In the blink of an eye, Daroach's strange copy teleported to the dining room, taking all of those present by surprise. Everyone moved away from the creature and took a defensive stance, waiting for it to make a move. Kirby and the clone exchanged glances, and the hero of Dreamland knew he was the target this time, and unlike when the shadowy Waddle Dees tried to capture Tiff, he wasn't wanted alive. He just could feel that the creature wanted to destroy him.
It wasn't a new feeling. Kirby had previously been the object of severe hatred from evil beings. Kirby would rather make friends than enemies, but he also had to learn the hard way that there were beings that had been consumed by hatred or were simply heartless in the most literal sense that couldn't be befriended. That Daroach copy was just another entry on a list he wished didn't exist.
Furthermore, he should stop calling that thing "Daroach's copy," as what it was copying was actually Dark Daroach.
Before fighting, he first had to find a way to quickly get Tiff and Tuff to safety. Things could get very ugly when fighting the kind of enemy they were about to face, and the last thing Kirby wanted was for his two new friends to get hurt. Besides, he couldn't allow something bad to happen to people who were so important to him in another universe. Kirby was sure that even if he was still a baby, the other Kirby would also protect his friends had their roles been reversed.
It seemed like Daroach had had the same idea regarding Tiff and Tuff, as he looked at the puffball and nodded before ordering his subordinates:
"Storo, Doc, Spinny! Take the kids away!"
The Squeaks immediately obeyed, with Storo grabbing Tiff and Tuff in his huge arms before fleeing the dining room, flanked by Spinny, Doc, and the group of Squeakers that had alerted them of the intruder. Kirby could hear the kids complaining and yelling that they wanted to help, but they had no idea how dangerous the situation actually was. According to what Tiff had told them, they had never had to directly fight someone possessed by a being made of darkness and negative energy.
Perhaps a different kind of hero, one more interested in his own universe's ancient history, intricacies, and enigmas, would have noticed that Dark Nebula was very similar to Dark Matter and proceeded to investigate if they were somehow related, but Kirby didn't care about those things, and ancient history just plain bored him. In his first encounter with Dark Nebula, he focused solely with three things: cleaning up the mess that could have been avoided if he had listened to Meta Knight (and thus considered to be partly his fault), protecting Dreamland from the threat he had inadvertently helped free, and recovering his stolen cake.
Back to the current situation, the Squeaks weren't the only ones who had made a move, as Daroach's scream had caught the attention of the enemy. It pounced on the mouse with the same hatred in his eyes as when he had looked at Kirby. Due to the impact, the thief ended up on the ground. The Triple Star staffs of Daroach and his copy collided with each other, both mice engaging in a struggle that Kirby soon ended by kicking the copy off his friend.
"This thing is just like those Waddle Dees and the monster you guys talked about, am I right?" Daroach asked as he stood up, using the Triple Star as support. Kirby nodded. "Why does this one look like my dark version?"
"No idea, poyo. But I think it's after us two," Kirby responded.
"In that case, I think you will need this more than me."
Daroach then took out an Ice Ability Copy Essence from his cloak. Kirby didn't even ask why the thief had something like that stored (probably because it sparkled, and it was no secret that Daroach loved shiny things as much as Meta Knight loved desserts). He simply thanked the mouse before touching the essence, a crown of ice appearing above his head upon activating the ability.
Dark Daroach's copy gave them no more time for planning. After recovering, it began to float in the air and then fired a bomb at them. It never made it to its target, however, since Gooey grabbed it with his tongue and launched it back to its owner. The explosion stunned the creature for an instant that was not wasted. With a loud "wanya," Bandee charged at it with his spear.
Kirby wasn't going to let his friends fight alone, so he immediately joined the fight. He skated towards the copy of Dark Daroach and began attacking him with his ice breath. Although he did not manage to completely freeze it, the being's movements became slower, making it easier to hit.
