Equius would leave soon enough and Gamzee would go about the rest of the night with Karkat. Things were peaceful and nice as the Makara decided he would stay a bit longer than he had originally planned, weeks turned into months. Before he knew it they had been living alongside each other for almost three months. In that time Karkat's speeches had only gotten more radical in nature. It was less about giving trolls sanctuary from an oppressive overlord and more about change and reform. Not every troll liked this new outlook however. So most of the time the hive had less than a handful of trolls in it at a time counting Sollux, Karkat and Gamzee of course.
However to keep suspicion off of Karkat he had to do his sermons in other towns. Sometimes taking days to travel between them to get where they needed to go. This would leave Gamzee alone with the hive to himself. He didn't mind normally but he would get restless often. Therefore the next trip they had planned Gamzee requested to tag along. Which was… difficult to say the least. Hiding a troll as massive as the Makara was an easier task inside a hive. Not in the open, like a lowblood town. However they somehow managed with a large grey cloak Kanaya had provided. He looked less like a troll and more like a large tarp if he stood still.
Gamzee couldn't say he had entirely agreed with Karkat's sudden change in topic. But at the same time he understood. Having lived there a few months he got a better grasp on the way the lower bloods lived. Hearing Karkat recount his job and the ungrateful highbloods that he would patch up got under his skin. What right did they have to spit in the face of a troll like Karkat? Gamzee hadn't seen him turn down a single troll that asked for his help. He didn't even turn away someone like Gamzee. It did cause a lot of self doubt in the purple blood, all those lives he took in the name of his status. How good it felt at that moment. It wrapped him in guilt. Yet at the same time he yearned for it again. He wouldn't say it out loud of course.
The day they were set to head out, Karkat was slightly excited. He could possibly show the lower bloods that not all highbloods are bad. Not all of them have ill intent. Gamzee had been with them for so long already, he acted almost like Karkat remembered. Less spaced out, more present and happy. He actually seemed happy. He had shared everything with this troll, from his struggles to his cushion slab. Gamzee looked intimidating, sure but he had not lifted a finger against a single troll in Karkat's hive. Even when Sollux or Karkat got snippy with him he seemed to shrug it off with ease. The mutant blood just couldn't see Gamzee as a monster… until the night he had no other choice.
As they prepared for the sermon a crowd of lowbloods to lower midbloods had formed. This had been the largest gathering Karkat had spoken to as of yet. The sermon was all word of mouth so there was no physical evidence that Karkat had been there or that such a protest was being held. However, word traveled fast. Karkat was nervous to say the least. His clothing bore rust colors but not his symbol. He didn't want that to slip into the wrong hands and trace back to the Vantas. Karkat anxiously paced back and forth as he glanced out at the crowd gathered on their makeshift stage. Made primarily out of a few empty crates they found lying around.
"KK chill. You are going to be fine. Hell, all you normally do day to day i-th talk anyway." Sollux mused as he watched the smaller troll. Only to get a hand wave off as he kept up his pacing. Karkat had never spoken to a crowd this large, let alone about a revolt. What if they don't like what he has to say? What if they storm the stage? There are so many what if's.
"Karbro?" Gamzee pipped up from where he sat. Looking more like a stack of who knows what than an actual troll under that tarp. Karkat turned more to him with a scowl.
"Fuck- both of you leave me alone." He snapped and it seemed to work well enough as the duo looked at each other and shrugged. "I'm fine- I'm just… What happens if they don't like what I have to say?"
"Then we leave." Sollux said simply and Gamzee nodded in agreement.
"Yeah brother, if they ain't about hearing all the miraculous shit spewing out of your nutrition chute then it is their motherfucking problem!"
They both seemed so sure of this. Yeah because they aren't the ones going out there and speak against the empire. The thing Karkat had trained to work for most of his wriggler-hood. Hell, Gamzee still worked for the queen bitch! He rubbed his temples and let out a small sigh. Donning a grey cloak to pull over his face and horns as he stepped out onto the wooden platform.
Gamzee watched this as his arms crossed over his chest tightly. His eyes narrowed a bit as those ears twitched. Something felt off with all this. Gamzee hadn't seen a single highblood their whole walk here. Or any drones for that matter. As much as Sollux wanted to say they were lucky Gamzee wasn't buying it.
These trolls ranged from rust to even olive bloods. They seemed to stop muttering at the sight of Karkat. He took a deep breath through his nose and out his mouth. His back straightened up further as he cleared his throat. His fists clenched and unclenched for a moment. He can't back out of this now and he knew this. He stepped up to the edge of the stage. False rust eyes hidden under a grey cloak.
"I know that this seems strange. I'm sure some of you are here to listen to some troll spout hopeful nothings into your awaiting auditory globes. But… I'm not." He paused as he looked over the crowd. They seemed confused by his words. "I'm here to try and help trolls. That is all I have ever wanted to really do, but I can't sit by any longer and watch as fellow trolls are treated like cattle! Like batteries! … like living weapons." He gave a slight glance back toward the two on the sidelines. Sollux gave him a thumbs up as he motioned for him to keep going.
" We can no longer sit idly by and hope for change! I know a lot of trolls that thought it would be better under another rule that never came. That was snuffed out so that things won't change. So that things will never get better! How long do we have to wait before the next heir is hatched? How many of us will still be alive when that night comes?" Karkat took a deep breath as more trolls perked up to his words. They started to mutter softly.
