Author's Notes: Well, what can I say? It's two days late, so um... Sorry about that :o, but if it's any consolation, it's also the longest chapter so far :D. I can't make many excuses to be honest, basically it came down to two things. One was not getting enough sleep, and two, getting completely absorbed by Dirge Of Cerberus... Vincent Valentine is my absolute favourite fictional character ever, period, cut me some slack XD. Hehe, anyway, it's finally finished, and, it wasn't intended to be this long by far, but by the time I had fitted everything I wanted to in well, here's the result. Hopefully the size and, fingers crossed, quality, will make up for the delay, and I intend to put out 25 on schedule 2 days from now. Anyway, a few questions answered here, enjoy!
----
Upon the disintegrating fabric of the universe one tendril still weaved through the ether unbroken, winding from the epicentre of chaos to the edge of perception. It was the final ray of hope, and at its outermost limit three entities coalesced from the abyss they had cast themselves into, washed ashore to their final chance…
"Lets do that again!" Arson yelled excitedly, sitting bolt upright from his former position of lying down.
"How about, lets not" Zone replied on his and Reiko's behalf, the rodent having rolled over onto all fours.
"It's just us three now" Reiko noted on a slightly more positive note as he rubbed his eyes, recovering from the dizzying journey, reminding them that they only had each other. They had passed the point of no return.
"We've had like over 20 chapters to establish ourselves, if we can't carry the story ourselves by now we should probably give up out of shame" Zone remarked with a smirk, raring to face the challenges ahead.
Reiko sat up as he did, recuperated from the nausea plaguing him, and cast his eyes around. We shall now look through them, for out of all of those present, the vampire was most able to make sense of what he saw.
They lay upon a large floating stone platform, perhaps 30 metres across, although distance seemed a little less certain here than it should be. From the underside of the structure arched four talon-like pillars, one at each compass facing, reaching up from below and clawing inwards gradually like some vast, surreal hand clasping the dais. What lay beyond this sanctuary of solid ground, was a madness foolish to attempt the comprehension of, a swirling maelstrom of distorted psychosis folding in upon itself with perverse insanity.
And yet, hanging there in the psychedelic void supported only by that Hellish platform, they were exactly where they wanted to be. "Well, that's the easy part over" Reiko said, glancing into the swirling beyond, but only curiously; there was no point in contemplating the chaotic. It had been a risk, throwing themselves to this wayward strand of reality not even knowing if it had survived, but had also been their best chance.
"So this is what it's like when worlds corrode" Zone said, a little more awed. The vortex writhing around them was in fact the very underlying fabric of the DMC3 fandom itself. Although he'd never seen it before, Matier had explained that normally this binding energy pulsed with a rhythmic order of life, a pattern of sustaining energy, not unlike blood within a living being. But now the tapestry was coming unravelled, wrought by turbulent fluctuations that it would rend itself apart if the disturbance could not be stabilised.
As they slowly rose to their feet and hind paws respectively, energy crackled around the pinnacle of three of the four spikes surrounding the platform, as if sensing their presence. From each erupted an emission of force, striking the ground and creating three glowing circles. In turn from each of these points arose a pillar, first a swirling whirlpool of water, then a crackling storm of lightning, and finally, a blazing inferno of fire.
The trio watched this with interest, Zone gesturing to indicate his moderate approval of the special effects, while Arson leaned back trying to see how high they went, the hybrid ending up falling over flat on his ass.
As he scampered back to his feet like nothing had happened, Reiko rubbed his chin. "So these each lead to a secret mission. But which to which?" he thought out loud, examining the three elemental portals closely.
This was their plan, their last throw of the dice. The structure of the fandom was rapidly deteriorating, and even if they managed to infiltrate the Temen-Ni-Gru, navigate the deadly traps and overcome the hordes of demons, no simple task, there was no guarantee they could reach Mary Sue. Her presence could disrupt the canon of the tower's layout, resulting in them becoming hopelessly lost within the ever-changing labyrinth.
There was another way though, an obscure but vital alternative. The secret missions. While not part of the main canon, they were still buried deep within the factual structure of the DMC3 universe, and would thus take much longer to be influenced by the chaotic influence of Mary Sue's presence. Normally this subrealm was dependant on the main levels, its own liner structure subservient to its host. However, with the surface canon in upheaval, the detached wisp drifted, and was inevitably drawn to the nexus of the disturbance. By throwing themselves onto the tail of this entwined path, they hoped to follow it to where their enemy dwelt.
