Twice Knightly
The Clock Strikes 12
With the flames all died out but the original, all that remains is the rubble left in its wake, and the few left standing that will still fight. Mabel watches it all, her smile never once diminishing. No… this was about what she expected. To assume that those she picked at random to defend her precious little flame would be able to hold everyone off would have been simply foolish. Still… she’s quite pleased with the results if the pleased crowd still seated around the rubble is anything to go by. Miraculously, not a single one was crushed, burned, or generally even slightly injured amidst all that chaos.
“I– I–” Will struggles to formulate any sort of coherent response to Reverentia’s interrogation. He looks pretty scared - almost terrified. He cowers from the two women standing above him, not dissimilar from a child afraid of punishment from an overbearing parent. His eye shifts from Reverentia and Veronica to the twins.
The twins are respectively fighting off an intruder and watching the remaining fights with glee. Mabel’s grin is as wide as can be as can be. Her gaze shifts between the fights that remain, which are few and far between. Then, something curious happens. Someone fires a shot of lightning toward Will of all people. She doesn’t look threatened by it - the cage absorbs its energy like a sponge. But she does wonder why he did that… even Will looks equally bewildered, his terrified look seemingly shattering in an instant so he can stare at Clovis and Byakuya with a furrowed brow.
Before she can figure that out, Kass uses her newfound icerail to douse the flame in that Chillwater, evidently having used Clovis’ attack as a distraction. Lobo’s flame had already been diminished quite a bit thanks to the efforts of the rest of the group, so its naturally advanced properties were enough to put it out for good. Lobo lets out a muffled scream in response as he violently thrashes in his cage worse than before. He even manages to finally knock himself over, but without the flame to burst it open, he just wound up smacking himself against his chain, which promptly knocks him out cold.
“Well…” Mabel flatly stares at the sight, finally frowning. By now, all but one or two fights remain. She’s smart enough to know what their outcome will be, especially with the primary threats removed. A tired old reporter and a fancy-looking telepathic cat simply don’t stand a chance against the rest of these guys.
Even still, she manages a grin and raises her arms to greet them.
“It looks like you all have won! Now, we can move on to Act Three of our show!” she lowers her arm and begins to stroke her chin for effect. “I must say, I’m a tad disappointed by the results, though I suppose that’s what happens when you send children with ridiculous pompadours to do the jobs of professionals…”
She shrugs and turns around with an easygoing smile.
“Oh, well! No use crying over spilled blood, as they say–”
“DORA!”
CRACK
(Art by
brandy-schmandy
)
"What the hell was I just saying about talking shit about my hair?!"
A burst of concussive force shattered Mabel’s nose on the spot, resulting in an explosion of blood spurting from the wound. It’s so powerful that everyone who had been previously under her mind control is instantly freed from it. For the first time since anyone in this town had met her, Mabel Gleeful is truly shaken. She stumbles back with a surprised yell, her hands twitching as they fall under her ruined face. Blood pours off of it and drips off and into her palms, and as Mabel looks at them with wide eyes, they move back up to find none other than Josuke Higashikata standing above her.
“Y-you– how did—”
"Wrong answer!"
(OOC: The song is timestamped for a reason!)
"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA...!"
There is no time for Mabel to move, let alone think. Blow after blow strikes her body, much to her brother’s equally rare shock. Josuke is ruthless in his assault, and he gives her no time to process the attack before it’s already over. By the end of it all, Mabel Gleeful is left on the stage floor, battered and broken, lying in a pool of her blood. Try as she might, she can’t muster up the energy to do anything but whimper.
“Y-you…” Dipper has since rushed over to her side, and now he looks back at Josuke with teary eyes and grit teeth. “Who in the HELL do you think you are!?”
"I already told you, didn't I!? I'm Josuke Higashikata, and I won't ever let anybody say stupid shit about my hair!"
Unseen to all but only himself, Crazy Diamond lurks above Josuke, its face matching the unfiltered rage on his own. Honestly... he doesn't know what he was just doing just now. He just knows that he was already pissed off -- and some smart-ass girl talking shit was something he was not going to let fly.
"Got it?!"
Everyone in the crowd looks equally shocked. Some cry for their town sweetheart, while others try to muster up rage. But without the ability to even see what hit her, they can’t do much. So they just watch… and some of them even run out in complete terror that they might be next.
Strangely, it was Will who seemed the most put off.
Not a single tear remained from his previous fit. He doesn’t look scared, or even happy that his captors were finally knocked down a peg. He just looks at the sight with a wide eye, like what just happened shouldn’t have even been possible.
"Hm? What's the matter?"
Veronica's gaze remains totally flat as she questions it, like she isn't surprised at all.
"You can cut the coy act, Princess. I think we have the answers we're after."
And Byakuya steps ever closer, looking down on Will with no effort to hide the burning scorn in his gaze. That reaction... it all makes sense, now.
"Do I have to announce it to everyone, or will you cut your act, Cipher?"
