Before this chapter I just want to say that next week's is going to be late. Usually I upload Friday mornings, but I'm going out of town for a few days and those days include Friday and Saturday. I'm going with my sister to her college orientation and I'll be there all day, so I won't be able to upload until late Saturday night or early Sunday. Most likely Sunday because it takes like 7 hours to drive back from the college so I'll be dead by the time I get home :') thanks for understanding, and enjoy the chapter. Drop a comment if you like, and I'll be sure to get back to you!:)
"You bastards!" Kenny spat at Hemlock as he watched from a distance. The manticore was pacing back and forth, the harsh stadium lights seemed to agitate it. "Sons of bitches!"
Kenny would attempt to punch Hemlock's lights out, if only Karen wasn't surrounded by dangerous fiends that were just waiting for him to misbehave. He would do more than that, with the pure fury that seemed to replace every cell of his body. The thought was scary.
Hemlock brushed his bluish hair behind his pointed ear, undeterred by Kenny's angry fit. "You'll have a weapon."
"Sick, you're all sick!" Kenny could feel his blood pummel his veins, maybe he'd die of a heart attack before the manticore ever touched him.
"Humans are insignificant. You're much more useful as entertainment for the troops before we spread out through the region you call Colorado." Hemlock didn't seem as amused by the proceedings as the rest of the fey. He made sure to stand in a spot clear of drying blood, which was hard considering how much blood splatter there was. So much blood, who had died before Kenny? And who would die after him if he failed? There's no way they'd make Kyle fight, he was dazed and confused. And Kenny was wounded, yet he here was.
"If you touch even one hair on my sister I will fucking murder you." Kenny snarled as he was dragged to the side.
Hemlock didn't even spare him a glance, his black eyes trained on the manticore.
Kenny stamped his feet leaving deep imprints in the mud and splashing snow onto the fey guards that had taken him from his father. His eyes stung from the tears that dried before they ever got close to falling. The manticore roared on the terrace as Kenny was shoved into the field house.
His chest heaved with fury as he examined the weapons laid out in front of him. Bloodied swords, maces, small blades, lances, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. He was going to die. There was no way he could win against a giant flying lion that also had a poisonous tail. They had set up a Dark Souls boss fight and only gave Kenny one life. One life that mattered, if he failed they would hurt Karen.
"Choose a weapon. Prepare yourself." A dark fey guard with pure black eyes nodded to the wall. Rows upon rows of leather armor pieces hung up. This must be for the army when they prepare to attack. Kenny picked out the least shredded chest piece and hung it over his shoulders. It went to his thighs and exposed his collarbone. His scrawny figure seemed much less intimidating than he wanted.
"Stupid." Kenny muttered under his breath as he picked up a short sword. It wasn't too heavy, but he'd have to get close to use it. There were long range weapons such as bows and spears, but Kenny had no clue how to shoot a bow. He did know how to shoot a gun, thanks Jimbo, and he currently had one in his waistband. He didn't want to use it though, he might miss and kill someone. If worst came to worst and it was the only way to protect Karen he wouldn't have a choice.
Kenny's shoulder burned as he stepped back out into the cold. This night somehow kept getting worse and worse. The universe was really out doing itself, and Kenny felt like he definitely deserved at least a couple years of good luck after all this ended. The manticore was pacing in a circle, not getting to close to the bleachers. Kenny had no clue why it wasn't attacking the spectators as they jeered and threw rocks and twigs. It certainly looked agitated enough, and all that anger would be taken out on Kenny.
Cartman was gone, Kenny was half thankful. He'd looked terrible, and Kenny was worried despite Cartman being the whole ringleader of this. Sure Cartman tried to destroy humanity every now and then, and wouldn't be above betraying friends for power, but he was acting more evil than ever. The side-effects of fey magic were a mystery to Kenny, but it couldn't possibly be good to be under the effects for a long time. Cartman might go crazy, or worse, if he didn't snap out of it.
