Thanks go to fergusans18, BadDRUMMERboy15, Tbone8454, Andyfire123, Wingah, MoltenLavaMan, EmperorVolt, 10burgers, pastmemes, Gray Kanzakai, Skele, Genowar, Jack54311, bananahead1, DescendantYl2, and NBoss01.
Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale or Deltarune.
"Ha!" Xander jumped back, throwing one arm forward and sending a burst of flames from his palm, destroying the stars that flew from K. Round's kick.
K. Round launched through the smoke, pulling up one foot to stomp down on a stunned Xander. Anthony was quick to jump between the two however, raising his shield and blocking K. Round's incoming foot.
Anthony's knees threatened to buckle, his teeth grinding and sweat forming on his brow under K. Round's weight before shards of ice shattered on K. Round's back, and it stepped off of Anthony to turn and face Lexi and Angel, who stood ready behind it, white knuckled fingers wrapped around their respective weapons.
Anthony took this opportunity to cock back his shield arm, gritting his teeth before whipping his arm forward and sending his shield soaring in a spin at K. Round's crown, which it crashed into, knocking it clean off K. Round's head and sending Anthony's shield bouncing right back to him. He reached out, and Xander was shocked as he caught it right back on his arm.
K. Round rapidly shrunk back to a C. Round, and it looked quite confused as it dropped back onto the ground from it's once grand stature.
"There ya go lil' guy." Anthony placed his shield on his back, kneeling down and reaching out to C. Round. He gently rubbed C. Round's cheek with his hand, wiping away a smudge with extra care.
C. Round happily bounded off, and Anthony stood with a smile clear on his face as the other three walked up to him.
"What the hell was that, Captain America?!" Angel exclaimed with disbelief, and Anthony grinned sheepishly, reaching up and rubbing the back of his head.
"Dunno." He answered honestly. "I just kinda... Did a thing and it went well?"
"It was the power of our super cool team up!" Lexi believed wholeheartedly, slamming her fist into her open palm. "Its the only thing that makes sense!"
"... Right." Xander said, giving Lexi a confused stare.
"Speaking of teams, us working together has given me an ingenious idea." Lexi placed one hand proudly on her chest, smirking confidently.
"You wanna join us?" Anthony asked hopefully and with a friendly smile.
"What? Pff, no." Lexi rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "One'a you guys has to join me."
"What?!" Xander exclaimed, clearly unable to tolerate Lexi's ridiculousness anymore.
"There's three of you and one of me!" Lexi spoke like it was obvious. "The only way to make it fair is for one of you to join me."
"Lexi, there's no way that one of us is going to-"
"I'll do it." Angel volunteered before Anthony could finish his sentence, making his friend stiffen as frustration and disappointment appeared on his expression.
"Woo!" Lexi pumped a fist into the air, grinning wide with joy. "I was hoping it'd be Spear Guy!"
"My name's Angel." Angel snerked, glancing over at Lexi.
"That's a very pretty name."
"Why thank you!"
"..." Anthony slowly reached up, running a hand down his face. Xander's eye twitched with irritation.
"... Angel, may we speak to you for a moment?"
Chapter 23: Team Splitting Exercise
"We can't keep dodging this forever."
"Okay, now I know what you're gonna say." Angel began, Anthony crossing his arms with a condescending frown.
"Angel."
"But it's really not like that!" Angel rose his hands defensively.
"Angel."
"I just think that-!"
"Angel."
"I don't-!"
"You're thinking with your dick."
". . ." Angel went silent, his hands slowly clenching into fists and his eyes shutting tight. "... Okay, I might be thinking with my dick."
"You're definitely thinking with your dick." Xander confirmed with a cold frown.
"But! This is a great opportunity!" Angel opened his eyes, pursing his lips and pointing to his two skeptical team members.
"Great opportunity for you to try to get with the goth girl." Anthony muttered while rolling his eyes.
"No, dingus! Look, she's the fourth hero, right?" Angel spoke, getting the attention of his comrades. "That means that we need her on our side to seal the fountain, right?"
"... Well, yes." Xander's eyes darted to the side, before looking back to Angel. "But how will splitting into two groups help that? We aren't gaining a hero, we're losing one!"
"This will only be temporary. Once we're good enough friends, I'm sure I can convince her to join our side!" Angel spoke confidently, raising one clenched fist.
"And besides, she was right. It wouldn't be fair to be three on one." Angel smirked knowingly, crossing his arms. "And heroes are supposed to play fair, right?"
"Ah-!" Xander raised one finger, before groaning and lowering his head. "... I'm so mad that you're right..."
"Hehehe." Angel grinned, sticking the tip of his tongue from between his bottom and upper front teeth.
"Alright, fine Angel. If you really think this can work, then..." Anthony closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before reopening his ruby peepers and smiling softly at his friend. "I believe in you."
"Just... Don't get into any trouble, alright?" Anthony frowned with worry. "You're my friend, and I don't want something to happen and... For me to not be there to protect you."
Angel smiled genuinely from his friend's care. It was odd, Angel always felt he was Anthony's protector, not the other way around. So, hearing that Anthony wanted to wanted to keep him safe too felt... Nice.
"... Don't you worry, Anny. I'll be careful."
"Man, this is gonna be so cool!" Lexi exclaimed excitedly as her and Angel walked along the forest path. "I've never been part of a dynamic duo before!"
"Don't you have like, entire legions on your side?" Angel cocked a brow over at Lexi as they walked, hands in his pockets.
"I mean, yeah, but..." Lexi hesitated then, eyes darting to the side. Angel almost thought he saw her frown, before she threw her head back and laughed loudly. "Those guys are all nerds! Not team material at all!"
