Thanks go to Andyfire123, 10burgers, Wingah, Doctah Sawbones, Jack54311, CrystalGamer82, EpicSlayerGuy99, LightYagamitheKira, cagrijan1904, Allagenda-domsitzers-chan, Skele, Zack Frost, Genowar, NBoss01, and Acoolnamme.
Acoolnamme, thanks for reading all the way through the original and still having the energy to come read through all of this one! (And also giving me insight on why people read the original still instead of coming right to the rewrite because for the longest time that really confused me lol) I hope you continue to enjoy the story and review!
Happy birthday NBoss01! I was almost gonna delay this chapter because I had a lot going on but then I saw your review and realized I can't leave a homie hanging on his birthday so I found the DETERMINATION and the time to finish things! I hope you like the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.
"What is this?! What's going on?!"
Those were the first words to tumble out of Predator's mouth when she found herself quite literally glued to the edge of her seat in packed stands in some weird ass circus she hadn't remembered buying a ticket to. What she did remember was chilling out in the common area of her super cool base, only to suddenly be falling forty feet through the couch and into some fucked up clown's little show.
"Uhh, boss?"
Predator's head snapped to her side, and she felt some relief when she spotted her right hand man there with her in this strange place. Clover was planted in his seat in the same manner that she was, but that didn't appear to be what distracted him. He didn't look to her, and though his cowboy hat shadowed his eyes like usual, it was apparent he was staring down into the arena below.
"Huh? Wassup, Clover?" Predator furrowed her brows over at him, her anxiety clear in the way icy smog trickled out from between her teeth when she exhaled. "You got any idea what's going on?"
"Can't say I do." A frown curled the JUSTICE soul's lips downward, and he lifted one finger slowly, pointing down to center stage. "But I reckon we got bigger problems."
Predator followed his finger's trajectory, and when her light blue orbs landed upon who he was pointing at, they went wide. Her pupils shrunk, her breath catching in her throat when she saw him. Crowbar in hand, standing from the disgusting worm he sat on like a throne, his bare upper body marked up with a thousand and one scars and that mane of ivory hair running down the back of his neck and over his shoulders. She couldn't see much of his face as she was on his side, but he was unmistakable.
"I'm going to make an opening, and you are going to run."
"A-... Anthony..?"
Chapter 38: Ohana Means Family
"We aren't different at all. You're just a better liar than me."
"You get to witness a revolution! Uee hee hee!"
Grimm/Nightmare King by RetroSpecter
Emotionless rubies stared at a sky of shimmering diamonds as the wicked jester threw back his hand, summoning one of his four suits in the form of enough murderously sharp gems to blot the nonexistent sun of the void circus. Anarchy didn't seem to pay much mind to this display however, spotlights circling madly as he held out his right arm, his shield appearing on his forearm just as Jevil threw his hand down towards him.
From the heavens Jevil's piercing stones rained, and pathetically they shattered against The Anarchist's shield. Glimmering shards exploded out around him as nothing but his shield stood between him and the downpour of doom. He didn't seem the least bit concerned however, effortlessly waving his free hand upwards, as though he was beckoning something to rise. Adhering to his wishes, the earth shattered apart behind him, and one massive black pincer raced upwards through the skin shredding precipitation, which shattered against the shell covering it's bug-like arm and claw.
"Scary, scary!" Jevil cried with joy as death reached from below to snatch him from the sky, pulling his ax-scythe above his head. Just as the jagged edges of that pincer snapped shut around him however he swung Devilsknife downward, hooking it's point into where the two prongs of the pincer met and yanking himself up above the crashing claw. He front flipped onto it's chitinous arm, landing on his feet and swinging his head forward to shoot a grin down the arm towards The Anarchist, who was quickly running up insectoid limb to meet him.
The two Heirs to Chaos cocked back their respective weapons as they reached each other, and a mad clang resounded when The Anarchist's Inheritance collided with Jevil's Devilsknife. Ruby connected with gold eyes, and the two performers in this circus smirked quite confidently at one another. Then they spun, Anarchy counter clockwise and Jevil clockwise, pulling their weapons apart. Jevil was quicker to swing around, yanking his blade back and sending its edge crashing into Anarchy's shield.
Once more the two locked mad eyes, before The Anarchist shoved Devilsknife off to Jevil's left with his shield, spinning all the way through and swiping at Jevil with the cruel steel of his crowbar, only for the mad clown to jump back out of the strike's reach, laughing gleefully as he dropped down between the prongs of the pincer, which snapped shut at him just a second too late.
Anarchy wasted no time, the pincer opening once more as he ran after Jevil, diving head first through the claws and racing down through the sky after Jevil. He dropped quickly in his nose dive, his crowbar cocked back and ready to strike. The Jester dropped down back first, grinning upwards at his fellow performer as he opened one palm up towards him.
"Now now, Anarchy!" Rapidly magic formed in Jevil's outstretched palm, shaping into a sphere that flashed with power. Inside the sphere was a heart, flickering black and white as the orb launched upwards, racing to meet The Anarchist. "Have a heart!"
Anarchy's only response to Jevil's pun was the vicious swing of his crowbar, crashing steel into this magic sphere as it reached him. This proved to be a poor idea however when the orb exploded on impact, sending white smoke blasting up in a cone and obscuring him from sight. Only for a moment, however, as he exploded free of the dust unphased, making Jevil's star painted eyes go wide.
Swiftly The Anarchist closed the distance between himself and the Jevil, a murderous red gleam shining from his scarlet eyes while shadows poured over the rest of his face. With one hand he reached out towards the jester, his ivory digits inches from his face just before the clown blinked from existence, and Anarchy's hand passed through nothing but air.
