Hunter groaned as he rubbed his stomach. "Why …" He was a grimwalker who could fly, how was motion sickness even applicable to him? "Tell me we still have that motion sickness medicine."
"All of it got lost when the RV crashed into the hole." Luz showed him the empty bottles.
"Dang it …" It was a long drive and they couldn't afford to stop anytime soon. Whether that meant getting caught up in another crazy incident, or worse, Clawthorne felt like a second song. "Please tell me we're getting close to a rest stop at least. Or a place to sleep."
"Well, thanks to that damn lion…" Sasha glared at the pink beast's tail as it rested on top of the bus. "We got wrapped from Kansas all the way to the Mexico border. Five more feet and we would've crossed over it illegally and gotten arrested."
"Why are we worried about cops again?" Lucci asked.
"We're not, I'm worried about getting labeled as a terrorist if I suddenly teleport over the country board with two swords, six witches, a basilisk, and a lion on me."
"Then they bring out the big guns and refuse to negotiate." Amity added as she looked over the map. "Hmm … we could stop by Endsville. It's close enough to restock, and we can try to navigate from there."
"Endsville?" Willow asked. "Is it as literal of a name as Nowhere, because that would ring a few warning bells."
"Come on guys, Nowhere wasn't all bad. There was a kind old lady who fed us, and a talking dog." Vee brought up what she saw as a silver lining.
"And giant cicadas hopped up on dark matter that wanted nothing more than to kill us." Luz pointed out. "Speaking of, how are we keeping that safe? Don't feel comfortable just leaving it in the bus."
"I actually took care of that one." Amity said. "You know how Pearl put stuff in her gem?"
"Yeah." Gus nodded.
"I did the same thing to Spinel." She pointed to the oddly silent gem. "I took a gamble on insanity, times insanity, equals sanity, like a double negative."
"Spinel…are you okay?" Lucci waved his hand in front of her.
"I can smell sounds …" The gem spoke in an ominous tone. "Dark times await us all….no hope for anyone….we drive on the road to death… Praise be the Snake"
"... Be honest, would anything else we own actually contain radiation?" Boscha asked.
"Well there is Spice's mane. It's a portal to another dimension right?" Hunter asked.
"But doesn't he always run off?" Gus asked.
"Yeah, but he always comes back, and I'm the only one who can reach into his mane." Lucci said. "Plus I don't like looking at Emo Spinel. Gives me way too many flashbacks."
"Love is pointless….it all ends in tragedy." Spinel said. "You will all die alone… cold…. meaningless… consumed and decayed by the leeching parasite we call life."
"Spice, come here boy!" Lucci shouted with a hint of desperation. A second later the pink lion jumped in, looking around curiously. "Spinel, launch out the stuff, alright?"
"Why bother…my cold, murky heart is useless to anyone. I can't give love. I can't receive love. What is life for the loveless? Are we just doomed to be discontent to the end of eternity?" Spinel reached into her gem.
"Do it quickly and I'll get you triple scoops of Ice cream." Lucci demanded.
"Done!" She shouted, pulling it out, before blinking. "What just happened?"
Lucci grabbed her and Spice, shoving the dark matter into his mane. "Hopefully, nothing." The boy sighed in relief. "You doing alright, Spice?"
"Grr." The lion shrugged, lying on his back like he usually did.
"I think Spice is the same no matter what he's feeling." Vee noted, rubbing the lion's belly.
"Taken care of?" Sasha asked. "Good, we're entering Endsville now."
Hunter looked out the window in a vain chance that seeing something new might end the sick feeling in his stomach….only to be hit with shiver in his spine. Like someone was walking on his grave. "Why..why is the sky so…green here?"
Sasha looked out the window, frowning. "Either two reasons kid. One, there's a nuclear power plant leak."
"What's nuclear power again?" Lucci asked.
"A long lasting and powerful source of energy that if used wrong can destroy the environment for hundreds if not thousands of miles all around it." Luz explained.
"You really are one of the few good people in the world." Captain muttered. "And two?"
"There's a massive leak of supernatural here." That … did not bode well in the slightest. "Vee, your thoughts?" There was a silence. "Vee?"
