Range of Demotion
Author's Note: So, DelanaKiger made a great point in their review about character dialog, and I'd like to clarify those points.
I don't use Rouxls Kaard's Shakespearian slang simply because it's too complicated for me. In the amount of time, I have to write, trying to add eth, est, and an e to the end of any word ending in m or n. That's not something I'm good at, so I went with the belief he only does it to sound cool or intimidating towards the lighteners, seeing as he does have his share of normal sentences in the game as well.
And the reason Jevil doesn't repeat himself is another thing. I feel it would be hard to stick with the story if Jevil ever said the same word twice in a row, and personally see that as a mere symptom of his insanity he inherited from his time behind bars. I think after a little time of freedom, he'd return to speaking like a normal person.
Anyways, proceed if you're ready, but please be warned, this chapter may be a little tear-jerking.
Seam was doing his usual thing, tidying up his shop and preparing his famous dark burgers. He pauses for a second once a specific picture catches his eye. A photo of he and Jevil at a much younger age. He dusts the photo off and sighs lightly.
"It's been quite some time my friend." He says in a low tone voice. "If only I knew where you were, perhaps we could play one more game." He sets the photo down and coughs weakly. "Before the darkness of this world overpowers my weak will." His ears perk up at the sound of the door opening. "Who is it?" He turns around and flinches when he sees his customer.
"Oh, long time no see, old pal!" The larger blue man exclaims as he holds his tail out like a mace.
"Lord Spade! It's been quite some time." The senile cat comments with a frightened look in his right eye. He twitches softly as the enraged king steps forward. "What are you doing with your tail?" The king stops and holds out his hand.
"Seam, I'm going to ask you for one thing. The key." Seam raises his right eyebrow.
"What key?" He asks as the king swings his tail on the desk before him. "Whoa!" He flinches and steps back against the wall.
"Don't play dumb with me wolf mutt." He insults. "The key to Jevil's cell!" He points the tip of his tail forward as Seam's expression changes slowly.
"Oh, that key. Ha, ha, auc!" He chuckles and coughs. His right eyebrow lowers as he proceeds. "I don't have it." He mumbles lightly.
"WHAT?!" The forceful spade man swings his tail above Seam's head, knocking the items on his top shelf down. Seam gasps as his flasks and photos shatter on the floor.
"Hey! What was that for?!" He exclaims as the king grabs him by his collar.
"Where is the key?" He asks in a calmer, yet very intimidating tone. A sweat drop falls from the edge of his left brow and his blind eyelid twitches.
"I sort of… gave it to the lighteners." He remarks as the king slams him against the wall. "Ouch!" He says before coughing a couple times. The large spade man lifts him off the ground.
"I gave you one job you old bastard! I told you to make sure that key never came near the castle again!" He shouts in fury as the weak feline struggles painfully in his grip.
"I didn't give them the whole thing!" He chokes out as the king lightens his grip. "I only gave them one piece." The Spade King stomps.
"And where'd you put the rest of it?!" He demands as he lets his feet touch the ground, though, still grasping his throat. Seam coughs once.
"I broke it into three pieces and hid two of them in chests." He states. "I put one behind a spike trap I was certain no one outside of your castle would've known how to get through, and the other one in a hidden path behind some trees." Two spades spawn and are poised in his direction.
"And what did you do with the last one?" He asks in a gruff tone. Seam's right eye sheds a few tears.
"I gave it to the lighteners." He shamefully admits. The two spades slice him at his chest. "Ouch!" He winces as the merciless king leans his face closer to his.
"And why, did you let them have it?" He asks with fury under his breath. Seam gathers his courage and frowns at him.
"I missed Jevil, okay?" He states. "And I was hoping, that within the last year of my dying life, he'd finally be free! So, I gave them the third part of the key with the hope that they'd restore it, and let my lonely friend out of his cell!" The king slashes him again with a sharp spade, causing him to wince.
"You do know there are consequences to anyone who assists a lightener, right?!" Seam's right eyebrow twitches and he glares into the king's shaded eyes.
"I don't care." He says firmly as the Spade King slams his back against the wall again. Seam firmly grunts in an effort to avoid any verbal reaction.
"Well then!" He sends another sharp spade into his torso, causing him to spasm lightly. "Are there any last words?" He asks as he poises his tail. The senile feline raises an eyebrow slightly.
"Last words?" He asks curiously as the king spins his tail a couple times.
"Yeah, like, 'I'm sorry,' or 'it should've never happened'." He states. "You know? Something that would ease my frustration right now." Seam coughs twice and covers a savage look in his functioning eye.
"Okay, I've got one. Come closer." He insists. The king frowns lightly.
