Chapter Text
The boat, as St.Ius landed, tilted forward at a sharp angle, sending the three sliding down the deck a little. Dark Cacao held onto a railing, and Hollyberry along with Pure Vanilla held onto the base of the helm. St.Ius simply looked at the three with a bored, emotionless expression, her glare slicing through any front they had. She then gave one, rather long look at Pure Vanilla. Anger, resentment, remorse, longing, malice…all of those things were present in her gaze the first moment she looked at the waffle cone hat-wearing Ancient. As the airship stabilized, the three quickly got up, Dark Cacao and Hollyberry raised their weapons, and Pure Vanilla looked right back at Ius. He stepped forwards, about to say something, but she cut in.
“Leave, and never speak of, write of, or visit this kingdom. Come back, and you shall find yourself beheaded and eaten. This land is not for sinners, nor those who mindlessly disregard and drop their friend for someone else’s gain.” St.Ius said the last part with a pointed look to…possibly Pure Vanilla?
Shadow Milk, who was floating around in the air, twirling his rusted, royal blade, decides to chime in, floating down onto the deck.
“Still salty over the time he dropped all of what you and him had for a flower, hmn? Ha! How cliche, and problematic! And threatening to eat cookies? Yikes! But ... .I would love to wat-” Shadow Milk was cut off, as he found himself impaled by St.Ius' old, ceremonial broadsword. She pulls the blade out of his chest, stepping back a little.
“Silence, fool. You know nothing. Your constant lust for attention sickens me to no end.”
St.Ius then summons one of the Nine Gears of Intervention. They were, as the name suggests, nine, powerful instruments of endless destruction and possibility, ranging from the power to somewhat control time, to the ability to distort the fabrics of reality itself. They were “a gift given by Her Retribution", which refers to the creator of St.Ius. Her creator was not a witch, nor completely human. The only information known about this enigmatic individual is said through various texts referring to something about the “God of Retribution”.
Going back to the present, she grabs the gear, and slowly turns it. The reality shatters around Shadow Milk like glass, and now anything could be changed about his place in the space-time continuum. Chains of Wrath (basically magical chains that Ius can use like tentacles) rise up from the ground, tightening around Shadow Milk. His limbs are then broken off and re-arranged somewhere else, his inner jam and such are swapped around or torn out.
He cries out in agony, but no one can hear it, not when a cookie is stuck in a relative pocket. Through all the tension and twisting, Shadow Milk finally starts to crack and crumble. St.Ius then de-summons the gear, dropping Shadow Milk onto the ground. He tries to reach out, to grab his weapon, but in vain are the efforts of one such as him, as he crumbles to dust at the last moment, blowing into the clouds the airship aimlessly flies past. She picks up one of his blue, left over crumbs off the deck, tossing it into her mouth, chomping down on it.
“...And don't speak of what you had just witnessed to anyone outside of yourselves. No one. Yet the sins of such cookie still remain so very unpunished. Ha! Maybe I shouldve…..eaten him on the spot….” St. Ius had said the last part with a sharp-toothed grin before shooting back up into the sky, flying back towards her kingdom, only looking like a white trail of light from a distance.
But, her blade had brushed against the airship’s balloon, causing the ship to lose tons of air and rapidly start falling in altitude. The three were on course to crash into the thick forest, but Hollyberry quickly grabbed the helm, snapping out of the temporary daze she was in during the whole scene with Ius. She steered the ship, the best she could, towards the clockwork kingdom. The ship, though, crashed in a tree-surrounded, closed off, snowy field. The airship, once hitting the ground, starts to crumble and fall apart. Pure Vanilla and Dark Cacao tried their best to evade the rubble, getting cuts and bruises in the process. Dark Cacao cut larger crumbs that headed his way, and tried to shield Pure Vanilla. The latter noticed Shadow Milk’s old, rusted blade. It was something he could syphon energy through without the risk of causing an explosion.
He dashed over and snagged the weapon, using it as if it were his old staff. He formed a shield around him and Dark Cacao, Hollyberry soon joining them under it. Minutes pass, and the rubble and dust finally settle as the airship slides to a halt on the ground. Well. What was an airship, anyways.
“There goes our ride, friends.” Hollyberry said dryly. Dark Cacao just sighed.
“I think we can tell. I'm going to go check on our belongings and…supplies. Nevermind. Actually.”
As Dark Cacao opened the trap door to the storage room located inside the stern, he noticed that everything was collapsed in on itself, and the items (food, water, beer) weren't worth salvaging, as they were smashed under the weight. That's just great. Traveling throughout a white hell with nothing but armor, weapons, and clothes.
“Well. What are we waiting here for? We ought to get to that..castle..thing..before we die out here.” Pure Vanilla had started to climb his way down and off the rubble, walking towards the castle.
Hollyberry and Dark Cacao just looked at one another, and started after him. The journey was rather relaxed, yet getting through the dense forest was..something. Monsters and cake hounds littered the area, making just one step or turn dangerous. One of them tried to grab Hollyberry. But Dark Cacao slashed that monster down with much fervor. He wasn't happy about the chipped and dirtied state of his blade after going through that area, though. But it wasn't a completely bad idea, as they were met with a forgotten, unused gate that led into the clockwork kingdom. Hollyberry used her shield, and quickly smashed through it, the three continuing to walk.