As Reiko tried to decipher the arcane thresholds, Arson reached into his coat and pulled out a book, which he opened. Flicking through it, he stuck his tongue out thoughtfully, glancing between it and the portals. "I think, they go to secret missions 1, 2 and 3 respectively" he said, pointing to water, lighting and finally fire.
Reiko turned sharply to look at the hybrid, wondering how he could possibly guess such things, and saw the book he held. "What is that?" the vampire inquired.
"Oh, It's the official strategy guide" Arson said with a helpful, beaming smile, holding it up for all to see.
Reiko stared at the book. From its cover the twin sons of Sparda stared back at him, and the vampire briefly noticed Dante looked a little emo in that particular shot. "Where did you get it?" he demanded after rallying his senses against this development, irritated that the hybrid had failed to mention such a valuable resource.
"Oh, Matier gave it to me, said it'd be useful" Arson said with a shrug accompanied by an innocuous grin.
Reiko clawed his fingers through his hair and groaned in exasperation. "And you never mentioned-" he cut himself off, realising the answer would most likely not be enlightening or in the least bit satisfying. Instead he strode over to the hybrid and snatched the book from his hands with a frustrated "Give me that Arson".
"Hey, don't bend the pages!" the hybrid complained, but Reiko hushed him, leaving Arson to pout while he focused on reading the insider info, top cheats, tips, tricks and 100 hidden bonuses, all for a bargain price.
"Alright, time is of the essence so we'll have to split up. Arson you should take the water portal" he said, too focused to notice the quiet sniffling coming from the hybrid, "Zone, you take the lightning portal, I-".
He got no further as the hamster cut him off. "Hold up Captain Corpse, who died and left you in charge, yourself?" he challenged defiantly, "I'm not here for your convenience, and I don't think Arson is either".
Reiko looked at him, and was about to say something, when he noticed Arson did look upset. It struck him suddenly that he'd taken control in a rather assumptive way, even though he'd only been trying to organise them. "I'm, sorry, I jumped the gun. My mistake" he admitted his error, Arson cheering up at the apology.
Zone wasn't so easily satisfied though, "Yes, your mistake. Now if you're finished playing out your scout leader fantasies, maybe we can move on?" he said testily. Perhaps he was being harsh, but Reiko's gall to simply tell him what to do like he was a freaking chess piece had incensed him. He wasn't a damn puppet.
"I apologised, you needn't continue persecuting me" Reiko replied, trying to keep the resent from his voice.
"Oh save it will you?" Zone snapped back sharply. "And you can quit crying too" he directed this at Arson, who was getting upset by the animosity again. Zone shook his head in aggravation, "Look, this really is not the time for emotional frivolities! Didn't you say just a minute ago time is off the essence? Unless you plan to defeat Mary Sue with a big ray of love, all this sentimentality, wonderful as it is, will not, do, anything. I mean, all that I'm asking, is that we communicate and get a move on, is that such an outrageous request?".
It is a rather unique sight to see a six-inch tall furball not only rant at a vampire and a teenager, but for that audience to recoil from the verbal onslaught. Throw in their surroundings and it was a real Kodak moment.
After a few moments of tense silence Reiko cleared his throat. Part of him wanted to rebuke Zone, for even though he had a point he didn't have to make it with such needless aggression. But instead, swallowing his minimal pride, the vampire nodded, "Very well, I shall explain why I advise we each do a certain mission".
"Well, fine" Zone said, slightly at a loss for a reply, in the end just crossing his arms and waiting. Having vented some steam, he was actually regretting a little how hard he'd gone off on them, feeling he'd taken it a bit too far, at least. He didn't say anything though, that wouldn't help things. If he had screwed up some, then dwelling on it would only let more precious time slip by them and make it worse, the rodent reasoned.
"Arson, the water portal leads to secret mission 1 where you must eliminate a number of demons in one minute. I think as the most capable in combat you should attempt it" Reiko explained, rather than ordered.
"OK… Say, what happens if we fail a mission?" Arson asked curiously. Normally such a thing returned one to the normal mission you entered it from, but normally had gone out of the window a long time ago.
