Disclaimer - I don't own south park, never will...don't sue me bro…

Author's Note - So I never thought I would make it this far into the story honestly. Kinda expected myself to give up after a few weeks(and I did stop for about 9 months) but I really think i'm gonna finish this one! Kind of put too much work into it at this point to just not finish it - but so much left to do...anywho...please review? TT-TT Can't improve if you don't tell me what I do wrong, what I do right. What you like or don't like! Get nasty if you want, I can take it! *readies tissues* pay no attention to that!

Aaaaaand I'm back! It has been a long and brutal semester but it is over now, so back to the story!

Chapter 26

Stan and Kyle running through the night…

They crept along, quickly as they could, staying low in the small wooded area they had to pass through between the two lines of houses in order to reach Stan's from the back. Kyle had confused the shells with his bright spell blinding them as they ran around the corner. But soon enough they would come again. Kyle was a fast learner and strong with his magic but he wasn't ready for a fight like this. Not alone. "Kyle if something happens. If it doesn't look like we'll make it. I want you to use your magic to leave the Nightlands immediately." Stan said in an uncompromising tone.

"I'm not going to just leave you here if that is what you are asking!" Kyle snapped at him with a glare. Upset that Stan would even consider something like that.

"Kyle I don't want you to die for me." Stan snapped back frustrated.

"I'm not going to die for you, I'm going to die with you. There is a difference." Kyle said smirking. Stan just blinked at him. Even though he didn't want to entertain the thought of Kyle dying, the thought of them together till the end struck a strange chord with him.

"Alright then, neither of us will die, so nobody gets left behind." Stan said smiling back. They were almost in the middle of the patch of trees between the two rows of houses. In the real world the patch wasn't more than twenty or thirty yards across, but the Nightlands twists and distorts everything. Here it was probably more like two football fields long. That was when Stan stopped. "Do you hear that?" Stan asked Kyle who tilted his head to the side before shaking it no.

"I don't hear anything. What is it?" Kyle asked quietly looking all around.

"Nothing. I don't hear anything. The shells are faster than us and clumsy. We should have heard them behind us by now...but there is nothing." A shiver went up Stan's spine. That was when he saw him. A young man with a wicked smile came out of the shadows ahead of them.

"Well hello there." The young man exclaimed cheerfully.

"A revenant…" Kyle whispered recognizing the same feeling he'd gotten from Clyde.

"Right you are!" The man clapped. "Which means you probably know already why I'm-" But he was cut off by Stan rushing him. He leapt up and over the Revenant, landing right behind him. He wrapped his arms around it's head a twisting motion, broke it's neck. The Revenant's eyes were wide as it's head faced the wrong direction looking Stan in the eyes. It smiled.

"The fu-" Stan began before getting backhanded and sent flying into the brush away from Kyle and the Revenant.

"Well now that our rude friend is out of the way…" The Revenant grabbed his head and snapped his neck back around the correct way and sighed as though he'd only had a kink in his neck. "Lets get started shall we?" He said as he started to walk slowly towards Kyle, the whites of his eyes black with malice and a grin that promised pain.

Kenny's house…

He couldn't keep track of how many shells he'd taken down as he dodged and weaved among them. All he could think about was keeping them from entering the house. But there were so many. And he was weak. Unlike most gods he had almost no magical ability, and he had no talent for martial arts like Stan. He had been content to just live peacefully with Butters and ignore the reality of what was out there. "Fuck!" He screamed defiantly as he was pushed back towards his door. He wasn't going to be able to stop them, even with guns that didn't run out of ammo he wasn't making enough of an impact on them. "Butters! Get Karen to safety please!" He screamed without looking behind him hoping he was already gone.

"Kill!" One of the shells squealed as it slammed into him and knocked him down onto his front porch. They swarmed all around him then, preparing to tear him apart.

"So this is it huh?" He said sadly, after all the things he'd done wrong and now he was going to leave the two most important people to him alone. As he closed his eyes and accepted his fate he heard a scream pierce his very soul. "Karen."

Wendy's house…

Wendy's mother and father led the way out the door guns blazing. Wendy cast a couple smaller spells to thin out any that got too close. "We have to hurry!" Wendy yelled to her parents, running past them as they cleared their way through the small group of shells.

"Hah Wendy dear, if this is the best they can do the Marshes will be just fine." Her father said putting another shell down that was still squirming on the ground.

"We aren't their targ-" A scream and a grunt cut her off. She turned and was horrified to see a female revenant standing over her father's unmoving body. He was holding something, an arm, her father's right arm.

"Oh I'm sorry, did you want this back?" The revenant tossed the arm at Wendy's feet, gore and blood leaking from where it had been attached just a few moments ago. Her father lay very still on the ground. Her mother was sitting on the ground her back against their house where she had obviously been thrown with some force. "Always wanted to kill a god." The revenant said walking in a circle around Wendy.

