Chapter Text
It was a cold morning in Roadtown. Usually, it’s cozy and peaceful. However, a hero named Firecracker was causing a racket up and down the mountaintops. He was on a quest assigned by Shedletsky to gather all of the SFOTH swords and defeat the mysterious figure that kidnapped Builderman. The first sword he needed to claim was the Ice Dagger, which was in the hands of a ruthless, Cruel King. Right now, Firecracker is frustrated with the large pile of rocks blocking his only entrance to the Blackrock castle. “UUGHH!! Why does everything have to be so difficult!!!” he shouted in anger. Firecracker let out a long, frustrated sigh before walking down the only path he can go through, hoping he will find something to get rid of the rubble.
Lo and behold it leads him to one of the first miracles in his life. He meets a man named Accountant Jim, who is stuck in a pile of rocks. Firecracker was getting tired of seeing piles of rocks. Wait, how did he know the guy’s name? Lol now I remember. During his journey he stumbled across a journal documenting the extremely rude actions of miners. Remembering the miners pisses him off, so he stops thinking about it and looks back down at the man in peril. “P l e a s e…” Accountant Jim begs, “Grab that dynamite and get me outta here!!” Firecracker looked at the dynamite, then back at Accountant Jim, then the dynamite again. He picked it up, and he considered leaving the poor man behind. SIKEEE!! Firecracker lit a stick of dynamite and threw it at the pile of rocks covering Accountant Jim, and he watched as it was blown to smithereens. He felt extreme joy ignite in his soul watching the scene play out. It's like he's felt this feeling before.. many, many years ago.
Ever since Firecracker was a kid, he has had a thing for fireworks and explosives. His love for them began during the fourth of July. His parents thought it would be fun to buy him those little novelty fireworks you get at the clearance aisle for $1 a piece, since he wasn't a toddler anymore. At first, he was acting like a completely normal kid, flailing around a sparkler like a wand, throwing those little popper bags on the ground, flailing five sparklers around, normal kid stuff. That is, until they got to the mini firecrackers. His mom lit them with a match and set then down on the patio. Firecracker thought it was one of those popper things that you throw on the floor. So, instinctively, he threw it, and with a loud “BOOM!!” it exploded on top of the larger fireworks set up. One after another, they all were set off.
Little sparks of fire rained down from the sky and began to set patches of grass on fire. On the other side of the yard, the fireworks created a big shimmery, popping, cracking, snapping ball of sparks that was almost as tall as the roof of their house. His parents ran off to get the hose and his aunt and uncle started putting dirt into a bucket to throw at the areas of flame. Firecracker was OVERJOYED. He was giggling and clapping his hands, loving the sounds and the pretty colors everything created.
Ever since that day, his love for novelty explosives got more and more destructive. In first grade, he dropped twelve mini firecrackers into a toilet and watched it explode. Y'know, for fun! He got into huge trouble with the school admin. In fifth grade, he brought those mini poppers to school and started throwing them at people’s feet for April fool’s day. In high school, he tried to be a good kid and stop setting things on fire and breaking things. Of course, he couldn’t. He would break stuff accidentally during lab days in science, set things on fire in art class, and he almost burnt down the entire auditorium during a play he was part of. Don’t ask how he did that. It’s a very sensitive topic for him.
Firecracker's train of thought was broken once he felt someone grab his hand. It was Accountant Jim, thanking him endlessly for his kindness and heroism. He promised a “great reward” next time they met. Firecracker hoped it was food, because he’s a fatass. He watched as the man skipped away. Then, with a new passion burning in his heart, he set off to go explode the rocks blocking his path to the castle. If anything got in his way, he would throw bombs at them until they retreated or died. If you couldn't tell already, he's having the time of his life. He broke open the entrance to the Blackrock castle and continued his spree of explosions. NOTHING was safe from his destruction, and NOBODY would get in the way of it-
“Think you can just waltz in and destroy everything?!?” he heard a knight shout. There were about nine, maybe ten of them lined up at the door. “Well.. try and get past.. T H I S!!!” the knights build a spiky wooden blockade next to the throne room entrance. …lol okay bet. Firecracker went up a flight of stairs, walked over to a chandelier conveniently hung over the blockade of knights, and broke the chain using his wooden sword. The marvelous decoration crashed down, and when he went back to where the blockade was, he saw each and every last one of the snarky knights lying on the floor in pain. “Ooouuhhh…. Owwwieeee…” they groaned in pain. Firecracker walked past them with a smug look on his face, but that look was soon replaced with annoyance as he noticed the throne room required a key to get in.
