shout out and thanks to "nostalgicShock"~~ Thank you baby I love you *sob hug*
LAST TIME
()
How on earth is he going to carry all of this?... He guesses he'll carry what he can- WHA!
All of the weapons shrink just enough so that they can ALL be carried!...
"gAMZEE YOU BUTT I COULDA CARRIED THEM MYSELF YOU KNOW." A little chuckle rises in his throat but he just grabs everything and stuffs what he can in his pocket. Not...Kanaya's new lipstick though... he holds that in his hand just in case it wants to blow up into whatever it does... Tavros runs down the stairs *happily noting the stairs part* and totally books it out of that hive and runs as fast as his metal legs will take him! He can't help but love how he doesn't have to feel the sting of tired legs anymore. He can almost run forever as fast as he wants in these awesome things! Yes. He was going to help his friends win this war...
And he was going to help get his fucking friends back.
()
Feferi is the first to get back to the hive. She spots it and resists the urge to yell to her friends. But eventually she gets to the door and bangs on it. The first to open the door is Equius.
"F-Feferi! Your arm! Come inside quickly!" He ushers her in and Aradia rushes over to her.
"What happened t0 y0ur arm?"
"I..."
"Fef!" Eridan barrels over there with worry in his eyes.
"I... R-Remember that portal looking through the world thingy?!"
"Wwhat?"
"YEAH. I REMEMBER, THAT THING WE SAW IN SOLLUX'S ROOM?" Karkat walks over to her too while Aradia tries to slowly open up the cloth to see the extent of Feferi's wounds, sucking air through her teeth when she sees...
"I saw another one at a place that looked like a... a stage! I went and looked at it and it started playing a memory from Sollux's point of view!"
"WHAT? TELL US WHAT IT SHOWED."
Feferi explains what she saw.
"That fucking 8itch! Damn her!"
"SO SH3... TR1CK3D H1M 1NTO TH1NK1NG TH4T H3 K1LL3D US..." Terezi grits her sharp teeth a little bit and lowers her head.
"Yeah... I... I did something stupid..."
"YOU REACHED INTO THE PORTAL HUH?"
"Y-yeah... It ripped my arm up really good." Feferi finally looks down at her arm and it's completely mangled, pink blood dripping and flooding everything Aradia attempts to stop the bleeding with. Pink blood covers the bone showing on Feferi's hand, her nails are destroyed and her grey skin is completely ripped it as if she'd but it in a wood chipper.
"I fuckin' KNEWW I shoulda come wwith you Feferi."
"Eridan I'll... be okay really! It doesn't even hurt!"
"Don't fuckin' lie to me, I can see it on your face... Dammit Fef don't do something stupid like that again! I knoww you wwanted to help but doin' something like that wwon't help at all!"
Feferi looks down. She knows that reaching in was prreeetty frickin stupid. She lost herself to her emotions and risked losing her arm.
"I'll be more careful..."
Eridan stares at her a little... and sighs.
"You better. I'll be pissed otherwwise."
"HEY!" A familiar cat voice comes to the door and opens it up quickly, slamming it behind her!
"Guys I found one of those portal dooh—Feferi!"
"I'm okay! You found one too?"
"AH! So you found one then too! Yeah! What did yours show?" Once again Feferi explains and Nepeta gulps.
"I must have seen after that then. Beclaws in the one I saw Sollux was totally brainwashed! He stepped into a thing with a lot of tentacles in pink goo in it and it trapped him inside! Fishy queen made a snarky comment and Sollux got mad and she screamed at him and then it went away! But she's using him as the new power source for her stupid big ship!"
Feferi nods a little...
"Just like Levina said... That Sollux was seen on her ship."
"Yeah..." She looks down and her grip hardens...
Karkat quickly speaks up.
"DON'T FORGET. GAMZEE SAID HE NEEDED OUR HELP. SO SOLLUX IS STILL GONNA BE THERE WHEN WE GET THERE OURSELVES... HE MIGHT... SOLLUX MIGHT NOT BE THE SAME GUY HE WAS WHEN WE SAW HIM LAST... BUT HE STILL DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE AT THAT CUNTS SIDE AS HER FUCKING SLAVE."
"Yeah..." With a tiny nod, Nepeta takes a look around.
"Tavros still isn't back?"
"AH... NO. HAVEN'T SEEN HIM SINCE YOU ALL LEFT."
"Hmmm... I wanna go look for him."
"We sh0uld let him d0 this 0n his 0wn." Aradia wraps up Feferi's wounds with some bandages she found stored in that closet. It's like fucking Mary Poppin's bag in there. Equius looks at Aradia and nods.