"I … taste … everything." The girl looked like she was overloaded for a moment. "The very air is like a meal. So much magic...so much…..flavor…."
"How supercharged do you have to be to make the very air edible to a magic eater?" Amity asked.
Honk Honk
"Hey, what where you're goin, Dracula has the right of way!" An old black man in a cape with fangs walked past them, angrily waving his fist at them.
"...Huh….Never thought the King of Vampires would be black." Luz noted. "So that's a thing.."
"You're brain's breaking because that's probably a big deal, isn't it?" Lucci asked.
"No, my brain's breaking because if that's at the start of the town, then what's at the center?"
"Hopefully a gas station…or a toilet I can throw up in." Hunter held in a gag. Somehow, the queasy feeling in his gut felt more like an omen than motion sickness.
========================================================================
Amity watched as the woman parked. "I can't believe they put a gas stop right across from a retirement home." The adult muttered in confusion. "It's like they're begging for an accident to happen."
"The fumes alone can't be good for them." Luz noted, before looking over the list. "Alright, so we should probably ask around, and hopefully, we can get one or more of these ingredients. A town can't have Dracula walk out in the open and NOT be hiding something supernaturally crazy!"
"If they're trying to hide at all. There's a cyclops just walking right there." Lucci pointed to a man with a large scar on his face.
"I'm not a cyclops! I just have a really bad birthmark!" He exclaimed, grumbling. "Calm down Scar, don't take out the doomsday missile, remember your anger management classes." He muttered as he walked away.
"... Wrong species, right concept." Lucci continued, unphased. "So are we doing this door to door, or are we going to a local library?"
"Maybe we should ask the elderly people at the retirement home. Muriel was helpful in Nowhere." Vee suggested. "Use that elderly old person wisdom."
"I can buy that." Willow nodded. "We just have to wait for Hunter."
The boy in question came out of the restroom, shaking his head. "Coming, coming …" He looked forward. "... Am I still spinning, or does anyone else see that wolf in a cloak?"
"A wolf in a cloak, you mean like a werewolf?" Gus asked, looking in the same direction. "I don't see anything like that, just regular people."
Amity looked forward … seeing a hunching, white wolf in a black cloak, letting out a small whistle while carrying what looked to be crescent shaped knives.. "No, I see it too, right there." She pointed to it.
"You mean behind the pale woman?" Vee asked … what woman?
"I don't think that skeleton looks particularly feminine, we shouldn't assume." Lucci brought up even more confusion.
"The wolf is freaking packing, how can you say it looks that skinny?" Luz brought up.
"No, it definitely looks like a male skeleton." Willow brought up.
"Okay, you kids are all seeing different things." Doctor Waybright said. "Clearly this thing is messing with our eyes in some way or form. I see a pale woman reaching out her hand to an old lady."
"No, I see a wolf….looking like it's about to strike her down!" Luz took out her sword. "Amity, back me up, Lucci, go for the head!"
"On it!" Lucci rushed forward with high speed, sending a swing at the wolf … knocking them into a wall. "Okay, start talking or I keep your body from your head!" … Wait, what?
"Yes yes Lucifer, I know this looks bad." The wolf spoke as it got back onto its feet without any struggle whatsoever. "I come with no malicious intent though. This woman is simply waiting for her time, isn't that right Mary?"
"Of course Grimmy." The woman waved off. "We were having a lovely conversation before I went."
"But … but you were about to stab her!" Amity shouted, clearly pointing out the wrong in this scenario.
"From a certain point of view, Amity Blight." The wolf continued. "You all don't even know what I am, because you all have different perspectives, don't you?" He pointed to them and bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself." The wolf gave a chilling smirk. "Most would call me the Grim Reaper." … Was that supposed to mean anything? "But those of the Boiling Isles know me as Acheta Yamore." … The being of…..
"What….but…that can't be…" Boscha said.
"You doubt my existence? I can smell hell all over you." He grinned. "Is it that ludicrous … to see death?" This was death, this was FUCKING DEATH!
Lucci instantly pulled out a shield, glowing pink. "Stay the hell away from my friends!"
The wolf looked mildly amused. "Do not fret young one, no need for reckless resistance. I am here for them, not you." They aimed a blade at the woman. "She lived a long life, but cancer isn't a kind one."
