Chapter Text
“Heh… its kinda fucked, isn’t it?” a man, blood dripping down from his body, would chuckle as he stepped forwards, reaching behind him to pull out a single knife. The bladed edge, well taken care of, would gleam in the ethereal light as shaky hands would grip it as tightly as they could, like it was their last lifeline. “You and me, standing here, having our little song and dance… is it entertaining to you?”
Their gaze raised to the sight before them, a beautiful Ethereal being, body fluttering and flowing like petals mixed with a wedding dress. A thinner upper body resembling a human rested on top of it, but where a head usually sat was a glowing core, solid and glowing with power, as it stared down at the man, before roaring in response.
“Heh, and here I am, talking to myself…” the man sighed, reversing his grip on the blade as he settled into a lower fighting stance. A tinge of flame would blow out of his mouth as he let out a laugh, looking up at the massive Ethereal with an unhinged grin. “...not like that ever stopped me. So c’mon, you fucking flower. Lets see who breaks first, your immortal self, or my self that won’t die!”
With a roar from both of them, the two immediately rushed towards the other, long petals reared back to smack the man to the ground, while the man momentarily sped up, wind surrounding the two as they would clash in a power struggle…
Way back when, inside the Dead End Hollow, it’s as peaceful as an active hollow can be. The roars of the Ethereals that infest the broken railroads. The laughter of Hollow raiders, as they work for their usual materials to sell to make a living.
The giant Ethereal wandering through the broken trainyard would be used to all these sounds, wandering through its hunting grounds, curious if anyone were foolish enough to enter its hunting grounds. Twirling the large spear blade it had in its hands, it’d walk over to one of the still-standing trains, lifting its blade…
Before cutting through it with ease, partially crushing the rest with the raw power it used. It didn’t need technique. It didn’t need to be cut perfectly. The raw power it used was enough… but it could always use more.
Amidst the usual sounds and melodies that would dance throughout the Hollow, a new sound would join the fray accompanied by a bright white light, though not as pleasant. It sounded like someone yelling… screaming. Maybe begging for help?
Whatever the new sound was, it was annoying. Not worth his time. He’d rather continue smacking around the trains than focus on whatever the annoying sound was.
As for the loud yelling, the source of it?
A man…
Falling out of a rift in the sky. Screaming bloody murder.
“...waitwaitwaitohshitOHSHITFUCKWAITPLEASEFUCKINGWOR-”
Before slamming hard into the ground, bouncing from the force of the impact, the air left the man's lungs as he rolled with the momentum, doing his best to disperse it as best as he could, but still taking major damage from hitting the ground directly. Straight concrete… yum.
He’d lay there for just a moment, letting out a pitiful groan of pain, doing his best to recover from his… roughly 15-20 stories fall? However high, god it was painful. He was just glad to not have a concussion after that. …hopefully.
Taking one more deep breath to flood his lungs with that oh-so sweet oxygen (and whatever dust particles are in the air), he’d push himself onto his knees, shaking his head clean of any dust, before patting himself down and doing a simple check on his body. Head? No injury, thank god. And not missing a single ginger hair, sweet! Back? Sore, might need a good night's rest. Still got his knife though, so that’s good. Side? Tender, the shoulder took most of it, but he’ll live. Mana? ….magic? Hello?
The man stood up for a second, slightly wobbly on his feet due to the impact of the fall. Taking a moment to steady himself, he’d take a deep breath, before holding out his hand, staring at it. Closing his eyes and letting the breath flow out of him, he brought to his mind the mental image of the winds swirling around him, focusing on the feel of it, as if trying to bring it to life.
Finally, he’d reach out, only for the air to snap sharply, causing them to flinch. Huh… that’s weird. Usually, the flow of energy, or Mana, can be felt anywhere, and manipulated… but this strange place… It felt stagnant. otherworldly.
