Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Things seemed just fine a few hours ago.

So how had it all fallen to chaos so quickly?

It had seemed like just a normal day in the Crossroads until the zombies had begun raiding the central area, sparking the first wave of chaos. Turns out Venomshank had gone feral without any deities around to keep him in check, infecting all those in his vicinity and growing a mass army of acidic zombies.

Illumina then brainwashed civilians into helping fight against the zombies, recruiting them and strengthening them. However it was ineffective as Darkheart supported Venomshank, boosting the zombies with various different effects to increase their power as well.

Ghostwalker joined the mix as well, helping Illumina by reviving the fallen followers so they could continue to fight against the zombies. It didn't help when powerful gusts of wind began to swirl and slam throughout the Crossroads as Windforce had decided to join the chaos just for the fun of it, blowing away and destroying everything in her destructive path.

Icedagger was desperately attempting to calm everyone down, but eventually retreated to fetch Firebrand, the last hope at stopping this madness.

Zuka, Valk, and Dom had been instructed to take the Phighters and others to a safe location, loading them into a large bus and driving toward the Thieves' Den, filled with large forests they could take cover in.

And that brings us to a bus full of anxious demons as it drove slowly along the bridge connecting the Crossroads to the Thieves' Den. They muttered amongst themselves in the back as Valk tried to convince everyone it was going to be alright. Zuka grumbled about the rainy downpour, driving the bus carefully as Dom instructed him where to go.

All they had to do was wait for Firebrand. He could fix all of this. Then everything would all go back to normal.

Right?

Chapter Text

A bus full of anxious demons made its way across the bridge to the Thieves' Den, moving slowly as not to risk slipping due to the torrential downpour that was hammering around them. Wind whipped around them as loud crashing could be heard coming from the Crossroads behind them.

Zuka tensely gripped the steering wheel as they headed into the dark tunnel labeled 'Thieves' Den', "It's been a while since anything like this happened to such a frightening extent," He grumbled grimly.

Dom, who was sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at him, "Is that so? Has something like this happened this badly before? I do recall my grandfather mentioning something..."

Zuka nodded, "A while ago, yes. It happened when I was much younger. Most of the damage was done by Windforce. But now with all the other deities being just as chaotic, things aren't looking good for the Crossroads," He paused, trying to figure out what to say next, "But I'm sure Firebrand will calm the situation down."

Dom looked back ahead in silence as they exited the tunnel, entering a section of rolling fields. The rain and wind had died down a bit as they moved away from the center of the cause, heading toward a large patch of forest.

Toward the back of the van sat the following demons: Sword, Rocket, Medkit, Vine Staff, Shuriken, Katana, Hyperlaser, Slingshot, Skateboard, Boombox, Subspace, Ban Hammer, a Biograft labeled 521, Scythe, Traffic, Lightblox, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker.

Valk stood, speaking to the demons, "Listen up guys, things might seem bad, but Firebrand is going to get things all under control, alright? Alright!"

A few demons muttered things of disbelief under their breath. Things didn't seem as though they would turn out remotely right.

Ban Hammer was surprisingly the whiniest, groaning a lot, "I should have stayed! I could have talked my mama out of destroying the entire Crossroads. I can't believe I have to be on a bus with THEM and I can't even do anything about it. I'm sick of this already."

Ban Hammer angrily pointed at Scythe, Medkit, and The Broker, to which Scythe smiled innocently at him, "Who, us?"

Ban Hammer grit his teeth, tensing up as if he was about spring at her. Valk sighed, putting a hand on Ban Hammer's shoulder, who subsided, muttering curses at Scythe under his breath as he leaned back in his seat.

Valk piped again, "All that matters at the moment is your guys safety. We don't want anyone getting hurt... or worse. So no fighting, got that?"

Most of them nodded.

As the trip went on, the bus remained heavy with tension, most of the demons not used to being around each other unless it was for phights. They finally ended up driving into the forest, heading in deeper and deeper until they were only surrounded by trees.

And it was then when the engines sputtered.

Then stopped.

A murmur spread throughout the demons in the bus about what could've happened as Zuka hissed curses under his breath, getting up and stretching before getting off the bus.

The rain had slowed to a drizzle as Zuka checked the engine before reporting back to the crew, "The damned engine broke down. We shouldn't stay in the open, so I'm going to need those who have strength to help me push the bus into a more disclosed area." Immediately both Ban Hammer and Sword stood up, ready to help.

Shortly after, Katana stood up as well, "I shall assist you three."

Hyperlaser quickly stood up after him, putting a hand on Katana's shoulder, "Don't overwork yourself, 'Tana. I'll help as well."

Across the bus, Shuriken and Slingshot watched Hyperlaser with a mix of weariness and curiosity as the four followed Zuka out of the bus, Dom trailing behind them. After a few moments, the bus jerked into a slow motion forward again as they began to push.

It was taking much longer than expected, but eventually they pushed the bus out of the open into an area between two trees covered with plants. The five reboarded the bus, soaking from the rain. Valk ran off to fetch some towels, before returning and handing some to them.

Then they all sat back down as Zuka made an announcement, "The engine is a hell of a mess right now. It's gonna take a lot to get it running again. The good news is I've packed this bus with lots of supplies, and assuming you guys brought your own materials as instructed, we should be fine."

Zuka rubbed his temples, pausing, before continuing, "Bad news is we have no idea what's out here, so I need everyone to secure and lock the windows and doors. Draw the blinds on all of them. And just because we have resources doesn't mean we can waste them, so be scarce with them."

Skateboard raised his hand, scooting forward in his seat a bit, "I thought the engine breaking down was the bad news! Why do we have two pieces of bad news??"

Zuka sighed, giving Skateboard a quizzical look, "Because the situation we are in has more cons than pros? A lot more cons actually."

Skateboard considered this for a moment before settling back down as Zuka continued, "Valk and Dom are going to look for help. For the time being, I would recommend you all get some rest. The seats are able to fold out into beds and there should be enough for you all. Rest well."

The muttering rose again as Zuka retreated back to the front bus, most demons laying down as it was getting late.
Then the bus was slowly consumed by silence as most fell asleep. But Boombox sat restlessly, clutching his knees.

Valk and Dom hadn't come back yet. Where had they gone for so long? Hours seemed to drag on as Boombox indecisively questioned going after them.

After about another 30 minutes, he got up, slowly making his way to the doors of the bus, careful not to wake anything. Medkit, who was awake but laying down, watched him leave the bus, wondering if he should go after him. Deciding not to, he turned over and attempted to go to sleep.

That was until an ear-piercing scream rang out from outside the bus. Medkit immediately shot off his bed, stumbling toward the door of the bus as a few demons sat up, groggily looking around.

Medkit dashed out the bus, finding Boombox a few feet away violently convulsing onto the floor. He knelt down, holding Boombox steady as he kept throwing up, "Shhh... It's alright."

Medkit quickly began to scan Boombox for injuries as his vomiting slowed to a halt. See nothing was wrong, he watched in confusion as Boombox gripped his shoulder, sobbing and pointing with one hand at a tree nearby.

Medkit squinted to see what it was.

Oh no.

God please no.

He had been so distracted by Boombox he failed to see Valk and Dom's dead bodies right in front of them.

Valk had his insides torn out with multiple scratches all over his body. His one of his eyes were hanging out of the socket while the other was completely missing. Dried blood crusted his mouth. Dom had been decapitated, missing both his right arm and leg. His other wing had been torn off.

Medkit hugged Boombox tightly as he stared at the scene before him in shock, instinctively pulling him closer as he felt like throwing up himself.

The Flipside was dead.

And there was no sign of what had killed them.

Chapter Text

Panic spread throughout the bus as more demons began to wake up, coming outside to see the horrifying scene despite Medkit's best attempts to keep them in. Zuka instructed everyone back into the bus as he inspected the body for any potential sign of what, or who, had killed them.

After a few minutes, Zuka came back inside the bus. Everyone inside was a nervous wreck, nobody being sure of what was going to happen and all were scared of being the next victim to such a gruesome crime. Boombox was curled up into a ball, sobbing into his knees as Slingshot and Skateboard tried to keep him calm.

Medkit had been pacing back and forth at the back of the bus, trying to figure what had happened, but to no avail. Ghosdeeri was holding Lightblox tightly and protectively, not telling her what the chaos was about as she hadn't seen the bodies. Scythe and The Broker had been conversing quietly among themselves toward the last few seats in the bus as Ban Hammer eyed them with a certain suspicion.

Rocket had been clinging to Sword, who was watching Medkit run his assessment. Subspace had been fine tuning Biograft for defense in case anything attacked them. Hyperlaser had somehow slept through the chaos and was laying with his head on Katana's lap, who was attempting to meditate to keep calm in the surrounding panic.

Zuka snapped his fingers a few times to get the group's attention, before speaking in a tired voice, "I don't know who killed them, but it was most definitely another demon. There was a note attached to Valk's body." Near Zuka, Boombox let out a dismayed wail and buried his face in his hands as Slingshot stroked his back. Zuka inhaled a shaky breath before continuing, "The note reads: 'Leave now or each and every one of you will suffer the same fate as these idols.'"

The Broker grinned, dangling his legs of his bed, "But considering the generous fact that we can't leave, that means we have to survive! How thrilling!!"

Rocket shot him a look of annoyance, still tightly holding Sword's hand, "Nothing about this is thrilling, Broker."

Suddenly both Subspace and Medkit shot up at the same time, exclaiming, "The killer must be from the Crossroads!"

Subspace turned his head to look at Medkit, grinning underneath his gas mask as Medkit just rolled his eye.

Zuka raised an eyebrow in confusion, "One of you care to explain?"

Medkit shrugged, "Just let Subspace do it."

With that, Subspace stood up as if he were about to make a speech, "If you pay attention to how the note addresses Valk and Dom, it refers to them as idols. Considering The Flipside is an idol group most well known to The Crossroads, there is a high chance the killer is from there. However, this doesn't rule out the possibility that this could also be someone from the Thieves' Den who is aware of Valk and Dom's social status. But I'd say chances are they are most likely from The Crossroads. Assuming they followed us here, I suppose. But their motive remains unknown."

Across the bus, Shuriken was the first person to chuckle for the first time since the deaths of The Flipside, remarking quietly, "Okay, nerd."

