@heropartnerweek day 2 - crossover (w/ team masquerade)
So yeah anyway I was designing and writing the main team for my comic around the same time as deltarune ch 3 and 4 came out, and they might've gotten a little bit of the fun gang mixed in. Now its too late to get them out. whoops.
all of a vampire's other organs atrophy to accommodate a greatly increased stomach capacity. the biological incentive is to is to eat like a ball python, but Silver doesn't want to lose a couple days a month sleeping off a meal, so he just stays hungry taking dainty little sips from his 3-5 permanently hypnotized thralls. but after a few years they become resistant to it and, you know, when the hen stops laying you might as well
Set after the events of Episode 9, except Caine never came from the 'dead', not until two years later when he reappears a broken shell of his former self.
Inspired by @katzebruh 's Backup Au. Ft my oc Silver the Witch Marionette and @idiotwithanipad 's oc Cookie the Jack-in-Box. Artwork also by @idiotwithanipad .
Tw: Body horror, gore, mentions of torture and captivity.
-
Two Years Ago
It had been Pomni's suggestion that they get out of the open for a little while.
Cookie found it hard to believe that this was the first time in days that their recently snapped digital overlord had left them alone together. Ever since that first insane adventure, he had barely allowed them a minute to breathe, forcing them into random, dangerous world after world, time losing all meaning as they lost track of the day and night cycle. They hadn't had a moment to eat or sleep, unless it was part of one of the adventures - Cannibal Town being the most disturbing so far, to the point even Jax couldn't find the humor. But it wasn't as if they needed to sustain themselves, which she supposed was some small relief.
A shredded Kinger was carefully smoothing himself back together in the spot Caine had plopped him before vanishing. His gaze fell on Cookie, whose spring had been stretched out and lost its bounce in the last adventure, leaving her struggling to move her plaque.
"Oh, Cookie, lemme get that for you!" The chess piece cheerfully lifted her plaque with his hands, the top of his head still sliced and flopping at the sides.
"Thanks, Kinger. Oh, here." She reached to try to push his top half back together, "Better?"
She let go. His head split like a cheesestring.
"Much better! Thank you! Can't beat a good facial massage!"
Never mind, she thought with a sigh. At least Caine shredding him didn't seem to have been that painful. Or perhaps this was where Kinger's frequent amnesia came in handy.
In between adventures, Caine loved plucking one of them at random and transporting them to their own private torture sessions. The worst part was, they'd almost all grown used to it, barely reacting when one of them disappeared in the blink of an eye only to reappear a minute later carrying their own head in their hands, or with tiny sharks hanging off their limbs by their teeth.
Cookie's latest one had been having her box used as a dice by Caine in a game of snakes and ladders he played with Bubble, delighting in shaking her in his hands and tossing her onto the board as violently as possible, while giant rattlesnakes attempted to swallow her.
Creative, she'd give the bastard that, the headache she'd acquired still pounding away.
Sitting on her plaque as Kinger carried her like a main course meal, she tried to untangle and fix her spring. An axe welding farmer had attempted to use her to make an electric fence in that last world, complete with attaching live jump leads to her mouth, while the others had to limbo beneath her.
What even was the theme supposed to be with these? Maybe if Caine took her next, she'd snap and tell the asshole how lame and pathetic these new ideas were, lacking any kind of substance or purpose. Sure, he might get mad. Sure, he might decide to make the torture even worse.
But at this point she was past caring what happened. Anything just to stick the knife in whatever passed for a heart he might have.
"Oooh are we going to the cafe? I hope they still have my favorite brand of tea - plain!"
The cafe? Damn, it had been a while since they'd gone up there. Sometimes Silver had flown her up so they could grab a hot chocolate. But given that it had been Ribbit and Kaufmo's favorite spot, it had...felt rather creepy going there since.
At least they had energy drinks in the fridge, Cookie was relieved to spot when Kinger carried her through the threshold. An off brand Monster might be what she needed right now to keep herself going.
This can't be forever. Something has to give soon.
"H-hey, guys."
The strained, fragile voice was unfamiliar at first.
Everyone looked up.
In an ornate, bronze bird cage dangling from the ceiling, sat a slumped, barely conscious witch puppet, lifting her hand to wave at them.
