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Thanks so much dragonmasterd55, I'm really glad you like my writing that much. I'm just trying my best to make a compelling story, but getting the word out is hard. I've been really lucky to gain a fanbase that shares my work with friends and spreads the word around, and I continue to rely on you guys to talk about DoubleTale!
Speaking of spreading words, Wingah has started a fanfiction for DoubleTale, called DoubleUnion! Spencer the Gamer has also started a story called DoubleScrolls that's a crossover between DoubleTale and Skyrim! If you guys wanna see even more DT content across the board, I think you should go support them and any other DoubleTale related stories or art or creative work in general! (I apologize in advance if you have a DoubleTale story that still gets updated that I didn't mention, just tell me and I'll correct myself in next chapter's author's note)
Now please enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.
Creak... Creak... Creak...
"... We've been here for awhile, you know."
He blinked those scarlet eyes leisurely down at the wood chips beneath his feet. He gently pushed the toes of his beat up tennis shoes into the chips, slowly rocking himself back and forth upon his swing. "I know."
"You didn't think it would take this long," The little boy tilted his head of brown hair to the side, his emerald eyes never blinking as he watched his albino best friend. "Did'ja Anny?"
"..." He tightened his red stained fingers around the chains of his swing, which continued to creak from his rocking. "No. I didn't."
"Guess you underestimated how much you hate me, huh?" Little Angel grinned playfully, shutting his eyes tight before the blood stained ghoul before him.
"... Heh." Anarchy didn't lift his head to see Angel's smile, but he knew it was there. "I guess so."
"... Why won't you look at me, Anny?" Angel asked after a moment or two of letting his childlike curiosity recharge. He held his hands behind his back and furrowed his brows.
"Because if I look at you, you'll die." Anarchy explained calmly, his hands held together in his lap. They were still dripping with fresh blood, it hasn't been long since the last Angel.
"Isn't that what you want, though?" Angel was puzzled by Anarchy's answer, puffing out his right cheek and keeping his eyebrows curled.
"I want to kill you." Anarchy corrected, blinking those lifeless rubies at the playground dirt once again. He watched as a crimson droplet trickled from his chin, dripping into the brown splinters below.
Angel crossed his arms at that, turning his head. He looked over the equipment of the playground, taking in all the beautiful red paint that had been splattered around. Along slides vermilion hand prints were smeared. On the old basketball court at the playground's far corner there was a particularly massive puddle of viscera, like someone had been completely torn apart there.
Finally, at the playground's center, his green orbs landed on a pile of meat that reached high into the sky. Little Angels, bodies broken and shattered to varying degrees of brutality. Missing faces, missing limbs. Torsos without legs, legs without torsos. Like worthless garbage their corpses were tossed together, lying atop one another in one massive monument to cruelty.
"... So it wasn't you who did that, then?" The little boy let his sharp eyes dart back to Anarchy, who exhaled slowly, running his hands up his legs to rest his blood soaked palms on the knees of his filthy jeans.
"... I don't remember." He answered after a pause, turning his left hand so that his fingers were facing upwards. Gradually he touched his thumb to the tip of his index finger, before slowly pulling them apart. The thick scarlet that stained his fingers stuck together, forming a short stream between his thumb and finger before inevitably breaking and splattering back to its original placement. "I look at you, everything goes red, and then I'm holding a corpse."
"... Anthony." Anarchy's eyebrows rose some when Angel's grubby little hands wrapped around his own bloody fingers, smearing red over the boy's digits. "Look at me."
"... You always were so bold, Angel." Anarchy's lips creaked upwards, madness flickering behind his ruby spheres. Those boney little fingers, they were always so cold. But Angel's blood, that was warm. "Always confident where I was timid."
Anarchy lifted his head, a few snow white locks drooping down over his face. As he looked him in the face, Angel could see the crimson dripping from his teeth. Chaos Incarnate's lips were drenched in fresh ichor. It painted his chin completely, bulged out at the bottom of his face in the form of little red droplets. The dark shade matched the hand-like smears along Anarchy's cheeks perfectly, like someone had been desperately trying to push his ever-hungry jaws away. Angel guessed his tiny hands had not been strong enough in the past. He figured they wouldn't be strong enough now.
These droplets dripped continuously from the Anarchist's maw. The pitter patter of their impact on Angel's own cheeks was deafening in the dead silent playground. The ivory ghoul loomed over him now, but without fright the boy stared up into those glowing red eyes. The blood he hadn't spilled but was in fact his own trickled down from this carnivore's fangs and now ran in streams over his face. Still Angel blinked without effort, and The Anarchist struck.
The blood soaked hand Angel had been holding was pulled abruptly from his fingers, only to dart out and clasp around his throat, yanking him off his feet. Long finger nails dug into the boy's neck, and the force of Anarchy's grip slammed his windpipe shut and crushed it into place. Emotionlessly Angel watched the frothing expression of the beast before him, his vision getting hazy while his face went blue.
The Anarchist's grin widened as the child's face changed in color. His bloodshot red eyes were bulging out of his own head as he watched little Angel lift his stupid, filthy little hands to wrap his fingers around the wrist of his strangler. Anarchy felt the boy's pulse rapidly pounding against his palm as his victim kicked his feet feebly in the air.
... And then his pulse slowed. It got slower, and softer, all the while those hands lost their grip and those feet stopped kicking. And then the bumping in Angel's throat disappeared, and his arms fell limp. His legs stopped kicking. Emeralds choked of all luster remained wide open as the new corpse's head dropped backwards unnaturally.
Gradually, Anarchy's expression relaxed. The psychosis disappeared from his eyes, his grin slipped back down his face. With rubies now lifeless he once more saw the dead body in his grasp, and frowned with displeasure. Without a word he tossed the worthless garbage into the pile with the rest of its kind, letting his eyes linger on it as it slapped into place and sunk in with the others.
Then he removed his eyes from that scene, looking to his outstretched hand. He could see new blood on his nails from where they had dug into little Angel's neck, and he casually drew his hand back to his mouth. His already vermilion soaked tongue slither out of his maw to slip over his sharp claws, lapping up the warm life-water of his latest kill.
"... Angel?" Anarchy called out after a pause, lowering his hand back down to his hip, where he stuffed it in his pocket. The gore and saliva it was covered in squished grossly in the fabric. "Where'd ya go?"
"Over here, Anny!" A voice cried out, and Anarchy turned his head, looking over his shoulder and back to the swing set. There little Angel sat, back to him, staring up above. He always seemed so hopeful whenever his head turned up above. When Anthony was young, he likened it to his friend staring at his real home. Longingly, from an uncrossable distance. That hardly mattered to Anarchy now.
As the crunching of footsteps on the wood chips approached Angel from behind, he furrowed his brows skyward. Up above, there was nothing. A white void in place of blue skies or dark clouds. He stared with confusion for awhile longer, before tainted alabaster hands slipped gently over his face from behind. Anarchy's fingers explored every feature of his face with care, slipping into his hair and painting his cheeks and forehead with wet, rusty finger prints.
"Hey Anny?" Angel asked his best friend without a care in the world, not even flinching while his vision was obscured. He didn't seem to mind - or really even notice - the gore being rubbed over his face.
"Mhm?" Anarchy answered just as casually, his icy eyes staring into the endless abyss of white surrounding the playground. His hands eventually stopped moving, remaining over Angel's eyes. They tainted the green with red.
"Why's there no sky here?" Angel wondered aloud, kicking his feet harmlessly from his place on the swing.
"..." Anarchy blinked slowly, his grip tightening some on the sides of Angel's head. Madness did not ignite in his eyes this time however, a grin did not shred his face. "So you can't fly away."
SNAP.
