Hey, I'm back! Sorry about the delay; I came down with a severe case of writer's block which evolved into creator's fatigue that lasted a few years. But now I'm slowly working on getting my spark back, so I might as well start by attempting to finish this story.

So, without further ado, let's resolve this cliffhanger!

Chapter 6: Cashing Out

"I don't think so, punks," I yelled, raising Shiri over my head. "As it happens, I have somewhere else to be!"

"So be it!" One of the Shadowlings pounced at me, claws raised. At the last second, I dodged to one side, and it slammed head-first into the cell door.

I didn't have time to check if it was stunned, for at that moment, its friend swung its claws round. I just managed to catch them in my blade before kicking it back.

Suddenly, I felt a hand grip my shoulder, followed by a chilling sensation through my arm. I quickly jumped backwards, crushing the first Shadowling into the door. Then I spun around and swung Shiri down, cutting off its head.

Hissing in anger, the second Shadowling lunged forward. Without flinching, I struck out twice, cutting its arms off. Then a final swing reduced it to ashes.

"Phew," I sighed. "Right, now to find that panel thingy..."

The corridors ahead were quite a maze. I hit several dead ends and ran into a few more Shadowlings who fell easily to my blade. But at last, I reached an ornate wooden door and stepped into a fancy office. "This must be where Dr. Money does his dirty business."

Next to his desk was another power crystal, white like a diamond. Upon touching it, I felt a new power enter my body. "Whoa, I almost feel invincible."

I then spotted something on the desk, almost hidden under dollar bills. It was an electronic panel with two buttons labeled UP and DOWN. "This must be the thing Vicky wanted me to find." After pocketing it, I quickly left the office.

By retracing my steps, I was soon back in my cell. It was then that I saw a slot next to the door, the same size as the panel I'd found. Once I put the panel in, I closed my door and pressed the DOWN button. Instantly, the room shook and began to descend. "My cell really was an elevator," I breathed.

Ten seconds later, the room stopped, and I stepped out into a lobby. A door on my left opened and Vicky ran out.

"Taryn!" she cried, grabbing me in a hug. "We did it! You're free!"

"You did it," I beamed, pulling free with a smile. "I guess that makes us even now, huh?"

"I guess so..." Vicky chuckled, running a hand through her hair. "Now, we've gotta rescue the person from the shop! I've got a bad feeling-"

"As you should," cried a familiar voice behind us.

Vicky gasped and I turned to see Dr. Money stepping out the portal, a silver-headed cane in his hand.

With a scowl, he pointed his cane at me. "I believe I told you to stay in your cell, and yet, you've gone and done the exact opposite. Now come along quietly. I'd hate to ruin valuable merchandise."

"Merchandise?" Vicky cried out. "You kidnapped my friend! You can't own a person."

"I can do whatever I like, I'm rich!" Dr. Money snapped.

I silently glared at him, clenching my fists. The ego on that guy was getting on my nerves. That, and my last few hours spent in forced isolation, made my blood boil.

Dr. Money didn't notice. "Why don't you just give up, my dear? You've got nowhere to run."

"Oh yeah?" I stomped up to Dr. Money and delivered an uppercut right into his chin, knocking off his feet.

Vicky's jaw dropped in shock. "Whoa!"

"That's for locking me up," I growled, shaking my hand. "Come on, Vicky. Let's get out of here!"

We stepped out into the streets and looked around. Night had fully fallen, and a storm had hit, soaking the streets and blocking out the moon. "So, where do we go from here?" I asked.

"Our target's trapped in a bakery," Vicky replied, pointing to an alley. "It's this way. Follow me."

Before long, we were standing outside the bakery. The crowds of Terrorlings Vicky saw earlier had diminished.

"I had to rescue you first before I took on the Terrorlings," Vicky explained. "There were way too many before."

"Some of them must have come after me in the tower," I said as I walked to the door. "Come on, let's go in."

I opened the door to reveal a cozy shop interior. Cakes and pies lined the shelves next to us, a large, decorated wedding cake dominated a corner, and the sweet aroma of baking filled the air. Then I heard sobbing from behind the counter. While Vicky shut the door behind her, I quietly approached the counter and peeked over.

Crouched in a corner with their arms wrapped over their knees and tears in their eyes was a person that looked like a teenage boy slightly older than me. Their hair was styled like a pink flame tapering into a red point on top. They wore green pants and a grey shirt with a now familiar heart-mark on its left sleeve.

"You're still alive," I breathed.

"Huh?" The person looked at me with startled blue eyes.

I gave a reassuring smile. "It was you who sent me those letters, right?"

The person wiped their eyes and stood up. "You... you saw those?"

"Of course she did," Vicky replied, joining me. "You're not alone here, and you won't end up the same way as Charlotte."