"Come on, spit it out, no one else can even hear you." The ruthless monarch remarks. The dying cat shakes his head lightly.
"It's a really important secret." He states as he flexes all his vocal muscles to halt his cough.
"Fine." The king says in an unamused tone and leans closer to the point their faces are less than three inches apart. "What is it?" He asks. The retired magician coughs once and a ball of dark paste flies out of his mouth and lands on the king's face. "Hey!" He steps back and wipes his face. "A hairball?! Gross!" He exclaims in annoyance. Seam chuckles twice.
"Tada!" He says in a quiet enthusiastic voice while the king glares deeply and holds his tail up.
"ALRIGHT! THAT'S IT!" He roars as the mysterious cat smirks lightly, showing no fear to his potential fate.
Within seconds of this, the crazed joker awakens in his cell.
"Whoa!" He exclaims fearfully as he wipes his eyes. "Wow, that was one scary dream." He says to himself while massaging his eyelids, he noticed his muscles feel a little sorer than he's used to. "I hope Seam's doing better than he was in that vision. Right, Uncle Spade?" He waits for a few seconds and repeats himself. "Uncle Spade?" He asks as he sets his hands to the side of his body. His peripheral vision is blurrier than he's used to.
*What is going on?* He thinks. *Why do I feel so much weaker than usual?* He levitates toward the sleeping blue person, only to find someone he didn't expect.
"Rouxls Kaard?!" He questions as he taps the duke's shoulder. "What are you doing here?" He cringes lightly at the cuts on his face. "And what happened to your face?" The duke continues laying motionless as the jester shoves his shoulder a few times. "Rouxls, wake up!" He pushes firmly, his shoulder muscles ache from the effort. Fortunately, the much younger royal duke opens his eyes.
"Oh. My poor head." He mumbles as he regains his vision. "Jevil… is that you?" He lightly lifts himself upward as the joker shrugs.
"Of course, it's me, what's the matter?" He asks. The royal duke stammers for a second.
"No offense, but you look… older." He shamefully says. The joker rolls his eyes.
"I feel older, but I'm probably just a little sick." He reaches into his pocket. "I should have a card to cure- huh?" He unfolds his shirt pocket and reveals it's empty. "Where are my cards?" He asks as Rouxls turns away.
"I'm so sorry, but King Spade has stolen your deck." Jevil gasps.
"WHAT?!" He screams loudly before clutching his Adam's apple. "Ow. Why does it hurt so much to yell?" Rouxls frowns with a concerned look.
"Jevil, you've got pale skin, weak eyelids, and a full beard!" Jevil flinches.
"I do?" He feels the edge of his chin, needless to say, he has two inches of thick hair all around the edges of his chin. "What happened to me?!" He exclaims in horror as he faces the duke.
"I think the king did something to affect your aging process." The joker facepalms.
"God, dammit! He dispelled my immortality!" He panics and grabs the shovel on the floor. "And this." He makes eye contact with him. "Where'd you get this?" He asks as Rouxls frowns lightly.
"You gave it to me. And our former king used it to strike my left eye." He says as Jevil glares.
"That bastard! I was right about him, wasn't I?!" Rouxls cries a few tears.
"Yes, you were." He sits down as tears stream out of his cut and battered eyes. "You were right and we were wrong." He winces as his tears slide around his cuts. Jevil points the shovel toward the door.
"Come on, let's go!" He chants with haste as he begins levitating toward the open cell door.
"Good luck." The saddened duke mumbles, catching the Joker's attention.
"Huh?" He levitates back and descends to the floor. "Rouxls, what's the matter?" He asks as the dark blue duke turns toward him.
"This is all my fault." He says shamefully. "I'm the reason he's running amuck while you're older and weaker than before. If the lighteners aren't warned, he'll kill them." Jevil frowns.
"Come on! You're absolutely right about that. We can't let him do that!" He exclaims as the duke sighs and rests his face in his knees.
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you." Jevil sighs.
"Why is that?" He asks.
"I promised Lancer I'd never hurt his father no matter what the consequence was. If I did anything, Lancer would be heartbroken." Jevil sighs and pats his shoulder.
"I understand, but won't he be even more heartbroken if anything happened to the three people he cares about?" He asks as Rouxls looks up at him with a saddened look.
"I'm sorry, but unlike you… I can't do anything." He states as the jester frowns.
"Don't give me that." He remarks in disappointment. "You've got to help me." Rouxls shakes his head.
"I can't. If I interfere, someone still dies either way. I can't hurt Lancer anymore." Jevil frowns.
"Sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good." He puts his hand to his heart and bows his head. "Here, let me show you." The joker begins glowing brightly, causing the dark blue duke to raise his head.
