"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Dr. Andonuts mused when he returned to an oddly still Claus that had his shoulders rolled back and his chest puffed out. Claus immediately dropped the pose and turned to Dr. Andonuts.
"Thank god you're back, that thing got so close to me!" He shuddered and crossed his arms over his chest.
"That thing?"
"The dude with my face, uh, that masky dude." Claus pointed at his face for extra emphasis and made a motion to try and draw out what he recalled of the mask that was so close to him not too long ago.
"Masked man, that's his name. Though, unless you're Porky, he won't respond to anyone calling him." Dr. Andonuts grumbled, quite annoyed at that fact.
"Not even you?" Claus asked in disbelief.
"Not even me! Porky's got him trained to listen to him and only him, it's very infuriating. Especially when he decides to rummage through my possessions mere seconds after Porky orders him to." Dr. Andonuts said roughly and approached the stairs. "He leaves quite the mess and doesn't bother trying to clean up what he tossed off the desks. I would complain to Porky himself, but last time I did I ended up having to wait three hours while he destroyed my office. I'll have to say, I never heard Porky laugh so hard until that day."
Claus snickered and walked along side Dr. Andonuts. He attempted to shove his hands into his pant's pockets, though he soon found out that these pants didn't have the deepest pockets like his shorts had.
"Like I said Claus, you won't be in those clothes for long, as long as you follow my instructions." Dr. Andonuts started to step down the flight of stairs. "Don't smile, don't frown, don't show any emotions, and don't speak. If anything look like you're bored."
"Like this?" Claus lowered his eyelids about halfway and he looked quite silly doing so, he looked like he was more zombie than kid. Dr. Andonuts stopped half-way down the stairs, turned, and nodded.
"Yes! Exactly like that! Try to keep that face while we head out. Remember, no speaking." He waggled his finger at Claus and continued down the stairs.
Claus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked beside Dr. Andonuts while maintaining the bored expression. They both reached the final couple of steps and waiting for them in the hallway that led to reception area stood the green suited pigmasks. One major noticed the two coming down the hallway and he turned to an unseen colonel.
"Sir, they're coming!" He stated.
"Perfect! Get the doors to the ship open, we shouldn't waste time! You remember what happened last time we were late!" The colonel reminded the rest of his troops of that dreaded day. The day they accidentally stormed into Porky's throne room three hours late and found their king flirting with his own robotic clone. It was a strange day indeed and it showed with the awkward shuffling of the other majors that lined the rest of the reception room.
Dr. Andonuts and Claus both turned into the hallway and finally into the room that the majors were lining. Dr. Andonuts continued to walk forward while Claus began to lag behind. The fear that these majors would gang up on him like before gnawed at the back of his mind; he didn't want to be too far into the room in the case that this was just a very elaborate ambush. Dr. Andonuts noticed Claus' sluggish behavior when he glanced to the side and saw that Claus was gone. He turned back around and motioned for Claus to speed up.
"S-Sorry, you know how fresh chimeras are, all drowsy and brainwashed. He'll be fine in no time and ready to serve our king!" Dr. Andonuts sounded worried as he placed a hand against Claus' shoulder once he came close enough and began to escort him out the door that was held open. He leaned down and whispered into Claus' ear "You're almost there. Just keep it up, you're doing great." and pulled away. The pigmasks were a bit confused by Dr. Andonuts' movement, but they didn't question it too much. He was the scientist after all, without him the king's plan wouldn't have been possible.
Once outside Claus took in the fresh air and looked around to see a few pigmask majors, though he did see a few of the lower pigmasks. A regular pink pigmask ran up to Dr. Andonuts and blubbered out about the ultimate chimera.
"Is the chimera gone now? Can we go back inside?" The pigmask sniveled while he gripped onto Dr. Andonuts' lab coat collar.
"Yes, the chimera has been locked up. Next time don't provoke it into attacking!" He said bitterly. The pigmask turned and pointed at one of the few pink pigmasks that were off to the side.
"I told you not to do that Harold, but you did it anyways!"
"I didn't think it'd get that pissed off!" The one named Harold whined.
"Well it did, and it's all your-"
"Can we please save this for later!" The caped colonel bellowed with his commanding voice. "The king is calling for these two, we can't keep him waiting!"
The other pigmasks nodded and the good handful of pink pigmasks waddled back into the laboratory. The five majors that were inside walked outside and joined the rest of the green pigmasks, which totaled to about eight majors. The colonel huffed happily, turned, and marched all the way to the large ship that sat just a bit away from the lab, then the majors all trailed after him. The following majors that stuck to the back of the mob nudged Dr. Andonuts and Claus along just to make sure they didn't dawdle too much. Claus swallowed hard and reached out to grip onto Dr. Andonuts' arm, the daunting size of the ship and the presence of the pigmasks finally got to him.
"Don't worry. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get out, and the sooner you get to look for your brother." Dr. Andonuts mumbled as he gently shook his arm to get Claus to release it. When Claus released his arm he placed a hand onto his shoulder. "Whatever you do, don't panic."
Claus closed his eyes and nodded. He collected his thoughts and calmed himself down before pulling on the same bored expression Dr. Andonuts advised him to wear.
It didn't take too long for everyone to board the ship, the platform was down and had been prepared for the large group, ready to leave once everyone was on. Oddly enough there was a red carpet that had been laid out that lead up to the platform, and Claus couldn't keep his eyes off of it as he stepped all over it. He didn't know the carpet was always pulled out whenever the commander was traveling with the group.
Once the pigmasks, Dr. Andonuts, and Claus were all inside the ship, the platform was retracted and the doors were shut, and sadly the carpet was left behind. Dr. Andonuts walked forward and took a seat on one of the provided benches while the pigmasks stood around with their hands at their sides. Claus followed Dr. Andonuts and took a seat beside him only to get scolded.
"Claus, no, you're supposed to stand, not sit down." Dr. Andonuts whispered as he pushed at Claus' back. Claus frowned as he was pushed from the bench, the little scuffle caused a few pigmasks to turn to look at Claus, all a bit suspicious of the boy. Claus' eyes widened a bit as he stood just before the seat and puffed out his chest to seem like he was standing at ease. Soft whispers began to float through the air as the majors all questioned the validity of Dr. Andonuts' original statement. Was the boy properly operated on or did Dr. Andonuts fudge something?
