Chapter description: Alex is still on the loose. Denied wants to find out why.
Tags for this chapter:
mentions of the following: General; Machine; Tarwill; Demon Injuries; past Character Consumption
Violence (a lot!), attempted Arrest, FRIENDSHIP! (for real this time), implied Recruitment
"It's not too late," Denied said slowly, voice low. "You can still go with him. I promise, we can handle it."
"Denied, let it go." Next to him, Billy refuted with a slight firmness in his tone. Out of the three of them, Dave only shook his head, with a knowing, but bittersweet smile.
"My mind is made up."
They, as well as a ton of others, were waving off Baldina's students and faculty alike, from the Webspace's entrance tunnel. Mere seconds ago, Dia's group had been called away. And despite it all, the merman kept getting the feeling that Dave was only doing this out of necessity for… Something.
It wasn't like Denied was trying to push him away, really. Just, if there was a chance that one more person could be safe at a time like this…
But as he just said, his mind was made up.
It's already been three days since then. In that time, apparently Dave #1 had a similar idea as he, except a lot more exclusionary - opening up his school so that other THRIVE members (and their affiliated characters not on Baldina's trip) had shelter from Alex's wrath.
Obviously, the one that the merman knew did not participate.
Billy had offered his home (namely, his underground lab), and surprisingly, Dave declined that too. Oh, actually, not all that much, as Denied remembered that he was to undergo some kind of house-changing project. Which Billy again offered to help.
Still, he refused. "It's something I must do alone.", he had said. And in spite of the lack of detail, Billy didn't ask for specifics. Very weird of Dave, but Denied wasn't about to call that out.
For now, he lay on his bed, staring at the transparent ceiling, the ocean all around him. So far, efforts to take in folks from the surface was a bust. To each their own; he wouldn't force anyone to go.
And whenever he checked the news, it was the same. How in the world hadn't Viktor caught this asshole yet? It was irritating. A large part of Denied thought, well, maybe he should just do it himself! Lure the demon into the water and POW!
Alas, it was a stupid idea. But, he wanted answers.
Calamity was what he found, once inside Viktor's headquarters. Strobovski himself had just returned, carrying a mortally injured Marzia, while fighting past his own various wounds. What seemed strange was the lack of the other three.
From afar, the merman watched him pass her onto a Laura, as well as a Tarwill's mask. "To the infirmary. He cracked Tiara this time, so do be careful. And please, find someone, anyone, who can fix up Erie. At this point, I don't care who."
So that's it, then. Denied suddenly felt extremely shitty.
"And you, sir?" Laura asked. Her answer came in the form of an action; Viktor's model changed to his true form.
"I'll just have to retire it for a while. Now go. I won't tell you again." Laura nodded, then turned away and left. Under his breath, Viktor was cursing. "Fuck. Every time. Every damn time. He just keeps getting more powerful…"
Honestly, the merman should just leave. He began to, until
"Denied? What brings you here?" He was spotted. Briefly, he froze, then faced the Tarwill again.
"Oh, hey…!" He tried to play it cool. "It's dumb, really. I, uh, was just wanting to find out what the holdup was. I'm sorry about… Well, your friends."
"Hm, I see," Viktor replied, "Thanks for the concern. But now that they're all in one place, we may get our chance once they've recovered." He didn't sound assured of that, try as he might. "How is everything on your end?"
"Er… Fine," Denied said, then tried to change the focus. "Except… 1's kinda gone ham on the whole, 'join my initiative' thing. He's been sendin' messengers and stuff."
"I heard. None of you has, by any chance, done any investigating, right?" Denied shook his head.
"No way! And if you're about to ask…" He could remember that one time where Dave had been used for this exact thing. And far before, with Billy's old role… The merman won't let himself fall for the same trap, no matter what.
"Don't. Even if you were thinking it yourself. I will sort him out personally." Well, thank fuck. After that was said, Laura re-appeared.
"I have contacted Billy. He will arrive in 'approximately three minutes'." The statement was spoken curtly, with a slight bit of mocking, as expected whenever the two would interact.
Denied never quite understood why. The two were alike in various ways, and had something deeply rooted they could relate to. And yet, their whole dynamic was based on one-upping the other, like they were rivals. It was such a shame.
Viktor lost composure. "You WHAT?! Call him off immediately!"
"He has been requested as a technician, not as cavalry," And shockingly, Laura defended him. "But even if I tried, it would be futile."