"Yes. We must trust that he can return on his own"
"A-ah I know! But I'm just a little worried is all..."
Another ten minutes of idle chatter later and Tavros walks up the steps with a happy clinking. He walks in with a big happy toothy smile on his face.
"hEY GUYS! gAMZEE HELPED ME FIND NEW STUFF TO FIGHT WITH!"
"Tavvy!" Nepeta runs over and hugs him tightly and smiles!
"Show us what you got Nitram! :3" Tavros nods quickly and opens his hands up. Nepeta squints.
"Tavros. We won't be able to fight with things that tiny... I think you found some wriggler toys."
"nO NO! jUST GIVE IT A SECOND! tHEY WERE ALL HUGE AND NORMAL SIZE WHEN I FOUND THEM, BUT THEN THEY SHRUNK SO I COULD CARRY THEM ALL. gAMZEE DOESN'T THINK I CAN CARRY IT ALL MYSELF THAT BUTT HEAD." With that the weapons all grow back to their normal size and practically knock Tavros over with surprise.
"Heehee. Guess he was right huh?"
"n-nU UH! tHEY JUST SURPRISED ME IS ALL!" Nepeta giggles some more and spreads the new weapons out with Tavros. She spots her new claws and GASPS with excitement!
"Equius look at these things! They're SO COOL!"
"Ah yes... they look rather dangerous."
"YESSSS! And look! You got new gloves!"
"Oh yes, look at that. V-Very nice. Look at the metal the spikes are built from!" While Equius admires his sweet new gear, Kanaya spots her lipstick and walks over to grab it.
"Let's See What This Does—"
"I THINK WE SHOULD DO YOURS OUTSIDE KANAYA..." Karkat raises his hand and gulps a little. Kanaya laughs and nods.
"I Suppose You're Right."
Eventually everyone gets their new weapons. Karkat got some cool new sickles that are actually pretty heavy. In fact, Everyone's new weapons are at last quadruple their original weight.
"WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY SO DAMN HEAVY?"
"Weeeeeeeell probably because we're supposed to get stronger DUH. When we all get a little more muscle on us carrying our weapons should be smooth sailing. Ha! Well for you guys anyway. My new dice are as light as the other ones. I can't wait to use these things."
"NOT IN THE HIVE VRISKA."
"Oh don't get your undies in a 8unch. I know how my own dice work."
"1 R4TH3R L1K3 MY N3W C4N3. GOOD N3W SWORD TOO.~" Eridan can hardly pick up his new rifle at all!
"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRGGGGGGGGG! This damn thing is so heavvy!... Equius you come try to lift it."
"Hm? Sure." The taller blue blood comes over and attempts to pick it up. He appears to struggle just a little and Eridan just puts his hands on his own face and groans.
"I havve to get stronger than Eq is right noww to evven LIFT the fuckin' thing!?"
"i CAN'T LIFT MY LANCE EITHER!" Tavros resorts to dragging it around and just laughing. They all have to get some real work in to even hold their own weapons... Well it's gotta happen one way or another.
"We'll all laugh at this one day you know!" Feferi smiles and balances her taller and heavier trident.
"We'll look back on today and go 'HA! Remember when we couldn't even lift our stuff to fight? Ah those were the days!'"
"Euch, I wwon't be sayin' that, I'll just hate myself for not bein' good enough to pick the fuckin' thing up." Eridan grumbles when Equius sets his rifle against the wall.
"It seems like Vriska and I lucked 0ut. 0ur weap0ns are either very light 0r d0n't exist at all." Aradia smiles and holds her hands up and shakes them showing that she's completely empty handed.
"Awwww you guys suck! I sorta like mine heavy though!" Nepeta swipes her arms around and her claws are actually heavy enough that they send her off her feet and get stuck in the ground. Nepeta flops on her face with a "BWAH!"
"Ouch!"
"DO YOU LIKE IT HEAVY NOW?"
"Oh hush your mouth Karkat." Nepeta wiggles her hands around in the gloves and 'hmm's.
"They don't fit me all the way. They're too big right now. Hehe! That means I'm gonna get bigger! Taller maybe!"
"IF YOU GET TALLER THAN ME AGAIN I'LL BE SO FUCKING MAD." Karkat jokes and accidentally drops one of his sickles on his foot. He gasps and jumps in the air and holds his foot.
"OW FUCK!"
()
An army.
Gamzee is making an army...
