I'M STILL ALIVE!
I'll keep the AN short on this one: I have nothing to blame but lack of motivation for failing to update; I still plan on finishing this story, I just won't have a consistent schedule and don't know how long it'll take.
If my absence from your life is driving you crazy, you may be interested in my Twitch channel and/or Discord server. Check out my profile if you want to learn more!
Chapter 63: The Descent
"Alright, forget it," Blahsadfeguie exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "Flying all the way back to Moros is out of the question, and I'm sick of wasting time, so let's just go straight for the jewel here in the Everfree Forest. I'm sure we've gotten a lot stronger since-"
"Blah," Astra cut in, a little bewildered, "I'm sorry to interrupt, it sounds like you're saying something very important... but I'd just like to remind you that we can't understand you."
Blah the Yoshi stopped with his pink finger pointing at nothing in particular, drooping as he stared at it and realizing just how difficult his life had suddenly become. A painful mix of rage and despair filled his body.
Fluttershy approached him comfortingly. "Aw, don't worry," she spoke gently, as though to one of her animal companions. "We'll find a way to change you back soon... There's no sense getting angry over it."
Blah sighed, sitting down in defeat. Although he hated to admit it, Fluttershy was right. This was just another in the long line of tiresome hurdles their group had faced since their adventure began.
"Anyway," resumed Astra, looking down at her phone incredulously, "it seems we've gotten yet another situation on our hands..."
Blah's mouth flattened into a grimace. He stood up and slowly walked alongside the human, leaning to get a good view of the device. Astra bent over and showed it to him. Lines of green text were popping up like wildfire.
- discoJubilation [DJ] began pestering spacefaringPioneer [SP] at 16:37 -
DJ: yo, 'stra!
DJ: you alright over there sis? D8
SP: I'm fine... Blah's having another run-in with Discord...
DJ: dare DJ ask what's the scoop on that?
SP: Long story short, Blah's a Yoshi now...
DJ: for real? that's wack. 8/
DJ: well DJ would love to send his condolences but we've got yet another situation on our hands
SP: Joy... Lay it on me...
DJ: bellia's been drag-napped by some cat from the future or something?
DJ: and they're taking her to charge himself
DJ: sera's following them
DJ: she's keeping us posted but she wants us to send a rescue party
DJ: anyone free at all over there?
Blah, with a grim look on his face, snatched Astra's phone without warning and began typing. The girl did not resist.
SP: this is blah
DJ: blah! my man!
DJ: for some reason DJ thought you couldn't type in your bogus condition
DJ: sorry btw 8/
SP: don't be sorry, we have to focus
SP: look, broshi can't be busy, he's probably just brooding or something
SP: go to his house, pick him up
SP: then go find some other main characters, this multiverse is full of hero types
SP: with all of this crap going on there's no way we can be expected to take care of everything ourselves, might as well make the most of what we have
DJ: wow, you sure know your stuff dude!
DJ: kay, DJ's gonna draft a team that'll make charge scream!
DJ: let's just say he knows some guys ;D
SP: excellent. catch you later then, astra and I are going to the everfree forest to take another crack at the jewel there
Blah held up the phone, making sure Astra could see it. Her eyes widened slightly as though the solution to their newfound communication problem had soared over her head.
DJ: oof. if you're sure you're ready for it man, then go for it
DJ: DJ trusts astra's judgment!
DJ: alright later, gator!
As Beats signed off, Astra cleared her throat. "Yeah, speaking of my judgment..." Blah glared up at her impatiently. "I hope you're not planning on taking on that jewel with just the two of us. I heard about your first trip to the corrupted forest, and no offense, but I'm not sure you can handle it in your current state..."
While Astra was talking, Blah tapped diligently on her phone, making her wonder if he was even listening. When she finished, Blah made one final tap, and a computerized male voice sounded. "We've wasted too much time already," said the phone. "Charge is obviously using tactics like these to stall us. We should be strong enough now to tackle hardmode enemies at least."
Astra sighed. "Okay," she surrendered, "but know that I'm only doing this to keep you from getting killed."
She approached Blah, who kneeled down in order to let Astra climb on his back. It only occurred to them afterward that they had both done this out of sheer instinct - Blah strained under Astra's weight for a moment before steadying himself. He thought about protesting, but then he realized that this must have been how Hailstorm felt all of those times he had ridden him.
