Chapter Text
Sword and Rocket are walking around the town they lived in (Sketchvale), Sharps (Sword's pet oribirb) on his shoulder.
The air was warm and summery, even though fall was approaching, the sun shining from about the sky's midpoint, shining off of Sword's helmet and blinding someone most likely.
"Hey Sword, did you hear about the thing the Korblox Administration's hosting?" Rocket asked him, titling his goggles onto his forehead, sun catching the yellow lenses.
"What're they doing?" Sword inquired, looking curious and petting Sharps, scratching him on the chin.
"They're looking for 10 magic artifacts scattered all around Inpherno! Free doodles to anyone that participates!" Rocket explained. "I was thinking about joining, buttt I don't think my dad would let me..." he sighed.
"I'm sure Zuka and Venomshank wouldn't mind us spending a few days running around Inpherno." Sword reassures him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Well then, let's go to the center and see what doodles they have for beginners!" Rocket then ran off and Sword ran after him.
The center's air is crisp, though sterile, the scent of isopropyl alcohol and soap thick in the air. White counters and tilted floors and such.
"Heyo, could we sign up for the hunt?" Rocket seems surprised to see Slingshot at the counter, but asked anyway.
"Yep! I'll grab what you need. Vine knows how to operate the printer so you can get your doodles." Slingshot explained, kneeling down to grab something from under the counter.
"Thanks Sling!" Sword calls, walking up to Vine Staff, who's working with the printer.
"How in the phuck do you— no, no Orchid, stop that, phuck— morning!" Vine Staff greets them, her hair a mess and looking like she's insane while restraining a small Nyanto. "Just feel free to pick a doodle from the printer and stuff."
"Awesome!" Rocket excited picks a Pupskey, while Sword grabs a Vipember more tentatively. Sharps gives her a curious peck.
"So, where to first?" Sword wondered, petting his new doodle, her red and orange scales so bright that they looked scalding to the touch (even if they weren't).
"Hmm... Lakewood is nearby, how about there? I heard they have good food." Rocket suggested, tail feathers twitching, his pupskey at his feet.
"Sure, let's go!" Sword agreed happily, starting to walk there.
So Sword and Rocket waltzed straight into route one, chatting.
"So, whatcha gonna name her?" Rocket points to the vipember in Sword's arms, held like a cat.
"Flame!" Sword pats the newly-named Flame on the head, earning a faint hiss of annoyance from her. "How about yours?"
"I'm gonna name him... hmm... I don't know yet, sorry little guy." Rocket gave an apologetic look to his doodle, who nudged his ankle in response.
"What about Icicle?" Sword suggested.
"That's adorable! Hello, Icicle!" Rocket scooped up Icicle. Icicle barks happily, his tail wagging.
"Aww, he likes you, doesn't he?" Sword observed with a light chuckle.
"Guess so!" Rocket, rubbing his ears.
The pair walked for a bit, fainting some wild bunsweet and nibblen.
Rocket points to a splash of snowy white and icy blue among the vivid greenery. Must be a rare doodle as Rocket points to it to catch Sword's attention.
"A wild scarfox?" Sword questioned.
"I'm gonna catch it!" Rocket grabbed a capsule from around his waist.
"Wait, Rocket." Sword places a hand on Rocket's shoulder. "It's running off the path. And scarfox don't even live out here. Probably someone's pet."
Rocket then runs out to follow it. Sword chases after him, plants and whatever else rushing past them, until they arrived, panting, at a cave.
The darkness felt almost claustrophobic, so Flame exhaled some fire so the group could see. Sword and Rocket both drew their gears, Flame now curled around Sword's wrist.
It was a long, singular path, though it winded enough to make Rocket dizzy, leaning on his friend.
Eventually they find a more open cave, with the scarfox from before.
The cave is still pretty small, but large enough to allow as a good secret hiding spot. A small collection of various items—capsules, bandages, held items like taffies and jellies—held in one small hole in the wall, a make-shift bed of moss and feathers in a corner.
And, now, getting a better look at the scarfox, she looked scarred. One of her eyes, ears, and back paws were bandaged. And she was tending to what looked to be her trainer on the make-shift bed, a fairly young inphernal—maybe in his 20s?—with teal, antler-like horns, bandages over his right eye, clothing stained in both old pink and newer, cyan blood, eating some dried strawberries. He seemed to be relying on his doodle for help.
"Umm... hello?" Sword awkwardly steps into the cavern, Flame around his wrist.