"How ya been?"
"Silver!"
Cookie nearly tumbled from Kinger's arms in shock. With haste, she tried to fix her spring, just so she was able to bounce up and grip the bars, getting a proper look of the friend she hadn't seen in days.
Pomni, Ragatha and Gangle all stood on tables or the coffee bar, gaping at her.
"Have you...been here this whole time?!" Asked Zooble, lifting up their own head in her extended hands; "Why didn't you shout or scream?"
"Ooooh, you know what? That never occurred to me! Boy, do I feel silly, for not thinking of that as a way to let you all know I was here!" She rasped, "Is the sarcasm coming through? I can't put much more effort in right now."
Cookie threw Zooble a look that seemed to humble them.
"Sorry, it's just..."
"We had no idea where you were." Pomni explained, apologetic; "Caine...made it sound like you had chose to fly off somewhere and leave us."
"I didn't buy it." Cookie stated, purple gloved fingers holding onto the cage; "I knew he'd done...something. I just wasn't sure what."
Jax gave a shrug; "I figured he'd put you somewhere cosy like a hotel suite. Top room service, tv on demand. You always were his favorite." He said it with a bite of resentment. Or was it envy?
"Oh yeah, I've really enjoyed being the favorite this week, bunny boy." The Witch sneered, "And as it happens I spent the first three days here shouting to try to get your attention. But I figured Caine soundproofed this place. So...it might be handy if you all have any plans to hatch. Anyone?"
Everyone exchanged bland glances. Silver rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, me neither." She sighed, "C-could one of you please get me some food? Doesn't matter what, I'll eat a sandwich filled with puppy meat at this point!"
Cookie looked to Ragatha who was nearest to the deli. The doll turned and grabbed a tuna wrap, tossing it up to the clown who slipped it through the bars.
Like a starved primate, Silver snatched the sandwich before it had a chance to vanish, practically shoving it between her teeth with very little time to chew. Cookie recoiled, as if afraid she might lose a hand. Seeing her friend in this state was one of the most disturbing things she'd seen all week - which was saying a lot.
"Silv...What did he...?" She frowned.
"Were you really that hungry?" Zooble frowned, "We're not supposed to feel hunger."
"We can if Caine wants us to." Silver revealed after swallowing, "Trust me."
"He's been starving you?!" Ragatha gasped.
The Witch sagged against the cage again, picking at the flakes of tuna in her teeth; "Yes...and no. He made it very clear I could eat any time I wanted. You know, so long as I apologised, admitted he was in the right, agreed to let him continue messing with all of you, blah blah."
But she'd resisted. For them.
"That's awful. How have you not abstracted?" Gangle asked, ribbon hands over her mask.
"Eh. Spite is a hell of a motivator." Silver managed to quip; "Besides, he checks in every few hours to make sure I'm not glitching. He literelly just left so you guys should have some time. Anyway, I've kept myself busy."
"How?"
"Reading. Don't have much in the way of books but that coffee menu on the wall sure is gripping. I've even started shipping chai latte and hazenut hot chocolate."
Everyone else, aside from Kinger, exchanged a look of extreme concern for the Witch's mental wellbeing.
Cookie reached forward and grabbed her hand.
"I'm glad you're still with us. I mean...it sucks that you're here, but..." the clown tried to say, her throat tight. It had been a rough week.
Silver gave her a tired smile, weakly squeezing back.
"M'glad I'm here too. Glad you found me...eventually." she huffed.
Ragatha handed something to Zooble who used some extended arms to reach up and slide an ice latte into Silver's cage. The witch smiled, picking it up in a shaky hand.
"Thanks, guys. I'm starting to think you're not hallucinations this time."
That made Cookie's chest ache harder. Though it was some effort for her to hold herself up there, she didn't want to let go of her friend. Getting a look at the cage, there didn't seem to be any clear opening, or a lock to break. Caine had designed it so there was no way Silver could leave without his say so. It was rather depressing to see her broom propped up, useless, between the bars.
For the first time since this terrible week had began, genuine anger for the insane AI began to boil in her blood. He hadn't just locked Silver up. Toothy asshole had clipped her wings.