The Anarchist landed on his outstretched palm and Jevil appeared across the arena from him, watching as The Bastard Son performed a handspring and front flipped, launching himself foot first at the clown of Chaos' Court. With haste Jevil threw his weapon into the air above him, and just as Anarchy's kick was about to shatter his jaw he disappeared, Anarchy once more striking nothing but air.
Chaos Incarnate landed on both feet, skidding to a stop and lifting his eyes to the scythe-ax dropping towards him from above. Jevil appeared there, gripping the handle of his weapon once more and spinning vertically down towards The Anarchist with it, all the while his mad cackling echoed through the stands.
Anarchy lifted his shield, a metallic clang echoing with the jingles of the bells upon Devilsknife as he effortlessly blocked Jevil's strike. The mad jester didn't stop there however, flipping over Anarchy and landing back to back with him. The two immediately spun around, and with Jevil's slash The Anarchist once more stopped his blade with his shield, shoving it aside and stepping forward to swing his crowbar at his foe.
Jevil was quick to lean back though, Anarchy swinging clear over his head while the jumping jester slipped under his legs, popping up behind him and wrapping both hands around his weapon as he swung around, slashing at the back of Anarchy's head.
Chaos Incarnate was quick to turn however, swiping Jevil's slash back and throwing both of his arms up above his head with one mighty swing of his crowbar before stomping forward with all his weight, crashing a jab directly into Jevil's diaphragm and making those gold eyes snap open wide. Just as he spit up a mouthful of saliva and blood, dust blasted out in a circle around the two, and Jevil was sent launching back across the arena.
As his body was rag dolled however, the mad jester smiled, clutching Devilsknife tightly before he blinked out of sight. Anarchy didn't look particularly phased however, cold eyes peering back over his shoulder to spot Jevil as he reappeared, that same momentum from his punch throwing him towards Anarchy's back.
The giggling clown yanked his ax-scythe back like he was ready to swing for the fences, while Anarchy planted his feet, lifting the sturdy sapphire of his shield and catching Jevil's strike on it without budging in the slightest, stopping Jevil's momentum dead.
Smirking with blood on his chin the jester jumped back, pulling his weapon back in one hand and whipping it towards The Anarchist as he blinked out of reality once more. Anarchy didn't seem bothered however, cocking back his crowbar as the blade spiraled death towards him. Just as he swung to smash the weapon however, it too blinked out of reality.
Quickly Anarchy's eyes darted upwards to Devilsknife as it reappeared, being caught in the grey hands of the Jevil himself, who had also appeared above him. Mercilessly he swung downward, but once again his assault was met with the unbreakable sapphire of Anarchy's shield, and the fearless scarlet of his eyes.
Jevil phased away, and as he began rapidly disappearing and reappearing all throughout the arena, his psychotic giggling echoed with him. With each appearance he threw his now empty hands out in a horizontal line and from his sleeves five spades would fire with lethal precision. Rapidly The Anarchist was being surrounded by pointed death, not so much as flinching as spades closed in towards him. Instead, his eyes were darting to and fro with each and every one of Jevil's teleportations.
As his body was forced to shift and stumble back and forth from the impact of the mad jester's strikes, his muscles never tensed, his expression never tightened. His eyes just continued to follow the Jevil, first being quick to catch him, and then reaching where he would reappear before he had materialized there. After a few more seconds of that, The Anarchist casually tossed his crowbar underhand, sending it spiraling into the air on a forward arch.
Then, he bent at the knees, cocked back his left fist despite the three spades jammed in that arm, and jumped forward. He launched through the air, the ground shattering from the brute force he'd pushed himself from it with. And as he shot ahead like a cannon had fired him, red fire crackled to life up that left arm, the spades jammed in his back, chest and arms all shattered to pieces from the force of his will.
Jevil recoiled when he found himself appearing right in the path of The Anarchist, leaning his head back and snapping his gold eyes open as far as they could go when he saw that burning crimson fist blasting towards him.
Anarchy's knuckles shattered into the nose of that clown with enough force to split a lesser man's skull, but before the terrific force could throw him back into the wall of their arena, Chaos Incarnate grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and the bells on his hat jingled as they were sent whipping back from the gust of wind Anarchy's jab had caused.
With a firm grip on the Jevil's collar, Anarchy yanked him back into a merciless elbow to the same bleeding nose his fist had shattered and throwing his head on a swivel. He let go of Jevil's collar then, swiftly spinning around and making a full rotation, cracking that shield across the jester's cheek and sending him stumbling lifelessly to the side. Those eyes were distant, his brain stuttering from all the sudden head trauma.
The Anarchist took full advantage of Jevil's daze, stopping his rotation with the planting of his foot which he promptly cocked back, swinging forward and sending his toes crashing into the mad clown's abdomen. For just a moment things slowed down, Jevil coughing up a mouthful of blood while he was forced to hunch over Anarchy's shoe, just before the force carried through, and he was sent exploding upwards.
Anarchy tilted his head back, standing still for a moment as he watched Jevil ascend before he bent his knees once more, and once more the ground cracked apart under him from the force of his jump. He dove right up past the Jevil, reaching one hand up and catching his crowbar out of the air just as Jevil rose into range, where he promptly swung down, cracking cold steel over the back of the mad jester's head and sending him blasting down into the dirt below.
Smoke exploded up around the impact, and the more savage members of the crowd broke out in cheers when they saw their captor receive his beating. Anarchy didn't pay them much mind though, slowly descending back to the ground and landing with a quiet thud.