"Huh?" A couple seconds later, he gasps as his blacked eye regains its bluish outline and his cheek scars have vanished completely. Jevil groans lightly as his beard expands and turns a slightly brighter shade of white.
"How do you feel?" The jester asks in a slightly deeper voice as Rouxls gasps and stands up.
"Better than ever." He grabs his shoulders and holds him up. "How'd you do that?" He asks with an amazed tone. Jevil smiles lightly.
"I consumed some of my life energy to rejuvenate your injuries." Rouxls sheds a tear.
"Thanks, but… why?" He asks. "Why would you do that for someone not worthy of such kindness?" Jevil shrugs.
"Sometimes, sacrifices just have to be made." He says as he turns around. "Now, can we please go help our friends before that mad man comes back for them?" Rouxls smiles joyfully and nods.
"Alright fellow nut. Let us make haste."
Meanwhile, up in the master bedroom, Kris awakens to the sound of an unpleasant voice.
"AH!" The cyan boy turns to his boyfriend as he lightly groans in pain.
"Ralsei, what happ- AH!" His sentence is cut short to the intense pain of a sharp object being buried into his chest. "Ow!" His eyes fill with tears as he glares and sees a lone shadow in the darkroom through his blurred vision. "Who's there?!" He demands. The person flips the light switch on, and both boys gasp.
"A Rudinn Ranger?!" Ralsei exclaims as the disgruntled ghost faces them and reveals a meat cleaver.
"What was that for?!" Kris asks as the creature rolls his eyes.
"Just take it like a man you wimp!" He says as he slithers out and slams the door behind him. Ralsei holds his hand to his heart to stop the bleeding.
"Kris! I need a dark candy, fast!" He exclaims. The cyan boy glooms as he grabs one out of the bag on the floor.
"I need it too, but there's only one left." He says as more tears flood his vision. Ralsei sighs sadly as his blood and tears begin soaking the sheets.
"Well Kris, it was nice knowing you." He says sadly. "I'll miss you." He says as he turns back to lie on his back.
"No, we're going to share it!" Kris demands as he pulls the candy in two halves. "Here!" He says as he shoves his half into his mouth. The meek goat grabs the other half and eats it.
"Thanks." He says as he stares at the cut on his boyfriend's chest. "But we're still bleeding." He says as Kris puts his armor back on, grunting from the pain.
"Come on, we can't let that ranger hurt Susie and Lancer." He says.
In the other room, Susie wakes up to the sight of someone holding something sharp, poised to hit Lancer.
"Oh my god!" She shouts quickly as she holds her arm out to block the blade. "Ow!" She exclaims as the knife strikes into the bone behind her wrist. The spade prince rolls over and wakes up.
"Susie, what's- whoa!" He dives in front of the blade as the Rudinn Ranger aims for Susie's chest. "YOW!" The blade pierces his right lung and he falls on his back. Susie immediately gets on her feet and flips the lights on.
"What the hell are you doing?!" She asks with intense anger. The ranger looks up and glares.
"The Spade King is finally back up!" Lancer gasps at this. "And he fired all his other guards, so if I kill you, I'll be rewarded handsomely!" The blackjack begins crying as he faces him.
"Please, I'll pay you whatever my dad would've paid if you leave us." He suddenly begins coughing as Susie steps forward.
"I won't let you get away with that!" She exclaims as the ranger throws the knife at her collarbone, cutting into it. "Ow!" She reacts as the ranger shakes his head.
"No lighteners will get away under any circumstance. Especially if they're affiliated with Jevil!" He shouts as Susie grabs the cleaver.
"Jevil? Why do you care about him?" The ranger glares and holds a fairly big gemstone in front of him.
"That bastard scammed me with a fake crystal! And now I've built debts I'll need to make up through targeted bounties!" He points at her. "And that starts with you!" Susie swings the cleaver forward as he dodges it.
"Well, you're going to get what you paid for right now!" She says. As she moves inward to strike, the Rudinn slams the heavy crystal against her skull. "OW!" The reptilian teen falls on the ground and aids her aching head.
"I think I've done enough damage here!" The heartless servant shouts as he slithers toward the door. "Good luck surviving those injuries." He says as he leaves. Susie slowly gets back on her feet and steps back to the bed.
"Lancer, are you okay?" She asks as the spade prince nods.
"I think so, but…" He reveals a wound on his chest. "I think I'm bleeding in a more critical spot than I should." Susie scoops him up in her arms and carries him with her.
"You just took a stab to the chest for me." She says in a thankful tone. "I owe you one in the future." Lancer chuckles through his tears.