"Yeah, she's like… One of his best friends." The merman added, attempting to be nonchalant.
"It was either him, or… Well. The only Dave who isn't a part of THRIVE yet."
"And Erie kinda… Scares him a lil." A second time.
"... Yes, she can be intimidating," Strobovski folded at last, but was clearly unhappy with the situation. "Alright, alright. Just. Have him repair her, and leave. And do not throw him out, either. I know how you can be about this." Once Laura departed again, he reluctantly looked at Denied. "I really hate to ask, but make sure she doesn't do anything funny, okay? If not because of me, then because he's your brother."
Goddammit. He got him roped in. The Tarwill's such a clever bastard. "Yeah. Okay."
Needless to say, the well-made robot gave him a confused face once he arrived. "Oh, hi Denied. What brings you here?" The fact that he asked in the same wording Viktor had almost made Denied laugh, but he kept it together as he explained. "Ah."
"To be blunt, even if I intended on disobeying him," Laura chimed in, tone deadpan, "I am not in the mood to lift a finger today. Consider yourself lucky."
"Really? And why is that?" Billy was questioning, as the two proceeded to follow her.
"Seventy-five percent of my selves were torn apart by the local big bad. You know how it is." She made it sound like it was a regular occurrence, although it most likely wasn't the case.
"... Oh," Billy dropped the bit. "My apologies. I didn't know."
"It's fine. They'll be alright. Mostly. A few were eaten, too. It's annoying, more than anything else." She paused, then tried to joke, "According to Alice and Tiara, I don't look good on him."
She was practically giving Billy ammunition for some kind of jab, but he didn't use it. "I cannot imagine losing a single one, let alone a few. And to then use you like that… That's terrible." Was this the part where they start getting along?
At those words, Laura stopped and turned sharply. "Don't get soft on me now."
"Under the circumstances, I am giving you a break. I recommend not getting used to it." Guess that's a "no".
"Good, then. I'm counting on it," Satisfied, she continued on. Not long after, the three of them reached their destination. This must be the infirmary that Viktor mentioned earlier. "You will find her in room one. Please make haste."
"Understood." Billy nodded, and proceeded further in. Denied stayed behind, knowing that his brother could take things from here. But at the very least, he'll stick around and wait. It shouldn't take too long, anyway.
The merman had just made himself comfortable when Laura spoke up again, tone filled with venom. "That insatiable sinner-!" Toward the others in the area, she ordered, "Evacuate the patients immediately! Alex has just entered Infinity School!" Then, she pointed at Denied. "And you! Get Billy and Erie to safety!"
"Yes, ma'am!" He stuttered, leaping from his seat. By the time he found the room in question, Billy had already packed everything up, but was using electrical tape to mend Erie into one piece.
"He has some nerve, striking right at this moment." The merman had no need to tell him.
"No kidding!" So instead, he agreed.
"You will have to help me carry her. I did not expect to need two of me." Billy finished with the tape, stashing it away. Together, they lifted the tall robot lady out of the room, and to the hallway beyond.
"Where to?"
"My house is closest. Unfortunately, flight is not an option." Of course it wasn't. Just their luck. "... And, he is now in front of us. Fantastic." Out and about, they couldn't turn very easily, so the only option was to stop.
"Long time no see!" Denied heard the demon greet, "You're looking great, Billy. I wonder if you've gotten any better since our last bout, many eons ago. Why don't you drop that dead weight you got there and show me?"
"Don't. Not like this…" The merman quietly suggested.
"I must decline," His brother took his advice, "I make better use of my time not entertaining your perpetual cycle of antagonism." DAMN. That one felt like Billy just launched a grenade in Alex's face. Denied nearly snorted from the imagery, but was keenly aware that his expression was at least out of sight.
The demon even went silent for a good moment. Then, he unleashed a maniacal laugh, one that lasted far too long for the merman's liking. Once Alex caught his breath, he replied, "Oh? I don't recall giving you a fucking choice. And tell that blue dumbass behind you to shut his trap. But in case you won't? I'll shut it for him!"
Okay, that's it. Denied managed to spin 180 degrees and hold position, gripping Erie's legs as he abruptly sped off, dragging Billy in the process.
Still, he replied, as Alex gave chase. "You leave him out of this."
"Or what? You'll shoot me with your pathetic bullets?" From the taunt, Billy freed one hand, turning it into a barrel.
"If that's what it takes, then correct."