"You bitch, you're going to pay for that!" Wendy shouted barely able to contain this newest emotion. It was powerful and fiery, rage. The revenant merely licked her lips in a mocking seductive gesture. She was nearly nine feet tall, her arms extending almost the full length of her height. At the ends of her arms were large black hands with claws at least a foot long each, they dragged behind her on the ground digging deep rivets into the ground with ease, her hips swaying when she walked.

"Oh hunny, I'm going to enjoy tormenting you." The revenant said with mock pity before launching herself at Wendy.

With Stan alone in the woods…

Stan pulled himself to his feet using the tree he'd slammed into for support. He couldn't see or hear Kyle anywhere nearby. He couldn't have been thrown more than fifteen or twenty feet though. "Kyle!" He shouted out.

"Here Stan!" He heard a voice call from behind him and he hobbled off towards it. He found Kyle standing alone in a clearing smiling.

"Kyle? Where did the revenant go?" Stan asked surprised as he quickened his pace towards his friend.

"Oh he wasn't much of a challenge Stan, you should know how strong I am. Now let me look at those wounds sweetie." Kyle said in an overly sweet tone Stan wasn't use to. He stopped ten feet from the redhead and examined him closely.

"Who are you?" Stan asked taking a step back and glaring at the 'Kyle' before him. The redhead cocked an eyebrow surprised.

"Wow you can tell the difference? No one has ever seen through one of my disguises before. I must have made a mistake." Kyle's face melted away to reveal the face of a thin young girl, no more than twelve years of age in appearance.

"Another Revenant huh?" Stan said cursing as he took a ready stance. Even with his sword he wouldn't have liked his chances against a prepared enemy like this. "Sorry to break it to you but you were all wrong. You must have copied him at a glance."

"Oh well, fooling you was only for fun. Guess I should get down to business." The girl said in a monotone voice. She launched herself at Stan almost faster than he could react. Launching a kick at the left side of his head. He got his arm up just in time. Luckily he had decided to go with the force of the kicked and rolled away from the impact. Had he tried to take that hit head on his arm would have snapped like a twig. As it was he may have fractured it. This one was much stronger than Clyde had been. "Oh you do move w-" She started before being cut off by Stan planting both of his feet into her face and then pushing off with all of his strength. The revenant was launched backward violently and skid across the ground to a halt face down several feet from where Stan landed.

"Hah, how was that bitch." Stan said thrilled that such a gamble had paid off. He had fully committed to that strike, any attack that sent him flying through the air, though powerful left him completely vulnerable.

"Not bad for a broken hunter I suppose." She said again in her monotone voice dusting herself off as she got to her feet completely unharmed. "But you have no chance of hurting me, let alone beating me." Cold fear went through Stan, she was right and he knew it. And worse was that Kyle was out there fighting another one of these things alone.

Kyle alone...

Kyle backed away from the approaching revenant. Suddenly too terrified to form words. "Oh please run, I am so very bored." The Revenant said mockingly as he approached with the eyes of a predator. Kyle looked over towards where Stan had been sent flying but didn't see or hear him in that direction.

"W-what did you do to Stan?" Kyle asked trying to summon up some courage. The revenant cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm threatening you and all you care about is what happened to that broken hunter?" Shaking his head he looked disappointed. "I will never understand you humans. Well I suppose I can tell you that one of my compatriots should be just about to finish him off now judging from his abilities." He sounded bored as he said it.

"No that can't-" Kyle began as tears started to form in his eyes. The revenant rolled his eyes and held up his hand before him. A shockwave hit Kyle and sent him flying back several meters. It knocked the wind out of him but he hardly cared. All he could think about was Stan. "You're wrong!" He screamed at the monster.

"No, I'm not. You are never going to see him again." He said so matter of factly. So sure that Stan was gone. Kyle just stared blankly into the distance not aware of anything anymore. "Oh dear, looks like I broke him." The revenant laughed turning around about to walk away. "I didn't get to have much-" A growl came from behind him.

"You bastards…" Kyle snarled as he stood. The air shook and shimmered around him as tears fell from his cheeks to the ground.

"Oh well now! This could get interesting!" The monster said taking a ready stance as he sensed the danger the boy had just become. He rushed at the redhead and punched him with enough force to punch a hole in a tree, and his fist stopped an inch from the boy's face. His arm shook and then tore itself with the backlash from the force. "What!?" He jumped back surprised and in pain. The redhead barely registered the attack. He was looking off elsewhere past the revenant.

"Stan...Stan is alive." The boy said smiling through the tears, half in a daze as he started half stumbling in that direction.

"Hey we aren't done!" The revenant said putting his remaining hand on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle looked stopped and slowly looked towards the revenant and then down at the hand on his shoulder.

