Stone rails ended in a downward slope until they burrowed into the ground at the bridge's end. Small temples lined the stone street beyond the torii gate towering above them, their fading colors and worn paper lanterns strung along rotting ropes between buildings was all that remained of a once bright city. Slips of seal paper were plastered up the looming beams like stickers and the overpowering scent of rust wafted from the brown wood.
Nooses swung back and forth in the air, most empty save for one which held the body of a creature draped in black with a deer's skull set over its head. Though it appeared dead, Kid couldn't shake the prickling feeling of eyes tracking their every step as they passed beneath it. Shivers ran down his spine and forced him to avert his own eyes. His grip tightened on Black Star's hand, earning him a reassuring squeeze.
Bodies similar to the hanging one lay scattered across the streets, all dressed in black with an animal skull placed on their heads as they leaned against buildings and crawled across the ground. Some rested on dark stains while others slumped against the temple stairs or doors. One hunched over onto a massive root impaled through its chest, arms hanging still over the sides. Vines wove over the ground in an intricate mess, climbing walls and circling the bodies like snakes. The rotting smell from the vines finally hit him and he quickly pulled his scarf over his nose, the rest of their group quickly doing the same.
For a long time they stood there, staring out at the carnage until Vajra broke away. He approached the nearest reachable body with caution, as if he expected it to suddenly jump up and attack him, and flipped it over. It clicked against the stone as he let it fall. Biting his lip, he lifted the skull from its head to meet glassy eyes. A weight settled on his back, then another, and he knew the boys had come to satisfy their curiosity. The flash of blue to his left must've been Black Star, so it was Kid on the right. Even Asura had come to crouch beside him, though he stayed back a bit.
"Huh?" Black Star's confused voice sounded in his ear, the boy letting him go to crouch opposite him and prod at the body. The boy squinted, lips pressed into a thin line as he poked its cheek once. The frown deepened and he balled his hand into a fist, rapping his knuckles against its forehead. The sound echoed across the street like a knock on a door. A moment passed before Black Star finally spoke, "It's fake?"
"Looks like a giant doll." Vajra mused, resting his chin in his hand as he stared down at the doll. Without its skull helmet, he could see its features better. The wood had been painted a shade of brown only a few shades lighter than his skin. Long black hair splayed across the ground, straight and smooth and surprisingly undamaged with no knots or mats to be seen. Its body felt thin, frighteningly so, like it had been modeled after Asura's.
Kid sighed in relief, though it passed quickly. Moving to his friend's side, he began patting it down. There didn't seem to be anything of use so he rocked back on his heels and huffed. "Nothing. I wonder who did this anyway."
Nodding in agreement, Black Star added, "Yeah! What kinda freak makes dolls this big and stages a fucking massacre? It's weird."
"Uh...Does anyone else feel like it's watching them?" Asura's shaky voice cracked as he shuffled closer to Vajra for comfort, the weapon responding to the unspoken request by patting his partner gently on the back. It wasn't only this doll's eyes that burned into him. The hair raising sensation stabbed at him from all directions and prompted him to cower behind his scarf as if that would protect him.
"I think that's just you." Black Star piped in again with a dismissive wave as he tacked on a, "It's just a doll y'know. It can't hurt you."
"That's not true actually. Lots of dolls can hurt people, most notably the cursed or possessed kind you see in horror movies. Of course it could also be booby trapped- stop laughing oh my god." Kid explained, cutting himself off with an exasperated sigh when Black Star started giggling. He reached over to smack his friend upside his head only for Black Star to avoid it and pop up. Shooting a cheeky grin at Kid, he took off to the next body, hopping about to avoid stepping on any of the sticky vines underfoot.
Kid stood to follow him, pausing to give an apologetic look to Asura when he realized he'd only made his fears worse with his explanation. No doubt he'd already been considering those options, so having them voiced made the elder god more uneasy. Asura only waved him away as he helped Vajra stand, the weapon swaying on the spot for a moment before he could steady himself. The pair made their way to sit back on the bridge where no vines were.