And yet, as he stood there… It felt pleasant. Like a gentle song was caressing his mind, flowing through his body. Singing something that he couldn’t understand. The more he listened… the more he wanted to relax. Just sit down, and let it overwhelm his body.
Yet, he had a job to do. And the fact that he’s somewhere new doesn’t help… especially after the weird portal that brought him here.
“...y’know, usually you make a joke about guys going into holes, Yokubo. Charging in headfirst, without a care.” he glanced around him, taking in the scenery of the destroyed area, talking to himself like it was completely normal.
But once he didn’t hear a response, that’s when he started to get worried. “...hello? Yokubo? Aku? C’mon, I'll even take Kyojin at this point.” He looked around expectantly, tapping his foot.
Yet nobody came…
“...guys? It's… too quiet…” he’d call out once more, in hopes of a response. Upon finding none, his shoulders sagged, as he rubbed the back of his head. Great, now he’s alone too, and talking to himself. Maybe it is lucky that he’s alone, so no one else can hear him going crazy.
Then again, being called crazy was the least of his worries. The fact he was alone, his spells weren’t working, and the weird music constantly playing in his head, was crazier in his opinion, as he scratched his head.
Before pausing at two familiar large bumps… wait. If his magic ain’t working, that means… oh god, his horns are showing? Fuck! His hands wrapped around the bony protrusion from his head, gripping it tightly and pulling at it, as if hoping it would disappear, before letting out a sigh, his tail smacking the ground in fru-
Oh right. FUCK. he’d turn his head to look behind him, staring at the long, thin tail, completely black, tipped with a flat triangle that was sharp at the edges. It would sway lazily through the air as he watched it for a second, before grumpily grabbing it and wrapping it around his waist, giving it a little pat. Oh once he got a moment to himself, he’d hide them as soon as possible.
Now was the issue of figuring out where he was. His earlier scan of the area just showed half-finished houses, railways, and so much debris he was surprised he wasn’t in some post-apocalyptic area, overrun by monsters. Or maybe he was? Would explain how there was nobody around.
Looking to the sky, he’d stare at the bluish sky above, before frowning, staring closer at it. Every now and then, a triangle outline appeared in the sky, pulsing with energy, as if the sky wasn’t re- oh god please tell him that he isn’t in a simulation!
Wherever he is, it's abandoned, strange, and making him feel worse and worse by the second. It left a bad taste in his mouth, like sour lemons gone bad. Regardless, he’d have to get moving.
So, choosing a random direction, his feet would carry him forwards, hand reaching in front of him, before doing a simple rotation of his wrists, making a cookie appear between his index and middle finger. Thank god that spell still worked. Nom.
As he continued walking, his gaze kept swapping from one spot to another, keeping an eye out for anything that could tell him more. Crystals growing out of the surrounding area, a weird plant or two, and many, many construction materials that really shouldn’t be here. Whatever was being built, was definitely a major project. But it must’ve been abandoned for quite some time, considering the build-up of dust on most surfaces.
Suddenly, he’d stop, staring ahead, eyes narrowed in confusion. Standing in front of him was this weird… gray man? From its neck, it would protrude out similar to a flower, while the bulb itself was a glowing black core. What was even more interesting was the giant sign it was carrying with ease, as if it was completely normal. Huh… what a weirdo.
(for us, the readers, it's an Ethereal called a Faun.)
Regardless of the gray man’s… near naked state, the ginger dude decided that it might as well try to be friendly to whatever survivor/person/weirdo this man was, walking up with a small smile and a wave, trying to seem unthreatening.
“Hey, are you like, a local or something? Listen man, I'm kinda lost, and I’ll be honest, everything here is weird. And awfully quiet as well. Would you happen to know the way out of here?” his smile remained soft, as he casually walked closer to the man, returning his hand to the pocket of his hoodie.
The gray man/creature/weirdo didn’t respond verbally, but it would take slow, shuffling steps forwards towards the stranger, dragging the large metal sign behind it as it inched closer and closer.
