for ya."
The snow started to wiggle again. Suddenly, two beady black stalks popped out from the snow, rotated, then paused. The peculiar appendages tilted over the trash can and eyed Spyke—especially his mug—with great interest. The eyes tilted forward while Spyke pulled the mug away until eventually, the eyes could not move any further.
"It is you! A moment," Whoever underneath the snow spouted.
The two eyestalks retreated back through the holes made in the slush. Still leaning on the dumpster, Spyke shook the mug faster, creating a louder jingling. Even with the piles of snow, Spyke could hear grumbling coming from the dumpster. With a smirk, Spyke just continued to rattle mug back and forth, making sure each clink was heard. Just then, a shovel blade thrust out from the snow. As soon as it did, the snow itself slid further into the dumpster.
"Bah! What a piece! I can't stand this! Rain, hail, snow, it all gets the floors dirty!" The voice chattered on irritably.
"Right, the weather's what gets it all in a fuss," Spyke replied snarkily.
One thick claw poked out from the dumpster and waved at Spyke. "Get in here."
Spyke rolled his eye and reached for the claw. Taking the claw by its pinchers, he began to climb into the dumpster, only to be pulled in arm first. Landing on the snow near a buried shovel handle, Spyke got up to his feet slowly, only to come face to face with an N-ZAP gun. The gray gun's barrel aimed at the urchin with the nozzle centered on his face. Hand still clutched by one claw, Spyke stared as the other claw gripping the gun clutched the grip and tickled the trigger tentatively. Lying on the floor on his rear, Spyke gave the crab the evil eye as the crustacean paced around him.
The stocky crab eyed him quite effectively. The pair of eyes inspected Spyke from head to toe, spying every detail possible on Spyke's person, from his robe to his pants. His shell was dotted with white speckles and his mouth protruded two antennae. His carapace was decorated with several pouches and bags of all shapes and sizes, some about as huge as a locker, others as small as a satchel. The crab huffed and scuttled in a circle around Spyke, still eyeing him from head to toe.
"Where's my money, huh Spyke? Where's my payment at?" The crab inquired teasingly. He punctuated his demand by poking his eyes out at Spyke each time he spoke up.
"Come off it, Maim," Spyke muttered with a low grunt, "Help me up."
"Money though, where's my money though?" Maim asked eyes waving back and forth.
Scowling, Spyke pushed himself off the floor, taking care to keep the cup in his other hand upright. Maim clacked his free claw greedily, still aiming the N-ZAP at him.
Spyke shook his head and raised the mug up, "Gods. Maybe I should've stayed indoors."
"No funny business now," Maim ordered as he approached, "Or else I'll-"
With a swift motion of his wrist, Spyke knocked the gun out of the crab's claw with the mug. Maim's eyes followed the N-ZAP until they could no longer stretch. The weapon slid back into the expansive dumpster room until it hit a stack of black garbage bags in the back. Maim blinked, scuttled around, and stared back and forth at the N-ZAP as it sat twelve feet behind them and Spyke as he sat less than a foot in front of him.
Maim the crab turned back with a frown present on his face. "You've got to be kidding."
"That gun has no ink either, don't it?" Spyke muttered as he walked past Maim casually, "If you're gonna greet me like this, make the act convincin'."
Maim shook his eyes, scowled, and shuffled behind Spyke with his claws in the air. "I'm experimenting! You know, you're lucky I didn't shoot. Someday the fuzz'll be all over me, so no time like the present to practice."
Spyke slunk through the dim hallway as bored as bored does, all the while shaking the mug enticingly. "Reminds me, here's your cut."
Maim scurried over to Spyke's side and snatched the mug from him. Raising the mug over his head, Maim tilted the cup upside-down and opened his mouth. Tiny clam shells dropped from the mug like rice into the crab's maw. Within seconds, the shells were no more, gone with a single crunch. Eyeing the inside of the cup eagerly, Maim was subsequently disappointed to find that there were no more clam shells.
Maim sighed contently. "I tell you, those other guys up there don't know what they're missing with gigs like these."
"Those 'other guys' don't sleep in trash bins," Spyke pointed out.
Maim arched an eyebrow as they came to the end of the hall. "Then maybe they should. Maybe then they'd be able to get a secret lair like…"
Maim stepped towards the end of the hall. The hall ended abruptly, filled with several bags of trash all stacked together against the wall. Maim smirked at Spyke, who simply rolled his eye in response. Shuffling through the trash, Maim eventually uncovered the wall. Raising his claw, Maim reached up to the wall and knocked three times, each one echoing through the chamber.
"This?" Maim announced as he stared back at Spyke.
Spyke stared long and hard at Maim. Maim's eyes stretched at the expanse of the base and continued walking. Spyke followed behind, taking in the sights of the hall. Of course, there was nothing else but more trash. After the fortieth trash bag, Spyke resigned himself to do nothing but follow the crab.
"Say, I never did figure out what you're doing back here," Maim murmured, "It's been frozen out there forever."
"I've been set back on account of an...accomplice," Spyke muttered under his breath.
Maim blinked and turned his eyes around. "I thought you worked alone?"
"Don't sell yourself short," Spyke snorted as he gestured to the crab, "Unless you really forgot who I was, old crab."
Maim rolled his eyes. "Yeah, real close."
"Info, mate," Spyke reminded him, "You supply me with info. Ring any bells? Speaking of which…"
Maim sighed and waved him off. "Yeah, yeah, give me a sec."
Maim shuffled up to what appeared to be the end of the hall. The hall seemed to have ended, with no other doors in sight. All that was left was more trash piled at the end. Maim, undeterred, scuttled towards the trash. He nonchalantly punched through one of the bags with his claw and held onto one of the other bags as he dug through them, much to Spyke's amusement.
