Playerhood18: Alright, then.
GBond007: We'll find out this chapter.
South Down: Old habits die hard, I guess.
I am a burglar: Yeah, Craig is gay. Kinda common knowledge.
As Kyle laid eyes upon the masked girl, he felt as if a match had been lit in the pit of his stomach.
Everything that had happened in the game - the countless deaths, the rampant destruction, the war between him and Cartman - was all her fault. She'd been responsible for it all, and though he couldn't see her face, he could tell she was proud of it.
All at once, all of his pent-up anger unleashed itself at that moment.
"This is all your fault!" He roared, so loud that it caused everyone in the area to whip their heads towards him in alarm. The girl barely even responded, simply standing there with her arms folded across her chest.
Without even thinking, Kyle quickly summoned a Fireball and launched it in the girl's direction, ready to incinerate her on the spot. The girl was too fast, though, and quickly dodged out of the way of the attack. Springing onto her motorcycle, she activated her Hyperdrive and sped across the fields, past the castle, and towards the Underworld.
"No you don't!" Kyle snarled, transforming into his Human Kite form. Taking to the skies, he blasted after her, sending dozens of players flying through the air from the shockwave of his sudden flight.
Kyle soared over the girl, who continued to speed beneath him. Unexpectedly, she pulled out a pistol and fired several shots into the air at him. Quick as lightning, he dodged the bullets, and zoomed downwards so he was right next to the girl, flying side-by-side with her as she rode.
"This has worked out so well!" The girl taunted as she rode across the rocky landscape, clearly enjoying herself. "That's why I pit you against Cartman! I knew the two of you couldn't resist dragging everyone else into your petty feud!"
Kyle's eyes turned crimson, and with a single blast from his laser eyes, he obliterated the girl's motorcycle. The girl soared through the air, landing gracefully on the ground, and turned to face Kyle.
"Why?" Kyle asked, trying to rein in his anger. "Why did you do it?"
The girl turned her head to the side for a moment. Then, she summoned a Freeze Ray and fired it at Kyle, nearly engulfing him in ice. Kyle blasted up into the air, avoiding the ray, and soared downwards, raining laser blasts down upon the girl. She stumbled to avoid the blasts, leaving her open for Kyle to get close to her.
Clenching his hand into a fist, he slammed it into the girl's stomach. The masked girl doubled over, letting out a pained gasp, and Kyle grabbed her head and kneed her in her face, cracking her helmet's visor.
The girl stumbled backwards, dazed from the blow. As she breathed heavily, trying to recover, Kyle charged his laser eyes. The girl rose her head to face him just as he fired, hitting her directly in the face. The force of the blow shattered her helmet completely and knocked her onto her back. She lay there, still as a corpse.
Kyle breathed heavily, exhausted from the fight. For a few moments, he stared down at the girl, wondering who she was. She had long black hair that covered her face, concealing her identity.
Slowly, Kyle approached the unconscious girl. Crouching down, he reached over to brush her hair past her face, letting him see who she really was.
Click.
Before Kyle could react, he found the barrel of the girl's gun aimed directly at his face. At that moment, the girl's eyes shot open, and she sprang to her feet, causing Kyle to instinctively stumble backwards, stunned.
For a few moments, the girl kept the gun on Kyle. He expected her to fire, but instead, she calmly brushed her hair back, letting him see her face.
Once she did, Kyle's pupils shrank and his skin paled. A breathless gasp escaped his lips.
"You. . ." He whispered in disbelief. "But. . . it can't be. . . you're. . ."
"But it is," The girl replied, smirking. "Kyle Broflovski, meet the real Leslie Meyers."
The Underworld thundered as dozens of players rushed through the dark caverns, all of them desperately hoping to snatch the key for themselves after all their troubles.
"Craig, you assholes stop right now!" Stan was shouting as he shoved his way past several other kids to catch up with them. "I've fought too hard not to get that prize!"
"We've fought harder!" Craig retorted, firing a laser blast at the kids behind him to slow them down.
By now, the kids had reached a large catacomb. Stan finally caught up with the gang, tackling Craig to the ground. The two scuffled violently, rolling over each other as they struggled to get past. The other kids did the same, trying to prevent anyone else from getting to the other side of the catacomb before them. A few kids summoned spells to try and attack their adversaries, causing the Underworld to quake violently.
The fighting was abruptly cut off when a loud, high-pitched screeching noise filled the catacombs. Instantly, the players snapped up, a chill running up their spines.