Angel's fingers slipped right off the chains of his swing, his entire body limp in the hands of the Anarchist. His head had been twisted swiftly to the side, and now his neck bent at an awkward angle.
Carelessly Anarchy dragged the corpse from the swing by its head, spinning on his heel and chucking it into the pile. It struck the top of the heap, before rolling with meaty thumps down all the way to the base.
"You did pretty well on that one, don'tcha think?" Angel asked as he slid down one bloody slide diagonally from the swing set, dropping right into a puddle of viscera without a care. "Me thinks you've almost got this 'blind fury' thing under control."
"... Maybe." Anarchy took a casual seat on the swing seat he had just murdered a child for, once more slowly rocking himself back and forth. "I'll stay here until I'm sure."
"You sure are overthinkin' this one, huh Anny?" Angel snickered as he made his way across the wooden shards that coated the ground. "You've always been such a worry wart. I'm sure everything will go fiiiine."
"... I don't expect you to understand." Anarchy blinked slowly, his lips curling up into a sad smile. Angel took a seat next to him in the second swing, turning his head to watch his best friend. The two of them were facing away from the playground, looking out at the endless nothing. "You've had plenty of happy days."
"But me?" Anarchy turned his head to look over to Angel, placing one hand over his chest. His fingers left red prints on his shirt. "I just get the one. So it has to be perfect."
"I can't afford to just black out and come to with your blood on my hands." Anarchy looked back to the white emptiness that surrounded the two. "I want to remember every. Second."
"Whoa..." Angel smirked a little playfully over at Anarchy after his explanation caused him a moment of surprise. "You've really put a lotta thought into this, huh?"
"This is my big break, Angel. My wedding day. The debut of the movie I star in. The publication of the book I spent my life writing." Painfully The Anarchist narrowed his eyes up at the nothingness he had covered himself in. "This is the one thing that's going to make every single miserable second of my life worth it."
"Wow, Anny... You usually aren't this talkative." Angel rose his eyebrows, that playful smirk gone as he stared ahead, contemplating Anarchy's words.
"You're my best friend, Angel." Anarchy stated simply, his frown and sad eyes stiffening into that same emotionless expression he had been wearing. "You're the only person I can talk to."
"... Then what are you gonna do when I'm gone?" Angel's own face had lost its emotion as he looked to The Anarchist from the corner of his eye. They were the same in that moment. Husks of children.
"..." Anarchy tilted his head further back, beginning to push himself lightly back and forth once again. He contemplated Angel's question, and then let his response roll around on his tongue for a minute or two. Once he got a good taste out of it, he spoke. "I won't need to talk anymore."
"Hm." Was Angel's response, before things went silent between the two. They both sat there, swinging low and contemplating their fates. Until, finally, Angel's lips curled up some, and once more he looked to Chaos Incarnate from his eye's corner.
"... You know, you looked at my face a minute ago and you didn't kill me." Shadows slipped along the boy's face, some malice shining in his eyes as his smile curved deeper into a grin. "I think you're almost ready to wake up."
That made Anarchy smile. A little smile, but a smile nonetheless. He flicked his wrist out to the side, and his crowbar slid up his sleeve and into his grasp. With murder reigniting in his eyes, he looked over to Angel.
"Lets give it a few more tries, just to be sure."
Chapter 41: This Grass Isn't Green
"Well, that's too bad."
We didn't make eye contact again until breakfast was over. Chara and I, I mean.
We sat across from each other, kept our heads low when we could. Lexi sat next to me, and her fantastically friendly demeanor kept everyone interested in conversation. Even Chara and I threw in our two cents here and there, all while managing to keep from looking directly ahead into each other's eyes.
It was hard for me to talk most of the time though, because I was stuffing my face. I ate four plates of food; it was a breakfast massacre. I'm pretty sure most of the table was looking on in horror as I shredded through bacon and eggs. Each plate was turned vertically once only the hash browns and other scraps (remaining bacon bits, droplets of syrup from my pancakes, whatever slippery bits of egg evaded my fork earlier on in the meal) were left, and using my silverware I funneled the food into my bottomless gullet. Then, I would slap the plate down, jump up from the table, and race back to the kitchen to gather more food on another platter.
"Have you ever seen him eat like this..?" Toriel had leaned over and asked Lexi after my third helping, and it gave her one evil little smile.
"Only when he was eating my-" I'd stiffened up after the first two words of that sentence left her mouth, quickly spinning around from the pancakes I was slapping down onto my fourth plate and shooting her a glare.
"Lexi." I growled my warning, catching her eyes immediately. From her knowing and joking smile I knew she'd only started that sentence to get my attention, and by giving her that warning I'd fallen right into her trap.
"What?" She furrowed her brows with feigned confusion, tilting her head some. "My homemade cookies. What did you think I was gonna say?"
That turned every pair of eyes in the room on me, making my own emerald spheres snap open wide. I turned my nose up so no one saw the pink shade that appeared on my cheeks, giving a "Hmph" as my only defense. I feel it's important that I note that Lexi has never baked a cookie in her life. At least, to the best of my knowledge.
I, also feel it is important to note that the uh... The thing I thought she was going to say, also, never uh, never happened. Ahem.
Even after taking that little jab, I still had enough of an appetite to devour a fourth plate in the same manner as the previous three. Some point in the nervous leg bouncing I was doing and Chara's own anxious fidgeting beneath the table, the two of us collided foot to foot, and that made the both of us jump. After that, I kept my feet under my chair.
Despite the awkwardness that Chara and I radiated, I was too busy eating to notice any other possible tensions. For the first time in days, the weight had removed itself from my chest and my stomach had untied itself from that painful knot it had been in. I was still stressed and anxious, but I could no longer focus on the negatives.
No matter what was brought up, or what reminded me of Predator's offer or even my impending Reunion with Anarchy, some part of my brain was always transfixed on last night. I hadn't forgotten for a moment what it felt like, sitting on that bench and pouring my heart out to someone who cared. I couldn't, not if my life depended on it.
After breakfast, Predator thanked Toriel for her hospitality and said her goodbyes. Toriel smiled and told her the pleasure was all hers, and that Lexi was welcome back any time. Frisk felt it was necessary to reinforce their mother's words. I felt it was necessary to give them another Charlie horse.
Lexi n' I said goodbye at the door after I walked her out. After the door was shut behind us, I told her where we would meet at 2:00 PM. At the time, it was 7:39 AM. I insisted that the time be later despite her impatience. I was apprehensive, and I hadn't slept all night. I was going to need sleep before going on an Anarchy hunt. I didn't tell her that was why I wanted to go later though, didn't think it would sit well with her that I stayed up all night talking to someone else right after she had floated the idea of the two of us getting back together. She never really asked for my reasoning though. Guess that was a painful testament to how much she trusted me.
*Holding someone else's hand. Never took you for an adulterer, Angel.
... Texty, as usual, was very supportive.
Predator disappeared down the street. She'd said she was gonna bum around Ebbot City, sight see, get a feel for the civilian life I'd been living. I guessed that made sense; from what I could gather her life hardly had a smidgen of normalcy. That had to get tiring, even for someone like her. I also figured she probably wanted to clear her head a little. She kept up her positivity - like always - but she had to know this 'saving Anthony' thing was going to be more than a little emotionally and physically exhausting.
Now, I was driving Chara home. Things were a little quiet in the car, and I thought they may have been able to chop through the tension with one of their knives. Taking a deep breath, I let my vision settle on my own eyes in the reflection of the rear view mirror. Just say something, I told myself. I can't take this silence anymore.
"... Hey, uh." Good start, dumbass. Now finish the sentence. "... Thanks. For, listening. Last night, I mean."