"You're bluffing! There's too many people around!" A shot was heard, followed by Alex screaming. "YOU FUCKER-! HOW DID YOU ACTUALLY-?!"
"... I didn't." Was all Billy said, as more rounds sounded.
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
Plan C initiated.
Turn around, demon.
And from in front of Denied, Laura appeared, separating him from Billy, causing him to fall over in the process. "You took too long." She uttered shortly, before taking both his brother and Erie away, most likely to the nearest exit.
He didn't even have the chance to say anything back.
Alex growled at the other newcomer, Angell, who wielded her gun. "So you got a few good shots in. Big deal. You do realize that it's gonna take more than your dinky little silver shells, don't you?" Viktor's protagonist didn't waver.
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
I never miss.
As Denied rose, she eyed him.
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
(Get out of here. You'll only get in my way.)
With a sharpshooter as great as her, the merman saw no reason to counter. He did, but unfortunately, he didn't know where the stairs were. Instead, he tried to find a further-off area where he'd be less audible. A locked door from within a wing gave him hope, using his skeleton key to get inside and latch shut.
At last, he heaved a sigh, trying to collect his thoughts. Okay, first of all, REAL convenient for Alex to show up right when he did. Also, STUPIDLY coincidental that they would face him so quickly. And, CRAZY timing Angell and Laura had to save their asses!
The very next thing he did was to check in with Billy.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [2:37 PM]
you good out there?
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [2:37 PM]
I am alright. I was thrown outside, but I'll live.
How about you?
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [2:37 PM]
lol damn!
also this place is so fuckin confusing, i swear. built different, literally
but ill find a way out soon, dont worry
Well-Made_Account (BILLYLĖ) [2:38 PM]
Good luck. Let me know if you need anything.
And remember: He always knows where you are.
MediterraneanWaves (DENIEDCELLAR) [2:38 PM]
gotcha!
"'Man, this is so much…'" When finished, he muttered to himself.
"'Hello?'" Denied jumped when he heard a response, finally turning around with a cry of terror.
And saw a Baldi. He was sitting at a table, handcuffed to it, like in those cop shows. Hold up, where the Hell did Denied stumble into?!
"'Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!'" He continued, with instant regret. "'I wasn't sure if you realized I was here, or when to say something.'"
"'You can understand me?!'" Bemused, Denied replied. Lithuanian wasn't exactly commonplace, even here. Only three game types total could speak it (four if counting Dave), and it was obvious which did and why.
"'Yes! I'm fluent in many languages!'" He nodded, then added, "'Anyway, I'm Baldi! … You probably already know that, but still. What's your name?'"
"Uh…" Denied uttered, switching to English, "It's literally 'Denied Cellar', but just the first part's enough." Baldi blinked, but wasn't deterred.
"Nice to meet you, Denied," He politely acknowledged with an attempted wave of his wrist. Afterwards, his tone began to turn a little annoyed. "I know we just met, but when Alex came back, I'd hoped I would be moved somewhere safer. But they just… Left me here."
And even worse, it was like Baldi was taken captive. Denied never would've thought that Viktor was this horrible. "Jesus Christ! Here, lemme get ya out of those." Once again he fished out his key, freeing the professor from the cuffs. "Okay, once Alex is on a different floor, we can escape!"
"Thank you!" Baldi smiled gratefully at him, but then frowned again. "That would be great, but I'm afraid that might not be possible."
Shit, he was right. Denied could hear him coming their way. He lowered his voice. "We may have to fight him until we get an opening…"
"Oh, no, I don't just mean that," The professor spoke in the same way, bearing a guilty expression as he struggled to stand. "Please understand that I never meant to do this, but…" Denied tilted his head. "I was compelled to come here by him, just so I would… Release him. It's a long story."
Denied stared at him for a minute. "So that's how he did it. I'm so sorry. Possession's a bitch to deal with."
"That's what he did to me?!"
"Pretty much, yeah…!" A loud knock interrupted their conversation.
"Hey, Tutor! I thought I told you to rot!" Alex yelled from outside. "And I see you've made a new friend! Too bad I'll have to tear him away from you!" Tutor… Why did that sound familiar? "By the way, Denied, I just remembered! I've eaten one of you before. Wanna see?"
The merman bared his teeth and snarled at the door. "You're lying! Screw off!"
"Am I? Are you suuure?" As the demon spoke, his voice began to change - to his own. "Why don't ya open the door and find out?"
