Chapter Text
[Ban Hammer]
There aren't many Inphernals that could question his authority. Sure, the Swords were not as popular nor as widely revered as they were back in the day- but everyone knew of Windforce's legendary strength and stormy temperament.
Ban Hammer had inherited both from his mother. He'd gotten a lot from her- his role as the Warden of the Banlands was just one of the many things Windforce had entrusted him with.
Currently, he was tracing a lead on one of the most irritating criminals he'd had the displeasure of dealing with- Broker. If it wasn't for the demon's refusal to just die already and the countless ways he'd avoided death and evaded imprisonment, Broker would have dealt with him like any other prisoner.
But no. Catching Broker required weeks, maybe even months of following his trail and meticulously figuring out his contacts, all while making sure he didn't get wind of it. It was a pain to do, Ban Hammer was never too good at detective work- so he'd left most of the work to the other Banlands employees.
Civilians wandering around Crossroads saw him, and their eyes widened as they quickly ran out of his way. Ban Hammer puffed out his chest in pride- he loved it when people whispered his name in reverence or fear.
'That's the Tyrant of the Banlands,' Some would say. 'His word is law, and there's no stopping him if the higher-ups say you're a criminal.'
The only one he answered to were the faction leaders, and even they had restrictions on what they could do. Ban Hammer was practically on top of the world, just below the SFOTH.
So why, pray tell, was B. Zuka treating him like he's a rowdy customer?!
Ban Hammer crosses his arms and growls, looking down at the unamused shopkeep. "Ban Hammer. I would say it's a pleasure to see you- but I don't like lying."
"Zuka! As sharp-tongued as ever, eh?" He lets out a barking laugh.
"Cut the crap, Ban Hammer. Tell me why you're here." He leans forward on the counter. "I know you're not interested in artificial gears in any way."
"As if I'd be parading around with a fake gear." Ban Hammer scoffs. "The only Inphernals that do that are phonies and weaklings. And I ain't either of them!"
"Whatever." Zuka narrows his eyes.
"What I'm here for..." Ban Hammer sets his massive hammer down, and taps his claws on the counter. "Is information on Broker. Rumor has it that he's been spotted around this area of Crossroads."
Zuka pauses, and shakes his head. "If you're trying to see if I've got anything on him- no." He grumbles. "Unfortunately, he has a habit of covering his tracks well. You have the same luck asking any of the other demons outside."
Ban Hammer grumbles, and his tapping gets more aggravated. "I know he's been sniffing into your business, Zuka. If you've got any lead..."
"I don't. Trust me, I want him gone as much as you." His gaze hardens. "So unless you've got anything else to say- then go."
"Bah! Useless." Ban Hammer throws his hand up and waves Zuka off. "I might as well go. But before I do- tell Rocket that I won't be going easy on him next Phight."
Ban Hammer is about to leave, before the door opens and a short, stocky Inphernal walks in with a scowl on his face and a lug wrench in one hand. "Zuka, if I'm going to be fixing your car, I'm going to need more oil-"
The newcomer pauses. "... Who the hell is this fat clown?"
"..."
"Excuse me?" Ban Hammer growls, and the shopkeep just sighed. "Sledge Hammer, now is not the time to be insulting the customers-"
"I say what I damn want. I want to know why this heavily-armored dumbass is wielding his oversized gear in your shop." He throws his hands up. "He could break things!"
"Sledge, that is the warden of the Banlands. You are going to get arrested."
"Arrested my ass. He can't do shit without a warrant." Sledge Hammer rolls his eyes and scoots himself down at a workbench next to Rocket in the back.
Rocket watches the mechanic with a 'what the fuck' expression as he simply grabs some spare motor oil and tries to go back out.
Ban Hammer blocks his way, crossing his arms. "You don't get to leave right after saying that to me, pipsqueak." He hisses. "Trying to pick a fight?"
"'Pipsqueak?' I'm older than you, warden." He scowls, his fists balling up as he looks up at the taller Inphernal. "and no. I'm just shooing you out because I'm at work trying to get my paycheck, and you're disrupting me."
Ban Hammer looks at the older demon with dark green horns, and at the gear strapped to his back. It's a hefty, large sledge hammer with the handle nearly being as long as his body.
"You've got guts for a civilian with a shoddy gear!" Ban Hammer laughs, slapping his knee. He's not taking Ban Hammer's threats seriously- after all, the guy barely could compare to him in terms of strength! "I like it."
"Just watch your mouth next time you're with another Inphernal that isn't as lenient as me." The warden says.
"Tch." Sledge Hammer shoves him aside with one hand, making the warden stumble a bit as he walks out the shop. "I've got a truck to tune up."
He leaves without any fanfare. Ban Hammer doesn't really have anything else to do, so he leaves as well.