Claus could feel himself tense up when he noticed out of the corner of his vision that the masked man was staring at him. Right by the two men piloting the ship he stood, as still as if he was made of stone. Admittedly Claus almost didn't notice him at first glance, the lack of movement didn't draw any attention to him, but upon further inspection the ominous presence was hard to ignore.
"Sir, we are now switching to autopilot." One of the pilots stated as he flipped a lever. After a small moment both pilots slid away from the controls and stood from their seats. Both pilots stood and strode over to the colonel that stood proudly at the center of the ship.
"We should be arriving at the Empire Porky Building in no time, sir." The human stated and placed his hand against his forehead. His fellow pilot did the same and the colonel laughed happily.
"Good! That'll show the king!" The colonel called happily as he stole a glance at the masked man that was preoccupied with watching the fraud of a commander. A few other majors snorted and squealed with the colonel, content that they were finally getting what they wanted in the end; a bit of praise from the king for doing their job right.
Claus tried not to look at the masked man but he couldn't help his wandering eyes that glanced at the masked man out of both curiosity and fear. Each time Claus made eye contact—or at least what he thought was eye contact—the masked man grew more and more suspicious. It was beginning to show that something was wrong with Claus, or rather, something wasn't wrong. Claus was awfully energetic, almost twitchy, for a 'fresh chimera' as Dr. Andonuts put it. It was off and the masked man knew it.
Though, despite the masked man having his doubts, he didn't intervene. Instead he watched how the boy reacted to the pigmasks harassing him.
"So, what'll we call this one?" A major inquired as he stood to the side of Claus. "Commander 2.0?"
"No way, he's no where as good as our current commander, let alone any better!" All eyes looked to the masked man before returning to Claus.
"How will we tell the difference between them?" Another major asked as he reached out and gripped onto Claus' chin to get a better look at the sides of his face. Claus tensed up and fought off the urge to bite the pigmask's fingers right then and there, though his jaw did clench in response.
"Oooh, he's still a feisty little guy!" One pigmask teased as he pinched his cheek. "Look at him getting all tense! Hey Doc, shouldn't you have scrubbed his brain clean?"
"It's still in the works, brain washing takes a lot more time than you think." Dr. Andonuts replied coldly "Now leave the boy alone."
"Yeah, leave him alone, Harold. Don't wanna end up being chimera lunch do ya?" A major teased from across the ship.
"I am not that stupid! Only idiots tease the ultimate chimera!"
"Well what if we have an ultimate chimera on our hands right now!"
Claus allowed his eyes to glance over the majors, and all of the majors just laughed at him.
"As if this puny thing could actually pose as a threat!"
"I could kick all of your butts." Claus muttered under his breath, but Dr. Andonuts stood and threw an arm over Claus' chest before the majors could cause a big fuss over the fact that the boy spoke.
"Step away from the chimera. I don't want you morons influencing him to be as stupid as all of you!" Dr. Andonuts ordered, and the majors stepped back as they were told. Though once separated from the boy they began to talk among themselves.
"Did you hear that?"
"I think that thing just talked!"
"Something's up and I don't like it."
"Do we tell the commander? What about the king?"
"O-okay let's not jump to conclusions." The colonel mumbled as he shuffled into the small circle that had formed a bit away from the two passengers. "Let's just get them to Porky and he'll handle it from there."
The pigmasks all nodded as they broke apart from the circle to steal glances at Claus. Claus' brows furrowed unconsciously as he stared ahead, quite miffed that he had been so rudely grabbed at for a second time. Didn't anyone here actually understand the concept of personal space?!
Though, something caught Claus' eye and he couldn't stop himself from looking over. It was a set of screens arranged in a sort of square, all of which looked like black and white security footage. His eyes darted from screen to screen, the scene there all looking far too foreign. There were sights of operations on wildlife, experimentation, and even the occasional sleeping pigmask, all of it taking place in various places he had never seen before. And then he noticed something that caused his heart to beat fast.
He spotted in one of the camera feeds a very familiar striped shirt sprinting past.
"Lucas." He mumbled softly to himself as his eyes widened. He felt like a weight was just lifted off of his shoulders, he was so happy that Lucas was alive and well. And, oddly enough, accompanied by three other forms. He recognized Boney right off the bat, it was hard not to, but the other two people he couldn't tie a name to just yet. He remembered seeing them in his youth, and he recalled vividly when Lucas and he called a drago out to save them, but he barely recollected who they were. Kumo… Kumadora? Kumitori? Kumatora! That was her name! She was the fabled princess that belonged to the Osohe castle! Yet the name of the man that walked with a limp still didn't come to him.
He watched on in awe, a small smile appearing upon his face as he beamed. Then his face went slack when he noticed that Lucas and friends were stopped by a pigmask.
"No." He mumbled softly in disbelief. "No no no this can't happen." He whispered, and he watched as Lucas and friends were tugged along towards an area that the camera didn't cover. Why didn't Lucas fight him? Why did he go in so willingly? Why didn't any of his friends stop him?!
"C-Claus, relax." Dr. Andonuts said in a low voice as he placed a hand onto his shoulder. Claus looked away from the screens and glanced at the majors who were all staring at him. The ship went quiet, spare for the faint tune that played through the loud speakers located outside of the ship, and everyone tensed up. Except the masked man.
"He's… He's just hopped up on ketamine." Dr. Andonuts stated blandly. Before anyone else could even take a breath to speak, an automated voice disrupted the tension.
"We are now landing. Landing gear dropping down now." Said a monotonous voice as the ship hovered over the landing pad. The pilots that had pulled away from the windows and ran back to take the ship out of autopilot so they could land it themselves. The autopilot still couldn't quite land itself just yet, it'd need a few more tweaks here and there before it could, but at least it could drive itself to New Pork City!… And only to New Pork City.
The landing itself was rather bumpy; the ship's sides grazed the protective railing set around the landing pad and the jerky movements rendered a few majors nauseous. Eventually the ship landed, much to the relief of everyone on board. It wasn't perfectly centered on the bright pink pig nose marker, but it didn't look like anyone was going to complain about that. The doors to the ship opened and the platform was laid out for everyone, then the pigmasks began to panic.
"W-Where's the carpet?" Asked a major.
"What do you mean 'where's the carpet'?" The colonel growled out as he stood by the exit. "Don't tell me you idiots left it!"
There was a moment of silence. Then the colonel slapped his hand against the side of his mask and groaned.
"That was the only carpet we had on this ship and you idiots leave it back at the labs! Why am I even surprised!"