"I, don't know" Reiko said after some thought, "It would be best if we avoided finding out. Anyway, Zone, I think you should take the lightning portal to mission 2. You must defeat the enemies without getting hit".
"So, it's just the same as every fight for me" Zone translated, always just one lucky blow away from death.
"You are the most expert in that stipulation of battle, yes" Reiko agreed in more diplomatic terms, glad that their previous fighting seemed to have settled. "The fire portal leads to mission 3, where one must stay off the ground for 20 continuous seconds. It seems to be tactically based, so I am most likely best suited to it".
The other two agreed with this, and giving the book back to Arson for safekeeping, Reiko turned to the fire portal. The trio bid each other good luck in their various mannerisms, and then entered their trials, alone…
----
As the light faded Arson swayed slightly, a little unbalanced by the floating sensation of the watery channel he had travelled through. He blinked his vision into focus, and found himself in The Love Planet strip joint. The hybrid wondered briefly whether he was truly here, or only in some uncanny reflection of the location, and if someone could just stroll in during the mission.
There wasn't time to ponder this though, as moments after his arrival the distinct cry of demons filled the room. Its origin followed shortly, as Hells phased in from the walls and air. Drawing Phoenix and Dragon swiftly, the burning swords roaring to life, Arson wasted no time in engaging them; he had none to spare.
The nearest Pride didn't even touch the ground before it was impaled through its chest by a flaming blade. Following his own momentum, Arson flipped over the first victim and axe kicked the scythe of the second, pinning it to the ground and dragging Phoenix down through the first demon, severing it in half. A thrusting kick sent the other creature crashing into a table, which collapsed under its weight as it shattered into sand, Arson swinging Dragon up in a reverse-grip to parry an incoming scythe, following through with Phoenix.
The hybrid tore into his enemies, turning, slashing, parrying; ripping them apart without restraint. Although fairly lowly demons and not too great in number, he was forced to fight them recklessly to beat the clock. A Lust rushed him with a vicious scythe uppercut, but Arson jumped inside the blade's arc. Using its head as a platform, he flipped higher and kicked off the ceiling to drive himself back down, both swords stabbing through the floored demon. Rising hastily he reacted just fast enough to stop the blade of a teleporting Sloth lashing into him, staggering from the blow but throwing himself back at the demon with a grunt, punishing it with a flurry of furious slashes. This wouldn't take a minute he thought; after all, that's all the time had…
----
Zone made a mildly irritated noise as he brushed his fur back into place, the lightning portal having made it stand on end. He wasn't vain, but he'd be damned if he'd save the world looking like a mutated pompom.
The iridescent vessel deposited him in a vast room, and the first thing he noticed was it was cold, the rodent shivering slightly as icy air probed through his fur. Once the light faded completely, he recognised it as the chamber of Cerberus, guardian to the gate of Temen-Ni-Gru.
The second thing he noticed was the line of five Enigmas activating their weapons and taking aim at him.
"Bring it" the hamster taunted confidently, drawing his own weapons. True the odds were against him; just a single hit would spell defeat. But for the diminutive rodent, how was that different from any other day?
Zone zigzagged forwards on his hind legs, a volley of blue shards stabbing into the ground around him as his small size and respectable mobility making him a difficult target. Pausing to take precise aim, he fired a focused beam at one of the possessed statues. The laser pierced the creature's eye, sending it toppling back and crumbling to dust as the remaining four fired.
"I need an umbrella" the rodent half-joked worriedly to pacify his nerves, darting through a rapidly thickening forest of knives on all fours while trying not to be caught in the rain of arrows from above. Running out of room, he activated his lightsabre and slashed out, shattering a cluster of arrows. With another swipe he escaped the deadly sapphire jungle.
Realising that their indirect fire wasn't working, the Enigmas tried aiming straight at him, Zone picking off another of their number in the lull. His joyful cheer was quickly replaced by a worried yelp as he was soon ducking and darting over, under and around a storm of arrows getting ever closer to him. Frantically he cut his laser's suppressor, firing it at the ground and launching himself high into the air and out of harm's way.