Subspace, who was not out of earshot, turned around, glaring at Shuriken, "It's not being a nerd. It's called logical thinking, something you clearly don't know about."

Shuriken recoiled, stung by his snappy retaliation as Vine Staff glared back at Subspace. Tension hung in the air between the three for a moment before Zuka snapped back their attention with a clap.

"We have a new set of rules. No one leaves the bus. At all. Eat and drink only as much as you need to have strength. Keep the blinds shut and doors locked at all times. No fighting still applies," Zuka growled, glancing at Subspace and the Thieves' Den siblings, before speaking again, "Some other presence is clearly here with us in the woods, and we can't lose anyone else. You guys just stay put."
Zuka walked off once more to the front of the bus, sitting in the driver's seat and pulling his hat over his face. The Broker got up, snaking after Zuka with a cheeky expression.

Traffic had taken over watching Lightblox as Ghosdeeri began to cook a small meal for the group. After a few minutes, a nice smell was wafting in the air as everyone was portioned a small bit of fried rice with steamed vegetables.

Most the demons ate without complaining, hungry from not eating for about a day now. Boombox was the only one who refused to eat, pushing his plate away.

Slingshot pushed the plate back towards him, quietly speaking, "Boom... You need to eat. I know you're grieving their deaths, but you can't just starve yourself. Please..."

Boombox stared at him for a moment before sniffled quietly, taking the plate and nibbling on a spoonful of rice as Slingshot encouraged him. Skateboard, who had also previously been comforting him, had been taking a nap, awakening shortly after the food was done. As the demons ate, they conversed, talking about their opinions on the given situation.

Lightblox had started crying small fireflies as Traffic held her tight, whispering small words of comfort to her. Being locked in this bus clearly wasn't doing anyone well.

The day remained rather uneventful until the moon began to rise, hanging eerily in the sky. Demons headed off to sleep again, but a large quantity stayed awake out of fear. Out of all the demons, those who stayed awake were Boombox, Medkit, Scythe, Hyperlaser, Biograft, Katana and Rocket.

Hyperlaser and Katana had been quietly conversing lightheartedly for the last few minutes. It was clear Katana knew how to keep himself and others calm in a situation like this. Or perhaps the sight of death did not bother them as much.

Medkit had been talking to Boombox about psychological trauma and sleep deprivation as he tried to get him to sleep, eventually having him lie down. Did Medkit think he was annoying? Sure, sometimes he was, but he still cared deeply about him.

Scythe had been laying on her bed slowly drifting off before snapping back awake, clearly not wanting to leave herself vulnerable. Sleep ended up getting the best of her as she finally dozed off.

On the other side of the makeshift room, Medkit had gotten Boombox to sleep and had headed off to sleep himself. Katana and Hyperlaser were laying down together, slowly drifting to bed as well.

This left Rocket, who sat on his bed, unable to find sleep. Well, unless you also count Biograft. They were standing at the end of the bus next to Subspace's bed, only visible through their orange glow.

Rocket slowly got up, heading to the front of the bus to see his father. He found him sleeping in the passenger seat, having tilted it back the full way. But the most odd thing was that The Broker was sleeping with his head on Zuka's chest, seeming to almost be purring like a cat.

Rocket blinked a few times at this scene before retreating back to his bed. He sat down, fiddling with parts of his prosthetic as he wondered if he would sleep tonight. To his surprise, Biograft approached him a few minutes later.

"YOU ARE THE SON OF B. ZUKA, IS THAT CORRECT?" Biograft inquired.

Rocket slowly nodded, "Yeah, I am... And you might want to keep it down. If you wake anyone up, they will for sure be crabby."

Biograft considered this for a moment, "OH, I..." They thought for a moment, "I AM SORRY."

Rocket blinked in surprise, "Wow. I have never heard a Biograft apologize before."

Biograft suddenly looked a bit panicked, "IS THAT A BAD THING?? AM I BECOMING WEAK? CREATOR WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME NOW."

Rocket looked slightly amused. This robot truly did act as if it were a child. "There's nothing wrong with apologizing," Rocket chuckled.

Biograft nodded, "ALRIGHT THEN. YOU BEST TRY AND SLEEP. I MUST GO BACK A GUARD THE CREATOR. HE REQUIRES ME TO-"

Rocket put his hand up, "Wait, Biograft, be quiet."

Rocket listened to a noise that sounded outside. He heard slow footsteps and a low groan. Had someone gone outside? Or perhaps it was the beast that had murdered the Flipside...

Rocket tried not to let his curiosity get the better of him, but ended up slowly approaching the window.

He saw a faint and dull green glow coming from outside. Keep the blinds shut and doors locked at all times, his father's voice echoed in his head.

But he couldn't help it...

Rocket slowly pushed the blinds apart.

Chapter Text

Sword sat up at the sound of Rocket's yelp, glancing around in tired confusion.

He saw Rocket by the window, who appeared to have fell backwards and was being put back on his feet by Biograft. Sword got up and made his way to Rocket, who ran up to him and quickly grabbed his hand when he approached.

"Sword! Thank SFOTH you are awake! L-Look outside!" Rocket sounded slightly panicked, making Sword worried. He made his way to the window as Rocket trailed behind him.

Biograft had been staring out the window, the ominous green glow still lingering outside. Sword peered out the window and let out a small gasp. One of Venomshank's acidic zombies was standing by the window, and upon seeing Sword, began to bang on the glass with a groan.

"Oh. Ohhh no. That's not good. Those things can really pack a punch, and I would know. Considering I trained against them," Sword grumbled, "We best walk the others up, and fast!"

Rocket and Sword dashed off to the sleeping area to wake the rest of the group as Biograft appeared to be having something like a staring contest with the zombie.

"I DON'T LIKE YOU," Biograft remarked harshly, "YOU ARE ODD."

Biograft stared at it for a bit longer before the zombie angrily slammed its fists against the window again, causing it to crack a bit. Biograft took a step back into a defensive position as the window shattered and the zombie began climbing in.

It rolled into the bus and quickly stood up, approaching Biograft, who was about to launch themself at the zombie. They halted as three gunshots rang out through the air, penetrating the zombies chest. It fell to the ground, dead as an odd neon green liquid seeped from the corpse.

Biograft whipped around to see Scythe, who stood with a smirk. Her rifle had a small string of smoke coming from the muzzle, evident that she was the one who had fired the shots.

"Ya just gonna stand there ya big hunk o' metal? There's more comin'!" Scythe raised her rifle again, looking through the scope.

Biograft whipped around to see more zombies were indeed coming through the window. Brandishing both their laser swords, Biograft charged at one of the zombies, knocking it into one of the bus walls then stabbing it in the head as Scythe shot up the rest of them.

Sword and Rocket had finished waking the rest up and returned to fight.
"We need to patch that hole up! The blood of the zombies is acidic. It's not safe to keep killing them inside the bus," Sword instructed.

Almost instantly, thorny vines sprouted up from outside the bus and closed off the window.

Vine Staff stepped forward with a serious expression, "That should serve as a temporary solution."

Sword nodded, then turned to Ban Hammer, who had quickly woken up and was wielding his hammer at the ready, "Say we go out and smash those zombies up?"

Ban Hammer flashed him a toothy grin, "Hell yeah!"

Sword lead the charge as the Phighters headed outside to fend off the zombies. Chaos erupted outside of the bus as flurries of attacks flew everywhere, sending neon green goop and zombie body parts flying everywhere.

Hyperlaser kneeled atop the bus, firing deadly lasers at any zombie in his range. Skateboard was zooming around on his board, ramming zombies into the attacks of other Phighters.

Though they seemed to be doing lots of damage, the zombies kept coming.

Subspace let out a frustrated growl, but his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Everyone get back!" Subspace yelled, pulling a crystal off his back that was charged with high energy. It began to grow in his hand as everyone backed up, and he quickly tossed it into the air, "My greatest invention!"

The crystal tripled its size, using a suction force to pull in all the remaining zombies into its dangerously poisonous grasp. Subspace's gas mask had fallen around his neck, revealing his rotting mouth twisted in a slightly maniac grin as he watched his invention do its thing. It then burst into a shining mix of hot pink and neon green, finishing off the zombies.

Subspace did a little spin and bowed as everyone watched in utter shock and awe, "Just a mere fraction of Blackrock's power!"

Zuka hustled everyone back inside as it was still dark, though no one would be able to sleep for the rest of the night after how eventful it was.

Vine Staff was reinforcing the vine window while speaking to Zuka on how to properly repair it. The Broker had been begging Scythe to use her gun, who ultimately shut down that idea. Shuriken and Slingshot had been playing with Lightblox to cheer her up as well.

Boombox, still scarred by what happened to The Flipside, had been doing slightly better and had helped with the fight against the zombies. Some damage had been done to the bus with the acid blood burning a hole in the floor.

Boombox had gone to inspect the damage and had sworn he saw a pair of gleaming yellow eyes watching him from underneath the bus before Vine Staff closed it off.

Perhaps the situation was messing with his head, so he decided he best went to bed.

Everyone seemed to be able to fend for themselves and others, not willing to let another death happen.

Maybe they would be okay.

For now.

Night passed and daylight cracked into the starry sky.
Boombox slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes. He looked down to see a chonky black cat with horns on his lap.

Huh.

Wait what-

Boombox let out a yelp, making the cat jump and scamper away.

Across the bus, there was an overjoyed voice, "Princess! How did you get here you smart kitty?"

Boombox looked over to see Hyperlaser cradling the cat, whose name was apparently Princess. Boombox was utterly shocked, not at all expecting one of the scariest Phighters in his opinion to have a cat, let alone a cat named Princess.

Katana had requested to pet her and Hyperlaser slowly held her out for him to pet. This led to most demons stopping by to pet her, and she pretty much became the emotional support animal.

When Biograft visited Princess, they bopped her nose curiously, "WHAT ARE YOU?"

"Mrrp." Princess stated thoughtfully.

Biograft tilted their head at her, "WHAT DOES 'MRRP' MEAN?" They failed to replicate the sound well.

"Mmmmew." Princess concluded.

Biograft nodded, "THOUGH I DO NOT UNDERSTAND YOU, I HAVE GAINED INSIGHT. THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO CONDUCT THIS INTERVIEW, MERCENARY HYPERLASER."

Hyperlaser let out a quiet laugh, picking Princess back up and placing her on his shoulder, "Alright then."

