Chapter description: How is Denied disappearing so frequently?! Aldurra goes on the search!

Tags for this chapter:

dumb Jokes, discussions of Character Consumption, Violence, Wholesome moment

17. Calm Before The Storm

Aldurra began to notice something strange. Well, on top of the other oddities as of late. And to be fair, the Webspace in of itself was a weird place. What do you expect, when you shove a bunch of fangames into a sandbox? Multiples of the same, even?

But that wasn't important, no. What was, was this: Denied was randomly disappearing from his radar, sometimes for hours. Very abruptly, in fact - in all the time before meeting up again, Hell, as far back as the day they met, not once did this occur.

What, did some other Denied show up, who just so happened to have that kind of power? Specifically tailored against an Alex's sensory bullshit? He doubted it; how the fuck would that come to be, anyway? The only other explanation was that the merman was leaving the Webspace entirely, regularly, which also felt confusing. Again, why would he do that?! Neither case made any sense!

Was it Aldurra himself? Was his ability on the fritz?!

Okay. Find… Viktor. Infinity School, second floor, Infirmary. While it almost entirely had to do with body heat (and the ripples their movements made to the air around them), what gave him and all Tarwills away was how cold their internal temperatures were. As much as it would've been nice to go rough him up a bit for being falsely imprisoned, he seemed to already be dealing with a lot, due to Alex.

Aren't we all, Aldurra thought.

Try a harder example. Uh. Billy, he guessed. Oh fuck, he lost count after twenty. The robot was all over the place, simultaneously, like always. Neither warm or cold, but instead matching the area around him. However, he was almost always doing something. Did that guy ever get tired?

From there, Aldurra could spot all kinds of people, whether humanoid, robotic, supernatural… Hold up. Weren't there supposed to be a whole bunch of… Shit, what was his name? David? No, that definitely sounded wrong. The goofy ones in wheelchairs, who somehow don't run over their own legs from the lack of supports.

He asked the first person he could find, from where he was at - Candice's. It ended up being Olivia.

"It's 'Dave', you dumbass," She snorted. "I think they started their own religion or something. Whatever it is, Strobovski hates it big time."

"What the fuck?" Okay, if this domain wasn't already off the rails, it had to be now.

"Oh my God. Don't tell me you haven't come across a single one of the messengers."

"No?" What was she going on about?!

"Well, that's fine. I think I scared 'em off, 'cause he only came here once." The demon could imagine it - some poor Dave knocking on the doors to Candice's school, the aura bright and welcoming. And then faced a skeletal lady who wore an outfit that made her look tough as nails.

The shaking messenger probably only managed to hand her a letter before riding off at top speed, most likely screaming in terror.

"Okay? But what's that gotta do with them disappearing?" Olivia shrugged at the question.

"Beats me." Utterly unhelpful.

"Well, I'm going hunting."

"For… Daves? Or Denied?"

"I think you know."

"... Make sure you roast him first." To that, Aldurra gave a small laugh.

"Oh, believe me. I will."

And so, the search began. It was already dusk, but it wasn't a problem. He first ventured into the merman's natural habitat - the ocean. Then remembered that he can't swim out of the water. It was promptly skipped. Near the boardwalk, was a purple house. Maybe he's in there. Or maybe he knows. Aldurra hoped he wouldn't have to ask.

Let's not mince words here. Aldurra got the fury out of his system when it came to the robot. It was now best described as ambivalence; like, yeah, shit happened, but it's over and done with. Still, if he could help it, it was preferred not to have any further encounters.

Oh yeah, and the gem kid? That didn't matter anymore, either. Poor ol' shortstack just got in way over his head, and that's it.

Anyway.

The demon stealthily peered through the windows, but couldn't find the blue bastard (affectionate). Unfortunately he was spotted, having to duck. "What the-? What's Aldurra doing here?!"

The voice was definitely not Billy's. It was… Wait. A Dave? Aldurra really thought there weren't any left! When he tried to sense him, he could only feel a collection of pixels tightly holding together, to not fall apart like grains of sand. The subtle vibrations was the only thing that made him aware that Dave was present at all.

This wasn't normal. What in the fuck was going on around here?!

He heard the robot approach the window, Aldurra digging his claws into the walls and climbing above it. After a few moments, Billy reported, "I do not see him."

"Huh? That's impossible!" The other joined him, with a distinct whir of his motorized wheelchair. There was a pause, then, "I swear Billy, I am not imagining it…!"