'Didn't know there was a demon just as old as Zuka that has his sass. What a fossil.' Ban Hammer thinks.
[Sword]
'I really hope Zuka lets Rocket out early so I can train with him... Venomshank's really going all out today! He even brought in some new training equipment!'
Sword's favorite past-time is training with his best friend, and he always pestered him about going out to train together except of by himself or with his mentor. He'd usually ask Rocket to follow him during the weekends, but Sword had that Phight planned and a trip with Venomshank somewhere...
"Rocket!" He yelled, busting through Zuka's front door of the shop. "I'm here! Wanna go training?!"
"Swoooord..." Rocket groans, putting down the screwdriver he was holding. "I'm in the middle of something here!"
Rocket is in the middle of fiddling with a blaster, definitely someone's artificial gear. He still sets it aside to talk with Sword at the front of the shop. "Why are you out here early?"
"Venomshank's got some new stuff that we can use to train for the Phight this weekend!" Sword chirped. "Come on! We gotta at least train together, we're on the same team!"
"Let me ask my dad..." Rocket turns to Zuka, who's busy working with- who was that? Sword didn't recognize him!
"Hey! Dad!" Rocket yells out. "Sword's inviting me to go train with him today! Can I go?!"
"Not until you finish the two orders we have today!" Zuka barks back. "I'm not paying Sledge overtime!"
"Sledge? Who's he?" Sword tilts his head- and the stranger that Zuka was talking to turned around, an unamused expression on his face.
"I'm Sledge Hammer. You... you must be Sword." He looks him up and down. "Rocket talks about you all the time. I thought you'd be bigger..."
"Hey!" Sword pouts. "Don't say that when you're shorter than me, sir!"
"I have an excuse. Carrying around heavy stuff from a young age isn't exactly good for one's development." Sledge says without hesitation. "You swing around a sword for a living. We are not the same."
Dang it, he hates it when other demons underestimate him because his gear is just a plain sword! The demigod huffs, clearly frustrated at Sledge's comment.
"Hmph!" He turns away, focusing back on Rocket. "How fast can you do those two orders? I don't want to bother you for too long..."
"It'll take hours Sword... and then there's all the other shopkeeping stuff I've got to do with dad..." He groans.
"I can wait! Don't worry!"
And that was how the demigod ended up waiting in the back for his friend to finish his work. Sure, it was boring, and all he had for entertainment was looking at Rocket, Zuka, and Sledge work on building stuff and making repairs, but it's still something.
...
... Okay, he actually can't just sit here and watch them. He's so booored!
"Rocket..."
"Sword, don't you dare." Rocket says with a muffled voice, holding the screwdriver in his mouth as he uses his hands to fiddle with some of the wires.
"Aw shucks." Sword frowns, saddened. "Alright, I'll go talk to Zuka instead-"
He turns to where Rocket's father was- keyword, was- and saw that Zuka had gone in the back to take a smoke break. "Gods dang it!" He pouts.
Sword has no choice but to turn to Sledge Hammer, who was still busy working on his own share of the work. More specifically, he was busy oiling the sliding portion of a artificial gear that looked similar to Scythe's mechanically shifting gear.
"So um... Sledge Hammer, right?" He asks. "How did you start working for Zuka?"
The older Inphernal snorts. "Online ad. He asked me to identify what was wrong with his truck and repair it."
"Oh, that's... useful, I guess." Sword was already getting kind of bored talking about that sort of stuff- he wanted to know how good Sledge Hammer was at fighting! If he's as old as Zuka and survived this long, then maybe he's one of those really powerful Inphernals that hid his true skill...
"Have you ever been in Phights?" He asks, prodding Sledge once again. The older man grumbles, shaking his head.
"No?" Sword seems disappointed at that. "Why not? It's a really good way to make money, and you look really strong!"
"Same reason why Zuka doesn't do it." Sledge Hammer gruffly responds. "It's a damn pain in the ass and I don't like combat."
"... Oh." 'So he's that kind of guy... the war must've taken a toll on him.' Sword doesn't ask Zuka about this sort of stuff, so he wouldn't push Sledge on this either. He's still disappointed that he won't probably get to spar with him either.
Zuka returns, and he's got some more boxes of scrap metal and materials for his work. He sets it down with a huff and rummages through one of them. "What part was it that you needed again, Rocket?"
"The hinge, the one with the- yes, that one." He grabs it from his father and screws it on to the gear he was working on. "Thanks, dad."
"Mhm."
The rest of the work couldn't go on any slower. He managed to chat to Rocket once his friend decided to work on an easier artificial gear, but Sword still wanted to train with him.
"So- I was talking to Medkit the other day, and he said that you're putting too much stress on your prosthetic." Sword taps on the metal. "I mean- it's plenty strong, but eventually it's going to wear down."