The masked man however didn't seem all that upset by the lack of carpet, instead he walked on past and stepped down onto the platform and stepped off before anyone else. The colonel stood there, gobsmacked at the fact that the commander just left without anyone needing to unroll the carpet. The majors all looked at the colonel and one even put his hands on his hips.
"The commander's fine, it's not like he's allergic to the floor! We don't have to take the carpet everywhere!"
"...If he blows up I'm blaming all of you." The colonel spat angrily before getting off of the ship. The other pigmasks looked at Dr. Andonuts and Claus both and Dr. Andonuts stood from his seat. He gripped onto Claus' shoulder and led him back out the exit of the ship. Once down he whispered to Claus yet again.
"You need to be more careful, you made everyone suspicious back there. We're going to be seeing Porky now, remember what I said, and this time try to keep your brother in mind. Maybe it'll help ease your nerves and make it easier for you-"
"Is that thing really brainwashed as you claim?" The colonel interrupted Dr. Andonuts' pep talk, obviously stating the thing that was on every pig's mind. The other majors began to pile out of the ship, unknowing of the question the colonel asked.
"I didn't say he was brainwashed, I said he was in the process of it. Brainwashing takes time." Dr. Andonuts whispered to the colonel who drew closer.
"Regardless of brainwashing, why was he talking like that? Is he really brainwashed?"
"Yes, he is! I can assure you it's just the drugs talking. After I operated on the masked man he was the same way until the drugs wore off. Just don't listen to him until he's begun taking orders from Porky himself."
"I'm going to keep an eye on him Doc, he's acting too strange for all of our tastes."
"So be it, it's understandable that you don't trust him right off the bat, but all I ask of you is that you don't touch him. He's in a vulnerable state of mind and anything that might startle him may cause him to go rogue, and I know we all don't want that."
The colonel stood in silence for a moment as he thought about Dr. Andonuts' words. The masked man however grew tired of the standing around and walked forward. The colonel looked over at the moving commander and he followed, to which the majors followed as well. Dr. Andonuts sighed and took Claus by his wrist as he followed along. Claus glanced down at his hold on his wrist and then back up at Dr. Andonuts.
"You're close Claus, stick by me and it'll all be over soon." At this point it sounded like Dr. Andonuts was reassuring himself more than anything. The fear of Claus getting found out and forcibly operated on started to worry him, especially since he knew that the pigmasks would probably go overboard changing poor Claus. If it weren't for the fact that Porky was moderating the masked man's changes, they would've turned him into a horrifying beast rather than given him a few perks.
The group continued their trek along the metal road and they took a turn that led further up the strange 'city'. Claus looked around this new area; he looked at the unvaried landscape, the working pigmasks that were almost ignorant of the traveling mob, and, when it finally came into view, he looked up at the Empire Porky Building. That was the same building he was dragged to before by the masked man. Now that he could look at it from a ground perspective, he could say that the building was a lot more ominous from below.
They all stopped before two escalators and looked between the two. The escalator to the right had a red arrow that pointed away from the escalator, and the escalator to the left had a blue arrow that pointed towards the escalator. Most of the pigmasks stopped to look at the signs, though the masked man kept walking and went straight for the left escalator. Dr. Andonuts and Claus both followed after the masked man, then the majors trailed after in a bit of an embarrassed huff. Once on the moving steps everyone stood still and allowed for the automated machine to carry them across a large gap, except the masked man. The masked man continued to step up the escalators, thus getting further ahead from the group. A soft ring was later heard once he was close to the top, and it turned out to be his phone.
The pigmasks below softly mumbled among themselves at that.
"Who's calling him?" Asked the colonel.
"Isn't the king the only one with his phone number?" Inquired a major.
"No, most of the other colonels have that number, but as far as I know no one should be ringing him."
"Do you think something went wrong at Thunder Tower?"
"No, if something did go wrong then the king would call us as well!"
As they spoke the masked man reached the final stretch of the escalator and hopped onto the landing plate. He continued to stride forward without any regard for the group that followed behind him.
"What's going on?" Claus whispered to Dr. Andonuts. Dr. Andonuts could only shrug in response, not even he knew what was wrong with the masked man.
"Something tells me Porky's up to something." Dr. Andonuts blurted out loud, which caused the majors to look at him.
"What makes you say that?" The colonel grumbled.
"Don't know, it's just a gut feeling. Maybe he's changed his mind about having a second chimera child."
"Why would he change his mind? It's another slave to do his bidding, what more could he want?"
Dr. Andonuts looked to the colonel and scoffed. "He has all of you! You're all practically his slaves, remember! The masked man is just a bit closer to his cold dead heart is all, he possesses a power you all don't have, that's why he has him so close to him at all times."
"Then what about that one? Why does he want that one?"
"I don't know, I don't see anything worth while with him. If anything I might have wasted medical supplies on him."
Claus side eyed Dr. Andonuts, who brought his hand up to rub at his shoulder.
"Maybe there's something there that he sees. Hopefully he lets me operate on him some more so I can examine his features better."
Sector A7 looked between the two guests as they fell quiet. It didn't take long for the entire group to reach the top of the escalator, and each person stepped onto the landing plate with ease. A bit away from the escalator the masked man stood with his back to the group, his hand sliding down to slip his phone back into a hidden belt he kept under his jacket. The group stood awkwardly, awaiting any new orders from the masked man. The colonel then spoke out at the masked man.
"What did Porky say? Does he want something done or does he want us to go back?"
The masked man turned back around to face the group and his eyes scanned each and every person before landing right on Claus. Claus flinched at his deathly stare, but the flinch didn't stop the masked man from gazing. Then the masked man strode over to Claus, his steps heavy as he kept his eyes locked on Claus and his blaster arm behind his back. The entirety of Sector A7 stepped back in fear while Dr. Andonuts gripped into Claus' shoulder, not sure of what the masked man wanted.
And then the masked man extended his hand out to Claus. It wasn't a hand shake or an invitation to kiss the back of his hand, but instead his palm faced upward and stayed at a low level for Claus to take. Claus looked down at the hand then back up at the distorted mirror before him, not sure of what to do. The masked man's cold stare turned into a hard glare the longer Claus didn't take his hand, and it soon hit Claus of what he wanted. Though, like hell was he going to take his hand. Instead, in an act of silent rebellion, he slid his hands behind his own back and blew some air at the masked man's face. He did not like that one bit.