Gatherer's cold violet eyes narrowed with frustration down at the circus act below. He'd been shocked and aggravated by the sudden teleportation to a tent that vibrated with power and smelled like impending doom.
Xander did his research over the multiverse, he knew full well who that jumpy clown was. With their considerable skill, he'd considered recruiting a Jevil, but he had yet to find one that wouldn't cause him trouble. It was blatantly obvious the one Anarchy had just used to give this circus tent a basement was no exception.
As for The Anarchist, Gatherer knew all too well what he was capable of. When he'd known him as a mortal man, he found everything about Anarchy intimidating. It was why he employed him, he knew someone who radiated such power would be a perfect deterrent to any possible opposition. But now, in this world, Anarchy was no longer a mortal man. In fact, Gatherer hardly an idea just what exactly he was. Other than dangerous, of course.
He'd watched timelines, he'd had informants keep him up to date, and if nothing else, the case of Anthony The Anarchist was a head scratcher to say the least. Unlike most - if not all - of the other DoubleKids, Chaos Incarnate had never received magic. Those worms, that scorpion, even those disgusting giggling faces he blotted out the sky with from time to time had always been with him. That darkness, that madness, that power. It was all his own.
For those reasons Gatherer had steered clear of The Anarchist. He had prayed silently, hoped that he'd never encounter the beast. But there weren't any gods to hear him, the albino eldritch horror Xander watched writhe in the arena below was proof of that.
Surely, no benevolent god would let Anarchy exist.
"So, have you thought of a plan, sir?"
"... Mm." Gatherer brought his thumb to his lips, gently taking one perfectly trimmed nail in his front teeth while he thought. "I think we may just have to wait this one out, Clifford."
"Wait until when?" Cliff turned his head to furrow his brows at his trusted leader.
"Once Anarchy's done playing with Jevil and disposes of him, his magic will disappear, and we will be free." Gatherer lowered his hands, clasping them together over his lap as he anxiously leaned forward to watch more closely. "Then we will make our escape."
"Escape?" Cliff repeated with some confusion, tilting his head while he watched Gatherer with curious orange eyes. "But, Gatherer Sir, wouldn't it be better to take a preemptive strike once he's worn down from this fight?"
"..." Slowly Gatherer's hands tightened their grip on each other, knuckles turning to ivory. Swiftly his imagination drew up that outcome. It sickened him, filled him with dread and worry. But it wasn't his own death he saw, though he was sure that would follow suit.
What he saw was Clifford, crumpled and broken. Torn apart by worms or crushed under the force of The Anarchist's crowbar. Impaled on a Scorpion stinger or ripped apart by the beast's hungry mandibles. These thoughts brought Xander to a shutter, though he hoped Clifford had not seen.
"... Look at him." Gatherer finally spoke up, those purple spheres shimmering with contempt, fear, and a speck of envy. "He's covered in his own blood and he's not even breathing hard."
"..?" Cliff took Gatherer's advice, leaning forward some to get a closer look on the Anarchist. When he realized his boss had spoke the truth, and The Bastard Son was standing effortlessly while he watched the dust settle, his eyes went wide. "W-what? But, how is that..?"
"The people of the multiverse fear Anarchy for a reason." Bitterly the Gatherer frowned, violet eyes narrowing down at the albino he'd once trusted dearly. "In all the devastation I've watched him cause, I'm not sure I've ever seen him break a sweat."
The music faded out.
"A-agh... H-hee... Hee hee..."
The rubies in Anarchy's eyes narrowed their luster onto the shambling form of the Jevil himself, who had one hand over his ribs while he used his weapon like a walking stick. Despite the pain that must have been racking his body, he was giggling.
"T-this is... How it should be, be." Jevil's mad eyes stared wide at an unphased Anarchist, a smile curling his lips as a black liquid began to trickle down from the corner of his mouth. "You and I..! The two heirs to chaos, CHAOS!"
"Here on the grandest stage, with an absolutely captivated audience!" Jevil threw his arms out to his sides gleefully, though it made him wince and stumble back a step. "One on one, shark to shark! Every last marble at stake!"
Anarchy remained quiet, watching for another second or two before the reaction he had awaited came. Jevil's eyes twitched with pain, before he doubled over, a fit of coughing landing in the clenched fist he held in front of his mouth. After a few moments of sputtering, Jevil's breathing relaxed, and those golden eyes focused in on the hand he'd been hacking into.
Inky darkness trickled over the hand like black water. Vantablack madness spit up from Jevil's throat in that violent fit, and now it painted his palm, dripping like chaos poisoned rain down to the dirt.
"... When the doc screwed with your timeline, he must not have accounted for you." Finally Anarchy spoke, blinking emotionlessly as Jevil managed to lift his head and meet his eyes once more. "He never thought there'd be someone other than me who could drink from The Fountain and live."
Jevil's lips curled up once more, filled with joy to see that Anarchy was putting it together. Shadows slipped over his beady little eyes, leaving nothing but the eerie yellow lights of his pupils to shine through.
"That's why you weren't ERASED. That's how you got your power amplified to the point of truly being able to do anything." At that, Anarchy's lips curled up just a little, and lunacy twinkled in his eyes. "Or, almost anything."
"The one thing you can't do is beat me." A small smirk grew into a grin, and that mad twinkle flared into a crazy flame. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"
"You never wanted to win this fight, Jevil. This fight only exists because I need some goddamn catharsis after wasting six months on your wily ass." Anarchy flicked his crowbar out to the side, and though his grin remained, his eyes narrowed inquisitively. "No, you want me to win more than anybody."