He groaned, and went to look for a key to open it. He found a red key in the armory, which wasn’t the one he needed. Maybe he's just angry because he hasn't properly eaten yet. Speaking of food, the key unlocked the cafeteria. JACKPOOOOTTT!! His joy faded once he noticed the hungry knights groaning and complaining. “Damn, so I’m not getting food then.” he mumbled to himself. Firecracker let out a snarky chuckle as he walked to the kitchen door. “Man.. whichever chef is cooking is definitely not a good one.” He ate immediately ate his words once walking in.
His eyes met a wizard with soft greyish-blue skin and deep lavender hair that curled beautifully underneath his brilliant blue hat. The hat had white stars speckled all around it, which complimented the wizard’s earrings. Firecracker's eyes trailed down from the wizard's head to his torso, looking at the midnight blue shirt that had calculus level math printed on the milky white area of its chest. He looked at his arms, and he noticed tattoos along his wrists. He visually traced the pattern of them, they seemed to be some kind of magical scripture. “Are you the assistant mage I ordered? I’ve been waiting…” the wizard said. Firecracker’s eyes immediately darted up to his face as he spoke. He looked at his lips, noting the soft blue hue they held. Then, he noticed the silver shimmers on nose and cheeks. It looked like it was gently brushed onto his face by a makeup brush.
Finally, he looked up at the wizard's eyes and stared into them. Firecracker felt his face, no, his whole body start to get warm. His mouth was gaped open, it was like he was put under a spell. The wizard kept staring at him, and he swore he could feel a spark ignite and spread through his whole body. It started in his chest, then spread to his stomach, giving him butterflies, before finally reaching his eyes, giving them a shimmer that he’s never had before. This new feeling made his body shiver and his breath quicken nervously. His hands were clenched into a fist, and little beads of sweat formed on his palms. He was so entranced, he didn’t even hear the wizard’s rambling. All he was able to focus on was the soothing melody of his voice. Although it sounded a little frustrated, it had a gentle tenderness to it, which evened everything out into a perfect vocal harmony. “Ugh.. snap out of it Firecracker. You literally just met this guy, there’s no reason for you to get this worked up over him.”
He regathered his senses when the wizard put one of his hands on his shoulder and stuck his finger in the air, shouting “No more fooling around! We’ve got knights to feed!!” The wizard then struck a pose, which made Firecracker laugh to himself. Okay, there was every reason for him to be getting worked up, this man had charm AND he was funny. “While I prepare the stove with my magic,” the wizard continued on, “I need.. One bottle of rose-colored liquid. Yes, one will do just fine for now.” Firecracker heard the request, however, when he tried to move it felt like his feet were glued firmly to the ground. He began another train of thought; what was this guy's name? The wizard was dressed like, well, a wizard. And he also worked in a kitchen. I guess we'll call him Kitchen Wizard.
Kitchen Wizard walked up to Firecracker and snapped his fingers, he had a frustrated look painted on his face. “AHEM. Forgetting something? A bottle with rose-colored liquid perhaps??” Firecracker swallowed anxiously. “Y-yes!! Sorry sir.. I'll grab it right away!!” he replied, then he walked over to the other side of the room. Oh lord. They were all the same color. “Y'know what..” he muttered to himself. “I’m just going to pick one at random.” Firecracker grabbed a bottle at random and started walking back to the stove. “I mean, it’s just cooking! I’m sure if this messes up nothing will explode! Yea.. yeah! Everything will be okay!” he thought. He handed the bottle to Kitchen Wizard, and he saw a smile form on the wizard's face. He took note of that, and remembered to cherish it for as long as he lived.
The wizard dropped a few drops into his cauldron, then it started changing color and bubbling. Oh no. “Huh.. that's odd…WAIT A MINUTE-” KABOOM!!! The cauldron exploded and everything in the room blew upward, stacking on top of each other into a great pile. Firecracker swallowed, then fearfully looked at the wizard. Kitchen Wizard was mad, no, INFURIATED. “You. IDIOT!!! THAT'S THE WRONG BOTTLE!! I ASKED FOR THE ROSE, THE ROSE!!!” Firecracker looked down shamefully as he yelled at him, and he felt tears well up in his eyes. Maybe it was because this was just like that one incident- “No. Stop.” he thought to himself, “You’re a man now, don’t cry. That’s embarrassing, Firecracker. Stop acting like a baby.” He took a deep breath in and out, and calmed himself down. Temporarily, of course.
