Hunted or Busted: A Side Story
Dusted 27: When Evil Congregates
Are you hoping for an intriguing look at the past of the Hunting or Bust world? Or perhaps an AU idea for either an unseen romance or how the world might have changed with just a single difference?
Nope! It's a jokey chapter! BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE FUN TOO!
Anyway, I watched Always Sunny and immediately thought about this. So enjoy psychos and lunatics devolving into monsters.
((((((((Hunted))))))))
Cinder was afraid.
She had gain so much strength, developed her power to her command, and now wielded the confidence to make others tremble and cower before her feet. She believed once that she had abandoned the weak and cowardly emotion once and for all...
But once a month she found herself trembling and wishing she had picked a different path in life. Something that didn't lead her to revisiting this horror again and again and again.
"Cinder, are you okay?"
"You're looking a little forlorn and PTSD-y."
The woman looked over at her disciples as their Airship soared over the dark and scarred lands that birthed the Grimm constantly. She would have preferred to keep an air of composure and control around her followers. Make them believe that no matter what challenges or obstacles came her way she could weather them without pause or doubt.
But this was not the same. Not even close.
For the first time in her life Cinder felt a tang of compassion in the depths of her heart, and thought to warn her followers of the evils they would experience today, "Listen you two, because I need to warn you now. Once a month there is a trial. A gauntlet that is far more trying and taxing than any other struggle we have gone through before. One we have to experience like clockwork."
"Okay~," Mercury rolled his eyes, "Cinder I guess I'm not really one to talk but isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? I mean aren't there plenty of methods and techniques you can use to take the edge off for the week? Like of all the things I thought would scare you I never thought you'd be so frightened of the monthly cycl-"
Deafening bangs resounded through the hull as bullets hit the wall by his face so closely they left an outline of his head. The silver-haired assassin looked over at Emerald's smoking guns and Cinder's baleful glare. He clammed up as his leader raised a finger, "Firstly, don't ever talk about my matters like that to me, anyone else, or even yourself. Secondly, don't assume you know what it feels like to experience that monthly."
"We could help him?" Emerald graciously offered, "There must be some way of making him bleed out of there for a week if we try really hard."
"Hmm, tempting offer." Mercury gulped, "But I think we shall leave that for now." He visibky sagged into his seat with a breath of relief, "And lastly that wasn't what I was referring to. It was-" Cinder paused and looked out the window, "Tch, dammit, we're here."
Their ship slowly docked onto the platform leading up to the magnificent, eerie castle that split the sky. Cinder exited the vehicle with an air of apprehension as Emerald and Mercury followed after her. They had visited this place several times before but it always felt unnerving. Perhaps it was the discolored sky, the pools that birthed Grimm endlessly, or the fact the sun never seemed to rise here. Whatever the reason it was always unsettling.
But for the first time they had seen Cinder seemed put off to be here as well.
Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a man working away on his Scroll at the top of the stairs. He heard the click of her heels on the stone and looked her way before rolling his eyes, "Cinder."
"Watts."
"It seems like you're still kicking around in your little attempt for power." Watts struggled to put any sense of honesty in his voice, "Good for you."
"And I see you're still no further in your goals to reclaim legitimacy and power around the Kingdoms. Doesn't that mean your behind schedule than you originally planned?"
Watt's eyes twitched, "And what about your silly, nonsensical plan that only seems to prevail by convenience and sheer stupidity?"
"It's wonderful actually." Cinder responded smugly, "I've already prepared for when the Queen of Vale comes to visit."
"T-There is no Queen of Vale anymore!"
Cinder simply shrugged and smirked in response, eliciting a snarl from the mustached man as his irritation boiled. The older man closed his eyes, took a breath, and looked back down at the raven-haired woman, "So, your silly little plan appears to be going off without a hitch. Don't you think you have someone you need to thank for that?"
Cinder's smile thinned, "I plan to thank the Madame when I see her."