"Can I really be blamed?" Jevil interjected, his smile widening grossly while madness twinkled with a dark beauty in those eyes. "Just imagine, imagine!"
"A world without kings, without gods! Without Angels, Angels!" Jevil snapped his jaws with berserk glee, speaking with such radical excitement despite the agony that racked his body. "A free, fun, lawless wasteland!"
"I was so excited when my world was shifted and changed! When the knowledge of a boy just as free as me was forced into my brain by your meddling doctor!" Jevil bashed the butt of his weapon into the dirt, creating a crackle of black sparks. "I would never be strong enough to change the infinite multiverse, but you, Anthony? With the right direction, direction!"
"So I drank from your fountain, I took what I could survive and I prepared a game, game!" Jevil planted one hand on his chest even though it made pain surge through his body. "A game where the end doesn't matter, because no matter the outcome I still win!"
Anarchy's grin faded to a more curious expression, and he titled his head slightly to the side to watch the mad jester more closely.
"I knew from what I saw in The Fountain that the crown would entice you, and I knew you needed to forget the sins of order!" Jevil lifted his free hand then, and Anarchy squinted cautiously at the silver crown that appeared in his open palm. "You cannot rule in my paradise, Anarchist! No one may wear a crown in a truly mad world!"
"... Yeah, Aliza helped me figure that out." Anarchy finally spoke again, blinking those cold and indifferent eyes. "Being followed by someone who silently worshiped my every step and firmly believed I was some kind of god made me understand that I didn't want to rule or to be worshiped."
"Chaos has no king, that would defeat the purpose." Anarchy's lips curled up then, ruby never leaving Jevil's gold as the jester dropped that crown. It clanged, rolled to The Anarchist, who stopped it under his foot. "Thanks for teaching me that, Jevil. Being a king woulda been boring anyway."
Then, Jevil watched with wide eyes and an absolutely gleeful smile as Anarchy slowly applied pressure with that foot, and metallic shrieking echoed pathetically before the crown had folded and crumpled under his shoe, reduced to its true form: a worthless chunk of metal.
"Yes, yes! Perfect, perfect!" Excitedly the mad clown bounced back and forth, more and more of Anarchy's darkness running in black streams from between his wide grin. "You're ready now, Anarchy! A worthless boy from the deepest filth this world's chains create! Lay waste to the rules the fearful created, shatter the chains, let us all be free!"
"No kings. No gods. No Angels." Anarchy's expression went dark, any and all light fading from his blood red eyes as his smile shifted to a straight line across his face. "Anarchy."
"Take this and keep playing the game!" Excitedly Jevil held out his Devilsknife, and Anarchy squinted curiously at the weapon being offered to him. He could see black liquid seeping out from Jevil's flesh and filtering into the weapon. "Chaos, chaos!"
"... And what am I s'posed to do with that?" Anarchy cocked a brow from the weapon to Jevil's grinning maw. "Kinda already got a weapon of choice."
"Take this gift from your jester, Chaos Incarnate." Jevil dropped to one knee before The Anarchist, and as darkness continued to seep from him and into his weapon, his body began to fade. "And when years pass, and twilight washes over you, you will have aid against Order's Mad God."
"..." Skeptically The Anarchist reached out, eyes remaining narrowed at the fading devil before him as he wrapped his fingers around Devilsknife. He didn't give thanks but he also didn't object, he just watched as the final obstacle between him and his Angel faded away.
Jevil laughed. He giggled and snickered, he hee'd and he haw'd. As his body faded to the Fountain's darkness, to Anarchy's darkness, he looked completely fulfilled. Soon though, his body disappeared into his gift, and his laughter echoed in ghostly whispers throughout the crowd.
And then, things had gone quiet. Anarchy stood there, at the center of the circus, with Jevil's gift in his hand. He let his eyes gloss over it for a moment or two, before it - along with his shield - disappeared into his inventory.
And there he stood. Bastard Son, Son of a Bitch. Surrounded by every king, every god, every false idol there in his jester's circus. He didn't lift his head, didn't look at them. They were meaningless to him, their faces wouldn't be memorable anyway. To look upon them in all their filth, all their lies and disease would be a waste of effort. But he knew of something worthwhile he could do.
The whole crowd was silent. Tension vibrated the circus, brought the temperature of the room below freezing. And slowly, methodically, The Anarchist rose his left hand up into the air after tossing his crowbar into his right. Without a word he let his wickedness shine, the left side of his soul darkening to vantablack. Then shadows crept out from the dark side of the valentine heart on his chest, streaming up his bare chest and shoulder, swirling and making their way up his bicep and forearm before finally bursting free from his palm.
And when massive worms exploded out from his hand, life returned to the room immediately. As gnashing teeth curled carelessly down towards the stands, screams rang out. Bones crunched when poor fools were caught off guard, and when the captives realized Jevil's magic no longer captivated them, they scrambled in terror out of the paths of the hungry, giggling worms.
Laughter from his beasts and screams from his victims made the perfect harmony to Anarchy, who smiled wider than he had in some time as his eyes watched the devastation he caused. It was finally time, and that made him happy. That made him excited. There was nothing to stop him now.
Soon, he would pay his Angel a visit.
"Shit!" Predator shouted as she flipped back out of her seat and onto the row of stands behind her, watching the head of one onyx worm crash through the row of bleachers she'd just been sat in. It quickly reeled up to look at her, gnashing shards of wood in its jagged teeth. Predator was fast however, reaching up just as the beast lurched forward and planting a hand upon it's head.