"I wasn't going to say that." Aldurra's grip was slipping. Shit. If he moved any more, they'll surely hear. His only option was a very brief moment of possession, and honestly, he wished there was another way. But it's all he had.

"Leave the wi-" He tried to whisper the direction, but cut himself off as he fell. His yelp of surprise was thankfully overshadowed by Dave's yell. He heard the window shatter, but only when he was on the ground did he realize that a wrench was meters from his position.

The powdery bastard tried to hit him! Self-defense probably, and sure Aldurra was snooping around, but…! Okay fine, Dave had every right to.

"Ah. He is still here." The robot nonchalantly acknowledged.

"Gracious, I'm sorry," Meanwhile, Dave's words were muffled. "I think I can fix it." Oh, the window. Welcome to the club.

A laugh. The demon didn't think that was possible. "Don't worry about it. I'll go fetch your wrench." Aldurra expected to have at least a few seconds to attempt an escape, but stopped cold as he watched Billy use a laser to cut the remaining glass out of the pane, before leaping through it and over him.

He rolled to a stand, effortlessly picking up the item, before turning back and gazing upon Aldurra. The precision was flawless. Or, maybe Billy was just showing off.

"Hello again," He greeted, in his "I'm being polite so you won't try to tear me apart because that was really fucking annoying of you" voice. Then again, Aldurra had to admit that he was likely projecting. "I hope you are not here to cause more trouble for me. I thought we established that we should not be enemies."

Nevermind. The demon was right on the money. He stood, noticing the slight flicker in Billy's gaze, as though looking behind Aldurra. "Nah. I'm actually looking for your brother."

"What has he done this time?" The robot's expression and tone became more obviously wary.

"That's what I'm hoping to find out. Dude's been disappearing a lot recently, and it's been screwing with me."

"Disappearing…" At first, Billy repeated, in thought, "Strange. I saw him yesterday."

"Not like that! Okay. So. You have, I donno, ten of yourselves flying around right now-"

"Twelve." Billy corrected. Aldurra gave him a look.

"Twelve," He groaned, "But I can't find Denied anywhere! What's up with that?!"

"... Alright, you raise a good point. Though, I do not know why. My apologies." No dice.

"Then, you also probably can't tell me where all the other 133 Daves fucked off to, right?"

"Excuse me, if I may?" Aldurra turned, seeing that the only one remaining hadn't left. "Uh, right. I'm Dave 82, but please, just use 'Dave'. Sorry about the whole 'throwing my wrench at you' thing." With a nervous chuckle, he cautiously reached through the window for a handshake. Honestly, Aldurra already forgot.

"It's nothing." The demon shrugged it off, returning the gesture. In spite of what he could sense, the appendage felt solid. Weird. Dave's nerves seemed to calm, but not by much.

"In any case, the rest of them are hiding out at 1's school," He then continued, until Aldurra gave him a look of confusion. "... Dave #1."

The demon found himself snickering, asking in jest, "Number one… What makes him so special?"

"He means that he's literally the first one to come here." Billy supplied, as he walked back over, handing Dave the tool. Hold on. If that was true, then… 82's wasn't arbitrary or rank-based either?!

But to be fair, Aldurra did spend his first several months here living in a hole in the ground. In two different locations. Even now, he was still adjusting.

"Oh," Was all he could say. But while piecing it together, there was a revelation: If that's where they are, could they and Denied be correlated? "Well, I guess that's my next clue. I'm outta here." He didn't give them the chance to reply, sprinting off.

Try as they might, however, Aldurra caught a bit of smalltalk after the fact. "He's… Much taller than I thought."

"213 centimeters does seem like a lot. But then again, Erie is two mes stacked together."

"Ah, yes, that's right…"

Night, overcast in clouds, had settled in when Aldurra found the place at last. Damn, he probably should've asked about what it looked like, or where it was. Before he could try opening the front gates, he felt a presence nearby.

Alex. In truth, he'd been vaguely aware of his obscene counterpart, but idiotically chose to ignore him. But he no longer could, as Aldurra faced him head-on, meters apart.

"Just you today?" Alex spoke first, his grin wide-set as usual. "Well, great! That'll make this easier."

Aldurra huffed. "Can we not do this right now? I'm busy."

"Busy, eh? Are we looking for the same thing?" Christ. He should've known what his choice of destinations would've implied. "A certain resident? Who's very… Blue?" It took effort for Aldurra to keep his cool, deciding not to respond.