One of Maim's eyestalks whirled around and glared at Spyke as he dug through the garbage. Spyke's amusement faded and he leaned on the wall, nodding back at Maim. Maim rolled his eye and continued searching until eventually, both of his eyes perked up straight into the air like alarms. His claw shifted in the trash with a "click" noise. Maim and Spyke scuttled and walked away from the wall of garbage respectively and waited in front of it.
The trash bags collapsed, destroying the wall. As they rolled back, a bright, artificial light pierced the cracks and openings made until the garbage was completely gone. When the dust settled and the garbage bags spilled across the floor, the light revealed a host of different television screens, all circling one desk in an office-sized room, dimly lit with nothing but the screens offering any light.
Each screen displayed a different scene. One displayed an Inkling couple sitting together underneath the awning of a well-lit café holding hands. Another screen showed a slump of an Inkling sitting with other, equally depressed Inklings, waiting at a bus stop, each one gazing longingly at Inkopolis Tower. A few of the screens tuned into broadcasts, with various different news anchors of all shapes and sizes speaking garbled nonsense about mundane events.
Maim walked up to the desk, pulled up a chair, and as he sat down spoke up, "So, what blokes are we spying on today?"
Tetanus smirked as he strolled down the street. He continued to heft Tiny over his head, along with a double-necked guitar behind him attached via a strap over his shoulder. Every step he took was imposing, threatening, the image of terror.
That's what Tetanus hoped, anyway.
The streets of Inkopolis were glazed over with a layer of snow and ice. Sidewalks were glossy and wet and the lampposts were almost entirely frozen. A few of the bulbs managed to light up somewhat while others were completely burnt out. Buildings gave off the image that they had been recently abandoned in spite of all of the colorful posters and billboards among them. If there was anyone here, they were either buried in snow or invisible.
In spite of the empty street, Tetanus called out to the city, "Oy, I'm 'ere! Tetanus Shadowflare! Master of the guitar! The strongest urchin who ever lived! Hey!"
A pile of snow nearby collapsed and fell on the sidewalk. The slush spilled in front of his path, much to Tetanus' amusement. Placing Tiny on the sidewalk, he stooped down and began to sniff the snow. He made a face, then stood back up in disappointment.
Tetanus frowned and kicked the snow. "Aw, ain't nuthin' here!"
Tiny spun around and looked up at Tetanus. "Meep?"
Tetanus folded his arms indignantly. "What's wrong with this place? Where's the Inkling secret agents? There's gotta be some! I know so," Tetanus explained to Tiny, "I know Spyke told about one or two of 'em!"
His gargantuan snail companion glanced around the environment. Looking back at Tetanus, Tiny just blinked. With a defeated, hefty slouch, Tetanus reached under Tiny and lifted him over his head again. His muscles ached slightly, but the disappointment was heavier than any giant snail.
"Guess I'll be goin' back then," Tetanus muttered in contempt.
Tetanus began to turn around and trot back to the apartment, dismay evident on his face. Tiny reassured him with a soft "meep", but Tetanus simply walked home, dragging his feet along the icy sidewalk.
"...Did you say 'strongest'?"
At the sound of someone else's voice, Tetanus spun around as quickly and eagerly as he could. Tiny's boosters fired up, spouting smoke clouds and fire. The ice and snow around the two melted rapidly, dousing Tetanus' boots. Tetanus' heartbeat quickened and his smile enlarged to the point where at least a dozen needles in his mouth were exposed. His eyes gleamed a bloodthirsty crimson as he turned to-
A small Inkling Girl wrapped in an oversized sweater.
"Who's askin'?" Tetanus asked reaching over his back for his guitar.
The Inkling girl stared up at him with puppy-dog eyes. "Who are you, Mister?"
"Tetanus 'Destruction' Shadowflare, newcomer to Inkopolis, and your worst nightmare!" Tetanus declared, jabbing a thumb at himself confidently.
Much to Tetanus' displeasure, the girl hardly flinched at him. In fact, she stepped forward, devoid of fear. Her tiny frame shivered in the cold, vibrating the sweater. She calmed down as she entered the dome of heat Tiny's rocket boosters provided. The girl's tentacles flapped slightly as warm air blasted around her.
"Are you a good fighter?" She asked innocently.
Tetanus arched an eyebrow, causing one of the spines above his eye to prick up. "Yup. The best. Never been beaten. Ever."
"Come with me," the girl commanded, taking Tetanus by the hand.
Shocked and slightly offended by the touch, Tetanus reeled back. "Oy! The heck ya doin'?"
"You need to come with me," the girl begged him, "Right now."
Tetanus reached for his guitar again and slung the instrument over his shoulders. Attached in between the twin heads of the guitar was a flamethrower nozzle. Thin veils of gas floated out from the top, and Tetanus was poised to strike, aiming the nozzle at the girl with his fingers ready to strum. Heat emanated from the tip of the guitar, and Tetanus grinned evilly as he made to strum.
What happened next surprised Tetanus. Holding her arms dramatically at her side, the girl took in a deep breath, puffed up her chest, and stood as tall and firm as she could in the face of Tetanus and his weapon. Tetanus retaliated by strumming the guitar, firing a puff of fire up into the air. The girl did not flinch.
Tetanus scowled, fingers pressed against the strings of his guitar. "Wot?"
"Please, you need to help me. My friend's in trouble!" the girl pleaded, "A Splatoon took my friend away!"
"Spluh-whoon?" Tetanus questioned while his spines slowly rose.
The girl began to sweat. "A team. A squad. I don't know why, but he-"
"Oh really?" Tetanus declared with a grin, "Sounds intriguin'."
The girl's eyes brightened and widened into dinner plates. "You're going to help?"
Tetanus scowled as if he were insulted. "What?"
The girl clenched her hands together. "Are you going to save my-"
"If I beat the gang, I'll be the new leader, right?" Tetanus asked, cutting her off.
Confusion clouded her expression. "Um..."
She thought for a good, long minute. Tetanus and Tiny exchanged glances.
"Yeah?"
