"THE PARTY CRASHERS ARE COMING!"
DJ's group exchanged terrified glances with Sun Lien's group as the Dragon City Royal Guards made the abrupt announcement. The members of royalty then exchanged fearful glances with each other as they each tried to formulate a plan and the steps to fill in the gaps. The DJ then turned to her niece, whose thoughts immediately went to the Apex Headset she was entrusted with following their escape from Latin City. CJ and her aunt knew that if the Party Crashers found about the Apex Headset, two things could happen: one, they would either destroy it due to having no use for it, or two, they would pass it on to the Chanty Trolls, who would have an use or two for it themselves.
One thing was certain, however: they needed to leave now.
Branch, the Tribe Leaders, and the Tribe Ambassadors perked up at the abrupt announcement and exchanged fearful glances with each other before rushing to retrieve their weapons. The Trolls of all Tribes began to chatter amongst themselves in panic while the younglings began to cry in distress before Gia Grooves and Nova Swift, among others, intervened to assuage their fears.
The Leaders and the Ambassadors took up arms for the fight while arming those who were prepared or capable of putting up a fight while Branch went outside to assess the situation. As he did, he spotted from a distance Harper, Archer, Callie, and a heavily wounded Peter rushing back, prompting him to pull a first aid kit from his hair.
"What happened?"
"We got caught. Obviously," Peter groaned as Branch examined his wounds.
"It's all my fault," Callie huffed as she closed her eyes in regret, "I should've ensured there were no stragglers. And I suppose the trail of breadcrumbs didn't help us much."
"We were being chased through the forest, Sheriff," Peter bitterly chuckled, "And I practically led you into a trap."
Branch raised his eyebrows in skepticism at that last part before placing it aside at the sight of a haggard and haunted couple in the former of Harper and Archer. The latter could hold the former as she softly sobbed in his shoulder.
"What's wrong with them?"
Turning to look at them, Callie grimaced as the dreaded memories of that hellhole came rushing back before turning to Branch with that same expression.
"There's something we need to tell you, the Leaders, and the Ambassadors...and you're not going to like it."
A series of screeches in the distance momentarily cut off that particular conversation, which Branch and Callie agreed to continue inside. Leading the four of them onto the platform, Branch pulled the lever and began their descent down to the bunker, watching as the armored doors activated and prevented any unwanted access.
The Dragon City Royal Guard immediately marched for their armory. Their wall of weapons consisted of largely archiac but appropriate armaments. They were considered archiac due to society's newfound usage of the modern firearm and heavy weapon, and appropriate due to their surprising suitability in the heat of battle and their cultural casting. The armory consisted of Jians, Katanas, bows-and-arrows, crossbows-and-bolts, chain whips, Dangpa, Kunai, Nagamaki, Pyeongon, Sai, Shuriken, Tonfa, and Woldo to name a few. Bi-Na, Young, Min, Sun Lien, Shang, and Xia all opted for a weapon that reflected the culture they were born and raised in, but even they took the chance to snag a couple of pistols from their foreign allies.
Speaking of which, the first thing Suzi reached for was her bag of weapons, which Diogo, Dulce, Petra, Billy, and Melody rummaged through to retrieve their chosen firearms from a few nights ago. Trollex-2, Aggie, Sisu, and Namaari retrieved their own weapons, with the latter in particular retrieving a ngao (Thai polearm) in addition to her short swords.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Trollex loaded his Remington 870 as Aggie nodded while her hair began to glow.
"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about you and the others."
"Don't be. We'll be okay."
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
Trollex-2 and Aggie exchanged a warm smile and kiss before hugging in anticipation for the big fight ahead.
Namaari and Sisu, who were both watching the warm exchange, eventually caught each other's gaze and an uncomfortable uneasiness enveloped them both.
"Sisu... I...I'm..."
"It's okay," The Dragon Troll smiled in understanding, "I may not be your Sisu, but...I'm sure you didn't mean to kill me."
"Still though..." Namaari bitterly chuckled.
As Branch stepped off the platform and led Harper, Archer, Callie, and Peter to the makeshift conference room, they passed by Chenille, who placed her hair up in a straight ponytail similar to her missing Queen and friend.
