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a-crash-in-time-collection · 2 months ago

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Chapter 60: The Return Of Ezra

The forest was so calm that morning. How was Snatcher supposed to know what would happen that day? What would happen later on? Was there a way he could have stopped it? No, he had pushed for it for this long. He hated the Fire Spirits, he always did. Hated them more once he learned of why they were created and what they had done. If he had known their deaths were just a key slowly turning the lock to a box of blaze and darkness, he would have captured them long ago. Thrown them somewhere it would be impossible to burn out.

But those were the thoughts that would haunt the future Snatcher. For now, he was floating around the forest. Trying to keep the magical lanterns alight to keep the snow off the forest ground. He almost felt silly for being so worried about it at times. But how could he not? It was tied into the trauma of almost every soul in the forest. Who knows when Vanessa's reach might extend to the snow that floated down from the sky naturally? He couldn't risk her hurting him again. Hurting anyone here again. He wasn't sure if he would be able to handle it, as much as he tried to push away the thought.

Along his way through the forest, the fire spirits came to mind. This was the only time of year they were even remotely useful. They would often look around for wood that was harder to find, and they warmed the forest. They were still annoying with their walls but they were of the faintest bit of use. Yet he wasn't sure he had seen one all winter. Then again, he supposed he wasn't too surprised. He made his hatred for what they were clearer over the past year. They were probably scared of him. Good.

He would come across the little 'village' the fire spirits had set up. The old buildings of stone that looked more worn than ever. Snatcher floated down and began to examine everything. Trying to keep in mind a fire spirit could be around any corner. The killers of the moon deity. Even now it was still hard to wrap his mind fully around the concepts. The downfall of Subcon's most important figure in history, tied to beings he saw little more as flys before now. Beings he couldn't seem to find.

Still, he supposed it would be good to check it out. He began to head in the direction of where the fire spirits stayed. He felt something... amiss in the air as he got closer. It was colder than it should have been. Only hints of heat in the air. It made him question things. One thing in particular, were they gone? The creatures were obsessed with death in a way he never could understand. They craved it. They begged for it. Did the last few finally claim it? About time if you

asked him.

"Maybe they're all out collecting wood or something." He mumbled as he went to the slightly larger building place near the center. He opened the door and peeked inside. It gave him an odd feeling. It looked similar to a church, but everything seemed tossed around. Little bits of burns on the furnace made of rock. Cracks along with it. A book was laying on the edge of it. "No dust.." He stated as he floated inside, spotting the state of everything. "They had to have left in some sort of hurry..."

He got a weird feeling in his gut that he should go and find them, now. He didn't understand why, he couldn't care less what they did as long as they didn't hurt anyone again... Yet he still found himself floating out of the building, trying to spot any hints of where they could have gone. He spotted smoke rising in the distance not too far from where he was, and began to head over, keeping himself low to the ground to avoid the smoke trying to grab at him if he got too close by mistake.

"Keep going!" A voice called as their hints of orange appeared in his vision. He saw a Bushcat run from the area in fear, Snatcher shrinking a bit so he could hide behind some bushes more easily. He watched as the fire spirits danced around a large fire pit. Lots of paintings, wood, and seemingly anything else they could get their hands on were burning. The way they were spread out was odd. "We are the last, the time has come for us to go! For his flare to release on the world in our place!" The one standing on a stone said, commanding the others.

"Their actually doing it." Snatcher mumbled in surprised as he watched as they hop off to join the others. "They're going to be gone for good!"

A grin formed on his face as he watched. Oh, this was going to be so good... yet... Why did he have that weird feeling in his chest again? That he should stop them. Why would he? The sooner they were gone, the easier life would be for all the ghosts. All they have to worry about is Vanessa. And as long as the wall of magic used on the door stood in place, then there was no need to worry... He found himself reaching to try and snap the fire out with his magic, only to garb that hand with his other.

