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Fetsy woke up. For a single, sweet moment she’d almost forgotten what she’d been doing, what she’d been planning.. and what might result from it. Death, most likely. Either her own or much more preferably, Lamb’s.
She slid down the ladder to check the chest she’d hidden. Yes, the blaze rods were still there, but it wasn’t enough. To win, to survive, she needed the tools to kill, and after losing everything the previous day she needed to work harder. Making potions of harming wasn’t easy.
Going over the list in her head, and weighing each risk, their communicator pinged.
Wedding at the Life Altar.
Oh.. that actually sounded nice! Normally, she considered the Life Altar a mockery of her own ideals made physical, but a wedding was so lovely! The plans of treachery could wait. They could spare a few minutes to attend it, oh and bring gifts! Of course, they had to.
Fetsy hurried over the mountain, picking a few flowers that poked through the snow on the way there, considering that she was already late. But it didn’t seem like the ceremony had begun just yet, and the crowd was waiting in front of the altar.
“Hi! I uh- I brought flowers. For the wedding.” She said to Beef and Bones, nearly out of breath. A mixture of greetings were exchanged. The flowers weren’t for it, but at an event like this she could pause the rivalry, one sided as it may be.
In fact, she wasn’t entirely sure who the flowers were for. Who was getting married? In her excitement, she’d really forgotten to check.
“Alright, everybody gather around.” Called Lamb, climbing off of his horse and approaching the altar. “And you,” His gaze fell to Lops, who was perched above the hill side, “we’re watching you, red name.”
The wedding went smoothly, with the exchange of lives over the altar. The two getting married were Dwynwen and Bones. It was nice to see that love still existed in such a place like this, even when people expected the wedding to be a trap.
After the congratulations, everyone began to return to their own places. Lamb and Fritz took off on their horses over the mountain. The newlyweds rode back to their bases, off into the literal sunset.
The sunset… Shit, it was nighttime. Fetsy wouldn’t make it home before monsters began to stir again, definitely not over the mountains on foot. Everywhere near here was shrouded in darkness except…
The Hobbit Hole was right there. But… what? Did she suddenly feel guilty at the idea of cozying up to them after nearly selling them out to Dionysus and Beef? It wasn’t like she did go through with it. If she wanted to survive, and she did, guilt was a luxury.
She approached the house, stepping loudly to announce herself, just as Mikey and Ellios were about to enter.
“Hi! Hey, could I come inside? It’s turning.. well, I’m sure you can see.” They gestured to the sky sheepishly.
“Oh! Yeah, yeah, come in quick, Lops is staying too.” He opened the door and walked in. Ellios followed, ducking their head under the frame to enter, and Festy shut the door behind her just in time to hear the first phantom shriek.
Once it was quieter, she looked around to see the full group that had ended up here.
There was Mikey and Ellios, of course, it was their home. They were married, as far as she was aware. She knew them from before, in fact they were allies against Team Love Wins.
Awry, who she hadn’t met yet. They’d been asleep, but lived here as well. There were a few things they might need catching up on.
And Lops, who was her neighbor and what she would consider a friend. He had stayed the night at her own house a few times in situations like this. They wondered now if he even had a house. But despite the fact that the last time he’d had the boogey curse, with multiple opportunities, he’d spared their life. They hadn’t forgotten.
What could almost be described as a nervous chuckle escaped her. They were all friendly, this was all a pleasant group of people that had been kind to her. And that was what made her already itching to leave, to escape before they could show kindness again and Fetsy would forget her goal. Survival, whatever the cost.
Those were the thoughts that crossed her mind as the rest of them got comfortable, preparing for the night inside.
Mikey was explaining what Awry had missed, talking almost as much with bugs hands as bugs mouth. Ellios was scribbling something on a sign, several signs in fact, and placing them around. Lops sat on the ground with Mikey’s dogs, chiming in to the stories it was telling every now and then with a correction or a tangent of his own.
And Fetsy felt like she was sticking out like a sore thumb, that somehow she was exuding an aura of distrust. She leaned back against the doorframe casually, at least that’s how she hoped it appeared.
That’s when Ellios and Mikey looked at her. They weren’t saying anything, but their attention caught that of Lops and Awry, who looked too. Oh no- had she done something already? Was the axe showing in her jacket? Did-
They started giggling. Was this a nightmare? Before she could properly ask, Ellios just pointed above Fetsy’s head. She looked up at a sign that said ‘friend’ with an arrow pointing down at her. Ah.
