Disclaimer - I don't own south park, never will...don't sue me bro…
Author's Note - Two updates in one weekend!? I am a madman. Feel like I owe it to people to get this story rolling again after putting so much work into it over the years. I ain't given up on our boys!
Chapter 28
"Where's Ike?" Kyle asked looking for his brother. Everyone spun around looking for him and began calling his name. "Ike!" Kyle said running into the living room.
"He was up your room Stanley!" Sharon yelled to her son. As she began a spell rattling off several commands with her eyes closed. Stan and Kyle turned as one and bolted up the stairs to Stan's room, throwing the door wide.
"No…" Kyle gasped through welling tears. Stan's room was destroyed. The window had been smashed from the outside and the bed and desk were in pieces. There was a small amount of blood on the floor. Kyle dropped to his knees, tears flowing freely now. Stan ran to the window and looked out for any signs of an assailant. "He's gone...my little brother is gone…"
"Kyle…" Stan started turning back towards his friend and dropped down to his knees in front of the smaller boy. "Kyle you don't know that…he could have gotten away, Ike is a brilliant kid." Stan pulled Kyle into a hug as his own tears began to flow. Ike had been like a little brother to him as well, he would make whoever did this pay. As he was comforting Kyle, Gerald and Sheila rounded the corner into Stan's room, the mother instantly bursting into tears.
"My baby!" She wailed grabbing Gerald for support. Stan's eyes went wide and he brushed away his tears.
"Ike is ok Kyle! They haven't forgotten him, that means he has to be alive." Stan pushed Kyle back so he could look him in the eyes and saw the same realization coming over his face. He kissed Kyle's forehead gently. "We will get your brother back."
"Yea...yea you're right!" Kyle wiped away his tears and put a weak but determined smile on his face. His brother was ok and they would find him. There was a banging on the door downstairs that had everyone jumping up and rushing down, Stan grabbing his sword from beside his bedroom door as he went.
"Is everyone ok!?" Wendy's voice carried up the stairs as chatter burst in the living room below. Stan and Kyle led the way down the stairs to see the Testaburgers, Kenny and Butters in their living room. Kenny looked devastated, that's when Stan remembered who should have been visiting Kenny right now.
"We're ok, were you all attacked too?" Stan saw Mr. Testaburger's arm in a sling and it was oddly pale but he was slowly flexing and rubbing it. Mrs. Testaburger had her husband's shotgun. slung across her back, while she carried a minigun as though it was no more than a purse.
"Stan, she's gone...they took her…" Butters cried as his tears started flowing down already stained cheeks. Stan turned towards the Broflovskis.
"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Broflovski, what is Kenny's sister's name? Quick!" Stan shouted suddenly making the two of them jump and look around confused.
"You mean poor little Karen? Such a sweet little girl. Was she taken by the same things that took our boy?" Gerald asked, Sheila still too overwhelmed by everything that was happening. Kenny and Butters eyes went wide as they looked at the Broflovski's like they were the most wonderful thing they'd ever seen.
"It's the same with Ike, they took him. But they're alive. My parents are still normal humans, they wouldn't remember them if something had happened right?" Kyle said running down the stairs and pulling the two blonds into a hug. "We're gonna get them back!" He stated giving them both a hard squeeze.
"Kyle, Kenny, I'm so sorry this happened." Wendy said guiltily. "If I still had all my powers I could have…" She trailed off obviously beating herself for not having stopped everything single-handedly. She looked tired, something Stan couldn't ever remember seening before. She was pale and shivering a bit, actually feeling the cold that was drafting into the house.
"It wasn't your fault Wends" Stan said putting his hand on his shoulder. "I'm just glad you're ok, and that you're here." He hugged her gently and gave her a smile as they parted.
"Good thing everyone is here, we've got work to do." Sharon said coming out of her spell looking like she could fall over at any moment. "I couldn't locate them. Powerful, but clumsy, magic is shielding them. It fortunately can tell me that they are alive and someone doesn't want us to find them, rather than finding nothing at all. So that is fortunate at least." She sat down on the couch. "Kyle, Butters, Wendy would you mind fixing up the house, I believe I am spent for the moment." And with that Sharon slumped on the couch, her breathing ragged.
"Mom/Sharon/Dear!" Several voices shouted as once as Randy jumped to his wife's side and checked her pulse. Relief came over his face. "She's fine, just used too much magic trying to locate the little ones. She just needs rest."
