Warnings: Strong and Sexual Language; Violence, Gore & Death.
"Time to start talking, Percival. The fuck happened back there," Vax sithed. They had just returned to the resistance hideout below the tavern, running away from the blazing inferno that they left the prison. Archie sent the freed rebels out to gather the remaining rebel in the city for the morning. Vax's anger had only grown since they left. He needed to know what the hell was going on. Percy was not himself anymore and was clearly keeping secrets still from them.
"I assure you, I'm in control," Percy calmly stated. Stonefell got what he deserved. What they all deserved.
"Oh, were you in control when you pointed that at her?," He pointed at Athena, "I saw your eyes. You could've killed her." Percy felt guilty for his momentary lapse at the prison. He could never imagine harming any of his friends. While he would never admit it to himself, it did scare him that he got so close. One trigger-pull away.
"The pepperbox is a very potent tool," he explained glancing at Athena with sadness present in his eyes now, "I-I may have gotten carried away, I'm sorry." Percy sat down, trying to gather more words to speak out, to explain why he did it.
"It's okay, Percy. I'm fine-" Athena stepped forward trying to consul him. Vax placed his arm out to stop her from getting closer to him.
"Oh, I swear, if you turn that thing on any of us again," he grabbed Percy by the collar," I will not hesitate. I will kill you." He dropped Percy down, walking away to get some space from him. Athena didn't know what to do, what to say, who to comfort. She felt at a loss right now.
"Percy, holding that weapon, it's like you're a different person. What is it?" Vex asked to help ease the tension while getting to bottom of Percy's recent development. Percy just looked at his pepperbox in silence as everyone waited for his response.
"When we came here, darling, you promised no more lies. You owe us the truth."
"You're right," Percy immediately responded. She honestly was expecting him to deflect the question but was glad he was coming clean.
"The creating of the pepperbox begins five years ago," Percy began to recall. "With my family murdered, I had no way of striking back. So I did the only thing I could. I fled. Washed away to a new life." Percy remembered his escape like it was last week and how he ended up being saved by fishermen after he jumped into the rushing river.
"I feared the de Rolo named was a death sentence so I disappeared. Wandering aimlessly, my days spent struggling for survival. My nights were filled with fear, blood...and cruel nightmares. These unrelenting visions of my family's end. I worried I would go mad from grief. The hatred inside me grew. Vengeance burning hotter than black powder. Nearly consuming me," Percy shuddered at the painful memories.
"Until the new vision came," he held up his pepperbox, "A spawn of science that would bring me the revenge I so desperately sought. I dreamt of a machine that would tip the scales of fortune in my favor. I dreamt of this."
"Yikes, no wonder he's single," Scanlan commented.
"Not the time, Scanlan," Vex sighed.
"Do you normally build death machines you find your dreams?" Vax asked.
"Not the first time I've been inspired," Percy replied honestly, "Does it matter where it came from?"
"At the moment? Yes, I'd say it does."
"Yeah, look, don't get me wrong, that thing's badass. But what are those scribbles for?" Grog asked since he didn't know how to read.
"The monsters I hunt." Percy turned the chamber of the gun with the flick of his thumb, a click for each turn. "Professor Anders, Anna Ripley, the Briarwoods, and until about an hour ago, Kerrion Stonefell," he said remembering what he did.
"In my dreams, I swore to make a list of those who wronged me."
"Swore to who?" Vax questioned.
"Hold up, that's five names," Scanlan counted out on his fingers, "Who's the six-barrel for?" Athena took a sharp breath making the connection quick. She look at Percy who kept his head down.
"Percy-"
"Uh-no, no, no, no!" Keyleth gasped. The group looked over as flames danced over the roots of the Sun Tree. "Uh, fire," she beat down with a rag trying to extinguish the flames. Vax kicked open one of the barrels, grabbing it while ale poured out of it onto the fire. The flames went up in smoke as both he and Keyleth coughed from it. Vax dropped the barrel as it rolled over to Grog.
"Is that ale?" he asked picking up the now empty barrel, "You told me they were all empty!"
"Guess there was one left."
"Uh!" Grog dropped the barrel, scattering across the floor. "Must not kill Vax," he shook trying to will himself since now two barrels have gone to waste. Vex strutted to Keyleth visibly angry at her actions.
"I-I'm so sorry. The Sun Tree was...," Keyleth stuttered, raising her hands up in defense. "I-I thought maybe that sunlight could..."
"Inside? Why not just announce where our hideout is while you're at it?" Vex pointed at her. Vax grabbed her hand stopping her from furthering her questioning.
"All right, you made your point. It was an accident." Vex glared at her brother. A moment ago he was ready to beat the shit out of Percy but now he was all pacified.
"Hate to interrupt, but this is bigger than all your personal shite," Archie said. The twins gave a final glare at each other, breaking apart to walk in opposite directions. "We have a real chance at reclaiming Whitestone here."
"Are you sure you wanna?" Grog scoffed while picking his nose, "I mean, this town ain't even got any ale."
"Aye, we've seen our share of dark days. But Percival de Role is back from the dead," he said looking up at his old friend. "If that won't inspire the people, nothing will."
