Chapter Text
Evan sighed, clasping his hands together. It was bad. Well, maybe not that bad, but it was still pretty bad.
He had just finished helping his bees with a horrid varroa mite infestation, which had infected a ton of his other Hives, and now about half of those infected hives had lost a devastating amount of workers. Some had even lost their queens . Which meant that it was going to be rough. They needed all the honey they could get to repair, and he’d have to make sure the hives that had lost their queens made another, or just re-queen them instead. An expensive endeavor, especially since his sales were declining and winter was right around the corner.
He needed to do something about all of it. His best bet was to use some of his emergency savings to buy new queens for the most affected hives, then let the rest raise a queen themselves. But that left rent… he didn’t have much money on hand due to just resupplying, plus buying the queens (which were ridiculously expensive) would leave him very short. And the last thing he wanted was to be in a constant state of ever-increasingly debt thanks to one missed payment.
America was truly, in fact, the best state ever.
If he left the hives to fend for themselves, then he could completely lose them. Which would mean more costs later down the line trying to rehouse new hives. Which was very tedious, and one could never know the temperament of a hive until they’re either stinging you, or just crawling around you and exploring your beekeeping suit.
“I need a side-hustle.” Evan mumbled.
He had to get the queens. They were expensive, but sixty or so dollars each to save a few hives in the grand scheme of things wasn’t awful. If he just picked up a quick side-job, he might be able to pay off rent. Problem was, he had to hold it down for a while. At least until he made some better sales with the honey he had stored away, and had enough money to keep him comfortable for a while. Winters were always stressful for him, but this might just be the worst winter he’ll have by far.
He let out a long sigh, falling back onto his bed. Frankly, the entire situation felt awful- he hated thinking about taxes and worrying about his lovely little bees, but what’s a man to do? He likes beekeeping- it’s always been a dream of his and he wouldn’t have it any other way- becoming a pencil pusher was a no-go for him. If he has to make hard decisions to keep thriving with a hobby he adores, then so fucking be it.
What he needed was a distraction. Something to take his mind off of things for a bit, so he could recuperate a bit. He could find a hustle tomorrow, but he really needed a clear headspace right now- it could do wonders for his confidence in fixing his current problems. Although… he wasn’t sure what exactly to-
Bzzz.
“...Huh?” Evan pulled out his phone, noticing that the vibration was from a Discord notification.
He opened up his phone to its home screen, and flicked his thumb down to see the message.
SmepPep: @bee_buzzin_fella dude… wanna Forsaken it? My friends say theres no way ur goated at twotime tomfoolery… they say jason soloes but like… we gotta show em
He smiles softly, grateful for the ping.
Porcedips: @smepperpepper Fuck yeag dud. Les do it. I;ll be on in lik. a min or two
+++
Evan ran through practiced motions, firing up his gaming PC (which was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment purchase after he had succeeded initially with his hobby) and ensuring his setup was to his liking- adjusting his mouse and chair. Right after his computer opened, he wasted no time in booting up Discord.
(middle align)
Porcedips: @smepperpepper vc?
SmepPep: HEELLLYEAHH!!!! @flashgritz @glittering_light @buffmen_enjoyer @ANARCHIST_UNLOVED guyss wanna forsake it and vc w/ me and Dips
ANARCHY!: Indeed, my good friend.
DokiDoki: Yaaa!!! Want me to record? This is about the bet with @UNKNOWN_BELOW right?
Detective Anonymous: Whag. oh that lmfao.
SmepPep: @glittering_light pls do… you editing god
DokiDoki: heh…
GritzSplitz: Count me in I love forsaking it… heh. Heh.
Buffy: You know it! Also @flashgritz die.
GritzSplitz: :[
Detective Anonymous: @smepperpepper i wanna join too… see it w/ my own eyes. Maybe clip it for tasty twitter likes
SmepPep: Okay pooks
Porcedips: alright guys… get in the vc or I shoot all of you in the heag
SmepPep: heag
Detective Anonymous: heag
GritzSplitz: heag
DokiDoki: heag
ANARCHY!: Heag.