"Anything for my princess." He says as Susie opens the door. Ralsei and Kris are standing out there as well.
"Are you guys okay?" Kris asks as Ralsei leans on him, barely holding his eyelids open. Susie nods.
"I just have a couple stab wounds and a slight skull fracture on account of being hit by a heavy gem. Lancer's the one I'm worried about." She says as Lancer cringes and shows them his wound.
"I'm really feeling this today." He says with heavier breath than normal. Kris gasps as Ralsei faints on the floor.
"RALSEI!" He exclaims as the goat loses consciousness. He immediately gets down and puts his hands over his heart. "Please hang in there buddy." He says prayerfully as tears stream from his face. Lancer begins crying as well.
"This is a little more pain than I'm used to." He says as Susie sets him down.
"I'll go get the chef. He might be our only hope." She runs down the hallway and enters the kitchen. Meanwhile, Kris sighs deeply as Ralsei's pulse becomes lighter.
"Please… don't die." He says losing hope each word, Lancer pats him on the shoulder.
"Don't feel bad pal, there's still hope." The blackjack says as the cyan boy leans forward, gripping his own chest.
"Ow…" He looks up at Lancer weakly choking on his own breathing. A couple seconds later, he passes out as well. Lancer gasps.
"No! Kris!" He turns to the hallway as he hears loud stomping. "K. Round!" The large checker turns toward him and dives into the room, doing a perfect split on the royal floor. Lancer frowns. "Those are nice moves, but now's not the time for-" The checker king summons a carton of almond milk. "Milk?" Lancer asks.
"Mm, hm." The mute king mumbles lightly as he bows, causing the milk to levitate closer to the blackjack.
"Thanks!" Lancer says as he grabs the carton and holds Ralsei's mouth open with his other hand. "Here, pal! Drink this!" He exclaims nervously as he pours the milk down Ralsei's throat. Seconds later, the shaded goat weakly opens his eyes. Lancer smiles lightly and withdraws the carton.
"Thanks, I needed that." He says with a smile. His expression changes as he sees his unconscious boyfriend. "Kris?!" Lancer flips the human on his back and holds his mouth open.
"Come on buddy, stay with me." He says as the almond milk is poured into the handsome boy's mouth. A couple seconds later, Kris opens his shining eyes.
"Oh, what happened?" He asks as Lancer gasps in excitement.
"Oh, you're okay!" He celebrates. "Yes!" He flips the carton toward his own mouth and chugs the rest of it. Ralsei looks back to the dancing checker.
"Thanks, K. Round. You're a lifesaver." He says as the king smiles, bows, and then moonwalks out of the room. "Well, Kris are you-" His sentence is cut short as the handsome boy wraps his arms around him and holds him close. "Kris?"
"Please don't say any more." He says quietly. "You have no clue how relieved I am that you're alive." Ralsei sighs.
"I'm happy to be alive at this moment." He remarks. "But what was that ranger's motive for stabbing us?" Lancer glares and crushes the empty carton in frustration.
"He's after a bounty my father set on us!" He exclaims. "And he dare touch my princess!" He steps toward his bike. "I'm going to tear him down!" As the blackjack attempts to drive, the bike tips over. "Whoa! What the hell?" Kris steps forward and holds his bike up.
"Lancer, the assassin deflated your frontal tire." He says as he points to the front tire. "He probably did it so you couldn't chase him." Ralsei steps forward.
"By the way, where is Susie?" He asks. "I could've sworn she was here before I passed out." The Royal chef enters the room with a panicked look on his face.
"Children! Come quick!" He exclaims. The three boys follow him.
They enter the kitchen and gasp at the sight of an unconscious dragon on the floor.
"Susie!" Lancer shouts as he kneels next to his injured girlfriend. He then looks up at the chef. "What happened to her?!" The timid man sheds a couple of tears.
"The poor lass stepped in asking me to prepare some food to restore injuries, and then," He pauses and his voice breaks. "She just passed out on the floor!" He says while sobbing. Ralsei kneels and looks at the abrasion on her head.
"She must've gotten a concussion from the crystal," Ralsei says in a worried tone. Kris makes a fist.
"That evil maniac has a lot of nerve doing this to us!" The cyan boy says with fury as he glances back at the chef. "And he stole your meat cleaver?" The chef nods.
"Oui, he's potentially the most dangerous creature within this building." Kris sighs.
"If only Jevil were here." He says. "Perhaps he could defeat this punk." Lancer frowns and faces him.
"I beat Jevil last night, are you really sure he'd be a more capable ally than me?" The spade boy asks as the handsome lad shakes his head.
"No, no. I just think he'd be a little more unpredictable at a time like this." Ralsei stands up and faces his friends.