"Heh..." Angel smiled some at that, reassured by Lexi's seemingly endless well of confidence. "Well I'm glad I am team material."
"Hey, there's my stump!" Lexi pointed ahead, startling Angel as she didn't seem to have even heard his words. She was, in fact, pointing at a stump. It was red like the wood of all the trees around them, and in its core was a large crack.
Lexi bolted forward, kneeling down next to the stump and reaching into its orifice, rummaging around as Angel casually walked up next to her.
"Uhh..?" Angel slowly tilted his head to the side with heavy confusion, before Lexi let out an "Ah ha!" And pulled out a gallon drum of ice cream from the wood.
"Ice cream?" Angel furrowed his brows, and Lexi grinned up at him as she pulled two spoons and two bowls from the stump as well.
"Pretty evil, right?" She asked, sitting at one end of the stump.
Angel laughed at that, taking a seat across from her. "Yeah, sure."
"See, this is what I'm talking about." Lexi spoke as she cracked open the drum of vanilla, setting its lid to the side. "Nobody in my dad's dumb army would stop and eat ice cream with me."
"They'd be all "Oooh Lexi, you should take your job more seriously!" Or "Ooooh Lexi you should be training to become Chaos Incarnate!" Bleh." Lexi rolled her eyes as she scooped ice cream into her bowl. Angel smiled along and listened casually at first, but her mention of Chaos Incarnate caught his ear with a little extra oomph.
"But you, Angel, you get it." Lexi pointed one ice vanilla covered spoon at her teammate. "You know how to chill."
"I mean yeah." Angel shrugged with ease, filling his own bowl. "All work and no play makes Angel a dull boy."
"But uhh..." Angel's eyes narrowed some, not sure how to go about steering the conversation. "What was that about you being Chaos Incarnate?"
"You don't know?" Lexi furrowed her brows, popping her spoon into her mouth before continuing to speak. "Chaos Incarnate's s'posed to be a human, like you n' me."
"What?" Angel leaned forward, baffled. "I thought it'd be like... Some weird monster or something."
"Oh, it is." Lexi nodded convincingly. "It just wears human skin."
"See, the Dark Fountain is the catalyst." Lexi took up an uncharacteristically serious tone, her eyes narrowing down into her bowl. "You throw the right human in there, and boom, Chaos Incarnate has its vessel and is ready to return to this world."
"Least, that's what The Doctor told dad." Lexi shrugged, looking back up to Angel.
"The Doctor?" Angel tilted his head to the side with heavier confusion.
"Yeah, you know, The Doctor?" Lexi reached up, running her fingers over her face to form a line of ice running up from her right eyelid to her hairline and another running from her bottom left eyelid down her cheek. "Man, you hero guys really are outta the loop."
"Yeah, been comin' to that conclusion myself lately..." Angel's eyes darted to the side as he frowned.
"See, my old man wasn't always the undisputed heavy weight king." Lexi leaned one elbow on the stump-table. "There was three other kings that helped rule, up until The Doctor appeared and uh... Put 'em in time out. Permanently."
"And no one had any objections?" Angel furrowed his brows.
"Wouldn'ta mattered if anyone did. The Doctor was too powerful." Lexi shook her head, staring into her ice cream, which she shifted around in the bowl with her spoon. "He put my dad in charge, and told us to find the Vessel."
"And your dad thinks that's you?" Angel asked, and Lexi shrugged.
"I mean, I'm the only human we got. Least, until you came along..." Lexi muttered thoughtlessly, resting her chin on her fist.
Suddenly, her eyes widened with realization, darting back to Angel. "Hey! Maybe you're Chaos Incarnate!"
"W-what?!" Angel recoiled, leaning back.
"Yeah! I mean, you're a human, and you're on our team now!" Lexi leaned forward excitedly. "It could totally be you!"
"Why wouldn't it be you?!" Angel exclaimed, flustered.
"Well everyone thinks it's me, but c'mon, there's no way right?" Lexi shrugged, gesturing to herself. "I mean I'm wacky, but I'm not chaotic."
"And I am?" Angel threw his hands up, clearly baffled.
"... Hmm..." Lexi pursed her lips then, reaching up and stroking her imaginary beard thoughtfully. "Guess you got a point there..."
"But it's gotta be one of us, right?" Lexi looked back to Angel. "It can't be the wizard or MC Sweetness, they certainly don't fit the bill."
Angel mulled over Lexi's words for a moment or two, but ultimately pushed them and the anxiety they brought away. The identity of the Vessel didn't matter, if that legend was even true.
He had absolute faith in Anthony, after all. This plan to resurrect Chaos Incarnate would never come to fruition so long as his best friend was on the case, of that Angel was certain.
"Hey you two!"
Angel looked over his shoulder, smiling lightly as he spotted Anthony and Xander making their way towards the stump. Anthony had his hand raised, waving it back and forth.
"Sup nerds?" Predator called with a playful tone, grinning over Angel's shoulder towards the incoming heroes.
"Nothing much." Xander spoke, before arching a brow down at the ice cream. "How uh... How are those evil plans coming along?"
"None'a your business, that's how." Lexi spoke with a mouthful of ice cream, pointing her spoon at the wizard.
"... Right." Xander squinted condescendingly.
"Hey, this is all part of our ingenious plan." Angel boasted, and Anthony titled his head to the side with confusion.
"Going on a date is part of your plan?" Anthony asked, making Angel stiffen as his hair shadowed his eyes.
"W-what?! No! We aren't-!"
"Oh yeah!" Lexi grinned confidently. "This date is a huge part of our dastardly plan!"
"You are not helping!" Angel snapped, his face not dissimilar from a tomato's shade.
"I'm pretty sure I am." Lexi smirked and closed her eyes, nodding her head.