Denied was going to, but Baldi held him back, unsteadily. "Don't! It's what he wants!"
"Fight me, Denied. You know you want to!" The merman, overcome with fury, immediately broke free with a roar. He dashed for the door and unlocked it. The second he ripped it open, he went for Alex, claws out.
And was clocked in his good eye, flying into the back wall. It took a few moments, but Denied regained himself, trying to get up. Meanwhile, the demon was cackling. While looking almost exactly like him.
"You know what? Actually? Why haven't I been using this look? Really would've given that weak robot chills!"
"That's enough out of you!" Baldi chastised, ruler selected. Oh boy, here we go.
"You're serious?" Alex sneered, "Don't you know anything? You couldn't hurt me even if you tried." Can't hurt him… Oh.
Denied suddenly recalled something, from ages ago.
Way back in the beginning, his game had two parts of himself - one who is kind, and one who chases down the player. They were usually referred to as "Tutor" and "Angry" respectively. Though, he and many others (if not all), had long since been combined into singular people, getting the best and worst qualities of each. In Denied's opinion, they really were just two sides of the same coin.
However, in Baldi's case, that meant…
This one was a Tutor, still separated from his Angry self. And just like Alex said, and just like how Denied was once, Baldi literally could not fight.
Even so, the professor didn't reply, only glared at the demon with a singular smack of his ruler. Maybe he was going to try anyway? Their enemy huffed. "Death it is then… Phony."
The next thing Denied knew, Alex charged, but Baldi brought the table up by its long side, like it was a shield. Then, pulled Denied inside with him. Once again, Lithuanian was being spoken. "'Can you hear me?'"
"'Uh, yes?! What're you doing?!'" He had no clue what was going on. Meanwhile, the demon was grunting, as he tried to get through their makeshift barricade.
"'I have an idea! I need you to keep our defense up! I'm going to force a flood event!'" The next item that appeared in his hand was a red clipboard, as he hurriedly scoured for what he was looking for. While bewildered, the merman went with it, using his strength to keep Alex at bay. "'Get ready!'"
Hang on, did he say a flood? Like in
From the floor, water began to fill the room, until it reached nearly half of its height.
Wait. Water. Water!
In that instant, Denied understood everything.
"What the fuck?! Where'd all this-?!" The demon noticed as well, pausing briefly in confusion.
"'Professor, do you need to breathe?'" The merman asked to be sure.
"'Nope!'" He managed to see him shake his head. "'Do whatever you have to do, just give us that opening!'"
"'You got it!'" Denied lifted the liquid higher, until it was more like a tidal wave. Then, he shot it directly through the table, pushing Alex along with it, all the way out the door. His gurgled yell was ignored for the most part.
"'Spectacular job, Denied! Now, all we need to do is find a whirlpool!'" He wasted no time with the instruction, using the current to swap to his tail. Technically it wasn't required, but it did hide how freaky it otherwise would've been.
"'Hop on!'" And soon, the two fled. Once they ended up on the other side of what they had searched for, it was only then when reality hit the merman.
He just met the Baldi from the photos. The one allegedly from the hoax. And on top of that, he and Denied actually managed to outsmart Alex. Though, he wondered how the professor knew what he was capable of. Intuition, probably? Regardless, it was hard to believe that this just occurred, but it did.
"'Okay…'" Meanwhile, Baldi sighed in relief, "'He's nowhere near us. That should give us the time to lose him for good.'"
"'Oh wow, yeah!'" The merman couldn't help but laugh, trying to suppress his sudden nervousness. Since the situation no longer called for it, he went back to English. "So, um… About what you did. There's- There's basically no reason why they should be holdin' you here. I can help you out if ya want!"
The event suddenly ended, both he and Baldi falling to the floor with a pair of yelps. Then, there was a warning shot.
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
You will do no such thing.
"Oh son of a bitch…!" Denied cried out, seeing Angell down the hall. "C'mon! Your grunts left him to die! That's not fair! And none of you know the whole story!" Her face turned sickened, walking forward to reach them. The merman saw Baldi raise his arms instinctively, no longer carrying anything.
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
I'd like to see you explain away the entire floor's water damage.
And Baldimore. Before you even think about trying to run, remember that I could always take out your other ankle.
Come to think of it, he did seem to have a limp. Denied tried, but it just amounted to, "Okay, but… Alex!"