Will stares up at Byakuya, again in complete silence, just like he had with Reverentia. All he does is stare with that shocked eye, his eye darting from the boy to the downed twins, to the perplexed crowd… and then back to the boy. And then, suddenly, an uncharacteristic sigh escapes him as he slumps over - and an unfamiliar voice leaves his body.
“OKAY, OKAY. YOU GOT ME, FOUR-EYES.”
One by one, the bricks making up his triangular body begin to shift around. As they settle into place, each one turns from blue to yellow. What sits within the cage is the same triangle, but now he radiates with a much more confident, golden aura. He snaps his fingers and the cage comes undone in an instant. He floats high up into the air, before removing his top hat and dusting it off. For a moment, his eyelid narrows, as if he’s more mildly inconvenienced than anything. In a single motion, he puts it back on and looks at everyone with his hands on his hips.
“I REALLY GOTTA HAND IT TO YOU GUYS. REAL SOLID WORK OUT THERE. I MEAN, SERIOUSLY. THAT ANNOYING FIRE KID ALMOST KILLED YOU ALL, AND WHEN THE GUY WITH THE POMPADOUR BROKE THE BRAT’S NOSE? IF YOU HADN’T SOMEHOW MANAGED TO BREAK OUT OF HER MIND CONTROL TO DO THAT, I DON’T THINK I WOULD HAVE EVEN BEEN ABLE TO HOLD BACK MY LAUGHTER!”
“Will!?” Dipper stands up almost immediately, though he’s careful not to leave his sister’s side. He looks at him with the same pissed-off look he’d given Josuke, teeth grit and fists balled by his side. “What are you doing out of your cage!? And why are you changing colors!? We never permitted you to–”
“YEAH, YEAH. CAN IT, PINETREE.” “Will” snaps his fingers, and immediately, Dipper freezes in place - alongside the crowd. All of them float into the air around you all, rapidly becoming surrounded by a brilliant light in the process. In the span of a second, it bursts outward, and they all fall to the ground. Most of them remain the same… except Dipper and Mabel, who both look much younger and wear much dirtier, uglier clothes than the refined twins from before.
“Will” just laughs.
“WOULD YOU GUYS BELIEVE THAT THEY’RE EVEN MORE ANNOYING LIKE THIS? HAHAHA!!”
“Urgh… what?” Frank mumbles, letting his selection of weapons drop to the floor as he recovers from his stupor. Looking up from his fellow combatant, he freezes in disbelief the moment he recognizes what's happening - his limbs heavy, as if anchored to the ground. Clearly, he knows this figure - and from his reaction, there don't seem to be many positive memories.
“Bill…!” He stammers, before quickly turning his gaze to Dipper and Mabel’s new forms. Evidently, he has history with these two, as well - rushing to kneel next to them. “Dipper, Mabel - can you hear me!? Are you still alive?!”
"Hold on a sec, guy."
Josuke -- though his face still holds a barely concealed rage -- carefully steps forward and lowers himself to Mabel's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. And then her wounds simply start to close, her blood returning to her, and in a matter of seconds it's like she was never attacked at all.
And all the while, his gaze remains firm on Bill.
"I don't feel good about having hit a kid... but if I'm figuring this properly... you're going to take responsibility, right?"
“WOW, YOU CATCH ON FAST, POMPADOUR! PRETTY SURPRISING FROM A GUY WHO THOUGHT A HAIRCUT LIKE THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA! HAHAHA!” He floats above Josuke and kicks his legs like a child as he laughs.
Josuke's fist clenches as he rises back up.
"You really want your ass kicked, huh?! Come a little closer and I'll be happy to oblige!"
“WOAH, WOAH! TAKE IT EASY!” Bill shouts back, raising both hands in a defensive motion. “IT’S JUST A JOKE, KID! I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE THE HAIR! SAY, HOW ABOUT YOU JOIN MY BAND OF WEIRDOS AND FREAKS?” Bill floats right next to Josuke and extends his arm all the way around his body, hugging his shoulder. “TRUST ME, WITH THAT HAIRCUT, YOU’LL FIGHT RIGHT IN THERE WITH US!”
For a passing moment, Josuke doesn't seem to respond to the taunt at all. He looks a little tense, to say the least of it, but he otherwise remains perfectly still.
"Cipher... you're feeling particularly bold today, aren't you?"
Byakuya finally speaks up again in Josuke's stead -- but he doesn't at all elaborate, simply holding his hands behind his back as he looks Bill dead on.
“YOU CALL THIS BOLD, FOUR-EYES?” Bill cackles as he just as quickly floats over to Byakuya. “I HAVEN’T EVEN BROUGHT OUT THE RIVER OF DEAD PUPPIES YET!” He laughs yet again, before finally settling high above the group. But his gaze seems fixated on Frank and Byakuya in particular. “YOU TWO REALLY ARE SOMETHIN’ ELSE. YOU CAME BACK HERE WITH THE REST OF THESE GUYS, KNOWING THAT FULL WELL WHAT I’D DO IF YOU DID!”
He turns to Frank in particular, and something reminiscent of a smirk can be felt, even though it can’t be seen.