There was a glint in Tetanus' eyes. "Tiny, give me a boost!"
"Meep!" Tiny replied.
Tiny's rocket boosters burst in another spire of fire, larger and deadlier than the one before. One of the misfortunate streetlights behind the two of them had its ice melted off and the metal charred to a crisp black. The girl watched in awe as the two rocketed off down the street, skating across the ice at high speeds, trailing puddles and slush as they zoomed ahead of her. Determined, she pumped her fists up with a huff and ran after the two. Her snow boots sloshed around in the newly melted water as she took off, slowly with her sweater weighing her down.
Spyke eyed the various screens in an inspecting manner with his one careful eye. The range of the screens seemed to go on and on, from Inkopolis itself to the outskirts of the city, to even the docks. Spyke watched the waves wash up against the concrete wall of one port, docked ships rolling back and forth over the rain.
"See anything ya like?" Maim asked with a sweet, almost mocking tone.
Spyke's eye squinted. Maim watched the urchin carefully as he walked closer to the screens. Spyke seemed to be fixated on one screen in particular. With one swift motion, Spyke jabbed one finger towards the screens. His sleeve slipped down his arm as he pointed.
An amused Maim moved up to his side, aiming one eye at Spyke and the other at the screen. "Alright, who are we- Spyke!"
"You old crab," Spyke shook his head disappointedly.
Irritated, Maim scrambled for the screen Spyke had pointed to. Without a second thought, Maim scuttled up underneath the screen and launched one of his claws at the tangled cords carrying the screen. Almost like a pair of scissors, Maim snipped and severed the connection. Fading out with a haze of static, the television screen dropped from the wall and into Maim's claws. Reaching over to the side, Maim pulled up a garbage bag and unceremoniously slung the screen down into the bag before tossing the bag away to the side.
In a flustered flurry, Maim edged his claw against Spyke's throat. "Must have been a camera glitch. You don't remember that at all."
"Oy, calm down," Spyke grunted, "I'm already tryin' not to."
Huffing, Maim lowered his arm and scuttled away. "Just hurry up and finish with what you're doing."
Spyke frowned and scrutinized the screens. "As usual, nothin'. Buggers are still stuck inside."
"What'd you expect? Entire place's been shut down for a while," Maim commented while he scuttled off.
Spyke crossed his arms as he scanned the screens. "None of your regulars come 'round here, either?"
"'Sides you? Haven't seen another soul in days," Maim commented.
Spyke shook his head. "Y'know, I heard that our little eternal winter's 'bout to come to an end."
"From who?" Maim asked, eyes narrowing.
"Heard it 'round the city," Spyke answered.
"Bah, rumors. I should know, I start rumors like those, day after day." Maim asserted proudly.
Spyke shook his head in disappointment. As he turned to leave, Spyke took one more cursory glance at the various different screens. He froze mid-step. Maim looked at him inquisitively. One screen had a shot of a rather lanky urchin zooming past. Another one flickered to show off a scorched street. All the while, the urchin captured on-screen cackled hysterically and silently.
"Oy! You've got to be joking!" Spyke exclaimed irritably.
Spyke broke into a run, much to Maim's surprise. "What's up?"
Spyke turned around briefly, glared at Maim, and simply stated, "That kid's gonna kill everybody."
"What kid?" Maim questioned as his eyes turned towards the screens in confusion.
Ignoring that remark, Spyke dashed out from the room, over the trash bags, and sprinted down the hall. Confused, Maim turned to the screens and squinted. Finding nothing of interest, he turned to question Spyke but found the hall empty of anything but trash and snow.
At some point during his skating crusade, the girl jumped on. Tetanus wasn't one-hundred percent keen on how, but he didn't mind. A fight was coming up.
Amidst the roar of Tiny's boosters, the girl called herself "Lillagin". Lillagin clutched the shell of Tiny, careful to remain out of the thrusters' exhaust, while Tetanus slid on the ice on his bum. They were still zooming through the city, which was mostly empty seldom for themselves and a few pedestrians. The pedestrians in question soon became terrified at the sight of them. Many slipped and leaped out of the way as Tetanus barreled past. One particularly unlucky jellyfish wearing a beanie was actually squashed by Tetanus, only to rebound back up. The jellyfish walked away with a newly flattened head.
"Oy, Lil' Gin, what else happens here? Ya like it here?" Tetanus asked over his back.
Lillagin, her purple tentacles flopping wildly in the wind, answered with a meek, "Good."
"I bet this place is jus' brimmin' with Inkling gangs and heroes, eh?" Tetanus asked, himself beaming at the prospect, "There's gotta be a lot of them."
At the word "gang", Lillagin paled somewhat. "Um, kinda. Everyone's just been upset ever since the Splatfest Altar-"
"The wot?" Tetanus squinted and turned his head to stare.
"It's this…" Lillagin paused, "It's this magical thing that the gods use. It...communicates and gives us a theme. A theme that we play on sides for." Lillagin attempted to make a gesture, but found that it was difficult to hold onto a giant snail moving like a speeding car and visualizing concepts at the same time, "In ink battles."
"Like a bloodsport?" Tetanus's eyes glinted eagerly.
Lillagin pouted. "Nobody dies! Well, not forever. They respawn."
Tetanus squinted, demolishing a bench as they slid down the street. "'Re-spawn'?"
"Come back to life?" Lillagin suggested to him.
Tetanus suddenly looked cross. "So that's how they did it…"
"Huh?" Lillagin perked up.
"Are we there yet?" Tetanus inquired with a bored expression.
Lillagin was a fragile antenna on top of the snail car as she surveyed the street. Squinting, Lillagin suddenly stared down and shoved down on Tiny's shell. The rocket boosters on his back switched off immediately, much to Tetanus' surprise. Before he could say anything, Tetanus slammed into a wall.
"Ooh!" Lillagin squeaked as she launched off of Tiny.