Kitchen Wizard groaned, then looked up. “Huh? Did something fly up there? Well, you better go grab it. I’m leaving a terrible review on your website.” Firecracker sighed, glancing one more time at the beautiful wizard. “Well, don’t just stand there! Go get it!” he shouted. Firecracker turned to the pile of countertops and other kitchenware, and cautiously climbed up. “When this is all over.." he thought, "I’m gonna apologize to him. Also, I might take him out to dinner once we get this place cleaned up. Yea! That’ll be nice!” Once he reached the top and grabbed the shrink card, he saw Tutorial Terry flying up to him with the wizard’s hat on his head. “Yo.” Oh my god. How did this FAT. CHUD. Get that hat. “Heard this guy was being a jerk, so I took care of him for ya.” Okay, WOW. Question answered I guess. “...WHAT?!” Firecracker shouted. “Took his hat too! This thing is siiick brah-"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ‘TOOK CARE OF HIM’??” There’s no way. This cannot be happening, it can’t. Firecracker started to hyperventilate and tear up again. “Uhm.. I blasted him.” Terry said.
“...YOU WHAAT?!?”
“Wooaaa.. Is that a shrink card? Do you know how to use it? Or are you stupid.” ohhh.. He HATED it when he was treated like an idiot, especially by this pest. Firecracker felt his body shake in anger. “I- YES?? I KNOW HOW TO USE CARDS CHUD.”
“Oookay.. Take a chill pill man! Anyways, I’m gonna go now. Gonna use this hat to steal a bunch of fish, lol. Byeeee XD”
Once Terry left, Firecracker climbed down as fast as he could to check on Kitchen Wizard. There he was. His once marvelous and confident body was now lying on the floor, weak and covered in burn marks. Firecracker felt like throwing up all of the guilt he felt. He lowered his hand down to the wizard, and brushed his hair gently, moving it away from the pulse point on his neck. Firecracker then put his fingers down, hoping he would feel a faint heartbeat.
… nothing. Kitchen Wizard’s body felt cold, yet warm in the area of the blast. Firecracker tried to heal him with what was left in his inventory, but it wouldn't work: the attack was fatal. The wizard he just fell in love with, the one he wanted to get to know more, the one he wanted to care for and cherish with all of his heart was gone. And that was all. his. fault. Firecracker finally let his tears fall to the ground. At first, his cries were quiet. But the longer he sat there, weeps turned to sobs, and sobs turned to anguished wails. This was just like the theatre incident- no. It was way worse.
As Firecracker kept thinking and grieving, his sobbing became violent and messy. He saw the reflection of his face on the floor. His eyes were puffy and red, his cheeks were drenched in tears, and snot was overflowing out of his nose. He looked so vulnerable right now: He wanted all of it to stop. His thoughts were so loud.. So unbearably loud. He was starting to feel violent, he had to get rid of this THING in the room. But all he had in his inventory was a ball, a wooden sword, some food, and his dynamite. It wasn’t enough; he needed something sharp to get the job done.
Firecracker got up and frantically search for a knife. This was a kitchen after all, so there should be some somewhere. When he searched through a drawer in one of the countertops, his fingers grazed against the sharp metal blade. Bingo. He grabbed it, backed to the corner of the room, aimed it at the threat, and started slicing at the wretched thing.
SLICE!
He hated how destructive he was.
SLICE!
He felt so greedy and selfish.
SLICE!
It’d be better if he was just left to rot in complete solitude.
SLICE!
He's scared of the person he could be.
SLICE!
Why won’t these voices stop?
SLICE!
These annoying voices.
SLICE!
Make them stop.
SLICE!
MAKE THEM STOP!!
SLICE!
He raised the knife in his hand, and delivered the final blow.
STAB!
..Firecracker regained himself with heavy pants as those voices and visions slipped away. He felt relief from letting out his anger and shame like that. After a moment of basking in the gory afterglow, he started to realize what he had done. He slowly looked down at his arms, which were drenched in blood. Then, he looked at his shoulder on his right arm. A gaping wound, which had clearly damaged him internally, glared him with large portions of blood oozing out of it and onto the floor. He tried to move his arm and failed. A vital vein was cut.
