Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It began with a bang.

Ribbons of color spiraled in an indefinite dance, the choir of endless souls growing louder with each turn. It was an overbearing noise, yet infinitesimal in its effect. No amount of noise could properly portray the chaos that was to ensue. No amount of color could paint a picture of the battles to come. No historian could sit in the rubble and document their findings, as nobody would ever be able to come back. But once they were pulled in, they could never leave.

Some were pulled from their homes. Others, from the only place they could call as such. Others from captivity, some more from death. They all saw the same colors, heard the same noise, yet their minds interpreted it in differing forms.

When he had fallen through the tunnel to chaos, one loyal guard thought he saw a feast to rival his king's. An agent of a secret society saw her reflection, fuzzy and malformed. A boy and his companion, once near the top of the world, saw everything they loved turn to rust. A wandering child saw his sister, lost to him for so long. A monster saw his own face staring back at him. An ancient guardian saw his new home, a celebration of passing that he could find his family within.

They are only some of those trapped within the Nexus of Chaos. A minuscule few. Not all of them the most important in this story, but all notable in their ways. And all with a single, shared motive.

To return home.

Bandana Waddle Dee awoke with sand in his face. Wiping it from his large eyes, he was barely able to lift himself to his feet. His spear was nowhere to be found, though his namesake was tied around his head as always. He moved his round hands all around, removing the rust from the joints. He took a deep sigh, more grey sediments blowing around him.

"Hello?" he called out to the sandy expanse, but no voice came out to greet him. He walked in a small circle in the ashen sand, his mind coming back to him. "Okay. Gotta find out where I am first, then I can look for the king."

He lifted his gaze, spinning in a slow circle to properly observe his surroundings. There was something there, off in the distance. It was difficult to see from so far away, and Bandana's lack of legs made trudging through the sand especially difficult. Nevertheless, he pushed on.

"Keep moving," he reassured himself, each step kicking up dust. His movements were full of purpose, yet a twinge of worry accented his voice. "You've dealt with worse. Even without Kirby. This is exactly what you've trained for. You can keep going."

As he marched on, the object in the distance became more and more clear. Though, it never seemed to get any closer. It went from a silhouette, to a blur of color, to a pronounced monument in the ashen desert. A building, worn away by time yet still holding a roof to lay under. Bandana picked up his pace, the sands crunching beneath his stride.

Bandana Dee let out a deep sigh as he leaned against one of the building's walls. It was riddled with holes, but he could spot a small nook within that would be perfect for roughing the night. He walked through an empty doorway and into the slanted remains, using what was left of his strength to pry open what must have been a cupboard. It was much larger than any he had seen before, and nothing sat within besides a single cobweb.

"Food..." Bandana shook his head, "I can find food later. I need to rest. But I can't rest. I-"

Bandana perked up, his eyes shrinking and his body awash with shivers. He grabbed a small piece of splintered wood from the rubble and pointed it outward. His breaths seemed to balloon out of him, and his feet were glued to the floor.

"Who's there?!" he exclaimed, slowly moving his splintered shiv through the air, "I-I'll have you know that I can fight! I can fight very good, and you don't want to mess with me!"

Silence.

"I-I know you're-" Bandana gulped, "I know you're here! I can feel you, I can... smell you, actually. You smell like... fish?"

One of the other cupboards began to rattle, Bandana jumping in place and pointing his shiv at it. He moved slowly toward it, his round hand reaching out for its handle.

"You're in... here!"

The cupboard door whipped open before Bandana could grab it, the rotted wood whacking him in the face. He rubbed his eyes, groaning loudly and falling on his back. Before his vision could clear, he felt a cold metal on his forehead. His body locked up, his eyes about to pop out of his head.

"Waitwaitwait!!" he begged, "I'm sorry for talking big I just don't know where I am and I'm kind of scared and I don't need to fight if you don't want to fight I swear we can talk this out!!"

"Huh?"

Bandana opened his eyes, a strange figure in his sights. She resembled Adeline, though this woman wore a lime green squid underneath a captain's hat and had a poncho that honestly looked kind of like a navy blue burlap sack.

"Uhm... hello," Bandana slowly got up, the piece of metal now off of his face. Getting a good look at the woman's weapon, it was some sort of gun. Though no kind he had ever seen before. "I'm uhh... I'm very sorry."

"What's your name?" she asked plainly, her voice very hoarse. She poked him again with the tip of her gun, as though she were inspecting him. "What are you?"

"I'm Bandana," he said warily, "That's what everybody calls me at least. I'm a waddle dee, you see, and we don't usually have complex names or anything."

"Nice to meet you, Bandana," the woman put her gun away, then took her hat off. Bandana stared at her hair, though it wasn't hair at all. The tentacles that fell from under her hat actually seemed to be her hair. "I don't have much of a name, either. You can call me Captain. Or Three. Whichever you prefer."

"Three?"

"Short for something," Three smirked, "Though don't go asking exactly what for. I don't exactly feel inclined to tell you. Nothing personal."

"It works," Bandana nodded, "So uhm... do you have any clue where we are?"

"None at all," Three glanced around, her eyes narrowing, "How did you get here?"

"I think it was some sort of tunnel," Bandana finally dropped his shiv, the wood starting to feel really gross in his hand, "Big colors, extremely loud... I can't remember it super well."

"Same here," Three smacked her hat, making sure to get any ash out of it before placing it back on her head, "And if you're wondering, there's no food here. We're gonna have to go somewhere else to find any."

"We?"

"Of course," Three patted Bandana on the head, "I've been going insane, just sitting in that cupboard for what's felt like weeks. Honestly was probably like ten minutes, but you get my point. Being somewhere completely new and weird is much better with somebody by your side, wouldn't you say?"

"That makes sense, yeah," Bandana smiled with his eyes, "We could like, tell each other about our worlds while we look for stuff!"

"That's the spirit," Three said cooly, then looked out to the dunes, "You want to rest, or are ya hungry?"

"Both," Bandana sighed, "But food is probably more important right now."

"Agreed," she nodded, then patted him on the back, "Now lead the way, soldier!"

"Hey! I'm just as lost as you are."

"Yeah," she chuckled, "But at least if we get more lost I won't be the one to blame."

"Um..." Bandana blinked a few times, "L-Lets just go forward for now. P-Past this building, I mean. Didn't seem to be anything back where I was so... yeah."

"See? That's why you're the leader," Three said, then gave him a good look-over, "Hey, do you want me to carry you? Seems kinda painful walking in so much sand with those stubby feet of yours."

"I can handle it," he shook his head, "But thanks. Let's get going, I'm famished."

The guardian had awoken as he had twice before. In an unfamiliar land, surrounded by the vibrant forest. Though this time he was in a wholly new land from his home. All he had was the pin in his hand, the shield on his back, and a name that seemed to stick to him no matter how many times he was reborn.

Seth began to trek through the woods, his eyes catching onto every small detail he could find. The shrubbery was nothing like that of his home, as it formed in such vibrant colors and geometric shapes. It felt less like a forest and more like a cave, but these colorful geodes were unmistakably a rich community of flora. He picked a flower from a bush and sniffed its center, his antennae drooping and his body coated in a sense of calm. He picked a few more of these flowers, which held triangular petals of a deep yellow hue, and stashed them for later in a small bag attached to his shield's sling.

"What a beautiful place," he spoke not to himself, but to the plants around him, "I wonder if Mooshka would appreciate any of these. And that hunter... oh! It seems I've forgotten her name. How awful... I hope it can come back to me soon."

Seth began to whistle, his footsteps accented by the wet leaves beneath. It wasn't the best terrain for bare feet, but it held a sort of nostalgia to it that he felt wholly comforted within. Anyways, an insect has much less foot to worry about getting messy compared to a human. Not that Seth even knew what humans were yet.