"Oh, I think we both know who it is you should be thanking for cracking into your systems." Watts bowed his head, "You needn't say it out loud. The look on your face knowing you wouldn't have gotten even halfway this far without me is more than enough compensation."
"You arrogant, withered old-"
"Ooooooo~, I sense animosity~!" Cinder and Watts paused and shuddered as the borderline psychotic tone of the voice joining their conversation spoke up. The group looked over as Tyrian walked up the runway to join them, "Are we at each other's throat and ready for battle? If so then I call winner!"
"Ugh, greetings Tyrian."
"As disgustingly animated as usual I see."
"Well I'm excited." The scorpion Faunus said with an unnatural lilt in his voice, creepily tapping his fingers together before his eyes turned to the two newcomers to their palace, "We have new meat here today. What isn't there to celebrate when new friends arrive?"
"Meat? Did he say meat? Did he just call us meat?" Mercury questioned, "Oh that's unsettling."
Emerald shuddered in disgust, "He's licking his lips. He's doing that and looking directly at us while he giggles." The green-haired thief took a cautionary step back, "S-Should we leave? Should we go before things get worse?"
"Too late. He's already seen you." Watts shook his head, "That means you're already marked."
"Marked? What the fuck does marked mean in that context?"
"Nothing good."
"Can we-"
"No, no it's too late for you." Cinder shook her head, making her apprentices pause and look between each other nervously, "No helping it. Just go about your day and pray you don't see it coming." As they gulped in fright she turned back to the maniacal killer, "Hello Tyrian, I see you're still as deranged and disgusting as usual."
"Thank you."
"No - no that wasn't a compliment. That was a backhanded critique - never mind." She rubbed her delicate eyebrows, "So is our lady waiting for us?"
"Indeed." Tyrian frowned, "I revere and adore our grace to the ends of Remnant, but on nights like these…I just don't understand the appeal." He shook his head, "I mean why would she invite all of you for such mundane actions? She has me to accompany and praise her at all times of the day. And…to a lesser extent…t-that - that - THAT WRETCH!" He suddenly exclaimed, seething through his teeth as his tail swung around in his irritation.
His two more familiar associates simply stared at him dryly as the newer duo trembled and tried to hide away from his line of sight. Watts sighed and fixed his suit before looking around, "Should we just start going inside?"
"Quite."
Cinder and Watts made their way in. Tyrian followed after, lingering behind for just a minute to stare at Mercury and Emerald before licking his lips. After seeing the chill going through their bodies, he seemed satisfied and followed them in. As they approached the central conference room, they spotted a lingering giant and a pale red-haired man. They looked up and noticed their approach, "Cinder. Watts."
"Hazel. Nagato. It's a…pleasure to see you." Watts struggled to lie through his teeth as he greeted his fellow cabal members.
Cinder abandoned the pleasantries altogether and looked between the two men, "I suppose you two have been here all day? Is she ready for us?"
"Yes, she is." Hazel nodded and spoke in his deep, gravelly voice, "I'm worried about what happens next."
"There are more ready now then ever before." The redhead said grimly as he reached for the door handles. He looked back at everyone, "Prepare for anything."
The cabal members tensed their bodies, and the two apprentices gulped nervously as the doors were opened…and they viewed the center of evil.
"Hey everyone! So glad you made it!" The pallid, black-veined woman that looked eerily like the queen of all Grimm greeted them with a plucky, joyful smile. Across the dark table where they concocted their schemes and plans for world domination were trays of snacks and games. She smiled and threw up her arms, "It's game night!"
…
Mercury blinked, "What is game night?"
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"Sit down! Sit down! Everyone get comfortable!" Salem said cheerfully as she ushered everyone to their seats. The cabal looked reluctant to engage but slowly started to sit along the table's edges. Hazel, Watts, and Cinder took the left side of the table for themselves. Nagato was about to sit down at the seat closest to Salem on the right but Tyrian slipped in and hissed him away. The silver-eyed redhead sighed and sat beside him as the serial killer sat on the chair like a perch, "And you two must be Cinder's new friends! Oh I'm always so happy when she brings over company!"
