A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, it really means a lot to me! I'm so glad people like this half-assed fic; really I thought it was just boredom thrash! Anyway, again, thank you!

Warning(s): Magic torture, Forced fluid expulsion, Severe bone breaking, Finger breaking and twisting, Limbs breaking, Skin/Flesh tearing, Original Character (not center of the chapter)

"ALERT! ALL RED MERCENARIES MUST DEFEND THE BLU BASE! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! ALL RED MERCENARIES MUST DEFEND THE BLU BASE! ALERT! ALL RED-"

Alan jolted awake and jumped out of his bunk as the speakers screeched; heart pounding with the sudden outburst of adrenaline. He fumbled in panic with the bed sheets for a good minute, stumbled out of bed and to the door of his room and slammed it open with a cry. Scout ran by and he grabbed the boy's shoulder, his brain still half asleep despite the ambient panic.

"W-Wha'z happenin'?!" he asked with a slurred yet panicked voice.

Being woken up at 3 a.m. by the Administrator screaming hysterically through the speakers was definitely not something he was used to. And it wasn't pleasant, either.

"We have to defend the BLU's base!", The Bostonian responded before freeing his shoulder from the Alaskan, "Hurry up and grab your stuff!"

"- Wha-… W-Wait; the BLU base?! You mean BLU as in our enemies?! Why the fuck would we-?!

-Whatever angry old woman says, we do." Heavy grunted; probably still sleepy as well.

Alan turned around and bumped into the large Russian who had just retrieved Sasha from her tiny bed. He stepped back and watched Heavy and Scout rush outside to join whoever was already ready. The Alaskan stood silent and confused for a moment before returning inside his room, shoving his red jacket over his shoulders, placing his helmet on his head, safely clipping the straps and zipping up his thick leather boots.

Alan had joined RED less than a month ago to replace their previous Soldier. He hadn't been told much about the job; just that he would have to shoot some guys dressed in blue out in the desert and try to stay alive. But he had definitely not been told he was gonna have to get up at such hours to defend said guys-dressed-in-blue's base.

Medic ran past his room, stopped in his tracks and took a few steps back when he noticed the Alaskan was still there.

"-Herr Bennett, hurry up bitte! Everyone iswaiting!

-Ah- Uh- Yes!"

Alan grabbed his rocket launcher and hoisted it on his shoulder with a grunt before exiting his room and following the doctor.

"… Doc, I don't get it. Why'd we have to help the BLUs?, he asked, Aren't we like… Killing each other 24/7?

-JaAber, if the Administrator is asking us to help them, then what is attacking their base is probably a threat for us as well.

-Really? That's possible?

-Ja. When Grey Mann attacked our base with his army of robots she ordered the BLU Team to help us, und they immediately did.

-Oh, whoa..."

He hadn't read the entire contract upon joining RED, but Alan was pretty sure he had never signed the "I agree to get up at ungodly hours to fight an unknown threat in order to protect the enemy team" clause.

The BLU Engineer felt his heart pounding in his chest as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He dashed through a first hallway, turned right into a second and rushed down the staircase four steps at a time. He reached his workshop and kicked the door open before slamming it shut behind him.

No. No. No.

He fumbled with the lock; fingers shaking and breathe ragged; unable to concentrate on his task of locking the goddamn door. How could this be happening?! It was nowhere near Halloween; it wasn't even a freackin' full moon! Why was he here?! Why was he in the fucking base?!

Oh god. Oh god. Oh dear god.

Slow footsteps echoed outside of the workshop and Engie felt his heart stop. He watched, horrified, as the door knob slowly turned with a light creak. Without thinking any further the mechanic slammed himself against the door and began screaming from the top of his lungs as tears rolled down his face abundantly.

Go! Go away! Just fucking go you sick bastard!

It lasted for long minutes; Engineer could feel a force pressing insistently against the door and every time he would shove himself back against the piece of wood with a sharp cry, crying and begging for it to go away. He was terrified to his core; shaking uncontrollably and screaming until his throat felt like it was on fire.

If the door opened, he was fucked.

