(A/n: / / means no ones POV)
Chapter 45: A New Threat?
Kyle
Kyle is more worried about Stan's plight rather than his own and everyone else's, not because he's by himself and that a monster is heading his way, but because he's in the dark with nobody next to him. The red barrier's glow is dim. Kyle can't see him thanks to the size and density of the barrier, but he definitely knows that fear has eclipsed his thoughts. He won't be able to defend himself at all in that state, and so Chris just might take over. No, not might, he will take over. Kyle knows about the numerous times the two of them did 'Power Link' back home, although he thinks the reason couldn't have been just for training purposes, given how dangerous the ability is. When Clyde mentioned Stan had regained consciousness so soon that day in Mrs. Marsh's bedroom, Kyle figured it was due to them doing 'Power Link' a lot. It's a good thing he didn't mention it. Perhaps it was a really risky strategy Chris thought up, though it's surprising that Stan went along with it. Kyle just hopes Stan's mind isn't too far gone, that way he can willingly allow Chris to take over. The last thing anyone wants is for someone to undergo 'Forced Power Link'.
"Why do I get the feeling we're screwed?" Kyle hears Bebe nervously ask.
The five monsters are closer to them now, and one of them chuckles. "Because you are!"
Yuna protects them in a barrier the exact moment the monsters lunge in to attack. Their combined strikes break it instantaneously. "Ugh," she grunts, briefly weakened once again.
"Remember, do not kill Kyle Broflovski," says the monster that was the first to be comprised of many other monsters. "And do not harm him too badly either."
Kyle hates that the thing thinks that they will be able to take him away. It is not going to happen. He suddenly hears something, then barely makes out multiple thick vines wrapping themselves around the monsters. They growl and wriggle within the confines. Kyle and his friends take this opportunity to attack with magical orbs. Yuna does the same a second later. However, the projectiles deal no damage, instead they anger the monsters even more.
"My vines can't contain them for much longer," Raven says, voice straining from the effort.
"Basic spells are ineffective," Yuna says. "We're going to need to-"
The vines snap one by one in quick succession. Letting out a joyous roar of laughter, the monsters resume their assault.
"Woah!" Clyde shouts as he and the others manage to dodge the two-headed monster's big hand, but its companions do not give them a moment to counter. Each monster sets their sights on different preys: the muscular one with two heads continues to swipe its hands only at Bebe and Clyde. "Let's split up, so we don't end up getting one of us hit," Clyde says as they elude the attacks.
Bebe nods. "Okay." She and Clyde dodge when a hand slams against the ground in between them, making it the perfect opportunity for them to keep their distance from each other.
"Tch, how irksome," the two-headed monster mutters, its voice deep. It doesn't know which one to go after.
"We will take care of the boy," says a distorted and high-pitched voice. The weird moth-looking creature swiftly appears behind Clyde as if it teleported. A grey barrier shields him from the creature's clawed attack. Clyde breathes out a sigh of relief.
"Tch, pesky Inner Guardian," it curses.
The monstrous canine snaps its fangs at Yuna, who dodges each time, clearly eager to eat her alive. The headless creature attacks Leopold and Raven with just its arms, following them whenever they move to evade. The circular monster extends its legs one after the other at Kyle. Instead of dodging, he casts a barrier around himself. The pointy tips of the legs leave multiple small cracks in it.
"Kyle, You're Going To Need To Use Your Weapons," Luke advises.
Kyle purses his lips nervously. He hears his enemy let out a loud, shrill laugh. "That pathetic barrier won't stop us!"
"But I've only trained with them for a few days," Kyle says. It is way too soon to use them now, especially in a battle that they're at a huge disadvantage in. It's not something he wants to risk.
"You And The Others Have Ten Minutes Left Before The Monster's Paralysis Spell Comes Back Into Effect. Believe In Yourself. Trust In Your Capabilities. Your Aim Is Impeccable, After All."
Kyle watches as his barrier is close to being broken. He needs to make up his mind as quickly as possible. If he thinks about it, despite the great risk, this will be good training for him. He has actual targets around him now, ones that can evade or defend themselves. He doesn't need to rely on his imagination, he hated visualizing monsters in his head. It made him very uncomfortable. He steels himself by exhaling deeply through his nose. "Alright."
His barrier is destroyed a millisecond later. "You're ours!" The many-legged creature exclaims excitedly.