"Snatcher, what are you thinking?" He muttered. He didn't understand. He didn't care for them. And they loved this. Who was he to take their innocent wish for eternal relief away from them? He hadn't felt this out of control of his own actions since he revived Macbeth. He paused... Why did it feel like he could hear something in the air if he listened close enough? "No.." He shook his head. "I don't understand. It's not going to hurt anyone, let me give this. I already did what-"

"The flames grow brighter! Brightest!" The voice from the fire spirit knocked his trian of thought off. "For eternal!"

"Wait-" Snatcher called as he turned his attention back to the fire spirits, but it was too late. The fire glowed, and grew, and the spirits began to fade away like smoke. Snatcher tried to reach, but then a pillar of fire shot from the burning pile, the spirits cheering while the ghost was knocked back. The smoke made contact and he had to bite his mouth to hold in his scream from the sudden pain. 'Get it away!' his thoughts screamed as he waved to smoke away, closing his eyes as the pillar burned.

He backed up into a tree, curling himself on the ground in some attempt at protection... He didn't know how long it took for the heat to fade and the light to fade from his closed vision. It felt like forever, could have been a single minute for all he knew... He slowly opened his eyes to see the smoke fading in the air. He looked at his arms, now faintly scared and burned from the magic. He rubbed over the pain spots, mumbling about how he was going to tell Shadow. She would be so worried when she learnt. He couldn't hide the wounds.

"I'll figure that out later..." He mumbled as he looked back at the scene. The area was caught on fire. No big deal, he dealt with that before. He looked back at where all the fire spirits were and... nothing... All that remained was a few embers on the ground... If what he heard was true, that those were the last... then it was over. He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but he still had that feeling in his gut, only worse. "I must have eaten something." He tried to brush it off.

He went over to get a better look at the pile... Why were things placed in the way they were? Even with just the chard bits, the pit looked less like a fire pit and more like some sort of...circle... with markings. He pulled himself back in surprise. That was the right call, as the chard items began to glow, the ground below it glowing as well as the ground began to shake about. Snatcher quickly ducked away, further then he had as he felt the area grow hot. He quickly used his magic to set up his own shields around the area.

"I can't let this spread, whatever this is!" Snatcher said as he looked back at the light. It rippled and wrapped the air around it like a flame. He was sure he could hear the faint sound of screaming. "What on earth is that-"

He turned away ever so slightly as the area lit up brighter. The blast of flame was being contained to the pit, but he didn't want to risk himself by getting a closer look. His eyes stung from looking at the light, him briefly applying a spell to act similar to a pair of sunglasses. It was then he caught a shape among the flame. It looked like an arm, an arm that was bleeding with wounds that seemed to heal rapidly. A shackle was attached to it. Although it seemed to be breaking with each passing second.

"What-" Snatcher fell quiet. Time seemed to slow as he began to think... This energy in the air. It reminded him of the energy of when he revived Macbeth. Even all these months later, he still remembered what it was like. But instead of the odd, light feeling to exist alongside that spell, the energy in the air was... horrid. Agoney. He found himself backing away in fear. "It-It couldn't be..." He shook his head as he kept watching. But he already knew the truth.

He was staring at a portal to hell. No. Not to hell. From it.

He watched the dark figure in the fire slowly begin to slip down under... Only for the embers to come near it. It seemed to give it power, the shackle shattering like glass. The figure pulled itself up, a shout of agony coming from it as it forced itself through. Snatcher saw many hands from the portal try to grab onto it, but the second it had passed, the portal had slammed shut. Sending a force that sent both figures in the area back a view feet.

The next group of seconds felt like they took forever. Snatcher could feel his phantom heart beating rapidly, him taking useless breaths as he forced himself to get up. Oh god. This wasn't happening... Stay calm.. He could handle this, right? It was just one demon that had crawled out of literal Hell. No biggie. He forced himself to look over in the direction of the pit, seeing the black and red creature laying beside it, not moving... For a second he thought maybe it died from the force.

A hope that was crushed as the creature's eyes shot open and it sat up, reaching for its neck of all places. Snatcher kept one hand behind his back, slowly building up the energy for a spell as he got closer, hiding behind trees. He saw the creature look around, confused for a moment... before a look of pride entered its eyes as it stood up. It took a glance around, its body with a faint limp from the pain. Its skin was littered in faint but noticeable scars. It almost made Snatcher sick.