“GUESS I’M NOT TOO SURPRISED, THOUGH. AFTER THIS ONE SOLD OUT THE WHOLE TOWN JUST SO HE COULD GET A SCOOP. HOW’S THAT WORKING OUT, ANYWAY? ARE THE ANSWERS EVERYTHING YOU WANTED? OR IS IT A BIT HARD TO SELL YOUR STORIES WHEN THE WHOLE MULTIVERSE IS GETTING TAKEN OVER BY SOME NERD?”
“You bastard!” Frank roars, standing to his feet. “You know you tricked me! And him!”
His gaze darts to his surroundings, drinking in the devastated environment. The smoldering craters, destroyed furniture, and unconscious bodies - but all the while, he avoids looking at any of your faces. “If I’d have known you’d do this, I’d have never made any deal with you, scoop be damned!”
“YEESH,” Bill just rolls his eye and waves off Frank. “YOU MAKE A FAIR DEAL AND USE IT TO KILL A COUPLE OF ONE-LIFESPAN DWEEBS, AND SUDDENLY EVERYONE THINKS YOU’RE THE BAD GUY! TALK ABOUT BEING A DRAMA QUEEN!” His eye turns from Frank and Byakuya to the rest of the room. Every one of you, he looks upon with something unreadable. The silence doesn’t even last five seconds, but with that kind of look, it feels like it goes on for an eternity.
“WELL, ANYWAY,” and then he keeps talking like nothing happened. “I’D LOVE TO STAY AND ARGUE WITH YOU GUYS ABOUT ‘MORALITY’ OR WHATEVER, BUT I’VE GOTTA FIND A NEW WAY TO KEEP MYSELF ENTERTAINED SINCE YOU ALL BROKE THIS ONE. SO I THINK I’M JUST GONNA TOY WITH YOU ALL IN THE NIGHTMARE REALM FOR A WHILE.”
In one motion, Bill raises his arm and snaps his fingers. Everything turns black not a moment later.
Mid-Chapter Update
"See You in Your Nightmares!"
You’re awoken to a chill running down your spine and goosebumps spreading across your body. A faint wind greets your newfound consciousness, and with it, you realize that you’re lying not on the floor of the tent - but on dirt. When you pull yourselves up to your feet, it’s pretty easy to find out why that is.
An empty, dead field surrounds you all. Everything in it is grey, from the clouds, to the dirt. It’s an unsettling sight, to say the least.
“Argh…” Frank groans, rolling upright and wearily clambering to his feet. A bead of sweat slowly rolls down his forehead as he surveys the barren, desolate landscape - and the longer he looks, the more his face contorts. He clenches his jaw and tightly grips his camera, before hurling it towards the ground in a bout of explosive rage.
“DAMN IT!”
The impact kicked up a small cloud of dust - the lifeless soil, now loosened, blowing away smoothly in the wind. Frank rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, sighing languidly before turning back to face all of you.
“...is everyone alright?”
“Ugh…” Asuka is the next to speak. She climbs to her feet with her hand resting against the side of her head. She remembers everything she did when she wasn’t in control of her body. It pisses her off, as brief as that had lasted, but she knows that now isn’t the time to get worked up over it.
“I think so…” she responds with suspicion in her gaze as she begins to glance around. “But… where are we…?”
“I think I can answer that one, my one-eyed friend!”
A voice no one but Frank and Byakuya recognize can soon be heard from behind everyone.
“I’m glad to see you all made it in one piece. I’m Stanford Pines - but for convenience's sake, you can just call me Ford.”
Frank jolts backward, stupefied. “Ford?!” He exclaims, just about sprinting over to the newcomer before patting his arms down as if to check if he is real. “Is that seriously you? When did you - how did you - ?” Frank stopped himself, looking to the ground in shame. He knew the answer to both of those questions. But before he can say anything else, he feels a six-fingered hand rest on his shoulder, and he looks up to meet a smiling gaze.
“It’s a very long, very convoluted story - I assure you,” he says.
"And certainly nothing to worry about," Byakuya coolly remarks, looking all too pleased with the turn of events. "If you're here, Ford, then... perfect."
“It’s… nice to see you as well, Byakuya,” Ford takes a moment to adjust his glasses, before clearing his throat and clasping both hands together. “Now, everyone–”
“Hey, Ford, I’m here!”
From the other direction, a girl who couldn’t have been past middle school age approaches the man, flailing her gangly arms to catch his attention. Once she finally catches up, she leans forward on her knees to catch her breath. “Sorry, I’m here, I–
Whoa, that’s a lotta new guys.”
“Ah, Anne! Right on time!” Ford happily responds to the new girl. He smiles at her, before turning to the rest of the group. “Everyone, this is my assistant, Anne Boonchuy. She’s been helping me since I got here. If it weren’t for her… well, realistically, I’d probably be fine - but she’s certainly sped up the process!”
Anne waves at the group as Ford introduces her.
“Yup, that’s me! Just helping out where I can," she says with a meek smile. It seems a lot had happened over the past few days, but she's nothing if not resilient. As if she thinks she might see someone she recognizes, she scans the group for any familiar faces, just in case. She doesn't notice anyone right away, though.
