Hunter lept out of the minecart, diving and rolling behind a rock. " Ok, bud...We haven't actually done this before...but, better now than never right? No teleporting, though...that will give me away." He whispered to Lil' Rascal. He turned, running out of his cover to get to higher ground as he started to hear multiple minecarts entering the tunnel. With luck, Amity was now on her way with Eda and King as back up, but without luck, Hunter knew exactly how to handle the coven and as a bonus...

He knew Giffin and Steve would be on his side.

"You there, Coven Scout! How did you get here before us?" The Captain called out to him. "Wait..is that a palisman staff? Those are against our code, Scout!"

"You idiot, that has to be the Golden Guard! Dispose of him!" Kikimora ordered the abominations with her charging forward.

"Uuh...No offence, boss, but the Golden Guard wouldn't use a palisman." Steve said as he looked at Kikimora.

"Just comply with your orders, Steve!" The captain ordered. Hunter skidded, turning to duck behind a boulder before he focused. He loved bard magic, he really did, he thought he would be in a bard track if he had gone to school. But as the ground under him reacted, deep down he knew...He was a construction major.

A fist erupted from the ground, sending one of the abominations flying before it even made it halfway to him. He stood, running out of cover now and flinging Lil' Rascal in front of him, causing a pillar to fling itself forward into the Captain who got launched perfectly into the second abomination, causing it to splatter. 'Note to self… talk to Blight's parents about that.'

Steve had come up in a charge from his left, but he was not fast enough to land a blow as Hunter spun to turn to him, and reflected the blow with the staff of Lil' Rascal. Hunter clicked his tongue three times, a signal to the scout he trusted that it was, indeed, him. Steve broke the hold, stepping back before going in on a strike that was obvious to Hunter, but would appear like he was giving a real fight to Kikimora and her captain.

"Hunter, what are you planning?" Steve asked in a whisper as Hunter deflected the blow and took a step back, going in for a shoulder hit that Steve could easily miss.

" Honestly, I have no idea anymore, Steve." Hunter whispered back to the guard, making sure their blows were loud and convincing enough for the rest of the team. " Do me a favor and blast a spell over my shoulder at the stalactite."

"I thought it was a stalagmite?" Steven asked, bouncing off a blow Hunter jabbed at his chest before aiming at Hunter's head.

"No, you fool!" Kikimora cried out too late. Hunter dived to the side as the blast flew past his head. As predicted the ball of energy ricocheted across the cave, and knocked the stalactite free, causing it to crash into the ground and make a thick cloud of dust. Kikimora cried out in pain as she was hit by Steve's rogue blast, and it sounded like Giffin was down for the count too. Hunter quickly stood, moving over to Steve.

"T for top, G for ground." He said as he curled his fist. Steve moved to offer his face, nodding at the realization of the naming conventions of cave formations, before Hunter threw his fist into the scout. He let out a loud grunt and fell to the ground, that would at least make it so he wouldn't be looked at for playing along with the 'traitor scout', though Hunter always felt bad when they had to pull a ruse like this.

With that, Hunter turned and ran down the entrance tunnel to where the lake should lie. His heart was beating in anticipation, his vision felt tunneled, and as he finally ran into a large room he stopped and froze...there was nothing before him but a giant hole. 'No…' Hunter slowly, hesitantly, walked forward. ' No...no...NO...NOO!" He started coughing as he stumbled into the dried lake bed, walking into the middle slowly, before he collapsed.

There was no titan blood...there was no titan blood...there was no titan blood! This whole thing! The worry about Kikimora! The worry about proving himself! It was all WORTHLESS?! He dug his palms in the ground, not even realizing his scout's mask had fallen, allowing the black sludge he coughed up to fall into a thick puddle on the ground. He could have just let Kikimora come here and fail...she would have faced Belos' wrath, not him! But he had to get involved! Now he was to blame! Now he was to be replaced! Now what will Belos do to him for failing again?

Hunter punched his fist against the ground, hard. He did it again, then again, then again before slumping, grabbing his hair and pulling it, definitely losing some chunks. He could hear the chirps of Lil Rascal next to him, but he didn't care. The palisman should have picked someone else. He should have just stayed in the castle and texted Willow all day about Luz. Maybe he should have never met her at all... now he was just going to vanish in her eyes after he kissed her. All because he couldn't prove his worth to Belos. And if he wasn't useful to Belos, how could he possibly be useful to her?

He didn't realize started digging, the dirt was surprisingly soft and easy to push around as he started a hole. He might as well make himself useful and just let nature do the job for him. If Belos was going to end him or worse, throw him into a cage and let his life drain slowly and painfully away… he can at least make his grave in his last failure, right? He was making a decent hole too! Who cared how long he sat here? Who cared that someone had just dropped into the lake bed with him? Maybe it was Kikimora...maybe she will finally get her wish of killing him.