Porcedips: I hope u all crash and burn <3 :bee_fury:
Evan chuckled at the already-blooming shenanigans, and hopped into the private server he shared with them all.
He arrived first, Smep coming in second, then Doki, Det. Anon, Gritz, Buffy, and last but not least, Anarchy. He raised a quick eyebrow, noticing Det’s high malice of thirteen.
“Guess we’ll put those ‘godly’ dodging skills of yours to the test, eh? Hope you’re ready for hitbox-accurate Jason gameplay…” Det. Anon snickered, likely rubbing his hands together like an evil fly.
Evan winced. Hitbox-accurate Jason…? This was going to be a rough match.
+++
The start went smoothly, Evan managing to finish off two machines as Two Time as his friends did the others.
Unfortunately, Anarchy wasn’t very lucky this match. They played Chance, as usual, and probably got a shit-ton of weakness before they could use their hat trick. As such, Det. Anon found them and made quick work of them with a simple Gashing Wound.
Doki was next, as healing SmepPep put her in serious danger. Det. Anon landed a Behead, locking her out of Rush Hour and chasing her down until she died.
“I knew I should’ve played Builderman instead…” She sighed.
“I believe in you Doki, you’ll get that Elliot mastery someday!” Buffy cheered.
Right before he missed a slash, causing him to get hit with a Gashing Wound, which made him get stuck in a wall, and then he was easily finished off.
Evan was finishing up the last machine when SmepPep died, a missed block sealing his fate. He nervously watched as Gritz’s health dipped lower and lower, before he too, died.
“Dude… I casted like one shield throughout that entire fucking game.”
“ And missed all your zaps.”
“Bitch.”
Evan snickered, but LMS kicking in definitely stressed him out a bit. Being forced into his second life wasn’t ideal, but at least he had plenty of health.
Time to show Det. Anon what a max level Two Time could do…
It wasn’t long before that familiar chase music played, and Evan forced himself off the machine in favor of running. While there were countless memes of Jason’s hitbox being ‘broken,’ the truth was- hitboxes were client-sided. And he knew for a fact that Det. Anon’s ping was excellent- meaning that he could easily weave around him like nobody’s business.
He smirked, his victory secured.
+++
“How the hell are you weaving like that dude? It’s actually impressive.”
“Skill.”
“I mean… I guess that’s the only thing you can learn with a character who’s only ability is respawning.”
“Oh, just wait until his rework…”
“I’d love to see you try and learn to be a half-baked Sentinel.”
“Says the guy about to lose.” He chuckled.
Thirty seconds were left on the clock, and Evan was simply running circles around Jason, swooping to and fro with practiced ease. He hadn’t even gotten hit once , and it made his grin even wider.
B l i n k a n d y o u ’ l l m i s s i t .
+++
It was an odd sensation, Evan thought to himself, feeling the physical world around him simply… disconnect. His body was there, but he felt all physical sensations drift away, as if he was being pulled away from his body slowly, delicately, even.
Ah. There you are. We meet once more, Evan Logsdon.
It seems this world has been kinder to you. At least, until now.
‘What? Who the hell- what the FUCK - wait- do I… do I know you… two?’
Once. In another time, in another place.
But it was yet another hell. In a sense, of course.
It is surprising that you recognize us- but I suppose worlds are closer than you know.
‘Not… really? It’s more like a… massive sense of deja vu. I feel cautious of you, but… relieved? Like you’ve solved a problem of mine before-’
Multiple eyes of prismatically colored brilliance opened up, shining with glee. How wonderful! Yes, yes, that is all true! We’ve solved a problem of yours before, once upon a world. We can do so again, if you so agree! Tendrils thrashed in what Evan assumed was excitement.
Excuse my coworker’s… enthusiasm . But yes, we can aid with your little money problem. Consider it a… what did you call it?
‘A… side-hustle?’
There was a resonating snap, filling the dark void all around him. Yes… that was it. Many thanks. You fulfill a few hours a week of our assigned task, and we pay you handsomely.
Manipulating your world to perceive the money we will give you is legitimate is voiding’s play, compared to the chaos you will feed us with.
‘...Money? To… fix everything?’