The Enigmas struggled to target the airborne rodent, who subsequently sailed down right onto one of them. Scurrying all over the lumbering statue, Zone hacked and slashed mercilessly, practically dismantling it. As it tumbled over he jumped off towards its nearest friend, which was taking aim with a fully charged salvo…
----
The instinctual fear of fire flared up as the billowing warmth of the portal surrounding the vampire, but he tamed it. Once the flames faded, he recognised the place he stood in as a room from the Trial Of Wisdom.
Reiko watched on guard as several Hell Prides warped into the room. They surrounded him, but he stayed his hand, instead sizing them up with a calculating gaze, aware his mission was not to defeat, but use them.
Of course, this did not mean they would cooperate, and he was granted scant few seconds to plan his moves before they closed in on him and brought their scythes to bear. Reiko swept aside one and jumped through the opening in the descending blades this created, starting the clock ticking. Kicking back off of the head of the demon he had parried he rebounded and balanced on the lengths of the others' weapons, harassing them with his staff to try and delay them. One by one though they raised their scythes and he ran out of handles to stand on, jumping to one of the creatures itself and awkwardly balancing standing on top of its shoulders.
This of course didn't go down well with the demon, which lashed up with its scythe, Reiko barely blocking the awkward angle of the attack, but losing his balance from the impact. Turning as he fell, he pushed off of his unwilling host, wobblingly kicking off of the head of another Pride and stumbling, vaulting onto a third.
It is a curious phenomenon that the closer to its limits a mind is, the more each moment seems to endure, as a plethora of thoughts and reactions blitzed Reiko's attention, yet he had only been dodging scant seconds.
Having drawn the group over to the wall, he kicked off of it and planted his feet on the chests of two Hells. As the demons lashed out he pushed off and twisted, bringing his staff round and simultaneously blocking both attacks. His weight pushed down, bringing the three weapons into a horizontal deadlock, staff bolted between the scythe heads in turn interlocked with each other's handles. As the demons tried to disentangle their blades, cancelling out each other's efforts, the upside-down vampire kicked aside an incoming blade, twisting and ducking, doing whatever it took on the impromptu platform to buy himself precious seconds…
----
Arson coughed up blood as a vicious blade cut into his side. Stumbling away from the unexpected blow the teleporting Sloth had dealt from the flank, the hybrid reached out for something to steady himself with. His searching hand found none other than the dancing pole of the stage as he clutched the wound, which wasn't anything he couldn't recover from, but that didn't stop it hurting like Hell. Hearing the demon behind him give a cry, he knew it was about to teleport again, and also knew he didn't have time left to catch it if it did.
Gritting bloodied teeth the teenager removed his arm from his side and hefted his blade. Pulling on the pole he forced himself to move, even as lacerated muscle screamed, swinging around the pole. Doing a 180, he brought his arm round in a wide arc and released the sword. Phoenix flew, burning edge searing through air and decapitating the weakened Sloth before it could warp. With a soft phew, Arson slumped to the ground.
As he lay face up on the ground, gasping from adrenaline and pain, a soft chime echoed through the room.
"I'm not home" Arson muttered, but it didn't ring again. Sitting up after a few more moment, he saw a blue shard of… Something, floating and glowing a couple of feet above the ground on the other side of the pole.
Intrigued by the object, the hybrid pulled himself up using the pole, wincing from his wound, and fetched Phoenix. Returning, he put away the swords and leaning down reached out curiously. As soon as his hand touched the artefact, it seemed to sink into his palm as if drawn there, and the room shimmered around him.
----
The familiar chaos of the secret realm swam into focus around Arson as his vision returned, or rather, there appeared something for it to see. Stepping from the faded portal, he saw Reiko across from him by his own.
"Hi Reiko" Arson greeted friendlily, waving, wincing, and waving with the other arm, "Did you win too?".
The vampire looked up, having been examining his hand. "Hey Arson, yeah I succeeded, you too I take it" he replied with a nod before noticing the teenager's bloody side. "Are you alright?" he asked with concern.
Arson looked at the gash as if embarrassed of it and nodded sheepishly, covering it with his arm. "Oh yeah, it'll be fine" he answered bashfully, hiding it from view.
Reiko was about to reply, when a bolt of lightning arced down the other portal, striking the ground with a bright flash that left Zone in its wake. "Aw, damn, I'm last" the hamster laughed by way of greeting them.
"Still, you made it, well done" Reiko replied sincerely, causing Zone to grin, albeit a slightly troubled one.