Lillagin flew off and smacked into the wall. Despite the velocity, Lillagin's sweater proved even softer and puffier than it looked. She dropped from the face of the wall harmlessly and landed on Tetanus' cowboy hat between his two gigantic spines. Underneath her, Tetanus pushed himself up and tipped his cowboy hat down. Lillagin gasped and fell off from the hat on the frigid sidewalk. Tiny stared at the two of them from the street behind them.
Tetanus concealed his flustered face underneath his hat. "Wot's wrong with you!"
"We're here!" Lillagin exclaimed in excitement and worry, "Quick, let's go!"
Small but determined, Lillagin gripped Tetanus by his hand and tugged him, running as fast as she could. Despite how fast she scuttled her legs, she found herself in the exact same place as she had started. In confusion, Lillagin turned only to get yanked back. With a yelp, Lillagin turned to face Tetanus, who had a firm grip on her wrist. She reached for his hand but was shaken like a ragdoll each time she tried to wrench her arm free.
"Hey, come on, you need to help him!" Lillagin protested and pointed down the street.
Tetanus tilted his cap back up to answer Lillagin with a glare. "First off, don't touch Tiny," Tetanus commanded and pointed at him, "Second off, I ain't takin' orders from ya, Lil' Gin. I'm going in there to fight!"
Lillagin pouted. "That's-"
"Not listenin'!" Tetanus babbled and covered his ears, "Going off to fight, gonna be cool, la la la."
"Hey!" Lillagin shouted as she chased after him, "You don't even know where you're going!"
Tetanus continued to chant to drown out Lillagin's protests. She would beat on his legs with her fists in an attempt to listen to get him to listen to her, which Tetanus ignored. Tiny followed behind slowly with his rockets propelling him, "meep"ing every once in the while through the conversation. They passed a few blocks before Lillagin skidded to a stop on the sidewalk and looked down an alley.
"Tetanus," Lillagin whispered.
Tetanus grunted in displeasure. "That's Tetanus 'Destruction' Shadowflare to-"
Before he could finish his statement, a Splat Bomb suddenly fell on the floor in front of him. Tetanus' eyes widened. Lillagin was taken aback as Tetanus smacked both her and the bomb out of the way just as the Splat Bomb exploded. The bomb exploded in the air while Lillagin was launched down the street. Lillagin slipped and slid down the sidewalk on her back, too shaken to move or shout. As she spun away on the sidewalk, Tetanus leered down the alley and retrieved his guitar from his back.
"Who's there?" Tetanus asked with a deadly grin.
Someone's voice rang back, "Who's asking?"
Tetanus scowled and lowered his guitar. "Oy, that's my line!"
Out from the alley, an Inkling in a heavy duffle coat emerged, combing back his light-blue tentacles. He played around with another, smaller Splat Bomb, tossing it up and down in his palm while eyeing Tetanus from head to toe. Tetanus imitated him, pacing around the much shorter Inkling, fingers stretched over his guitar's strings.
"You're a unique one," the boy remarked, exposing his fangs.
Tetanus smiled and brandished his own needle-like teeth. "Tetanus 'Destruction' Shadowflare. You the leader 'round these parts?"
The Inkling boy scoffed cooly. "Yes, as a matter of fact. You may call me…" The Inkling spun in place before striking a pose, "Zero."
Tetanus' heart nearly skipped a beat as he aimed his guitar. His fingers ran down the strings, causing one lick of sound to reverberate through the alley and a jet of flames to flow out from the nozzle. Eyes wide open, Zero immediately rolled to the side and smacked into the wall, much to his discomfort. He hissed, clutching his forehead, and glared at Tetanus.
"The hell's your problem, moron?" Zero screamed at him in a shrill voice, then blushed and covered his face.
Tetanus scoffed back at him. "Zero? Ha! All the Zeros I've read about 'ave more than you'll ever have in the tip o' their tentacles."
Zero fumed, causing his dark face to light up with a cyan tint. "Hey! F-" Zero paused, glanced up at his tentacles, then smoothed them down with his hand. "Ffffor all your talk, you don't have much going on yourself, Tanbark. You missed."
Tetanus' spines pricked up from the back of his head. "Tetanus! Dindja hear my intro?"
Tetanus tickled the guitar strings, firing bursts of fire left and right. Zero scoffed. Calm and collected, Zero sidestepped each attempt Tetanus made at hitting him, dancing around the fire. Trash in the alley was incinerated on the spot, leaving scorch marks and ashes across the floor.
"Perhaps I made a mistake. You're surprisingly bad at this," Zero remarked plainly, tossing one Splat Bomb at Tetanus' face.
Tetanus swiped the bomb out of the air and onto the ground. As the bomb flashed white, Tetanus stomped down on the bomb and crunched it underneath his boot. It exploded under his boot, spilling ink from underneath which spread across the ground. Irritated, Tetanus attacked, pouring blankets of flames towards Zero's direction. Smugly, Zero walked back slowly, the flames stretching just far enough to warm him up.
"How thoughtful," Zero sighed romantically as he waved the heat towards him, "For an urchin of your stature, you're certainly not the terrible, horrible 'Destruction' you claim. You're just terrible and horrible at fighting."
"Just wait, Zero!" Tetanus barked, raising his free hand in the air.
Tilting his guitar at the ground, Tetanus brought his hand down and serenaded Zero with a discordant vibration of sound and a spire of fire. Tetanus skewed his guitar up towards the air, slicing through the ice with his flames. Zero smirked, and gracefully bent backward. He watched as the fire scorched the air just above his body like a deadly game of Limbo. In doing so, Zero quickly found out why no one plays Limbo on a frozen street. He then found himself sprawled out on the melted water and ice on his back, feet dangling in the air unceremoniously before slamming on the floor.
Zero struggled to get up and hissed at the feel of wetness on his hands. The sleet and slush burned at his fingers and palm. A gloating laugh echoed through the alley, hauntingly bouncing back and forth between the walls. Gritting his teeth, Zero glowered at Tetanus as he meandered forward with a cocky stride.