For the first time in a few days, the bus was at ease due to the presence of one chonky boi.

Until Traffic was seen dashing around the bus in heavy panic.

He ran over to Ghosdeeri, gripping her shoulders and panting, "Ghosdeeri! 'Deeri, Lightblox... Gone... She... Ghosdeeri...

I can't find Lightblox."

Chapter Text

Zuka had begun putting together search teams off 5, though two teams were one person short.

The search teams were as so:
ST1 - Zuka, Rocket, Vine Staff, Slingshot, and Scythe
ST2 - Sword, Shuriken, Boombox, Subspace, and Katana
ST3 - Traffic, Medkit, Biograft, and Hyperlaser
ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker

Zuka instructed that everyone leave a durable trail of some sort so they could return to the bus before nightfall. And off they went into the gloomy forest. Operation find Lightblox was a go.

[POV: ST1 - Zuka, Rocket, Vine Staff, Slingshot, and Scythe]

Zuka led the group into the woods north of the bus as Rocket walked beside him. Vine Staff brought up the rear, leaving a trail of thorny vines behind them.

"So what's the plan? Look for an abnormal patch of fireflies?" Slingshot asked, pausing momentarily to shake dirt off his sneakers before continuing.

Scythe shrugged, "Sounds 'bout right, kitty."

Slingshot snapped his head back to glare at her, "Hey! Don't call me that!"

Scythe smirked, rolling her eyes as Zuka groaned.

Rocket shook his head disapprovingly, "Can't you all just focus on the task at hand? We cover as much ground as possible then return to the bus at night."

Zuka patted his head, making Rocket slightly smile. The group continued on as Scythe and Slingshot bickered from time to time. Eventually they ended up encountering a patch of thorn vines that Vine Staff had previously left behind.

"Lovely, we're goin' in circles. How borin'!" Scythe complained as they continued on.

Zuka rubbed his temples with his hand, "Something tells me we aren't going to get very far with this."

"Hopefully the other teams are doing remotely better than we are. How long do you suggest we search for?" Vine Staff grumbled, now using her staff as a hiking stick.

"You got a problem, grandma?" Scythe teased.

"I really don't understand how anyone likes you," Slingshot grumbled, partially to himself.

Scythe grinned, "That's the thing! They don't!"

[POV: ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker]

Ghosdeeri led the fourth search team which had gone west of the bus. The Broker had been staying a safe distance away from Ban Hammer, who was trying to pretend he didn't exist. Skateboard disappointingly could not skate, so he had his gear securely strapped to his back.

Ghosdeeri looked quite distressed as they continued, unsure of where Lightblox had gone and why she would leave like this. Sure, Lightblox was a curious child, but she never went anywhere with Traffic or her around due to her heavy social anxiety. Something about this wasn't right and it was upsetting Ghosdeeri.

Ban Hammer walked beside her silently for a while before speaking in an oddly quiet but gruff voice, "I'm not... the best at comforting people, but we'll find her. I promise. If it's any reassurance, I've worked on a few missing persons cases, and we found most of them safe and unharmed."

Ghosdeeri looked up at him in surprise, "Oh- I- Well... Thank you. That is reassuring." Though the use of the word "most" just made her a tad bit more nervous.

More silence ensued as the group pressed onward. Trees surrounded them, casting shadows around them in the dimly lit forest. The only way they could see was from the occasional skylight from the canopy of trees above them. Sounds of various different animals and birds sounded around them.

Suddenly Skateboard piped up, "Weren't we supposed to be leaving a trail back to the bus...?"

They all froze. Uh oh.

[POV: ST3 - Traffic, Medkit, Biograft, and Hyperlaser]

As for group three, they headed south as Traffic led the group, brimming with the same anxiety as Ghosdeeri.

Medkit brought up the rear, dropping bullets out of his gun to make a trail. The group was completely silent, no one uttering a word to each other. The air was filled with awkward silence, the only audible noise being crickets, birds chirping, trees swaying in the wind and Biograft's soft whirring.

Hyperlaser finally spoke up, "Any thoughts on the situation?"

"Nice icebreaker," Medkit scoffed from behind him.

"I'd like to see you try and make a move," Hyperlaser shot back, keeping his voice monotone.

"DO NOT FIGHT. WE MUST FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND," Biograft their turned head to look back at the two.

Traffic had not said anything during the duration of their travels, which was odd for him, as he was usually very chatty. The group moved at a slow pace, still not much talking besides comments every now and then.

Biograft had been thoroughly scanning their surroundings, but were momentarily distracted by a firefly, wandering off to follow it.

Hyperlaser yelled after them, "521! Stick with the group!"

They did not listen and pressed on deeper into the woods before stopping, "OH. I'VE FOUND SOMETHING MOST LIKELY OF IMPORTANCE."

The group stopped, veering around to follow Biograft, who had stopped in a clearing. What they were looking at was a patch of fireflies that were disoriented and flying around all in different directions.

Traffic gasped softly, finally uttering his first words in a while, "Lightblox... Please be okay."

[POV: ST2 - Sword, Shuriken, Boombox, Subspace, and Katana]

Katana led the group with Sword beside him. Subspace brought up the rear as they headed east of the bus.

Shuriken was attempting to get Boombox to smile, making silly faces at him and saying horrible dad jokes. It wasn't working though, as Boombox just stared on, not even regarding Shuriken. Eventually he stopped trying.

However, Sword was highly interested in Katana.

"Is it true that you were once a part of the Lost Temple?" Sword asked the masked man curiously.

Katana tilted his head slightly away from him, "That was before your time, and I don't wish to speak about it."

Sword drooped disappointedly, but didn't push the subject further. From behind them, there was a crack, making the group whip around.

"Sorry, I stepped on a branch," Subspace muttered, looking away with his arms crossed.

Shuriken blinked at him, "You seem off."

"I hate letting some of my finest work wander off with a traitor."

"Isn't Hyperlaser with them?" Sword reminded.

Subspace paused, "Yeah, but..." A brief pause of hesitation, "Whatever, let's keep going."

The group blinked at him for a moment before turning back around and continuing on.

[POV: ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker]

"Wouldn't that have been good to say a few miles ago??" Ban Hammer raised his tone angrily at Skateboard, who threw his hands up in a blameless gesture.

"Don't blame me! I thought you guys already knew!" Skateboard protested.

The Broker let out a giggle, "So that means we're lost!" He then ducked behind Ghosdeeri out of sight of Ban Hammer who glared at him with all four eyes.

He was a lot more menacing without his blindfold. Ban Hammer took a step forward to The Broker until Ghosdeeri shook her head, making hin halt.

Ghosdeeri sighed, "Then should we keep moving forward or try to head back?"

"I'd say our best bet is to try and head back to the bus. If we find our way back there, we can always come back here with a path," Skateboard suggested.

And so off they went, back in the direction they came in hopes of finding the bus.

[THE SUN HAS BEGUN TO SET.]

Chapter Text

[THE SUN IS FALLING BEHIND THE TREES.]

[POV: ST2 - Sword, Shuriken, Boombox, Subspace, and Katana]

The group had paused to observe the sky as the stars and moon began to increase in visibility.

"We best turn around and head back for the bus. Night is falling quickly," Katana rumbled quietly, turning to Subspace, "You left a trail of your stars, no?"

Subspace nodded, "They glow, so they will be easy to spot. Nobody touch them except me because they'll hurt you."

Katana nodded thoughtfully, starting forward as the rest of the group followed. As they pressed on, it was becoming evident that Boombox was slowing down, dragging the group back.

Sword dropped back next to him, "You alright, Boom? You seem tired..."

Boombox slowly turned his head with a sniffle, "Errr... I'm fine. Just feeling a bit... under the weather?"

Sword nodded, calling Katana back, "Katana! Can you come here for a moment?"

Katana moved away from Shuriken and back to them, "What is the matter, Sword?"

"Would you mind carrying BB? He's not feeling that great," Sword motioned back at Boombox, who blinked up at him.

Katana nodded, approaching Boombox and picking him up, making hin yelp, "Ah! W-Wait! This really isn't necessary! I c-can walk on my own!"

Katana lifted him into a piggyback position, having Boombox secure his arms around his neck, "Nonsense. You are tired and require rest. Allow me to help you."

Boombox let out a little audible sigh of relief as he settled down, "Alright then..."

Katana moved up to the front of the group again with Boombox on his back.

Shuriken noticed and piped up, "Aw man! Why can't I get a piggyback ride too?"

Katana turned and looked at him with an amused gaze behind his mask, "Because you still seem quite full of energy."

Shuriken grinned, "You bet I am!!"

Sword, who had been taking up the rear with Subspace, spotted an odd humanoid shadow amongst the looming trees that made his blood go cold. It had glowing eyes.

"Guys? Don't look now, but I think someone is watching us."

[POV: ST1 - Zuka, Rocket, Vine Staff, Slingshot, and Scythe]

Rocket observed the sun setting into a multitude of pink's, red's, and purple's quietly for a bit before whispering, "It's so beautiful... Almost beautiful enough to take your mind off the situation."

Slingshot grinned, "That's the beauty of the Thieves' Den!"

Zuka was set dead ahead on getting home, paranoid about losing any of the other Phighters, "Let's keep moving. Don't slow down."

Scythe had been whining an awful lot about being bored, but had quieted with the setting sun.

Vine Staff, who had perked up after having one of Slingshot's on-person emergency energy bars, questioned this, "You seem to be getting quiet... Finally," She grumbled the last part under her breath.

Scythe smiled at her, "I heard you, darlin'. And as the sun sets, shouldn't you increase your awareness of your surroundins'?"

Vine Staff nodded, "I guess that makes sense."

Zuka had begun to wheeze up ahead, clutching his chest. Rocket was by his side, holding him steady. The veteran was clearly not in the greatest shape anymore, causing him great pains.

Vine Staff moved upwards to them, "Zuka, maybe we should rest before continuing."

Zuka took a moment to catch his breath before responding, "No. We need to... keep going... no stopping."

Scythe cackled, running forward to take the lead and scooping up Zuka in the process, who let out a loud yelp.
She held him bridal style as she took off running, "C'mon y'all! Les' pick up the pace!"

Rocket ran after her, "Hey! Put my dad down!!"

Slingshot turned to Vine Staff and shrugged before the two of them took off after the group.

