Crossed Fates

Chapter 16: Stumbling

2 Weeks Later...

The dark place once again. Tyler sighs.

Tyler: "Rin? I'm here again!"

Rin: "Ooh! Tyler, Tyler!"

She jumps up at him, and tackles him to the floor. She seems to be very happy now that he's here.

Tyler: "Eh? We can finally touch now?"

Rin: "I know! 50% friendship already! Well, 50.924%  friendship to be exact."

Tyler: "Hm, is this because of the chocolate I've ate?"

Rin: "Yes! Yes yes yes. Thank you so much for the chocolate."

Tyler: "You're welcome... I uh, don't know what's been coming over me lately. Ever since you've been requesting chocolate, I've been... uh, pretty desperate."

1 week ago...

Luke: "Hey Tyler!"

He walks into Tyler's room, he's sitting down at a desk, with the device Toby handed to him. He seems to be trying to do something to it.

Tyler: "Hmm?"

Luke: "I heard you liked~-"

Tyler: "Chocolate? Yes! I love chocolate!"

Luke: "Eh? Chocolate?"

He places the device on the desk, and in the matter of seconds, he pins Luke to the floor.

Tyler: "Where's the chocolate?! WHERE IS IT?!?"

Luke: "Jeez! I-Uh... But..."

Tyler: "GIVE IT TO ME NOW, PALADIN GUY!"

Tyler rummages through Luke's pockets, and pulls out a chocolate bar.

Tyler: "Ooh, thanks dude... Hm, Dunno what came over me. Sorry!"

Tyler gets off of Luke. He starts eating the chocolate in front of him. Luke lies on the floor in shock. He stands up, and immediately leaves Tyler's room.

Back to the present...

Rin: "Haha. You have been desperate lately."

Tyler: "Sometimes I don't even feel like I'm controlling my body."

Rin: "Maybe WE  love chocolate together."

Tyler: "I did before, but I have never obsessed over it quite like this."

Rin: "Hehe. That's why I said we."

Tyler: "Hey, unrelated, but... You got good at my language pretty quickly. You developed pretty well... Even in our first conversation."

Rin: "When you're not in here, I see through your eyes, and plus I have access to your memories. I learn more and more just as you're simply living your life."

Tyler: "Huh, Creepy..."

Rin: "Oh, please don't say that. I'm not trying to do anything bad. I promise."

Tyler: "Okay, fine. I'll believe you if you tell me what you are."

Rin looks at Tyler, she sighs.

Rin: "Well... I would like to tell you right now, but I can't."

Tyler: "Uh huh? Why can't you tell me right now?"

Rin: "...This'll hurt."

Tyler: "What?-"

He's suddenly brought back to reality by Tezuka. She jumped on him the very same way Hanako did a while ago.

Tezuka: "Rise and shine, Sunshine."

Tyler: "Ow... hngh..."

Tezuka: "Huh. I didn't expect it to work."

Tyler: "Did Hanako tell you that this is the best way to wake me up..?"

Tezuka: "Yeah."

Tyler: "Ughhhhh. I'll talk to her later. Just let me sleep."

Tezuka: "But, I need you."

Tyler: "What for this time?"

Tezuka: "I need to ask you a question."

Tyler: "Fine."

Tezuka: "Are you obsessed with chocolate?"

He gulps.

Tyler: "Eh... not really... Just an... uh, craving I've been having lately."

Tezuka: "Oh. Because I got you-"

Tyler: "You did?!"

He grabs her by the shoulders.

Tezuka: "Yep. That answers my question."

Tyler: "Give me the chocolate, lady- I-I mean, Tezuka!"

Tezuka: "Lady?"

Tyler: "Just give me the freakin' chocolate!"

Tezuka: "Uh, Tyler?"

She tilts her head at him.

Tyler: "What?! If this isn't about the chocolate-"

Tezuka: "Err, was your right eye always... Red?  Like... Glowing really brightly red?"

She's right. His right eye's iris is glowing bright and red.

Tyler: "No. They're both brown."

Tezuka: "Huh. Well, that's not the case currently."

Tyler: "You're joking, right? My eyes aren't just gonna turn into a freaky color. Is it my whole eye, or just like, the iris?"

Tezuka: "Iris."

Tyler: "Oh, if it was fully red, then I would've been in like, an angered state. Just the iris?"

Tezuka: "Just the iris."

Tyler: "Weird..."

Tezuka: "Yeah. Very weird."

Tyler mouths to himself.

Tezuka: "Huh?"

Tyler: "Oh, nothing."

He lifts up Tezuka, and gets off the bed.

Tezuka: "Wee. It's fun when you pick me up. You're so gentle."