Before Blah could take off, however, he heard a cry from behind him. "Wait!"
Fluttershy quickly flitted in front of them, landing on the ground. "Are you going back to the Everfree Forest?" she asked with all the concern of a protective mother.
Blah blinked as a memory flooded to the surface. "This again?" he scoffed. "Yes, I am," he replied, starting to walk around her. "I was fine then, and I'll be fine now."
Fluttershy, seemingly understanding Blah perfectly despite his impediment, side-stepped into the Yoshi's path, stopping him. "Well this time, I'm putting my hoof down," she asserted, catching Blah off-guard. "I'm not letting you go into the forest without me."
A somewhat confused Astra looked between Blah and Fluttershy. "Well, the more the merrier, I suppose..." Astra commented.
Fluttershy's stern gaze unsettled the both of them, especially Blah, who was not even aware that the delicate pegasus was capable of such resolve. "Fine, just don't slow us down," quipped Blah as he once again passed around Fluttershy, this time much more warily. Fluttershy took off after the both of them.
"I'm not saying that your gods don't exist. Quite the contrary, in fact - they exist because there are people who worship them!"
"...but what you're saying is that our gods exist only in the minds of the people."
"Well, yeah, but they exist, and that's all that matters to anyone, right? Whether they're actually real or not doesn't change anything that happens on this planet. It's the idea of them and their legacy that shapes your culture and determines the course of hist-"
Ding!
Reed and Pi were engaged in a deep conversation about the religion of Moros when a sudden noise from one of the pods made both of them jolt. Neither of them were sure what had just happened, until they saw the doors on one of them open and a four-legged figure stumble out of it, breathing heavily.
"Hailstorm?" exclaimed Reed, standing up and rushing over to the disoriented pony. Sure enough, this was the body that Pi had created hours ago, complete with horn.
"You're okay!" cried Pi, following suit and helping him stand up fully.
"Yeah," the alicorn said weakly as he found his footing, "I guess I am." He looked around the room as though to make sure it was the same one from earlier.
"Is something the matter?" asked Reed, sensing Hail's unease.
"You know that feeling you get when everything you thought you knew turns out to be completely wrong?" Hail responded without skipping a beat.
Reed thought back to some of the things that Pi had said in their recent discussion."As a matter of fact, I do..." he affirmed.
"Well, that." Hail glanced up at his horn, a sight which he still had yet to get accustomed to. "That just happened."
Reed and Pi stared at him in abject confusion. Hail proceeded to recount everything that he had experienced during his surprise trip to Prospit.
"Are you sure that wasn't a dream?" Reed questioned.
Pi snapped her finger. "It was, technically," she explained. "But, it really happened."
Hail nodded. "That's exactly how Charge explained it."
This did nothing to alleviate Reed's confusion.
"I suppose what the White Queen said does make sense," Pi continued. "All SBURB players of a given session are predetermined thanks to the paradoxical nature of their existence - they come into being as a result of their own actions through a process known as ectobiology. How that process works exactly is one of the greatest Invero mysteries, but it is absolutely vital to the progression of the session. If all players are not successfully cloned through ectobiology within a given timeline, it becomes a doomed timeline."
Hail couldn't even find the focus to blink after such a rant. "You lost me..."
Pi twirled her wrist around dismissively. "Well, what I'm trying to say is that you don't get to play SBURB, at least not with any chance of success, unless you were created ectobiologically. Blahsadfeguie was created in this lab via organic synthesis. He shouldn't be in the game, technically speaking."
Hail made another attempt to process what the pink fox had said. "Okay... so what does that mean for us, then?"
"To tell you the truth..." Pi shrugged. "I don't know."
"You don't know..." Hail started to panic. "What do you mean you don't know?! I thought you were the hyper-intelligent alien with all the answers!"
"A multidimensional phenomenon like SBURB isn't easy to observe, even for us," Pi admitted. "Most of the information we do have comes either from our observation of your session, or from a particular second-hand source." She scratched her chin. "Come to think of it, there was no way I could have possibly known that file would be relevant at the time of Blah's creation, but I'm infinitely glad I went with my gut and decided to upload it into his mind..."