"Wait, but … if you're the grim reaper, why don't we all see the same people."
He grinded, pointing to Boscha, Lucci, and Willow. "To some, I am but a funny joke." For a strange moment, Amity was looking at a skeleton with a Jamaican accent. "A far away concept unfeared and thought to be inconsequential and far away."
"Wait, Willow and Boscha share the same viewpoint of death?" Gus asked.
"I'm strong enough to not die." Boscha shrugged, making way too much sense.
"And I'll punch anyone that gets too close to get that far." Willow nodded.
"To others …" The wolf pointed at her, Luz, and Hunter. "I am an inevitable fate that comes to the end of time, taking others without mercy or fairness, a power that none could hope to compare with as an entropic force …"
"There's nothing good that ever comes from dying." Luz rubbed her arms.
"My path leads to so much death…..only fair it tries to follow me wherever I go." Hunter sighed.
"I spent too much time following whatever Odalia had to say…I'm going to live my life no matter what." Amity gave her own reasons.
"And to a few …" An admittedly attractive pale woman pointed to Vee, Gus, and Sasha. "I'm a friend taking you along the next step of the journey." They smiled. "A necessary part of the world that helps other life flourish."
"Vee?" Lucci asked the Basilisk.
"When you spend most of your life running away from men bringing you to life, torturing you for experiments, then killing you for existing, and your family constantly becoming in danger because humanity rarely accepts new things, death is a nice comfort in the end." The girl shrugged.
"..." Sasha just pulled out a notepad and began scribbling. "Wait, what about you Gus?"
"After going to actual hell…i don't know…dying just doesn't seem that scary to me anymore." Gus shrugged.
"It's a big concept." The wolf spoke. "So Mary, I believe we've held it off long enough." He said while walking up to the unshaking woman.
"Did I live a good life?" The old lady asked as a blade was raised.
"No … but it was quite a fun one." Death grinned, before swinging their blades. There was no blood, no tear, no injury … but the woman slumped over in her chair … dead. "No anger, no grievance, no despair. My job is to transport them from one life to the next." He responded, putting away their weapons. "No matter who or where … I come for all in the end."
That….that was horrifying. "Wait, so if you exist in the Boiling Isles….can you tell us…" Lucci asked. "My mom…our friends….are they…."
"I haven't collected any souls of witches for quite a while. The collector tends to 'fix' the toys he breaks." He answered. "And before you ask, there are rules, I can't just take you over to the Boiling Isles. Sorry."
"Damn it." Luz snapped her fingers. "You wouldn't happen to tell us where we can get what we need to get there, right?"
"No rules saying I can't have a friendly conversation." They flashed a grin. "However, for me to do anything beyond that nature, I'll need to talk with my superior."
"God?" Sasha asked. "The devil?"
"Even worse … a teenage girl." He grumbled.
".....Huh?"
"Trust me, you'll see when-" They instantly shot forward, tossing a blade at a passing cat that slumped over dead … before getting right back up. "That's six you pompous brat! Start taking better care of your life!" Death screamed, before growling. "Cats, just the worst."
"So cats do have nine lives?" Amity asked.
"Unfortunately…..the worst joke Aoxoltol ever pulled."
"Wait, what about the immortal jellyfish?" Gus asked.
"The Koala's doing….I can't tell you how happy I feel when they dry out on the beach."
"... For an entity of almighty terror and power, you sound a lot more like an unpaid janitor." Hunter noted.
"As I said, you'll see what I mean soon enough."
========================================================================
Mandy was watching her shows. She finished school for the moment, so now it was simply time to relax while she waited to plot the absolute domination of all life. Sometimes it was tough being one of the few sane beings on the planet. "Watcha doin Mandy?" Her best idiot Billy asked as he picked his nose, like usual.
"Plotting to blow up this town when I graduate." She answered honestly. Best part about having the biggest idiot in the world for a friend was that they never judged, and if they did, she could shut him up easily.
"Horray!" They cheered obviously. "When is Grimm getting back?"
"Soon, he said his appointment ended at four, meaning …" The door opened right on time as their favorite servant came in … with some extras. "Who are your friends Grimm?" Mandy asked, gazing upon the potential slaves.