Oh come on, it wasn’t even that funny! It was a sign with a word! But despite herself, she was laughing with the rest of them.
“Hold on, stay there, I wanna get a picture.” Mikey said, moving to get a clearer angle of the sign.
“Like this? Should I pose or something?” She tried to do something quickly, but it didn’t much seem to matter, he’d already gotten it.
After that, Fetsy found herself joining the conversation, and it was easier.
-
The topic came up midway through the night.
“So. I know we’re already allies,” Mikey said, glancing from Ellios to Awry, as if looking for confirmation, “but do we want to make this official?” He said, almost like depending on the answer, he might tell them a secret.
Did she want to know? Of course! Any information on a potential enemy was valuable, especially for someone as weak as her. Honestly, the axe on her waist would likely be better used to strip wood. A secret had power, and that was something she had very little of at all. But that this was an offer of trust from the three of them, that this was a bridge she hadn’t decided to burn yet, Fetsy hesitated.
“I- uh- official-“ She muttered.
“Isn't it already?.” Lops filled in the answer.
“Then follow me.” Mikey said. It seemed one answer was enough for the two of them. Or maybe xe just had enough faith in half murmured agreements. Stupidity is what it was. Whatever the truth, ce jumped into the pool of water behind the group, with Awry following.
It was stupidity on her part as well. Any one of them could have lied about being affected by the curse, three of them were already close allies, and they were exploring unknown depths. Any number of things could go wrong, like a trap, or being outnumbered, getting lost.
Fetsy sighed, dropping their jacket and tie in a pile on the floor, but followed. A wet vest was going to be uncomfortable.
The cavern was twisting, but she was able to follow the swimming figures until they led the group to a lit hole in the wall.
Everyone surfaced and caught their breath, taking a moment to dry off, but Mikey kept going.
He led them all through a labyrinth of stone tunnels, each having multiple branches that led to dead ends or wide caverns, but despite that xe navigated them with practiced ease. Xe’d been here before. Ellios stayed at the back of the group, ensuring that no one was left behind in the maze.
When they finally stopped, Mikey revealed a carved out stone room. Being underneath a pocket of tunnels inside a lake, it should have felt more cold than it did. There was a sense of lived in warmth, despite its sparse furnishings. In one corner were a few double chests, and across from those were a set of beds. Attached to the walls were more signs with a list of names on them.
“Welcome to the real base!” Mikey presented with a sweeping arm.
“No one can hear us down here.” Ellios added. “And if they could, they can't navigate the maze. You probably shouldn’t try to do it without us either.”
Fetsy shivered, and it wasn’t just from the dripping clothes. Even with their help she’d almost gotten lost down a corridor that she was then told led to a zombie filled cave. The point was taken.
By then, Awry gave a small tour of the area while Mikey updated the signs of names in the corner. There was a potato farm in a branching room that Lops had begun harvesting.
The area was small, but it was safe. And only few knew it existed. For now.
-
After some time (and almost getting lost in the labyrinth again), they went back to the top base.
Sunlight filtered through the windows and onto the walls of the top room. Huh.. the time went by so quickly here, compared to the nights alone, she hadn’t realized it.
But that was good! It meant that now Fetsy could go back and meet with-
“Have you got any string?” Ellios asked. It was directed to the group, but the question jolted her from her thoughts.
“I’m thinking, we could go around selling name tags, right? No one wants to waste the paper, but everyone’s got a pet. We’d be rich.” He continued. “I’ll be back, let me check the chests.”
He went back in, while the rest of the group stood outside to soak in the sun and continue idle conversation.
Damn it. She needed to go. She needed to get mushrooms, she needed to tell Mercury and Cain everything. Everything about what Lamb was looking for, about the fire, about what she’d just been shown! Too many secrets, too much pretending, the line she walked was getting thinner and-
“Yeah, my house is over there. Have you got boots? You’ll need them.” She zoned back in as Lops was talking to Awry, gesturing to the snowy mountain behind him as Ellios came back out.
“Sounds good. We can stop at Lops, then next stop is Fetsy’s house. We can do a lap around and sell some of these,” Mikey held up some name tags, “and maybe you can sell some of your crystals! Like traveling salesmen. Lops can be our muscle.” Bug laughed, while Lops and Awry led the way.
The trail to the mountain was steep, and with each step up it was colder, until thick snow covered the ground. It was nearly impossible not to sink into some of it, and Fetsy shivered.
“So, like I said, you got boots? This is where you need it. I mean, this is how Lamb and Fritz died.” Lops called back.