"T-They're not my friends." Cinder denied petulantly with a faint blush, "I took them on as my apprentices and they help me execute my plans-"
"That's nice dear." Salem waved her off before speaking to the two youngest present, "Please sit down. Join us. I brought out the chips and baby carrots. As well as a few drinks for us adults." She cut a lime and added it to her drink as Emerald and Mercury warily sat at the table as well, "This is your first time joining us so welcome to game night!"
"What is game night?" Mercury shrugged, "I still haven't gotten an answer on that."
"Game night is the mandatory activity night we have once per month." Cinder answered.
"We do this to 'build trust' and 'strength our friendship'." Watts gagged while rolling his eyes.
"It was our lady's idea." Nagato said while slumping back in his chair, "And we can't say no to her."
"Believe us. We've tried." Hazel added.
"Now, now, enough with the gloom and frowning! Tonight is all about having fun!" The pale woman said with glee and clapped her hands. She looked around the table and smiled, "I want to spend time with the members of my new family and I want us all to work together as best we can. So tonight we're putting aside our plans and machinations and just having fun!" She giggled and pulled out a cardboard box, "So first I have Atlas Monopoly. I think we have just enough pieces for everyone to play! Isn't that fun?"
Mercury and Emerald spared a look between each other and shrugged, "Um, okay?" The young assassin looked at the pieces before picking one up, "Guess I'll be the snowflake."
The table violently turned and flew into the wall in an instant.
"I'M THE SNOWFLAKE! I'M ALWAYS THE SNOWFLAKE! YOU DON'T GET TO BE THE SNOWFLAKE! YOU PUT THAT DOWN BEFORE I JAM MY FINGER IN YOUR EYE AND TURN!"
"O-Okay I'm sorry!"
"Holy shit-"
"You always do this!" Cinder whined, "You always act like this when I bring over my friends!"
"I thought they weren't your friends?"
"Shut up Watts!"
"Hold her back!" Hazel immediately grabbed the feral Salem as Nagato tried to catch her hands, "Stop her now-"
"Ma'am! Ma'am calm down! Please breathe-"
"AAHHHHH! AHHHHHH!" Tyrian wailed out from under the table to the side, "MOMMY WHY?! I THOUGHT I WAS YOUR FAVORITE!"
"NO ONE ELSE TAKES THE SNOWFLAKE FROM ME! I KILLED ONE GROUP OF MY KIDS BY ACCIDENT BUT THE NEXT BATCH WILL BE INTENTIONAL!"
"What?"
"What?"
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The table had been put back. The snacks had been picked up and placed back on the top, even if a few of them were ruined. And the drink station had been returned to its former glory with the pile of board games for them to enjoy. Salem sipped on her drink and then sighed, "Apologies. I-I can get a little competitive when I'm playing. And a bit too worked up."
"It's fine ma'am." Hazel assured her, "I'm just glad we could stop you before you attacked anyone this time. Didn't want a repeat of the last incident."
Watts shuddered, "I still hear the screams of qualifications for moving jenga blocks when I go to bed."
"Well thankfully no one got hurt." Nagato sighed in relief, "We got the table back up. There's only mild traumatization," He nodded towards the shivering Mercury and Emerald, "And now the night can go on. The only thing is…" He looked towards the person seated at his side, "I'm not sure what to do about what Tyrian said."
The scorpion Faunus looked at the red-haired man and scoffed, "What I said? I was simply showing reverence to our exalted Goddess. Her grace that shows her true nature and proclivity to chaos-"
"No we heard you."
"You cried out for mommy."
"They're right you called me mommy."
Tyrian stammered, "N-No I didn't."
"You totally did."
"O-Oh, okay, hehe - I-I see where you might have heard me say that-"
"Yeah, that's how words and sounds work. Like you calling her mommy and saying you're her favorite."
"No, no, no!" Tyrian laughed and shook his head, "I didn't mean 'mommy' like 'mommy'. I just meant 'mommy' like - well 'mommy'! You get it?"