"This is bad Billy." Marvin said to Randy as he rolled into the room. "Alright, this is what is gonna happen! Stan, Kenny, you two will guard the front and back of the house incase of a second attack. Billy, you're going to go round-up Jimbo and Ned. Your wife's students will fix up the house and tend to each other's wounds." The old man stated firmly, soundly completely focused and alert for the first time in Stan's life.
"What about you dad?" Randy asked as his father rolled to the front door.
"I'm going to go get the children back. I know where they are." His electric wheelchair rolled out into the night.
"Wait! Dad! If you know where they are, take us with you! We'll go and get them back together." Randy said as he readied his pistols and slung a shotgun onto his back. Marvin looked back at his son sadly.
"No, Billy. This is something I need to do alone. If I'd done my job right all those years ago none of this would be happening." Marvin was lost in thought thinking back to the darkest days of his hunting career.
"Grandpa, this is ridiculous, we can help!" Stan said putting his sword belt on and stepping up next to his father.
"Dad, we're a family, and this is family business." Randy said, fully intent on walking out into the night with his father.
"No. Randy, Stanley." Marvin said their names softly, startling both that he actually got them right. "I have to go alone. Neither of you are up to this fight. Not yet." His eyes misted up for a moment before he wiped them away. "Besides, neither of you could keep up." Marvin stood up in his wheelchair and jumped, the force of which blew apart his wheelchair and left a small crater in the ground. The elderly man flew away into the night leaving everyone who had never seen the Invincible Marvin Marsh before speechless.
"Dad, we have to go after him!" Stan said turning towards his father who was now crying gently.
"No Stanley, do as your grandpa said, he's right. He'll get those kids back." Randy ran to his truck and got in backing out of the driveway as fast as he could and speeding off towards Jimbo's.
"He'll be ok Stan." Kyle said patting him on the shoulder. "I mean you don't get the name invincible for nothing right?" He tried to sound as confident as possible, but he wasn't sure if he believed it himself.
In the woods…
"Ah look at this golden opportunity we have! The stage is set for something truly heartbreaking!" The young man stood from his throne and looked at the two elementary school children. "What do you think, kill one and then let them agonize over trying to save the other one only for me to kill it in front of them? Or just kill them both and send them the bodies back?" Cartman just stood staring blankly with his hands in his pockets.
"I don't think…" He began to say when suddenly something landed between the two of them, blasting away trees and lesser shells. "The hell…?" Cartman began before the tip of a cane poked through the smoke seemling in slow motion.
"Begone" said an old and somewhat familiar voice. Cartman instantly felt a force of magic rush over and the compulsion was more than he could resist. He fled leaping away as far as he could.
"Who dares to enter my domain so boldly!" The young man shouted waving a hand sharply before him. "MOVE!" An intense vortex lashed forward and blew away the remaining dust from the living comet that had just landed. Standing amid the intense wind was a small old man who stood like an oak tree against a light breeze. "Ah, should have known It would be you." Marvin Marsh walked forward slowly towards the man who tensed and put up his guard.
"I don't know who you are, but I know what you are." Marvin stated firmly. "Return the children, and I will leave you in peace, although my grandson and his friends will not be so kind when they find you." He smiled like a parent asking a child to put their toys away.
"Oh? You want the children? How about in pieces?" He raised a hand and snapped his fingers. Two cries came from behind him. Two revenant cries. He whirled to see Marvin setting Ike and Karen down gently. He looked at them both and placed a hand over them.
"Return Home" they flickered for a moment before they were shot up into the sky in similar fashion to his own exit from the Marsh home. "Now, where were we?" He turned to look at the young man who was shaking with fury, leaning with both hands on top of his cane.
"You will die for that old man!" He raised his hands with his fingers extended like claws towards the Invincible. An immense rush of magic burst from the young man and washed over Marvin. "DIE! END! SHATTER! BURST! REND! MOVE! BURN! BLAST!" He continued on for several seconds, chaining together intricate and powerful commands backed by equally powerful magic.Marvin simply smiled and began to walk slowly forward.
"I will die when I am ready, and not a moment before!" He stated tapping his cane on the ground as he spoke. "Now I believe you made an agreement with my grandson that you would leave them alone until Christmas. By my estimate you're a month early."
"The agreement given by my servant means nothing to me! I'll kill you, then I'll kill you're grandson in front of all his friends before I slaughter them all!" He pulled a black sword seemingly made of night out of the air next to him and charged the old man. "Die!" He swung with both hands, putting every ounce of his power behind the swing. The forest exploded outward, trees snapped and rocks shattered and cracked. A thundercrack could be heard for miles. "How do you like my power old man, still think you know what I am?" He smiled panting, straining to see if anything remained of the old man through the dust filling the air.
