IndieBound

by IndieBound

Summary:

A mashup/crossover of Earthbound and the YouTube series Indie Cross by Moro Productions.

Notes:

• Inspired by Indie Cross by Moro Productions

First AO3 work! Hopefully this doesn’t just last one chapter and I keep my motivation. This is mostly buildup to the actual crossover. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Beginnings

————Chapter 1: Beginnings——————

 

It was a few minutes after Unithor had destroyed the wastes that the group had met. Thousands of portals had opened out of nowhere, and Cuphead had almost died in the chaos. Many were still grasping the situation; Cuphead was trying to find a new weapon for the Shovel Knight, Madeline was trying to give Badeline a glimmer of confidence, and some swan was causing a bit of chaos with the gang. Or was it a seagull?? Anyways! In the midst of the chaos, Madeline finds a moment to talk with the machine that had given them guidance and saved them from death.

“..So, uh…whoever you are, mind if I ask you something?”

The robot perks up, turning to Madeline. “Ask away. I’ll try to answer as best I can. It’s Charlotte, by the way.”

“Is this place..some sort of combination of our worlds? Are they damaged beyond repair?”

Charlotte answers surprisingly quickly, showing some sense of worry for Madeline. “Your world should be mostly fine. This is some sort of in-between. Not many worlds were harmed to form this place, if my memory is correct. Most worlds were too small to merge.”

Madeline tilts her head, confused. “Too small? What, are there larger worlds out there than like, my entire observable universe??”

“Much larger. Even one larger world colliding with these universes could drastically alter every universe in the system. Not that it’s ever happened, of course.”

Madeline breathes a sigh of relief. Shortly after, Shovel Knight invites the group into an odd bar of sorts, with an old sign reading “Grillby’s”. As they enter, the sight of many golden statues is apparent.

“You had to pick the place with the creepy statues, didn’t ya?” Cuphead mutters, unsettled by the eerie, lifelike golden figures surrounding them.

Suddenly, glowing eyes are seen from behind the counter.

“Stand down, fiend!” Shovel Knight exclaims, stepping forwards.

“Move an inch and I’ll blast ya!” Cuphead adds on.

The Knight, having been mostly silent, jumps forward and screeches deafeningly. Everyone freezes. The figure climbs onto the counter, revealing a cat-like human with a large lightbulb. “Oh, you guys are hiding here too?”

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

Ness had just finished subduing the man who had kidnapped Paula. It was a pain to wrangle his cult followers, but Mr. Carpainter had given the key to Paula’s cell and disbanded the cult of Happy-Happyism. Happy Happy Village was regaining a real sense of peace. Ness re-enters the cabin that Paula was locked in, only to find Paula trying to distance herself from a large diamond-shaped vortex.

“Ness, you’ve returned! Please, unlock the gate and get me away from..whatever that is.” Paula states, a clear sense of distress. Ness quickly unlocks the gate, but steps forward, investigating the portal curiously. Paula seems worried. “Ness, step away from that. We don’t know what it is.”

Ness seems almost unfazed, stating, “It could be created by Gigyas. We need to destroy it.” Ness raises the Sand Lot Bat into the air, before swinging hard at the vortex.

-SMAAAAAAAASH!!
-Ness did 136 damage to Vortex A!

The vortex visibly cracks and glows a brighter shade of red. Paula flinches from the light, clutching her head. “Ness, I’m getting ominous visions. Don’t strike again, it could lead to danger.”

Ness hesitates. “..if you insist.” Ness puts away his weapon. As he turns around, the portal grows and fractures more. “..uh, that doesn’t look too good. We should—“

Before Ness can finish, the portal fractures. The sky runs red as the ground fissures and splits randomly. Red tendrils and liquid seeps out, and thousands of red portals fill the sky, some as large as cities.

Paula struggles to fight off the tendrils. Where one falls, seven more sprout. Using the last of her Psychic Points to freeze one vine heading for Ness, she shoves Ness into a large portal. “I believe in you, Ness. Bring peace to the world…”

That was the last thing Ness heard before landing hard on his head.

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

After Niko finished explaining their predicament, the group had powered Grillby’s with the lightbulb. As Shovel Knight calls upon Chester, the sky runs red, and portals pepper the sky. Chester, clearly worried, departs, quickly stuttering out, “I’ll leave you with this one, buddy.”

Cuphead seems annoyed. “We just entered this world an hour ago? Is this one breaking too?!?” Cuphead nudges Charlotte, who is trembling. “Much worse. One of the largest universes I’ve ever seen is violently attempting to merge. This could get messy. Brace yourselves!”

Chunks of solid earth fall from the sky, breaking the roof. Rain seeps in. The Knight is buried in rubble, while the rest are knocked out from falling debris, save for Niko. “Guys? GUYS?! Oh, man, this is bad..” Niko is too busy trying to retrieve The Knight that they don’t notice the land around them shifting and growing..

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

Ness awakens in a puddle of rain and mud. As he stands, he finds himself in an odd cityscape, with fragments of Onett scattered across the streets. Grass fields randomly popped up before being replaced by concrete mere feet later. Ness grips his bat tightly before calling out. “Paula? Are you there? Did you make it out safely?” Curiosity turns to panic as he can’t find anyone at all. Breaking into a sprint, he desperately calls out. “Hello?! Anyone?! Where is this?! Where am I?! Show yourself!!”

A glimmer of light glows from a nearby bar, next to the displaced Onett Mach Pizza store. Ness jumps in, ready to fight, only to see someone unfamiliar clawing at a piece of rubble. The figure is too lost in fear to notice Ness. “Please be okay…” the figure repeats shakily, over and over. Ness tries to pull away some rubble, and finds a creature in the wreckage. It swings at him instantly!

-The Knight did 37 damage to Ness!
-The Knight did 35 damage to Ness!
-The Knight did 24 damage to Ness!