"Die." Kyle said flatly. The revenants entire body rippled for a moment.

"What just-" he tried to say before he exploded away from Kyle in a spray of gore. Kyle still in a daze began stumbling off in Stan's direction again.

At Kenny's…

"KAREN!" Butters screamed from somewhere behind Kenny. From the desperation in his voice he knew she was in danger. The shells dropped down on Kenny to tear him apart. Several sets of fangs latched onto him and claws pierced his flesh. But only for a moment. The next moment the shells touching Kenny's body began to wither and die. Those farther away began to shriek and attack each other. As Kenny stood there was little perverted boy behind those eyes. His face was a mask of madness. The whites of his eyes black and a crazed smile he began firing rapidly in all directions without looking. Shells began dissolving all around. Madness gripped his mind instantly.

"You'll all suffer!" Rather than going for kill shots he began taking them apart piece by piece. He also began shooting inanimate objects destroying everything in an expanding circle around him. "All of it!"

"Kenny! Kenny Stop!" Butters yelled launching himself onto Kenny's back and wrapping his arms around his neck, his legs around his waist. Kenny just laughed maniacally and elbowed Butters in the gut. Kenny whirled around and kicked the other blond in the stomach and then struck him with the butt of one of his guns.

"Die!" Kenny said blood oozing from his myriad wounds. He put the barrel of his gun to Butters forehead. Butters didn't even cry. He just stared Kenny in the eyes. All the shells around them dead they stood in complete silence.

"This isn't you." The smaller blonde said standing and stepping closer to Kenny who backed up. He attempted to point his guns at Butters face again but found he didn't have any strength left. His face was wet. Must have been blood he thought. He wiped at his cheeks with the back of his hand but there was no blood on his face. Tears? He was crying. Why was he crying? "Come back to me Kenny." Butters said smiling as he pulled Kenny into a deep hug. The madness that gripped his mind let go then instantly.

"Butters…?" Replacing it was fear and sorrow. He'd lost control again. He'd hurt Butters, almost killed him. Maybe killed Karen if a shell hadn't already gotten her. "What have I done…" He said breaking down.

With Wendy…

"Run along back to your master bitch, unless you want me to erase you." Wendy spat with as much venom as she could muster. She wasn't use to the feeling grasping at her now. She wanted to make this creature suffer.

"Well I could do that, but then I wouldn't get to devour those two once I'm done with you." The revenant cackled before taking a swipe at Wendy. The depowered goddess didn't even try to dodge. The attack cracked against the barrier surrounding her.

"Not very smart are you?" Wendy asked as she pointed one finger at the revenant. "Melt!" The air shimmered between the two before the revenant screamed in pain as half of her face began to drip down her chin to the ground revealing a blackened skull beneath.

"You little whore!" The revenant screamed as it leapt at Wendy.

"Open" Wendy said pointing at the creature's stomach which seemed to pull together for a moment before ripping itself open spilling black blood and gore everywhere.The revenant fell to its knees trying to force its innards to stay in place.

"Oh goddess! Please have mercy!" The creature begged filled with fear.

"Mercy?" Wendy asked curiously. She looked over at her father who was groaning on the ground. She was relieved that there was still some life in him. Some of the anger subsided. "Fine. I'll grant you mercy."

"You will?" The creature said surprised looking up just in time to see Wendy point her finger at her forehead.

"Burst" The remaining half of the monsters face contorted before the back of her head exploded voiding its contents behind her. The emptied husk fell to the ground and began to dissolve. "There's your mercy." Wendy muttered before rushing to her father and began working the strongest healing spells she could muster.

With Stan…

Stan was thrown dozens of feet and only his reflexes and luck allowed him to break his fall without also breaking his neck. The revenant was toying with him. Though it didn't display the normal outward confidence of its kind it still was deriving some sort of twisted pleasure torturing him slowly. Showing him just how helpless he was. "Is your master a coward? Couldn't stick to the bargain so he decided to ambush us!?" Stan shouted hoping the Warlock was close and would take the bait. The warlock might be powerful, but he'd be human. And humans could die.

"My master is not around to hear your taunts, nor would you have any more luck fighting him than me. Less so in fact." She rushed at him and threw a punch that caught him in the gut and sent him sliding back several meters. Stan looked off balance as the girl pursued and threw an uppercut trying to catch him on his chin. Stan fell backward bent in half planting his hands on the ground and kicking up to catch the revenant under her chin.

"For all that power you're rather slow!" Stan said smirking, so maybe he couldn't beat her, at least at the moment she couldn't beat him either if she couldn't hit him. She rubbed her chin considering Stan's words.

"Hmm I suppose I could move a bit faster." She said a moment before Stan was hit with a massive impact that hurtled him backwards thirty feet rolling on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. "Was that fast enough for you hunter?"