"Guys, we need to do something about Susie's injury before that concussion bleeds out." He asserts as Lancer summons a couple spades.
"I'm not going anywhere until that creep gets back here! I've got a bone to pick with him!" A diamond spear flies at his face. "Whoa!" He slides to the floor and the diamond barely misses his facial shadow.
"I'm right here, traitor." The heartless ranger says as Kris poises himself for battle.
"How is Lancer a traitor?!" The cyan boy exclaims as he points his sword forward. "You're the one who tried to kill him." He states as the ranger rolls his eyes.
"Actually, I haven't. I tried stabbing the dinosaur girl and he happened to take the blow." He says as Lancer and Ralsei poise themselves to prepare for upcoming attacks.
"You are truly a despicable person!" The shaded goat shouts with powerful fury.
"To think you were once our head ranger shows us your lack of honor!" The spade prince says as he summons three spades. "And you owe me a new tire!" The ranger chuckles and pulls out the sharp cleaver.
"You want to run that by me again?" He asks as the chef gasps.
"Hey! That's my cutting utensil! Give it back!" He demands as the ranger holds the knife his direction and pretends to throw it, causing the spinning chef to flinch. "Aie!" The chef runs out of the room in fear as the ranger glances back at the three angered boys.
"Well losers, are you going to attack me, or not?" He asks as Lancer fires the spades firmly.
"YEA-AH!" The blackjack groans as his spades go forward, causing him to miss his attack. "Ow!" He groans lightly as Kris dashes forward.
"You will not receive any mercy for once!" He lunges forward and swings the sword, only for a searing pain to emit within his chest. "Arg!" He manages to land the blow on the ranger, though much weaker than he's used to. Ralsei gasps as the cyan boy grips his chest.
"What's happening to our strength?" He asks fearfully as the ranger smirks evilly.
"Isn't it obvious? I've stabbed your most vital organs within your bodies." He states as he points at Ralsei. "And now, any form of will you give your all will only strain your hearts and weaken you further!" Ralsei, Lancer, and Kris all flinch with fear. The human gathers his strength and stands up.
"No! You can't do this to us. This is not a fair fight!" The ranger shoves the blade of the cleaver into the young man's right shoulder. "AH!" Kris drops the sword and quickly steps back as his skin aches and bleeds madly. Ralsei sheds a couple of tears and holds out his hand.
"Please stop!" He shouts desperately. "We don't need to kill anyone!" The ranger heartlessly rolls his eyes.
"You're just too wimpy to handle me. Aren't you?" He asks. "You have limited range of motion, and without it, you're powerless!" He pinches the edge of his blade and smears the blood off. "Well, it's too late! This time I will win, and the king will grant me the money I badly deserve!" He raises the cleaver high, and suddenly, a lone projectile knocks it out of his hands. "Huh?!"
"Was that a star?" Lancer asks as the ranger turns around. Standing before him is the eight-and-a-half-foot checker king.
"Mm, mm!" K. Round grunts as Rouxls Kaard steps in behind him.
"Hold on a second, you douchebag." The royal duke says as the ranger glares. "Who hired you to kill the lighteners?"
"No one!" The enraged Rudinn answers. "But I know the king will reward me once they're all dead!" He says as Rouxls shakes his head.
"I hardly think so, you're being demoted." He states as he faces the checker king. "King Round, crush him!" Kris smiles at the sight of this.
"I never would've thought this guy would fight for us." He says as Lancer shrugs.
"I knew appointing K. Round the throne was a good idea." The ranger snarls and turns back toward the lighteners.
"I'm killing you guys first!" He shouts as he reaches for the cleaver on the floor, but the moment he touches it, the heavy king stomps firmly on his hand. "OW!" He screams painfully as K. Round repositions himself in front of the heroes.
"Ha, ha, ha!" The checker king laughs as he gives a daring look to the ranger.
"Alright, I'm going to puncture you like a juice box!" The enraged Rudinn shouts as he fires diamond spears at the checker king. K. Round stands firmly and lets the spears hit his body, barely making any impact whatsoever.
"Is that really the best you can do?" Ralsei asks in amusement as the disgruntled ranger grabs the cleaver.
"Hardly!" He exclaims as he leaps into the air and strikes the crown on his head, causing it to loosen. Lancer summons a couple of spades.
"Would you like a hand, good sire?" He asks politely as the checker king lightly shakes his head. Kris gives Lancer a savage look.
"I don't think our king needs hands." He points at K. Round's muscular legs. "I mean really, who needs arms with legs like those?" The king raises his legs high and stars fly out of his feet, striking the ranger painfully.