"Who's laughin' now?" Tetanus asked with a sneer.
Zero's deep, dark blue eyes glinted with something sinister. "I am."
Zero snapped his fingers, and the ground shook. Tetanus steeled himself and looked about the area.
"Earthquakes?" Tetanus sneered and kicked the ice under his feet. "Noice try, but it'll take more than-"
Zero shouted, "Squad!"
A resounding "Ha!" sounded out with the voices of other Inklings. Out of the corner of his eyes, Tetanus spied another Inkling poke his head out from behind a dumpster, aiming a Splattershot at him. Another Inkling dropped from the sky with a roller and slammed it on the ice, cracking the frost underneath her feet. Tetanus smirked and pointed his guitar at the lot of them. The other Inklings filed behind Zero, who was grinning as though he had already one. Tetanus felt a chill run up his spine as more and more Inklings joined the squadron.
Zero noticed Tetanus' smug grin and answered with an even more smug grin. "We're not quite done yet."
The shuffling of footsteps shook the ground. Tetanus' smirk faltered as dozens of more Inklings filed behind Zero, all with the same cyan tentacles as his own. The marching band of Inklings gazed at Tetanus. Each and every one of them had a different weapon, but more importantly, there was a dangerously violent look to each one. Tetanus could have sworn that a few even licked their chops at the sight of Tetanus. The silence was broken as Zero applauded with a devilish snigger.
"You still feeling tough, Tellius?" Zero inquired with a sneer that would make an imp blush, "You can still preserve your own life if you-"
Again, Zero was cut off with a stream of fire and a harsh vibration that pushed him back into his squad. Zero fell back and leaned back on his squad, causing several of them to fall over like bowling pins. Zero didn't take kindly to being tripped. Pointing at Tetanus, he barked orders, to which the other Inklings took as their cue to dash forward and raise their weapons.
Tetanus stood his ground and unleashed another wave of flames. In remarkable synchronization, the Inklings ducked underneath the heat while another formation of Inklings behind them hopped over and fired back. Tetanus snarled as a .52 Gal shot decked him in the face. Ink washed down his face like it was nothing. Tetanus stepped forward to attack, then tripped and fell on his face.
"Naniiiiiiii?" Tetanus screeched and turned to his boot, "My boot!"
Tetanus' heel had been frozen in ice. Ink dripping off of his clothing had flash-frozen, fastening him to the ground. Pushing ups with his free leg and arm, he pointed his guitar down and strummed it rapidly, coating the floor in fire. The ice vaporized as soon as it had frozen around his ankle, freeing him.
Tetanus glared back at Zero, who was frowning. "How unfortunate that the first opponent I wanted to test this on was such a firebug," Zero tsked and pressed a finger to one of his temples, "In this case, drastic measures might need to be taken."
Tetanus growled and gripped his guitar by one of its twin necks. One Splat Roller-wielding Inkling screamed a battle cry as she charged right into his guitar. Swinging it like a heavy battle-axe, Tetanus launched the Inkling back into the sky where she screamed in another tune as she flew off into the distance. Before Tetanus could focus on the rest of them, an Aerospray-wielding Inkling let loose a barrage of ink. The shots connected with Tetanus' hands and instrument, effectively freezing his grip on the guitar.
"Gah!" Tetanus grunted, shaking his arms back and forth to no avail.
The Aerospray beamed—for a second anyway—then was clocked upside the head with Tetanus' sharp elbow. Swinging wildly with his hands pinned to his guitar, Tetanus created a cacophony of discordant guitar styling and the pained yelps of Inklings who rushed too close. Unfortunately for Tetanus, the coordination of the squadron and the icy ink proved effective, eventually pinning him to the floor. His ankles were caught in ice, his arms and guitar frozen in his vice grip, and his teeth chattering rapidly.
Immobilized, Tetanus could do nothing but glare at the other Inklings. In his attempt to escape, bits of the ice around his limbs came loose and cracked. A few of the Inklings had taken it upon themselves to throw themselves upon him to stick him down to the ground.
"Git off!" Tetanus shouted in irritation.
Another bout of applause came from Zero as well as yet another snide expression. "Bravo, ladies and gentlemen. We're victorious!"
Tetanus grunted and shouted. "Tiny, 'ere!"
Twisting his head as far as he could when frozen, Tetanus looked over his shoulder. Tiny was here, but where his four boosters once were, four oversized blocks of ice had frozen upon his shell.
"Meep," Tiny replied in defeat.
Tetanus twisted back towards Zero and barked, "Oy, 'ow'd you do that?'
A flicker of light skipped across Zero's eyes. "Oh? Curious about my powers, hm?"
Tetanus' heart began to race. "'Powers'...?"
Zero raised his arm. His coat's sleeves were too much too big for his arms, slipping off. Tetanus' eyes expanded substantially. Zero's fingertips glowed white. Particles of ice and a few minuscule snowflakes danced around his fingers. Pointing his hand up into the air like a claw, the snow in his hands focused into a blizzard.
"Wooooooooooooot!" Tetanus shouted and tilted his head.
"I don't know why exactly," Zero laughed, "But one day, after that fateful day, when all of Inkopolis stopped moving, I had a dream. I heard voices. They helped me," Zero took one step forward, "Helped me realize my full potential. Even when everyone else I knew gave up, even when everything else stopped cold."
Tetanus paled as Zero laughed a very victorious laugh. "His backstory's good!"
"Did he buy it?" Zero wondered to himself.
Zero pointed one finger at Spyke's face tauntingly. His index finger chilled Tetanus' face to the bone just by being close.
"Impressed?" Zero asked.
"Yeah!"
"Ha, well-" Zero paused, bit his lip, and gawked at Tetanus, "What?"
"That's bloody awesome! Why didn't I ever think'a that?" Tetanus wondered aloud, blabbering different thoughts, "There ARE Inkling superheroes! My anime movies were right!"