The robotic boy glared at Dr. Andonuts and used his hand to wave him away, and without hesitation he released his hold on Claus' shoulder and slid back to join the cowering group. Then the masked man glared at Claus, pulled his blaster arm back down to his side, and lunged at Claus. With the barrel of his blaster and the palm of his hand pressed to his chest, he pushed, and that sent Claus sprawling onto the floor. The pigmasks that stood a bit away gasped and stepped further back, now certain that Dr. Andonuts was right, perhaps Porky didn't want another child. Dr. Andonuts sprinted forward and tried to separate the two boys.
"Masked man, no!" He said sternly as he gripped onto the cold boy's shoulder to tug him off. "Bad boy! Bad boy!" He scolded. The only response he got from the masked man was a metal wing to the face that knocked him flat onto his butt. Claus looked like a deer caught in headlights as he looked up at the masked man, who sneered down at him and hovered for quite some time. There was a sharp yet low sound, almost like a gurgle that came from the masked man, and then Claus felt something wet dribble down his forehead.
The masked man just spat on him, and Claus was horribly disgusted by that fact.
Before Claus even had a chance to wipe his face off, the masked man turned around and gripped onto his ankle. Then his wings fired up and they were off.
"D-Dr. Andonuts!" Claus cried out while he watched the ground grow distant with every passing second. Dr. Andonuts rubbed where the wing clipped his face and sat up, then looked up to Claus' shrinking form.
"Stay calm Claus! I'll be there soon!" He shouted, stood, and sprinted for the building. The pigmasks all stood, shocked at the events that just unfolded before them. The first to move was the colonel who gave chase.
"Come back here you traitor!" He called and reached for his gun, soon the majors all trailed after with an upset squeal.
Claus on the other hand was upset beyond belief. For a third time he was whisked up by his ankle and dangled precariously hundreds of feet from the ground and he never had a say on whether or not this occurred. He brought his other foot up to kick at the masked man's hand while he wiped the spit from his forehead.
"You bucket of bolts, let go of me! You're nothing but a disappointment, a disappointment that grey creep likes!" He screamed at the masked man, his shrill voice reverberating faintly in the distance. It soon came to him that the masked man wasn't going to let him go, so he went with plan B. His eyelids lowered, his leg went still, and he went quiet as he pulled on a bored expression; he had to listen to Dr. Andonuts' advice even if he wasn't around.
From that point on there was nothing but the sound of the masked man's, but the masked man didn't seem to like the white noise. He looked down at his captive who didn't even bother to look back at him, and quite frankly he was confused by this display. He gripped his ankle tightly and gave him a good couple of shakes to try and rouse some kind of reaction from him, but it proved to be useless as Claus kept that bored expression. The masked man frowned but averted his attention back to the building, specifically the top floor that was now coming into view.
Porky sat within his bed and twiddled his fingers as he waited for his pet's arrival. The call that the masked man took was indeed from Porky himself; the call however had just been an order to bring the boy to him as soon as possible, so the masked man took a few liberties. Porky grinned to himself when he heard the familiar sound of the masked man's wings, and his spider-like bed soon turned to face the large window. When he saw both boy's forms just outside, he snickered.
"The window's open, and I'm being serious this time!" He called out just as he had before. The window that the masked man previously broke was repaired in the time that they were gone, and fitted with a large opening glass door for the masked man. It was wide open, and the masked man didn't falter to fly on in. He landed just a few paces away from the large bed and dropped the boy onto the cold metal ground, and Claus had a vague sense of Deja Vu from it. Yeah this all occurred before, but still, it was weird.
"So, how's my new pet doing?" Porky purred as he leaned forward in his bed. The masked man reached down to pull Claus up onto his feet by the scruff of his new jacket as his wings retracted. Claus' expression changed for a split second as he shot a scowl at the masked man, but it was replaced by the blank stare before the masked man could notice the flickering expression. The sound of the mechanical legs of the bed echoed in the large room as Porky eased closer to the two.
"I see you have new clothes, how cute! Now you two are matching! All you need is a helmet and actual robot parts." Porky grumbled out that last sentence, and Claus' heart started to beat fast. Did he know?
"Don't act like I don't know about you and Andonuts' little trick!" Porky stated and Claus struggled not to shrink under his stare. "Just drop the act already, I saw everything through the cameras!" In reality Porky was just told by one of his colonels that busted in the moment he saw Dr. Andonuts escorting Claus to the hot springs from the camera feed.
Claus however was willing to stick with this act for a bit longer. He still had some type of hope that he would be returned to the chimera labs and set free.
"...So you want to do this the hard way, hm?" Porky wheezed out as the bed stepped closer. Once he was close enough, he leaned forward and gripped onto the bed frame for support while he loomed over Claus.
"If you're going to pretend to be a slave, then I'll treat you like a slave. Look at me when I'm talking to you!" He barked. Claus' eyes glanced over at Porky before they glanced away. Porky groaned and tutted softly.
"Of course, you're still a disobedient little boy aren't you? You'll have to be broken some way." He mumbled. One of his hands reached out and gripped onto Claus' chin tightly, then forced his head upwards so Claus could look at him, though Claus still kept his gaze off to the side. "And I'll break you, mark my words." He threatened lowly. Claus couldn't stop himself from shuddering at both the icy hand and his threat, his heart was going a mile a minute in that moment.
"I wonder how Lucas would react if he found out you were here." A wicked smile spread out onto his lips as Claus finally looked him in the eyes. "I think he'd hate you, wouldn't he? He would feel so betrayed that his own brother joined my army and helped destroy his village."
Claus' brows furrowed at the lies that Porky spilled out.
"And what about your parents? That cowboy certainly has disowned you by now! He probably despises even thinking about you!"
"That's not true." Claus mumbled softly despite the grip on his jaw. Porky grinned and squeezed.
"And your mom probably-"
"You leave my mom out of this!" Claus shrieked as he tried to yank his head away from his cold grip. As he struggled with Porky, the masked man slipped in behind him and looped both of his arms under his pits and held his arms back. Claus shouted out of anger as he brought a leg back to try and kick at the masked man's legs. Porky laughed and pulled his hand away, then sat back in his bed.
"It seems that you have a soft spot for mom! Shame she's disappointed in you too! She hates you, hates you with every fiber of her being! She wishes she never gave birth to you!" Porky continued and he watched with great mirth as Claus tried to aim some kicks at the bed. Tears of frustration started at the corners of Claus' eyes as he did so, his own underlying fear finally being brought to light.
"Your entire family despises you, Claus. They wish you were dead. Why would you want to protect a family that doesn't even love you any more!" Porky sounded condescending as he leaned closer to Claus.