He sits on top of an acrobatic swing, watching his fellow juggalos fight each other in groups that he and Atori assigned to everyone. There are dark violet bloods flying in the air, swinging and punching and kicking. Some trolls lose their rhythm and have to start over. Although some that lose their rhythm just keep fighting like animals. Which makes Gamzee happy. Not all battles are timed or are as graceful. But not everyone knows the juggalo fighting style either soooo it should be good as a distraction anyway.
Gamzee spots Atori fighting as well. Of course he's doin very well and kicking the butts of everyone who gets in his way. It makes Gamzee smile, seeing such order.
Eventually Gamzee raises his hand and everyone stops to look up at him
"GoOoOoOd FuCkInG jOb GuYs!" He claps a little and then leans back and falls, using his legs to hold himself up on the swing.
"AlL oF yAlL gEt SoMe DrInK. AtOrI."
"Yes. Alright everyone get your ass outta here. Good work today. We'll be doing more training tomorrow so don't fuck around and get here on time." Everyone files out and talk about their matches, some getting into scuffs on the way that sort out eventually. After everyone leaves, Gamzee lets his legs straighten out and falls down. Atori catches him and sets him down.
"HeHeHeHeHe. ThAt ShIt'S fUn As HeLl."
"I'm glad you're enjoying your motherfuckin' self. What'd you want to talk about?" Atori stretches a little and walks to the stage with Gamzee.
"WeLl mOtHeRfUcKeR, i..." Gamzee thinks for a little bit and looks at his walking feet in thought. Atori says nothing and only jumps on the stage and sits down.
"NoThInG I GuEsS... i jUsT HaVe a lOt oN My mInD AnD I AiN'T SuRe i sHoUlD TaLk aBoUt aNy oF It tO AnYoNe. TrUsTiN' pEoPlE Is a tHiNg tHaT I'M FiNdInG HaRd tO Do nOwAdAyS."
"That's a bunch of moobeast balls man. Trustin' me ain't a thing you can do?" Gamzee jumps up on the stage on his butt and folds his legs.
"NoT RiGhT NoW. wHaT AbOuT YoU? dO YoU TrUsT Me aT AlL?"
"You're our leader. Course I trust you."
"ThAt's bUlLsHiT AtOrI." Atori looks at Gamzee a little confused.
"Why? I don't get it."
"YoU CaNt fUcKiNg tRuSt mE JuSt bEcAuSe i'm yOuR 'lEaDeR'. YoU CaN'T FoLlOw sOmEoNe sO BlInDlY... i kNoW ThAt pRoBaBlY DoEsN'T LoOk sO GoOd fOr mE... aNd i kNoW It's rEaLlY GoD DaMn sElFiSh oF Me tO AsK Ya'lL To tRuSt mE BuT..."
"Yeah you DO have a lot on yo' pan bro. Sorry 'bout that. But lemmie tell you some shit." Gamzee looks over at Atori a little and rests his head on his hand.
"The older trolls know when we have a good fuckin' leader. Even if you are just a kid, you already know we had a kid highblood younger than you before Kurloz. They trusted that kid. He was really strong and very smart. I remember watching Kurloz and the kid go head to head. The big guy just barely made it outta that shit alive. He was bigger and just slightly stronger. It makes me wonder if he somehow used the voodoo magic of the messiah's to win..."
"YoU DoUbTeD HiM?"
"Sure did. We used to be pretty good friends. But when he went through the training we all did, something happened to him and he fucking lost it. Usually we just kill those motherfuckers. They're too unpredictable. But he was just sane enough that we could keep him and use him as a great fighter if anything were to happen. Which happened a LOT. The rebel mutant blooded squirt came along and the Condesce didn't like that shit. That's a whole other story.
The point I'm tryin' to make here god dammit, is that I know a good leader when I fucking see one and I know that leader is you. I trust you and we'll follow you to the ends of time, got that you little shit?" Atori looks at Gamzee with those bright purple eyes of his and in them Gamzee can practically feel the utmost sincerity. He has to look away.
"For a Makara you have like, zero fucking confidence in yourself."
"EvErY TiMe i tHiNk i'm dOiN' sOmEtHiNg rIgHt i fUcK Up rOyAlLy aNd iT MaKeS EvErYtHiNg hOrRiBlE AnD GeTs aNyOnE I CaRe fOr kIlLeD..."
"Load of shit."
"WhAt?"
"Did you use magic or voodoo or the messiah's powers to trick anyone into getting killed?"
