Chapter Text
After so many years of peace, everybody thought the whole sword fiasco was over. It wasn’t until the blizzard picked up and people started being ‘infected’ left and right… that the Cruel King finally knew he had to do something.
He arranged a search party to venture into the perilous nature and find Shedletsky. Someone who knows something about the swords they don’t.
“Player. You understand the stakes right? We must find Shedletsky before it’s too late.” Cruel King said with a grim face. Player nodded, their pockets were stuffed with maps and their bag was full of supplies ready for the journey. They were more than ready.
With their group of soldiers and volunteers the party set off into the wilderness. Player led the way with a map in hand. First, they must go to Roadtown.
The party ventured further into the snowy fields, the snow ever unrelenting. After hours of walking, Player finally told everyone to rest. But suddenly, rocks came tumbling down the side of the mountain. Panicked, Player and a few others fled, taking as much supplies with them as possible. But one by one, each of them was eventually crushed.
Except for Player.
Player watched, mouth agape, as one of their last men got swallowed whole by rolling rocks and snow. They didn’t have time to dwell on it, however, as they slipped and went down a small hill.
“Umphf!” Player groaned as they fell face-first on their back. What just happened? Was there anyone left?
“Hello? Anyone there?” They shouted, but they were only met with silence. Dread pooled in Player’s heart…this can’t be happening! Letting out a shaky breath, Player forced their body to move. The further they were the better.
They missed the voices of their party, their company, their laughter…now it's all replaced with solitude. They pushed on, step after step pressed into snow. They continued until the sun was setting and the darkness was just settling in.
Player set up their camp and dug out a hole for their fire until a pair of two feet came from the shadows. The two wielded red and blue swords and their clothes looked ripped and dirty.
“HEY! Who are you?” Said the one with the red sword, jabbing the sword and their direction.
“My name is Player. Who are you guys? Are you lost?” Player answered. They kinda look short…like teenagers.
“Red! Calm down! This guy is lost too..” The one with the blue sword exclaimed, placing a hand over Red’s arm. They turned to Player, “What are you doing here? It’s not easy to navigate around here.”
“I’m not lost! I have a map!” That caught the two’s attention. Player pointed to their camp, “Come and sit down with me.”
The guy named Red tensed and the blade was lifted higher.
“I have some brownies…” Player lifted the container for them to see.
They glanced at each other for a while. The other one gave a slight smile at Red and nodded, and that's when he finally put down his sword.
“FINE! But I still don't trust you!” They made their way over to the Player’s side, dropping their bags to their sides.
The trio huddled around the small fire. The sky was starting to turn dark and the temperature will drop. Player had to make this talk quickly.
After making Player eat the brownie, they took it from their hands. Player let them get comfortable for a while, before questioning them.
“What are your names? Where are you from?”
Red licked the remaining brownie from his fingers. “My name is Red, this girl over here is my twin, Blue.”
“Mhm! Red and Blue staying true!” Chirped Blue.
“We’re a search party from Blackrock but we got separated. We’ve been trying to get back for so long..like about one or two years.” Red’s usually confident face flickered with sadness for a second and Blue’s attention was now solely on the brownie.
Blackrock?! A slight smile appeared on Player’s face. They snatched up the map from their supplies unfurled it and passed it to the twins.
The map contained the paths from Blackrock to Roadtown. The shortest one was outlined by a red marker by Player, though they were kinda off course.
“This leads back to Blackrock kids! You’re welcome!” Player expected a more positive reaction from the twins. Except their attention was on something else.
“You..are going to Bizville too? Why?” Blue’s voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Player scratched their head. Huh?
“Well, my search party is after Shedletsky! But—”
“Shedletsky?!” Blue hissed. She nudged Red to get his attention.
“Huh? Whose Shedletsky?”
“Shedletsky! The guy we’re supposed to kill! Remember?”
Red raised his eyebrows. His eyes widened but it was something different now. Player felt a shiver down their spine.
Kill. Shedletsky.
“Hey, what's going on?!” Player yelled, grabbing the map. Blue pulled it away from their grip and stood up abruptly. Red promptly followed.
“Sorry, we have to go.”
Player was so confused. Watching the two twins leaping into the darkness, they felt a sense of uneasiness.
And their map was gone. So there was that.
Player put out the fire and snuggled into their sleeping bag. Those kids were so weird they couldn't stop thinking about them all night.
In all of Player’s three years of working in Blackrock, they haven't heard about any search party taking place. What was going on?