Chapter Text
“Welcome to Epic Minigames! Are you ready for an epic day?”
———
Harley loved her job. She loved this park, she loved being Charlatan, she loved the routine, and she loved seeing robloxians smile and laugh!
The day’s first game was Balloon Platoon. That was always an easy one. She’d hold up the different boards, and wait for the players to hit the right color. Nothing difficult.
After that was Drawing the Line. Everyone did a pretty good job of staying on the line, though there were a few outliers, whom she made sure to cheer up afterwards.
Today wasn’t much different from the norm, (which was just the way she liked it), and there was no reason for Harley to be this excited. At least, that’s what she wanted people to think. In reality, there was a new minigame planned for the end of the day, and she couldn’t wait to see what people would think!
In fact, there goes its host now!
"Ringmaster!”
"Oh, Harley. How are you, my friend?”
Harley rolled her eyes, grinning. “You can’t call me that while we’re on the job! You know that!”
Ringmaster let out an exasperated sigh, but there was a small smile on his face. “Yes yes, Charlatan.”
"So, you ready for your new minigame?”
Judging by his frown, that was a no.
"What is it?”
"I guess I’m simply nervous. We’ve never had a minigame with this much potential danger before.”
"It’ll be fine, Ringsy! If anyone can handle it, it’s you!”
"You really think that?”
"Of course I do! I trust you.”
”Thank you, Harley. You’re probably right. Everything will be just fine.”
———
Finally, after many more rounds and games, some of which were done by Harley’s other coworkers, it was time for the day’s main event.
"Good evening everyone!” She shouted over the speakers. “If you haven’t noticed, today’s last minigame is a special surprise we’ve prepared just for you! You’re the very first group to play our new minigame: Infernal Impasse! Teams of 3 will attempt to perform the most spectacular fire acts in order to get the doors to open! Your host for this game will be the Ringmaster!”
After that, Charlatan gladly found her booth, settling in with some popcorn. She could see Ringmaster from here, and she could tell by the way he was fidgeting he was still nervous. So, she waved to get his attention, and then gave him a thumbs-up.
Finally, the game began. Teams were doing fine at first, performing the stunts displayed on the doors. The green team had been in the lead, but blue was closing in on them. Rings seemed to be pretty excited as well. That was good!
“How about we up the ante?” came booming through the speakers, as the Ringmaster pulled a lever, causing the arena to rumble. “For the final part, the teams will work together to face this last, devious door!”
Wait, weren’t they saving this part for after the debut? Something about safety concerns?
But if Ringmaster was willing to use it, maybe she just missed the inspection? Everything would be fine, right?
Right?
The door roared, spitting fireballs left and right. Still, the teams fought valiantly, weaving through and doing all the puzzles needed to avoid it. It seemed like all would end well.
Then a stray fireball hit the pillar.
And everything went up in flames.
———
The smoke was everywhere, covering the circus in a dark grey. She could hear shouts, but she couldn’t tell from where. When she tried to call out for everyone to remain calm, not a single soul cared. Still, it was her responsibility to get these people out safely.
So, she ran out into the smoke, trying to use the sound of crackling to find where the flame was at that point. She knew where the nearest door was. She just needed to get it open and get everyone out. As she ran, she heard parents trying to comfort terrified children, and saw shapes moving, presumably trying to find the exit as well.
The flames were spreading fast, quickly covering the lower few seats. She needed to check on those people, but hopefully one of the other employees was on it. She kept moving, eventually finding a door. However, when she pushed at it, it didn’t budge. Right, during the shows, to open the door, she’d need her keycard. Her keycard… which was in her booth.
Shit.
Harley sprinted back at the same speed she came, but it was too late. When she reached her booth, it was already up in flames. Her keycard was gone. Maybe if she could find Ringmaster, he could help? His keycard was the only other one with that much access. All the other hosts had gone home after their shifts.
As she ran back to the host’s stand, she barely avoided tripping over unconscious bodies, or the pieces of rubble scattered around. But when she arrived, there was no sign of him.
“Rings? RINGMASTER! WHERE ARE YOU!”
Had he found a way out? Why had he abandoned everyone? Or worse, was he one of those collapsed bodies?
She didn’t have time to worry about that. Think, Harley, think. What would Charlatan do?
She didn’t know what to do.
None of her training had prepared her for this.
How was she supposed to figure this out?
Spawn, she felt dizzy. Was this where she died? No, she couldn’t think that. If she can survive long enough, surely emergency services would be here to help.
But the situation was getting worse. The few remaining supports were creaking and falling, all accompanied by the sounds of things falling apart. She didn’t have to see the faces of those pinned down by the flaming rubble to tell what agony that was.
In the darkness, she felt a hand grab at her. She almost jumped away, only to see a small girl looking at her with round eyes. “Charlatan, are we going to be alright?”
Right, Charlatan. What would Charlatan say?
“Of course! This is just… part of the game! We’ve gotta get out of here! So just, stay close to me, alright?”
The girl nodded, and the two took off together.
“Where are your parents, kid?”
"I lost track of my mom, and my mama had wanted to stay home today.” The girl sniffled a bit at that, before coughing from the ash in the air.
"Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”
Well, now she had a kid to get out of here. She could break the doors down, right? There was a piece of metal laying by her feet. It was still hot to the touch, but she couldn’t care anymore. She tried to charge at an entrance. When the metal didn’t pierce it, she pounded and shoved at it. Her efforts failed to knock it open, but they did manage to knock some rubble onto her, startling the girl.
"Are you alright, Charlatan?”
”Of course I am, kid! Don’t worry about me! Just…” She picked off a piece of the flaming rubble, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood simply to avoid screaming and scaring the girl further. She threw it at the door, and sure enough it began to burn.
"Run through there, and don’t look back. Don’t stop running either. You understand, kid?”
The girl reluctantly nodded, turning towards where the door had been and running right through. Charlatan attempted to follow, crawling to keep up, but it burned. Oh Spawn it burned. She tried to push it off, but the fire was on her sleeve now. She couldn’t move enough to put it out, and was helpless to watch it spread. And it hurt. It fucking hurt. It seared at her skin, burning her flesh away, leaving no room for blood. But eventually, the pain went away. Was it over? Had she passed on to somewhere else?
No, she was still here. She could hear someone shouting, patting away at one of her limbs, and eventually lifting the weight off her. Were they asking her something?
"ss, Miss, can you hear me? Are you with us?”
She nodded, looking around. It seemed like everything had finally burnt down, nothing left to indicate that a circus had ever stood here. Maybe that was how the medics were able to get in. Now that they were here…
She was so, so tired.
"Miss? Miss, please stay with us!”
———
When Harley awoke, she was in a sterile white room, laying in a stiff blue bed. She looked around, trying to figure out how she possibly got here. There was a chair at one side, a nightstand on the other, and a tv right in front of her. In fact, it was on right now.
"Breaking News: 500 hospitalized, 400 presumed dead after incident at famous Epic Minigames experience.”
500, huh? She tried to reach for the remote, to turn it off (or maybe turn it up. She wasn’t sure), but her hands refused to cooperate, screaming in pain. Fortunately for her, it seems like one of the staff of wherever this was figured out what she wanted, helping her to turn it off. And in the reflection, she saw herself.
Her clothes hadn’t changed from what they were, but one of her sleeves was completely burnt off, along with most of that half of her outfit. On the skin she could see, there were deep, gaping, blackened gashes in her body.
The nurse seemed to be trying to talk to her. Something about 30%, third degree burns. Or maybe something saying that she did a good job of trying to assist. It didn’t really matter.
Instead, Harley was looking at the Charlatan mask. Or, more accurately, the tattered half that remained, next to a disfigured portion of her face. Part of it seemed to have melded into her skin, actually.
What am I going to do without Charlatan?