"WeLl nO. i wEnT BaT ShIt fUcKiN CrAzY AnD KiLlEd a fEw oF My fRiEnDs. AnD I WaNtEd tO Do iT. iT'S A LoNg sToRy, BuT I CoUlDn't eVeN Be sAnE EnOuGh tO SeE ThE LaSt fUcKiN MiNuTeS Of mY BeSt fRiEnDs lIfE. mY PaLe bRo... My... ReD BrO... aLl eLeVeN Of mY BeSt gOd dAmN FrIeNdS..."
Atori reaches over and pats Gamzee's shoulder.
"Sorry man... Look, let's go get a fuckin faygo and rest up aight?"
"YeAh SuRe." Gam nods and they both jump off of the stage.
"BuT I'M PrEtTy sUrE ThEy'd bE HaPpY To kNoW ThAt i kIlLeD ThAt sTuPiD GoD DaMn mOtHeRfUcKeR GrAnD HiGhBlOoD... iT'S HiS FaUlT ThIs wHoLe tHiNg hApPeNeD At aLl."
"You really hated him huh?"
"Of cOuRsE. i tRiEd tAlKiN' hIm dOwN BuT RiGhT OfF ThE BaT He kIlLeD TwO Of mY FrIeNdS In a fEw sEcOnDs. AnD ThEn hE KiLlEd aNoThEr fRiEnD AnD HuRt eVeRyOnE ElSe. ThAt sHiT AiN'T CoO' wItH Me... No oNe hUrTs mY FrIeNdS AnD GeTs aWaY WiTh iT..."
"I think that's why you'll be a good leader man. When Kurloz became Highblood... lots of things changed. People thought of us differently and we were okay with that. We want people to fear us, we're the fucking highest land blood there is and we deserve to be feared. If lowbloods don't fear us then what the fuck is the point? But see you said your friends were of a bunch of blood colors. The whole fuckin' spectrum. You think differently than Kurloz did and I like that. I think we'll all come to trust you with everything we've got. So don't worry too much about it. You just gotta... be you I guess you know?"
They exit the tent and head off to a pretty shitty looking building, graffiti all over the place and parts of the building chipping away. When they get inside there's a tall blue blood standing behind the counter. He looks shocked to see Gamzee.
"U-Uh, hello what can I get you sir?"
"Aw MaN. JuSt CaLl Me GaMzEe. GiMmIe A rEd FaYgO."
"You mean... a wicked elixer?"
"FaYgO Is wHaT ThE DrInK Is cAlLeD BrO. yEaH OnE O' tHeM rEd OnEs."
"Yes sir!"
"I'll take a purple one. The usual." The blue blood quickly leans down to a cooler and brings them out. Gamzee frowns a little.
"Yo yOu dOn't gOtTa bE ScArEd oF Me... I KnOw iT LoOkS LiKe iT BuT I'M ChIlL As fUcK My bRoThEr. YoU CaN ChIlLaX ArOuNd mE."
"A-ah... yes sir... Uhm... Gamzee." This makes Gamzee smile and when he doesn't do anything to hurt the blue blood, the guy relaxes just a tiny bit... It's unusual for a purple blood to not assert their dominance any chance they get... Gamzee takes his faygo and opens that thing up. The fizzy hiss almost makes Gamzee cry. God damn he missed his fucking Faygo. He tips it up and fucking downs that thing. When he gets to the bottom of the bottle he sets it down.
"Wow. When was the last time you had a fuckin' drink dude? You downed that thing like you aint never had one."
"It's bEeN A WhIlE... iT'S BeEn lOnG EnOuGh tHaT I ThOuGhT I WaS GoNnA DiE WiThOuT ThAt sHiT."
"Next time you want one just ask you idiot..."
"NaH MaN, i'm a bIg bOy, I CaN Go aNd gRaB My oWn mOtHeRfUcKiN FaYgO. bEsIdEs wHaT If sOmE CrAzY MoThErFuCkEr pOiSoNs iT Or sOmE ShIt? I CaN'T HaVe tHaT. nOt nOw."
Atori walks out with Gamzee after getting a second red faygo.
"Why only NOW? Why would you want to ever be poisoned later or EVER?" Atori asks as if the two were joking, but when Gamzee doesn't laugh, he looks down at the shorter boy slightly confused. Gamzee is silent for a while.
"I GoT ShIt tO Do aToRi. I CaN'T Be dYiN' jUsT YeT YoU DiG? i tRuSt yOu bRoThEr aNd i nEeD YoU To hElP KeEp mE AlIvE FoR A WhIlE..."
Atori scrunches his eyebrows together a little, the tension in Gamzee's voice suddenly very obvious. He looks forward and up at the purple-ing sky and puts a hand on his hip.