The Maker Troll grabbed two machetes, a M4A1 Carbine, and a Remington 870 MCS Masterkey, checking the ammunition and sights of the latter two weapons before housing the former two weapons in a pair of sheaths, which she then slung over her shoulders. Gazing at herself in the mirror as she did not a mere moment ago, she felt proud and ashamed of herself. Proud that she became a far more brave version of herself, ashamed that she became a far more violent version of herself.
"Chenille?"
She turned to face her sister, who had armed herself to the teeth for the battle ahead. Satin had a Remington 870 variant and a M4A1 Carbine as well, but she opted for a pair of switchblades and throwing knifes in lieu of the larger blades. She also had a ponytail, but she opted to leave her hair down for a more regal appearance.
Both sisters stood still for a brief moment before the younger twin took a deep breath.
"Satin...you be careful..."
The older twin nodded and sniffled, "Always..."
At that, Chenille lunged forward and hugged Satin, whom she cried into the chest of as her sister buried her face into her shoulder.
"Everything will be okay, Chenille..."
THUMP!
Another day, another moment that had to be rudely interrupted by an untimely arrival.
THUMP!
The sisters looked up from their embrace the same time as the Leaders and the Ambassadors.
THUMP!
DJ and her Trollex exchanged fearful glances with each other the same time as Aggie and her Trollex.
THUMP!
Sun Lien and Diogo exchanged fearful glances with each other the same time as Sisu and Namaari.
THUMP!
Exchanging glances of fear and eventual determination, the Leaders and the Ambassadors nodded in agreement.
THUMP!
"Get the younglings to the tunnels..." Branch whispered, "Now!"
Adora, Catra, Flutterina, the Ambassadors, and the Bounty Hunters were the first to go, quietly leading the children and parents toward the tunnels as they led the way out of the bunker. Branch, the Snack Pack, and the Leaders stayed behind to make sure nobody would be taken and/or killed as a result of the skirmish. Some of the other Snack Pack members, such like Biggie and Smidge, preferred to use melee weapons that were secondary to firearms but nonetheless packed a punch and brought a bang for their buck. They, alongside the others, formed a circle to cover all sides as the thumping grew louder...
THUMP!
...and louder...
THUMP!
...and louder...
THUMP!
...before stopping almost completely...
. . .
. . .
. . .
CRACK!
...and a large piece of earth was torn away and a Party Crasher crash-landed on the platform. Bearing its fangs at the group, it roared monstrously and lunged at them before Chenille opened fire and put it down with a few direct hits to the head. Almost immediately, a small group of Party Crashers repeated the actions of their fallen comrade before attacking the group of Trolls head on. They attempted to separate them one by one before launching their attack on their member, but their adapting efforts were not enough to catch them off guard.
The Funk Family (even a concerned Cooper) were the ones who maintained a complete calm and collected demeanor as they mowed down any and all incoming Party Crasher who invaded the bunker with their M4A1 Carbines. They managed to keep the enemy from separating their allies even at the cost of being separated themselves. Case in point, Darnell charging at a Party Crasher who had Chenille pinned down and stabbing them three times before placing her behind him. Satin was not far behind, using her carbine to cover Delta Dawn as she fired her Winchester Model 1873.
Smidge used her brass knuckles to brutally beat up a bunch of baddies while Biggie, wielding an wooden baseball bat, landed hit after hit on a particularly muscular Party Crasher before the bat snapped in half. Using the jagged edge, he stabbed the Party Crasher in the throat and grabbed an alloy bat to slam the broken bat further in. Meanwhile, Trollzart, who wielded a pair of dressing swords, elegantly sliced-and-diced several Party Crashers before he was thrown into the wall by a straggler, whose head was immediately bashed inwards by a sledgehammer-wielding Guy Diamond. Creek used a pair of tomahawks to drag Party Crashers forward for Barb to shoot with her Remington 870.
The combined efforts of the Party Crashers, the Chanty Trolls, and the Siren Trolls (who were brought over a few days ago) led the siege on Dragon City and its capitol, attacking and slaughtering any and all Troll that appeared in their line of sight, ranging from ordinary citizens to the Royal Guard. While the Chanty Trolls were at least content on gathering survivors for the sake of interrogaton, the Party Crashers and the Siren Trolls were not interested in keeping many of their impending victims alive because their prolonged survival proved detrimental to one's energy feeding or the other's cheap thrills. Because they had a greater sense of morality and ethics when it came to performing their jobs, the sky pirates were understandably displeased by their blunt, blatant brutality. In particular, Alon and Coral stood side by side and gripped the hand of their partner as they watched a feral Party Crasher cackle like a maniac as he mauled a mother and her children, drowning out their screams of horror and pleas of mercy.