". . . W-What was that?" Clyde asked, in a more high-pitched voice than he'd hoped.
The sound returned, only it was closer now. It sounded distinctively like that of a squealing pig, but also that of a growling bear.
"You know, we probably shouldn't have been so loud in a place called the Underworld," Stan commented as he tried to keep from pissing his pants.
One of the entrances was smashed through, sending rocks and dust flying through the air. When the dust settled, the kids looked back at the entrance, and their skin paled as they saw none other than Manbearpig standing at the destroyed entrance.
"Well, we're fucked," Red said bluntly.
Manbearpig let out a massive roar, and the players immediately screamed and began scattering around the catacombs in a panic. The demon pounced across the catacombs, crushing an elf under his weight. He scanned the fleeing children, swiping at them with his knife-like claws. One squire couldn't get out of the way in time, and his head was ripped clean off his shoulders.
"What the fuck is Manbearpig doing here?!" Clyde screamed as he hid behind a giant rock.
"He can't have been looking for the key, too," Wendy suggested as she ducked under a bloody arm flung in her direction. "Otherwise, he'd have gotten it already! He must have been programmed in to protect it!"
"Well he's doing a pretty good job at that!" Clyde squeaked, instantly before a large object was thrown into his hands. He looked down at it and saw that he was holding the decapitated head of an elf, and he instantly screamed and threw it away.
As Wendy crawled across the blood-stained ground, she caught sight of Stan, sneaking through one of the exits. "Stan!" She called out, directing his attention towards her.
They locked eyes for a moment, and then Stan turned and rushed through the cavern, not looking back once.
Kyle felt like the wind had been knocked out of his lungs as he locked eyes with his one-time crush.
It couldn't be her, was what he was thinking. He had seen her die right in front of him - the image of PC Principal punching a hole through her face, the blue liquid spilling out of her head. And yet here she was, as alive as he was.
"It. . . it can't be you," He stammered, raising a shaking finger and pointing at her smiling face. "You're dead! This is a trick!"
"It's not a trick, Kyle," Leslie replied coolly, lowering her gun. "It's me, Leslie. The real Leslie."
Kyle racked his brain, still trying to make sense of what was right in front of him. "You. . . you went to my school," He recalled. "We became friends, but. . . you were an ad! A sentient ad in human form! You tried to take over South Park, the whole world!"
Leslie's grin grew, clearly enjoying Kyle's confusion. "You're so smart, Kyle," She said, folding her arms behind her back. "So here's a question for you: how can an ad gain sentience all on its own?"
Kyle stood, befuddled by the question. Eventually, he said, "It can't."
"Right," Leslie replied. "Not on its own, that is."
Kyle felt a shiver run up his spine at the implication of Leslie's words.
Leslie took his silence as a go-ahead to continue. "Ever since I was a kindergartner, I've been a technological wiz, always looking to create things. Games, robotics, even A.I. in human form. You met my little science project, Leslie the ad, right?"
Kyle grimaced. It suddenly made sense. How else could Leslie the ad enroll at his school and pass herself off as a student if she didn't actually exist?
"Well, "Leslie" had gone off on her own, trying to form her own plans; it appeared she'd gained my above-average intellect as well as my appearance," Leslie continued, and she frowned briefly. "She failed, of course, but her brief existence did serve as a lesson for me to better control my toys."
Kyle's eyes darkened. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" He asked, assuming a battle stance.
Leslie simply shrugged, and reached down to pick up a sharp rock. Pulling off her glove, she scraped the pointy edge of the rock across the palm of her hand. Instantly, a red liquid oozed out of the cut, slowly dripping onto the ground, rather than the blue liquid that had been secreted from Leslie the ad when she was killed. Kyle felt his stomach churn at the sight, and he said, "Okay, your point is made."
Putting her glove back on, Leslie said, "Back to the story. After my science project's deactivation, this town got my attention. I came here, observed you and your friends for some time. I saw the interesting games you'd imagined up, but the one that got my attention the most was Phone Destroyer."
Kyle narrowed his eyes. Almost immediately, he knew what had happened next.
"You pitched our game to a game company," He accused angrily. "Incorporated all of our ideas into it, while also tweaking it to give yourself access to spells and abilities that hadn't been released yet! Then, you advertised it to get as many people into the game as possible."
Leslie grinned. "Clever boy," She complimented. "It's honestly why I prefer that you're wearing the band instead of Nathan and Mimsy."