"I did the only thing I could think of!" Baldi joined in. "I'm sorry about that, but we were cornered! Was anyone hurt?"
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
Fortunately, no.
However, none of this would've happened if Denied didn't bumble his way to your location.
Alex lost interest in you, but this fool's prowess?
I think we all know who's to blame.
She gave a short pause, then leered down at the merman, gun pointed at him instead. He stared up at it with widened eyes, earfins flaring.
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
Denied Cellar. In Viktor's stead, I'm placing you under arrest.
Comply, or suffer.
"... Could ya hold that thought? Resident villain's catching up to us. Again." What Denied mentioned was true. Quickly, Viktor's protagonist altered her aim, towards Alex.
"Deniiied!" He called, still looking (and sounding) like the merman, aside from his thin, black slit eyes giving him away. "You can't run forever! Somebody tell that to Viktor, too. I've got him on the ropes already! No Marzia, no Tiara, no Erie… Just him."
Angell (VLANGELLICA)
Says the one who ran from me.
"That's because I don't need you, bitch," Alex scoffed, "Or nutty professor here. He's smart, I'll give him that, but it's not good enough. However, if you really want to go down with this sinking ship, fine!"
If anything, right now Denied was waiting for a distraction long enough to switch back to his legs. But if he was hearing correctly, he was about to get his wish.
But it was Baldi who let them all know. "Look out!"
Two windows shattered next to everyone, each of them trying to cover themselves against the debris. Perfect. Denied took the opportunity to make the swap, but by the time he was able to look again, Angell and Baldi had disappeared. Maybe they took off right before the impact?
Can't worry about that now. Standing at last, he looked in front of him again, seeing four characters land through the new holes. Candice, wand equipped; Olivia, holding a reaper's scythe; Scrina, cores ready to attack; and…
Aldurra, with a hand along with his own curved blade. And he had a new fit, too - a deep fuchsia and jet black sleeveless vest, striped in a V pattern, bearing a dark gray collar. Then, matching said collar in color, were asymmetrical, torn shorts ending around his knees. Completing the look was a pair of charcoal bracers, straps accented in dark gray as well. Most likely, so he could go between hand and weapon with ease.
He… Looked wicked. Platonically, of course.
From what Denied could see, the four faced their collective enemy. He could hear Olivia's smirk as she spoke to him. "What happened, Alex? Get too full?"
It didn't take long for Alex to overcome his stun, going smug in response. "You can keep coming back as many times as you like. I'll still kill you. Again, and again." Finally, he stopped using Denied's model, deciding on his standard disguise.
None of them were fazed by the remark. "Let's take this outside." Aldurra grumbled, to Scrina.
"Good idea." Her core lit up, enveloping Alex's entire body into a purple force field, promptly flinging him out of a third window, and beyond the Infinity School grounds. It happened so fast that the demon's shriek was cut off.
"After him. I'll catch up." Aldurra ordered a second time, but it was much more light in tone compared to the first. Nodding, the fairy, little robot, and reaper girls exited the same way they came in. Once done, he took a breath, turning to face the merman directly.
Denied vividly remembered their fallout like it was yesterday. The hurt, the pain, the anger. The belief that he was betraying him, keeping him from seeing the ones he cared about most. Denied had wanted to try and talk it out for a while, but never felt the time was right.
So it was strange, that Aldurra's face was a whole lot softer than expected.
He didn't say any more, so the merman tried, grin undoubtedly forced, afraid. "You… You look… Good." "Well", dammit, "WELL"! Why couldn't he have said "Well" like a normal person?!
But this demon just gave him a small smile. "Yeah…? Thanks. They helped pick it out." Oh, right, the outfit. Nice save. "You too, though I don't think you've changed much."
Why was he being so nice to him? The so-called two-faced backstabber? The brother of the robotic snitch? The both of them being privileged brats? Whatever happened to the angry, spiteful, antisocial Aldurra? The one who struggled to say anything remotely kind in his direction?
"Hey," He got the merman's attention again. "You're still thinking about back then, aren't you?" He nailed it. Denied could only nod, having lost composure already. "Don't be scared. I'm over it. Sorry I called you all that shit."
The merman found something to say. "I'm sorry I made you think that I was… I never would've done that to you, and…" He couldn't continue. Aldurra came forward, and it took everything Denied had to not step back.
"Don't worry, I know that." He shrugged it off. His scythed appendage became a hand, as he tabbed over to an item. A phone?! He showed him its screen. He had a handle now.
