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Disclaimer: the whole gang is here.
Chapter 19
Impossible Tasks
XxXxXxXxX
Marco looked at the phone, feeling dread well up in him, Kelly looked for a spare chair but Janna merely scoot to the side, pressing against Marco to give the newcomer some room to sit. Jackie frowned as she had plenty of space to spare, Marco groaned before slipping under the table and appearing on Jackie's side.
"How could this have happened?" Marco whispered, Janna frowned seeing Marco across her, Kelly just looked at him helplessly.
"A whole 6 months…Janna you said Star called you this morning."
"Yeah…like 3 AM in the morning."
"I got there around 10 AM, look it's impossible, time between Mewni and Earth is more or less the same. Same goes for my own dimension but it seems like Mewni's own is off it's rocker."
Marco pulled out his phone, looking at it, oh yeah…I forgot Star can't call me…I changed my number. But why in the world is time advancing so rapidly? This is like…like…StudMuffin's…oh no.
His stomach tumbled remembering the mercenary's home dimension, time began to change rapidly one day became 5 years and it just got worse as time elapse. Eventually…the dimension gave out as time seemingly passed it by breaking apart and vanishing from the universe, it became an empty void.
He went back to the Fell Dragon for information but to his surprise the dragon was disinterested with the news merely stating that the dimension simply accelerated as did some dimensions in the past. It was beneath the dragon's notice nor interest why dimensions would undergo such a violent change, upon seeing the speechless Marco it titanically shrugged indifferently and expelled Marco from it's domain.
Marco could hear Jackie inquire about Kelly, who she was and how she knew Marco, but it felt distant. He needed to resolve the matter quickly before even more time passed for the dimension and if it would spread to other dimensions, fuck, Mewni is still causing me problems! I can't just put that damn place behind me…I don't even know if this phenomenon has spread to Earth already, I better get Chronos's opinion on this—
Please no more! Please don't take anymore!
Why? WHY? Give them back! PLEASE!
Marco spun around at the cry. Again: a cry of absolute anguish. Of torment. Utter despair.
He could feel cold sweat forming on his entire body, as if the silent cry was meant for him. Only him.
No one else in the cafe including Jackie, Janna nor Kelly even registered it, had they even they would—
"Marco?"
"Hey, what's the matter?"
"Marco, you're not looking so good."
Marco? 4x
Dafuq? Hey!
"I need—I need to go, I have to see— someone right away." he gasped, feeling as he was ready to pass out. Jackie blinked as he roughly climbed over her lap, brushing against her, he mumbled an apology as he wobbly walked, as if he was drunk.
He shook all over.
"Marco!" Kelly reached out to steady him but he wobbled out of her reach.
The cafe occupants stared at him as he blinked rapidly and held out his hand, the Traitor's Sword appearing at his grasp,
"I need—Chronos…I need to talk to—urgk…"
"Hey! No weapons in the cafe!"
"I didn't know this was a cosplay cafe!"
"Dude that's a sick sword."
Please save me!
The sword glowed as Marco clumsily slashed open a portal and walked through.
Kelly tried to grab him only to miss him a second too late, Jackie and Janna rushed to see where Marco had disappeared.
"What? What was that sword? Where did Marco go?"
"…damnit."
"Marco…"
The three girls froze hearing something tear behind them and they slow turned to see a beaten up Hekapoo looking a them,
"Where's Marco?!"
Marco looked around, his guts tied painfully, instead of walking into Prima he was greeted to a long corridor of twisting matter and vapor. The Dark Knight touched it and it danced away from his fingertips, he looked below and tapped his shoe, feeling the solid mass.
"Where…am I?"
Marco took the Traitor's Sword and casually brushed the twisting walls, it parted and he flinched at the sight: the Blood Moon Goddess staring at him. Her vibrant red hair framing her beautiful face, however it was unhappy and almost…guilty.
"Marco…are you sure? It's not to late—"
"Tell me about the Unbinding Ritual."
She sighed and pulled out his red string from the fabric that hid the good stuff, "…100 Impossible Tasks…like I promised." "Like you cursed me with." "…you've done 0 of 100 as of now. No, Marco, anything you've done before will not count, I will begin counting the ones you succeed in from this moment forth…if you wish to see what Task you can undertake…here let me imbue your red hoodie—there simply pull your hood over your eyes and you'll see the vast, vast cruel list I've complied."