He had a weird feeling he had seen this figure somewhere before. But that was impossible. He'd remember meeting a demon.

"Victor," The demon's voice spoke, slightly horse with an echo to it, a grin of sharp teeth forming. "You can't get rid of me that easily..." Snatcher paused. The prince from the story... He watched the figure walk around the burnt sight, his tail getting caught along the rubble. The figure let out a yelp and looked back in genuine surping, before taking note of his hands. "Of course... Kill one god, get a sentence with all the sinners. No wondered everything hurts... Even in a blurr."

"Afterlife amnesia applies to both heaven and hell, perfect." The ghost mumbled. Maybe a bit too loudly, as suddenly the demon looked over, backing up while getting in a defensive pose. Snatcher didn't have enough energy to do his 'FOOOOOOL' shout, so instead he just rushed over, trying to intimidate the demon before it got any ideas. It worked to some degree, it taking a step back. "I don't know why you're here, but get out of my forest." Snatcher warned with a hiss. "We don't want someone like you here." Snatcher glared down, trying to make his voice echo a bit.

The figure took a breath before looking up at him. "I've already caused the death of one deity, I can do it again." He hissed.. and suddenly the pieces clicked in Snatcher's mind. Ezra. The creator behind the fire spirits, the one who caused Moonjumper's death. But how... He remembered back when they had the visions tied to the book. The Eversteads. The creatures tied to immorality. "I take it from the look in your eyes, you already know a thing about me?" The demon rose a brow with a smirk.

"You have no idea what you caused!" Snatcher shouted, yet he found himself floating up and back. He told himself it was to make himself look bigger to the demon. Deep down he knew it was because he needed distance. The demon blinked, uncaring about the simple statement as Snatcher kept his glare on the man. He was struggling to think. He couldn't even believe he was somehow back. "Many suffered because the Moonjumper wasn't here to help! You should have stayed in Hell where you belong."

"Oh, but then it would have been a waste getting those organs from those creatures." Ezra simply stated. "It took me weeks to design the creation spell of the fire spirits, and the separate was a main to deal with."

"Get out!" Snatcher lunged forward and knocked the demon to the side. He was still charging his spell with his other hand so it only knocked the demon a few feet back. The man growled as he picked himself up, shaking his head to clear it before simply glaring at the ghost. Snatcher's patience was running thin. He didn't care where this demon went, he just needed him away from here. "I am the ruler of this forest, that last Prince before it fell into decay! I order you to leave and never show your face again."

Ezra started to chuckle at that. "If it fell into decay, it doesn't seem like you did your job." Snatcher tried not to flinch at the comment. He knew it wasn't his fault for what happened. He didn't need the demon trying to mess with his thoughts now. He saw the demon look past him, up at the moon, eternally locked into the Subcon sky, and gave a small smirk. "I killed the Moonjumper. The forest was his. Everyone knew that." He said as he walked up to the Phantom. "This forest is mine now, little ghost. What are you going to do about it?"

"THIS!" Snatcher shouted as he finally threw his magic at the demon. The demon tried to dodge but could only get his head safe from impact, the magic crashing into him and leaving him knocked into a tree. Shocks of electricity lingered as the demon slowly stood up, a groan as he looked at the ghost, who's eyes were widened faintly but was already charging another attack. "If you won't leave yourself, I'll send you back!" Snatcher roared as he fired it, Ezra dodging the hit. The heat from the magic warmed his face as it passed.

"So you know a few tricks..." Ezra huffed as he turn to him. "You think I have none?" He asked, before slamming his foot in the ground. A glowing crack formed along it until a blast of fire came out. Snatcher floated back, his tail getting burned before he could get it away, leaving the same faint pink glow as before. Ezra seemed taken aback, before he started to chuckle. "I didn't intend that!" He looked at his hands. "My fire spirits. Some of their magic must have transferred to me as part of the reincarnation! Is that why they waited so long?"

