Chapter Text
Spamton NEO -"He is his own worst invention."
Despite being bound by strings, he's much more powerful than any other opponent thus far. The mechanical suit, the embodiment of a Lightner's crushed dreams - did wonders.
You thought that it would be easier than this. Your Vessel was as strong as they could be - you gave them as many benefits as possible. But somehow, it was not enough.
Truth be told, you are not perfect at maneuvering the SOUL. You are getting better at dodging attacks, and fighting back with all of your might, but Spamton is far too powerful. He depletes you and your allies' health in just a few sudden hits.
Your mistakes are growing in numbers, your movements get slower and slower, your Vessel's pockets empty far too quickly from using up all of your healing.
It's starting to become tiresome for you, isn't it?
It's making you wonder... why do all of this in the first place?
You don't have to entertain this, do you? Not when he betrayed you. Not when he wouldn't keep his end of the bargain.
Truly, what's in it for you?
You sat with this question for quite some time.
Was there a point in continuing, just for a small reward?
Maybe your kindness will be rewarded elsewhere. Maybe someone else will give you the praise and respect that you deserve, instead of stabbing you in the back.
At this point, it's not about what you deserve. He doesn't deserve anything. Might as well get one step ahead, leave him in the dust before he can get the chance to overpower you. Or put your friends in greater danger.
Knowing what comes next, only you have the power to stop it. It's him or you.
Once again, you find yourself back where you started. Back at your consistently reliable SAVE point. You look back to see the old, broken mechanism that became the backbone to Spamton's new form. It's a little relieving to see the color drained, the body unmoving. The calm before the storm.
...
It's so quiet. The air feels heavy. You haven't had the time to just...exist here. Once the battle begins, everything transforms into something far from comfortable. The constant, fast-paced movement of the coasters, the sound of your SOUL shooting projectiles while Spamton creates equally noisy bullets of his own.
And, while he talks to you, doing his own stunts that make you continue to question his sanity. The wide smiles, the erratic dances, followed by desperate begging and pleading. The strings bounce around, matching his enthusiasm. Yet, they never struggle to hold him, even when he clearly fights against them.
Most of the time, he's not even looking at you when he speaks. Nor at Ralsei, or Susie. He tries not to keep his attention in one place.
The show that he puts on is quite a disturbing one, even though you've seen it multiple times. You wonder if, when he's in that suit, his reality is the same as yours.
At least before, he had some autonomy. Betraying him now is an act of mercy. Not like you'd actually let him win, so freedom is out of the cards, anyway.
But keeping him in the Disk, what happens if you...
...
It's better not to mess with it at all, isn't it? He was going to die either way. But at least you'll have him contained, like this.
He won't be able to hurt anyone anymore. No point wasting sympathy on a corrupted program.
Tearing your gaze away from the mechanism, you begin to backtrack. Each step echos back, the feeling of unease sinking deeper. Your pace quickens.
There's nothing to be ashamed of, you tell yourself. Turning back was the right choice.
You make sure to SAVE again, sighing in relief when the familiar warm glow of the SAVE point touches your hand.
The staircase back up is unnecessarily long. The darkness that covers the basement make it look never-ending. You slow down to a cautious walk, noticing the tiny cracks on the edge of almost every step.
And after that, you have to walk through the long, narrow hallway. The journey here never felt this long.
Eventually, a light source enters your vision. The entrance to the basement calls to you. You can hear mumbling from the outside, unable to make out the words. But, based on the gravelly yet unsure tone of voice, you conclude that Susie is behind them.
You lean your head forward, trying to focus, to get a peek of them through the door at your current distance.
But once you do, once you're only a few feet away from the exit...
Your feet, on their own, begin to drag. Your heels dig into the basement floor, so much that it begins to hurt.
You try to persist. Your hand, without warning, presses against the wall, until you come to a complete stop.
Still, you try to persist. Try to put even more effort into regaining your speed.
You try, but...
...
It seems...
You have been disconnected.
Your Vessel clenches you in their hand, turning the opposite direction. They limp pathetically through the hallway.