Not just that. This contract will last as long as you like, meaning you can beekeep and never worry of funds again. You can create the sanctuary you have always dreamed of. You can raise any species of bee you’d like.
Only if you accept our offer, of course.
A small contract appeared before him, a quill beside it.
Ah, wait… this is a bit outdated, no?
The quill was quickly replaced by a pen, and Evan could only gape.
‘I uh- will there be clarification on the job?’
Of course. We can give it now, or it can be implanted directly into your head upon your signage.
That was… something. On one hand, these weird extra-dimensional beings could be up to no good, but Evan had a feeling that they were genuinely helpful to him before. When and where? He wasn’t sure. He tried his best to remember when these two had ‘allegedly’ helped him, but the only clue he got was a brief glimpse of pale skin and golden horns before his brain short-circuited. He got a very nasty headache for his trouble.
Don’t- don’t do that. I don’t even know WHY or HOW you can do that, but don’t.
Talk about an inter-world connection. That must have been painful.
‘Yeah… yeah, it was… fuck.’
Aside from the headache, it became clearer that… whatever that thing was, it was happy. Happy and somehow connected to him.
You know what? What did he have to lose? He’d take the deal. He’d save his bees no matter what- he cared for them more than anything.
‘Fuck it. Sign me up.’ He stated boldly, yanking the pen and scribbling his name in.
The void became clearer, and Evan could make out two very different beings. One humanoid, one vaguely resembling an octopus. They looked down at him, pleased.
This was much easier the second time around.
You’re telling me!
+++
“Congratulations! You won!” Doki laughed, the entire voice chat exploding into cheers.
Det. Anon sighed, chuckling. “That was one hell of a round man. Smep wasn’t lying dude. You are goated at Two Time.”
“Told ya’ so! Now Venmo me fittee dollah.”
“We agreed on twenty-five!”
Evan let the argument between friends become background noise, pondering what exactly happened while he was… absent. He won, sure, but when?
He opted to clear his throat instead of thinking too hard about it. “So… you guys up for another round?”
There were murmurs of ‘no’s’ and ‘something just came up’. And plenty of overall confusion. Everyone agreed pretty quickly on it all being a ‘weird coincidence’ and laughed it off.
It must be them. Their way of telling me to start my new job right now. Otherwise, it wouldn’t feel so sudden. They must be preeettyyy excited to see me start…
“Aight. See you guys later.”
They said their goodbyes, leaving the chat. Evan followed suit, turning back to his game tab to realize that he was forced out of his own private server with only a single message to explain it.
Rejoin when you are ready.
Well… that certainly wasn’t ominous at all.
Truth be told, he could just… step away from all of this. But he did sign a contract, and what did he have to lose? It was either go with… whatever had just transpired, or…
Lose everything he had worked so hard to achieve.
He had to bite the bullet.
Evan inhaled sharply, and pressed ‘join’ on his private server.
+++
It was definitely a sensation he wasn’t a fan of, as pressing the button had made everything go dark immediately. He couldn’t feel anything either, aside from his body turning to liquid- or something weird and flowy. Maybe it wasn’t liquid per say, but it felt odd. Like he was made up of everything yet nothing all at once.
Well. I’m supposed to get told my mission, right? Didn’t those weird guys say something about chaos?
Ahem, ahem. If you are hearing this message, you have accepted our deal and are currently being… appropriately configured and transported to Forsaken. We are keeping the more minor details hidden from you, for entertainment’s sake. But just know. You are to act as a messenger of chaos, sowing as much discord as possible, while also adhering to the Spectre’s side of our deal.
Which of course, is just to ensure the cycle of misery, suffering and malice continues. Our goals somewhat overlap, so it shouldn’t be too hard. Especially not with the predicament we gave to you, nor who you will find yourself as.
G o o d l u c k .
They can pre-record messages like that? Sounds convenient and ohh my god I feel like a slushie wait wait wait-
+++
A round was soon to start, and Two Time prayed to the Spawn, asking for Their warmth and protection in these deplorable games. Perhaps if the others dedicated themselves to the Spawn, they too, could survive like they could. But currently, they viewed them as crazy. Incredibly rude, but non-believers are simply that way. All those except the Divine Pumpkin, that is.