Marco turned away from the sight, sick in the stomach: he willingly partake in the folly.
He slashed himself a portal out of the corridor
Nothing.
Marco blinked seeing no portal. No escape. He tried again. And again. Again. The sword did not make a portal for him no matter how many times he swung, even as his arms tire.
"What…what is going on?"
He looked back then forward, seeing nothing in the distance. Frowning, he tentatively walked forward, even as the walls of the corridors parted and revealed within the contents.
His past deeds. His blood-soaked victories. His heart breaking failures. His wicked past.
He kept his eyes forward but the walls opened like wounds and his past blared to life once again.
Marco looked over the vast list of Impossible Tasks, determined to take the non violent Tasks first before he delved headfirst into the ones that require to take a life. Finding a suitable Task was difficult even more so accomplishing it, Marco took great care not to fail any Tasks as it would set him back further and further.
But to his dismay blood and violence followed him at his wake…
Marco roared as he threw back his opponent rolling him on the rust colored Badland soil, he wept at the Dark Knight, holding a rusty great sword, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
Marco could only look at the knight with contempt, never had he felt so indifferent…so uncaring for the pathetic…thing in front of him.
Originally, he felt as if he had found a friend in the desolate dimension he was exploring, a fellow Dark Knight and luck would have it, he was trained by Buttercup and Oblivion! Marco excitedly talked to the Dark Knight, Praetor Darken Hatred, an unusual name but he didn't mind in the slightest. He found the fellow Dark Knight traveling throughout the Badlands for his bounties, upon meeting Praetor somehow deduced that Marco was a Dark Knight as well!
They got along well, conversing about their lives, he boasted being taught by the Lizard and Ghost years prior to Marco, he was his senior and therefore he was to be respected by his junior. Marco understood the hierarchy but laughed it off, who cares who was student first? They were both graduated Dark Knights.
They traveled through the Badlands, fighting the occasional bandit or two, Marco finding various snakes and the two trading stories. It felt good to be in one's company especially one who knew how lonely it was outside of their home dimension.
"You never told me why you left though."
"Oh…I exiled myself, ran into a spot of trouble and decided to come here."
Marco didn't pry and they continued until nightfall. Marco wrapped himself in his blanket, sleeping lightly before he heard something quite odd,
"No…no…I…it's been so long…just one more…"
Marco didn't like what he heard and rolled to the side, even as Monster Arm futilely roared a warning at him. The Dark Knight spun away from the follow-up slash as the Traitor's Sword appeared in his hand.
"What treachery is this!?"
"…I'm sorry…I can't live like this anymore…I can't live like a pariah anymore!" Praetor cried, sobbing as the great sword was embed into the blanket Marco was in a moment ago.
Marco narrowed his eyes.
"…after Buttercup and Oblivion knighted me…I thought I was really a knight! A bonafide knight! But I was wrong…they cursed me! They made me a joke! So I killed my tormentors! I killed them dead! And not just them…their families! Their friends!"
"WHEN."
"I…don't even remember…when the Craven Kingdom was around?" Praetor laughed hysterically sad, gripping his hair, his eyes wide, "I don't know…I don't know…I've walked this Badlands for years…decades…centuries? Hahah…what have I been doing…"
"…you were one of those Dark Knights that slaughtered in Mewni…you bloody our history…"
"YOUR HISTORY?! WHO CARES!"
"I CARE!"
Praetor laughed deliriously, "When I finished killing you know what they did to me? They cursed me! I was not to age until I killed my kind five times! And you know how many I've killed?"
Marco's face drained at the words, "…no."
"Three…I've killed three…and you know what, every time I killed my name changes to match the abominations that those two made…because of those two bastards I was robbed of my life! I wish I was never a Dark Knight! But after you…one more, just one more…Buttercup and Oblivion better send me their next student…so this curse can be finally gone…"
"You killed your fellow Dark Knights!"
"THEY DESERVED IT! Praetor Eryk! Sir Armand Darken! Noble Chiara Pride! Fell to my mighty blade!"