"Doesn't matter, no one else will see you use them." Snatcher hissed as he lunged for the demon, intending on taking him to the arena he fought Hat Kid so long ago. However, as the darkness surrounded, Ezra quickly shot at it with fire. The properties of the magic were enough to keep the area from forming. Snatcher panicked, and decided to use his illusion trick to get the jump. "Don't like one of me, deal with two!" He shouted, being careful not to wink as he dove underground, appearing to one side with a charmed cutout on the other.

Ezra stumbled back for a moment, his hand giving a glow as he tried to think. Before he paused, and just held his hands to his side, each firing a blast that knocked the ghost and the cutout back. Snatcher was able to grab onto something to stabilize himself before he crashed into a tree. "Didn't think too hard about that, did you?" Ezra asked, Snatcher giving a glare. "You know what, try again. Surely it will work the second time." Ezra beckoned the ghost to attack, a grin on his face.

"I hate you!" Snatcher hissed, getting ready to fire an attack, only to stop. "Leave my sight. I'll come for you later."

Ezra tilted his head, before letting out a quick, quiet laugh. "Oh, done so soon?" He questioned. Snatcher glared at him. He was already hurt. And the magic Ezra possessed, it wasn't something the ghost could take lightly. The ghost-harming effects were less than those of the fire spirits, but he still had some. Ezra began to charge an attack, before shaking his head and making it fade. "As fun as it's been, I don't want to harm my new body so soon. I'll part your path for now, but know this. The forest is mine."

"You have no claim over it." Snatcher hissed, watching as the demon began to limp away. The ghost waited until the demon was out of his sight, and then another minute, before he allowed himself to collapse on the ground. He hissed as he rubbed his wounds. He couldn't let the kids stay here. He had to get them all out now. As much as he knew it would frighten them. He could see if the toppats- "Peck!" He shouted in realization. "Randy! Macbeth, get Randy safe!"

He hoped the Conductor could pick up the situation if he had been overhearing. He didn't have time to explain.

He floated up and began to dash in the direction of the town. Luckily Ezra went the opposite way. It should give him some time...

Oh god, how was he going to explain this? How? There was no way he could. How was he supposed to know the fire spirits deaths were only going to bring something worse in their place? How long could he recover? What happened if Ezra learnt about Randy? The original Moonjumper had all the means to protect himself and he still went down. How could a man who was still getting used to the new body do anything?

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Ezra's main thoughts leading up to his execution was what the forest was going to be like when he returned. He had thought about the possibility of it being overgrown and abandoned, but he hadn't pictured something like this. It was like he stepped into a painting... He tried not to let that distract him. It just meant once he dealt with that Ghostly Prince, it would be easier to take over everything in the forest. Although, a kingdom with no subjects to rule would be boring. Mayhaps it was time to extend the kingdom of Subcon to beyond the forest...

He still found himself shuddering a bit at the cold as he walked up to the old manor. He had to go the long way to avoid the ghost. While he was clearly weaker than Ezra, it was clear he had his own skills. If Ezra got unlucky, it was possible for the ghost to beat him. He shook his head as he walked up to the door, burning up the lock that was place on the door before heading inside. He glanced around. It somehow looked more pathetic than when he was alive. The royals were annoyingly humble.

Oh well. He had all the time in the world to clean it up, make it fit his style. One fitting of a real king.

"What even happened to the kingdom? Moonjumper's death couldn't have been behind its decline.." He mumbled as he began to look through the halls as he walked about. It didn't take him too long to come across something of note. A statue made of ice that looked... too realistic.. He went over to it and pressed his hand against it. He was surprised by how well the ice resisted warmth. It must be magical as well. "What on.." He paused when he heard footsteps, along with a faint, sobbing sound.

"M-My prince, have you come back?" The voice echoed through the halls like a ghost, yet it seemed very much alive. Ezra looked around, his hand gaining a glowing flame until he spotted the dark hand of the figure from the stairway, the creature coming out and locking eyes with him. She let out a wail as she rushed to him in anger, garbing his arm before he could react. He responded by grabbing her arm to burn her, her pulling away. "How dare you resist my magic! Do you know who I am?!"