Ignoring the twinge in his stomach, Kyle leaps away from two legs that are trying to capture him. Once he lands back on the ground, solid green auras glow near his hands, then take the shape of handguns. The darkness is concealing their true colors and metallic features. He grips them appropriately, points one of them at the round entity, and pulls the trigger.
/
Stan
Minutes prior, Stan was still in a terrified daze. He'd been hearing Chris speaking to him, most likely trying to talk him into focusing on the monster that's advancing towards him, but his undoubtedly harsh words weren't fully registering in Stan's ears. He couldn't necessarily hear Chris over his thumping pulse. Stan was utterly paralyzed by fear.
"This Is My Final Warning, Stanley. Snap Out Of It Right Now Or I Will Take Over."
Stan flinched, not at the veritable seriousness of Chris' threat, but at the hot breath hitting his face.
"Aww, we were hoping you'd resist, but you're scared stiff," said a grating voice, feigning being letdown. "Hehe~oh well, the sooner we get rid of you and the other peasants, the better!"
Stan's body developed a great urge to move, however fear was rooted firmly and deeply within his heart. Even though the jaws of death were ready to consume him whole, he could not force his legs to move. His eyes began to tear up. Slowly, a single teardrop spilled and slid down his cheek.
All of a sudden, there was a sickening sound of flesh being torn apart. "Guh, w-what...the hell..." The hideous monster sounded like it was in immense pain.
There was a chuckle so sinister that it sent a chill down Stan's spine, more so than the liquid he assumed was black blood that splattered onto his face. He quickly wiped those and the tearstain off using the sleeve of his raincoat.
"Well This Is Quite Surprising," he heard Chris say, genuinely intrigued.
Lowering his arm, Stan could make out a taller figure standing in front of him, sensing that they possessed Dark magic. Where did this person come from?
"If you're looking to die that badly, then at least let me be the one to kill you."
Stan frowned, feeling twice as uneasy. The voice sounded familiar, but the person wouldn't ever make a morbid joke like that. "That's not funny, Craig."
Craig chuckled again. "That wasn't meant to be a joke, Stan."
"Y-you...how the hell...did you get out of the barrier?" The monster asked breathlessly.
"Take a guess, that is if you have the time to."
The monster growled, but then fell silent for a moment. "...Heh...hehehehehehe," it started giggling like a maniac. Stan heard a sound similar to water boiling under the heat of a fire.
"Oh? So you have quick regeneration speed. Good." Craig sounded oddly pleased.
"What-" The monster's confused query got cut off by a powerful slam that sent heavy vibrations throughout the roof. Through the barrier, Stan saw his friends' silhouettes engaging into battle with the other monsters.
"Do You Now Understand The Severity Of The Situation? You Do Not Have Time To Be Wasting Away Wallowing In Your Fear Of The Darkness Like A Terrified Little Boy."
Guilt struck Stan hard. He knew Chris was absolutely right, but even so, his nyctophobia was too strong for him to overcome. No amount of sheer willpower nor encouragement from anyone would ever be enough for him to maintain even a shred of his sanity while being in the dark.
"Do You Want Me To Fight For You?"
Stan tensed. Chris didn't sound cheekily eager this time, rather it was another threat. Stan was still afraid, but he couldn't let his Inner Guardian battle in his place, even though the guy would very much like that. Stan balled his hands into tightly clenched fists. "I said I got this...and I meant it."
"Then Prove It By Rescuing Kenneth and Those Trapped Within That Monster's Barrier."
Stan instantly remembered that the monster did something strange to Kenny. Everyone else was preoccupied right now, Craig...Stan didn't know what was wrong with him and he didn't have the time to wonder about why he could suddenly use Dark magic. He's going to save the questions for when things settled down. "I'll leave that monster to you," he told Craig. "I'm gonna take care of the one that showed up first."
"Hmph, I don't expect much progress from a coward," the other noirette responded coldly. He then went to attack the lightbulb monster.
His words stung and even made Stan a little angry, but he decided not to snap back as he plucked his katana out of the ground. He ran around the barrier, charging at the monster Kenny was standing close to. He raised his sword in preparation to stab the monster.
Its fangs curled into an evil smile. "Become our sacrifice."