"My help huh?... Well no one has ever asked me to keep them ALIVE before. Hehehe. But of course I'll help you. You're the—"
"I'M JuSt a nOrMaL MoThErFuCkEr aToRi..."
"Right. A normal motherfucker. Whatever you say bossman. Anyhow... wanna tell me what's goin' through your head?"
The two walk down the dirt street quietly for a while... There's a very nice cool breeze cutting through the heat of the desert surrounding them and their city. It doesn't even smell though it's so hot.
From the side, a blue blood runs up to the two. Atori tenses up ready to fucking murder this guy for rushing on them like that, but Gamzee is chill and he waves to the blue blood.
"SuP BrO WhAt's tHe rUsH?"
"Sir, there was a sighting of that group of trolls again?"
"HuH?"
"On the first day you arrived here some of us saw a group of kid trolls walking outside the gate and then they disappeared. I just saw them again and they were inside the city this time! They were all comprised of lowbloods who I've never seen before, and no one let them in! I would like your input on the situation!"
"You shit ass little-"
"NaH, nAh, HoLd On BrO. So sOmE LoWbLoOdS ArE In tHe cItY. wHo cArEs?"
The guy seems confused... Dealing with a new Makara after all this time is pretty fuckin weird. They're so different.
"U...uh... Well this area is reserved for the nobility and higherbloods. Not only that but how did such people survive the desert outside with the rain we've been having recently? The previous Highblood would have us search for them and kill them..."
Gamzee narrows his black and yellow eyes a little.
"WeLl bRoSkI, i dUnNo iF YoU AlL Up aNd gOt yOuR NoTiCiN' eYeS On, BuT I AiN'T ThE BiG FuCkEr. I'M Me aNd i tHiNk dIfFeReNtLy tHaN HiM. iF ThErE ArE LoWbLoOdS In tHe cItY, lEt tHeM Be. If tHeY AiN'T HuRtIn' AnYoNe tHeN LeAvE ThEm aLoNe."
"Uh... Yes sir... But... if they start causing trouble among our people then..."
"ThEn jUsT CoMe aNd tElL Me aBoUt iT AnD We'lL TaLk aBoUt iT. iF YoU SeE ThEm aGaIn aNd tHeY'Re sTiRrIn' SoMe sHiT Up i gUeSs i'lL SeE 'eM To sEe wHaT ThEiR ShTiCk iS."
"And if they are not 'stirin' some shit up'?"
"ArE YoU KiDdIn' Me rIgHt nOw hOmIe? JuSt lEaVe 'Em aLoNe."
The way these people talk about lowbloods is pretty irritating. Of course Gamzee is aware that in the old society the higherbloods ruled over the lower bloods and treated them like shit and scum and lower than dirt. But he was always alone, away from the people who shared his blood... And of course the adults were banned so he grew up far differently. He grew up with his lowblood friends and his royal friends and they all basically treated each other with respect... uh... kinda. Gam always figured it was their personalities that made them act certain ways towards each other. Of course there was Equius who was always very strict about the hemospectrums laws and shit... and of course Eridan who hated land dwellers... But even that didn't have anything to do with blood color or rank, he hates them because they pollute the water.
So this blue blood being so adamant about possibly killing the lowbloods who , just EXISTING, is possibly disrupting the highblood way of life is... mind boggling to Gamzee.
Well he's gonna change that shit right fuckin now.
"Are you sure Gamzee?"
"Uh, YeAh i'm pReTtY FuCkIn sUrE If i sAy sOmEtHiNg i mEaN It."
"Alright you heard the guy."
"Yes sir! I'll... leave the trolls alone. Until they cause trouble, then I'll bring them to you!"
"YeP, yOu GoT iT."
The blue blood walks off scratching his head, not used to such orders. DON'T kill the lowbloods? This new Highblood was fuckin' weird.
Although Gamzee was curious. This group of lowblood trolls walking through the desert... Spotted one second and disappear the next, and then spotted again inside the city only to disappear again. He wonders who they are and if maybe they need help... But he knows that trolls can usually take care of themselves... Strange. He guesses he'll find out sooner or later.
For now though he supposes he has some research to do. And it looks like Atori is his best source of information. Maybe Gam should get Kloshe, the super old purple blood to talk to as well.
"You look like you got some shit goin' on in your pan bro."
"I Do. I HaVe sOmE SeRiOuS WoRk tO Do... AnD I AiN'T GoNnA StOp uNtIl i gEt wHaT I FuCkInG WaNt..."
Atori grins from the corner of his mouth.