Standing behind them from a few feet away was their Captain, who did a better job at disguising her disgust at the detrimental dose of delirious damage. She had to admit it, she had made a grave mistake. She even spared a glance at the terrifying trio whom she hired to acquire the desired results for the mission to see if they felt any semblance of remorse for any of their malicious misdeeds.
Serina was the most stoic of the trio, maintaining a steel-faced poker face as she watched her henchmen do the dirty work for them. Kiri was the most gleeful of the trio, giggling as she watched her fellow Trolls and their cronies viciously tear apart innocent victims left and right. Vivace was the most devastated at the death and destruction inflicted upon the Dragon Trolls, quietly lamenting the loss of life that was taken so quickly, so unjustly.
Good. At least she feels something that resembles regret...like me...
Just as one half of the Dragon City Royal Guard protected the outside of their kingdom with equal parts honor and ferocity, the other half protected the inside of their castle just as well.
Sun Lien, Shang, and Xia led the defense, with the latter two taking their dragon forms to literal new heights. The eldest siblings conjured a rainstorm and flood that swept away the majority of the Party Crashers and the Siren Trolls after Sisu created a fog that disoriented both groups. The others immediately bolted for the castle, which was protected by a volley of flaming arrows from every direction. A select few Party Crashers managed to breach the building and inflitrate the room DJ's group was holed up in.
DJ, Trollex, Trollex-2, Billy, Petra, Suzi, Dulce, and Diogo fired their guns at the villainous group, covering Agatha as she began to charge up her energy. Namaari was nearby firing a rapid-fire crossbow, taking down a good amount of their opponents before it was knocked away by a Party Crasher, whom she immediately stabbed with one of her short swords and threw out the window. Melody fired her Remington 870 as she covered the group of children, who pelted any incoming Party Crasher with any heavy object they could get their hands on. As she paused to reload, the Rainbow Wand began to glow from inside its box, causing her to open it and grab the weapon.
Eventually, a heavy-set Party Crasher crashed into the room and, sensing the presence of children, immediately lunged for the youngest members of DJ's group, who all ran in separate directions to throw him off guard. The Party Crasher latched onto a now frightened Grace, who began hitting on his big hand to get him to drop her.
"Mommy! Daddy!"
Melody looked up as Grace cried out for her parents, whose eyes widened in horror.
"GRACIE!"
From that moment on, her parents saw nothing but blood red, roaring ferally as they practically slashed, stabbed, and shot every Party Crasher they could get their hands on. When they did get the Party Crasher who dared lay their hands on their daughter, they managed to get a few good wounds in before they were both thrown to the wall. As Grace screamed in terror when the Party Crasher attempted to eat her whole, Melody lunged and stuck the glowing jewel inside his mouth as Namaari hurled the other short sword into his throat. Grabbing said short sword, Melody repeatedly stabbed the Party Crasher to bring him down onto his knees as the ruby's glow increased.
The last thing the Party Crasher did before the wand blew him to pieces was to scream in fear and agony for its master.
BOOM!
Both hero and villain alike were both thrown back by the blast, which managed to take a majority of the Party Crashers and a few Siren Trolls surrounding the area. This did not go unnoticed by Blue, Serina, Kiri, Vivace, and the rest of the villains, who watched in complete and utter disbelief as the unlucky Siren Trolls shriek and disappear into thin air.
"What the hell was that?" Serina bluntly asked.
"What the hell was that?" Both Trollexes asked dumbfoundedly as DJ's group recovered and tried to pinpoint the origin of the sudden blast.
Melody stood in the center of the Party Crasher's remains as her hair began to glow in six specific colors:
Blue...
. . .
Purple...
. . .
Yellow...
. . .
Orange...
. . .
Red...
. . .
...and Pink...
Aggie was among the first to take notice and carefully approach Melody, who became horrified at the act of murder she committed.
"Melody...?"
"What did I do...?"
"It's not your fault."
Melody's hair began to dim as she calmed down and wiped away the tears as Aggie held her close.
"We..." DJ regained her composure, "We need to leave now."