The copy, being overwhelmed by the flurry of spear blows, licks, and Kirby's own ice breath, was forced to retreat to gain distance. It quickly wrapped itself in its cloak, floated away from them, and made more bombs appear. It didn't manage to throw them, as a beam of ice hit it from behind, stopping it in its tracks and causing it to fall, the bombs exploding far from any target.
"I don't know what you are, but I don't like that you appear as a reminder of one of the most embarrassing moments of my life," Daroach stated threateningly, pointing towards the enemy Triple Star in hand. "You have no chance of winning, so you should go back the way you came. I really don't want to destroy you, but I will if you give me no choice."
Dark Daroach's copy rose up again and turned towards the other mouse, its eyes blazing with that hatred that disturbed Kirby. If the copy of Dark Nebula/Dark Daroach had the same memories as the original Kirby fought, it would make sense that it hated him, but why did it hate Daroach too? The only thing the mouse had done against the original creature was "lending" Kirby the Triple Star so that he could finish it off. Maybe there was no reason behind that hatred? Kirby, whose only thing he valued above food was friendship (or was it the other way around? ), found it upsetting that someone hated another so intensely, especially when there was no reason for it.
Then, something unexpected happened. The copy's body began to convulse until Dark Nebula's black eye appeared in its belly, much like when Dark Matter had possessed Dedede for the second time. But that wasn't all; five elongated masses of pure darkness sprang from the copied mouse's back, its body inert like a puppet in the centre of what had become a disturbing star.
"Emmm, I don't remember much of the time I was possessed by that thing, but I have the feeling that nothing like this happened," Daroach said, stepping back cautiously.
"Yeah. It did nothing like this!" Kirby confirmed.
Kirby looked at Gooey, who was staring at the transformed mouse intently but quietly. Kirby was about to ask him if he was okay, but then the creature curled its limbs in front of its torso and began to concentrate energy. No one needed much intelligence to figure out that it was the charge part of one of those devastating attacks used by Kirby's strongest foes.
"Take cover!" Banda Waddle Dee yelled as he fled away from the beast, the others trailing behind him.
The creature unleashed the attack, and even if Kirby and his group managed to avoid the worst of the explosion, the shock wave hit them and caused the floor of the dining room to collapse under their feet, making them all fall.
º.·º.·
The echo of an explosion resounding through the walls of the lair made the Squeaks stop in their tracks.
"Did that come from the dining room?!" Tuff asked, putting into words what everyone was thinking.
Tiff, for her part, took advantage of the situation to finally get out of the arm of a now-frightened Storo. She then ran back to the dining room,Tuff instantly following her lead. They needed to make sure Kirby and the others were safe. Whether it was because they wanted to comply with the order to protect the children or because they were worried about their boss, the Squeaks went after them.
Back in the dining room, what greeted them was a huge hole in place of the tables where mere moments ago they had been eating cake and casually talking. Such a drastic change would have overwhelmed Tiff if she wasn't used to the chaos of her home dimension, where even the most peaceful picnic could turn into a sudden battle against a monster (or a robot in the most recent times) in the least expected moment.
With caution, Tiff peeked into the hole. She could see flashing lights and hear battle cries from her high point of view, showing that Kirby and the others were still alive and fighting that strange Daroach. They had fallen into the hangar they had passed earlier.
"We have to get down there and help them!" Tuff said. Tiff agreed with him, but there was a problem. If Kirby and the others were struggling againts that creature, what could they two do? They had no plan, and their only direct fighting experience was the self-defense techniques Meta Knight had taught them back home. Maybe that lack of experience was why Kirby and Daroach had decided to keep her and her brother away from that battle.
And then there was that creature. Even if, like the fake Waddle Dees (and the Kracko her brother had talked about), the strangely coloured Daroach was also a copy, it was clear that it was way more dangerous than a few Waddle Dees. It radiated an aura more sinister and terrifying than any monster Dedede had ever ordered in the past. The closest thing to it she had ever fought had been eNeMeE himself.