"THAT's what a Highblood sounds like. Alright man, lay it on me."
"OuT In tHe oPeN PrObAbLy aIn't a gOoD IdEa... Be a bRo aNd gEt kLoShE FoR Me. HiM AnD Me aNd yOu gOtTa tAlK."
"You got it bossman."
While Atori walks off stretching his long arms, Gamzee walks back to his giant tent. Looking up at the wooden wall, he sees the small skull of the kid highblood... He walks over there and grabs it up, then walks to the throne area, which by the way gamzee thinks is the stupidest fucking thing EVER, and sits down in the dirt in front of it, holding the skull in his lap.
"GoT AnYtHiNg fOr mE LiTtLe gUy?... aNyThInG At aLl?"
And of course, the skull is silent. Gamzee sighs and just stares at it...
"HeH. yOu aIn't gOnNa bE QuIeT FoReVeR BrO. yOu'rE GoNnA HaVe tO AnSwEr mE SoMe dAy. AnD WhEn yOu dO It bEtTeR Be gOoD. lIkE, tElLiNg mE YoUr fUcKiNg nAmE. tHaT'D Be a gReAt sTaRt."
The horns down the center of the skulls head are dim. Not vibrant orange like they would be normally were the kid alive. It reminds Gamzee that he too one day will be a skull...
He's gonna make sure he's not just ANY skull though. Not just another skull that has no memories with it, no name and no knowledge that pours into the minds of anyone who looks at it.
No, he would be sure his life and his death would have meaning. When someone looks at his dead dim horns he wants people to know who he was, what he did and why he did it...
"Yo, you mopin' or some shit?"
"HuH?" Gamzee snaps out of his thoughts and looks behind him, Atori standing with Kloshe, whose hands are behind his back, much like any other old ass person would be hunched over.
"You wanted me sir?"
"YeAh bRo,i wAnNa tAlK To yA. pRiVaTeLy fOr a sEc iF ThAt's cOoL AtOrI My mAn." Atori nods a little and walks away. Kloshe stands there and waits for Gamzee to speak. It takes a while... but Gamzee stands up and looks at the skull again.
"Do you want to know more about him?"
"NaH. i'm gOnNa wAiT TiLl hE TeLlS Me hImSeLf. WhAt i wAnNa tAlK To yOu aBoUt... Is uH...wElL ThErE'S A LoT I WANNA TaLk aBoUt oF CoUrSe..."
"We will begin wherever you wish."
Gamzee nods a little to himself and bites his painted lip...
"I MeAn... HoW OlD ArE YoU EvEn? hOw hAvE YoU MaNaGeD To kEeP YoUr fUcKiN PaN StRaIgHt tHrOuGh yOuR WhOlE LiFe? DiD YoU HaVe aNy fRiEnDs?"
"Hmmm..." Kloshe brings up his right hand to stroke and pull at his mustache and chin.
"If I recall correctly I'm ninety two sweeps old."
"HoLy sHiT..."
"Heh. Yes I'm quite old indeed. As for my friends they have all long since been killed for their ignorance... their arrogance and their stupidity. Some were culled for trying to betray our messiah's. I suppose it is BECAUSE I've been alive for so long that I've managed to stay sane. It wasn't always like that though."
Gamzee tilts his head a little.
"YeAh?"
"Yes yes, I remember much of my youth. Remember Reznia?"
"Aw yEaH ThAt sOrTa cRaZy tAlL GiRl wItH ThE PoNy tAiL?"
"Yes. I was almost exactly like her. I had almost no control over my own mind or my own body."
"WoW. i cAn't iMaGiNe. YoU'Re sO FuCkIn cHiLl nOw mAn. HoW MaNy hIgHbLoOdS HaVe yOu sEeN In tHe sEaT MaN?"
"A few... Although Kurloz was the one who lasted the longest of course... I've seen six including you."
"CaN YoU TeLl mE MoRe aBoUt tHiS OnE?..."
Gamzee holds up the little skull with both hands and Kloshe steps forward and takes it in his hands... He stares fondly at it.
"Of course. He was much like you in that he was not worried about being the strongest or the meanest troll he could be. He was very nice to everyone and he smiled all the time. Although he was hyper, at times when it mattered most, he would become very serious and it was rather electrifying to see him get into battle mode. He was a VERY good fighter for his age and for his short stature. Also he insisted on wearing a cape." A low breathy chuckle.
"Many of us told him to take that silly thing off, but of course he insisted and would often run around as fast as he could just to feel like a hero he read about in books."