The Snack Pack and the Tribe Leaders made their way into the tunnels, splitting up to catch up with their respective tribes and lead them out. Branch was the last one out, taking one last look at the place that served as his home and safe haven for most of his childhood. A forlorn frown was eventually wiped away at the sound of the Party Crashers breaking in, prompting him to set the bunker ablaze and detonate the explosives that would potentially bury their enemies inside.
Loading six shells into his newly acquired Remington 870, Branch struggled to maintain his footing as the explosives shook up the place, causing him to stumble all over. Not far away, the Tribe Leaders and Snack Pack spotted a series of stragglers violently attempting to claw their way out of the depths of their fiery hell in search of food and vengeance. Ushering their citizens to the front of the path, the Leaders and Snack Pack opened fire on the swarm, with Cooper and Prince D using a pair of modified flamethrowers to burn their enemies to a literal crisp.
"Hurry!" Branch caught up with the groups as he fired his Remington at imcoming opponents, "The tunnels are charged with explosives as well!"
"Nice to mention it at a late point in the game, Twig!" Barb switched from her own Remington to a Glock 17 before tossing a SIG-Sauer P226R to Branch, who used it to keep the distance between them and the pursuing Party Crashers.
As DJ's group made their way out of the castle, they continued to brutally cut down and mow down any invading Party Crasher while simultaneously fending off the accompanying Siren Trolls with the Rainbow Wand, which was wielded by both Melody and Aggie (but more so by the latter as per the former's request).
Watching their escape were Bi-Na, Young & Min, who were leading their faction of the Dragon City Royal Guard protect the kingdom. The trio exchanged looks before Young huffed and turned to a senior member of the Royal Guard.
"손님이 탈출할 수 있도록 도와야 합니다! 그들은 우리 편에서 더 이상 유혈 사태를 막을 수 있는 유일한 희망입니다!" Young exclaimed.
"아주 좋아요," The senior member stabbed his sword in the throat of a Party Crasher while facing Young, "우리는 적들을 저지할 것입니다. 항상 조심하세요, 선장님."
"감사합니다," Young bowed to him and gestured for her sisters to leave with her.
"한 가지 부탁입니다, 함장님," The senior member wiped the blood off his sword.
"예?"
The senior member raised his sword in her direction, but not enough to be threatening. Instead, it was encouraging, as evidenced by his growing smile.
"가능한 한 많은 적을 죽이십시오."
Young returned the smile and drew her sword, holding to where it gently touched with his. Exchanging acknowledging nods, Young lead her sisters into the continuous battle while the senior member doused his blade into fire.
Once Branch, the Snack Pack, and the Tribe Leaders reunited with the Tribe Ambassadors, the Bounty Hunters, and the citizens, they all performed a head count to ensure all citizens were all accounted for.
"My daughter!" A Funk Troll mother screamed alongside her husband, "I can't find my daughter!"
"MOMMY!"
The blood of nearly everybody present ran cold as a majority looked toward the tunnels.
"MOMMY!"
Without thinking, Chenille took a deep breath and ran inside, prompting Satin, Cooper, and Prince D to ran in after her.
"Chenille!"
Chenille was not sure who called out for her, but she refused to let that Troll stop her from saving the young Funk Troll. All this time, she was afraid of almost everything. She was afraid of doing the wrong thing when the moment called for it. She wanted to do something right for once.
Eventually, Chenille found the Funk Troll, a young girl with light pink legs; a three-tone fur ombré consisting of dark blue, light blue, and moderate yellow; purple hair with a gold streak that was tied into two puffy ponytails. One of her legs was caught in-between a large boulder, causing blood to slowly leak down and her to softly sob.
"Hey, it's okay," Chenille smiled as she calmed the young girl down, "I'm here to help you. What's your name?"
"C-Cynthia," The Funk Troll child sniffled.
"Okay, Cynthia," Chenille slung her M4A1 over her shoulder, "I need you to take a deep breath. When I tell you, I need you to move your leg after I lift this up. Can you do that?"
Cynthia shakely nodded in response before she stiffened up at the sound of the Party Crashers screeching in the distance. Chenille readied her assault rifle and turned on the flashlight, aiming it into the darkness. At that moment, Satin, Cooper, and Prince D arrived to assist her, firing a reign of fire and bullets upon the swarm. Chenille turned away and attempted to lift up the boulder, which only budged when Satin stopped to lend her hand. Chenille bridal-carried Cynthia as the five of them made their way out of the tunnels. Cynthia cried out, prompting Chenille and the others to look behind them and gasp in terror.