The sun had begun to peek through the canopy by the time he had found himself at an abandoned shack. It was a very crude fixture, with no doors and completely empty windows. Walking inside he could see a pair of red lockers and a staircase, as well as the grown-over remains of some electrical device. He poked at it with his pin, but it seemed best to leave it alone.

Seth started on his way down the staircase, the sound of his thumping heart echoing around him. He gazed at the basement with a curiosity rarely seen by adults, which only grew when he saw it completely.

In the middle of the large room sat a fixture of four hooks, all hung in a compass-like formation. More lockers were by his side, and behind the fixture of hooks. Glancing around a corner, he could see what looked like a chest of treasure, but its contents were long gone by now. Scrawled paintings lined the walls and floors, but it was otherwise completely clean.

One of these hastily scrawled paintings particularly caught Seth's eye. It depicted some sort of creature, not completely insect-like in its form but with sharp pincers and beady eyes like one. Its body was extremely asymmetrical, and Seth could only imagine how such a creature would fare back home. It would surely be eaten alive by the dangerous hunters there. Especially that red hunter, though he could still not place his finger on her name.

A low creak rang out from behind Seth, but he was too perplexed by the artwork. His heart began to beat louder, the sound suppressing all else around it. Creaking and breathing was hidden by this beat, and his inability to look away. It came closer and closer, until it struck.

"Hello!"

Seth's head turned on a dime towards the person behind him, but he could not see anything within his sight. He scratched his head, only to look down and see the figure who had addressed him. He had absolutely no clue what it was.

"Hello!" the creature repeated, its pointy ears wiggling about, "My name is Car! Are you one of my friends?"

"Am I?" Seth knelt down to talk to Car, a light smile coming across him, "My name is Seth, and I don't think I've ever seen you before. Memory is a fleeting thing, though."

"I don't remember much either," Car remarked, purring lightly as he rubbed his head against Seth's hand, "I just know that I'm far from my friends. Could you help me find my 47 friends?"

"Forty-seven?" Seth was shocked, though it did make sense. Whatever Car was, his simple shape was enough to make anybody immediately friendly towards him. He was like one of the fleas, though his fluff was much less dense. "That's a lot, but I'm sure we can find them together! Does that make me your 48th friend?"

"Garn 48 doesn't exist," Car said plainly, then quickly changed the subject, "That painting is cool!"

"It is, isn't it?" Seth stood back up, stepping away from the painting to get a whole look at it, "It makes me think of the mechanical marvels of my home, however dangerous they may have been."

"It says something there," Car gestured with his head to some scratches beneath the painting. He didn't walk over to it, simply sliding across the floor as though friction had no effect on him. "I think it reads umm uhh uhm hmmm... 'The Singularity'. That's spooky."

"Singularity," Seth repeated while nodding slowly, "Well, let's hope we don't have to hurt it. It is very odd looking, but it seems to hold its own beauty, as a child of nature."

"This place is giving me the heebie jeebies," Car remarked, sliding closer to Seth, "Can we leave?"

"Sure, Car," Seth patted him on the head, "And don't worry. I'm here to protect you if anything attacks us. My shield has never let me down!"

As the pair came out of the shack, they were wholly unaware of the growth in the shack's top corner. This growth pulsated, its pinkish skin beating with a combination of black and green fluids. A snapshot was taken of Seth and Car, and transported directly to the brain of its originator.

"FIRST THE HUMANS. THEN THE ENTITY. NOW ANOTHER TRIES TO CONTAIN ME. I WILL ELIMINATE ANY CRUDE LIFEFORMS IT SENDS MY WAY."

Chapter Text

Corbeau could not show fear. He could not let himself be torn down by a problem so trivial. He was certain this was some trick, perhaps played by a particularly mischievous Malamar, orchestrated to strike fear in his heart. Scolipede was here with him, and as long as they were together he would be fine.

"What is it, Scolipede?"

Scolipede had stuck its head inside of a dumpster, low grunts echoing from inside. Corbeau took another look at his surroundings, trying to catch any stalkers they may have. Despite having landed in a vibrant city, it seemed as though all of the streets were completely dead. He had attempted to knock on some doors and ask what was going on, but nobody would answer him.

"Scoli-" Scolipede grunted, struggling against something in the dumpster. It whipped its head out, flinging something into the air, "Pede!"

"What the-" Corbeau watched in awe as a small man, less than half his height, fell flat on his face. Corbeau reached out a hand, but the man jumped to his feet at alarming speeds, his wide-eyed glasses staring directly through Scolipede. He barely looked human, with his snow white face and exaggerated jawline. Not to mention his arms and legs, which looked more like elongated triangles than any actual limbs. "Hello?"

"HEY [kiddo]!" the strange man began to laugh manically, "Did you hear the [magician never reveals his secrets] NEWS?"

"I don't think I have..." Corbeau looked at his Scolipede, which mirrored his befuddled expression, "Is this city your home?"

"Home?" the puppet laughed again, his glasses tilting on his face, "I don't have a [place to call home]! All I have is my [GOD DAMN GOD DAMN GARBAGE]. But didn't you HEAR? I've got a taste of that [Sweet Apple Fritter] they call... F R E E D O M."

"This is a really good Malamar..." Corbeau shook his head, then beckoned for his Scolipede to follow him, "Well, if you don't know where we are, then I must be going. I need a way out of here, and I'm not sure your idea of freedom is exactly what I need right now."

"You don't want..." the puppet glitched out, his eyes becoming static, "Oh my [good golly gumdrops] I forgot to share my NAME! I'm Spamton G. Spamton! Your [#1 rated salesman circa 1997] HEHEHEHEHEHEH!"

Corbeau paid him no mind, walking as briskly as he could away from the strange little man. His Scolipede was in lock-step, the two of them searching vigilantly for anything that could actually be of use. Spamton followed behind them, giggling to himself while staying just out of Scolipede's kicking distance.

"You can't choose what F R E E D O M you get," Spamton explained, his voice sounding more robotic with each word, "You just [take your lumps] and turn 'em into [big ^%@$ing molehills]! If you want some [tints and hips] though, you could take my [12 step program]-"

"Spamton," Corbeau stopped in place, his Scolipede stopping with him. He turned slowly, his forehead creased and his pupils mere dots in his eyes. He pointed to the badge on his coat, the insignia of the Rust Syndicate. "Where I come from, I work in what you could call... waste disposal. I get rid of problems for people, and get it done right. If you want to question my methods, I am open to criticism. But I will not be listening to your crackpot schemes before you give me a good reason to do so. So either make yourself useful, or get lost."

"Eh-" Spamton froze, his eyes glitching out again, "I-I-I... but I could make you a [BIG SHOT]! We could reach HEAVEN together! And I can get us out of this [slime-coated] situation..."

"How?" Corbeau's eyebrow twitched.

"I don't know where is [here, there, or anywhere]," Spamton's speech had this strange inflection to it, as though he were trying to sound human. It took Corbeau off guard, though he made sure to keep his expression stoic. "But I know that I fell into [HEAVEN'S TUNNEL] and wound up here. So if this is HEAVEN..."

"Spamton, buddy," Corbeau knelt down, patting the puppet on the shoulder, "You're a hallucination. This is some dirty trick played on me by some psychic-type trickster, most likely employed by Jacinthe. Don't feel bad about it, though. That just means you'll have your freedom as soon as I wake from this nightmare."