"Well, I didn't fight him. He had me captured, and it was up to Kirby to defeat him. I couldn't do much but encourage Kirby, and I doubt this dimension's one requires either my support or guidance."
Tiff took her "weapon" from her belt and examined it. That dimension's Meta Knight had carved a handle on it to make it more comfortable to use. Even so, she doubted that a tree branch would do much good against that thing. "As useless as I. If I went down there, I'd be nothing more than a hinrance..." Tiff thought, dejectedly putting the weapon back on her belt, a courtesy gift from Meta Knight so she could carry it more easily. Why was the knight wasting his time on someone as weak as her?
"Tiff? Is something wrong? You are acting weird," her brother asked, worried. He had noticed both her lack of initiative and her low spirits. Normally, she would have already planned something, and even if she hadn't, she would have rushed to help the others.
Her brother was right. Behaving in that defeatist manner was weird of her. Tiff shook her head and slapped her cheeks twice to wake herself up. "Come on, Tiff, focus. Why are you letting yourself get carried away by negativity? You're not like this. I'm sure you can do something to help! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think," she scolded herself.
Tiff looked down the hole once more. Those copycat creatures, whatever they were, had an interest in her. If they were only after the Warp Star, the "non-Waddle Dees" could have used force (what little they had) to take it, but they had avoided harming her at all times, even leaving their weapons behind when they tried to capture her.
"I don't know why, but it seems that whatever is commanding these creatures needs me alive," Tiff thought to herself. "In that case, it wouldn't be too farfetched to think that the copy of Daroach also has orders not to harm me..."
And that was something she could use to turn the tables on the fight below. It was a dangerous bet, since if she was wrong and the "not-Daroach" did not follow the same plans as the "not-Waddle Dees," she would be putting her life in serious danger. Still, she couldn't stand by while Kirby was in danger. Even if that version of his adoptive brother didn't need her, that didn't change her desire to protect him. And, of course, that wish extended to everyone she had met in that dimension. If she could do the smallest thing to help them, even if it was risky, she couldn't sit still. Not when the other option was to allow that negativity to keep gnawing at her insides.
With her decision made, Tiff ran out of the dining hall towards the hangar, ignoring both Tuff's alarmed call and the confused Squeaks. She was going to help Kirby and the others, no matter what.
º.·º.·
Daroach had been in better circumstances.
He'd avoided the worst fall thanks to the Triple Star's power, but before he could even check if the others were safe, the copy had caught him by surprise using its 'arms'. It was now squeezing him tightly in a blatant attempt to crush him to death.
To be honest, it wasn't the best way to die. He had always envisioned a far more graceful finale to his life.
As he struggled to free himself, Daroach raised his head to look at who would be his executioner unless he somehow managed to escape in the last second or Kirby and his friends came to his rescue. After the transformation, the possessed body of the copy seemed to have become unconscious, but, to his surprise, it had reopened its eyes and was now looking at him with anger and... jealousy?
Daroach was no stranger to envy, even if he never allowed it blind him or corrupt him. In the present, he didn't experience it often, but in the distant past, more difficult times before he met those who were now his gang, it had been a feeling that had invaded him way too often. It was not a time he liked to remember, but thanks to it, he had been able to recognise that emotion, unmistakably his, in the face of his possessed copy.
Daroach couldn't help but wonder: what exactly was that copy replicating? Him? Dark Nebula? He was even beginning to doubt if it was only a mere replica. The strange digital effect that enveloped the being's body, like a hologram that sometimes lost signal, pointed to an artificial origin, but the emotions emanating from it, while extremely negative, felt very real.
"What… who are you?" Daroach asked, his voice almost gone due to the pain.
He got no response. And not only because the creature did not seem to be able to communicate, but because in that instant, Kirby, Bandana Waddle Dee and Gooey, who had adopted his "other form," finally came to his rescue with a loud battle cry. Ice, spears, and small lasers descended on his captor, forcing it to release the mouse. Daroach fell face-first to the ground.