"Don't worry Sword, I'm not an idiot. I know how to take care of it and maintain it." Rocket scoffs. He shakes his head and begins disassembling the faulty gun in his hands, removing the worn-down pieces and organizing them onto the table.
"Still... he's been getting worried about not being able to replace your prosthetic if he has to. He's been staying longer and longer at his job." Sword explains.
"That's a shame- Medkit's one of the best prosthetic-makers out there. It'd be a pain if I had to find someone else..."
Sword laughs. "You've got that right, Rocket!"
Sledge Hammer seems to perk up at the mention of Medkit for a second, before shaking his head. "Ah, you mean that healer? I've heard of him, but- well. Only through through the wanted posters."
Sword stiffens up. Sledge shrugs. "But it's not my business. I don't care about what happens in Blackrock." He says bluntly. "They can go figure out where he is himself. I'm not a snitch."
(Orwell knew it was like to be on the run from your own home, to have to move to another country entirely.)
(Medkit isn't human like him- but Orwell will at least treat him with at least the amount of respect others had for him and his family.)
The demigod sighs in relief, visibly relaxing. "Oh, phew! You're not gonna rat him out... that's a relief."
"Do you really think that low of me? I have standards." Sledge Hammer says, rolling his eyes.
Zuka snorts. "Sledge, you called Ban Hammer a 'fat clown' when he visited today."
"Because he is. I don't see what's the problem in me stating a truth."
Sword wants to burst out laughing- maybe that stoic-looking guy had a sense of humor after all.
Somehow, the conversation shifted to the SFOTH. It was their lunch break, and Sword was eating with Rocket and talking about Venomshank.
"And like- you know how he's always been sort of on edge whenever da- I mean, Venomshank visits the shop..." Sword says, rubbing the back of his head. "I know Zuka's cool and all that, but it always gets kind of... awkward when he visits."
He made sure to quickly correct himself- after all, being known as the son of a deity would bring unwanted attention to him. It was already risky if Sledge Hammer knew he was affiliated with Venomshank, but he really wanted to talk to Rocket about this.
"Hell if I know." Rocket shrugs, looking at the back door where Zuka had went to take a smoke break. "Dad refuses to tell me, and I'm not going to push him on it."
"I know... but I can't help but wonder." Sword sighs. "What's got him so tense about the SFOTH? I mean- I don't know much about what they did in the war, but... it couldn't have been that bad compared to the factions, right?"
"..." Rocket looks away, unsettled. "Maybe you should ask another old geezer about that. Sledge Hammer seems to have his own opinions on the SFOTH, even if its mostly 'IDGAF'."
"You're right! He might have advice on what I should do!" Sword pumps his fist up.
Venomshank didn't really tell him much about his other uncles and his aunt. Only Darkheart was the only other family that he talked to a lot, and even then his uncle liked to only pop in once in a while instead of staying there.
Sword was... curious. He knew that the SFOTH weren't perfect but- he needs to know. Why? They're gods, are they not?
He sighs, getting up from his seat. "Yeah, I'll- go ask Sledge about it so I'll figure it out."
Sword walks out the front door, seeing the sign outside flipped to read "CLOSED" while Sledge Hammer ate a sandwich. He's looking blankly at the wall across the street, as if thinking about something.
"Um... Mr. Sledge?" He asks sheepishly. "Can I talk to you?"
The older Inphernal stops mid-bite, and raises an eyebrow. Sword stutters out his answer. "Well- I can't really go to Zuka for this, since he's not really happy talking about this."
"But... I... I want to talk about the Swords." Sword says.
"The gods. Right?" Mr. Sledge takes a bite of his food, and slowly chews on it. "I do not care for them. Have never met them myself, and they did not notice me."
"I would like to keep it that way."
"Oh..." Sword mutters. "But- I really want to know about..."
Why Inphernals hate the SFOTH so much. What my family's done to other demons. Why they do that when they're gods, they're supposed to KNOW better.
"I just want to know why they're not perfect, Mr. Sledge."
Sledge Hammer is quiet as he mulls over that question. He looks at Sword with a tired expression, but a spark of recognition.
"Nobody's perfect. You can never reach it." He says. "And with all that immortality those SFOTH have- there's plenty enough time to mess up."
Sword looks at Sledge as the mechanic absently picks at his sandwich, picking at the food and popping it into his mouth. "Your father is a SFOTH, is he not?"
"How did you-?!" Sword sputters, his heart rate spiking the moment the older Inphernal pointed it out.
"You talk like a son asking about his father." Sledge says. He sounds like he's heard Sword's questions before, his internal conflict about Venomshank being his father, but also a feared god.