"Eugh!" Angel buried his face in his hands, making Anthony laugh and put a hand on his shoulder.
"So are you good at sports?!"
"You're certainly cute and fluffy!"
"Do you uhm... Wear glasses?"
Anthony happily kicked his feet as he sat between two of Clover's three heads, the middle head curling back to rub her cheek against his mane of white hair affectionately.
"I'm a really good batter in baseball," Anthony pointed to the right head.
"Thank you very much!" Anthony addressed the middle head next, smiling and reaching up to pet her head appreciatively.
"And, actually, I do need reading glasses." Anthony grinned sheepishly over to the left head. "But I forgot them at home, sorry."
The three heads let out an "Aww..." Of disappointment, and Anthony frowned with guilt for a moment, before his face lit up with a realization.
"Oh! I might have a picture on my phone!"
Xander crossed his arms, smirking with some amusement as he watched Anthony scroll through his camera roll with the three eager heads.
"And this is my friend Angel, and this is my mom!"
"I see where you got your fluffiness from."
"I bet she's NICE! Like ME!"
"Would she approve of us..?"
Xander was baffled as to how Anthony easily kept up conversation with all three heads. He remained polite and sweet and clearly listened to every word Clover said, and somehow she got tired of talking before he did!
Anthony smiled and hummed as Clover slowly lowered to the ground, her three heads closing their eyes once they rested peacefully on the grass. Anthony continued to hum some sort of lullaby, and in moments Clover was sleeping soundly.
Anthony gently stepped off of Clover, leaning down and planting one sweet kiss atop each of her sleepy heads. All three of them smiled softly in their sleep, and a rainbow formed over their heads.
"Aww..." Anthony whispered, smiling quite happily at Clover's sleeping faces.
"You think everything's cute, don't you?" Xander crossed his arms, and Anthony furrowed his brows over at him.
"Everything is cute!" Anthony exclaimed defensively, throwing his hands into the air.
Xander laughed, and the two continued on along the path.
"So is that why you ship Angel and Lexi? You think it's cute?" Xander arched a brow over at Anthony.
"Look, all I'm saying is that if their baby was a boy they'd name it Anthony, and if it was a girl they'd name it Anny." Anthony shrugged over to Xander as they made their way into a bake sale. "So basically it's a win-win for me."
"..." Xander slowly shook his head, chuckling to himself. "You really live in your own world, don't you?"
"It's bright and sunny." Anthony responded with a smile, before the two had made their way to the stand that Lexi and Angel were posted at.
"Welcome, valued costumers!" Angel grinned in a way Anthony knew only he could, imbued with all of his lovable scoundrel charisma.
*He looks like he's having fun.
That made Anthony happy. Angel didn't get out much, and though he tried his best to hide it from Anthony, the albino cinnamon roll knew his best friend wasn't... Always the happiest.
That's why Anthony tried his hardest to be as positive as he could be around his more cynical friend. He cared a lot about Angel. Angel was his best and... His only friend. Well, at least until the two came here. Up until then, everyone always almost seemed... Afraid of Anthony, in a way.
Angel never acknowledged it, Anthony's guess was that he didn't want him to figure out how most people saw him. But of course, Anthony did notice these things.
At first he thought it was because he was human, but then he learned that he wasn't like most humans, either. Even here, in this weird wacked out dark world, there was no one else like him.
And... That made Anthony ache, deep down. Caused a kind of loneliness that not even Angel's friendship couldn't completely medicate.
But Angel tried his best to make Anthony feel like he belonged, and for the most part he succeeded. His effort alone made Anthony feel very grateful, and that's why it made Anthony happy to see Angel enjoying himself. His friend's laid back nature might make one believe otherwise, but Anthony knew Angel worked very hard. He deserved to be happy.
"Care for a Lexi Cookie?" Lexi reached under the counter, bringing up a plate of cookies, each of which was in the shape of her face. "All proceeds go to whoopin' your ass."
"You two baked cookies?" Xander tilted his head to the side.
"Only forty dark dollars." Angel winked an eye shut, resting his chin on his fist.
"Sure!" Anthony smiled, reaching for the bag of coins on his hip.
Lexi laughed maniacally when Anthony handed over the money, and after Angel handed his friend the cookie, the two darted from behind the stand, Xander and Anthony watching with confusion and amusement as the two ran over to Hathy's donut stand.
"And how is a donut gonna help your evil plans?" Xander called over to them, and they both glared back at him.
"Evil fuel!" Lexi called back like it was obvious, before hopping onto Angel's back. The two laughed obnoxiously, and Angel ran ahead with Lexi in tow, giggling happily from his back.
"..." Anthony watched them run off, smiling and shaking his head. "I think that's the most active thing I've seen Angel do in years."
"He certainly seems to be enjoying himself." Xander observed with a similar smile. "Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea."
"Angel always was the idea man." Anthony shrugged, beginning to walk ahead after the two.
"Oh yeah?" Xander tilted his head curiously, looking over to Anthony.
"When we were little, I pretty much just followed him around like a stray puppy." Anthony chuckled, smiling lightly as he looked ahead. "But I think that made Angel feel important, having me to look over."
"You guys have been friends for awhile, huh?" Xander looked ahead thoughtfully, and Anthony nodded.
"Almost as long as I can remember." He explained. "Me n' Angel are like brothers. There's nothing I wouldn't do for him, and there's nothing he wouldn't do for me."
"That sounds really nice. You're very lucky to have a friend like that." Xander's eyes drifted to the ground then, and narrowed almost painfully. He almost whispered, "I wish I could've had someone like that..."
"Hm..?" Anthony furrowed his brows with some worry as he glanced over to Xander. "What was that?"
"O-oh! Nothing!" Xander smiled nervously as he looked back up to Anthony, scratching the back of his head while he waved a hand dismissively.