"Daroach! Are you okay, poyo?" a very worried Kirby asked as he ran towards Daroach, while Gooey and Bandana kept attacking the copy.
"Yes," Daroach lied to not worry the child, relieved to have been freed from that creature. "That was way too close..." he added in his mind.
Kirby made a milkshake appear and handed it to him.
"Take this. It's not a Maxim Tomato, but it should cure you a little," the puffball said, seeing through his white lie.
"So easy to trick into helping, but so hard to trick on stuff like this..." Daroach thought.
In a better situation, Daroach would have returned the milkshake to Kirby, and they would have argued over who should use what was probably the puffball's only healing item. He didn't have the chance to do so, as one of the tentacles grabbed Kirby. But, instead of squashing him, the creature chose to launch Kirby with great force, sending him flying at high speed. Kirby lost his copy ability when he collided with Daroach's airship.
The copy of Dark Nebula, who was now free from Gooey and Bandana attacks (they most likely had rushed to aid Kirby), approached Daroach once more in a menancing way, which the mouse interpreted as a signal to drink the milkshake in one sip. The pain didn't go away completely, but he was able to move again... just in time to avoid one of the creature's projectiles.
Daroach counterattacked by summoning an ice beam with his Triple Star, which the copy blocked with one of its 'arms'. The two exchanged several attacks that were either blocked or dodged until two energy beams collided in the air, generating a shockwave that pushed them both back and raised a cloud of smoke.
When the smoke cleared, the mouse watched as Kirby, Gooey, and Bandana Waddle Dee tried to rejoin the fight Once the replica of Dark Nebula saw Kirby, it seemed to consider whether to pounce on him or continue to focus on Daroach. The creature eventually chose to summon a fire wall in front of the three children, prompting them to retreat when the creature began to magically push it towards them.
Daroach raised his weapon once more and attacked to claim his opponent's attention. The creature turned violently towards him and whacked him in the side using one of its shadowy"limbs" as a whip. The Triple Star was launched into the air as a result of the impact, and Daroach shrank in on himself due to the intense pain.
With the other three combatants blocked by the fire, the creature once again loomed over Daroach, and in a new attempt to pound him, he hurled his five limbs towards the mouse. Daroach closed his eyes and covered himself as best he could, knowing that he wouldn't be able to avoid the attack...
...But it never reached him.
Daroach opened his eyes again, only to find Tiff, tree branch in hand, between him and the copy.
The copy had stopped its attack at the last moment. It was still glaring at Daroach, but with Tiff between the two, it didn't seem like it could advance even if it tried. The being looked frustrated as it tried to launch its attacks on Daroach, but its body stopped whenever it was about to hit Tiff.
"Thank goodness I was right about this..." he heard the girl say with relief as she took advantage of the enemy's peculiar "paralysis" to hit its limbs with her branch. She was panting heavily, indicating that she had to run a lot to get there.
And she wasn't the only one who had arrived. Daroach heard fast footsteps behind him and turned to see Doc, Storo, Spinny, some Squeakers and Tuff had also come running to the hangar. Daroach didn't have time to ask what they were doing there since a high-pitched voice echoed from behind the copy, screaming:
"Leave my friends alone!"
Kirby was sprinting towards the Dark Nebula replica, Triple Star in hand. It seemed like Kirby had been able to grab the weapon when the creature had been distracted by Tiff. The hero gathered energy in the staff, leapt into the air, and struck the copy's body hard, generating a blinding flash of light.
After the flash, the creature's body began to convulse and glow. Daroach mustered the little strength he had left, grabbed Tiff, and rushed with her towards the Squeaks to avoid the enemy's impending explosion. Those types of explosions weren't usually long-range or particularly powerful, but to prevent was always better than to cure. With his strength exhausted, the thief dropped onto Storo's arm just as the enemy exploded behind him.