“Now!” Ford clasps his hands together again as he faces the group. “There’s a town not very far from here where Anne and I have been staying. It isn’t safe for you all to be sitting out in the open like this, so follow us.”
With that, Ford and Anne turn right back around and begin walking off in the other direction. With little other options at your disposal, you follow them both back to the town.
“Welcome to Twilight Town, my friends. Not to be confused with the stuff Ganondorf is using in his Multiversal conquest!”
“You… know about that…?” Leo asks from the back, still clearly very weak from the fight in the tent.
“Oh, certainly! And so does Bill. But we can discuss that later.”
Upon entering the town, you found that it wasn’t exactly anything in good shape. It was certainly nothing compared to Wakanda or even Gravity Falls. Even still, though, there were at least a few buildings throughout the place. Ford led you all to one near the end, clearly labeled as a bar.
“You all can rest in here if you’d like. I’ll be out here gathering what we need before we set out in a few hours. Just… step outside if you need me. Or if you wanna explore the town. Or if you just need some fresh air. Just make sure not to wander too far!”
With that, Ford walks off to the side of one of the nearby buildings and pulls an old journal out of his satchel, as well as a pen. He quickly opens it and begins taking notes.
“Well… I can use a drink,” Asuka shrugs as she shoves open the door to the bar. But instead of sitting down for a drink, she stops entirely in her tracks at what she sees.
A few figures sit at the bar, some more familiar than others.
“So… you’re like, a sex robot?” A gruff man with a stubbled beard asks the girl beside him. His face is unrecognizable, but his voice is - as is the tattered uniform he wears, and the red helmet that sits on the bar beside him.
"Lilim," the girl quite firmly corrects, "don't use that word. It's really rude!"
She sips at her drink. It is not entirely clear what is in the glass.
"But I am a sex worker, yes." She pauses for a moment... and then nods to herself. "I'm twenty-four, before you ask."
"I wasn’t gonna,” Jason holds up a hand in response. “And uh… thanks for the correction.” He does not know what to make of this and thinking about it too much makes him sad. So he chooses to instead sip on his scotch.
Scanning the lantern-lit bar, you notice two unblinking eyes staring back at you when their crimson color catches the light. Like a black widow emerging from its den, a tall, imposing figure steps out of the shadowed gap between firelights with tall black leather boots that cause the rotting wooden floorboards to groan and whine underfoot. With just a shortsword on her hip, a padded linen gambeson on her back, and a smile that softened her stony features, the Minthara who greets you was a far cry from the cold crusader you met in Wakanda.
“Ah, compatriots! Glad you finally came to join us,” the drow beams, far more animated than before as she beckons everyone inside and insists you sit and stay, “Come, we have much to discuss. But first - drink! And rest your weary feet.” she exclaimed with her wine glass held raised in cheers, “We must be well-fed and high spirits if we are to stand any chance of overcoming the trials ahead.”
Minthara focuses her attention on Josuke and Reverentia, gesturing them towards the bar and urging them to sit with her. “Josuke, Mori. Plainly I see you are fresh from battle, so please tell me: what happened inside that tent?”
(Tag
megar
to interact with Dorothy!)
Cast List
isupposeimphi
as Marisa Kirisame (Touhou Project) and Blake Belladonna (RWBY)
brandy-schmandy
as Jin Ming (Spiderverse OC) and Razputin Aquato (Psychonauts)
@FoolsErin as Hobie Brown (Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse) and The Wanderer (Genshin Impact)
@CocoaMarshmallow as Illumina (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon OC) and Clovis (Twokinds)
Twice Knightly
as Asuka Langley Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Jason Todd (DC Comics)
Jeremiah
as Nightwarden Minthara (Baldur's Gate)
Sir Skrubbins
as The Medic (Team Fortress 2) Frank West (Dead Rising)
Necessity4Fun
as Sage Kaelber (OC)
megar
as Josuke Higashikata (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) and Reimu Hakurei (Touhou Project)
@TheElenaFisher as Ciri (The Witcher 3) and Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)
Thexcentrichilean
as Hershel Avad (OC)
@darkred as Aloy (Horizon: Zero Dawn) and Marius Titus (Ryse: Son of Rome)
QizPizza
as Alexis Tenshi and Gyst Lazarus Huang (OC)
allegedlydave
as Greed (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles)
@jigglesworth as Captain John Price (Call of Duty)
@bluefrostie2 as Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) and Sprig Plantar (Amphibia)
BoltBeam
as Black Rock Shooter (Black Rock Shooter)
@Sayo-Nara as Dib (Invader Zim) and Lana (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon OC)
BarrenThin2
as Reverentia Mortir (OC)
@FactionGuerrilla as Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption II) and Kassandra (Assassin's Creed: Odyssey)
@StaidFoal as Corvo Attano (Dishonored) and Trixie (My Little Pony)
@duskkyy as Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)
@Miso_Tofu2.0 as Omni-Man (Invincible) and Flandre Scarlet (Touhou Project)
@DR_EDY. as Venom (Marvel Comics) and Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
Nokirathephantom
as Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Mewtwo (Pokemon)
@Laix_Lake as Orbeck (Dark Souls III)
@alley-cat-boogie as Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5)
@FantasticCloakedFace as Reed Richards (Marvel Comics)
“I– I–” Will struggles to formulate any sort of coherent response to Reverentia’s interrogation. He looks pretty scared - almost terrified. He cowers from the two women standing above him, not dissimilar from a child afraid of punishment from an overbearing parent. His eye shifts from Reverentia and Veronica to the twins.