"I suppose we should be thankful for that," Hail remarked, not entirely sure what she was going on about, and not in the mood to care. He sighed. "Alright. So not even the most advanced race in the universe knows what's going on. That's comforting." For the first time since he woke, he took a good look around the room. Just as he thought, Blah and Astra were missing. "Let's change the subject for a moment... would you mind telling me what the others are up to?"
The trio's trek through the Everfree Forest went much more smoothly than Blah imagined, though not because of their heightened confidence or skill. Not a single creature so much as approached them, let alone attacked. That's not to say it was a relaxing trip - Blah and Astra were on edge the whole time, as though the forest had many eyes trained on them. Fluttershy, on the other hand, seemed eerily calm. The Yoshi didn't understand it, and he wished he had the capacity to ask questions, but perhaps it was for the best.
The mood changed completely when the group met the first sign of purple grass and decaying bark.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked. "I-it's still corrupted..."
The core of the forest was just as Blah had left it so long ago. The stench of rot permeated the air, and every inch of pale violet plant matter was twisted into grotesque, deathly shapes.
Astra had heard about the corruption, but had never seen it first-hand. The sight of the infested grove was enough to make her skin crawl. Despite this, she took a deep breath and cautiously drew her scythe. Blah soon followed suit and produced his trusty Pwnhammer, clutching it tightly.
Fluttershy flinched at the sight of the weapons, but she swallowed heavily as she told herself that it was necessary. The creatures in this part of the forest were by no means innocent.
"Blah..." Astra uttered, looking down at the pink dinosaur, "Are you still sure about this?"
Blah nodded. "I've never been more sure about anything, ever."
Astra fingered the Soulite crystal hanging from her neck. "Fluttershy," the girl addressed, causing the pegasus to jolt, "Hang back and keep yourself safe. If Blah and I die in there... I need you to retrieve these crystals and run." Blah rolled his eyes, a gesture which was thankfully missed by the both of them. "Can we trust you to do that?"
After a moment, Fluttershy gave a stern nod. "Yes. I'll do my best."
Astra took another deep breath, making sure to appreciate the clean air while she could. "Good. Let's go."
Holding their weapons at the ready, Blah charged into the corruption, Astra holding on to his back with one hand and readily holding out her scythe with the other. Not a second later, two Corruptors emerged from the horizon, putrid drool beading from their eager, gaping maws.
Astra leaped off of Blah toward one of the Corruptors, aiming to slice it down the middle, but to her surprise, the beast snapped its mandibles onto her weapon and wrenched it away with little effort. Astra's balance was thrown off and she crashed into a nearby hillside.
Blah was too focused on the other Corruptor to notice his companion's predicament. With a sickening squelch, a glob of vile spit burst forth from the creature's mouth. Blah smacked it away with his hammer, but a tiny amount of it splashed into his eye, causing him to nearly trip over himself at the sudden sharp sting.
The first Corruptor spat out the scythe and began to close the distance to Astra. Adrenaline coursing through her veins, she scrambled to her feet and ducked under it to snatch up her tool of the trade and slash at the assailant in one fluid motion. It was a direct hit, but it barely seemed to scratch the monster's carapace.
Tears pouring out of his affected eye, Blah turned to face his mark again, only to learn that it was already nearly upon him. He swung desperately at the Corruptor, managing to send it careening off course and buying him enough time to tend to his eye.
With her target still compensating for its momentum, Astra took the time to study it closely. Although they were hard to make out, the Corruptor was made up of multiple segments separated by thin bands around its body. The human knew that these were her best shot at damaging the creature - all she needed was the perfect window.
Her grip tightened around her scythe as her concentration peaked. Time seemed to slow down around her as she rushed in, just as the Corruptor began to turn around. Before it even knew what was happening, Astra had made slice after precise slice on every band she could hit, hacking the creature apart little by little. Eventually, her breath ran out and she kneeled on the ground in front of the monster to replenish it.
From Blah's perspective, this had all happened in the blink of an eye. One moment, the Corruptor was there, and the next, it had been reduced to a pile of rotten chunks. Even Astra seemed shocked by the time she turned around to survey the damage.
Blah, knowing that he wouldn't be able to find the words even if he could speak, simply held out a thumbs up.