A muscular Party Crasher was leading the charge while hoisting another large boulder, cackling with the intent of blocking their only way out.
Turning back, Satin took notice of a couple of things: One, a crying couple whom she assumed to be Cynthia's parents, reaching futilely for their daughter; Two, the charge used to detonate the final set of explosives being held in Branch's hand; and Three, there was no way all of five could make it out in time.
Without thinking, Satin shoved the four of them out of the tunnels just as the Party Crasher launched his boulder, which collided with the entry point and prevented anyone else from entering or exiting. As Chenille watched as Cynthia and her parents shared a tearful reunion from outside, she turned around to face her sister...only to be greeted with a blank space where she should have been.
"Satin? Satin?!"
Inside the tunnel, Satin pushed herself up as she saw the swarm of the Party Crashers charging at her and, by extent, the entrance. She grimaced at the circumstances: one Troll (herself) against a horde of brutal and bloodthirsty Party Crashers who had potentially no intent on leaving anyone alive by the end of the night. For bonus points, she had nothing but a handful of weapons at her disposal to keep them at bay.
But...
I... I have to try...
For not just the sake of her tribe or the others...
But for Chenille as well...
Trollex-2 reloaded his Remington 870 just before he was ambushed by two Party Crashers. Using his shotgun as a club, he swung and hit the two in the face before DJ and Petra came to his rescue, emptying the magazines of their Glock 17 and SIG-Sauer P226R pistols, respectively. It provided Trollex-2 with enough time to reload his Remington and blow a single hole in their chests.
Namaari sufficiently sliced the heads, arms, and legs of her opponents, relishing in the bloodshed despite her better interest. Diogo, Dulce, and Suzi used their M4A1 Carbines to cover the group of young children as the Party Crashers began invading from all sides. They also covered Aggie, who wielded the Rainbow Wand to blow away swarm after swarm of Party Crasher mooks without directly killing them.
At that moment, not only did Sisu crash through a window to assist the group, Bi-Na, Young & Min ran across the walls of the castle's halls to do so as well. All three of them wore black leather shinobi shzoku modified to be bulletproof; each of them also had a specific color in the lining as a means of proper identification for each other. Bi-Na, in magenta, wielded a whip sword; Young, in orange, wielded a pair of sais; and Min, in blue, wielded a recurve bow.
The three K-Pop Trolls cleared a path for the group as the children looked on in awe.
"We know a way out!" Bi-Na used her whip sword to slice off the heads of a trio of Party Crashers, "Follow us!"
Without hesitation, the group followed the trio out of the castle as Diogo watched Sun Lien ride the dragon forms of her older siblings from a series of windows...and subsequently fall off as a series of Siren Trolls ambushed them.
"SUN LIEN!"
"DIOGO!"
Without hesitation again, Diogo leaped out a window and spread his wings to soar down and catch a frightened Sun Lien as she was in free fall. Dulce watched in growing fear as the same Siren Trolls turned their attention to the couple now before Aggie used the Rainbow Wand to disintegrate them. Diogo carried Sun Lien back inside the castle, the both of them holding each other tightly.
Shang and Xia followed them after, each revealing serious wounds on their sides and backs.
"Take our sister to safety," Shang breathed out, "We'll hold them off."
"No, I'm staying with you!" Sun Lien briefly pulled away before Xia shook her head and held her shoulders to face her directly.
"You don't have a choice, sister. You're far more important than any of us now."
"I'm not going to leave you two here!" Sun Lien began to cry.
"No, you won't," Shang shook his head and pulled his younger sister close as she sobbed into his chest. He pulled away to grant her request of one last look.
"We love you, Sun Lien. You were always the best of us."
And with that, his and Xia's hands glowed. A bright flash later, and DJ's group was transported outside the city limits.
"NO! NO!" Sun Lien realized the severity of the situation and began to rush back to Dragon City, which was consumed by fire and overrun by the Party Crashers, the Chanty Trolls, and the Siren Trolls.
Diogo caught up with her and pulled her back.
"SHANG! XIA!"
"SATIN! SATIN!"
Blocking the muffled screams of her younger sister, Satin mustered up the remaining courage for what appeared to be her last stand. Grabbing a plethora of discarded weapons and keeping them in a pile nearby, she picked up two machetes and, with a bloodcurdling cry, charged the swarm.