"No...if you did you wouldn't have resorted to stabbing me in my sleep!"
Marco launched himself at the disgraced Dark Knight, feeling as if the time he spent with him was just a facade and farce to drop his guard so he could die upon his cowardly blade.
"You coward!" Marco brought the sword down, cutting the tip of the great sword before spinning and kicking the Dark Knight back. He roared and spun, kicking up dust in the peeking light of dawn, Marco wasn't impressed and sent a whirlwind and knocked the knight back.
"You were ridiculed?! You were taunted?! I WENT THROUGH THAT TOO AND I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE! I DID NOT BUTCHER MY ENEMIES NOR THEIR FAMILIES! YOU DISHONOR YOUR TEACHERS! YOUR FAMILY! YOUR STATION! YOUR VOWS AND HONOR!"
"FUCK YOU!"
Marco snarled and traded blows with the Dark Knight, spouting how he pushed to the brink by the Mewman society and feared by the Monsters, again and again his voice began to grind at Marco's ears the sound of his whine made him less and less empathetic to his plight.
Life was tough on Earth and the same goes for Mewni, did this fool really thought—
You thought the same too Marco, being a 'royal squire' would fix your relationship problem. This shit stain could have been you…had you been a lesser man.
I wouldn't kill to make my burdens less.
Isn't your Impossible Tasks require you to kill to undo the curse? Talk about hypocrisy! I take it back: YOU ARE JUST LIKE HIM.
Marco roared as he threw back his opponent rolling him on the rust colored Badland soil, he wept at the Dark Knight, holding a rusty great sword, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
Marco looked on feeling the barbed jabs Monster Arm said about him, he was just like this knight…trading lives for release.
…I'm not like him, I won't stoop to his level…
As much as he wanted to…killing this disgraced Dark Knight would be a mercy, releasing him from his punishment.
"…there are no more Dark Knights. You'll never break your curse, coward."
The knight looked at him, shaking his head, "YOU LIE!" "I am the last Dark Knight of Mewni…you'll never take 5 of your fellows."
The knight laughed, laughing louder and delirious by the second as if the truth finally struck him,
"I COULD NEVER WIN! I KILLED DARK KNIGHTS FOR NOTHING! AHAHHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAAAAH! I KILLED MY BROTHERS AND SISTER FOR NOTHING!"
Marco looked at the broken Mewman for a second as he went from laughing to pitiful sobbing, "
Please…let me die…I don't…want to hurt anyone anymore…"
"No."
Marco blinked when he moved forward and slid the Traitor's Sword into the Dark Knight from his breastplate and down to his groin. The knight gurgled before he cut off his arms, legs and diced his torso before beheading him.
Marco stepped back, unsure what just happened, even as the blood seeped into the Badland rusty soil.
[Defeat the Dark Knight Killer Praetor Hatred Pride: Accomplished]
Marco looked at the sword, a sense of gnawing dread accompanying it.
.
Marco slid his skull mask on as he read the bounty wall, he could hear the whispering of his name around him but he paid it no mind, he was StudMuffin after all, nothing out of the ordinary.
"He's so hot."
"Look how big his pistol is~"
"Damn, he's a lot younger than I thought."
Marco pulled a bounty off the wall and read it:
URGENT HELP
Malicious dragon terrorizing our fair kingdom.
This is no ordinary dragon, it is wicked.
Name your price.
Marco quickly pulled his hood over and sighed: it was an Impossible Task. And by the looks of the many dagger holes and cigarette burns, many other mercs agreed.
He quickly left the bar and made himself a portal and walked into the realm: the landscape was burnt to a crisp. The castle was already taken over by a massive dragon, smaller than the Fell Dragon to be sure but it followed the same color scheme except in red and black, it spotted him and wasted no time breathing fire at his direction.
He brought his sword down and sent an arc cleaving through the fire and struck the dragon, forcing it to tumble back and smashing into roofs, towers and such. Marco cut himself a portal and leapt through, he pulled out his pistol as he appeared above the dragon and fired a barrage, he growled when the bullets bounced off the tough scales.