Kyle's skin paled as he flung his hands towards his head, where the band was. "When you came to Nathan and Mimsy," He said, furrowing his eyebrows. "What did you ask of them?"
"It was pretty simple, really," Leslie said, her eyes darkening. "I asked them to get your friend Kenny into the game." Her grin grew when she saw how Kyle's face contorted into shock at the revelation.
"That's right, Kyle," Leslie sneered. "Your friend, the one you abandoned to avoid the hassle of getting him extra headphones to join you, has been in this game the entire time. And not only that, but he's closer to getting the key now than any of you. Thanks in no small part to you, of course."
Kyle's hands clenched into fists. So that was why Leslie had orchestrated the war between him and Cartman. It had all been a diversion to distract all the other players, allowing Kenny to slip past and get the key while the other players were too busy fighting each other to notice. Overwhelming shame washed over him as he realized he'd played right into Leslie's hands without even knowing; he'd been so focused on stopping Cartman that he'd unintentionally aided the real danger.
But one thing didn't add up.
"Why do you want Kenny to get the key?" He asked. "Why not take it for yourself and make your wish?"
Leslie chuckled grimly. "You're so naive, Kyle," She mocked. "You didn't think that key was actually going to grant the winner their wish, did you?"
A sinking feeling entered Kyle's stomach. Suddenly, Nathan's words echoed in his head.
These bands were gonna spare us from that fate.
Suddenly, Leslie was standing inches away from Kyle. She placed two fingers under his chin and leaned in close to whisper into his ear.
"When Kenny gets the key, he won't be granting his wish," She said. "He'll be granting mine."
Kyle didn't waste a second. Shoving Leslie to the side, he quickly flew into the Underworld's entrance. He didn't know what Leslie was planning, but he knew for certain that he had to save Kenny before it was too late.
"Are we almost there?" Annie asked impatiently as she and Kenny navigated their way through the dark caverns using the map.
"(We should be,)" Kenny reassured her. "(Just a few more steps. It's just that I feel we should be careful. In a place called the Underworld, who knows what's lurking in these caverns?)"
"Good point," Annie replied.
"(So long as we make sure to be as quiet as possible, we should be fine,)" Kenny said, tip-toeing through the cave.
No sooner had he spoke that an ear-piercing shriek filled the caverns, accompanied by monstrous growling and the sounds of flesh being shredded.
". . . Well, I guess we're not the only ones to have entered the Underworld," Annie said.
The silhouette of several small figures rushing towards them caught their eyes, and Kenny and Annie recoiled as they saw a Rat Swarm, charging rabidly towards them.
"(Run!)" Kenny shouted, and he and Annie took off down the catacombs as fast as they could; there was no use trying to be discreet now that the new arrivals had blown their cover and stirred all the Underworld's defenses.
The Rat Swarm pursued them through the caverns hungrily, nipping at their feet as they ran. Annie pulled out her sword and swung it at them, trying to get them away. She wasn't so distracted that she didn't notice she and Kenny were reading for a small slope, and she stumbled into him as he stopped, sending both of them tumbling down the rocky hill.
"Look out!" Annie cried as she saw the two were plummeting towards a pit of lava. She screamed as she soared off the edge, but Kenny grabbed her hand before she fell and pulled her back up.
The two accessed the situation in the short time they had. There were a few pillars before them, forming a small path over the lava pit to the other side. But the tops were rather small, and each one required a jump that they could easily fail at. As they looked behind them to see the rats pursuing them, they realized they didn't have much time to reconsider.
"(Jump!)" Kenny shouted, taking Annie's hand and springing over the small gap onto the first pillar just before the rats reached them. The swarm was running too fast to stop, and they plunged down into the lava pits, their dying screeches echoing through the dark chambers.
Kenny and Annie jumped across each pillar, letting out relieved breaths with each successive jump. As they made it to the second-to-last pillar, the pillar below them started to crumble under their weight. "(Shit!)" Kenny shouted, and he scooped Annie into her arms and jumped onto the last pillar quickly. As the other pillar collided with it, Kenny sprang over the gap and onto the other side. Mere seconds later, the pillars collapsed onto the fiery pits.
For a few moments, Kenny and Annie lay on the ledge, waiting to catch their breaths before moving on. Then, they picked themselves up and rushed through down the final catacomb.