"Get out." The man seems defensive, even in his weakened state where he hardly has the energy to eat.
"We just wanna help!" Rocket added, adjusting his goggles onto his forehead and holding Icicle behind him.
"I am just fine." He places a hand on his doodle's head, with the scarfox perking up and eyeing the younger trainers with an excited gleam in her singular un-bandaged eye. "Drop it, Lattice, they aren't worth the effort. They're easy pickings for the wiglets."
"Hey—!" Rocket seemed offended by the idea of being food for such an annoying doodle, though Sword took his hand to distract him and drag him outside.
Sword and Rocket strolled into Lakewood, Sword's hand still tightly held in Rocket's. Sword found the sensation fuzzy, in a comforting way; like being wrapped up in a blanket with hot cocoa on a cold day.
The sky was beginning to dim to a dark-blue-purple, stars beginning to glint along the horizon, streetlights not yet turned on to obscure it.
"Should we heal up our doodles real quick?" Sword suggested, holding Rocket's hand the tiniest bit tighter. He didn't really wanna let go, now or ever.
"Yeah... revives are so damn expensive, like 4,000 bux." Rocket jokingly complained.
So the pair walked into the doodle center, the inphernal at the counter using a machine quite similar to the one Vine Staff used to give them their doodles to heal them.
The woman's bunsweet happily returns the duo's doodles.
"Y'know, you are allowed to stay the night here because you're part of the hunt, even encouraged! Breakfast buffet too." She explained cheerily, making small motions with her hands.
"That reminds me..." Sword started, "I haven't eaten all day and now I'm hungry."
"We should go get dinner, then. Considering it's dinner-ish time. I think there's a good restaurant here."
The closest spot was a place called Tadapple Tail. It looks to be a bit (lot) hectic, orange lighting bathing everything in an artificially sunny glow, plastic-y tables with food and such. Someone's fruitoad was even standing on one.
They hurriedly order and pay, the inphernal taking their order also having a very excited-looking heatza, taking their food to go and sitting by Lakewood's lake.
Sword yawns, leaning into Rocket slightly, Flame curled up in his lap.
"You ready to get some rest?" Rocket asks affectionately, not minding his friend now against his shoulder, even tenting one of his blue jay wings around Sword.
"Yes please..." Sword mumbled, scratching Flame's chin absentmindedly.
Rocket helped Sword pick up as Icicle scooped up Flame in his mouth, scaring her awake.
"Heyo! Is it okay if we have a room?" Rocket asks, showing the receptionist his Korbloxian badge thingamajig.
"Of course, dear! 5th room on the left." She gives them a keycard before returning to whatever she was doing.
After a bit of failing to understand the difference between left and right, Rocket found their room, with Sword half-awake-ly leaning against him.
The room was nice, a bed set in the corner, a smaller bathroom, a small cabinet with all sorts of random, generic hotel items which were very nice, a closet with a few sets of pajamas, and a desk.
Sword took off his cape and helmet and then collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep within approximately 7.62 seconds, his wings gently fluttering behind him.
Though Rocket would enjoy cuddling beside him for the night, he didn't want to overstep any boundaries, so opted to sleep on the floor. The carpet made it look decently comfortable as he grabbed an extra pillow and blanket from the cabinet.
Icicle happily curled up beside his trainer, and Flame, due to not having legs, couldn't get onto the bed and looked pissed about it for maybe 10 minutes before Icicle hopped up to make her join him. Her face betrayed even more annoyance somehow.
The morning sun was just beginning to peak through the curtains as Sword stirred, wings wrapping around him. It took him a second to realize he wasn't in his bedroom like he usually was—with the subtle tang of venom in the air and Sharps' incessant early-morning cries—this time.
The swordsman stood up, carefully avoiding Rocket. "Sorry." He apologized, feeling guilt clawing at him for making his friend sleep on the floor. He decided to sit by the rocketeer, wings loosely tenting him like a blanket, enjoying the feeling of feathers against his own.
Just as Sword was about to doze off again, leaning onto Rocket and his own wings, a pawing, scratching sound echoed from the door. Not an inphernal, but most likely a doodle. Rocket was disturbed by it too, noting how his wings seemed to twitch.
Sword stood up to check on it, the door creaking slightly.
A doodle, one with unkempt, slightly matted fur, bandages tightly wound over one of her eyes and paws, looking up at him with a sense of urgency. The exact same scarfox from yesterday, though how she found them and got inside was a mystery.