"..." Anthony smiled with care over at Xander. "Well, me and Angel have been friends for a very long time, but I'm really glad that you're my friend too, Xander."
Xander's eyes widened some at this, before his lips curved up with some measure of comfort.
"... Thank you Anthony. I'm very glad to be your friend, too."
Angel smirked to himself, closing his eyes and resting his hands behind his head. He and Lexi were in two separate lawn chairs, relaxing as they awaited the arrival of the good guys that followed them.
He thought it was funny, how little Lexi actually seemed to care about catching his friends. For all her talk of being the villain, to Angel she seemed... Completely harmless. It was as if this was all a friendly game to her, there was nothing malicious about her.
"You throw the right human in there, and boom, Chaos Incarnate has its vessel and is ready to return to this world."
That made Angel's smirk almost a frown, and his eyes opened, unable to look at the image that memory put on the inside of his eyelids.
Was Lexi the Vessel? Had her father really been prepping her to be... Essentially sacrificed?
"It just wears human skin."
From the sound of it, whoever the Vessel was would disappear once they were tossed in the Fountain. That thought was... Terrifying. For him, and for any of the other human candidates he knew.
For Lexi...
"Hey, Angel..?"
Angel's head lifted, and he glanced over to Lexi, who stared thoughtfully into the dark sky, her hands behind her head. Her expression was uncharacteristically serious.
"What's up, Lex?" Angel propped himself up on his elbows as he looked over at her.
"... Thanks for pallin' around with me." Lexi spoke after a pause. "I uh, don't really... Have anybody to hang out with."
"..." Lexi's eyes glossed to the side, away from Angel. "... I don't have any friends."
"Everybody around here's always seemed like they're, I dunno... Afraid of me?" Lexi shrugged, continuing to avoid eye contact. "It's probably because they all think I'm gonna be the Vessel. And I'm the King's daughter. And for awhile I was the only human down here."
Angel listened intently, and when Lexi turned to look back at him and smiled, he felt... A certain type of way. A way entirely unfamiliar. It was pleasant and warm, but also fleeting, quickly replaced by an odd sense of longing for a moment that passed just seconds ago.
"I guess what I'm gettin' at is, that I think you're the first person to ever take the time to be nice to me." Lexi's painted face curved up in a warm and appreciative expression, one as genuine as she always seemed to be to Angel. "And I really appreciate that."
Angel stumbled over his words for a moment, and they caught a few times on their way up his throat for reasons he wasn't entirely sure of. Somehow, such a simple show of appreciation had confounded and baffled him into speechlessness for seconds that, to him at least, felt like hours. And somehow, that was embarrassing. Made heat rise to Angel's cheeks before he finally managed to choke something out.
"It's no problem, Lexi. You're my friend, I like having you around."
Though Angel felt a thousand doubts about his word choice and sentence structure and any small thing he could nit pick from that sentence, it looked like Lexi hadn't had a problem with any of it. In fact her smile widened, and it looked as though his words had made her very happy.
And that made Angel happy. Brought back that pleasant and warm feeling he'd wanted desperately ever since it disappeared half a minute ago.
"... Hey." Lexi eventually spoke, after laying back down and looking back up to the black sky. "Can I tell you something? Y'know, since we're friends n' all?"
"Of course." Angel looked over at her, laying back down as well.
"..." Lexi hesitated, and her eyes narrowed painfully. Her words choked her, and it took all of her strength to force them out.
"... I don't wanna be The Vessel..."
Angel's eyebrows raised with surprise, and he turned his head to look at her.
"It's... Really scary." Lexi sat up, and she pulled her knees to her chest. "Knowing that I'm gonna get put in the fountain and... That there's a chance it won't be me who walks back out..."
"I don't wanna go, but... With the arrival of the Heroes, I get the feeling that the day's gonna be coming soon." Lexi lowered her head, hugging her knees tight.
"Maybe that's why I've been trying to enjoy myself so much lately, and... Why I'm so glad to finally have a friend." Lexi smiled sorrowfully, strands of hair falling and shadowing her eyes.
"... Because I'm gonna die soon."
"No you aren't."
Lexi looked up with surprise, finding Angel had sat up and was looking to her now with an expression she hadn't seen before, at least not in him. It was a DETERMINED stare, a serious gleam in his emerald eyes.
"You're my friend, Lexi. And I won't let them sacrifice you for that stupid chaos thing." Angel frowned, shaking his head. "There's no way."
"But, Angel..." Lexi lowered her knees, turning to face him. "If it isn't me it's you, and... I don't wanna lose my only friend..."
"No one is going in that dumb fountain." Angel stood then, staring down at one dumbfounded Lexi. "We're gonna seal it so no one has to give their life."
"We..?" Lexi repeated skeptically and quietly, tilting her head slowly to the side.
"The legend says Four Heroes seal the fountain. Me, Xander and Anny add up to three. We need one more." Angel smiled then, and he reached out to Lexi with one hand. "We need you, Lexi."
"M-Me?!" Lexi recoiled with surprise, putting a hand over her chest. "B-but, I'm not a hero! I'm the daughter of the King, I might be the Vessel, I'm the bad guy!"
"Lex this morning my biggest issue was not having milk for my Reese's Puffs. A few hours later I'm chillin' in a whole other world with my new cool magic scythe friend. None'a this makes sense." Angel shook his head, continuing to hold out his hand. "Forget the past, the world needs us now. The world needs you now."
"... Whoa..." Lexi's lips curved up slowly, and she reached up for Angel's hand. "You give a really good hero speech!"
"So you'll do it?" Angel asked almost excitedly as he helped Lexi to her feet. "You'll help us?"
"Heck yeah!" Lexi grinned, nodding her head giddily. "Lets save the fricken world!"