He landed on the roof and pointed the Sword of Pendragon at the enraged dragon,
"I am StudMuffin! Return to your lair!"
The dragon roared, hellish fire obscured his entire vision before he cleaved it with a swing of his sword.
Marco looked upon the dragon as it launched itself at him, he felt the sword grow teeth and drool, Marco felt dread fill his heart as he jumped into the fire.
[Slay a terrorizing dragon: Accomplished]
Half a day of fighting, nursing burns, bullets exploding in its pouches, falling through buildings and nearly drowning in the moat, Marco felled the massive dragon.
He felt terrible for slaying such a magnificent beast, scales thick as a brick shined in every color and breathtaking in flight. He warped the body to the countryside, unwilling to let the locals butcher it.
He contemplated how to bury the body but that was answered when a flight of dragons descend upon him from high. Marco felt the earth groaning from their titanic weight, there was at least a thousand of them. Or a hundred. Either way, that was too many dragons for Marco's liking.
The biggest one came crashing down from the heavens, snarling and breathing fire. When it spoke, Marco would have been shocked but after the Fell Dragon, he doubted anything a dragon could do would make him bat an eye.
YOU KILLED MY SON!
Marco held back a tired sigh, he looked over the body in the distance before back again to the father dragon. He could feel the distraught, the rage, the regret. But he was not swayed, he wanted answers and after watching the son of the dragon burn half of the kingdom down he was sure as fuck going to get it.
"If you cared so much, then you wouldn't have let him run amok, dragonkin."
The ancient dragon looked down on Marco,
Could you kill your own son.
"…"
Marco didn't waver and looked it in the eye. It was like with the Fell Dragon, the same authority in it's tone.
I think not.
"…"
The dragon watched him, the rest of the dragon tribe watching him intently. The dragon sniffed him before shaking its massive head.
Did you enjoy killing my son.
Will the gold you earn make you happy.
Will you call yourself a dragonslayer now.
ANSWER ME, SON OF MAN.
Marco looked the dragon dead in the eye.
"I did not relish killing him, but he had to be stopped and no matter how many times I struck him down. He was committed to getting back up and laying waste to this kingdom killing many innocent lives. I do not know if they deserved it, but all I know is that I watched families perish, desperate parents shielding their children who still burned to ash."
The dragons did not respond.
"I will forego the reward, after seeing this much devastation, I will leave it to whomever put up the post to spend the funds wisely to rebuild the kingdom; they need every bit to put their lives back together."
The dragon looked at him before another dragon came forward, Marco looked at it,
Nonetheless: you slew my brother. Your sentiment is noble but there is a price to be paid.
"And what is that."
You're a Pendragon are you not? You swore an oath to abstain your blade from slaying my kind.
"…I don't know anything about that oath; I am not a Pendragon…I am merely a student to one, Oblivion Pendragon son of Oblivion and Smile Pendragon."
…I see. But this Pendragon recognized you, no? Saw you fit to inherit that sword?
"Aye, he did."
The dragon peered down on him before nodding slowly as if coming to a decision, a bright light wrapped around it and Marco shielded his eyes, ready to fight at a moment's notice. He blinked cautiously and looked around, instead of a 5-story dragon bearing down on him, it was a woman garbed in flowing white robes, Marco inhaled sharply seeing shapely horns near her pointed ears, her flowing blue hair and striking amber eyes met his own.
I am Illona Lightningsong.
Adorjan was my brother.
Holy shit. She's hawt!
Marco had the tact to untangle his tongue, however just decided to nod, not trusting himself.
The dragon turned human looked him over, walking around him and even sniffing him before she met his front again, she looked at the bloodstained sword, frowning. She looked at him, studying his face,
You are acceptable.
"Acceptable? Acceptable for what?"
The dragons growled and snarled, the massive dragon roared to the sky, fire spewing into the heavens. The rest followed suit.
Replacing one our kin.
"How?"
Illona glared at him, a pink tinge marking her fair complexion, he could spy scale-like markings near her neck and ears.
How else: consummate until a hatchling is born.
Marco shoot yo skeet, get all up in her business! Finally, this relationship has a pay off! And the plus side she's not a dragon loli!