As they exited the cavern, the two found themselves in a large, dark room. The only light source was a bright machine at the end of the room, and in front of it was a tiny pillar, with a shining bright object laying on top of it.
The key.
The golden object shined before Kenny and Annie's eyes. The former almost couldn't believe it; after his long journey, he'd actually done it. He'd gotten to the key.
I did it.
Kenny was snapped out of his thoughts by Annie squeezing his hand. "Go ahead," She whispered to him.
Slowly, Kenny stepped towards the pillar. Unconsciously, he reached out and picked up the key, feeling a shiver as he felt the cold, hard metal graze his fingertips. He looked back to Annie, an unsure expression on his face. She simply nodded, urging him to go on.
Kenny looked at the bright machine. There was a keyhole on its surface, telling him that was where he needed to put the key in order to make his wish.
Taking a deep breath, Kenny closed his eyes and moved to place the key into the lock.
BOOM!
Kenny whirled around in alarm as another entrance to the room was blown open, revealing none other than Stan the Great. He was covered in cuts and bruises and looked utterly worn out, but his eyes glistened when he saw the key in Kenny's hands. Quickly, he surged forward.
"No!" Annie shouted, pulling out her sword and rushing to intercept him. The two clashed blades, but Annie's grip was nowhere near as strong as Stan's, and her sword flew out of her grasp. Stan quickly elbowed her to the ground and rushed forward towards Kenny. By the time Kenny had recovered from his shock, Stan had grabbed hold of the key.
Quickly, the two boys struggled, trying to pry the key out of the other's grip. Using their free hands, they swatted at each other's faces, struggling to get the other to let go. Abruptly, however, Stan stopped when he saw Kenny's face and saw who he was looking at.
"Kenny!" He blurted out in shock, unconsciously letting go. Kenny stumbled backwards, landing on his rump, nevertheless holding the key.
Stan stood there, a stunned look on his face. "W-What are you doing here?!" He exclaimed. "How did you get here? I thought you couldn't pay to get the headphones!"
Kenny narrowed his eyes at Stan. "(I found a way,)" He snarled angrily, getting to his feet. "(I entered this game, I played it just like you and everyone else did, and I got this key first, and I did it all without you!)"
Stan gulped before responding. "I-I'm sorry we couldn't bring you along with us," He said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's just-"
"(Just what?") Kenny interrupted. "(That you didn't have enough money to spare? Well welcome to my world pal, 'cause that's every day of my fucking life!)"
Stan stepped backwards, shocked at Kenny's fury. Behind him, several other kids entered the room from the entrance Stan had made, all of them covered in bloody gashes.
"Man, that Manbearpig is fast," Token said, stopping to catch his breath.
"Hey, we're here!" Craig exclaimed, looking around. "Finally, we can get the-" However, he and the others stopped when they saw Kenny standing in front of the machine, holding the key.
"(Every fucking day, I have to scrape by to earn a fraction of what you receive for free!)" Kenny ranted, unleashing all of his pent-up anger. "(I have to wear the same clothes five times a week because I can't afford more! My house goes without electricity at least once every damn month! There are times where I haven't even showered in a whole week because my parents didn't pay the water bills! I hate it!)"
"Holy shit," Clyde whispered, staring in shock along with the others.
"(Well I'm not going through it anymore!)" Kenny declared. "(I have a wish, and it's not to be fucking poor anymore! I want to live in a home just as nice as any of you do, to have an equal shot with the rest of you. And I'm not letting any of you get in my way!)"
He glared at Stan and the others, his fists tightening around the key so hard he threatened to snap it in two. They stared back, letting his words sink in.
Finally, Stan whispered, "Kenny. . . we won't get in your way."
Kenny's anger melted almost instantly. "(What?)"
"You deserve your wish," Stan said, hanging his head. "You're right about all of this, and I'm sorry for not recognizing it sooner. Go ahead, make your wish. We won't stop you."
Kenny lowered the key, staring into Stan's eyes before turning to look at the rest of the players. When he saw the genuine remorse in their eyes, a smile appeared on his lips.
"(Thank you,)" He whispered, and he turned around and stepped towards the machine. He stared down at the keyhole, curling his hands around the key as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Then, he lowered the key down into the hole.
Suddenly, the entrance to the cavern was blasted apart, and the Human Kite soared into the room. There was a wild look in his eyes as he saw Kenny begin to place the key into the lock.
"Kenny!" He shouted, rushing towards him as fast as he could. "Kenny, no!"
But he was too late.
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