"Woo!" Angel agreed with hype, and the two high fived loudly.
Angel and Lexi waited for Anthony and Xander to arrive, and informed them of Lexi's side change.
Xander was ecstatic that they'd finally gathered all four heroes, and Anthony was happy to finally have Angel traveling with them again, with the added bonus of another new friend.
Lexi went on to explain all she had told Angel of Chaos Incarnate, the Fountain and the Vessel to the other two. Xander listened intently, and Anthony had to try his best to not interrupt with gasps of shock and utter disgust.
But, in every way, he was baffled. For someone to be willing to sacrifice their own child, throw them into the blackness and destroy everything they once were just so they could become their own twisted vision...
What kind of Father would do such a thing?
And hearing that there was a possibility it could be any of them wasn't very comforting, either. Especially after Lexi said that she thought Angel was the second most likely to be the human skin for Chaos Incarnate, right after her.
But, Anthony decided it would be best to use that fear as a motivator to make sure no one ends up in that Fountain. Not Lexi, not Xander, and certainly not Angel.
He was their shield. He would keep them safe.
"Look, everyone! It's the castle!"
Anthony was shaken from his thoughts by Xander's words, and he paused with everyone else to turn and look to the castle in the distance.
Four separate cards were risen like flags around the steel gate entrance, and from its peak one could spot darkness, endlessly spewing high into the sky and sending a black rain falling perpetually over the castle.
Looking upon The source of Chaos made Anthony uneasy in a way that was hard to describe. He found himself imagining a beast, a calamity lurking just beneath the surface. Watching. Waiting.
"Yup, that's where I live!" Lexi grinned pridefully as she stepped forward, placing her hands on her hips. She hesitated after a moment, however.
"Me and uh... My dad."
"And that black thing coming out of the top is..?" Angel stepped closer to the distant structure.
"The Fountain, yes." Xander nodded his confirmation. "From there, you and Anthony will be able to return home."
"Heh, took long enough, right Anny?" Angel smirked over to Anthony as he nudged him with his elbow.
"Ehehe, yeah, you got that right." Anthony swallowed his nerves and gave Angel the biggest smile he could muster.
"Well, lets get a move on!" Angel grinned wide, and Xander and Anthony nodded, continuing ahead.
Lexi hesitated for a second, her hair shadowing her eyes as she looked at their final destination. She turned after another moment or two however, and walked after her party.
"Are... You guys sure there isn't some other way to seal the fountain and get you guys home?"
Angel furrowed his brows, he and the other two glancing over to Lexi, who walked with a slight slouch, skillfully evading their eyes.
"It's just... That the castle is heavily guarded." Lexi reached up, rubbing her shoulder. "It could be dangerous. And, if we fail, then my dad will have everything he needs..."
"No way!" Angel smiled in an attempt to reassure Lexi. "You've got nothing to worry about, Lex. Most'a the people around her can't resist Anny's friendship tractor beam."
Angel gestured to Anthony at that, and he grinned sheepishly and scratched his mane of white hair.
"But, Angel..." Lexi kept her head low, holding her hands together at her chest.
"And anyone else doesn't have a chance at overpowering our four man power team!" Angel clenched a fist out in front of himself as he stepped forward, confident smirk on his face.
"But... I..."
"There's nothin' to be afraid of, Lexi." Angel was certain of his words, until Lexi took a timid step back.
"I... I don't think..." Lexi turned her head to the side, not able to bear the concern that was creeping into Angel's eyes. "I don't think I thought this through..."
"Lexi..?" Angel slowly tilted his head to the side, watching Lexi take another step back.
"What's wrong?" Anthony asked with a tone of concern, taking a step closer and reaching out towards Lexi.
"I... I've gotta go." Lexi said suddenly, shaking her head and looking up at the party.
"What?" Xander furrowed his brows. "But we just-"
"This was a bad idea!" Lexi exclaimed with panic, taking several more steps back. "I have to go!"
"Lexi, wait!" Angel took a step forward, but Lexi turned on her heel, sprinting away and towards the castle.
"Come back!" Angel shouted, bolting past Anthony and Xander after her. "What's going on?!"
"Angel, Lexi! Hold on!" Xander ran after the two next, leaving Anthony dazed in the dust for a moment, before he shook his head, running after them all.
"Wait, guys! Slow down!" Anthony reached out desperately as he ran, only feeling like he was falling further behind.
"The Lightners are approaching the castle! Get them!"
Anthony's eyes went wide, darting to the rows of armored guards that filtered in along the sides of the path. Rudinn Rangers' fired diamond shaped swords at Anthony, who swiftly yanked his shield from his back, blocking whatever projectiles he couldn't weave between.
"Damn it..! I need to catch up!" Anthony jumped, several blades flinging under his feet before he landed, continuing his sprint. "They need me!"
He was rapidly approaching the castle, as were his friends ahead of him. In this moment he felt abandoned, helpless and useless as a blade sliced over his cheek, leaving a thin red streak in his face, from which blood streamed down to his chin.
That pain sent something coursing through him, made his red soul flare from the odd sense of familiarity that pain caused.
"CATCH THIS ONE WITH YOUR TEETH, ASSHOLE!"
Anthony shook his head, pushing away words he was certain he had heard but he was uncertain from where.
A Rudinn Ranger darted out in front of Anthony, and he pulled back his shield without hesitation, once again whipping it from his arm and sending it bashing into the ranger's face, knocking them flat and sending the shield bouncing back into his grasp just before he jumped over the prone body.
Anthony wanted to look back at the ranger's face as he felt a sudden bit of concern from his act of violence. To do something so harsh was incredibly unlike him, and to pull off such a precise strike should have been beyond his limitations. But, somehow, he'd done these things like they were second nature.