-Ness got hurt and collapsed.
-You lost the battle..

Ness falls to the ground, fighting to stay awake. The figure from before seems worried, scolding the attacker. “You didn’t know if he was peaceful or not! You just struck him! What if he’s not okay?? What if he doesn’t make it?”

Ness has little time to ponder the question as he succumbs to sleep…

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

Cuphead and Madeline had been trying to nurse the stranger back to health for hours now. Madeline looked at The Knight. “You’re lucky that blade was so dull. The cuts should heal quickly, maybe a few days or so.” Cuphead jolts and jumps back as the kid starts to awaken, confused at the group of people staring him down. He tries to stand, but staggers from his wounds.

Shovel Knight tries to direct the child back to their seat. “Now, now, you’re badly hurt! Those cuts could get re-opened, and it could take weeks to heal—“

-Ness used PSI Lifeup α!
-Ness’s HP was maxed out.

All forms of weakness leave the child’s body as the cuts fade instantly. He glares. “What, never seen psychic stuff before?”

Cuphead instantly retorts. “Y-you just healed off mortal wounds in seconds!! The hell did you come from?!?”

Ness seems confused. “Earth. A little town named Onett in Eagleland…which seems to have been relocated to wherever this is in little chunks.”

Madeline ponders the statement. “Yeah, you’re from some other universe, because ‘Eagleland’ is not a place on any map of earth, kid.”

Before Ness can argue back, he perks up, hearing familiar laughter and jeering. He jumps outside as the others protest. Just as Ness suspected, the annoyance himself was outside, surrounded by a swarm of about six drones.

“Well, well, well, Ness! Look what being a goody-two-shoes got you this time! You’re all alone here, and these guys here happen to bend to the will of this statue as well!” Pokey holds up the Mani Mani statue, which the drones focus on. They rush towards Ness as the others rush out of Grillby’s.

Ness focuses his mind, holding out a hand.
-Ness used PSI Flash β!

-Void Drone A was totally scrapped!
-Void Drone B was unaffected!
-Void Drone C was totally scrapped!
-Void Drone D was totally scrapped!
-Void Drone E could not stop crying!
-Void Drone F could not stop crying!

Pokey flinches as half of the fleet instantly crumbling, but the remaining fleet grabs Ness’s arms and legs, rendering him useless. “I’d like to see you try to break free from these guys! Go ahead, try your hardest! I’m waiting!”

Pokey winces again as Cuphead blasts one of the drones, dismembering its arm. The Knight swings its blade, slicing it in half. Pokey summons the two leftover drones back to him to carry him away among heavy fire from Badeline and Cuphead. “Ness, this isn’t over! I’ll get a larger army and wipe your squad flat! Just you wait!!” Pokey laughs as he flies away, before muttering to himself. “Ugh, this is really uncomfortable. Note to self, get better transportation..”

Ness sighs before beginning to walk off. He’s stopped by Cuphead. “Hey, kid, where ya going? It’s nothing but madness out there!” Ness responds bluntly, stating, “My friends are out there. I trust them more than you.”

Madeline pulls Cuphead back before he can retort. “We get that, but we should at least stick together before then! You would have been toast without us just now, and we saved you.” Niko chimes in as well. “Plus, we’d love to get to know you! You seem like an interesting person!”

Ness looks between the cold, lifeless cityscape before him and the lively bunch beckoning him closer. He steps towards them. “My name is Ness. It’s an honor to work with you.”
——————————— ——————————— ——————————— ——————————— ——————————— ———————————

Chapter 2: An ACT of MERCY

Summary:

..pretty obvious. The Genderless Child meets someone that they didn’t expect.

— — — — — — — —Chapter 2: An ACT of MERCY — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Frisk was bleeding, dying, in an unfamiliar room. Rust seemed to seep from the walls, and loose wires jutted out of every crevice. Broken doors and cameras lay unused for what seems to be decades. They just barely manage to reach for a light in the distance…

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
CHARA 102:21

FILE SAVED.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
Brushing themself off, Frisk stood. They had lost their knife in the earlier conflict, but whatever mech that was took some serious damage. A child’s voice rings out. “Hello?” Followed by giggles of pure delight. A mangled animatronic staggers into view, locking their sights in on Frisk. The two stare at each other for a brief moment.

Springtrap extents an arm carefully, their voice raspy and weak. “Say, kid, up for a game..? Just take my hand…” His eyes show no emotion, masking his true intentions.

Before Frisk can reach out, the floor fissures and cracks. New land starts to randomly pop out of nowhere. Springtrap falls to the ground. “Wh-what the—“ A large plank falls from the air, hitting Springtrap on the head. He passes out. Frisk struggles to dodge the debris, and ducks under a desk. Sounds of crumbling earth and crashing thunder echoes in the air. When they emerge, remnants of what seems to be two towns dot the landscape, with a field between them. Frisk begins a march towards one of the towns. Along the way, they see a sign, reading, “Welcome to Twoson!” As Frisk ponders the sign, suddenly..!

“Pictures taken instantaneously!” A peppy voice chimes in from behind. An eccentric-looking man, wearing a suit and holding an odd device has seemingly appeared out of thin air. “I’m a photographic genius, if I do say so myself! Okay, get ready for an instant memory!”

Without much thought, Frisk absentmindedly strikes a pose.

“Look at the camera..Ready…say, “fuzzy pickles!” A loud click is heard. The man smiles. “This will always bring back the fondest of memories..”