The mechanic balls up the sandwich wrapper and tosses it into a trashcan. "Đừng lo lắng. Do not worry." He says. "It is normal. Your father, a god he may be, is still an individual."
"I- but aren't the Swords supposed to be..."
"The idea of a god is supposed to be perfect. Gods in reality are far from that idea." Sledge shakes his head. "You may think your father is free of his own flaws- but he feels emotions. He makes mistakes."
"Take it from me- I am a father myself."
"..." Sword looks down at the floor. "Then why doesn't he tell me about his mistakes? About my family's mistakes?"
"The same reason why I don't talk about the past, the reason why my father didn't do it, and his father before him." Sledge Hammer says. "He does not want you to see him as less, to see him differently. If my children knew my own past when they were younger, they would not have seen me as the absolute authority, and they would lack trust and stability."
"Two things that a child needs to grow with."
Sledge Hammer sounds like he has fatherhood figured out. He sounds caring about his children, whoever they were- despite his blunt, stoic personality.
Venomshank, Sword's own father... doesn't sound as sure as Sledge Hammer. A literal mortal. Despite living for centuries, the deity of rot did not know how to deal with life, how to raise a son and not a warrior. He tries, very much so- but it isn't enough.
"Then... where am I supposed to learn about him, what he's done, and about him as an Inphernal, and not just a god?" Sword asks.
"Go to a library or something, I don't know." Sledge waves Sword off. "I'm not the one to ask if you want to know about the SFOTH. In fact..."
The mechanic seems to contemplate something, before tapping his claws on the wall. "I suggest going to the library nearby. The one my son works at."
"Oh? Um-" Sword thinks about it a bit. "I haven't exactly gone there before, but I've passed by it... I'll definitely check it out."
'That's right- if anything, a librarian's got to have stuff on dad! Or at least, what the public knows about him...'
Sword's setting off with the determination to learn more about Venomshank as not just his father and mentor- but who he was as a person. He wanted to know his dad better.
Right after he goes training with Rocket, of course! Sword can't wait to see how Rocket is going to beat him this time, if he actually manages to do so.
The demigod runs back to his friend, smiling with a renewed spark in his eye and a burning curiosity. "Hey, Rocket... after training..."
"You wanna go to the library with me?"
[Rocket]
Rocket doesn't really care for books and stuff, seeing that he could be using this time to tinker with his own gear or train, but he's a good friend to Sword and wants to help him out.
So after demolishing some training dummies at Sword's place, lifting some of the new weights that Venomshank had bought, and training himself to the brink, he's going to look through some damn books.
Rocket steps through the library's door first, looking around at the shelves filled to the brim with books. It's nice and cozy, with tons of soft chairs on striped rugs. Sword follows him, adjusting his helmet and looking around.
"Woah... there's a lot of books here." He says.
Rocket tugs on Sword's cape. "Let's go, Sword. Find that book on Venomshank and read it or whatever." He follows his friend over to the librarian's desk, seeing that it's empty.
Sword lets out a sigh. "An, darn it... it's going to take ages to find where the books on the SFOTH are if the librarian isn't here!"
"I don't wanna spend hours in this dusty library..." Rocket complains.
"Yo." A young voice speaks up from behind them. Sword jumps up in shock, yelping. "Eek!"
"Haha, bro deadass said 'eek'. Looney Tunes type shit." The stranger said. He's got this no-nonsense look in his eye that reminds Sword of Sledge Hammer. 'Like father like son...'
The library worker wasn't wearing a uniform- just a red floral-print shirt and some black pants. He's got some books in his arms, shelving them as he wears one headphone in his ears.
"Um- hey!" Sword nervously waves at Sledge Hammer's son. "Do you know where the books on the SFOTH are? Uh- more specifically Venomshank, but I'm fine if there isn't a book specifically talking about him-"
"History section, second row." The worker said. He walks over to a large shelf, his hand floating across a shelf before he taps on some books. "They're ordered by title instead of topic, so you might have to read around for the books themselves."
"Aw, gods darn it..." Rocket groans.
Him and Sword spend a while looking through the books. There's a few titles that they'd decided to entertain reading- 'The History of the Heights' and 'Decline of Divinity: The Waning Relevance of the SFOTH' were two such titles.
Those books talked about Venomshank losing control over his own power, about him nearly causing a plague that wiped out one of the factions, if not for his other siblings holding him back.
They talked about all his flaws. All his mistakes, how he'd failed mortals in the past and how he was nothing but a ravenous monster.
The man that was Sword's father has long since changed. But it doesn't change the fact that he's done such things in the past.
Rocket looks at Sword, concerned. "Sword, dude- you alright?"
Sword's hands are trembling and he's looking down at the words, but he simply closes the book and sighs. "I already knew Venomshank could have been worse in the past. I've seen him lose control, Rocket- this isn't as bad as that."