"Hehe, thanks, although, do you guys have any idea what this is?" the rodent replied. Putting his front paws together, he drew them apart again, and a blue light grew between them, a floating blue shard like Arson's appearing in it. Curiously the hybrid opened his own palm, and sure enough, his fragment materialised too.
"They're Blue Orb Fragments. Four make a whole which can store life energy and allow its user to survive more injuries than usual" Reiko explained, raising his hand above which floated his own glowing fragment.
At this instant the three spikes around them burst to life. Three bolts of energy shot forth, each flying to one of the fragments, making Reiko arch an eyebrow, Arson jump, and Zone squeak, and then curse his lack of composure. The signals relayed to the centre of the platform, where a fourth portal of pure energy emerged.
"… Also they allow us to progress, evidently" Reiko added after a pause, noticing he still had the fragment.
The others nodded. Having no other options they stepped into the light, experiencing a familiar distortion…
----
Out of the darkness, a tinny tune floated. It was grainy and tacky, as if being produced by a cheap jukebox.
"This, this isn't right" Reiko said as the darkness fled. What remained in its wake was a sight most bizarre.
They were standing in some kind of stone room, a hall, the ceiling high and the far end lost in the shadows.
What was bizarre however was not their surroundings, but their company, for at the far end, figures moved.
"They're, puppets?" Arson half-stated, half-asked. As they warily advanced it became evident he was right.
A seemingly sourceless light illuminated the room, but it didn't fully dispel the shadows, only drove them back, so that the scene was revealed to them slowly as they got closer. The moving figures were revealed to be Marionettes, life-sized wooden puppets in colourful yet dulled stage clothing. Almost invisible strings, only glimpsed if they caught the light, moved them around from above, seemingly originating from thin air.
This in itself wasn't too unnerving mind, as Marionettes were common enemies from Devil May Cry 1. A lowly form of possessing demon, they were still dangerous to the incautious, especially in larger numbers.
What was disturbing was they seemed to be giving the new arrivals a play, complete with rather tasteless music. As they watched with increasing anxiety, the actors went about their performance with awkward, jerky motions at the behest of the strings, moving to the mirthless tune. At this point a voice startled them.
"A hero seeks to play the strings of fate" the voice was thin and taught, reminiscent of the strings running the show. As it spoke, one puppet seemed to become the centre of attention among its peers, who motioned as if treating it with reverence and awe. "But destiny does not like to be messed with" the light in the room seemed to swell slowly, peeling back the darkness further to reveal a throne behind the theatrics. Also, the heroic puppet seemed to become snagged and entangled in invisible wires, the trap snaring it and lifting it slowly from the ground. "Each has a role to play and should they betray the story and seek to trespass from their duty…" the puppet audience seemed to have turned upon their hero, braying at it as it struggled before them. "The strings of fate will catch them" this last sentence was uttered harshly. As if on cue, the trapped puppet jerked up by its neck, wooden head lolling with sickening realism as it was publicly hung, executed.
"What the Hell is going on?" Zone asked with a tremble, considerably unnerved by this point. Arson and Reiko were similarly disconcerted. As if to answer the question, the shadows fully receded from the throne.
"Welcome to my theatre, little ones" the creature that sat there replied. It appeared to be a man, and that's exactly what it was, a thing that only appeared to be a man. Gaunt and pail, the being reclining before them had features too drawn, eyes too deep and hollow, and a complexion too pale, as if all the blood had been drained from its skin, to be a living human. It was dressed in an outrageous, pompous actor's uniform that was most likely intended for use by the most senior lord character in a play. Frilly beyond reason, it would have been colourful verging on the psychedelic, if the colours had not faded so, leaving a subdued rainbow.
"Who are you?" Reiko asked, and wondered why he did. The answer was never good, and they never got to socialise either, since the kind of person who they asked this was invariably far too busy trying to kill them.
The figure was watching them with idle interest from where it slouched lazily in its throne. Tapping its thin fingers together, which made a quiet wooden noise, it replied. "I am the Puppet Master. I see to it that each person in a story plays out their allotted role" it introduced with a contemptuous bow of the head. "And you are Reiko, Arson and Zone, insolent fools who believe they can steal the role of hero. You have defiled this story with your selfish heresy, and I am here to put an end to your disgraceful rebellion" it intoned darkly.