…
"No."
Watts coughed, "I'm a doctor, and we already know he's a madman, but those were the ravings of a madman."
"L-Let's move past it." Salem waved her hands, "We're just moving past it. Moving on. Let's play our next game! I'm thinking charades!" Salem smiled, "So we need to decide teams and work together! Now, how should we make the teams?"
Mercury leaned in towards Emerald, "Same team?"
She nodded, "Absolutely."
"Oh, let's draw straws! That way new teams can be made between us!"
Oh shit.
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Emerald had been teamed up with Nagato. Lucky.
Cinder and Tyrian were growling at each other.
Watts worked on his Scroll while sitting besides Hazel.
So that meant-
"Let me tell you this now so it's plain and clear." Salem muttered under her breath as she loomed over a shivering Mercury, "I like to win. I really, really want to win. Do you want to win?"
"Y-Yes-" He coughed and cleared the lump in his throat, "Yea ma'am."
"Then you're going to do everything you can to help me win, right?"
"You got it."
"I have your support?"
"That's right."
"Can you prove it?"
"H-How? How - how would I prove it?"
"An oath of blood!" Tyrian yelled from the side in a mad raving, "You need to pledge your loyalty in an oath of blood!"
"W-Why would I-" He noticed Salem's bone-chilling expression and nodded, "Oath of blood. I can do that." The young assassin looked around before grabbing the knife off the table. He quickly put it to his palm and cut down, "AH!"
"Oh not with the lime knife!"
"There's citrus on that!"
"AH!" Mercury clutched his hand and hissed from the terrible sting in the cut, "Oh shit!" He looked down and saw the abnormal amount of blood running down his palm and arm, "Oh fuck I think I cut a vein or something."
Watts shrugged, "Well that's loyalty. Willing to split a vein just to prove your fealty."
"Your grace, I can do that too!" Tyrian grabbed the bloody fruit knife and held it to his hand, "I will split a vein for you!"
"No! What will we use for cutting fruit otherwise!" Salem yanked the knife from her loyal follower's hand and sighed, "Cinder, help close the wound."
"C-Close? Close how? How is she-" Cinder grabbed his bleeding hand and squeezed as it sizzled and burned with fire.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" As the sizzle of flesh and the smell of burnt meat filled the room, Mercury cradled his hand and whimpered. As he sucked in sharp breaths of air he nodded, "O-Ok. Okay, start the charades. Just start please."
Salem drew her card first and knew exactly what to do. With a confident nod she turned and started to mime her prompt.
What followed was a full 30 seconds of monstrous growls, deformed wings and claws sprouting from her body in a disgusting hodgepodge of pantomiming that sent everyone watching on edge. And her partner could only watch in horror before the Eldritch abomination she had become reverted back into her normal form and yelled, "Dead Hard! It's was Dead Hard! The Spruce Willis movie! How did you not get that?!"
"I-I'm sorry." Mercury cowered before slipping away from her fury, "M-My turn, right?" He snatched a piece of paper and read it quickly before putting it away. He turned and started flapping his arms like wings.
"Nevermore! It's a Nevermore! It couldn't be anything other than a Nevermore! Is it something other than a Nevermore?! A-A flying Beringel! A Griffon! A Sphinx! A baby Nevermore! IT'S A BABY NEVERMORE!"
"Time."
"DAMMIT AAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!" Salem picked up her chair and spiked it through the window. They watched the furniture sail away out of sight and some flying Grimm poke their heads in to see what all the ruckus was, "WHAT WAS IT?!"
"A bird."
The other cabal members nodded, "Obviously it was a bird."
"Pretty easy."
"You need to get out more."
"GRRRAAAAHHHHHHH! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LOYALTY?!"
"I-I am! I am loyal! Watch!" Mercury grabbed the knife again and sliced his cauterized hand. As another wave of blood started to seep out he hissed and gasped, "Oh fuck I cut the same spot again!"
"Why would you do that?!"