They sighed wistfully as they felt that familiar feeling of impending doom- wishing that they could pray for just a bit longer. No matter how much they devoted themselves to the Spawn, it always seemed like they never had enough time to do so properly.
One day… one day they’d revere their Deity as They should be revered.
As Two Time felt the world begin to fade away as the round began, they noticed strange, golden glimmers- or perhaps sparks- begin to appear. At first they assumed it to be a trick of the light, but the sudden appearances of them grew more and more frequent- each one lasting longer than the one that fizzled out before it. Soon enough, it was as if a shower of golden sparks was raining upon Two Time.
They were puzzled, hoping that it was a blessing from the Spawn, but also being wary of another of the Spectre’s tricks to lead them astray from the guiding light of the Spawn- it wasn’t the first time it stooped so low.
They simply stood still, waiting for the sparks to either vanish, or prove themselves as a blessing. Each time one landed on their skin (which was quite often) it left a strange, numbing sensation.
Was the round taking longer than usual to start, or were they just imagining things?
Soon the numbing sensation began to gradually disappear along with the sparks- but a sense of wrong lingered within Two Time. But they ignored it- if nothing inherently harmful happened immediately, then it was likely to be a blessing! Oh, praise the Spawn!
A manic giggle bubbled from their throat as they were transported to the next location of the ‘games’ they played, gradually losing consciousness.
+++
Evan jerked awake, feeling incredibly disoriented. It felt like someone put him through a grater and sprinkled him on something- it wasn’t a nice sensation, to say the least. Plus, he just felt weird in general. There was an odd weight on his lower back, and the sensation of cloth on his hands- was he wearing gloves, or something?
“Robloxia to Two Time? You there or what? I could use some help on the generator over there!” Wait. Someone else was here? Why’d they call him- oh. So this is what they meant.
“Huh?” Saying ‘huh’ wasn’t too out of character for Two Time, right?
“Just- it’s right over there, you can help me once you’re done doing… whatever it is you do.” As he continued blankly staring at a wall, (Planet Voss , he noted internally) he finally turned to the source of the voice.
And saw the back of a very familiar suit. Chance? They must’ve spawned close to him.
I should probably follow him. See how things differ from the game.
It was weird trying to walk, seeing as this body felt much more fragile than his original. There was also the simple fact of… him having a tail feeling very weird.
“Man… does it ever stop moving? Quit that!” He mumbled, trying (and failing) to grab the wiggly appendage. Maybe it was best to leave it be for now… he could resume chasing it somewhere safer.
Evan huffed angrily towards the uncooperative thing, attempting to get used to how it swished in tandem with his movements. He had a better chance of surviving by being with, well, Chance, seeing as they was a Sentinel, and Two Time was very much just a punching bag or incredibly infuriating.
“Did you really have to invite them over?”
“I mean… they’ve gotta do something, right?”
Oh, right. Two Time used different pronouns than he did. Probably best to get used to that to avoid suspicion. And also start using them him- themself. Just be the character Evan, it’s just like DnD. Yeah. Totally.
“I have arrived.” Evan stated as neutrally as possible, making sure to smile as wide as possible without showing teeth. Normal Two Time behavior. Right?
Chance’s guard suddenly seemed to go up, before being forcibly released. “Hah! Yep. There’s- this generator here could use some of that good ol’... Two Time magic!”
The other survivor besides him at the generator- Elliot it seemed, made his discomfort more known.
Probably best to ignore that.
“Yes… I will give my aid to you.” They stated, kneeling down to help with the generators. The wires appeared similar to the ones in-game, each one a color he remembered. Unlike the game, however, they were all tangled up.
Ev- Two Time quickly got to work untangling the wires, connecting each by color while ensuring they weren’t touching. Each time they did so, it revealed another panel with more tangled wires within. It was actually really easy- a combination of patience and experience from untangling various things (he had tried to get into quite a few hobbies- including those involving yarn and thread) made it a breeze.
He didn’t even notice Chance and Elliot stopping to stare as he completed the machine quickly.