Last night. Once more those words made me remember. How warm it was, sitting next to them. What their hand felt like in mine. The way they- Focus, numb nuts.
"Huh?" Clearly my words shook Chara out of some torrent of thought, because their head snapped to look over at me. With a nervous smile they corrected themself, "O-oh! Yeah, right! It was no problem, you don't have to thank me."
I lowered my head some while they waved their hands dismissively, eyes narrowing at the center of the steering wheel. I was frowning a little, even though I was more than grateful to them. "... No, I... I think I do."
"Chara, I've felt like I was dying these past few days." Suddenly fearless, I turned my tired eyes to them, giving them an equally exhausted smile. This was the first time we'd made eye contact since the bench in my backyard, and though they recoiled a little from my boldness, I hoped I hadn't put them off. Unfortunately, to keep being a safe driver, I had to turn my eyes away from them and back to the dirt road I was turning on to. "Before breakfast earlier, I hadn't eaten in days."
"My nights have been... Horrible. To say the least." My eyes darted out the drivers side window, fingers tightening around the wheel. "I can barely sleep, and when I do, I have these... Twisted, fucked up nightmares."
"I've been dreading every second of every day. I was terrified that my secret would get out, that I would lose everyone, that..." Slowly, I brought the car to a stop at the end of the dirt road leading up into the mountain. Trees surrounding the car, rays of sun managed to sneak past the leaves over head and reflect in a few places from the hood of my van. Or, As Chara had named it last time we were here, The Purple Piece of Shit. "... That..."
"... That everyone would think of you as you were back then." Chara finished my sentence for me, and I lifted my head some. I let my sad puppy dog eyes land on them once more, and I nodded a little with my agreement. "I get it, trust me. You know I've made my share of mistakes too."
"It wouldn't be right of me or anyone else to discredit every KIND action you've taken since coming here just because you did wrong in the past." Chara assured me with a slight smile, before turning their head. They looked forward, through the windshield and out at the lightly swaying trees around us. After a moment, they spoke again. "... I've been thinking a lot, these past few days. Ever since I beat Character."
"And, honestly?" They looked back to me, and I watched as they gave a little shrug. "I'm... Really not sure the past matters."
I was jolted some by those words. It was an obvious statement, certainly nothing that I should have considered particularly profound. But, I'd never thought it before. My past had been ten tons of baggage that I had been dragging for the past six months. Not once had I thought that it was unimportant, that it didn't have some power over me and my future.
"I think it's what we do in the here and now that matters, is what I mean." I think Chara could tell they were getting through to me, so they didn't look away. I couldn't either. "So long as your trying your hardest to be your best person today, I don't think it's important that you were an asshole yesterday."
"..." I was quiet for a few long seconds. I shut my eyes, leaned my head back on my driver side window. Then, I smiled a little, and my eye peeked open, looking at them. "When'd you get so wise?"
"Doesn't matter." They smirked a little playfully, giving a shrug before unbuckling their seat belt. They placed their hand on their door, pulling the lever but not pushing it open yet. They looked back to me. "... Do your best today, Angel. You're doing a good thing trying to help Anthony."
"... Thanks, Chara." I spoke a little quietly, giving them an honest smile. Once again they had removed the weight of the world from my shoulders. It was so effortless for them. They always dispelled all of my fears and anxieties with the snap of their fingers, it seemed. Replaced that unease with... With... Ahem, anyway. "It... Really means a lot."
"Any time." They assured me, before pushing their car door open. As they were about to step from the vehicle, though, Chara hesitated. That confident expression grew a little more faint, and they almost seemed timid for a moment or two. Begrudgingly, they asked for my attention one more time. "... Angel?"
"Yeah?" They didn't need to ask for my attention; they already had it. They always had it. It was starting to feel like focusing on anything but them was impossible. My mouth was drying up again, its moisture appearing to be moving to my now sweaty palms instead.
Their eyes darted down to where my palm rested. They watched my hand, fidgeted their own arm some. But, just as they reached out some, they peaked up and saw me staring at them, waiting pensively for whatever move they were planning. This made them flinch, their face turning to a reddish shade as they retracted their hand away from mine. Swiftly they scooted from their seat and out onto their feet, like they were trying to cover up that they had ever been considering... Considering what? Had they wanted to..?
*My god you are clueless.
"J-just," They turned their head, trying to hide their face while they crossed their arms over their chest. "Don't get hurt, or do anything dumb, alright? Or I'll be mad."
This made my own face go a little red, but I nodded regardless. My eyes refused to blink. A lot of my motor functions were stalling. Still, I managed to give a response. "Y-yeah! O-of course!"
They never said goodbye. Just mumbled "Better not..!" in a way that I think they meant to be threatening, but I found... Well, adorable is a strong word. Which is why it was embarrassing that it fit so well.
I watched Chara walk up the mountain incline until they disappeared into the trees. Then, I waited a few seconds, before groaning and leaning my head forward, gently resting it on the steering wheel.
*You're really getting creative with these problems you make for yourself.
"Why am I like this..?" I groaned aloud, reaching up and grabbing fistfuls of my hair. I didn't lift my head from the steering wheel, didn't want the world around me to keep seeing that stupid blush that kept appearing on my stupid face.
*I think it may be possible that you just happen to be very bad at being a regular person.
"Uuugghhh..." I clenched my eyes shut tight, lifting my head just to bang my forehead on the leather of the wheel.
*Shouldn't you be happy about this? This seems like the most 'normal teenager' problem you've had since becoming a teenager.
"Then why does it feel like the end of the world..?" I whimpered my question like the meek, awkward, computer class nerd boy I was deep down.
*Because you're a baby. Now get driving. You've got a date with my son.
"Oh?" Texty's words gave me the chance to focus on something else, so I latched onto it with all my might. I lifted my head from the wheel, still slouching some while I rested my arm over it. I smirked just a little. "Is a certain ruthless killer turned flavor text generator missing his baby boy?"
*He's far from my 'baby boy'. Our only attachment is through blood.
"Whatever you say, pops." I turned over my shoulder, leaning one arm back and placing it over the back of my now empty passenger seat. I looked out my back windshield while I backed up to turn around. "You sure you aren't just glad Anny's alive?"
*I'm disappointed that you failed to kill him. Seems like you never could do anything right.
"Ouch." I responded sarcastically, looking forward as I pulled back onto the mountain path and began the trip back home to take that nap.
*It sounds to me that Anarchy was a much better heir than I originally thought.
"Unhuh?" I made sure that sounded extra sarcastic, cocking a brow over at the text box floating at the bottom of my line of vision. I frowned some, playful teasing swapping out for the true disdain beneath. "Your little games are long over now, you know. There isn't gonna be any 'heir' to your bullshit."
*...
*I'm excited to see him kill you.
"Still no sign of 'er, huh?" Clover leaned his elbows on the counter between himself and the bar tending spider monster. He lifted his head some, looking at Swap!Muffet from under the shadow of his trademark hat.
"Not that I've heard." Muffet answered simply, drying two separate glasses with two of her four arms, while her remaining two shined the counter top that separated her and Clover. Behind her a kitchen stretched into the wall, and two others could be made out inside.
Over the sink a girl leaned, apron wrapped around her waist while she carefully washed dish after dish, before passing them over to a man of purple flames. Silently he would dry the plates, pots, and pans with a rag before stacking them neatly in the cupboards that lined the wall.
"Girl demands we go lookin' fer that damn Hacker in such a rush, then starts draggin' ass after meetin' 'em." Clover scowled, shaking his head. "She knows I hate sittin' in place fer more than a few hours."
"Well, you know how Lexi is." The girl washing dishes chimed in, looking over her shoulder to the two at the counter. She smiled lightly, like she always smiled, green eyes glimmering some. She was a little younger, probably only sixteen or seventeen. "Beat of her own drum and all that."