"ARG!" He grunts loudly as he glares at Lancer behind K. Round's leg. "Ah, ha!" He launches a spear at the king's leg.
"Hm!" K. Round squats in front of Lancer as the ranger launches a second spear, willingly taking the blow for the spade prince, though unfortunately, the second spear strikes him directly on the crown and the shiny hat falls off his head. "HE?!" He reacts fearfully as Kris, Lancer, and Rouxls Kaard gasp.
"Gotcha!" The ranger celebrates as the checker king shrinks down to size. "Now this will be way easier!" Ralsei picks up the crown and steps forward.
"Here sir." He says as he holds the crown above the checker's head. "I'll put it-"
"SILENCE!" The ranger exclaims as he firmly throws the cleaver at the shaded goat, piercing his left hip.
"OW!" Ralsei exclaims as he drops the crown and steps back. Kris glares deeply at the ranger.
"Alright, you dreadful dick! I've had it with you!" He retracts the cleaver from his boyfriend's hip and holds it forward. "Come at me!" He calls, attempting to ignore his greatly-aching muscles. The ranger sneers rudely.
"Oh please, all of you are too weak to fight me and your stupid ruler is too weak to fight me without a crown." He chuckles with a sociopathic grin. "It hardly seems fair." Lancer glares.
"It wasn't fair! You cheated!" The ranger shrugs.
"So what? It's not like I have to play by rules all the time. This game is a little too easy." Suddenly an unexpected voice is heard.
"Yeah, so how about we make it harder?" He says, causing Kris, Ralsei, and Lancer to gasp.
"JEVIL?!" They all exclaim as the old jester takes off his hat.
"K. Round, catch!" He shouts as he tosses his hat toward the checker king. The ranger glares at Jevil and prepares a diamond spear.
"You bastard! You tricked me with a fake crystal!" The joker shrugs.
"Maybe if you weren't such a sadist, I wouldn't have done that." The ranger slithers closer and grabs Jevil by his collar.
"Do you really think you're strong enough to handle me now?!" He asks with fury. The joker shakes his head.
"No." He says as a slight smirk appears on his face. "But he might." He points behind him and the ranger turns around.
"Oh please, I- WHAT?!" K. Round stands twelve feet tall with ferocious arms at his side, along with his normally large legs. Jevil's hat rests on top of his bald head.
"Alright!" Lancer shouts as the wild king faces him and winks, then gives an intimidating grin to the sadistic ranger.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" He screams as he shivers madly. "THIS ISN'T FAIR AT ALL!" He whines as the cyan boy shrugs.
"You probably should've thought about that before you stabbed us before." He says in a savage tone as the ranger begins sweating massively.
"No, no! Please don't!" He shouts as the king flexes his arms, greatly frightening the ranger. Jevil chuckles and pats him on the shoulder.
"You can't do anything." He whispers as he teleports behind the giant checker. K. Round cracks his knuckles and stares down at him.
"No! I'm sorry!" He gulps and shivers. "PLEASE HAVE MERCY!" The ranger screams desperately. The king glances at the lighteners for a second. Kris slams one fist into his other palm with a satisfied smirk.
"Crush him." Lancer gives the checker a thumbs up.
"Go for it!" Ralsei cries a single tear.
"I don't know, the guy is scared and in checkmate." He says as Lancer lightly bumps his sore chest. "Ow!"
"Did that feel good?" The spade boy asks as Ralsei winces. "How about that?" He asks as he points at Ralsei's bleeding hip. The shaded goat glares and looks up to the king.
"Crush. His. Ass." Ralsei says in a serious tone. K. Round faces back to the ranger and raises his fist.
"NNOOOO!" The ranger exclaims. "AUG!" K. Round's fist crushes the ranger into oblivion, completely squishing his entire form.
"HA!" Lancer shouts as he points at the squished corpse. "How'd that feel you little bitch?" He exclaims as Kris and Ralsei chuckle a few times.
"Way to go K. Round." Ralsei weakly says as Kris faces the only person who isn't chuckling.
"Jevil?" He asks as the joker faces him. "What's wrong?" The jester sighs and descends to the ground.
"This is all my fault. I'm the one who scammed that Rudinn Ranger and you poor children paid the price for his rage." The purple dragon lightly raises her head.
"Oh… what did I miss?" She asks as Lancer levitates toward her quickly.
"Susie! You're alright!" He exclaims as her eyes widen.
"What happened to him?" She asks in an intimidated tone as she points at the oversized checker. Rouxls steps forward and smiles lightly.
"The royal king has decimated thou arch nemesis with the power of the royal jester's hat." K. Round takes the hat off and hands it to Jevil.