There had been an explosion in the respawn room loud enough to wake up the entire base and everyone had of course rushed over to see what was going on, only to fall in Merasmus' trap. They had arrived unarmed and still in their pajamas in the room full of destroyed machines and equipment to find the wizard looking around quietly. They had starred at him for a moment in utter confusion, unsure what to do or say. They had stayed silent until Heavy had decided to take matter in his own hands and kick the wizard out. And that was it. That was it. That was the exact moment everything had flipped.

The Administrator had yelled for them to stay away from the wizard; to run from him because he had taken respawn down by destroying the machines; but it was too late.

A flash of blinding green light; words yelled in Latin and Heavy was suddenly floating two feet off the ground. Blood had immediately spurted out of his mouth, ears, nose and eyes in terrifyingly large and powerful streams. The man had screamed, kicked and flailed desperately to no avail. After barely seconds a darker and thicker fluid had oozed out of his orifices as his veins, arteries and muscle tissue were turned to liquid. Heavy had then started throwing up violently; first remains of his previous meal; then blood; then bile. Then a yellow mush had escaped his mouth in enormous chunky globes as even his fat was being forced out of his convulsing body. It had all been terrifying; the stench; the sight; the complete lack of emotion on the wizard's face…

The whole ordeal had been over in less than a minute. Merasmus had dropped the lifeless and empty corpse –that looked more like a sack of skin barely containing the bones and organs- to the floor for everyone to see and contemplate. Then he had pronounced those dreadful words; a single sentence that had draped the remaining 8 mercenaries in a veil of panic and terror.

"Run, hide, for every one of you I find shall meet a fate far worse than what you have witnessed."

The pushing suddenly stopped and the workshop returned to a silence only disrupted by Engineer's racing heartbeat. The mechanic took a few steps back from the door, trembling violently from head to toe and picked up his wrench which was lying on his work desk. He approached the door, holding out a hand, shaking, sweating, holding up his weapon, finger tips barely brushing the door knob before he firmly gripped it. He didn't even need to turn it for the door to open however. A blast; powerful like nothing Engineer had seen before tore the door from its hinges, shattering pieces of the wall around it. The Texan screamed as he was blown away as well and crashed back first against the wall. The impact was so hard it pushed the air out of his lungs leaving him lying on the floor gasping and lightheaded, his ears ringing with pain. He coughed, wheezed and pushed on his elbows to try and sit up until he realized his body was not responding anymore. The parasite noise in his ears finally stopped and he heard a soft sound; short and even.

Merasmus' breathing.

Before Engineer could utter a word he found himself floating off the ground, much like Heavy had barely minutes ago. He tried to scream but his throat was dry and clenched tight. No blood spurted out of his body, no; instead his arms were both brought in front of him by thick tendrils of magic mist so he could clearly see them. Merasmus slowly raised his hand and began curling his fingers back towards his open palm. Engineer's fingers then began moving as well; but to his horror they were going the other way. Instead of curling towards his palm, they were being pulled back against the back of his hand. He thrashed and whimpered; his eyes suddenly widened and his mouth opened wide in a silent scream when all 10 of his fingers broke with a disgusting crack. Engineer kicked the air and fought back the tears as best as he could; shaking his head and clenching his eyes shut as Merasmus made sure to make his fingers twist at 180 degrees.

"W-Why are you- Why- A-Are you- Why are you doing t-this-?!" Engineer managed out, gasping and hiccupping.

Merasmus didn't respond, instead flicking his wrist upwards while uncurling his fingers. Engineer screamed again as his hands were pulled back. His muscles ripped and the bones broke easily, his wrists turning purple almost immediately after. The mechanic sobbed and coughed as the magical tendrils pulled his arms straight. Merasmus quietly looked around before extending his hand towards Engineer's tool box, bringing it in the air just above the man's arms.

"Wait no don't-! Don't-! GH-AAAAAAH!"

The heavy metal object was slammed down on his limbs and almost ripped off his forearms –who were now only connected to his upper arms by strings of flesh and muscle. They hung limply as the man cried louder and louder, the pain strong and vivid coursing through his entire body. He shook and gasped and hiccupped in terror. His shoulders suddenly jolted back as he felt the tendrils pull on them and before he could even beg for Merasmus to stop both of them were entirely dislocated with a hideous crack.