Zero was at a loss for words. The other Inklings around him shuffled and shared his confused expression. A few of the Inklings even clapped to fill the silence, but that applause fell through quickly and instead was replaced with a lot of confused chattering.
Zero shook his head. "No matter. Squad, take Television back to the base. We might get a reward or...something. Take the snail also."
"Tetanus", the urchin corrected, suddenly ashamed.
The Inklings nodded and began to crowd around Tetanus. He struggled, filled with a new fervor, but the Inklings came prepared. Cracks in the ice were quickly repaired with another salvo of ink, effectively rendering escape helpless. Tetanus furrowed his brow and watched the Inklings closely. Using an Inkbrush as a wedge, a few of the Inklings attempted to lodge Tetanus off of the ground. Tetanus narrowed his eyes at them but continued to watch, completely and utterly helpless.
After a session of trial and order with the frozen urchin, Tetanus was lifted off from the ground by a group of the Inklings, with his body still frozen from the chest down. Behind him, Tiny was being carried by a similar procession, each of the Inklings already talking among themselves. Grinning, Tetanus suddenly lurched forward, out of the Inklings grasp, and headed for the ground.
He then landed straight on his face.
Zero could not help but grin. "What was your plan here?"
The Inklings by Zero's side and the ones that had dropped him just laughed alongside him. Suddenly, the frozen urchin lurched backward, much to the misfortune of the Inkling behind him, and tackled them with a frozen body slam. The frozen armor coating his legs shattered on impact and sent the Inklings tumbling into the other ones who were carrying Tiny. As they were knocked down as well, Tiny was free to land on top of both groups much to their displeasure. Legs freed, Tetanus jumped to his feet and stomped his foot down. A Dynamo Roller sitting on the ground launched up and smacked Tetanus in the back, cracking the ice and freeing him.
Tetanus grinned as his arms and chest were freed from the cold shackles. He picked at his guitar, shooting embers of fire up into the air that warmed him. "Yes." He pumped his fist in the air. "I can't believe that worked."
Zero grit his teeth. "You're not as simple-minded as you look. Clever of you to break out of the ice like that."
"Uh, yeah," Tetanus declared with another wild smile, "I planned this all roight from the start?"
"Tch!" Zero "tch"ed in annoyance, "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," Tetanus answered back.
Tetanus aimed his guitar again, much to the others' shock. Everyone dived for cover, just as Tetanus spun around and doused his snail friend in flames. Tiny, shaking his shell, dusted itself of the slush and water.
"Meep!" Tiny cheered as the rocket boosters fired up again.
"Curses!" Zero cursed and jabbed a finger towards Tetanus, "Full steam! Don't let this impudent fool beat us!"
Despite his rousing orders, his lackeys struggled to get to their feet, both due to the ice and the urchin landing on top of them. Now thoroughly excited. Tetanus raised his guitar by both of its necks and paused, winding his arms back. Before any could manage to get up and retaliate, Tiny smashed into several of the Inklings, toppling some and launching others behind Zero. The squadron groaned, bruised and exhausted. In spite of their condition, many of the Inklings got up, took up their arms and aimed again.
"Special technique…" Tetanus declared with a glint in his eyes, "Wound-up Whirlpool!" He paused. "Of Death!"
With that said, Tetanus swung his guitar forward, smacking one of the Inklings into a wall. He twirled on the ice, continually taking out Inkling after Inkling. Rollers were launched, shooters clicked empty, and snipers missed shot after shot as Tetanus approached. Several Inklings started to duck for cover or run, others slipped on the ice.
Zero stood his ground, infuriated. His palms flared up with a glorious bright light. Ink dripped down from his sleeve and froze as it ran down his hands. Zero thrust his palms forward and smashed them into Tetanus' guitar, stopping him in place.
"Oy!" Tetanus complained, attempting to wrench his guitar from Zero's grasp.
Ink forced itself up against the guitar. Sharp fragments of ice ripped through the strings and traveled between the necks of the instrument, practically encasing it in a thick block of ice. Upon seeing his guitar damaged, Tetanus roared and pushed back. Zero's own arms became encased in ice, but the frost still traveled up Tetanus' body, freezing him again from the neck down, trapping him in a wall of ice. No matter how numb his body felt, Tetanus continued to shove down on the Inkling until he was trapped in a standstill with his opponent.
"You're a real tough one, y'know that?" Tetanus hooted, each of his words coming out as warm vapor clouds of air.
Zero did not reply. He was sweating profusely, straining to continue. Tetanus smiled, enjoying every second of the fight. Suddenly, Zero screamed a battle cry. His hands glowed a frigid blue and the ice crawled up Tetanus' neck to his face until it strangled his cheeks. Tetanus swore he could taste frostbite, but that feeling was soon replaced with nothing except a painful, frigid numbness. The ice began to gloss over his face, slowly suffocating Tetanus.
Behind him, Tiny tackled Tetanus, meeping a mighty battle cry. Much to Tetanus' dismay, Tiny found himself frozen in place behind him as well. The ice spread quickly and climbed up Tiny's shell. Ice shackled Tiny's boosters and rendered them useless, and soon enough, Tiny was frozen again.
"This p-p-p-p-p-" Tetanus stuttered.
A malicious grin grew on Zero's face. "It's over! I've won!"
Suddenly, a crowd formed behind Zero. Though beaten, roughed up and charred, Zero's other Inkling
"P-p-p-p-p-p-"
"Power! I've overpowered you!" Zero taunted as Tetanus almost stopped moving.
"P-p-p-p-pyke?" Tetanus managed between chatters of his teeth, "Wot?"
Zero scrunched his face up in confusion. Tetanus, spines pricked up and eyes wide, was frozen. Zero cocked an eyebrow, but shrugged, and turned to his gang with a proud expression. The proud expression faded soon enough. He and his goons froze up as they gazed at the very annoyed face of Spyke.
