Chapter Text
Sword had no clue when Darkheart finally left his side.
His best bet was sometime after his ill-fated trip with Chuck, but honestly? A small part of him felt relieved that the deity had finally gotten off his back.
…Both metaphorically and not.
It had only been a few days in Lost Temple, with said days blurring together as he spent time with a group known as the Redcliff Wranglers. And despite everything that had happened those last couple of days away from home, Sword figured that his luck was finally coming around.
After all, he finally had a good idea where Medkit was: the Church of the True Eye. It sounded a little ominous if he was going to be honest, but a lead was a lead.
He was so deep in thought that the swordsman nearly fell off his oziphrage as it suddenly squawked and bucked.
"Whoa!" TNT shouted, desperately trying to calm his own vulture.
"Geez…I haven’t the foggiest clue what’s gotten into-"
He suddenly trailed off, staring ominously out at the horizon.
"-it."
After a few tense moments, Sword spoke up.
"Do you see something?"
"Look at that glow, kid. Don’t you see it?"
TNT pointed. And sure enough, over the glare of the desert, Sword could faintly make out an orange-ish tint beyond the horizon.
"I see it, yeah." Was Sword’s response.
"…do you know what it is?"
"Not sure. But I reckon it’s coming from Crossroads’ general direction."
"IT'S COMING FROM CROSSROADS?!"
"Crossroads' DIRECTION. Jeez-"
With a tug on the reins, TNT urged his bird forward. In turn, Sword’s followed close behind.
"H-Hey! Doesn’t that worry you at all?" Sword called out. And TNT turned away so the other wouldn't see his eyes rolling.
"Since when would we care about what's going on in Crossroads? It’s probably just light pollution."
There were so many things that Sword wanted to say but didn’t, like how a gut feeling told him that these were more than just distant city lights.
But even more so, they made him think about his mentor.
Venomshank could easily handle anyone if he happened to be discovered, yes. But that didn’t change the fact that Sword had not only left home out of the blue; he had also done so without even telling Venom first. Two things he’d previously sworn never to do.
Sword had been silently fighting to push back the lingering traces of self-doubt and anxiety from the moment he emerged from the door Darkheart had “graciously” provided him. And the nagging worry that something might’ve happened without him back home was only worsened by the discovery of that odd glow.
"I mean- it's not like you actually want us to go over there instead. Right?"
But both the silence and the look on Sword’s face said it all. And for the briefest of moments, TNT actually looked surprised.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…do you have any idea how long a trip that is?”
Sword shrank with their words, but his determination didn’t.
"I mean- it shouldn't take too long with the vultures, right?" He asked sheepishly, looking anywhere but their gaze as they continued along.
"It'd be at least a day's trip at the shortest. And that’s ignoring the fact that I only agreed to take you to your friend. The church's practically right around the corner!"
They gestured to a large outcropping of rocks in the distance. And maybe it was just a trick of the light, but Sword swore he could faintly see some phernal-made structures carved into them.
The end was in sight, but there was a choice to be made.
The both of them soared on without so much as a word, the only sound being the wind rushing past them. And after what felt like an eternity, TNT spoke up.
"…It’s your call, kid. But it's either or."
Sword spent a few moments considering his options. But the decision had been made the moment he laid eyes on those lights.
"I choose Crossroads."
TNT sighed.
"I had a feeling you’d say that."
"Come on."
Sword hardly had time to utter a thank you before the wrangler veered their vulture sharply to the right. He was so grateful to finally be heading home that he nearly forgot to do the same.
"I'm really sorry, Medkit." He whispered to the open air.
"I promise…I promise I'll come back for you soon."
It would take a day, as TNT had said. And he'd made his way here once before. There was nothing saying he couldn't do it again.
Now Sword could only hope that Venomshank was doing alright without him.
Earlier…
Venomshank was absolutely not doing alright without him.
The day had started with Sisyphus' crowing rousing Venomshank from slumber. That was odd; normally the sound of Sword shuffling around woke him up.
Speaking of Sword, the first thing he noticed upon stepping into the hall was that his bedroom door was firmly closed. Now he was aware of how much that healing fellow going missing had affected his apprentice, but it was never like him to sleep in. Ever.
He knocked.
No response.
"Sword? I’m coming in."
Gently opening the door, Venomshank was greeted with an empty room.
"Sword!?"
He could already feel his heart sinking as he began to desperately check the warehouse. The deity swore if something had happened to him, there’d be hell to pay…
He checked everywhere he thought Sword might be, all the while being followed around by Sisyphus. Maybe it was the ever-increasing panic, but it took him an embarrassingly long time before he even considered using his bird for aid.
Extending out an arm, Sisyphus perched. And in the blink of an eye their memories intertwined. The last time the crow had seen Sword, he had been leaving. Following after—
"Darkheart…"
Without even thinking, he made a beeline outside. The exact destination didn’t matter; he had a feeling his brother would be nearby regardless.
"I know you're here, Darkheart. Now show yourself."
There was no response besides the distant sounds of the city. That is, until a familiar voice rang out from behind him.
“My, my. We didn't take you for the authoritative type~.”
And sure enough, he was there. One moment he wasn’t, and the next, the deity of chaos was hovering around nearby, sporting that signature smile as always.
"What's got your feathers in a bunch, 'shanks?"
"I'm not in the mood for games. Which is why this will only be asked once: where's Sword?"
"Mmm…why would we know? Aren't YOU the one playing parent, anyways? Sounds like that'd be your job."
"Why, you-"
He cut himself off, noting how the other god was clearly enjoying this game too much.
"—Just answer the question, Darkheart!"
"Without so much as a 'please'? How barbaric of you~."
The deity of chaos floated there, his stance significantly more relaxed than his brother’s.
"I don’t have TIME for pleasantries when Sword's life could be on the line," Venomshank growled, tone quivering with restraint.
"I know you took him somewhere. And I want you to tell me now."
“Alright, fine. The little birdie wanted to finally leave his cage. So what if we gave him a little shove out of the nest?"
"What!?"
"Metaphors, dear brother. You can't seriously be getting worked up over thi-"
Without hesitation, Venomshank grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close. And ever so slightly, Darkheart’s smile faltered in turn.
"You took him away. He wasn't ready for the real world, and you- you sent him out there. Did you not think that was important!?"
The hand gripping Darkheart's trench coat was already starting to shake. As was the ground around them.
"We didn’t even complete yesterday's training. What if he’s lost? Or hurt?"
"We think you're making a mountain out of a molehill- URK!"
Darkheart didn’t even have the chance to respond as he was unceremoniously tossed to the ground. Moments later, multiple rotting limbs burst forth from the earth, pinning the deity down. But only for a moment, as Darkheart suddenly vanished, re-materializing nearby. And all the while, more and more undead began to rise.
"…alright, alright. If you’re truly that worried, we can just tell you where we left him."
It was a shame Venomshank wasn’t there anymore.
The god that stood below just stared blankly, his heavy breaths audible as the undead continued to gather. An eerie green glow could be seen behind his mask as well.
"Hhhrrhh…"
He raised an arm, and the zombies began to spread out. The few that dared approach the other deity were swiftly dealt with. And only NOW did Darkheart realize that he probably should’ve, to put it bluntly, cut the bullshit sooner.
"This…might be an issue."
"At least it won’t be ours."
He vanished again, this time choosing not to return as the horde closed in. Without a clear target in mind, the undead left in droves.
Venomshank wouldn’t rest until Sword was found.
And if that meant tearing Crossroads apart until he did? Then so be it.