As if heeding their master's declaration the audience of puppets turn on the trio, drawing from their persons knives, sickles, and all manor of cruel weaponry. With their deceptively fast gait they advanced on the trio, who drew their own weapons and braced themselves. "Why isn't anyone ever here to ask us if we want to order a pizza?" Arson whined, rubbing his grumbling tummy. The puppets closed in, and the battle begun.
The two groups clashed, the trio being superior fighters individually, but at a significant disadvantage in terms of numbers. The Marionettes were dragged awkwardly by their strings, but also capable of surprising turns of speed, lunging forwards with their wicked blades to hack down their quarry. The trio stayed close together, keeping a tight formation and supporting each other as they threw back the press of enemies. Zone jumped away from a crescent blade and turned to snipe the head off of a puppet that had leapt onto Arson's back. The hybrid in turn threw off the decapitated toy, engaged several of the slow enemies, and severed a bunch of ethereal strings that suspended Reiko when a nearby puppet let out a haunting cry. Freed from the trap, the vampire laid into his opponents with calculated precision, using their awkward movements against them and breaking the arm of one aiming a shotgun at Zone, intent on reducing him to a furry smear. Reiko disarmed the puppet and turned its weapon on its comrades, blasting several back as he fired at close range.
They continued to battle through the crowd like this, experiencing several close calls, but their combined strength being enough to gradually overcome the low class demons. As they got closer to the throne, the Puppet Master watched without apparent concern. Eventually Arson got a break, and seeing an opportunity to put a swift end to the battle, he smashed aside a puppet, incidentally the one who had been hung earlier, its head still lolling alarmingly, and leapt towards the throne.
"Uh-uh-uh" it chided the airborne warrior. Lazily raising a hand as Arson tore towards him, it pointed it at him, and a split second later dark bands of energy shot forth from it. The hybrid was snatched out of his assault as they arrested him mid-flight, tying around his limbs as he struggled, while the Puppet Master shook his head disapprovingly. "You haven't forgotten your place, have you? Let me remind you" it said.
"Let, go of me!" Arson yelled, struggling with all his might, but the shadowy ropes were too strong. He was hoisted up higher, and then slammed down abruptly into the ground, hard. "Kneel before your master" the creature commanded as it forced Arson's body to rise and then bow to him, Reiko and Zone still trying to fight through the last few Marionettes between them and the throne. A moment later they broke through and rushed to his aid, Zone blasting off a couple of ropes as Reiko ripped the rest away with his bare hands.
The Puppet Master made no move to stop this, simply watching as if amused by the whole thing. It slowly lowered its hand as Arson was freed, glancing passed them to see the remnants of its army of Marionettes, a few remaining but their ranks decimated. Sighing in irritation, it regarded them, still slouched in its throne.
"An amusing show, I can see why she would find you a nuisance" the Puppet Master mused out loud. With a tired yawn, the creature slowly drew itself up, literally, rising from its seat as if pulled by strings. "Come then, you've had your fun, it's time to put an end to this charade" it said, standing up and beckoning them.
"She?" Reiko whispered, catching that detail, theorising that this being must be in the employ of Mary Sue.
"Do you ever shut up?" Zone complained, while Arson stayed silent, having experienced firsthand what this creature was capable of. In answer to this the Puppet Master simply opened its arms, goading them on.
They charged together, swords, staff and lightsabre swinging in a whirlwind of attacks. But not one blow connected as the Puppet Master swayed and dodged, pulled from the path of the blows by an unseen force, laughing at their inadequate attempts. "You think yourselves worthy heroes?" it mocked, shifting back out of reach of Reiko's staff. Raising his hand he unleashed a swarm of dark tendrils that quickly tangled with the stave, and as Reiko struggled to release it the Puppet Master reeled itself in and kicked him in the gut.
The vampire was sent flying from the platform around the throne through the remains of their earlier battle, and the black tentacles followed and surrounded him. Wrapping round the fallen bodies of the Marionettes, they picked one up each and began hurling them at the vampire, forcing him to block and dodge frantically.