Tyler: "Well, I was only picking you up because you were sitting on me. I'm gonna go check a mirror really quickly."

He places her down, and he checks the mirror on his desk. Sure enough, his right iris is bright red, and glowing too.

Tyler: "Oh... oh... oh shit. Am I infected?! Oh shit!"

Tezuka: "Relax... Infected with what? I don't know of any diseases that give you a glowing red eye."

Tyler: "Shit... Maybe. I dunno."

He rubs his eyes, he looks in the mirror again. His eye is back to normal.

Tyler: "What in the shit..?"

Tezuka: "Oh hey look. It's gone."

Tyler: "Whaaaaaaaat the shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit..."

Meanwhile, Luke, Toby & Liv are outside, in Lusni's dirty alleyways.

Toby: "I need to find it. I need to find it..."

Liv: "Find what? Why are we just walking down alleyways and stuff?"

Toby: "I need to find my old house. I need to find my mom. It's been two weeks since I've found out about this. It's been killing me from the inside. I need to find her. I need to get answers."

Luke: "Hey, uh... Why are we going to find your mom?"

Toby: "I need to ask her about that lab. Who else escaped with me. I need to know."

Luke: "Huh? Oh, I wasn't there for that part."

Liv: "Let me run it down for you, idiot. Tyler found bunker entrance, inside was ladder. We go down, we open up door by hay wiring the entrance with water. We look around lab, Find Toby's chamber, but two are open. Shadow Prince comes along, we learn about freaky creatures named Voidlings, that were failed experiments. Two other experiments, Lance and Jesse had escaped the lab together, but their powers are unstable and dangerous. Then with the help of the Shadow Prince, we book it out of there, and then I splashed them all away. Dunno what came of them, though."

Luke: "Huh. Well, glad I didn't go. Sounds like a lot of hassle, and quite frankly it seems like it was scary as fuck."

Liv: "Yeah, we were stranded in the middle of the lab with only a candle to help us locate those Voidlings. You can't see them in the dark."

Luke: "Yeesh. I would've shat myself for sure."

Liv: "We couldn't kill them. When the Shadow Prince sliced one of them in half, they started multiplying."

Luke: "Man... I'm happy you guys made it out of there alive. If you didn't? I would have cried. It wouldn't have been very epic."

Liv: "I COULD NEVER DIE! YAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Toby: "Anyways... Man, Lusni is bigger than I remembered. So much alleys yet-"

Liv: "CIDADE WAS MUCH SMALLER! AND BETTER! THAT DAMN TYLER'LL EAT MY FIST SOMEDAY!!! THAT DAY IS GOING TO BE THE DAY I BECOME THE BEST PIRATE IN THE WORLD!"

Luke: "I'd advise you not to, Liv."

Liv: "Meh. Okay."

Luke: "Seriously? Like that?"

Liv: "You're the leader. You call the shots."

Luke: "But you ignore them all the time."

Liv: "Meh, I'll be a useless member of your squad if I don't follow your instructions from now on."

Luke: "Has Uh answered my prayers?"

Toby: "Wait... Down here, a left, and then a right! Aha! Answers, here I come!"

Toby dashes off ahead, full speed.

Luke: "Is this opposite day? Why is my most obedient team member being a brute, while Liv is following orders?"

Liv: "Should we follow him?"

Luke: "I mean, I guess we should. Just in case. I mean, he did ask us to tag along."

They run along after Toby, and after a sudden stop, they arrive at a house. The exterior is green, brown and white.

Toby: "After all these years... I'm back. For answers."

Luke: "Man... I don't even know what to say, if I'm being honest."

Toby: "You guys'll be here if anything goes wrong."

Luke: "Eh? What would go wrong about talking to your mother?"

Toby shrugs.

Toby: "Just about anything, really. I mean, the chances ARE  there."

Liv: "HYAHAHAHA! I'm ready for a fight always! Bring it on, chances!"

Toby walks up to the door. He knocks on the door.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

...

Nobody's answering.

He knocks on the door again.

...

...

...

Toby: "Okay, that's pretty weird! Usually she answers within the first two knocks."

Liv: "HERE I COME!"

Toby: "Hold on, wait wait wait!"

Liv readies her cannon, and charges straight through the door. 

Toby: "No!!! You're gonna get sued for that!"

Liv: "Woah! It's... uh, bloody in here!"

Toby: "What?!"

Toby instantly runs inside. She's right. There's blood almost everywhere. On the walls, on the ceiling, on the floor...

Luke: "Oh shit! What's happened?"

Toby: "No... Mom..."

He checks inside the other rooms. More blood. Maybe this room? More blood. He finally makes it to his old room.

