Lionhearts ||Skephalo||

38

Skeppy lifts Tubbo onto his back, allowing the sleepy teenager to piggyback for the first leg of the journey.

"So we head to the path leading out of the city," he checks with Sapnap, who nods, pulling on his boots, "and then just keep going till we reach the teleportation circle?"

Fundy cuts in,

"Yeah. Once we get there I'll take you through in a few trips, since Eret was nice enough to show me photos of the circle there. I'll go on my own first, just in case, and then come back."

Tubbo yawns, and rests his chin on Skeppy's shoulder. The boy is practically the same height as Skeppy, but mercifully lighter due to his malnourished body. Fundy would've carried him, but he needs all his energy to teleport them, and Sapnap is taking the bulk of their supplies.

"I don't see why I can't carry Tubbo," Tommy grumbles, tying a bandana around his neck to cover it from the chilly breezes, "I'm taller than ye both."

Skeppy rolls his eyes.

"Is this really what you want to quarrel about?" He asks, exasperated. "I'm carrying Tubbo so that you can defend yourself if needed. If you carried Tubbo, both of you would be sitting ducks, but if I carry him I can drop his ass in half a second to defend us. See?"

"You're in the optimal stabbing position," Sapnap quips playfully, "Plus that means you're MY teammate!"

Both of the boys are still shaken by the death of the previous night, but Tommy at least seems to have fought his grief down for the moment...by layering his urge to protect Tubbo over it until he bordered on ridiculously overprotective.

Tubbo was still...shaken. He stumbled while walking and he had fallen down the stairs that morning, so they decided it was for the best that he was carried. Eret had provided a few more resources once he was rested. Skeppy began further doubting that Eret was just an organization leader when he saw the amount of resources he had access to...but it wasn't his position to prod, he supposed.

So they were getting ready, setting up and preparing to hit the road for the final stretch. Skeppy had told the boys they weren't coming to the Nether, and he meant it— but they refused to not come to the embassy at the very least. And, well...

It could be worse. It could be so much worse.
So they were coming to the embassy. Fundy swore up and down that he would take them right back to the city once Eret's contacts arrived, and Skeppy even made Tubbo promise not to follow them through the portal.

Tubbo flinches, and buries his face into Skeppy's hood sleepily.

"M hearing a voice sorta," he murmurs, and Skeppy raises a brow.

"Oh?"

"Feels like a daydream though," the teen sighs, "Sucks. It sounded like Phil...kinda."

Sapnap winces. He and Skeppy exchange glances, mutually agreeing this was a side effect of the shock of the previous night; part of the denial stage, possibly.

"Well, what did it say?" Fundy encourages, and Tubbo tilts his head to look at the shifter.

"...'Soon.' It just said that, and I...think I heard 'Techno' as well..." As soon as the name is mentioned, Skeppy stiffens, only for Tubbo to continue, "...I...I think he misses his sons. Tech, Will, me, Tommy...he must feel...really lonely."

Tech?

"...Tubbo," Skeppy asks warily, "Did you just imply Techno is your brother?"

Tommy nods and steps in,

"Adopted, see. Phil kinda picked up a lot o' us and just made a little family of his own."

Tubbo nods.

"He was nicer," he murmurs, "Before all this. Tech taught us how to do cool stuff and sparred with us. I miss him."

Although a confused flame of betrayal flickers up in Skeppy's heart, Sapnap presses on,

"So...this has to do with the parasite, I'd think? He changed after it, didn't he?"

Tommy stretches as Fundy throws on his jacket.

"Yeah he fuckin did," the blond confirms with a grumble, "Like, 'e was a little murderous to begin with, but he always had it under control. He had honor, you know? But then after the parasite thing started showing up in our world, he got all...how do I say this?...pig 'eaded."

Tubbo begins giggling at the phrase, and Tommy rolls his eyes, but nobody misses the smile on his face hearing Tubbo cheer up a little.

"He became stubborn?" Fundy asks, lost in this explanation. Tommy nods.

"Acted like he was god or somethin'. Anyone who spoke out against him was thrown out."

"God complex," Fundy offers, "He thought he was god." Tommy nods again.

"Basically. When Phil tried to reason with him, we got tossed out. And well, Phil's a mage, Tubbo's a mage, we needed Techno's grace to even bloody exist in the fortress. If we 'ad defied him Tubbo would've been killed and probably Phil too...though, good luck killing that stubborn son of a bitch. He just doesn't die."

He sucks in a breath, a look of fear in his eyes as though he suddenly felt he had jinxed it.

"From his reputation, Philza is a mage extremely versed in death-related magic," Fundy offers, "Goes to reason some of that magic is preventing death."

Sapnap holds up a finger,

"Wait, what's your magic? Aside from shifting."

Fundy shrugs.

"Eh, illusions, teleportation, botany..."

"Botany??" It's chorused by the other three in absolute confusion. Fundy shrugs again,

"Hey, I'm a jack of all trades sort of guy!"

"...so you don't have a specialty," Tubbo snipes, and Fundy winces. "Isn't that right?"

"...okay, okay, maybe I don't," he defends, ears flattening, "But not having one kind of magic I'm super good at doesn't mean I'm not good at what I do know!"

"Alright, fox man," Sapnap teases, and Fundy rolls his eyes.

"I could've been a fish like my ma, I think this is the better option!"

Their back and forth is interrupted by Eret emerging from the study with a small book and a compass, both of which he offers to Sapnap.

"That's a book on Nether flora and fauna," he explains, "And a compass that is supposed to point to the portal you'll be using. Just in case you get lost."

Sapnap gives him a look of gratitude and practically glowing affection. They really have quite a bond, Skeppy reflects, Eret probably did something pretty big to earn Sapnap's complete trust like he has.

But bonds and books aside, it's finally time to set off...just past noon.

Skeppy winces when he sees the sun directly overhead, its burning rays quickly making him uncomfortably warm, but it did take a while for everyone to be ready.
Eret waves to them as they set off, wishing them the best luck with their quest.

Skeppy hopes they'll return someday soon.