Author's Notes: Fun fact, whenever I try writing while sleep deprived I keep accidentally switching to present-tense instead of past. Weird!
I'm going to try and take a slightly different tone with this interlude. Something more halcyon, poetic, and less personal. If that doesn't sound appealing to anyone, then this chapter is mainly going into Quartermaster's backstory. You'll miss little to nothing if you decide to just skip to next chapter. I think that fits Quartermaster's perspective best. Anyways, this will either be very long or very short! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Camp, that belongs to Rooster Teeth.
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Chapter 10
Quartermaster's Interlude: From One To One
There are legends. And there are myths. And there are oral tales passed down from generation to generation. Some came close, but none quite captured the truth of who he was. Or rather, what He was. That indomitable force of nature that created miracles with his hands. That black-robed figure who wandered the woods and disappeared in the early fog. That lone stranger who walked amongst the bears and the wolves.
But, they called him The Master.
Master of what exactly? Master of the arcane arts that flourished in his fingers? Master of the world, for he knew so many of its deepest, most horrifying, forbidden secrets? Master of nature, for its laws bent to his words? Master of the unknown, for it seemed he only appeared to vanquish the unspeakable? He had never asked nor cared. In turn, they have never explained.
His first memory was of crystal waters and iridescent skies. Golden grains of sand underneath his fingers and toes. A blazing sun that illuminated evergreen trees and meadows. And the gentle lullaby of nature.
The first thing He did was release the bubbling energy in his veins. And he watched in wonder and joy as blazing, ruby flames filled the air with flare. He smiled that day with heat blanketing his skin, knowing his purpose. Indeed, from the moment He came to be, he was one with the universe in its ethereal glory.
The Master's undeniable power both captivated and terrified those around him.
—
He seldom left his forest. It is where he was born and where he shall never leave. How long had it been since he first opened his eyes? Time had become an irrelevant concept in recent years. Death did not touch him, and hedoubted it ever would.
Only when his duty took him afar did he travel beyond the evergreens. There was a meagre settlement expanding a way away from his forest. Those humans and their need for companionship. He never could understand. Their buildings were built of burly wood and sturdy stone. Yet such pithy barriers would provide null protection if the apocalypse galloped through their homes.
The people there - Jews, they called themselves - disliked him. No, they abhorred him to the bone. "Devil!" Humans cried when He walked their streets. They saw what hecould perform with the arcane and feared him, feared that he would be their ruin. Although, the feeling wasn't reciprocated. He would never cower before them and their threats. Why should he? What could they do to stop him, that indomitable force of nature?
Plenty, it turned out.
They cornered him in his forest. He had just conquered a hellish week, an apocalypse each day and night. His muscles protested every movement. His power was at its lowest. It was a mystery how the fight lasted longer than an hour in his state.
The humans bound him to stone and doused him in oil. Afterwards, a white-robed figure held a torch in his hands, chanting in a language hedid not understand before setting him aflame.
The Master screamed as his body burned. He felt every cell in his limbs thrash and flail in anguish. Yet the humans decided it wasn't enough. Something else invaded his body, increasing his suffering in spades. It lurked like a tiger behind lush foliage, waiting to pounce. It took far too long for him to realize what that something was targeting: his power.
He howled while the arcane was ripped from his skin and quartered.
And as the world, forest, and humans retreated, a single promise burned in his manic mind. "Once I undo this… they will pay with their blood." However, even that was forgotten once all was said and done with.
The Master went from one to four: He, She, Brother, and Sister.
—
There was no undoing what was done to him… them.
At first, them four joining forces had been the sensible course of action to enact revenge. But it fell apart like ashes after cackling at the burning settlement's remains and decoding their dear grimoire. For in that short fragment of time, the quarters had changed irreversibly. They'd become addicted to independence, too human, and were no longer willing to sacrifice it for his powers. For the tontine. And even if they all miraculously agreed to reunite right then and there, only a quarter's personality would remain intact. Only a quarter. The Master's spirit was gone for good.
The frustration of the ordeal, the unfairness of it all, caused He to smash a poison bottle. "FUCK! FUCK THIS! FUCK ALL OF YOU!
—
Thinking wasn't something he did often after separation. He just knew he wanted to get as far away as heavenly possible from his homeland. Despite who knows how fucking long The Master lived in his forest, they lacked the same sentimentality. So, it came to none's surprise when the quarters jumped ship and abandoned their eternal post. Besides, there was no point in staying. Not without his powers to continue his task.