[POV: ST3 - Traffic, Medkit, Biograft, and Hyperlaser]

Biograft had been trying to catch a firefly while the rest of the group began inspecting the clearing for any signs of Lightblox.

Medkit glanced at the sky, "Should we perhaps begin to head back?"

"No!" Traffic wailed in a childlike manor, "We just found a lead! We can't stop now!"

Hyperlaser nodded, "I agree with Traffic. Let's just see if we can manage to find anything now."

Biograft let out a mechanical noise of triumph from behind the group as they successfully caught a firefly.

Medkit observed for a moment before turning back to the group and lowering his voice, "On another note, I've never seen a Biograft act like that before."

Traffic shrugged and Hyperlaser shook his head, "Don't ask me. I don't know what the hell Subspace does with those things."

The group began searching again, scanning the clearing and the surrounding forest in some hope to find something.

They found something indeed.

While investigating, Hyperlaser had spotted a a bush with blood stains around it just behind the clearing. Traffic fell back with a screech as he uncovered the bush.

Sitting behind the bush, covered well, was the body of Lightblox. Her eyes had been gouged out, helmet missing, all her limbs mercilessly torn off.

Traffic let out another wail as tears dampen his face, "NO! THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! I SWORE! I SWORE I WOULD PROTECT YOU!"

Traffic cried as he hugged himself, whispering Lightblox's name, completely dismayed. Medkit however, looked as if he had been shot. The sight of this was so horrible. How could someone, anyone, do this to a child?

Medkit felt his chest tighten as he took a few involuntary steps back before pivoting and taking off running, following the trail of bullets back to the bus.

Hyperlaser yelled after him, "MEDKIT!"

He didn't listen, he kept running, as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to get back to the bus, he had to protect himself. The panic settled in, only increasing his speed.
This was so wrong. This whole situation was so wrong.

Faster and faster, he ran and ran, losing his breath as his chest felt like it was collapsing.

Finally, he burst into the clearing where the bus sat quietly. No one was back yet. Medkit tried to open the door to the bus but to no avail.

Quietly, he curled up into a ball beside the bus, hugging his knees as he watched his surroundings with heightened anxiety.

[POV: ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker]

"Are you sure this is the right direction?? I feel like we've been walking for longer than it took to get to where we turned around," The Broker groaned.

"Maybe this wouldn't be happening if you all would've left a trail," Ghosdeeri grumbled, "We could've found Lightblox by now and returned to safety."

Skateboard shook his head, "Let's not play the blame game! We all made a mistake!"

"I think only one of us made a mistake," Ban Hammer growled, indirectly accusing Skateboard.

Skateboard glared at him and he glared back, making Ghosdeeri sigh.

"You sigh a lot," The Broker commented.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?? Just making an observation!" He threw his hands up defensively.

They continued to wander aimlessly amongst the trees and thickets with little hope of finding their way back to the bus.

The Broker kept complaining about his legs hurting, to which Ban Hammer picked him up and threatened to throw him because he legs can't even hurt.

Skateboard was trying to stay optimistic about the situation while Ghosdeeri was quietly going insane.

She just wanted to see Lightblox again. To know that she was safe and okay.

The odds of that had never seemed dimmer.

[POV: ST2 - Sword, Shuriken, Boombox, Subspace, and Katana]

The group slowed down significantly.

Someone was indeed watching them.

They hardly had any time to react before the shadow peeled itself out of the rest of the darkness and launched itself and Sword, wielding a sharp blade that glimmered in the moonlight.

Sword yelped, putting up his sword to defend himself and block the blow. The shadow pressed against his block, making Sword hiss as his own sword pressed into his palm. Even from this angle, the face of the creature was not visible, as if it were made completely of shadows.

Maybe it was.

Sword lost focus and was pushed back by the shadow. Boombox had dismounted Katana and managed to quickly shield Sword with his forcefield as the creature tried to hit Sword again.

Katana ran forward and rammed the creature backwards. It recoiled with a slash that Katana parried. The group watched in collective horror as the two fought.

Eventually, Katana found the space during the fight to roar back at the group, "RUN! GO AS FAST AS YOU CAN!"

He hardly had time to finish his sentence before the creature came at him again. Sword didn't have to be asked again. He grabbed Boombox and took off, Subspace and Shuriken following behind them.

Shuriken glanced back in panic, "Why are we running? What if he needs our help?!"

"He made a sacrifice. Now we must take it with honor," Subspace replied quietly.

Shuriken, realizing what this meant, covered his ears as soon as he heard Katana let out a roar of agony from behind them.

Tears were streaming down his face.

[POV: Joined, starts with Medkit]

Medkit sat trembling.

How many hours has it been now? He didn't know. Everything surrounding him looked like some creature that was going to jump out at him.

His eyes darted back and forth around the area. Then he saw something. Something moving to his right.

Deep in the forest, something appeared to be approaching the bus. Medkit clutched his gun with a whimper.

Perhaps it was finally his time.

He raised his gun, standing up as the figure drew closer. And closer. And closer.

Then, he fired. Headshot.

Something, no, SOMEONE, fell forward into the clearing.

Oh gods. It was Sword.

Laying on the ground in front of him was Sword. Dead in an instant from a shot to the head.

He had just killed his brother.

Medkit lunged forward with a cry of dismay, "Sword? SWORD!" He scrambled forward on his knees, taking Sword's body in his arms, "Sword...? Please wake up... Please wake up... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."

Boombox burst into the clearing, then covered his mouth with a gasp after seeing what had happened, "Sword...? Oh my gods. Medkit. What have you done...?"

Medkit dropped the body, falling back. A fresh wave of panic came over him as his breaths began to come more and more shallow.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO! I DIDN'T ME TO! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY, SWORD!" Medkit cried as Shuriken and Subspace also entered the clearing to the horrible scene.

Medkit felt dizzy, he looked at his hands, covered in his brother's blood.

The brother he had killed.

"No... His blood... I have his blood on my hands..." Medkit stared down at his hands with wide eyes.

Boombox knelt down beside Medkit as he kept staring at his hands, "Medkit... You need to calm down..."

Medkit suddenly whipped his head around to stare at Boombox as if he had snapped back to reality. He looked up at Subspace and Shuriken. Both Shuriken and Subspace backed away from the situation, retreating to the bus.

Medkit looked back at Boombox.

"Boombox...?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm here, Meds," Boombox said as soothingly as he could.

"I'm going to clean his blood off my hands," Medkit spoke in the same small voice.

Boombox blinked, "O-Oh, do you need some help...? I think I have some tissues in one of my boomboxes compartments..."

He turned around to check his boombox, and as he did, he heard the click of a gun reloading.

"I'll see you soon, Sword. I'll wipe your blood with mine."

Then it clicked in Boombox's head what Medkit actually meant. He whipped around to see Medkit holding his revolver to his own head.

"Medkit, NO-"

BANG!

Chapter Text

[ALL THOSE WHO REMAIN: Rocket, Vine Staff, Shuriken, Hyperlaser, Slingshot, Boombox, Subspace, Biograft, Scythe, Traffic, Zuka
MISSING IN ACTION: Skateboard, Katana, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker
CONFIRMED TO BE DECEASED: Sword, Medkit, Lightblox, Valk and Dom]

[POV: Bus]
Sword and Medkit's bodies had been buried behind the bus, alongside Lightblox's, which had been brought back by ST3.

All the groups expect ST4 had arrived back at the bus by now.

Morals had never been lower.

Traffic had been mourning Lightblox on his bed for the last half a day while also worrying about Ghosdeeri.

Boombox had been shattered all over again after watching Medkit kill himself, Slingshot never leaving his side to provide him support, who himself gravely missed Skateboard.

Shuriken had desperately kept checking the surrounding woods during the day in hopes of finding Katana until Vine Staff guided him back in.

ST4 was still nowhere to be found. Everyone was starting to believe they were gone.

Scythe had never been more on edge, having lost all the members of her faction.

Zuka had been with Rocket, who was bawling about Sword and Medkit for the entire day.

Vine Staff had offered to take over cooking with Ghosdeeri being gone, making hot noodles with steamed vegetables. Most demons didn't eat though Zuka urged them all not to waste food.

Hyperlaser had gone out and killed a deer, taking all the good meat then discarding the carcass far from the bus. He thoroughly cleaned and lightly torching the meat, chopping it into pieces and feeding it to Princess, who was grateful for any food she could get.

Sunset began yet again, but was nowhere as comforting as it was before. All that surrounded the bus was fear. Everyone had settled into bed, but no one slept. There was only complete silence.

Until there was a loud banging on the bus door, making everyone jump. Zuka cautiously approached the door, looking back at the group who was watching him expectantly.

So slowly he opened the door. And nothing was there.
Until he looked down and saw Katana. Zuka covered his mouth, taking a few steps back.

Katana was there, somewhat alive, but unfortunately not in one piece. Most his left leg had been severed, resulting in him crawling all the way back to the bus, evident from the trail of blood behind him. His right horn had been shattered while his mask was missing, revealing his face full of past scars as well as fresh cuts and bruises.

He only heaved one word, "Help."

Then he fainted.

[POV: ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker]
Ghosdeeri was tired. So tired.

They had been wandering for almost three days now, and The Broker and Ban Hammer had been bickering the entire time, nonstop.

The topic varied from something stupid like what the best kind of cheese is or why The Broker shouldn't go back to jail, but sometimes also serious topics like the next course of action and defense plan. But either way their arguing was driving her insane.

Skateboard had severely slowed down due to hunger and lack of energy, but somehow the other two still had it in them. Ghosdeeri had to admit that she was quite hungry herself, but their only hope at this point was finding the bus. The night was falling fast, and they had to find cover.

Ghosdeeri snapped to get the groups attention, "We need to find a place to stay, quickly."

The Broker took the lead for this one, since he was pretty good at making makeshift hideouts. He headed off into a patch of bushes.

Then immediately fell out of sight.

Skateboard ran up to the bush and stared down, "BROKER??"

"I'm alrighty! It's actually pretty nice down here!" The Broker called back some place out of view.

Ban Hammer was laughing hysterically as he approached the ledge, probably to taunt The Broker, only to make the same mistake as he slipped and tumbled down into the clearing onto his face.

Now The Broker was the one pointing and laughing as Ban Hammer stood up with a growl, taking off running while Ban Hammer gave chase.