"Y-You're just lying to me! My family still loves me and you're just trying to get me to join you! News flash, it won't work!" He shouted in response, then struggled against the masked man's grip.
"If I'm lying then why hasn't Lucas come to save you yet?"
There was a moment of silence as Claus went still. That was a good question that Claus didn't dwell on too much.
"B-Because he doesn't know where I am!" He responded, his voice growing weak as doubt started to fill his mind.
"That's what you think." Porky replied heartlessly as he leaned back against his bed. Claus slumped back against the masked man as tears trickled down his cheeks. He didn't want to believe what Porky said, but he did bring up a good point. Why wasn't Lucas looking for him?
The elevator broke the thick silence as it dinged and it's doors slid open. Out stumbled Dr. Andonuts who was out of breath from running across several floors to get to the next elevator. He wheezed and wiped away a bit of sweat that beaded on his forehead as he looked at the scene before him. He didn't even have a chance to speak out before Porky interrupted.
"Andonuts, glad you could join us!" Porky chirped happily as the spider bed turned around to face the scientist. "I absolutely love the new slave you made for me!"
"What did you do to him?" Dr. Andonuts replied harshly as he looked at Claus' teary eyes and wet cheeks.
"Don't worry about it, I think it's just the drugs making him act all strange." Porky clasped his hands together and grinned.
"What do you mean Porky?"
"I mean your plan backfired horrendously!" Porky snorted. "I thought you were smarter than this Andonuts, but obviously you're not! Did you seriously think that playing dress up with the masked man's clothes would turn him into a mindless slave?" Porky paused to take in some air. "That's like… A new level of playing pretend! Little Miss Marshmallow would love to have your imaginative mind keeping her company. How about you pay her a visit, Andonuts?" Porky's lips curled into a sinister smile as the elevator doors dinged yet again. Out hobbled four very exhausted pigmasks, one colonel and three majors.
"F-Freeze Dr. Andonuts! We have you c-cornered!" The colonel shouted before he and his crew collapsed out of exhaustion. Porky started to fume within his bed at the sudden collapse.
"You imbeciles! Get up, I'm not paying you to lay around like useless slobs! Take Dr. Andonuts to Thunder Tower, now!" He ordered, and Claus perked up at the mention of the tower. That's where Lucas was! Porky then coughed out rather harshly at the fact that he had strained his voice by yelling. With a hand to his throat he watched as two majors scrambled to their feet and charged at Dr. Andonuts. Without another word both majors grabbed onto one of Dr. Andonuts' arms and began to drag him back to the elevator. Dr. Andonuts didn't seem to protest, but he did stare wistfully at Claus. Oh how he wished the plan had worked.
Once Dr. Andonuts and the four pigmasks were piled into the elevator, the doors closed and the low hum of the working elevator filled the room for a moment. Porky snickered and turned his bed back around to look at the two twins before him.
"It looks like your only friend has been stolen away from you, what a shame!" Porky mocked and crossed his arms over his own slow rising chest.
"Y-You're a monster!" Claus cried out as he tried to shove the masked man away to no avail.
"As if I hadn't heard that before! Come up with something new Clausy boy!" He leaned back with a choked laugh "Boy, you're going to be a lot of fun to mess with!"
"I just want to go home!" Claus whimpered as he weakly kicked out at Porky, tears of homesickness started to trickle down his cheeks. He wanted to be back with Lucas. Back where he wasn't being constantly grabbed and accosted over every little thing.
"But home is where everyone hates you! Where everyone makes fun of you and calls you a crybaby!"
"The c-crybaby is Lucas, not me!"
"Could've fooled me!"
"Lucas doesn't even cry that much anymore!" He screeched in frustration as he slumped forward. "He's big and strong now a-and he's gonna kick your butt the minute he finds out you're behind all of this!"
Porky smirked and looked to his beloved masked child, who looked back the minute he noticed the stare from the bowl cut king.
"My sweet little Masky. Oh so obedient and… Empty. Please escort your new brother to Drago Plateau, for old times sake." Porky purred.
"He's not my brother and he will never be my brother!" Claus shrieked as his will to fight was reignited. Though, the masked man wasn't willing to deal with Claus' tantrum. He released his hold on his arms and shoved him forward, then reached down to grab his ankle yet again. Without a second thought his wings expanded and they zipped out of the large open window, taking back into the skies.
As Claus dangled he let his mind wander for a bit. Was Lucas okay? The last he saw of him he was headed into a strange building and was taken away by a pigmask. Oh god how he hoped he was alright, he had to be alright. Lucas wasn't easily swayed into being evil no matter how much stress he was under, Lucas was stronger than that. Or at least, he hoped he was.
Claus was then shaken from his thoughts, literally. The masked man didn't enjoy the growing trend of the boy that stole his looks going deathly quiet, so he took it upon himself to try and get some sound going from the boy. So, just as he had before, he gave him a quick shake, and luckily got a reaction.
"Stop doing that you weirdo!" Claus shouted angrily and brought a foot up to kick at his hand again. The masked man glared down at Claus, but for once Claus stopped once he got a glare from him. He sighed deeply and looked back down at the world below, he watched the zooming landscape that looked so much more depressing than before, like the life had been sucked out of it. The masked man gave him yet another shake to rouse a bit more anger from him, but was slightly surprised when the boy didn't respond one bit. He finally gave up on shaking the boy and continued on flying through the skies.
"You're so weak." Claus murmured under his breath at the masked man. The masked man looked down at the boy, his face blank as he seemingly paid attention to what he had to say.
"You actually listened to Porky. You fell for his tricks and listened to him. You let him dig into your mind and you let him change you." Claus' eyes looked up at the masked man. "You're not me. I wouldn't fall for his stupid schemes that easily. You're a fraud, a monster, a creature that just stole my face."
The masked man looked away at the last sentence and Claus hung there, trying to figure out whether or not his message got through to the dude with the helmet. He let out a soft sigh and looked back down at the landscape, and he recognized where they were. They were flying over Tazmilly, and Claus was overcome with a wave of sadness. The village looked so much more depressing from above, since from up there he could actually see the changes that the village underwent. And then he saw the house he and Lucas both lived in.
Around the area there were large black craters, and the roof was riddled with different types of wood due to repairs. He felt a small fire burn inside him as he tried to figure out just what happened while he was gone. Whoever did this was going to pay immensely. Though, the scenery soon changed as he was whisked over the forest he lost Lucas in, and then he was dangled over the familiar orange scene.