The rapid fire attacks that he'd skillfully weaved around began to slow as he caught up with his friends, reaching the yard just before the gate of the castle.
Lexi darted inside the castle, and just as Angel reached the entrance, steel bars slammed shut between him and Lexi.
"Lexi!" He grabbed onto the bars, coming to a stop and gripping the metal with white knuckles. "What are you doing?! Why won't you talk to me?"
Lexi just stood there, her back turned on her friends.
"... I thought we were friends..." Angel spoke quietly this time, and his expression softened, a distinct pain entering his eyes.
Lexi lowered her head, and without a word, she disappeared into the shadows of the castle.
"Hate to ruin the moment, but we have bigger problems."
Angel looked over his shoulder, and his jaw clenched as he watched a legion of Rudinn Rangers form a circle around him and his friends, who both stood with their backs facing Angel, forming a defensive position around him. Anthony had his shield brought up, and embers flickered in Xander's outstretched hands.
"... Right." Angel's hair fell over his eyes as he pulled his spear from his back. A deep scowl formed on his face.
"Lets kick some ass."
Angel's emerald eyes slowly flickered open, the dull ache of his bruised body stirring him from unconsciousness.
He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his skull, left eye scanning over his surroundings, his right winced shut.
He appeared to be in a pretty standard concrete jail cell, complete with a metal bar door and mossy corners.
And not a single roommate.
"You throw the right human in there, and boom, Chaos Incarnate has its vessel and is ready to return to this world."
Lexi's words echoed in Angel's head once more, and that bitter scowl overtook his face as he climbed to his feet.
Lexi had left him for dead, and what's worse is that he was separated from Anthony. He wasn't able to protect him now, of all times.
"Aww, poor little Lightner!"
Angel's ice cold eyes darted to the Rudinn guard who laughed mockingly from the other side of the door.
"We were told to imprison you here for eternity! Too bad!" The Rudinn grinned mockingly. "I would have loved to see you get tortured!"
Angel smiled wickedly at that.
"Well, what's stoppin' you tough guy?" Angel tilted his head to the side as he walked up to the door, that being the only thing separating him and his guard. "Why don'tcha open this door and see what happens?"
"Like I'd fall for that." Rudinn scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"What, you afraid of the scrawny, weaponless Lightner?" Angel tilted his head to the side, malice flashing in his usually kind green eyes. "Are you a little bitch, is that it?"
"Watch it, kid." There was venom on Rudinn's tongue, and Angel grinned a little wider as his guard squinted angrily at him.
"Or what, pusscake?" Angel shrugged, stepping back away from the door. Rudinn growled with aggravation.
"Look, I'll make it easy for ya." Angel put his hands behind his back, smiling like the scoundrel he was. "No hands."
"... You're gonna regret this, brat."
Angel's eyes narrowed, his smile only widening as the Rudinn unlocked the door, stepping into the cell.
Rudinn cried out wrathfully, yanking his blade up over his head. Angel darted forward, and shock overcame his foe as his arm shot out from behind his back, wrapping around Rudinn's blade wielding wrist as his other hand cocked back in a fist.
Angel absolutely floored Rudinn with a right hook, knocking the darkner's feet - or, tail? - out from under him and sending him slamming onto the floor.
Angel pinned the arm he held to the floor, and cocked back his right fist, slugging Rudinn furiously, over and over. His slug-like body writhed under Angel as he was viciously beaten.
Eventually, bruised and bleeding, Rudinn stopped struggling, and Angel stood after plucking the keys from his hip. His chest heaved, adrenaline and fury still pumping through his veins as he stared down at his victim, who whimpered pathetically from the floor.
"Think before you speak, punkass." Angel spat one spiteful loogie onto Rudinn's cheek, before walking through the cell door and slamming it shut behind him. As he turned around and locked it, Rudinn looked to him with one swollen eye.
"You... Said you weren't gonna... Use your hands..." Rudinn whimpered pathetically.
"Aww, Roody Poo!" Angel smiled, crouching down to be at eye level with Rudinn as fake care entered his eyes and tone. "Didn't anyone tell you?"
The fake care disappeared from Angel's voice as quickly as it came, replaced by a dark venom that made Rudinn flinch. Angel's smile faded, and his eyes were devoid of light, illuminated instead by the fury he'd unleashed on his unsuspecting victim.
"I'm a liar."
"Understand? The Lightners have to stay in their cells." Lexi crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke to the Rudinn Ranger. "And my father is not to hear a peep about their arrival, got it? Especially the one with the spear."
"And that isn't an order from the princess." Lexi's eyes narrowed darkly then, and she took a step forward. "That's an order from The Vessel."
The Ranger nodded swiftly, before scurrying off, almost fearfully. This left Lexi alone in the prison hallways.
"... The Vessel, eh Lex?"
... Well, almost alone.
Lexi's eyes widened, and she spun around in shock to spot Angel standing at the entrance to the hallway. He was missing the blue hood and cape that was usually apart of his dark world attire, but in his left hand he clenched his spear tight.
"A-Angel?!" She exclaimed, taking one stunned step back. She grimaced at his expression, "You... Look a little miffed... Ehehe..."
"Why don'tcha ask the guard that I just beat within an inch of his life with my bare hands how 'miffed' I am?" Angel narrowed his eyes coldly, tilting his head to the side.
"W-whoa... That's really metal..." Lexi's eyebrows rose with surprise, and she gulped.
"Lexi, what the hell?" Angel shrugged, his anger subsiding to display his disbelief. "I thought we were friends?"
"W-we are friends!" Lexi exclaimed, sadness slipping into her ice blue eyes.
