Work Text:
Another day, another set of rounds.
1x1x1x1 sighed as she was pulled into the round, talon-hand over her face and covering her eyes, not wanting to get abruptly smacked with bright lighting like she’d had happen in the last few rounds she was in. There was abruptly a strong heat on her feathers, and unthinkingly she spread and drooped her wings to avoid overheating.
There was a distinct humming-buzzing noise next to xir, and without even opening xir eyes xe recognized the noise of The Void Star, leaving xir to assume it was a Double Trouble round, confirmed with xe heard the distinctly distorted noise of Noli attempting to imitate the mrrp of a pleased cat. Xe could practically perfectly imagine the way he was looking at xir. Ha, Azure was right to give him a nickname that could be shortened to Moon, because the way he constantly looked at 1x reminded xir of the way some people would stare at a full moon in wonder.
“I know you’ve got that stupid look on your face, you moon-eye’d idiot,” they grumbled, “Knock it off, we’ve got a job to do.”
“B3f0r3 y0u unc0v3r y0ur 3y35–” Noli was quick to state, grimace clear in his voice “y0u…migh7 w4n7 70 br4c3 y0ur531f.”
…Brace herself?
Deciding to take his advice, she took a breath before slowly peering through her fingers, pulling her hand away from her face slowly once she started to get a good look.
Oh.
It was a new map, or at least one that she hadn’t been on yet and hadn’t been told about, but it was a place that was horribly familiar to her, as bastardized as this version of it was.
“The Banlands…”
Their voice was horribly quieter than they wished as they stared around in horror. Of course, of course. Of course The Spectre would do this, make a map of that damned place that was such a disgusting prison run by an equally disgusting man. Of course it’d put 1x in a situation where they were clearly one of the first two members of the killer cabin to see it, because they were certain that if another member had seen it they would have warned them.
“...X?” Noli’s normally hidden pupil was visible as she turned to look down at him, and she watched it flicker, like he was blinking in concern, “4r3 y0u…41righ7?”
“I will be as soon as this round is over,” she huffed after clearing her throat, “So let’s just clean house quickly. I want to be out of here as soon as possible.”
“Y0u g07 i7, b055!” Noli did a little mock-salute, and 1x had to bite the inside of xir cheek a bit to keep xir scowl upon seeing the sight. Unfortunately, xe realized quickly that Noli had begun to know exactly how to read xir actions, and he clearly caught on to the fact that xe found his response amusing.
For once following instead of leading, 1x trailed after Noli as he happily trotted around the area, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach at the sights, and the fact that the overbearing heat was making her vaguely nauseous. Eventually he slid down a long ramp into a dark lower area, and she begrudgingly followed.
In the dark down below, the only lighting was a river of scaldingly hot lava. The heat was even worse down here, but there was something else making 1x…vaguely dizzy, if she had to put a word to the feeling. The light from the river reflected off the sight of metal chains hanging from the ceiling and splayed across the floor, and in the center sat a horribly scratched small stump-like boulder.
1x was suddenly struck with the horrible crushing feeling of not being able to breathe.
Four years. It was a mirror of where they were held for four years. Four years for what? Lashing out? At that point they hadn’t even killed anyone yet, and yet every day of those four years was spent on that damned boulder, clasps and chains around anything that could move, anything that could even hint at an escape. The only reason they even had managed to escape that prison was solely because Doombringer had released them out of rage at Builderman and Shedletsky, most likely presuming they’d go and kill them both–which unfortunately for everyone around them including themself, they had played right into.
At that moment, standing there, the heat overwhelming her, 1x was very glad she had skipped out on breakfast, because she was pretty sure it would have been all over the floor by now. Noli had said something, perhaps calling her name, or asking what was wrong, or whatever, but it was just noise in her ears. He tugged at her wings, dragging her into a different room and sort of half-guiding half-dragging her to the ground against a wall. The second his claws were off her wings she snapped them around herself, stuck between not breathing and breathing too much. He said something else, something like stay here, and then The Void Star buzzed and he was gone.
This was stupid.
This map was…ugh. Of course they’d never seen the actual Banlands themself, but they knew quite a bit about it considering their relation to the man who ruled over it.
Taph abruptly pulled away from the generator she was working on upon seeing the telltale flash of Noli’s Observant as the alarm rang, not wanting to risk yet another case of the fallen divine teleporting practically right on top of her as had happened an unfortunate few times. As the generator ceased its flashing and warning, Taph kept her head on a swivel, expecting a swiftly approaching Noli, and she jumped back just in time to avoid him sliding into view.
Or…well, if they thought about it, he had stopped early, like he was purposefully missing. Assuming they were being toyed with in some manner, Taph made a turn to run, only to stop in their tracks when they realized Noli looked…distressed.
“H3y–I n33d y0ur h31p. N0 7rick5, I pr0mi53–”
Taph narrowed its eyes at him under its hood, and while it knew he couldn’t see its eyes, its point of distrusting him clearly got across.
