Chapter Text
"No!this isn't how it was supposed to go. This was my fate. Not his! Not my Freddis..."
A blade had just gone by his head. Neptune still staring at the half orc in front of him. "You missed" rolling his eyes. It was one against ten, she didn't stand a chance against his party.
"Did I?" The half orc didn't even have the decency to look him in the eye saying that, staring at something behind him. He didn't want to but curiosity and worry made him look back. He didn't hear the blade hit the wooden deck. He must have missed it. He had to have missed it. But as he turned.
It was supposed to be smooth sailing as they traveled home. They had retrieved the princesses crown, and were heading home now. The comfort of their own homes long overdue. They decided to help a stranger who's boat had sunk, having had a few close calls of their own.
And now the half orc, they had all been so willing to help, had just sunk a dagger into his husband's chest.
"No!this isn't how it was supposed to go. This was my fate. Not his! Not my Freddis..."
He knew he was supposed to die on this trip. His God had told him that the night before they left, but he promised that his family would be fine.
"You bastar-"
It was dark. His own sword used against him. He knew it's magic all to well. Nellie having cut him with it dozens of times during training. Never having rolled high enough to do any actual damage, but still the cuts stung like a bitch. He didn't even notice that the half orc had taken it. Let alone rolled a nat 20.
The party:
Neptune head rolled in front of us. It happened so fast. No one had even noticed her take his sword. He always said it was special. That no one but him or his daughter should touch it. I didn't think he meant it was a one hit kill. Neptune hadn't taken any damage yet. That sword had to have some insane bonuses to kill him that fast, and now it was in our enemy's hands.
She just kept coming at us. Even Zandrite and Ezran seemed to be a hit from death. "Endra, do something and fucking heal already" Zandrite yelled. He knew she was doing everything she could. That orc hitting her everytime she tried to heal, but Zandrite didn't know what else to do. He was scared. They were all scared, and even worse? Nellie had come up from below deck, and it was clear she had seen her both of her fathers dead bodies still laying on the deck. The half orc stopped her attack on Samira. Now focusing on little Nellie, "and I'll take you as my prize."
The DM: Samira roll perception
"That's a 20 total, why?"
You look around at your fallen party, unable to watch as the half orc goes towards Nellie. Neptune's body seems to be missing. The half orc isn't holding the sword any more, but she doesn't seem to notice.
Neptune:
It was warm. Unbearably warm. Like I was sitting on a bed of hot coals. "My darling Neptune" He knew that voice, it had been twenty years but he's sure it's her. He opens his eyes, a much taller older woman stood over him. Her skin had taken a much deeper red hue than when she was alive. She had long curling horns now, and her nails seemed to act more like claws. She looked more like the demon her parents said she was, but Neptune could only focus on the comforting green eyes of his mother. "Oh you've grown into such a handsome young man." His mother eyed him for a minute before sighing. "If only you hadn't gotten your father's sense of style" Neptune sat up, his body hating every move. He couldn't help but let out a small cry when he sat on one of his wings... wait? Did I just say wings? "We've got a lot to explain" His father's voice silencing him.
The party:
The world seemed to still as the half orc made her way to Nellie. The poor girl was still focused on her father. Even Adolina's screams couldn't force her to move. Esther tried to use eldritch blast, but the ships rocking made him shoot Ezrans sword almost throwing it off the ship. This was it. The entire party down and now that awful orc was going to take their kid. The world flashed red when she finally grabbed Nellie. Nellie was safely by her fathers side. Freddi just looked like he was sleeping now, his chest rose and fell taking in each breath as he rolled to face his crying daughter. The party looked around, still clearly hurt but everyone was stable. Samiras gun reloaded on its own, and Ezrans sword in its rightful place.
The half orc:
"What the fuck?" I had just grabbed that little brat, after beating the party. It's not like it was hard or anything. They were a bunch of cocky weaklings. Telling me all about their wins from their trip. They had just gotten lucky that's all, but where am I now? I feel like I'm floating. "Why is it so loud? It's like there's a thousand voices screaming in my head."
"Those are the voices of the damned" a gruff voice said from behind me. Had I said that out loud? Wait. I know that voice. That was that loser, Neptune I think, but when I turned it wasn't Neptune that I saw. Neptune was weak, the way he bruised at the slightest tap on the shoulder, his skin covered in scars from lost battles, arms and legs bandaged from his most recent loss. No, this was someone else. This was someone I could actually fight. Large purple wings that seem to suck the light from everything around them, scars that tell a story of a thousand battles, glowing red eyes that showed pure hate for me, a serpents tongue darted out exposing large fangs. He was hungry for a fight, and so was I.
Neptune:
One hit was all it took. Her head fell screaming into the void. Destined to only join the chorus of other voices. In a past life I might have let her live, but she decided she didn't want my mercy when she put her filthy hands on my daughter.
"My dearest Nellie" I turned to my mother now at my side. "I think it's time I got to meet my granddaughter"
The party: Adolina had run up to Nellie crying, once she realized everyone was alright. Endra held her brothers hand, "you were dead? How are you okay now?" The thought had filled everyone's head but no one else could say it.
"Neptune saved me, guided me back to my body." Neptune.. he was still missing. His blood still stained the wood, but surely with everyone else okay he had to be. He made it out right? Feng wiped fallen tears from Zandrites face. Ezran looked a Zandrite, a look of disbelief. The three of them had been together since the start. They always made it back to eachother. Neptune couldn't be gone. Not after all they had gone through. Esther helped up Samira, falling into her arms once she stood. "He can't be gone, please, he can't. Not yet." Samira couldn't do anything but hold them. No words could make this better. Ey had just lost his friend, had almost lost his life, and they couldn't do anything to make it better. They didn't notice when a few tears of their own fell. Their trance only broken by a hand on their shoulder and a familiar voice. "Let me take it from here" bright red eyes surrounded by dark purple skin seemed to be the only familiar part of this new creature. Neptune's grown out dye hair seem to grow black now, dark grey horns twice the size they were before seemed to frame his face no longer sitting awkwardly on his head, his scars seemed to wrap around him fitting him perfectly as if they was sculpted with him and not a later addition, and strangest of all a pair of dark purple wings wrapped around him laying on his shoulders as if they were to heavy for him to carry normally.