Marco backpedal at the sudden decision, after what he had done he expected many threats and banishment or face death at the talons of thousands of dragons. Not sex! Especially with the sister of the fallen dragon! No matter how breathtakingly beautiful she was…or willing.
"I can't do that! I killed your brother! Your son!" Marco yelled looking at the two dragons respectively.
The dragon roared at him indignant,
Must you constantly remind me of my fallen son! You may have taken him, but…hah, it had to be done. He was our best warrior, what came over him I do not know; I lament the fact no one else could have taken him to the Fell Dragon. And I was against sending more of my kin to their deaths.
Until you came along.
Illona looked at him perplexed, as if not caring for his reasons,
You can not perform? Have you not considered your lineage? I have some herbs.
Oh no, babe, his dick work but the way he beats his meat daily I'm about to call the police on his ass. It's abuse, I'm telling you. Soothe it with your moist fire pussy.
Marco shook his head, his face entirely red,
"How can you just…replace your son just like that?"
What choice do we have. Can you bring back the fallen? No, do not even attempt it. We do not disgrace our departed. And we don't need a Necro Dragon roaming the lands again.
Now, you will replace the son you killed.
"But I'm—"
Acceptable. Your valor and honor have been tested, your bloodline watery but it's acceptable. Now; mount me.
Marco looked Illona striding forward, pulling her robes off, Monster Arm grunted louder and louder at each step she took,
oooh fuck I'm about to bust my nuts so bad!
"WAIT!"
Illona paused.
"I'm diseased! I can't, er, give you a hatchling you want!"
…
…
The dragons growled at the news.
Illona frowned,
Can you get rid of it?
"…yes, after a fashion."
Fuck you, I want to see you balls deep in her dragon snatch!
Eat shit.
ASSHOLE!
Yeah, that's where it comes from, idiot.
Illona sighed before nodding slowly.
She glanced at the ancient dragon and it merely snorted.
Fine. Take as much time as you need.
But know this: I want our hatchling before you're decrypt, I do not wish to mate when you are old and gray, man's lifetimes are short but our mating will be long.
.
"DAMNIT!" Marco slammed his fist into the vehicle exterior, denting it. He kept his eyes shut as the reigning champion of the Death Race of the Badlands rode up next to him. He smiled at the Dark Knight's frustration, he had to admit even with that magic sword he wield; he still won.
Damn kid teleporting from vehicle to vehicle, knocking out drivers, using his sword to deflect bullets, rocket and whatever else he damned pleased and using his pistol to blow apart engines and pistol-whip any silly driver who dared to fight back. He got spunk and the skill…but something is off about him.
He pegged him for a cool and collected man, not this…boy frustrated over a simple loss.
"You came in second, too bad there isn't a consolation prize!" he gave a boisterous laugh, Marco didn't share his amusement.
"Chin up kid, you're alive! This is your first Death Race and you lived to tell the tale! Aren't you proud of yourself?"
"…it cost me much."
"I don't see any injury on you. Except your pride." the Champion replied.
Marco merely stayed silent, shaking his head,
"I had a golden chance…and I lost it. I can never get one back."
"There will be plenty of Death Races, you're exaggerating."
"I don't mean it like that."
He could see Marco upset over something and it had nothing to do with the race at all,
"You had money riding on this? Some honor or tradition to uphold?"
"Something like that."
The champion shook his head, "There will be plenty of chances, you needn't worry."
"…you're right." Because this Unbinding…will make me spill blood to make up for it.
The Champion smiled before gesturing to his pit crew, they nodded and rolled out a military motorbike, Marco looked it over curiously before the Champion gestured it to him.
"Take it, second place has no prizes but you showed a lot of worth kid. She's the first thing I ever stole, right out of my dad's garage. She's got some mileage on her but she's tough, some fixing and she will serve you good. I did a lot of capers with her back in the day before Death Races made me better gold."
Marco ran his hand over the bike, the Champion could see the gleam in his eyes.
"See you in the next Death Race, kid."
[Win the Badland's Death Race: Failed]
.
"Thank you, Marco…thank you…"
The Dark Knight held a man cursed to be forever too late for his loved ones, he nearly lost his entire family…until Marco came. Using the Traitor's Sword, Marco teleported the man just in time to save his daughter from a volley of arrows using his own body.