Astra then turned to the Corruptor facing Blah, rushing around to flank it. The combination of both of their weapons made short work of it as well.
All immediate threats eliminated, the two took a much needed moment to breathe, however brief. Astra coughed. Blah perked up in concern, but Astra held up a hand. "I'm fine... but it's going to take forever to get the smell out of my hair..." she lamented, picking a greenish chunk off of her scalp apprehensively.
Blah nodded, pointing forward, and the two advanced deeper into the corruption. Just past a small grove of rotten trees was an outcropping of dark stone, the center of which bore a jagged pit. As soon as they spotted it, a half dozen more Corruptors darted out from within, as well as a few slimes, made of a putrid purple sludge, flying on demonic wings.
The pair had little time to assess the situation before several globs of gunk went flying in their direction. Astra and Blah split off in the hopes of dividing their forces, circling around the pit.
One slime dove straight at Astra, to which she reacted by thrusting her scythe. The blade cut cleanly through the wing, clipping it and dropping it to the ground, but this did not seem to hinder its momentum as it flopped at her with alarming speed and tenacity.
Blah was soon met with his own pair of slimy assailants. Blah leaped over one as it charged, surprised at the height he attained until he remembered he was a Yoshi. In that same moment, he remembered another thing Yoshis could do. In a fit of physics-defying agility, Blah flipped in the air, suddenly thrusting his entire weight downward and crushing the slime under his posterior.
"Do you think the jewel's in that pit?" Astra called as she dispatched her own slime with a swift slice.
"Where else would it be?" Blah replied, vaulting over three balls of vile spit from the looming Corruptors. Upon landing, Blah broke into a sprint for the pit.
"I'll take that as a yes," responded Astra. Two Corruptors seemed to be trying to fly around Astra and attack from behind. With a parting slash, Astra broke through them and headed for the pit herself.
The two skidded to a halt in front of the gaping hole in the ground. The meager light didn't make it very far into the shaft; for all they knew, it was bottomless. The sharp rocks jutting out at every angle were particularly uninviting.
"Behind you!" Astra suddenly cried at Blah, causing him to twist around with his hammer out. The hammer slammed into a winged slime, failing to visibly damage it but sending it careening off into the distance.
"The less time we spend out in the open, the better," remarked Blah. With a grand leap, he jumped over the pit and onto Astra's side. "Hop on and hold tight," he commanded, patting the saddle on his back. Astra climbed aboard somewhat hesitantly, and Blah jumped straight into the heart of the pit.
The darkness swallowed them both, but was quickly dispelled by the light of Astra's torch. Blah controlled his descent as best as he could to avoid the sides of the pit, but the bottom was nowhere in sight.
Just as Astra began to reflect on her life choices, the walls of the shaft below extended outward. Blah, letting his instincts take over, began to flail his limbs wildly. Astra held her breath, interpreting this as a move of panicked desperation... until she noticed that they were slowing down after all! Blah's flutter jump was sketchy at best, but he managed to land safely on the floor of a tunnel cutting through the pit.
The duo did not have to exchange a glance. In the distance, a ways down the tunnel, they spotted wisps of demonic purple light emanating from a cracked sphere of blackened stone. The sphere sat in a massive chamber, columns of rock holding it in place in its direct center.
"The jewel..." Blah gasped.
"Look out!" called Astra as she leaped to the side. Blah's glance shifted to see a ball of green flames headed straight for him.
Rather than dodge, however, Blah stood his ground. He figured this was the perfect time to test another one of his kind's unique abilities... As the fireball was moments from striking Blah in the face, he lashed his tongue out, catching the green fire within, and drew it into his mouth. He immediately began to regret it - the sensation was not unlike that of eating a raw jalapeno pepper, but the inside of his mouth would be fine. Probably.
Blah, fighting back tears, picked out the monster that had shot the fireball at him. It resembled a worm with a head similar to those of the Eaters, though its segments were much more defined and circular, and it was firmly rooted into the wall. Blah recognized it as a Clinger - yet another enemy unique to the advanced corruption. And now that he looked, there were a lot more of them than he first thought, scattered around the chamber and waiting for the intruders to get close enough to bombard with more of the cursed fire.