"What're you talking about?" the person asked. "Who's Charlotte, and why-"

Suddenly, the door shook, and I turned to see the heads of Shadowlings silhouetted in the window. "Uh, as much as I'd love to have a heart to heart right now, it looks like we've got company!"

Right on cue, the dark portal from earlier appeared and a ball of lightning shot out, striking the young person in the chest. With a cry, they were flung backwards into the wall and lay still. Before Vicky and I could react, Dr. Money stepped out the portal, flanked by three Shadowlings.

I scowled at him. "We have gotta stop meeting like this!"

Dr. Money ignored me and strode up to our target. "Hmph, I'm almost impressed," he scoffed, prodding them with his cane. "You weren't supposed to last this long. But defective worthless parts like you should just be disposed of immediately. No one wants to buy damaged goods."

Angrily, I moved myself in front of Dr. Money. "You stay the hell away from him."

"At least I still have you." Dr. Money grabbed me by my arm. "I'll be taking my valued inventory back." He pointed his cane at Vicky. "You, on the other hand, should just run along while you can. You won't last long either way. You're just a useless spare."

"I'm not useless!" Vicky cried, drawing out her staff. "I might still be scared, but I know I can fight!" With that, she shot out a fireball, hitting Dr. Money in the stomach. He cried out and released his grip on me, patting out the flames on his coat.

"You little bitch!" he snapped, his composure lost. "Do you have any idea how much this suit cost? It wasn't even insured."

"After we're done with you," I growled, drawing Shiri out, "you're going to need more than insurance to fix this!"

"You'll have to get past my bodyguards first." Dr. Money stepped back behind the Shadowlings and snapped his fingers. "Keep that one alive but kill the spares!"

One Shadowling pounced towards our target, but I quickly blocked its attack with my shield. "Poison Rage," I shouted, stabbing it with a glowing Shiri. The Shadowling stumbled back, clutching its side.

Vicky whacked the other two with her staff then shot an Ice Blast, trapping one's feet in an ice block. As the second one shook its head, she snatched up a cherry pie and shoved it in its face.

"Time for another dose of medicine," Dr. Money cried, throwing out a pair of test tubes. Vicky ducked out the way, but I was hit by one of them. Immediately, I felt nauseous, like I was about to puke.

The Shadowling that attacked me seized the opportunity to strike, swiping me down with its claws. But then it staggered back, feeling the effect of the poison. I quickly ate a Heart Fragment then tossed a Whiskey to Vicky.

After downing the Whiskey, Vicky launched a Fireball at the trapped Shadowling, burning it to ashes. The other, its face still coated in pie, lashed out again, knocking Vicky away.

Still feeling slightly sick, I attacked the poisoned Shadowling, finishing it off, then ran to Vicky's side. With a yell, I struck out at the last Shadowling and sent it flying into Dr. Money. The businessman fell backwards and crashed into the wedding cake. The top tier splatted onto his head, knocking off his hat. Vicky then got up and launched another Fireball, destroying the last Shadowling.

I then walked up to Dr. Money who was still struggling in the wedding cake. He raised his cane to protect himself, but I sliced it in two with Shiri.

"Please, have mercy," Dr. Money cried, his voice reduced to a mere squeak. "I-I can give you money, is that what you want? Anything, just please don't hurt me."

I glanced over at Vicky and our recovering target then looked back at Dr. Money. "Sorry, Doc, but there's some things that money can't buy." With that, I raised my blade and stabbed him right in the gut. With a gasp, Dr. Money slumped back and disintegrated into ash.

With a smile, I wiped my blade clean of frosting and stowed it away. "Guess one punch wasn't good enough for you, huh?" I then walked up to the young person and knelt next to them. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm go-OW!" The person attempted to do a thumbs-up but flinched as they lifted their arm. "Shit!"

"You got hit pretty bad back there." I took out a Heart Fragment and held it out. "Here, take this. It'll make you feel better."

"Eh, it's fine," the person replied. "I've had worse. You guys might probably need that later." Slowly, they got to their feet, clutching their stomach with one hand. "By the way, my name's Cameron. You can call me Cam, if ya want."

"I'm Taryn and this is Vicky." As Vicky waved, I looked at Cameron with a frown. "You sure you don't want the Heart Fragment?"

"Seriously, I'm good," Cameron said, stumbling as they tried to walk. "But thanks anyway."

"If you say so," I replied, pocketing the Fragment. "Let's just head back to the Hub then."

As if on cue, a portal appeared behind the counter. With Vicky guiding Cameron, we went into the portal and left the dream...

This time, I didn't wake up immediately. Instead, we found ourselves back in the main hall of the Hub.

Mark broke off from a conversation with two teenagers and approached us. "Hey, you two, welcome back! Good job on your first mission as a team."

Upon seeing Mark, Cameron let out a pained gasp. "Oh. My. God! It's Markiplier! Holy shi-Ow!"

