Crossed Fates

Chapter 28: What Awaits Us

1 Week later...

The Peeps used their time wisely. They went through rough training, mostly from Hanako and Tyler, but they took regular breaks to not become entirely fatigued. Luke spent a lot of time honing his skills with his brand new Relic, and it has been going surprisingly well for him.

At the entrance to the inn...

Everyone is sitting in the main lobby. Luke, Toby, Luna, Liv, Tezuka and Hanako are sitting on a big couch together. Tyler and the twins are sitting on the stairs.

Luke: "Well... Now we wait, I guess..."

Luna: "He's going to come to the door at any second..."

Toby: "1 Million Voidlings... I really hope we can beat them all."

Hanako: "Well, you all could try and round up people from Lusni to help. If they knew the city was in danger, everyone here would get ready in a jiffy."

Liv: "Yeah! We built ourselves a fairly good reputation here. I bet they'd listen to us... Maybe."

Tezuka: "I hope they listen to us. Otherwise me and you were breakdancing for no reason at all."

Liv: "You're damn right! Me and Tezuka swept the dance floor! They better listen to us!"

Luke: "Yeah... Hey, where's the twins and Tyler?"

Hanako: "They're sitting on the stairs, why?"

Luke: "Shouldn't he be down here with us?"

Hanako: "I dunno. He's probably with the kids. Probably trying to get out of talking to the Shadow Prince. Hehehe. Coward."

Tyler: "I can hear you guys, y'know. We're on the big wooden part that overlooks the part you're all at. I'm just sitting here with Faith and Hope. I just didn't want them to be lonely up here."

Faith: "Yeah! We're just sitting with Uncle Rock."

Hope: "Yeah! We wanna see this Shadow Prince guy too!"

Hanako: "Well... Whatever makes you two happy-"

There's a knock on the entrance.

Hanako: "Oh! C-Come in!"

The door opens, and the Shadow Prince dusts himself off and walks inside.

Matthew: "Alright, I trust that you guys have been preparing?"

Luke: "Yep. I even got a new relic that'll definitely help me."

Matthew: "Fantastic, good to know you guys aren't always complete idiots."

He looks around.

Matthew: "Hm. Inns that have training camps inside them are always the best ones."

Hanako: "Why, thank you."

Matthew: "Anyways, this all of you? I see some new people... I don't recognise you two, at least."

He looks at Tezuka and Hanako.

Tezuka: "I'm Tezuka... The uh, newest member of the Peeps."

Hanako: "I'm Hanako. I uh, I'm not part of the Peeps, but-"

Luke: "Hey. You know what? You are a Peep. Just not part of the main gang. You're just a bro."

Hanako: "Uhh... Thanks..?"

Matthew: "I see I'll have to introduce myself."

He takes a bow.

Matthew: "Alright, I'll make it quick. You may know me as the Shadow Prince, but my real name is Matthew. I was planning for it to be a secret, but god forbid the pebble-brained idiot. Speaking of, where is he?"

Tyler: "Up here."

He waves up from the stairs.

Matthew: "Alright. So you can hear me. Good. So, as you've hopefully been told by your leader, a million voidlings are going to be attacking this city."

Tezuka: "Yep."

Matthew: "So, here's what'll happen, I'll be taking half of-"

A pebble is thrown full force into his face. He looks unpleased, everyone else stares in horror.

Matthew: "...As I was-"

Another pebble is thrown into his face. He clenches his fist.

Matthew: "AS I WAS-"

A pebble is thrown again, but he catches it. He looks up towards the stairs to find out that Faith was throwing pebbles at him. She has a grin on her face from what she's done.

Hanako: "Wait! She-"

Matthew stares at the two.

Faith: "Hmph! You don't scare me!"

Hope: "Or me, either!"

Hope uses her metal abilities to telekinetically pull Matthew's sword out of it's sheath. She catches it mid air and she sticks her tongue out at him.

Tyler: "Hah. Kid's got balls-"

A large thud. Matthew appears at the bottom of the stairs, and he slowly climbs up. He puts his hands in his inner pocket, seemingly reaching out for something.

Hope: "...Uh oh."

He pulls out two bars of chocolate.

Matthew: "How about a little... trade?"

Faith: "Ooh! Chocolate!"

Hanako: "Oh no... Chocolate?"

In mere seconds, the two bars of chocolates are snatched by Tyler, who's already started mowing them down.

Hope: "Hey! Uncle Rock, not cool!"

Tyler: "Sho good... Mmm..."

Faith: "Awh, man..."

Matthew: "Ugh, shithead. Oh well, I have something else you two might like."

He pulls out two pretty big lollipops.

Faith: "Woah!!!"

Hope: "Ooh! Ooh! I want it! You can have your stupid sword back, just gimme!!!"

She gives Matthew back his sword . He smiles, hands them both a lollipop each, and  then slides down the stairs back to where he was standing.

