It hadn’t taken me long to get used to the constant tired ache of the crypts- the air was damp and my muscles always felt tired, but you could never rest. Resting only meant death- and honestly, I’d like to keep my death count to a minimum.
Of course, nothing would be easy. And that was made obvious when I came across a skeleton in some sort of robe, moving about a small room. I was reminded a bit too much of Death Metal for my own liking, which meant I was instantly on guard- and ready for a fight.
Vaati recognized the feeling of rhythm, though the song was different from those he recalled Octavo playing. He’d been curious, but assumed his friend had merely branched out somewhat in the heat of this scuffle. What he didn’t expect was to bump into Octavo literally, turning about to the beat and finding his friend in the midst of a battle with some weird old guy and another golden lute.
“Who’s the old weirdo?”
He quickly fell into rhythm, aiding in the battle- but he couldn’t say he was as experienced as the others were at this sort of battle, finding it much harder to make his magic connect when everything moved to the beat of a song.
A battle currently unfolds before him, but instead of assisting, Wei Wuxian opts to watch instead, perched from up above on a still intact building. Perhaps if this been anyone else, he would’ve already offered a hand, however the individual involved was clearly very capable of fending for himself and more. Though there was just one concern that Wei Wuxian had, and it’s what finally causes him to speak up. “They’ll just keep coming, you know.” It was true—as soon as one was destroyed, another replaced it in it’s stead.
“I can help if you want! But if you prefer fighting them... ahah, don’t let me stop you!” It was a feeling he missed, truth be told—having power at his fingertips, so he wouldn’t at all mind demonstrating it.
It was as if her nightmares had come to life. Of all the things that AI had to pull from, it just had to be that hellspawn. Walpurgisnacht has descended onto the island. Bringing with it a trail of destruction. Anyone caught in its path had to be evacuated if they had any concern for their lives. As dark storm clouds approached, she found a familiar face.
"I don't have time to explain, you need to run. Now." The mask of the cold soldier that she wore has completely evaporated. Replaced a fear for the events that are soon to come. Even if she was more than capable of dispatching this witch, she still wasn't sure if she could avoid the deaths it would inevitably bring.
Nahyuta needs a moment to himself. He finds a moment of respite by stopping under a tree. He thinks he’s near the manor at this point. Would it be safe to go home? Does he even want to? It’s...
He leans his head back with a sigh, taking as shallow a breath as possible to avoid exacerbating the wound on his side. That’s what he got for engaging in physical combat with multiple assailants. But it was done. She was gone. She couldn’t--
She couldn’t touch him here. Not again.
Before he’s realized it, he’s...crying? Is that what this is? He lets out a shaky breath, clenching his teeth as pain lances through his side. Is it wrong to feel relief? He had dirtied his hands...but for Rayfa--
A sound nearby puts him instantly on alert, not that he can move that quickly. Seeing a familiar face makes it easy to relax. Thank goodness he doesn’t need to fight now...he’s...definitely not feeling up to it.
“Athena...you startled me. Apologies...are you doing alright?”
If their voice wavered, if their tears were apparent...they were going to act as if everything was fine. Because it had to be. It was over with.
I could feel the rhythm before I heard it. I just knew it- at first, I thought it was Octavo again. But the young bard was nowhere to be seen, he wasn’t here… which began to quickly fill me with a sense of dread. I’d already seen some monsters that were just a bit too familiar to my own world… which could mean only one thing.
Octavian.
I ran towards the source of the music, sword in hand. I didn’t know how he could be back after mom and grandma had dealt with him and that lute, but it didn’t matter. It was my turn now, and I’d put him back into the grave he’d come from.
I’d learned since my time in the crypts, but more than anything, I’d learned not to hesitate. Each missed beat had been like a dagger to my heart, almost literally- hesitation got you killed in the crypt. Which meant doing things over and over and over again. And this time, I really wasn’t in the mood for that.
I could hear him laughing, but I couldn’t see him. Ever since I’d made my way up to this place, it’d been nightmarish- until I’d stepped into a graveyard. It’d felt… familiar. Too familiar. And unfortunately, I only finally recognized it just a few moments too late- I could feel something grabbing onto my leg from below and pulling, the dirt caving in around me as I fell down, down, down into the crypts.
Shit, I found myself thinking, not again.
There was a blank spot in my memory from when I landed, but I knew what’d happened this time. I knew how I’d ‘survived’- I hadn’t. Again. But this time, I was prepared already. I wasn’t going to be played- it didn’t matter how many tries it took, I’d get myself out of this again.
Of course, I could already tell it wouldn’t be easy. It felt like there was somehow more monsters than there’d been last time, and the crypt wasn’t like I remembered… it felt like it kept changing- probably as a result of whatever was going on with this floating chunk of land. The entire place felt unstable, unsteady- not good.
I found myself just hoping that this entire crypy wouldn’t just disappear while I was still in it- I did not want to get myself stuck six feet under like that. That sounded way worse than the head injury I’d just sustained, so… no thanks on that front.
Hopefully, I wouldn’t end up dying too many times. If things were the same, I knew how the crypts liked to orient themselves, and I knew their tricks. Or at the very least, I knew the traps to avoid- pits, knives, all sorts of things that’d kill me in an instant. And had killed me, before I’d gotten used to this place the first time.
More than anything, though… I hoped nobody else would end up following me in here. It was bad enough being stuck down here again, but I could handle it. Other people, though? That was a different story entirely…
But enough of that. It was time to dive forward once again, into the crypt of the necrodancer.
Vaati was now frustrated. Incredibly frustrated. Beyond everything that’d been... happening here, he’d been sent home and pulled back in the span of about half an hour, not even giving him enough time to get the complete light force. He was angry, and while the city going to hell gave him a bit of an outlet, it wasn’t perfect.
No, the ideal stress relief came along in the form of Eugene Fitzherbert, totally unaware of Vaati’s presence. Well now, that wouldn’t do- it was time to harass him, and harass him Vaati did. With a shrill laugh he summoned up a swarm of keese to swoop down at the man’s head- that’d show him!
Vaati was already feeling restless- lost. He didn’t know what to do, not now. Not anymore. He moved more on instinct than any sure-defined thoughts- running from place to place, teleporting when he needed, but never really staying too long.
There was no point to staying.
What was he doing, though?
Nothing. Not much of anything. Just… running about, causing problems.
“You haven’t changed at all, have you Vaati?”
He spun about, the voice finally snapping him back to reality. He was thinking straightforward again- because the person in front of him was the person he hated most.
“Master. How lovely to see you.”
“You’re still using that vile form… a disgusting mockery of a Hylian.”
“Hah! And you look pathetic as ever!” Though his master was not currently stuck as a hat, that didn’t change much. Still just a horrid old man. “Why do you show your face in front of me, master? Do you wish to get a taste of my power once more?”
“I underestimated you before, Vaati. But this time… I will not be taken off-guard. I’ll make up for past mistakes, and erase you like I should’ve done long ago!”
“Oh ho? What’s this, master? I don’t think I’ve ever heard such words from you.”
“Vaati… you were a wretched mistake. I’ll level this entire city if it means I can deal with you!”
“Hah! Try me if you dare, master! I’ll destroy you!”
Thought his words were sharp, Vaati could feel all of this cutting into him. He was not thinking about what was going on, his brain wasn’t working quite properly- so the idea that this may not have been Ezlo didn’t come to mind.
Because his former mentor had confirmed every bad thing Vaati thought about himself. But he’d already known it, of course. He’d already known he was little more than a monster… that his mentor had always hated him. That he’d been a burden. A mistake.
A mistake.
After all, what else could he be? A sky minish who would never reach the clouds he should’ve been born among… a mistake borne of one foggy day.
Whatever was left of him kept breaking, fragmenting, and he didn’t know how much he had left.
“I don’t care, master. I don’t care. I don’t care at all. Because you’ve never cared about me! A horrible, stupid, selfish teacher! Just a wretched rat who only cared about his self-image!!”
“Vaati… so pitiful. Is this what you’ve become?” His master’s voice cut to the bone, the look of cold disappointment so much more painful than anything else he could’ve possibly said. “A mad monster, just like those you freed from that chest. You’re no different from any of them, truly. I blame only myself for not realizing what you’d become sooner, when I could’ve dealt with you before you caused anyone harm.”
“Shut UP! I’ll just KILL YOU!!!”
Magic met with magic, two skilled mages locked in combat with the intent to kill. What Ezlo was lacking in raw strength, he easily made up with in skill- he was far older, far more experienced. And… he’d made the wishing cap. He knew better than Vaati how it worked.
“Pathetic, Vaati. I expect more of my student.”
“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!!!”
He didn’t care that Ezlo was just riling him up- it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. He was already what everyone thought he was, right? He was nothing more than a monster. Just a monster, just a killer, just a demon. Why even hold that back? It didn’t matter at all.
His form was warping, he was losing control on everything, but it didn’t matter to him. Nothing mattered. Everything was worthless and pointless, and he didn’t care what became of anything. All he wanted was to kill Ezlo, to do that here and now.
But that was right where Ezlo wanted him.
The attack came from his blind side, too lost up in the moment to have thought about using the wind to compensate for his lost vision. Just a single bolt of magic, sharp enough to rip right through him- his body collapsed to the ground after, just staring up at the man he’d once seen as a mentor.
“Y-You… my… bad eye….”
“You’ve grown too careless, Vaati. I expected so much more of you, and you’ve done nothing but let me down.”
“…”
“You’ve become a monster. All you do is harm people. As your master, it is my duty to ensure you can never hurt anyone ever again.”
“You… all of this… was your fault…”
“I would give you pity if you would take the blame you deserved, Vaati.”
“I don’t… want your pity. I… hate you… master.”
A single bolt of magic while the elderly minish was unprepared was enough- Vaati knew he would die, but he would not die alone.
How ironic, it seemed, that they would die together like this. How terribly, terribly ironic.
And as he lay dying, he couldn’t help but think.
Maybe, in a different life, things could’ve been different.