She immediately started trying to drag Sword somewhere, Rocket appearing to help him not get taken to the abyss.
Icicle starts sniffing at the scarfox, and then barks at her. She growls in return, a very open invitation to fight.
"No, no, bad." Rocket scoops Icicle up, much to the doodle's dismay.
Sword quickly collects his helmet, cape and satchel, following the doodle as she led the pair someone that probably skirted the line of legality.
The scarfox seemed to know her path perfectly, paws following trails that didn't exist to senses that weren't her own. Sword and Rocket struggled to keep up as she walked through what felt like a maze, still struggling due to one of her back paws being just gone.
The forest shifted to caverns, twisting and turning like a maze, with hardly enough light for the pair to see their feet in front of them.
Eventually they returned to the cave, still the air hung heavy with the sweet scent of blood, as the same man still laid on a makeshift moss bed, though the teal-cyan that dyed his clothing and bandages was much brighter, indicating it was much fresher. The man barely looked like he was breathing.
The scarfox placed her paw on his chest, tail flicking. Rocket immediately started fumbling with his phone before she ran up and knocked it out of his hands, clattering on the floor as she pointed her tail to Sword's bag.
Sword opened it, though the moment he did the doodle snatched some bandages and a strange jelly that he'd found, and started applying them to her trainer with careful, well-trained paws, placing her nose on his forehead for a moment.
And then she turned her attention to the 2 young boys, beginning to push and shove them out of the cave as best she could, which was more a pitiful attempt, but Sword and Rocket still obliged out of curtesy.
"So, what should we do?" Rocket asked.
"Maybe explore the routes near here?" Sword suggested.
"Sure." Rocket agreed, starting to wonder in a random direction.
The rest of the day was a warm blur of sunlight, laughter and beating up some poor kids' doodles.
Graphite Forest was a nice place, the stream cutting through the landscape, soft rustling trees and birdsong from the wild air-typed doodles, and comfortably dewy grass, maybe even spotting a threec or fawnook if you were lucky.
Rocket skipped across the bridge, jacket around his waist and googles pushed up onto his head, hair messily tied into a ponytail. Sword followed him a little more wearily, boots creaking against the wood as if threatening to crumble, snap and drown the teenaged trainers and their doodles. That just served to make Sword more uneasy, until Rocket dragged him away.
"Sword, look! A wild glummish!" Rocket whispered as one was picking through the grass, blending in with the dark grasses of this corner of the woods.
Rocket chucked a capsule at her without a second thought, clicking shut as he grabbed the capsule and slipped it in his pocket.
Eventually, the scarfox returns, yet again circling and pawing at their feet to follow her. Yet again, they follow her. Yet again, the cave spirals and twists, like a maze. Yet again, the same man, now asleep on his blood-soaked, shambled-together moss bed, sweet-metal tang in the air.
Sword starts opening his satchel, though the moment he starts trying to, she snatches what she wanted (a sandwich), and set them beside her tamer, using some of the jellies to help him.
"Thank you, Lattice." He tiredly thanks his doodle, seemingly too tired and weak to speak, but doing it anyway.
He glances at Sword and Rocket, his gaze shifting to one of distrust and annoyance, though a hint of fear lingered in the teal-cyan depths. Though, before he can tell the pair anything snappy, the scarfox placed a fluffy paw over his mouth.
"You saved me?" He inquired, still distrustful but maybe a little closer to not chucking them off a cliff.
"It was mostly your doodle." Sword explained awkwardly, a pebble by his feet suddenly very interesting.
"I take it you're part of the hunt for those artifacts, aren't you? I can tell just by your doodles." He asks, slight distrust in his tone.
"Oh, yeah!" Rocket answered proudly, not picking up that it wasn't something to be proud of to this man.
"As thanks for helping me, I think I can tell you where the nearest one is. It's off Graphite Forest. Nightmare to get in, but it's probably safe. I think I have some extra doodles you can take." He explained, trying to stand up, but is promptly stopped by Lattice, who grabs them for him, setting a pair of capsules in Sword's hands, who handed one to Rocket.
"Thank you! Say, what's your name?" Sword asks the stranger curiously, tail feathers flicking as he tilts his head.
"Medkit."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Sword, and this is my friend Rocket." Sword introduced himself and his 'party'.
"Would've assumed you two were dating." Medkit observed like an older brother looking to bother his younger kin.
Sword and Rocket fluffed out their feathers in indignation, both scrambling to come up with some variety of "do not!" like kids being accused of liking another kid in their class.
Sword and Rocket walked back into the doodle center, happily chatting about the day's events. All the bux and items they'd got from robbing those poor kids, what a strange thing that scarfox was, why that mayhaps dead guy named Medkit thought they were dating.
Rocket showed the receptionist a Korbloxian pin they'd been given, and she handed them some keys to a room with a very forced smile.
The room was exactly the same as the last one. Same sterile smell, same achromatic colors, same everything.
Flame slithered onto the floor, Sharps nestled onto the windowsill, Rocket's glummish (Fog) attempting to sleep even though Icicle kept bothering her by prodding her with his snout. Fog looked less than pleased.
"I'm gonna shower." Sword called, grabbing one of the sets of pajamas on the table.
He did so quickly, setting his normal clothes in the washing machine so Rocket could wash his clothing too when he was done.
"I'll sleep on the floor?" Sword offered, guilt flickering in his red-gray eyes.
"I don't mind if we share a bed or something." Rocket laughed, taking off his googles and setting them on the desk. "Also, I'm gonna shower."
"Okay, goodnight!" Sword waited until Rocket left to lay down, curling his wings around himself like a blanket.
Sword woke up to the first rays on sunlight piercing the window, carefully adjusting his wings as he sat up to not smack Rocket, what was left of the blanket now hanging off the other side of the bed. Did Rocket fall off at some point— yes.
Rocket also seemed just fine with sleeping on the floor. Comfortable, even. His arm pillowed his head, soft smile on his face, wings fluttering, Icicle sleeping against his legs.
At some point, Sword realized he'd been staring, probably looking like an idiot. Though it did feel very tempting to curl up next to him and go back to sleep, Rocket's wings almost like a blanket... it was only 7 AM, he had time until anything would happen.
So he sat down, back against the wall, curling into a ball to fall asleep again, Sharps tucking himself into the curve of Sword's wing.
Sword rubbed his eyes, the sun now shining much more brightly. Rocket was still asleep, now lying on his back like a glimmew sunning itself, though he should probably wake up soon-ish.
So he stood up, deciding to change and investigate the breakfast buffet, wake up Rocket with food, walking down to the kitchen where it was hosted, scooping up Sharps and letting Flame curl around his ankle.
Sword helmet glittered brightly with the bright lights of what was most likely a conference room usually (at least based on the giant projector), though now it was awash in sweet and savory smells of food. He had to restrain Sharps from stealing something from someone's plate.
So he fetched his own plate, and grabbed some pancakes, waffles, fruit, and sausages. Yes, pancakes versus waffles was a debate, so why not have both? Also, he liked the fluffy texture of pancakes and the crunch of waffles. And fruit was just good.
The door lightly creaked open as Sharps attempted to peck at the strawberries, and was promptly stopped by Sword as he sat next to Rocket, lightly prodding the rocketeer.
"Huh? 5 more minutes..." Rocket muttered, hiding in his wings a little more.
"No." Sword jokingly told his friend, smacking him lightly on the head with a spoon.
Sword and Rocket stepped outside, dressed in their regular clothes, capsules in hand. Sharps was still finishing the last of the waffles.
The air was crisp, smelling like dew as they walked over Graphite Forest, river surging under the bridge.
"Hey, we should probably train up these probably-illegal doodles!" Rocket suggested, pulling out his capsule, the blue and white plastic catching the sunlight.
There was a bit of tape on it reading 'Iciclaw' on it, and there was some with 'Senstruct' on it on the other.
Sword opened it hesitantly, surprised to see... a sword thing? A rocky body with a single eye staring into Sword's soul. So Sword obviously named it Rune.
"Aww, look at this baby, I'm naming him Frostbite! Oh and your creature that'd jumpscare you in a horror game."
Rocket's was a small armadillo-looking critter, glittering with ice and a 4x fire weakness.
The next few hours were a blur of training, light shining from their doodles as 3 of them (Flame, Sharps and Icicle) evolved. The duo both congratulated their doodles.
Now, it was time to figure out where they were going.
After some boring wondering later, they found a large door.
Sword started slashing at it, until Rocket flat-out exploded it. The problem of there being a door there was solved.
As they pushed through the door, the scent of sharper, unexplored woods, petrichor and dew swirled around them, light poured down between the overcast skies, trees reached up to where even the most eccentric flying doodles wouldn't try to reach them, and for this first time, this felt... more. More than just a silly adventure. More than just an impulsive choice of teenagers. Something important. Beyond just Sword, Rocket, and their doodles, something beyond even the swords.