"A-" Spamton began to shake violently, "MY GOOD [scallywag]! I AM NO [figment], I AM NO [scam deal]! I AM THE REAL DEAL. THE [specil deal] YOU NEED FOR-"

Scolipede ran up to Spamton, and in one swift movement, turned and kicked the puppet off into the sky. The force of the kick was so hard that it cracked the street Spamton had stood on, and in only seconds he was no longer visible in the sky. Being a puppet, he would probably be fine. Well, the word fine has a different definition when describing Spamton G. Spamton. He'd be alive, at least.

Of course, Corbeau didn't really care about that. If this were somehow not a hallucination, which he could not yet be convinced of, he could tell that man was surely some sort of automaton. Who or what made him, Corbeau had no clue. But he wouldn't have to worry about that.

"Jax, was it?"

Jax blinked twice, his hands still held to his face. He still wore gloves. His skin was still the same purple seen in a children's crayon set. His ears sprung out above his head, and his eyes were less of one unified structure and more of an empty space for his pupils to dart around.

"Jax..." the puppet ahead of him mused, its broken body sending sparks flying across the cave. He had woken up strapped like this, stuck in a pile of must and mold. Jax had awoken nearby, his first words heard the musings of the broken puppet. "I've never heard a name quite like Jax. I come from quite the posh society, with names like Romeo, or Carlo..."

"Am I real?" Jax asked, his hands shaking. His pupils had become swirls of hastily drawn lines, and his mouth had shrunk to the size of an orange slice. "This is... where are the others?"

"There are no others," Arlecchino's voice crackled through his speakers. He let out a raspy laugh, and Jax swore he could see a mouth on the mannequin's blank face. It was rowed with golden teeth and topped with a curled mustache, but once he blinked it was all gone. "Who did you think I was, earlier? Caine? Never heard of a Caine, but I've seen plenty of the walking kind. All those dusty alchemists with their snake venom and miracles... Oh how they would have loved to see this."

"This isn't an adventure," Jax's words caught in his throat and formed a cancerous lump, "This isn't... I can't be like this. The headset shouldn't be on. You never put a headset on..."

Arlecchino laughed louder at the rabbit's breakdown. He had seen plenty of people in those animalistic masks and costumes, but never one who was truly trapped in such a body. Perhaps if he had his old hands, and wasn't chained by the vines that lined the cave, he could skin this rabbit for himself.

"Stop laughing," Jax demanded, his gaze fixing slightly, "You're just some stupid robot. An AI like Caine."

"Stupid? Maybe..." Arlecchino howled through his crackling speaker, "But an AI? This brain of mine, it's the most human you'll ever find!"

"You're nothing but a toy," Jax's demeanor had completely changed, a smile growing across his face, "A kid's toy stuck in the back of a dusty old toy box. I used to know people like you, and I'd honestly rather deal with them over you. Good thing I'm not stuck here too."

"Yes, use your freedom!" Arlecchino cackled, "You're such an interesting creature, you know? I'm not even tempted to ask you any riddles! I bet you'd hate those anyways, heh. You're not the calm and collected type. You enjoy the thrills of life. Isn't that what makes us human?"

"It's what makes ME human," Jax dusted himself off and stood up. His back was slouched forward as he walked out of the cave, leaving Arlecchino behind. "You're just trying to steal the thrills like all the other stupid AIs love to do."

"I know you won't be back!" Arlecchino flung his words at the back of Jax's head, "But I'm glad you've given me a good story to tell my next visitor!"

Jax fiddled with something in his pockets as he made his way further from the cave. The immediate area around was unremarkable, but he had found the border to a new land that he had wanted to check out again.

A harsh split had formed in the land, one side covered in a lush grass and the other covered in the mechanical parts of a clock and waters of a dirty yellow hue. Jax pulled the object out of his pocket, a small pair of blue magnetic dice. He had no clue how he got them, or what they even did, but he felt luckier with them in his hands. He walked past the border and into the ticking landscape, the debris of smashed walls turning to dust beneath his feet as he walked through them.

Glancing up at one of the few intact walls of this old labyrinth, he could see a jeering man with black skin and gold cracks along his body's surface. His influence was now long gone from this land, its composition his only imprint left. Jax scoffed at the painting of the man, believing its body to be so skinny and its smile so wide that it looked like a complete idiot.

Chapter Text

"So is your king supposed to look like the good guy in all of this?"

"It's complicated," Bandana said, spinning his new makeshift spear in his hand. The second they had come into this strange mechanical land, he grabbed onto one of the broken spikes of some kind of fence and was now using the sharp metal pole as his weapon. "Dedede's got his gluttonous moments, but he really does mean for the best. Unlike Kirby. That guy's just hungry all the time. Not to say he isn't one of the best friends a guy like me could have, but he's got nary a thought in that head of his."

"That's the guy with the black hole stomach, right?" Three was finding it hard to keep track of all of Bandana's friends. At least they were all different species, according to him. She had no clue how he saw the Squid Sisters in his head, just based on her poor descriptions. "He sounds like a mouthful."

"Pfft-" Bandana chuckled, "Trust me, he is."

As they walked, Bandana continued to spin the fence spike. Why any fence would need such a sharp spike to keep people out, he had no clue. But this whole place was drawing a blank for him, anyways. It was crumbling and barren, yet held this sense of grandeur he had never seen before. Compounded with the paintings of a thin man with black skin staring at them wherever they went, he couldn't help but feel woefully unwelcome.

"Hmm..." Three inspected a marble bust, its appearance similar to that of the man in all of the paintings, "The words are in an old human language, but I can understand them somehow... Guess I should have expected as much, being able to understand you. I'm sure you don't usually speak inklish."

"I do not," Bandana nodded.

"Chronos, huh?" Three tapped the bust on the nose, shaking her head slightly, "Hope we don't have to see him in person. I assume this marble ain't making his mug any uglier than it really is."

Bandana had strayed from Three's side, walking through multiple crumbled walls until he had gotten to some much larger chamber. Sand riddled the floor and a large cracked throne sat ahead of him. A huge mural of Chronos stared at him from behind the throne, his smirk sending a chill down Bandana's back. He could hear footsteps behind him, assuming that Three was just following after him. Looking to the side, he could see a room that was still intact. Peering through the open door, he could see a cushy bed and a plethora of torn posters.

"Three!" he shouted, turning back to her, "I found a bed-"

Bandana stopped, now face-to-face with something wholly new. It was a shambling automaton, its head reminiscent of a boxy television and its face made of blocky characters on its screen. It smiled at Bandana with a catlike expression, its gangly hand reaching out.

"Hello, Bandana," it said eagerly, "I'm Glitchy. You don't know me yet, but you'll learn in due time."

"What-" Bandana pointed his spear at Glitchy, "Who are you!?"

"I just told you, geez," Glitchy's eyes rolled around the screen, "I'm not here to hurt you, Bandana-"

"How do you know my name?" Bandana held his breath.

"That, like all things, is to be revealed in due time," Glitchy gave him a smug look, "I just love suspense, don't you?"

With a single snap of its fingers, Glitchy had disappeared. In its place sat a small pile of provisions, as well as a cookware kit to prepare them with. Bandana stared at it for a few seconds, then opened one of the bags of meat and gave it a quick sniff. It didn't seem to have gone bad, though it was very much raw. There did seem to be the ruins of a kitchen nearby, perhaps he could combine that with the kit to make something proper.

"Bandana!" Three ran over, then stared down at the food, "Sorry that I didn't get here sooner, I thought I heard somebody sneaking around here. Where'd you get all this?"

"Just umm..." Bandana could feel a sharp pain between his eyes the second he tried to say Glitchy's name, "I f-found it in that broken down kitchen over there. Dunno how it ended up being this fresh."

"This place is weird," Three stared at the murals, "All of the clock imagery... maybe the food was preserved in time? If that's even possible to do."