"I've known enough to had a hunch he... would have been a danger to everyone around him." Sword mutters. "I mean- he wears that mask of his all the time as a muzzle, Rocket."
"I just... wish he didn't feel like I needed to be protected from the harsh truth."
Understanding flashes through Rocket's face, before he does his best to comfort Sword through the one way he knows- by putting on a reckless, brave front.
"Well screw him! You're far from a crybaby- I know you would've been able to take the news!" Rocket huffs, crossing his arms. He lowers his voice to a whisper. "It's his personal stuff- but he's your dad. You were always gonna find out more about him, so why doesn't he tell his side of the story?"
(Neither of them notice Ozwald standing near the bookshelf, his stand's ability making him blend in to the surroundings like he wasn't a person.)
(He already knew that Sword was a demigod, courtesy of his sister rambling about the Phighters- but he still raised an eyebrow at that. Fascinating, to see a demigod and have him just be... a normal gear.)
(The same eyebrow raise his father did.)
"I know, I know. It's just... is this really all?" Sword looks down at his hands. "Venomshank's been around for ages, and- well, there won't be everything in the texts."
"I want to know what's hidden. I want the truth, but- he won't tell me."
Rocket and Sword are both silent at that, but it's Rocket that answers. "I don't think there's really anyone but the SFOTH that know that, Sword..."
"But they won't tell me, out of all Inphernals!" Sword complains. "They don't think I'm strong enough, that I'm ready, or that I even understand what's going on..."
"Screw that, then."
Sword flinches in shock again, and Rocket nearly punches the stranger as he somehow appears behind the both of them.
"You want answers? Go fight to find them yourself." He said bluntly, pointing at Sword's chest. "I doubt any of the SFOTH will talk to an ordinary guy like you- but there's always another way."
"Ordinary?! Hey!" Sword pouts. "Why does everyone keep calling me that?! I'm plenty special, even though I've only got a regular sword as my gear!"
"Bro, I don't care if you're a basic-ass bitch- the whole point of knowing secret stuff like that is that it's supposed to be a whole journey just finding in." The library worker says. "Lore doesn't come by just sitting there and flipping through dusty old books."
"It's gained by hunting down information from others. Piecing it together like a puzzle."
Rocket narrows his eyes suspiciously at the library worker. "What's with you sneaking up on us, huh?! Do you do that to everybody?"
He looks at Rocket, unimpressed. "... Because I don't like wasting words. I like it quiet."
'Right... this is a library.' Rocket sighs, and tries to calm himself down.
"But... if you want to talk about the SFOTH, you might want to see the librarian instead of me." The teen Inphernal doesn't say any more and walks to the back of the library, disappearing for a minute.
Sword wonders who the librarian was, and if they would actually help him out. "I mean- what's the chance they would know about the SFOTH?"
"Wait- I think Zuka mentioned her name once." Rocket tries to recall it. "I think it's-"
"Miss Ghostdeeri is here." The library worker returns with someone who was definitely not your average Inphernal- her tree-like chest exposed and a pumpkin mask over her head, with branch-like antlers poking from it.
"Ah, I see." She nods. "Sword- it is nice seeing you."
"Ghostdeeri?!" He yelps, surprised. "I didn't know you were a librarian here!"
"Indeed I am. A job worthy of an archivist such as myself... although Ghostwalker did not expect me to be working in such close proximity to mortals."
(Nobody notices this- but Ozwald's stand jumps a bit at the mention of Ghostwalker, spooked. A stand always reflects their owner's true feelings, after all- it's a projection of his own soul.)
(Ozwald completely forgot that his boss was connected to Ghostwalker... so this could be a problem in the future.)
Sword nods, and he gives the Watcher a sheepish smile. "It's nice seeing you too, by the way... I wanted more information on Venomshank..."
"Well then follow me. I have many tales to share about him."
[Shuriken]
"Wait, Katana's going to train with us?! I thought he was going to disappear all mysteriously again for the day!" Shuriken says, eyes wide.
Slingshot snorts. "The old man isn't always gone from his house. He's getting ready for the Phight this weekend- everyone is."
Right- the one with all of the Phighters being brought in. Flipside even rented out a place in Theives' Den for the occasion, and it was slated to be one of the bigger events aside from the Phestival coming up.
"Guess even Katana wants to train for this... is it because of his... complicated past with Scythe?"
"I guess so." Slingshot shrugs.
Shuriken, bored, throws his gear at the wall one at a time. Slingshot and Vine Staff are similarly bored, waiting around for Katana.
The older Inphernal appears only a few minutes later, quiet as an owl hunting at night. "It appears that you are all ready ahead of time. Good."
"What took you so long, old man?" Shuriken asked. He gives Katana a smile as he cracks a joke. "Had to go take your medicine?"