The twins are respectively fighting off an intruder and watching the remaining fights with glee. Mabel’s grin is as wide as can be as can be. Her gaze shifts between the fights that remain, which are few and far between. Then, something curious happens. Someone fires a shot of lightning toward Will of all people. She doesn’t look threatened by it - the cage absorbs its energy like a sponge. But she does wonder why he did that… even Will looks equally bewildered, his terrified look seemingly shattering in an instant so he can stare at Clovis and Byakuya with a furrowed brow.
Before she can figure that out, Kass uses her newfound icerail to douse the flame in that Chillwater, evidently having used Clovis’ attack as a distraction. Lobo’s flame had already been diminished quite a bit thanks to the efforts of the rest of the group, so its naturally advanced properties were enough to put it out for good. Lobo lets out a muffled scream in response as he violently thrashes in his cage worse than before. He even manages to finally knock himself over, but without the flame to burst it open, he just wound up smacking himself against his chain, which promptly knocks him out cold.
“Well…” Mabel flatly stares at the sight, finally frowning. By now, all but one or two fights remain. She’s smart enough to know what their outcome will be, especially with the primary threats removed. A tired old reporter and a fancy-looking telepathic cat simply don’t stand a chance against the rest of these guys.
Even still, she manages a grin and raises her arms to greet them.
“It looks like you all have won! Now, we can move on to Act Three of our show!” she lowers her arm and begins to stroke her chin for effect. “I must say, I’m a tad disappointed by the results, though I suppose that’s what happens when you send children with ridiculous pompadours to do the jobs of professionals…”
She shrugs and turns around with an easygoing smile.
“Oh, well! No use crying over spilled blood, as they say–”
“DORA!”
CRACK
(Art by
brandy-schmandy
)"What the hell was I just saying about talking shit about my hair?!"
A burst of concussive force shattered Mabel’s nose on the spot, resulting in an explosion of blood spurting from the wound. It’s so powerful that everyone who had been previously under her mind control is instantly freed from it. For the first time since anyone in this town had met her, Mabel Gleeful is truly shaken. She stumbles back with a surprised yell, her hands twitching as they fall under her ruined face. Blood pours off of it and drips off and into her palms, and as Mabel looks at them with wide eyes, they move back up to find none other than Josuke Higashikata standing above her.
“Y-you– how did—”
"Wrong answer!"
(OOC: The song is timestamped for a reason!)
"DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA...!"
There is no time for Mabel to move, let alone think. Blow after blow strikes her body, much to her brother’s equally rare shock. Josuke is ruthless in his assault, and he gives her no time to process the attack before it’s already over. By the end of it all, Mabel Gleeful is left on the stage floor, battered and broken, lying in a pool of her blood. Try as she might, she can’t muster up the energy to do anything but whimper.
“Y-you…” Dipper has since rushed over to her side, and now he looks back at Josuke with teary eyes and grit teeth. “Who in the HELL do you think you are!?”
"I already told you, didn't I!? I'm Josuke Higashikata, and I won't ever let anybody say stupid shit about my hair!"
Unseen to all but only himself, Crazy Diamond lurks above Josuke, its face matching the unfiltered rage on his own. Honestly... he doesn't know what he was just doing just now. He just knows that he was already pissed off -- and some smart-ass girl talking shit was something he was not going to let fly.
"Got it?!"
Everyone in the crowd looks equally shocked. Some cry for their town sweetheart, while others try to muster up rage. But without the ability to even see what hit her, they can’t do much. So they just watch… and some of them even run out in complete terror that they might be next.
Strangely, it was Will who seemed the most put off.
Not a single tear remained from his previous fit. He doesn’t look scared, or even happy that his captors were finally knocked down a peg. He just looks at the sight with a wide eye, like what just happened shouldn’t have even been possible.
"Hm? What's the matter?"
Veronica's gaze remains totally flat as she questions it, like she isn't surprised at all.
"You can cut the coy act, Princess. I think we have the answers we're after."
And Byakuya steps ever closer, looking down on Will with no effort to hide the burning scorn in his gaze. That reaction... it all makes sense, now.
"Do I have to announce it to everyone, or will you cut your act, Cipher?"
Will stares up at Byakuya, again in complete silence, just like he had with Reverentia. All he does is stare with that shocked eye, his eye darting from the boy to the downed twins, to the perplexed crowd… and then back to the boy. And then, suddenly, an uncharacteristic sigh escapes him as he slumps over - and an unfamiliar voice leaves his body.
“OKAY, OKAY. YOU GOT ME, FOUR-EYES.”