She focused on their weak spots, mainly the head, gut, and groin, even taking the time to slice their arms and legs. Nearly dodging a chainsaw being swung at her and cringing as it made contact with the face of the Party Crasher behind her, she was tackled to the ground before she began kicking the group responsible away. The group of Party Crashers rapidly grew larger and larger with each passing minute, but she refused to let the growing numbers deter her from preventing the predators from reaching their prey.
Starting to hurl the bladed objects with frightening force, Satin was again tackled to the ground as the Party Crashers began beating her down. To her horror, they also began tearing her clothes off, exposing her nipples and lower area as the penis of another muscular Party Crasher dangled in front of her eyes, which began welling up with tears of fear. Shaking her head, she snarled and screamed in defiance as she again kicked them away before reaching for a discarded machete and using it to vertically stabbing the Party Crasher straight into the crotch. Ignoring his screeches of agony, she buried the machete even further a few moments before finally breaking away from the group's grasp.
Eyeing a couple of firearms laying nearby, Satin rushed over and grabbed two M4A1 Carbines, emptying the magazines of both into the swarm in an astonishing act of violent vengeance. Grabbing a SIG-Sauer P226R and one of her discarded switchblades, she continued her defiant screams as she murdered any and all Party Crasher who were unfortunate enough to enter her line of sight.
In her focused fury, Satin was caught off guard and ambushed by a female Party Crasher, who disarmed her of one of her switchblades and swiftly stabbed her in the shoulder. Screaming into her face, she took her arm and snapped it, causing her to roar back and release the switchblade, which Satin pulled out of her shoulder and repeatedly stab the Party Crasher until she no longer twitched.
Eyeing now the charge for the final set of explosives, a grenade belt, and the muscular Party Crasher who attempted to rape her earlier, Satin growled in determination and ran to the charge, then the grenade belt, and finally the Party Crasher. Wrapping the grenade belt around the waist of the Party Crasher, who futilely tried to bat her away upon realizing what she was trying do, she attempted to activate the charge before she received several more stab wounds and was swatted into the wall.
Pushing herself up again and wincing at the numerous blades embedded into her body, Satin grabbed the charge as she noticed another tidal wave of Party Crashers run over each other as they screeched in anticipation.
"SATIN! SATIN!"
Working up the energy and courage needed to press the button, Satin took a deep breath as she listened to her younger sister one last time as she cried out for her.
I'm sorry, Chenille. For everything...
. . .
. . .
. . .
BOOM!
BOOM!
Everything in Dragon City instantly ceased any and all movement as a sudden explosion echoed throughout the Troll Kingdom, even slightly rocking half of the Dragon Trolls' home. DJ's group looked up in fear and confusion as the ground beneath them gently shook and made them nearly lose their footing. Even Sun Lien, who was previously attempting to run back to the city to help her older siblings defend it, exchanged frightened glances with Diogo.
"What was that?"
In the heart of the city, where the surviving citizens and Royal Guard members (including Shang and Xia) were bound and restrained, the Chanty Trolls exchanged looks with Captain Blue, who turned to Serina, Kiri, and Vivace in need of an explanation.
"What was that?"
"What, you think we did that?" Serina huffed.
"Well, you and your fellow Siren Trolls seemed content of casual, callous murder without the purpose of interrogation and intimidation."
Kiri swiftly glided over and beared her fangs at Captain Blue, who remained unfazed unlike the citizens and a few Royal Guard members behind her.
"Don't forget who hired us!"
With that, Serina and Kiri commandeered two swords and stabbed both Shang and Xia in their chests, prompting the screams of many a Dragon City citizen as they cried out for their fallen leaders. The two siblings fell over as Serina and Kiri pulled out the swords and harshly threw them down on the ground in front of Captain Blue, who then watched Kiri screech into the faces of the prisoners, smirking as the younger Trolls began to sob like the pathetic wretches they were. Her eyes briefly met Vivace's, who looked on in horrified silence as she discovered her older sisters were not above committing murder to acheive their goals.
"You brought this upon not just yourself, not just your crew, but these poor unfortunate souls as well," Serina softly snarled into Blue's face as she harshly reigned Kiri back in the fray, "You really should have thought over your options before turning to us for aid."