Daroach turned around, still leaning on Storo, to see Kirby, Gooey, and Bandana Waddle Dee performing the puffball's iconic victory dance. He would have cheerfully joined in the celebration if he hadn't been on the verge of passing out. However, this enabled him to discover something the three children had missed: the copy was still there, apparently unconscious.
The digital-like visual effect continued to surround the copy's body, although it had returned to Daroach's original color. Daroach gestured for Storo to bring him closer to it, and while the big mouse seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, he ultimately decided there was no risk and obeyed his boss.
Daroach and Storo were not the only ones who had come to see the strange mouse, because not only the Squeaks,Tiff and Tuff followed, but Kirby, Gooey and Bandana were surrounding it now that their dance was over. Kirby was poking the creature, hoping to wake it up, with a troubled expression on his face.
The other mouse was gaunt. Daroach had heard of the parasitic effect that beings like Dark Nebula had on those they possessed, and from the looks of his copy, or whatever it actually was, it must have been under the control of "Dark Nebula" for a long, long time. The rest of the Squeaks were in shock at the sorry state of the mouse, while the children seemed quite concerned by its condition.
Suddenly, the other Daroach opened its eyes, and in a movement both aggressive and urgent, it grabbed him by the bell of his cloak to bring him closer. The rest were alarmed, and Storo was about to punch the copy in retaliation, believing that it intended to hurt his boss. Daroach, however, stopped the blue mouse with a gesture. He doubted the copy could hurt him in that state. In fact, it looked more like it wanted to tell him something.