DerivativeHellion (Â̶͎L̵̗͑D̴̲͒Ū̷Ṛ̵̎R̴̯͠A̸̙̐)
And… He had no idea how he got that part to work. Then, Aldurra continued, "You wanna try this 'friendship' thing again?" The idea felt too good to be true, but he must've seen the way Denied's eyes lit up, chuckling. "I promise, it's okay. 'MediterraneanWaves', right?"
"Yeah. That's the one." He managed, while Aldurra went to look him up. Then, Denied got a notification.
"... And, there," The scythe came out again. "Anyway, I better go. I still have unfinished business with that freak. Though, you're kinda looking like someone who can't find his way out of a maze, so how about I drop you off at the front gate?"
That would be great, actually. The merman realized that it was all he was trying to do. "Please." He affirmed, following the demon to one of the broken windows. Then, from the back of his shirt, he was lifted off the floor, while Aldurra maneuvered onto the sill. Denied couldn't help but panic, suddenly noticing just how high up they were. "W-Wait, don't literally drop me!"
"Huh? I'm not. We're going together. I don't have fall damage anymore, but I don't know if you do."
"... Oh," He did his best to settle down. "Okay. Okay. I'm ready."
God, he hated heights, but this was still better than locating those damned flights of stairs. In seconds, the demon landed cleanly on the grass. As promised, right in front of them were the gold gates, left ajar. With everything that was going on, being outside again was soothing. Freeing.
"You good?" Aldurra asked, and Denied nodded. He was set down, and he nearly stumbled in retaining balance. "You know where Candice's school is, right? You should drop by sometime; we can catch up then." When acknowledged, he sped off with a small wave, finally joining the others in their fight with Alex.
… Maybe he will, Denied thought, as he accepted Aldurra's friend request.
But first, he found that he had one more stop to make, in light of everything he'd learned today.
Part of him knew this was the shittiest idea ever, impressive coming from him. Still, it was as though he had nowhere else to turn to. Unless Aldurra and his team magically was able to get Alex under control (which, no offense, he doubted it), the latter demon would only continue his onslaught.
All of Viktor's best were out of commission, including most of the Lauras, leaving the Tarwill vulnerable and stretched thin - even having to use his real body until the disguise healed. Billy won't truly fight their adversary unless he had Dave with him, and/or vice versa, but Dave seems to be pretty holed up at home for reasons mentioned before. And even with Angell, even with Denied and Baldi both… They only barely escaped with their lives.
That said, who the fuck else could they rely on now?
Denied stopped at his destination, but not without a gulp. Best case scenario, he could get those two to make up, bringing everyone back together, unified against that motherfucker plaguing them all. And just maybe, put an end to him at long last. And in order to have a chance of accomplishing that, Denied had to be trustworthy.
But if he told anyone, they'd beg, plead, scream, for him to not go through with this. He hated keeping secrets, but… It was a necessity.
So, next to the front gates, black and barbed, the merman reluctantly pressed the doorbell button. Right below it was a speaker, and soon a cheery voice came out of it.
"Oh, hey there! This is Dave #110; how may I help you on this fine day?"
For the love of God, just dingdong ditch instead. That's something Denied could still say happened. But he didn't. "Hi, uh, I'm here to see 1. I got this letter not too long ago, and I gave it some thought…"
There was a pause, as though the microphone was muted. Within a minute however, 110 replied. "That's great news! I'll just open things up for you; come on inside! 1 would love to meet you!" As stated, the gates opened up for him, and the merman had no choice but to enter. No turning back now.
It was clear to see that the first Dave's decor style was very different from the one Denied knew. His was cozy, not at all minding the defaulted state (though that may change soon?), but this place literally felt like stepping into the far future. It was fascinating, otherworldly, and alienating at the same time.
And everywhere he looked, the atrium was teeming with various Daves and associated characters, each and every one coming or going, and if not that, doing something. It was nearly overwhelming. Then, from nearby, 1's Green Alien Monitor approached him. "Welcome, Denied Cellar. 1 is ready to see you. Please follow me."
What came next was a slightly awkward elevator ride to the second floor, which was still visible from the main room. And after that, what appeared to be an office along the walkway of a hall. Just before leaving him, the merman caught how even he bore that red flag of a necklace. In fact, every single one of these guys did.
He just hoped that it wasn't required.