Both Ghosdeeri and Skateboard slid down, Skateboard being surprisingly more graceful with his landing that Ghosdeeri, who stumbled and fell. It appears balance is a perk of being a skater.

Around them was a large, crater-like ravine that would act perfectly as shelter for them for the night. As an added bonus, there was a mini lake visible nearby that was sparkling clean, most likely drinkable. If they were lucky, it would harbor fish, giving them food as well.

The Broker grinned, "Guess I'm just a natural magnet to good hiding places!"

In response to that, Ban Hammer punched him a tad bit harder than anticipated in the back of the head.

[POV: Bus]
Vine Staff had been tending to Katana, keeping him from losing any more blood than he already had. She patched up his cuts and stopped any more blood from rushing out his severed leg by cutting off circulation to the end of his severed leg with a smooth vine.

"Oh gods, I've never had to treat a patient with a severed leg... I feel this is the best I can do now," Vine Staff spoke quietly, bundling off Katana's severed leg with a fresh wad of bandages.

Katana hadn't woken up since he fainted, and Hyperlaser hadn't left his side since they found him.

Princess sat in his lap as he held Katana's hand, squeezing it every now and then, "Please be okay, 'Tana. I can't lose you too."

Slingshot had gone to Zuka about another search team to find ST4, but Zuka ultimately shut that idea down, saying it was far too risky. The two got into a debate about why they should or why they shouldn't go back into the forest, leading to a full on argument which Rocket was unable to mediate.

Tensions just seemed to keep rising as Slingshot snapped, "IF YOU AREN'T BRAVE ENOUGH TO LOOK FOR THEM, THEN I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GO BY MYSELF!"

"Slingshot, you are STAYING HERE AND THAT'S FINAL!" Zuka roared back.

"THEY COULD BE HURT OUT THERE!" Slingshot cried, "WE COULD SAVE THEM!"

"YOU WOULDN'T SAVE THEM! YOU'D DIE RIGHT BESIDE THEM! CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT THIS CREATURE CAN DO?" Zuka reasoned quite harshly, "HAVEN'T YOU SEEN WHAT IT'S DONE TO KATANA? TO VALK AND DOM? TO LIGHTBLOX?"

Slingshot went quiet, shifting his gaze to the floor. A few teardrops hit the ground as he sniffled.

Zuka started forward, putting his hand on Slingshot's shoulder, "Listen, kid-"

Slingshot swatted his hand away, fleeing to the back of the bus as he let out a choked sob. Zuka sighed tiredly, leaning into Rocket, who side-hugged him comfortingly.

[POV: ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker]
Ban Hammer had carried a few tall logs to build some kind of square formation with a roof of leaves nearby the mini lake. It wasn't the greatest, but it would have to do.

The Broker volunteered to jump into the lake to check for fish, but Ghosdeeri stopped him because she didn't want to contaminate their only potential source of water.

She instead took him around the perimeter of the lake to look since the water was clear.

Suddenly, The Broker gasped and clasped his hands together, "OOO! Look! A fishy!" He pointed as if he were a child.

Ghosdeeri looked at where he was pointing and indeed saw a group of fish swimming about.

She nodded at him, "Good eye. Let's see if we can find something to catch them with."

"How about this?"

Ghosdeeri turned to look at The Broker again, only to see now he was wearing a fishing hat and wielding a fishing rod. Oddly enough, there was only one hole for a horn in the hat, leading to it resting unevenly on The Broker's head.

Ghosdeeri let out a gasp of surprise, "How did you- what- how...?"

"I found it over there!" The Broker grinned, motioning at the bush behind him.

"Uhm. Sure that will work," Ghosdeeri was still processing what had happened. "Oh! But we need bait."

The Broker put the fishing rod down, but kept the hat on as he skipped off, "I'll look for worms!"

"Stay nearby!" Ghosdeeri called after him, hoping he had heard her.

A few feet away from them, Skateboard had been sitting under the makeshift hut as Ban Hammer furiously punched a tree.

"You okay, big guy?" Skateboard called out to Ban Hammer, but didn't receive a reply.

Ban Hammer kept punching until the bark of the tree splintered, then with a growl, he stopped. His knuckles were bleeding and cut up, but he didn't seem to care much. He stormed over to the lake to wash he hands, but was stopped by Ghosdeeri.

"Ban Hammer, you need to calm yourself..." She reached for one of his hands but he recoiled, leading to her giving him a pitiful look.

She reached for his hand again, taking one before he could move away. When she saw the state of his knuckles, she looked up at him, only for him to promptly avoid eye contact. With a sigh, she scooped a handful of water and gently poured it over Ban Hammer's knuckles, making him flinch and hiss.

"Calm yourself," Ghosdeeri whispered again, surprisingly making Ban Hammer soften.

"You remind me of my mama. Why...?" Ban Hammer asked in an oddly small voice.

"I suppose it's because you miss her, no?" Ghosdeeri laughed lightly, "People more easily seem to remind you of her."

Ban Hammer slightly redden in embarrassment and pulled his hand away from her, "Don't laugh at me!"

Ghosdeeri shook her head, "It's not meant to be making fun of you. Show me your other hand."

Ban Hammer complied quietly, flinching as she washed his other hand as well, "I can't believe we're stuck out here. If they would have just let me stay, I could have talked my mama out of this whole destructive measure and none of this would be happening..."

"I would say it was for your own safety, but things aren't really safe right now," Ghosdeeri sighed, "Things have gone surprisingly well for us so far. I hope they're all fine back at the bus."

Ban Hammer nodded, "Do we have any idea how close we are to being back?"

Ghosdeeri shook her head.

"Damn. I'm just... gonna go back to the hut," Ban Hammer stalked off.

Ghosdeeri shook her head, as if trying to work out how intricate her group was.

"May the gods be in our favor," She whispered to the moon in the sky.

And somewhere nearby, lying in wait, was a grinning god.

Chapter Text

[POV: ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, and The Broker]
The group had fallen asleep under their odd hut contraption, having caught and cooked a few fish thanks to the convenient fishing rod that was just laying around. As they slept, they took shifts watching their surroundings.

The Broker was up first. He sat leaning against one side of the hut, rocking back and forth with a hum as he stared out into the forest. For him, the night felt tranquil, despite the situation. It wasn't that bad compared to the things he had done and seen.

He closed his eyes, imagining he was surrounded by the warm sands of the Lost Temple, the sound of the desert cities buzzing with people. It was quite relaxing. He opened his eyes, watching the trees in front of him.

He stared off into the distance, zoning out again until he saw a shadow shift around in the trees. Oh crap. That wasn't good.

The Broker wearily stood up, creeping back around to the entrance of the hut. Did he wake the others? No.

He picked up Skateboard's skateboard and stalked back over to where he saw the shadow. Unfortunately, it was still there. So what did he do? He raised the skateboard over his head and flung it at the creature. To his surprise, it yelped.

"Wha- OW!! WHAT IN THE INPHERNO?!" It cried out.

The Broker stared in confusion, jumping back as Darkheart suddenly materialized in front of him holding the skateboard with an aggravated expression.

"Is that really what you do to any shadows you see at night?? Throw skateboards at them??" Darkheart asked with a frown.

"I wouldn't n-necessarily say-" The Broker stammered, but was cut off by a wave of Darkheart's claws.

"You guys really need to learn to respect deities! Especially us!!" Darkheart complained.

The Broker slightly raised one of his hands, "In my defense, I didn't know it was you!"

"Mmm... We guess that's fair. But that doesn't give you the excuse to throw skateboards at random shadows!" Darkheart flared his withered wing and towered over The Broker with his full height, making him cower against the logs.

Ghosdeeri, who had been woken up by all the noise, came out the hut and gasped at the sight of Darkheart, "Lord Darkheart!" She reverently bowed.

Darkheart grinned, "Wow! Now we could get used to people addressing us as lord! What's your name, dear?"

"Uhm... Ghosdeeri. May I ask what you are doing here, my lord?" Her voice was rather timid.

Darkheart shrugged, "Well, we came to tell you that it's safe to return to the Crossroads! However, we guess you could say we got a bit sidetracked, found this nice lake, and figured a bit of fishing couldn't hurt!" Then he whipped around to face The Broker, "Until this one took our hat and fishing rod then threw a SKATEBOARD at us!!"

Skateboard stepped out from the hut on que, groggily replying, "I heard my name- and holy moly that's Darkheart."

The Broker took the opportunity to attempt to slip away, but was grabbed by Darkheart, who dangled him in the air as he kept speaking, "Weren't there supposed to be more of you? I'm pretty sure Valk and Dom were instructed to bring all the phighters and phight coordinators."

Ghosdeeri swallowed hard at the mention of The Flipside, "We got... separated from the rest of the group. We've been mostly wandering for the past few days."

The Broker swung his legs in the air, "Would you put me down now??"

Darkheart shook him violently, making him squeak, "Would you keep your mouth shut?"

Skateboard giggled, "Deserved. From what I heard, you threw my skateboard, so completely deserved."

Darkheart flung The Broker with such force that he went flying into the lake with a screech, before turning to Skateboard, "And we believe this is yours!" He handed him his skateboard.

Skateboard grinned at him, taking it gently as to not appear to be rude.

Ban Hammer had finally arisen, stretching with a loud yawn, "Can you all keep it down?? You're making such a racket-" Ban Hammer peered out the hut, but halted his talking when he saw Darkheart, wielding a shocked expression as he was not quite sure to make of him being there.

Darkheart's grin seemed to widen, "Well if it isn't Windforce's boy! She'll be pleased to see you're still in one piece."

Ban Hammer just blinked at him with all four eyes before slowly pulling himself back inside the hut and laying back down. The sun was beginning to crack through the night sky, stars appearing to fade from the sky as it rose.

Darkheart turned back to Ghosdeeri, "So, do you know where your bus is?"

"No. We have been lost. I wish I could say I knew where we were going, but-" Ghosdeeri was cut off as Darkheart suddenly crouched down, then jumped up with such a force that she almost fell over.

He hovered in the air for a moment before landing and casting dust and dirt partials everywhere, "Would your bus happen to be black, parked in a seemingly hidden location, but is still visible at bird's eye view?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Wonderful! Then we've found your destination. Collect your group and off we go! It's gonna be a long time!" Darkheart dismissed her, adjusting his hat.

Ghosdeeri turned to Skateboard, who went to tell Ban Hammer. At that moment, The Broker returned, soaking wet with a fish impaled on one of his horns.