Kenny silently turned and walked towards Stan. "What the!" Startled by his best friend's calm approach, Stan skidded to a stop, the tip of his blade inches away from Kenny's chest. The monster chuckled. Stan glared at it, knowing what the dark green eyeball did to Kenny. "So you made him into your puppet. You bastard." He lowered his weapon.
"Can't have neither of you getting in our way, after all." The monster stuck out its hands towards its barrier. "Plus, our Master will be even more pleased to have that child and the one who escaped from our barrier at his disposal."
Stan knew that it was definitely referring to Kenny's immortality. As for Craig, no matter what's going on with him, Stan won't let him get taken away either. "He won't get Kenny and Craig either!" The moment Stan turned around, Kenny quickly intercepted him. "Damn it. Kenny-"
"Similar To Your Earlier 'Predicament', Words Will Not Get Through To Him," Chris said.
Stan wasn't surprised Chris was still upset at him for succumbing to his fear thanks to his tone. Stan then got an idea when he saw a green light emitted by Kyle's barrier. It already looked like it was about to break. "I'll put him in a barrier."
"Binding Him With Chains Of Darkness Would Be More Efficient."
Taking a step back, Stan shook his head as he stuck out his free hand towards Kenny, who instantly took a step closer, his chest gently touching Stan's palm. "Even so, putting him in chains wouldn't feel right." Stan had casted Chains of Darkness before back at home during the monster outbreak, though he wasn't the only one who detained the monsters that way. It was very effective against them since they weren't all that strong and it made killing them in bulk a lot easier. Stan never thought to use Chains of Darkness on anything other than the monsters, casting it on a human being—his best friend no less—would feel all kinds of wrong. He couldn't describe it any other way than that, he's more comfortable detaining people inside of a barrier to keep them safe. He once again stepped back, only for Kenny to walk forward.
"And That's Why I Suggested Chains of Darkness. You Won't Be Able To Detain Him Within A Barrier If He Keeps Shortening The Distance."
Stan wasn't going to change his mind. He all of a sudden felt a chill run through him. It felt perturbingly familiar. As he lowered his arm to his side, he noticed past Kenny's figure a pair of glowing silver eyes glaring right at him.
/ /
A single gunshot blares over the commotion happening in various areas on the roof, scaring a few. Only the soft, occasional pattering of the rain overlaps the silence. Almost all eyes look between Kyle, the gun in his hand, and the round monster he just shot at, which has one eye missing. It lets out a near deafening scream as it collapses to the ground.
Yuna takes this opportunity to seize her opponent within a Light barrier while it's distracted. The creepy mutt snarls and starts viciously slashing at the barrier with its front paws. The four claw marks disappear right after the other, making it seem as if the barrier is repairing itself.
Kyle smirks at his discovery. "So their eyes are their weakness."
"Since when could you use a gun?!" Asks a dumbfounded Bebe, beating Clyde to the punch.
"Just recently," Kyle answers. "The eyes are their weakness, so target those from now on." He fires four more shots at the now whimpering monster, but a sudden gust of wind blows the bullets off their course. They soar far into the distance.
"Discovering our flaw won't change the outcome of your demise," the moth thing says. Little does it know that bit of information is all the humans and spirits need that will ensure their victory. It raises a hand while pressing its fingers together, then strikes down onto Leon's barrier with enough force to break it. It manages to stab Clyde in his shoulder before he leaps away.
"Shit!" He places a hand on his stinging wound.
Bebe has no time to worry about him for the two-headed monster starts swinging its arms at her. She tries not to shut her eyes from the rush of wind each swing generates as she dodges, the monster seems even more relentless now.
The moth creature licks the blood on its claws with a thin, black tongue. "Perhaps you would make for a fine snack instead."
Clyde smirks through the pain. "I'm flattered, but that's so not gonna happen."
"We will make sure it will happen!" The moth monster eagerly charges at the teen.
Yuna now knows how to finish off her opponent without needing to expend too much magical energy. She presses her fingers together while raising her arm, then thrusts her arm forward as if she's mimicking stabbing something. A thick spike pierces through the canine's skull, going right through its eyes. With a yelp, it stops moving, then its body starts to disintegrate. She gets rid of her barrier with a sigh, then looks over at the red barrier, the monster is now closer to it, though she can't see what it's doing exactly, but Kenneth and Stan are just standing there. She instantly senses a third individual with Dark magical energy over there, which she deems is very suspicious. Not only that, but another monster was defeated. She gets the feeling that it was killed before the monsters' weakness was made known. She has faith that her allies will be able to handle the remaining five monsters, her duty as an Inner Guardian is to always prioritize her host's safety above all else. She runs over to Kenneth and Stan.