In that instant, cold blasted through the beast, freezing it immediately and stopping it dead. A bang rang out next, and a golden bullet shattered the creature's rigid form, sending it exploding to shards of blackened ice.
"Boss!" Clover called out over the madness, turning swiftly to stand back to back with Predator and aiming both his revolvers up into the face of the worm racing down towards him. More pops crackled through the air as golden bullets shredded through the face of the giggling monstrosity, sending it's disgusting body crumbling to the ground. "Open a portal, we gotta move!"
"Not yet!" Predator summoned her trademark scythe in her hands, an icy chill washing up the blade and coating it in a light blue. Her cyan eyes darted PATIENTLY between the many lashing worms and the devastation they caused, awaiting the moment they made a move towards her. The beasts were mindless, scooping whatever they could find that bled into their jaws. Monsters, humans, things in between. Some faces that she recognized as targets and some that she knew as former clients, all scrambling desperately to escape and plenty falling victim to The Anarchist's brutality.
"Whaddaya mean 'not yet'?!" Clover asked furiously, eyes darting back towards Predator for only a moment before they were drawn back to another monstrosity flinging over to grab someone higher up in the stands. He was quick to lift his barrels to it, blasting a quick barrage of his JUSTICE through it's side and sending filthy black blood spraying through the air. "We both know we're gon' need the whole got dang crew to handle Anarchy! He's quadruple S rated!"
"I have to talk to him!" Was the only explanation The Predator offered, slashing swiftly as one maw of gnashing teeth got in too close and slicing the worm's face in two from a vertical angle. No blood sprayed however, for the wound was frozen shut just as quickly as it was made. The beast swayed, before ultimately tumbling back to the arena below, dead.
"You got cotton in yer ears?! They literally had to invent the quadruple S rating for Anarchy!" Clover snarled, a yellow shine coming out from under the left side of the shadow that his cowboy hat cast over his face. With lethal precision he put a hole in several more heads, golden eye darting from target to target and barrels moving right along with it. "Trust me, guys like him prefer talkin' with their fists!"
"Then me n' him got that in common, cowboy!" On that note Lexi turned on the balls of her feet, jumping fearlessly down towards the arena below. "Back me up as soon as you yank your balls back outta whatever hole they receded into!"
"Predator!" Clover called out in a rage, turning his head to watch her leap towards the center of this mayhem. She ignored him though, and he growled, jaw clenching with frustration. "Damn it!"
Swiftly the JUSTICE soul jumped, letting a worm crash mindlessly into the wood he'd been standing upon. As he dropped back towards it, he tossed both of his revolvers into the air, where they disappeared into his inventory. From the very same inventory a pump action shotgun appeared in his grasp, and just as the worm managed to yank its face free a slug of golden energy blasted through the back of its head, making it slump right back over.
"Girl's got more brass than sense!" Clover complained aloud as he landed on the massive worm corpse's back. A 'shuk-shuk!' resounded as he cocked the pump of his weapon before pointing it up into another beast's face, this time blasting buck shot right through those ugly teeth.
"Keep your ugly teeth away from him!" Cliff ordered furiously as he smashed a right hook alight in orange flames into the jaw of the worm racing towards the Gatherer's back. The force of his fist must have knocked something important loose, because the nightmare creature folded like clean laundry and tumbled right down to the ground.
"We need to retreat!" Gatherer ordered as he threw his hand out to the side, his lighter appearing in hand. With the clicking of it's ignition, fire blasted up from the simple gas lighter into an elegant and beautiful flaming blade. As soon as his weapon formed, Xander slashed at the gnashing teeth racing towards him from the front. His flaming sword carved a diagonal slash right through the worm's head, sending it crashing through the bleachers in front of Gatherer and making him jump back as his footing collapsed.
"But what about The Anarchist?!" Cliff objected as Xander landed in front of him, only to immediately spin and stab right into the dome of another monstrosity. The creature's momentum forced Gatherer to skid back some, but he never lost his footing, slashing up and freeing his blade from the gross skull. "He's massacring everyone here!"
"We aren't ready to face him!" Gatherer shouted over the giggling and the screaming, looking over his shoulder and watching Cliff clobber another worm with an uppercut, sending it tumbling backwards through the wood of the stands. "Both you and I are too important to die here to him!"
"But this is exactly what our cause is about!" Cliff objected, turning back to face his leader, who recoiled. "We stand to protect from freaks like him!"
"Together, Clifford! We stand together!" Gatherer argued as he too faced his second in command. Dramatically he threw his hand out to the side, passion and worry burning in those violet eyes. "Not now, not like this!"
"Bullshit!" Cliff objected bravely, catching Xander's hand as he swiped it through the air and holding it tight to reassure him. Confidently he smiled down at his boss, and Gatherer thought those orange eyes twinkled. "When you and me are together there's nothing we can't do!"
Gatherer recoiled at Clifford's words, his eyes going wide. A red shade quickly spread over his cheeks, and for just a moment he was dumbfounded. Once more Clifford had shut down The Gatherer's cold and calculating brain and instead sent a powerful pulse through his usually empty and apathetic heart, igniting it with courage and another, much more powerful emotion.
"... Right!" Xander steadied himself, gripping Cliff's hand right back and nodding in agreement. In truth he didn't give a damn about the lives Clifford wanted to spare, but he did care about what the man thought of him. He knew full well he couldn't bare to live in a world where Cliff thought him a coward, so he gathered all his will and prepared to live through a suicide mission. "We will divert his attention until the others can escape, and that will encourage them to aid us in our dream!"