One by one, the bricks making up his triangular body begin to shift around. As they settle into place, each one turns from blue to yellow. What sits within the cage is the same triangle, but now he radiates with a much more confident, golden aura. He snaps his fingers and the cage comes undone in an instant. He floats high up into the air, before removing his top hat and dusting it off. For a moment, his eyelid narrows, as if he’s more mildly inconvenienced than anything. In a single motion, he puts it back on and looks at everyone with his hands on his hips.
“I REALLY GOTTA HAND IT TO YOU GUYS. REAL SOLID WORK OUT THERE. I MEAN, SERIOUSLY. THAT ANNOYING FIRE KID ALMOST KILLED YOU ALL, AND WHEN THE GUY WITH THE POMPADOUR BROKE THE BRAT’S NOSE? IF YOU HADN’T SOMEHOW MANAGED TO BREAK OUT OF HER MIND CONTROL TO DO THAT, I DON’T THINK I WOULD HAVE EVEN BEEN ABLE TO HOLD BACK MY LAUGHTER!”
“Will!?” Dipper stands up almost immediately, though he’s careful not to leave his sister’s side. He looks at him with the same pissed-off look he’d given Josuke, teeth grit and fists balled by his side. “What are you doing out of your cage!? And why are you changing colors!? We never permitted you to–”
“YEAH, YEAH. CAN IT, PINETREE.” “Will” snaps his fingers, and immediately, Dipper freezes in place - alongside the crowd. All of them float into the air around you all, rapidly becoming surrounded by a brilliant light in the process. In the span of a second, it bursts outward, and they all fall to the ground. Most of them remain the same… except Dipper and Mabel, who both look much younger and wear much dirtier, uglier clothes than the refined twins from before.
“Will” just laughs.
“WOULD YOU GUYS BELIEVE THAT THEY’RE EVEN MORE ANNOYING LIKE THIS? HAHAHA!!”
“Urgh… what?” Frank mumbles, letting his selection of weapons drop to the floor as he recovers from his stupor. Looking up from his fellow combatant, he freezes in disbelief the moment he recognizes what's happening - his limbs heavy, as if anchored to the ground. Clearly, he knows this figure - and from his reaction, there don't seem to be many positive memories.
“Bill…!” He stammers, before quickly turning his gaze to Dipper and Mabel’s new forms. Evidently, he has history with these two, as well - rushing to kneel next to them. “Dipper, Mabel - can you hear me!? Are you still alive?!”
"Hold on a sec, guy."
Josuke -- though his face still holds a barely concealed rage -- carefully steps forward and lowers himself to Mabel's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. And then her wounds simply start to close, her blood returning to her, and in a matter of seconds it's like she was never attacked at all.
And all the while, his gaze remains firm on Bill.
"I don't feel good about having hit a kid... but if I'm figuring this properly... you're going to take responsibility, right?"
“WOW, YOU CATCH ON FAST, POMPADOUR! PRETTY SURPRISING FROM A GUY WHO THOUGHT A HAIRCUT LIKE THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA! HAHAHA!” He floats above Josuke and kicks his legs like a child as he laughs.
Josuke's fist clenches as he rises back up.
"You really want your ass kicked, huh?! Come a little closer and I'll be happy to oblige!"
“WOAH, WOAH! TAKE IT EASY!” Bill shouts back, raising both hands in a defensive motion. “IT’S JUST A JOKE, KID! I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE THE HAIR! SAY, HOW ABOUT YOU JOIN MY BAND OF WEIRDOS AND FREAKS?” Bill floats right next to Josuke and extends his arm all the way around his body, hugging his shoulder. “TRUST ME, WITH THAT HAIRCUT, YOU’LL FIGHT RIGHT IN THERE WITH US!”
For a passing moment, Josuke doesn't seem to respond to the taunt at all. He looks a little tense, to say the least of it, but he otherwise remains perfectly still.
"Cipher... you're feeling particularly bold today, aren't you?"
Byakuya finally speaks up again in Josuke's stead -- but he doesn't at all elaborate, simply holding his hands behind his back as he looks Bill dead on.
“YOU CALL THIS BOLD, FOUR-EYES?” Bill cackles as he just as quickly floats over to Byakuya. “I HAVEN’T EVEN BROUGHT OUT THE RIVER OF DEAD PUPPIES YET!” He laughs yet again, before finally settling high above the group. But his gaze seems fixated on Frank and Byakuya in particular. “YOU TWO REALLY ARE SOMETHIN’ ELSE. YOU CAME BACK HERE WITH THE REST OF THESE GUYS, KNOWING THAT FULL WELL WHAT I’D DO IF YOU DID!”
He turns to Frank in particular, and something reminiscent of a smirk can be felt, even though it can’t be seen.
“GUESS I’M NOT TOO SURPRISED, THOUGH. AFTER THIS ONE SOLD OUT THE WHOLE TOWN JUST SO HE COULD GET A SCOOP. HOW’S THAT WORKING OUT, ANYWAY? ARE THE ANSWERS EVERYTHING YOU WANTED? OR IS IT A BIT HARD TO SELL YOUR STORIES WHEN THE WHOLE MULTIVERSE IS GETTING TAKEN OVER BY SOME NERD?”
