~A Final Choice~ (Skephalo)

Chapter 28: Shatter

~Skeppy's pov~

The loud snap was followed by a yelp of pain. 

Everyone, even XD and Niki, while still gripped on to each other, turned to see what had happened.

XD allowed his ribbons to fall away from Bad momentarily, to see what exactly what had been done.

Bad stumbled back, bitting his lip, trying to hold back pain filled tears.

He clutched his left forearm as it hung limply beside him, obviously broken, maybe even in several places.

"... Oops..." XD mumbled, looking at that ground.

"Oops? Oops?! Bad!" I yell through the green wall, capturing his attention.

Bad looked over to me. He stood up as straight as he could mange, and then forced a reassuring smile onto his face.

It broke my heart knowing that even while he was feeling all this pain, I was still his top priority.

"I thought I told you to stay quiet human."

XD let out an angry sigh, not even bothering to tie Bad up again as he turned back to the angel he had clutched in his hand.

His hand that once held Bad in place burst into something that resembled green flames, and he began reaching down for the trapped girl.

"Wait!" 

Bad choked out a shriek that echoed out through the clearing. Surprisingly, the god stopped dead in his tracks.

"Wait... XD... Let her go." Bad panted as his eye flicked, trying to gather any magic that would be of use.

"Incredible. Even in your extremely injured and fatigued state, you still mange to collect magic. I must say, I'm impressed." XD half-taunted.

"XD... You said it yourself." Bad continued, his body barely managing to gather strength. "This isn't her fight. She has nothing to do with this!.. Let. Her. Go."

"Why would I-" He began his snarky response to Bad's comment, before seeming to reconsider. The magic he had been using disappeared, leaving only the threads that tied Niki to his hand.

"Bad." XD lowered his head as he spoke. "Come here."

I looked between the two of them. 

I don't want Bad to go near him... I want him to vanish, and I want to help Bad! But I'm only human... trapped in a box...

Bad blinked at him a few times.

"Wh-"

"Because, Bad." the god interrupted in a grave voice. "We were right, this isn't Niki's battle. I'm going to set her free right now. You, however, are going to take her place, by walking to me, willingly... and if you need  anymore motivation, it would take me two seconds to slice her in half..." He paused, and then sighed, "I hate to play these games. Remember, you pushed me to this."

Bad froze, his gaze flickering between the two of them, and me.

Should I shout at him..? Should I tell him not to? But if I do that... Niki gets hurt... But if I don't Bad will get hurt...

I shuffle in place as my thoughts overwhelmed me. 

Why did I have to be a stupid human?! Why couldn't I have the power to stop this, to keep Bad safe...

I'm drawn away from my thoughts by the sound of footsteps. I look up, horrified, to see Bad approach the seething god, only to stop a few feet before him.

"Bad..." 

My whisper is left unheard as Bad's voice rings out.

"Let her go."

XD just snickered.

"So brave... So selfless..." He mocked, before pulling Niki closer to himself to growl in her face. "I'm warning you, angel girl, tell anyone about this, and, well, let's just say you won't have to be a guardian angel anymore."

He snapped his hand back, freeing her from the ribbons and allowing her to stumble back.

"Go!" he shouted, his voice seeming to shake the very ground we were standing on.

Niki cast one final apologetic place to us, before limping through the fog.

Once she vanished, XD held a hand out to Bad. 

A look of defeat was plastered over Bad's face.

He slowly reached out, and took XD's hand, allowing himself to be pulled close.

"XD, why are you doing this? If you wanted Skeppy so bad, why did you go through all the trouble of harming Niki?" Bad's voice kept and even, calm tone, even while XD slipped one of his hands down onto Bad's shoulder.

He didn't even flinch. Hie eyes were locked... with mine.

He is still trying to protect me...

"Hmm..." XD paused, a hint of smugness slipped into his horrible voice. "You talk too much..." He paused yet again, almost to gloat about the position he has us in. "You know... We could fix that."

A spool of green thread appeared to Bad's side, and XD conjured up a needle, making a point by dragging the cold, sharp metal across Bad's face.

"No!"

I barely even recognize my voice... I shouted at a god...A cruel god who was hurting my friend!

I could feel tears beginning to run down my cheeks, but these weren't tears of pain or fear... These were angry tears, tears that burned my eyes and blurred my vision.

XD gave me a funny look, while Bad looked shocked at my input.

It wasn't long before the god of chaos retaliated.

In a moment, before I could even blink again, the green ribbon had returned, tying Bad's arms to his sides and painfully squeezing his left arm. In one, swift movement, using the threads attached to his hands, XD swung Bad away, throwing him away as if he were a doll.

Bad flew to the side of the platform, his head colliding with the golden railings.

I couldn't tell from behind the green wall, even while it was translucent, but the logical side of me knew... Bad had to be unconscious by now... especially after that.

I snap my head back to the god... a god that I now hated with every fiber of my being.

He stared down at me, before doing what must be the equivalent of kneeling for someone who just hovers above the ground. It was almost like it was his last form of mockery.

"Remember, you wanted this... so now that that is out of the way, let's talk, human."