"Whoa, hey!" Mark's face became concerned when he saw Cameron's state. "Looks like you took a hell of a beating. But don't worry, Tiny Box Tim can fix you right up." He looked over at me and Vicky, noting my sick expression and her wounds on her chest. "You two should go as well. It isn't fun to wake up feeling all the repercussions of your mission."

"Tim can do that?" I asked. "I didn't get that treatment last night."

"Oh, yeah. As well as my dream scout, Tim's a great healer." Mark pointed to the end of the hall. "He should be over there in the infirmary. Why don't you take your new friend and show him the way?"

"Uh, it's 'they'," Cameron corrected.

"Huh?" Mark frowned then his eyebrows flew up. "Oh, you mean like... your pronouns?"

"Yep," Cameron nodded weakly. "I use 'they/them' pronouns."

"I see," Mark beamed. "I'll make sure to remember that."

As we set off towards the ward, we spotted Wade hanging out by the door. "Oh my God, Wade!" Cameron cried. "It's so awesome to see you, man!"

Wade gave a big smile. "You might say it's a real dream come true, eh?"

"Ahhh!" Cameron pointed at Wade and winked. Vicky and I laughed.

"So help me, Wade," Mark yelled. "I will throw you into a horror game by yourself!"

We then walked into a spacious room as big as the auditorium. Rows of hospital beds filled the space, some of them filled with injured or resting people. We quickly spotted Tiny Box Tim resting on a bed.

As we approached, Tim looked up and took in our poorly states. "Hey guys. Great job today! I'll take care of your injuries now."

"Thanks, Tiny Box Tim," Cameron smiled. "Aw, you're so cute!"

"Thanks!" Tim lifted his hands, and a warm glow radiated out onto our bodies. Instantly, I felt my nausea fading. Vicky's scratches stitched themselves up and Cameron pulled themselves up, lowering their hand.

"Good as new!" they sighed in relief.

"Yeah, thanks, Tim," Vicky beamed.

Tim smiled and waved as we left the infirmary. "Good luck!"

Shortly afterwards, I hung out next to the store, watching Vicky and Cameron having a chat with a young brunette girl named Daisy and her boyfriend, Dave. My mind was still reeling from Cameron's letters back in the cell, the desperation and hopelessness they'd felt when they wrote them. I couldn't sit back and let that slide, so I decided to address it.

I walked up just in time to hear Vicky ask, "So wait, he really didn't kill any Terrorlings?"

"Nope," Daisy giggled. "He was too afraid to make a move."

"Hey!" Dave scowled, folding his arms. "I'm standing right next to you!"

"Oh my God, this is so cool!" Cameron cried, shaking their fists in eagerness. "I can't wait to kick some Terrorling ass!"

I went up to Cameron and tapped their shoulder. "Hey, Cam, can I talk to you in private?"

"Uh, sure," Cameron replied.

As I led them towards the weapons shop, I briefly noticed a small black crack poking out from one of the paintings. But I didn't dwell too much on that and instead looked at Cameron. "So, I wanted to ask you if you were okay."

"Huh?" Cameron tilted their head. "You were right there when Tiny Box Tim healed me up."

"That's not what I mean." I put a hand on their shoulder. "In those letters you wrote, you sounded very sad."

"Oh, I was just being whiny," Cameron replied with a dismissive wave. "I'm dramatic, it's what I do."

I was shocked at that response. How could they ignore an issue like that so readily. "But-"

"It's fine," Cameron insisted. "It doesn't really matter."

"But it does!" I countered. "You're obviously not okay! And I should know. I read every one of those letters."

"Well, I didn't think at the time that anybody was going to read them, okay?" Cameron scoffed.

"That's what worries me!"

Cameron scowled and pushed my hand away. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Their attitude was starting to piss me off, and I had no choice but to shout. "Now you want to be alone? Wasn't that exactly what you were afraid of?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's going on here?"

Hearing Mark's voice, Cameron and I turned to face him, only to see a small crowd, Vicky included, gathered behind him.

Mark folded his arms and looked sternly between us. "Y'know, I'm usually the one being unnecessarily loud and shouty." Cameron's cheeks flushed and they turned away. Mark's face softened. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just kinda hungry," Cameron lied. "I always get grouchy on an empty stomach. Just get me some pizza and I'll be good."

My jaw dropped in shock. First Cameron refused to talk out their feelings, and now they had the nerve to ignore our argument and ask for food?

"Hmm, pizza does sound good right now." Mark shook off the thought and glanced at Cameron. "But hey, that's bull and you know it. Don't try to avoid it. You know you can just talk to me about this."

Cameron took a step back. "No, I just-"

And that's when I woke up.

And back to the waking world we go!

So, Cameron identifies as pansexual, in case it wasn't clear. If I got anything wrong about to interpret pansexual individuals, please let me know.