"Thanks, good sir." The joker responds as he puts it back on his head and the checker shrinks back down to size. Ralsei sets the crown on his head.
"Here's your crown." He says as the king regains his legs and bows politely. Susie then faces the jester.
"But Jevil, what happened to you?" She asks as he sighs deeply.
"The Spade King stole my magic cards, and removed my immortality." Kris sheds a tear. "I've regained all the years I would've otherwise suspended with my immortality." Ralsei steps forward, groaning from the pain in his hip.
"I'm so sorry." He states as Jevil puts his arms on the goat's shoulders.
"No, I'm sorry Ralsei." He says in a saddened tone. "I'm the reason you guys almost died. The Spade King is free and you guys are hurt." Rouxls Kaard glances into the other room.
"It's safe to come out now." He calls as the spinning chef reenters the room.
"Oui, I'm glad you're all safe, save for a few injuries." Lancer sighs and levitates toward him.
"It's alright, we just need a little food to heal from the pain." The chef glooms and turns away.
"I'm dearly sorry my friends, but we're all out of food." He says as tears reach his eyes. "The ranger thrashed my entire kitchen before he stole my cleaver." He says shamefully as Ralsei glances back to the checker king.
"Can't you produce more almond milk?" He asks as the king glooms and shakes his head. Rouxls sighs and sheds a couple tears.
"Thy royal king lacks the power to conjure the holy dairy product when his health is full. And Jevil's hat must've set his health higher than it's normally capable of." He says as Ralsei sits against the wall and continues crying lightly from the pain.
"That's not good. I don't think I'll have enough strength to stay up much longer." Kris pats his shoulder and gives him a noble look.
"I promise I'll go out there and find some food for you." He pledges as Susie grabs her battleax.
"Yeah, we'll get on Lancer's bike and get to a supermarket faster than you can blink." The blackjack sighs.
"The ranger popped my tire." He says shamefully as Susie's eyes widen.
"What?! What are we going to do?!" She panics as Kris lifts up his sword, his muscles ache with agony as he does so.
"We'll just have to risk our lives for him." He says as Ralsei sniffles.
"If you do that, you'll all die before I lose enough blood. You can hardly dodge with these injuries." He pats Kris on his wounded shoulder, causing him to wince. "And you can hardly hold your weapon with that injury." Susie and Lancer sit down and begin weeping quietly.
"We're going to miss you," Lancer says in a broken voice.
"Thanks for being such a dear friend," Susie says as Jevil slowly floats forward.
"Worry not, my dear friends." He says as he stands in front of Ralsei and puts his hand to his heart. "I'll take care of Ralsei." He closes his eyes, bows his head forward and his body glows brightly. Causing Lancer and Susie to immediately look away.
"Whoa!" The reptilian teen reacts.
"What is that power?" The spade boy asks as Ralsei's wound closes, and the strain within his heart regains its position. Once Jevil is done glowing, the shaded goat's injuries are completely gone. The cyan boy gasps in aw and hugs his boyfriend.
"Ralsei! You look so much better!" He says as Ralsei smiles largely.
"I feel better." He says before noticing the handsome lad's heavy breathing. "But what about you?" He asks as the human stops hugging him and sighs.
"I've still got time before these injuries kill me." He reassures as the joker taps him on the shoulder.
"Say no more, brave Kris," Jevil says with a coy smile before glowing and repeating the process. Before Jevil's too bright to look at, Kris notices he looks older than he did a minute ago. Before he's able to do anything, all his strength is regained, and his pulse regains it's normal pace. Ralsei stands up and smiles greatly.
"Kris! You're better!" He exclaims as he hugs him.
"I sure am." He says proudly as Ralsei kisses him on the cheek. Susie sighs deeply and faces the jester.
"Wait, are you hurting yourself when you do that?" She asks as Jevil faces her and puts his hand to his heart.
"Please worry not of me, Susie." He says as he puts his left hand to her forehead and closes his eyes. "I'm more worried about you." The purple dragon girl smiles coyly as she feels her slit wrist and collar regain their covering skin cells and her painful headache fades away, as well as the abrasion on the side of her head. Jevil opens his eyes and hardly is able to see her anymore, nor maintain his normal posture.
"Jevil…" She begins saying. "Thank you." The joker nods once, causing his neck to crick lightly.
"You're welcome, my friend." He faces Lancer and the spade prince glooms through his facial shadow.
"Please Jevil, I'm a little tougher physically. Don't heal me." He pleads calmly as the jester smiles and begins glowing.
"I don't need to obey you, Lancer. I can do anything." He says in a weaker voice as Lancer's internal organs rejuvenate from the holy aura. By the time he's done, he hunches forward and nearly falls.