Without warning, the man spins into the air, leaving Frisk alone. Frisk silently resumes their journey.
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

Paula had no clue how she even got CLOSE to a portal, let alone made it through one of them. Her energy was spent, and the Teddy Bear she had brought with her was frayed and broken. She pushed on, finding refuge in a small remnant of Twoson: the Department Store. There’s nobody inside, and the space seems eerily silent. There’s first floor? Empty. The second floor? Also empty. The top floor? You guessed it, empty. Paula decided to only take what she could afford, and spent a few minutes scanning the shelves, before “buying” a Frying Pan, a Cheap Bracelet, and a few Hamburgers for later healing. As she exited the building, she noticed a figure walking the streets. “Hello? Ness, is that you?” Paula called out. The figure, clearly not expecting someone to speak out, turns to Paula. It’s a stubby robot of sorts, with a cog-shaped head. Without delay, they raise a hand, quickly securing Paula in place with some sort of magic. They bring Paula closer, their eye showing mild annoyance. They reluctantly raise a fist, ready to strike. “Wait, we can talk about this. Please just set me down and—“

[-348 HP]

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

Ness and the others had finished repairing Grillby’s from the falling rocks, and had hooked up the system to Niko’s lightbulb after their reluctant approval. Most of the group was unwinding, with Cuphead and Shovel Knight playing chess, The Knight journaling his adventures, and Niko desperately trying to fix Shovel Knight’s broken weapon. Ness was staring off into space, wondering about the nature of this new world.

“Hey, you okay there?” Madeline chimes in, nervous about Ness’s apparent distress. “Just worried about what to do is all.”

Ness stares off into space again. The Knight pricks him with the Dream Nail. A figure comes into view, seemingly talking to Ness through his mind.

“Ness…I cannot continue, someone is listening in..I will talk with you later..”

Ness snaps out of his trance, looking around, before looking at The Knight. He nods silently. “Impressive. You’ll have to show me how you read minds later.” He said, quiet enough for nobody to hear. The Knight nods in approval at the idea. Meanwhile, Niko had finished Shovel Knight’s repair and returned the blade. “Just..never again, okay? That thing is heavy…” Niko muttered, their arms still feeling like jelly. Shovel Knight let out a hearty laugh. “No need, friend. You have rebuilt my blade diligently.”
Ness perks up. “Hey, guys, mind if I try something?” Everyone looks at him in confusion. “Those portals seem to be made from the same energy that my psychic abilities use. I could probably link a portal to another world..I-in theory! I have no clue if it would actually work..” Cuphead tackles Ness from behind. “Try it! I’ve been DYING to get back home!!” Ness tenses up. “I don’t think I could control it..but here goes nothing!”
Ness holds his hands out, carefully focusing his energy. Lightning crackles and lights start to flicker. A loud crash is heard!
-Ness used PSI Teleport Ω!
A large portal appears in front of the group. Oddly, it’s yellow, not red. Ness is struggling to keep it open. “C’mon, guys, I can’t hold this forever..!”

Another crash is heard as the roof caves in. Unithor is back, and he looks mad. “That’s bad. We need to leave right now.” Charlotte beckons. The group rushes into the portal. Ness jumps in, barely dodging a pale yellow light..

The portal snaps shut behind them. Unithor silently curses, before trying to summon Godotrix for the tenth time in twenty-three minutes. There’s no response. Unithor receives an urgent summon from Game Master and is forced to go help instead of pursing the others.

Cuphead lands in a grassy field. The water runs purple. The others land nearby, with Niko landing in the water. They quickly swim to shore, shaking off their body. “Geez, now I’m all wet…” Cuphead seems curious. “Did the water taste like grape soda?”

Niko seems mad. “Of COURSE it doesn’t!! Why would it?!” Cuphead backs away, accidentally bumping into a tree. “Okay, I’m sorry-ow, that hurt!” Cuphead turns to see the tree start to move. It attacks!

-Territorial Oak attacks!

Cuphead fires a few bullets at it. It doesn’t do much..

-Territorial Oak bashes Cuphead!

Cuphead recoils back. Ness strikes the tree with a bat.

-Ness strikes!
-Territorial Oak took 38 damage!
Ness steps back a bit. “We should just let it be. Just in case it—“
Cuphead slams his foot into its face, defeating it. “Just in case it what?” Ness tenses up. “Step back, guys!”
-Territorial Oak burst into flames!
-161 HP of mortal damage to Ness!
Everyone else is sent flying, with Cuphead visibly shaken by the explosion.
-YOU WON!
-Ness received 365 EXP.

Ness brushes himself off. Most of the damage didn’t seem to affect him. “..anyways, let’s move on. I sense an odd presence here. It’s…off-putting.”
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

In front of Frisk lays a battered and most likely dead body. Bruises and dents pepper the dead body, and it would be unrecognizable, even if they knew who it was beforehand. “..so, it’s dead, right?” Paula asks, looking at the fallen robot at their feet. Frisk had made light work of Godotrix in spite of not having a weapon, using their fists and a nearby stick. Frisk nods at Paula’s question. “Good. That thing freaked me out..” Paula drags Frisk along. “Let’s get you geared up. You might not need it, but who knows?” Frisk explores the abandoned town and finds a dull knife in a bakery.
*(You equipped the Baker’s Knife.)
Paula tosses Frisk a Travel Charm. “Here. It’ll protect you from paralysis. You never know when that’ll be useful!”
Frisk looks down at their locket. It glimmers in the light. Reluctantly..
*(You swapped the Locket and the Travel Charm.)
In the midst of it all, Frisk found a SAVE point. They reach out a hand, and…

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
FRISK 103:32

FILE SAVED.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
Paula reaches a hand out to Frisk. “Here, you can stay with me until we find your friends!”
!
*(Paula is offering you mercy.)
*(…)
*(-Paula)
Frisk slashes at Paula. They collapse. “Y-you…monster..” Paula faints, bleeding out. Frisk looks at the body and winces. This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t the right choice.
FILE LOADED.

“Here, you can stay with me until we find your friends!” The voice sounded just the same as before. It was eerie, but Frisk had gotten used to LOADING files.
*(Paula is offering you mercy.)
*(-Paula)
*(Spare)
*(You won! You got 0 EXP and 0 GOLD.)