"Friends don't lock each other in dungeons, Lexi!" Angel shouted angrily, making Lexi flinch and lower her head. "They don't betray each other, they don't leave one another for dead!"
"I locked you down here to protect you!" Lexi snapped, her jaw clenching and her hands balling into fists at her sides. "Don't you get it?! If you fight my dad, he's gonna kill you!"
Angel recoiled as Lexi glared right back at him, her nerve returning.
"Nobody knows that better than me, Angel!" Tears built in Lexi's eyes as she yelled, reaching up and grabbing the black cloak she usually kept herself shrouded in. "The man is unstoppable!"
Lexi tore her cloak aside, throwing it to the concrete floor and revealing her mostly exposed upper body, apart from the medical wrapping that went around her chest, binding her breasts.
Angel was stunned. She was... Covered. Scars on her arms, abdomen, back. He had to assume there were some under her jeans.
"He trained me to be the Vessel... I've fought him a hundred times, so I should know..." Lexi lowered her head, her voice cracking. "He's ruthless. He didn't hold back on me and he won't hold back on you. And I..."
"... I-I just don't want my only friends getting hurt..."
"..." Angel couldn't find the words. What ones could possibly be appropriate for this situation?
"Even if it means I have to be sacrificed... If you guys are safe, then... Then I'm alright with that..."
So he didn't speak. Instead, he stepped forward, reached out, and hugged Lexi to his chest. She clung to him as she sobbed, buried her face in his shoulder and smeared her skeleton themed makeup.
"... I'm sorry you had to go through all that." Angel eventually spoke quietly, smoothing her long black hair with the palm of his hand. "But... You know we have to seal the fountain. And that might mean we have to go through your dad. I'm sorry."
"... Yeah, I... I know..." Lexi sniffled, and she looked up to Angel with a weak smile. "If you broke outta the dungeon, maybe you really are unstoppable... H-heh..."
Angel smiled right back down at her, feeling that weight that her sorrow had put on his heart lift as he once more saw that beautiful gleam in her blue eyes.
The two stood there like that for another moment or two, before Lexi started to snicker, shaking her head.
"What?" Angel furrowed his brows with confusion, and Lexi smirked up at him.
"Are you gonna kiss me or what?" She cocked a brow, and Angel's face immediately went beat red.
"W-wait, what?!" He exclaimed, clearly flustered. "I-I wasn't-! I mean! I don't! I-I mean-!"
Lexi just rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You're terrible at this."
Then, she stood up on her tippy toes, and cut off Angel's embarrassed babbling by pressing her lips to his.
Angel's eyes de-panicked pretty immediately, a warm and fuzzy wave of content washing over him. His shoulder sunk some, and he seemed to relax in Lexi's arms, his blush dying down from a beat red to a light pink.
Eventually, Lexi pulled away, smiling up at Angel. "Better?"
Angel looked from side to side thoughtfully, before nodding. "Yeah, lil' bit."
"That's good." Lexi stepped back away from Angel. "Now lets go get our friends."
"You don't have to help us fight him." Angel said as Lexi picked up her cloak, covering her scars once more. "I understand, really."
"I'm not gonna let my new boyfriend get killed by my dad." She shrugged, and Angel's eyes widened at her words. She looked over her shoulder at him and spoke casually, "Oh, also, you're my boyfriend now."
"Okay!" Angel spoke quickly, nodding his head as that pink shade returned to his face.
Anthony paced back and forth in his cell, Xander watching him with some measure of concern.
He hated this, being in a confined space. It's not that the cell was particularly cramped, it was more the concept of being trapped. It brought Anthony back to that nightmare. To that basement, to the face stealer, to the worms and to the cro-
"It's going to be alright, Anthony."
Anthony relaxed some as he felt Xander's hand rest on his shoulder, and looked over to see his reassuring smile.
... He wasn't alone. He had a friend. That was what was important. That was something to hold on to.
"Thanks, Xander..." Anthony smiled somewhat timidly. "I guess I'm just worried about Ang-"
"Anny you ruffian!"
Anthony perked up, a hopeful look appearing in his eye as he looked to the door.
"Locked up in prison, tut tut!" Angel crossed his arms and shook his head, that charisma filled smirk on his face. "What would you poor sweet mother say?"
"... Well," Anthony returned Angel's smirk as he made his way to the cell door, Lexi kneeling down to put a key in the lock. "She'd probably ask what Angel got me into this time."
The two smiled at one another, and when Lexi got the door open they both stepped forward into an embrace, hugging one another tight and patting each other somewhat roughly on the back.
"I'm glad you're okay." Anthony stepped back away and out of the doorway, letting Xander escape the cell as well. "Both of you."
"Yeah uh... Sorry about getting you guys locked up." Lexi stood back to her full height, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. Anthony and Xander realized that she was missing her skeleton face paint, revealing light skin that was dusted an embarrassed pink shade. "I was kinda goin' through some stuff."
"Water under the bridge!" Anthony smiled brightly, extending his hand for a handshake.
"..." Instead of shaking his hand, Lexi reached out, pinching Anthony's cheeks. "Oh you're so sweet I could just eat you up!"
"Pishaw..." Anthony blushed lightly, turning his head to the side and waving a hand dismissively.
Xander and Angel got a good laugh out of that, before Angel stepped back, pointing with his thumb down the hallway.
"As fun as this reunion is, we're on the clock." Angel spoke, and the other three looked to him. "There's an elevator that way. Lets get a move on."
"Sounds like a plan!" Lexi agreed with a grin, and the four continued down the halls until they reached the elevator.
They all stepped inside, and Anthony's finger hovered over the buttons for floors.
There were three options. The current floor, Floor 1, and...
It was smudged, label scratched away. Entirely unintelligible. And yet...