“...not much of a talker? That’s fine, listen, I just need you to point me in the right direction. Then again, do you even understand me?” ginger boy questioned as he finally got within arm's distance of the strange gray man, closing his eyes and tilting his head in a friendly manner. “I just wanna get home and go relax, y’know? Long day and i could use a bre-”
THWACK!
The sound of metal colliding with flesh would ring out through the hollow, as the Faun swung violently at the man in front of him, striking him hard directly in the head due to the opening it was given, sending the man tumbling to the ground, holding where the Faun had struck.
“AGH! FUCK! YOU FUCKIN- what the hell was that for! I-” nursing his injured face, he turned to stare at the Faun, looking quite pissed off for a man who was clocked upside the head with what was basically a stop sign. But before he could finish yelling at the man/Faun, he’d watch it bring up the jagged bottom of its sign over its head…
Before bringing it down through his body.
“Ugh, are we there yet?” an annoyed cat Thiren would groan, throwing its head back to let the world know of her annoyance, as she walked with her group through the Dead End Hollow. Her gaze would swap over to their so-called leader, a girl with pink bubblegum hair in twin tails, walking ahead of the group with a briefcase clasped in her hand. The rest of the group, a silver haired girl in green, and an automaton wearing the sickest jacket and carrying a dual set of revolvers, would spare the Cat Thiren a glance, before looking back towards their boss as well.
“Fret not! We’re just taking care of some easy money commission to confirm some weird data stuff for Phae, so once we get closer to the source, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. So yes, we’re nearly there, Nekomata.” the pink haired girl responded, walking with a pep in her step at the mere mention of money.
“Y’know, we’re right here, Nicole… no need to talk about us like we aren’t here” a tired voice responded, coming from a small round… bunny like creature walking on two legs? Embroidered on the scarf around its neck would be “01”, signalling the first of its model. Its green oval eyes lit up as it turned its stubby little body to look at Nicole, before looking back to focus on the front. “But it’s like Nicole said, Fairy noticed some strange fluctuations of Ether energy within the hollow recently, like changing paths, and more agitated Ethereals appearing. I figured there might’ve been something that caused these changes, like the Butcher evolving or something.”
“Ah, like in the movies, where they think they truly defeated the killer, only to find out there was another one?” a monotone voice would come out of the girl in green, looking down at the bunny, before turning her attention back to the surrounding area, keeping a close eye out for anyone coming for a pincer attack.
“Anby, not everything is like a movie. But whatever it is that’s causing trouble, a STARLIGHT KNIGHT will beat it down and shine bright! So you can count on me and my trusty girls, Manager!” The automaton would’ve grinned if he could, showing off some flashy poses as they walked, twirling the dual revolvers he had like it was a normal party trick.
“Glad to hear that, Billy. You guys were always my go-to whenever I needed a team quickly.” Phaethon, or Wise, responded. The Bunny mimicked a smile, standing proudly, before looking up at Nicole, who’d just chuckle behind her hand, grinning widely.
“Now don’t get all sappy on us, Phaethon! You know the Cunning Hares will always do their utmost to deliver the perfect service, just for you!” she’d give a little twirl, swinging her briefcase around without a care, before walking straight forwards, a small sway to her hips as she glanced back at the bunny Phaethon. “And of course, this will go towards our debt to you, right?”
Phaethon just rolled its electronic eyes as it hopped forwards, moving ahead of the group and continuing to act as its guide. “Yes, yes, don’t worry Nicole, i’ll make sure that it goes towa-”
Before he could finish, Anby would immediately take point, knees bent, and hand moving towards the blade on her back, drawing it partially out of its scabbard, electricity humming from the blade itself. Billy would take notice, and go silent, drawing his guns and pointing to either side of him, covering both sides. Nekomata just grins and pulls out the dual blades from her shin guards, hopping onto all fours and staring at the direction that they came from, the three of them effectively forming a circle around Nicole and Phaethon.