It was the same area that he lost his mother three years ago, and he still remembered that fateful night like it was yesterday. The growl of the drago, the fact that his mom pushed him and Lucas into the river, and then mom's scream. He then recalled the anger that overcame him after his mom was buried; the desire to destroy the drago that killed his mother filled his mind the day after while Lucas cried at her grave. Oh how he missed her so much.
It took a bit of flying, but soon the masked man landed onto a higher bit of the plateau, near a rock formation. He hovered for a bit as he released his hold on Claus' ankle and allowed him to drop down in a heap onto the floor. Claus groaned in pain as his head was hit yet again, but he sat up and stood as soon as he could. The masked man landed beside him and retracted his wings, it was strange that the masked man was giving Claus space.
Claus was slightly content at that fact, finally feeling a bit more liberated now that he didn't have him breathing down his neck. He stood awkwardly and stared at the masked man, not sure of what to do now that he was there. He could try and make a run for it, but the masked man blocked the only safe way down the plateau.
"Why are we here?" Claus grumbled as he looked around "Did you just bring me here to torment me?"
The masked man didn't respond as he stared at Claus, as blank as he had ever been.
"Why am I even asking you, you don't talk, you don't think, you don't do anything but get angry and listen to your stupid king. You're as useless as those stupid pigmasks." He hissed, hatred starting to fill his tiny form. He stood in silence for a good moment before his anger started to get the best of him, and he curled his hands into fists.
"I should kill you where you stand." He snarled. The masked man glared at him and stepped back before getting into a fighting stance. With his blaster raised and his hand curled into a fist as well, he was ready to tussle. Claus turned to face him and squared up.
"Glad you're ready to get your butt kicked!" He yelled as a large grin spread out onto his face. But before he could even swing, a large roar interrupted their fight. Claus dropped his hands and looked forward, where he heard the roar come from. And then there were heavy steps that caused the ground to shake. The masked man dropped his stance as well and looked at the rock formation. His hand reached out to his side, almost grabbing at something that was hidden away.
More steps, more growls, and then Claus felt his heart stop when he saw a creature emerging from behind the rock formation. It was a drago, a singular, green, and untouched drago. It seemed so familiar and he struggled to put a name to it. The drago turned to face Claus, and it's eyes seemed to brighten when it saw him. Then it hit him. It was the baby drago the two older dragos had, but now it had grown up.
"I… It's you!" He cried out in happiness, and the drago before him roared. Though, it wasn't an aggressive roar, it was a rather content roar, as there was a chirp right after the roar. The drago wagged it's tail as Claus' eyes began to water.
"You're so big now! Oh my god I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" He sobbed out, then held his arms out for the drago. "C'mere ya big oaf!"
The drago chirped happily and quickly sprinted for Claus, it's large steps causing the ground to rumble as it ran. But then the masked man lunged in front of Claus, shoved him away, and drew a golden sword from a hidden sheath. Claus landed on his side and watched in horror as the masked man held the sword at the running drago. Then he swung the sword, and suddenly lightning came out of the sky and struck the drago.
The drago let out a pained cry and stumbled back at the lightning shock. Claus stared at the drago then scurried back onto his feet. He reached out and shoved at the masked man, causing him to stumble back.
"W-What are you doing?! Dragos are friendly creatures! Don't hurt it you- you- ass!" He shrieked angrily, finding the curse fitting for the moment. If Flint found out he'd probably eat soap for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. The masked man glared at Claus and pointed the sword at him, then at the drago. Claus' eyes widened at that.
"No! No I am not hurting a poor drago! That drago's my friend and I won't hurt it. I won't let you hurt it either!" Claus then lunged at the masked man. It proved to be a mistake as the masked man turned the sword slightly and whacked Claus upside the head with it. He used the flat side of the blade as to not actually slice Claus up, so it was the equivalent of getting hit with a metal stick. Claus stumbled back and held his aching head, then he heard another lightning strike.
When his vision cleared and he looked up, he was petrified at the sight of the poor drago getting struck with lightning yet again. The drago let out a pained cry as it set it's sights on the masked man, then charged at him. Claus then heard a cannon go off and watched as a blue orb of energy hit the poor creature in the chest. The drago backed off after earning itself a dark spot on it's chest and it turned around sharply to avoid getting hurt by the creature that was much stronger than it. The masked man was not willing to let it run away so easily, so he gave chase.
"Stop! Leave it alone!" Claus cried as he followed after the masked man, not ready to let him kill the gentle giant. The drago roared out of fear as it ran around the large rock formation and sprinted out towards the open area before it. The masked man drew his blaster and fired up another charge. The energy orb hit the poor drago in the back, sending it sprawling out onto the floor. Claus cried out a few more obscenities as he ran up and shoved at the masked man.
"I said leave it alone you idiot!" He screamed. The masked man pulled away from Claus and drew his sword. Claus didn't even seem to care as he lunged for the masked man. The masked man darted away and swung his sword, this time using the blade to make a small cut along Claus' cheek. It was a threat, a threat that the masked man could stab and kill Claus if he wanted to. Though, that threat seemed to fall on deaf ears as Claus lunged again, disregarding the cut on his face.
The masked man jumped back, took his sword, and whacked Claus upside the head again with the flat end. Claus collapsed onto the floor and held his head with his hands, almost certain that at this rate he'd get a concussion. The masked man took his chance and sprinted right for the drago that was struggling to get back up. He held his sword high and, once he was close enough, he slashed at the drago's leg.
The drago let out a cry as it flopped back onto it's stomach, the large gash that was given to it by the masked man's sword started to bleed profusely. It seemed that drago fangs were no longer the only things that could pierce the beast's hard skin. Though, he didn't stop there. He stepped a bit closer to the now weakened drago, drew his sword again, and stabbed it through the drago's side. Another piercing cry left the drago's maw as blood started to trickle out of that wound as well.
Claus struggled to his feet and stood up, no longer being able to take the pain of sitting by uselessly. He turned and ran towards the masked man, tears in his eyes as he tried to stop him. But it was too late as the masked man scaled the drago and plunged his sword into the drago's back. Another weaker cry came from the drago and Claus was certain he had killed it. He skid to a stop and stared at the masked man, not sure of what to make of it.
Tears began to pour out of Claus' eyes as he stared at the masked man's back.