His first death post-quartering was unmemorable. If there's anything to be grateful for, it's that his fear of death remained non-existent.
"What the fuck happened…?" He snarled, resting a hook against his weary temple. His reflection is crystal clear in the lake. A broken body on display for all to see. He hates it, kicking the water and allowing ripples to distort his image. Golden sand rubbed against his clothes. And the quarter averted his single eye from the omniscient moon.
Foggy memories clouded his mind. He died in some random city alley in an unnamed country. It probably helped shit being drunk on his ass most of the time anyways. Or having lost himself in hedonistic pleasure after pleasure, trying to do anything but think.
A feminine cough caught his attention. "Excuse me?"
His eye twitched, recognizing one of the three voices he'd tried to scrub clean from memory. He reluctantly twisted his neck to glare at She. "What the hell are you doing here?" The man growled, pushing himself onto unsteady feet. Because there was no way they managed to defy the odds and perish simultaneously. There was no way the Gods hated them that much to toy with fate's strings.
"I LIVE HERE, FUCKER!" She angrily flailed her two, completely normal arms around. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE? I SAID I NEVER WANTED TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN!"
He felt a vein throb on his head. Seriously, why did he have to stay connected with that goddamn lake? "WELL, I'M SORRY MY DEATH'S INCONVENIENCING YOU. NOT! Take it up with the higher-ups if you got a problem with it!" The male shot back, temper ignited. It took another second before her screeching registered in his head. "What do you mean you live here, CRAZY BITCH?!"
"I live here means I FUCKING LIVE HERE! Or did you lose your thinking juice along with your ugly-ass eye-" She screamed back, dressed up in some ridiculous garb reminiscent of royalty.
He'd heard rumours of a she-witch trying to overthrow some doll-face European's throne. "Should've known it'd be that whore…" Thankfully, it failed spectacularly. But, apparently she hadn't let the ridiculous, frilly costume go after fleeing.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" The man snapped, killing intent practically dripping from his form. "Now you the stay the fuck away from me!" He threatened, taking a lone step across the lake's coast. Even though his instincts screamed to rip the bitch to shreds, hair by hair, organ by organ, she really just wasn't worth the expense. None of them gave a rat's ass about the tontine anymore…
"OR WHAT?!" She challenged, shrinking the space between them. In the process, silver light caught on her own hook foot.
"OR…" He started, body tensed and rearing for a showdown. However, the man paused when a sudden tremor shook the earth. "What in the…?" The quarter hissed, nearly losing his balance and forgetting about her for a brisk moment.
A moment too long, it turned out.
Everything happened so fast. One breath and the water exploded behind him with an ear-splitting screech. In the next, he'd been shoved aside as his fellow quarter courageously leapt forward, hook raised defiantly above the rapids.
He was used to the Eldritch horror that broke the surface and shattered the sky. The Master's memories had simply been… pushed aside. They hadn't any worth for him! What the man was explicitly not used to was seeing She in combat. After all, The Master had always acted alone and thus never saw himself fight! The woman was quick on her feet, sharp, and coldly efficient. Yet there was a certain… grace to her movements that kept him mesmerized.
The battle itself lasted only eighteen minutes. And as the beast sank below the current, She laughed at his face. "Like what you see?" The woman slyly teased, voice like fine silk.
He shook himself out of his stupor, matching her gaze. "… You've been continuing his work." The male stated dumbly.
"That I have." She nodded, walking closer and closer. Slowly though, as to drain every drop dry of the memory. Without a single one of his powers too… He couldn't see why she would. The woman answered, as if reading his thoughts. "It's our purpose."
Honestly… he found that really fucking attractive.
—
At first, He stayed in the forest because he was too busy fucking She for days on end. Later, the man remained because of the alluring prospect of purpose. He truly wanted to know if the other quarter had found a way out of the desolate wandering they'd forsaken themselves to.
They were together for a few months. A few months for He to polish his tricks and instincts. A few months for He to retrace his steps back toward their progenitor. A few months for He to realize the woman had been speaking truthfully. It was like everything finally settled into place as he slipped into the shoes of the Eternal Custodian. A dying ember, gifted enough wood to become a blaze.
"We should reunite…" She was the one who proposed one night, mid-embrace. Without the quarters' infighting, they were essentially the same person from appearance to personality. But, those days they even fought for the same purpose. In the grand scheme of the universe, two custodians were not needed.
They had their purpose, whether apart or together.
"As you wish." He slid his hand behind her sweaty back. And with a single breath, the process of reunification began.
Reuniting was neither painful nor pleasant. There were feelings of both loss and gain. He felt his body dissolve into tiny particles, energy exploding from a crumbling frame. The same occurred to She. Their particles interwove and looped in a dance of wills. Their minds turned to air as they mingled together. Light retreated as chance chose the victor. And where once stood a couple then stood the custodian.
They are He and She no longer. Only He remains…
From two to one.
—
It was a regular Sunday when He saw the man. Brown hair. Blue eyes. The human wore a flimsy yellow scruff around his neck. On first impressions, the custodian believed him to be like all the others that came to the forest. Loonies who fooled themselves into thinking they loved the outdoors whilst lacking the will to fully embrace it. He usually left them alone lest they got in his way.
Besides, The Master hadn't been one to seek out companionship. A trait that had carried over to his quarters despite their diverging paths.
"Hi ho, nature-no, that's lame… Oh, what about adventure?! Kids love adventure! Wait, no, too generic… God, why is thinking of a summer camp motto so hard?!" The man talked to himself, pacing in a circle near the forest's edge.
"Weirdo." He judged before making his presence known. The human was standing above the spot he'd buried his stash. "Boo."
The man was easily startled, screaming like a little girl. Funny. But, he quickly regained his composure and coughed into his fist. "I-mean, who are you?! And what are you doing trespassing on Cameron C. Campbell's property?" Campbell put on false bravado, almost hiding the plain fear underneath. Almost.
"I live here." He bluntly explained.
His response seemed to take the human off guard, stepping back in alarm. However, the surprise vanished just as quickly as the first, and Campbell turned to mumble to himself. "A local all the way out here? But, the charades person said it was uninhabited… Perhaps it was a mistake trusting a mime's word…"
Was the custodian not supposed to hear him? It'd been a while since He last left the forest. Apparently, humans got weirder while he was gone. As if he'd never pivoted in the first place, Campbell spun back energetically. "Say, my good fellow! Do you happen to know any inspirational local sayings that one could copyright as their own?" The man's smile was obnoxiously bold.
"No." The custodian apathetically debunked.
Campbell wilted at his answer. "Oh…" He pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. "What about any salutes of sorts? Something that screams camaraderie or another marketable concept?"
He debated for a moment, although his outward expression remained stony. "Like this?" The older of the two by far demonstrated, using the weird hand signal She had invented for her failed monarchy. They weren't exactly comrades but close enough, right?
The human's eyes lit up. "Perfect! Finally, life is going Cameron C. Campbell's way! Now, I just need to think of that damn motto, build the blasted camp and hire… " Campbell's gaze fell upon him once more. "Say, local fellow! Would you like to work for me in my Summer camp?" He eagerly offered, a cheap gleam in his face. Before He could answer the man forwarded his pitch. "The pay is better than anything you'll find in any other Summer camp, or any camp for that matter…"
He stopped paying attention after the word pay. "Pay as in money?" The custodian inquired, just in case. No one wished for a repeat of the oregano incident. Dark times those days. Dark times.
Campbell sputtered… indignantly… maybe. "Why, why of course! I would never try to scam my own employees…"
He liked money. It's a hell of a lot easier to get shit done outside of the forest with money. "Deal."
—
The work was laughably easy, if annoying. He hated kids with a burning passion. Fortunately, the custodian only had to deal with the fucking kids during mealtimes and the occasional event or trouble.
"Oh, that's the good shit…" He sighed in bliss after downing his second bottle of rat poison. While the elder was supposed to be cleaning up the grounds from… Baking Camp, his job had reached hazardous heights since the newest brat was doing a performance of some kind. "Damn kids…" He grumbled, trying to block out the loud gaggle of youths a few yards off.
Don't get him wrong, the custodian had been intrigued when Campbell introduced the various camps. Particularly, the magic campers. It had never occurred to the old man that there might be others gifted in the arcane. Let alone, search for them.
Unfortunately, He was grossly disappointed with the results. Every magic camper - if they stayed for more than a week that is - showed no promise in his area of expertise. They relied on deceit and trickery, fooling the human mind with human lies. Not a drop of the arcane anywhere.
That year proved no different. The boy with hopeful yet apprehensive eyes was limited to card tricks and metal rings. "Fuck, disappointing…" He thought.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to The Amazing Harrison's Magic Show!" The boy charmingly headlined, arms spread out wide, imitating a shining star. Polite claps and excited hollers chased after him. So, the boy carried on, irrefutably pleased by his reception. From that point forward, the spectacle was more or less what He expected. Of course, it appeared that the boy was better than those before him. His tricks were harder to comprehend, contained extra colours. Yet without the arcane, the custodian held no vested interest-
Flames burst from the boy's hands.
He stilled, staring at the dazzling sparks while the children oohed and awed. The world skidded to an abrupt halt even as the boy bowed off stage for his next trick. Amber embers fluttered around them. Perhaps it was the halcyon expression of wonder on his face? Or was it the way the blaze heartedly glowed? No matter, He recognized the arcane when he saw it.
"That one has potential…" The custodian declared, marvelling at the notion of finding another like him.
—
Sister came and went one day, thanks to the tall one's meddling. He is pretty darn confident they've steered clear of each other longer than the tall one's been alive. But, with how long they've walked the land, their encounter was a mere blink of an eye.
He is mildly taken off guard by how easy the reunification process was. How little time it took compared to She. Perchance there was merit in the fools'… counselling, was it? Nonetheless, his will proved supreme once more. They are together now. Forever and ever and ever.
From three to one.
—
For unknown reasons, that boy limited his spells to the same cheap shit as those before him. But, perhaps it was for the best. Their eternal tasks were not suited toward the heavy-hearted. And He would never subject another soul to dredge down a trail not of their choosing. He would suffocate before echoing those hooligans who'd quartered him.
The custodian never reached out. In turn, the boy failed to realize their shared abilities.
So, He didn't expect the boy to be the one to approach him. And not only once, but twice.
To put it mildly, He had offered him participation in his eternal tasks because he was being a nostalgic motherfucker. Although, the custodian had long learned to survive - maybe not completely accept living - without his powers, he missed them. The man yearned for the rush of mana in his veins, arcane's comforting hum beneath flesh. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to see the arcane in action again.
And reservations aside, it goddamn irked him to see those abilities being wasted in that fucking camp.
However, staring at Brother's bound body, He supposed he'd somewhat underestimated the boy's latent potential even after a month. Even though the kid lacked experience - it couldn't be helped compared to his millennia - he had enough raw power to rival his prime.
"MOTHERFUCKER!" Brother seethed, trying to eviscerate him with his eyes.
"Fucking fool…" If He had two balls to roll he would've done so. "DON'T YELL AT ME WHEN THIS IS YOUR OWN FUCKING FAULT! ANY ONE WORTH THEIR DAMN WOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO FIGHT ME!" The custodian stabbed him for good measure, just to make sure the message stuck. Payback…
Brother reared his teeth, struggling like a fish in a net. It suited him. "SHUT UP!"
"MAKE ME!" He fired back, waving his arms in the air to emphasize that oh, he couldn't!
"I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO BEAT YOU IF YOU JUST AGREED TO REUNITE ALREADY!" The other man argued, skin turning an ugly red from his incessant yanking. He needed to ask the boy what those scarves were made out of. "YOU HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT WE COULD DO WITH HS GIFT! ANYTHING WE WANT! YOU'RE JUST, JUST-"
"I'VE BEEN DOING OUR DAMN JOB!" The custodian boomed, getting face to face with him, shaking the earth with his voice. "Well, what exactly has your fucking lazy ass been up to all these years? Sucking bear dicks and obsessing over the goddamn tontine?"
Silence. Good.
He was about to taunt him further when Brother bit his hand. And the custodian was unwillingly pulled into their reunification process. Neither of them, any of them, were the type to throw their lives away. It seemed his final quarter had decided to stop beating around the bush for the tontine's winner. It's the same and yet so different.
From four to one.
—
They opened their eyes.
—
Author's Notes: You know, the first time I wrote a swear in a story and showed it to people, they freaked out. I never swear in real-life, lol. It's always flip or shoot for me! So, finishing this chapter… yeah. This update alone contains probably more swears and curses than I've ever said in my life.
Anyways, I really need to work on my old man rhetoric. It was easy with just Quartermaster and Harrison. But, the angry screeching between quarters is a bit harder. So, onto the actual quarters! I was originally going to have She (I call her Quartermother in my head) willingly give her identity up before reunification. But, then I realized that the world would have to end before any of them sacrificed themselves like that, as stated in the work. So, Quartermaster needs to be pretty lucky.
Also, I'm ignoring Campfire Tales, he could've made that up to get a reaction!
Just two more chapters to go! Please tell me your thoughts below and have a great day! Until next time!