"Sounds like a polite way'a sayin' selfish to me, Melanie." Clover tilted his head, and in the shifting light, his left eye was visible for just long enough to be seen rolling.
"... Somebody's moody today." Fell!Grillby crossed his arms, sitting back against the counter behind him in the kitchen. Melanie had stopped handing him dishes, meaning that the lunch cleaning was done and the three members of the kitchen crew had some time to take it easy before getting started on dinner.
"I just got a bad feelin'." Clover turned his head to the side some. "Woke up this mornin' feelin'... Off."
"Is it 'cause Predator spent the night at her ex-boyfriend's house?" Melanie questioned with a suggestive grin, making her way over to the bar's counter. She leaned forward on her elbows across from Clover, resting her chin in her hands.
"Mel, we been over this, there ain't nothin' goin' on 'tween me n' Predator." Clover tilted his head and pushed up the rim of his hat with his left index finger, revealing one golden eye just so he could give her a scolding glare.
"Well there has to be some romantic tension on this ship!" Melanie proclaimed, reaching over the table and grabbing hold of Clover's face without a second thought, mushing his cheeks together.
"... Why?" Clover said after a pause, his voice muffled between her two hands.
"I mean, look at these two!" Keeping one hand on Clover's chin, Melanie spun around and gestured to a confused Muffet and Grillby. "Don't they just scream workplace romance?"
"... I haven't thought of Muffet like that a single time since I met her." Grillby spoke honestly, arms remaining crossed over his chest.
"Feeling's mutual, dearie." Muffet agreed, cocking a confused brow Melanie's way.
"They're basically married." Melanie held up one hand like she was whispering a secret to Clover, but spoke loud enough for the other two in the kitchen to hear her.
"No we're not!" The two bartenders shouted at once, stamping their feet in unison.
Clover opened his mouth to add to the conversation as Melanie let go of his face, but before any words left his throat, he paused. Lifting one finger to get the others attention, the three members of the kitchen staff went deathly silent.
"... Y'all hear that?" Clover was frowning now, slowly turning his head to look to the right wall of the cafeteria.
"..." Grillby paused, the dull crackle of his violet embers the only sound for several long seconds. Finally, he opened his mouth, revealing his white hot fangs. "I don't-"
An explosion blasted through all of their ears, dust and smoke firing through the air and momentarily obstructing all but the flaring purple fires that flickered off Grillby's body. The wave of force that suddenly rushed in was so powerful in fact that Clover was sent tumbling back off of his stool, which clanged to the ground not a second later.
"What in-..!" Clover coughed as he crawled backwards on his hands in the opposite direction from the blast of smoke, wincing his one gold eye and lifting one forearm to his mouth. "Sam hill-?!"
Suddenly, through the swirling brown mist, a hulking shadow loomed over the cowboy, yanking what he could only assume was a battleaxe over its head to swing down at him. Swiftly the young man kicked his legs up, back flipping just by the swing of the ax and landing crouched on his hands and feet while the berserk blade crashed through the stool he had been seated in, separating its seat from the metal pole that connected it to its base.
The impact of this strike sent a burst of wind up around the two that cleared the dust, and Clover spotted a hulking monster comprised of yellow scales. Something about her build and her use of an ax reminded Clover of dwarves in fantasy tales, despite her lizard biology. Swap!Alphys took a bold step forward, lifting her ax over her head once more.
Clover watched her every move, body spring loaded and ready to move the moment she swung. Before the reptilian heroine could strike however, a flying kick drove a boot into her jaw and made her one eye snap open wide, her neck forced to turn and bring her ear to her shoulder. Melanie spun horizontally from Alphys' shoulder, bashing the pan that she gripped in both hands into the monster's face and sending her sailing back into the slowly settling smoke.
"You alright, Clover?" She called over her shoulder after she landed on her feet. Clover stood, and she spun her pan in one hand while her emerald eyes watched the swirling dust carefully.
Clover scowled as he climbed to his feet, taking a stance behind her. Instinctively he reached for his hip, but found himself sans a big iron. His teeth ground with frustration as he quickly remembered the guns he had left in the case in his room. Next time, he would not be so careless.
The smog settled, and his gold eye spotted the shiny new hole in his pirate ship, where several familiar figures loomed. At their center, The Gatherer's right hand man. Ever BRAVE, Cliff stood tall and confident, powerful fists clenched tight at his sides. To his left, Swap Alphys had retaken her position, now with a bit of blood dribbling down her chin from a split lip. To his right a similarly scaly but dis-similarly blue monster woman stood, giving a sharp toothed grin and clutching a spear tight in her hands. Clover recognized her as an Undyne, and judging by the red light that illuminated her spear and the matching red eye shadow that detailed her face, he guessed she was from Underfell.
Correction, he wouldn't be so careless if he got a next time.
"Peachy." Clover finally answered, watching as both Muffet and Grillby hopped the bar counter and took a stance at either side of Melanie. He took a moment to lean down and grab the severed stool from the ground. He kicked the base from it, wielding its shredded metal tip like a spear. Not a weapon he was familiar with, but more useful than his fists.
"I take it you forgot your peace-keeper, sheriff?" Grillby wore a smirk that was playfully mocking despite the dire straights.
"Don't usually eat breakfast with the thing." Clover answered, his frown lightening some from his comrade's unshakable confidence.
"Then congrats, your job is to get reinforcements." Melanie kept her cheery smile while she reached up, tugging the hair net from her head and revealing her light brown hair, which was currently pulled into a messy bun. A single curly tress fell from the bun, dangling by her right eye.
"So now you're callin' the shots, missy?" Clover wore his own playful smirk as he lowered his stance some, already preparing to bolt for the exit to his side.
"Flirt later, sheriff." Grillby interjected, throwing his right arm out to the side. With that motion, flames sprayed out across the ground, creating a clear wall of heat to cover Clover's escape.
"Don't go puttin' that thought in her head." Clover narrowed his eye at Grillby, who grinned a little mischievously.
"Too late~!" Melanie sang, even as she took a threatening step towards these new foes, spinning her pan in her grasp.
"Now now, be on your way dearie." Muffet took her own step forward, clasping each pair of hands together before pulling them apart, revealing thick webbing now between each finger and spiders crawling readily over her hands. "We've got a kitchen to clean, ahuhuhu~!"
Clover nodded once, before breaking from his stance in an all out sprint towards the cafeteria's main exit. The kitchen staff watched Cliff closely for any order he may give his two soldiers to apprehend the cowboy, but no order came. The BRAVE soul just continued to smirk, his eyes locked on the three unlikely void pirates before him.
"Apologies, dearies! But our parlor is quite exclusive!" Muffet called across the way, walking forward at the lead of the kitchen staff, Grillby to her right and Melanie to her left. Though she smiled, she was barring her fangs. "Without a reservation..."
"Well, you could leave peacefully!" Melanie suggested with a friendly chime in her tone. Then, she brought up the rim of her pan, resting her chin on it. "Oooor, if you wanna be difficult..."
Grillby was rolling up his sleeves, letting bright purple flames lick up into the air from his arms. He pushed up his glasses, a glare covering his eyes while the jagged white line that was his mouth curled deeper into a malicious sneer.
"We can always escort you out."
Footsteps thumping swiftly down the halls, Clover raced at his top speed through the metallic passages of his space pirate ship. Rapidly his eye darted around under his hat to keep up with the surroundings that were racing by him.