The manticore roared, sounding eerily like a distorted human-lion hybrid. It's sharp claws, which were easily three inches long, dug into the mud and left long streaks.
Karen, from the mouth of the tunnel, cowered at the noise. She spotted Kenny as he strode up to the field and nearly ran to him. The large dogs growled as her feet moved, forcing her back.
"Kenny!" She called out. Her small voice barely reached his ears over the cheering.
Kenny put on his best 'everything is fine' smile and gave her a small wave with his free hand. "Hi, Kare-bear! This is just a bad dream!" Kenny shouted back as he gripped his sword. "It'll all just seem like a bad dream." He muttered to himself, hoping desperately that was true.
"Ladies and Gentle fey! Welcome our next contender, 17 years old, Kenny Mccormick!" Hemlock was now standing where Cartman had been. Harsh lights illuminated his pale skin making him appear as a phantom. He grinned, his teeth glinting, but his eyes remained cold.
Kenny was shoved over the white line, his feet grounding him on the field. The manticore's head shot up, its red eyes fixed on Kenny. The crowd roared with cries of anticipation, mixed with one high pitched scream. Kenny raised his sword and lowered his body in his best attempt at a defensive pose. Hopefully he had watched enough Star Wars and anime to know how to hold a sword.
"Umm, hey there!" Kenny stepped forward as there was nowhere else to go. "Nice kitty-"
The manticore charged, its blood soaked fur rippling under the stadium lights. Kenny rolled to the side, right over his damaged shoulder. The pain caused his vision to go dark for a split second, but he forced the shock from his system and got to his feet.
"I'm not your enemy! They are!" Kenny pointed his sword to the crowd. He had no clue why he was attempting to reason with the beast, but he certainly wasn't going to try and stab it. "They're keeping you as a slave!" Kenny's voice wavered as he backed up.
The manticore shook its head, nearly batting it against the ground, and bellowed.
"Fight, stop talking!" a short, spindly creature with sharp teeth yelled out. A rock flew and hit Kenny's head. Tears sprung to his eyes as he backed up to the fifty yard line. The manticore flapped its leathery wings, creating a halo of dust and snow.
It jumped, batting Kenny to the side with a powerful paw. Claws tore into his arm like thick knives. He hit the ground, unable to scream as the breath caught in his throat. His vision cleared, Karen was just twenty feet away. She look petrified as Kenny rolled onto his back.
"This is just a b-bad dream!" He forced himself to yell, the air stinging his throat.
The manticore jumped, its heavy body landing over Kenny. Even if its deadly teeth weren't snarling above him, the creature's deadly claws and poisonous tail were waiting to have their chance at killing him.
The beast pulled a heavy arm back, its claws reflecting the bright light of the crowd. Kenny screamed and shoved his sword up with all his remaining strength. The blade pierced the manticore's neck, ripping through flesh and muscle. The crowd 'ah'ed as the manticore stumbled back, the blade fell from its neck as its roar shook the whole ground. Kenny felt too woozy to stand. His eyes watched as the manticore turned to the stands and landed on a group of rowdy redcaps, killing many instantly. The stadium froze and then erupted with terrified screams. The brave, or stupid, fey who were filled to the brim with bloodlust drew weapons. The smarter bunch fled, including most of the humans present. The manticore batted away goblins, redcaps, and dark fey alike as if they were toothpicks. Arrows and and blades pierced its hinds causing deep gold blood to run down its coat.
Kenny couldn't comprehend what was happening, his head lolled to the side as a small body fell next to his.
"Kenny! Get up, we have to go!" Karen shook his shoulder, he groaned in pain.
"Go find Kyle, Kare-bear. Slap him and tell him to get you the fuck out of here." Kenny muttered, his vision blurring.
"Kenny, the man told me to bring you!" Karen pulled at his arm in an attempt to get him up. "He said we'd be safe!"
The feeling in his arm had already gone, he'd lost too much blood already.
"Karen, I'm not going to make it." Kenny swallowed, his mouth dry.