There are a few advanced spells Bebe knows, however having to constantly dodge or block with a shield left her little chances to cast any of them. It's apparent that the monster is intent on grabbing her with its beefy hands, something neither she nor Emerald will allow to happen.
After jumping to the side to avoid getting caught, Bebe feels herself getting tired. Yet, the monster appears to be feeling nowhere near the same. Instead, it just looks really annoyed based on the downward curve of its fangs. She's back to evading its hands again, making sure not to stray away or get too close to her friends. "Ugh." "I'm not gonna get anywhere if I keep dodging or blocking, and I'm gonna run outta stamina eventually too..."
"Which Is Worrisome," Emerald says. "You Must Go On The Offensive. The Negation Spell Has Six Minutes Remaining."
It's dwindling slower than Bebe expected. She isn't sure if it's enough time for her to end this, it's too dark for her to accurately discern any openings in the monster's barbaric arm swinging. So, she's going to have to stop its movements herself. "Since the damn thing won't let up, I'm gonna have to bind its hands and legs to keep it still."
"Unfortunately, Chains Of Light And Darkness Is A Beginner Spell, So It Won't Hold Long."
"I figured that. It's a good thing you taught me an advanced restriction spell." Bebe notices someone standing off on her right side. Based on the tips of hair she can barely see that are sticking out of the person's hood, she knows instantly that they're Tweek. Just as she wonders what he's doing just standing there, green auras appear around his hands. He sticks them out towards the monster, who is unaware of his presence. Bright green rings manifest around its wrists and ankles.
"What?" The bindings react to each other like magnets, forcing its limbs to become close together, causing it to fall and skid to the ground.
Bebe quickly moves out of the way. Once she regains her footing, she approaches the monster's heads and aims the palm of her right hand at the head that has five eyes. "Damn you, mortal scum."
Bebe flips it off with her left hand. A purple light gleams from underneath her right sleeve, exactly near her wrist. "Blazing Light." Her palm glows in a white aura with yellow edges, emitting a fizzling sound. The heat of the aura starts increasing to a point where it starts melting the monster's head. It screams, then attempts to stab her with its tongue. Emerald protects her forehead with a small, pale green shield.
"Tch." Once the monster's head with eyes only is gone, its body starts breaking down into black particles.
"Phew!" The aura fades away and Bebe doubles over with her hands on her knees, panting. "T-thanks...for the help, Tweek."
"We can't relax yet," Tweek says. "There are three more left." Leopold and Raven defeated the headless monster with great teamwork even though Raven was still injured. She fought as if she didn't have a severe wound in her chest. She's currently healing herself while Leopold is assisting Clyde.
Bebe hasn't forgotten, especially that they also need to save Craig, Cloud, Wendy, Henrietta, and Ingrum. "I-I know. Just gotta catch my breath for a sec."
Tweek goes to help Kyle, who is dealing with a furious four-eyed monster. It's like the thing got a big speed boost after losing an eye, Kyle has been missing every shot and sustained only a scratch on his left cheek from the swift strike of one of its legs. His raincoat is cut in several areas, mostly on the sleeves.
"An eye for an eye, a limb for a limb," the round monster utters threateningly as it approaches Kyle.
Tweek suddenly appears in between the two. Seems he used Teleportation Dash.
The monster grits its fangs angrily at the teen. "You might prove to be even more of a hassle with your odd magical energy. It's best to get rid of you now."
Kyle points his gun at one of the eyes and pulls the trigger. The entity moves faster than the bullet, which it avoids completely.
"Nice try, brat! We have yet to make you pay, so we'll incapacitate you before killing your friend." As it begins to scurry towards Kyle, Tweek turns around while conjuring two green rings big enough to capture all of its thin legs. They then force its legs together, and it topples to the ground on its side. "Gah! Why you, as if these measly binds will...Huh?" It almost instantly finds out that it can't break free from the binds. "Impossible!" Its confidence vanishes like the wind.
Kyle aims his other pistol at its eyes as well and fires four times, twice from each gun.