"S-Stop… , he gasped, Please, stop, e-enough…"

Engineer felt himself being slowly lowered to the ground; his feet barely brushed against it and for a split second he thought the magician might finally be showing him some mercy. Of course, he was wrong. Merasmus brutally slammed the screaming man against the ceiling, dropped him on the floor before slamming him up again. Engineer felt blood trickle down his face and neck as the back of his head hit the ceiling. Even more was dripping from his nose and mouth. He felt dizzy; everywhere hurt and his arms were limply hanging from his sides, like those of a ragdoll. Merasmus lowered him once more and kept him floating upside-down in mid-air.

The bone breaking just seemed to go on and on forever, reducing Engineer to a crying and terrified mess. His feet were both twisted 180 degrees and his knees were bent back in such a way that his toes could have easily touched his waist. Even his vertebras had been either broken or dislocated for most of them. Engineer felt like a broken toy in the hands of an abusive child.

"S-Stop it… Stop… Playing…"

His nostrils were filled with blood due to his position and his head was spinning so bad he felt on the brink of passing out. For a moment he considered trying to swallow his own tongue to choke on it and kill himself; before he heard footsteps. They were quick and unsteady, coming from the staircase but were just enough to make hope flow back through Engineer again. The mechanic kicked and flailed despite his broken bones, calling out for whoever had come back to rescue him.

"Help me!, he screamed, Help me! H- AAGH-! AAAAAAAH!"

Engineer's middle suddenly felt like it was on fire. He screamed and cried; realizing the tendrils had wrapped around his shoulders and waist and were pulling with incredible strength. His skin began to tear and blood pearled and stained his white undershirt. His flesh, his muscles, everything was being stretched far beyond what a regular human could take. Engineer screeched in burning agony, trembling and convulsing with shock until a loud snap could be heard. The mechanic's body was torn apart in half sending blood and guts flying across the room as Merasmus tossed the corpse away unceremoniously.

The sound of a heavy metallic object falling on the ground caught his attention and the wizard slowly turned around with a small sight. The BLU Pyro was standing in the doorway in a blue unicorn onesie with their gasmask still on, shaking slightly. Their fingers were clenched but the axe they had previously been holding had been dropped in shock. A small, muffled cry escaped the filter of the mask as he firebug stared at Engineer's corpse.

They were too late.

Merasmus took a step forwards but before he could do anything a hand emerged from the dark to grabbed Pyro and dragged the fire lover all the way up the stairs and into the corridor.

Scout was pale and sweating. He was still barefoot and only wore a baseball t-shirt and a black shorts as pajamas; however he had retrieved his shotgun and held it in his left hand while his winger was unsafely tucked in his pocket. He clenched Pyro's wrist harder and dragged his friend all the way to the rec room, slammed the door shut behind them and guided the firebug to a narrow window situated at the top of the wall. It didn't have a handle or anything to open it, so the runner aimed at it with his weapon and shot right through the thin glass panel which cracked and shattered. He grabbed a chair and placed it against the wall, climbed onto it and punched the remaining glass away. Then he jumped off and turned to Pyro.

"Hurry up 'n' climb out okay? The Administrator has probably sent the RED to help us so if you can get to them it'll be alright."

Pyro looked down at Scout, then the window, then the corridor before making a small concerned sound. The Bostonian shook his head and tried his best to smile despite the fear freezing him in place.

"-Don't worry about the others, I'll go get them once you're safe.

-... Mphphise?

-…Yeah, promise." He answered with a weak smile.

The firebug sighed and climbed onto the chair then out the window, trying their best not to cut themselves on the remaining glass shards. Scout watched the firebug roll out through the window and heard a soft thump as Pyro fell on the ground outside.

"-You're alright?

-Mphmh!" came the muffled response.

Scout sighted in relief. He tightened his grip on his shotgun, turned around and froze.

He was there.

Merasmus was floating in the corridor surrounded by a thin mist, his glowing eyes not leaving Scout's frame as he stayed completely still. The boy shuddered and took a step back, aiming the shotgun straight at the wizard.

"Get the fuck out of here you twisted bastard!, he shouted, This gun is loaded and I won't be afraid to use it!"

He took another step back and starred at the old man with defiance. At first Merasmus didn't do anything. He only eyed the weapon with half-lidded green eyes, silently floating above the ground as his arms hung limply from his sides. Then something happened; a flash of light emanated from the shotgun; the metal began heating rapidly, melting and bending into impossible ways and shapes and Scout was forced to throw it away as it burned his hands. He tried to reach for his winger but before he could do anything Merasmus raised his right arm and an invisible force sent the boy crashing through the window.