"You are a lonely misguided child who is trying to fulfil a destiny that is not his own. You are not your grandfather." Marvin declared as the dust cleared to reveal the sword stopped by his cane. The ground behind him was nearly undisturbed, as though he were a wall protecting everything within his charge.
"It's not possible…" The young man stumbled back, exhausted and terrified. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" He replaced his fear with anger and lashed out attempting to overwhelm Marvin with attacks. The old Marsh simply knocked them all aside with his cane as though swatting annoying flies.
"One month, that's how long you will stay away from South Park. You will not set foot in this town until Christmas." He said as he twisted the sword made of knight out of the young man's hands, it landed destroying everything it touched before vanishing.
"You think you can command me?" He laughed, throwing his head back. "You really are a senile old man aren't you? How old are you anyway, ninety? Ninety five?" He dusted himself off regaining some of his composure and arrogance.
"Two hundred thirty four." He said flatly. The young man choked on his laugh and stared at him with disbelief. "And you should really learn to respect your elders. NOW." Marvin raised his cane, it seemed to flicker and distort in the moonlight. "LEAVE." Such a simple command, it shouldn't have been capable of even entering his mind, let alone forcing him to obey. But he couldn't stop himself from turning around and walking off into the night like a zombie. Trapped in his own body he couldn't even speak. "You'll have free control of your body once you're out of South Park, but you will not be able to enter or command anything to enter for one month. Use that time to rethink your actions."
This can't be happening! The young man thought, he tried to fight it, he tried to summon all the magic he had left. But he was helpless before this old man. He could do nothing but march on slowly out of South Park, one again forced from his rightful home.
"Well now, it seems things were not as dire as I believed. But it is a bit more sad. I am sorry I am leaving another fight to you my boys." Marvin sighed, and shuddered dropping his cane and turning shakily away from the retreating young man. He stumbled and struggled to bring himself to the edge of the woods. As he broke the treeline he saw the lights of South Park off in the distance. His home, the last thing he would see. "Well it looks like I was invincible to the very end." Marvin's body turned to dust, the weight of years settling upon him as the last of his magic left him.
Back at the Marsh's...
There was a bang like a meteor landing in the front yard and everyone rushed out to see. Standing confused and holding hands stood Karen and Ike, unharmed. "My baby boy!" Sheila shouted waddling out to hug her boy and grabbing Karen in the process. Kenny and Butters Hugged all three and soon everyone piled into a massive group hug.
"They're safe!" Kyle cried relieved. "Grampa Marsh did it!" He smiled at Stan who had a proud and relieved smile on his face.
"Of course he did, I never had a doubt!" He crossed his arms and turned to look for his dad who had a sad look on his face.
"Who are you boys talking about?" Gerald asked stopping and looking at the two best friends.
"Yes boys, I didn't know Stanley's grandfather was still around?" Sheila added pulling Ike in tightly. Everyone except for the Broflovski parent's, Karen and Ike stopped.
"What are you talking about…? Mom, Dad, you just saw Grandpa Marsh leave to save Ike and Karen." Kyle said tears streaming down his face as he saw Stan's heart break before his eyes.
"He can't be…" Stan turned towards his father who's tears were freely flowing now. "Dad, you said Grandpa was invincible, no one could kill him. How! He wouldn't have fallen to a shell or some revenant!" Stan grew angry and gasped the hilt of his sword squeezing until his knuckles turned white.
"No, he didn't die from a shell or a revenant." Wendy said sadly, looking smaller and more helpless than Stan had ever seen before. "I felt it happen, he was using magic to extend his life. An incredible feat, but most likely very painful. To force all your will towards a single goal, extending your life indefinitely is possible, though only for the strongest of individuals. There were two surges of magic. Did you feel it?" She was looking off towards the forest on the outskirts of South Park where it had come from. All those with sensitivity to magic nodded, even Stan had felt the ripple. "The first burst was probably the one behind the attacks, it was on the same level as Sharon maybe even a god. And the second...that could only have been Grandpa Marsh. He used his very being to power one last spell. I'm so sorry Stan." Stan screamed out in pain and rage and the ground at his feet cracked
"NO! This isn't fair! It's not right!" He balled his fists and fell to his knees slamming his fists into the ground so hard the driveway split.
"Stan…" Wendy said speechless for one of the first times in her life. She felt it, and as she looked around, so had everyone else. Stan had used magic.
AN - Oh look at that, two chapters in one day? I am insane! But I have found the need to create something recently, and I am trying to shake off the rust for my writing.