However, the only thing that came out of his copy's lips was a bizarre noise, a mix of "static" from an old television and telephone interference, although it was clear that it formed a phrase due to its rhythm. The words were unintelligible to all present, but they sounded like both a reproach and a desperate plea at the same time.
"Ȩ̶̍u̷͓͒ả̴̞ ̷͖̈́n̶͔̆ğ̵̘j̴̈͜ ̴̤̍z̵̜̽n̸͇͆ķ̴͂ ̵̺͊a̶̤͂t̷̥̽j̸̟̽ḱ̷̼ẏ̸̝ḵ̴̐x̴̛̭b̷͕̍ḱ̵̜j̸̛̳ ̸͍̐r̸̬͘a̶̻̿i̶̢̾q̶̹͝ ̶͖͗ú̶̡ḽ̶͒ ̷͚̐q̸̪͛k̸͔̀ḱ̶̬ṿ̷́o̵̽͜t̷͚͗m̸̮̀ ̷̛̟z̸̘̈́n̷̪̔k̴̮̽s̸̛̼ ̵̝̚j̷̰́k̷̯̓ÿ̵̢́ṽ̶̫o̸̡͝z̴̙̕k̶͖̓ ̵̗͌ě̶͉u̷̖͐a̴̲͆x̵̠͗ ̷̜̔ȍ̴͜j̵̥̊ŏ̴̹ų̶́i̴̺͌ė̵͙.̷̗̎ ̸̳̇J̴͓̚ù̷͚t̴̳̍'̵̛̙z̴̠̈ ̴̑͜r̷̹͌u̸̼͒y̵̞͂k̵͎͝ ̸̡̾z̷̧̓n̵͇̈́k̴̺̎s̸̲̚,̷̢̉ ̶̧́r̸̭̉ö̷̮́q̴̟̄k̵̗̆ ̴͕̆Ó̸͜ ̴͖̕j̴̞͝o̶̜̿j̶̠͛.̶̪̄"
The other Daroach abruptly let go of him and lay back on the ground. Then, its body began to fade into square-like particles. The mouse sighed and turned to Kirby:
"S̸̙̏ḛ̷̈́ ̵͙̏h̵͕̾ù̷̳x̴̱̔x̴͈̐ũ̶̫č̷̺k̵̤̋j̵̟̋ ̶̻̾ẓ̷̓õ̸̲s̵̥̆k̷̪̾ ̸̼̓i̵͇͗ũ̴͔s̴̘͒k̶͓̚y̶̛̞ ̶̜͒z̷̜͒ụ̴̀ ̷̣͋ǵ̵͉t̸̐͜ ̵̢̾k̵̮̄t̶͈̚j̴͓͘.̷͔͛ ̵͚̽E̸̥̾u̴̫͊ạ̴̇'̴͖͆x̸̢̔k̵̟̂ ̸̙̅z̸͔̑u̸̮͘u̵͇̾ ̵̬̍r̸͉̆ḡ̴̹z̷̙͝k̶̙̎ ̷͉́u̸̬̚t̶̰́i̴͖͒k̶͔͗ ̸̩̅ĝ̷͍m̵̳̊g̶̟͂õ̴̬t̶͓̋,̶̈́͜ ̷̨̐ȟ̷̡ạ̵̾z̵̼̀ ̶̯̿z̴̢͑n̷̻͑g̴͖̅t̵̠̂q̷̰̂y̴͇͊ ̷̪͠ǧ̵̖ẗ̵͈e̶̞̓ć̸̭g̴̪͆e̸̼̊.̷̞́ ̶̝͗Ǵ̷̟ẑ̵̜ ̷͇̏r̸̬̎k̴̗̕g̴͓͋ÿ̷͇ź̸̫ ̴̭̐ź̵̠n̶͖̄ŏ̴̼y̶͕͊ ̶̢͗z̶̭̕o̶̲͝ś̴̹k̴͉̅ ̷̼̅O̷͕̚ ̷͉̂c̴̭̈o̵̞͌r̷̜͐ŕ̸̟ ̸̭̂"̷̣̎j̶̦̑o̸̫̅k̵̪̈"̵̪́ ̷̩̅ḥ̵͊k̵̢̏õ̴̰t̵̖͗m̵̻̄ ̶̥́s̶͉̽e̸̹̐ý̸͉k̵͔̉ŕ̸̖l̵͍̄.̸̨̾"
"I'm sorry," Kirby said. The others looked at him, perplexed, for they thought Kirby had understood the words. However, the puffball immediately clarified, "no, I didn't understand what he said, but I felt like I should apologise for not being able to help him."
Hearing that, the copy sadly smiled.
"Z̴̼͑n̷̪͐k̶͖͊ ̶͈̈́u̵̥̎t̶͓̊r̷̯̈ȅ̷̦ ̶͓̅u̸̹͌t̷̾͜k̴̟̀ ̸̯̊z̷̘͗ȗ̸͚ ̶̞̉h̷̰͂r̶̼̓ǵ̸͖s̸͚̕k̵̟͐ ̸̛̫n̸̻͂k̷͓͆x̷̭̆k̷̼̃ ̴̤̂o̵̳̒y̵̤͑ ̵̻̈́s̷̙͑ķ̴̕,"he muttered sadly as he glanced sideways at Daroach.