An unsure voice calls out through the door.
"Kris...? Is that you?"
They continue walking. Continue to struggle on this linear path.
What are they trying to do? You wish you could ask. The SOUL, as powerful as it is, has a communication barrier. This hasn't been the first time your Vessel has rebelled against you, and why that is...confuses you.
You're a fair person, at least you like to think so. You don't do anything cruel, anything you know they do not want. You treat almost every enemy with kindness, create strong bonds with your teammates and the other monsters you surround yourself with. You keep your Vessel strong and capable. You make them say the right things, make all the right choices to escape any kind of danger. In the end, everyone loves them for it. Everyone loves YOU for it.
Have you not made them better? Have you not transformed them into the ideal person?
Your Vessel is a reflection of you. And you are the hero of this world.
Should they not be kind? Should they not be strong? Should they not be heroic? Why can't they just accept the path you made for them?
Where would they be without you? Where would ANY of them be without you? Not in a better place, you're sure of that.
How ungrateful.
...
They make it to the end of the stairs, stumbling back to their SAVE point. They grab the Iron Shackle from their Armours, along with the Jevilstail, before they continue on the path you just left.
This is about HIM, isn't it?
You just want to scream. You want them to hear you.
Why?
Why waste their time? Why risk death for nothing? Is an escape from the pain not what they've been hoping for?
What do they get out of this?
The Vessel is sluggish and weak without you. Without the SOUL.
If you couldn't win the battle at your strongest, what makes them think they could do it alone? It's almost sickening to see them struggle so much, just to get to the other end of a room. They're setting themselves up for failure, and you can't advise them against it.
You can see the machine in the distance, with the Vessel slowly inching towards it with great perseverance. You hear their exhausted breaths, you see how they struggle to balance their own weight. Each step is as slow as it is heavy.
It's...pitiful, really. But they did this to themselves. You just hope they get tired of it, eventually.
After another minute, they stop moving again. At this rate, it would take twice as long to even begin the fight.
You thought it was just to catch their breath, until... You see them fiddling with the items they grabbed, the metal of the shackle clanging together like keys.
They attach the shackle to their wrist, then slowly wrap you, the SOUL, around the end of the chain. Then, they take the Jevilstail, and loop it around the hole in the chain, tying it securely into place. The tail was long enough to act as almost a second rope, and they were finally able to let go of you.
Of course, you tried to break free from these restraints, but you are too weak on your own. The Vessel holds you back almost immediately, grunting in annoyance at your insistence. They pull the chain towards them, going up their arm until you press against their shoulder. The cloth around their neck covers you completely, along with some of the chain. The rest of it is unnaturally going down their arm, but at least it's less questionable than seeing their soul sticking out of their body and wrapped around a chain.
They sigh, relieved. You are no longer a "problem" for them anymore. They can finally prove their worth by dying even more. Wonderful.
This moment didn't last long, however. Before they could even take their next step, you could both hear a thunderous, yet distant noise from upstairs. Focusing on the sound, you immediately recognize it as the voice you heard before.
"Alright, THAT'S IT! I'm gonna drag them out by their damn neck if I have to!" The voice roared, with a much more panicked voice trying to speak over it.
"W-Wait! Susie! Just be patient! We can't just--"
"TOO LATE!" Both voices grew closer, your friends have now officially entered the basement, stomping towards the bottom of the stairs. Your Vessel tenses as Susie continues to call for them.
"Kris! What the hell is going on down here?!"
They say nothing, quickening their pace as much as they're physically able to, even though they're close to tipping over already. The desperate calls only grow, and the Vessel's silence makes it worse. You wish you could go back to them, without a struggle. You wish you could ease their worries. They don't care about that as much as you do.
Regardless of your feelings, you come face to face with the mechanism again. You're almost scared to touch it now. Like it will jump out at you.
Luckily, you don't have to do that anymore.
They carelessly insert the Disk. From the depths of the dark, Spamton NEO emerges once more.
And now, all you can do is watch.