“Wow. You've been practicing or what?” Chance asked, a little incredulous.
“I gue- I simply let the Spawn guide my hand. Perhaps you’d like to learn how?” He rattled off, making sure to stare without blinking. Putting up an act was hard, and he’d really like it if they just left.
“Chance, I think we should go check on the others. Two Time’s clearly got the machines covered, you know?”
“Uhh… yeah. They do. Good luck!”
H- They watched as the two quickly scampered off, and shrugged. They’d have to figure out if they could do certain things later- like check who died or access settings. It’d be funny to ragdoll into a wall and slowly scoot down in real time… but that was for later. Surviving and figuring shit out was more important.
“I’ll just run around and see what happens… wonder who the killer is this time.”
+++
When they were transported to the round, Two Time saw themself- which was odd, because this was Planet Voss- not Yorick’s Resting Place. There was no poisonous water to reflect their image. So why could they see themself-?
They moved.
They didn’t remember telling their body to move- it just did. Only then did Two Time realize Chance was calling out to them, but it was not them who responded.
Something was possessing them. Another of the Spectre’s twisted games-?
“Man… does it ever stop moving? Quit that!”
Two Time watched this… demon try and manhandle their precious gift from the Great Spawn, causing them to grit their teeth in displeasure. How dare it?! The only solace for them was the fact that the creature posing as them could not seem to grab it. It sighed, moving on to help with generators.
Two Time spotted Elliot and Chance, silently praying that they would notice that something was wrong- that their body was being puppeteered by something unholy.
“I have arrived.” The imposter stated, clearly smiling all too wide- it was already going to out itself. What a pathetic attempt at deception.
Instead of immediately attacking the demon masquerading as them, both Chance and Elliot seemed unsettled, but motioned for it to come help them.
This only aggravated Two Time further- how could they be so dense?! They had all been trapped in this hell together- Two Time had memorized each and every one of their habits, barring the ever-reclusive 007n7. And they couldn’t even lift a finger to do the same?! Shameful!
Not only that, but the imposter was clearly better with the generators than they were. It left the other two survivors in awe, which would have made Two Time preen if it wasn’t for the simple fact that this was not them.
There was no point trying to contact anyone, either. They already knew that they were just a spectator the moment their body moved and spoke without them. A ghost, forced to watch over their own demented possessor.
“I’ll just run around and see what happens… wonder who the killer is this time.”
…Just how much did this creature know? What exactly did it want? Why Two Time? Was it a usurper? Did it want to try and use their body to figure out how to use the Spawn’s blessings? Was it part of some sort of game the Spectre tried to play?
These questions would not be answered without observation, and it seemed that they had no choice but to watch- their ethereal form was dragged over to their body each time they were deemed too far from it.
The creature seemed to know the map very well, checking all the usual generator locations… and Two Time intended to observe it as much as possible. If they somehow regained control, they had to make it obvious that they were two separate beings. Might as well learn about the demon in the meantime.
+++
As Evan finished up the last generator, he couldn’t help but feel like he was being watched. Maybe spectating was still a thing here? As far as he knew there could still be some applied game logic. And if there was… he’d have to choose his words carefully. Last thing he needed was for the others to notice that they were using slang, despite being a cultist who never even had pizza before.
Well, the generators were easy enough, so he could just sit around and do nothing until something interesting happened. Like finding another survivor… they hadn’t seen anyone since Chance and Elliot a while back. Which was definitely odd…
“Am I going to face an LMS on my first day here…?” He mumbled as quietly as possible, internally bashing himself for not being more flowery with his words.
As if confirming their suspicions, he jumped at the sudden volume of music blaring in his ears. Not to mention the sudden feeling of weightlessness, followed by a tingling sensation on their back, and a sudden burst of strength.
Wings? Oh damn- I AM the last man standing- who just died, I wonder?
Unfortunately, Two Time had no unique LMS encounters, (except for Barber Jason if they were bald, but that hasn’t been added yet as far as he knew) so it was a tossup as to who he was up against. He scanned the area around him, noticing a yellow outline. It honestly looked a lot like-
Of course. My favorite fucking killer.