"HoW DiD He cOmE To bE ThE HiGhBlOoD So yOuNg?"
A long stretch of silence later, Kloshe rubs the ridge of the eye on the boys skull.
"Well he went through training just like you'll be going through. He was extraordinary in his skills and even in his mental abilities. The highblood before him was a tyrant. He didn't respect our Messiah's and would cull our strongest trolls for fun. To prove he was stronger. At the time we really needed all of our strongest trolls and he was fucking it up for all of us. And one day this little shrimp of a troll just walked up to the guy and smiled like a moron. We all waited for him to just get his head ripped off or something. When the highblood tried, this little runt would just spin and turn and cartwheel away. He made a real laughing stock of hid elder and it was fucking hilarious. I'll never forget it.
After a while of playing really, he jumped on the highblood's back and wrapped his tiny hands around his neck and yanked back with... hardly any effort. Terrifying. To see a child so young rip the skin and muscles and bone completely backwards. He ripped off a good strip of skin down his back to his tail bone, then shoved his small hand inside the chest of his bigger counterpart. He ripped out his still beating heart. I'll never forget his scream when he stared at it. It was pretty confusing. He was just shrieking at the heart. We never figured out if it was a personal grudge or if he was just terrified at what he'd done. Buuuut... hehe. After he took a bite out of the heart and stomped on it we figured it was personal.
That four sweep old boy became our highblood that moment and he looked at us with a beautiful fury in his eyes. He was determined to change everything to the way he knew it would be perfect for all of us.
His kindness confused all of us at first. We were used to a Highblood that would cull and compete like an animal every day for many many sweeps. And now we had this wriggler in charge! Smiling at us all and saying hello to us as he passed. He told us to NEVER call him boss, or highblood or sir or anything like that when we weren't in battle. His name was all he wanted to hear from us."
Gamzee is quiet... that kid... The owner of that tiny little head was...
"He was so lively and he gave us hope..."
"HoW... hOw dId hE AnD..."
"Aaah yes. A dark day that was, even for us. I remember very very well." Kloshe nods and takes a deep breath.
"He and Kurloz never really got along well. I thought for sure they were going black. They might have been... ah no I'm sure that was reserved for Redglare... Anyway, Kurloz was about nine sweeps old and often times he'd barge right in and start screaming in the boys face about things that didn't even make sense. Kurloz wasn't taking the training too well. Like Reznia he was practically losing his fuckin pan. But our little highblood would hardly raise his voice. Although on occasion they'd get into serious bloody fights. Of course no one broke them up. We alllll knew our leader could defend himself when he knew it was necessary. And we always got a show when Kurloz would stomp out with his paint all fucked up and blood coming out of his nose. Hehehe. Our boy here would stomp out of the tent and stick his tongue out at Kurloz, then spit where he stepped.
We eventually all started to notice that Kurloz was getting bigger... We thought maybe he was having an intense growth spurt. There were some of us that were VERY large. But when he started to tower over us all we became worried. He was getting far far too large to be normal.
One day he ripped the tent right out of the ground. On this day we received a grim reminder that we get new highbloods when the previous one is killed by a competitor... Our little Highblood just sat there and stared up at the monster in front of him. I was standing at his side. We were talking about something and the wind from the tent made a huge dirt cloud so we couldn't see a damn thing. But I think he knew...
I tried to do my best to protect my leader, but I wasn't prepared for the strength Kurloz had suddenly come to possess. He knocked me away like I was a fly on a piece of shit... I remember hearing our little highblood scream at Kurloz as he jumped up and went into battle.
When I looked up I saw.. haha! I saw Kurloz swatting and flailing his arms like an idiot trying to catch that little troll. But alas... Kurloz finally knocked our little highblood to the ground and before I could run over to save him, that giant fucking foot stepped on him like an ant, crushing and smearing his body until it was hardly a stain on the dirt. Little guys head popped right off. Kurloz was carrying out the tradition of keeping the skulls of the previous ruler to show their strength. I never let him touch that boys head or his skull. Ever. If he got ahold of it, he would have crushed it in his big fucking fingers."
Kloshe can't stop the memory of holding the tiny head in his arms close to his body, staring into the exploded eyes of his favorite person...
Gamzee gulps a little and stares at the skull again...
"WhY'D YoU LeT Me nEaR It tHeN? wHy hAvEn't yOu kEpT HiM AwAy fRoM Me? I'M... i aM LiTeRaLlY ThE EcToBiOlOgIcAl cLoNe oF HiM..."
