Awakened

Rage

((I'll be honest, HUGE TW for this chapter. Mostly the end. Blood, graphic imagery, all of that. If last chapter didn't get you.. this one probably will.)

It took nearly an entire day before Blue actually left that house with the villager. Dream and the others returned from a trip in the Nether to be confronted by the horrific scene. The dragon was crying, almost taking off to look for the villagers instead. Thankfully, Geno and Horror convinced him otherwise.
If that witch could do this, who knew what she would do to him. Dream wasn't built to fight.

So he moped about the village, golden tears causing strange new plants to sprout about the place.
Blue remained in the house, the body still cold as it went rigid and began to smell like death.
A repulsive, nauseatingly sweet and sour smell.

Eventually Horror had enough, gently pulling him away. In a fit of loss, the skeleton outright shoved him off, lights in half of the village flaring as blue as his eyelights- which were currently absent when he went to cry over the corpse again.

He was defeated by nightfall, allowing the zombie to gently lead him away, back to his own place. Blue wasn't very responsive, but Horror managed to get him out of the armor and wash off the crusty mess of dried blood. Surprisingly he let Merlot mess with the stained gloves and bandana. The slime was shockingly adept at pulling stains off fabric.

Then he just sat next to Blue for an hour or so, staring at the stars and mumbling about recipes he was experimenting with.
Eventually Blue did respond again, and it was to ask an entirely unexpected question.
“... Where's Carrot?”

Horror stammered for a moment, frowning.
“I.. haven't seen him.” He mumbled, caught off guard by the uncharacteristic raspy and faint voice.
Blue stared out over the water, before closing his sockets and sighing deeply.
When they opened again, his eyelights were back, though small and dim.
“He followed her, then.”

“..Are you sure?” Horror asked. He was inclined to believe it, the cat was a lot smarter than he appeared- he could speak and pretended otherwise, after all. He just had to ask.
“He is loyal to this village. I know him. He would follow her.” Blue stated, finally standing.

Horror followed, concerned. “And what are you going to do?” He asked, a little nervous when the other didn't face him.
Until Blue did, speaking in the quietest, yet most serious tone he'd ever heard.
“I am going to follow them, and bring my villagers back.” He then started walking away, in his clothes, completely unarmored.

“Alone?” Horror questioned, following.
“If I have to.” Blue replied stonily before glancing at him. “I doubt that will be the case.”
“Of course not. We'd all come with you.”
“Not everyone.” He surprisingly asserted.
“I need some to stay, in case she planned on returning to try this again knowing we'd follow. She did this knowingly. She clearly saw we protected this village. She knew we would not allow this. She still waited until no one was here for several hours to. To do this.” He shuddered, marching to his mansion.

Already Dust was following, having spotted them. Killer was running over, desperately worried. Blue didn't greet either of them, simply speaking matter-of-factly, almost without emotion.
“So those that do badly in confrontation will stay. The withers will stay to protect the village. And everyone else willing may come.”

“How long have you been thinking about this?” Dust asked, bewildered as they headed into the mansion.
Blue was cold. “I'm thinking of it now. I cannot let her get away with this.” There was clopping as Cross and Epic rushed to join them, silent and stone-faced.
“I cannot let her assume I will let her do this if she pretends it's a minor.. favor. It is not. She killed a mother and stole a child.”