"One of Victor's descendants if I had to guess." Ezra spat. "Your prince could have-"

"My prince, you've seen him?!" Her tone turned from anger to desperation, her pulling back as she looked down at him, their red eyes locking with one another. She got lower, and it took him a second to realize she had gotten on her knees. A royal on their needs in front of him "Please, tell me where he went so I can reclaim him. I revived him with the form of the old Moonjumper myth, but he just left me! Left me like he wasn't the one who wronged me in the first place. Left me al-"

"You what-" Ezra muttered, anger starting to flood his mind. The prince didn't look like that, so how... It hit him. The Moonjumper must have had a resurrection spell ready, just needed someone else to trigger it. Oh, of course it couldn't have been that easy! He formed a fist but tried to stay calm on the outside. He might be able to get more information out of this shadow of a royal. "I only saw him briefly. I couldn't get a good grasp on where he went. Do you.. know anything about his power?"

The royal didn't respond, instead pacing back and forth in the hall, claws opening and closing as she took some breaths. "He must have some, it is the only way he could have gotten the key while shackled." She stated, Ezra tilting his head ever so slightly. She had him captured at one point... Maybe she could be of more use than his mind first assumed. "I don't know how much, he did get them from me. I can't find him near here, and he could be anywhere!"

"Such a rude prince. After all you did for him." Ezra stated, walking just a little closer. The royal turned to him and had a weird look to her glowing eye. She seemed taken aback. Like this was the first time someone had ever spoken in agreement with her. Not that Ezra should be surprised if it was. This lady was her own type of crazy and he could tell that quickly. "I guarantee he was one of the village kids before rising to a prince. If it wasn't for you he wouldn't have the status he had, right... What is your name?"

"Vanessa. Queen Vanessa." Ezra groaned internally at the name. Of course Victor's decedent would have a V name as well, what were the odds? Vanessa went up to the icey statue nearby, and garbed one of its limbs. Cracks started to form, and Ezra could have sworn he saw hints of blood. It almost made his heart run cold. Those were people.. Such power could be used well. "I just want him back." Vanessa stated. "I tried to move on but he has my heart. How am I supposed to live without him?"

"Who says you have too?" Ezra spoke, making her turn to face him again. He grumbled internally as he gave a slight bow, gesturing to himself. "Let's say, I have a talent for catching people like him off guard. I can even drain his powers so he can't leave again." He stated, Vanessa was listening. There was a hint of caution in her eye, but desperation and hope out-weighted it. "Perhaps if we worked together for a time, we can bring him back to you, and make sure he will never leave again."

"You would do that?" Vanessa asked, her eye narrowing as she tried to see any hints of trickery. The man she was faced with did have the appearance of a demon after all. But she already turned to the dark long ago. And while she could see a hint of selfish intent in his eyes, she couldn't see any hints of lying. His eyes didn't drift from hers, and the smirk had a genuine feel to it. "Well, I am assuming you aren't doing this for free." She stated, putting up her guard. "What do you want from this?"

"Clever. I want his powers for myself." Ezra admitted, before humming faintly in thought. "And a position by your side, if you desire one. Once he is back, you can start to rebuild this lovely kingdom."

There was a hint of hesitation in her eyes. But she glanced to the side, and Ezra could practically hear the conversation in her head. She soon turned to him. "Fine... But only after my Prince is back." She told him. Ezra gave a nod, holding back a grin. That was more than enough time to plan... Vanessa paused as she reached over, brushing her hand against his arm faintly, Ezra pulling away after a moment. "My only concern is our magic. I can sense the flames in you, and fire and ice don't mix."

"I suppose that is true... But maybe there's a way to make them work." Ezra said as he started to look around. He wanted to find a place to turn into a study for him so he could start workshopping his spells. But the place felt too cramped for that. Especially with how much space Vanessa took even while hunched. He recalled faintly the getaway manors, turning to her. "This place is too small, and too easy for others to take advantage of. Do you still have the Getaway Manor at the top of the hill?" He asked, getting a nod from Vanessa as she sighed fondly.