Unable to bear the fire any longer, Blah charged down the tunnel, spitting and exhaling and trying everything he could think of to get it out. The result was a living pink-and-green flamethrower barreling down the corrupted tunnel and torching everything in its path. Clingers, corruptors, and slimes alike were bathed in the seemingly endless green flame.
Astra wasn't sure whether to be impressed or terrified of what she just witnessed. Shaking off the shock, she began to follow in the Yoshi's wake, slashing at any monster that the flames didn't completely burn.
It wasn't long before the two of them emerged into the central chamber... and were immediately assaulted by projectiles. Globs of vile spit, cursed fireballs, and devourers burrowing through the stone like murderous underground dolphins.
The last lick of flame passed Blah's lips, and he found himself coughing and sputtering as he shakily dodged. He had no intention of eating more fire any time soon.
Astra approached the center cautiously, guarding Blah by deflecting projectiles with her scythe. A devourer popped up directly in front of her, to which she responded by grabbing Blah's arm and practically throwing him across the room before blocking the worm's mandibles with the handle.
This action saved Blah from taking any damage, but caught him completely off-guard. Fortunately, his instincts kicked in and he managed to right himself and land on his feet in the nick of time. As he regained his bearings, he discovered that he had been surrounded by three Corruptors. Blah gripped his hammer tightly. His aura began to flare up and surround him, and he was flooded with the familiar sensation.
With one swift motion, Astra flung the devourer to the side, spun around, and sliced through its midsection, cleaving it in two. As she did so, a peculiar glow began to catch her eye. An eerie light pulsed from the jewel. The girl watched with morbid curiosity as it seemed to resonate with Blah's aura.
"Fist of the Milky Way..." Blah found himself uttering those empowering words, and his aura strengthened. "SPIN TO WIN!" Really, it didn't matter what he said thanks to his linguistic impediment; he was running out of good names for moves anyway. Holding his hammer out to his side, Blah began to twist around, building up speed until he became a pink blur. The force seemed to draw in the beasts surrounding him, where they'd soon be slammed by a spinning hammer and knocked back, only to be drawn in again.
Astra watched in awe as this went on - not of the move itself, but of the aura enveloping Blah. It became darker, the hue shifting towards a crimson and then a deep purple. Even the denizens of the corruption were starting to back off. Astra could not have comprehended how a power like Hajike functioned, but even she could tell that there was something very, very wrong. Though petrified, she could still speak a single concerned, terrified syllable. "Blah...?"
By the time the Yoshi finally wound to a stop, all three corruptors around him had been thoroughly tenderized, their bodies unrecognizable masses of gore. He stared blankly at the space in front of him, panting heavily. He did not appear to register Astra's cry at all.
"Blah..." the human tried again, "Are you alright...?"
Though the attack had finished, Blah's aura did not waver. It continued to pulse and writhe around him, mimicking the light of the jewel. Astra dared not take a step in any direction. The only sound was that of the two beings' breathing.
Astra's jaw clenched. "Blah, please speak to me," she demanded. Still, silence followed. "Say something, do something... any-"
Suddenly, the Yoshi's gaze snapped around, locking itself on Astra. The girl flinched, gulping heavily. Blah's eyes were stark purple. Sparks of black flecked off of his aura.
"He's possessed..." breathed Astra, readying her weapon. A troubling memory surfaced. This wasn't the first time Blah's demeanor had shifted in the proximity of a jewel. "Blah... If you're in there... please, don't make me do this..."
Blah continued to remain silent, merely eyeing Astra with a look of eagerness... of hunger.
Before Astra knew what was happening, Blah had cast his hammer aside and taken a menacing step in Astra's direction. Astra stepped back, gripping her scythe tighter. The shadowy aura intensified, engulfing the Yoshi's form entirely. The shape in front of Astra grew until she found herself looking at a form twice her size. Astra shuddered, noticing the temperature in the chamber was rapidly declining. Finally, the energy burst off of the creature, and Astra gasped. Towering in front of her was a white dragon, its eyes purple and devoid of emotion. Leaning forward, it let forth a mighty roar that shook the cave in its entirety.
Astra closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. The creature before her was not her brother. "Fine then..." she asserted, steeling herself. "If this is how it must be, then so be it. Come at me, bro."