Darkheart snickered, "Welcome back, buddy! You do know you have a-"

"I know," The Broker stormed off, muttering something about how he would have Scythe to report this disrespect to 'The Father.'

[Pov: Bus]
Zuka furiously slammed his hand on the steering wheel as he failed to start the bus yet again.

Rocket gently pulled him up from the driver's seat, guiding him to one of the beds for him to lie down, "You're going to burn yourself out at this rate... You need to take a break."

"We aren't safe out here. We need to leave," Zuka sighed, anxiety strung into the cords of his voice.

"I know, dad. I know," Rocket stroked his hand soothingly.

Katana had woken up, but had to be put back to sleep due to his injury. However, it was a sign that he was recovering. Though this was a good thing, Vine Staff had been awfully stressed, sitting on the edge of her bed, fiddling with her staff.

Shuriken, seeing her upset, snuck up behind her and covered her eyes, "Guess who!"

Vine Staff chuckled, "Hey, Shuri."

He took his hands off her eyes, plopping down on the bed next to her, "You doing alright?"

She hesitated for a moment before replying, "I-I don't know... I guess I've just been worried about Katana... Slingshot has been taking Skateboard being gone too well either. I'm trying to manage everything and-"

Shuriken cut her off, "Let me help! For one, you're doing great with Katana! Him waking up is a good sign! And for two, leave Slingshot to me!" He popped off the bed, taking both her hands and squeezing them, "Remember, we'll get through this together! I promise!"

He dashed off to see Slingshot, leaving her in a much more pleasant and relaxed mood, as if some of his energy had transferred to her, "He's still got it in him, even after everything..." She laughed quietly to herself before closing her eyes for a moment.

When she stood up, opening her eyes, she came face to face with Scythe who greeted her, "G'day, flowers!"

Vine Staff took a step back instinctively, almost falling onto the bed, "What do you want?" Her tone was hostile.

Scythe grinned, "Just checkin' on ya... How's yer arm doin'?"

"Why do you want to know?? It's cursed and doing horribly!! That should've been obvious," Vine Staff growled.

"It's 'bout perspective, darlin'! For all y'know, it could be a blessin' from the gods!" Scythe traced the patterns along her cursed arm, making her slap Scythe's hand away.

"Don't. Touch. Me," Vine Staff hissed through her teeth, voice tense as she recoiled away, "You and your creepy family can buzz off!!"

Scythe put her hands up, backing away, "Buzzin' off, flowers. But if you need help with that arm, you know where to find me~!" Then she sauntered off.

Once she was gone, Vine Staff shivered. That was weird.

Suddenly, there was a gruff voice that came from the bed next to hers, "Don't trust her."

Vine Staff shot around to see Katana struggling to sit up. She ran over to him, gently laying him back down.

"You can't trust her, Vine Staff. She will stop at nothing to grow her 'family'. It's not what it seems. I was lucky to even get out of there alive," Katana spoke quietly, "Their family is just a bunch of psychotic worshipers." He spat out the last sentence as if he had eaten something bad.

"I don't plan to trust her. But thank you, Katana. Please rest," Vine Staff smiled gently at him.

Katana made a weak attempt to smile back, laying his head back down with a sigh. The bus was quiet as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Subspace had been inspecting Biograft, finding their behavior odd.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, CREATOR?" Biograft cocked their head in confusion as Subspace circled around them.

Subspace didn't answer, stopping behind them and opening one of their main control panels on their back. He looked through the various different switches, not seeing anything wrong.

"Biograft! Scan your code for any potential bugs!" He command.

On cue, Biograft lit up a lighter shade of orange that gently blinked, indicating the scanning process had begun.

"So your commands work. But why do you seem so... life-like...?" Subspace whispered to himself, walking to the back of the bus as Biograft finished their scan, almost hesitating before following him.

Hyperlaser had gone out again, Boombox and Slingshot going with him this time. Though it was unknown where they had gone. Traffic and Zuka had been conversing about what ST2 had been attacked by. A shadow that had just, taken on the shape of a murderous demon? It didn't seem right.

Zuka had one idea. An old... "friend."

Perhaps...

His train of thought was scattered as Scythe walked over holding a piece of paper, "Heya, Zukes!" Zuka flinched when she used that name, but she disregarded it and kept talking, "Ya might wanna look at this."

Zuka took the paper from her. It read:

"Hey Zuka,
I know you told me to stay, but I just couldn't. I need to know if they are okay. I need to know if Skateboard is okay. I've taken Boombox and Hyperlaser with me, so I'm not alone. Please don't be mad, we'll be back soon.
-Slingshot"

With a roar, Zuka crumpled up the paper and threw it at the wall.

Chapter Text

[POV: ST4 - Skateboard, Ban Hammer, Ghosdeeri, The Broker, and Darkheart]

Here they were again. Wandering through the vast forests of the Thieves' Den with some kind of replenished hope after finding Darkheart. He led the group as they headed in the direction said to the location of the back to the bus.

"We've been curious, how did you get separated from your group?" Darkheart kept walking forward, not bothering to face them as he spoke. He seemed awfully on edge.

Ghosdeeri swallowed, "Uhm... My lord, I guess now would be a good time to tell you that... all of the group isn't exactly... alive."

"List the casualties," Darkheart said simply.

"Oh... Uhm... Only Valk and Dom so far... But for all I know, there could've been more deaths while we were gone," Ghosdeeri spoke quietly.

The air seemed to thicken as Darkheart froze. He suddenly balled up his fists, punching the nearest tree with a force that blew a hole through it. The group stepped back in shock, confused and scared of his sudden outburst.

"That BASTARD!!" Darkheart shrieked with such an intense amount of rage that it seemed to echo off the trees and rocks around them, "HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING, GOING FOR MICROPHONE AND MEGAPHONE! NOW FIREBRAND IS GOING TO BE PISSED!!"

Ban Hammer was the only one brave enough to speak up, "Who is 'he'?"

Suddenly a humanoid shadow snaked forward out of the trees with such speed that the group barely had any time to react as a sword was lifted into the air, aligned to stab right through Darkheart's back.

"DARKHEART!" Ghosdeeri reached forward helplessly.

Darkheart was faster. Smoke formed a blade in his hand as he quickly whipped around and countered the attack, pushing the shadow back with his foot.

"We know your tricks, Illumina. Show yourself," Darkheart's voice had deepened by almost an octave, rumbling deep in his throat.

Suddenly, the shadows melted off the attacking figure, revealing none other than the white-eyed deity himself, Illumina. The group let out a collective gasp of shock.

"Hello, Darkheart. Not very nice that you decided to interfere, hm?" Illumina raised his sword again, pointing it at Darkheart.

Darkheart raised his sword into a defensive stance, "You made a horrible mistake. Killing Microphone and Megaphone may have been your worst move yet. Don't you know what this means??"

"That Firebrand is going to be livid. Losing both his grandsons could possibly tip him over the edge after what has already happened, causing him to wreaking further havoc on The Crossroads. None of us could fight him off. The only hope would be his sister if she agreed to help. Unless..." Illumina tilted his head toward Ban Hammer, his glowing arctic eyes piercing right through the purple horned demon, "Unless I could take out that one."

Ban Hammer felt a chill radiate from head to toe as he took a step back, gripping his hammer protectively as he braced for what might happen.

But there is no stopping a deity on a mission.

Illumina shot forward at lightning speed, aiming his blade directly at Ban Hammer's stomach. Time seemed to slow as Illumina's blade punctured right through the target area with a sickening squelch. A metallic scent filled the air. All they could do was stare for one long moment as Ban Hammer coughed up blood, staring at Illumina with such disbelief, horror, and agony.

Then time sped up again as Illumina dislodged the sword from Ban Hammer's stomach, pulling a string of guts with it. Skateboard fainted at the sight, but was caught by The Broker. Ghosdeeri lunged forward with a shriek of terror, catching Ban Hammer before he hit the ground. At the same time Darkheart raised his blade and swung at Illumina, missing as Illumina simply vanished into thin air with a cruel, cold laugh.

Darkheart let out a powerful roar to the sky, "COME BACK YOU COWARD!! FIGHT US!! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!!"

But Illumina was gone, and Ban Hammer now lay on the ground, life fading from his eyes.

"Ban Hammer? Listen, it's going to be okay, alright? You're fine...!" Ghosdeeri's voice was tight as tears began to sting her eyes.

Ban Hammer stared at her, unable to utter anything. He just stared, his eyes becoming more dull.

"That was a puncture all the way through his stomach. He isn't going to survive that," The Broker spoke blatantly grim, still holding Skateboard.

Darkheart had blown another tree into oblivion with a punch, letting out a high pitched screech that made the entire group cover their ears. He swooped forward, grabbing Ban Hammer.

"We need to get him to Ghostwalker. Since he died so recently, he may still be able to revive him. Your bus is that way," Darkheart pointed east, then lowered his voice, "Illumina is still here, lurking. Don't let him get any more of you. Stick together." Then he vanished, taking Ban Hammer with him.

All Ghosdeeri and The Broker could do is stare at the bloodstained grass in front of them where Darkheart had disappeared, waiting for Skateboard to wake up.

[POV: Slingshot, Boombox, and Hyperlaser]

Slingshot was running. Running with all his might as fast as his shoes would carry him. A branch hit his face, leaving a cut on his cheek, but he kept running. He had to get back to the bus.

Behind him he heard the heavy footsteps of Hyperlaser's boots as well as Boombox's footsteps. But he wasn't running from them. They were all running from something, someone.
They had all seen it, the shadow was just standing there with a sword, watching them. Boombox knew what it was. He told them it was what injured Katana. So they ran.

Suddenly, there was a yell. Slingshot dared to look back, only to see Boombox had fallen. He came to a screeching halt as the shadow appeared behind Boombox, pressing on his back with its foot and leveling its sword to his head.

Up ahead, Hyperlaser had kept running, calling back to Slingshot, "COME ON! YOU CAN'T SAVE HIM!"

Slingshot felt his breaths come shallow. He was torn on what to do. He couldn't just leave Boombox behind, but attempting to save him could result in the loss of both their lives.

No, he dragged Boombox into this mess and he would get him out of it. He took a step towards Boombox, but recoiled as the shadow suddenly drove the sword right through Boombox's skull with a crack.