But, as he ran, another tremor exploded through the floor under him, rocking him and sending him stumbling into the wall. This made him grind his teeth with frustration, judging quickly that the sound of that blast meant yet another entry had just been blown into his home. This did not deter him however, in fact it boiled his blood and pushed him further. His JUST soul flaring on his chest, he stomped down the halls with extra vigor, desperate to grab his weapons and pop a cap in whatever poor souls had decided to ruin his afternoon.
Soon, he had made it to the long halls of the living quarters. Just as he turned the corner into his own hallway however, another crash resounded, and Clover saw where the hallway bent at its other end a monster in a large suit of armor crash back first into the wall, something having knocked the towering Knight Knight flat on her ass. While this surprised Clover at first, it became clear when the apparent ass-kicker came into view.
With golden spikes glimmering threateningly on her bracelets and arm bands, the purple dino monster yanked her Brave Ax above her head. Baring her sharp yellow fangs, Susie chopped right into Knight Knight's chest without hesitation. Then, she spun around, lifting her ax over her head and stopping the morningstar that was crashing down from behind her.
Growling her frustrations, Susie was awkwardly forced down to one knee from the force of another Knight Knight raining down on her. When Clover saw the mercenary monster looming over her, he pushed from the wall, bolting with rapid thudding footsteps down the metal hall towards his kneeling ally. Susie's eyes darted over to him from under her purple hair, and her frustrated scowl became a knowing sneer.
Using his size to his advantage, the JUST soul slid in under the larger Knight Knight, yanked back his metal spear, and stabbed viciously right into her abdomen. This made Knight Knight groan with pain, stumbling back and letting Susie rise like some great wrathful beast from the earth. As she yanked her ax back, Clover knelt, and Susie swung clear over his head, slashing right through Knight Knight and sending silver ash blowing through the halls with the felled knight.
"Good timin', Tex." Susie roughly grabbed Clover by his shoulder, pulling him from his knee to his feet with a friendly grin of her sharp maw. "Now, you got any idea what's going on here?"
"It's The Gatherer." Clover spoke, not stopping to look at Susie as he stomped ahead towards his room door. With a frown carved in his face he turned the knob and shoved the door open, making his way into a room that could only be described as minimalistic. A bed, a dresser, and a gun case.
"Gatherer?!" Susie repeated with a snarl, walking behind Clover, who stomped right over to his gun cabinet, throwing open the glass door. The cowboy looked over several rifles, pistols, and shotguns, before quickly making his choices. "How'd he even find out where we are?!"
"Don't know. Don't care much, neither." Clover answered simply, lifting his poncho some to wrap a leather belt connected to two revolver holsters around his waist. Next, he pulled a rifle from the inner wall of the cabinet, throwing its strap over his shoulder. Lastly, he leaned down some, grabbing a double barrel shotgun, keeping this one right in his arms instead of storing it away on his person. He looked over his shoulder to Susie, "Where's Ralsei and Kris?"
"Lost 'em when shit hit the fan." Susie narrowed her eyes at her own words, clearly upset with herself over the ordeal.
"Well then it's you n' me." Clover walked past Susie towards the door, and Susie followed close behind, a menacing smile curling her lips.
"You wanna think up a team name?" Susie asked while Clover snapped down the dual barrel of his shotgun, opening one hand and summoning two shells from his inventory, before loading them into their respective barrels.
"Sure." The corner of Clover's mouth curled up some as he turned the corner out of his room. He spotted the beady eyes of three Astigmatisms blocking their path at the end of the hall, and his smile grew all the more furious as he snapped the dual barrel of his shotgun back up. "Whatcha thinkin'? The Fun Duo?"
Susie laughed through her barred fangs at that, looming behind him as he took aim on the cyclopes monsters before the two.
"We really don't hang out enough, cowboy."
Damn it! Swiftly Sans threw his hand from side to side, his left eye burning blue flames brightly. To his back was the door to the control room, where River Person would remain on lockdown. If the ship's navigator were to get felled by the little bastard Sans was whipping to and fro by the soul then they would be stranded here, in the middle of nowhere.
But, unfortunately, Sans knew the striped shirt wearing Demon before him all too well. And they knew him. Against most opponents Sans was likely to clean house, but Charas happened to be the perfect neutralizer to Sanses and all their nonsense. As proof of this, Demon was flipping perfectly in air with each of Sans' throws, always landing on their feet no matter what angle and what surface they were pulled towards.
"Didn't expect to see a Sans here, of all places!" The Demon smiled wickedly as Sans dropped them from the ceiling, and they spun in air, landing crouched on their feet. They wasted no time - as they were aware they couldn't afford to lollygag with a Sans - and rushed forward, drawing their knife back. "Isn't this job a little much for you?"
"I'm not-" Sans tilted his head to the side, letting their blade stab over his shoulder before he ducked under a follow up slash. He jumped back away from them, but was certainly disgruntled when his back hit a wall, and he ran out of room to put between the two of them. "Your average Sans."
"You sure are sweating like one." Demon watched him with killer red eyes, holding their blade out to the side. His back was against a wall, the two of them knew that. There was sweat pouring down his brow, but Demon did notice something peculiar. That left eye of his was burning higher and higher above his head, and similar flames were starting to leak out from the corners of his ever smiling teeth. Demon decided this didn't matter though, merely narrowing their eyes and lowering their stance. "I bet you bleed like one, too."
"You're in for a shock then." Sans spoke in a low growl, shadows slipping along his face. He was in fact dripping sweat, both from exhaustion and anxiety. In these close quarters, he could hardly fight to his fullest potential. Meanwhile, Demon was made for close combat. If things kept up this way, if Sans' soul kept pounding this hard, then... His white dot pupils darted to the blue flames licking up his cheek from the corner of his mouth.
... Well, he would get better at close combat. He'd just get a lot worse at self control. Speaking of control, the further this brat pushed him, the harder his magic was to handle. He wasn't built for drawn out fights. If things kept going this way...
Demon lunged for Sans, and he teleported. Popping from existence between Demon and the wall, he appeared behind them just as their blade shredded through the metal of the wall. They spun around, tearing their weapon free and diving at Sans once more, only for him to reach out and flip their ruby soul to sapphire at the last second.
Sans whipped his hand to the side, sending Demon firing back down the hallway. He pulled up his free hand, wincing some as a few embers flickered out of his right eye socket as well. At the same time, pointed bones jutted from the ground ground where Demon was heading. As their soul flipped back to red however they spun, their knife switching out for a burnt frying pan. They smashed the pain into the bones, shattering their points and giving themself the opportunity to continue their rotation and spin themself over the remaining calcium edges.
They landed at the end of the hall, which widened into a larger pathway that intersected vertically with the horizontal hallway, giving the two passages a sort of T shape. Demon skidded back on their feet some when they landed, but as the bones between them and Sans crumbled, and they could see him clearly at the end of the hallway, huffing and grabbing at his burning left eye, they smiled.
"Havin' some trouble, Chuckles?" They called down to him, their pan disappearing and reappearing as an empty gun. Grin splitting their face, they took aim on the stumbling skeleton at the end of the hall before them. "Don't worry, I'll make it quick."
But before Demon could pull the trigger, a hand covered by an orange glove wrapped around their wrist, making their crimson eyes widen before darting up the arm the hand was connected to and to the face of the skeleton that restrained them.
"Would you like to repeat that you son of a bitch?" Papyrus inquired, yanking back his free hand and forming a fist, which he cracked Demon across the face with, sending them sailing a few feet away.
"Eugh-!" Demon landed so hard they bounced, before swiftly sitting up. They leaned back on one palm, smirking up at the taller skeleton that loomed over them as they wiped fresh blood from their lip with the back of their fist. "A Papyrus, huh?"