"Oh, we had such fun times there..." She spoke as she looked up, a wave of nostalgia coming from her voice. Ezra turned away to roll his eyes. God, he was going to hate this, wasn't he... It was only for a time, he told himself. Once Moonjumper was in his hands again, he would get the magic from him. He knew better this time. And the second the Moonjumper was drained of every last bit of magic, he was going to tear his head clean off.. "We should be going now, Mister.."

"Ezra." The demon stated. For a second he was concerned that she would recognize the name, and throw the deal off. Not that he needed her, it would just be better to have someone else do some of the work. But she didn't even flinch as she opened the doors to the manor. His name must have been lost to time... For now. He caught up to her, walking by her side as they headed out onto the snowy white. He rose a brow. "Did you do all this? Or is it winter."

Vanessa gave a nod instead of a clear response. Ezra decided to save the questions for later then. He found himself glancing at the faint silhouette of the tower of Ice in the distance. A thought started to come to mind, but he didn't ponder it right away. Just left a note in mind.

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Macbeth had learnt well how to block out Snatcher's voice by now. Almost too well. Even when the ghost called his name directly there was a time where Macbeth wouldn't even notice. He hadn't been paying that much attention to Snatcher's ramblings that morning, trying to focus on the kids instead. So when Snatcher's voice called his name in panic, telling him to get Randy safe with no other explanation, it took Macbeth by surprise. It didn't sound like the Phantom was trying to be funny, he sounded serious.

He didn't know for sure what was happening. He heard a few mentions of fire spirits but that was all he could really recall... He didn't know what was happening. He left to get Randy and kept him by him. He didn't want to go through the effort of getting Randy to some sort of makeshift shelter without knowing what was happening first. So he made sure he stuck by him as they headed out of the station, sitting on the stones that lined the outside of where Subcon met the clearing...

Macbeth could faintly hear Snatcher talking to someone, mumbling, but he sounded tired.. so tired.. He knew the clan was likely watching the two. Randy tried to poke Macbeth for what was wrong but got no answer. Eventually, Snatcher's words started to come from ahead, not from within his head.

"Why do you have him in the open?" Snatcher floated over, his voice laid over with a tried tone Macbeth never heard from him before. Macbeth was about to respond, but paused when he saw Ivy in the ghost’s grip, arms crossed as she glared up at him. It didn't take him long to notice the dwellers and minions nearby as well, Shadow half asleep on her father's back. "Get them inside the station." Snatcher told him as he brought Ivy over to Randy, who took the child, confused. Snatcher gesturing for the ghostly kids to head over.

"Snatcher, you can't just do this without warnin'. Don't you know the fit Sven might throw?" Macbeth asked as he walked up to the phantom. Alexsandera floated out of Macbeth's hat and floated over to some other dwellers, them all making the small sounds. The other dwellers sounded confused, worried, tired. Snatcher glanced to the side as he gently took Shadow Kid off his back and handed her to Macbeth. "Snatcher, what's going on, this isn't like you. I didn't hear everything that happened."

"Papa, please." Shadow Kid yawned as she looked at him in worry. "You're hurt.." Macbeth blinked, he didn't realize the burnt marks until now. "Please, Papa, what's going on?"

Snatcher looked at her.. Macbeth saw his eyes turn up a bit, holding back tears. "I messed up, Shadow." Snatcher said as he bend down to her level. "I saw the last fire spirits do a ritual and I didn't stop them. Whatever they did, it brought back Ezra. Only with power now." It felt like the air around them disappeared, and Macbeth could have sworn his blood ran cold despite no blood truly existing. "I don't know where he is now... I need to find him. But he has the spirits’ magic."

"Isn't that the same guy who killed the original Moonjumper?" Randy spoke up with some hesitation. Macbeth turned to the man, and suddenly it became clear. Oh god. As if Randy being thrown into a role so suddenly wasn't a big enough issue as it was. Ivy tilted her head as she looked up at Randy with a hint of concern in her eyes, him patting her on the shoulder as he looked down at her. "Oh god. I'm not ready. I barely know how to cast a spell, if the original Moonjumper couldn't beat him-"

"He died willingly." Shadow Kid corrected him, quietly. "But I see what you mean... Papa, you can handle it, right?"