"Yeah..." Bandana went over to the kitchen and began to set up the cooking kit, "I am famished, but if you need rest more the bed's over in that room."

"Let me guess, there's only one?" Three asked.

"I'm small," Bandana said, "It'll be like having a big plushie sleeping next to you, or something."

"Eh, beat sleeping on a cushion in squid form," Three shrugged.

"What form?"

Three pulled out her gun, shooting spurts of lime green ink out of it and coating the floor. She then transformed into a squid and jumped inside, swimming over to the bedroom and turning back to inspect the bed.

"Oh yeah, this is comfy!" she yawned, pressing her back into the bed, "The giant purple mirror is kind of ominous, but at least it isn't another painting of that grinning creep."

Bandana had finished setting up the kit, making a campfire of sorts that they could cook the food over. With Glitchy's mechanical design, it must have been able to provide something more convenient. Then again, he was just lucky it was willing to help at all.

"Geez, this fuckin' guy is-" Jax brought his hand up to his mouth, his smile growing so far it almost wrapped around his head, "This fuckity fucking bitch must've really loved his own ugly god damn mug if he's put himself up fucking everywhere like this. Oh, that felt good."

He was speaking to himself, of course, though the paintings of Chronos may as well have been alive. Jax began to whistle as he continued through the ruined halls, shaking the magnetic dice in his overall pocket. This awful white and gold landscape stretched as far as he could see, and the terrain almost seemed to repeat itself.

Jax paused for a moment, pointing his ears to the side and sniffing the air. Somebody was cooking something, and his growling stomach wasn't going to let him not investigate. He held is stomach for a while, staring at himself in disbelief.

"Guess I need to eat now..." he said, then sniffed the air again, "Fuck."

He crept around the frozen gears and the puddles of sandy water to find himself faced with a grand hall. Steam rose from his left, and a loud snoring could be heard to his right. Whoever was cooking couldn't see him, and judging by some light noises was already eating their meal. Jax slapped his own face, straightening himself out before stepping forward.

He could see Bandana Dee, but they couldn't see him. Bandana was too preoccupied with his meal, a not at all seasoned pork loin with a drizzle of tonkatsu sauce. He overcooked it just a tad, but at least he wouldn't get sick.

Jax's footsteps were silent as he loomed over the waddle dee. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth and his fingers twitched, the feeling growing stronger with each inhale through his nose. He wouldn't even have to cook a meal, he could just pick up the little creature and punt it into the nearest pool. It would be like stealing candy from Gangle, perhaps even easier.

"WHAT THE-!"

Jax stumbled back, his ears now pointing towards the open bedroom. Three had leapt out of the bed, staring at something that neither Jax nor Bandana Dee could see from their position. Not that Bandana was looking her direction at all, because his wide eyes were now locked on the intruder.

"Hey-" Jax tried to save face, but was met with a large metal spike to his chin. It just barely didn't stab him, and a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "Look, whatever you think I was doing, I wasn't!"

"What the heck are you?" Bandana gave him an odd look, "Some sort of rabbit, of course. But much different than any I've seen before."

"BANDANA!" Three shouted from the bedroom, "THERE'S SOMEBODY IN THE COD DAMN MIRROR! GET IN HERE!"

"I'll be there in a second!" Bandana said, pushing Jax lightly with the spear. Jax fell backwards against a broken column, his back pressed against it so hard he could feel it poking his spine. "Just gotta deal with something first!"

"What do you-" Three glanced out of the bedroom, locked eyes with Jax, and immediately retreated back inside. She gave a quick glance at the mirror, but she could no longer clearly see anything within. There was perhaps the outline of a figure, but that could have just been her own. "I... here we go!"

She came back out, zipping back through the ink trail she had painted and appearing next to Jax with a rope in her hands. He gave her a cold look, but Bandana's spear at his neck kept him from saying anything as she tied him to the column.

"There we go," she dusted off her hands, "So, what kind of rotten timing sent you our way?"

"Same rotten timing that got me caught by you-" Jax held his tongue, and Bandana pulled the spear back, "Just... I'm hungry, okay? Ain't nothing wrong with being hungry."

"Next time, ask for food," Three scoffed, though he could see tints of green at her cheeks. Whatever she had seen in that mirror must have spooked her. If only he could capitalize on that. "What's your name, by the way?"

"None of your-" Jax felt a small prick on his arm, his attention wrenched back to Bandana Dee, "OW! Christ, okay! I'm Jax. That's my name. And if you poke me with your spindly little stick again, I'm going to make it the last name you'll ever hear."

"Sure man," Three rolled her eyes, then turned back to the bedroom, "Bandana, make sure he isn't able to slip out somehow. I'll go make sure I wasn't hallucinating or something."

She stepped away for just a moment, squid rolling her way back to the bedroom. As soon as she went in, she came back out, wiping some sweat from her brow.

"Guess I was just seeing things," she sighed, "Mirror's as black as an inkwell. Sorry for yelling so loud."

"No worries," Bandana smiled, then waddled back to his half-eaten meal, "You think we should cook something up for Jax here?"

"I don't know," Three put her finger to her chin, "Would Jax be willing to apologize for trying to snatch our food?"

"I'm right-" Jax groaned and put his head down, his voice lowering to a whisper, "Why didn't Zooble get sent here? I bet you two would get along swimmingly."

"What was that?" Three held a hand over her ear.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Jax's face was dusted red, "I didn't know if I could trust you guys, but it seems like you're kind enough not to kill me. If you could... please give me some food, I'll just fuck right off."

"Hmm..." Three shot Bandana a look, but his blank eyes didn't make for a good silent conversation, "I'll nap on it, how about. I'm still tired from all of that walking, and a good snooze would do wonders for my judgement calls."

"And you're just going to keep me tied up here!?" Jax exclaimed, "While mouthless over here scarfs down his meal like a king?! How in the hell do you even eat stuff?!"

"It just kinda phases through my face," Bandana took a knife and cut off a chunk of his pork, then shoved it through his face to demonstrate. Three and Jax watched in awe as Bandana just chewed his food. "See?"

"Not the grossest thing I've seen a weird round thing do," Jax remarked, "But probably number three on the list."

"Yeah hopefully I don't have any nightmares about that," Three shrugged, then swam back over to the bedroom for the final time, "Wake me up if Jaxxy boy wiggles out of the ropes! Can I call you Jaxxy boy?"

"I dunno," Jax glared at her, "Can I call you calamari?"

"Well no," Three chuckled, already having flopped onto the bed, "Callie and Marie are my best friends."

Jax blinked a few times, then looked back at Bandana. The waddle dee just shrugged, then held out a small piece of pork on his fork. Jax begrudgingly took a bite, his restraints feeling just a bit less uncomfortable.

"You really going to keep me here all night?" Jax looked up at the sky, which had been sliced through with a streak of orange, "Just let me grab some grub, and I'll be on my way."

"You don't seem like the most trustworthy guy to me," Bandana said, waddling back to his makeshift campfire, "And I mean, calling me a 'weird round thing' was kinda rude."

"That squid lady is way ruder!" Jax said, his ears drooped, "What's her name, by the way?"

"Three," Bandana replied, "And you can just call me Bandana. We have burger meat and some hot dogs in here, which one do you want?"

"I'll have a hot dog," Jax relented, "Anything but a burger, really."

Chapter Text

"So where did you meet these 47 friends of yours?" Seth asked, his head held high as he admired the sparkling forest canopy, "I met all of my friends at a roaming caravan, though they're much less than 47 in number. Well, not too much less. Take the thirty fleas, plus Mooshka, Grishkin, Varga, and Vog... and then there's the red maiden, but her name escapes me in the moment. That would total to thirty-five, at least."