Jax let out a breath and sat himself at one of the stalls at the bar.
"Hate to be the one to say it, Sabrina, but we all told y-."
"JAX!"
Everyone, including Kinger this time, berated the rabbit with a fiery glare, whose ears instantly flattened, his pupils squaring. He mumbled something before turning his back to them, reaching for a hot chocolate, shoulders slumped.
Silver let out a sigh; "He's right."
Cookie frowned; "Silv?"
The Witch sat with her arms around herself, holding the wooden pieces of her doll-like body together, while her drink sat forgotten beside her ankle.
That whimsical, optimistic sparkle she'd always held in her eyes, despite the lines of premature age surrounding them, had noticeably dimmed.
"You all said I was mad to trust him, to think I could actually be....friends with an AI." She murmured, spirit all but crushed by these past few days; "I so wanted to believe I made a difference...that I could reach him, show him how to be....human...except he's isn't. He...I don't know what he's become, or if this is who he always was."
A beat passed. Her voice cracked.
"...But he's not my friend. Not anymore."
-
Present Day
"There! Almost...No. No, that's not it."
Cookie hopped over to where her witch buddy was sat upon a mossy log, taking a break from Caine Watch duties to see what she was up to.
The pile of bandaged limbs and nailed dentures lay curled up on a mound of flowers close by, his breathing as steady as it had been since she first saw him back. There were still twitches, the nightmares clearly inevitable after whatever he'd been through, but at least he wasn't thrashing like a rabid dog.
Silver, however, sat with her hands held out before her, fingers curled as she concentrated.
"C'mon..."
Purple light flickered out of thin air in the space between her palms. For a second, it formed itself into a little sphere, then grew roud, gossamer wings, before flickering out like a burst of static.
"Shit. Why is this so hard?" She put her head in her hands.
"What are you trying to make?" Asked Cookie.
Her friend showed little struggle with conjuring most of the time, the very meadow they were currently stood in within her mini fantasy land contained within a closet was testament to that.
"I thought I'd have a go at making NPCs. Just...something that could be here when we're not around." Her eyes drifted over to the monster she'd chosen to take on as her charge; "Someone to keep him company. I conjured a few critters in the grounds but they were hardly sentient. So far here, I've only managed a few simple butterflies, and one very grumpy worm."
"You'd be grumpy too if you were me." A voice that made Eeyore sound like Pinkie Pie echoed up from the dirt.
"That's literelly all he can say." Said Silver.
Cookie lightly touched her friend's elbow, hinting at her to lower them before making another attempt.
"You want a break, huh?" She guessed. The Witch seemed to have gained an extra wrinkle or two from her efforts lately.
Silver sighed; "Is that wrong? I...feel guilty for being so tired." She didn't wait for affirmation, merely casting her gaze over to the sleeping Caine; "I dunno what I'm doing but it doesn't feel like he's getting better."
"I can't see much improving till we get those screws off, being honest."
"And I have no clue how to do that without the risk of hurting him more."
Cookie let a moment pass before saying what they both knew was coming.
"Kinger might..."
The Witch tensed.
"Just saying," said the clown, factually, "He might be the best shot."
"Caine freaks out at the mention of Kinger's name. I think....he thinks Kinger tried to kill him on purpose...or at least is to blame for what happened to him."
"To be fair, me accidentally jumping on some bramble freaks him out."
Any sharp snaps or the crackle of firewood was enough to make the elephant sized digital creature convulse in sheer panic.
"I just...wish I knew what to do make him feel safe. I can feed him soup, read him books, comfort him, but...it still seems like he doesn't trust it."
"Kinda like you when we found you in the cage, huh?"
Silver blinked, turning to look at her blunt friend. Her surprise melted into humility. That was true. Captivity can do a lot to break down a person's hopes and trust. And hers had only been for a week.
Two years...How was she supposed to...?
"What exactly were you trying to make?" Asked Cookie.
"Some bees. I was thinking a friendly little hive that could stay close and talk to him. He...always loved bees."
Cookie snorts; "I'm just picturing the cast of Bee Movie. Were you around for that one? It had Joe from Family Guy getting jealous of this bee-."
"Yes, Cooks, I saw Bee Movie. In the theatre."