"Y-You… You monster!" His voice cracked as he screamed "You monster! Why?! Why did you have to kill it?! It did nothing wrong!" He shrieked "It protected you when you needed help, it kept you company when you were lonely, and it even saved your butt from pigmasks! Why did you kill it?!" Claus' voice gave out on him as it dissolved into hiccups. The masked man turned around and stared at Claus, not sure of what the boy was on about. If anything, the drago was just another beast that needed to be killed. It tried to attack him, why did it deserve to live? The masked man slid down from the drago's back and strode over to Claus. Claus however was none too happy with him, and despite his teary eyes, he brought a hand back and swung at the masked man.
The masked man growled lowly as he was decked in the jaw, but he didn't seem to feel any remorse for harming the drago. He brought his sword out and whacked Claus' knee with the flat end, sending him to the dirt yet again. This time though, he grabbed him by the back of his jacket and dragged towards the drago's motionless body.
"L-let me go you freak! You monster! You creature from hell!" Claus spat as he kicked up some orange dust as he was dragged. The masked man didn't care about the insults as he dragged Claus closer to the drago. As he was pulled closer to the drago's face, he heard something that made his heart sink. A growl came from the drago as the masked man came into it's vision, signifying that it was still alive. Upon further inspection, Claus noticed that it was breathing shallowly. The tears continued to fall from Claus' eyes as he stared at the drago's pained expression, and he bit his lip as it squeaked pathetically at him once it laid it's eyes on him. The masked man released his hold on Claus and left him to sit before the suffering drago.
"O-oh no… Oh no no no, please. Put it out of it's misery!" Claus hiccuped as he reached out to gently pet the drago's snout. "It doesn't deserve to suffer. It didn't deserve this!" Claus cried out as he pressed his forehead to the drago's nose. The drago's tongue flickered out and it licked the side of Claus' face oh so weakly. It didn't want Claus to cry, but it seemed like Claus wasn't going to stop crying any time soon.
The masked man sheathed his blood stained blade and used his now free hand to take Claus' arm. Claus tried to shake his arm free, but he had no luck. The masked man pulled him up to his feet and pointed down at the pathetic drago. Claus sniffled pathetically as he weakly shoved at the masked man, he didn't like where this was going.
"I-I'm not… I'm not going t-to finish the job." He whimpered as he tried to walk away, but the masked man held an arm out to stop him from going too far. He pushed at his arm and the coldhearted boy only dragged him back to the drago. He then pointed at the drago's pathetic face, and murmured out the first words Claus had ever heard him speak.
"PK Love."
Claus looked at him, bewildered that he'd even say something like that. That was his main attack, the attack that was awoken inside of him by a magypsie, why would he have to… Oh. His eyes looked back down sadly at the poor drago whose eyes began to water.
"B-But… I can heal it. I-I don't have to kill it, I-I can just-"
The masked man shoved at his shoulder angrily.
"You aren't going to let me, are you?" He mumbled softly, then took a deep breath. The drago's head turned slightly to look directly at Claus. "I-I'm so sorry little buddy. I-I really am. J-Just know I still love you, o-okay?" Claus sounded outright broken as his voice wavered with each word. He brought his hand up and listened to the pathetic squeaks the drago made as it tried to chirp happily at Claus. Claus swallowed hard and closed his eyes in concentration.
Energy inside of him flowed and he felt his heart flutter as he summoned his signature attack that both he and Lucas shared. PK Love. The air around him was peppered with pink specks of energy as he unleashed PK Love α. There was a bright pink flash that lasted for a small moment, and then everything went still.
Then the drago let out one final chirp before closing it's eyes. Permanently.
Claus dropped down onto his knees and the tears started anew as he pressed his face to the top of the drago's snout. Years of playing with this sweet creature as well as it's parents came to mind. He recalled when he used to ram into the father of this drago, and how it pretended to get hurt, but got back up just fine. Oh how he wished the same could've been said for this poor soul.
The masked man stared at Claus' shaking form, not sure of what to do now that the threat had been eliminated. He stood there, waiting for Claus to finish his crying.
It felt like an eternity that Claus sniveled and sobbed into the drago's face, but finally Claus stood and wiped his tears away onto his sleeve. The masked man pulled away and stepped out towards the rock formation. Claus shuddered and trailed after him, still horribly upset at the villain.
"W-Why? Why did you make me do that? W-Why couldn't you have killed it yourself?" He sniffled and stood beside the masked man. "Do you just want to see me in pain? Is that it?" He shoved at the masked man "Well, I'm in pain! I'm in pain and I hope you're happy!" He started to yell. Though, the masked man didn't respond as Claus wanted him to. Instead he just stared at something off by the rock formation.
Claus' eyes wandered over to look for the same thing that the masked man was looking at, and then he saw it. A beaten up blue shoe. He took a deep breath and ran towards it, then picked it up and examined it. This looked awfully familiar, in fact, it looked like… His old shoe from when he was younger. Claus held the shoe within his hand as he tried to process the bits of information he had. He was forced to be here, the masked man had an undying want to kill this drago, and there was a blue shoe from his childhood. It didn't take long for the pieces to connect.
"You went after the drago, didn't you?" Claus asked as he gave his back to the masked man. When there wasn't a response he turned around. "You went ahead and tried to take on the drago, didn't you?!"
Claus became outright livid as he threw the shoe down. "You tried to fight the drago that killed mom and lost, huh?! You abandoned Lucas and dad over a drago, didn't you?!" He stomped over to the masked man.
"You idiot! You dummy! You- You- fuck!" Another coin for the swear jar. "You left your brother alone to fight a stupid monster and lost! Then got lost and whisked away to join Porky and friends! God, am I glad I'm not as stupid as you!" He snarled. "Lucas actually stopped me before I could fight it, and boy am I happy he did." He brought a hand out to jab a finger against the masked man's chest. "Cause I sure as hell would not have wanted to end up like you! A cold idiot that doesn't know right from wrong!"
Suddenly, Claus' face began to feel hot and he started to feel faint. His cheeks flushed and he stumbled back, not sure of what was going on with him. He held a hand up to his forehead as a throbbing pain overcame his senses. He felt… Feverish.
As Claus struggled to find his bearings, the masked boy's phone rung out. He stepped back and dug into the hidden belt to pull out the phone. He pressed a button and held the phone up to the side of the mask; despite it being in the way, he could hear surprisingly well.
"S-Sir, prepare for an emergency pick up! The boy and his friends have gotten to Thunder Tower and Fassad needs assistance!" That voice was that of the colonel from sector A7. The masked man mumbled into the phone and hung up shortly after. His wings sprung out and he quickly took Claus' ankle in his hand. He held on tightly as he sprinted off the edge of the plateau and jumped off, his wings still not producing their usual flames as he and Claus both fell. Claus tried to scream, he really did, but the pain in his head just didn't allow him to.