“You bastard!” Frank roars, standing to his feet. “You know you tricked me! And him!”
His gaze darts to his surroundings, drinking in the devastated environment. The smoldering craters, destroyed furniture, and unconscious bodies - but all the while, he avoids looking at any of your faces. “If I’d have known you’d do this, I’d have never made any deal with you, scoop be damned!”
“YEESH,” Bill just rolls his eye and waves off Frank. “YOU MAKE A FAIR DEAL AND USE IT TO KILL A COUPLE OF ONE-LIFESPAN DWEEBS, AND SUDDENLY EVERYONE THINKS YOU’RE THE BAD GUY! TALK ABOUT BEING A DRAMA QUEEN!” His eye turns from Frank and Byakuya to the rest of the room. Every one of you, he looks upon with something unreadable. The silence doesn’t even last five seconds, but with that kind of look, it feels like it goes on for an eternity.
“WELL, ANYWAY,” and then he keeps talking like nothing happened. “I’D LOVE TO STAY AND ARGUE WITH YOU GUYS ABOUT ‘MORALITY’ OR WHATEVER, BUT I’VE GOTTA FIND A NEW WAY TO KEEP MYSELF ENTERTAINED SINCE YOU ALL BROKE THIS ONE. SO I THINK I’M JUST GONNA TOY WITH YOU ALL IN THE NIGHTMARE REALM FOR A WHILE.”
In one motion, Bill raises his arm and snaps his fingers. Everything turns black not a moment later.
Mid-Chapter Update
"See You in Your Nightmares!"
You’re awoken to a chill running down your spine and goosebumps spreading across your body. A faint wind greets your newfound consciousness, and with it, you realize that you’re lying not on the floor of the tent - but on dirt. When you pull yourselves up to your feet, it’s pretty easy to find out why that is.
An empty, dead field surrounds you all. Everything in it is grey, from the clouds, to the dirt. It’s an unsettling sight, to say the least.
“Argh…” Frank groans, rolling upright and wearily clambering to his feet. A bead of sweat slowly rolls down his forehead as he surveys the barren, desolate landscape - and the longer he looks, the more his face contorts. He clenches his jaw and tightly grips his camera, before hurling it towards the ground in a bout of explosive rage.
“DAMN IT!”
The impact kicked up a small cloud of dust - the lifeless soil, now loosened, blowing away smoothly in the wind. Frank rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, sighing languidly before turning back to face all of you.
“...is everyone alright?”
“Ugh…” Asuka is the next to speak. She climbs to her feet with her hand resting against the side of her head. She remembers everything she did when she wasn’t in control of her body. It pisses her off, as brief as that had lasted, but she knows that now isn’t the time to get worked up over it.
“I think so…” she responds with suspicion in her gaze as she begins to glance around. “But… where are we…?”
“I think I can answer that one, my one-eyed friend!”
A voice no one but Frank and Byakuya recognize can soon be heard from behind everyone.
“I’m glad to see you all made it in one piece. I’m Stanford Pines - but for convenience's sake, you can just call me Ford.”
Frank jolts backward, stupefied. “Ford?!” He exclaims, just about sprinting over to the newcomer before patting his arms down as if to check if he is real. “Is that seriously you? When did you - how did you - ?” Frank stopped himself, looking to the ground in shame. He knew the answer to both of those questions. But before he can say anything else, he feels a six-fingered hand rest on his shoulder, and he looks up to meet a smiling gaze.
“It’s a very long, very convoluted story - I assure you,” he says.
"And certainly nothing to worry about," Byakuya coolly remarks, looking all too pleased with the turn of events. "If you're here, Ford, then... perfect."
“It’s… nice to see you as well, Byakuya,” Ford takes a moment to adjust his glasses, before clearing his throat and clasping both hands together. “Now, everyone–”
“Hey, Ford, I’m here!”
From the other direction, a girl who couldn’t have been past middle school age approaches the man, flailing her gangly arms to catch his attention. Once she finally catches up, she leans forward on her knees to catch her breath. “Sorry, I’m here, I–
Whoa, that’s a lotta new guys.”
“Ah, Anne! Right on time!” Ford happily responds to the new girl. He smiles at her, before turning to the rest of the group. “Everyone, this is my assistant, Anne Boonchuy. She’s been helping me since I got here. If it weren’t for her… well, realistically, I’d probably be fine - but she’s certainly sped up the process!”
Anne waves at the group as Ford introduces her.
“Yup, that’s me! Just helping out where I can," she says with a meek smile. It seems a lot had happened over the past few days, but she's nothing if not resilient. As if she thinks she might see someone she recognizes, she scans the group for any familiar faces, just in case. She doesn't notice anyone right away, though.
“Now!” Ford clasps his hands together again as he faces the group. “There’s a town not very far from here where Anne and I have been staying. It isn’t safe for you all to be sitting out in the open like this, so follow us.”