His daughter held her father's cold hand as Marco turned his blade to the assassins.
[Lift a curse off a good man: Accomplished]
.
Marco roared in fury, his sword buried into the earth.
The land was dead. It could not be healed.
[Heal a blighted world: Failed]
.
Marco cut himself a portal and tumbled out back into Echo Creek, his entire body nearly frozen solid from the blast of icy wind that blew him off a cliffside.
[Obtain the Alpine Arctic Rose: Undetermined]
.
Marco fled the dragon's lair on his motorcycle, the dragon was royally pissed with the would-be intruder.
"I didn't even get inside why the fuck are you chasing me!?"
Riding across the countryside and thick forests, the dragon eventually turned back, Marco slumped on the handlebars.
"DAMNIT! NOT AGAIN!"
"Awww, looking for this?"
Marco pulled his sword free as the Dragon Heart jewel landed on his lap, he looked around to see a young woman sitting on a tree branch, smiling at him.
"I drugged the dragon, you came when it wore off. Thought you were me." She winked.
"I'll be seeing you."
Marco watched her tumble back and vanish before his eyes. He picked up the jewel and inspected it before pulling his hood down and sighed in relief.
[Get a Dragon's Heart: Accomplished]
.
Marco sat in the corner of the bar, thankful no one came to bother him especially with his skull mask on. Kelly sat next to him, she sympathetically patted his shoulder as he rested his face in his arms. A couple empty glasses around Marco, her drink barely touched.
[Win a fair duel with the Death Knight: Failed; Failed]
[Win a fair duel with the Blood Knight: Failed]
[Win a fair duel with the Blight Knight: Failed]
He didn't even come close.
[Best the Champion of Skadi in Archery: Failed]
[Protect a criminal: Failed]
"Marco…maybe you shouldn't try to finish these missions so fast. There isn't a time limit, you can do it at your pace." "But the longer I'm connected to Star via the curse, I'm…miserable."
Kelly didn't know what to say, it was outlandish when he told her about Blood Moon Dance curse and the Goddess, she nearly got him to bed to rest but his insistence made her stop. She followed him for morale support but seeing him getting beaten down was too much for her to bear.
"I'm…not gonna do anymore Impossible Tasks for now. You should head home, Kelly."
"You promise?"
Marco chuckled, "Yes, I promise."
Kelly wasn't convinced but nodded, "Okay, good. Stay out of trouble. And down go landing on my bed like that again. You're going to break it."
Yeah, Marco, she wants you to break it with her!
Marco simply nodded before cutting her a portal, she glanced back at him before walking through.
The Dark Knight sighed and flopped on the table, not caring how he looked.
"Awww, you sad you're girlfriend left you?"
Marco looked up before sitting up, his hand on his sword, the newcomer smirked at him: it was the girl from before.
She sat down across him, Marco narrowed his eyes, "Hello…StudMuffin." "What do you want." The gruff answer didn't faze her, she leaned in closer.
"Or should I say…hello, Marco."
She grinned, "Long time no see."
"Who are you."
"Me? Oh, I'm Vixen."
Marco blinked.
"Vixen?" "Yes, Vixen. Oh c'mon Marco have you forgotten me already? You saved me when you were 'StudMuffin'."
Marco's mouth dropped,
"You were like 5!"
"Yeah, that was 16 years ago, bleh!"
Marco shook his head, time had really went haywire for some dimensions, "How could this have happened?" "Psh, so what time passes faster in my dimension? And you don't look a day older~!"
Marco looked at her seriously, "What do you want?" "Heard you keeping doing stuff…and sucking at it, that's not the StudMuffin I know! He's cool and collected, super confident and strives for—hey where are you going?"
Marco walked out of the bar with Vixen chasing after him.
"Oh, c'mon Marco what happened?" "Shit happens."
Vixen lost her cheery face.
And slapped him.
"You better get your head out of your ass, Marco. When you saved me I did everything I could be like you, I'm a merc too. I have hundreds of bounties under my belt. Belts. I dunno which one it goes under, but still you inspired me to be better than I could ever thought I could. What happened Marco?"