"What do you mean, please get up!"
"He's dying," Hemlock spoke, his eyes glancing over Kenny.
"Where'd you fucking come from? Can't I at least die in peace?" Kenny growled. He grabbed Karen's hand, or maybe it was Hemlock's shoe."Karen, run."
"She'll be safer with me." Hemlock moved to stand next to Karen.
"You're not dying!" Karen gripped Kenny's hand. "You c-can't, you said you'd always protect me!"
"Shh. This is all a bad dream, Kare-bear." Kenny mumbled in slurred words. He smiled as best a he could with his body failing him. "You'll wake up tomorrow." Tears slid down Kenny's cheeks as Karen frowned at him, her face red and wet. "Like none of this ever happened."
Hemlock set a hand on Karen's shoulder. "The manticore is nearly finished with the crowd."
"Help him!" Karen cried.
"I can't," Hemlock sighed as he stared down at Kenny. "But he would want you to be safe, I can help you." Hemlock grimaced at Kenny as he groaned.
Kenny's blood shot eyes barely managed to stay open as Karen was pulled away from him. It was for the best, even if he could hear her cries like it was the only sound in the world. Even if it was Hemlock she was with, she'd be alive and away from the manticore.
Kenny shut his eyes, his body too tired to stay awake. And just like that the lights went out.
The black void was always the best part about dying. Kenny would have to say the pain was the worst, unless someone saw you die. Then the look in their eyes was the worst, but it was okay. They would forget. Kenny wouldn't.
This time the darkness wasn't so dark, instead it looked like he was in a field of snow. Soft, cold snow. A blanket of snow, how fitting. Kenny laid down and let the snow cover him, hiding his arms and legs. He stared up at the grey sky with boredom. He could only wait until he woke up in his bed as if from a dream. And like a dream, he wouldn't remember this. He would remember dying, but not the afterlife. This part was always the most tedious, lots of waiting. Endless waiting, but it gave him time to think and to be alone.
He thought of Karen, the fear in her eyes. He had tried his best over the years to keep her safe, then Craig showed up and shit went sideways. Kenny smiled and huffed. He couldn't believe Tweek was in love with the little shit. Personally he would've set Tweek up with someone a little less apocalyptic. Oh well.
"I'm ready now!" Kenny yelled out into the nothingness. "You can bring me back!"
His eyes popped open. Through his tattered curtains, which were really just old sheets, streetlight peered in to check on him. The sky was a soft blue, dawn was slowly approaching. He sat up, his hand going to his arm. He was wearing a soft white shirt, obviously God didn't like him being naked. He slid his blanket off and got to his feet. The smell of old beer and must filled his nose as he switched on the light. He grabbed a bundle of clothes off the ground, ratty jeans and a Metallica T-shirt. The house was empty and dark when Kenny peeked out. Even the mice weren't making noise. Kenny hurried to the bathroom.
His reflection stared back at him in hundreds of small pieces from the shattered mirror. Kenny raised his left arm, good as new. Except for three long scars that extended over his left pec. Kenny rubbed them. Scars had never appeared before, not even when he was impaled or shot. Now was not the time to freak out though.
Kenny ignored them and shrugged on his shirt and pants. He missed his big jacket. He had to settle for a smaller, grey hoodie. He'd blend into the shadows easier, but it'd also be easier to get hit by a car. He grabbed one of his many weapons that he had hidden behind a board in his closet. A small knife. He was always nervous someone would find his stash, people could do really stupid, harmful stuff. Luckily Cartman and the gang didn't like coming to his house. Or eating frozen waffles for dinner.
The bad side of town, aka Kenny's house, had the few broken street lamps in South Park. The ones that did work flickered on and off throughout the night. Kenny wouldn't have to walk through the brush to hide then, he could just follow the cracked sidewalk to the train tracks. His personal, desolate yellow brick road. Luckily enough, as the trees across the street seemed to swim with writhing bodies of inky shadows. Pale orbs blinked and disappeared behind tree trunks and bushes. Kenny shivered and made sure he was as far away from the treeline as possible on his narrow sidewalk.