"Hahaha, hop and jump and skip and dance, look how the false hero plays to the tune!" the Puppet Master cackled. Arson and Zone charged him, but even with one hand engaged bombarding Reiko, they weren't able to land a blow on the elusive creature. However after pushing it back a ways, it was distracted by an attack of Zone's, and Arson was able to lunge out and slash down on the shadows emerging from its hand. Dragon burned through and severed the sinews; suspended puppets failing limp around the relieved Reiko.
An irritated scowl passed over the Puppet Master's features. "Delinquent pest" it hissed, drawing its hands together and smacking both hybrid and hamster clear of the throne with a solid wall of shadow. Zone was send skipping and tumbling across the ground some way, whereas Arson rolled and leapt back at the thing. His venture was short-lived however, as a writhing mass of strings caught him and threw him into the wall, where the few intact puppets had been standing as an audience to the battle. Energy crackled around them and they surrounded the hybrid, obsidian tendrils spreading from them towards him as he struggled to rise.
"This guy is something else, albeit an annoying something else" Zone remarked as he struggled to stand up, He managed on the second attempt, wincing as he rose.
"He's certainly unlike anything we've encountered thus far" Reiko agreed, the vampire quite badly battered himself. Even the dragon they wore down over time, but they couldn't so much as touch the Puppet Master.
"Well, we won't beat him sitting here" Zone said, as much to remind his own body not to give in as to get Reiko to continue. The vampire was wary to just charge headlong at this enemy, not knowing how to beat it. But the best way to find one was to analyse him in battle, and the best way to do that was to engage him.
"You're right" Reiko agreed, and together they rushed towards the Puppet Master. It turned to them as they neared, laughing condescendingly, and again taunted them. The vampire and rodent tore at it with furious zeal, even working together occasionally as Zone shepherded it towards Reiko, or Reiko used his staff to give Zone a lift. But it was to no avail as the Puppet Master ducked and weaved, simply toying with them.
"You bore me" the creature announced suddenly. Raising its hands up, it formed a cloud of shadows that surrounded them both, binding them tightly all over. Shoving them back from the throne, it watched with glee as the dark constrictions manipulated their form. "A vampire and a hamster, let me show you how to act" it chuckled, and with several gestures Reiko was forced to stalk round in an extremely cliché undead manner, while Zone was made to mimic running on a wheel.
Unable to break the bindings, Reiko did the wise thing and called for help. "Arson, we need your…" he trailed off, as the hybrid went past him in a jerky conga line with the puppets, similarly forced to carry out the Puppet Master's deranged amusements.
"You will bleed from places as yet unknown to medical science for this!" the hamster screamed furiously.
"My what a temper, and hamsters are supposed to be such innocent things" the Puppet Master reprimanded. "Well, if you're not innocent, there is one more guilty thing hamsters are known for" it chuckled sinisterly. Zone stopped running, and was made to face Reiko, who was forced to kneel down facing away from him.
"Oh you sick fu-!" the rodent got no further as a strand wrapped around his muzzle, silencing his profane abuse. Though he strained with all his might, he was far from physically powerful and helpless as he was forced to step inexorably and painfully slowly towards a fate that… Doesn't bear mentioning the details of.
"Hahaha, what's the matter, not happy with your role?" the Puppet Master taunted, turning from the rodent and vampire as it let them contemplate the slowly approaching horror. Looking to Arson, it delighted itself in having the puppets play limbo, the hybrid being forced to walk face first into a bar lowered just for him.
Meanwhile, in the mind of Zone, something was snapping. He despised this, being reduced to nothing but a mere ball of fur. It sickened him, and he would not accept it, refused to let what he was control who he was.
And then it snapped, and he would stop at nothing. Zone strained against his bounds; strained so hard that muffled screams escaped from his bound muzzle, as his body was pushed past what it was made to endure, the pressure of his own exertions torturing him. The physiology of a hamster is a unique thing however, for as he relentlessly fought against his imprisonment, he eventually forced his own flexible form to shift at the limit of its versatility, through blinding agony. The change gave Zone enough leeway to strike out with his lightsabre, and in a flurry of swings he cut himself loose from the trap, gasping from exertion and anguish.
Sensing something was amiss, the Puppet Master turned, and its temper flared as it saw the insignificant rat had somehow freed itself. Zone's body was screaming in pain, but he crushed it beneath his will, refusing to succumb to it, and glared venomously at the Puppet Master. "I am not just a hamster, I am Zone! I have dreams and the ambition to realise them, even if I might sometimes fail or screw up, because if I allow that fear to control my life, I may as well already be dead" he declared in fierce independence, defying his role.