"Is that better?" He asks in a much deeper and lower toned voice than before. Lancer nods.
"Yeah but," He sheds a couple tears. "You don't look so well." He says shamefully as Ralsei and Kris grab Jevil's shoulders, guiding his balance for him.
"I don't care." He says before coughing once. "I did it for your health." Ralsei and Kris begin crying equally as much.
"We really appreciate it!" The meek goat exclaims. "But, now you're much weaker!" He says before bursting into tears. Jevil faces him and lightly strokes the edges of his eyes, wiping the tears for him.
"Please don't cry Ralsei." He says lightly. "You're too healthy to be saddened all the time." Susie manages to keep her tears back, but she feels the same sadness all of them feel.
"Jevil, why did you do that for us?" She asks as he faces her. "I thought we were your enemies." The elderly joker smiles lightly and shakes his head slowly.
"No Susie, you guys aren't. And I was very foolish to make you guys out to be my foes." He says as he faces Kris. "You were correct about heroes. They should focus more on caring for one another than fighting amongst themselves." He says as he pats the handsome lad's shoulder. "And that wisdom is something I'll forever cherish." He says as Lancer levitates forward.
"But what are you going to do now?" He asks with concern. "You're very slow moving, very senile, and have very weak bone density." Jevil shrugs and looks back toward Rouxls Kaard.
"I suppose now I go back to solitary confinement and resume my sentence." The royal duke, spinning chef, and checker king shake their heads.
"No Jevil. Your sentence is over." He says as the chef steps forward.
"I agree. And is there any chance I can make you a retirement cake?" He asks. Jevil shakes his head.
"No thanks. I'll just be on my way now." He says as he levitates out of Kris and Ralsei's arms.
"Wait, what will you do now?" Ralsei asks as Jevil sighs.
"I'm too weak to continue being the Devil's Knife and too slow to cast projectiles anymore." Susie frowns lightly.
"So basically, you can't do anything?" The joker sighs and nods.
"Regrettably, I can't." He says in a shameful tone. "But I'm truly happy that you four beautiful, innocent, loving children can move on with your lives without your scars or any pain." He turns to the door and prepares to take off. "Farewell."
"Wait!" The cyan boy calls out, causing him to pause. "I just wanted to say thank you." The jester turns around and faces Kris.
"For healing you? You're welcome." Kris shakes his head.
"No, thanks for everything you've done." He says as Ralsei, Susie, and Lancer come closer.
"Thanks for putting me in love with Kris," Ralsei says as Jevil raises an eyebrow.
"You wanted that?" He asks in confusion as Ralsei chuckles and glances at the human, blushing lightly.
"I didn't think so at the time, but I love Kris and he loves me." He turns back to the elderly joker. "And you're the one who made that happen." The reptilian teen chuckles and wraps her arm around Lancer.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with him." She squeezes the spade prince lightly. "You've shown my sadistic heart what it's like to love someone, and as far as boyfriends go, Lancer goes the extra mile." The blackjack giggles lightly.
"Thanks, Susie." He remarks, then smiles at Jevil. "If it weren't for that fight that we had, I never would've learned to love Susie." The senile jester sheds a tear.
"This isn't what I expected when I plotted my revenge, but…" He passionately smiles at the four loving friends. "I'm happy things turned out this way." Kris steps forward and stands next to Ralsei, holding his hand.
"Well Jevil, you've allowed the beauty to joy within our hearts. And we're forever grateful for that." Jevil sniffles lightly and levitates forward, holding out his arms.
"Group hug!" He says joyfully as the four lighteners crowd him from different angles. They stand there for a few seconds, letting the warmth of their embrace flow through one another, and a few seconds later, they end it. "Thank you very much." He says as he levitates toward the door, before stopping and facing them once more. "Hey." He mumbles, catching their attention.
"What is it Jevil?" Kris asks as Jevil frowns lightly.
"I predict the Spade King will challenge you quickly, so please be careful." They all glance at each other and then nod in unison.
"We will," Ralsei says. Jevil nods once and floats out.
"Good, goodbye now." Susie raises an eyebrow.
"Wait, where are you going?" She asks.
"My old friend's." He calls back, then proceeds to exit the castle.
Author's Note: Well, to say I made it through writing this chapter with dry eyes would be lying. My goal from the beginning was to make Jevil the hero, and now look where he's at. I truly can't thank any of you enough for favoriting, following, reviewing, or even just coming back to read the next chapter once it's out. This is currently my fastest growing story in popularity, and I couldn't have done it alone. So thank you all for reading, and have a nice day. Only a few chapters remain.