"What's a theatre?" The clown tilted her head.
Silver looked horrified for a moment.
"Joke. We still got theatres...some places." Cookie confirmed with a smirk.
The Witch let out a huff. Not that it mattered, she supposed. It wasn't as if that was a world they would ever see again. No, all they had now was this broken digital world they'd been left with, and the need to make the best of it.
For all of them. Their former warden and torturer included.
Silver took a breath. Her hands stretched forward. But this time, Cookie put her hand out too, trying to picture the most ideal, approachable bee image in her mind's eye.
Power seemed to surge between them, fuelled by their shared will and imagination.
Together, they saw a fuzzy body, round and plump, goofy little black legs, bobbing antennae, guile free beady eyes and fluttering wings. They held the image firm in their heads and sent it out. Out. Out into the world.
A buzz rippled through the air.
The two of them opened their eyes, neither realising they'd been closed, to look upon their...creation.
"Ah." Said Silver.
"That, uhm...doesn't quite look right."
They'd made a bee. Sort of.
But said bee was the size of a morbidly obese cat. It lay on the floor, struggling to roll itself onto its six pudgy legs, wings not exactly looking up to the task to carry its weight.
"Do we....start over? How do we...delete stuff?" They've never really had to before, always making do with whatever they could create with their limited power, no matter how half-baked it turned out.
The bee managed to roll onto its legs and shuffle around, chirping lightly, giving the both of them a true pair of puppy dog eyes.
"Aww, I don't wanna delete it. It can just fly about or...roll about around here, it looks harmless."
A startled grunt caught their attention.
The pair looked over to see Caine having awoken abruptly, body wound up tight, his blinded head turning left and right before it could remember why he was in the 'dark'.
"Here we go again." Silver muttered, standing up; "Caine? You're okay. You're with Silver and Cookie, you're gonna-"
"Oi! Come back here." Cookie bristled as the newborn chubby insect brushed past her spring, heading straight for the broken Ringmaster.
"No, no, don't get too close, little guy! Or girl, I dunno what concensus we reached there..."
"Girl was where I was going." Shrugged Cookie.
The oversized bee gave herself a boost forward with a flutter of her wings before Silver's hands could grab her.
Then she was at Caine's side. Bumping into his chest.
Silver held her breath and watched.
Caine seemed to tense at first, top of his impaled head curving in confusion. Then he leaned down as the buzzing sounded louder. Slowly, he brought one of his bandaged wrists down to inspect the new creature before him, feeling the soft texture of her fuzz with the underside of his arm.
His shoulders relaxed. Silver blinked, watching as the weird cat-bee Frankenstein creation pawed at Caine, before fluttering closer. Then...Caine sat.
Not curled up. Not kneeled. He sat back, in the grass, breathing in a ghostly rhythm.
The bee fluttered up, then dipped, then padded into his lap. Then nestled down, wings folding in, antennae drooping. Caine seemed to only allow the contact...then he rested a wrist down to stroke her. And then, carefully, one of his arms culed in to hold her to him.
And the bee, whether through affection or sheer lack of awareness, only seemed to purr in contentment.
He trembled, a whimper or two rumbling out, overwhelmed by something more than either of them could make sense of right now. But something about his posture there, subdued as it was, made him seem more like...the old Caine.
The old Old Caine.
The computer program who wanted, more than anything, not to control humans - but to be human.
"Well...first npc not a total failure after all." Cookie quipped; "Go us."
Top two drawings are for an AU fic that's in the works where Hunter and Vee run from the EC and end up in the Human Realm, where they hide in the old shack for a while before they are helped by Luz and Camila and end up living with them.
I wanted to hold off on sharing these until I get at least two chapters published, but that's taking ages because my motivation to write has been lacking .<. Hopefully I'll polish up the first chapter and get it published this year, but have a taste of what I've got in mind for Belos' runaway basement creatures
The second drawing is another AU where both Hunter and Chase's grimwalker traits are very much visible and that has them being on the run as people try to catch and/or kill them, having the majority of the Isles and the EC hunting them down.
Hunter still has Flapjack and is bonded to only him, but Waffle is with them since she and Flapjack are siblings and they don't want to be separated