In a panic, he ate everything in his inventory to heal himself. His brownies, his onion rings, everything. All of the other wounds healed up perfectly, except for the one on his shoulder. It was still wide open, taking in the dusty air. He began to panic, looking around the room for any source of bandages. He felt something hit his head as he tried to stand up. An emergency health kit was right behind him on the wall, lucky you Fireboy! He took the bandages out of the kit and wrapped them around his shoulder tightly. The bandages felt nice on his arm. It was like a comforting hug telling him everything was okay. He attempted to move his arm again, and it worked. Thank god, it healed internally. But the stinging pain made him start thinking again. “Oh god.. What have I done..”
The blood and tears on the floor made him sick to his stomach. So, to pay respects to the wizard he loves, he got a wet rag and wiped down the floor. It was too painful to move his right arm, so he used his left. Firecracker still felt like crying, but his eyes were swollen and hot. After thirty minutes of cleaning and failed attempts at crying, he stood up and looked at the floor. It almost sparkled from how clean it was. He felt a little proud of himself for doing all of that with his non-dominant arm.
He sighed, figuring that he had to leave and continue his adventure now. The entirety of Robloxia was counting on him after all. He turned to the wizard, walked over to him, and put a hand on his cheek, gently rubbing it with his thumb. Tears attempted to form in his eyes once more, then he bent down and planted a gentle kiss on Kitchen Wizard's forehead. “I’m sorry…” he whispered, “I wish I could've gotten to know you more..” He got up and hesitantly left the room. Looking at the shrink potion in his hand, he assumed that getting the throne room key would involve shrinking somewhere. He looked at a tiny hole with little amusement, shrank, and crawled in.
So, this is going to be very shocking news everybody, HE FOUND THE KEY IN THE HOLE!! YIPPEEEE!! The man left the hole, unlocked the doors, walked into the room, and was face to face with the Blackrock king. His icy and stern glare made him feel eerily cold, his cape had a maroon hue, very unlike his surroundings, and his eyes were the color of a melted pool of ice; really unfriendly and unwelcoming to stare at. “It’s bold, you know.” the king’s voice boomed through the room. “Breaking in, dismantling my guards, do you even know what is at stake intruder?” His voice was grave and stern, emphasizing every emotion and conflict he was feeling.
"How do you think I feel? Withholding this accursed knowledge from my people? Explain yourself. What is it you are here for?” Firecracker stood there in thought. On one hand, he was here for the ice dagger. But on the other hand, the king was being pretty cruel to his subjects. “Uh…to free your kingdom.” I mean, with the king having the ice dagger it looks like everything was getting out of control and it was hurting his kingdom. “I see.. So you really don’t understand.”
...Brotherrr if he didn’t understand then why would he be trying to protect everyone?? “With the Ice Dagger, I will rewrite my kingdom’s future!!” Then, the battle began. Firecracker's health was DANGEROUSLY low, and he didn’t have any more healing items left. The battle was gruesome and seemingly never ending. Each attack he did barely chipped at the king, while the other’s attacks damaged him almost fatally.
With one last powerful swing of his sword, he finished the battle on one hp, and he watched as the king collapsed and turned to cold dust. He wanted to feel shocked, he wanted to feel some form of sympathy, but he couldn't. He felt too drained to feel any king of emotion right now. He grabbed the Ice Dagger and started to limp back to Bizville-
“Yooo this hat is sick!” Scratch that, he's pissed. “Why was this not for sale on-”
“WHAT DO YOU WANT?!”
“Woaa there big boy, calm down”
“DO NOT CALL ME A BIG BOY. WHAT. DO. YOU. WANT.”
Terry fell silent. “Well..” he started to speak, quieter than usual. “I was just gonna tell you that you can teleport to Bizville by using the map. Y'know, like Blues Clues! ‘Blue skadoo we can too!’”
“Uh.. Okay. Thanks or whatever.”
“Yea okay bye chud” Terry then disappeared using his new magic hat. Oh whatever, WHATEVER! Firecracker just needed to get to an inn and cry his eyes out. He teleported to Bizville, requested a room to stay in, threw himself onto a bed, and wept pitifully into his pillow until he fell asleep. The next sword he needed could wait a little while.