Chapter Text
“Maybe I should have died that day.”
4C shivered in his lonesome. The abandoned cabin that he now resided in was oddly cold, despite a fire crackling in the corner to provide light and warmth. The brown bed that he sat down on was strangely well-kept, soft enough for him to lie upon to ponder about every event that led him to become somewhat exiled from the Blue Kingdom.
What can he do at this point? 4C considered Nom to be his best friend, his brother. Now he’s lost two brothers, one in the past, the other slamming a morningstar into his head out of the hatred coming from his betrayal. Everything was 4C’s fault, and there was nothing he could do to take back anything that was said or done. There was nothing he could do to fix them. For once, 4C felt truly alone.
Katie did not see him as a sibling. Mae probably betrayed 4C as well, who else could have known about the tunnels? Who could 4C trust?
Absolutely no one. He thought, instinctively answering his own questions. 4C could never trust anyone again, not after this debacle.
Tears came right after. It was just a few droplets at first, falling down his cheek to drip down his chin. Droplets became a shower, showers became the rain. Soon, 4C was sobbing, gripping the brown bedsheet like his life depended on it. Sadness became despair, but 4C wasn't safe. Not anywhere near the Blue Kingdom, at least.
As much as 4C wanted to scream, all he could do was let out a pained cry. He dug his slimy fist into the bed. Blue residue stayed on it.
Despair became anger, and anger quickly dissipated into acceptance.
I’m not safe anywhere. 4C thought, his body slumping against the creaking bed. I don’t deserve anything.
Deep down, 4C wished for someone to comfort him. Whether it be Shan, Mae, Katie, hell, even Nom, to come down and whisper sweet nothings into his ear… 4C would pay any amount of gold for that. Just for anyone to enter this isolating cabin to hug him, tell him everything’s okay… that everything was just a nightmare.
4C would even risk his life, that was how desperate he was.
4C stayed agonizingly still. Time passed, but not that 4C would know. Windows did not exactly exist in the cabin.
Then, the slightest noise forced 4C to focus.
Boots stepped on grass. The crunchy noises left behind left 4C confused and terrified. Pleasant humming echoed around his ears. Had Nom already caught on? That can’t be. 4C was sure nobody was following him within the tunnels…
A muffled voice outside the walls of 4C’s new home spoke, the slime crouched, letting darkness envelop him as he honed in his stealthy powers as a rogue. Slowly, 4C crouched over to the cabin’s door, leaning against the door to catch any noises that might cause 4C to go on the run again.
“The Blue Kingdom’s quite nice!” Legundo’s voice blasted from the outside. 4C was shocked, the parcel elf was here. “I loved their buildings, that's probably why I gave them the resources, right?”
4C’s heart dropped. It was the buildings that he built along with Mae. The infrastructure that he did, slaving away every single day, sometimes staying up late at nights just to build up every building to ensure everyone had a home to go back to. Now, it was 4C who was estranged from his own home, forever locked away or dying trying to get back for a last consolidation.
Legundo Forrest continued his own solo rambling, giggling to himself. “Yes, the slime was really unique! He told me to go to… what was it? Right! The Moonlit Swamp!” He said, and something in 4C’s heart jolted at the name. “That shall be my next destination trying to get back home!”
4C felt oddly warm that Legundo actually remembered that piece of information, and was further comforted by the fact that the elf would personally go to the Moonlit Swamp on his word. A place where he once considered home as well, until everything that happened, of course.
4C suddenly broke out in a flurry of coughs, fading in and out of invisibility as his body whined for sustenance. His depressive moments left 4C forgetting to eat. Now with his location possibly exposed, 4C’s heart skyrocketed in panic.
“Is there someone there?” Legundo’s voice called out, footsteps coming closer to the door that 4C was leaned up against, scrambling to get steak from his own pockets to eat.
The door opened.
4C felt his lungs collapsing.
Legundo opened the door. He stared at a blue slime desperately trying to make himself seem smaller, cowarding in a corner of the abandoned cabin. The cloak that was once covering 4C’s head was now gone, a rather concerning dent at the back right of his head was glaringly obvious. Fear now dotted the slime’s expression.
Before asking questions, Legundo closed the door and knelt down, extending his hand for 4C. His expression was incredibly soft, as if he was understanding of 4C’s situation without really knowing anything. “It wasn’t a simple mishap, was it?” He asked, voice level.