Spyke, however, was not at all interested in the Inklings. "You wot mate?"
Tetanus' face was completely frozen, and yet despite his stagnant, shocked face, there was a shift in his eyes as Spyke approached. Spyke scrutinized Tetanus' face, tapped the giant ice block with a skinny finger, and frowned. He turned around slowly and leaned down, staring Zero in the face.
"Did you do that?" Spyke questioned and pointed to Tetanus, much to Zero's astonishment.
"Yes, sir. I mean," Zero shook his head rebelliously and jabbed a finger at him, "We beat him fair and square."
"Oh?" Spyke hummed, "'s that so?"
Zero feigned a proud look. "We're going to turn him in for a reward."
"Are you?" Spyke questioned, though his gaze turned elsewhere.
"Yes, we are," Zero affirmed, nodding back to his troop, "Don't get in our way."
As if snapped out of a collective trance, Zero's platoon aimed their sights on Spyke. Spyke shook his head disapprovingly and whirled back around, retrieving a screwdriver from under his robes. Jamming the tool into the ice with one hand against all odds, Spyke cracked the ice slightly and nonchalantly began chipping away at the ice.
"Wha- Hey!" Zero shouted.
"Oy," Spyke greeted him with a lazy wave of his hand.
Zero's hands flared up again. Dashing across the ice as if it were nothing, he closed in on Spyke, hands raised to strike. He lunged forward and was subsequently shot to the side. Zero yelped in pain as a glob of ink struck him in the face and pegged him to the wall. Grasping for his face, he clutched the ink, only to find his hands fastened to his face.
"What's this?" Zero whimpered as the crowd gasped in awe.
Spyke blinked in surprise and looked up to the air. "You actually did have ink in that gun."
"I TOLD you! You're glad that ain' you, eh? Wouldn't be so amusing, now would it?"
Maim dropped from the sky and landed on the ground below, much to the apparent fright of the Inklings. As Zero slowly froze the ink stuck to his face, he could hear the sound of battle for about five seconds. Then it stopped completely. Zero clawed at the ice on his face and easily shattered the remnants of the offending substance. Spinning around, palms pointed at the crab, he steadied himself for a fight.
Maim, standing in front of several restrained Inklings, pointed his claw back at Zero menacingly. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you, boy."
Zero felt a lump form in his throat. "Listen, we don't want any trouble."
"I can see that," Spyke commented with a roll of his eye. A piece of ice broke off from Tetanus' frozen form and shattered on the ground.
Zero deflated, then fell to his knees and held his palms in the air in a show of surrender. "...If you want, you can punish me, but leave my friends alone."
Maim glanced back at the crowd, then frowned. "That shouldn't be too hard"
Zero gawked at the alley. Several different ink weapons laid on the ground, abandoned, and the sound of footsteps thundered off in the distance like a running stampede. A crestfallen look befell Zero, and giving up, he fell back on the wall and exhaled a long sigh. Maim and Spyke glanced at him, shared a look, then shrugged and turned their attention to Tetanus.
Maim scuttled up to the ice block and knocked on it with his pincher. "He's in there deep."
"Aye," Spyke acknowledged tiredly.
"Here, lemme see that," Maim offered and extended a claw.
Spyke resigned, taking the screwdriver and dropping it in Maim's claw. Maim shoved the screwdriver into the ice, focused in on the cracks Spyke managed to make, then dropped the screwdriver and started punching the ice, much to the others' surprise. His volley of blows made the cracks grow with each slug until finally the ice shattered around Tetanus and spilled to the floor like shards of glass. As a result, the ice connected to Tiny shattered, freeing the giant snail as well.
Zero gazed in awe and breathlessness. "What?"
"Meep!" Tiny cheered again.
Maim stretched his limbs. "Haven't gotten to do that in a long, long time."
"Oy, Tetanus," Spyke called, then waved a hand in front of the other urchin's face, "You there?"
Tetanus stood, free of the ice, but still frozen in place, shocked face and all. Spyke's gaze softened, but only a smidge. Spyke sighed and shook his head in defeat. Zero stared at his opponent, almost terrified, and stared down at his hands.
Tiny bumped into Tetanus. "Meep?"
"...Howdy," Tetanus whispered.
His arm robotically tilted upwards, took his cowboy hat, and tipped it down at Spyke. Spyke's expression hardened again.
"Bloody idiot," Spyke muttered with a scowl and a shake of his head.
Zero sighed in relief. Immediately, he wished he hadn't, as Maim, Spyke, and especially Tetanus glared at him. Spyke retrieved his screwdriver from the ground, Maim cocked the N-ZAP back, and Tetanus strummed the guitar, letting loose a fountain of fire. Frazzled, Zero just stared at the pack of oddballs in a mixture of fear and awe as he awaited his fate.
"Reynauld!"
Zero perked up. Everyone in the alley turned towards the streets. Standing on the sidewalk was none other than Lillagin. Rather, she was standing on the sidewalk and now was barreling towards Zero with her arms outstretched. Too dazed to do anything else, Zero reciprocated the action and extended his arms wearily. Lillagin hopped into his arms, holding him tightly. The ice in Zero's palms faded, with the exception of a few already melting snowflakes stinging his weary hands.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Lillagin asked, face still buried in Zero's overcoat.
Zero's face went light-blue. "I'm fine, Lil'."
Suddenly, confusion crossed her face. "Wait a second...where's the gang holding you hostage?"
Zero glanced to the side sheepishly. "Uhhhhh."
"I don't understand..." Lillagin stared down at him, pursing her lips, "Where's the...the..."
Lillagin then scrutinized Zero's face and tentacles. His forehead was speckled with beads of sweat. She reached up to his tentacles, messed up the already ruffled tentacles even more, and suddenly gave him a shove.
Lillagin pouted. "Were you faking it?"
"Lil', I can explain…" Zero said, albeit very quietly, growing increasingly less convincing with each syllable.