"I really shouldn't be bothering to tell you this," Alex went on, "But that imbecile is surprisingly valuable. Are you aware of how many Denieds he's composed of?" Again, Aldurra didn't entertain a reply. "Fifteen. Not bad for a more obscure game, but… You see where I'm going with this?"

When did he learn that? Aldurra never really gave it much thought. And yet, it began to make sense; the merman was full of abilities and quirks, which could only be due to becoming an assemblage of copies and versions.

But it wasn't uncommon, even he knew that. "So? He's not the only one who blends their selves together. What's he to you?"

"That's true! But here's the thing," His malicious variant smirked, "None of the others would be as fun to nab. This aquatic bastard, on the other hand, has lots of connections. Family, friends, including you. While I would make everyone hate me more, it won't matter. Once I have him, there'll be no one who can stop me anymore."

He wasn't wrong. Everyone who loved Denied would be spun into a rage, only to fall to despair once they realize there's nothing they can do about it. In fact, it'd tear Aldurra in two. Billy to scrap. And whoever else to pieces.

And Alex will just stand there and laugh at their suffering. That sick son of a bitch.

And what was worse? Something else dawned on Aldurra. "You didn't go to Viktor's to finish him off."

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Alex pretended to ring a bell with a small laugh. "So! The million dollar question is: Who's gonna catch him first? You, or I?"

No way. Was this motherfucker seriously suggesting that Aldurra should

"You already understand how doomed you are if I win. But, if you took him… You just might be able to start keeping up with me. If you're really lucky, kill me once and for all! Wouldn't that be great for you and your pathetic friends?"

When Aldurra mentioned hunting, and Olivia said to roast Denied, the two were joking. He could never

"And all it takes," Alex's teeth began to show, "Is one. Little. Sacrifice." The idea was disgusting. Revolting. "However, I'm not gonna wait around for you to make up your mind. As soon as I'm able to? He's mine."

And, theoretically speaking, Aldurra would be the one despised, no matter how noble the intention. If Alex believed, for even a second, that Aldurra would take the bait…

"Okay. For that crock of shit alone, I'm going to kick your ass." Alex hummed to himself, somehow disappointed.

"Really. I just gave you the intel on how to beat me, and you spit on it. Just when I thought you couldn't possibly get any lower. Other Alexes would've jumped at this chance to have an edge! What the actual FUCK is wrong with you?"

"I could ask you the same thing. What Alex goes around killing off innocent copies of games, especially his own, for fun?" It shut him up, as he blankly stared through him.

Then, he took a breath. "Wow. Touché. I suppose I am also the first of my kind - one end of an extreme, you on another. It's all so obvious. We were always fated to be enemies. But I wonder who'll come out on top." His scythe appeared, and quickly, Aldurra did the same, but with both.

The demons charged for each other, and even if Aldurra knew he couldn't destroy him on his own, he could at least give him a bad time. The clash sent a wave of sound so piercing, that many would've heard it.

Aldurra could only thank his prior experiences, aware of every trick his adversary could pull, finding it easy to be unfazed when he tried clawing at him with an unrelated Denied form.

Oh yeah, he already had one? Aldurra wouldn't be surprised if this asshole had multiples of various folks in his collection. Victims to a character devoid of mercy. Perhaps if Alex finally died, they would be able to pass on, to whatever afterlife awaited them. … Assuming there was such a thing.

When a slash failed to harm him (but it did leave a nasty tear in his vest; fuck, he loved that thing!), Aldurra got an idea. He bit down on the arm, leaving Alex unable to pull it back. With his own, his enemy's blade was severed, trying to ignore the agonizingly loud screech that followed. Of course, unlike Viktor's axe, it will grow back. But for the time being, Alex had nothing left.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Aldurra was blindsided with a powerful right hook, releasing the remaining arm. Stunned, he only registered a flash of blue before he was effortlessly lifted and tossed somewhere.

The fence. Oh God, not the fence. All he could do was brace for impact, eyes squeezed shut and teeth grit.

Luckily, he'd landed in between its poles, but it was still going to be obnoxiously difficult to wriggle out of this. Vision upside down, he saw Alex approach, now completely looking like the merman, ready to strike.

And at the same time, so suddenly, Aldurra sensed many, many characters. The Daves. Their various affiliates. And, most importantly… No. It couldn't be. But it was.

As well as he could, Aldurra blocked with his scythes, as his opponent's face split open in all four directions. "I'm so fucking tired of you. I want your pathetic existence erased! It shouldn't be that hard! Why won't you just DIE already?!"