"Sorry, Archibald. Right now, I'm only thinking about my sister."
"Ugh. Guess they're a close-knit family. Eh? You know what I'm saying?" Scanlan said while nudging Grog with his elbow.
"Shut it!" both the twins yelled causing Scanlan to frown.
"I know you're eager to rally the troops, but Cassandra's my only family. I have to find her."
"Percy, old friend, I reckon we can do both," Archie said with sincerity causing Percy to have a smile on his face.
"The noble de Rolo residences. Once symbols of the connection between your family and their people. Now the Briarwoods hand them out as prizes to their cronies. Stonefell got one. Their enforcer Duke Vedmire lives in the one we passed earlier."
Archie stealthily led them through town, careful of all the guards and giants roaming about. Rain began to pour down hard on them as they weaved through the alleys. He brought them to an underground hut that was sheltered from the rain with a small lookout. He pulled out a scope, looking through the lens towards the house.
"And right there, Professor Anders. My scouts got word he's holding the Kestrel here."
"Cassandra," Percy whispered. He brought out his gun, clicking the pin back, "Then what are we waiting for?"
"Hate to burst your bubble, but we can't just stomp through the front door. There's a million guards and we'll die a thousand deaths," Vex stated.
"Um, is that a lot?" Grog asked trying to count it on his fingers with no luck.
"She's right. We've tried and failed before. Cassandra is the Briarwoods' prize hostage. Freeing her would be a massive blow. The whole city would take up arms," Archie explained.
"Ooh, ooh!" Scanlan excitedly jumped, "What if I lure the guards away from the house?"
Grog loudly, laughed at Scanlan's suggestion, "Yeah! Good one."
"Come on. Real ideas only," Vex said.
"I could shape that tree in the back into a sort of ladder?" Keyleth' suggested next as Vax jumped back into the hideout.
"Nope. Just scouted it. Even more guards posted in the back."
"Yeah, but there wouldn't be if I made them leave," Scanlan pointed out.
Grog laughed once again wiping a tear away, "Seriously. How do you come up with these jokes so fast?"
"Scanlan, please. Now is not the time to be cute," Vex pleaded.
"I am not cute. I mean, I am. Extremely. But not like you mean it. Listen, I'm serious. I can create a distraction while you save Percy's sister."
"That would have to be an enormous distraction," Percy said.
"Yeah, and you're tiny," Grog fired back.
"Well, then I'll pick a big target. T-That bruiser. Venkman."
"Vedmire," Archie corrected.
"Yes, I'll burn down his motherfucking house. A fire that big would be seen across Whitestone," he opened out his arms to emphasize his plan.
"The answer is no. It's far too dangerous. And you're far too... you," Vex stated making Scanlan pout.
Vax got down and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Grog and I will go. I'm much better at this."
"No," Scanlan shoved off his hand, "You're the stabby-kill-kill guys. I can do this alone. I've got these potions," he showed off.
"Which do what again?" Vax asked.
"No idea, but it doesn't matter. Look, I'm a master distractor. My songs, my jokes, my... me. Vex, you're always saying I'm annoying."
"Hmm," she thought.
"Well, let me be annoying," he emphasized. Athena could tell that Scanlan really wanted to do this, to prove himself to the group. She didn't think he needed to but...she would always support him. Even horrible sex jokes. Most of the time anyways.
"If there's trouble, we can't help," she spoke up.
"Ah, don't worry about me The. I know exactly what I'm doing," he smiled at her. She reached behind her and pulled out a small dagger.
"I know it's not much. I once heard though it's not about size, it's how you use it," she handed it to him. He didn't really know what to do with it but he was grateful she gave it to him.
"Wow. Today's a special day then since I heard your first sex joke. Kinda I guess. Still a work in progress but I'll count it," he laughed as he put the dagger in his belt.
"Well don't let it be your last time either," she smirked as she looked at Vex for confirmation to let him go. Athena raised her eyebrow at her trying to plead to let him go.
"Fine," Vex sighed, admitting defeat. "You better be careful and don't die. You come straight back if something goes wrong," she said. While he did annoy her, she truly cared about him as well as everyone else.
"Ah, trust me," he said as he climbed out, "Careful is my middle name," he gave a final look back before heading out.
"That's a bad middle name," Grog stated.
"And now we wait," Percy said. The group fell silent as they waited for the signal that Scanlan was successful. They were all tired as they had not gotten any rest for the past two nights now.
Athena was restless though as they sat there. She could worry about if her friend was okay. She tapped her finger on her knee as she look out the small entrance waiting. Her finger taps and the rain being the only sounds in the cold night. She continued her tapping until she felt a hand gently grab hers.
"You're really worried about him," Vax commented, scooting closer to her to where the legs were barely touching. He let go of her hand once she stopped tapping.
"Of course. I am always worried. About all of you, constantly. Even more so when I can't see you," she said honestly, looking down at the ground.
"Why? I am not saying you should never but...I think we have all proven to be able to defend ourselves. We did kill a dragon together," he chuckled trying to get her to but her expression didn't change. "You don't have to tell me, but I am always here for you," he said seriously.
She looked back up at him at his expression and let out a sigh before looking back down. "It just...I don't have much to lose...but I have you guys to lose. So that's why I worry. Because you all are all that I got."
Vax was blown away by what she said. He looked back at his sister who was talking to Percy as well as Keyleth and Grog. He let out a small smile, "Well then we can share the stress of worrying because you all are all I got too. You are all that I got."
Athena produced a tiny smile of her own at Vax's endearing words. He was making it incredibly hard to push down her feelings. But he always found the best things to say to her to make her feel safe when no one else had before until she met them.
She brought up her head to look at him and realized just how close they were to each other. Luckily, the darkness covered the rising red pigment in her cheeks as they both sat there staring at each other. She tried to open her mouth to speak but nothing happened. Vax was the first one to make a move.
"Athena, there's something I need to--," he began.
"That's it, I'm calling it," Percy stood up. The two quickly broke apart, standing up as Percy was getting ready to leave.
"You're just going in?" Vex asked.
"The longer we wait, the more we risk being discovered. On my shot, we move."
Vex quickly grabbed his arm, holding him back, "Let's not do anything rash, Percy," Vex urged him. Athena looked back towards the small entrance as she saw smoke rising in the distance despite the rain.
"Look," she said.
"Holy shit. He did it! And it looks like he went all out," Vax said, impressed Scanlan pulled it off.
"Oh, yeah, he's into dat freaky stuff," Grog mentioned. The group heard the footsteps of the outside guards running in the direction of Vedmire's estate.
"Move it, men!" a commander yelled. Archie watched as they disappeared into the distance.
"Excellent plan, Vox Machina," he complimented.
"I mean... that is what we're known for," Vax sarcastically replied.
"I'll rally the rebels. When you have her, send a sign. And, Percy, try not to get yourself killed," Archie outstretch his hand which Percy immediately took.
"I was dead yesterday, remember? Can only improve from here."
The group ran straight for the front door with the rain pouring on them. There were no guards on the outside thanks to Scanlan. They each took a position at the entrance with Keyleth taking a quick peek through the window.
"Looks clear inside," she remarked as she went for the door handle.
"Hold on," Vax stopped her, "There could be a trap." He began inspecting the door carefully while Grog was huffing as we waited.
"Not everything is a trap, you twit," he groaned walking up to the door. "Let's do this!" he yelled shoving Vax back as he burst through the door.
"Uh-," Grog was immediately faced with a squadron of archers with their arrows pointed at him on the second floor.
"It's a trap." All of the archers released their arrows, sinking into Grog's torso.
"You good, buddy?" Keyleth asked while Vax just chuckled knowing what was about to happen.
"Oh, man. They are fucked now."
Veins across Grog's body bulged out as let out a roar charging with his battleaxe towards them. He threw his axe, hitting one of the guards directly in the face. He jumped to the second floor, grabbing onto the railing with one hand and with another one a guard's leg. He pulled the guard through the railing, breaking it as he used the momentum to climb up.
"Come here!" he yelled pulling his axe out of the first guard. The rest of them took the opportunity to join the fight. Keyleth summoned a stone piler for Vex to use while Vax and Athena went on opposite sides to ascend the stairs. Percy spotted Professor Anders walking back to his study, seemingly unbothered by the intrusion.
"Anders," he seethed as he ran past the group fighting the guards. Percy ran down the hall as Anders closed the door to the study.
"Anders! Open the door, coward!" he banged on the glass as he looked in seeing him. He hit the door using his shoulder a few times before it blew open. He pointed his gun to find his sister and Anders in the struggle.
"Cass?" he breathed out, seeing his sister for the first time in so many years. Her hair was now shorter and also had a section of white. Hearing her name, she turned to find her brother standing there in shock.
"Percy?" Her momentary pause gave Anders enough time to wrap his arm around her, pinning her against him.
"Always early to class, Percival."
Percy pulled the pin, reading his pepperbox with a click, "Release her, Anders. That's an order!"
"An order?" Anders scoffed, "You de Rolos were always so entitled. My new employer encourages me to make my own decisions." He pulled out a dagger, pressing it against Cassandra's throat earning a gasp from her.
"If you harm her, I will end you. Let her go and we can discuss a future where you're still breathing."
"Oh... you seem to think this is a negotiation," he smirked.
"Don't!"
It was too late though as he brought the dagger across her throat, blood immediately pouring out of the line. She gurgled as blood filled her throat, trying to regain her breathing. Percy could only watch as his sister struggled for life as she collapsed onto the floor. She reached out for her brother as he stood horrified.
"Cass."
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Hey-o! I know this was a short one but I hope I gave a bit of something for you all. I feel like I am dishing out torture back though from all the times I have read slow burns and just wanted them to do. But we all know it's worth it in the end!
Though I would like to point out that I wrote Athena's line when she gave the dagger to Scanlan before I rewatched his fight with Vedmire and he used the same line when he blasted him with lightning at the end! Brought a smile to my face when I saw that.
Since I'm off from classes on Monday (President's day in the US), I will try to have the next chapter out by then for you guys.
Don't forget to comment and vote! Appreciate you all!