"New friends!" Billy cheered, pointing his booger filled finger at the one with three eyes. "Hi, I'm Billy!"
"Get the hell away from me!" The girl lit on fire, and tossed the idiot through the wall like any sane person would.
"That was rational…too rational." She'll have to put this girl on her potential list of threats to her future empire.
"Calm your buns." Grimm rolled his eye sockets. "They're from another world, just trying to get home."
"I didn't think you were made up of any generous bones unless it was the hook up variety." Mandy noted, glancing at the tall blond woman.
"Gross, not into necrophilia." The adult rolled her eyes. "He said something about you being his superior?"
"Yes, though that's more formal than it really is." Mandy nodded. "It's more like he's a slave and I'm his master."
"He's our bestest best friend for life!" Billy shouted from the walls he was in.
They stared at the skeleton in confusion, before he sighed. "I lost a limbo contest when they were in elementary school. They cheated with a gerbil."
"And now the boney idiot can't reap us no matter what and must do as I say for all eternity." Mandy continued. "Mastering death was just phase one of my plan to take over the world. I've already secured the loyalty of all this town's idiots, so phase two is down. Phase three comes after I grow into the legal age to run for council."
"Ahh, a young mastermind, charming." The threat smiled. "So can we start interrogating the skeleton now?"
"Sure … after you sign a contract." She pulled out the papers.
"... Contract for what?" The Dominican girl asked.
"It states that you can use Grim for a small time, and when I take over the world, you have to help me as slaves, unable to stop me from killing or interrupting my plans as I please."
The group looked at her, fear crawling all over their bodies. "She's not Belos level scary … but she's a close second." The buff one with glasses gulped.
"I'm not second … to anyone." If this 'Belos' wanted to try tangling with her as ruler of the world, they had another thing coming.
"Honestly I feel like that's a good deal." The boy with curly hair nodded. "She can have earth, I'm gonna be free to run rampant across the Boiling Isles and Hell." Note to self, expand plans to all dimensions across space and time. "So, where do I sign?"
"At the bottom." She said, holding out the pen.
"Oh cool design, where did you get this thing?"
"Unicorn horn dipped in pixie spinal fluid. Even your soul can't break the contract." She had to be thorough after the many loopholes of people dealing with Grimm.
"Lucci, this feels like a mistake." The Dominican girl tried to plead.
"Relax, I'm sure she isn't as bad as she is making herself out to be.
"She just admitted to killing unicorns." A blue haired girl shook him.
"Unicorns are jerks." He countered. "They act all snooty and superior just because they have dumb horns." Someone else that spoke sense … this felt too good to be true. "And done."
"Cool, now we can have her tell us everything." The short boy smiled.
"You mean him?" The purple haired girl asked.
"Doesn't it get confusing when so many people see something different?" The only human close to her age asked.
"Not really. Endsville is full of morons. None of them are smart enough to see the grim reaper as a serious threat…though I honestly can't blame them for that. He's hardly useful on his best days." Mandy shrugged.
"Seriously Mon, just one day, could you give a fellow some slack?" The loser moaned.
"Well…anyways, we've been trying to make a portal back home, and we've just been going off of luck at the moment, and we could use some guidance." The human girl asked. "Do you know any of the ingredients in this list?"
"Child's play, girlee, just give me a second to clean out me eyeholes."
"… How is that working on everyone?" The glasses asked. "Are you guys seeing this?"
"I see a human woman using a tissue." The blue girl said.
"I see a giant wolf scratching behind their ears." The boy with scars asked.
"Dark matter, probability field, mind lock, spatial grid …" They listed off.
"We got the dark matter from nowhere and the elder god chip from Gravity falls." Note to self, go and collect these artifacts herself at a future date. "But we're stuck on what the rest of them are."
"Well probability field could probably be found around the Murphy family…" Grim began to explain.
"Murphy…like…Murphy's law?" The blonde woman asked. "As in, anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
"Why do you think they coined it? That thing is genetic for them." Grim rolled their eyes. "They brush by me every other day … we have tea during their comas." Wuss. "You can find them in the tristate area. In fact, most of these ingredients can be found in the same general area in Illinois."
