DELTAREI: A Deltarune AU. [16+] (NOW COMPLETED)

Chapter 14: Dave

-FRIDAY, JANUARY 20TH, 2023.-

It was Friday, January 20th, and the temperatures had warmed slightly to 20 degrees despite the overcast skies. School let out at 3:20 PM, and Jack made his way to the Dark Closet to venture into the Dark World. 

As he was about to enter, a light-skinned, average-looking classmate named Dave stopped him, pulling him back by his hood.

I turned around, feeling a mix of surprise and annoyance. Who did Dave think he was?

Jack- "What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Dave- "Cut the crap," he said. "I've seen you sneaking into the Dark Closet. I want to know what's going on."

I pushed Dave's hand off my hood, taking a step back to create some distance between us. He may be 2 inches shorter than me (5'4), and a year younger than me (16), but I didn't like being ambushed like this.

Jack- "Back up, Dave, you have no right to DRAG me AROUND like that!"

Dave- "I have every right to know what you're hiding," he countered. "You keep sneaking into that Closet. It's suspicious."

Jack- "Fine, we'll go into the Closet together. But that's it. We're not friends or anything."

Dave smirked, clearly satisfied with himself.

Dave- "Whatever you say, bud."

I rolled my eyes but begrudgingly led the way towards the Dark Closet, not looking forward to this 'buddy adventure.'

We entered the Dark Closet and passed the familiar cliffs, Dave moving with confidence. I couldn't help but wonder how long he'd been doing this. Was he a regular like Risk? 

As we approached Ralsei's castle, I noticed something odd. The prince was missing.

"Where's Ralsei?" I asked, trying to keep the suspicion out of my voice. 

Dave shrugged, looking puzzled. "I have no idea where Ralsei is," he said. "But we should probably check things out." After that of course, we then made our way through the crowded field of Hopes and Dreams and the quiet Scarlet Forest, eventually reaching the Card Castle. There, we found Susie and the queen, and it was clear that Susie had joined their side.

Susie- "You again, still trying to weasel your way into our friend group?"

I suppressed a frown at Susie's revelation. I wasn't exactly surprised that she had joined the queen, considering her dislike for me, as Risk then came in, ready to fight, at the right time too.

Risk- "What's going on here?"

The queen raised her hand, silencing us all with her usual authority. Before anyone could speak, her mech suit crashed down from the sky, landing with a thunderous thud. Trees toppled, cracks spread across the castle, and a brief power outage followed. The power flicked back on, glass shattering as the impact echoed through the castle. Risk unsheathed his sword, eyes locked on Susie and the queen. We all braced ourselves for the inevitable fight. Susie swung her axe down at Dave, her attack creating a shockwave traveling forward like in the game. But Risk swiftly intervened, repelling the wave with his sword, which had a powerful enchantment. He blocked the attack, shielding Dave from the blow. Risk jumped backwards to his original position, his REAL SWORD glowing with a faint aura of telekinetic energy. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the sword towards the queen, aiming for a weak spot in her mech suit. The blade struck true, damaging the suit and giving the group an opening. Jack seized the opportunity, preparing his own attack. Then, Jack focused his energy, channeling his inner firebender. He raised his palms, conjuring a burst of bright orange flames. With a swift motion, he hurled the inferno towards the weakened mech suit of the queen. The fire struck its mark, engulfing the queen and her suit in a devastating blaze. The machine sputtered, malfunctioned, and then exploded, leaving the rest of the group facing off against Susie. The explosion reduced the queen's mech suit to a pile of smoldering wreckage. Wires sparked, and a mixture of dirtiness, black oil, and water soaked the remains. The queen's shattered head and damaged robot parts lay amidst the shattered glass, remnants of her escape route Susie, a rare hint of FEAR in her eyes, snatched her axe and fled the scene. It was clear that the we had won this battle. I turned to Dave, an unexpected feeling of gratitude welling up inside me. "Thanks for the help back there," I said sincerely. "I guess you're not so bad after all." 

I turned to Dave, an unexpected feeling of gratitude welling up inside me.

Dave- "Hey, no problem, it was kind of fun, y'know? Friends?" Dave asked, grinning wider.

Jack- "Yeah, friends." 

Then, we both dapped each other up, and Dave then asked me "Oh uh... what's your name again?", as he gave me a slight fist bump before we left and I told him:

Jack- "Well, I was born as "A Guy Called Jack", but you can call me Jack or Jack Evolved."

Then, Dave nods, waving to us that he'll see us later, as I wave back to him as me and Risk walk back to our homes in the snow, and so does Dave in the opposite direction, I can't believe, today was a good day.