"I knew you were different. I can see it all over you. You may be his little clone, but you are not him. And I trust you with him." Kloshe holds out the tiny skull that never got to finish growing... and Gamzee takes it again.
"Now... What was it... you REALLY wanted to talk about."
Gamzee looks up quickly and sputters a little.
"We-WeLl ShIt MaN! I uH... Uh...UuUuUuH..."
Gosh how could he talk about anything now that he knew who this boy was in life? He wanted to know everything! But he did have to focus on the here and now and get this off his chest.
"Uh... AlRiGhT. i gUeSs yOu... tRuStEd mE WiTh tHe kId aNd tHe sToRy... So i'm gOnNa tRuSt yOu wItH WhAt i'm gOnNa sAy... YoU CaN'T TeLl aNyOnE. gOt iT?"
"Yes sir."
"I'M GoNnA GeT ReVeNgE FoR My fRiEnDs... aNd fOr eVeRy tRoLl iN ExIsTeNcE WhO'S HaD To sUfFeR BeCaUsE Of tHaT StUpId sEa hItLeR... i'm gOnNa kIlL HeR KlOsHe fOr wHaT ShE DiD. i wOn't lEt hEr kEeP ToRmEnTiNg eVeRyOnE LiKe tHiS... BeFoRe i gOt hErE I CaMe fRoM A PlAnEt oF DeAd tRoLlS. wHeN We dIeD We wEnT ThErE. bUt eVeN In dEaTh tHaT CuNt fLeW In aNd fLoOdEd tHe wHoLe gOd dAmN WoRlD AnD KiLlEd mY FrIeNdS AnD EvErY PoUr mOtHeRfUcKeR ThAt wAs tHeRe... I SaW WrIgGlErS AnD OlD PeOpLe gEt sWePt aWaY. i dIdN'T EvEn gEt tO SeE My fRiEnDs aT ThE EnD Of tHeIr lIvEs. I DiDn't gEt tO TeLl tHeM HoW SoRrY I FuCkIn wAs fOr aLl tHe sHiT I PuT ThEm tHrOuGh. I DiDn't gEt tO ThAnK ThEm fOr pUtTiNg uP WiTh mE AnD I DiDn't gEt tO KnOw oUr aNcEsToRs aNd tHaNk tHeM FoR AlL ThEy dId... I FuCkEd uP KlOsHe. I FuCkEd uP So fUcKiNg bAd...aNd wHeN ThAt mOtHeRfUcKiNg sEa bItCh cAmE... sHe tOoK It aLl aWaY. sHe tOoK AwAy eVeRyThInG ThAt mAtTeReD To eVeRyOnE On tHaT PlAnEt aNd eVeRyThInG ThAt eVeR MaTtErEd tO Me... So i'm gOnNa mAkE An aRmY... AnD I'M GoNnA KiLl hEr... I DoN'T CaRe hOw i dO It... BuT ShE AiN'T GoNnA KeEp hEr bUlLsHiT Up... NoT If i cAn hElP It. KlOsHe wHaT I NeEd fRoM YoU Is yOuR TrUsT... yOuR HeLp. YoUr sWeEt aSs wIsE PaN AnD YoUr oLd gUy mUsClEs tO HeLp mE..."
Kloshe's old eyes are wide and he looks like he's seen a damn ghost. It's quiet for a long time, the wheels in both trolls' heads turning and spinning quickly. The old troll looks into Gamzee's eyes as he talks and sees something there. Something familiar...
Finally Kloshe looks at his feet and makes a few nods to himself...
"I see. Yes... Yes. I will help you. You do know this is treason right?"
"YoU'Re gOd dAmN RiGhT I KnOw iT'S TrEaSoN..."
"Heh. So. We are your army. Are you willing to take that responsibility?"
"MoThErFuCkEr. I WoUlDn't hAvE GoD DaMn sAiD It uNlEsS I MeAnT It."
"We could change the world you know."
"I kNoW..."
Another nod from Kloshe and he sighs.
"I suppose it can't be helped then. We will be your comrades in battle."
Behind the curtain separating the throne room from the entrance, Atori leans against a stool with his arms folded.
He heard the whole thing.
And if Kloshe trusts Gamzee with such a mission, then he does too...
And he will fight to the death for him.
TO BE CONTINUED...
(REMEMBER you can still ask for drawings, CHRIST PLEASE ASK FOR DRAWINGS. ASK FOR FIVE DRAWINGS GOD DAMN I NEED SOMETHING TO DRAW. I WANT TO DRAW EVERYTHING AND MAKE GIFS BUT I WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU ALL WANT TO SEE IT TOO FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF)