Chapter description: Aldurra ditches litter duty to have an underwater adventure with Denied!
Extra description: While resyncing his severed vessel, Billy gets a visitor!
Tags for this chapter:
Community Service, Malnourishment, Hunting for Fish, FRIENDSHIP!(?)
Tags for this extra:
Trauma, Memory Erasure, Old Friend Reconciliation
06. Out Of Captivity
You know, at this point, Aldurra preferred the death penalty, even over something as minor as a public disturbance, and maybe just a little property damage. Oh. Both private and public. Okay, more than "maybe just a little". Regardless, at this moment, that punishment suddenly seemed a lot more tantalizing than what he was actually subjected to.
Community service.
Boo hoo, that shouldn't be such a big deal, right? Well, between the rather small meat rations, and his natural appearance in general, it very well was a bigger deal than necessary. Also, the metal tracking anklet? Uncomfortable as Hell!
And that smug motherfucker Alex still gets to live, taunting him through his cage down in Viktor's bunker, where they both occupy. Obviously they were on opposite sides of the place, but voices carried surprisingly well down there. He wished he could shut him up, but Alex always, always, had the advantage.
If he were to exact revenge, Aldurra was gonna need help. But the amount of people he could trust in was zero. He never really made friends prior to coming here, just one-time acquaintances.
God, what a hopeless situation.
So instead, he stabbed a stray can out of the sand with a grunt. So weird how this "utopia" still had a littering problem. Digital entities really were not much different than Humans.
"Heeey!" Someone shouted in greeting. Up 'til now, Aldurra was completely alone at this beach, so he assumed it was aimed at him. He turned, and saw… Denied. He was waving wildly at him. Goddamnit. "New Alex, right?"
"Â̶͎l̵̗͑d̴̲͒ū̷ͅṛ̵̎r̴̯͠a̸̙̐, actually." Was his flat response.
"Oh shit! Billy wasn't kidding!" Denied laughed it off, striding forward. Of course he knew him. Same creator and all. "Anyway, I was just messin' with you. Denied Cellar, buuut don't add that last part." His one arm extended for a handshake. Aldurra did nothing. Denied started wiggling it. "Uh. This is the part where you. You know."
"And how do you expect me to do that?" The demon was at least eighty percent sure Denied didn't have a brain. Or, rather, a coding equivalent.
"You can shapeshift, can't you? Why don't ya just turn 'em into hands?"
"Why don't you just get another arm?" Crass, but if it got him to go away, so be it.
"I don't wanna. I'm fine like this."
"Yeah, exactly." Aldurra turned away in an attempt to ignore him. It was only a half-truth, but it was not worth the trouble in explaining himself.
"Somethin' about a promise, wasn't it?" Oh. Oh no he didn't. If Aldurra ever saw that robotic snitch again, he'll rip his face off. Except, who knows how many bodies he had to take his place. Suddenly, even that was pointless.
"... Yes." He growled.
"Then, what if you copied whatever the heck your feet're doing, but, ya know. Hands? I mean, you already covered up that sicknasty ribcage." And then, the blue bastard had a point.
It took a bit of concentration, but Aldurra managed to cobble together what could pass as the aforementioned. A palm, bearing two fingers and a thumb, each of which were segmented with sharpened tips. Know what, nevermind whatever he said before; he missed this so much.
"Okay. I guess I should thank you, so… Thank you," The demon admitted, going back to complete the gReEtiNg rITuAL that Denied wanted SO BADLY. Then promptly threw him as far out into the ocean as he could muster. "Now leave me THE FUCK ALONE!"
The splash was huge, and he couldn't help but swell with pride. Okay, so he hasn't lost his touch after all! Maybe Alex was just stupid powerful or something!
And then a large wave knocked him right over, his yell of surprise swiftly turning to noisy gurgles. Once it went out again, Denied was standing over him, hand on his hip, shark teeth exposed as he continued giving him that shit-eating grin.
Did he… Always have fins for ears? On his forearm? On his calves?
"I like you, Aldurra! You're not scared of nothin'!" Except when he immediately surrendered to Viktor and his faculty cohorts, but let's pretend that never happened. "Listen, I know you just said to leave, but man! Do ya really wanna sulk here by yourself while picking up trash? Don't you wanna go have some fun?"
Aldurra spat a mouthful of the disgusting seawater back at him. "With you?"
"Sure! What've you got to lose?"
"My head." For emphasis, Aldurra raised his leg, showing off the tracker. Denied gave it a glance, then fished out a key, expression turning cheeky.
"I won't tell if you won't!" He uttered in a singsong way, but Aldurra remained firm.
"I'm not going to risk my life for a rebellious escapade with a scaly fish-man who won't take a hint-"
"There'll be free food."
"I'm sorry?"
"You like fish?" The question sounded strangely innocent. "Or, at least you'll get to say you tried it."
Aldurra was silenced. Floored even, and he hadn't gotten up yet. His aching stomach couldn't take much more of this. His approval came out much louder than intended. "Fine!"
Minutes later, the two were descending beyond the beach's drop off. Aldurra would've sank further down due to his density, but Denied's hold on his arm kept him from drifting away. He was a lot stronger than he initially gave him credit for, as he swam for the both of them.
At the seafloor, he let go. His voice warbled as he said, "Aight, hang on a sec."
"For what?" Aldurra's did too, watching Denied distance himself. He got no reply, but an answer. A current consumed the fish-man's lower half, and in its place was a tail, aqua like his trousers, with a raspberry-pink tipped fin, akin to his shoes.
A merman. Somehow, he wasn't surprised.
"Phew, that's better!" Denied spun back around, stretching. "So, ready to go hunting?"
Fuck yes.
It was a bigger challenge than Aldurra thought. Slicing at something underwater took more effort than above it. That and, although he'd never admit this, he'd never actually hunted for food before. Whatever happened in his backstory didn't count.
Also, the fish were just too fucking fast.
From afar, Denied watched on, then got off the coral tree he was sitting in, approaching. "Okay. It was mean of me to make you try something… Out of your element," He tried to put it, hand on Aldurra's shoulder. "But I promised food, so here's what'll happen - I'm gonna treat ya."
If the demon had any doubts, they were promptly torn to shreds. Similarly with Denied's freakish claws. Then again, Aldurra was one to talk. Just a short while ago, he had scythes for hands.
Anyway, the next stop was where the merman apparently lived - a dome. The walls were transparent, allowing Aldurra to see the interior. It was a big, single room with a loft about half its size. At the entrance was what appeared to be some kind of… Chamber?
While inside, the water was drained. "If you've been breathing, better get it out now."
It was disgusting.
"Now, I don't want to risk you gettin' sick, raw digital fish and all," Denied told him, as the two continued on inside. "So just make yourself at home until it's ready, okay? And if ya get bored, you can use my phone." He handed it to him, but gave him a look. "Just don't text anybody, or I'll kick your ass."
Tempting, but fair enough. Though… Damn. The merman actually had friends. A lot of friends. And unsurprisingly, including that snitch, Billy, who Denied labeled as "lil bro". Weird, but whatever.
He said not to send messages, but never mentioned snooping… Ah. A few days ago. The two were discussing events regarding the demon's… Run-in with Alex.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [11:18 AM]
hey, you holdin up ok after that wack alex on alex tussle?
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [11:18 AM]
Yes. I believe I'm pretty "ok", considering I got fired.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [11:18 AM]
whoaaa. damn
im sorry dude
wanna talk about it?
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [11:19 AM]
Thank you, but there's no need. I'm genuinely feeling alright.
Dave and I came to the conclusion that this whole predicament with Alex wasn't good for me.
Therefore, losing my job was actually a good thing.
Who knew?
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [11:20 AM]
aw, sweet! well, still. if you ever need anything, im here, broliukas!
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [11:20 AM]
Tai labai vertinama, didysis broli.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [11:20 AM]
lmao DAMN dude, going full lithuania in this bitch!
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [11:20 AM]
Juokinga, kad tariamai esame iš ten, bet niekada ten nebuvome.
Man skauda smegenis, galvoju apie tai.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [11:21 AM]
taip pat kad tėtis ir dėdė gonzalo norėjo plaukti povandeniniu laivu iki pat australijos
būtų buvęs gana apšviestas nemeluosiu
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [11:22 AM]
Sutiko. Būtų buvę smagu tai patirti.
Tačiau, deja, neįmanoma. Vietoj to turės pakakti skaitmeninės Australijos. Ir net tada nėra jokių vandenynų, kuriuose būtų galima naršyti. Tiesiog Internetas.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [11:23 AM]
chachacha tiesa?
Okay, Aldurra had no idea what they were saying anymore. Just completely switched languages on him. Well, probably what he gets for prying.
Perhaps it took longer, but it didn't feel as such, when Denied called for him. "Soup's on, buddy!" Aldurra ran fresh out of self-control right then, closing the distance between him and the food in seconds. He wasn't sure how, but the blue bastard kept him at bay with his singular arm. "Don't inhale it! Try it."
Swapping with his leg, Denied allowed him a single chomp of the fish, gauging his interest. All Aldurra could muster in his synapses was getting more. "Okay, you can have it." Denied nodded to himself, tossing the rest of it toward the demon.
It was like a rare delicacy from the gods, much too blessed for someone of his ilk. He, a creature from the world of sin incarnate, absolutely did not deserve it. But, at the same time, demons usually just took what they wanted, regardless if it was earned or not. Though… This was a gift, was it not? It would be more rude, to reject such a thing.
… Why did his inner monologue become so dramatic just now? Wait, where the fuck was his fish?! It was here literally seconds ago!
"They really don't feed ya enough, huh?" The merman noted nearby. Wait. Shit. Aldurra just remembered where he was, who he was with. "Sounds like a crime in of itself, if you ask me." Oh fuck, he really did just do that.
The fish did not exist anymore.
That was it. His one chance of sustenance. And he just devoured it like it was nothing. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK
"Hey, uh, don't freak out; it's cool!" Denied was giving him a strange look. Not fear, but something… Adjacent. "I didn't get a bunch just to skimp out. Here, have a few more!" Three. No, four, to be exact.
Aldurra tried to resist the urge to go to town this time, but failed. Jesus Christ, these had to have come from the holy grounds. Either that, or the longterm malnourishment has turned practically anything into sacred cuisine.
… Probably the latter, he thought, as now he noticed he was on his fifth filet. Finally, he was coming down from his high.
"You good? One more?" Denied asked him, finding that he hadn't gone without eating the entire time. "You're slowing down, at least." The demon pondered the idea.
"Yeah. One more will probably do it," He semi-echoed the phrase. Denied didn't question him, yet another filet being tossed over. Aldurra's voice lowered in volume. "... Thanks."
"No biggie! And… That makes six."
"You kept count?"
"Well duh! I donno if Viktor allows visitors, but I'd have to be prepared to smuggle this shit in! Like, damn bitch, you live like this?! Sure, Billy kept you in his techie basement, but-"
"Billy isn't so innocent," Aldurra interrupted with a growl. "He gave us even less. And that was before I escaped. I had done nothing wrong."
"... Right," Denied turned sad, a complete 180 of his presumably "normal" demeanor. "Okay. I'm sorry about him. He kinda struggles with bias. A lot of us do. It's hard not to, because of… Ya know."
"No shit. Really." The demon's words dripped with sarcasm.
"Yeah, it sucks, I'm aware of that," The merman paused. "If it makes you feel any better, Billy did get fired and stuff."
"Yes, from the… 'alex on alex tussle'. But he seems to be doing well, because of it." Mockery, pure and unadulterated. Denied blinked.
"You've been reading my shit!"
"Didn't say I couldn't."
Denied sighed. "Fine. I'll give you that. Just this once." Silence hung in the air. "If you don't mind me asking, what're you gonna do when you're released?"
"You say that like it's a definite. The Tarwill-in-power may just decide to keep me locked away forever. Just like him. No matter how well I behave."
"... If, then." It didn't seem like he wanted to argue.
"I would leave." Aldurra answered simply. Nevermind not knowing where he'd go, or what he'd do once he got there. He had no one to find, nowhere to live; everything was taken away from him a long time ago. In fact, continuing to exist under his current premise just didn't seem worth it.
"And you're sure?" What did Denied not understand?
"Yes."
"Look, I promise I'm asking for a reason." He wasn't sure how, but in the more neutral light of the dome, compared to the blue tint of being in the ocean, Aldurra began to notice something about Denied's face. A darker patch of scaly flesh around his left-hand eye. Which, unlike the deep, royal blue of his right, was colored brown.
Why was he only recognizing these things sporadically?
"Do I dare ask?"
"... Well, here's the sitch," The merman began, "Erie asked me to do something today, and I've been procrastinating. She wanted me to find the parts for this lil buddy here." From his inventory, he produced a photo, handing it to Aldurra. "You'll probably recognize her."
Scrina. It suddenly became hard to hold it together.
"I don't know why, or how she figured out where they are," Denied continued, "But she singled out the specific location - under the big cliff not too far from here. So when I saw you, I thought… 'Maybe he'd like to help out'." He paused with a sigh. "Look. I know the stories. It's fucked up, we all know that. I've been a prick for sure, but really, we both were, so I think that makes us even, yeah?"
All Aldurra could do was nod, absentmindedly.
"What do ya say, wanna bring her home? Before you possibly fuck off forever?" Aldurra broke his gaze, back to Denied. He didn't need to respond. So, the merman motioned to follow. "This way, then."
Just as he said, soon the two freaks of nature (neutral, Aldurra decided) made it to the spot in question. Additionally, although half to almost completely buried in the sand, Aldurra saw the pieces. First, an arm. The torso. The corner of her monitor screen. Screws. Antennae. The only thing keeping him from falling apart was his frantic digging.
"Here!" He called, and Denied wasted no time in joining in. As the two set each part where they would go from on the seafloor, the merman kept currents from blowing anything away. Within an hour, every piece was found.
Aldurra couldn't help it. Tears stung his eyes, mixing into the water. And the noises he made were rather pitiful. His voice was unsteady. "It's her. FUCK, it's really her… She's a machine, someone can fix her, right?! It's been done before!"
The merman sat next to him, hand tentatively placed on his shoulder. As Aldurra continued, it became a hug. "I know, I know. Maybe that's what Erie wants."
With a nod, Aldurra reflexively swiped at his eyes, picking up as many pieces as would fit in his inventory. Denied, letting him go, took the rest. "Then let's get the Hell outta here and deliver them."
And of course, reattach the anklet tracker, but that went without saying.
"Sooo… It should be right around-" Denied went to say as he breached the surface, walking out onto the dry shore, then cut himself off. When Aldurra did the same, he too was at a loss for words.
Nearby stood a Laura, who held up the tracker. Despite her not having any way to indicate an expression, Aldurra could just tell.
"I can explain-" He tried to speak anyway, but stopped with deep, guttural coughs and hacks. He collapsed forward, what felt like gallons of seawater trying to get out. Damnit. He forgot.
"Hey, no no no, you've been blamed for enough stuff already," Denied pat his back, "Let me take one for the team."
"We're a team?!" Aldurra was raspy.
"It's my fault," Denied then said to Laura, "I'm the one who tempted him into going out with me."
"Wait, what the fuck?" Slowly, the demon was starting to sound normal again. "That was a date?!"
"Didja want it to be?" The blue bastard gave him a teasing grin, winking. The next face Aldurra made got him to back off. "Alright, alright, I get ya; you're not interested. Okay," He paused, then clarified, "It was a platonic date, with newly-made acquaintances! But I had a good reason!"
He continued on, listing out the apparent malnourishing problem Aldurra dealt with, and then mentioned the… Parts finding. "But hey, doesn't helping residents qualify for community service? That would mean he's well within his rights!"
Denied was difficult to get a read on. One part of him was a complete dumbass, the other surprisingly aware of things. Was the former some kind of act? It wasn't easy to say for sure. At the end of the day, if he's that willing to stick up for him, Aldurra would take what he could get.
Though, only now, he began to realize that Laura had not spoken a word yet. Wouldn't she be a bit more… Talkative?
While thinking about this, a face appeared - the digital, green one of Erie. Both demon and merman fell back with startled yells. Laura's very form changed, and in her place was the tall robot lady herself.
"How- How did she- I mean, I couldn't even tell-!" Aldurra was trying to mutter to Denied, full of disbelief.
"Good, you found all of them," She ignored basically everything else, extending her free hand. "Hand them over. Both of you." When the other two hesitated, she gestured to the tracker, looking at Aldurra. "... And I will tell them that you really were just lazing about for two hours straight. Still not what you're supposed to be doing, but too petty to reprimand you."
With a quick glance, Aldurra and Denied did as they were told. Then, she handed the demon the anklet. "It would be best to put that back on." Immediately following, she took off, with a terrifyingly swift and high jump.
Maybe that's how Viktor and company got there that night…
After a short while, Denied began to laugh, lying on his back in the sand. "Holy shit! I was so fuckin' scared, man! I thought- I thought that was it!" Meanwhile, Aldurra just sighed in relief, before trying something, attaching the device to his wrist.
Huh. That fit way better.
"… Well, now what." He asked, when Denied settled down. His heterochromatic eyes gazed up at him, "Hmm"ing.
"Donno. But we can hang out again sometime if you want."
Aldurra considered it. "After that whole shitshow? … Sure."
Extra: Put It All Behind Us
Down in the lab, Billy #3612 was running diagnostics on the one vessel that he could not awaken, now understood as #1178. There wasn't any physical damage that could be found. No causation in the mind that prevented it from responding. Nothing supernatural, such as a spell, or a curse, or even possession at all. Though, what was interesting to note, was how one of his hands was in a bullet barrel formation, implying a fight almost took place. The whole situation left him puzzled.
The only other option as of now, was to boot it manually, and issue a resync.
Meanwhile, stationed on the ground floor, another of his selves heard the doorbell. It was the middle of the day, so that could be anyone. He, #22033, went to answer. On his doorstep was
Erie. He stiffened, only managing to look up at her. She was as intimidating as ever.
"Would you like to redeem yourself?" And no time for pleasantries. "Because, unfortunately, you are the only one I deem qualified for this task, despite you being an incompetent fuck-up." Without waiting for an answer, she displayed her inventory. There were… Many, many robotic parts, and Billy recognized them as being from Scrina.
He didn't like where this was going. Especially when Erie reached down and pulled him off the ground by the tie, grip much tighter than necessary.
"I want you to put her back together," She then spoke more, and it sounded like an order. "Do this for me, and I'll forgive you. For all that time you kept me from finding my daughter." A pause. "Do we have a deal?"
Dumbly, Billy nodded. Erie dropped him, and he landed with an audible thud. "Excellent."
The ride down the elevator was silent, and for Billy's part, awkward. He avoided looking at her, focusing a little more on #3612's efforts in booting up #1178. It was a success, but he was frightened, immediately noticing his arm and turning it back into his hand.
"ALEX-!"
"It is alright," #3612 tried to assure, "Everyone is safe. Alex is accounted for."
"... Oh, but…" And still, he was shaking, petrified.
#22033 overheard Erie stop the elevator suddenly. "Wait, this isn't the right-"
"Shut up. I want to hear this." She didn't open the doors, only listened in.
"Yes, unfortunately you became out of sync," #3612 continued, calmly compared to the one next to Erie, "But it'll only take a moment to adjust. To do that, I require your unique memories." There was a pause, as #1178 suddenly curled into himself, hands on his head.
"You… You don't," He stammered, "You really don't. You're better off not having them."
"I'm sure that whatever it is, we can take it. You are unharmed, so I'm assuming he said something to you, correct?"
"What he almost made me do… You will be plagued if you find out," He began to beg. "Please. Please just. Make it go away. Erase it! I can't stop thinking about it! I can't function!"
"... Understood," #3612 complied, hooking the both of them up. "I won't look, only delete." He hated having to lie to himself, but curiosity was getting the best of him.
Billy immediately paid for it. Promptly, he destroyed the moments in question, both from #1178 and himself
He could no longer recall what troubled his unsynced self so, but it must've been too horrible to keep record of. All he could do was trust in that decision.