He rubbed his cheek and slapped her.
She stumbled back but kept her eyes on him, waiting for his answer.
"StudMuffin is dead. His dimension is dead too. I have a curse on me that forces me to be with someone who I wish could be free. I am branded a Traitor in Mewni and wield a sword that everyone is afraid of…and here I am, paying lives for my selfish freedom."
Vixen looked at him.
"Is that all? This Marco…this isn't something that is impossible for you to overcome. It will never unmake you.
StudMuffin lives on through you, this curse I just know you can lift it. This 'Mewni' can shove it, you're no traitor, if you were I'd would have struck you down the moment we met. And that sword's history is not your own…and who hasn't done terrible things before in their life? Marco, look at me, if you're going to swim in an ocean of blood and be neck deep in bodies…I'll be there for you, Marco. As long as you let me."
"Why. If you know following me will lead you to carnage and violence—"
"There is no place I'd rather be, Marco. I owe you my life. But now I see you desperately trying to pull yourself from a pit you dug yourself…I put my hand out for you but you wont grab it, because you think I'll be repulsed by the blood and gore on it. Silly boy, I would still take it."
Marco didn't look at Vixen.
"Going at it alone is dreary don't you think? Why not recruit some braves to fight for you?"
"C'mon, if you don't want to hire them, then save them and earn their loyalty. The more the merrier, right?"
And so Vixen followed Marco.
[Win the Bloodbath Arena Tournament: Accomplished]
[Destroy the Skeleton Legion Scourge: Accomplished]
Kelly tagged along for the less bloody ones.
[Fish out the Mythical King of the River: Accomplished]
.
"Is that everyone!? VIXEN!"
"YES! GET US OUT OF THIS FUCKIN' HELLHOLE STUD!"
Marco brought his sword down and pointed at it, the prisoners stared at the escape route with their hollow eyes, Marco roared at them, "IF YOU WANT TO STAY HERE AND ROT—!"
Marco nearly was trampled by the hundreds of prisoners rushing towards the portal.
"Stud, the guards are back!" Vixen pulled out a pistol and fired, Marco followed suit and blasted away the guards in blacken twisted armor, they roared inhuman tones as they threw their cruel spears and pitchforks at them and the fleeing masses.
Marco brought his sword high and unleashed a blazing arc, cleaving them in two. Vixen fired again and again before noticing the prisoners were all but gone, she grabbed a hobbling one, "STUD MOVE OUT!"
Marco spun and unleashed a massive arc in all directions, feeling light headed before throwing himself through the portal and closing it. Spears, daggers, darts, bullets, chains, arrows and other weapons and projectiles missing Marco by mere moments.
On the other side, Marco panted heavily, an odd hundred prisoners staring wide at him and Vixen, the City of Malice in the horizon.
"We escaped…"
"We're free…"
"Oh…oh please let this be real!"
The prisoners burst out in tears and relief, some not believing they left the hellhole and poured sand into their mouths to be sure. Vixen wiped the blood from her brow, feeling the numerous cuts all over her, a broken rib and some bent fingers too. Marco suffered numerous slashes that cut through his armor, burns over his arms, a spike through his foot and poisoned by the looks of it.
Vixen pulled some vials and fed it to Marco before pouring some watery salve over his arms and neck.
"Damnit, that place is…fuckin' terrible. I thought the merc life was pretty callous and heartless, but that place made it seem like a damn nunnery…" Vixen muttered darkly.
The prisoners looked around cautiously, scared realizing that they were in the open, they began to creep closer to Marco and Vixen.
"H-hey…you got a way out of this place right? Right?!"
"Yeah, we do, calm down. Stud not feelin' up for it at the moment."
"Vixen…" "Yeah?"
Marco got to his feet, he looked at the prisoners before looking at the city in the distance…the accursed place.
"We got…all the good people out of that place right?"
"Yeah…all the living prisoners and the guards who weren't total fuckin' assholes that let us in."
"…so there's no one left."
Vixen painfully nodded.
That place…the City of Malice…there were trillions of them in this dimension; each able to contain a few billion easily. And only an odd hundred of the unfortunate inhabitants were good people, decent people…imprisoned and tortured for their religious, political, morals; or for any miniscule reason. They were the driven insane by cruel torture or died from all forms of infection from dysentery to cancer and starvation.