Denied knocked. "It's open." The answer was almost immediate. So he went in, face to face with the first Dave to cross over to the Webspace himself. He was giving him a warm smile, calm in demeanor, as he sat at his desk. "Ah yes, hello Denied. Have a seat." He did, in the guest's chair. "I don't believe we've properly been made acquainted. But it's alright; better late than never. So, did I hear correctly? That you're here due to my letter?"
With a nod, the merman replied, "Yeah. I… Gave this some consideration. But before I do anything, I'd like to ask a couple of questions."
"Go ahead. I'm more than happy to accommodate your concerns." 1 allowed, before reaching upward. From the ceiling appeared what looked like a tea set in silhouette, but covered in the same patterning as it. In moments, that dissolved into its true palette. A small trail of steam was even escaping the tea pot.
Offering a cup, he added, "Would you care for some?"
- VOLUME II END -
More info:
- Truth be told, Denied has the best intentions in spite of messing up. What he'll do next will be considered controversial!
- He's actually not sure if he should reveal that Baldi is real, excited as he'd initially be to share
- He has a "good" and a "bad" eye, colored blue and brown respectively. The scarring on the latter is related to it
- It doesn't mean he's half blind, however - both eyes function normally. The "bad" eye has a different problem. It's not yet known what exactly happened to his update 666 part to cause it, or how it's affected Denied as a whole
- I was thinking about making Billy faint at the sight of Erie's state, but the whole chapter was already tense enough as-is, so I decided not to
- Out of everyone, Dave is being reclusive due to his project
- Yes. Dia was literally put on a bus. Just like the trope. He'll come back!
- Viktor where did you go at a time like this. I don't know, I think something held him up. Originally, I had him return when Angell confronted Denied and Baldi, but decided against that as well. Too much going on
- He would totally never let Angell arrest Denied though, and still thinks Baldi is innocent
- He would, however, lose his marbles over Plan C occurring. If not made clear, it involved Aldurra and friends
- Laura now has less selves overall compared to her peers. It's a shame, but she'll be okay
- The amount of disguises Alex has is frighteningly high. I don't know why I didn't utilize this aspect until recently. I can't even say "well maybe he did when Billy had to deal with him" because of the Denied part. Ah well
- The Denied he took in the past did not have any real powers, nor the Lithuanian fluency. He was rather average aside from physical strength. Still, RIP that guy
- Always check the eyes, if someone has any. If they are thin, black slits, it's Alex!
- Baldi may not be strong or durable, but he can think fast and counter. And while he cannot inflict direct harm, indirect circumstances can still happen!
- And to those of you who know of him, you already understand that he's had his share of battles and psychological horror, namely with his Plus counterpart. So Alex doesn't particularly scare him
- It was more than intuition on his part, when it comes to knowing what Denied can do. More like, he just dug through his code and went "Aha! If I cause a flood, he can use that against Alex!" It's been quite a while since Time For Plus, so he's got a lot better at handling Plus' clipboard
- Sidenote, he originally only had "many major" languages programmed in, but a few less common ones were added later, once it was understood how it was done. He was more than okay with this
- Aldurra literally went shopping with the girls and it resulted in him getting dripped out like WHOA
- Although the last time we saw him was way back in ch 9, he's since chilled out a lot. Big thanks to his long-lost characters, who he got to reconnect with. Overall he's a lot happier of a person
- Candice was the one to tell him that maybe Denied wasn't actually a piece of shit and really was looking out for him. And he was like, "... Oh. Well, fuck."
- That said, she's kind of the momfriend of the group, giving advice to the other three and comforting them
- I made his the way I did because I thought it would be absolutely hilarious to see his true name textually portrayed
- It'd actually look a whole lot more cursed (not "shitty" cursed, legitimately cursed), but all I know is ZALGO stuff so I stuck to that
- There is only one snippet of definition for "hellion" that fits him, sorta, but I like the word itself too much to replace it with anything else. Just that he can be "unruly", "rowdy", or "aggressive". Sometimes…
- 1 is more than well aware of Alex being able to sense people without having to hear them, so if it sounds like a terrible idea to group a bunch of folks together in one place, he's got it covered. The grounds itself has put everyone within it into an "incognito" state. Therefore, it will appear and sound deserted until one enters it
- Hospitality is a shared trait. Only, the difference is the vibe
- Because Denied is the first non Dave-related person to show interest in the Initiative, he would receive the only remaining pendant 1 has left from his original batch. Which was supposed to go to Dave