"We can't keep doing this. Keeping our heads down and trying to pass through the streets. Hope that we can scrounge up enough food, hope we don't anger a highblood, or worse a drone. We watch trolls die in the streets and act like that is normal! Like that is okay! These are matesprits, morials, they have quadrants and lives! They are not just some fucking lowblood. No one is happy, not even the highbloods that look like they have it all. We are all trolls, no matter the cast. We need to make the change ourselves."
This last line seemed to make these trolls anxious. Some made a quick exit while others seemed more than eager to join. While only about half stayed it was still a win. Karkat couldn't help but grin to himself as he saw both mid and lowbloods eager to speak with him more one on one. Though as Karkat started to move down the makeshift stairs he was caught off guard by a sound. A small thump on the wood. Curiously glancing down is when Karkat saw it. An arrow?
"Shit! Sollux get the crowd out of here!" Karkat called.
"On it." Was all that was said and off he ran.
Before Karkat knew it, trolls were running, screaming. There was mass panic. More arrows from the back of the crowd directed to the stage. It was like a titlewave crashing against the shore. A sea of blue sharp tipped projectiles flying tight at him. Karkat tried to turn, scramble back up the stairs and out the back of the stage but it was too late. The wave had crashed. He could hear the mettle dig into the wooden crates all around him. But… no pain. No multiple stabs running through his chest. But there was breathing… labored and slow. Karkat finally opened his eyes, there was a massive figure over him, those familiar purple eyes staring down at Karkat. There were a few coughs as Gamzee gave another bout of shallow breaths, he looked over Karkat. His arm around him, Gamzee had blocked all those arrows. Purple started to stain the grey of the cloak he had over his shoulder as he sneered slightly.
"Shit, shit shit shit! Gamzee don't move, the arrows could have cut through some vital organs. Just stay still real quick so I… can… Gamzee?" Karkat watched those purple eyes. The normal amber around purple started to shift. From a burnt orange to a deep red. He had never seen a troll like that before. The rage that dipped into his eyes, the anger and pain. It was too much for Gamzee to bear. It was not the first time he had pain like this, it hasn't been the first time Gamzee felt this way.
However it did throw him back, back to the training, the merciless beatings until he couldn't move. He isn't weak anymore. He refused to be weak like that again. Karkat was there, they tried to kill Karkat. He gave another deep breath through his nose and then put his mouth. A grin spread across his features. Showing off all those teeth, wide and proud. It started with a soft sort of snicker, moving to a chuckle, as he straightened his shoulder back he was giving that clownish laugh. Something purple bloods were known for.
"Motherfuckers really trying to steal tickets huh!?" Gamzee snickered out as he turned to the blues that stood there with bows in hand, there were a few ceruleans as well. There were two purple bloods hanging around back next to the ceruleans. They seemed surprised but still eager. While the two hues of blue looked back for a way to retreat. "Might as well welcome them to the motherfucking Dark Carnival."
But none of that seemed to slow the Makara down as he ran right at the first blue blood snapping the arrow and stabbing it right into the poor troll's throat, spraying the indigo color not only over Gamzee but the trolls next to them. Karkat could see the fear in the troll's eyes as Gamzee turned to him. That laughter never fading as he whipped around. The first troll flattered to the ground, a deep blue pool underneath him as he choked through his own blood to gasp for air. Gamz e didn't even pay him a second glance but Karkat's eyes couldn't look away. These trolls would be ripped apart all around him.
Karkat had been ready to help Gamzee but now he couldn't move. These trolls were far stronger than anything Karkat could handle. Yet they were toyed with, like they were wrigglers. As the blues tried to run, some begged for mercy. If they had known they were going against Gamzee maybe they would reconsider. The other purples however turned to face him, but not even they got much of a hit on Gamzee. The laughter that echoed above the screams and cries was almost maddening. Karkat had fought with trolls in the past, he had killed trolls in self defense. But this wasn't anything like that. This was a slaughter not a fight. Gamzee had been capable of this the entire time they had been together. How easy it would be for him to snap Karkat in two like a twig. As Gamzee had finally finished off the last blue blood he leaned back. His shoulders raised as he gave an elated sigh.
Those purple and red eyes then cast down onto Karkat. Going from a side eye as his face broke into another smile. Less large than the last one, but still with teeth showing through. He had grabbed a club from one of the other clowns to use it against them. It was stained with that cool-hue rainbow. As was Gamzee, it splattered across his face and clothing well. Painting him up to look more menacing than he already had before. Karkat's rust colored eyes locked with those purple orbs. It was as if everything in his body screamed predator. He had to run, to get away or he would end up like these trolls. But his body froze in place. His muscles refused to listen more than a slight step back, that had landed him back on his ass. His words were caught in his throat as Karkat's mouth opened and closed to try to say something. Anything.
The massive troll knelt down in front of him. Karkat's heart rattled and beat against his rib cage as if it was going to break its way out. All he could hear was his heart in his ears and his own eyes panicked breathing. He was hyperventilating at this point. His fingers barely curled into the wood under him, that was all he could get out of his body. He closed his eyes tight and waited for that cub to wing at him. He heard a thump, but felt no pain. A cold hand came up to his cheek. Those claws gently brushing over his cheek bone. Karkat finally opened his eyes, not even noticing that they had been filled with panicked tears. He looked up to the massive troll who wore a softer expression now. His free hand drew closer to his own face, a finger pressed to the Makara's lips as he gave a soft.
"Shhh"