Concern welled up in Kid's chest, wondering what was wrong. It hit him shortly after. Vajra and Black Star hadn't had a chance to rest since the creature stole the journal from them. That, coupled with what he'd been filled in on during their walk to the city about the second creature made it easy to understand Vajra's current condition. Of course the man would be exhausted. Since Asura already had his partner under his watch, Kid turned back to Black Star. His friend must've been tired too but he showed no sign of it as he hopped around the vines to inspect the bodies. 'Almost no sign of it', He thought as he watched the other boy stumble a bit and pause to reorient himself.
Kid bounded after him, avoiding vines with trained precision until he landed closer to his friend. He turned over yet another body to find the exact same thing as the others. Glassy eyes and a wooden body dressed in black. He didn't bother to look up as he spoke. "Hey Kid, wanna see somethin' strange?" He didn't wait for an answer before he gestured for Kid to come closer. Kid obeyed, leaning over to see what he couldn't earlier. Its clothes were pulled back to expose the chest lined with grooves and joints to allow it to move and bend. In the center of its chest, right beneath its collarbone, sat an empty groove in the shape of the skull emblem that got them into this place. He bit his lip, trying to think of any reason or function there would be for it.
"That's… odd. Why would it have something like this?" He thought out loud, smoothing out the wrinkles in his clothes as he looked around at the other dolls scattered about. A thought occurred to him and he faced his friend again. "Is this why you keep checking all of them?"
"Yeah. That one by the gate had a hole in its chest too. Since it felt like the one in the door I thought maybe one of these might have a key in them. Though now I wanna know what happens if we pop one of those keys in here." Black Star stated, crossing his arms and nodding to himself with a smug smile as he announced his discovery. Turning to the next doll, he took a step over the vines and wavered in place until Kid reached out to help steady him.
Ignoring Black Star's pouting face, he grabbed one of his friend's hands and tugged him towards where his brother was. Of course Black Star wouldn't admit to his own exhaustion, so Kid said, "We can save that for later. I'm actually pretty tired and it would probably be good to rest a bit anyway since there's a lot to explore."
A thoughtful look settled on his face as he considered Kid's words, trying his best to suppress the giddiness fluttering in his stomach when the god took his hand. Even through his excitement, he could feel the tiredness seeping into his bones and weighing his steps down. He hadn't wanted to say anything, determined to show no weakness and explore as much as physically possible before being forced to accept the facts. But if Kid was going to join him then that was a bigger win compared to the thrill of the adventure.
With a smile, he agreed. "Sure thing! If ya want to rest you can use me as a pillow. Tsubaki does it all the time so I'd say I'm a good one!" It was said with more pride than most would have in such a simple thing, but the way he puffed his chest up and suddenly took the lead was charming in its own way. Kid had to shake the thoughts from his head immediately as he allowed himself to be led along.
They sat beside their unwilling chaperones, Asura sparing them a weak glare from his place huddled against Vajra's side as if warning them to not bother the weapon leaning against the torii. He had already fallen asleep, eyes closed and breathing even despite being surrounded by dolls posed as corpses in an abandoned city that they couldn't leave. It reminded him that Vajra was probably used to sleeping in worse conditions. Neither the weapon nor his brother liked to talk about their time as warlords so he could only imagine what it could have been like, but he was sure it wasn't easy.
Black Star pulled Kid over to sit down against the beam too, taking a moment to try and brush the dirt and dust from the cold stone for him. Even though it was a nice gesture, Kid couldn't help but grimace as he sat down knowing there was still dirt all over the ground. He shifted closer to his friend at the boy's insistence, resting his head against Black Star's shoulder. His friend huddled into a ball with his knees drawn up to his chest and shoulders hunched a bit more in an attempt to ward off the cold.
Frowning at this, Kid spoke up. "Star and Vajra are gonna be cold, right? Why don't we go inside one of the temples to rest?"
Asura shook his head, gesturing to the vines as he spoke. "Those things are already inside. I doubt there's a place for us to use left with them everywhere. Though I suppose I could start a fire. It didn't occur to me that they might be cold."