Paula smiles in approval. “Great to know I can trust you! You’re like Ness, in a way. You’d never hurt me, right?”
[] YES ❤️ [] NO
Frisk weighs the options. Thinks it over. What just happened before weighs on Frisk’s mind.
…
[❤️] YES [] NO
*(You assure Paula that you won’t hurt her. She nods and smiles.)
“Great! Let’s go find your friends, then. They can’t be far!”
*(Paula joined the party.)

Chapter 3: Peaceful Res(e)t Valley

Summary:

The magic & melee duo are in Twoson. Ness & the gang are in Peaceful Rest Valley.

There’s a small cave that connects them. What would happen if…?

———Chapter 3:Peaceful Res(e)t Valley————————————

Ness was leading the group out of Peaceful Rest Valley. His Psychic Points were drained from repeatedly healing colds and the occasional explosion wound. After fighting off the third UFO in ten minutes, Ness falls flat on his face, unable to go on. “..I need a break, guys. I can’t keep healing you.” Niko immediately sits down nearby, glad to take a rest. The Knight slumps against a wall, adjusting their charms. Cuphead sees a small present addressed to nobody in particular. “Hey, who’s this for?”

Ness chimes in. “Oh, sometimes there are just things in presents around here. I don’t know who put them there, though. You’re free to open it!”

-Cuphead opened the present. There was a Hard Hat inside!
-Cuphead equips the Hard Hat.
-Defense changed from 7 to 22.
“I feel..really silly, wearing this. It doesn’t fit my head right…” Cuphead grabs The Knight’s nail and carefully drills out a hole for his straw. “That’s better! What do you guys think?”
…There’s no response. Cuphead looks around to realize that the others are gone. Him and the Knight were left behind. The sounds of a hammer hitting earth echo from ahead. White light floods the air.

Cuphead and The Knight rush ahead to see Unithor attempting to eliminate the others, with special focus on Niko. The Knight fires a blast of shade, knocking Unithor off-balance. Badeline sends them flying forward with a burst of energy before Shovel Knight slams him back to the ground. Before Unithor hits the ground, Ness opens up a portal, sending him to another world. “That should take care of him for now. Everyone okay?”

Everyone nods, before continuing. Niko instinctively grips her hands together to shield the bulb as she trips…but the sun wasn’t there to begin with.
“Uh, guys…this is gonna sound stupid, but I may have lost the sun.”

Niko is trying to play it cool, but their trembling legs and shaky breath gives away their panic. Cuphead steps forward. “Well, it couldn’t have gotten THAT far, so we just gotta check the whole area! I’ll stay here with the kid, you guys go ahead.” Cuphead motions for the others to continue.

“Well, if you insist..” Ness replies, leading the others onward into a dark cave.
“..why did the unsettling feeling from before just get stronger..?”

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Paula was surprised by how..powerful..Frisk was in their previous encounter. “So- uh, in your world, how’d you get so strong?” Even though Frisk and Ness were seemingly the same level, Frisk seemed to outclass him in everything but magic, which they had none of.

Frisk paused at the question. Lost in thought, their mind started wandering to some things said to them before they ended up here.

“my brother would really like to see a human. so it’d be great if you kept pretending to be one.”

“I, PAPYRUS, ACCEPT YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!”

“We’re inseparable, Chara.”

That name. “Chara.” It stuck to them like glue, following them everywhere. Stopping them from doing the right thing. Something gave them that name, and something forced them to accept it. They had saved them all, broken the barrier. They were content with their choices, just for it all to reset in an instant.

And, yet…that name, that chaotic voice in their head…it was all gone now. Now that Frisk had SAVED over their influence, they were free to do what they wanted.

But..it wasn’t worth the cost to get here. Too many monsters lost their lives to free them.

“Uh..you awake..? You’re just standing there..”

Frisk looks up, before nodding. They perk up at a noise to the side. A voice, sounding annoyed by something. Frisk pulls Paula into an alley, hiding as Pokey comes into view.

“Even with you all-powerful drones, Ness still beats me with that stupid magic of his! And those weird folks, too! How does he keep getting away with this?! That prophecy against Gigyas can’t be true!”

Paula gasps as Ness is mentioned. Frisk silences them.

“Ness isn’t the ‘hero of legend’ that Buzz Buzz wants him to be. And I’ll prove it by-“
A loud ring emanates from an odd communication device in Pokey’s pocket. He examines it, seeing some sort of coded message on the screen.

“Oh, of COURSE they need me now. And in the middle of my dramatic monologue!! Whatever. If these guys can help me beat Ness, I’ll help them however I can.”
A white portal opens before Pokey, and he disappears into it. Frisk stares in silence. “Who’d want to work with Pokey?” Paula ponders out loud. “He’s frankly kind of a jerk.”

Paula focuses their energy, channeling some sort of connection. “Hey, can you step aside for a bit? Need to speak with someone.” Frisk walks away, examining a nearby cave. They hear noises inside and tilt their head. They enter, but before they do...

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
FRISK 107:56

FILE SAVED.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Niko’s lightbulb, lost to the waves, drifts along an endless sea of water. Occasionally, it bumps into a rock or a fish, but there seems to be no end. Something abruptly hooks onto one end of the bulb.
!
-“Huh. Never seen one of these before..Who would put this in the ocean? Eh, I’ll put it in the bin tonight. Looks like it could sell well.”

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Ness motions for the group to pay attention. “Okay, so, one of my friends just spoke with me telepathically, and they said they’d show up soon. Let’s just camp out here for a bit.” The group settles down, with Shovel Knight igniting a fireball for light. Charlotte looks at Ness intently.