Luna: "Phew... I thought you were going to hurt them."

Matthew: "Hurt them? Hurt kids? Seriously? I'm not entirely heartless."

Hanako: "D-Did Tyler freak out when you gave him the chocolate?"

Matthew: "Err... No?"

Hanako: "Phew..."

Matthew: "So, as I was saying... Half of you are gonna come with me-"

Tezuka: "You'll only need me, Matthew."

Matthew: "Only need you..?"

Tezuka: "Duh. I'm the new and improved best member of the Peeps."

Matthew: "Well, here's the thing. You're not. I can tell you haven't figured out your resolve yet. I can see that the Hybrid and the Elf has. Good for you two, by the way."

Toby: "Thanks, man."

Luna: "Thank you?"

Luke: "Anything else we should know?"

Matthew: "Well, I believe it could be in your best interest to learn about Lance and Jesse."

Hanako: "Yeah... How'd you find them? I have so many questions..."

Matthew: "Well, I managed to find them thanks to this diary I found."

He pulls out a diary that seems in slightly rough shape.

Matthew: "So, any takers on reading it? C'mon. Put your hand up, class. Anybody? No?"

Luke: "N-No. You can read it."

Matthew: "Alright, but I'll only read what's relevant. So... Let us begin. Dear diary. My brother took me outside of our home in the lab. He said to me that we had to get out of there, that those people taking care of us were using us for malicious reasons."

Toby clenches his fist.

Matthew: "We got out of there. But we didn't know where to go. There was a lot of trees. Lance grabbed my hand and started leading me through them. Eventually we found a place, it was packed with many people. It was really scary, Lance just grabbed my arm and dragged me away. We ran until we found a cave. He said it would be for the best to stay here for now. I hope he's right. Dear Diary, I woke up because I was startled by a noise, but when I did, some weird portal  came out of me, and shot out some sort of slash. Lance asked me how I did it..."

Matthew takes a breather.

Matthew: "I told him that I didn't really know. I was just scared and I imagined hitting whatever it was I thought I heard. He looked at me funny. But he tried it, and it had happened again, this time from him. I thought that now we would have been safer, since he found out how to do it, but I got an uneasy feeling. He started laughing like a maniac. He told me that we were going to become Gods."

Toby stands up.

Toby: "I-I don't want to listen to this anymore! I'm going to take that bastard down!"

Luke: "Woah, calm down, Toby."

Toby: "Calm down? Calm down?! Seriously? You expecting me to be calm about this?"

Tezuka: "Man, I know that feeling all too well-"

Toby: "You don't know shit, Stubby!"

Tezuka: "Well, that's up to interpretation. You don't know anything about me."

Luna: "Yeah, because you're a nightmare to talk to."

Tezuka: "Oh, really?"

Luke: "You're just proving her point."

Tezuka: "But this is the way I speak. I don't know what I'm doing wrong."

Luna: "Be less annoying, that's what we want you to do."

Tezuka: "How about you stop being such an asshole to me for once?"

Luke: "How about... no?"

Liv: "Ay! What's yer fucking issue with each other? Shut up!"

Luna: "Oh, look who else is talking! The damn idiot who doesn't know how to talk, but only shout!"

Liv: "The hell'd I do?!"

Tyler: "Hey, calm down guys, you're scaring the kids."

Toby: "I couldn't give a shit about them right now! You have no idea how fucking affected I am by this, you fucking stupid shitbender!"

Tezuka: "Not cool. Leave him alone."

Luna: "Ugh, you're getting on my damn nerves."

Tezuka: "What the hell's up your asses today? Holy moly."

Toby: "Are you seriously doing this right now, you fucking twat?!?"

Tyler: "Guys... Please calm down-"

Toby: "No, don't diffuse this! Say that to my face, Stubby!"

Liv: "Leave her the fuck alone!"

Luna: "No. She started this."

Tezuka: "I did not..."

Toby: "Yes the fuck you did!"

Liv: "Explain how the hell she started this?"

Toby: "By provoking me."

Tyler: "How? By saying that she related to your feelings?"

Toby: "She was making fun of me!"

Tezuka: "I literally wasn't."

Luke: "You're being immature! Just own up and say that you were making fun of Toby!"

Tezuka: "Oh, give me a break. O'Wise fucking shield basher. I thought you were a paladin. Not whatever the fuck you're going for with that stupid shield of yours."

Luke: "Oh, fuck you too, you little-"

Hanako slams a desk really loudly.

Hanako: "Right! Stop breaking apart the team! At this rate, the Peeps are going to be destroyed much faster than Lusni! Shut your gobs, and listen to what the fuck Matthew was trying to say!"

Matthew: "Sheesh... Anyways, they went ahead and trained for months, yadda yadda yadda... Let's see... What's relevant? Oh, here we go, Ahem..."