“What?! Here?” Fetsy couldn’t help her surprise, she remembered hearing about how Lamb and Fritz had died within a minute of each other, word got around quickly after they’d respawned.
“Yeah. They sank through my powdered snow trap. Just follow where we go.” He said.
Fetsy looked to Ellios with mutual concern. Neither of them were wearing boots, and she was sure that neither of them wanted to die. Well.. at least they could face the threat together.
The two followed several steps behind the rest, watching each footprint in the snow and how deep it might go.
“Careful, watch your step. There’s some deeper snow over here.” Awry called.
“We’re almost there. Do not walk past the torch there. You will sink through.” Lops pointed ahead, where his house was now visible. A thick layer of snow surrounded it, thicker than what they’d been walking through before.
“I’ll just stay here- I don’t want to try that.” Ellios stopped on the mountain. The snow was more solid here, but the sun was setting again. Fetsy stopped with them, while the rest went on. She wasn’t too keen on trying it either..
That was until the sound of monsters could be heard again. Lops was setting up a safe route in the snow for the two of them just in time.
Lops house was small, it didn’t seem like he was expecting this many guests, but it was a warm retreat from the cold outside, and safe from any undead.
Stuck indoors, overnight again, Fetsy took out the journal. Her book of truth. While she was readying herself to become a traitor, she needed somewhere to be honest, to write down her secrets. She began writing, and it started with an apology.
“What’re you writing?”
She jumped, dropping the quill as Mikey asked that, standing across from her.
“Uh- it’s- a diary.” They said and quickly snapped it shut.
“Oh, that’s cute!” Bug said. “Y-“
Laughter from the roof interrupted them. In a moment, xe’s attention went to the ladder in Lop’s home, and climbed it. Ellios was up there, placing another sign of course.
They took the brief moment of solitude to sigh, looking down at the journal in her hands. She’d finish writing later.
The sun came up again in no time, and they were ready to leave.
During the night, they’d scrounged up another pair of boots that went to Ellios. An apology was given that there wasn’t another pair for Fetsy, before they left.
She hesitated in Lop’s doorframe while the group had already begun walking. Fetsy took a careful, shaking step onto the stone pathway that was made. It would be too easy to die here, to be pushed, have it be an accident. Her secrets would spill like blood when the journal was picked up off of her corpse-
“Hey, don’t worry. It’s safe to step there.”
Ah. Her hesitance had been noticed by Lops, who was waiting.
“I’ll be sure to tell you where you could sink.” He said.
“Right.. just nervous.” She tried to give a reassuring smile, forgetting it would be hidden behind the mask, and finally took a step.
She followed carefully in his footsteps, until they caught up with the rest. They were all just as eager to warn where the snow was deeper and where it was safe.
It felt like a trust fall, and it could literally become one if it went poorly. But despite her fears, she didn’t think they would mislead her.
The ground becomes solid grass soon enough.
-
The visit to her own house had been short, with everyone inside exploring to sate their curiosity.
Fetsy hadn’t had many guests over, in fact before this moment, Lops may have been the only one with his often unannounced visits. Not that she minded. Other than Beeholder, it was lonely.
She would have slapped herself if it weren’t for the company right now- being alone was to be safe. It kept her secrets from being learned, it kept her from getting too close that when the time came she wouldn’t be able to do what needed to be done.
In fact, allowing them to explore so freely could be a damning decision, what if they found..? Found what. It wasn’t like she had valuables, actually.
“Hey Fetsy, can I use your anvil?” Lops asked.
Valuables like that actually! Now everyone knew, and… oh who was she kidding, that was hardly a secret. She’d already said he could use it before.
“Yeah, go ahead.” They said.
Lops went into the basement to use it while they continued talking.
Sitting on the crafting table, Mikey tapped her shoulder.
“So, you know your shield?” It asked.
She knew, yes. She’d made it just before the wedding, painting it all yellow with a red heart at the bottom.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think you could make those for us too? Like matching team shields!” He said with a grin.
“Of course!” They said without thinking. “I mean- I’ll need to get some dye-“
Why did she say yes? It would mean publicly belonging to a specific group, it would mean she couldn’t lie about her allegiances. It would mean loyalty, or at least pretending it.
It.. it would mean something.
-
They all left her house soon enough to begin selling things around, starting with someone she’d been meaning to speak to for a while: Mercury and Cain.
“Hello, anyone home?” Mikey called out, opening the fence gate.
They usually weren’t home, and it seemed true at this time as well, but no one wanted to give up.
In fact, they took it as an excellent opportunity to snoop on the premises.