"Great, so we just need to walk around the state and we're good there." The girl with glasses nodded.
"Though the only thing you won't find is the Sands of time…it's in another realm altogether … though I can take you there myself."
"Perfect, that works for us!" The blue haired girl grinned.
"Side note, I can't take Mandy and Billy, they got banned after last time." He spoke. "I was so close…so close to getting rid of them forever….they ceased to exist for a whole day…"
Mandy kicked his knees. "Don't sound so happy we're gone, jerk." If only she could use the man's scythe herself. She'd just kill every obstacle right away. "And why are you so helpful to them anyways?"
"Because unlike you or Billy, they actually appreciate life." They spoke, placing their legs back on.
"Says death." She rolled her eyes.
"What can I say … I'ma complicated concept."
========================================================================
Willow blinked as she entered … what couldn't be described. It was this silverish and blue room, but it wasn't concrete, it seemed hazy, like a mirage, constantly shifting. "Behold, the realm of concepts." Death explained to them all. "You can drop the disguise Vee. Everything in here can see your soul."
"I'd rather not…" Vee sighed. "I like being human more than being a basilisk."
They shrugged. "Suit yourself mon. Now stick close, if anyone doesn't think you're with me, they'll either send you where you belong, kick you out somewhere in the multiverse, or give you a fate worse than … well, me." Death shrugged. "Last time I brought mortals in here, over half of humanity de-aged into nothingness."
"It was Billy, wasn't it?" Gus asked.
"That kid's stupidity scares even eldritch abominations …" The skeleton shivered. "I'd swear, if I didn't make that bet, I'd would've reaped him years ago." As they walked they saw a large variety of … things. From handsome men, to tiny imps, to giant creatures. "So you've got your primordials, your assistant deities, the visiting hoppers, a large variety interact here."
"So exactly…how do all of you function? Like with all the gods and concepts. Doesn't the different religions and cultures clash?" Luz asked.
"We blend better than you'd think. Sometimes in a literal sense." They put on something similar to the wolf face, but more jackal like. "Anubis is surprisingly popular with the Egyptian ladies. But the man also does his own thing talking with Osiris when I'm not reaping souls." The skeleton groaned. "The only deity I truly have a problem with is Eris…that rich entitled conniving succubus." He paused. "There's also Ooogie Boogie, but we treat that more as a saturday cartoon villainy stuff."
"Hey Grimy." They watched as a burlap sack filled with insects crawling out of its face walked by. "Take over the world next monday with another go with the gauntlet of fear?"
"You can try your dick." The skeleton chuckled. "Say hello to Jack for me, and tell Jack O Lantern he can get baked into a pie."
"Will do, will do." They chuckled with the sound of screaming insects as they walked away.
"The metaphysical concept of fear … sometimes you'd never expect him to be so friendly." Death shrugged.
"So every concept ever has some kind of form?" Gus asked.
"Big or small. Sometimes they help humans as Kwamis, other times elders detach themselves from life to focus on the bigger picture." They explained. "Some are kind, some are evil, some are chaotic in their moods, some never change."
A door slammed open as snow emerged. "I'm Mr White Christmas, I'm Mr-"
Grimm slammed the door shut. "Save it for another universe, Misers!"
"Hey, I met this Jingle dear thing, they're serving hot coco!" Lucci said, looking through one door. "My favorite kind too…dark chocolate. Still bitter without being overly sweet."
"Just don't fall into Christmas town. Last time that happened, it was almost stolen."
"Oh Death, it seems our schedules synched up again." Willow turned to … to … perfection. A woman with powerful muscles, yet soft flesh to caress. Her body was perfectly made to nurture yet attack. And green emerald eyes one could get lost into for all of eternity. "You're bringing kids, after what happened last time?" The woman asked with a voice that hit Willow's very core.
"It's just a simple transaction with dimensional displacement." The skeleton man answered.
"Oh is that so?" She chuckled, leaning down and rubbing Willow's hair with soft, ticklish hands. "Don't worry my little Willow, I'm sure it'll work out for you in the end."
"Oh….if you say so…" She blushed, feeling her heart tingle in a way it hasn't for a long time. Sure, she had the whole crush on Hunter…but this….this was a goddess…that hardly compared.
