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Maybe it wasn’t the best idea 4C had. The clump was interesting, and curiosity killed the slime. Well, he wasn’t dead, but he wanted to be.
The whispers were too loud. He hated it, he hated it so much. Half of the time he was talking to anyone he was actually disassociating and not paying attention at all. It was painfully loud, and he couldn’t even tell where the whispers were coming from.
The creaking king must have taken a liking to him, with all the noises he was constantly hearing, it would be no surprise. But maybe that it was what Nom and Sausage were going through too.
The whispers were mainly guilt trips that 4C was not about to fall for. But every now and then, a verbal attack stung in his mind, and he went stiff when it happened. He tried to stay away from the dungeon, the king was louder the closer he got, and it was already so loud. It was so loud.
He wanted it to stop. He needed it to stop. He NEEDED it to stop.
Sausage seemingly just knew he ate it. He had pulled him aside for a bit, and told him a little bit more information, nothing helpful though. He knew no one else knew though, they had no reason to.
Nothing changed appearance-wise. 4C assumed because he was a slime. His body was really stiff, but he could still move. And the most noticeable part was his skin being much harder than before. He just blamed it on it getting hotter out.
He was mad. At himself mainly. And he knew there was no way to put that hatred away. He hated himself, and that was often how the creaking king got to him. Unfortunate, really.
But, he was pretty good at distracting himself. He was listening in to Katie and Nom talking, to distract himself further. All it was doing was getting him angry.
Nom supposedly bashed his head in and rejected him from is home to “protect him”. It was dumb, and indescribable with and words that 4C.
He was focusing on that side of the conversation than the side that was them discussing him eating the clump.
Because 4C did that too. He was just as bad.
He was starting to lose focus. And he left out of rage soon after he heard it.
Waiting at the bridge was a rash decision. But he was irrationally angry, and he needed some sort of confrontation. He knew most of the anger he was feeling wasn’t even his own. He was mostly shocked more than anything.
He was there for a bit. Sitting in thoughts that weren’t his own, yet had familiarity. The creaking king was telling him so much, making him even more enraged.
However, he could control it, unlike an old friend of his. An old friend that was walking right up to him now.
“Hey” Nom said plainly, ready for any anger from the slime.
Which he received as 4C asked, “You really thought you were protecting me?” He was holding back more words, most being from the creeking king.
Nom nodded, “In my own selfish way, yeah. Besides the whole mace thing. That was.. Stupid.”
‘Oh really? Stupid. Are you really going to just believe what this traitor says? He hurt you 4C, and with my help, we can hurt him back.’ He stood still, looking into Nom’s eyes as he listened to the whispers. The color was different, a faded orange, truly a horrid color.
For a long moment, he was completely silent, and Nom noticed this unusual detail. He looked to his friend and saw light that didn’t reach his eyes, a mouth almost zipped shut, and an all too familiar stiffness. The type of stiffness you have went you barely even know what thoughts are your own.
“Oh my god.” He practically gasped in realization, there was fear in his voice. So much fear
4C knew he realized it, and looked down in embarrassment, “Can we talk about it somewhere else, like in the woods or something.” Privacy was key, and he was pretty sure they were already being listened in on.
Nom stepped a single step towards the woods around the dungeon, but 4C grabbed his wrist and guided him the other way. Nom knew why, the creaking king was loud, but he had calmed down a bit in his own mind. He was started to get the idea that the same couldn’t be said for 4C.
He felt sorry for him, when the whispers were bad for Nom, it was practically impossible to think.
And it looked like 4C had gotten used to it.
When they mad it to a quieter spot, 4C took a deep breath, breathing in air that felt the closest he could feel to freedom. And, although in the back of his mind it was there, he could barely hear the whispers. It was silent.
Until Nom spoke up, “What happened? When did you... eat it?” 4C could barely even look at him. And he seemed hesitant to answer anything to the man in front of him.
But he would(he always would), “A couple days ago. I didn’t know anything about it, and Sausage told me to eat-“
“That bastard! He knew that the clumps… he knew what they did!” Nom said, almost starting to yell, but he quickly noticed how distraught 4C was from him raising his voice alone.
4C had covered his ears, trying to only listen to his thoughts, not Nom’s angered words. This gave the creaking king an opportunity to poison his mind, because of course it did.
Thoughts swarmed his brain, thoughts of Nom only pretending to care, thoughts of him hurting him.
“S-Stop. It’s not true. It’s not true.” His voice was a simple whisper, but for Nom it was painful to hear and look at.
4C plopped onto the ground and Nom carefully put his hand on his “friend’s” shoulder. 4C jerked his head to Nom, and his breathing slowed to a normal pace.
“I…” 4C sighed, “It’s odd. Somehow you can still calm me down when an evil voice is telling me you’re using me.” The slime gave a small giggle, and Nom returned it.
It was odd. There was tension around them, but it was subsided for a second with peace. Peace similar to what it used to be like around Nom.
But it wasn’t the same.
Once the silence started to turn into awkwardness, Nom said, “I get that you might not trust me. I don’t trust me. But if you need anything, especially to do with the creaking king, come to me.” He smiled, a smile 4C thought to be so genuine that it would never be presented to him.
His eyes lit up, and he smiled too, “I will.” He wanted to add something, something corny about Nom being his brother, but he knew he wouldn’t have to.
Because Nom would, “ Remember that your my brother, regardless of the kingdom we’re on.”
Maybe 4C could understand Katie genuinely now. What it’s like to have a sibling on the other side of the battlefield. And maybe it was an unnecessary, and depressing thought, there was one thing he knew.
That even if they were enemies…
They were still brothers.