"Asura." The disbelief in his voice shone through as he shook his head, though he understood what his brother meant. The cold didn't bother them at all, a perk of being a god. Sure he could still feel the chill but it was dull and barely noticeable. It was surprising that Asura hadn't thought of it if only for Vajra's sake. Though he may not seem to care, Asura always remembered to look after Vajra's health even if he forgot himself.
"A fire would be nice." Black Star piped up. He froze for a moment as he thought over his words, then added, "I can totally handle it but Vajra might get sick y'know." He offered a bright grin and a thumbs up before tucking himself back into a ball.
With a sigh Asura stood. "Alright. I'll be right back." He stood slowly, his shoulders slumped as he used the beam behind him for support. For a second he wobbled in place, then dragged his feet along to the nearest temple. Starting at the stairs, he tightly gripped the wooden railing and tore it clean off with an echoing crack. Then he tucked it under his arm and moved to the next one. This repeated a few times until he was satisfied with the amount he had.
He returned quickly, stumbling as he struggled to drag the pile he'd gathered to the group. Kid and Black Star jumped up immediately to help, each taking a piece and breaking it down to hurry the process along. Asura eventually broke off to gather decently sized stones to build a small fire pit near their chosen spot and left the rest for his brother to deal with as he returned to his spot beside his partner once finished.
Kid rolled his eyes at this, swinging his bag from his shoulder and digging out a lighter and notebook he'd stored for an occasion like this. Though it took a few moments for the wood to catch fire, they soon had it burning strong enough that it could be left alone. Black Star added a couple more pieces for good measure, then quickly returned to his seat beside Vajra. He ignored the glare sent his way when he shuffled closer to the weapon and waved Kid back to his side.
Settling back down, Kid leaned against Black Star's shoulder and sighed. He was about to speak up when Asura cut him off, "If you are tired then rest, I will keep watch." He spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument for the younger god much to Kid's relief.
"Huh? I can keep watch too!" Black Star chirped. It sounded more subdued than usual and stopped by a sudden yawn.
"No. Go the fuck to sleep." Asura growled at him as he reached over to lightly whack the boy's head.
Kid nodded in agreement, smirking at Black Star's betrayed squawk as he added, "He's right. We have to be rested in case we get into a fight with those things again." He could feel the sigh as his friend's shoulders slumped, unable to argue back. Instead he muttered under his breath for a moment and Kid only caught the tail end about 'someone as great as me does not need sleep'. He gave in anyway and closed his eyes.
Following suit, Kid closed his own eyes. It was hard. He couldn't push away the building anticipation as he waited for something to happen in the stillness of the city. Something could attack them as he slept. Would Asura be alright in another fight alone? Hell, was he even alright right now? He never asked, guilt nagging at the back of his mind. He cracked an eye open to check on his brother.
The older god's attention was focused elsewhere, alert gaze sweeping the street. It contrasted the slump of his shoulders and the occasional drifting focus that he had to shake away every so often. Squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing at them, he suddenly tensed. Kid caught the wary glance sent his way before Asura relaxed. He wanted to say something, to ask if Asura wanted to sleep first, but he was waved off before the words could even leave him.
"I'm fine. I just-" He cut himself off, shutting his mouth and turning away. It took him a moment to continue, offering a small, awkward smile as comfort. "Just sleep. If I need to, I will wake you."
"You better." Kid said, grimacing at the obvious lie. But he supposed Asura was used to worse. Again, he was dismissed with a wave and he hoped his brother would follow through with his words.
Choosing to trust him, Kid closed his eyes again and squished himself as close to Black Star as he could in an attempt to help ward off the cold. It still took time, his mind swimming with 'what ifs' and the weight of the silence sitting heavy on his shoulders. But eventually he drifted off to the crackle of the fire and the nagging in the back of his head that everything was wrong and needed to be fixed that he had been trying to ignore.