"Willow, you're drooling." Lucci deadpanned. "Who are you?"
"Oh, pardon me. I'm Mother Nature. Or Life." Willow's new god she would gladly serve hand and foot to the end of time spoke eloquently. "I make sure to give everyone life to use as they please. From growing strong and defending the weak, to nurturing life … to turning corpses into ammo." They said the last one with a bit of distaste to Amity.
"Hehehe….if it matters at all…I was basically groomed into learning Abomination magic." Amity winced.
They sighed. "Just be glad you don't even come close to the Gem species."
"What about Belos?" Lucci asked.
"I focus on the physical side of life, which keeps persisting. The spiritual stuff is all him." She pointed to Death.
"Oh trust me mates … nobody who eats souls is gonna escape me forever." They chuckled. "It's just like karma with that Eustice man. Everyone gets what's coming to them, whether they know it or not."
"...Good to know." Luz sighed. "How close are we to the sands of time?"
"Right through here." Grim pointed at a very old man. "Father Time, or fate, or destiny, or the concept of one moment into the next." Small robots ran through the room. "Assisted by every second of the year."
"Careful you all, he's a bit of a grouch." Mother Nature chuckled. "Goodbye kids." She waved, walking away with a perfect sway of the hips.
"So….you and mother nature?" Lucci smirked at her. "Falling for the impossible, eh?"
"Oh, like you wouldn't fall in love with whoever represents anarchy." She pointed out.
"That would be Eris, and trust me, she's had her eyes on him for a long…long…long time." Death groaned as walked up to the old man. "Father time…"
The old man smacked him with the watch on his neck. "Death, what did I say about bringing back kids after last time, you doggone whippersnapper?!"
"To do it when the sun runs out of time." The metaphysical concept of death replied like a scolded kid.
"Yes! And last I checked, Ra is still raising the sun everyday, so obviously that hasn't happened yet!"
Sasha walked up. "Sir, it's a bit of a long story but-" The old man pressed a hand to his watch, moving it forward as Sasha began talking faster than what should be possible, before stopping. "-So that's what brought us to death … what just happened?"
"I went through an hour of conversation as a second kid, keep up." He scoffed. "And the answer is no."
"First off…not going to lie, that was pretty cool." Gus noted. "Second, come on, sir, we really need it."
"Yes, but the problem isn't that you need it, the problem is that you can't be trusted with it." The aging man scoffed. "You really think I'm going to hand over something as delicate and important to the balance of the universe as the sands of time to a child raised by Edalyn Clawthorne?" He groaned. "Your personal timeline alone is already riddled with outside interference, not to mention Noceda nearly killed everyone on earth with a paradox."
"Okay, does everyone here just, know everything?" Vee asked.
"We run the universe, kid. From my point of view, you might as well be zygotes still in the womb." The cranky old man grumbled.
"Even then it's weird with time." Death shrugged. "Technically he hasn't had this conversation yet, is having this conversation right now, and listened to this conversation in its entirety."
"I see a lot of stuff in the past and future." He spoke. "Like how Lucifer's avarice truly will place his own people over the thousands that would suffer if he makes a mistake without any remorse, or how Luz's naivety and lack of understanding combined with her desperation to fix a problem would cause another larger problem to form."
"Oh fuck you." Lucci rolled his eyes. "Needs of the many and all that, I've heard that spiel before, and I still call snorseshit on it. If you have enough energy to complain about how we're messing up in life, then what does it say about all of you, the people running it, can't keep it together?"
"We all have our parts to play kid. I'm an observer, not an activist." He displayed an hourglass. "I see all of history, determine the best course of actions of every good deed and sin that will emerge from even the smallest speck of grass to the most influential king, and determine how long they should last in the grand scheme of things."
Luz looked frozen at that. "... So what … my dad … Centi … those were GOOD for the grand scheme of things!?"
"Probably. I'm an observer, not a commentator. Maybe his death allowed someone else to live. I'm pretty sure it was Centi or you back at that Titan Crushing thing. Or would you have preferred it to be the other way around?" The man groaned. And the peaceful option just went RIGHT out the door.