Objective one, find Karen. South Park wasn't a huge town, in fact it was kinda puny, but there was still too many places to check tonight. Not to mention she could be out in the woods, there were plenty of hunter's cabins and deer towers to hide in. Kenny did not want to go into the forest, but if he ran out of options he would have to. The train tracks appeared and he turned onto them. No trains came through South Park anymore, the iron rails were rusted. The large spikes that dug into the ground had come loose, Kenny used to collect them as a kid. He would use them as imaginary weapons. The wooden boards showed years of abuse from the elements.
Kenny hummed as the rotting wood creaked under his feet. He felt compelled to swing by the stadium, there could be clues to where they went, but there could also be a surplus of mangled corpses. And a very angry manticore. Kenny didn't have time to die again tonight, yet he found himself jogging off the tracks and to the stadium. The core of the town glowed as he got closer, the sounds of singing and shouts and laughs filled the air.
"Oh, geez. What now?" Kenny whispered underneath his breath. He pulled his hood up to cover his bright hair. He didn't need it to look dazzling in the fire light.
Main Street was filled with fey camps. Dark fey, faun, redcaps, ogres, púka, the occasional troll. Makeshift tents of leather and animal skins, groups of bodies, and cooking spits with slowly roasting flesh blocked Kenny's path. He shuddered as a troll lazily picked up a hunk of juicy meat and shoved it in his mouth, hopefully that wasn't human meat.
The shops along main street had been raided, broken glass covered the ground like snow. Packages of junk food, bottles of alcohol, and baked goods seemed to be the favorites.
Kenny hid along the side of the nearest building, his chest heaving. A detour would take him longer, but going through the street was suicide. He barely 'defeated' one troll, and that was with the help of Kyle and science, there was no way he'd get through a whole crowd of them alone. Not to mention all the other monsters roaming around.
Kenny looked up, he could try climbing up and along the roofs. The buildings were close enough, the jumps wouldn't be too hard. The only problem was that if he slipped and fell he would be seriously hurt. And he would be noticed, and then eaten.
A heavy body landed on the building across the street with a squawk, drawing his attention. It's feathery, rancid body looked like a vulture, but it's face was human. A delicate woman with pretty blue eyes and a chuck of meat between her clawed bird feet. Two more harpies joined her, snapping at her feet. They scuffled for a bit before she scared off the other two with sharp teeth. With a victory screech she dug into her food. It looked like the roofs were definitely out now, Kenny hadn't even thought about the possibility of flying beasts.
Extremely long, boring walk it is. Kenny sighed and crept back towards the dark alley. It smelled strongly of decomposing garbage, courtesy of the blazing fires that were heating the trash up, and alcohol. The liquor store must've been raided, of course.
Garbage littered the ground. The dumpsters had been emptied, the trash bags shredded as wild animals and beasts alike searched for food. Kenny had to walk slowly to avoid crinkled wrapped and aluminum cans. With how loud the festivities were he couldn't be sure that something would hear him, but he didn't want to take the chance.
"Hey, you!" A small redcap snarled from between to buildings. Kenny stopped dead in his tracks, his heart stopping with him.
"Fuck off, Pee-wee." A voice growled back. The man was so dark Kenny hadn't even noticed him in the shadows. He had to squint to make out the glint of light off his hair.
"Gimme that bottle." A sharpened bone appeared in the redcap's spindly hand. "Or my friends will take it from you."
Three more redcaps slowly filed into the gap, their beady eyes raving with sadism.
Kenny couldn't bring himself to move. They hadn't seemed to have spotted him.
The man chugged the rest of the bottle and then smashed it against the wooden building.