At that moment, a majority of the Chanty Trolls raised their swords at their former Captain, who sighed in resignation and raised her hands in defeat. As she did, she noticed that some of them had glowing eyes. They were under their complete control, unlike the majority who threw her apologetic glances.
"You're right," Blue admitted, "but you didn't have to kill them. The Prince and the Princess."
"No?" Kiri mockingly tilted her head.
"You should have killed me," Blue murmured.
"Yes, we should've," Serina nodded, "but we didn't. You think about the reason why you're in the brig with the lot of them."
With a gesture, the Chanty Trolls (both brainwashed and betraying) led Blue and the prisoners onto the hijacked ship. The Captain could not help but ruminate over how much went so wrong for the past weeks. All she wanted were the Six Strings and the opportunity to properly unite all of the Troll Tribes and not just the main ones. She failed to trust her gut instinct or even heed its warning signs before it was too late. She wanted to do right by not just herself, but the tribe she called her family up until that point. Hell, she wanted to do right by her grandmother and friends...
. . .
. . .
. . .
Wait...
My grandmother...?
My friends...?
I don't have a grandmother...
I don't even have friends!
Do I...?
. . .
. . .
. . .
A forceful shove forward was all Blue needed to be knocked back into reality, forcing her to move her feet onto the ship before it took off.
The last thing Blue spotted before the door closed were the two siblings holding each other as they died in each other's arms.
Blue could only look away in discomfort.
A moment of silence later, Chenille could do nothing but look at the tunnel's former entrance in utter despair. As the rest of the tribe members recovered from the blast impact, she pulled a pickaxe from Branch's hair as she began tearing apart the boulder, which was greatly weakened by the explosion. At a certain point where the boulder was loose enough to broken down, she began to pull out rocks with her bare hands as she climbed back inside, ignoring the calls of Branch, Prince D, and everyone else.
"Satin! Satin!"
Chenille called out for her sister as she noticed the extent of the damage caused. The corpses of many a Party Crasher littered the floor and walls, including one particularly large Party Crasher who was blown apart in half; his lower half had a machete embedded in his crotch. Nearly gagging at the sight, Prince D arrived behind her and held her close for comfort as Branch arrived second, producing a flashlight as the rest of the Snack Pack flooded the tunnels.
A few minutes later, and Branch stood still as he swallowed a deep breath.
"Here!"
Chenille was the first to rush over to where Branch stood, hoping to find her sister. In hindsight, she slightly wished she had not. Clamping her hands over her mouth in horror, she blankly stared at the corpse of her sister. Not only were several blades stuck in her stomach and shoulders, but her clothes were in complete tatters, rendering her almost completely naked; the horrifying implications left her enraged enough to consider pummeling the deader-than-dead corpses to avenge her sister. Shaking her head, she carefully approached and leaned down, her eyes welling up with tears as she hugged her older twin sibling.
"S-Satin..."
. . .
. . .
. . .
"C-Chenille..."
Looking up in surprise, Chenille pulled away and faced Satin directly.
"Satin?"
At the call of her name, Satin began coughing up blood as she struggled to open her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but even she could see Chenille smile through her tears.
"Satin!"
"Chenille," Satin threw up blood now as Chenille's frightened expression returned as she, Branch, and Prince D laid her down. The Snack Pack gasped in shock at the sight of their long-time friend and the Tribe Leaders echoed that sentiment.
"You're going to be okay, Satin," Chenille muttered quietly before raising her voice in a more urgent tone, "You're going to be okay!"
"You're okay, Chenille," Satin smiled as she breathed heavily, "You and the others are okay. That's all that matters..."
"No, I'm not going to lose you too. We already lost Poppy..."
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry for everything I did to you all these years..."
"No, no, no! Don't apologize! You'll be okay! You'll be okay...!"
"I probably won't be," Satin weakly shook her head, much to Chenille's growing distress, "But you will. That matters the most to me..."
"S-Satin..." Chenille reached down and cupped her sister's face.
"Just make it out. Find Poppy. Find DJ and the others. Fight...fight for your lives. Fight...for the tribes."
With her last ounce of strength, Satin gently bumped her head to meet with Chenille's.
"You're...my sister. Don't you ever forget it."
Chenille sniffled at the harsh reality, but nonetheless nodded.
"I won't..."
"Good..."
One final breath, and Satin collapsed on the cold floor of the tunnels, her final resting place.