"And here I thought you guys didn't know any curse words..." They grumbled to themself as they climbed to their feet, gun once more swapping out for their blade. When they got a better look at him though, their lips curled back upwards with amusement. This particular Papyrus was covering his battle body with a familiar blue sweatshirt, and someone like Demon didn't have any trouble connecting the dots. They laughed to themself just a little. "Unless, you don't have a brother to teach you any better?"
Disbelief!Papyrus growled, flattening his palm. As he did, bones manifested in an orange flame, morphing into a rapier with a skull themed pommel. He drew a line with his foot between the two of them, shifting his footing and pointing his bone blade at Demon, wrapping his other arm behind his back, like he was ordering them to en garde.
"No half baked MERCY speech either?" Demon questioned, mocking his stance by mimicking it. They pointed their knife up towards his rapier, wickedness refusing to uncoil their features. "Somebody really did suck all the life out of you, huh?"
"If there is one thing I've learned, human," The two were circling one another now, Papyrus' sockets narrowing with disdain. "It's that the only good Chara is a dead Chara."
Suddenly, Demon was frowning deeply. Their eyebrows drew near together, and as recent memories flashed in their mind, their teeth began to grind together.
"... Ooh, were those your ribs?" A smirk gradually crept up Chara's face as they reached up, wiping a splotch of blood that Character had spit up off their cheek with the back of their fist.
"That sounded like your ribs."
"..." Red flames flickering to life over Demon's right eye, and their knuckles went white around their blade. They spoke in a snarl.
"I couldn't agree more."
*Ralsei casts PACIFY!
Several thumps followed this notification from Kris's text box, and they poked their head out from behind the over turned table they and their fluffy friend had been taking cover behind. Upon spotting the four or five Whimsalots that had been firing at them sleeping on the floor (Most of them in at least a semi-awkward position) the armored human breathed a sigh of relief.
Ralsei poked his head up next, pure white fur obscured and darkened by the shadow of his mage hat. He smiled over to Kris, who remained vigilant, shield raised and sword drawn. The two of them were in the common area, which was now a mess. A bookshelf had been knocked over in the corner, the flat screen at the center of the room had four arrows buried in a line across it - as if someone had ran by it while dodging bow-fire - and one of the couches was laying on its back, another partially smoldering. There were a few Final Froggits and Astigmatisms laying unconscious with the Whimsalots, likely having been PACIFIED earlier in the fight.
"Good thinking, Kris." Ralsei complimented with a sweet smile, reaching out and patting the semi-dented wood of the table they had been ducking behind. The table had plenty of arrows buried in it from the Whimsalots' barrage. "If we hadn't gotten under this table, I think we might be a little worse for wear! Ehehe!"
Kris nodded their acknowledgement to Ralsei's kind words, a polite smile gracing their lips. Before anything else could be said, however, the now quiet room was echoing with small, calm footsteps. Without hesitation Kris took a step in front of Ralsei, putting their shield arm out in front of him to indicate he should stay back while they pointed their blade out to the dark hallway from which the footsteps echoed.
Slowly, from the shadows, a small girl walked into the light. Dark brown hair fell around her face, which was less than expressive. On her nose oval glasses rested, their glare reflecting the purple of her eyes. She couldn't have been any older than fifteen by the looks of her diminutive stature. On her chest, a violet soul pulsated lightly. And on her face, her lips moved slowly and quietly, uttering some string of words that neither Kris nor Ralsei could hear.
But the most peculiar and unsettling thing about this girl was not the purple glow in her glasses. It was not her petite size or even the incomprehensible muttering she was doing. It was in fact the potted flower that she carried. This flower was hardly a flower, it was more an eye on a stem, surrounded by a handful of yellow petals. And this eye blinked. It blinked, and silently it watched the human and the darkner. Whatever words this girl was whispering, Horror!Flowey was listening intently.
Then, while cold sweat formed on the brows of a momentarily paralyzed Kris and Ralsei, the cyclops Flower began to shift. Roots crept slowly over the rim of its pot, while its leaves and stem began to bulge. The PERSEVERING girl never flinched, not even as the pot Flowey was in suddenly cracked. She just kept up her mad mumbling, even as Flowey's one eye creased right down the middle. The vertical crease grew deeper and deeper, until - much to 2/3rd's of the Fun Gang's horror and disgust - it split in two, revealing a growing maw of teeth from within.
Suddenly, a vine snapped outwards from the cracking and breaking pot, and both darkner and human flinched as it jabbed right through the back of an unconscious Whimsalot. Several more vines shot out and did just the same thing, each hooking into different unresponsive body's on the ground before they began to pulsate, lumps forming where vine met body and traveling upwards back to Horror!Flowey's roots.
The girl's chanting was getting louder now, as Whimsalots and Froggits began to whither away, being sucked into a rapidly growing Flowey. Ralsei took a step back, horror shining in his eyes. His face was certainly green under that white fur, stomach knotting quickly. "W-what on Earth-?!"
Swiftly Kris reached back with their shield arm, grabbing Ralsei by the hand and making him jump. Just as more vines blasted outwards, they booked it towards the only other hallway at the left side wall of the room. Laughter suddenly exploded out from that flower's horrific maw as it blasted free of its pot, launching its vertical jaws out towards the two.
"W-whoa!" Ralsei cried out with surprise as he was suddenly being dragged into retreat, racing down the hallway with Kris directly in front of him and the snapping jaws of that man-eating flower not more than ten feet behind. He was a little surprised by Kris's lack of hesitation towards fleeing but when he glanced over his shoulder to the beast following closely behind, he didn't find any reason to disagree with his companion's decision.
He looked ahead, grabbing his hat to keep it from slipping off his head. They were heading towards the eating area, where the first blast had resounded. That meant there was a good chance they were dead sprinting right into a corner. Tightly Ralsei squeezed Kris's hand in his.
... This just meant he would have to believe in himself and trust in his team. And he could do that.
"You're just too slow, dearie!" Swap!Muffet assured as she side stepped Swap!Alphys' ax, earning a furious growl from the reptilian knight. The ax tore through the floor as Alphys swung back up at Muffet, who jumped skillfully into the air.
The spider baker landed like an acrobatic on the handle of Alphys' ax, smiling with some amusement and bringing her hands together, before quickly pulling them apart. This revealed a thick layer of webbing now between her two hands. Muffet then lunged forward, flipping over a dazed Alphys and wrapping those webs right around her eyes and yanking her head back, making her stumble.
Alphys managed to steady herself, planting her feet and grabbing a handful the web shielding her eyes. This proved to be a horrible mistake however, when he remembered that spider web is sticky, and realized that she had essentially just glued her hand to her own face.
"Gah! Damn it!" Alphys cried out as Muffet quite literally ran circles around her, throwing strands of webbing out from her six hands and beginning to restrain her foe. Spiders crawled up what webbing Muffet attached, dragging their silk over Alphys' body and swiftly entrapping her in a white cocoon. After about thirty seconds the reptilian knight had dropped to the ground, legs tied together and arms stuck to her torso, one hand remaining on her own face and muffling whatever curse words she was trying to force out.
"You're sloppy, too." Muffet added, crouching down to mockingly pat Swap!Alphys' head. She giggled when those furious, slitted eyes landed upon her, lifting a hand to muffle her laughter.
Across the room, Fell!Undyne threw crackling red spears to and fro, the violet flames of Fell!Grillby darting easily between them. She knew full well she was at a disadvantage with her debilitating weakness to heat, so she had been trying her hardest to keep him at a distance.
Grillby's lower half was a torrent of amethyst flames as he raced across the ground, circling Undyne as he waited for an opening. As he ducked under a spear, he cocked back one hand, before shoving his palm out towards Undyne, sending a blast of fire exploding out towards her.