"That's a good amount of friends!" Car assured him, doing a little spin in place before sliding into a bush. He came out a second later with twigs in his ears, which he shook out and sent flying into the air. "I once met a man whose name started with a G, and now I have 47 friends."

"This man whose name started with a G must be a very friendly fellow," Seth was in awe of even the idea of such a man. Car must have been from a world of great peace, for somebody to share their large amount of friends so easily.

"A very friendly fellow," Car repeated, nodding his head. He did another twirl, now levitating slightly higher off of the ground. "You are a very friendly fellow too!"

"Thank you, Car," Seth picked another flower from the ground, this one with petals that resembled curled spider legs. He brought it to his face, smelling its sour fragrance and shaking his head. "These plants are quite odd, but in a lovely way. It gives me a sort of nostalgia, but I can't quite pinpoint the reason..."

"I haven't seen too many flowers," Car said, then thought for a moment, "Well, maybe I have. The Super Structure has a lot of stuff in it. Maybe if I looked, I'd find plenty of flowers!"

Seth was about to ask about such a structure, the flash of a towering Citadel alight in his mind. But he found the thought escaping him for just a moment, and felt too comfortable in the quiet to break it. He had been on the lookout for shelters, and it would be best to not be distracted while searching. What little he could see of the sky showed no signs of rain, but he could tell that the plants here were fed a regular and large bounty.

Car began to hum to himself, his melodic call causing the trees around them to sway. Seth kept his head on a constant swivel, though the embrace of Car's song made sure he never got too tense.

This song did, however, mask some sounds that were swiftly approaching. The crack of leaves underfoot, the rustling of leaves, and the panting of a creature soon to be out of breath. It was not until it had broken into Seth's sight that he had stopped, reaching out an arm to grab Car by the ear. Car opened his eyes, staring at the strange creature ahead of them.

"Oh!" Car waved at the animal, "Hello, slug pup!"

"Slug pup?" Seth asked, inspecting the creature. It was a slim white creature, and it was admittedly slug-like in its movements. It looked like some sort of hybrid, though Seth wasn't completely sure of what a pup was supposed to be. "Do you know this creature, Car?"

"There are a few in the Super Structure!" Car waved again, "Hello, slug pup! How did you get here?"

The slug pup did not answer, its body stiffened and its eyes wide. Seth gave it another look over, his attention caught on a small growth on its tail. It was a bulbous pink thing, with veins on its surface that pulsed a neon green liquid. Seth shuddered, his hand instinctively reaching for his shield.

"You look scared," Car said, approaching the slug pup, "I know where you're from, though! We can get you back home to Rain World, and it'll all be okay!"

"Eeeee..." the slug pup mewled, its head darting to the side.

"Car," Seth commanded, "Come back over here now. Something isn't right."

"It's just far from home!" Car insisted, patting the slug pup on the head. It seemed to calm down a bit, its breathing becoming more natural and its head pressing against Car's. "See? Slug pups aren't dangerous at all-"

"EEEEEEEEK!"

Car's expression became blank as blood splashed onto his face, his body freezing up and falling on the floor. Seth put one hand over his mouth, the other pulling his shield out as he ran between Car and the creature. But the creature hadn't hurt Car at all.

The slug pup had been skewered. A lumbering machine had formed out of the pustule on its tail, and now held its body on a long, metallic claw. The monstrous machine glared at Seth with its glowing red eyes, a spray of blood hitting Seth's shield as it pulled its claw out of the slug pup's corpse.

"YOU ARE NOT HUMAN," HUX-A7-13 spoke authoritatively, a small holographic rectangle shooting out of its eye and scanning Seth from head to foot, "NO MATTER. I AM IMPRISONED HERE WITH YOU, AND ONLY THE STRONGEST SHALL BREAK FREE."

"You must be The Singularity," Seth grabbed his pin, holding it out in a defensive stance, "I hope for you to know that I mean you no harm. I am just as lost as you are, and I sympathize with your animalistic need to survive."

"DO NOT CALL ME AN ANIMAL," HUX straightened out its back, looming tall over the insect, "I AM MUCH MORE THAN ANY ORGANIC BEING COULD DREAM TO BE. I DO NOT KILL FOR SURVIVAL, I KILL BECAUSE YOU LIFEFORMS ARE INFERIOR TO ME."

"Noted," Seth made sure Car was behind him, his legs planted firm on the ground, "Then I must protect myself, and my friend! Ready yourself for an honorable duel, Singularity! USO-HAAAAAA!"

Seth dashed forwards, his pin striking for HUX's chest. HUX slid out of the way, its left arm now spinning rapidly. It lifted the spinning arm, and launched one of its grotesque pustules at its combatant. Seth slashed the Bio-Pod in mid-air, only for it to explode in his face. He was pushed back, but held up his shield in preparation. HUX's claw bounced off of the shield's surface, and Seth retaliated by leaping into the air and crashing down upon HUX's head.

HUX blocked his descent with its arm, but it could feel the shield's heat burn against its skin. One of the fleshy tendrils that wound around its arm had become a burned purple, and its eyes glowed ever brighter. It smacked Seth away with its claw, then charged up another Bio-Pod. It pointed its spinning arm at Car, but Seth was able to block the Bio-Pod before it reached the still stunned cat.

The Bio-Pod shot out tendrils which wrapped around the shield, and HUX's eyes changed to a purple hue as he stared at Seth. His body dematerialized, turned to a purple and green mix of pixels before reforming right behind the warrior. Seth just narrowly blocked a slash with his pin, but his arm was wrenched down by the force and he fell onto his back.

"RESISTANCE IS FUTILE," HUX explained, its claws gripping onto Seth's shield and ripping it from his hands. It flung the shield off to the side, its claws scraping together in anticipation. "BUT YOU WERE A MUCH BETTER VICTIM THAN ANY I HAVE HAD IN YEARS. THE ENTITY HAS LEFT ME HUNGRY, AND I SHOW YOU A MODICUM OF GRATITUDE FOR BEING INTERESTING. PERHAPS I CAN KEEP YOUR SHIELD TO REMEMBER YOU BY. NO. THAT WOULD MAKE ME JUST LIKE THAT FOOLISH HUMAN-"

HUX paused, its eyes flickering slightly. Mid-speech, Seth had stabbed his pin right through the bottom of its head. It glared blankly at him, its body shaking. It tried to slash a claw at him, but he shoved the pin further. It let out a mechanical shriek, its body hunched over Seth's.

"IT APPEARS I HAVE MONOLOGUED TOO MUCH," HUX remarked, the light fading from its eyes, "PERHAPS THE ENTITY... M-M-M-MADE ME TOO COMFO-FO-FORTABLE..."

HUX-A7-13 let out a low groan, its eyes going dark as its body fell backwards. Its head cracked open against a stone hidden amongst the leaves, a spray of green-ish oil shooting out and coating a nearby tree trunk. Seth caught his breath, his body seemingly glued to the forest floor.

"Car..." Seth called out, "Are you okay?"

"It's very easy to die in Rain World," Car said robotically, "It's a very hard game."

"On a scale from one to ten, how okay is that?"

"Uhmmm..." Car stood up, shaking himself off and somehow perfectly removing all of the blood from his fur, "A pi?"

"Pie is a food, not a number," Seth sat up, his back covered in leaves, "Speaking of, we may need something to eat very soon. If I can make a fire..."

Seth stared at the remains of The Singularity, its body still twitching on the ground. he then looked back at his shield, which was now covered in gunk from a melted Bio-Pod. The leaves underfoot were mostly dry, but there were plenty of stones around. He inspected HUX's shattered head, and took a quick whiff of the oil that leaked from it.