The alleyway was dark and murky, but as the three stepped out into the open, they were met with the steamy sight of Ius’ kingdom. Pipes, wires, and other gears ran up buildings and just around the kingdom in general. The castle itself seemed to be decorated with those same pipes and gears, all climbing around a Germanic-style cathedral. A large, solar clock, surrounded by floating gears and ribbons of metal that spun around the clock itself, was floating above one of the spires. Everything was made of wood or stone.
But other than all that metal detail, the kingdom was much like Pure Vanilla’s, yet, maybe it had fallen due to a different reason? The kingdom was always covered in snow, based on the mountainous area around it, year round. Perhaps it was ravaged by war? Multiple houses and factories were now just ruins, entire sides of the structures seeming to have crumbled. There were a few bodies and crumbs of others, armor and weapons scattered across the snow. Hollyberry looked up at the ever grey sky..She saw a yellow light dash across the clouds, into one of the spires of the castle.
“Hey, guys. I just saw some mysterious light fly into that castle over there. And I'm curious.”
“Hollyberry, that thing might be a major threat.” Dark Cacao responded. Pure Vanilla shook his head.
“But there may be further supplies in the castle. If one of you were to fall, I would be there to heal you. I agree with the berry, though. We should check it out.”
Dark Cacao huffed, mumbling a “fine” before picking up his blade and walking towards the castle. The other two followed after.
He could’ve thought he saw Dark Choco dash somewhere around the corner into an alleyway.
He started running. Confused, Hollyberry and Pure Vanilla ran after him. Alas, nothing seemed to be present in the alley. Dark Cacao just grumbles and keeps walking towards the castle. Soon, almost too soon, they arrive in front of the drawbridge that leads to the entrance of the cathedral. The bridge was already lowered, yet it seemed unstable, and could fall at any moment. One thing Pure Vanilla had noticed was the amount of energy that seemed to radiate off the building, and there was also a small crack in the..air? Like if it were glass. Hollyberry stepped forwards onto the bridge, and was warped onto the other side. What??? She didn't even walk, though, She barely took a step.
“What is this…?” She didn't even know what to call it. Pure Vanilla and Dark Cacao were just as confused, if not more, than her. Yet they soon follow suit, and the three enter the imposing, old cathedral.
The halls were lined with torches, weapons, and tapestries. There seemed to be multiple, collapsed rooms. One appeared to be a library, one appeared to be a music hall, and the other appeared to be some religious area. After a few turns, they made it into the main hall. A large tapestry depicting some war and Ius, that of which was surrounded by some holy light, covered one wall. There were a few large, stained glass windows that cast dusty, colored light across the room. And then the door that led to the “Throne Hall”. Dark Cacao then “saw” Dark Choco again, running into the throne hall. He skewers his sword into the ground, the blade sinking into the stone as he dashes towards the large doors, slamming them open.
He looked up. The ceiling was high, covered in gears, hanging wires and pipes that were largely broken. Stained glass windows once again lined the walls, the glass depicting wars, a clock, a sword (presumably her ceremonial broadsword), Ius herself, and some other being who sports a black tie, a white shirt, and black slacks, holding a greatblade. He found no other cookie besides the monarch who was said to rule with an iron fist, sitting atop her throne. Blade in one hand, the other propping her head up. The colored, dusty light fell across herself and her attire, the details on her weapon shining in the light along with her metal shoulder pauldron. The golden aiguillettes that decorate her left shoulder and connect to her collar glinting in the light as well.
“Fell for a simple trick again, have you, fool?”, St. Ius spoke with a bored tone, her steely grey glare piercing through Dark Cacao, The other two came up behind him, looking at the monarch, "Believable are the lies that oneself spews, hmn?? Well, it's not like I'm going to rip you apart anytime soon. Come fourth, and tell me why you’re oh-so worth my time.”
Dark Cacao steps forwards once more, and then again, before he starts briskly walking towards the throne. He had previously retrieved his blade, so he pointed it at her neck.
“TELL ME. WHERE. IS. MY. SON.”, Dark Cacao demanded, only wanting the truth. St. Ius laughed, grinning slightly.
“Come for truth, have you? Pipe down, and don't point that useless slab of metal at me. Unless you want to be dismembered~!”, St. Ius finished that last part with a laugh, and Dark Cacao backed down. Hollyberry spoke up.
“Well if you seem to know so much, then why is this planet covered in snow? Why must we suffer? Why must our kingdoms lay in ruin?”
St. Ius sighed, “Have they ever taught you lot manners? Or must you all chip like baby birds waiting for their next, regurgitated meal? Fine then, I shall answer your questions that have rather simple answers. And show you a false reality of your own making.”, She leaned back into her throne, beginning to speak, slowly grinning..
“I just couldn't help myself.”
Timekeeper chimes in, looking at the scene through a rift in the wall, “Oh, so we're taking all the credit, are we? Also…so…dramatic!”
C4-END