"I panicked! She's terrifying!"
"I'M NOT SCARY!"
Needless to say things didn't get much better after that.
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Pictionary.
Emerald started drawing a line-
"A car!"
"Right." She nodded and started drawing a squiggly line-
"Energy shields!"
"You got it." She poked the paper with a small dot-
"The Faunus Rights Revolution!"
"Yep."
"GAH! HOW ARE THEY SO GOOD AT THIS?!"
Nagato shrugged off Cinder's anger and the others' disbelief, "We're focused and work well together."
No need to bring up that Emerald was using her Semblance to give him visions of what he needed to say.
When you had the right skills and didn't use them they just seemed wasted.
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Twister
Salem turned the spinner, "Left foot green."
Cinder, Hazel, Watts, and Tyrian were in an extremely uncomfortable pretzel of limbs atop the little colored map. Cinder groaned as she stretched her foot out and touched the green circle, "I can't take much more of this."
"This is humiliating." Watts grunted, "I am the most gifted intellect in the entire world and I am reduced to playing a child's game!"
"You're welcome to make a complaint." Hazel said while basically contorting into a bridge between his points of color, "She's right there with the spinner. Go on. Say something."
Watts spared Salem a look before sweating, "I think I'll voice it at another time.
"Tyrian your turn." She spun it again, "Right hand blue."
Tyrian looked around and saw the blue circle just a little further from his head. However in the position he was in he'd never reach it unless he could snake his arm through small openings and extended it further than he could reach.
Which is exactly what he did.
"Ha!" Tyrian reached his hand through a gap between Cinder's legs and Hazel's neck. He almost touched the blue spot before he popped his joint out of place and finally reached it, "Haha! I win!"
Everyone watching grimaced. Emerald and Mercury shook their heads while Nagato offered them baby carrots, "Yeah, you never get used to seeing him do that."
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Darts
Nagato stepped up to the plate and glared down the board. With a deep breath he raised his darts before whipping them forward and sending them flying straight as an arrow.
Unfortunately they were a little off target and buried themselves in Hazel's chest instead.
Emerald shook her head, "How did that happen?"
"What do you expect?" He parted his hair to reveal one of his eyes scarred with burn tissue, "I'm lacking depth perception."
Hazel just stared down at the darts in his pectoral and shrugged. Watts looked at them curiously, "So you really don't feel that at all?"
"Nope."
"Fascinating."
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Word association
"O-Okay! Okay, something wonderful!"
"Power?"
"No, something that brings joy!"
"Victory?"
"No! Something that smells nice!"
"Wha- flowers?"
"No! Something that indicates pleasure!"
"Beating my enemies?!"
"NO!"
"Time."
"GAH! MURDER! THE ANSWER WAS MURDER!"
They all stared at Tyrian in shock before the amber-eyed saboteur shook her head, "Why would I associate any of those things with murder?!"
"Oh I know you like killing just as much as me!"
"No one likes killing as much as you!"
"I swear to our almighty Goddess that you would serve us better if I skinned you alive and used your flesh to make a lampshade." Tyrian snarled, "Or perhaps I could fashion you into high-end luggage and add you to my collection!"
…
The other members of the cabal, Salem herself, and even the Grimm peering in through the windows looked at the scorpion Faunus in shock and horror. They all sat in silence and stared at him uneasily after his proclamation.
Cinder, as the target of his threat, nervously gulped before voicing the most pressing question, "Um…do you have other pieces of luggage you've fashioned out of skin?"
Tyrian rolled his eyes and scoffed, "No, of course not. I would never do that." He shrugged, "Could you imagine the smell of it? You haven't considered the smell - YOU BITCH!" He shuffled in his chair and glared her down sharply, "Now you will shut your mouth for the rest of this game unless it is your turn. Or I will dice you into a million pieces. And put you in a box. A glass box. That I can display on the mantle for our enjoyment and fond remembrance. Understood?"
…
After a moment of heavy silence, Tyrian clapped his hands and smiled, "Whose turn is it next?"
