The apartment was quiet, quieter than it would typically be. However, 3/4s of its inhabitants were gone, two working at the mayoral building and another getting groceries. Its last resident, a mustached man named Mumbo, sat at a computer in his room, sighing as he stared at the screen in front of him. He thought about stopping, taking a break to drink some coffee, but shook his head. He wanted to get work done, the excitement that usually got him to work now lacking. Still, he pushed on, silently hoping that his roommates got back sooner.
<~-=-~>
"Have a great rest of the day you two!" Bdubs called to Grian and Scar as they left the building.
Scar grinned, waving. "You too Bdubs! Don't overwork yourself again!"
Scar's response caused Grian to laugh, his colorful feathers ruffling with amusement. "As if you haven't passed out on your desk from working three days straight!"
Despite their bickering, they laughed it off, talking about random topics that went everywhere. As they passed by a nearby McJonald's, Scar gasped, stopping at the fast food restaurant.
"Gri, we should get food for Mumbo and Iskall!"
"You're just too lazy to cook." Grian still agreed to the proposal as his friend opened the door for him. For a split second, he thought he should have opened the door for him, but it didn't matter now.
That is until there was a sudden CRASH! The glass door shut behind him, and as Grian whipped around, a large cloud of dust covered his line of sight.
"Scar? SCAR?!"
He attempted to push the door open but to no avail. While he struggled, the dust settled, and there was a medium-sized mound of rubble that had fallen from some building, the hero Shockwave attempted to pin down Blackjack in the background. The avian instantly spotted Scar's red sleeves and upper half of his body, the lower half crushed by the same mound of rubble that blocked the entrance. Terrified, his instincts kicked in, his normal human legs quickly shifting into bird-like legs. Under any normal circumstance, this shift would be at least a little bit painful and take time, but thanks to past experiences and adrenaline, it not only caused no pain but was done within seconds.
He kicked down the glass door with sharp talons, half-flying, and half-running towards Scar. The taller was unconscious and didn't appear to be bleeding, but Grian still panicked until the largest piece of building that pinned Scar down the most was suddenly lifted up. He turned, and a tall, somewhat green horse-looking person lifted it up with ease, tossing it far away from anyone else.
"Go get him and yourself to safety. I'll take care of those who are inside." The hero Ixionid stated, not waiting for a reply as he headed into the McJonald's. Grian simply nodded, spreading his wings as he attempted to hold up Scar. As he took to the air, He had to use his arms to hold him up while wrapping his legs around Scar's body to prevent him from falling. Despite the worry that started to bottle up inside him, he managed to start flying toward the incoming ER ambulances, using his wings to shield both Scar and him. Occasionally something would hit his wings, and at some point, he almost dropped his friend when a stray spark from Shockwave fried some of his feathers, but he made it to the rescue team. A small group of paramedics helped get Scar and carried him into one of the ambulances, and due to his wings' injuries, Grian was asked to enter the same van.
As the van drove off, a paramedic in the ambulance checked on both him and Scar. However, there was a lingering feeling deep in his gut that wanted to go help Ixionid and Shockwave, maybe help get more people out.
No... that's passed me now... he thought, shaking his head. It's about me and my friends now, it's okay to be selfish. You're not a hero.
And while he sat in the slightly cramped van, eyes fluttering closed from how much he managed to exhaust himself, a singular thought bubbled up amidst the chaos that whirled through his brain.
Well... you're not anymore.
<~-=-~>
"POKER ARE WE DONE HERE?!" Blackjack screamed into the radio, running from Shockwave's various bolts of lightning and random explosions from the sparks that seemed to radiate off of him. While Blackjack was the leader of the group that called themselves the "Gaming Casino," Poker still held most of the money and held it above them like a dog being baited for treats.
Poker, however, simply hummed. "Yeah, of course! I got the message through, we can head out now!"
Blackjack slid a card out from his sleeve, expertly throwing it at Shockwave like a ninja star. As soon as the card got into the hero's range, it exploded into a cloud of smoke, giving him the perfect chance to run. Still, he activated a card in his other sleeve, effectively turning him invisible. As Poker and Blackjack met up in a dark gray van, signaling to their hired-on driver to start up the engine, Blackjack stared at his partner in crime. Poker had the exact same suit and has him, the only difference was the diamonds that were embedded into his suit and the stripes of blue on his poker chip mask. While Blackjack's outfit was simple, Poker's embodied his rich and entitled personality.
As they sat in the AC, Blackjack slightly panting, he pulled his mask up to expose his mouth, taking a gulp of water. "What sort of message would force us to risk our lives for?!" He slid his mask back down, attempting to keep his cool. The van's driver glanced back at the duo before turning back towards the road, noticing the tension in the air.
"Relax, Jackie!" Poker giggled, settling into his seat. "I just needed to let a little friend of mine know about the deal with parasite Elsa! Remember, you sent the letter this morning!"
He tries not to cringe at the nickname, simply groaning instead. "Yeah yeah, don't remind me about Frost. I will never understand your connections."
The ride becomes silent, and as night falls, the city is quick to fix up the recent battle. After a day, the streets and buildings will be as good as new, as if the fight had never happened.
<~-=-~>
In the distance, a hooded figure stood on top of the mayoral building, appearing to just be watching. Their posture, while still and precise, was the opposite of his hands. Shaking like a phone getting spammed, he clenched his clammy hands, although that did little for the amount of stress he was in. The fight that had occurred just recently was only a diversion, a distraction from the Gambling Duo's true goal.
It was just a message, a small piece of paper that meant more than anyone could believe. It simply said, "Having a frosty gathering, choose where you'll dance!"
Sure, it sounded innocent, but the shadow knew it was a warning. Everything Poker said and wrote to him always had a different meaning.
The shroud stood there for a while longer, wondering what his next moves would be. The Frost Warden was a force to be reckoned with, he knew what he could do. But the Lush Shroud might be tethered to Poker thanks to an IOU, he was only aligned to one person.
The mayor himself.
new chapter! in short, there's scar and grian pain, shockwave and ixionid treat, blackjack and poker plotting, and lush shroud not being able to sleep tonight thanks to poker because : )
go guess who everyone is, i'd love to hear your theories!
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Engulfed In Crime And Chaos
Fanfiction[A Hermitcraft AU] Hermitra was one of the many cities in the lands known as Mecryta. Its mayor, Ren King Dog, has managed to keep the city under a state of orderly chaos along with the heroes that inhabit it. However, the villains are restless, and...