Everybody stood in silent shock afterward. Everybody felt hopelessness fill them. King Quincy and Queen Essence held each other for comfort, Delta Dawn took off her hat in honor, Trollzart bowed his head, Barb fought back her tears as she wordlessly denied everything that unfolded in front of her was true. Biggie held Mr. Dinkles and Legsly close, Guy Diamond wiped away his own tears, Cooper and Prince D looked lost and despondent, Creek bowed his own head, and Branch reflected upon the fact that this was only the third time he failed someone close to him.
Everybody outside who had listened were not feeling any better. The Bounty Hunters exchanged saddened looks, while the Tribe Ambassadors were heartbroken over the death of a close acquaintance, despite their lack of true acknowledgement. Val, in particular, wondered if she was to blame for the entirety of these events, a sentiment slightly echoed by Cynthia, who wondered if her carelessness resulted in the death of her rescuer's sister.
Chenille, on the other hand, looked and breathed the act of absolute anger.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
She screamed and sobbed.
She screamed to the heavens.
She sobbed for the loss of her sister.
These screams and sobs only persisted as Chenille began destroying the tunnels and further mutiliate the corpses of the Party Crashers, venting her frustrations as her fellow mourners looked on in concern and fear. Specifically, eyeing the muscular Party Crasher with the machete embedded in his crotch, she made a point of harshly pulling it out and brutally butchering the poor body more, unknowingly but correctly assuming this Party Crasher was responsible for molesting her sister prior to her death. After a while, Chenille left the machete embedded in his head as she fell to her knees and continued to cry before an approaching Darnell knelt down beside her. The Pop Troll could tackle the Hip-Hop Troll in a hug as she sobbed into his chest and he rubbed circles around on her back.
A moment passed...
And then another...
And then another...
Until...
"Uh, guys...?" Legsly tilted her head at the scene unfolding before her, prompting everyone else to turn into her direction.
Satin's corpse was now enveloped with a yellow glow as her wounds began to heal themselves and her nude body was surrounded with an aura that vaguely resembled a dress. The blades responsible for said wounds fell out and glowed white before they disintegrated. Then, not a mere minute later, she was engulfed in a bright white flash as she disappeared into thin air.
The mouths of everybody who witnessed the event were left agape. Chenille was the first to recover, standing up with Darnell's assistance.
"Where...where did she go?"
. . .
. . .
. . .
Where...
Where am I?
Satin's eyes fluttered open, greeted by a big, bright blue sky. Before she could get accustomed to it, she noticed that she was lying on something...wet. Slowly sitting up and glancing over her shoulder, she found a puddle that stretched for a thousand miles or more and surrounded the entire landscape. She was also surprised to learn that she was not entirely drenched despite laying in the same spot for presumably so long.
Standing up to her feet, Satin smoothed out her...silver long-sleeved dress with purple cuffs and leggings as she tried to make sense of her current situation.
WHOOSH!
Before she could, though, she fell into the water and gurgled underwater before she was caught in a whirlpool and sent through a bright white light.
CRASH!
Suddenly, she fell onto a table with food, disorienting her before she rubbed her head.
"Ugh..."
"You a newbie?"
Looking up in the direction of the voice, Satin froze up at the sight of a slender Troll with wolf-like characteristics, including a dark grey snout, yellow sclera, and thick black eyebrows (with a subtle notch on his left). His outfit was a casual suit consisting of a cream-coloured blazer unbuttoned over a bright white dress shirt, cream-coloured dress pants, a brown leather belt, and a pair of brown dress shoes.
Notcing her growing fear, Mr. Wolf chuckled and raised his hands up.
"I get it. The Big Bad Wolf, right?"
"A...a little," Satin slowly stood up, "What you mean, "a newbie"?"
"A new person who got transported to the Space Between after dying."
"The Space Between?"
"The self-proclaimed place between Heaven and Hell."
"You're serious?"
"Honestly, Miss, sometimes I wish I was joking."
Taking notice of her new surroundings, Satin slowly approached a window and gasped in wonder.
All Trolls of different tribes were interacting with each other as if it were completely normal while bright colors decorated the unknown kingdom. Pop, Funk, Classical, Techno, Country, and Rock...even some of the subgenres chattered and interacted in harmony.
Perfect harmony.
"Yep. That's the Space Between for you."
"This entire place is the Space Between?"
"Well, this is just the main kingdom. Welcome...to TrollsTopia."