At last, the other him began to calm. "Thank you."
Now to resync.
#22033 continued to hide his face from Erie's view. "Is that what you do every time things go to shit?" Her voice was… Softer than usual.
"Only in circumstances like these." He did his best to sound cordial.
"That's not healthy, Billy."
"With all due respect, I feel that I know myself better than you."
"What if someone you cared about died? Would you just… Delete all the memories you had with them, just so you wouldn't have to deal with the pain?"
"That's different." He stopped staring at the wall, glancing at her instead.
"Is it?" But she was looking right at him, a stern, but somehow worried expression on her face screen. "Would you be able to stand there and tell me, that you'd hold onto everything you experienced with them? After they're gone?"
Suddenly, he wasn't so certain. He'd absolutely want to, but would the agony be too much to bear? He had to admit it to himself - he'd at least be compelled to go through with it. He didn't need to say so, however, as Erie read him like an open book.
"God…" She sighed, pretending to pinch what would've been the bridge of her nose, "You know Viktor fired you because he thinks you're a mess. And, yeah, you've really become that; I would know. But. That's not your fault. You were just in way over your head." She hummed in thought.
"I've been too hard on you, so for that, I'm sorry," She then continued, "Let's not forget our true enemy here - Alex. I don't think he's aware of it, but he's clearly pitted us against each other. Before him, before this, you repairing things was when you were at your best. We were such good friends. And then he showed up and ruined it for all of us."
Friends with Erie? Billy… Could not recall that. The rest of what she mentioned, yes, but not that one tidbit. "I, um. I'm not sure if I follow."
"... Shit. Did you erase me, too?" Instead of getting angry, her concern only grew more apparent. She sighed again. "Explains a lot, actually. After our big fight, you suddenly stopped returning my messages. I assumed it was over. I guess, technically, it was."
Oh dear God. Is that why he was so confused over those? "My deepest apologies. I didn't mean any harm by it-"
"No. Stop that," She held up a hand, refuting. "I was irreconcilable. We couldn't find her. Comfort was never your strong suit, and I wish I'd accounted for that." She reached out, pressing the button for the correct floor. "I would offer my side of things, but it's not the same. What's done is done. Still, I was horrible to you that day, and you didn't deserve it. I'm sorry. You don't have to forgive me."
They moved, further down. Her explanations indeed put much into perspective. "If we were friends before… Could we ever be again?"
"Wouldn't it be weird? Me knowing you, but not the other way around?"
"I now understand the context, so no. Not to me." When he expected her to dismiss the idea, he saw her smile. A gentle smile.
"Okay. We can try, at least. Just don't throw me in the recycling bin again, promise?"
Billy nodded, as the floor was reached. The elevator doors slid open. "Promise."
More info:
- I imagine that Aldurra (and by extension, Alex) can make limited adjustments to his true form. We already saw this with the digestive cavity, but it's a little more complex in exploration here
- He might have a much higher calorie requirement than we do
- And absolutely still goes feral over meat sometimes
- Denied's seen a lot with the various copies of himself. From them he inherited various abilities
- One was modified to look more fish-man-esque, including optional gills
- Another had a secret merman form
- There were a few who could waterbend
- And one came from update 666, causing a blue/brown heterochromia and scar patch
- Even then, he still had to teach himself how to hunt for fish
- He calling Billy "broliukas" is in reference to the fact that Denied's game was made before Billy's, making the latter the "lil bro" in their sibling-like relationship
- In turn, Billy uses "didysis broli", "big brother".
- Denied also refers to Bob The Great II and Captain Gonzalo as "dad" and "uncle" respectively; this is a whole thing between the three games
- (Please note however that I am not fluent in Lithuanian, so if the sentences are off, feel free to offer more accurate corrections! The point of using it in the DM convo was to add to Aldurra's lack of understanding once it appears)
- As a canonical polymorph, Erie is able to disguise herself as basically anyone, but usually prefers her robotic look
- Also, she is not the only one who can jump so well
- As Billy cannot experience physical pain, other forms of it seem to have a "when it rains, it pours" effect, causing him to rely too much on memory erasure
- Erie's words gave him a lot to think about…