~SYSTEM SCANNING…~

~TARGET NOT IN DATABASE~
“That’s…unexpected.” Charlotte mutters. This throws a wrench in their plans. How can they get people home without knowing where Ness came from?
Footsteps echo through the cave, coming from ahead. “Oh, that should be Paula. Stay right here!” Ness runs ahead. Fragments of a conversation are heard.
“Huh? You didn’t tell me you made a friend! And so…oddly-colored. Well, I’ll introduce you two, then!

Ness and Paula step out, with Frisk behind them. “So, this is Paula, and this is..?…uh, didn’t catch your name, could you say it real quick?” Ness steps aside to show Frisk standing there.

Shovel Knight raises their blade. “Stay back, fiend! You’ve tricked them, but you can’t fool us!”
Madeline summons Badeline, ready to fight. “Not this time!”
Charlotte steps back, looking for an escape route.

Ness seems confused. “Uh, do you guys have a history of fighting strangers, or-“

Shovel Knight lunges at Frisk, ready to take them by surprise.

“No!-“

-Paula used PSI Freeze α!

Shovel Knight is fully encased in ice. Paula tenses up. “…” Tears start to form.

-FILE LOADED.

Frisk reloaded almost instantly. It was without thinking. There’s got to be a way to resolve it with peace.
The next time, Frisk tries to shove Shovel Knight out of the way. The freeze hits Frisk head-on.

[-107 HP]

[GAME OVER]

-FILE LOADED.

Well, that didn’t work. And neither did any other attempt. Someone always got frozen, whether it was on accident or on purpose. If anything, not interfering was the best outcome. Frisk decides to see how that scenario would play out instead of just reloading.

-Paula used PSI Freeze α!

Shovel Knight is fully encased in ice. Paula tenses up. “…” Tears start to form, just like before. Frisk steps in front of Paula, looking at Shovel Knight.
*(Shovel Knight)
*(ACT)
*(You started to chip away at the ice encasing Shovel Knight. Everyone paused for a moment.)
“There’s no point,” Badeline states. “There’s no way they survived.”
Charlotte scans Shovel Knight, before turning to the group. “He’s alive. By a lot, surprisingly. Now get him out before he gets frostbite.”
The others start to chip away. Frisk steps aside, letting them handle it.
When he emerges, Shovel Knight looks at Frisk. “How curious. Have you changed your ways, young child?” Charlotte’s harsh voice rings out. “It’s a trap. Don’t trust them, we must strike without mercy!”

Ness steps in front of Frisk. “Woah, woah, quit it! If we can work together, then we should. Let’s rethink this when we get outside.” Ness motions for them to follow. When the mouth of the cave is in sight, Ness pauses, pointing outside. “Hey, was the sun always that bright?”

A harsh yellow light shines at the entrance. It occasionally shifts or moves a bit.
Suddenly, the light shines into the tunnel. It’s a drone!
“Everyone GET BACK!” Charlotte yells. Frisk rushes in front of Shovel Knight, blocking the light from hitting them.

*(Your TRAVEL CHARM reflected the attack!)
Frisk looks up to see the drone momentarily stunned from their own paralyzing beam. They dart off with the others.

“This world is being smelted into millions of pieces. If we can all get into a portal, we can escape before we go down with it!”

A burst from the ground scatters the group as Unithor emerges from the earth. In an attempt to dodge, Madeline dashes to the side, but collides with Paula and The Knight. They fall into a portal, which quickly closes.

Frisk yanks Shovel Knight aside to avoid a hammer swing. Charlotte tackles Frisk. “You won’t hurt us again, you little-“
An unexpected tremor sends the two flying into a portal as well. Ness grabs Shovel Knight. “We’re out of portals, good friend!” Shovel Knight shouts. Ness retaliates. “I’m working on it!! Give me cover!” Ness focuses their energy…

-Ness used PSI Teleport Ω!

“Get over here, now!” Shovel Knight and Ness dash into the portal, closing it behind them. Unithor and Midusara rise into the air, watching the world crack and fissure. They teleport out, leaving it to crumble on it’s own.

Notes:

I’m going to focus on 4 individual episodes for now to build each character’s, well, character, more personally. These groups should give some interesting things to develop.

Also, don’t worry about Niko and Cuphead. I didn’t forget about them. ;)

Chapter 4: Deathcard Dilemma

Summary:

The Knight wakes up in a cozy cabin alone. Where did Madeline and Paula go?

—— —— Chapter 4: Deathcard Dilemma—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

The Knight woke up in a humid cabin. Animals chirped and chittered from seemingly nowhere. Suddenly, creaking wood is heard as a figure opens their eyes.

“A challenger..it has been ages. Perhaps you have forgotten how this game is played. Allow me to remind you.”

The figure sets down a scale, a bell, and two decks of cards.

“To defeat me, you must tip the scales entirely in my direction.” They push the scale down with their finger. “Like this. To start, draw a squirrel from the rightmost deck.”

The Knight pulls a squirrel card. It seems..worthless. They place it down on the field. “Good. Now draw a card from the left deck.”

When they pull the card, it’s a cat-like creature. A stoat. “Now, to play the-“ The Knight ignores them, sacrificing the squirrel to play the Stoat. “..very well. Do not worry about the cards you sacrifice. Their pain is only temporary. Now ring the bell to commence combat.” The Knight rings the bell. The Stoat card attacks, dealing 1 point of damage. A single tooth falls onto the figure’s side of the scale. “Since you are still learning, I will skip my turn.”

The Knight draws a Wolf card, trying to play it. “You need two sacrifices to play your Wolf.” They then ring the bell and deal another damage point. The figure plays a Coyote, dealing 2 damage to the Stoat. It’s now on a measly 1 HP.

The Knight draws a squirrel, before playing it. They sacrifice the squirrel and the Stoat. As the cards fade into darkness, a faint voice is heard. “Huh? Hey, stop!-“ The Knight plays the Wolf, killing the Coyote. Another two turns, and The Knight wins, tipping the scales. “Very well.” The figure remarks.