"Ugh...yea that'll about do it…" Stan said sarcastically as he got to his feet. A smile still on his face.

"Where does this confidence come from? You have no hope of beating me, you're going to die. Why do you not despair?" She asked him genuinely curious.

"Hah, as long as your revenant friend doesn't show up, I know Kyle is still ok!" Stan said trying to convince himself of his own rationale. He was panicking, it had been several minutes since they'd been separated and he hadn't heard or seen anything to indicate magic being used in the distance which worried him.

"Oh you think he would just kill the redhead? If your friend isn't dead yet, he probably wishes he was. Unlike me he has no sense of fair play and enjoys tormenting and torturing his victims until they break." She said sending a shiver of dread down Stan's spine.

"Kyle…" Stan whispered before making a break for the treeline he'd initially been thrown through. Just before he reached it however the girl was in front of him launching a kick into his left arm that produced an audible snap and sent him hurtling back the way he'd come. "Aaaarrhg!" Stan screamed curling up around his shattered arm.

"I didn't say you could leave. Stand and face me as a warrior or I will go find your friend and return with his head." She said coldly standing just a few feet now from Stan. Stan grunted as he pulled himself to his feet his left arm hanging at his side motionless but throbbing with pain.

"You won't lay a hand on him you bitch." Stan growled. His desperation growing he decided he had nothing to lose trying something crazy. Holding his right hand out before him he closed his eyes and focused on the magic flowing through his body. "Burn!" He shouted with everything he had. But nothing happened. A moment later he was sent flying up into the air to land on his back, knocking the wind out of him once again.

"Hmm I suppose you really are a worthless hunter, your friend Is probably better off without carrying you as deadweight." She said as she moved to stand over him. Stan just lay there stunned in despair. Maybe Kyle was better off without him. A memory flashed in his mind.

"Shhh...It's ok Stan, you know this morning, I almost let the shells get me." Stan tensed at this admission. He was horrified at the thought of Kyle becoming a shell, that was one monster he would never be able to cut down.

"But you know, of all the things that would happen, what scared me more than anything?" Stan waited for Kyle to finish and when he didn't he finally prodded him.

"What was it Kyle?" He turned his head so he was looking at Kyle's head on his shoulder. Kyle had an embarrassed look on his face.

"I was scared I'd never see you again, that you would forget me. That thought was unbearable. I decided then that I had to survive no matter what." Kyle closed his eyes and buried his head into Stan's shoulder. "You aren't allowed to forget about or leave me!" Kyle demanded muffled by Stan's shoulder. Stan couldn't imagine being happier than he was right then.

"I promise, I won't leave or ever forget you. Love ya dude." Stan said reaching across his body to ruffle Kyle's hair.

"This is the end." The girl said looking down at the defeated hunter.

"Sorry…" Stan muttered looking down. The revenant prepared a strike that would crush the boy's skull. Her arm up high and behind her fully committed to the strike. Just as she was about to bring her hand down. "I was waiting for you to do that!" Stan said looking up with a fierce grin on his face. Throwing one last all or nothing punch at the creature's chest. The revenant's eyes went wide realizing she'd left herself completely open. I'll put everything into this! Stan thought, everything I've got, into this one moment. Heat rushed through his body as he screamed "Kyle!" his attack landed, everything focused on surviving and seeing his friend again. Everything went black.

Several minutes later in the same place…

"St...an...Stan...STAN!" Kyle cried his name shaking the dark haired boy sobbing. Stan's eyes shot open at the feeling of water hitting his face. Kyle was sobbing over him, Stan smiled when he noticed Kyle was unharmed.

"I told you: I won't leave you." Stan said trying to raise his right hand to pat Kyle on the head. But to his surprise he couldn't move either arm. Glancing over at it he noticed it was purple with immense bruising and probably broken in many place. That was when he remembered his desperate move. "The revenants!" Stan said trying to sit himself up without his arms.

"Relax! I don't know what happened to the one that attacked us at first. But you seem to have handled this one…" Kyle said nodding to the revenant's body laying a dozen yards away. Or what was left of it anyway. Everything from the sternum up had been blown completely away. And the tree trunk several feet behind it had splintered.

"What happened?" Stan asked confused and suddenly very tired.

"I don't know." Kyle said shaking his head as he tried to help Stan to his feet. "I was looking for you when I heard you yell my name and then there was a loud explosion and i followed them to you. Stan just stood dumbfounded at his defeated foe and then with great effort managed to raise his right arm up in front of him. What had happened?

To be continued!

Wooo! So I'm finally back! Sorry for another long hiatus! I really meant to update three months ago but I just couldn't get any thoughts out. But here you go! Not too shabby of a chapter after that long break huh? Hope it doesn't feel as forced to you all as it does for me! I'm a bit rusty!