4C looked more confused. “What?”
“Nominal… uh, the not fun one.” Legundo started, smiling as 4C took his hand simultaneously. He lifted the slime up. Legundo heard his knees crack multiple times as he stood up, concern for his bones could wait later. However, the elf did notice that 4C tried to hide some giggles by looking away. “He said you weren’t there because you two had a simple mishap. It wasn’t just that, was it?”
4C gestured to the dent at the back of his head.
Wordlessly, Legundo dragged 4C into a gentle and quick hug. The latter looked surprised.
4CVIT tried to take your Bucket of Tadpole.
Legundo smiled. “You tried~!” He teased, getting a chuckle from 4C. Legundo reached for 4C’s pockets, his eyes widening at the surprisingly empty spaces in 4C’s pockets. “Goodness. Your pockets are completely empty!” Legundo exclaimed, digging through his own pockets. “And I gave the darn turtle helmet you wanted to that… uh… luscious hair girl! Mae! Yes! Her! She also wanted a signature from me because you wanted it!”
4C felt his heart drop. “She did?”
Legundo nodded, realizing that that might have not been the best thing to say. He rifled through his pockets. “Yeah. Wanted to preserve my signature for you, y’see!”
4C looked like he was about to cry. “Oh.”
“How about this?” Legundo piped up, a smile still on his face. “You can come with me!”
4C looked up. He met Legundo’s eyes. They did not hide malicious intent, at least not what 4C can tell. Legundo’s eyes were glimmering, an unwavering determination that never left. The elf wanted to help.
“I can’t go back.” 4C blurted.
Legundo raised an eyebrow. “To the Blue Kingdom? We’re not going back there–”
“The swamp.”
The two stood there in silence, Legundo eventually nodded his head. “Would you like to go back to where I live? We’re going to have to sail the White Sea though.”
4C shook his head. “I don’t want to be a bother.” He muttered, tears threatening to fall once more. “Everywhere I go, people will die. So it’s better if I just stay here.”
Legundo took 4C’s hand, much to the shock of both. The elf suddenly felt strength in his legs, swiftly guiding his new slime companion to the west of Bannerfall. “That’s no fun at looking at life, my little slime friend!” He announced, leaping from tree to tree, abandoning the two kingdoms behind them. Surprisingly, Legundo felt no tug from 4C, no statement that the slime wanted to go back to whence he came.
The view of the dungeon came into view. 4C stopped the two, their voyage stopped on the leaves of a dark oak tree. The slime looked back, staring longingly at the two kingdoms that brought him so much joy and depression at the same time.
Thinking about it properly, Nom, Mae, Shan, Graecie, the others of the Blue and Red Kingdom combined did not need him around. All 4C brought was shame to the Blue Kingdom, and doubted that the Red Kingdom would do anything to help him after learning about his discrepancy with Nom. Katie did not see him past any priorities, and 4C’s relationship with everyone else was estranged at best. In his mind stuck in depression, 4C thought this was the best course of action.
Leaving meant that 4C will no longer taint this land with his misfortunes. People will not suffer because of him, and nobody will ever have to even think of the slime who thought he had a home in a palace that never gave him a voice. Legundo gave him an out, 4C would be a fool not to take it, but also a coward to just leave everything behind for everyone else to deal with.
However, being self-conscious about being a coward was the best that 4C could ever think about. Imagining that you’re a failure to everyone would destroy one’s mental health, constantly living under the scrutiny of everyone will kill anyone who goes near its path. The Rogue God was right in their own way, one should leave a toxic relationship if they never regarded you as human in the first place. If they had the final say, what did you have? Absolutely nothing.
So 4C turned back, taking Legundo’s guiding hand and smiled at him with all the happiness he dragged from the pits of despair. His spirit will not be broken because of a simple mishap. 4C will always be 4C in the end, nobody will change him or his morals because of all the experience he’s gone through. Now, he’ll have another to vent to, to share traumas with, to make a new life outside of Bannerfall.
The parcel elf called for a shipwright to guide them through the White Sea, now happy to share his adventures with a new slimy companion. While some guiltiness will never leave one’s being, over time, other life’s experiences will drown out those made in the past, and people will start to move on. That will always be the story of human beings and their counterparts.
As the ship sails away, 4C will be comforted by the fact that he has another life to live up to. That will take time, but so does everything.
That’s where our story ends. For now.