Aldurra emitted a growl, holding position. Still, at least his tenacity was pissing him off. Then, a Dave flew out of the school, high in the air as he sailed overhead. Too quickly for Aldurra to register, Alex was pulled away from him.

And… Didn't return. Huh. Wild, but he'll take it.

Once he gathered his bearings, he attempted to free himself from the clutches of the fence. It wasn't working. Shit.

He was about to call Olivia when he heard the front doors open up. Then, voices that sounded like… Dave 82? Yeah, him. But none of them were him.

"Alright! I think the coast is clear!"
"Good lord, that was scary…"
"Wait! One of them is still here! He's stuck!"

A pause.

"... And neither of you are going to do anything?"
"Oh! Are you offering, 46? Bless you!"
"Yes, you're so kind! We'll just… Wait here!"

A facepalm, and a muffled sigh. "Cowards." A quiet whir as Dave 46 approached, wheeling through the gate and reaching him. Around his neck was a strange, inverted triangle pendant. Or perhaps it was intended to be a pyramid, like a reverse Illuminati kind of deal. Regardless, it must be the emblem for the, uh… Thing. "Excuse me, sir! Do you need any help?"

The demon was told to try turning to his side, but even with added lubrication, he couldn't budge. "Darn, you're really stuck in there. I think we'll need some extra muscle. Thankfully, I know just the guy! One minute, okay? I'll be back!"

"Sure." 46 left him there. But it didn't take long for Aldurra to notice the movements of… Him. He didn't really have the time to ponder it before, but why was he here? Why was he hanging out with all these Daves? What if he was

"Oh. Oh my God, no. No no no no no! He can't see me like this! Nobody can!" Aldurra stiffened. It'd been a secret. As if knowing that if it wasn't, something bad would happen. But why did it have to be about this?

Out of nowhere, Aldurra was yanked from his prison, thrown, in fact. Disoriented, he met the pavement with a yell. But that wasn't the end of it, as he began to notice a burning sensation.

He was wrapped in a silver chain.

Tugged around again, and forced off the ground, he became face-to-face with its wielder. A floating, futuristic-looking Dave, but not quite. Like 46, he too wore the bronze necklace. In his free hand, a gun-like weapon appeared, aiming at the demon's head. By contrast, his voice was much lower in pitch, and his face and tone suggested that he meant business. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pull this trigger."

Trying to ignore the sizzling pain of silver on his arms and calves, Aldurra replied, "For… What crime, exactly?"

"You led him here. And now, you know how we've been hiding."

"Hey, it's not my fault that the fucker followed me! Besides, I don't think he needed me to realize that."

The gun jabbed harshly against his forehead. "Stop wasting my time, Aldurra."

How'd this guy know his name? Which one was he, anyway? At least somebody who's high ranking.

"Jesus. Fine. I'm getting the feeling that this is less about Alex and more about… A particular follower of whatever bullshit triangle religion you guys got going on here."

"And?"

"Look buddy, if you're that worried about me squealing, don't. I hate snitches. Beat the Hell out of a robot about it once." The demon wasn't given a reply for a short while, only a stare. Then, the weapon was lowered, he was released from the chains, and he fell onto the road again.

"Very well, then. But if I see you and Alex near my school again, I won't be so forgiving."

"Yeah, uh… Whatever, man," Aldurra groaned, slowly rising to his feet. When the Dave began to leave, he added, "Hey. I know you just saved my ass, and I appreciate that. But I've actually been looking for him. Think maybe you could let him take a break from praying to the pyramid or whatever? For like, five minutes?"

A pause, as he considered it. "My Initiative is no laughing matter. However, if that's the worst you can do, then I don't see why not. I will retrieve him. Keep him for the night, if you so desire." His Initiative? Ah, that must be their leader. Dave #1? That explained a lot.

When 1 went over the fence, his entire body disappeared, along with being able to sense him. Okay, how was he doing this shit?!

As the demon pondered, his attention was brought to the gates, which he saw open on their own. Then, from seemingly nowhere, Denied stepped out, quickly seeing him. And just like the Daves inside, he also wore the pendant.

The merman was despondent, as though expecting to be ripped into. At this point, Aldurra was just happy to see him. The expression didn't change as he approached. "You okay? Ya kinda look… Er, hurt."

"Meh, I've been through worse. So, this is where you've been disappearing to, huh?"

"I-It's not what you think, I swear. I can explain…" The fear was evident. Or was it guilt? Shame? A mixture?