"And that tears it." Lucci began glowing pink. "Hand over the sands of time, or face the consequenc-."
POOOF
Lucci was struck with bits of sand….and slowly regressed smaller and smaller. "Oh not again." Amity groaned.
"Wah….wah…."
"Don't worry Lucci, big sis Vee got you." The basilisk scooped the boy up. "I hope this isn't permanent."
"Relax, he's a gem, not like time matters to his kind anyways." The grump rolled his eyes. "So either of you whippersnappers want to have a go at me, or do you want to experience shingles at Ninety in two seconds?"
Well, fighting him was CLEARLY out of the question now. And negotiations broke down with him probably hitting Luz a lot deeper than she showed. She looked to see if Death had any idea of what to do. "So.."
"Sorry, out of my jurisdiction. Technically I outrank him, but we're supposed to remain conflict free between each other. If I killed him, time would freeze in one moment forever, and if he killed me, then everyone lives forever and society would go insane in an endless loop of existential dread." Well that ruled that out.
"So the reason we can't have the sand is that you don't trust any of us?" Hunter asked.
"... Well I trust Sasha and Vee. The rest of you, not so much." The man said. "Ms Waybright here was one of the guardian's chosen for the calamity chest, and Vee is just content with not being a troublemaker. But I know that they'll just help the rest of you, and I hate you all."
"But what did we do!?"
"Lets see…worked with a living parasite." He pointed to Hunter. "Refused to take action against her own family." He pointed to Amity. "Lacked the ability to stand up for her own actions compared to everyone else, using them as basically canes." He pointed to her. "Useless." He pointed to Gus. Ok, that last one was uncalled for.
"Okay, it sounds less like you have legitimate reasons and more like you have pet peeves against certain people." Sasha glared.
"Maybe, maybe not, but it's my power, and I'm going to use it however I want, and how I want to use it is not giving it to any of you."
"How is he more annoying than Axolotl?" Willow grunted.
========================================================================
Gus watched as everyone tried and failed to argue with Father time, for the exception of Vee, who was nursing Lucci back to normal. "Dang it, this is annoying." The now two year old complained. Guess the man had a point about time meaning nothing to gems.
"Yeah, the man is a jerk, but you are adorable like this." Boscha pinched the boy's cheek, pecking it all over with kisses. "Ooh, I could eat you right up."
"Nooo, not kisses …" The boy laughed as he was assaulted with affection. They were going to be at this for a while, weren't they?
"So Clawthorne and Boscha are going to be a no go here." Hunter groaned. "So much for our heavy hitters."
"Their go to is violence, and considering we're dealing with deities higher on the food chain than the demons of hell, that option was a no go from the start." Luz sighed.
"Does our lives mean that little to you?" Amity accused father time. "Does nothing we do, nothing ANYbodyes ever does ever move you at all? Do you just not care about life at all?"
"I care about everyone's life, girly." They responded with a huff. "What, did you think I'd be in charge of deciding who lives and who dies without knowing what death was like?" Father time asked. "At the end of every year, I pass on, and at the beginning of every year I'm born."
That threw they for a bit of a loop. "... I'm sorry … did you just say you die every year?" Willow asked.
"Father time. I embody all time, all the time." He explained. "There's a few realities where I keep shifting from old to young, but here it's pretty linear. I'm born a baby, live my life for a year, die an old man. Cycle of the entire human experience in one get go." The old man huffed. "And for the record, there's a difference between not caring and being nitpicky. I'm a fan of the old classical heroes that focus on everyone and think about the actions that would affect others."
"We're trying to save our home!" Hunter yelled.
"But you came here to save yourselves the moment the situation escalated, and as a result, brought a threat from your home to earth."
"That threat was only ever a threat because he came from earth to begin with!" Lucci shouted, now looking like he was seven years old.
"Because your mother decided to open a portal with my stolen sand." He retorted.
"She is not my mom and you know it mr all seeing!"
"We're getting nowhere with this guy." Gus grumbled. "He's too bitter to change his mind and too powerful for us to take head on." It was like a more confrontational version of Orsan. "Abomination magic, he'll probably just bring the corpse to life. Plant's he could age to dust, heck, he could do the same to us….nothing we can do can touch him."