Slingshot felt like his throat was closing up, yet he screamed as adrenaline moved his feet for him as he took off after Hyperlaser. Tears stung his eyes. He had just gotten Boombox killed. Just because he wanted to see Skateboard again. It was all his fault. He truly was a monster.

Slingshot suddenly tripped, hitting the ground face first. Blood trickled down his cheek, and now out of his nose. He was going to die as well, wasn't he? He braced himself, squeezing his eyes shut as he prepared for the worst. At least he would be able to apologize to Boombox. A long moment passed.

To his surprise, he only felt leather gloves lifting him up. When he opened his eyes, he saw Hyperlaser, "It's gone. Whatever that thing is, it left. But it took Boombox as well."

Slingshot just stared at him before he let out a small sob that turned into a wail as he began to cry. Hyperlaser pulled him to his chest, holding him tightly as he cried.

"It's not your fault. Just take a few deep breaths. Everything is going to be alright, okay?" Hyperlaser tried his best to speak soothingly, but couldn't really tell if it was working as Slingshot kept crying.

"It's all my fault... I've gotten him killed... If I would've just listened to Zuka..." Slingshot sniffled a mixture of blood and mucous, burying his head into Hyperlaser's chest as words spewed out of his mouth in a choppy mess.

"Hush. It isn't your fault, but we must keep moving," Hyperlaser looked up at the sky, the setting sun reflecting off his helmet.

He picked up Slingshot, running back towards the bus. Hyperlaser's eyes were darting around underneath his helmet, scanning every part of his surroundings. He suddenly had the compelling urge to keep Slingshot safe. He didn't deserve to see his friend die. Hyperlaser knew how that felt all too much.

Night was falling quickly, moonlight casting eery shadows everywhere. Hyperlaser crept into the clearing where the bus lay, putting Slingshot down and going to open the door. Unfortunately it was locked. Hyperlaser pulled out a thin piece of metal kept in his pocket as he was good at lock picking, and got to work.

Slingshot looked around the area as Hyperlaser worked, he could've sworn he saw a shadow receding into the trees, as if but had been watching them and was now running. As he kept staring, Hyperlaser succeeded as the door creaked open, and the two quickly hustled in, shutting and locking the door behind them.

Hyperlaser patted Slingshot's back, whispering, "Get some rest, alright? Clean your face as well. I'll explain the situation to Zuka in the morning. This wasn't your fault."

Slingshot nodded gently, departing to his bed next to Shuriken's. He sat down as he wiped his nose with his sleeve, leaving a smear of blood. He was still stunned by everything that had just happened. He couldn't believe Boombox was gone because of his foolish impulsiveness. If only he could've just stayed put.

He was snapped out of his trance by an odd scent, one that smelled almost like... blood. Perhaps he could be imagining, or it was just from his nose bleed? But it smelled strong, almost fresh, and his nose had stopped bleeding by now.

Slingshot's eyes widened, as he stood up, attempting to locate the smell. His throat tightened as he looked down at Shuriken, who was sleeping peacefully.
Or so he thought.

"Shuri...? Do you smell that? Wake up..!" Slingshot whispered loudly, shaking Shuriken's shoulders frantically.

He suddenly froze, tensing up as he felt something wet on his hands. Shakily, he raised them in front of his face, unable to identify what had rubbed off on his hands in the darkness. Turning towards a nearby window, he looked again at his hands under the thin streams of moonlight.

A sickly scarlet gleamed in the light. He slowly turned to look back at Shuriken, who lay in the darkness. Grasping air a few times, he attempted to grab a nearby flashlight. Finally, his hand landed on it and he picked it up, aiming it at Shuriken before turning it on. There lay Shuriken, now illuminated by the pale glow of the flashlight.

His throat was a bloody mess, blood trickling from the large gash as well as his mouth. Slingshot let out a scream so loud it could've shook the bus, dropping the flashlight. He fell backwards onto his bed, breathing heavily. Hyperlaser, who hadn't fallen asleep yet, was immediately by his side.

"Slingshot?? Are you alright? What happened?" Hyperlaser gripped his shoulders.

"Shuri... His neck... Blood... This can't be... happening..." Slingshot kept pointing at Shuriken, babbling on.

Hyperlaser turned toward Shuriken, bending down to pick up the flashlight. He pointed at Shuriken flinching at the sight. Blood covered his neck and lots of his upper torso, almost as if his throat was gone entirely. Hyperlaser squinted, leaning forward and attempting to better analyze the scene.

Then it hit him. Shuriken's throat was actually missing. Hyperlaser grimaced in a mix of disgust and confusion. Who the hell would kill someone then steal their throat.

Slingshot was staring at his hands in horror. "Hyperlaser..." His voice was tense and terrified.

Hyperlaser whipped around, rushing to Slingshot's side and taking his hand into his. He began to wipe the blood off the young phighter's hands with the fabric of his shirt.

"Hyperlaser, tell me this isn't real," Slingshot's voice sounded so desperate that it split Hyperlaser's heart in two. He wasn't one to feel much pity on others, but he felt awfully... protective, he would say, of the younger demons.

While his thoughts raced, he couldn't bring himself to respond to Slingshot, instead just staring at him blankly before pulling him into another hug. It seemed that was the only way he could attempt to comfort anyone.

Slingshot's previous scream alerted the bus as many demons were now awake. The lights flickered on, causing a blinding, uncomfortable brightness. Zuka stood by the switch, scanning the bus. Hyperlaser slowly let go of Slingshot, rushing to Zuka to explain the situation. Zuka managed to look both pissed and relieved to see him at the same time.

As the two conversed, another ripple of panic shot throughout the bus as Vine Staff screamed. Heads shot up as many people turned to see what had happened now. Vine Staff looked like she was about to faint. She pointed at Katana, and as eyes drifted toward him, it was clear the demon was in the same state as Shuriken. Neck torn open, throat missing.

Vine Staff was clutching her head and closing her eyes, as if trying to shut out the reality of what was happening. This couldn't be happening.

Suddenly, Biograft chirped.
"I'VE SCANNED THE SURROUNDINGS OF THE BUS. WE ARE MISSING TWO INDIVIDUALS. BOOMBOX...

...AND SCYTHE."

Chapter Text

yo

i decided im not continuing this fic, for now atleast

i really feel like i fucked up my writing and thats its all low quality :[

im not the greatest author, but perhaps ill rewrite this fic in the future

toodles for now until i manage to cook up something else

my final mesage, read Heart Of Iron by IN3BWURM

goodbye

Chapter Text

[ALL THOSE WHO REMAIN: Rocket, Vine Staff, Hyperlaser, Slingshot, Subspace, Biograft, Traffic and Zuka
MISSING IN ACTION: Ban Hammer, Skateboard, Ghosdeeri, The Broker and Scythe
CONFIRMED TO BE DECEASED: Sword, Medkit, Lightblox, Valk, Dom, Shuriken, Boombox and Katana]

[POV: Bus]
Zuka had made the executive decision. They were leaving this damned forest on foot. It was a long way back to the Crossroads and would take a few days, but would be much better than staying in this mass of trees wondering when you would die.

"Gather as much supplies as you can. Leave anything unnecessary behind," Zuka instructed, rounding up the survivors, "We leave at dawn."

The bodies of Katana and Shuriken had been buried outside, as well as the news about Boombox being revealed. The entire bus was heavy with a depressive aura. Vine Staff had been hit the hardest by this. She sat alone on her bed, hands trembling. Everything Zuka had just said was muffled.

He had promised. He had PROMISED her that they would get through this together. Now some coward had taken his life while he rested, Katana's as well. When she found out who... she would tear them limb for limb-

"Vine Staff..?" A soft voice and a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't realized she had been squeezing her eyes shut, tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her hands that were balled up so tightly her knuckles paled. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Hyperlaser looking at her, expression unreadable behind his helmet.

Sheepishly, she wiped her face, "I'm sorry, I-" Then without warning, Hyperlaser pulled her into an embrace. He smelled heavily of blood, but she didn't mind. She needed someone to hold her right now. All she could do was cry. Cry and cry and cry into his shoulder. Many long moments seemed to pass before she settled down and Hyperlaser let her go.

"It must hurt bad, having to experience the death of someone close to you as a healer, hm?" Hyperlaser sighed, taking one of her hands into his.

"I-It does... I wish I could've helped him..." Vine Staff sniffled, wiping her cheeks again.

"There's nothing you could've done. Don't blame yourself," Hyperlaser spoke gently in an attempt to soothe her.

"HYPERLASER!" Someone from the front of the bus called. He let out a broken sigh, squeezing Vine Staff's hand once before heading off to see where he was needed. She froze, staring after him. That was something Katana usually did, squeezing the hand of someone for reassurance and comfort. Vine Staff could feel another round of tears pricking at her eyes, but she wasn't quite sure why this time.
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The first cracks of dawn had begun to show themselves through the trees as the group headed off. They stayed completely compact, no one too far off from any other person. Traffic had asked about checking as an entire group for ST4 before they left the forest, but to no one's surprise, Zuka said no and explained how he assumed they were already most likely dead. That didn't help anyone's mood. The sunrise cast light on the forest, making the shadows melt away as the group continued. All weaker members of the group stayed on the inside while stronger members stayed on the edges, keeping watch for any potential danger.

Hyperlaser had been sticking oddly close to Vine Staff and Slingshot, constantly monitoring how they felt, giving them food for energy, and asking if they wanted to hold Princess. It confused the two of them, but they were grateful none the less. Zuka led the group with Rocket right behind him, constantly telling him to be careful and not to overwork himself. Subspace had been having Biograft run constant environmental checks to spot anything out of the ordinary, but everything seemed fine. For now at least.

The group decided to pull to the side for a bit, resting and recharging before continuing. Vine Staff offered to scout the path ahead, but was surprised when Hyperlaser immediately offered to go with her. Reluctantly, she agreed. The two, or three if you count Princess, headed off further down the path back.

After minutes of awkward silence, Vine Staff finally spoke, "Why are you acting like this...?"

"Like what?" Hyperlaser didn't look at her, focusing on Princess who was attempting to climb from his shoulder onto his helmet, almost slipping in the process.

Vine Staff hesitated before speaking, "You've been acting weird to me and Slingshot, treating us differently than normal..." She pointed out, slightly shifting as they kept walking.