Scout shouted and cried out as he felt his left calf being sliced into by a shard of glass. He rolled on the ground, his fall broken by a thick layer of wet grass. Blood stained the soil, dripping from the wound as Scout tried to stand. He wobbled unsteadily on his legs and fell back again, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms. He was picked up and held against Pyro's chest.

"Py?!, he gasped, What are you doing here?! I told you to-!"

He was cut by a loud crashing sound that came from inside the rec room. Without answering him Pyro squeezed Scout tighter and made a run for it, dashing across the grass and mud only guided by the moonlight. They had heard the boy yell after Merasmus and decided to stick around a little longer, just in case the runner needed any help –which turned out to be a good decision, in the end. Scout allowed himself to be carried away from the base, pressing his shaking frame against Pyro a bit more and looking up at the night sky. He wasn't sure if it was his eyes playing a trick on him or if it was the real thing, but at this right moment he could've sworn it had a very light tint of metallic green instead of the usual black. There were small flashes here and there of lighter green and even the moonlight seemed to have a tint different from usual. Scout was interrupted in his thoughts when he felt Pyro suddenly speed up. The boy looked away from the sky and up ahead, only to see the RED mercenaries running in their direction.

"Oh god, Scout sighed in relief, Oh god, finally…"

This was the first and he hoped last time he was so happy to see those bastards from Reliable Excavation Demolition. Pyro caught up with them soon enough and released Scout, sliding their arm under the boy's to hold him up and both BLUs approached the armed REDs with caution.

"Administrator told us there was problem. What is happening?" Heavy asked his voice a low, almost threatening rumble erupting from his large chest.

Scout felt himself shudder. He looked back, slowly, twisting his upper body to better face the Builder's League United's base. He raised a shaky arm and pointed to a sudden burst of light flashing through one of the building's window.

"M-Merasmus…" The boy began shakily before sucking in a breath to compose himself "He's attacking us- He took respawn down and he's trying to kill all of us…"

A small whimper escaped the filter of the BLU Pyro's mask and Scout slowly shook his head.

"He got our Engineer and Heavy already."

The REDs stared at each other in disbelief, unsure if the BLU boy was pulling a trick on them or if he was serious. A blinding lightning bolt of green energy erupting from inside the building and shattering several windows however made them go for the latter.

"Okay, wait, we're in the middle of July right? What is that old creep doing here in the freakin' summer?, the RED Scout finally asked resting his bat on his shoulder, Shouldn't he be hiding his ugly face in a crypt or something?"

His BLU counterpart shook his head once more and jumped a little as he heard a chilling screech echo inside the base.

"-Like I knew! He just- He appeared out of nowhere, wrecked the respawn room and started killing everyone! We didn't even do anything!

-Oh come on, Merasmus never attacked anyone from RED or BLU outside of the battlefield; you guys must've done something that set him off!

-I told you we fucking didn't-

-I might have an idea." The RED Engineer suddenly interrupted.

The Texan pushed the RED Scout aside to stand in front of the two other enemy mercenaries, his toolbox propped up on one broad shoulder while he held his wrench tightly in his other hand. He pushed his hardhat up a little and the lenses of his goggles shined with the moonlight.

"-There might be a reason for that old freak to be suddenly rampaging through your base… , the mechanic began but his voice sounded hesitant.

-Go on…, the BLU Scout indulged him to continue, half-curious half-worried.

-I shouldn't be talking about this, but have any of you guys at BLU had anything to do with our previous Soldier recently? You know, Jane Doe?"

The wounded Scout paled. Did they know? Oh god. The RED Sniper shook his head and sighed.

"-The old hag said not to talk about that…, he almost scolded the Engineer who turned around to look back at him.

-I know what she said, he replied, but she also wants us to kick that wizard back to his castle and-

-We did." The Scout abruptly cut him.

The Texan turned his attention back to the BLU boy, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"-… I-I mean, the rest of the guys did. Pyro, Demo and I walked away when they brought him in…

-… What happened, exactly? What did your team do to him?" Engineer asked as the tone of his voice suddenly grew darker and more worried.

