With the image of massacre haunting him, Stinger gathered the remaining soldiers and attempted to rally them. It may have worked on them, but Stinger's fake confidence was fading, and he found himself sinking into his darker fears. Images flashed through his mind: the soldiers he never knew dropping to the ground, Telk's eyes turning blank, Avia being swarmed by nightmarish soldiers. But most frequent of all was Arty. She was everywhere; lying dead on the floor, facing him with blank eyes and blue tentacles, or looking at him pleadingly as she was absorbed into a mess of green from across the battlefield. It was from these visions that Stinger realized he didn't care about himself.
He cared about everyone he had ever met.
He had no visions of his dead body swimming through his mind. From this, he knew one thing for certain: he would throw himself in the way of anyone's fate, especially Arty's.
Stinger didn't dare meet Arty's eyes. She was too good at reading him. She would know what Stinger planned.
And Stinger couldn't allow himself to have second thoughts.
His army marched toward Tartar's headquarters, the statue that the legendary Agent Eight destroyed all those years ago. Of course, with Tartar's 'body' not having the regular Inkling/Octoling structure, he didn't perish in water, allowing him to regroup and rebuild.
They were at the corner of the Ocean (A/N this is headcanon, but I believe that, because of global warming, the oceans grew and merged into one. This also caused humanity to go extinct.) when Stinger suddenly realized a flaw in his plan.
Inklings and Octolings died in water. How could they get into Tartar's headquarters without dying or, at the very least, suffering?
"Allow me," a deep voice answered from the back of the crowd. It parted to reveal Cepholo, walking toward Stinger with the solution to his thoughts. Before Stinger could say a word, Cepholo held up a hand and smiled. "Mind reading," he said, before his face hardened into a serious expression. "I can sense Tartar's goo down there. I believe I can Melt down there, and transport you all along with me."
Avia stepped up too. "But that would kill you!" she protested.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Telk joined the small party as well. "I've been hit by Tartar's stuff, and Stinger has had him literally living inside him. So what gives? Why would that kill you, Cepholo?"
"Well, the goo obviously is painful," Cepholo started, "but it has corrosive effects if allowed into one's bloodstream. As you all know, I have many scars, and my immune system won't be as strong after Melting to the bottom of the Ocean."
"I won't let you die!" Avia shouted, fire burning in her eyes.
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to take." Cepholo closed his eyes and murmured something almost incomprehensible. "I just wish I could see her again... my sweet Marie..."
Stinger was puzzled at this. Marie was a pop star idol. Why would Cepholo want to see her, of all people? Then he caught Arty's eye against his will, and she gave a microscopic shake of her head. No, this was a different story.
"Everyone, link hands!" Cepholo's voice echoed through his mind, and on instinct, Stinger linked hands with him and Avia, the nearest person. He held his breath, hoping with all his hearts nothing would go wrong.
The group was pulled into a small puddle of ink Cepholo had shot on the ground. The sensation of being pulled through a tube bombarded Stinger. And it was over in an instant.
They were standing, cramped, in a small room. It wasn't a second after Stinger noticed this that Cepholo let go of his hand and crumpled to the ground. With a cry, Avia ran to him and knelt down. They exchanged a few quiet words, including "Telk," and when Avia stood up, he was gone.
Close to tears, she whispered in a hoarse voice. "For Cepholo." Then she shouted it to the army. "For Cepholo!"
Without thinking that they were in enemy territory, the army responded. "For Cepholo!"
Yes, Stinger thought, there's definitely no more time for second thoughts.
:(
Well, hey, I'm back at least.
Sorry for the 2-3 week break. Writer's block hits like a truck. But I got this chapter out, so that's good I guess.
And I want to thank you all for supporting the pile of cringe that is this story. It just makes my day when I see that Read Count go up by just one. (I'm not milking this)
A three-day-late Merry Christmas and a three-week-late Happy Hanukkah to y'all.
And an early Happy New Year.
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Inked Over Secrets: a Splatoon 2 Fanfiction
FanfictionStinger is an Inkling who, mysteriously, has no memory, and a voice in his head. One day, he saves an Octoling, and his world changes. This is his story. A few warnings: There is no lemon/fluff in this story. There is however, talk of crushes and st...