"I am not as elderly as you think, Shuriken. I am perfectly fine functioning without the use of medicine."
They depart from their place in Crossroads, when the sun had already sunk below the horizon and the sky was beginning to darken.
Zuka's warehouse was where most of the Phighters usually trained, if they wanted to do it with more than three demons at a time. Going to a gym didn't really give you the full combat experience of fighting multiple Inphernals at once, and they were usually too small and public for the Phighters to just... enter in without a bunch of others following them.
Katana had decided to train later in the day, since he was busy during the afternoon, and now here they were, standing in front of the training area.
"Huh... the front entrance is locked, but someone's unlocked it recently." Slingshot says. "Did any of the others use it?"
"I don't think so..." Shuriken says. He unlocks the padlock with a key given to all the Phighters, and the rest of them step in.
The sound of multiple Inphernals training catches Katana's attention. It's not the usual sounds he associates with the Phighters, too. The ronin narrows his eyes, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.
"Shuriken. Vine Staff. Stay back." He says. "Slingshot- In front of them. I will see who are the intruders."
The three of them stiffly nod, tensing up for a fight with who might have broken into the training grounds. When Katana rounds the corner, however, he's surprised to be met with familiar faces.
"... Sledge Hammer? Rose Launcher?" He asks. "Why are you two here?"
Sledge Hammer whips around, gear in his hands and slightly stunned- before he realizes it's someone he knows and calms down somewhat. "Ah, Katana. It is good to see you again."
"Likewise. But...?" Katana gestures to him and his wife.
"I work for Zuka in his shop." Sledge says, hoisting his hammer over his shoulder. "He's given me a key to this place- told me that I could go here at night and train with my family."
Vine Staff lights up at that. "That's great! Does that mean Frying Pan is here?"
"She's busy training outside the warehouse with her brother." He says, pointing outside. There's the sound of laughter, a 'CLANG', and the sound of something being rocketed into the wall. "She would be happy to see you, I suppose."
Shuriken and Vine Staff curiously peek out to see Frying Pan, in her all short, chaotic glory, absolutely whaling on a training dummy with her gear.
"How's that feel, huh?! YEEEEAH!" She whooped, knocking the dummy up in the air and proceeding to whack it to her brother, who uses his fire extinguisher (most likely his gear) to spray foam all over it.
He turns to them, and his deadpan face somehow gets more dull. "Bro. Who the fuck is that."
"Hey, be nice! Those are the friends I was telling you about!" She grins. "They're official Phighters!"
Frying Pan walks up to Shuriken and gives him a pat on the shoulder. "Extinguisher- this is Shuriken. His big sister's Vine Staff."
"Katana and Slingshot are here too." Vine Staff says. She chuckles and bends down a bit to be eye-level with Frying Pan's brother, who isn't as short as her but was still around Valk's height. "Hello to you too!"
"Bitch." He says with an unamused face. Vine Staff's face quickly falls in disappointment and confusion.
"Please don't bend down to address him, he's uh." Frying Pan glances at her brother, and pulls the two closer to whisper to them. "He's more sensitive than me about his height."
"Eh? But aren't you shorter-?"
"Yeah, and he never lets me live it down." Frying Pan groans. "Just- don't try to imply he's short in any way, directly or indirectly. He haaates it."
Shuriken, who was upset that his sister just got called a bitch by a disrespectful midget with resting bitch face syndrome, immediately proceeds to do so.
"Aww, is the shorty embarrassed that he's as tall as Valk?" He taunts, snickering. "You a little spawnling? A widdle baby?"
Extinguisher's eye twitched, and his hand went to adjust his hat. Frying Pan's eyes widened and she grabbed her brother by the shoulders.
"Hey hey hey- no. No punching him in the face, he's a Phighter."
"..."
"And NO, you can't do THAT either because it'll get us in trouble! They're faction reps, man!"
The short Inphernal has murder in his eyes, glaring at Shuriken like he's going to burst into flames.
"I want. A fight." He hisses out.
"No! Shuriken's a professional Phighter- and I sure as hell can't be able to save you if you get your ass beat!"
"I want it now." Extinguisher stomps his foot.
"What's going on?" Katana and Slingshot come out of the warehouse, followed by Frying Pan and Extinguisher's parents. They all look exasperated at their son's antics.
"Extinguisher." Sledge Hammer growls out a warning. Rose Launcher, on the other hand, looks at her son with a gentle expression. "Honey, are you sure you can do this?" She says softly to Extinguisher.
"I don't care. I am going to try and beat his ass." The young Inphernal says.
"Hey, let's have a sparring match, then!" Slingshot suggested. "You and your sister against Shuriken and Vine Staff! Don't worry, they can go easy on you. Right?" He eyes the two Phighter siblings with a look that clearly states 'do NOT beat the shit out of these two civilians'.