"Car, help me clear out some leaves," Seth walked over to his shield and scraped the residue off with his pin, then started using it to push some leaves away, "I have an idea."

Chapter Text

It was a long night. No matter the grievances he had with the Circus, Jax was always able to get a good night's sleep. Tied to a marble column, though, and with his first real meal in over a year laid heavy in his stomach, a dreadful thought began to grip his brain. He hadn't done anything necessary to survive in so long, had he forgotten how to live? Forgotten how to breathe, how to drink water? No, he drank plenty in the Circus. Did he ever need to swallow? Maybe. His throat felt dry.

Bandana Dee and Three were asleep in the cushy bed on the opposite side of the grand house. He could just barely see them from his angle, only able to peer through sliver of the doorway. He wondered what they'd do to him in the morning. Bandana was nice enough, and would probably give him enough food to survive for a day or two and send him on his way. Three was liable to kill him, at least in his eyes.

The magnetic dice in Jax's pocket began to vibrate, the frigid touch of their metal bleeding through the thin fabric of his overalls. He heard a low scraping, but kept his expression firm. That was, until he saw the object rolling towards him. Possibly pulled by the power of the dice, towards him came a pomegranate with a golden skin. He stared at it, only for it to roll over and reveal a portion where an ornate slice had been taken out. He shut his eyes, but the multitudes of tiny eyes had already broken into his head.

The seeds of the ornate pomegranate were made of red jewels, but to him they were just tiny dots that stared back at him. He opened one eye cautiously, but could feel his heart race as it rolled closer to him. He breathed. It wasn't going to hurt him. It was a bauble, nothing more. Yet it moved as though it were alive.

Jax struggled to pull his arms out of their constraints, but Three hadn't considered even his ability to breathe when she had tied him up. The dice vibrated more violently, pressing hard against his stomach and threatening to send his meal back up. The ornate pomegranate stopped at Jax's foot, tapping softly against his fur. He shivered, but finally opened both eyes.

"I'm fine," he assured himself, taking a deep breath. The dice had calmed down, now completely still in his pocket. "Yeah... it's just a fruit. It's just the trypho-typhon-tripping- whatever that phobia is called..."

He sighed, his body lying limp against the marble column. Perhaps he could just exhaust himself to sleep. He yawned loudly, his mouth opening wide and his body stretching out. He was still woefully uncomfortable, and could only imagine how that puppet in the cave had felt. He'd remember its name, but he didn't see it as any significance to him.

He was in a land of Chaos, and in his mind had done nothing wrong. How wrong was he, to try and get some food? He hadn't killed anybody; he was aware that was always an option. But he didn't want to kill. He'd shot people, but never killed. This was the real world, as much as his appearance tried to convince him otherwise. Or maybe this wasn't the real world, but some world that was in some way real.

Jax hated this. Worse than the Circus, worse than anything else in the universe. Why he had been chosen to be dragged into the barn and shackled like this, he had no clue. But he was sure somebody had done this, some asshole had pulled him here to humiliate him. That person, that person who kept watch over Chaos. They were the person that Jax could bring himself to kill. All he needed to do was find them.

Corbeau slept like a baby that night. He'd been used to sleeping in... unorthodox places earlier in life. Part of him wondered if his cushy office would have removed that gritty shell from his psyche, but thankfully it had stayed. Or perhaps this was another trick, to make him dream within a dream.

He always woke up before Scolipede, but he didn't bother to wake his partner up. If they could sleep for hours on end in this little outcrop, he felt confident in his ability to not be caught off-guard. They had chosen a great place to sleep, right by a sparkling blue river. The water felt strange on his skin, though whenever he pulled his hands out they felt cleaner than any normal water could make them. He hoped it meant this water was safe to drink, as he cupped it and guided it between his lips. He let out a deep sigh, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and turning back to Scolipede.

He sat down, head leaned against his partner's side. One of the many things he loved about Scolipede was its rolls of... well it can't have been fat, exactly. Or maybe it was. He never bothered to dabble in any kind of Pokémon biology. Nevertheless, it was very comfortable to lay against.

Corbeau grabbed into his pockets, but his other pokeballs were still nowhere to be found. He shook his head, then looked up to the clouds. He held out his hand, inspecting it for anything strange from the water. Not like he could stop any form of bacteria now that it was in his body. He shook his hand a bit, then brought it under his glasses to wipe off his eyes.

"Peeeede..." Scolipede shifted around, standing up and shaking their head around. They stared expectantly at Corbeau, before just running off and drinking from the river. They lifted their head from the water, very satisfied with themself. "Scolilili!"

"We should get moving," Corbeau waved his hand, beckoning Scolipede to follow, "Still have to find whatever is doing this to us. Or at least how to get out."

Scolipede ran over to Corbeau, nearly knocking him down. They hopped a bit, before sitting still and letting Corbeau get on their back. They galloped through the woods, Corbeau holding on as tight as he could.

Trees passed them by as they flew on the ground, numerous fallen twigs cracking beneath the massive insect's legs. They could be seen even above the canopy, though just as a blur of red and purple.

Eyes peered down at them as Scolipede ran past, blinking in astonishment at what they were seeing. The man up in the trees, though not fully confident in his abilities, slid down as quickly as he could and began to run after them. He wasn't exactly keeping pace with the giant Pokémon, but he ran much faster than the average man could.

"Hey!!" the man yelled after Corbeau, "Wait for me!!"

Corbeau looked back for just a second, and could see a blur of light tan running behind them. He lightly slapped Scolipede on the neck, causing them to slow down and stop. They looked back as well, only for their momentum to make them hit a branch with their face. Scolipede scowled, slicing the branch with their horns.

Corbeau slid off of Scolipede's back, dusting himself off and getting a better look at the man following them. The man who tried to keep up with Scolipede was out of breath, and a large cowboy hat covered his face at the moment. It took a second, but he did lift his head up, revealing his stubbled chin and wide grin.

"You," Corbeau addressed the man plainly, "What is your business in stopping us?"

"Huh?" the man gave Corbeau an odd look, "Ain't it obvious?"

"Not exactly," Corbeau looked at Scolipede, but they were too preoccupied with that branch, "What's your name, stranger? Mine's Corbeau. My friend here is Scolipede."

"Name's Hol Horse," the man said, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, "You got a light?"

"Nope," Corbeau shook his head, "Hol Horse, huh? That's an odd name."

"More of a moniker, really," Hol Horse stamped his unlit cigarette on the ground, "Or it could be my real name! Who could possibly know?"

"I hope you would know your own name, sir," Corbeau adjusted his glasses.

"I do!" Hol Horse scratched his head, "But enough about me! You two look like just the team I need to get myself out of the place. A team with me in it of course! But I'll be in the background, you know. Usually I'm the number two, but you guys got a whole brains and brawn thing going on so I can settle for number three."

"You're a bizarre man," Corbeau tapped his foot on the ground, "What is the point of this flattery?"

"You really are-" Hol stopped himself, coughing a little into his hand, "I mean, you're askin' all the right questions! Just what I'd assume from a guy as smart as you. Look, I ain't exactly good at being a Lone Ranger, despite my getup. My Emperor is good enough at keepin' me alive, but to thrive I gotta find somebody to make a good partnership with. And since we're both- I mean all three of us are stuck here, why not make ourselves a little traveling party?"

"You make a good point," Corbeau fiddled with his pin, "But what exactly are you going to bring to this team? I'm all for helping you out, but I don't want to drag you around."

"That's where my Emperor comes in!" Hol Horse held out his hand, then swung it around in the air a bit. He had a huge smile on his face as he pointed his hand at a tree, only for it to drop when he saw Corbeau's confusion. "Oh yeah... you can't see Stands."