Nicole would hit a button on the handle of the briefcase she was holding, watching it unfold into an Ether cannon, gripping it with both hands and preparing to use it.
“Get ready guys, i don’t know what this is, but something… weird? Something big is coming, but it's… wrong. Fluctuating energy, as if its growing and shrinking at the same time…” the bunny’s eyes glowed green as it stepped back into the middle of the circle, before suddenly turning in Anby’s direction. “Anby! 12 o’clock, it's coming!”
In response, Anby prepared her blade, drawing it in front of her fully as she took her fighting stance, curious what new enemy would be coming at them. Her free hand would slide up to her headphones, pausing at the play button as she waited…
Before a hum-scratch that, a half thiren rounded the corner. He seemed heavily wounded, blood coating its clothes, and some Ether particles floating off him, signalling that he finished killing one just a few seconds ago. His hand grasped a sign he took from a Faun, dragging it behind him.
He paused, head moving up a tiny inch to take a look in front of him, causing Anby to pause, and grip her sword tighter. Around the man's eyes, Ether crystals have already started to grow. And from the state of how he held himself…
He was running on pure adrenaline.
Without thinking, she took a step forward, moving her sword in front of her. Without a second's hesitation, the man immediately leaned forwards and sent the sign flying directly at Anby, who’d only parry it to the side, shocked by the speed of the throw.
Billy immediately lined up his shot with the mysterious stranger, aiming for non-vital points like the shoulders or legs, firing immediately. The man, noticing the robot aiming at him, would immediately kick off from the ground, going for a dead sprint towards cover, vaulting over rubble and dodging the bullets.
“Hey! Those cost good money! Don’t just run!” Billy called out, before a blur from behind him would go zooming off towards the man. Nekomata has just found its prey, swapping her blades into a reverse grip as she hopped over another piece of rubble to intersect with the path the man was running
Seeing her charge at him and taking note of the sharp blades, he immediately reached behind him, drawing a knife from his back and bringing it up, clashing blades with the feline thiren, before wincing as she used her free hand to slash at his forearm, cutting into it, but not as deeply.
Reaching forwards, he’d grasp the front of Nekomata’s collar, before leaning back and using their weight to slam her down in a shoulder throw, Nekomata letting out a “Nyah!” of surprise, before hopping back onto her feet, making some distance, preparing for another strike…
Only to pause as Nicole walked right by her, patting her head on the way as she stalked towards the ginger man. Her eyes stared at him, confident, proud, and knowing what she was doing, as she dropped the briefcase.
“What are nya doing, Nicole! Get your weapon, he’s clearly dangerous!” Nekomata called out, taking a step forward, before feeling a strong hand grasp her shoulder. Turning to look over, she’d stare into Anby’s eyes, who’d only shake her head in response, before looking at Nicole.
“Uh, I don't have much combat experience, but I don't think what you’re doing is smart, Nicole!” Phaethon/Wise would call out to the two of them, glancing between the rest of the party, before staring up at Billy. Billy’s only response was to frown, taking a step in front of Wise, and readying his guns, fingers hovering over the trigger.
The man stared, reversing the grip on his blade as his breathing became more laboured, eyes frantically swapping between Nicole, to Anby and Nekomata, and Billy, before staring at the briefcase cannon laying on the ground. He’d take a step forward, and another, strange black energy starting to protrude from him…
Before the strength in his legs left him, causing it to slide out and make him fall. But before he’d hit the ground, a soft but strong hand would grab him, supporting his weight. …a soft hand, a human's hand? Not… those rocky monsters?
His knife would slip from his grasp, as his whole body would relax, the adrenaline leaving his system, leaving him feeling weak, especially from the effect of the Ether corruption. His gaze would slowly raise to look at the face of the one who grabbed him, only to see an emotionless stare looking right back at him.
His dry lips would part slightly, as his hoarse voice would ring out to the group, silent, but begging…
“...please… help…”
And his world went black.