"Fiiine..." Shuriken groans, and Vine Staff pats his back. "Cheer up! Those two have a melee gear and a support gear, so-"
"We're both support gears, actually." Frying Pan butts in. "Sure, mine is close to a melee and can do some damage, but my pan does status effects."
"Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry!" Vine Staff frantically apologizes- it's rude to incorrectly assume someone's gear classification.
"Nah, it's okay. I get that assumption a lot." Frying Pan takes out her namesake gear, glancing over to her mom. "Mom, you're gonna heal us if we get too injured?"
"Dạ- đừng lo lắng. (Yes- do not worry.)" Rose bows her head gracefully.
The two siblings pose side-by-side dramatically, with Frying Pan grinning all confident and happy. "Even if we lose- we're still gonna make you impressed!" She shouts.
"Let's see about that!" Shuriken says, snickering. He summons his gear and grabs the shurikens, while Vine Staff relaxes and focuses on growing some of her plants.
"The match will begin in three, two, one... now." Katana waves his hand down when he finishes his countdown, and Extinguisher sprays the foam directly onto the battlefield, turning everything a misty white as their vision is obscured.
"Aw, dang it! Can't aim... but I'm used to smoke bombs!" Shuriken grins. After all, he did use them whenever he went around doing vigilante work!
He manages to spot a flash of movement, and throws three of his shurikens at where it went. Two of them hit their mark, but one is reflected with a 'CLANG' right back at him, making him yelp.
"Ack! What was that?!"
He backs up, and yelps as he bumps into his own sister. "AAA- oh wait, it's you, Vine Staff!" He sighs, wiping his brow. Vine Staff is trying to fan away the smoky white foam with her staff, but it's ineffective.
"They haven't really attacked us yet." She notes. "They're taking their time to plan... smart." She heals Shuriken by making her plants 'bloom', and the sound of someone yelping in pain.
"Gotcha." Shuriken attacks in the general direction of the sound- but then, the same loud metal sound happens and the three shurikens fly right back at him.
He hissesin pain as his own gear cuts his arm and torso a bit, backing up from the noise.
The longer the 'fog' is around, the more transparent it becomes. Some areas are constantly being obscured due to Extinguisher constantly using his gear, but it's still enough to catch a glimpse of them.
Shuriken goes invisible while Vine Staff shoots around blindly. He creeps up closer to Extinguisher, who is whipping around, trying to find him.
He lunges, intending to just graze the teenager's back with the blade of his kunai instead of outright stabbing him- but Frying Pan jumps in to smack her gear upside Shuriken's head. "Oh no you don't!"
It isn't even that strong, so he just shoves her aside and pokes Extinguisher with his knife. The young Inphernal whips around and decks him in the face with a punch.
It isn't that strong. Shuriken laughs and brushes it off. "What, is that supposed to do something or-"
The second punch that Extinguisher throws at him is much stronger. The resulting 'crack' of the air heralded how powerful the strike was- Shuriken's chest bloomed in pain as he was knocked back to the warehouse wall and hits it hard.
"Agh! What the hell-?!" He hisses, surprised. Could Extinguisher actually pack a punch?!
(Ozwald, through some training, learned how to merge his stand's overwhelming physical power into his own body. He can't just do this over and over again, as it's hard for him to 'sync up' with Donut Hole in so little time.)
Vine Staff twirls her staff, and uses it to heal her brother. Frying Pan pivots around, and Extinguisher uses his gear to blast behind him and use the pressure as a sort of pseudo-jetpack, rocketing forward.
"Extinguisher- go for Shuriken! I'll go for Vine Staff!" Frying Pan plants her feet on the ground, and uses her frying pan to parry the bullet seeds from Vine Staff's gear.
"Tch- As if! Don't undersestimate me, even though I'm a healer!" She plants some seeds and aims towards Frying Pan, using her seeds as buckshot instead of a continuous stream of bullets.
Pan winces from the pain, but charges forward and hits Vine Staff as hard as she can. A few more hits, there's a 'CLANG' and Vine Staff ends up freezing up, unable to move as Frying Pan's status effect kicks in.
Shuriken's eyes widen as Extinguisher whips around in the air, spraying him with foam and obscuring his vision. "Gah!"
Extinguisher cocks back his hand again, and Shuriken uses the opportunity to throw his gear at him- only for the young Inphernal to catch the ninja star with his hand, wincing as it digs into his flesh.
(On the sidelines, Sledge Hammer and Rose Launcher were both tense and fretting over their children. The older Inphernal growls a bit. "He's getting hurt. Call off the battle.")
("Eh? But it's just a little slice!" Slingshot waves off his worry. "He's a grown Inphernal by now, even if he's younger than us!")