Emerald sniffled and wiped her nose, "I wanna go home."
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Operation
Now the normal version of this game involved using tiny tweezers to lift little plastic doohickeys out of a small play pin in the shape of a person's body while avoiding touching the sides.
The cabal however-
"Dammit Tyrian! You did it again didn't you?!" Watts yelled as he pulled on the chain around his legs keeping him from moving, "Why do you always roofie us and then tie us up for this?!"
("Because I want to play a little game!") Tyrian said creepily through the projection of their Scrolls, ("I've tied you all up with handcuffs laced with Dust! They will explode in ten minutes and take your hands off completely unless you can get to the key-")
"And you've hidden the key in our bodies." Nagato finished, already grabbing the tweezers and pulling up his shirt to reveal the fresh cut and sewn up wound underneath is ribs, "And we have to get it out before it's too late. We know the - OW! What the-"
("But this time I added a little extra fun. The tweezers are laced with lightning Dust. So every time you touch them, you get a little zap. Have fun! AHAHAHAHAHA-")
"Dammit - ah!" Cinder cried as she touched the tweezers to her arm in an attempt to retrieve the key, "Why does he - grh - why does he always do this?! I'm so sick - sonuva-"
"This is just what happens!" Salem hissed as she started digging in the zapping tweezers into her leg, "He gets into the drinks and loses his - oh that doesn't tickle!"
Emerald didn't even touch her tweezers as Mercury looked himself over, "I-I don't see any new cuts. A-And my legs are mechanical. So I don't know where he could…" He looked down at his mangled hand, "Oh come on! It was already burnt and infected!"
("That's what makes it so fun!")
"I don't see what the problem is." Hazel dug into his leg without hesitation, "I mean it doesn't hurt that much, does it?"
"Easy for you to say!" Watts yelled, "This is agony!"
"It's really not that bad. See?" Hazel pulled out a bloody key, "Already got mine."
"Dammit."
"You always win this game when Tyrian does it."
"Just not-" Salem paused and sniffed the air, "Hazel did you shit your pants?"
"What?"
"Anyone smell that?"
"I don't - oh! Oh yeah, yeah that's awful."
"Hazel I think you messed your drawers."
"I did?" The giant man looked himself over, "Don't see why I would."
"Well you don't feel the pain but you were still stabbing an electrified needle into your muscles and nerves and bone." Watts clarified, "Only natural that your body have some kind of reaction."
("It's true. That's a common reaction. Most of the other people I put into situations like this respond like that. No shame.")
"AHHHHHHH!" Emerald yelled at the top of her lungs, "I HATE THIS!"
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It was hours of more games and torment. More yelling and hurt feelings. It seemed never ending torment until finally - mercifully - it did end.
The doors to the Evernight castle opened up as a traumatized Emerald, a disheveled Cinder, and Mercury carrying his limp mangled hand walked out.
"Bye everyone!" Salem waved them off, "This was fun! Love you!"
"And that was game night." Cinder fixed her hair, "Salem enjoys having us over for fun and that constitutes as fun…apparently."
Emerald took a shuddering breath and shook her head, "No more. I-I can't do that again."
"We do it every month." Cinder warned, "So suck it up."
…
"I think I need a new hand." Mercury said to break the silence, "Cause this thing is just…just wrecked."
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Done
Every family needs a night to get together and have fun! And this is what a night like that is like! For murderers. And psychos. And world-ending witches.
Just so much fun!
Anyway, the main story's first act just came to a close and this is the first follow-up I give you guys. Sorry about that. I just realize I haven't been putting much effort behind the promise to expand the story with this premise like I said. Hopefully this year I manage to rectify that.
And not in a way that pulls from the other stories I have a duty to continue. Probably more of a 'when I'm blanking or have a free moment, I'll add a little more story'. Hopefully that will make up for the slack.
Anyway, I hope you all are doing well! I'll have an update on when the main story will return soon! Love you all!
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Thank You and Bye