The redcaps attacked, sharp teeth and slapdash weaponry. The fey man cast out a flash of ice, freezing on of them. He brought his jagged bottle up into the redcaps frozen chest, causing it to howl out gurgled screechs. The poor man had defeated one, but the other three overtook him. He went down swinging and cursing, small mouths biting into him as claws dig into his skin. Once the screaming subdued all that was left was the crunching of bones and cutting of flesh. Kenny covered his mouth, sickened by the grotesque noises of the feast. He backed up towards the wooden fence behind him. His foot kicked a can, the small clatter deafeningly loud in his ears. His body became stock still as he silently berated himself; stupid, stupid, stupid. One of the redcaps stopped and looked up, his mouth glistened with dark blue blood.
"What was that?" He growled in a funny voice.
"Shut it, Ro'! It was probably just a filthy rat, and I ain't giving up fey meat for no filthy rat!" The ringleader slapped Ro' in the back of the head. Ro' went back to his meal with a grunt.
Kenny scrambled over the fence as quietly as he could, the sounds of tearing flesh covering the squeaking wood. His ratty Converse hit the ground with a soft thud and he took off in a light jog. The backs of these buildings seemed to be emptier, and the dinky fences that separated them from the alleyway gave him some privacy.
Sweaty, blonde hair stuck against his forehead. He brushed it to the side with the back of his hand. Once Main Street, and the sounds of feasting redcaps, were far, far away, he slowed down to a fast walk. The thought that that fey could have easily been any number of his friends slithered through his brain and down to his gut.
The stadium sat on the edge of town opposite of Kenny's house. Why, oh why, had the city voted to build the field on the rich side of town? We'll never know.
"Well at least I'm getting my steps in." Kenny puffed between breaths. And he got them in fast to avoid the creeping shadows. He was sure the dark blobs were some horrific mythological creatures whose name he didn't know, but he couldn't prove it. Every time he tried to focus on them, they just seemed like normal, rolling darkness. When he focused ahead they seemed to move.
Kenny decided to hustle to the street, which presented itself promptly. There were a few dark fey passed out against the local superfoods. They must've been drinking and had a bit too much. That or someone made their night a lot worse by murdering them. Kenny darkly hoped it was the second one. At least then they wouldn't be tempted to wake up and cause him more problems. Kenny looked both ways, like a good citizen, before creeping across the street. He ducked behind an ice covered bench and peeked at the group of tipsy fey. They hadn't moved. Kenny breathed out half a sigh of relief. A full sigh would be tempting fate.
The road to the stadium was more abandoned, as it was not surrounded by homes and stores to loot and pillage. The only noteworthy aspects were its incredible potholes and empty beer cans, and no fey was interested in thieving potholes.
Kenny's calves were burning as he jogged along, after all who goes jogging? Certainly not Kenny. If he wanted to torture himself there were plenty of ways that happen to be funner than jogging. For example: using his dad's old pliers to pull out a few molars. His legs finally screamed loud enough for him to slow to a brisk power walk. The things you do for family.
After several agonizing minutes of exercise, Kenny reached the parking lot. The dark asphalt grinded under his feet as he cautiously approached the fieldhouse. As expected, there were several corpses that littered the stands. And several scavengers that were disposing of those dead bodies, by eating them of course. Kenny grimaced and drew his attention away from the stands, he could easily make out his blood soaked death spot. It was Kenny shaped and all. He was too nervous to approach, he might become the next piece of carrion. Finally he gathered the courage to sneak across the field. Sneak across the completely overt field with no cover whatsoever. The scavengers took no notice of him, they were too preoccupied with their buffet.
Kenny's blood was still sticky wet, and nearly frozen on the ground. He ignored the blood and examined the snow. He could see the outline of his body, and the impressions left behind by Karen's knees. Hemlock's slim boot prints next to them.
Kenny frowned, Hemlock really had taken Karen. Kenny should've done more to prevent that, but the blood loss had made him too woozy. The only good to come from this was Hemlock's boot prints. They had distinct, sharp tips and clearly led to the stadium tunnel.
"I could totally be Velma. Jinkies!" Kenny grinned as he followed the foot prints.
