Blood Vines | (Skephalo)

"You don't know how much I fucking missed you."

"Wake up Puffy. Wake up Sapnap. We're here." Nikki tugged at her hair as she fluttered her eyes open, the smell of sand and trees hitting her.

Smelling an environment that didn't linger with the scent of blood was refreshing for her. She enjoyed it. She took Niki's hand to help her get up.

Getting Sapnap to get up, they looked down at the side of the boat. They were on land and people were unloading their items and animals from the cargo section. The sky was dark and torches lit up the way.

She spotted Sam, who waved at hey. Returning the gesture, she ran out of the boat, dragging Niki along with her.

"Hey what are you- my hand hurts!"

Getting deep enough into the spruce forest that sat in front of the shore where they were secluded, Puffy hugged her warmly.

"You don't know how much I fucking missed you." Niki's blue eyes stared into her pink ones. Giving a sigh, Niki returned the hug to her.

"I'm just glad our feud is over." She coughed a bit, clearing her throat. "We can finally be together again with no bad blood."

"And all your unfinished business is done?"

"Yep. And you?"

"I just have one more thing I need to finish here... Stay with Tommy and the others. I need to do something."

"Whatever you say my beloved sheep pirate." They held hands as they went out of the forest. Puffy quickly went to bring Sapnap and Sam to the side, signalling they had to do something.

"What is it?" Sam brushed off some bread crumbs he got covered in from moving cargo.

"Skeppy's castle. He may have left something for us."

They both mouthed out an 'o' in usion.

"Hey Sam, can I borrow your cords paper?"

"Sure. It;s right here." She was given the crumpled paper.

Leading the way with nothing but a torch and Sapnap's fire for assistance, they walked through the dark spruce forest, searching for Skeppy's lost castle.

"He said he had a polar bear or two, didn't he? We should be looking for those too-" Sam stopped to scream as he tripped over a stick and tumbled into an open ditch, his torch blowing out in the darkness.

"Sam! Are you okay? Sapnap and Puffy ran down to help him, their feet sinking in snow as they felt around for the green haired man with a gas mask.

"Right here. Puffy, you're standing on my leg." Puffy moved her foot and went to help him. He rubbed his temple in pain.

Puffy saw an unfamiliar silhouette in the darkness and shined her torch at it. A ruined portal with some red demon blocks and a piece of wool beside it.

Wait...

She gestured to Sapnap to shine a bit of his burning body towards it. A tall stone castle dimly illuminated in the fire from a distance.

"His castle!" Dragging Sam's injured body along with him, they ran towards the great castle in the distance.

Taking out the cloak, she backed the others away as she opened up the door, two polar bears jumped out and tackled the woman to the ground.

She felt sharp teeth gnaw onto her skin when she shoved the cloak into the bears' noses.

When they realized what it was, they backed away, whimpering and in confusion. Puffy recovered from the attack, squatting to the polar bears' level and pushed the cloak to them, ruffling their fur.

One had a scar and one had a torn up ear. They also had collars with the names 'Scar' and 'Andy' written on them in Skeppy's handwriting.

"I'm sorry. Skeppy's dead."

It was hard for her to even say as tears fell down her face, but she still had to keep moving. Sapnap and Sam frowned as the bears whimpered and yelped as they learnt of their owner's death.

Puffy brushed past them into the entrance and looked at the cold stone lobby and hallways.

"Can you show us Skeppy's bedroom?" She heard Sapnap ask the bears. Scar ran out into one of the hallways, and the trio followed.

They passed the study, kitchen, smithroom, even a clothes making room as they made it to a stairwell, where Scar sat and curled by.

Puffy petted him and sprinted up the stairs, emerging in a short hallway with only three doors.

Sam and Sapnap came up as well, looking as confused and short breathed as Puffy.

She finally managed some emotional and mental strength and opened the first door, which was only a small private study and library.

Not what they were looking for.

She opened the second door, which was only a furnace and smelting room. She stared at the last door intently, an open window dimly lighting up the castle.

She twisted the nob and twisted the last door open. A heap of fur, hide, and woolen blanket sat at a corner of the room. The other was filled with chests and papers were scattered everywhere.

Chests were opened and left like that haphazardly, the temperature was freezing cold and a small crumpled note sat at the end of the bed, which caught her eye.

"Skeppy tried. Poor guy." Sam said as Puffy uncrumpled the paper, a bit of his handwriting catching her eye. She started to read it out loud for everyone around to hear.