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

It was about twenty minutes later. The Prospector had been a struggle, but they had prevailed, and managed to trek through the marshes ahead. “Still can’t believe that you sacrificed me earlier, even if it was the right move..” the Stoat remarks. “Leshy’s a bore. He uses the same bosses over and over again..” As they waded through the marsh, they saw a hunched over figure on the board. “Leshy” had donned a mask. “You bring fish?” A deep voice had spoken.

They deployed the Stoat, now donned with a dual-strike sigil from a Mantis. The Kingfisher that The Angler had deployed hit right over it, so it was safe. They prepared to deploy the next thing they drew, placing a squirrel in preparation. The Angler chuckles. “Fresh fish. Easy choose.” The Knight rings the bell, and the Angler uses a hook to steal the Squirrel. Undeterred, they drew a Mantis God, warmed by a campfire, and sacrificed the Stoat to play it. “Oh, come on-“

The buffed Mantis made quick work of the scales. They reset, as with the Prospector, and the first of two candles were snuffed out, but something was different. Leshy’s eyes glowed with a fiery red, and unpleasant static sounds filled the air.

”Too fast, too soon.”

Eight bears fill Leshy’s board, wiping the Knight instantly. “Huh. Go fish.” The Knight feels their strength drain as they are knocked out and dragged away. They flicker awake in a dark side room. “Don’t worry. You’re not in purgatory. Though you might think of it that way..before you pass on, I would like to make a memento. Your very own Deathcard.” A blank card is placed in front of them.

“First, the cost.” Three cards are placed in front of The Knight. They pick the Wolf Pelt they’d bought earlier. “0 blood from the Wolf Pelt.”

”Next, the stats.” Three new cards. “2 Attack and 5 Health from the Stoat.” 

”Lastly, the sigils.” Among the cards, The Knight spotted the “rare card” they had gotten after defeating the Prospector. “Trifurcated Strike from the Mantis God.”

”Now, for the name.” The Knight ponders, before writing a name. 

Leshy looks sadly at The Knight. “And now, for the photo.” He holds up a camera. “You do not need to smile.”

[CLICK!] 

The Knight wakes up again at the stool they had sat at. The eerie mimicry of their shade next to them. They pricked it and moved on. “Another challenger..perhaps it may be time to teach you about BONES.” After a quick explanation on bones (and another sacrifice of the sleeping Stoat), it was back to the board. At a crossroads, they struggled to pick between an Adder and a Corpse Maggot. They looked it up in the sigil book, but get distracted by a three digit code on the Mighty Leap page. “273”.

They entered it into the safe in the corner of the room. There was a key inside. They took it, almost missing the other contents, when, out of nowhere..

”HEY, DON’T JUST LEAVE ME HERE!!”

The Knight looks down to see a card at the bottom of the safe. They pick it up. The top of the card reads “Madeline”. ”I’ve been stuck there for, like, six hours..that weird ‘Leshy’ fellow zapped me with his camera, and I ended up like..this..?” The card glitches out momentarily before switching to “Badeline”. The attack and sigils are noticeably different. “Believe me, this is not how I envisioned us to end up.”

The Knight returns, holding the card. They add it to their deck. Leshy looks in confusion. “That is not the card I put into that vault. Something is off…but I will let you keep it for now.” The next battle, against the Prospector, Stoat and Madeline end up in the drawn hand. “Who the heck are you? Where’s Gri- the Stinkbug? Weren’t they the one locked in that safe?” Madeline seems confused. “What? Who? I ended up there after this forest freak made me make a ‘Deathcard’!!” Leshy’s voice rings out. “Silent, young lass, or I will tear you to pieces.” Madeline tenses up. The Knight pulls their blade in response to the threat against their friend. “Calm down…I would never hurt a trapped soul…”

 After quick work of the Prospector, The Knight moves back to the marshes, encountering an odd card choice. Three cards of humans, one of them being a card of themself. “Care for a memento from a previous contestant?” The Knight selects their own, named “Hornet”. They silently add it to the deck. 

Along the path, they encountered a cavern with a creature inside. Leshy offers three trials. The Trial of Power is selected. “The Trial of Power. The cards must have at least 4 combined Power to pass.”

The Hornet Deathcard is drawn, providing two. Then a bullfrog for one. Then, Madeline is placed onto the table. 

”2 from the Hornet…1 from the Bullfrog..0 from the—“

The card switches from Madeline to Badeline. ”Three, not zero. Can’t you read?”

Leshy eyes the card. “I could’ve sworn that said zero seconds ago..very well. You pass.” 

The Knight selects a Beehive with the Unkillable sigil as a reward. They stand, finally using the key that they obtained earlier to unlock a series of drawers. They solve the puzzles, unlocking new cards, and most noticeably, a caged wolf. At the table, they decide to use it in their next battle, with it meat shielding against a Coyote. Stoat is drawn from the deck. “You might want to-…and you’ve already placed it. Nice move.” As the bell rings for the hundredth time in an hour, the Coyote destroys the Caged Wolf. The Wolf inside is freed, and a large crash is heard. “What could that be?” Leshy inquires. After the battle, The Knight looks on the shelf behind Leshy. There’s a skull with some free teeth inside, and a wooden wolf statue. They place it into a similar wooden carving, obtaining a knife. “You finally pried my special dagger from the paws of that squirrel..though you may wish you hadn’t.”

—— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——

[CLICK!]

[CLICK!]

[CLICK!]

Multiple deaths had gone by. The Knight had made it to the Trapper and surpassed him, only for Leshy to still use that camera to kill them. They still hadn’t used the knife, seeing it as an act of desperation. Once again, they had braved the three boards, and were approaching the pelt-crazed duo. ”If you’re going to keep respawning, you might as well use it just once..! See what happens!” Madeline worriedly states. The Knight nods. The Trader lay before them, and their hand looked dire. They place a Bullfrog in an uncontested space. It won’t be nearly enough to win the round..