The entire group focused in on Zero.
Zero cleared his throat. "...Okay, so maybe I wasn't 'abducted' by a gang so much as I formed a gang, but-"
"Reynauld!" Lillagin shouted.
"It's Zero," Reynauld muttered, trailing off.
Furious, Lillagin pulled Reynauld up by his arm and tugged him by his side. "This is where you've been for the past few days?"
"Damn it," Reynauld cursed under his breath.
Lillagin slugged him in the shoulder, sighed, and stared up at Tetanus with a small smile. "Thanks for helping me, 'Shadowflare'."
Tetanus beamed proudly, then turned back to Reynauld. "Ye ready for round two?"
Reynauld's face paled as he looked at everyone's expressions. Maim and Spyke still appeared ready to take him down at a moment's notice, while Lillagin…
"Well, Reynauld?" Lillagin asked, crossing her arms.
"On second thought," Reynauld muttered, stuffing his hands deep into his sleeves, "Lillagin?"
Lillagin huffed. "What?"
"Do you wanna get ice cream?" Reynauld asked hopefully, giving her puppy-dog eyes.
Lillagin's pout stayed on her face, but she managed to make a small nod. Reynauld got up and began to walk away from the rest of the misfits. Quickly.
Lillagin, putting on the biggest smile Tetanus had ever seen, looked back at him and waved. "I'm definitely going to kick his ass. Thanks again!"
With that all said and done, she dashed down the alleyway and called after Reynauld. He began to pick up the pace into a sprint, then soon the two Inklings were chasing each other down the alley, out onto the sidewalk, until the buildings obscured them both from view.
Tetanus grinned evilly. "Awesome, I won! Now I can- DAGH!"
Tetanus fell over on the ground, flat on his face. His unconscious eyes were dizzying spirals. Sighing, Spyke nodded a silent "thank you" to Maim, who waved back with his claws.
Tetanus woke up covered in rags. Hooting a battle cry, he launched the rags off his chest and leaped out of bed, balling his hands into fists and assuming the most refined battle stance he could think of: punching the air.
Wait.
"Thought you could sneak out on me, eh?"
Spyke glared up at Tetanus. In spite of his height, Tetanus shrunk under Spyke's gaze. Stealing away from the other urchin, Tetanus shuffled to the corner of the kitchen and resigned himself to the shadows. Spyke followed him with his ever pressing glare, much to Tetanus' discomfort. Tetanus turned his head and stared elsewhere, anywhere else, eventually re-focusing on the wall of the apartment.
"Meep," Tiny cooed back at him guiltily.
The giant snail perched in front of the hole in the wall, covered with nothing but cheap plaster and duct tape. Tetanus chuckled, but Spyke was hardly in the laughing mood, stepping closer into the shadows to glare at Tetanus up front.
After a painfully drawn out silence, Tetanus heaved a loud sigh out from himself. "So, wot?"
"'Wot' do you think?" Spyke inquired back at him with a scowl.
Tetanus scowled and turned his head to face the counters instead of Spyke. "You 'aven't let me done a thing since I left those dungeons, y'know. I got tired of waitin'."
"This ain't my fault, Tetanus," Spyke replied coldly.
"Gods, what's your problem?" Tetanus roared back at him, "All's I did was a little skirmish. If it were a real fight, I'd-"
"The last thing I need," Spyke muttered, "Is to house a killer. You understand?"
Tetanus, remaining aloof, stayed silent.
"Oy, understand?" Spyke asked again.
"Yes!" Tetanus shouted back, his spines shooting up, "Alright! Fine! Ya want me to stay cooped in here? Ya want me to stay all borin', all work, no play? All work, no-"
Tetanus continued to ramble on more and more. Spyke glared back at him and his spines pricked up ever so slightly, but that soon passed. Tetanus ranted on and on while Spyke made his way back to the rags on the bed. Reaching under the covers, Spyke pulled out Tetanus' guitar and slung it over his shoulders much like a bag of potatoes.
Tiny perked up at the sight of it. "Meep meep!"
"-what Tiny said, you're always givin' me the impression that you're just givin' me nothing but-"
Tetanus stopped. Turning his head, he watched Spyke walk back up to him, guitar in his hands. Much to his surprise, the guitar looked...better, for lack of a better word. There was no frost remaining on the instrument's body. The sheen was shiny, and the strings were straight and clean as if they were brand new. Even the guitar's flamethrower was spruced up. The nozzle was painted with a miniature mural of a volcano. All in all, despite the chaotic look of the guitar, it looked okay.
Tetanus was at a loss for words for how okay it looked.
Spyke rolled his eye and shoved the guitar into his mystified hands. "I had to call in plenty of favors for that. You better be thankful."
Spyke muttered something to himself. With that said and done, Spyke walked toward the door of the apartment and reached for the knob exhaustedly.
"Thanks, brother!" Tetanus called after him.
Spyke stopped for a moment. The moment passed quickly with Spyke shaking his head. Turning the knob, he pulled open the door, walked outside, and shut the door behind him. The door sounded off with a click. Now alone, Tetanus and Tiny glanced at one another, then grinned.
Outside, the air was still crisp, cold, and Inkopolis was quiet. The silence was broken, similar to the apartment wall, as Tetanus and Tiny boosted through the cheap plaster and tape. Yellow strings of tape sticking to his spines like flags, Tetanus whooped and hooted while Tiny speeded down the snow and slush of the streets. Without a care in the world to give, the pair of them approached the city, strumming and shooting fire as they went.
Watching them go, Spyke and Maim were glued to the screen, albeit for two wildly different reasons.
Maim leaned to the side and commented, "I don't really see a resemblance between you two."
Spyke, face darkened, could only nod back.
AN: This story was brought to you by One Missed Call's next chapter arc.
Also because I thought the urchins were cool.
Thanks for reading, this is ThePizzaLovingTurtle, off to work on other stories.