Toby: "I really... really hope something isn't in here."

He takes a deep breath, and then opens the door.

Luke: "Woah!"

Liv: "AHHH!"

Inside is a dead body. Her body parts are scattered around the room. 

Toby: "No... M-mom..."

Her head twitches. It then starts levitating. So do her other body parts. They all join back together, as if her body was never dismembered.

Luke: "What the fuck!?"

???: "Tobyy... Seeee? Nothing's wrong with meee~"

Her body's mouth doesn't move. Almost like a puppet. Liv is terrified, her body is trembling. Luke is grossed out, and Toby is angry.

Toby: "Bastard! You're not funny! I know you're in here, fucking with me!"

Someone claps. It wasn't the body. It came from the room. Out of nowhere, someone's head pops up from on top of the doorframe.

???: "Someone's observant. How'd you know?"

Toby: "Well, maybe make some effort to move her mouth next time."

The person laughs, and drops from the ceiling, perfectly on their feet.

???: "So, you're Toby, am I correct?"

Toby scoffs.

Toby: "Yeah, what is it to you?"

???: "Oh.. Finally! I was getting bored waiting here all of this time. I almost resorted to eating poor old Nella's flesh."

He chuckles, and then bursts out into maniacal laughter.

Luke: "Yeesh, what's your problem, guy?!"

Liv is still frozen in fear.

???: "Ahahaha! Come on, isn't it funny? She screamed a lot, and I made SURE it was painful. See her fingers? I ripped off every single fingernail. Then I did the same with her hair-

Toby: "ENOUGH!"

Toby's body begins trembling from anger.

Toby: "You think any of this shit is funny, huh?! Just who do you think you are? What gives you the right to do this?!"

???: "Ahahahahaha..! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Your anger! Yes! Let it all out! Just TRY and kill me!"

Toby takes the bait. He swings two of his arms towards this person, but it phases through him.

???: "Awh... Did you miss? So, guess people with wind elements DO  fall for their own tricks."

Toby: "What?-"

Toby turns around, and grabs a fist just in the knick of time. 

???: "Woah! You're fast!"

Toby then pulls him closer, and starts hitting him with his 3 other fists.

???: "Hah! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Yes! Hit me, HIT ME!!! IT DOESN'T HURT!!! YOU'RE WEAK!!!"

Toby is then blasted away by a wind attack, he's sent flying into a wall, causing a huge dent.

Toby: "Ghk..!"

???: "My, still conscious? Maybe you're not as weak as I thought."

Luke: "You... You bastard!"

He attempts to bash this person with his shield. They clash.

???: "Hah! Your only weapon is a shield?! That's hilarious!"

Luke: "It gets the job done, my friend."

He smiles at him. 

???: "I like you. I think I'll tell you my name."

Luke: "I don't really care for it, but I guess you could tell me."

Adam: "Adam. It's Adam."

Luke: "Alright. You're on now, Adam!"

Luke breaks the clash, and shoots a beam of light towards Adam. Adam disappears into thin air, and kicks Luke into a wall, causing it to dent again.

Luke: "Ow... Shit..."

Liv: "No! I can't... Move... MOVE LEGS!!! YAHHH!!!!"

Liv charges at Adam, swinging her cannon as hard as she can. Adam is hit so hard, he goes flying outside of the house, causing a hole in the ceiling. Liv then tilts her cannon below her, fires, and starts flying in the air. She flying kicks Adam into the ground, but she lands inside another house.

Male Civilian: "Hey honey! Look! Something to spice up our love life! Our prayers have been answered!"

Female: "Ooh! Come over and join us, sweeties!"

Liv & Adam: "Ehh... No."

Liv headbutts Adam, and shoots her cannon behind her, sending them both up into the air once more. She then spins in the air, and bashes Adam with her cannon. He hits the ground and starts rolling, tripping up civilians. Liv charges through them all like a brute. Adam gets up quickly, and shoots a gust of wind at her, sending her up into the air very high.

Liv: "NYAHHHH!!!"

Adam shoots himself way up high as well. He starts throwing haymakers at Liv in the sky, and each one lands successfully.

Adam: "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! THIS IS SO MUCH FUN, ISN'T IT?!"

Liv: "AHHH!!!"

She hits the ground, Adam slams the back of her head into the concrete dozens of times. He's still laughing like a maniac throughout it all, though. He's suddenly hit with a bolt of lightning.

Liv: "Urg... Luke... Toby...  everyone... I'm sorry."

She falls unconscious.

Adam: "You bastard! That really hurt. Just who're you, anyways?!"

A familiar pair of sandals steps close.

Luna: "Just an ordinary elf, that's all."