The Puppet Master glowered at him with rising fury, the hamster's words blasphemy to it. "Your part is at an end, rodent" it hissed, refusing to acknowledge his name or identity as an individual. Placing its hands together, it sent forth a torrent of nightmarish vines rushing towards the rodent to crush the life from him.
"Bring it" Zone whispered so lowly it was doubtful that the challenge was heard. Raising his lightsabre he ran headfirst at the approaching swarm of living strings and dived headfirst into it, disappearing from sight.
"Hahaha, the scum was desperate to die" the Puppet Master cackled. However its laugher faded as crimson light flickered from within the seething shadows. Moments later, Zone burst through the mass, twisting and slashing, jumping from one line to the next and severing them, turning their own motions to his advantage.
"What's the matter, can't handle a simple hamster?" Zone taunted as he allowed one vine to catch him only to slash through it and use its own momentum to hurl himself past another tendril, cutting it as he passed it.
"Impetuous filth, you are nothing!" the Puppet Master screamed, its temper flaring. It directed more and more tentacles after the rodent, but no matter how many it used it couldn't seem to catch him. Zone was using their own movements to aid his attacks, countering the shadows by turning them against themselves.
"Come on, I thought I was just a rodent!" Zone challenged as he raced through the moving maze. He was fighting without restraint and without fear now, abandoning his concern for risk and turning everything to his advantage. Though the Puppet Master threw more and more strings at him, Reiko and Arson eventually being released as it focused completely on Zone, it could not trap him. It had never faced a victim like this before, one who rather than resisting its strings, used them, and was completely at a loss for a way to adapt.
"Perish you vermin!" it eventually screamed, its composure shattering as it threw everything it had at Zone, wanting to drag him in and crush him in its bare hands. An uncountable number of dark tendons completely covered the rodent and with manic glee the Puppet Master drew rapidly the mass in. As it got closer though a thick beam of light erupted from the far side, bursting the bubble of shadow and sending Zone cannoning forwards, the momentum of being pulled in combined with that of firing his laser. In the blink of an eye he tore through the space between him and the disbelieving being, lightsabre raised, and crashed into its body.
"This, isn't how…" the Puppet Master gasped. Zone landed on the seat of the throne behind it, spinning his lightsabre and deactivating it. Behind him, the Puppet Master stumbled, a hole torn clean through its torso where Zone had hit lightsabre-first, moving so fast that he had torn right through the physically frail being. The resistance absorbed most of his inertia so that he landed safely on the throne, although he hadn't even considered such a thing at a time, having been totally focused only on achieving his sole ambition; victory.
With a piercing screech the Puppet Master flailed and writhed, countless of the dark strings seething out of the wound. They continued to emerge and eventually in an explosion of shadows, the creature ripped itself apart from the inside, the remains dissipating into the air, leaving Zone standing triumphant on the throne.
Turning his head, the rodent saw Reiko and Arson staring at him, and it occurred to him then that he could stay where he was. He could make them come to him, before him on the throne, he had earned it, the pain that lingered in him reminding him of that as his drive faded.
But he didn't. Instead he silently jumped down and walked over to them slowly, at their feet, rather than them at his. Looking up like he always had to, he let go of the single-mindedness that fuelled him beyond the threshold of suffering that would normally break him, and spoke. "I'm sorry…" he whispered quietly.
They looked at him blankly, not understanding what he meant. "Sorry for what?" Reiko asked eventually.
Zone sighed, but smiled, "I'm sorry for every time I do something to hurt or annoy either of you, and don't apologise. I'm often worried that a mistake weakens me enough, and if I expose myself to admit that error, it will only weaken me even more. I want you to know, even if I don't say so, I regret it, every single time".
The silence that followed was interrupted by a pillar of energy coalescing before the throne. They turned to look at it, sense of relief passing over them. Arson looked back to Zone, who was struggling to stay upright, and leaned down. "Apology accepted, friend" he said smiling, offering a hand, which the rodent gratefully climbed into. Lifting him onto his shoulder to let him recover, the hybrid stood, Reiko moving besides him and giving Zone a pat on the back, silently echoing Arson's sentiments. Together, they entered the portal…