Jolting awake, Kid pulled away and stumbled to his feet. His eyes frantically scanned the horizon, finding nothing but fuzzy shapes in the mist. One hand found Black Star's and he gripped it like a lifeline as he struggled to ease his breathing. Though he couldn't quite remember, an air of overwhelming dread settled in his chest and crushed the air from his lungs. His free hand tapped against the ground one, two, three...eight times. Then he did it with his other hand, tapping against the back of his friend's hand. He didn't know how long he spent like that, calming his breathing as quickly as possible. It evened out eventually and he glanced over to his company.
Black Star was still out cold, snoring lightly with his mouth wide open. Beside him, Vajra still seemed to be asleep, arms crossed over his chest and partially curled into a ball like he had been before Kid fell asleep. And Asura was leaning halfway across his partner with his chin tucked into his scarves. It took a moment to realize that he had also lost his fight against sleep, gold eyes closed and chest rising and falling steadily. A part of him wished the older god had tried to wake him first but he doubted his brother purposely fell asleep.
Shaking his head, he sat up to see better. A light fog blanketed the city in a thin cloud of white that blurred the buildings and bodies around them. In the dim light, only their fire stood out against the white as it burned brightly. Shuffling closer to it, Kid made sure it was still burning strong. The wood looked new, fire still only just eating away at the paint on the outside. He guessed Asura must have added it before falling asleep.
Kid sat cross-legged in front of the fire. He felt a lot better even if it had been a rude awakening so he could take watch now and let his brother rest. Though he didn't entirely get how Asura was so tired, out of them all he was the one with the most experience in such situations and even had the body of a god. Maybe there was some other reason behind it. He wasn't entirely sure.
Something clicked in the distance. Kid's head immediately snapped up at the sound and he glanced back at his sleeping party to be sure they were all okay. Everyone was accounted for as they had been since he woke up. It hadn't been long enough for anything to happen to them but he couldn't help wanting to double check.
It clicked again, closer this time, so he steeled his nerves and pushed himself off of the ground. Again that noise sounded, echoing across the street. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and spared another look to his group when it echoed again, this time it sounded from the same distance even if it was too close for comfort. Someone should investigate. He should investigate. If it came any closer the rest could be hurt. He had to at least try to prevent that. Though unease churned in his stomach and made him nauseous he still followed the sound into the mist.
With careful steps over the weaving vines, he followed it's call past the looming shadows of ruined temples. It led him to one such shadow, it's wooden doors open wide with one barely held up by it's last hinge. The details were fuzzy in the fog, but the looming arch branching from its wall to the ground seemed familiar. He paused, listening intently for another click. Nothing. Should… should he continue? Would it be better to double back and wake someone else for back up?
Balling his hands into fists and shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside. It would be fine. If Asura still had his inhuman strength and speed then so did he. Surely he could handle anything he came across. He was a god too after all. The self reassurances kept coming as he climbed the stairs and entered the building.
Mist filled the entrance, greyed out until it blended into the darkness. There was less in here but it still blurred to pillars lining the main path. As he wandered in carefully he could make out more details. Shattered ceramics, crushed metal decor, and splintered wood lay scattered across the floor like grains of rice across the kitchen floor when Patty tried to help him cook.
The pang in his chest took him by surprise. Though he missed the girls, he was more relieved that they stayed back in Death City. Patty could be too reckless and provoke something they shouldn't. Liz would have had multiple consecutive heart attacks by now with the signs of supernatural activity. And it would have made it harder to keep track of everyone with two more people. The four of them were already too many to worry about as it stood. If... Once they got back safely, he would spend a few days with them and do anything they wanted him to.
Wooden floorboards creaked under his weight the deeper he went. Though it only got darker, his eyes adjusted quickly and he could soon see the faint outlines of furniture in the fog. The outline of a long table, still intact, came into view. The chairs around it were either toppled or broken except for the one at the head of the table across the room and a stool set directly in front of him. A shadow sat still at the far end, it's long snout lifted towards him. It's gaze crawled across his skin, raising the hair on the back of his neck as he stared back into it's empty eye sockets.
It took a moment to remind himself that this was just a doll and it wasn't actually watching him. Knowing that did nothing. Kid couldn't shake that feeling as he approached it cautiously. Soon he was beside it, reaching a hand out to grab it's shoulder to investigate. He paused as he spotted the dark spatter on the teeth of it's skull, a familiar yet faint metallic scent still wafting from the drying blood. It clicked, sounding agitated as its head turned to him.