The Knight lifts up the knife. Slowly, almost subconsciously, they bring it to an eye socket. ”Woah, hold on-“

The Knight digs into their skull, placing a small glob of void matter onto the scale. It tips all the way over.

”Reignite.” The candles re-light, giving a feeling of comfort. “Perhaps you’d like to pick a new..eye…?” Leshy mumbles.

Among all of the eyes, one stands out. A green-ish swirl on the eye prompts The Knight to grab it. They stick it back into their eye-socket, the void absorbing the eye’s powers. Paint previously invisible on the box of eyes reads out “The cuckoo clock”. They check the clock, finding markers for the hands. When they put them in the marked spots, a compartment opens. Another card is inside, along with a roll of film.

”I foresee you’ll need this. Take it, while you can!” A card speaks. The name reads “Paula”. They take the film and the card. “Another misplaced card..how odd. I don’t remember even taking a photo of this one…” Leshy speaks. “Keep it. I do not wish to have a card I did not make.”

The Knight pockets the film and moves on. They face off against Leshy as usual. ”Every time, this gets a little..easier, y’know? Even with the Deathcards that he uses getting more powerful.” Madeline says. Soon, as it always has been, Leshy slams down the entire moon onto the playing table. This time, they were prepared, summoning Madeline. After a turn of damage, the card shifts to Badeline, and the Touch of Death sigil makes quick work of the 40HP that The Moon had. “Very well…follow me, friend.” Leshy beckons. They follow Leshy back into the side room for the hundredth time. They grab the camera on the shelf, loading the film into it. “What are you-“

[CLICK!]

A photo comes out of the camera. Leshy is still there. “How wonderful. You’re improving your photography skills.” Leshy pulls out his magical camera, but pockets it, his eyes a bit downcast. “Truthfully, I had realized early on that you are not meant to be here. I’ve just enjoyed your company in playing my game. The cards of your friends were not my doing.” A red portal opens up. “You may leave, creature of the unknown. Go, now. I must tidy up for the true challenger.”

As The Knight steps through the portal, living cards in tow, a voice is heard from seemingly all around. It’s already too late to go back, but a single sentence is heard..

“Alright, Let’s see what’s on this thing!”

Notes:

So, uh…haven’t really thought about how to un-card the other two. It’ll be fine, though! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, as I’m a huge Inscryption fan (still trying to do skull storm in Kaycee’s mod, send help)

 

See you next chapter! :D

Chapter 5: Bugged File

Summary:

Frisk has issues SAVING. At least, in the way that they’re used to. Charlotte has anger issues.

— —Chapter 5: Bugged File — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Charlotte hadn’t had time to tell where the two had ended up before getting swarmed by bee-like drones and odd, fuzzy creatures. Charlotte’s advanced systems prevented them from being shocked, and they fought the weaker drones off with ease. Frisk, however, was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, getting hit over and over again. The hits couldn’t deal any real damage, but they were stuck in place trying to block.

“About time,” Charlotte mused. “Finally have an excuse to get rid of you.” They raised a leg in the air, ready to strike from behind. “This is for—“

~-3~

Charlotte was flipped over before they could attack, their legs flailing uselessly. “Who’s there? Identify yourself!!”

Charlotte’s view was disoriented from being flipped over, but they saw a trio of figures standing over them. They spoke.

“Hm. Never seen one of these drones before. Did they make new models since I left?” One questioned.
“It seems harmless enough.” Another deeper voice spoke.
“Whatever. It was attacking that child. We’ll make quick work of it.” The third voice was cold and calculated.

~-6~

Frisk had jumped in front of Charlotte, guarding them. Their arm was frozen, but they shook it off.
“Why are you-? They just tried to kill you!! Seems stupid to me..” The short one mused. A bee, with a boomerang in their hand. They absentmindedly fidgeted with it.
“Your self-preservation skills are lacking.” The second one spoke. A green beetle. Their horn was exceptionally sharp.
“Hold it. They may know each other if this one guarded them so eagerly. We’ll hold off on the assault for now.” A moth. Their eyes showed no emotion.

Charlotte, having had time to flip back over, leaps at the beetle. “Take this!-“
Frisk grabs Charlotte, halting them. “…” They look at the three and nod their head respectfully.

“We suppose we should introduce ourselves.” The moth mumbles. “We are known as Leif.”
“It’s Vi. The greatest warrior the Hive has ever seen!” The bee states.
“And I am Kabbu. A pleasure to meet you, odd bug…what may you be, perhaps?” Kabbu asked, glancing at Frisk’s yellow skin and unfamiliar features.

Despite the lack of a response, Vi is undeterred. “Well, they seem friendly. Look, we need you to evacuate to the main room before you get hurt.” Vi smirks. “Maybe a reward would be nice, too!” Kabbu and Leif sigh.

Frisk gives Vi a few gold coins. “The heck are these?! I asked for a reward, not scrap metal!!” Vi angrily shouts. “Calm down, Vi. There will be more opportunities.” Leif states, annoyed.

Frisk follows the three as they move on. “You may have misheard us,” Kabbu says, concerned. “The evacuees need to go over to the main room. People unfit for combat like you should not be here.” Frisk looks at Kabbu before motioning to their knife. Kabbu tilts their head. “…you seem skilled with that blade. Very well, you may follow. But practice caution.”

As they walked, Frisk sees the trio stop at a crystal. Frisk stops at a familiar star…

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
FRISK 132:53

SAVE NOT REGISTERED.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —

That’s odd. Surely, just one more try.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
FRISK 132:58

SAVE NOT REGISTERED.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —

This was new. Frisk’s DETERMINATION had failed them. Charlotte picks up on the worry, despite not seeing the star. “Whatever can worry you scares me.” Charlotte speaks, almost mockingly. “Maybe if you let me defend you, you wouldn’t be so scared?” Frisk slams Charlotte on the head before continuing. As they reunite with Team Snakemouth, Vi strikes the yellow crystal. Suddenly..!