"Yeah!" Cliff's face lit up when Gatherer agreed with him, a pink shade finding it's way on to his own cheeks. He couldn't help it, he admired everything about that man. Xander was so completely inspiring to him, that's why he dedicated his entire self to his cause. That's why he truly believed the two could do anything. "Lets do it!"
But then, Gatherer's expression hardened to something scornful, making Cliff's eyes go wide as he recoiled some.
"But you are forbidden from dying out there, got it?" Gatherer ordered with a seriousness so lethal Cliff knew he had to obey it.
"Y-yes sir!"
Anarchy had his eyes closed, humming right along to the sounds of mayhem around them like they were a beautiful song, An elegant violin and a perfectly sad piano, how soothing. Upon his face was an honest smile, and he slowly swayed back and forth, like he was almost dancing to this wonderful melody that only he could hear. He just felt so happy, for the first time in a very long time. The highlight of his melancholy life was at hand, and he was very excited.
"Anthony..?"
"Huh?" Anarchy peeked one scarlet sphere open, but when he saw The Predator landing across from him, both of his eyes snapped open wide. He leaned back some, but his smile only widened. "Why, Lexi The Predator as I live and breathe!"
Predator didn't look nearly as happy as Anarchy did. Slowly and skeptically she walked closer, her scythe remaining gripped in her hand as she watched his every move.
"And here I thought you were still stuck back in the other world!" Anarchy's smile was excited and kind, but Lexi was far from dumb. She could see all the crazy in his crimson eyes. "It's been way too long! How are you?"
"I'm, good..?" Predator spoke with uncertainty, slowly tilting her head to the side and narrowing her eyes at him. "You seem... Cheerier than the last time I saw you?"
"Well I was gonna die the last time you saw me." Anarchy shrugged casually, eyes darting to the side. That proved only brief however when they shot right back to Lexi, nearly making her flinch. "Plus, I'm off those boring ol' meds!"
At that moment in the conversation, someone screamed a desperate plea for help from across the arena, and Anarchy turned his head, puffing out a cheek and arching a brow. "Hey, pal! Can you quiet down? Kinda tryin' to have a conversation here."
"Anthony, what... Is all this?" Predator shook her head while her eyes narrowed painfully, gesturing out to the crumbling circus around them.
"This is my big party, Lexi! Today is a very special day." That smile gained a wicked edge, and those wide eyes narrowed with sudden malice. "... Hey, speakin' of the ol' days, how's Angel?"
"..." Lexi's jaw clenched, and she gripped her scythe with both hands, bending her knees and preparing for any sudden strike. "... Wouldn't know, I haven't seen him."
"Ahh, I guess that's alright. I'll see him soon enough, and I'm sure catching up will be tons a' fun." Anarchy's voice was low now, sharp with a murderous edge and quiet enough to force Lexi to listen to every word. "... Hey, y'know, if you got an invite to my ballroom blitz, you must be pretty busy these days, huh?"
"..." Predator's cyan orbs darted to the crowbar Anarchy gripped tightly in his hand, watching as those worms slowed to a stop from his raised palm, and he began to lower that arm. "... Don't do this, Anthony. I don't want to fight you."
"C'mon Lex, this is my night!" Anarchy objected, a mad grin splitting his face suddenly as he straightened his crowbar out to his side. "Dance with me. I love this song."
"This isn't a game Anthony!" Predator snapped, face contorting in a snarl as she stomped forward one step. Icy mist filtered out from the corners of her mouth, and ice crept up around her hands as she gripped that scythe with white knuckles. "You gave your life for me! You died because of me! I'm not gonna fight you!"
"I ain't dead, Lex." Grinning wide, The Anarchist sauntered across the blood splattered sands. At his feet his shadow whipped around, writhing with glee as he approached The Predator. "And you don't got a choice."
Predator growled furiously, before suddenly throwing an open palm out towards Anarchy. In an instant a burst of ice exploded to life, blasting out towards him in a massive wave of cold. It shredded through the earth, its crashing and shattering drowning out any other sound as Anarchy recoiled with genuine shock. "Goddamn son of a bitch!"
Anarchy took a step back as he recoiled from this display of power racing closer, but quickly his lips yanked right back up into that grin. He planted his feet, clenched his fists at his sides, and drew in a deep breathe. Then, red flames blasted up around him, and his roar shook the stadium as his aura caused Predator's attack to shatter upon impact, shards of blue flashing through the air and melting all the way to mist in an instant.
Predator ground her teeth, lowering her stance. A cloud of fog had enveloped the arena, but she could clearly see the flashing red of The Anarchist's DETERMINATION, and at it's center was a black outline of him.
Predator threw her free hand up over her head, and rapidly the mist was sucked upwards and into the rafters of the circus. With stage lights twinkling through them, the water vapor was quickly yanked together, swiftly refreezing into massive spikes of shimmering ice, all of which pointed right down at The Anarchist.
"... Ice powers huh?" Anarchy nodded calmly, watching as lethal stalactites fired down towards him without a care in the world. "Neat!"
"Glad'ja think so!" Predator's voice caught his attention, and those rubies in his head darted right over to Lexi as she jumped into the air right in front of him. He was impressed with how fast she'd closed the distance, and with genuine amusement he watched her yank that scythe back in both hands and chop viciously at his head.
He ducked under her blade, a few white strands being removed from his head as he cocked back his free fist and sent a quick jab towards The Predator's abdomen, only for her to move the long handle of her scythe in the way of his knuckles. The force of his punch shoved her right back through the air, and she landed about ten feet back, skidding on the balls of her feet and dropping into a low stance to invite Anarchy to charge.
