"Seb's house never felt so far!" Faye panted as the three of them sprinted up the hill leading to the mountain house.
"Of all times right?" Penny agreed. She was keeping up well with their pace much to both Faye's and Sam's silent surprise.
The mist was thinning around them the higher in altitude they went, though it still lingered around them like a visible plague. At this point, it only choked them like heavy pollution as they breathed it in. However, a few minutes in, and the smell of the air drastically changed, as did the lighting in the distance.
"Hey...you smell that?" Sam sniffed, concern crossing all of their faces.
"Fire. Let's go," Faye gasped as the black smoke began blowing their way. Upon reaching their band member's house, Sam's eyes widened as his jaw hit the ground, Faye doubled over in in bewildered disbelief, and Penny's eyes welled with tears as her hands flew to her mouth.
Sebastian's house was all aflame, adding an orange hue to the diseased environment. Dancing around it maniacally was Sebastian himself with a torch, lighting parts of the house not yet engulfed in flames. Nearby, Robin, Demetrius, Linus, Marlon, Willy, and Gil were tied to a tree, blackened and barely conscious as heavy smoke wafted in their direction. Standing guard over them was Abigail with her sword drawn at the ready.
"Our house…" Robin murmured sadly through the smoke, "I'd have let you kill me before you destroyed our home." Abigail slapped her in the face with the flat side of her blade.
"He has his reasons," she hissed as her whitened eyes flashed dangerously, "and frankly, I kinda don't blame him."
"Aside from the obvious and cliched I'm-the-less-favored-kid bullshit, of course," Sebastian assured Robin with an evil smile, his face illuminated by the fire.
"At least Abi's not in the caves right?" Sam gulped nervously. Faye exhaled reluctantly.
"I like your optimism," she said readily as she drew the Galaxy, "Abi's got her sword. I'll keep her busy. If you two can take on Seb, maybe you guys can help the others if I can't."
"Poor Robin. All of her hard work…" Penny trailed off sadly until Faye nudged her.
"That's not really Seb and Abi. Let's get them back," she encouraged her with a ready smile. With a nod, Sam and Penny ran towards Sebastian while Faye ran off in the opposite direction for Abigail.
"Sam! You just HAD to bring Miss Goody Two-Shoes with you?!" Sebastian yelled at him tauntingly, "I can deal without her logic tonight, thanks!"
Penny flinched. "Asshole."
"Don't make me beat you to the ground, Seb," Sam warned before he flashed a smirk, "Unless that's what you want." He then muttered aside to Penny, "Think you can just sneak around Abi and get to Demetrius and the others?"
"That I can do. Be careful," she nodded as she ran towards some brush near the hostage tree.
"Your last words, man," Sebastian jeered back as the two boys tackled into each other.
Meanwhile, Abigail caught notice of Faye coming into her sights. "Well, what do we have here? A lost farmer?"
"What a way to confess to Seb about your feelings, huh?" Faye sneered, working to draw her ire, "Tie up his parents and those who just happen to be nearby. You couldn't just say it straight?"
"Shut up, Faye! There's nothing that needs to be said to him at all," Abigail shot back, "If anything, I almost feel sorry for you, fifth-wheeling through band practices. But hey, the band's gotta have a groupie right?" Behind Abigail's back, Faye saw Penny sneaking towards the others tied at the tree. They met eyes, and the same determined, knowing look crossed their faces.
"If I'm a groupie, then you're just a gimmick," Faye pressed, walking backward slightly to draw Abigail closer to her away from the tree, "A girl drummer? Bound to turn some heads there."
And Abigail charged with her sword. As the metals resounded, Faye could not help but thank Yoba for Abigail's still slightly-clumsy sword handling and fighting. Hopefully enough, she could subdue her right away.
However, for all her clumsiness, her speed made up for it. In no time, there were gashes along Faye's arms and stomach.
"Lost your touch, Farmer?" Abigail taunted, her sword glistening with crimson.
"Just testing you out," Faye replied as she charged again. She maneuvered Abigail around, giving Penny a clear field.
"Robin, Demetrius. Can you wake up?" Penny whispered hurriedly to them. Both of their eyes fluttered open weakly as she worked at their rope bonds.
"Penny…" Linus murmured, "Help us."
"I am. Just stay quiet. We don't want Abi to hear us," Penny assured him as Marlon, Willy, and Gil, too, came to their senses. Her hands were shaking nervously and uncontrollably by the time the ropes fell loose on the ground. "Use the back road to get to Faye's farm. You'll be safe there. Now, one by one..."
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Penny had Willy and Marlon around her shoulders when Abigail glanced their way, bloodied and streaked with black from spar gashes. Demetrius was helping to support Robin to safety ahead of them when hesitation crossed his face at being noticed.
"Run Demetrius!" Penny yelled at him as she hobbled with Willy as fast as she could. Just before Abigail could reach them, Faye came up and got her in the back.
"Oh no, you don't," she muttered as she swung around and flung Abigail in the opposite direction. As she momentarily lay on the ground, Faye got Linus and Gil by the arms. "Can you guys follow alright?"
"We'll make it. Thanks, kid," Gil sputtered through a weak smile as he supported Linus and staggered away from the fight.
"Now Seb has to deal with those sorry excuses for parents!" Abigail grumbled, "They don't even love him."
"What? Like you?" Faye smiled tauntingly, "Get up so I can beat you fair and square."
"You'll eat those words-" Abigail started as she sprung up, only to be stabbed square in the chest by Faye's blade. Black rose out of her wound like smoke to mix in with the fire's dark billows. She fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Penny, everything alright?" Faye called out. Coming from the back route, Penny jogged up to her, slightly covered in soot.
"Yep, they're en route to your place and away from here," she announced with relief.
"Good. Let's check on those boys."
They ran down the slight mountain hill to find Sam and Sebastian wrestling in the dirt. Both of their faces were scratched and swelling from hard punches. However, Sam had Sebastian in his control, landing a well-aimed punch to Sebastian's stomach to render him temporarily winded.
"You may beat me at pool, but I got you beat in smackdowns," Sam sneered as he kneed Sebastian in the groin, "I love ya bro, but this is for your own good."
"You don't know what's good for me. I'll figure that out for myself," Sebastian snarled through gritted teeth. With a side punch to Sam's temple, he wriggled out of his grasp, shoved him against the rocky mountain wall, and began mauling him punch for punch in the chest and face.
"Oh, I can't watch this…" Penny groaned as she walked off slowly, "I'll just go and check on Abi."
"Defend your girlfriend's honor, Seb," Sam smiled evilly as he got another uppercut to the jaw, "She's been knocked the fuck out."
"By who?" Sebastian growled angrily, whipping his head around to face behind him.
Immediately, Faye struck him clean in the throat before she ran off towards the mountain lake. He coughed and choked aggressively as Sam kicked him to the floor, pounced, and began pummeling him in the face and chest to cut off his air. To his satisfaction, Sebastian soon began coughing up black ash that began blowing away into the wind. As an added bonus, he saw as it blew into the house's inferno, and a monstrous screech echoed from the flames until it died down completely.
When Sebastian was finally lying still, Sam got off his stomach and began examining him for life. When he felt a slight pulse, he exhaled in relief and looked around. Penny was attending to Abigail, who was just waking up. Nearby, Faye was sprinting back and forth with bucket after bucket full of water from the lake to try putting out the house fire.
"Ugh…"
Finally, a tired groan from Sebastian snapped Sam's thoughts. He grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Seb! Dude, you okay?" he asked semi-frantically. Sebastian sat up, and Sam supported him to stand.
"Yeah, I'm good...And holy hell, what happened to the house?" Sebastian asked, the blood draining from his face. He could only stare at Faye trying hard to suppress the fire.
"It's not YOUR fault per se, but you set fire to your house," Sam answered flatly, grinning and slapping Sebastian on the back.
"...Mom's gonna totally kill me," Sebastian chuckled nervously, attempting to wipe a streak of dirt on his face, "Is that Penny and Abigail up there? What happened?"
"We had to kill you!" Penny yelled from afar as she helped Abigail over to where they were. Sebastian and Abigail gawked at her. "But you're both safe now!"
Meanwhile, Faye was able to dampen part of the house into low embers. Amongst the burnt debris, she saw a faint purple glow. Hesitatingly, she reached through and pulled out the tainted Stardrop. It began to vibrate violently, and she moved to drop it except it hung suspended in the air.
"Faye?! What's happening?!" Sam called out to her.
She turned, and she saw the four others backing away from the discarded pack thrown from Sam's back as it, too, began to vibrate dangerously. It eventually tore apart, and the last six Stardrops hovered out. The seventh joined it in a circle, and Faye ran over to them. The bile-colored mist was quickly getting sucked into the seven Stardrops, finally clearing up everywhere in the valley.
"I have no idea," she answered finally. Her head began throbbing uncomfortably until it felt like multiple migraines. She looked down at the fresh cuts and wounds she received from Abigail's sword fight. To her horror, they were faintly bleeding black like the Stardrop taint. She looked up at the four, who were staring back at her with the same expression of horror and anticipation.
They reacted wildly as the black in all of the Stardrops suddenly began blasting itself through Faye's open wounds. She collapsed to her knees in intense pain as Sam, Sebastian, Penny, and Abigail frantically reached for the Stardrops in an attempt to halt whatever flow was occurring.
"They burn!" Abigail wailed as she flinched sharply and pulled her hands back in pain. True enough, the Stardrops burned red with each touch, rendering the four of them powerless to stop the black from infiltrating Faye's body. "And whatever that is, IT'S NOT STOPPING!"
Faye began levitating off the ground, writhing in pain as a vicious purple glow began to emanate from her body. And when she finally attempted to open her eyes, they became pure black, and her skin became white as marble.
"THAT'S not supposed to happen," Sebastian murmured, his eyes wide in dread.
"Brace yourselves guys!" Sam yelled.
With an anguished shriek, Faye released a purple laserbeam in their direction before she, along with the seven Stardrops, rapidly drifted towards town.