-Would you like to SAVE? [-Yes] [-No]

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
FRISK 134:37

FILE SAVED.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —

Kabbu looks at Frisk. “Ah, you seem aquatinted with the power of these crystals. Strike one, and you can create a record of your adventures. Although I’m not sure what that would do…we haven’t had to use that yet, from what my memory recalls.”


—————————————————————————————————

After a quick trek through a dark storage basement, the crew found themselves at a dead end. “..shouldn’t there be something here..?” Charlotte asked, curious.
A drop of honey drips onto Charlotte’s limb. Then another. Then a torrent of honey falls from the ceiling. Frisk shoves Charlotte out of the way, before a creature made of pure honey slams down on top of them, trapping them inside.

“Well..that’s one way to take care of them. C’mon, we have to get out of here!” Charlotte shouts. Vi glares at them. “We can’t just let this thing cause chaos!! Dang, just a few minutes of shutdown and this happens…”

The living sludge creeps closer. Leif freezes them before Kabbu dashes into it, stunning it. Vi throws the Beemarang, but misses. Charlotte also tries to attack, slicing a limb into the honey. It leaves a small cut mark that quickly seals. “Dang it…that kid was a pain, but at least they could fight!” Charlotte states, panicked.

Kabbu takes a blow from the creature, but his horn jabs into its flesh. Leif heals Kabbu, and Kabbu goes in for a heavy strike. Charlotte gets an idea, climbing on top of Kabbu’s head. When he jabs his horn into the beast, Charlotte’s arms also jab into it for far more damage.

“I might not be the strongest, but I can still assist you!” Charlotte shouts, before getting slammed by the creature. Covered in honey, they’re forced to stay still. “..scratch that. I can’t move.”

As Vi jams a needle into the beast, it convulses, before bursting. Frisk falls to the ground, alongside two other figures. Vi tilts her head. “Is that..?”

Mothiva and Zasp stand quickly, with Mothiva pouting. “Don’t say anything.” Vi frowns. “A thank you would—“ Mothiva notices Frisk and perks up. “Ooh, who’s this one? The strength they possess is visible……mine!-“

Mothiva grabs Frisk and runs. Frisk doesn’t seem to mind, letting themself be dragged along. Zasp hurries after her, dropping a keycard. “Wait, you can’t just— Mothiva, wait!!”

Charlotte chuckles. “Finally, they’re gone. I don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for that.” Kabbu glances at them. “What did that child do to you to give you such a distaste to them? They’ve tried to help you at every corner of this factory, so I see no reason to hold ill intentions.” Leif chimes in. “We agree. Such malice is unwarranted.”

Charlotte snaps, their voice glitching and raising in volume.

“You think this is MY FAULT?!? Oh, no, no, no! I had it all, power, control, everything!! Then that kid comes along, slaughters all of my drones, and I barely escape with my life! That kid would’ve killed me if not for that red-haired speed demon…”

”SO WHY THE HELL ARE THEY SO TAME NOW?!?”

Charlotte flinches, seeing the trio tense and nervous. “…we think you should talk it out.” Leif reluctantly suggests. Vi nods. “Kind of repeating what they told me earlier, but you never know when something could happen..! Y-you need to settle it while you can.”

Charlotte seems angry, but nods, scowling. “..very well. I’ll handle it when I find them again. For now, we must carry on.”

————————————————————————————————

The trio had freed the Overseer, rescuing them from a swarm of honey-infused beasts. After returning to the main chamber, they notice a large hole in the door leading to the core. Explosions and whirs echo from within. “This damage was caused by them. I can sense it. We must carry on!” Charlotte motions to the door.

They enter to find Mothiva and Zasp, struggling to stand. A heavy-duty drone flies in front of them, cracked but still functional. It fires a swarm of missiles at Mothiva, and she holds Frisk in front of her. “You make a fine shield, my wingless friend! How you care to be my personal meat shield?-“

~-3~
~-13~
~-17~

Charlotte knocked out Mothiva, guarding Frisk. “Now we’re even. Get ready!!” The drone fired another missile, and Frisk jumps out of the way. Vi throws a boomerang at it, and Frisk throws their knife, knocking it down. Leif freezes it before it can fly up again.

“Be ready to hit it with everything you’ve got.” Leif instructs. The five of them ready to go all out. Vi and Kabbu slam their weapons into it, and. Leif freezes it again. Frisk tosses Charlotte above it, and they both stab into it in unison. It cracks more, before exploding into bits.

You gained 42 Exploration Points!

As the dust settles, a scientist walks in, alongside their assistant. “Great work you three— five?…in any case, we’re ready to swap out the core. Please stand back.”

H.B. secures the new core, holding the Ancient Key out to Kabbu. Red sparks fly through the air. “That’s…unusual, even considering the core swap.” H.B. notes.

Vi jumps back at a noise behind them as a diamond-shaped portal appears. “Ack!- Wh-what is that?!” Charlotte smirks. “That’s our way out.— hey, wait, don’t touch it!! It could kill you!” Charlotte scolds as Vi reaches a hand out. She quickly retracts her hand. “Oh. Well, uh, goodbye, then. Hope you two stop fighting!”

Kabbu bows. “Until we meet again, friends. Safe travels together.” Frisk grabs Charlotte before stepping through the portal. Distant fanfare is heard, fading quickly..

[~You got the Ancient Key!~]

Notes:

And we’re done! First chapter that I had to replay the game to remember lore on..Bug Fables is good, do try it!

Anyway, next chapter will be soon. Debating whether to do Cuphead/Niko or Ness/Shovel Knight next..they both have good stories though…

Next time I won’t be taking too long..at least not as long at this delay. See you then!