SideRide Chronicles: Oscura's Encore
Reprise III: Just Rip My Heart Out!
The Athletic One: Boscha/Red-Pan (DEAD).
Total Archetypes Remaining: 4
"Seriously?" Soaron remarked when she read the notification. Sasha and Boscha had encountered some Jyamatos and being the only one who could transform, the blonde decided to be the one to fight them. While Soaron was distracted by the Jyamatos, Boscha used the chance to slip away. "Fan-effing-tastic. There goes my 10K. I guess I can see why Marcy hates escort missions."
Sasha remembered how her friend complained about an escort mission in a game she failed to remember the title of. The NPC she was assigned to escort was so dumb that it always wandered off and got killed. Marcy even claimed she rage quitted but Soaron had trouble imagining her friend getting angry…until recently.
Marcy was still not talking to her, and Sasha felt ashamed for hitting her friend. But all she was trying to do was protect Marcy from Luz. That girl had gotten Anne killed and she could get her only remaining friend killed as well. Sasha always knew best. Wasn't she the one who always protected them?
'And yet, I couldn't protect Anne and she was the one who ended up protecting me…' Soaron thought with regret. At least Boscha would be safe and sound in the Desire Temple's lounge. Pissed off, but safe.
The Athletic One: Boscha/Red-Pan (DEAD).
Total Archetypes Remaining: 4
Willow smiled when she looked at the screen of her Spider Phone.
"What is it?" Marcy asked, noting her new friend's expression. "Good news, I hope."
"You could say that," Willow answered as she showed her screen to Marcy.
"That's a pity," Marcy remarked.
"Such a pity," Willow agreed.
Both girls looked at each other, grinned like a couple of Cheshire cats, and fist-bumped.
The Athletic One: Boscha/Red-Pan (DEAD).
Total Archetypes Remaining: 4
"Hahahahahahahaha!" Luz cackled. Honestly, she should be upset that someone had died in this game, but since the perma-death rule was suspended for Riders, Boscha would no doubt be back at the Desire Temple, pissed as hell.
"What do you think happened?" Gus asked.
"Does it matter?" Luz chuckled before she stopped herself and wiped a tear from her eye. "Sorry, sorry, I know I should be sad that someone died, but since it's Boscha, she should be back at the lounge and eating ice cream because of this."
"Yeah, Boscha hates losing," Gus agreed. While they respected her when she was part of the WATs, Gus and Willow never really became friends with Boscha. They were willing to work with her, but that was as far as it went.
"I was honestly hoping she would be a better person after all these years, and after everything that happened," Luz commented.
"Some have changed for the better, but some are still stuck in their ways," Gus admitted, shaking his head in disappointment. "Boscha only joined the WATs just for a chance to kill you."
"I know," Luz said as she remembered when Boscha threatened to kill her after Empress Oscura was defeated. "Alright, let's go find Amity."
As they were about to head out, they spotted a Slasher Jyamato that was dressed like a lumberjack with a burlap sack on its head. It wielded a chainsaw and was on the hunt for victims. As it scanned the area, the Slasher Jyamato spotted Gus.
"Hey, over here! I'm a vulnerable and helpless victim! Come and get me!" Gus taunted and he ran off. The Slasher Jyamato quickly gave chase until it was out of sight. Moments later, Luz and Gus stepped out of their hiding spot from behind a tree.
"Wow, Gus. Your illusion game has improved," Luz praised.
"Thank you, I am not called the 'Scholarly One' for nothing," Gus boasted, bowing.
"And still modest," Luz remarked sarcastically, smiling in amusement.
[Secret Mission Cleared!]
Gus checked his Spider Phone. The message read, 'Secret Mission: Using illusions to evade a Jyamato'. He received 500 points and a Mission Box for it.
"Guess this is yours, Gus," Luz said. Gus picked up the Mission Box and opened it to reveal his Driver and a new Raise Buckle. It was golden, resembling a slot machine and decorated with six four-pointed stars around the screen.
"Hey, Luz, you've seen this one before?" Gus asked as he held up the golden Raise Buckle. Luz was not familiar with it so she used her Spider Phone's camera to scan it and it gave her the specs.
"It's called 'FeverSlot'," Luz read and then she read what it could do and her eyes brightened. "Gus! You hit the jackpot with this one!" Gus put the Buckle back in the Mission Box and handed it to Luz. "Huh?"
"I think you should have it," Gus insisted.
"But, Gus, you earned it."
"I know but I think you could put it to better use. I'll get the next one, don't worry."
Luz wanted to argue that Gus needed it more but between the two of them, she was the better fighter. Reluctantly, she strapped on the Desire Driver and inserted her ID Core. Pocketing the FeverSlot Buckle, Luz resolved to find Amity.
"Thanks, Gus."
"So, what are you gonna tell Amity when she sees you?" Gus asked.
Luz knew that Amity would be curious about her presence here at camp. What was Luz supposed to tell her without revealing anything about the DGP? But, would it be a problem? After seeing the Jyamatos, Amity would no doubt have questions. And since Amity was trapped in the Jyamar Area, once everything reset, she would forget everything anyway.
"…I'll tell her what she needs to know so she can survive in this game. It won't matter after it's over. Once we win, everyone who has died will be brought back, and their memories of this entire nightmare will be erased. It'll be like it never happened," Luz told him.
"Does it bother you that you're hiding this from her?" Gus asked.
"Of course, it does," Luz admitted, sighing. "But I can't tell her. I have reasons, important reasons, to stay in this game. Now, c'mon. We gotta find Amity and the other survivors."
"Then I think we should follow the source of that smoke." Gus pointed at the smoke rising in the distance.
"Yep, you're probably right."
Masha had to carry Amity for a bit as the effects of Boscha's potion were still lingering in her body. Without the proper ingredients to mix an antidote, she had to wait for it to wear off. Thankfully, it didn't take that long for the potion to wear off and she could finally focus her mind while her strength returned. The two headed to the bus so that they could drive it to where the kids were and finally leave this nightmare. Unfortunately, as soon as they reached the bus, the engine wouldn't start when Masha turned the key.
"Are you kidding me right now?!" Amity glanced at Masha who looked like she wanted to say something. "Don't say it! Just don't! Not a word!"
"Okay, so, the bus is a bust. What other options do we have right now?" Masha asked. Amity took a moment to think. There had to be a way to save the children and get out of this situation safely.
"Let's see…I could cast an illusion barrier around us so that those monsters don't see us. Or I could use my Construction magic to dig a hole and tunnel us to safety. There's also plenty of nature around us, so maybe I can also use the plants to grant us some protection if we move through the woods," Amity listed their options.
"If those were options, why the hell did we bother going for this bus?!" Masha demanded.
"Because we don't know how far this reaches! It could just be here at the camp, or, Titan forbid, it's spread out everywhere. I chose the bus option so I could conserve my magic for more serious situations, like fighting off those monsters. My magic is strong, Masha, but it's finite. At some point, I'll exhaust myself and need to rest before I can use it again," Amity explained.
"Sorry, sorry, I forget you witches have an MP gauge sometimes. Dammit…" Masha pressed their chin against the steering wheel as they tried to think of something. "Ugh, I hate to say it, but our best option might just be hiding until this blows over or someone comes to help. If we hike along that trail and veer off, we'll run into a cave. It's one way in, and one way out. You can use your magic to defend us more easily until this, whatever it is, is over."
"Honestly, that's the best plan I've heard all day. C'mon, let's go and get the kids before these monsters realize where they're at," said Amity. Screams could be heard in the distance and they had a feeling someone had just met their grisly end.
"If we don't bite it first," Masha deadpanned.
"Hey, I'll protect you. You're pretty much family to us, and I'm not about to let a member of our family die, understand?" Amity told them.
"Thanks, Ams," Masha smiled, and it wasn't their usual snarky, scheming smile. It was a genuine smile as they were touched when they heard Amity refer to them as family.
"Okay, let's move out," Amity ordered.
Masha opened the bus door and Amity was the first one out. As she exited it, Amity paused when she saw who was standing outside a few feet away.
"Luz...?" Amity's eyes widened and she gasped. "Luz!"
"Sweet potato!" Luz yelled as they ran towards each other. Amity ran into her girlfriend's arms and she spun her around. After a couple of spins, she put her down.
"Luz, what are you doing here?" Amity asked and then she noticed what Luz was wearing, which was the same thing she remembered Boscha wearing. "And what are you wearing?"
"I'll explain later," Luz answered. "I'm just so glad you're OK."
"Luz?!" Masha exclaimed as they got off the bus.
"Masha! Dios mio, you're both OK."
"Luz, you're not going to believe this but Boscha was here," Amity informed her girlfriend.
"Oh, she was, was she?"
Amity raised an eyebrow at how nonchalant Luz was at the information.
"You don't seem so surprised."
"Hey, Luz, I checked the perimeter," Gus said as he walked over. "We're clear." He saw Amity and smiled, waving. "Hey, Amity. Long time, no see."
"Gus!?" Amity cried out when she saw him.
"Another one?!" Masha exclaimed as they went to grab the aerosol can, but forgot they had used it as a bomb for the last witch. "Crap and I forgot my machete. Guess I'll have to beat this one to death."
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Masha! He's a friend!" Luz claimed as she stood beside Gus.
"OK, what's going on!? First Boscha! And now Gus is here!? Is there another portal door!?" Amity demanded, confused and a bit freaked out.
"It's a long and complicated story, hermosa, but I promise to tell you…" Luz saw a figure approaching and her eyes widened when she identified it as non-friendly. She immediately stepped forward with a serious expression. "Gus, look after Amity and Masha!" She took out the FeverSlot Buckle and attached it to the right side of her Desire Driver.
[Set Fever!]
"Luz, watch out!" Amity screamed as the Slasher Jyamato charged at Luz and swung its axe but she managed to duck under its swing. Luz backed up to gain some distance from the Jyamato and pushed down on the FeverSlot Buckle's lever, activating it.
"Henshin!"
The reel screen rotated rapidly before coming to a stop on '?'
[JACKPOT! HIT! GOLDEN FEVER!]
"Luz!?" Amity's eyes widened as she witnessed Luz transform. First, a black armoured bodysuit appeared on her, and then additional red armour covered her upper body and arms. Finally, her helmet appeared and it resembled... "...O-Oscura."
"I see I got Boost," Oscura admired her hands to see the armour she received. "Lucky me." The axe-wielding Slasher Jyamato swung at her but she caught the axe by its handle and then punched the Jyamato repeatedly in the chest, each blow boosted by the flaming turbo exhaust pipes on her gauntlets. She released the axe as the Jyamato staggered back and delivered a series of kicks before landing a punch across its face, sending it sprawling.
"Yeah, Luz!" Gus cheered, jumping up and down excitedly.
The Jyamato groaned as Oscura pushed down the FeverSlot Buckle's lever again, activating the finisher.
[GOLDEN FEVER VICTORY!]
As the Jyamato rose to its feet, the Boost Punchers ignited and launched Oscura at it. She pummeled it with a chain of blazing punches before finishing it off with a two-handed punch. The Jyamato exploded in a fiery blaze as Oscura turned her back to it dramatically.
"Okay…that was the most badass thing I've ever seen in my life! WOOO! LUZ! GET SOME!" Masha cheered excitedly.
Amity was silent though, staring at Oscura speechlessly.
"Well, that's that," Oscura dusted off her hands and walked back to the others. "Amity, are you–?" She froze when she saw how Amity was looking at her. It was a look she had not seen in four years, a look of fear. Oscura touched her helmet and realised why. Of course, Amity would react like that. Her helmet resembled the one she wore as Kamen Rider Oscura, back when she was Empress Oscura.
"…Luz…what did you do…?" Amity asked, finally finding her voice. Luz removed the FeverSlot Buckle from her Desire Driver, undoing her transformation.
"Amity, listen, it's not what you think. These Drivers don't use magic. They're, like, super advanced tech or something, but definitely not magic," said Luz in an attempt to assuage her girlfriend's fears.
"I DON'T GIVE A FLYING EFF IF THEY USE MAGIC OR NOT! WHY ARE YOU A KAMEN RIDER AGAIN?!" Amity yelled.
"Hey, Ams, c'mon. Luz just saved our asses," said Masha, confused as to why Amity wasn't as excited as they were about Luz becoming a superhero and saving their lives.
"Masha, please, respectfully, stay the hell out of this conversation right now," Amity ordered. She then turned a sharp glare at Gus. "That goes for you, too, Porter!"
Gus wisely shut his trap. Amity stomped up to Luz and stared her right in the eye.
"Why…? Why are you a Kamen Rider again? After all these years…why are you Oscura again? What…What is it about our life right now that you dislike so much that you have to become her again?" Amity demanded with a trembling voice.
"Amity, I…It's not what you think. I promise to explain all of this to you when this is over," Luz assured her. Amity glared at the Desire Driver, looking at it with distrust.
"You know what? You are taking that thing off right now!" Amity put her hands on the Desire Driver to get it off Luz.
"Wait, Amity!" Luz shouted as she tried to stop her girlfriend from removing the Driver.
"Take it off! Right now!" Amity shouted and that was when she accidentally touched the ID Core. The witch's eyes went wide and she gasped as her memories returned.
[Claw Strike!]
Her claws glowed, gathering energy and with a yell, she charged at the Chef Jyamato. Several of them tried to get in her way but she cut them down with ease before reaching the Chef Jyamato and the child. She drove her claws into its chest and pinned it to the wall before it exploded.
"Wow…"Luz's eyes widened as she saw how amazing Amity was as the feline Rider helped the boy off the counter.
"Are you OK?" she asked, and the boy silently nodded. "Good."
A couple of Witch Hunter Jyamatos found Amity and the kids. The children screamed at the sight of the monsters while Amity glared at them as she strapped on her Desire Driver and attached her Zombie Buckle to it.
[Set!]
"I won't let you hurt these kids! Henshin!"
[ZOMBIE!]
[READY, FIGHT!]
"I wish I could remember what happened here with you. It's not fair that you'll have to carry this burden yourself," said Amity.
"I wish you could remember, too. But I know you'll be there for me. You may not know why I'm sad, but I know you'll do everything you can to help me. And I'm so thankful to have you in my life, Amity," said Luz.
[Retired!]
Amity released the Driver and stepped back from Luz.
"Amity...?" Luz asked, worried.
"Luz, why did you join the Desire Grand Prix again?" Amity questioned.
"Wait, how did you–?" Luz looked down at her ID Core and facepalmed. "Right, touching the ID Core brought back your memories."
"Answer me, Luz! Why are you competing again?! You won! You got your wish granted, didn't you?!" Amity demanded.
"Of course, yes, I did get my–" Luz paused as she quickly thought over Amity's statement just now. "Hold on, what do you mean I got 'my wish' granted? We were both fighting for the same wish, Amity." Amity looked away, unable to look Luz in the eye. "We were fighting for the same wish…right?"
" …Yes, and no…" Amity sighed as she jerked her head to the side. "Let's talk over there, privately." Amity walked over to the spot and Luz followed behind her. Gus used this chance to approach Masha.
"Hi, I'm Gus Porter. I'm a witch from the Boiling Isles and one of Luz's best friends," Gus introduced himself as he extended his hand.
"Name's Masha. I burn witches," Masha responded.
Gus slowly retracted his hand and took a step back from Masha.
Once they were sure they were out of Masha and Gus's earshot, Luz began questioning Amity.
"Okay, what did you mean that I got 'my wish' granted? We were both competing for the same wish! To bring back the people who died because of me and my Phantoms! So, why does it sound like you had a different wish?!"
Amity sighed. She never thought this day would come. If she had won, Luz would not remember the DGP and they could live happily ever after. Since Luz had won in the last DGP, Amity had forgotten her wish altogether but now the cat was out of the bag.
"When I overheard your other self talking about how she got together with her Amity, I knew that the Everlasting Oath was the cause for all our pain and suffering. So, I wrote down that I wished I never cast the Everlasting Oath in the first place," Amy confessed.
"…I can't believe this…you…the whole time I thought we were fighting for the same thing, to undo all the bad things I did, and you were lying to me?!" Luz cried, feeling betrayed by her girlfriend.
"Luz, you became Oscura because of the Everlasting Oath. Without it, you would not have gone down that path. Maybe, just maybe, we could have been friends and then probably become more without you having to suffer," Amity explained.
Luz felt her eyes sting with tears as she glared angrily at her girlfriend.
"You don't know that! You have no idea if that would even happen! Sure, that happened with Alt Luz and Alt Amity! But you have no evidence that things would've turned out the same way for us too! Amity, for all you know, we – you and me – might not have even gotten together! Were you willing to put our relationship on the line just to change the past!?" Luz reached into her jacket and held up Amity's necklace, the one she gave to her. "Why did you even bother to propose to me?! If all you wanted was to erase the past completely, then why give this to me?!"
"Wait, how do you know about that?!" Amity questioned.
"Vee told me, Amity! She told me that, in the Boiling Isles, giving someone a personal piece of jewellery is a symbol of wanting a deeper commitment!" Luz answered.
Amity looked upon the necklace she gave her girlfriend, the necklace that was meant to be nothing more than a simple gesture of love, and now it had become a damning piece of evidence to the contrary.
"Amity! Answer me!" Luz demanded.
"I didn't mean to give it to you like that!" Amity shouted back, shocking Luz.
"…What?"
"I…I forgot…Luz." Amity confessed. "I…I forgot about that custom. It's been so long that I forgot the meaning behind it. I wasn't thinking about proposing when I gave it to you, and I'm so sorry if that's what you thought."
Luz looked as if her heart was breaking, but she chuckled bitterly as tears rolled down her face.
"Right…stupid me…of course you wouldn't want to marry me. I'm a killer, a monster, the person who ruined your life, the person who made you suffer…why in the ever-loving hell would you want to spend the rest of your life with your tormenter? Heh…heh-heh-heh…I-I guess that's why you wanted to change things? Make it so that none of this ever happened?"
"No, Luz! Never!" Amity denied. "I just wanted to fix things, like you! I just didn't want Oscura to have ever existed! I just didn't want you to live with that trauma anymore!"
Luz was feeling so many emotions right now: betrayal, anger, frustration, sadness, all of it was swirling inside of her like a raging hurricane. Her girlfriend just confessed to wanting to change the past. While that technically wasn't a bad thing, there was no guarantee that they would experience the same things as their alternate selves. And then there was the added sting of knowing that the proposal that she got herself excited over was nothing but a misunderstanding. It was nothing more than a gesture.
"Amity, do you even realize how big a risk you were taking by messing with the past?! Sure, you could've stopped me from becoming Oscura, you could've spared me, you, and everyone in the Boiling Isles all the pain and suffering we experienced. But did you forget that Philip – EMPEROR BELOS – WAS PLANNING ON COMMITTING MASS GENOCIDE OF YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE PEOPLE?!"
Amity faltered a bit upon remembering that.
"Sure, I made a lot of mistakes, and I'm owning that," Luz admitted. "But did you not stop to consider that by stopping me from becoming Oscura, you would've ended up killing everyone you loved anyway? Everyone you cared about?!" Luz stomped her foot as she took a step forward. "Did you EVER consider that even if we got together, I would have to watch you die along with Eda, King, Willow, and Gus?!"
"How do you know we wouldn't have stopped him anyway?" Amity argued. "Even if you never became a Kamen Rider, how could you be sure that we would not have found another way to stop him, Luz?"
"Exactly, Amity. We don't know. If there's anything you should know when it comes to messing with the past, it's that things don't always turn out the way you want them to. You stopped the Oath, fine, but that doesn't guarantee we could've become girlfriends. That doesn't mean I would've made up with Mom. The entire population of the Boiling Isles might've died, and Vee could've been kicked out. There are just too many unknowns to have risked it all like that."
"I just…I just wanted to spare you and the Boiling Isles all the pain I caused, Luz," Amity justified, shedding tears.
Luz could see that Amity was in pain from her decision to arbitrarily change the past. Were there times that Luz wished things had turned out differently? Yes. But at the same time, the events from four years ago had forced her to grow up a little faster, mentally at least. And after all these years, despite how things turned out, the life she had now was far better than the life she probably would have had if she had gone to Reality Check Camp, or if Amity had never cast the Everlasting Oath. She just hoped that Amity saw it the same way. Apparently, that was not the case.
"I get it, Amity. That was a very dark period in our lives. Sometimes I do wish that things were different, that I could go back and never perform the Sabbath Ritual," Luz confessed.
"Then…why not just do it? Why not just change it? Hell, if you asked Tsumuri, you could still change your wish right now!" Amity moved closer and gripped Luz by her shoulders as she looked into her eyes. "You could still change it all. Anne would be alive, you'd never have to go through all that pain, and best of all, you'll retain the memories of what happened and know how to stop Belos!"
Luz gently removed Amity's hands from her shoulders, and once she had, she placed her hand on the left side of Amity's face.
"Like I said, hermosa, when you mess with the past, you never know what will happen. Even if I did retain all my memories of what Belos was up to, what if I still couldn't stop him without the powers I had? My life now, despite everything that has happened, is far better than anything I could've hoped for. Because when I was Oscura, I couldn't see past my own darkness. I never imagined a future where I could be happy. All I wanted was to make everyone and everything suffer as much as I did. But now, being with you, having Vee as a sister, and being closer to Mamá, that all came about because of what I went through."
Amity's eyes began to shed tears as she moved closer to Luz and began sobbing into her chest.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…please forgive me…" Amity pleaded.
" …"
"Luz…? Please, say something," Amity begged.
"I…I don't know what to say, Amity. I…" Luz sighed. "I just need some time to process this. Part of it is my fault for stupidly getting excited about your proposal…so…it's going to take a bit for me to get over that."
"I understand…" It was a bitter pill to swallow, but there was no getting around this. Luz must've been so happy when Vee told her the meaning behind the exchange. And just in a matter of minutes, Amity shattered that dream, that hope. 'I hurt her, again…dammit, Amity…all you do is hurt her…'
"We…We should get back to the others, it's not a good idea to leave them alone this long with the Jyamatos running around," said Luz.
Amity nodded and was about to start walking, but stopped to ask.
"Luz…why are you fighting this time?"
Luz had turned her back and glanced over her shoulder to answer.
"I'm fighting to bring Anne back. It's because of me she died. Because I was too wrapped up in my fear to use the one thing that would've kept her from dying. I'm not making that mistake again. I'll use the power of darkness, but my heart will remain with the light." Luz turned around and fully faced Amity. "I'm done running from my past, I'm done trying to reject the darkness. It's a part of me, Oscura is a part of me, but she does not rule me. I am Luz Noceda. Now and always. I will wield the darkness as my sword to make things right and never lose sight of myself again. I am Kamen Rider Oscura, the hero who uses the darkness to bring forth the light."
"Luz…" Amity could not help but admire Luz right now. She just seemed stronger now, like all that burdened her heart was gone. Maybe she was right. Instead of trying to change the past, maybe it was best to accept it and move forward. 'You really have changed, Luz…and as for me…I'm still stuck in the past…'
After what looked like some intense back and forth between Luz and Amity, the couple rejoined Gus and Masha. The witch boy and enby could feel a noticeable difference in the air between Amity and Luz, Masha especially, considering that the enby had seen them together the longest.
"You guys good?" Gus asked gingerly.
Luz spared a glance at Amity and then returned her gaze to Gus.
"For the most part…I guess. Anyway, we're going to find more survivors and wipe out the Jyamatos along the way."
"Luz, you were awesome back there. Just like back when those monsters attacked Gravesfield," Masha praised.
"Thanks, Masha–wait, how did you know–?" Luz's eyes wandered over to Gus. "Gus, did you show her your ID Core?"
"She asked for proof that I was a Kamen Rider too."
"Dios mio, Gus! You're not supposed to let civilians touch it!"
Marcy could not believe that she was designated the 'Pure One' instead of the 'Scholarly One'. But when she stopped to think, it made sense. She may break the rules, but she never did drugs or broke any laws, and most importantly she was also a virgin. So, the designation made sense to her.
And now she and Willow were both being assaulted by a machete-wielding Jyamato that was dressed like a creepy clown. It even wore a rainbow-coloured afro wig to complete the look. Neither of them had found their Drivers yet so they were trying to survive the encounter. Marcy tripped on a tree root as the Slasher Jyamato loomed over her. It raised its machete to cut her down when a giant fist made out of intertwining vines flew over her and slammed into the Jyamato.
"Thanks, Willow!" Marcy yelled as the Jyamato went down. It tried to get up but Willow made vines shoot out of the ground to bind it, keeping it restrained.
"No problem, Marcy," Willow smiled as her eyes glowed green.
"Wow, you're like a buff Poison Ivy," Marcy remarked.
"Who?"
"I'll show you later," Marcy promised. "Now, we better get out of here."
[Secret Mission Cleared!]
The notifications on their Spider Phones went off and they read the notifications.
Marcy's Spider Phone read, 'Secret Mission: Surviving the Jyamato Encounter for over five minutes.'
Willow's Spider Phone read, 'Secret Mission: Restraining the Slasher Jyamato.'
Mission Boxes materialised before them and the two girls went and opened them.
"Oh, finally!" Marcy strapped on her Desire Driver and inserted her ID Core. She finally felt safer with the Driver wrapped around her waist. Willow put on her Driver and inserted her ID Core as well. "Oh, and we've got some new Buckles too."
Willow only had the Water Raise Buckle in her arsenal, so when she found Ninja Buckle, she was relieved to find something that looked like it could give her a bit more power. Marcy, on the other hand, got her hands on a Raise Buckle she had never seen before. It looked like a small slot machine so she scanned it with her Spider Phone.
"FeverSlot, interesting…" Marcy took a moment to study the new Buckle. Meanwhile, the Slasher Jyamato managed to break free from the vines and picked up its machete. The two heard the vines snap and whirled around to see the Jyamato ready to kill them. "Willow, how about you and I try these Buckles out?"
"You read my mind," Willow smiled as she attached the Ninja Buckle to the right side of her Driver as Marcy did the same.
[Set!]
[Set Fever!]
"Henshin!"
[NINJA!]
[ZOMBIE! HIT! ZOMBIE!]
Kamen Rider Honey transformed as she was equipped with the Ninja Armour. At the same time, Newtonne was equipped with the Zombie Armour.
"Ah, I was hoping to get Ninja too," Newtonne frowned as she saw she was wielding the Zombie Breaker. "But, this is better than nothing. Let's go, Willow!"
"Right behind you!"
"So, any idea who the 'Promiscuous One' might be?" Gus asked as he, Luz, Amity and Masha went looking for survivors.
"Well, usually, it's a female character, sometimes the most popular girl in school or just popular in general and notorious for sleeping around with a lot of different partners," Luz described.
"Let me guess, you think I'm the 'Promiscuous One', right?" Masha asked, glancing over at Luz.
"No! I mean – maybe? – I don't want to label – Okay, maybe I did?!" Luz admitted. "But c'mon! After the stuff Vee told me, how can I not think that?!"
"…What has Vee told you?"
"Weeeeeell..."
As Luz and Vee got the living room ready for their sister KR viewing, a question popped into Luz's head.
"So, what did you guys do last night? You know, before Masha had to leave for this camp thing?" Luz asked Vee with a mischievous grin.
"Oh, normal couple stuff," Vee said, purposely sounding vague. "We watched movies, had snacks, talked and–"
"Made out," Luz finished and Vee blushed.
"C'mon, Luz! I don't kiss and tell."
"Well, Amity and I kissed a lot last night," Luz sighed. "If Mom hadn't come home, who knows how far we could've gone."
"You can be so pervy, sometimes," Vee commented.
"Hey, I love my awesome girlfriend and I'm not afraid to show it," Luz declared proudly, putting a fist onto her puffed-up chest. "Though, I am starting to miss her."
"Yeah, same here," Vee agreed, starting to miss Masha herself.
"So, when you and Masha make out, do they ask you to pretend to be other people?" Luz asked curiously.
Vee groaned loudly as she gave a sideways glance at her big sister.
"You're just going to keep pestering me about that until I tell you something, aren't you?"
"Aww, you know me too well, hermanita. Now, dish!"
"Ugh, fine! But don't you dare tell Masha I told you, or Amity! This stays between us sisters, got it?!" Vee exclaimed as she sat on the couch and crossed her arms.
Luz sat down next to her adopted little sister and made a cross gesture across her heart.
"Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a finger in my eye. I swear, Vee."
"OK, so Masha likes to ask me to shapeshift during our makeout sessions. Not all the time, just when the mood strikes them," Vee confessed.
"EEE! I knew it! I knew it! Who?! Who has she asked you to turn into?!" Luz continued to pester.
"You really want to know?" Vee asked.
"Yes!"
Vee turned her head to look her big sister in the eyes, her expression serious.
"I mean, do you really, really want to know? No going back once you do."
Luz smirked as she furrowed her brow.
"I really want to know!"
"It's the face I wore when we met," Vee grinned and Luz immediately went pale.
"Oh! Oh, God! I shouldn't have asked!" Luz gagged.
"What? You should be honoured, Luz. They think you're cute," said Vee with an impish smirk.
"But me?! Doesn't that – I don't know – make you jealous that she wants to make out with your sister?!"
"Eh, a little at first. But, considering that your face was the first face I used, it's not that hard to understand why. Plus, it's not just you. I've turned into Amity a couple of times."
"AMITY?!" Luz exclaimed.
"Some celebs that they used to crush on as a kid."
"...That's fair."
"Yeah…but, half the time, it's me, you, or Amity, with a sprinkling of random people. But mostly the three of us. What can I say? T-They have a thing for our family…eh-heh-heh," Vee nervously chuckled.
Luz didn't know how to process that, she really did not know how to at all. Although, considering all the things that Masha had told her that they would ask Vee to turn into during their relationship, this was probably to be expected of the nonbinary.
"I know you don't kiss and tell, but please, for my mental health, tell me you haven't turned into me, Amity or, God forbid, even Mom when you two…do it," Luz asked.
"Eew! No, Masha's kinky, but not that kinky. I mean, have they said Mamá is beautiful and – ugh – 'sexy'? Yes. But she never asked me to do that!" Vee shifted her gaze back and forth as sweat began to roll down her face. The young basilisk gulped and sheepishly answered, "But, um…yes."
"Yes, to what? They asked you to turn into me? Amity?"
"You and Amity…"
"Well…I see…" Luz took a deep breath as she tried to process this information. "At least they're not asking to have a four-way or something."
"Ooh, then you might not want to come to their birthday next month…"
'I wonder if it's too late to change my wish. Anne would understand, right?'
"I don't kiss and tell, my ass," Masha muttered.
"What does that mean? What did Vee tell you?" Amity asked Luz.
"Basically, I sometimes ask Vee to shapeshift into you or Luz when we make or we're getting it on. But those are usually only on special occasions or when I'm feeling particularly frisky," Masha explained.
"WHAT?!" Amity exclaimed in shock.
Gus blushed, not sure if he really should be hearing all this.
"But!" Masha held up a finger. "Even though I ask Vee to shapeshift into you guys, at the end of it all, it's still Vee. And the majority of the time, we make out or have sex in her basilisk form or human form. So, while I may have her change into other people sometimes, I'm still faithful to one girl and one girl only. I'm a nympho, but I'm a faithful nympho."
Luz and Amity really couldn't argue with that. Despite their teasing, flirting, and all-around general…Masha-ness…they were a faithful enbyfriend to Vee.
"Did they say 'basilisk'?" Gus paled as he turned to Masha. "You're dating a magic-sucking monster!?"
"Oh, she sucks more than just magic," Masha grinned.
"Ooookay, so, from what I'm gathering from this, we can cross off Masha as an Archetype. Plus, neither of our Spider Phones has pinged since we met them," said Gus.
"Point…well…Boshca was one, I'm one, and, Gus, you're one too. And since we haven't had any more notifications of Archetypes dying that still leaves us with four." Luz cupped her chin as she tried to think. "This game ends when all the Archetypes die. If that happens everyone who's died so far in this game won't come back to life."
"I put the kids in a magic barrier. And if…ugh…Boscha was the 'jock', then we still need the 'Scholarly One', the 'Pure One', the Promiscuous One', and the 'Foolish One'. Do you think one of the kids could be one of the Archetypes? I mean, kids are pure, some of the kids in this group are pretty smart. I'm sure some of them have done foolish things and the other…Titan, I hope not." Amity cringed hard at the mere thought of it.
"Too obvious," Luz said as she shook her head. "Plus, this game is set up like a horror survival game/horror movie. If it's sticking to this 'Archetype' theme, then it has to be a teenager as well."
"Well, wait, it could be one of the kids," Gus suggested, "How old are the kids in the camp?"
"Not old enough to be counted as teenagers. They're around eight to twelve, some younger than that. So it has to be either the other Riders playing or the remaining counsellors if they managed to survive that is…" Amity pondered.
Like a thunderbolt from the heavens, Masha knew exactly who the Promiscuous One was, and the idea made them smirk.
"Oh, I think I know exactly who our whore is. And Luz, you're gonna love this."
Zoe was locked in the supply cabin.
"Jack, you coward…" she growled.
Damn it, why did this have to happen to her!?
Zoe was forced to go on this two-week Reading Camp to appreciate the value of hard work. It was not all bad. Yeah, she had to watch brats and work with Noceda's girlfriend and Masha, but at least Jack Daniels was one of the counsellors. He actually volunteered for this and she was happy that there was someone cute…
Zoe grumbled with disdain at being forced to volunteer to go on this kiddy little camping trip with not only Masha, but also Amity Blight. The girlfriend of the girl she despised the most was here and she had to deal with it for the next two weeks, along with these snot-nosed kids. She wasn't even into reading. She mostly read social media posts so she was up to date on current events. The only time she had to read a book was when she had an assignment in class, but even then, just barely.
Well, it wasn't all that bad. One of the jocks from her school was here and it was one that Zoe had her eyes on for a while now. His name was Jack Daniels. Yeah, like the drink. Everyone was sure his parents were drunk when they named him that. Name aside, Jack was the star athlete of Gravesfield High School. They had met around town and at parties more than once, but Zoe never managed to seal the deal. Which may or may not be due to her sealing the deal with most of her own school's various sports teams.
Could you call her a slut? Probably. But the results said it all. She was popular, she was rich, and everyone in the school knew not to mess with her since she had most of the jocks wrapped around her finger and could make anyone's life a living hell. Except for Luz Noceda and her gaggle of freaky friends. That was the most humiliating experience of her life, having to be forced into a truce with Noceda or else risk losing her ranking in the social hierarchy of the school. And then there was the graduation party back at school. Where did that girl get off lecturing her? They were the same age and yet Noceda talked as if she had ten or more years of life experience than she did.
It didn't matter because Noceda was wrong on all accounts. So what if a boy liked her for her body? As far as she was concerned, everything was a tool in her arsenal to stay at the top. Her looks, her money, her figure, and of course, her sexual prowess. All of which she had planned to use to hook and reel in Jack. Jack was getting scouted by some big-name colleges' football teams. He was from a similar lineage as her, wealthy, and was no doubt probably going to go all the way to the NFL if he kept going. Being the trophy wife of an up-and-coming sports superstar had its perks. So long as appearances were maintained, she could do whatever she wanted so long as she gave Jack what he wanted. And in her robust experience, boys only had one thing on their minds.
Thankfully, Amity and Masha had managed to get the kids corralled and to their cabins. The other counsellors were milling about the area, waiting for their instructions on how the next two weeks were going to pan out. But that wasn't Zoe's concern. So long as she did the bare minimum, she would do it.
Speaking of Jack, Zoe finally spotted him. The blonde teen did a little work on herself before going over to him. She pulled up her shirt and tied it off so that her midriff was exposed. She undid the hairband keeping it in a ponytail and let her blonde locks cascade down her back. She still kept the streak of pink in her hair as it gave her a nice look, and for good measure, she undid the top two buttons on her top, revealing a bit of cleavage for him.
Now ready for action, Zoe strutted over to him. He was at least six feet tall with a quarterback's physique. He had wavy brown hair and gentle hazel-green eyes. His jawline was chiselled, with just the barest hint of stubble. All-in-all, the perfect catch.
'And he's all mine,' she thought.
"Hey, Jack!" Zoe greeted.
"Oh, hey, Zo. I saw you on the bus. I didn't know you volunteered, too," said Jack.
"Well, you know. Community service, college apps, yadda, yadda. You know how it goes. Plus, I figured these kids wouldn't be that hard to manage," Zoe said in a cheerful tone.
Jack chuckled a bit as he placed his hands on his hips.
"Eh, don't jinx it. I've been to these things more than once. Sometimes you'll get a good batch of kids who aren't high maintenance, and other times, damn, you need to be on your toes."
"And…what do you think of these kids?" Zoe asked with a small grimace.
"I don't think we have much to worry about. Many of them seem to mind their manners, so they shouldn't be in that much trouble."
"Thank God for small favours," Zoe smirked as she moved a bit closer to Jack, leaning her body forward and tilting her head up a bit so that the young man had a clear downward view of her chest. "So, Jack. You know any fun things we can do here at camp?"
Jack wasn't an idiot. He could pick up the signals Zoe was sending him as he smirked back at her.
"Hmm, well, there is a nice little trail down that way. Nice and peaceful, plenty of places to explore."
"Places that most of the other campers might not know?" she asked.
"Let's just say, they're very private."
"Well then," Zoe got on Jack's right and looped her left arm around his right, and purposefully made sure it was pressed against her chest. "Why don't we go on a quick nature walk then?"
"Not too quick I hope."
"Hmm, we can 'walk' as long as you want."
Jack and Zoe turned around and headed for the trail. The two teens kept walking until they were a bit into the forest itself. Jack had them veer off in a different direction and Zoe followed without question. The canopy of branches and leaves was getting thicker, and it almost looked like the day had turned to night. When she pointed this out, Jack told her that it was hard for the sunlight to get through in this area so it wasn't unnatural for it to look as if the sun had gone down.
Zoe took his word for it and pressed on.
Finally, the two arrived at a secluded little clearing. The air was cool, but not frigid, just right for cooling off a couple of soon-to-be-heated bodies. Without much warning, Jack brought Zoe close to his body and began roughly and aggressively kissing her. The blonde teen expected such a reaction. She had been teasing him most of the way here and she had been telegraphing it loud and clear what she wanted. The jock brought his right hand against Zoe's rear, and the other against her chest, groping both roughly and making her moan in his mouth.
The strength left Zoe's legs as she was brought down onto the ground, and laid onto her back. When Jack was done, he broke the kiss and looked down at her. Zoe was already panting, worked up inside and ready for him. She watched as he began taking off his T-shirt, but as she did, her mind, for some odd reason, snapped back to the words Luz had said to her during the party.
"…if you keep this up, you're going to end up alone. And if you do end up with someone, it'll just be someone who wants you for your body and your money, and doesn't really love you…"
'Goddammit, why do you have to be in my head right now?! Screw you, Noceda! You got Blight, so what? Neither one of you is going to amount to even half of what I am! Years later, I'll be living it up, and you two will be in some trailer trash house somewhere! I'm getting what I deserve, right here, and right now,' she thought.
However, as Zoe prepared to take off her own top, something strange occurred. Fog began to roll in. It was kind of thick and began to fill the air around them. It vaguely obscured their surroundings.
"H-Hey, Jack, what's with this fog?" Zoe asked.
"Huh?" Jack looked around and then shrugged. "It's just fog, Zo. Weather is kinda screwy out here."
"Yeah, but I checked it before we came out here, and I never saw anything about a fog bank hitting this place. Or a storm that would make it."
"Ugh, Zo, c'mon. If anything this just makes it better for us. Less likely for someone to catch us."
Zoe knew he was right about the fog giving them good cover for their activity, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with this fog. Suddenly, a noise caught her attention, making the blonde yelp.
"W-W-What was that?!" Zoe asked, frightened.
"Zo, it's just some animal moving around out there."
"What if it's a bear or a wolf or a-a-a mountain lion or something?!"
Jack was starting to get annoyed as he rolled his eyes at her.
"Zoe, I've been volunteering here for years. And I haven't once seen any lions, tigers, or bears. Oh my."
"It's not funny!"
More rustling but this time it sounded much louder. Jack immediately got off Zoe and helped her back to her feet. Now that they were paying attention, something was indeed off. It was way too silent. On the way up here, they heard birds chirping, woodpeckers pecking at trees, squirrels scurrying about, and a light breeze blowing through the trees. But now everything was silent, still, as if nature had held its breath and was scared to let it go for fear of being found.
The rustling got louder and louder. With the silence of the other natural sounds, this rustling was allowed to echo unnaturally loud around them, making it hard to tell which direction it was coming from. Not that it made much difference. With the thickness of the fog, they wouldn't be able to see what it was until it was five feet in front of them.
"Jack, we need to go!" Zoe urged.
Jack looked around. His eyes flicked down to a sizable rock and picked it up.
"Stay close to me, Zo."
The rustling finally stopped as its cause made itself known to them. The source of the rustling was a monster. It stood seven feet tall, taller than Jack. It was burly, wore blue denim overalls, and thick black boots, and in its hands, it held a hatchet. It looked humanoid but it clearly was not human.
"Jya…Jya…Jyaaaaa…"
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD IS THAT THING?!" Zoe screamed.
The monster took a step forward and made the teens take a step back.
"J-Jack! Please! We need to run! Jack?!"
It was just then that Zoe noticed Jack was trembling and the look on his face told Zoe the guy was scared. No, he was terrified! There was a trickling sound that made Zoe look down, and that's when she saw that Jack had just peed himself out of sheer terror.
"DON'T KILL ME!" Jack screamed.
Jack threw down the rock, grabbed Zoe, and then tossed her forward, making the blonde stumble and fall flat on her stomach before the monster. It all happened so fast that Zoe was trying to comprehend what just happened. She propped herself up on her elbows and watched as Jack slowly began to make his escape.
"Jack…" Zoe looked up at the monster, who stared back down at her. "J-Jack…"
The young man began running. As soon as he did, the hatchet-wielding monster snapped its head in Jack's direction and took off after him instead.
Zoe was left there, dumbfounded by what just happened. Jack had just thrown her at the monster's feet. He used her as a sacrifice so that he could get away. Jack was willing to leave her to die here so that he could live. For all the good it did him. Not but a minute later, Zoe heard blood-curdling screams emanate from the direction that Jack had run towards, followed by several wet hacking sounds. Zoe nearly threw up from just hearing the noises alone.
"I…I need to run…I…I need to run…!"
Zoe managed to pick herself up, but then she heard more rustling from behind her. That was when several more monsters popped out from behind some bushes. They all wore striped sweaters, blue overalls and red wigs while brandishing knives. The blonde screamed as she ran in a random direction. Without Jack, Zoe had no idea where she was, not that his help would've mattered anyway. With the fog everywhere, it made it hard to see. Zoe could've been right at the edge of the camp and wouldn't know it.
The Ginger monsters kept chasing Zoe as she ran for her life. She kept running and running until she managed to burst through some bushes, tripped, and rolled along the ground. Zoe groaned in pain from the rough tumble but realized she had made it back to the camp, albeit a different side of it. The monsters finally exited the tree line and were about to go after her, but that was when a group of teen counsellors, like herself, appeared. They were clearly running for their lives, but the moment they came into the monsters' field of view, they quickly changed targets and went after them instead.
Zoe used this chance to run and bumped into Amity and Masha.
"Zoe, you're alright!" Amity exclaimed.
"M-M-Monsters! A monster killed Jack! A-A-And they were after me," said Zoe.
"Yeah, they're after all of us." Masha looked Zoe up and down and asked, "Were you about to get some or did you already do it?"
Zoe and Amity looked at Masha with confusion.
"WHY THE HELL DOES THAT MATTER?!" Zoe asked incredulously.
"Because if so, you just raised your own death flag. Teens having sex in horror movies almost always leads to one or both of them getting offed. Since you said 'Jack' earlier, I'm gonna assume he was the guy you were boning in the woods with, right?" Masha asked.
"Are you effing kidding me right now, Masha?! This isn't some horror movie! This is real you not-he/not-she nympho freak!" Zoe shouted.
"Hey! At least I'm not the one screwing half the sports teams! And every other popular pretty boy in the school, you skank! I may be a nympho, but I'm a faithful nympho to my girl. And let me tell ya, she's all that I need in and out of bed," Masha stated proudly.
"ENOUGH!" Amity yelled. "We need to get to the kids! They're in the cabins and probably scared out of their minds!"
"I AM TOO YOU, PIXIE BITCH!" Zoe shouted.
Amity growled and grabbed Zoe by the collar of her half-opened shirt and stared her in the eyes.
"Zoe, we're all scared out of our minds! None of us have any idea what's happening right now! All I know is we need to protect the kids, once we've done that, we can start figuring out a way out of here!"
Screams began echoing around them, followed by the sounds of the monsters hacking, stabbing, or tearing people apart.
"The hell with that! I'm hiding!" Zoe stated.
Without waiting for a response, Zoe broke free of Amity's grip and ran at full speed in a random direction. She didn't know where to go, or if there was a place, if any, that was safe. However, being out in the open and exposed was not any better. Thankfully, Zoe soon happened upon the supply cabin. It was unlocked, so she quickly got it open and locked herself in. She took out her phone and lit up the room. There were plenty of things she could use to defend herself with: a chainsaw, a hacksaw, axes, power drills, machetes, and a few other things. After making sure she was alone in the cabin, Zoe picked up the axe, went to the far back of the cabin, got down behind a workbench, and crouched low until she could not be seen.
Did she abandon Amity and Masha, and a bunch of defenseless kids to be potentially murdered? Okay, yes. But c'mon, with all the monsters running around, there was no way those kids weren't already dead.
Zoe tried to phone for help but there was no signal. That made absolutely zero sense since she was able to access the internet before going into the woods with Jack; and she even texted her friends about how she was stuck in this camp with Amity and Masha.
"I-I just have to stay here. I just have to stay hidden and stay quiet. Someone…Someone will come, they'll come, and they'll rescue me," Zoe said to herself.
She couldn't die here. She just graduated from high school. She didn't get to go to college, get married, or live the life she wanted. No, she was going to die here, in this camp, in the middle of the woods, and torn apart by monsters.
"Please…someone, anyone, save me…"
"Seriously?! How was Zoe allowed to volunteer?!" Luz questioned. "I've never even seen her read a book outside of an assignment!"
"Oh, I heard she got in trouble with her dad. Something about her credit card bill or something. This trip was to show her the value of hard work," Masha informed her.
"I know it's mean to stereotype since she's a cheerleader, but… it makes sense that she's the 'Promiscuous One'," Luz remarked.
"I only know this 'coz of the gossip," Masha stated. "The football players are huge fans of hers. Though, to your credit, I have to admit, I am surprised I'm not that archetype since Vee and I love to–"
"Yeah, please don't finish that sentence," Luz cut her off, still feeling a bit icky from Vee's earlier confession. "OK, Masha's perviness aside, we need to find Zoe and protect her." Luz's delivery was completely dead.
"Luz, please sound like you're taking this seriously," Amity advised.
"Totally, Amity. I'm going to protect you, Masha and even Zoe."
Luz still could not get over the fact that she was listed as 'The Foolish One'. Looking back, she did do a lot of foolish things. She tried to show some kids the shed-off skin of a snake and scared them off, then there was the time she turned her eyelids inside out during cheerleading tryouts, and then the Romeo and Juliet audition, the fake gryphon she made, the snakes she released in the school. And then after she came to the Demon Realm, believing she was destined for greatness like Azura, she allowed herself to be tricked by Adegast the Puppeteer.
OK, looking back, she knew she had done a lot of foolish things. But then it got depressing when she thought back to how foolish and desperate she was after she was cursed with the Everlasting Oath. She hurt Amity, stole a forbidden book to perform a forbidden ritual, killed people, took over the Boiling Isles, and tried to destroy the Demon Realm so she could rule the Human Realm and punish everyone that ever rejected her...
…Yeah, she was definitely 'The Foolish One'.
"Luz, are you OK?" Amity asked when Luz suddenly went quiet.
And then there was the other reason why she was the 'Foolish One'.
"Oh, I'm fine. Just fine," Luz said, forcing a smile before letting it fall back into a frown.
"Luz, you can talk to me."
"Honestly, Amity, I…I can't right now."
Amity felt an ache in her heart. She could tell that Luz was still hurting because she lied to her about her wish and because she had gotten excited by the idea of being proposed to by her.
"Luz, I'm sorry I got you excited like that," Amity apologized.
"It's not your fault…it was just me, the 'Foolish One', thinking that someone like Amity Blight would want to marry someone like me," Luz retorted. "Heh, yeah, right…"
"Luz, stop! I would marry you! I mean…not right now, but maybe in a few years?"
"Amity, just stop. You don't have to try and make me feel better. I get it. I'm not someone you'd want to spend your life with. Dating and just being girlfriends is fine with me. I'd probably mess up our marriage somehow and we'd probably get divorced within a month, two tops. Plus, why in the world would you want to marry the person who hurt you? I mean, you cursed me, I hit you with an Azura book and put you in a coma, killed your mom in front of you, and made you play a sick game of 'try and assassinate the empress'. Yeah, I must be out of my frigging mind to think you'd actually want to get hitched to me! Foolish Luz Noceda!"
"UGH! Luz, stop saying things like that!" Amity retorted.
"Even now, I'm back in this game, because of my foolish mistake of not using the Oscura Buckle when I had the chance! Because of my foolish fear of becoming my old self, I got Anne killed! And now, I'm fighting to bring her back to life to fix another foolish mistake of mine! Ah-Ha! Yeah, they weren't wrong calling me the 'Foolish One' alright!" Luz exclaimed.
'Damn you, Amity…Look at what you've done to her,' thought Amity. 'She was getting better…and now you made her hate herself again…you stupid bitch, why do you continue to hurt her?!'
"Hey, if you're both not too busy playing the blame game, we need to find a whore!" Masha called.
"Masha, that's not nice!" Luz admonished.
"What? Oh, right. Zoe's not a whore. She's just a bitch."
"Masha…"
"OK, fine, fine, I won't call her anything mean as long as she holds her tongue, OK?" Masha suddenly stopped. "…Guys, do you hear that?"
"Hm?' Luz listened and it sounded like fighting. All of a sudden, a couple of Jyamatos came tumbling out in front of them. "Jyamatos!" She was about to transform when a green figure came out of nowhere and slashed one of them.
It was Kamen Rider Honey, clad in the Ninja Armour, wielding the Ninja Dueler in Twin Blade Mode. The two Slasher Jyamatos climbed to their feet and charged at the armoured witch. She drew a spell circle and one of the Slasher Jyamatos was covered in a green aura. Suddenly, it turned on its comrade, attacking it with its machete. Confused, the other Slasher Jyamato tried to defend itself.
"Now!" Newtonne yelled as she joined Honey and they delivered their finishers.
[TACTICAL SLASH!]
[GOLDEN FEVER VICTORY!]
Newtonne charged and struck down the Jyamato that Honey was controlling while Honey took out the second one with her Ninja Dueler. The Jyamatos exploded and the two girls posed heroically after defeating them.
"Is posing really necessary?" Honey asked.
"That's part of the fun!" Newtonne giggled. "And that experiment proves you can control the Jyamatos with your Plant magic."
"Only one at a time," Honey retorted. "And that one was still fighting me a little."
"Still an advantage!"
"Marcy! Willow!" Luz called and the two Riders saw their friends.
"Luz!" Willow cancelled her transformation as she ran over and spotted Amity. "You found Amity."
"Yeah…" Luz's smile faltered a bit, but she managed to hide it. "And you found your Drivers."
"We cleared some Secret Mission," Marcy said as she de-transformed and saw Luz had her Driver. "And it looks like you did too."
"Yeah," Luz frowned, rubbing the back of her head. Actually, Gus had gotten the Driver but he had given it to Luz, believing she could make better use of it.
"Willow," Amity gave her ex-best friend a once over. "Wow, Willow. Have you been working out?"
"Oh, you've noticed," Willow smiled, flexing her right arm. "It shows, huh?"
"Yeah," Amity admired but then realised she was blushing. "Um, yeah, you look great."
"Thanks," Willow smiled back. "I like your hair, by the way. Nice colour."
"Thanks," Amity replied shyly, running her hand through her hair. "I just needed a change. Couldn't go back to green after everything that happened."
"It suits you," Willow praised.
"That's a nice streak in your hair, by the way," Amity complimented.
"Oh, this?" Willow pointed. "Yeah, I dyed it after my first Flyer Derby."
"You started a Flyer Derby team?"
"After Hexside was rebuilt, I started a team with me, Gus, Viney, Skara and Hunter," Willow explained. "And we've become the best team on the Boiling Isles."
"What are you called?"
"'The Emerald Entrails!'. It was Hunter's idea."
"Oh, so this is where you all are."
The others turned and saw Sasha approach their group.
"Sasha," Luz greeted neutrally. "Guess you've been busy killing the Jyamato then?"
"Yeah, a few. I was with Boscha but then she went MIA while I was in the middle of a fight. Then I found out later she was dead. Tch, 10k points down the drain," Sasha frowned.
"You should've guarded her more closely, Sasha, otherwise none of that would've happened!" Amity scowled at her.
"Whoa, wait a minute, how come Blight knows about me? She's not in the game anymore," Sasha asked, surprised that Amity remembered her.
"Amity touched my ID Core and all her memories about the DGP came back," Luz explained.
Marcy gasped as she looked down at the ID Core of her belt with fascination.
"Seriously?! So, anyone who was in the game previously or in a Jyamar Area, if they touch our ID Cores, they'll remember everything?!"
"Huh, that's interesting. Surprised Tsumuri didn't warn us about that. I mean, what if we accidentally had our ID Cores out somewhere and someone touched them?" Willow asked.
"More importantly, Amity, what do you mean by 'that'? Did you meet Boscha?" Luz questioned.
"Was Boscha the witch with the three eyes?" Masha questioned. "Yeah, I blew her to kingdom come."
"Context! Please?!" Luz questioned as her left eye twitched.
Amity was reluctant to say anything as she knew it would only enrage Luz if she found out what Boscha tried to do to her. But if Boscha was this aggressive, this determined, to go after her despite possibly losing the game, then Luz needed to know. Otherwise, Boscha could very well end up killing her if she wasn't careful.
"Luz…" Amity gripped her shirt hem. "There's something I need to tell you. And you won't like it."
"Amity, tell me what happened."
And so, Amity explained everything that happened at the Head Counsellor's office. From their search for the keys, to Boscha using a potion to incapacitate her, and to the subsequent biting, forced make-out session, and near attempt at molesting her. Then she told them about how Masha saved her by, literally, blowing Boscha up. It did eliminate one of the five Archetypes and only aided the Jyamatos, but Amity and Masha had no idea what was going on, to begin with.
Luz's fists tightened to the point that her knuckles nearly turned white. That dark look reappeared on her face as her eyes narrowed, making everyone around her take a step back out of primal fear.
"BOSCHA, YOU BITCH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Luz roared into the air.
Sasha was having a hard time processing all this. Boscha snuck off just to corner Amity, and almost, for all intents and purposes, raped Amity.
"W-Wait, that doesn't make any sense! Why would she do that?! She said you two were girlfriends!" Sasha cried.
Luz turned to glare right at Sasha, making the blonde flinch.
"Wake up and smell the bullshit, Waybright! Boscha's full of it!"
"So tell me what the hell's going on, Noceda!"
"You wanna know the real story!? Fine! A long time ago, after I hurt Amity, I found out I put her in the hospital and she was in a coma! I really hurt her! So I snuck in, while invisible, to check up on her and maybe help her. That was when I saw Boscha and heard how that rancid bitch wanted to own Amity! Oh, she wanted to be her girlfriend alright, just so she could control and use her! She almost stole a kiss from Amity when she was lying in a hospital bed, completely unconscious! She probably would've done more if I hadn't stopped her!"
"It's true," Amity supported. "I didn't find out until later, but it was Luz who brought me out of my coma. She healed me. Even when it was my fault for refusing to lift the curse, even when she begged me, and even after she hurt me." Amity glanced at Luz and smiled at her. "She still came back and healed me, asking for nothing in return, and warned me to stay away from Boscha. I'm so glad I did."
Willow's eyes narrowed as her hands clenched into fists. She knew Boscha was still the witch she was back in Hexside, but she didn't think she was so depraved that she would resort to doing something like that. Even though they all fought together as members of the WATs, it was only out of necessity. At her core, it seemed, Boscha was still the bully, still the manipulator.
"Are you okay?" Marcy asked sympathetically as she approached Amity. "I mean, obviously, you're not okay after that. But, I mean, ugh." Marcy held her own head and ruffled her hair. "I don't know what I mean."
Amity smiled as she reached out and gently placed her hand on Marcy's shoulder.
"I know what you mean, Marcy. And I'm okay. My neck is still sore from where she bit me, and I still have a phantom feeling of her hand running up my shirt. But other than that, I'm alright. Really."
Luz walked up to her girlfriend next and brought her in close for a hug.
"L-Luz…?"
"I'm so sorry," said Luz. "I had no idea that happened to you. I said all those things and…"
"It's…It's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry, Luz…"
The Latina gently broke the embrace.
"There wasn't anything you could've done to stop that."
"No, I mean I'm sorry about lying to you, about breaking your heart. Luz, I'm sorry for not telling you the truth about my wish." Tears began to form in her eyes but Amity pressed on. "I'm so tired of hurting you, Luz. I humiliated you in front of all those people during the Covention, I took away your ability to use magic, made you suffer, and turned my back on you when you begged me to lift the curse. And now…I hurt you again. You were so happy thinking that I proposed to you, only to find out that I didn't even intend for that to happen…All I do is hurt you, Luz. You're better off without me"
Luz started to cry now as she hugged Amity again, stroking her hair as she did.
"We've both hurt each other, Amity. More than once. And we'll probably hurt each other again."
"Then we–"
"But…isn't that what being in a relationship, means? We'll make each other happy. We'll make each other sad. We'll fight. We'll argue. We may even hurt each other again in the near future. But even though I was mad at you, furious even, I still love you," Luz confessed.
"You mean that…? After everything I've done to you?"
"I do, hermosa. The real question is, do you still love me after everything I've done to you?"
Amity hugged Luz back, as tightly as she could.
"I do! Luz, I do love you! The whole reason I wanted to make that wish was because I love you! Because I hate knowing that you suffered so much because of me! I was willing to make sure you lived a better life, even if it didn't include me!" Amity proclaimed.
"So, if I said I wanted it to include you, would you stay with me? Not just as my girlfriend, but…maybe…as my wife?" Luz asked.
"I will, Luz," Amity sniffled as she responded. "Forever and ever, as your future wife…i-if you'll have me."
Luz parted just a bit from Amity, and then gently pressed her lips against her girlfriend's. Amity closed her eyes and accepted the kiss, letting this one action convey both her love and apology to her, the one she loved most.
Willow couldn't help but shed a tear upon seeing how in love the two were. Heck, even Gus wasn't immune. Both witches knew how hard those had it four years ago. So seeing how far they've come since then, how in love they were after suffering so much, it was truly moving.
"Doesn't that just melt your heart?" Masha smiled, sighing. After this was over, she was going to show Vee how much she loved her cute and demonic shapeshifting girlfriend.
The kiss finally ended and Luz playfully glared at Masha.
"Dang it, Masha. Stop ruining the moment."
Sasha was silent, unsure of what she was feeling. On one hand, she still hated Noceda and Boscha was able to convince her that the Latina was an evil monster that was just biding her time. The three-eyed witch claimed Luz had brainwashed Amity. However, after witnessing all that, Sasha was beginning to wonder how much of what Boscha told her was true. That rage she saw earlier, the tears they were shedding, it all seemed too genuine for this to be an act. Luz didn't deny the things she had done as a former tyrant, but it seems that Boscha wasn't very forthcoming about her real relationship with Blight.
"I'm…I'm sorry that happened to you, Blight," Sasha apologised and everyone glanced in her direction. "If I had known that's what she was planning on doing, I wouldn't have let her anywhere near you."
Amity and Luz partially separated, with Luz keeping one arm around her girlfriend.
"Boscha's not the girl you think she is. I'm not denying anything she said about what I did when I was…Empress Oscura. But she's not someone you should trust," Luz warned. "…And, for what it's worth, I believe you."
Marcy could see a crack forming in Sasha's resolve, tiny as it was. That rage that Luz displayed, the sadness and remorse she displayed for not being there to protect Amity, looked similar to how Sasha described her emotions after the final round of the last Desire Grand Prix. Not only that, but the pain in both of their voices when they spoke about the past, and the words of love they both exchanged, those kinds of emotions couldn't be faked. Even Sasha should be able to see how genuine their feelings were for each other.
'Please, Sash. Please see that this whole vendetta is meaningless,' Marcy silently prayed.
Michael_Ravencroft: Wooooo, that was an emotional rollercoaster, folks! Amity's real DGP wish got revealed! A Lumity couple fight! And then we thankfully see them makeup and actually propose to each other. It's official now, folks! And, as much as I would like to tell you that you can rest easy from here on out…I'd be straight-up capping if I did. AHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA!