Okay.... So I just realized something about War: this guy speaks like... I dunno... A living medieval knight!? Which makes sense considering their title as horseman: "The Sun's Knight", but like...
My butt has no idea how to replicate their way of talking dude... I could try and search up words online or use a dictionary or something to try and write their dialogue, but that would take AGES and that's frustrating cuz I don't know Chivalry talk or Vernaculars (not even Middle English well) for medieval knights... As much as I love the way they speak, replicating it is hard as hell man 🥲 either way I'll try my damnest just for them cuz I love em and wanna do their character JUSTICE in my future works!
One thing I found interesting though is how Medieval Knights would speak Latin when being formal or giving orders... BUT ALSO for religious purposes (since that was common across Europe during medieval times).
I checked out the OST for each horseman, including Death's, which if you look in the description of the video (and spoilers if you don't know!) there's text written in both Latin and Greek! Translating it I got this:
(it might not be 100% accurate btw, so if anyone got better results than this let me know HAHA)
Idk why my brain made this weird connection between the two, but now I like to imagine that all 4 horsemen might speak Latin and/or Greek, with only The Heart Reaper who likes to use both languages simultaniously when praying from what it seems!
And War I feel like would occasionally speak it when using certain Latin sayings to sound more inspirational or something... and maybe in prayer also since they bring justice or whatever lol
I fricking love Death's devotion to its Lord and how little it seems to get recognised man... I feel like with anyone this devoted and connected to their Creator it would obviously drive them mad trying to serve to the best of their abilities, and somehow STILL FAIL in the process... Idk its not my place to psycho analize this stuff but also ITS FICTION and despite how private this may feel (to me at least) I am so very curious to learn more dude
Also Famine seems to me as the type of guy who did not know personal prayers like Death at first and tried to copy what they said like in the previous text, only to sound dumb cuz, y'know... its not practiced LMAO
Probably did this once or twice then got the hang of it eventually, hahaha!
....In short, this is a part two for this ->post<-!! Keep in mind this is still VERY self-indulgent and might be OOC (although I tried my best to make it accurate given the scenario I had in mind for this and the one previously)!
Please read the tags before moving forward! Thank you <3
As always, hope you enjoy!!
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Dark, darker yet darker... Cold, colder yet colder... Lonely, lonelier yet lonelier, all with the passing of time. The clock ticks forward, never ending, until its arrows show it had been already too late... Or just maybe there's still enough time? Look back at the clock and tell me once more... Oh wait-
🕑❔
...
...
...
.
The player was so very helpless against all three: the dark, the cold and the loneliness... Especially now, unable to see, unable to move, unable to think...
Before they'd blacked out, they had wished to feel the light of a nicely lit up hearth, the warmth of a nice cup of hot tea in their hands, the comfort of a loved one sitting near them...
They'd wished to no longer worry about the dark, the cold, and the loneliness in this world anymore...
...Since when did they feel this way?
For a moment their wish came true, but only for a moment. They'd finally felt their hands slowly thaw out, snow and ice melting away bit by bit, light hitting their eyelids providing comfort, all because of a certain horseman's pity. Two fiery crows had rested in their lap for a bit, bringing the player hope that just maybe, they would be okay. The magical burning fire the two birds radiated contrasted with the low temperature in the atmosphere that stabbed at the player and chilled them to their core...
Thankfully, the wind had no longer affected them as much, all because of EM. RALD, one of Conquest's minions keeping them safely isolated through its sheer size shielding them from it. Through the help of the two patiently sat crows, the much needed warmth travelled up the player's chest, making sure their heart could still beat, albeit still dangerously slow. Branching off from there, it enveloped their insides in comforting heat, where the smell of winter was replaced by smoke in their lungs.
This alone had a different horseman's eye twitch in irritation, impatiently now having to wait next season until they could hit their target, all because of that stubborn boulder getting in the way...
...In an instant, they felt numb all over their body again. They'd already been exposed to the cold elements for far too long while they were carried by who knows who... until they couldn't handle it anymore. They'd barely felt the person's hold on them tighten when this happened. Frost bites had covered their hands and feet already, whereas everywhere else they looked bruised, snow sticking to them again like a second layer of skin. Their clothes had frozen over completely after they'd fallen into that lake.
All the player wanted was to finally pass on to a better place. Somewhere nicer... kinder maybe. Peaceful and quiet... warm...
***
Meanwhile, the autumnal horseman looked around panicked, unsure where to teleport next. Standing high on top of a random building, he eyed the small quaint hotel the mortal would reside in. Maybe that could be a good place to drop them...?
...But who could watch over them? It couldn't afford to be seen by other mortals in this town, especially since it wasn't their season to be active in... Asking for help directly from one of the citizens was out of the question. The doctor could've been useful...
Unfortunately, there were cameras everywhere (...or so the posters around the town said). Normally such things didn't matter to the horseman, usually prioriting fun over meaningless caution in any normal situation. But with a mortal on the verge of death laying in its arms right now, anyone noticing them would immediately cause a stirr. Plus, the horsemen were supposed to only be known as myths, stories of precaution, fairytales... Not real individuals. The Lord would be dissapointed if it got caught for getting involved in something as useless and risky as this.
The holidays had arrived, which meant the townsfolk were out and about celebrating.
It wondered why it cared so much to begin with. Maybe because the rest didn't? Conquest especially...? Death seemed to only care about killing them on the spot, prioritising its job over everything and no longer wanting any "old objectives slipping by". If it caught Famine doing this, he'd never hear the end of it from the rest.
Their indifference pinched at the autumnal being's heart, which definitely caught him by surprise. This wasn't normal. His reaction to then try and help the mortal because of it wasn't normal.
I'm scared..
He no longer had the heart to ignore it though. He knew if he continued to be undecisive right now, the individual would not make it.
Not like it had better things to do in the meantime anyway...
***
The next thing the player knew, they had woken up in a bathroom.
Not just any bathroom though, but the one specifically from their hotel room. If the mess on the bathroom shelves where they'd failed to organise their things didn't give it away, then the smell of lavender air freshener certainly reminded them of it at the very least.
Hovering over them was an individual, their features overshadowed from silhouetting the bathroom light. Who the hell..?
The Player moved just slightly, realising they're currently submerged in semi-hot water, with only their head sticking out. Tilting their head to the side, near them sat an electric heater blasting their face with warmth, thankfully far away enough as to not get accidentally splashed with water just in case. This seemed to help them unfreeze even further, bringing back sensation to their features. Warmth...
Panic then suddently set in, having felt a strange sense of deja-vu that sent a shiver down their spine from the sound of splashing water, having recollected what had previously happened that day. How...?
The player tried to flail their arms and legs, only to be met by limb stiffness combined with pain in their joints. The being hovering above them giggled at their struggle in response.
"Heheehheheehe...."
The player huffed in annoyance, soliciting another chuckle from the stranger, their features still hard to read.
"Whoo... a-aree yoouu-u..?"
"Hehehehhaahahaa... human soup. Strange how you haven't rotten away yet, mortal... heehehe. Already forgotten who I am, stupid? ...it hadn't been that long since-"
Suddently it all clicked in their mind. It was-
"...ffamineee...!!"
"Uhhh... Y-Yup, that's me! Heh... Sure took you awhile to realise... Maybe your human brains didn't fully thaw out yet, hahahhahahhaa!!! Hah..."
"...hhheeeelllppp..."
The being then started hovering further away to the side, seemingly uncomfortable now. In doing so, the player could finally see its features better, the bathroom light finally lighting them up to be visible now, making them sigh out in relief from the simply familiar sight.
Surely they were still feeling delirious, but the reassurance that someone did look out for them in the end made them feel overwhelmed with emotions, to the point of making their head spin in that moment. That was the last thing that they had expected to happen to them, especially coming from The Soul Harvester itself.
"Uhh... Do you need anything right now by chance? I really need to go, and-"
"...dooonn't leaavveeee... pleaaseee."
"...U-Uhm."
The player couldn't stand the idea of being left alone while in such an awful state, both physically and mentally. Meanwhile, the horseman didn't want to remain much longer, in fear that they'll get caught having sustained a strange mortal's life for seemingly no good reason.
However... the prospect of having a playmate later on, after they'd recovered, had them feeling a strange kind of excitement they hadn't felt in a while. In having saved their life, this could gurantee them the option to do whatever they wanted with them just by hanging over the fact it chose to do so out of pity for them... probably... actually, that sounds really messed up to do... sighhh...
The player raised their head slightly, confusion ridden all over their face. On the surface, Famine had halted in surprise after they'd called out to him, then stood still as a log by the doorframe for a moment thoughtfully, its scythe-like hands fidgeting against one another nervously.
Sighing, it then silently turned around and slowly hovered over back to the player, its expression showing a higher raise in attentiveness now than it did previously trying to leave, but with a hint of frustration added aswell, if its expressive button-like eyes hadn't given it away already.
It then sighed in annoyance, begrudgingly deciding last minute to just sit by the tub, its back facing the player now. Thankfully, it positioned itself in such a way as to not block out the radiated heat that was warming up the player.
"...Ya happy now?"
***
A small murder of crows could be seen silently watching the two through the nearby window of the player's hotel room. At first it seemed like they'd previously wished to enter inside, but upon Famine opening up the window to let them in, they all ran off 'scared', only to come back moments later to caw at the horseman in amusement.
Famine chalked it up to them having decided to pull a trick on him and somehow succeeding, before refocusing all his attention back to his sick 'patient'.
Said patient was the player, having finally changed themselves into drier, much warmer clothes, now laying cozily under the sheets to bake and recover.
The player chuckled when Famine huffed in annoyance at the playful birds, clearily bored having to behave under the horseman's request. Like pet, like owner they said...
Amongst the many things they were grateful for in that moment, was the fact that they'd rarely buy groceries for themselves... Considering Famine was now standing in the same room as them, that meant all the food in aproximation would have rotted by now. Whatever snacks the player probably still had around definitely needed to be thrown away now though... Unless they had eaten them all already, which is the more likely scenario.
Nonetheless, the player still enjoyed the company. These distractions offered them a break from the painful memories that would circle back and plague their conscience frequently, including the painful damages done to their body that will probably dissappear the moment they pass on to a better place after the day ends...
Until then, they would chatter with the horseman for awhile, thus getting to know each other more. One thing had the player wondering though... why?
"... Why what?"
"Why did you save me...?"
Famine then scratched the back of its head, glancing to the side.
"... I dunno... just felt like the right thing to do I guess."
The added sincerity in its tone caught the player offguard, meanwhile Harvey sat there nervously, like it didn't really seem to know the full answer to that question just yet. Like it already had been wondering the exact same thing and dreaded answering it out loud, like someone else could potentially be watching them right now...
"T-Thank you... so much f-for, uhm... for everything, Harvey."
That seemed to have snapped the horseman out of its own thoughts, who then twisted its ankle in rotation, seemingly feeling slightly bashful upon hearing the player's words of grattitude, a gesture that didn't seem like conscious doing.
"Sheesh... No need for all that, friend... hehe..."
"Friend..?"
"!!!"
As if caught by surprise by its own vulnerabilty and choice of words, it then swiftly turned around to stare at the window and did an exagerated cough, metaphorical sweat having started to form on its forehead.
The player, not buying it one bit, decided to push forward a little more just to get another reaction out of the horseman.
"Awhh... I had no i-idea you wanted to be my friend...!"
The player cooed back, unfrozen hand cradling one of their own cheeks to act out admiration, making Famine turn around to stare back at them dumbfounded, button-eyes wide open in embarrassement.
"N-NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE!"
"... Oohh... You meant more than that then?... Interesting."
"... CEASE WITH YOUR LIES!!"
This drew out a chuckle from the player, their hand sliding to cover their own mouth to stiffle the sound more.
"You little tease... How dare you poke fun at the mighty Soul Harvester!?! Y-You..."
...This had the "mighty" Famine accusingly point back one of its schythes at the player in indignation, embarrassement prevalent in its body language and tone of voice.
Noticing this, the player calmed down and tried a much gentler approach, sensing that things might be going a little far off and not wanting to cause an argument or make the individual feel worse somehow.
"... Sorry man, I was just playing with ya. Look, I'll stop if you come sit beside me and chatter a little more. How about that?"
"...Mngh... "
The horseman thought it over a little more as it squinted its eyes back at the player in suspicion, gears metaphorically turning in its head, before stopping altogether and dropping its shoulders in defeat. Dramatically sighing, it drug its feet on the ground making its way to the player, then turned over on its back to hover near the bed, avoiding eye contact all together with the mortal.
Funny, the player thought. And... weirdly cute. They could get used to this, now having been given another chance at things.
"... Where are the two flamey crows b-by the way?"
"... Huh? You mean Pyre and Wisp?"
He then finally turned around to face the player, then pointed to a nearby cushion sitting on the ground where the two birds were silently resting on top of.
"...Cuties."
"...hmph, only I get to call my babies that..."
"...Alright, well now you're just being silly, haha!"
Famine then scoffed, but didn't say anything else, arms crossed over to show its annoyance. The player only warmly smiled back, finding its attitude and gestures oddly endearing, given the context of this situation.
The mortal then yawned, their head unconsciously tlting back to rest on the pillow. The player then complained under their breath as they slowly turned around to lay on their stomach instead.
"... Mmhh... I'm exhausted..."
Famine silently watched the mortal finally slide under the covers properly, heavy eyelids finally closing shut. They yawned once into their pillow, tears forming in the corners of their eyes.
"...hmm... good night..."
The player was finally soundly asleep.
***
The mortal seems to be in much better shape now than before, it thought. As it silently observed them, Harvey thought for a moment. Strangely, it started to ponder just how fragile life can be in this world sometimes. It didn't get why some people's time to pass came sooner than others, what was the full plan the Lord had in mind in keeping the order of things in such a way. It was never wise to ever question the Lord's way, unfortunately...
Weirdly, for the very first time, none of that seemed to matter in that moment.
Slowly retracting its schythes back into its wrists for what had seemed like it's been ages, it gently pulled the covers slightly higher over the human with normal hands, and then patted their head affectionately, such an act coming from a place of new-found fondness and liking for them it seemed.
Then, the mighty Harvey turned around and vanished without a trace, taking the two crows alongside with them.
Eughhh I can't believe I'm exposing myself here... OH WELL!
Anyway.. Lately I've been thinking about "good 'ol Conquest" a whole lot, so I thought why not write about them also, but with my own twist to it?? Idk man it's still kinda OOC I think (including other characters here aswell), plus it kinda feels like I'm inserting many of my own problems here but I tried my best nonetheless lol.
The main reason why I haven't written anything about them yet though is because for some reason I always feel worried I'm gonna characterise Conquest really poorly if I try... Especially while interracting with the other horsemen. And because I have my own biases about the cold season too and didn't wanna be bitter about it...
But then I remembered I had free will, soooo...
-> Spoilers for anyone who hasn't played the game yet! And please read the tags also before proceeding thank you <3
Beware: this one's a little descriptive about the player's health condition... a lot of people might not relate to it! This is where the self-indulgence comes in and the need to insert myself a bit more in this world as the player haha!!
It also somewhat shows just how selfish, cruel and downright immature the horsemen can act when things don't go their way (except for War, cuz they're off snoozing somewhere and don't get involved or mentioned here lol), EVEN WHILE THERE'S A HUMAN ON THE VERGE OF DYING NEXT TO THEM BY THE WAY... so if you're not a big fan of that, you've been warned!
And as always... Hope you enjoy!
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The player never admitted this, but they hated the cold. So much so, they'd planned to avoid the whole season and skip WinterFest! in favour of staying safe and warm by oversleeping nonstop, despite GOD's protests... Why do you need me to go out THIS time of year?! Please, you need to understand I can't–
...Until the following verses flashed behind their eyelids, waking them up from their slumber:
...Winter claims all, makes
their cold hands succumb.
It is-...
Finding themselves alive again in their hotel room, pale as a ghost, they sat up from their bed shaken up and stared at the open window next to them...
...They swore they closed it before they went to bed.
The player then looked down at their cold shivering hands and gritted their teeth.
damn you little-
=)
***
The Player cursed under their breath as they exited their semi-cozy hotel room and into the freezing hallway. One glance outside told them everything they needed to know: the cold season had arrived.
...And yet, something within them told them to leave. Like an outside force pulling them out from their lazy mindset (thus their personal 'afterlife') in favour of being more productive, despite the awful weather. Immediately the player saw this as a sign to investigate at least, remembering how during fall season they had the 'pleasure' of meeting one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, The Soul Harverster, better known as Famine. Most likely another horseman is now presenting themselves near Dorthpeck...
Who could it be, they wondered... As they entered the elevator and descended down to first floor, the player stood there and pondered for a moment, trying to remember if there's anyone they've met who has mentioned anything about the horseman for this specific season, considering they couldn't remember the last verse for it, thus not learning what its name is.
Jorge was of great help before by complete accident, since he was the one to mention them and how each was assigned to their own personal season. He was loud enough for the player to overhear. Unfortunately, he only specified about Famine for Autumn's Eve and that was it...
Watching the elevator doors finally open and shortly exiting through them, the Player again mourned needing to go outside, having forgotten to ask GOD before starting the new season for better winter clothing... Most importantly for a pair of thick gloves.
...Lately the player witnessed more and more changes happening ever since they entered this world. How undeniably real everything felt now. How much better GOD had gotten at creating this reality, just for them apparently. whatever that meant..
It was a while ago when they had asked about why and how they've suddently had the ability to feel pain, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and most importantly for them: temperature, to which GOD didn't know how to answer in a way that made sense, so he only danced back in response. Then he beckoned them endlessly to continue 'PLAYING THE GAME' and to 'DO BETTER NEXT TIME'. This only discouraged the player from asking him anything else, and so they had left the Oversleep Plane slightly irritated to start anew back then. 3 years ago?-
The player stopped ruminating about it at some point, but still wished they'd insisted more, especially now having to deal with such a terribly cold predicament... But thankfully, this whole ordeal would only last a day for them. Also the townsfolk might be kind enough to give them solace at least. Maybe they'll understand the player's predicament just from looking at them, as dramatic as it might sound...
...And spoiled, they admited. Considering they don't walk around Dorthpeck often, they didn't expect anyone to even give them a glance unless the player approached them first, too busy dealing with their own stuff, or just simply relaxing with friends and family on the one time of year where it's literally encouraged to. Nonetheless, they still craved those brief connections with the townsfolk around, no matter how much they denied or tried to ignore it.
It gets pretty lonely sometimes, even with GOD around to watch over the player.
ahem...
Speaking of townsfolk, the player finally stepped outside the building and immediately felt themselves freezing up. They looked around for a moment, seeing how everyone was happily out and about, all still doing their own thing more or less... The Player now felt guilty for feeling such bitterness about the weather now, sighing deeply. That was until they remembered why...
Looking down at their hands, they could feel their skin dry up immediately, like all the moisture they had left was sucked out in an instant when the harsh north wind hit them. as if the open window wasn't bad enough... They hated how it reacted to the cold and low humidity in the atmosphere. Each time they'd flex their fingers, more and more tears would start to randomly appear between them, near their tendons, with old scars randomly opening back up into freshly bloodied cuts. Their skin felt like it had turned into literal pastry and was now slowly flaking off with each movement, along with sour cherry compote looking blood seeping out and staining everything it touched. ugh I'm hungry..
The pain alone had them wincing, instinctually making them lick off the small wounds around their fingers. Everywhere else they felt just fine (since they're wearing as many layers of clothing as they could just for this), all except for their hands... And that's without mentioning just how depressing Winter is on a daily basis especially back home, with night time lasting far longer than daytime. Stress and exhaustion alone amplified their simptoms. They always had 'seasonal depression' every year, or however it was called...
why did they have to carry this on from their old life..?
They should have specified to GOD about this, they think. Unfortunately, it's far too late to go back now.
Not wishing to accidentally leave a bloody trail on the freshly layered snow, they quickly shoved their hands in their pockets and moved along their way.
***
It didn't take long tracking down the horseman, through the help of Mr. Wick and Ms. Luna having witnessed a random flying object falling from the sky towards the cemetary. They pointed to that direction for the player, but before that: they expressed their worry for the player's physical and mental health, quoting they looked like they were 'having a hard time even just standing up', and were shivering a lot.
The player was well aware of the fact that they were pale and sick, with hands that looked like they'd already aged 40 years just from standing out in the cold weather.. It wasn't even snowing that much for GOD's sake! The player only shrugged them off, having better things to deal with first, before they could retreat back into their hotel room to 'recover'.
The two didn't say much else to the Player, only giving worried glances at eachother. In the end, they wished them good luck on their endeavour. The player nodded, quietly thanking them. In a weird way, that small act of concern from the two individuals made the player feel reassured, despite not knowing much about them at all, and vice versa.
...
"Hm... I'm not too sure how to feel about that fella's well-being to be honest."
"I'll have to agree. Poor youngster... It's not even that cold out and they're already shivering so much! My goodness..."
"...Let's hope they won't drop dead on the snow at least."
"...O-oh dear!"
"Sorry, sorry... But still. I wonder why they're wandering outside if they're feeling this sick... I'm sure someone else would've checked out whatever that was. It must be important then if they're willing to risk it."
"Hmm... Maybe."
"..."
"... Anyway."
...
...Anyhow, they finally reached the cemetary with little to no interruptions. At some point though, the town's kids had a snowball fight and one of them accidentally hit the player in the back of their head, to which Bob profusely apolagized for and offered to help. Apparently it had been none other than Bob Jr. himself who did it. The player politely declined the father and left it at that.
Other than that, the player felt just fine. Just dandy. They'd slipped on ice and ate dirt with snow because of it. With a pulsing headache, they continued on, the pull only getting stronger.
Why the hell were they doing this again?
It took them a while to push open the secondary gate, considering how much it had been snowing these past few weeks here in town. Not that the player would've known, but they did overhear Strawberry Shortcake mention it when they passed by the Town Hall.
Just how nosy could the player possible be? It was almost comical. Almost.
The wind started to pick up again, leaving the player trembling in its wake. So much snow was hitting their face, it had started to obscure their vision. Trudging forward, they found themselves entering a small clearing, where random ice spikes could be seen everywhere they looked, leaving the player unable to progress forward. They all pointed tall towards the sky like some kind of barrier, some standing more crooked than others.
Thankfully, this allowed them to take shelter for the time being behind the more massive ones to recover from the painful north wind slowing down their movement.
There was no sight of the horseman around yet, but what did catch the player's attention was the glowing colourful figures moving around the area. The player couldn't tell if they were simply hallucinating or not at this point.
Wiping off the snow from their face with their sleeves, little by little they gained their bearings. Looking around, standing just a little further ahead to their left, they could make out two glowing yellow-ish figures staring at a third one in the distance. The third one looked stuck for some reason. Like they were trapped under the snow. by what?
The player then deliriously decided to try and go help them. The two gem-like figures – who for some reason wore mining helmets, failed to stop them in time, only noticing the player when it was far too late. They had walked too far ahead already. The two heard small cracks under the surface the "stranger" was walking on.
They shouted out for them to turn back, but it was no use.
***
Heh... This is fine, right?
*crack* *crack*
*crack*
*crack*...
They could be a hero in this story, right? Right. They... they'll be fine.
*crack*...*crack*
They were always a hero... They just didn't know it.
The wind continues to pick up even harder. All the player could see was white.
Yet, they persisted.
...*crack* *crack*
W-why wouldn't they be fine? After everything...
*crack* *crack* *crack*
The player hiccuped. Using their right hand, they felt the warmth of shedding tears rolling down their cheeks. They had missed the warmth...
*crack* *crack*... *crack* *crack*...
They despised the cold. Always did. Like an old foe they could never escape, even across different realities... Couldn't bear feeling this vulnerable because of it. Feeling this weak to their bones. This helpless each year because of the cold elements. Why did the player do this? Why did GOD think this would be fun?-
*crACKK*
The player looked down.
...God please heLP ME--
***
...Winter claims all, makes
their cold
hands
succumb.
"...id!?"
...It is-
Suddently, they felt themselves get dragged up to land just in time. A massive green looking gem figure hurriedly fished them out right before reaching the bottom of the freezing cold body of water.
The player was still somehow partially conscious. Somehow too stubborn to let themselves pass away. Darkness swarmed in the corners of their eyes, barely registering the voice calling out to them. They were sopping wet. It was a miracle they didn't pass away yet or weren't in a hypothermia induced coma, but they sure as hell had frost bites all over their body.
"Kid?! Kid!!! Wake up!!"
The player felt their shoulders getting grabbed by... something? Someone? Like two massive hooks that tore into their clothing, it shook them vigorously in an attempt to get them to respond.
With whatever energy the player could muster up, they reached out and touched one of the 'hooks'. Feeling the freezing metal surface, the player whined from exhaustion.
"...S-sss...sto...p..."
"Oh my life, finally!"
The being then shook them even harder, this time responding bitterly. It didn't seem to care enough how badly this action affected them while in such a horrifyingly terrible state, not after what the player did by risking it all for seemingly no good reason.
"What the hell were you thinking, kid?! Wandering off like this... Right into a lake! Bah, you could've died out there!!"
Then with a heavy sigh, the being shook their head in dissaproval and turned to the previously mentioned gem-like individual:
"EM. RALD!!! Grab the kid and drop them outside that uhh... that cemetary!! Don't get caught!!"
"Lord Conquest... I'm pretty sure my size alone will-..."
"Just grab the dumb kid and drop them there!!! 'm sure someone else will take care of this mess..."
"...Alright then boss."
The Player felt themselves get picked up again. They were soon carried over by the shoulder, a massive hand being placed on their back to make sure they don't slide off by accident. Only small murmurs of complaints under their breath were heard, far too quiet for anyone to hear.
Either way, Conquest understood what they meant but still continued on irritated:
"Look, don't take this the hard way. I'm sure someone will find ya kid... I can tell you've been out wandering for far too long. You mortals can't know of my existence, so you better not tell anyone if ya do make it... Alright kid? Don't EVER pull stupid stunts like this again!"
"...m-mmh."
"Ugh... Can't deal with a random mortal slowly dying under my watch... s'not for me to finish the job, so..."
"..."
"...And you better be quick about it EM.RALD!!"
"sigh- Yes boss..."
Just as EM.RALD was about to leave the area, the being froze mid-step the moment they layed their gaze on a certain pink-ish figure wearing a cloak. They seemed mad... furious even. EM.RALD took a few steps back and called out to Conquest nervously.
"U-Uhm... Boss? We have a new guest here..."
Conquest groaned in irritation, rolling their eyes.
"Oh my life- Who is it?! I swear if it's another mortal-"
The horseman finally turned around and laid its eyes on the new figure. Immediately it fell silent, now staring back at the being standing just a few feet away from its minion, blocking their way. It then made a sound, similar to a tongue click, irritation building back up as it closed its eyes.
"sighhh... Hello Death."
"... Conquest. Inquire me as to why you're sending the anomaly away when I tasked you specifically not to let them go on the list I gave you."
"... Anomaly? Anomaly?! That's what this is about?!? YOU botherin' me all for this dumb rascal?!"
"Ain't no way this is the godforsaken anomaly that "kept getting away" from you, Death, this is just a damn human kid who got lost in these cursed woods!!"
"Sighhh... Although... If yer just tryna take the shot and not upset the Boss-Above again, let me just get my sleight workin' first so I can get outta 'ere... Then you can finish if the job if ya need to. Not like they can run off or anythin' anymore in their current state..."
"...Are you seriously going to make me wait?! I don't have time for this! I've wasted enough of it already by simply waiting! ...You can't just-"
"Oh yeah?! Just watch ME!! ...FAMINE!!!"
In an instant, the autumnal being teleported to them, button eyes crinkling, showing its impish glee about the situation.
"Hahhahaha... HAHHAAHAAHAAHAAA!!!!"
Shattering was then heard from the pink-ish horseman, Death, upon Famine entering the scene, signaling its limit has been finally reached. Its pupil now looked like that of an upside-down broken heart, its eye's outline no longer present as a way to indicate its curent enragement. Ichor pooled around its arms and down its scythe. The being's boiling resentment concentrated its very blood in that moment, to the point it melted the snow and ice on the ground each time it dripped.
Strangely, while in the presence of its much colder counterpart, the substance would just as quickly freeze over the surface. This in return had created a peculiar formation of black ice instead, which only seemed to happen when the two horsemen were enraged with one another, both sitting in close proximity.
...Although, neither said anything about it, too preocupied on convincing the other to back off first. Like this was a common occurrence each year.
It was clear Death's glare did not intimidate Conquest one bit into stepping away from its target, thus ensuring their dispute.
The whole time the player had no choice but to lay helpessly frozen on EM. RALD'S shoulder, cursing the GOD(s) above for their current state. Just barely still living, numbed completely from top to bottom and bruised from the cold, the player pondered every life decision that led up to this point.
"I gotta say... you're one unlucky kid. Hopefully this won't take long..."
The minion then grabbed the player again, to which they responded in quiet grumbles. Sliding them off their shoulder to be placed in its lap instead, the player was at least somewhat thankful the being was radiating warmth, feeling encased by its comforting green light, although not enough to unfreeze them.
Famine, having been called by Conquest to just piss off the Reaper with their presence alone, was now sent off to sit near the human mortal instead. With the behaviour of a petulant teen, he couldn't be part of the 'grown-up' discussion, to which Harvey tried to protest repeatedly.
"HEY!! I didn't just teleport all the way here for-"
"DAMN IT FAMINE!!!"
"...whatever."
...Nonetheless, it had no choice but to oblige in the end... otherwise it would've faced the wrath of two horsemen having a "dissagrement".
The three quietly sat on the sidelines, waiting for Conquest and Death to wrap up their arguement. They all hoped it wouldn't take long...
***
Sighh.... And it went on and on and on and on.... Eventually they stopped mentioning the 'anomaly' altogether, almost reaching their limits.
"... CONQUEST."
"...For Life's sake- JUST COOL IT REAPER!!!"
"...Cool it? Cool it?! Who do you think you are to tell me to "cool it", you lazy bag of rocks?! I'm your leader-"
"Do you seriously think that gives you the right to take over my season, Reaper?! To disrupt it so you can make up for lost time trying fix this mess, that you've caused because of your incompetence?!!
"...I-"
"Don't drag me into it, I don't want to hear it anymore. The Lord's dissapointed enough, and I don't want to get in trouble aswell because of you disrupting my work, making me waste my time for this nonsense!!!"
"You're too damn arrogant for your own good..."
"..."
The two ultimately fell into silence, tension thick enough it was almost suffocating.
"...Since when do I listen to these two idiots... tellin' me what to do... Hmph."
Famine was now sitting on EM. RALD'S shoulder, dissapointed their personal show at long last ended, but then ruminated their link to eachother as horsemen. He was sure they were all probably going to hear it from the Lord one way or another...
Its two fiery crows, Pyre and Wisp, were now being held gently by the player, providing them the much needed warmth and comfort after everything that transpired today. It kept them somewhat alive thankfully, cold with hypothermia and starved as they were now... Famine felt just a pinch of guild watching the slow rise and fall of their chest, breathing shallow as ever, like they were desperately trying to grasp the few strands of life they somehow had left in them.
"... Ignorant fools... ALL OF YOU!!!"
At long last Death had stormed off, relunctantly having given up to get past the stubborn horseman to reach their old target. The moment it dissapeared completely, Conquest finally relaxed, then winced from the back pain they felt from standing tense the whole time. these damn crystals...
...Thankfully, the fight lasted long enough the sleight was now fixed! Conquest still had a few hours left to win the deal with that popular feller who always wore red. ...arrogant bastard.
Right as they were about to gather up the minion's souls, EM. RALD quickly spoke up:
"Uhh, boss.."
"Ugh- Yes EM. RALD? What is it now?..."
"Lord Harvester took the human and ran off... muttered something about feelin' bored as an excuse before they left..."
"..."
"... Not my problem. Plus... I'm a horseman of the apocalypse, not a damn babysitter for reckless kids!!"
"...mhhgh... What matters is no other mortals heard me standing up against that stuck-up snob of a horseman... wastin' my time an' energy on stupid useless things... dragging me into mess..."
Conquest grumbled bitterly at the end, then shook their head to rid themselves of these thoughts. This time it required a bit more focus than usual to collect every single one of its minions into its massive weapon. It took a few tries, but it managed as always.
Feeling out of breath, it hopped inside its sleight and magically flew up into the sky, now grouching over the unmarket gift-list that sat in its pocket, waiting to be crossed out.
Gghhrhrrh currently I am struggling to write the continuation to this ->post<- about Famine this time.... In case I loose patience writing it (or if I do finish it and wanna move on to the next thing), I have a few scenarios in mind that I wanna flesh out a bit more, but I wanna know what YOU READER might wanna see come out first!
So I decided to make a pole at the end :D
Two main ideas I have in mind right now are the following:
The first one:
The Lord had decided after being ignorant to the anomaly's true nature and undermining Death's warnings, making them crash out as a result (and rightfully so), it might be 'beneficial' in the long run for the horsemen to be off duties for a maximum of 3 DAYS every season. This is generous enough for the Lord to allow and not be judgemental about, so the 4 horsemen are very much grateful for it and thank Death for somehow making it happen (albeit by accident). Obviously, shenanigans ensure, since being off duties as a horseman also entails being free to roam amongst other mortals and having permission to do various mortal-like activities if they so wish... But this also means their look becoming more simplified, as to not draw too much attention to their appearance.
This might imply the following dumb events I've thought of (keep in mind I might write it so that the horsemen colectively decide to go to a larger town instead of Dorthpeck at least for day 1, just so they'd have a wider arrange of activities to decide on and not be seen as random newcomers for now):
-The horsemen get stuck at first on what to do while in new city
-realise they got no money to do most activities
-they get money
-they go to various establishments and stuff and eat food together for the first time (Famine being off duty will mean no rotting the food around him and getting to eat stuff yippeeee!)
-uhhh idk what else they'd do during day time lmao I'll have to think about it more
-at night time they decide to go to a bar or something (they might do other stuff for the evening first before deciding on it)
-Death gets to sleep early on the first day, tasking Conquest to look out for the other two instead (ironically they agreed to do it instead of complaining lmao)
-Famine, War and Conquest try drinking for the first time
-Famine gets drunk
-he then goes to a karaoke and sings his heart out
-sobs at some point cuz his best friend isn't around to have fun and be happy with
-War gets drunk
-War then gets sick at some point and throws up in a bathroom stall for the first time
-Conquest realises what it's like to be a leader for the first time without Death around to watch over unfortunately
-they get back to the hotel room they'd reserved at some point during day time
-all three pass out exhausted, concluding day 1
-we'll see what day 2 and 3 have in store lol
Chances are I might change my mind about what will transpire, or change the order instead... Idk we'll see HAHA I haven't planned this out yet 100%!
The second one:
The Horsemen's Tales, which in short are basically 4 short stories for each horseman, where each story has a good and bad route.
The good routes are the ones where I get to present to the reader my view on the horsemen's characters and personalities through small tales, my PERSPECTIVE on each and every single one of them after learning about them, presenting what I'd imagine would be each their respective weaknesses when facing certain mortals and how kindness would take form! Each route will have an 'aftermath' post also!!
The bad routes would be the exact opposite, with no aftermath unfortunately, cuz the main mortals that get mentioned in each tale would inevitably bite the dust early on (and cuz I'm lazy lol). The horsemen here are CRUEL AS HELL (looking at you Conquest!), so beware!! It's not as accurate to how they'd normally react in canon, which is the whole point! (depending on how you look at it and what will later be revealed in canon maybe!) It's supposed to be exagerated here just cuz I thought it would be fun to try out and write them as 'evil' and their reasonings behind their cruelty in each scenario lmao
I forgot to mention how the good endings aren't all sweet and happy btw, haha! One of the four endings will be sad as hell, and you wont guess which horseman will have it until it's too late! The aftermath will also be tragic as hell, but bittersweet by the end of it. I guess depending on how you look at it you could decide which ending is better (although I highly doubt the bad route would be lmao)!
Each horseman is assigned to a specific age category:
-Famine and the old man
-Conquest and the newborn
-Death and the young girl
-War and the troubled young man
That's as far as I'll spoil for now!! Tee hee!
{POLL TIME!!!}
Which one do you wish to see come out sooner?
The first one
The second one
Voting ended onNov 4, 2025
Psst!
Here's another spoiler for the second one! Have fun... =)
If you are in the Wasted Time Studios discord server, you've likely already seen this in the art channel! I've decided to post it on tumblr too so I have somewhere to check my status and share what I do for this in one place + I can open asks for those more curious about the AU :)
Welcome to the @past-the-point-of-no-return-au blog! This is the place where I'll post most of my work for the AU apart from the discord server. If your looking for something, it might be here.
This AU is inspired by the events of the "Watson Timeline" seen in the Escape Evil Hospital Obby, where a mutated strain of the Umbrafluix is weaponised by Watson to slowly kill off the people of Dorthpeck upon failure to obtain the Player's player instance.
The sole admin is @sylvienight, I use any pronouns and I am an adult.
Please note I am not affiliated with Wasted Time Studios and this is just a fan work and not at all canon-the only character I own in this AU is the player and all the other characters belong to their respective creators.
The player in this AU is a minor and uses they/them. While I haven't shown them yet except in memes posted in the discord unrelated to the AU, they will make their appearance in due time as they are important to the story. This post will be updated upon their reveal!
Asks are open so feel free to ask anything about the AU, regarding certain characters, events, etc. Eventually direct asks will be opened to the player, but for now its just us.
If you stumbled onto this post on complete accident, you should go play the game. Now. NOW. GO PLAY IT NOW.
Hello there team! Hope you've all had a wonderful day and start of the scary month!
This year at the dev team we decided to get inspired by the inktober challenge and make our own little list of prompts for anyone who wants to give it a shot! :D Feel free to ask any inquiries!
For those of you who want to try it out, you should use the regular point of no return tags (#PointOfNoReturnRoblox and all that jazz) and #Pointober ! Just for the funsies lol
Make sure to also check out our newest video! Shows Famine's design and a certain few new faces... 👀