Inkwhumptobertale 2024

Day Two

Where it all began - Trust Issues, Amusement Park, Role Reversal, "You got away with the crime while the knife's in my back." 

Trigger warnings: I don't think there's anything bad here, honestly.

Comments are welcome and appreciated! 

Please enjoy!

~~~~~

Killer didn't know what to expect when a goopy skeleton monster had offered him a place in his "gang." Murder, fights, and potentially lethal substances? Probably. A kind and loving family? Doubtful. Regrets? Maybe. But this? He'd fully expected this.

Initiation.

"I have three trials for you to pass before you will become an official member of my gang, Killer." Nightmare informed. "You are not the first I have put through these sorts of tests, but if you are successful, you will be the first member of my gang. Are you prepared to handle these trials?"

"Sure am!" Killer grinned, nodding. "What's up first?"

"I am not starting you out easily - each of these trials will be difficult, and they will only get harder the further you get. We shall start with a variation of yourself: a Sans known as Blue. He is skilled with magic, and he has taken out many of the others who have begun these trials. He's also been my prisoner for several months now, and he's rather desperate to escape; he won't be easy."

"Got it, boss."

"I'm not your boss yet, Killer; you'll have to prove yourself worthy before you may call me that."

Blue was no weakling; as soon as he had been forced into Nightmare's makeshift arena (after a hefty amount of struggling), he locked eyes with Killer, let out a sigh of resignation, and summoned a large barrage of bone constructs, all aimed straight at Killer. Killer, of course, utilized his dodging skills well, not wanting to risk unnecessary damage (there was no guarantee that Nightmare would be healing him between these trials, and Killer didn't want to waste a single point of HP if he didn't have to). Killer exhaled slowly as the barrage ended, narrowing his eyesockets; he analyzed his enemy's stance and technique, and when he saw an opening, he went for it, dashing forward and slashing at the other, catching his opponent off-guard amd knocking him to the ground. He instantly went to end the fight, but Blue reacted quickly, rolling out of harm's way and-

Killer adjusted the trajectory of his blade, catching Blue mid-roll and slicing through his spine. The scream that rang out through the arena was rather pitiful, honestly.

"Very good." Nightmare materialized next to the duo. "Leave him alive - just in case."

"Sure thing." Killer nodded, pulling his blade out of Blue's back and forcing his opponent to let out another scream. 

Blue was sent away through a portal, and Nightmare let out a chuckle, sending a dark pulse of negativity into the air.

"I hope you're ready for the second trial - for your benefit, I'll warn you: this is not a test of your combat skills. You can't win in a battle against him, so don't try - you'd only die."

With that, Nightmare disappeared, and a new portal opened - a glitchy, staticky portal. Out of it came a bored-looking..was that the Destroyer of Worlds Nightmare had told him about? Killer didn't have time to dwell on that; the Destroyer of Worlds was firing magic strings at him - joy. Killer moved out of the way of the first few strings, moving to slice them with his knife, but..they didn't cut. He flung himself out of the way of the next few strings, and the ones after that, moving farther away from the Destroyer to give himself more reaction time; this seemed to be a test regarding his dodging skills, and he wasn't going to disappoint! Every string that was sent his way was avoided entirely, a few by the slimmest of margins, but most of them being dodged with time to spare. The room the two were in was beginning to fill up, though, and Killer's dodging space was running out. He would have to navigate around the ones that were already present, making sure not to touch them; he didn't think things would go well if he brushed up against any of them. So Killer ducked, hopped, and weaved around the strings that had been sent at him earlier, navigating his way around the twisted web that he found himself in as he avoided the new strings that made themselves a part of it. He could feel the magic that pulsed through them, at least - that helped greatly in that regard.