Though Sword was snapped out of his thoughts as a statikeet attacked him, Flame assassinating it with a venomous snap to the neck in a matter of seconds.
And so Sword stepped forward, gingerly pressing a pink button, though a click caught his attention, a wooden beam falling into place.
"Woah, sick!" Rocket yelled, running up it, Icicle behind like an excited with Sword following behind.
A massive temple seemed to sprawl out in front of them, absolutely breathtaking marble architecture and statues rose, high into the air, doodles and inphernals standing side-by-side. A doodle, looking somewhat similar to a skadean or schiwi, though pearls ornamented her body, and especially large one clutched in her pseudo-hands, and who must've been her tamer, a tall inphernal, dressed in the same pearls, who seemed to be this mysterious doodle herself, at least partially, with a dress made of carefully carved pearls covering her body, clams around her wrists and ankles, tail behind her doodle's back.
Another statue of a tamer with a doodle like a grufflin, both dressed in armor that must've shined brightly. And another of one with something resembling a nyanto, and one with a cryoterra, a tulenna, a mourveil— Sword wanted to capture the scene in his memory forever, the beautifully hand-carved statues...
One stood centrally, though desecrated. The doodle was almost entirely destroyed, though the figure remained standing, a massive, almost angelic figure, wings extending from his back, helmet covering his head. Another, smaller doodle sat perched on his shoulder, smaller fluffy wings extending from her back as well. A name was inscribed under the statue, "Seraphlaser, An Angel under Somniere".
Sword immediately recognized the name Somniere. Who wouldn't? Any inphernal who'd attended a day of schooling knew at least the basics of the doodle war, a great war that happened some 500 years ago between a doodle named Verdrok and the aforementioned doodle Somniere.
Though who was Seraphlaser...?
Rocket had already pranced ahead, also gazing in awe at the doodles he'd never seen or even heard of, hand clutched in Sword's.
The two young tamers began approaching the statue of whoever 'Seraphlaser' was, realizing something was placed in his hand which would've been reaching down to Somniere, was instead holding something. A rather abstract-looking crystal, glittering with yellow-blue light.
"What business dost thou have in the temple of Seraphlaser?" A voice asked, seeming defensive of whatever they were guarding.
"We're just here for the hunt, is—is all!" Sword nervously explained.
"Many are here for korblox’s frivolous activities," he started, "but the rule is, for those who guard artifact, you simply have to beat me in a doodle battle and it's yours. And none of them have managed to beat me, Shuri-Lóng, the guardian of this temple."
"So we fight her!" Icicle looked excited to fight at Rocket's command, while Sword sighed and sent out Flame.
The opposing trainer's doodles appeared, a minjoule and rather rare green twigon, both stood, poised for battle across from Flame and Icicle.
Flame immediately leapt to sting and flame the twigon, while Icicle tussled with the minjoule. They already seemed impressed by how well Sword and Rocket were faring, as his twigon was already unfit to fight.
A yonna reared up on her hind legs, Flame trying to surge under him to disorient him and the minjoule, though she overestimated the power of both, managing to get dogpiled. So Sword sent out Sharps, who started flapping indignantly at both doodles, knocking the yonna off his paws before the minjoule got a good bite to the neck in and Sharps was returned to his capsule.
Icicle wasn't in the best shape, and was quickly bandaged up, while Sword sent out Rune, who promptly sliced the minjoule, resulting in the opposing trainer sending out her final doodle, a ruffire with more rage than body mass.
Icicle bit down hard on his tail before getting knocked back, Fog distracting her so Rune could slice the dog.
As the final doodles returned to their trainer, defeated, a look of shock crossed their face.
"Well played..." he bit back a snappy response, by the expression on her face. "The artifact is yours." They reached up, and placed the gemstone in Sword's palms.
Rocket stared at it in sheer awe as Sword gently set it in his bag.
"We did it..." Rocket breathed. "We did it! We did it!"
Rocket spun the other boy around before pulling him into a tight hug as they collapsed onto the floor, Rocket's head against Sword's shoulder and Sword's arms around Rocket's torso.
Neither dared to move, to disturb this sudden calm...
"Ahem..." Shuri-Lóng interrupted awkwardly with a look that was a mix of "please just confess already" and "can you please be gay somewhere else".