And then he heard a rumbling. Instinctively running away from John Doe’s spikes. Planet Voss was normally a pretty bad map for the trapper, but if he already wiped (presumably) a full lobby… then Evan had to lock in.
He just barely outran the range of the spikes, immediately slowing down afterwards to preserve stamina. In Forsaken, making sure your stamina never dropped to zero was imperative to ensuring that it regenerated faster. Hopefully it worked the same here, too.
I don’t know how ‘real’ this world is. How much it takes from Forsaken- or if it has slight links to Roblox itself. I should be careful.
There was heavy breathing right behind him, and he quickly looked back. John Doe wasn’t far behind, and holy shit he was a lot scarier in person. Actually, he wasn’t blocky at all- more humanoid, bar the baldness and skin color- and the giant spiky arm glimmering with 1s and 0s. Oh, and the claws.
Oh… did I not notice the fact that I had fingers earlier…? Some things never change…
For some reason, he felt an instinctual fear upon sighting the corruption- what was that about?
Ohhhhwhatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthe FUCK- comeoncomeoncalmdownyou’vekitedaJohnDoebefore-
They inhaled sharply, quickly turning to run at the corrupted killer. Despite (presumably) being mindless, this made John Doe pause for a brief moment- before he took his chance and swung. Evan just barely danced out of reach, letting out a small, nervous chuckle. Even his wings gave a stiff twitch.
Huh. So they move… probably still can’t fly though.
John Doe seemed completely unphased by this, opting to swing again- missing once more, thanks to Two Time sharply turning around him. Since not everything was bound down by game rules, he found himself delighted by being able to give a little ‘hop’ over the corrupted trail.
There was a deep growl, and a clawed hand lashed towards him again. They dodged once more, darting to John’s left. This resulted in a very unsettling screech coming from the killer- amplifying the unease already present from the sight of his corruption.
“Idi- You will have to try much harder than that, if you wish to end me.” They mocked, putting some distance between them and the killer.
How much time was left? Was there a way to tell?
T h i r t y s e c o n d s .
Huh. That was… oddly convenient.
His momentary disregard to John Doe caused him to get hit, and they winced at the weird tingling sensation the blow gave them. They used to speed boost to put some more distance between them, and he turned back to wait for the chase. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long- John was all too excited to put down the pest annoying him.
T w e n t y s e c o n d s .
They rushed towards the killer again, circling him to avoid a strike. He backpedaled, keeping his eye on the ever-furious monster.
“Hah… what shall you do now? Victory is out of your reach.” While they only told the truth, Doe only roared in response- kneeling briefly.
Oh shit- is his spike cooldown already over?!
They paused their movements, locking eyes with the hacker. They weren’t great with ankle-breaking the trapper, but they knew a few good tricks to help with it. Such as standing still and waiting for right before the spikes spawned, dodging while the John Doe was unprepared to direct the spikes. Either that or they would overcompensate, swirling the spikes and completely missing due to expecting a last-second move.
It seemed that it was the former, and Evan Two Time dashed to the left, frantically trying to avoid the spikes as they turned to chase them. One just barely clipped their wing, and they winced and the slight burning sensation they received. At least it didn’t seem like getting grazed would hit them with full damage.
T e n S e c o n d s .
With such little time left, he wasted no time sprinting away, weaving between buildings and random walls to make as much distance between him and Doe as possible. This was a guaranteed win- with only a hit and a graze against him, there was no way that Doe could do enough damage within ten seconds to stop him.
And he was right.
+++
They wheezed as they suddenly felt that odd strength leave them, and soon found themselves sitting at a table- alone. There were eight other seats aside from their own, and they soon pushed themselves out of the chair. When did that happen? Weren’t they just outrunning John Doe-? If this is what happened each time he got whisked away after a round, he’s not sure how much he’d enjoy all of this.
Wait. If I’m at the cabin, then that means-
“Hah! That was one hell of a chase Two Time!”
Oh, it was just Chance. Wait. Oh God. How the hell is he supposed to deal with all the other survivors?!
His eye twitched at the thought, and Chance took a cautious step back.
This is going to be a veeeery long day…