Snatcher sighed. "I'd be lying if I said I'm sure of it, Shadow." Snatcher said. "His power is strong. And the specific type of magic puts me at a disadvantage. I just need to catch him off guard.." Snatcher sighed as he floated down to rest for a second, one hand holding his head. Macbeth wasn't sure if he ever saw the ghost in such a state before. The fight must have been bad. "I can only assume he's going to try and grow his power too.. If only there was some way to stop it. Make it weaker."

"Well, there's a lot of magic on this planet, right?" Randy asked, Snatcher looking over with a nod. Randy glanced at one of his hands as he put Ivy down, making a faint glow appear. His powers were grand, so he was told. Surely there was some way he could weaken this man's power. He looked up at Snatcher, floating over and placing a hand on one of the wounds, a faint healing pulse flowing. "Why don't we research it? There has to be something to deflect this man's magic, right."

"Victor might have left something." Snatcher admitted with a mumble. "It did say he committed the rest of his life to the study of fire magic.."

"Randy, are you sure about this?" Macbeth asked as he looked over. He could see what Randy was implying. He didn't want him getting hurt taking care of this. He couldn't lose him. He grip the edge of his sleeve with his hand, rubbing it. Looking over to the side. Randy glanced back at him, taking the hand of Snatcher. The burns were faintly healed. But it was clear the marks were going to stay for a little. "I'm not sayin' you can't do it. It's just, it's dangerous. We never faced anything. If it could even leave a mark on Snatcher, then it's bad."

Randy sighed as he looked at him. "Java. I have to at least try. The man's going to be after me, and I doubt yo' gonna just let me leave the station to hide somewhere, right?" Macbeth sighed as he shook his head. He didn't want Randy getting hurt but, he didn't want him away again. Randy floated over and adjusted Macbeth's hat from where Alex had come out of it. "I'll do my best. And you'll be ok."

Macbeth didn't respond right away, looking down at the ground for a moment. Alexsandera floated up to him, resting around his shoulders. "I hope..." He said as he tapped his child's mask. He looked over at Snatcher, then did a quick glance at the kids. "I'll talk to the other elites about this, but I wouldn't recommend getting comfortable with them here. We're a clan, not a settlement." He didn't want to say it, but the choice wasn't up to just him. It depended on the other higher ups.

"At least until I get a protection spell set up, please." Snatcher asked, before sighing. "I'll come back tomorrow and we can try and start on research then." He began to float away, but paused when Shadow Kid grabbed onto his tail. He turned back to her, and saw her tearing up. God, why did his heart have to go so soft? He felt like it was going to shatter at the sight. "I promise I'll be careful. Just stay with Uncle Macbeth and Randy for now, I'll bring you back once it's safe." Before she had a chance to protest further, he forced himself to dive into the ground.

Shadow Kid watched, some tears falling out. Macbeth bend down and open his arms, letting her slowly come in for a hug. "Don't worry, Princess Shadow!" one of the minions that were nearby called. "The boss gots everything all handled, I know it!" Macbeth couldn't tell if the kid was in denial or didn't have a full grasp on the situation. She glanced over at him faintly. "We've been through far worse before. He's just a little worried he's been out of practice with fighting. He'll kick the monster's butt!"

"Well, why don't we play a game while we wait for him to come back?" Randy asked, looking over at the kids before pointing over at a clear area of the clearing. "I can get out one of my old game sets for you." The minions cheered and began to head over, the Dwellers following behind. Macbeth and Randy followed, Ivy and Shadow by their sides. "Hey, Ivy." Randy said as he looked down at the girl. "It's ok, you'll be able to go back to the swamp soon."

Ivy just gave a little huff, sticking her tongue out a bit. Randy reached over for Shadow's hand, taking it. He then looked at Macbeth who nodded and began to rush back to the station. The sooner the chief knew what was going on, the better... hopefully...