Anthony's finger moved on its own, in a knee jerk reaction with no thought at all, and pressed the button. He blinked with confusion at his own actions, but shrugged it off with an audible 'Whoops'.
"Whoops?" Xander arched a brow over to Anthony, who grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.
"I uh... Kinda hit the wrong button." He said, before looking over to where Lexi and Angel stood quite near each other. "Lexi, do you know anything about this button? It's label's smudged."
"Oh, the funky button?" Lexi asked, and Anthony nodded. "No idea. My dad always told me not to push it."
"But, I'm on a different team now, so fight the power, Sweetness! I like it!" Lexi followed up, pumping her fist into the air and making Angel and Anthony laugh.
"Heh, alright. Well I guess we're visiting the mystery floor first, then." Anthony smiled, leaning against the wall of the elevator.
A few more moments passed, before they all felt the elevator come to a stop, and the metal doors slid open.
The sound of oddly slow circus music pervaded the air like a musky odor, and with equally confused expressions the party slowly exited the elevator, glancing around the blank hallway they were entering, a staircase at their feet. The idea of a staircase right below an elevator struck Angel as intentionally making more work for whomever built the castle, but he didn't voice his gripes as they made their way down the steps to the one and only cell at the end of the room.
"Oh? Could it be? The heir has found himself locked away?"
"Uhh... Herself, actually." Lexi corrected the speaking shadows behind those metal bars. "And, no, I'm not in jail, you are..?"
"The heir, the heir!" Beady yellow dots appeared in the vantablack, watching the four gleefully. "Sleeping so sound after such nasty deeds, deeds!"
Anthony watched those eyes carefully, and he took a step to each side to test his theory. As he thought, they followed him, and him alone.
"Have you come to me for the key?" Those eyes never blinked. "Not with me, though I am the only one who's free!"
"What are you talkin' about..?" Angel muttered with confusion, before watching with concern as Anthony gradually stepped closer to the bars.
"The fountain, the fountain! Flip a coin inside the fountain!" Those beady eyes jumped around, and they could hear the pitter patter of feet inside the cell. "Revive the heir and contest the throne, throne!"
"Are you... Talking to me..?" Anthony took another step closer, standing right in front of those bars and placing a hand over his chest.
"Uee hee hee! Two in one, very special indeed!"
"What do you mean two in one..?" Anthony gently placed his hand on the cool steel of the bars that separated him and the one speaking in riddles.
"Heads and tails, one inside the fountain!" The sporadic movements of those eyes died down, and they crept closer to the bars. "Swim, swim! The red ocean is locked inside the basement!"
"The... Basement..?" Anthony almost felt entranced, hanging onto every mad word that was spoken in riddles. He placed his other hand on the metal, and he got even closer...
"Uee hee hee!"
Blue gloved hands and black sleeves shot from behind the bars, and Anthony's eyes widened as they grabbed him by the collar. A grey face appeared just on the other side of the bars, gold staring into ruby as Anthony's eyes locked with the mad jester's.
"Free, free! Can't you see?!" Jevil exclaimed excitedly as he shook Anthony through the bars, Anthony's eyes going wide and his pale hands wrapping around Jevil's wrists. "You and me will be free! Heirs to the throne! Chaos's Crown could be your own!"
"Get off him!" Angel interjected then, shoving between the two and reaching through the bars to plant one hand on Jevil's chest, pulling Anthony away and shoving the jester back into the shadows.
Jevil cackled, laughed, hee'd and haw'd while Anthony was guided by Angel and Lexi back towards the elevator, everyone watching that cage like they thought it might bust open any second.
But it did not. All that got through was Jevil's laughs, and one word that he repeated, over and over.
"Chaos, chaos! Chaos chaos! Uee hee hee! Chaos! Chaos!"
Angel slammed his hand down on the elevator button, and he, Lexi and Xander all breathed a sigh of relief as the four ascended, and left that madman in his cell where he belonged.
"Are you alright, Anthony?" Xander looked over to Anthony, who stared down into his open palm with a thoughtful expression.
"... Anthony?" Lexi cocked a brow as Anthony remained unresponsive.
"... Anny!" Angel suddenly shouted, making Anthony jump.
"S-sorry! Yeah, I'm alright!" Anthony nodded quickly, blushing with embarrassment. "Sorry, I-I just kinda zoned out is all..."
"Well, try to forget that weirdo, alright?" Angel put an arm around Anthony. "Screw ball's been down there an eternity. Doesn't have a clue what he's talking about."
"To be fair I didn't have a clue what he was talking about either." Xander crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall of the elevator. Angel snapped and pointed at him to agree.
"Right now we got bigger fish to fry, anyway." Lexi smiled to reassure Anthony, and he blinked once or twice, before nodding.
"... Right, yeah. I'm good. Lets do this."
All was silent but the splatter of the Fountain's black rain atop the castle's highest platform.
Upon the roof, a single battleground. A black platform, with a spade symbol in it's center.
At its far end, he sat with his back facing the entrance. The crown on his head weighed heavy, dripping with the black madness that the fountain spouted down upon his kingdom.
Footsteps.
King smiled his crooked smile, the Four Heroes standing at the other end of his battleground. A shield, a spear, a scythe, and a flame.
He drew in a deep breath, and in a voice deep enough to rock one's very soul, he spoke.
"The sky will run black with terror
And the land will crack with fear.
Then, her heart pounding...
The Earth will draw her final breath."
Anthony's eyes narrowed, and his jaw clenched.
Angel grit his teeth, pointing that spear forward.
Lexi exhaled white fog, ice lining the blade of her scythe.
Xander gulped, embers crackling to life in his open palms.
King looked over his shoulder, and as his eyes met theirs, a droplet of black landed upon his cheek, streaking down his face.
"Welcome, Vessel."
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