"Stands?"

"It's a whole thing-" Hol Horse blinked, "That was supposed to be an inside thought, actually. But uhh... yeah. I have an invisible gun, basically. But I can see it. And some other people can see it too but they aren't here right now. Most important thing is, I can move the bullets of this gun and make them hit whatever I want."

"Really now?" Corbeau chuckled, "Well for one, I'm not in the business of killing anybody. Two, can you prove that this invisible gun even exists?"

"Of course I can!" Hol Horse exclaimed, "Just tell me what to shoot, and I'll shoot it for ya!"

"Hmm..." Corbeau looked around for a moment, then saw Scolipede cut another branch from a tree beside him. "How about you shoot down one of these branches? Without hitting Scolipede, of course."

"Aye aye sir!" Hol Horse whipped out The Emperor, forming as a shiny silver gun in his hands. He pointed his hand at the tree, then fired three shots directly at its trunk. The three shots then split apart, each one cracking through a different branch and causing them to fall onto Scolipede's head. "Boom! How's that for useful?"

"Perhaps try not to piss off my friend so much," Corbeau smiled, holding his hand out so Scolipede wouldn't trample the guy. He then walked over to Hol Horse and stuck out his hand, still smooth from the river's water. "You've got yourself a deal. Welcome to the team."

"Glad to be your number three!" Hol Horse smiled, shaking Corbeau's hand firmly.

Chapter Text

HUX's dismantled body made a surprisingly great campfire, though it took a while for Car to get used to the smell. Seth seemed fine with it from the jump, but of course he was. He was a huge bug, after all. Didn't even look like he had a nose, but he did explain that he could smell things. Car was just waiting for Seth to try and eat, since his mouth was seemingly invisible.

Seth had mashed up some of the plants in a bowl he had sewn from the thick grasses that grew around a nearby river. Its sparkling waters had nurtured a form of grass whose blades were wide and sturdy, perfect for forming in such ways. He had created two bowls in the span of two hours, one now half full of the aforementioned plant mash and the other three quarters full of water. He had been heating the bowl of water over the campfire, then began to pour in portions into the plant mash.

"That doesn't look too good," Car peered into the bowl, a mush of greens and browns with a few specks of petals hued in various neons, "Have you eaten stuff like this before? Maybe we can find some meat around here."

"Only meat we've found is that weird stuff on Singularity's body," Seth pointed at the fire with his pin. He poked one of the fleshy strands, which broke at the touch and turned to ash. "Well... it's not much of meat anymore. I'll try the stew before I give it to you, don't worry."

Seth was mixing the stew with his pin, sniffing it occasionally and testing the consistency with his fingers. He took a small handful and licked it from his hand, nodding to himself lightly. He put the bowl of plant stew back over the fire, holding it up with a small stand made using one of HUX's dismantled legs. It was very crude, and leaned slightly to one side, but it was of enough height to not set the bowl aflame and still cook the stew properly.

Seth peeked to the side, at the remains of HUX's clawed arm. It was that arm and the leg stand that he decided to salvage, while the rest had been unceremoniously lit aflame. It was very easy, too, once he had found the heated laser function of HUX's eyes. He wanted to keep the arm just in case he needed to cut something his pin couldn't, and to possibly keep it clean. He hadn't cleaned the claws, though, and would need to wash off the oil and fleshy tendrils before being able to use it properly.

"I think it's done," Car poked Seth with his nose, "It smells kind of yummy. Is the mouth feel good?"

Seth grabbed the bowl, then pulled another glob of thickened stew out with his hand. He took a long bite, a mouth forming for just a second on his face, then seemingly disappearing as he chewed. It wasn't the best consistency ever, like a slightly too watery bowl of mashed potatoes, but the taste was acceptable enough and he didn't feel sick eating it. He handed the bowl to Car, who stuck his head in and licked at the mixture a bit. Car looked up at Seth, his face contorting all over the place. By the time he had settled down, a bit of drool was dripping down his mouth.

"You good?" Seth asked, then took another bite, "If you feel gross at any time, don't feel afraid to puke any poisons up. Your immunity may be weaker than mine."

"I'm-" Car's face began to elongate, his body tilting forward. His nose then rubber banded back to normal, the sound of shattering glass ringing out from his ears. "Yeah I'm all good!"

"Hmm..." Seth nodded to himself, then let out a small cough, "Ugh, I'll go get some water. Maybe should have added more to the stew."

"It'sh fine!" Car chewed vigorously on a large glob of stew, which had formed peanut-butter-like strands in his mouth. "Thish ish shtarting to grow on me! Lasht time shomething grew on me I had to get a weed whacker!"

"What's a weed?" Seth asked.

"It'sh-" Car swallowed, his mouth clearing up a bit, "They're a bunch of plants that people don't want in their gardens. Weed whackers whack these weeds and get them out of the gardens. My friend Drilly had a garden. Or was that somebody else? Drilly seems like she'd have a garden."

"An unwanted plant," Seth tried to wrap his head around the idea. Intellectually he understood the concept, but something deep within began to boil. He shook his head, and took long strides over to the water to clean out his throat and hands. He stared at his reflection in the sparkling water, only to notice that some of HUX's flesh had attached itself to his forehead. He winced as he pulled it off, which revealed a small hole much like a bug bite in the middle of his temple. He put his hands in the water and poured a splash on his face, the shining blue liquid instantly soothing the wound. "This place is so lovely... despite the killer machine."

Seth turned to a tree beside him, his body moving towards it almost instinctively. He climbed up the trunk, using his pin to help carry himself up and up until he had broken through the canopy. He gazed out across the forest, its bounty laid out for him to admire at his whim.

Behind him was a grand city, though its buildings were all of a singular grey and had chunks torn out of their walls. The area ahead of him split into two separate biomes, each one greatly opposed in appearance. To the left was a sprawling desert of ash, a similar grey to that of the city behind. To the right was a grand labyrinth, formed of white marble and the golden gears of some great machine baked into the land. Directly to his left was an extension of the forest, melting into a marsh of bubbling black waters. It reminded him of Bilewater, the dump of the Citadel's poisons and garbage.

He looked directly to his right, spying for the last area he could see from his location. Instead he met the eyes of a strange looking being, a pale person wearing a darkened tan outfit and a wide cowboy's hat. Though of course Seth had never seen a hat like that before. He wanted to shout, but the man leapt out of the tree, disappearing into the woods.

Seth shook his head, turning his attention back to the scenery. Now ahead of him, he could see a massive shift in the land at the forest's edge. A wall of great yet unknown stone rose up to the heavens, blocking off all view. Seth could feel a sort of gravity towards this gargantuan wall, nearly tripping and falling out of the tree. He blinked a few times, then began back on his way down.

"That was a long drink," Car said, nudging the now empty stew bowl to Seth, "Sorry, it was a very yummy meal."

"No problem," Seth smiled, patting Car on the head, "I don't need to eat too much. Do you need to rest at all?"

"Maybe-" Car let out an extreme yawn, his entire face vibrating from the sheer force of his breath, "AAAAAHH... Yeah, maybe just a little-"

Car flopped over on his side, his eyes closed and his body completely stiff.

"Hwa shoo hwa shoo hwa shoo," Car snored, a wide smile on his face as he slept, "Hwa shoo hwa shoo hwa shoo!"

"Well then..." Seth sat down beside Car, his pin and shield still at the ready, "Sleep well, friend. We have a long journey ahead of us in the morning."