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For a moment, Ezra was questioning if he was still in hell as they went to the getaway manor because it was taking so long. The adrenaline from his resurrection and fight with the prince had finally begun to wear off and it just left him feeling tired. More tired than he ever felt. Something told him he didn't exactly get sleep these last few centuries, if not longer. Even if he couldn't remember it. He still found that part strange, his lack of memory. He was grateful for it, it was just odd.

When the getaway manor finally appeared in his sight, it felt like a paradise despite it being clearly worn with time. The second he stepped into the opening room he plopped himself on the floor, groaning as he began to rub his aching feet. All the magic in the world and yet he still had to deal with the basic annoyance of men. Typical. Vanessa gave a quiet giggle to his state, but only a quiet one. It was clear she was tired too, even if she had more energy to spare. The lucky royal.

He sighed as he laid down on the ground, closing his eyes. He almost wanted to just fall asleep right then and there. But his back would probably kill him later if he did that. God, why can't things be easier?

"I'm guessing we're going to wait before we start then?" Vanessa asked. He could hear the impatience in her voice, but only faintly. Like she was trying to be somewhat reasonable with time. He sighed as he nodded faintly. He wanted to start. Every second he wasted was one for the Moonjumper to harness more of his magic to make Ezra's job harder. But he had to call it quits for the day. "Good. There's a bedroom up the stairs near here you can use. Just try not to get lost in the halls."

"Oh trust me, I don't need to worry about something simple as halls." He said as he forced himself to get up. His tail swung a bit, almost making him trip over his own legs. He grabbed it and gave it a glare. That was something he was going to have to deal with. Unless he went through the pain of just chopping it up. Then again, he assumed the tail was connected to his spine... He shook his head, only to pause as he took note of something. "Do you just have a magic chandler crashed into the floor?"

"Oh, I do." Vanessa said as she glanced at the decoration made of purple, ghostly magic. "My magic is ice, not telepathy. And I'm not breaking my floor more by summoning Ice."

"Fair enough." He sighed as he rested his head against the wall, trying to give his body more rest before he headed to bed. He didn't want to go through the effort of getting it repaired in the future anyway. Too mundane when he would have so many other things to do. He sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. Even if he couldn't see it, he knew Subcon's moon was above him, taunting him. "So, how long has it been since you received your prince? I need an idea of what we're working with."

"At least a month. I brought him back in late fall." She told him, looking over as Ezra nodded. Winter, would make her powers stronger, he'd assumed.

It fell quiet between the two of them. It became oddly peaceful for a moment. The quiet soothed his ears in a way his memory didn't understand. He sighed as he looked behind him, looking at the tips of his now clawed hands as they traced the withering on the wallpaper. He could probably tear into the Moonjumper's flesh with them alone, if he got close enough. He hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. It would be such a mess and he didn't want to know the feeling of getting stains out of his... fur?

He wasn't sure what his flesh was now made of but it didn't feel like human skin at least.

Vanessa let out a yawn as she groaned. "Now you got me all tried soon... I will go get rest so we can get started the first chance we get." She began to walk down a hall, but turned to Ezra. He could just make out the hint of a glare. "Remember, my prince must be brought back as soon as possible. For his own safety, of course." She added the last part in false cheeriness.

"Of course, we wouldn't want him to hurt himself." Ezra replied, holding back his tone a bit to try and keep a genuine tone. Like he would care if they found him slowly bleeding out. Or drowning. Or burning like he had before.

The peacefulness of the air faded a bit, even as she left the room, leaving the man alone. She still didn't trust him. That made him give a small grin once he was sure she was out of his sight, him reaching up to faintly trace his new sharp fangs.

Good. Meant she was less of an idiot.

#a hat in time #the henry stickmin collection #a hat in time fanfic #henry stickmin fanfic #ahit snatcher #ahit au #shadow kid #shadow puppet #tw hell mention #ahit vanessa #henry stickmin mr. macbeth #randy radman #ahit moonjumper #ahit fire spirits

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