"Don't worry, I won't pick a fight." Hunter said, still hypnotized by the ground as he dug into it. " There's no titan blood."

"Then...why are you digging?" Oh..it was Amity. Good. She can at least give Willow a message for him.

" Oh, it's simple really!" Hunter turned to look at Amity, who flinched as she looked at him. She had gotten used to his very expressive face, but seeing how much of a broken, scared, and deranged boy sat in front of her caught her off guard. It honestly hurt her seeing him like this, she wondered if she should try to just take him to Willow? " Belos needs Titan blood to make a new portal key." Hunter shrugged. " Can't get to the human realm without it!" He turned to continue digging again.

"There's blood in the key?" Amity asked behind him. Useless questions…

"So, since I failed my last mission and have been playing hooky with my responsibilities I thought, HEY! A chance to make up for it! Prove I could have the best of both The Golden Guard and Hunter the Love-Fool! But, I can't go back empty handed!" Hunter laughed, feeling his eyes pricking with tears as his bile sac burned within him. He collapsed on his hands, " Not. Again…" He shivered. " Long story short, this is mah grave!" He looked back at Amity, " Want me to make you one too?"

"...This is really bumming me out." King said, narrowed eyes on Hunter.

"That's just life, rat." Hunter shrugged, " Everyone has a use. And if you don't, *ppft!* Bye bye!" Hunter turned roughly, continuing his hole. " Just, go and tell your human you failed to. When you see her wrath, imagine it times a thousand because that's what I will have to face."

"Wrath? Luz doesn't have wrath." King said, tilting his brow at Amity, who took the small rounded toy out of her pocket. She looked it over in question, opening the messages she had been trying to understand.

Hunter stopped listening to the two at this point, they were probably guessing punishments on what a human could do to them. He didn't care, even when he felt Lil' Rascal landing on his back, pulling at his hood. Hunter moved to shoo the cardinal away, then continued to dig. The palisman landed again, tugging harder. " HEY!" Hunter flung his arm around harder, " Go find a better witch to be with…"

Hunter fell forward, taking handfuls of dirt and smothering them on his head, " I was right...Willow does deserve better." He groaned into the dry lake bed before laying his arms flat beside him. Soon Kikimora will come, probably kill him in a heat of rage before she could realize how him being there would keep Belos off her back, then return to The Emperor empty handed with a dead nephew. At least he will be taking her down with him.

"Hey…" Amity knelt next to him. " We have a lot in common... I grew up thinking that everything was an opportunity to justify existing! But, there are people out there who won't make you feel worthless...and, I know you already found one in Willow."

"Wait, does he know Will-" King started to ask before getting shushed by Amity. Hunter's ears flicked as he turned to look at her offered hand, before back to the ground in thought. She was right, Willow was so kind and caring that when he told her what he did to Boscha, she didn't get mad or scream or yell...She talked to him like an equal, level-headed, and with respect. She always made sure his well being was taken care of, and never once silenced him on his interest. She still wore the glasses he gave her… She...she made him feel his worth without ever once asking anything from him. He closed his eyes and sighed, pushing himself up to sit, not willing to stand just yet.

"...but what good am I to her if I am dead? I can't just never return to the castle, Belos will look for me. If I return empty handed, too, I will be-" Hunter cut himself off before sighing, rubbing his face. He was caught in a difficult place, he wanted out. He really should have just stayed in the castle. " What am I supposed to do, Amity?" He asked, he could feel the weight of the situation breaking his very soul. He wanted nothing more than to see Willow.

" I wish...I wish I could give you an answer." Amity sighed, shifting to sit as well. King hesitated, but joined the two, climbing up onto Amity's shoulder to look at Hunter. " I would say 'Stand up to Belos' but, something tells me that is not good advice." Hunter snorted, giving her a nod.

" The last time I tried to do that he almost evened out the scar on my face." Hunter sighed, waiting to fall back into the dirt. Lil' Rascal landed on his knee, giving a few pleasant chirps up to him. " The only thing I know is I have to return to the castle… and it might be the last time I ever do." Hunter closed his eyes, before shifting and finally standing, scooping Lil' Rascal in his hands as he did. "Can you just...Can you tell Willow that I am sorry?" He looked up at the sky, accepting defeat, but trying not to let the Blight and the skull-kid know he was about to cry. " I'm sorry that I decided to get in over my head and...now I might never get to see her again after I kissed her?" Hunter reached up to rub the side of his head, " Titan how messed up is that?" He asked himself. After a moment he heard Amity shifting to stand up.

"You did what?!" She asked, wide eyed.

_AN_

No Willow POV this time, I didn't think it was needed since the Hunter scene was so heavy. Poor boy is having the rough of it. If you haven't seen it yet, I started a new Huntlow Collection! Right now I only have a Future AU drabble on it, but I plan on doing more stories (I might make the Future AU a different story, but havent decided just yet.) As always thanks for reading!