Undyne ducked, sweat clear on her brow as the heat wave blasted to embers against the wall behind her. Smoldering ash rained from above, her breathing getting more and more labored as Grillby's flaming body continued to rise the room's temperature. Her body was getting heavier, gravity was growing more intense by the second. Still, she stomped her foot, jaw hanging open in her gasping.
This stomp of Undyne's caused puddles to form all along the floor between her and Grillby, before crimson spears of magic began pistoning out from the vermilion warps she had scattered across the floor. But this was a last ditch effort, a poor attempt to hide the fact that her amphibious body could hardly carry her weight any longer.
So, Grillby looked to the smoldering flakes that rained down around his foe, and quickly lifted his hand. He clenched his fist, and suddenly those embers ignited brighter and hotter than before, scorching violet light flashing across Undyne's stunned expression. Her expression could only remain that way for a moment however, before the heat took her, and her eyes rolled back. Her legs went out from under her, and she fell flat on her back as her spears receded from the earth, overheating and slipping into unconsciousness.
At the kitchen's center Cliff took a step back, dodging Melanie's ax kick. Melanie landed and was forced to drop to one knee from the momentum that she had come down with, giving Cliff the opportunity to cock back one gloved fist. Like electricity orange energy flickered and crackled over Cliff's fist before he swung. Melanie reacted quickly though, yanking up her frying pan and catching his knuckles in the pan.
The force of Clifford's swing did carry through however, and she was thrown from her place on the ground, flinging back through the air before back flipping, landing on both feet and one hand. Melanie slid back a ways, but launched forward right after she came to a stop.
"It's not polite to try and punch out a lady, you know!" She reminded Cliff as she lunged at him, yanking her pan back like a baseball bat and swinging at his head, only for him to duck under her strike. She spun through her swing, rising her knee and attempting to strike Cliff in the face with it from her place in the air.
"A lady who aligns herself with a villain like The Predator is no lady at all!" Clifford proclaimed with unshakable belief, rising his massive forearm and catching Melanie's knee on it effortlessly. He glared up at her, before she pushed back off of him, jumping back and landing about ten feet back. She lowered her stance, green eyes never leaving the BRAVE soul before her as she spun her pan in her hand once more.
"Gatherer's got you brainwashed!" Melanie assured as a green glow flashed over her frying pan. She pulled her glowing weapon back, before swinging it through the air. From it a wall of energy manifested, sweeping across the ground to meet Cliff.
"You're an idiot-!" Cliff cocked back one powerful fist as Melanie's wall raced towards him, fearless eyes watching its approach while orange energy crackled along his arm. Then, the attack got in range, and he swung with all his might, his knuckles blasting right through the energy and sending emerald shards flinging like glass through the air. "To believe something like that!"
Suddenly, Cliff turned on his heel, pulling one fist back at his side as he now faced Muffet, who was racing towards him with more of those unbreakable webs between her hands. As she lunged at him however, he skillfully ducked under her arms, smashing a terribly accurate jab right into her abdomen. This strike made Muffet's five eyes snap open wide and her jaw unhinge, saliva spattering up off her tongue before she was sent launching back.
Muffet landed flat on her back, sliding across the smooth floors while she clutched her now screaming ribs. Over her head Grillby propelled himself, purple flames rocketing him towards Clifford. The two collided, Cliff's arms lighting up in that orange voltage before the two locked up. Hand met hand, and suddenly they were crouched there, fingers intertwined. They were head to head, each trying to over power and push down the other.
Grillby's body flared brightly with heat that should have been unbearable, but Cliff never flinched. His resolve was completely unbreakable, his eyes not even blinking in the harsh purple light. He stomped one foot forward, and Grillby slid back, grinding his molten fangs as Clifford forced him to lean back.
"In order to..! Lock up like this..! You gotta make your body solid, right?!" Clifford asked as he bent Grillby's wrists back, gaining more and more ground on the fire elemental. Then, he yanked his head back, and that BRAVE energy crackled and surged over his forehead. "Which means I can do this!"
Cliff cracked his forehead into Grillby's, and the amethyst bartender folded completely. His eyes flickered back and forth for a moment while his fire shifted unevenly. His grip on Cliff went limp, releasing the fighter's hands. From there Cliff yanked both hands back, crouched down, and sent both palms smashing right into Grillby's abdomen. The force crashed into Grillby's semi-solid body, sending him flinging back through the air as well, his limbs flapping limply until he crashed into the floor at Muffet's side.
Muffet growled with pain and frustration as she managed to sit up, keeping one hand clasped over her throbbing solar plexus. Still, she shot Cliff a defiant glare, before Melanie slid in, standing protectively in front of her fallen kitchenmates. Another one of those green walls appeared between her and the two she protected, and she held out one hand at her side, her other gripping her weapon of choice tightly.
There was cold sweat on her brow as she stared at this mountain of a man before her. His eyes never blinked, never hesitated. He was decisive in his every movement, straight forward and as blunt as the bottom of her pan. Orange lightning flickered over his rock solid body, his soul's power coating him in its aura like a suit of armor.
"None of you could understand." Clifford narrowed his eyes with disdain, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. "Unruly mercenaries, always interfering with The Gatherer's plans! You're the rot that is destroying this multiverse!"
"Gatherer's a crook and a cult leader!" Melanie growled, jaw clenching as she endured Clifford's fanatic speech. "We're the good guys here!"
"Xander The Gatherer represents unity! He is sure in these unsure times! He saves those without direction and gives them a purpose! He protects those who cannot protect themselves!" Clifford lifted one hand, pointing out towards the three supposed heathens before him. "Protects us from the likes of you!"
"Quit flappin' yer gums, Cliff."
A familiar southern drawl caught the room's attention, and Cliff slowly turned his head back to see Clover standing in one of the three hallways leading into the kitchen behind him. The cowboy had his revolver drawn, its sights set right on Clifford's head. Behind him Susie loomed, gripping her Brave Ax tightly and baring her vicious fangs. "I'm thinkin' we've 'bout heard enough."
"If you're gonna shoot me, shoot me in the front." Clifford narrowed his eyes, turning slowly to face down the barrel of Clover's gun. "I don't want anyone thinking I was trying to run away."
Clover opened his mouth to speak, but before any words came, light flashed in the hallway behind him. Painfully Susie cried out, agony burning through her shoulder with the searing fangs of a flaming snake. The blazing cobra stretched from the darkness, illuminating the hallway and revealing the form of one man taking his sweet time strolling up towards the kitchen.
"Always so dramatic, Clifford." The Gatherer had one arm outstretched, and from here his inferno serpent had slithered. His other hand rested quite casually in his pocket, and as he walked further into the light, Clover noticed his change in outfit. Usually Xander dressed as though he was some CEO or president. A suit and tie over a button up shirt. But not now. Now he wore a pitch black shirt without sleeves. It was tight to his body, its collar hugging his neck. With the absence of sleeves Clover could see the coiling snakes tattooed along his arms. They ran all the way from his shoulder down to his wrists, stopping just where a sleeve would hide them completely. Speaking of wrists, on Xander's was some mighty expensive looking Rolex watch, a gold damn near as pure as the cowboy's soul. It matched the expensive rings that wrapped around each of his fingers. Between his lips a cigarette smoldered quietly, misting grey in a thin stream up around his left eye. Somehow he hardly looked a business man at all, Clover reckoned. He looked like a gang kingpin. "You and I both know it would take a lot more than a bullet to keep you down."
Clover growled as that snake snapped back from Susie's shoulder, and she groaned weakly, crumbling to her knees and grabbing the burning holes that had been punched in her arm. Quickly the cowboy knelt down, wrapping an arm around Susie's waist before diving out from between the two. Susie was a larger monster, but monsters had a tendency to be a little lighter than their size might make somebody think, what with their body's being comprised of mostly magic. Still though, it was certainly a strain for the cowboy. But he managed to dart his way around to Melanie, setting Susie next to the still recovering Muffet and Grillby.