Kid jerked back, stumbling over the clutter on the ground as his mind raced. He reached for something, anything, to use to defend himself. His hand closed around cold metal. One hand raised as he readied to throw it, but the guttural chuckle it made froze him in place. It spoke in a childish voice that seemed unnatural coming from behind those sharp, bloody teeth. "Awoo? What do you think you're doing?"
It waited for a moment, staring at him intently. When he didn't respond immediately, it tilted its head to the left and opened its jaw to speak, a long black tongue running along its sharp incisors. "Are you still mad at me for biting your friend?" It stood, towering at least a head over him. Tilting its head the other way, the ears flopped to that side instead. "You need not fear me. I'm a good boy so I only bite people who deserve it."
Slowly, Kid rose from the ground with his makeshift weapon still grasped tightly in his hand. When he finally managed to find his voice it was smaller than he'd meant it to be, soft and quiet in bewilderment rather than the firm tone he was trying to use. "He didn't do anything to you, you didn't need to bite him."
"He had Papa's book though?" It raised its hand to tap against its cheek with its claw, something Kid took a moment to recognize as confusion. "That means he was a thief. Thieves get bit. He's actually lucky, I intended to take his arm as compensation but was being nice since he's a guest." The matter-of-fact tone it used carried a strange innocence, as if it truly didn't realize it had done something wrong.
Kid eyed it curiously, searching for any signs of deception but its voice and body language gave nothing away. Still he kept silent, watching as it sniffled and wiped a nonexistent tear from its eye socket. "And to think I got bullied for being kind." It tilted it's head back and let out a painfully fake cry, "WAAAHHH, you guys are so mean! Worst guests ever! And to think I snuck out again to help you guys! I'm really too kind awoooo."
It startled Kid to watch the sudden change as it returned quickly back to watching him, no sign of it truly being upset visible. "You did attack our friend. We didn't even know that journal belonged to your father, we simply found it and followed the notes to find this place."
The tail behind it flicked in annoyance as it corrected him, one hand on its hip and the other wagging a finger in Kid's face, "No, it's Papa's journal. I'm pretty sure father's illiterate since he dislikes anything humans do. I can't imagine he would learn to read or write. I can though! I learned from Papa cause I'm a good boy." Kid raised an eyebrow at this, unsure how to respond. The creature backed off suddenly and crossed its arms, ears drooping and shoulders slumping, "But I made a mistake it seems. You guys were only bringing Papa's journal home. Now I feel bad awoo."
"Uh… yeah. You can make it up to us by answering a few questions." Kid stated. If it really felt bad he might be able to use this. As soon as the words left his lips, its ears perked up and its tail wagged.
"I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities. There are some things I can't tell you though or I'll get in trouble." It stated, hands clasping around one of Kid's hands.
Kid nodded to show he understood. Though it bothered him that it couldn't tell him everything he wanted to know, Kid figured anything was better than nothing at the moment. "Right, so can you tell me what exactly happened to this place? We are in Shangri-la right?"
It shrugged, "If you meant Shambhala then yes, we are in the city. As for the other question, I dunno. I wasn't alive then. It's been like this for a long time though, Papa says it's a testament to father's power."
Raising one eyebrow, Kid scanned its features again. It seemed to be telling the truth so he accepted the answer even if it left him feeling a bit uneasy. "So you mean your father did this? Is he powerful? Did he collapse the bridge?" He wondered if it had meant to say that or not, but if its words were true then they had a much bigger problem on their hands than previously thought.
The creature clicked its jaws together, one hand covering its mouth as if it hadn't meant to say that. Still it answered. "Father is sleeping. Papa and the rest are watching though. You must be careful of your movements." Its words were short and to the point this time, clearly trying to choose them more carefully to avoid saying something it shouldn't.
Nodding, Kid asked, "Can you tell me what exactly is going on here? It seems too convenient that we would follow the book, be given a key in, and then end up unable to leave. Do you know where we can get a key to leave or any other way out?"