The streets reveled in all forms of violence and depravity in broad crimson daylight, the dead laying open and rotting unattended without ceremony, crazed inhabitants screaming and howling gibberish on rooftops or those spewing alien verses and screaming at passerby. It seemed that everything wrong in the universe was crammed into the dimension, from killing without cause or pause to depravity that made Marco and Vixen sick to their stomachs. The howling screams of the deranged and prosecuted and miserable and helpless still rang in Marco's ears as they searched for the prisoners. How they ended up here, he didn't care, no one deserved to die in a forsaken place.
Even the sky rained crimson raindrops, as if blood hoping to extinguish the burning malice that fueled the city, only to add to the picture of the damned place and the…'things' that inhabit the place.
"…good."
Marco looked at the Traitor's Sword, his reflection on the blade, his eyes slowly darkening, his iris turning a glowing green, the sword began to drool and grow sharp teeth all over the blade.
He faced the city, the sword began jitter chatter with anticipation.
Dark thoughts began to flood Marco's mind.
"DESTROY IT, UNLEASH YOUR WRATH UPON THEM. THERE IS NO NEED FOR A PLACE LIKE THAT. WIPE IT OFF THE FACE OF THE UNIVERSE. JUDGMENT HAS COME."
"Marco? What are you doing?"
"No: it's justice." the Fell was pushed back.
The Dark Knight spun and unleashed a massive blazing arc, knocking himself back into Vixen who caught him as the arc raced for the horizon. The prisoners, Marco and Vixen watched in fascinated horror as the arc cleaved through the city, toppling buildings and obliterating anything in its path before it sunk diagonally.
A flash of light.
Marco and company were blown of their feet as the resulting shockwave sent them flying back to each other. Untangling themselves from limbs that didn't belong to them, they all stood up and saw the city had been demolished, nothing but a burning blacken crater where miserable memories once was.
"It's…gone."
"I can't believe it…"
The prisoners cheering deafen the two mercs, many of them rushed to hug them, some leaping for joy, many kissing the ground and praising whatever they pleased.
"…"
"Marco…I would have done the same too."
[Destroy a City of Malice: Accomplished]
XxXxXxXxX
The Impossible Tasks.
In light of reviews and recommendations, I've chosen to shorten the 'flashbacks' and 'filler' as much as possible but bringing all the character building elements of it. To be sure Marco is walking a very violent and dark road ahead of him.
As recap of what the Impossible Tasks dictate please refer to the list is in Chapter 7.
There is a rich list of tasks for Marco to choose and he immediately went to the ones he thought would spare him from killing others, but the Goddess is cruel in her design, the tasks are especially made to make the 'dancer' go back to their partner; forcing them to complete tasks that is fundamentally against their being.
Just to point out him beating the MHC members DO NOT count as Impossible Tasks, even if the Goddess did give him the chance to start at the prequel it would not matter. They're good, but not that good; LudoToffee wreck them and while he did have the element of surprise, it cost them Lekmet just for them to get away. Difficult but not Impossible. Same with Eclipsa, sorry even she doesn't count as an Impossible Task. Maybe stealing a Snookers Bar from her though, she's pretty stingy.
Alas, no, the Fell has yet to be used. It manifests when Marco is incredibly angry or if he wills it out.
Okay, for the time acceleration: when Janna got the call from Star, the fluctuation had yet to begin, also Janna is actually on bad terms with Star because of Marco. As for Kelly, mere hours became months for the Mewni dimension and it is accelerating faster and faster. 'Why didn't Star contact her friends or just went to Earth?' she banished herself from Earth, I mean she could still go back but...why doesn't she do it anyways? That's for a later chapter...hehehe
The Flashbacks should be 1 or 2 more chapters before I wrap it up, so we can get into the juicy bits like Hestia, Mewni during the timeskip and maybe some callbacks like Kelly's time with Marco and such.
So what do you think, I got this Chapter Formula down? Holla at me.
tu ne me reconnaiss pas?
I AM NRG
END OF TRANSMISSION