"How about you do that when we get to your place?" It was the safest location they could venture to, considering Alex's latest shenanigans. As long as Denied took him back to the surface, Aldurra didn't mind the trek as much. Plus, his all-black wetsuit made him look both slick and sick. Wicked, even!

Alex can fuck right off with the whole "Oh my God why are you a demon full-time, how disgraceful" shtick. He was probably just jealous. He could have every disguise there is, but none of it would beat the feeling of self-acceptance. Â̶͎l̵̗͑d̴̲͒ū̷ͅṛ̵̎r̴̯͠a̸̙̐.

Back to the point, the merman gave a nod at the question. On the way, Aldurra couldn't help but add, "... Do you wear that everywhere?"

Denied shook his head, then unequipped the accessory. "Only while I'm on school grounds, usually."

"... There're things I can't say, but I have a good reason for doing this. It's, well." After the two had reached their destination, Denied told him. All the while, the demon couldn't help looking over that weirdass pendant. Where'd 1 get these things?

Anyway, apparently he and Viktor used to be really good pals back in the day. And when Alex showed up, it indirectly broke them apart. Through THRIVE, Denied hoped to eventually get them to make up.

What initially started as a wild goose chase, was now the realization of how entrenched the merman was. Aldurra hoped he wasn't going to sink. And as innocuous as Denied's goal was, the only thought on the demon's mind was how to cheer him up, at least for a little while. It might sound weird, but he kinda missed when Denied took shit in stride, laughing off any danger like it was nothing.

While Aldurra could appreciate the new sensitivity, as the circumstances of long ago weren't the best, he wouldn't refuse seeing both traits. A confident smirk when things got rough, but also being serious when appropriate.

But how to bring back that old spark? The demon guessed that it was something to work towards. For the moment, perhaps a joke or two would help.

"Damn. And so we're clear, you're not worshipping a triangle?"

"... No?"

"Fuck. I knew it was a pyramid."

"No, man! That's not…!" But Denied was chuckling.

"Shouldn't it be a circle?"

"Wha-? Why a circle?!"

"Pi. You know, 3.14. Isn't pizza kind of like a pie?"

"Oh my God…" The playing dumb act was working - through his laughter, the merman gained enough courage to let Aldurra have it. "That's-... That's Geometry! They do Algebra!"

"Ah. Shows how much I know, then. Hell, in mine, biology implies Humans, but no. Just plants and animals."

"Hm, yeah… Though, that does remind me," Denied paused, face softening, "I've been thinking. Like, if I ever had the chance to, I would've had my subject changed. Marine bio." He stopped, noticing Aldurra's stunned look. To the demon, it sounded so perfect.

"Hear me out!" But the merman viewed it as skepticism. "Sure, people learn a bit of zoology and shit, but that's only accounting for the surface! Aquatic life's an untapped market! Underutilized! We still haven't mapped out all of the depths! What the fuck is down there? Who knows?! And that's why we need more people willin' to find out!"

Denied would be wonderful at teaching it. Why stop at a mere revision?

"I think you should go for it."

"What?"

"I think I want to kiss you."

Denied froze. "That's not what you said!"

"Ha, then you did hear me the first time."

"Are you-… Are you flirting with me?!"

"Didja want me to?" This felt familiar. Where has this happened before…?

The merman was trying to hide his face, turning away to do so. He muttered something, in a language that the demon didn't understand. Lithuanian, wasn't it? Then, he continued, trying to keep composure, "... Maybe when this is all over, I'll look into it."

More info:

- Aldurra being comfortable in his own skin is something I wish on everyone

- Dave's getting better! Almost recovered, in fact. That was quick
- Why do people keep breaking shit? I have no idea

- So when the Baldi thing fell through, Alex's "next best thing" was Denied. It really wouldn't have mattered who, so long as it's someone with a decent amount of combined duplicates, and someone he can eat. He's hungry

- Dave 46 is a "fearless" Dave. Nothing really fazes him, and he's ready to brawl anytime

- If you remember from chapter 10, you probably know what 1 actually wanted to do to Aldurra
- The chain isn't even his main weapon, but he's adept with different styles
- I like to imagine that he made Alex skid, even shoving his face in the dirt. 1 was pissed

- Denied wanting to opt for marine biology is inspired by how many people in the BBIEAL/BBAU fandom unequivocally decided that he was some kind of fish person, whether a Human/fish hybrid or even a merman (I once saw a tiny doodle of him as one, it was so cute!). If it was more easy for fangames to do their own subjects, I could easily see this one for Denied's