The creature swayed back and forth now, its ears twisting and tail swishing about as it thought. "I dunno about the exits but I can look into them! I've always wanted to go outside anyway. As for what is going on… hmmm," Again it tapped a claw against its cheek, turning its head away from him for a moment with its ears upright. "You're being hunted. Is that not obvious?"
"Hunted?" Kid hoped it would elaborate but instead it only hummed, the noise vibrating in its throat coming out more like a growl. The weight sinking in his gut left a sick feeling in his stomach. It had been a suspicion he had since he entered that they were being watched and followed, but to think there were people here hunting them was too much. If they really were out there then not even Asura would sense their approach in their current state. But what could he do? Should he really trust this creature to help them? Why would it even bother to help them?
His worries and fears piled up, swarming in his head faster than he could keep track of. Quickly he ran his hands over his clothes in an attempt to smooth out the wrinkles, trying to ignore the slightest quiver of them. That nagging was back in his mind, growing steadily as he stayed in the creature's presence and demanding he erase it, kill it, it's a threat, bash its head in, it cannot live.
It clicked at him again, drawing his attention. Now it cradled its cheek in one hand, the other arm across its chest and its ears folded lightly against its head. "Do you feel strange around me? I apologize. A creature of Order would naturally dislike something such as I, who defies the world you rule over. It's such a fragile thing, but oh so stubborn. I do not blame you, I feel the same." It leaned forward and he leaned back instinctively, its grin only felt through the lighter sing song tone it took on, "The nature of Order is to destroy that which stands in its way after all."
"What the hell does that mean?" He snapped, the fear bubbling over into anger as he tightened his grip on the object in his hand. It was fairly heavy and he wondered how much damage it could do against the creature's skull when coupled with his inhuman strength.
Instead of answering, its ears perked up and it turned its nose towards the entrance. With a quiet sigh, it faced Kid once more. "Papa is calling for me, I have to go. Some words of advice for you, don't bleed and stay off of the main streets. Once father wakes up you will be easy prey in the open. I'd appreciate it if you did not get yourself killed so soon. It would be no fun that way." With that said, it spun on its heels and bolted towards the entrance. Kid shook his head and chased after it, but it was quickly swallowed by the fog surrounding them.
Kid slowed his steps and listened intently for the sound of its footsteps but there was nothing. Thinking back, he couldn't recall it making a sound when it spoke to him earlier. The floor beneath him creaked and groaned when he made the slightest movement yet the creature was far more active than he was and it was completely silent under its weight. It was almost as if it wasn't there to begin with.
Shaking his head, he tried to orient himself in the thick mist. Which way was it back to their makeshift camp? He spun in place, carefully retracing his steps back to the temple he'd been in. The fog thinned as he walked until it had mostly lifted and he could see more than vague shapes.
In the distance he spotted the Torii gate looming high over the street and made his way towards it, carefully avoiding the vines as he thought back to his earlier conversation. It was ultimately useless, only confirming some suspicions and bringing confusion with it. What the hell did it mean 'don't bleed'? Vajra was already bleeding so it was ultimately a useless warning. Unless it was talking to him specifically, but he still couldn't figure out what difference that would make.
Soon he reached the rest of his group. Asura, having woken at some point during his disappearance, jumped to his feet and ran over to him. He was dragged back to his spot and all but thrown back beside Black Star as he tuned out the older god's quiet lecturing. That same nagging feeling surfaced again in Asura's company, the urge to "erase him, kill him, throw him to the abyss" bubbling up that he quickly suppressed with disgust. Now was not the time for these to be coming back, not after so long of trying to get rid of them.
In an attempt to get rid of them, he curled against his friend and began his usual tapping routine. Shortly after Asura had given up on his lecturing, Kid was able to get his thoughts back in order. He found himself wondering what to do now. Should he trust the creature to find them a key or exit? Could it even be trusted? It did say its family was hunting him and the others. Speaking of them, would it be smart to tell them what happened? He probably should once Black Star and Vajra finally woke up.