As they checked the basement, and rifled through a few chests, Fetsy began to sweat. Should she let this be happening? Her loyalty was to Mercury and Cain and- oh no her note to them was right there. She was incredibly grateful she hadn’t signed her name on it, but the moniker ‘neighbor’ was really only so many people.
“Hey just uh- don’t steal anything, y'know I’m kinda- I think they adopted me? So I don’t know if..” They just kind of chuckled as a finish.
“Don’t worry, we’re just looking.” Awry reassured. She believed them.
By the time they’d finished, the sun was setting again. No one was home still, but they could hardly go elsewhere at this hour.
A campfire in front of Mercury and Cain’s home provided enough safety for the night.
Everyone chose a log to sit on, and the idle chatter filled the night. Talk of the latest episode of something, what a plot twist, how heartbreaking!
Mikey sat on the log near Fetsy as the night drew on and conversations changed.
“It had to come up at some point, how good is everyone at fighting?” Awry asked.
A small chorus of ‘bad’ ‘terrible’, and ‘neutral’ rang out. It was some comfort that the red among them was at the very least average at combat.
“You’ve kind of got an advantage, actually.” Mikey said to Fetsy.
Really? If there was one, she wasn’t aware of it. They just looked at him to continue.
“No one wants to kill you.” Mikey said. “I think they’d feel bad.”
“I- really? I mean- that’s nice to hear.” It was just unexpected. It was the opposite of what Lamb had told her, actually.
A new voice cleared their throat, causing everyone to jump and turn to look around.
“Hello.” It was Mercury. Cain stood beside them in the window of their home.
“How long have you been standing there?” Ellios said with some surprise.
“A little while actually.”
“Well- we were just waiting out the night at your campfire! But we’re here to make a sales pitch.” Mikey said, standing from the log and getting right to it, approaching the front door.
“Oh hold on, manners.” Awry said quickly.
Mikey took a step backwards from the door.
“Knock knock!” Xe entered the house. “I’m in your house. We’re selling name tags!”
It began the sales pitch, but Fetsy had stopped paying attention. She was looking wordlessly to the note she’d left, and back to Mercury quickly. She didn’t often make eye contact with anyone, but this was an exception as she tried to get some message to them. A message that said I’ll explain. We need to talk.
“And Fetsy, weren’t you going to sell crystals?” Mikey finished, looking to her.
“Uh- right!” These stupid crystals- “Do you want to buy some?”
“No, sorry. Maybe some other time?” Mercury said. Sure, some other time maybe.
After failing to make a sale, they left the house to try elsewhere.
Fetsy gave a final glance to Mercury.
-
Fetsy had been able to break away from the group a little bit after that.
She said she needed a little time to get some supplies for the team shields, to make them.
They were not going to make the shields.
Fetsy ran, not even stopping at her own home, back to Mercury and Cain’s.
“Hello? Mercury?” She called.
There was no answer. They went into the house, and began descending into the basement. It went far, far down, she knew, and she might be able to find them in there.
“Hello?” She called again.
“Hello?” Called back Mercury.
“Mercury! I’ve- I’ve got a lot to tell you I-“
“Wait. We should go deeper, no one will hear us down there.”
She nodded. That was smart. She followed Mercury down the stairs of the mine, to a small room.
“I meant to tell you before- the arson at Love Wins- it was Lamb, Fritz, me and.. and others.” Why didn’t she say it was Mikey and Lops? “They were looking for the Enchanter. They don’t think Beef has it, and they checked off Shay- I don’t think they know you have it, but it won’t take long to figure it out. And there’s something else-“
“Oh. We don’t have it, but we do have access to it. Bones-“ Mercury began,
“I heard my name?” A voice came from the stairs as a head peaked down.
“Shit- I thought we were low enough.”
“No, no I could hear you up there.” Bones said, entering the room. “But it’s true. I’ve got the Enchanter. I’m willing to let others use it, but they can’t know I have it.” They said, showing a corner of the table from their bag.
“Exactly. Sorry about that. What else did you have, Fetsy?” Mercury said, turning to her. She’d been quiet since Bones' arrival.
“It was j-“ She was interrupted by her communicator. They looked down to see what it was. It was a message, one from Mikey, and two from Lops.
Mikey: we r in ur hous
Lops: come home
Lops: not a threat
Fetsy turned it off quickly, without looking. “It- it was nothing. Nothing else.”
She left after that.
The walk back to her house was a short one, but she stopped to pick dandelions along the way. Hopefully they would be enough to make the dye.
To make shields.