"Noooo!" The monster yells, not ready to meet its end. Fortunately, its companion quickly comes to its aid by blowing the bullets away again with the flap of its wings. However, it wasn't intentional, rather coincidental. The moth monster did that only to push Clyde and Leopold away. The strong gale sends them tumbling to the ground, going a few meters past Kyle and Tweek. Tweek glares at the freakish insect.
/
Stripe
The sky in Stripe's domain has darkened to black, creating an eerie atmosphere. Stripe hopes this goes unnoticed by the single inhabitant inside the house. Every blade of grass is swaying as if the gentle breeze hadn't stopped. Stripe is staring at the viewescreen with tears gleaming in his eyes. He's failed Craig yet again. He tried his damndest to prevent Craig from entering the phase where he doesn't care who's friend or foe a second time, but his words were lackluster. He's just glad that he didn't hurt Stanley, not physically, at least.
"This skirmish has dragged on long enough!" The moth monster hisses.
"Yeah, it's definitely gotten boring now."
Stripe watches as Craig throws a mysterious item at the moth's head. It screeches in agony and before Stripe can distinguish what the weapon is, the monster's head gets blown up. The corpse remains standing while it disintegrates. Craig's body dissipates into black smoke, then a split second later he's standing directly in front of the monster Tweek tied up. It frowns nervously at Craig. "You were in the barrier. How did you escape and with Dark magic at that all of a sudden?"
Craig just smirks and jams presumably the same sharp object he used previously into one of its eyes. It lets out a pained scream until its body explodes. Numerous pieces of its flesh stream down like rain as they all begin to dissolve into black particles.
Stripe flinches when his host laughs loudly while spreading out his arms. He's not the only one unnerved by Craig's maniacal behavior. He sees his friends along with Raven ambling over to Craig, Kyle, and Tweek. Clyde still has a hand on his bleeding shoulder, the scared and confused look in his eyes pains Stripe to see. He raises a trembling fist up to his chest.
"Craig?" Clyde softly calls out.
The disintegrating fleshy bits and the black raindrops fill the developing silence. Craig drops his arms to his sides and looks straight into Clyde's lavender eyes, his expression going blank. The noirette's glowing silver eyes make Bebe gasp in shock while the others just gaze at the bright irises in stunned silence.
Stripe has only one option that can prevent Craig from committing another regretful act—it's to initiate 'Forced Power Link'. But...he can't bring himself to do it. Not again. He knows this decision will jeopardize both Craig's and his friends' lives, but he believes Raven and Yuna will let no harm come to anyone. And that makes Stripe feel all the more mortified.
He closes his eyes. Tears slip from underneath his eyelids and slowly slide down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, everyone. I leave stopping Master Craig...to you all."
/ /
There is heavy tension in the air.
"Luke, how much longer until the Negation spell wears off?" Kyle asks.
"Three Minutes."
Kyle looks over to where the last monster is. It's idle in front of its barrier and since neither Stan nor Yuna are not fighting it, it seems Kenny is hindering them somehow. Kyle heaves a sigh as he looks away. "As incredibly strange as this is, we don't have a lot of time to question Craig right now. We need to kill the last monster."
"But it's manipulated Kenny into being its little sacrificial dog," Craig says, turning to face the trio and the monster. "So we can't get anywhere near it. Unless we kill him, that is."
Bebe narrows her eyes at him in disbelief. "Have you gone crazy? Why would you even suggest that?"
Craig chuckles. "Stan nearly asked me the same thing." He says nothing for a moment. "Kenny is immortal."
Raven is the only one who doesn't widen her eyes, though Kyle is shocked for a different reason. "How do you know that?" He asks. Only he, Stan...and Eric are supposed to know that Kenny is immortal because they were the only ones that remembered his deaths when they were children.
Craig responds with a shrug. Kyle has the urge to probe him for a concrete answer, but he quickly stifles the inquisitive feeling. They have less than three minutes now until they're no longer able to move freely about, he doubts it's enough time for them to kill the monster. "We should at least weaken it, so Stan and Craig can finish it off," he thinks. Shooting the monster from here did cross Kyle's mind until Craig revealed what the monster did to Kenny. Then again, perhaps it can work to their advantage if done correctly. "I have a plan. I'll explain it briefly."
"Whatever it is, count me out." Craig walks away. "I'm gonna do my own thing, and none of you better get in my way." He focuses on Kenny's tall form.