With that, Ford and Anne turn right back around and begin walking off in the other direction. With little other options at your disposal, you follow them both back to the town.
“Welcome to Twilight Town, my friends. Not to be confused with the stuff Ganondorf is using in his Multiversal conquest!”
“You… know about that…?” Leo asks from the back, still clearly very weak from the fight in the tent.
“Oh, certainly! And so does Bill. But we can discuss that later.”
Upon entering the town, you found that it wasn’t exactly anything in good shape. It was certainly nothing compared to Wakanda or even Gravity Falls. Even still, though, there were at least a few buildings throughout the place. Ford led you all to one near the end, clearly labeled as a bar.
“You all can rest in here if you’d like. I’ll be out here gathering what we need before we set out in a few hours. Just… step outside if you need me. Or if you wanna explore the town. Or if you just need some fresh air. Just make sure not to wander too far!”
With that, Ford walks off to the side of one of the nearby buildings and pulls an old journal out of his satchel, as well as a pen. He quickly opens it and begins taking notes.
“Well… I can use a drink,” Asuka shrugs as she shoves open the door to the bar. But instead of sitting down for a drink, she stops entirely in her tracks at what she sees.
A few figures sit at the bar, some more familiar than others.
“So… you’re like, a sex robot?” A gruff man with a stubbled beard asks the girl beside him. His face is unrecognizable, but his voice is - as is the tattered uniform he wears, and the red helmet that sits on the bar beside him.
"Lilim," the girl quite firmly corrects, "don't use that word. It's really rude!"
She sips at her drink. It is not entirely clear what is in the glass.
"But I am a sex worker, yes." She pauses for a moment... and then nods to herself. "I'm twenty-four, before you ask."
"I wasn’t gonna,” Jason holds up a hand in response. “And uh… thanks for the correction.” He does not know what to make of this and thinking about it too much makes him sad. So he chooses to instead sip on his scotch.
Scanning the lantern-lit bar, you notice two unblinking eyes staring back at you when their crimson color catches the light. Like a black widow emerging from its den, a tall, imposing figure steps out of the shadowed gap between firelights with tall black leather boots that cause the rotting wooden floorboards to groan and whine underfoot. With just a shortsword on her hip, a padded linen gambeson on her back, and a smile that softened her stony features, the Minthara who greets you was a far cry from the cold crusader you met in Wakanda.
“Ah, compatriots! Glad you finally came to join us,” the drow beams, far more animated than before as she beckons everyone inside and insists you sit and stay, “Come, we have much to discuss. But first - drink! And rest your weary feet.” she exclaimed with her wine glass held raised in cheers, “We must be well-fed and high spirits if we are to stand any chance of overcoming the trials ahead.”
Minthara focuses her attention on Josuke and Reverentia, gesturing them towards the bar and urging them to sit with her. “Josuke, Mori. Plainly I see you are fresh from battle, so please tell me: what happened inside that tent?”
(Tag
megar
to interact with Dorothy!)Cast List
isupposeimphi
as Marisa Kirisame (Touhou Project) and Blake Belladonna (RWBY)
brandy-schmandy
as Jin Ming (Spiderverse OC) and Razputin Aquato (Psychonauts)@FoolsErin as Hobie Brown (Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse) and The Wanderer (Genshin Impact)
@CocoaMarshmallow as Illumina (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon OC) and Clovis (Twokinds)
Twice Knightly
as Asuka Langley Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Jason Todd (DC Comics)
Jeremiah
as Nightwarden Minthara (Baldur's Gate)
Sir Skrubbins
as The Medic (Team Fortress 2) Frank West (Dead Rising)
Necessity4Fun
as Sage Kaelber (OC)
megar
as Josuke Higashikata (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) and Reimu Hakurei (Touhou Project)@TheElenaFisher as Ciri (The Witcher 3) and Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)
Thexcentrichilean
as Hershel Avad (OC)@darkred as Aloy (Horizon: Zero Dawn) and Marius Titus (Ryse: Son of Rome)
QizPizza
as Alexis Tenshi and Gyst Lazarus Huang (OC)
allegedlydave
as Greed (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles)@jigglesworth as Captain John Price (Call of Duty)
@bluefrostie2 as Silver the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog) and Sprig Plantar (Amphibia)
BoltBeam
as Black Rock Shooter (Black Rock Shooter)@Sayo-Nara as Dib (Invader Zim) and Lana (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon OC)
BarrenThin2
as Reverentia Mortir (OC)@FactionGuerrilla as Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption II) and Kassandra (Assassin's Creed: Odyssey)
@StaidFoal as Corvo Attano (Dishonored) and Trixie (My Little Pony)
@duskkyy as Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)
@Miso_Tofu2.0 as Omni-Man (Invincible) and Flandre Scarlet (Touhou Project)
@DR_EDY. as Venom (Marvel Comics) and Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)
Nokirathephantom
as Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Mewtwo (Pokemon)@Laix_Lake as Orbeck (Dark Souls III)
@alley-cat-boogie as Ryuji Sakamoto (Persona 5)
@FantasticCloakedFace as Reed Richards (Marvel Comics)
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