Half the copy's body had already dissolved, but it still had time to turn to Tiff and, in a rhythm that sounded similar to a warning, say:
Ŏ̵̱ ̸̥̃q̸̫̂t̷͎̊ú̶̬c̶̨̎ ̴͚̊e̸̻͊ų̵̑ą̵͗ ̷̜͒ì̴̥g̸̗̓ẗ̵̪́'̸͕̓z̶̡͠ ̷̗̑a̴̪̐ţ̵̽j̷̭͐k̵̘͒x̴̳̾y̷͚̎ẓ̴͆g̷͓͝t̶̠̉j̵̨̎ ̸̢̽s̷̢̒ķ̸̛,̵̼̐ ̶̪̀h̶̤̀a̵̬͂z̸̥͘ ̷̯̂O̴̥͛ ̵̱͛n̵̖͋ủ̴͇v̷̛̭k̴͇͐ ̷͔̈z̸͕͂n̴͕̄ô̷̩ÿ̸̯ ̷̙͐c̶̦͝g̷̞̈x̷̥̉t̵̗̏o̷͔̒ť̶̙m̴̱̑ ̷͓̎x̷͖̊k̴͓͑g̷͉̀i̴̹͐n̵͙̄k̶̳͑y̴͖̔ ̴͙͗è̷ͅȕ̸̩a̷̰͐ ̴̧̅y̶̪͝u̷̡͋s̵̫͆k̶̻͘n̵̼͝u̴͔̅ĉ̷͇.̶̙̋ ̴̬̕J̶̩͊ǘ̷ͅṭ̵͝'̵̙́ž̶͔ ̴̤͝r̴̝̿k̷̢͒z̴̳̃ ̵̜͐e̸̮̓u̵͉͒a̷̺͝x̴͙͑ ̶̻̓m̸̧͠a̸̖͘g̴̛̱x̸̗͌ĵ̴͜ ̸̮̌j̵͖̔u̶͍͘c̷̺͆ẗ̶͕;̶̦̚ ̶̧͛z̵̜̑n̴͓͛k̴̮͋ ̴̺̋ḫ̴͋k̴̟̂o̶̪͒t̸̼̕m̴̡̑ ̸̥̏ĥ̶̲k̶̜̑ṇ̴͊o̵͔̽t̷̰͌j̷̭̆ ̷̻͆z̶̰͋n̴̲̓o̸͖͌y̵͇̕ ̴̚͜c̸̥͒ù̵̟t̷̫̂'̴̟͛z̶̫̎ ̷̥̈y̸̫̾z̶̭̿ủ̴̞v̶̍͜ ̶͚̉à̷̤t̸̖̽ź̵̟o̴̩͊r̷̜͘ ̶̧̒z̸͔̚ṋ̷͂k̸̞̑e̷̻͐ ̸̲̎m̴̻͠k̴̲̒z̷͎͊ ̴̱́e̸͚̽u̴͕̾à̵̱.̶̳̄
With a final "M̵͉̄u̸̺͊u̴̗̎j̴̞̽h̶͖͑e̸̬̒k̴͎̈́", the copy closed its eyes. While his body finished dissipating, only one thought occupied Daroach's head:
"Had things gone wrong back then... could this have been my fate?"
Sorry for the wait. I have been very busy as of lately.
At first, there was going to be a 3-page scene from Toni and Taranza's POV, but the chapter would have been way too long, so I moved it to the next chapter.
I tried several ways to encode the message of Daroach's copy because I needed something the readers could decipher if they tried, but that was completely intelligible to the characters. Morse code and braille were cut into ffnet, and the windings (which were the original idea in homage to Undertale) appeared as normal text. Only the use of "Zalgo text" was still too readable, and I didn't even consider using binary because it was going to be too long. I thought about creating my own code using symbols from the default font, but then they wouldn't be decoded if anyone wanted to try. In the end, I used the Caesar Cypher and added the "zalgo" to add a "noise" effect.
If anyone is interested in deciphering the messages, the Key is the final digit of the year of release of Squeak Squad (Japan and USA). I will publish the decrypted phrases in a future chapter.
Likewise, these are the clean codes:
Eua ngj znk atjkykxbkj raiq ul qkkvotm znks jkyvozk euax ojouie. Jut'z ruyk znks, roqk O joj.
Se huxxuckj zosk iusky zu gt ktj. Eua'xk zuu rgzk utik gmgot, haz zngtqy gtecge. Gz rkgyz znoy zosk O corr "jok" hkotm seykrl.
Znk utre utk zu hrgsk nkxk oy sk
O qtuc eua igt'z atjkxyzgtj sk, haz O nuvk znoy cgxtotm xkginky eua yusknuc. Jut'z rkz euax magxj juct; znk hkotm hknotj znoy cut'z yzuv atzor znke mkz eua.
Muujhek