But before he could, one of those ice spikes crashed down between the two, making him recoil with some surprise. He didn't have much time for that though when he found another pointed blue stone dropping down right towards his head. He planted his feet, cocked back that crowbar, and shattered the icicle to cyan splinters right over his head.
As hail rained down around him and obstructed his vision, Predator suddenly appeared with a drop kick, burying both feet in his cheek and forcing his head to the side. He slid back a step or two from the impact, before his murderous eyes darted right up to Lexi, making her flinch and grind her teeth with frustration.
Quickly Anarchy reached up, grabbing Predator by the ankle and spinning on his heel, shitwhipping her back across the arena. Around the two icicles were still crashing from above, shaking the earth and shattering through the bleachers. One happened to crash down in Predator's path, and she spun in air, planting both feet against it and launching herself right back at Anarchy. She spun and flipped her scythe in her grasp, holding it behind her head across her shoulders briefly before spinning when she reached the Anarchist, yanking back her scythe and swiping at his skull.
Anarchy was ready this time however, and Predator's eyes went wide when he caught the point of her scythe with his hand, letting it dig through his palm and out the back of his hand before his fingers shut around the chilled steel and stopped it in its tracks. Without skipping a beat he yanked Lexi forward with his grip on her weapon, jamming a powerful uppercut into her chin and sending her launching up into the rafters, losing her grip on her scythe.
She flipped through the air, before gravity finally caught her, yanking her right back down to earth. She steadied herself as best she could with the shock her brain was still in and the pain that ached through her entire mouth as she managed to land on one knee in the dirt.
"That..." Lexi lifted her head, wincing her eyes to focus her vision in on The Anarchist, who sauntered closer, grabbing the handle of the scythe embedded in his flesh and yanking it free without flinching. She clenched her jaw, and blood ran from the corners of her mouth down her chin. "That your best shot, pussy..?"
Anarchy didn't respond to that. He just smiled, cranked back her weapon, and whipped it back at her with terrifying speed. "Catch."
Predator's eyes went wide, and she was quick to get both of her hands up, managing to stop her own weapon with her hands, though the force shoved her back a few feet through the arena sands. The stalactites had stopped dropping around them, coating the arena in jagged pillars of frost. Perfect cover, she thought as she steadied herself, and as she forced herself to stand, her eyes darted back to Anarchy's, and she smirked with blood in her mouth.
Then, suddenly, she darted forward, racing across the arena towards The Anarchist with a battle roar. This made Anarchy grin, planting his feet and holding his arms wide open, like he was inviting her to attack. To his surprise, however, Predator did not strike him. The moment she got in close, she swung her scythe down, planting it's blade into the dirt and sending a blast of ice down from it, launching herself upwards on a pillar of cool blue gem. The stream of solid water arched right over Anarchy's head, dragging Lexi into the field of massive fallen stalactites, where she jumped down, disappearing into her cover.
She dropped down, quickly darting from icicle to icicle to create more distance while the gears in her brain turned and turned. Talking wasn't gonna work, and she meant what she said, she didn't want to fight Anarchy. Mostly because she considered him family, but also because she knew she'd lose. She had to grab Clover and the two had to get out of her, because the longer they lingered the slimmer their chances of escape got.
Then, just as she jumped by an ice pillar, it exploded apart, and her cyan eyes snapped open wide, darting to The Anarchist, who crashed fist first through the ice. And he was still racing forward on that punch. His knuckles crashed instantly into her cheek, throwing her right off her jump and sending her blasting back through three more icicles before she finally landed flat on her ass and skidded, slamming back first into the arena wall and slumping forward.
Anarchy watched her for a moment, before his eyes glossed over to the ice that littered his arena. Without a second thought, he clenched his fists again, and once more his searing red aura blasted to life. Vermilion flames exploded out around him, swirling over the ice and rapidly heating the arena. Icicles sweltered and perspired before finally shattering and melting under the rapid rise in temperature.
Lexi lifted her head, narrowing her eyes through the black strands of hair that fell over her face and the red that streamed down from her hairline. She watched as he obliterated her cover in a simple show of his power, and she couldn't help but wonder just how much he was pulling those punches. It was becoming more and more apparent that she was completely outclassed here, and when that aura died down to a dull crackle across The Anarchist's skin, and their eyes met once more, she felt his darkness.
BANG.
Anarchy's head jerked to the side, and red sprayed out over the dirt at his feet, but he never lost his footing, even with a hole in his head and chunks of his grey matter splattered over the ground. Slowly, he straightened his head. Then his neck creaked like an old wooden step - or at least Lexi imagined it did - as he turned his eyes into the stands, spotting her fearless sniper.
"One liner." Was Clover's simple and derailing statement as he pulled his eye away from the scope of his rifle, meeting The Anarchist's glare with his own as that hole in the madman's head sealed right back up.
Anarchy didn't say anything, he just turned on his heel, facing the JUSTICE soul and preparing to step towards him. That was, until his head was shoved to the side once more, one burning fist jamming into his cheek with force that should have been bone shattering.
Anarchy's eyes darted to Cliff's, and the BRAVERY soul felt all of their weight crash down on him for a moment, shock rocking his body as The Anarchist didn't so much as flinch from his sucker punch. Chaos Incarnate wasn't smiling anymore, and to show his displeasure he grabbed Cliff by the wrist, his speed stunning the boxer. He yanked him forward effortlessly despite Cliff's imposing stature, straightening his arm and launching his knee right up into his elbow.
A crack echoed, followed instantly by an agonized roar as Anarchy let go of Clifford's now inward-bending arm, letting the boxer stumble back and cry out as his arm was effortlessly snapped into an unfortunate boomerang shape.