"Glad'ja could make it, Clover." Melanie smiled over his way, the two standing protectively in front of their less than combat ready teammates. If those words had come out of anybody else, Clover would have thought them sarcastic. But he saw the genuine relief in her KIND eyes. He knew she meant it.
Gatherer walked out from the hallway, smiling in that devious way he always did as he joined Cliff. The two blocked the center exit of the cafeteria. Clover's eyes darted from them, to his injured comrades, to the other two available doors. But, just as his brain started to think towards a plan to escape through one of those doors, they were each thrown open.
Through one door Kris dragged Ralsei, the two sprinting full speed. Clover was at first confused, until gnashing teeth shredded through the door, ripping it from its hinges and throwing it aside. Vines poured in from the hallway, curling around the doorway and dragging Horror!Flowey's massive, magic twisted form into the eating area. The creature was big, certainly not the size of an Omega Flowey, but big. Clover reckoned it could stop a car with its face and not suffer over it too much. After it made its way into the room, that young girl walked in behind it, purple eyes still shining ominously behind her glasses.
Across the room, at the other door, Papyrus burst through, carrying a writhing Sans under his arm. Sans was grabbing at his face, clenching his sockets shut tight, trying to keep those blue flames from escaping. They crept through his sockets and his fingers though, slipping from between his teeth. Papyrus looked exhausted as well, sweat dripping down his bones. If there was one thing those skeleton boys lacked, Clover thought, it was stamina. As the brothers from separate timelines raced to meet everyone else at the center, Demon kicked open the doors behind them, grinning wickedly.
"... Well." Clover frowned after everyone made it to the center. The capable formed a circle around the incapable, each scanning their foes carefully. Meanwhile, more of Gatherer's soldiers - Whimsalots, Knight Knights, Madjicks, Final Froggits, Astigmatisms - flooded in to the room and formed a perimeter around the void pirates, surrounding them completely. "Anybody got a good one liner 'fore we start kickin' ass?"
"MOTHER FUCKER!"
Clover's eyebrows raised at that before his brain could even recognize the voice that had uttered those words. But, when spikes of ice exploded up beneath the ranks of monsters that Gatherer had employed, he got a pretty good idea.
From the very same hole that Cliff had blown in the wall of the eating area earlier Lexi the Predator skated in, ice forming under her feet to propel her through the ranks that she was shredding with her scythe. The ice stream lifted from the ground at her feet, carrying her into the air and over any remaining obstacles.
She jumped from the pillar of ice she had been riding, letting it blast ahead and crash loudly through more of Gatherer's cannon fodder. She stood there, scythe tight in her hands and expression twisting with fury. Over her left eye a crimson flame had exploded to life, starkly contrasting the icy mist that floated up from between her grinding teeth. It was snowing now, the room was quite literally freezing.
"XANDER, GET YOUR PUSSY ASS TO THE FRONT LINE." Predator shouted so ferociously that the remaining ranks ahead of her flinched. "YOU N' ME NEED TO HAVE A TALK!"
Things were quiet for a moment, monsters silently stepping aside. They obediently formed a path, letting their leader strut ever calm to the very front, Cliff right by his side. At about the same time, wing beats resounded, and The Gatherer lifted his head and rose his eyebrows.
Ink wings spread wide behind me, I landed by Predator's side. My own glare - though significantly less terrifying than Lexi's - was transfixed on Xander as well. My fists clenched at my side, and my left eye ignited in red as I steeled myself. I hadn't seen Xander in awhile, and he certainly carried a lot more presence than he had before.
"... My my." He blinked a few times, expression seeming genuinely surprised as he stared at me. The violet of his eyes was just as piercing as ever, if not more so. "Angel The Hacker. How long has it been?"
"Skip the pleasantries, Xander." I lifted my hand, snapping my fingers without ever looking away from him. A moment later, white lights glowed above us, and Gatherer let his eyes roll upwards to spot the halo of Beat Blasters that formed in the rafters of the room, aiming down at the surrounding forces. "I ain't feeling friendly after seein' this shit."
"..." Thoughtfully, The Gatherer stared awhile longer at the looming blasters. Then, he shut his eyes, exhaled slowly, and lifted one blinged out hand. "Eden, portals if you would please. I believe we've made our point."
At the other side of the room, a short girl with medium length dark brown hair nodded. Her lips moved quickly in some strange whispering that was impossible to hear from my distance. Soon after, rifts opened in reality at the backs of Gatherer's ranks. Skillfully his soldiers marched backwards through the warps between dimensions, their eyes never leaving us.
"Made your point?!" Predator repeated with a snarl, stomping one foot forward and cocking her scythe back. It's blade glimmered, icing over a light blue. "You honestly believe I'm just gonna let you-?!"
Predator was stopped from sprinting up and clobbering Gatherer by a rough hand that planted itself on her shoulder. She looked back to the gold souled young man who had grabbed her with rage burning in her eyes, but then she stopped. His look was calm, but stern. He didn't say a word, but everything about him was saying "Stop. Wait. Think about the situation."
And, begrudgingly, Predator did just that. She chewed her cheek, looked back ahead, and silently watched Xander's smug face get further and further away towards the filling rifts.
"We'll have to talk some other time, Lexi." Maliciously his lips curled, and he tilted his head just a little, hands folded neatly behind his back. "I'm sure whatever you wanted to say couldn't have been that important anyway."
Ice formed under Predator's feet, and she let out a low growl. But, she didn't lunge. She knew bait when she saw it. Hard headed as Lexi was, she was no idiot.
As The Gatherer took a step back into the portal, his purple peepers shifted over to me. His smile uncurled then, became a scowl. There was nothing but disdain in his eyes, hate and reserved fury when he looked at me. As he disappeared, and the portals shut behind him and the rest of his following, I could only come to one conclusion.
*He knows what you did.
"..." I sighed, lowering my head and letting the glowing Beat Blasters disappear from over our heads. I had put up a stern front, but deep down I was less than confident.
"You really are too KIND."
... I was in no mindset to fight.
I turned, looking over my shoulder to the group of random AU characters. Some of them looked to me, but whenever we made eye contact, we never spoke. I tried my best to keep the pity off my expression. Something told me none of them would want it.
Lexi knelt down, talked to some of the injured. She talked to the ones standing, too. Basic questions. "Are you okay?" "Does it hurt?" "Do you think you can stand?" Surprisingly, she had put aside the hows and the whys for now until she knew everyone was okay.
I didn't listen much to the conversations that went on. I was in my own head as my eyes glossed over the destroyed room around me. It was hard to fathom, reminded me of things I would rather not think about. Things like Character. Future's ruined kingdom. F Chara.
"Angel."
I was shaken from my thoughts, swiftly looking over my shoulder to the call of my name. Lexi stood there, her back to me. Her hair shadowed her eyes while she watched the cowboy - I'd overheard that his name is Clover - and Papyrus carry Susie on a stretcher out of the kitchen, presumably to some kind of medical bay. At Lexi's sides her fists clenched brutally tight, nails slicing the palms of her hands. This sent vermilion streams out over her fingers, dribbling bloody rain to the floor below her. But then, crimson began misting out from between her knuckles, presumably healing this new injury.
"... What's up, Lex..?" I asked softly and carefully, turning to face her. Slowly, she lifted her head, and black strands fell around her one berserk left eye as it landed upon me, flooring me with all of its intensity. The room got another few degrees colder, and she spoke.
"Our priorities just changed."
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