The wings then roared to life, and both boys rocketed up into the sky. The masked man made plans to meet halfway with the pigmasks to help Fassad, hence the sudden flying. Sweat started to trickle up Claus' forehead from the delirious heat he faced. He cursed softly under his breath as he rubbed his eyes with the bases of his palms, his vision going slightly fuzzy. Feeling feverish sucked.
The boys both flew over fields, the small town of Tazmilly, and even passed the chimera labs, though Claus was a bit too preoccupied with his predicament to really admire the scenery. However, both boys started to fly over a large highway, and Claus uncovered his eyes long enough to notice the new scene. How long was that thing there? It must have been built right under everyone's noses, or so Claus assumed. The sights of a large pink blob down at the bottom of the highway got him curious; just what was that? A very fat pigmask? A big bubble gum bubble? Boy did he have questions. They passed over bridges and other dusty areas, and he even noticed a pit off in the distance. Everything seemed so much more dim around this area.
His sightseeing came to an end as another sound filled his senses. It was the sound of a distinct thump-thump that began to grow deafening as the masked man drew closer to it. He glanced upward and saw a helicopter hovering just a bit away from the masked man. Once close enough, the masked man didn't hesitate to climb into the helicopter. He tossed Claus into the helicopter first, which startled the awaiting pigmasks inside and made Claus groan in pain, and then he stepped in. His wings retracted once he stepped inside, and the colonel closed the helicopter's doors behind him.
"Glad you could make it sir, Fassad's been taking a beating but he should be waiting for us!" He held a hand to his forehead in a salute. The masked man nodded and loomed over Claus for a bit. Claus moaned loudly as he rubbed his head, the fever still not having passed. The masked man reached over, grabbed the scruff of his jacket, and dragged him over to a seat. The pigmasks all watched in awe as the masked man scooped the boy up into his arms and sat him down in a seat. He then pulled away to join the pilots.
Claus' head throbbed as he looked forward, then out a near by window that was near the seat he was placed in. He felt a cold shiver overcome his body, so he brought his arms around himself and shuddered. The helicopter was nearing it's destination, and Claus could see it clearly. It was a tower, just like the name had said, and there was a large yellow orb that sat atop it. The gun that came from a hole in the center, and it looked quite daunting, but Claus didn't care for that. From his perspective he saw four ant-like forms, one of which he set his eyes on. The one he kept an eye on had swirly yellow hair and a stupidly bright striped shirt.
Lucas, it was Lucas! Finally, he could reunite with Lucas! His heart started to beat fast. He watched as the helicopter hovered swooped down low near the yellow top, and the pigmasks inside opened the helicopter's doors and rolled out a rope ladder. Claus sneered at the fact that Fassad was there, but he was willing to deal with anything as he stood from his seat. The pigmasks, being too preoccupied with the rescue mission, didn't notice Claus' approaching frame. Though, as Claus stood to hobble on over towards the open doors, he missed seeing Fassad slipping on a banana peel and falling off of the tower.
Inside the pigmasks all squealed and panicked among themselves, which startled Claus, but it didn't take long for the colonel to bark out orders at the pilots.
"Higher, fly higher!" He yelled. It was too late. The red snake that called itself "Rope Snake" latched onto the ladder, and the group of four all hung onto Duster's waist as they were hoisted into the air. There was a deafening explosion as the tower's golden orb erupted, and it drew Claus' attention enough for him to look out of the doorway. When he saw the brown haired man's face down below, followed by the other familiar faces, Claus beamed. Then the name he was missing finally came to him; Duster! His name was Duster! He shoved the colonel aside and stood in the opening of the helicopter. His eyes immediately landed on Lucas, and Lucas gasped.
"Is that..." Kumatora asked in awe as Lucas' eyes widened.
"Duster! Kumatora! Lucas! Boney!" Claus cried out their names as he saw them, then he tried to reach out for Duster's hand. God was he happy that Duster's name finally came to mind, but he was even happier at seeing his twin. "A-Am I glad to see all of you! You have to he-help me!" Claus yelled so his voice would reach the group of four. "I-I'm being held ca-cap-" Before Claus could finish his sentence, the masked man sprinted over, lunged, and wrapped an arm around Claus' neck.
"Claus!" Lucas cried out as he tried to climb over Kumatora so he could get closer to the rope ladder. He hadn't seen his own brother for three long years, and now that he got to see him and hear his voice again, he wanted him back. The sights of some random goon assaulting his brother only served to piss him off as he gripped onto Duster's pants line.
"Let him go!" Lucas ordered angrily as Kumatora grunted under his weight and Duster panicked at Lucas' attempts at getting closer. The masked man didn't seem phased by the blond boy as he continued to man handle Claus.
The group of four all watched as the masked man threw Claus off to the side, then the helicopter's doors were slammed shut. Lucas started to rush forward, he gripped onto Duster's shoulders and accidentally kicked Kumatora in the face when he tried to lunge for the rope snake. But it all proved to be in vain. The masked man sprinted to the pilots and barked out an order.
"Get them off!" He bellowed, the loud and commanding voice silenced the panicking and squealing pigmasks. The single pilot nodded and gripped onto the helicopter's cyclic stick. He proceeded to jerk it to the left and to the right, effectively shaking the unwanted passengers that hung just outside of the door. As the group snapped back and forth, the snake's jaw grew weaker. It didn't take long before a loud snap sounded outside. The snake's jaw had dislocated, and that sent the group of four plummeting downward.
Once the pests were effectively knocked off, the pilot steadied the helicopter. Claus laid on the floor, a hand to his throat as he looked up at the masked man who loomed over him. A stream of curses were at the tip of his tongue, but Claus bit said tongue before he cussed the masked man out. Worry started to fill his mind as he looked out towards the window, but from his position on the floor, all he could see was sky. How he hoped Lucas was okay. That must have been a big fall for everyone involved.
The masked man sneered down at Claus, grabbed the front of his shirt, and tossed him back onto the seat he placed him in before. He was going to have to deal with him later, but for now it was time to return back to Porky to tell him what had just happened. Claus frowned and placed his head in his hands, another wave of heat over came him, but then everything cooled down. His cheeks stopped flushing, he stopped sweating, and the delirious heat came to a sudden end. His fever had passed.
Claus learned PK Love β!