“G0d1y Pr0mi53.”
Taph’s head-wings flicked in surprise as they stood up straight. That was…something that quite literally couldn’t be broken by the laws of the universe itself without horrifying consequence. To promise something like that…
What was going on?
“0k4y, h4v3 I m4d3 my p0in7 c134r?” Noli’s glowing pupil flickered like he was blinking at her, and he nodded when she nodded, “G00d, g00d, n0w if y0u w0u1d f0110w m3, I w0u1d r3411y 4ppr3ci473 i7.”
Both confused and intrigued, Taph found herself following after Noli, watching the specific way he moved. Normally, Noli kept himself so calm and composed, but in this instance he looked…vaguely panicked. There was an awful buzzing from The Void Star, and his tail kept rapidly switching between flicking everywhere and being firmly wrapped around one of his legs. Internally she cursed being mute, knowing he was far too focused on the destination to look back at her to see her sign to ask what was wrong. Deciding to at least attempt to get his attention, she raised her hands in preparation to sign, nearly letting out a huff, only for Noli to stop in his tracks and stand straight up in seeming confusion. He looked over his shoulder at Taph, indeed looking confused, with a tinge of bafflement.
“...Did y0u ju57…?” the pupil flickered in a blink again and he nearly laughed, “y0u’r3 ju57 fu11 0f 5urpri535. D0n’7 d0 7h47 4g4in.”
And then he casually continued on, leaving Taph confused on what ‘that’ was and not even allowing them to ask their question. Taph huffed in annoyance, but continued on anyways. Whatever they were being led to, it had to be important, considering Noli decided to lay down a Godly Promise to get them to follow him.
He slid down a ramp into an area that was dark and annoyingly hot, leaving Taph to try to ignore the heat soaking into her cloak as she followed after him. He ducked into a separate room and she hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what was in the room before she committed to walking in.
Someone was…breathing pretty heavily in there, like they were trying to desperately take in air they had been deprived of. If Taph didn’t know any better, they would have mistaken the noise for someone having a panic attack.
But that wouldn’t make sense, right? Because whoever was in the next room was clearly the other killer in the round. Maybe they had just gotten really hurt on the unfamiliar map–but then why wouldn’t Noli have grabbed Elliot? In fact, why was Taph grabbed at all?
Noli peered back out to stare at Taph, distress evident on his mask-face.
“C4n y0u hurry up?!” he demanded, “I d0n’7 kn0w h0w 70 fix 7hi5! I c4r3 4b0u7 i7, bu7 i7’5 y0ur 5i573r!”
Immediately Taph’s head-wings fluttered in a panic. 1x?! What was–what was wrong with her that needed Taph to fix it? Not wanting to stand around and delay assistance any further, Taph quickly bolted into the room.
1x was huddled against the wall, looking horrifically disheveled. Taph didn’t remember ever seeing her look this bad. They were vaguely aware of Noli bowing out of the room, no doubt to worry elsewhere without crowding the two of them. They paused for a moment longer, head-wings drooping as they drew in a breath and stomped their foot twice.
Nearly instantly 1x nearly flinched, clearly trying to force her wings down from the way they were shielding her, like she was going to make an attempt to say she was alright. Taph huffed in response, coming to sit against the wall with 1x, who was very clearly trying to pointedly ignore them.
“Sh–shhhouldn’t be seeing me like this, Epitaph,” her voice was quiet, so unlike her–
Well, unlike her now. Taph remembered years upon years ago when the world would get too much and two siblings would run to a far-off corner of their own little world, one rambling and ranting about their problems and the other quietly listening without a proper voice to respond. Something about things changing so much but yet still staying the same.
But the point stayed that this was not how 1x normally acted now. This was something to do with the map they were on–something horrible and dire. Something that left Taph with more hatred than she knew what to do with. It was a bitter, bitter feeling, not one she often knew what to do with other than strike out.
So that’s what she resigned herself to doing.
Not…right now, though. Now Taph had other things to focus on. With a soft huff, they leaned against 1x, feeling her tense before she almost seemed to relax, though it was clear it was only partially.
“Insistent little brat,” 1x grumbled, though there was no real bite to the words. In fact if Taph listened closely, there was almost a thankfulness in those words. Thankful that Taph wasn’t just simply listening and leaving. 1x had always been like that, so bad about asking for what xe actually wanted and then getting bitter when not understood. Taph always found that annoying to navigate around, but now wasn’t exactly the time to pick apart what they found annoying about their sister.
Taph made a sort of affectionate chirp, leaning her head more against 1x, slowly but surely hearing xir breathing slow and calm. Taph was curious as to what had triggered the panic, but she was certainly smart enough to realize that poking would most likely kick the panic back up again. Whatever it was would have to wait to be questioned ages in the future when they were all out of here.
So left with nothing but a quietly burning anger and a question that would lay unanswered for ages, Taph could merely lean against 1x and run the timer, rolling a reflection of years long past around in her mind like a faded soccer ball left in the sun.