("Still..." Rose said, nervous. "I do not like how my children are getting hurt.")
(Katana regards them with some confusion. This isn't just parental worry, this is straight-up coddling them. Not even Pwnatious was this sheltered!)
(Are all Inphernals that make their own spawn this fussy and overprotective with their progeny?)
Shuriken backs up and flexes his hand to summon his gear- and nothing happens.
'Huh?' He flexes his fingers once again, expecting his gear to materialize in between his hands, but nothing appears. The lack of connection with his gear made fear jolt down his spine.
Extinguisher throws the shuriken he'd caught in his hand back at Shuriken, and it cuts the palm of his hand as he grasps it. "Agh-!"
Shuriken uses his other hand to try one last time- and his gear materializes once again. He doesn't know what the hell happened back there, why he froze up- but he's going to take this amateur seriously.
'Extinguisher should really try to go out and participate in Phights- he's got potential!'
Frying Pan, on the other hand, is struggling to parry and stun Vine Staff over and over again. She's not doing a lot of damage- mostly knockback and stunning, all while trying to do her best.
"A-ack!" Frying Pan gets caught in one of Vine Staff's vines, and the flowers on the ground bloom, depleting her health.
"You're much better than I expected, Pan- but you still have a long way to go." She says, rushing to help her brother fight Extinguisher.
The young Inphernal grits his teeth, punching forward with one hand and using the nozzle of his fire extinguisher to boost his strength.
The two of them clash fists, and...
Shuriken and Vine Staff were victorious. Extinguisher lets out a grunt as he's knocked to the ground, panting and bleeding. Shuriken de-summons his gear, looking down at the young Inphernal with approval.
"Hey, not bad." He compliments. "You've got a wide arsenal, kid. If you went out and competed in more Phights to train- you'd have a chance at becoming an official Phighter." Shuriken says.
"Whatever." Extinguisher rolls his eyes, getting up and slowly dragging his feet over to his mother, who shoots a few thorn bullets into him and heals him like Medkit would.
Overall- not a bad fight from those two, even though they're civilians!
[Youtube]
lacey's wardrobe - lost 2006 flash game - ghosttundra
892,193 views [Original video by ghosttundra. Digital horror for humans...]
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💾 Isekai Archive ☑️
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💾 Isekai Archive ☑️
A video from ghosttundra! Part of a series, first part.
Part 2: https://youtu.be/ANnMryfbx2M?si=a898-CLCLAQ0UNc2
Part 3: https://youtu.be/D5kymMEvReE?si=etm6ugYNxmUjG7yq
Part 4: https://youtu.be/0U2PDEOuz7M?si=NeSYu-1-hWaJrmGB
... Part 5, 6, 7 uploaded later. More videos from them will be posted later.
🚝 Monorailer
Hey. Hey Isekai Archive. What the hell was that I felt my skin crawl. I know it's just the typical stalking and cannibalism but WHAT
🛩️ flyby843
Isekai Archive manages to create yet another scary masterpiece again!!! Although ghosttundra's work seems to be far more different compared to Doctor Knowhere's!
💣 BoomXD
yeah no shit, this is an anonymous collab arg. different creators are gonna have different styles
🦈 Grav_123
The voice acting is TERRIFYING. I can practically hear the terror in her voice.
🌋 MagmaMonster
Again with the humans!!! Love the cute human's hair or something though, it looks pretty
🎥 CameraDem0n99
DIGITAL HORROR??? Also I recall this one dress-up game I used to play when I was younger, and those were pretty rare but DAMN this is bringing back memories.
🎁 Lootbox Lover
Did you perhaps play "Dress-Up Diva?" It's pretty niche but I think I've played it before too.
🎥 CameraDem0n99
YES!!! That's the game! It had a TON of options because the creator didn't really have any competition in that sort of game. They really did it out of passion- a shame it stopped getting updates!
🌶️ SpiceNPepper
last i heard he died from a robbery :(
🎥 CameraDem0n99
RIP to them ;(
🚀 StarshipShooter
I really love how the uncanny features of humans were exaggerated in the stalker- bulblous nose, lack of horns AND hair, off-color skin. It really shows that the creator knew what they were doing!
🔆 1LLUM1N8 THE SKY
I think the coolest (and scariest) part of the video was that Lacey seemed to know that she was about to die. Self-aware video game character? Terrifying.
🛅 blue29223
she seems more desperate and scared than scary. sad :(
🐩 PlaygroundPoodle
I'm pretty sure there's a message behind this game. It looks like a PSA warning against stalkers
🍦sunnyshore!
creepy... i hate that scary face at the end
- Ozwald and Lightblox being buddies.
- A 2v2 with one obvious winner... but also one spark of potential.