He looks towards everyone. There's some uneasy tension in the room. Tyler is cradling the twins, who seem pretty shaken by the sudden argument.

Matthew: "Dear Diary, My brother managed to destroy 20 boulders in one attack! I was so impressed. But he was looking in the sky after he did it. I looked as well, and there was some weird crack in the sky. Weird particles were emitting from it, and then the crack started to make noises. It started breaking in the sky, and then some weird portal that was black, green and blue opened up in the sky. Something came out of it, and somehow I think I had absorbed it. I suddenly felt really powerful, and Lance looked at me in awe. He then looked back at the portal, and it was closing. He tried keeping it open, I think. But it closed. For some reason, we heard a roar from the portal just as it closed. Lance did his creepy smile again. He turned to me and said "Jesse, do you realise what that was?". I didn't know what to say. He grabbed my arms and shook me violently. He said something like "That portal. That portal is the key to becoming Gods!" I didn't know what to do, I just nodded. He then clasped his hands together, and left me alone in the cave. I don't know where he went. I hope he comes back soon."

Tezuka: "This Lance guy is pretty creepy. Who wrote this story, anyways?"

Luke: "It's not a story, you absolute fucking-"

Hanako: "Ay..."

Matthew: "Yadda yadda yadda... Oh, here it is. Okay. Dear Diary, My brother keeps leaving and coming back with these log things. I don't know what is so important about them, but he keeps leaving me alone with them. He came back again, but there were two weird creatures next to him. He did that creepy smile again, and he said to me that I was going to help him become a God. I asked him what he meant, but he just told me to go to inside the mountain behind Lusni. I'm going to be honest... My mind is telling me to run, but deep down, I want to help him. I don't know how I'm going to help him become this God... But he's my only family. I can't just leave him alone. None of us wanted to be alone after getting out that lab. I'm leaving this diary behind. Whoever reads this, please. I beg of you. Stop Lance. I don't know what he's going to do, but I know it isn't good at all."

He closes the diary.

Matthew: "Well, that's it. Any questions?"

Toby: "W-What the fuck is he going to do..?"

Matthew: "Dunno. Ask him yourself."

Hanako: "Wait... You said 1 million voidlings were going to attack us, right? Where's your proof?"

Matthew: "You're seriously gonna ask for that now?"

Hanako: "Better late than never, in my books."

He sighs, and simply picks up Hanako.

Hanako: "Ay! I didn't say you could-"

He carries her outside. He jumps up into the air pretty high. He starts floating, and he points somewhere.

Matthew: "Speak of the devil. They're actually getting close. You see that?"

Hanako looks at where he's pointing. She screams in fear.

Hanako: "Gyahh! Fuck that, FUCK THAT!"

They both land back on the floor. Hanako gets off of Matthew's grip, and runs back inside the training camp.

Hanako: "He's right! They're coming right fucking now!"

Luke: "Shit! You serious?"

Hanako: "Does it sound like I want to be lying?!"

Matthew: "...Well, I'll be heading out now. Who's coming with?"

Toby: "Me! I can't let that shithead go unpunished! I need to save that girl!"

Luke: "I'm going too."

Matthew: "So, just you two? The rest of you staying to defend Lusni?"

Hanako: "Tyler's going with you."

Tyler: "Huh? Am I? No the fuck I'm not."

Hanako: "Yes you are."

Tyler: "This is my hometown! I'm holding down the fort with you, Sis!"

Hanako: "I know Mom would want you to go after Lance."

Tyler: "Mom?  Don't bring her into this-"

Matthew: "Dear God. It's like I'm listening to an elderly couple. Just fucking come along, Pebble brain."

Tyler: "You kiddin' me?"

Matthew: "Eh. You kinda owe me for snapping one of my swords. Anyways, I'll meet ya outside."

He falls backwards into a shadow, and disappears.

Luke: "Okay... Let's go, you two."

Tyler: "Ugh..."

Faith: "Daddy? Uncle Rock?"

Luke & Tyler: "Yeah?"

Faith: "Stay safe! We'll defend Lusni too!"

Luke: "What? No way are you going to-"

Tyler: "Hell yeah! Give that mech a use, Girls!"

Hanako: "Oh yeah! Good thinking, Bro."

Tyler: "Yeah, now go get that fucking mech before this city is destroyed. Adios, Assholes."

He runs outside. Toby and Luke quickly follow after him.

Hanako: "Well then... Are you guys ready to protect this place with your lives?"

Luna: "Yeah, I'm gonna call Slorethro and Shizune to help us."

Liv: "Eh? You're seriously callin' the clowns?"

Tezuka: "Oh boy. The cool people! Bring them, bring them!"

Hanako: "Alright, Twins! We're going to get the mech. Everyone else? Go tell the town what's coming! We have to prepare."

Tezuka: "For what awaits us."

Hanako: "...Yes. We must prepare for what awaits us."