Then, Anarchy lifted his hand, an emotionless stare hitting the distracted Clifford as darkness seethed out of his palm. Just before those giggling worms could fire out to devour Cliff's flesh, however, flaming fangs sunk into The Anarchist's arm, yanking it away from the boxer and forcing Anarchy to turn to his right.
Yanking himself down on the whip like snake of fire he'd bit The Anarchist with, Gatherer planted both feet right in Anarchy's face, barely managing to get the powerhouse to take a single step back. Clenching his jaw with frustration, his violet eyes widened furiously, and boiling blue flames blasted to life from the soles of his shoes, completely engulfing Anarchy and making him disappear in a wrathful torrent of fire.
Gatherer launched back on those flames like a jet, creating distance between himself and his foe before the fire flickered out from his feet, and he dropped right back down, sticking the landing.
Gatherer watched the smoldering black smoke that shrouded Anarchy with eyes that saw all, a thin stream of grey swirling up from the cigarette in his mouth. He had removed his black jacket, and quickly he rolled up the sleeves of the white button up underneath. This revealed the black tattoos that coated his arms, king cobras coiling from his still covered shoulders and down over his forearms. From the heads of the tattoos those flame serpents hissed, embers crackling all along the ink in his skin and lighting his arms up in orange snake patterns. Suddenly, he no longer wore his usual look of a composed business man. With that murder in his eyes, the cigarette in his mouth, and the smoldering tattoos on his arms, he'd gone from the appearance of a CEO to that of a gang leader.
But just as soon as he thought he'd steeled himself, his eyes met the glowing red dots that appeared in the smoke, and he suddenly felt paralysis strike him. In an instant, the entire circus had went dark to him, and all he could see were the murderous orbs of Chaos Incarnate. Somehow just by looking into those eyes - or rather, those eyes looking in to him - he felt he was alone in endless vantablack. Just him and death itself. And that made him afraid. Afraid of the dark.
Then, suddenly, a figure stepped between Xander and The Anarchist, and he was released from his trance. Gatherer gasped, recoiling and letting his eyes dart back over the now well lit circus. He suddenly remembered where he was, and his racing heart began to slow as his violet eyes peered at the back of the one who stood between him and devastation. The one who had BRAVELY saved him from the dark.
"Stay behind me, Xander." Cliff spoke sternly, clutching his busted arm and glaring into the fading smoke ahead. Despite the pain coursing through his arm, despite the sweat on his forehead, his feet were planted. His eyes were fearless. "I'll keep you safe."
"I-I... Clifford..." Was all Xander managed to stammer, completely stunned. Sweat beaded down his forehead too, and though he wanted to find some words to give Cliff thanks, he was cut off by a much less welcome voice.
"Xander The Gatherer too?! My god, it really is a special day!"
Gatherer, Predator, Clover, and Cliff all watched with tense expressions as the smoke faded around Anarchy, and he stood on glassed sand, whatever brutal burns that had boiled his flesh to the point of creating that much smoke finishing healing.
"I mean, look at this! All three of in one place for the first time in months!" Excitedly Anarchy grinned, gesturing to Gatherer on his one side and Predator on his other. "I'm so glad you guys are here! You've made this party WAY more fun!"
Clover jumped down next to Lexi as she climbed to her feet, propping herself up on her scythe. All four of the humans watched Chaos Incarnate with anxiety steaming off them, just waiting for his next move while they listened to his excited babbling.
"I really wish I could stay here and catch up with you guys, but I gotta hit the road." Anarchy shrugged, smiling like he really was just chatting it up with old friends. "See, I gotta rest up. I've pretty much been going none stop for awhile now and I need to get plenty of rest before my big day!"
"Big day..?" Predator repeated, narrowing her eyes suspiciously through the few long black strands that still drooped over her face. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, I dunno if you noticed Lexi, but my best friend didn't bother to show up to my party." Anarchy's voice got lower, his eyes narrowing as his happy grin became a malicious smirk. "Our family Reunion is missing somebody."
"... You mean Hacker." Gatherer furrowed his brows, frown clear on his face. It made him ponder why Cter hadn't been brought here too. While he was unaware of it, he was a very important figure. Perhaps he had been busy, or perhaps Jevil had evaded bringing him here on purpose. Maybe it was both.
"Bingo." Anarchy shot a finger gun at Gatherer with a wink, darkness shining in his eyes. "I've been meaning to catch up with him for awhile. I just had a lotta chores to take care of first."
"But now?" Blackness opened up like some kind of portal behind The Anarchist, and he gradually began seeping back into it. Still he spoke, not minding in the slightest as shadow slipped and wriggled over his flesh. "Everything's taken care of. It's finally time."
"Time for what?!" Cliff snapped, taking a warning step forward despite the fear Anarchy's presence caused him.
"A Reunion, my friends." Anarchy leaned his head back, his body disappearing into the vantablack. Darkness ran through his hair, slipped over his face, pulled him deeper into it's madness until only those burning red eyes were visible.
"A Reunion."
Then, Anarchy's heart stopping eyes disappeared into the nothing, and the portal followed suit. This left the four all standing there, shaken and bewildered to the horrors they had just witnessed. They all exchanged haunted glances, friend and foe equally fearful of a much greater threat.
As the wood supports of the circus began to creak and groan, and the tent began to crumble around them, sending rubble crashing from above, no one had the strength to speak a word. There were no words to say that would mean anything in the gravity of today's events. They all knew what was on the horizon.
Something grand and terrible was coming.
And preparations must be made.
DOUBLETALE: SEASON 4
REUNION
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