Scout hesitated for a moment, looking at his feet, the BLU Pyro, his feet, the BLU Pyro again and finally back at Engineer.

"…They… They tortured him." he answered as his voice dropped to barely a murmur.

Scout nervously leaned against Pyro, carefully avoiding eye contact with the other mercenaries as the silence suddenly grew heavier and heavier. The REDs stared at him with grim faces –except for the new Soldier who seemed rather confused. The Spy slowly shook his head, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he exhaled loudly.

"-Ye sick bastards… Demoman grunted, gritting his teeth.

-… What happened afterwards?, Engineer asked with a hint of worry, Did they kill him?"

He knew Medic had removed the respawn implant –as well as the übercharge implant and all the other devices jabbed into his heart- from Jane after the man's dismissal. If the injuries the BLUs had inflicted on him had been too serious then he was most likely long gone. But the boy shook his head –the mechanic wasn't sure if it was to his relief or horror.

"T-They knocked him out and put him in his RED uniform, the Scout explained extremely nervous, then they put him in our Engie's truck and dropped him near Teufort so the villagers would find him-

-And 'help him', oui, how nice of them…" the Spy snorted as he brought a cigarette to his lips.

The Teufort villagers were lead-poisoned idiots with a pronounced love for hanging and an unhealthy fear of the BLU and RED mercenaries. It was quite easy to guess how things were going to end for the Soldier if these crazies found him.

"… B-But what does this have to do with Merasmus?" the wounded Scout asked, still as confused as before.

The RED Engineer leaned closer, lowering his head and looking straight at the boy.

"-Where did your team capture our Soldier? , he slowly asked.

-Near Merasmus' castle but-

-And has is never occurred to you Merasmus always targeted him first when he appeared on the point?

-Yeah maybe b-

-Have you never found it odd how he was the only one Merasmus would directly talk to during battles? How-

-Just get to the point already! The boy interrupted.

-They were roommates; roommates that got along well but fought a lot and tended to solve their problems on the battlefield., Engineer finally explained, Jane admitted it to us a few weeks back. He told us every single time Merasmus has attacked us was because he was trying to get to him but we were standing in his way. This is why the Administrator dismissed him; because Merasmus' constant apparitions kept us from fighting each other and messed up her plans. And since she couldn't control him nor keep him away, she figured the only way to get rid of him was to get rid of our Soldier. She forced Medic to alter Jane's medical records and deem him unfit for combat and then she fired him, forcing us to keep the secret and not informing the Builder's League United. We don't know exactly what happened to him afterwards, but I guess he returned to Merasmus until your team caught him."

The Texan's voice had become dark, filled with both hatred and regrets.

The BLUs stood in silence, staring at the mechanic and unable to pronounce a word. Pyro shivered slightly, pulling Scout closer and the boy gently rubbed their back and squeezed their hand reassuringly. Neither of them dared to break the heavy silence, unsure what to say or do and waiting for the REDs to do… Well, something. The two surviving BLUs were too shocked to do anything anyway.

As if hearing their thoughts, the new RED Soldier suddenly pushed his comrades aside, puffing out his chest proudly and grabbing his rocket launcher.

"-Who cares why that witch is there anyway?, he asked looking around at his colleagues, All I know is we gotta kick her ass 'n' that's just what I plan to do!" he claimed in a confident tone.

-Herr Bennett, I believe you shouldn't-" Medic began but his words went unheard.

With a mighty battle cry Alan charged towards the BLU base, fearless, fierce and most likely far too naïve for it to be healthy. He pounced forwards before his head brutally collided with an invisible wall, sending him flying a few feet back in a flash of vivid green light. The Alaskan whimpered miserably and curled on his side, bringing his knees to his chest and covering his bleeding nose with his hands. Medic sighed and walked up to the sobbing wreck to inspect the damage. The BLU Scout meanwhile had starting palpating the area in front of him, easily finding the invisible wall. He quickly realized the more pressure he put against it the more it resisted him and pushed him back. Wherever he touched he could see green filaments of energy sizzle around his finger tips, quite similar to those of a plasma ball. The RED Engineer approached and the boy looked up at him, his eyes wide and his face white as a sheet.

"He knew you were gonna come, he whispered, H-He knew, so he… H-He…"

The Texan silently shook his head, expression full of apologies.

"He trapped you in the base with him."