The dark hounds were gone, and so far the manticore was too. The only trace it left behind was a massacre. It probably flew back to it's wife, or maybe it went to take revenge on its cruel masters.
Kenny despised going into dark, abandoned places at night. He was living a horror movie, or an opening scene to Supernatural, and making all the classic mistakes. His sneakers tapped over the cement as he explored the dark hall. He wasn't a football player and had never been inside the stadium tunnel. So far it was pretty boring, just concrete floors and walls. Kenny stumbled upon the one and only door, a faded blue thing that squeaked sadly when he pushed it open.
"Well shit." Kenny sighed through his nose as he took in the contents of the room.
Tweek had nightmares often. Boogies, wendigos, and ghosts just loved to chase him in his sleep. In Algrid they made him wake with violent starts, his breath gone and clothes soaked in sweat. He woke Craig up too, and the fey insisted on staying up with him. Tweek waited until Craig had fallen asleep and then crawled outside. The image of a wendigo scraping the flesh off his shin was razor sharp teeth was still fresh in his brain. He should be anywhere but outside, but so far he hadn't seen a single monster in Algrid. There'd been birds, Gelidus, Craig, deer like hybrids, fish, and small rodents, but no monsters. That might be a seemingly good symptom of something much larger and much more deadly.
Tweek climbed up their small cave and peeked at Gelidus. He was awake, his pale eyes trained on the twinkling sky. Snow had settled over his back and wings.
"G-Gelidus?" Tweek pulled himself up and sat on the ledge.
"Yes, small one?" Gelidus' voice rumbled like a low fire.
Tweek looked down at the snow. He felt ridiculous crawling to Gelidus after a nightmare, as if he were a child.
"Bad dreams?" Gelidus asked already knowing the answer.
Tweek nodded. "I'm scared." He admitted, allowing the feeling to solidify its existence.
"Dreams are often symbolic, or even predictive of future events in this world." Gelidus grumbled deep in his chest.
"O-oh god! I'm going to b-be eaten!?" Tweek gasped, probably waking up every animal in a two mile radius.
"Shhh." Gelidus hummed. "The night is celebrating its short instance here."
Tweek apologized softly.
"You being eaten in this dream, perhaps it represents that you are afraid this mission will devour you?" Gelidus cast him a side glance.
Tweek hesitated, then nodded vigorously. "H-how can I r-return to a normal life after this?" Tweek muttered to himself. The question had been sitting in his mind all day. "S-school, homework, painting with K-Kenny."
"Some are predestined for the unexpected. As for normal, it is relative. Your version of normal has never been the same as your fellow humans. Why should your destiny be as mundane as theirs?" Gelidus moved his tail, the thick feathers acting as a plush chair for Tweek's back.
Tweek bit his lip. The dragon was being extremely wise, too wise for comfort.
"Are you a s-seer? You sound r-really sure." Tweek asked as his fingers ran over Gelidus' feathers. He could swear that Gelidus' mouth tugged up in a smile.
"I am a dragon." Was his response. The moon ticked by, a large clock counting down slowly.
"Get some rest before tomorrow," Gelidus spoke up, "I fear our battle is close at hand." Gelidus set his eyes on the stars once again, the conversation clearly over.
Tweek slid down from his perch and allowed himself to find his way back to Craig's arms. His green eyes stared into the darkness until it morphed into dark blue, to pale gray, to soft dawn.
(Enjoy this random thought I felt like writing) There's like one sentence with four commas in it, and I'm not sure if it's grammatically correct, but I do know it makes me laugh for some reason. It's not even a funny sentence, it's just a lot of commas. It's so extra. Also I used 'that' twice in a row in one sentence and it's correct which angers me. It sounds so weird 'that that', ugh.
Also this is a really random one, but who's ready for halloween? Because I'm already getting super heckin giddy. In this South Park Au it's currently late October, if anyone remembers. There was going to be a cheeky halloween chapter, but oh how rarely the plans of men go seemly. The answer: not often.