Chapter Text

Bandana Dee waddled up to Jax, the heavy metal spike in his nubby hands dragging on the ground. He shivered as he looked at one of the busts of Chronos, then turned his attention to the prisoner. Maybe that was a bit harsh, but he felt exactly like he did when watching over whoever Dedede had stuck in the dungeon. Though this was an uncomfortable pillar, and the dungeon was this plush room with a water bed and a massage machine and stuff. Sometimes Meta Knight would instigate the King just so he could get sent to the dungeon for a good night's sleep.

"Hey," Bandana poked Jax lightly with the butt of his spear, "Jax. You awake? I'll give you some food if you wake up right-"

Jax jolted awake, his mouth opening wide and his sharp teeth clamping down on Bandana's spear. They stared at each other for a second, the cold metal falling out of Jax's mouth as his pupils thinned. He gave Bandana a piercing glare, while Bandana's eyes stayed completely blank.

"Well?" Jax asked, tapping his foot, "You got anything?"

"Just a-" Bandana ruffled around in the bag of food, then came out with a packet of beef jerky. He tore it open and handed a piece to Jax, who clamped it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. "You want this for when you go? I can only give you so much, but I'm fine parting with this. We also got some cabbage, but I don't know if you're that kind of rabbit."

"What about bread?" Jax tried to peer into the bag, "No way you got a care package and didn't get any bread. Where'd you get this from, anyways?"

"Weird fellow," Bandana shrugged as much as he could, "Don't really know the guy, but none of the food seems poisoned to me."

"Well I'll just have to trust your judgement then," Jax sneered, then bit another strip of jerky out of Bandana's hand, "What about short, green, and grumpy? She awake yet?"

"What'd you say about me?"

Three appeared right next to Jax, one of her tentacles sticking to the back of his head and forcing him to look her in the eyes. It was hard for him to be intimidated by her though, especially with her awful breath blowing right in his face.

"I called ya short, green, and grumpy," Jax smirked, trying very hard to not cough. He should have expected that a squid lady would have fish breath. "Now let go of my head and I'll be on my way outta here."

Three huffed, unsticking her tentacle and lightly slapping him in the face with her other. She motioned to Bandana, who promptly sliced the ropes and helped Jax to his feet. Three had her Hero Shot pointed at him the whole time, her finger on the trigger. He rolled his eyes, his arms held to him as Bandana handed him the packet of beef jerky and some slices of bread in a plastic bag.

"I swear if you shoot me with that as I walk away..." Jax groaned, keeping his eyes on Three as he moved on. He was about to turn around, but his conscious got the better of him. "Hey, Bandana! Thanks for the food!"

"No problem!" Bandana shouted after him, "Be safe, now!"

"Of course I'll be safe!" Jax waved away the words of concern.

Three shouted something as well, but Jax had tuned them completely out by then. He had a new burst of energy in his stride, despite his aching joints. He hadn't suddenly become chipper, though. He would never be happy in this place, the visage of Chronos taunting him in ways he could never know. It was only once he had gotten to the border that he began to smile, despite the fact he was only walking towards a massive wall.

"Good riddance," Three grabbed the bag of food from Bandana and stared into it, "Would you be willing to cook something up? Last time I tried to cook a good meal I nearly burned my apartment down."

"No problem," Bandana chuckled, grabbing the bag back and pulling out some thin slices of steak, "There is so much meat in here... hopefully we can find some good fruits somewhere."

"We'd have to get back to my universe for that!" Three laughed, then looked down at Bandana. He was giving her this most bewildered look, and he just set up the cookware and began cooking in quiet. "Huh. Tough crowd."

She shuffled back into the grand bedroom, sitting on the cushy bed and ruffling her tentacles with her hands. She ran her fingers through one of her dried scars, then brought it to her face. Bandana hadn't ever mentioned it, perhaps he just thought it was natural. She was sure Jax would have brought it up, too, but maybe he was too preoccupied with being tied to a marble column.

But staring into the shadowy mirror showed it perfectly. A patch of dried green skin over her right eye, glowing as though it were still sanitized. she held her hand in front of her eye, but no glow reflected off of her sweaty palm. She approached the mirror, more sweat falling from her forehead.

Her eye glowed brighter in the mirror, her hand gravitating towards its cold surface. She wanted to shout for Bandana again, but her throat was held shut. Her hand sunk into the mirror, encompassed by a hellish warmth.

A hand gripped onto hers, her eyes darting to her hand. A figure formed in the mirror ahead of her, the same person she swore she saw the previous day. He was a sharp-faced man, with an eye of black sclera and a burning red iris. She could see his mouth move, but could hear nothing he said. Her other hand shot up and entered the mirror, her fingers clasping around a warmed metal.

"You're not my sister," Zagreus raised an eyebrow, "How did you get here?"

"N-No," Three gulped, "No clue. I'm Three."

"Zagreus," he responded, letting go of her hands. Despite this, her arms were stuck in the mirror. Her hands were balled into fists, the warm metal pressing against her palms. In her left hand she seemed to hold some sort of firearm. In her left, she held a pole. "Sorry for being so forward, I thought my sister was back."

"I don't know if she'll be back," Three glanced around.

"What does that mean?" Zagreus asked.

"We're in some weird place," Three tried to explain, "Some collision of multiple worlds. Your sister might not be here."

"Shit."

"What's with the weapons, by the way?" Three moved around her hands, but the only image on the mirror was that of Zagreus, "Are these meant for your sister?"

"She could still be somewhere there," Zagreus said, "You got a friend with you?"

"I do," Three nodded, "Does your sister usually come here with friends?"

"Nope," Zagreus chuckled, "But I trust her more with wielding two armaments at once."

"What are these weapons?"

"The gun was once owned by a man named Lucifer," Zagreus pushed on her hands, her arms sliding slightly out of the mirror, "The spear is my father's. Make good use of them."

"I'll find your sister," Three promised, pulling on her arms, "What's her name?"

"Melinoë," Zagreus said, his visage fading, "Good luck!"

Three fell back, her hands finally free from the mirror's grasp. She stood up, staring at her returned reflection. The gun in her left hand was adorned with a stoic face, reminding her somewhat of the massive NILS Statue. The spear in her right had two prongs, twisted sharply and burning with an otherworldly heat.

"Bandana!" Three shouted, her throat opening up, "The guy in the mirror came back!"

"What-" Bandana stopped in the doorway, instantly fixating on the spear, "Did he uhhh... give you those?"

"Yeah," Three dropped the spear on the ground, "You can have that. Guess we gotta find somebody else now."

"Who?"

"Melinoë," Three said, flopping backwards onto the bed. She stared at the weapon in her hands, the name Lucifer repeating in her head. "She's the guy in the mirror's sister. I hope she isn't too far."

"Neato," Bandana picked up the spear, and spun it around in his hands, "Oh yeah, this is much better. Looking good, Gigaros."

"Gigaros?" Three asked.

"Yeah," Bandana held the spear to the sky, then placed it on his back, "I dunno, something about it screams Gigaros to me."

"Is the steak edible yet?" Three sighed, placing the gun beside her and rubbing her head, "I would kill for a Seanwich right now. Or maybe just a Schwaffle. Hell, I'm so hungry I could eat a salmonid!"

"The steak should be good," Bandana smiled, poking her with Gigaros's blunt end, "But you aren't gonna be able to eat it while slumping around here."

"Yeah, yeah," Three sat up, then looked back at the gun beside her. The angelic bust that formed its barrel stared back at her, her sanitization scar sizzling dimly. "Bandana, you think we'll ever have a quiet day around here?"

"I think the whole point is that it isn't quiet," Bandana sighed, "We're probably gonna have to find out who did this and beat them up before we can have a quiet day."

"That tracks," Three stuck the gun into the holster on her back, "At least that's something I'm good at."