Hyperlaser was quiet for a moment, catching Princess as she slid down his helmet into his arms. "I'll just be honest with you. Katana asked me to," He paused at the sound of Vine Staff's light gasp before continuing, "That was what he asked of me when he was recovering from his injuries, to take care of you guys. I already lost one of you... and Katana himself." If Vine Staff knew any better, Hyperlaser's voice was laced with a certain sadness as he continued, "I'm going to keep that promise to him. No one is going to hurt you guys. I promise."

Vine Staff was silent for a moment as they kept walking. She was trying to process everything that had been told to her, an ocean of grief and gratefulness all mixed together and swirling around inside her. Her thoughts were scattered as Princess leapt from Hyperlaser's hands and strode next to her, brushing her horns gently against her leg. Vine Staff couldn't help but manage a weak smile. The two of them kept walking in silence yet again.

The path curved downwards, spiralling hills in the distance in front of them. This was where they had come from. Vine Staff let out a sigh of relief, "Guess we aren't that far away, huh?" Hyperlaser nodded. "So, should we head back then?" Vine Staff gestured back in the direction the group was.

Hyperlaser made a gesture of acknowledgement, "Go ahead. I'll be right there in a moment. I promise."

Vine Staff nodded back at him, turning around and heading back to where they came from. The walk seemed to ease her sorrows just a bit, something to cleanse her mind from the plaguing grief. But she could still feel it hanging fresh in her mind. How could she let something so horrible happen to her brother? He didn't deserve that. Suddenly, her train of thought was interrupted by a distant voice.

"H-Hey, flowers!"

Vine Staff froze. That southern accent. She turned her head in the direction of where it came from, somewhere in the forest. Cautiously, she looked around before heading toward the area one shaky step at a time. Lo and behold, sitting propped up next to a tree beaten, bleeding and breathing heavily was Scythe. "G'evening, flowers. Just in t-time, ain'tcha?"

Vine Staff felt ice run through her veins. "What happened to you...?" It was the only thing she could manage to say.

Scythe laughed dryly, "I was ambushed by some mangy scum who wouldn't even show their face. Shot 'em once and they were gone. Unfortunately not before they did a whole lotta damage on me!"

Vine Staff felt her throat dry up as she took her staff off her back, "Alright... I'll help you... Just... Gods, don't make me regret this." Hesitantly, she knelt down to inspect Scythe's wounds. She then noticed a pack on her back that was crusted with blood. "You got any supplies in there?"

Vine Staff could've sworn she saw Scythe pale when she said that as she responded, "N-Nope! Nothin' in there... Woulda h-healed myself already.." Vine Staff eyed her skeptically, waiting a moment before grabbing the pack from her before she could be stopped. "STOP IT!" Scythe hissed, sitting up and trying to grab the pack back from her to no avail.

Vine Staff tore open the opening, peering inside. The stench of blood hit her like a wave. She grimaced, taking a moment to recollect herself before looking back into the back. There were two blood covered objects in there. Spiny, bone-like. Throats. The objects were two demon throats. A million synapses fired in her mind as an unbearable wave of nausea almost knocked her over. It was Scythe. Scythe had killed Katana.

Scythe had killed her brother.

Vine Staff whipped around only to see a gun pointed right at her face. Medkit's revolver. Scythe was on the other end of the gun, finger on the trigger. She was breathing heavily as her legs seemed like they could buckle underneath her at any moment. Vine Staff slowly raised her hands into the air, her awareness of the situation slowly seeping into her brain.

"Good... Good. Stay just like that, flowers. Can't have ya runnin' off to yer group and tellin' 'em whatcha saw now, can we?" A sinister grin formed on Scythe's lips. Tears were pouring down Vine Staff's cheeks now, though she could utter no sound. Nothing at all. This couldn't be real. "Now now, Vine Staff. It's all going to be okay! Soon enough you'll join your brother and that filthy, filthy traitor! Rotting in the wilds." Scythe cackled cold-heartedly.

Suddenly something in Vine Staff snapped. That shrill laughter. The death of her brother. She had to pay. This devoted FREAK had to PAY.

It all happened at once.

A thorny vine shot out of the ground and curled around Scythe's leg, yanking her down which made her shriek and fire the revolver. The shot pierced right through one of Vine Staff's horns, the impact making her stumble backwards. She didn't feel any pain, considering horns were like fingernails to demons, but the pure shock was enough to stun her for a moment as she hit the ground.

Quickly, she stood up, trying to regain her balance as Scythe clawed free of the vine. Before she could stand up, Vine Staff was on top of her, pinning her down with her weight while trying to grab the revolver from her. Scythe bit down on Vine Staff's good arm, fangs digging into her arm. Vine Staff shoved her back with a hiss of pain, clutching her arm. Suddenly realizing her mistake, she ducked just in time as another shot from Scythe flew over her head, puncturing the tree behind her.

Vine Staff let out a roar of rage, willing more vines out of the ground. Nothing happened. She shut her eyes, the sound of a gun reloading echoing in her ears. With another powerful roar full of agony, sorrow and vengefulness she willed the vines again, and this time they shot out the ground, impaling Scythe right through her chest and arms with a gruesome crack as they lifted her off the ground. There was the sound of the revolver clattering to the floor. Vine Staff could hardly hear it though as her heart was pounding in her ears.

Then it hit her. She couldn't see out of her left eye. Not caring at the moment, she staggered to stand up dizzily, facing Scythe who was violently spewing blood onto the ground in front of her.

"Y-You... Father... will h-have your head..." Scythe coughed, her voice still brimming with rage, "But I won't go like this." She was gripping something in her hand. She agonizingly tore one of her arms off the vine, lifting her hand above head and brandishing something glowing in her hands. What she held in her claws was one of Medkit's crystals, but it wasn't a normal one for healing. It glowed with a dangerously dark, black and murky aura.

Vine Staff's eyes widened and she took a step back. The charging of a railgun sounded somewhere in the back of her head. Then in one blue explosive blast, Scythe's head was gone, leaving only a spewing fountain of blood. A headless body impaled on vines. Scythe's arm dropped down lifelessly beside her body, the crystal falling out of her hand. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Vine Staff dove to catch the crystal, but it fell right in front of her, shattering into a million pieces as it released dark shadowy plums of mist into the air with it. Then the shadows enveloped her. And she was gone.

.
..
...
..
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"Vine Staff, wake up! Wake up! You gotta come see this!"

Vine Staff sat up groggily, hearing someone yell and excitedly shake her arm, dragging her out of her bed. She was in her room back at the Thieves' Den, unable to recall anything that had happened before. With a yawn, she opened her eyes to see Shuriken, practically bouncing off the walls of their room.

"Come on, ya lazy slug! It's finally happening!" Shuriken tugged on her arm again.

Before she could protest, she was yanked out of her bed and was being dragged along to the garden by Shuriken. The two of them burst outside to see Slingshot sitting down in front of something and watching it intently. Shuriken pulled her over and sat her down next to Slingshot before plopping down next to them. The item they were looking at was a small sprout surrounded by dirt and small fencing for support.

Then it hit Vine Staff, this was the sakura tree the two of them had planted together. Suddenly, she was wide awake, grabbing Shuriken's hand with a squeal, "OH MY GODS!! IT'S GROWING!!"

The two of them let out simultaneous squeals that made Slingshot fall over laughing. The three all huddled around the sprout and started at it intently, watching and chatting and laughing together. Katana eventually came out and sent them away to eat, explaining how it wouldn't grow any faster just because they were watching it.

The three of them rushed inside, cooked and ate, then immediately rushed back outside to sit by the sprout again. And so they did the same thing everyday, watching the tree group until it produced beautiful sakura flowers of a beautiful pink shade. The tree provided them shade and a nice picnic spot. A beautiful testimony to her and Shuriken. And in a way, Slingshot as well. She chuckled to herself as the three of them sat.

"Something funny?" Shuriken inquired.

"Nothing, nothing. Just enjoying the weather." She took his hand, squeezing it.

Shuriken laughed, squeezing her hand back. A sakura petal fell from the tree onto her nose, making her sneeze. She let go of Shuriken's hand to rub her eyes. Then when she opened them again, everyone was gone. It was just her. Then she saw it. The dark smoke seeping out from the house, approaching her. Her nerves screamed at her to run but her body wouldn't listen. With a pang of horror, she realized she should've never let Shuriken go. Now he was gone again. Again. The smoke was surrounding her now. She could feel it enter her mouth and eyes. It swirled around her horns. She was completely enveloped. Gone again.

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..
...
..
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Vine Staff woke up in a cold sweat and unbearable pain. She felt a pair of arms holding her tighty. Slingshot. She tried to look over at him, but she realized again with a pang that she couldn't see out of her left eye where he lay. She strained to turn her head, looking at him as he slept beside her. Something Shuriken did when he had nightmares as a child. She looked over to her right and saw Hyperlaser, who was watching her intently. Or so she thought until she heard a snore from him.

Slowly sitting up, she gently removed Slingshot's arm from herself. Looking around, she realized they were back at the makeshift camp. She wobbly stood up, looking around. Quietly, she hobbled toward the sound of running water, most likely a river. She stumbled forward, catching herself as she fell onto her knees in front of the water. She looked at the reflection it showed her. Her left eye was replaced by vines and flowers. The same ones on her arms. Oh gods. Her horn had been bandaged, cracks still visible here and there. She couldn't even recognize herself anymore. Stumbling back away from the river, she bumped into someone.

Hyperlaser. Vine Staff was immediately pulled into a hug, "I almost failed twice." He whispered, his voice quiet and shivery. She hugged him back tightly, unable to muster up the will to do anything. To explain what had happened, to ask for support, to cry. She just held him.

This was all she need right now.

Just let herself sink away into an embrace.

She'll just wake up and everything will be okay.

She'll be hugging Shuriken instead.

They'll be together.

Under the sakura tree.

Chapter Text

hi guys

it's me again

SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIKE THIS JUNK??

in that case, i've decided since i'm feeling inspired, i'm going to end Left For Dead for good

and write a sequel!!! yay!!!

also incase you were wondering they all make it back to the crossroads and yea that place is pretty fucked up

just be on the look out of the sequal ig lol

yours truly,
-Soda

Chapter Text

hey guys do y'all like...

still want a sequel to this...

i started writing it but like... high school is kicking my ass...

but... if yall want it i shall deliver...

but if not...

consider this series dead.

anyway just lmk what yall think teehee :3