"If he thought this was pointless he would have just kicked us out already." Willow said.
"No, that's just because it would be improper to kick me out." Death…or Lady death as Gus saw her…them…it, shrugged. "Don't take what he says too personally. Old deities are like old men. Stubborn and stuck in their path. Doesn't help that he gets to experience true youth for only six months at a time."
"So what do you suggest?" Sasha asked. "Best advice I can give when dealing with intolerable old geezers is punching them in the face."
"Father time mainly drives you out of your youth. Youth from certain perspectives is all but a state of mind." Lady death looked to him. "Make him think from a younger perspective, and he might let his guard down a little."
"Wait..you want me to use illusion magic on him?" Gus asked. "But whenever I go into someone's head, I project nightmares and trauma."
"Also, is someone on this scale really gonna buy an illusion?" Amity asked. "Won't he just…brush it off like a fly."
"You'd be surprised by what can and can't affect us." She snickered. "Like how Lucifer caught me off guard for a second when he charged at me. Plus, if it's a good experience he sees, then father time will be less likely to fight it off and indulge it." Gus looked down at his own hands. "There's no harm in believing in yourself in difficult times." Lady Death told him. "Sometimes that's all it takes to get that extra spark you need."
Gus took a deep breath. Believing in himself … and … go! He launched an illusion at Father Time, tensing at the amount of energy and perfect detail he was adding to the mix. Work, work, work.
"What the…what's going on, why does my skin feel so…..so smooth…" The man looked at his own hands. "Soft…unwrinkled skin…..it's so wonderful….I missed it." Father time actually started to cry.
"Wow, you hijacked god." Amity noted. "I don't think anyone will ever top what you did."
"If you're going to look for sand, do it NOW." Gus could already feel the strain getting to him. This mind was somehow thinking BACKWARDS.
"No problem." Luz tip-toed right next to the man, and reached into his pocket as he was distracted. "Thank you Eda for your lessons in larceny." She held up a small sack. "Got it, sands of time acquired."
"Then let's book it." Boscha said, already running.
"Ah, I wouldn't open up-" Lady Death tried to say before the curtain opened up. "... The hourglass room …"
"Why, what's there?" Lucci asked.
"Just the exact measurements of when you and all living creatures will die."
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Luz blinked at that. "So … every single death ever … is in there?" She asked.
"Yes, it's one of the main places I visit." The wolf man said. "Father Time says when they die, I stand there to do the deed, I take the soul to where it belongs, and the cycle goes on." He spoke. "Let us not wander down it.The last time I brought kids here they flipped over their hourglasses and undid their lives."
"Right." Lucci said, looking around ten years old now. "I hate oracle magic as a principal, I really rather not see the day I die. Life's better the less you don't know about it."
"What about how long Eda has?" Boscha asked, causing Death to facepalm.
"...Maybe a little peak wouldn't hurt." Honestly, that was pretty understandable.
"And like that, my regret for helping you all has exponentially gone up." The wolf deadpanned to their therapist.
"I'll make sure they won't touch anything." Sasha nodded, looking up at a certain one. "...Hey, how come Anne's has one going down and another one completely full on both ends?"
"Better for your friend to explain that. That gets WAY too complicated for me to care about." The wolf groaned.
"Calarance, Clarone, Clater." Lucci muttered as he passed every hourglass. "Ah, Clawthorne" He smiled … next to six hourglasses … two of which were MASSIVE. "Whoa…I now Mom said Clawthornes are too stubborn to die, but I didn't think it was so literal."
"Check the names, kid." Death spoke, pointing to 'King Clawthorne' and 'Lucifer Clawthorne'.
Lucci stared at his own name … tied to an hourglass with a fluctuating top. "… Not even gonna bother." He turned to the other. "What about King?"
"It took over a thousand years for his egg to hatch, and his dad's corpse lasted over sixty million years with a still beating heart. You're brother's got a long life ahead of him." The wolf smirked.
"That doesn't bother you?" Luz had to ask
"Life only bothers me for those that don't enjoy it. Those that are frivolous without loving it." He growled. "Those like cats who think I don't exist, those like Belos who drink others for his own amusement. At least gems are fully aware of the concept of dying in the form of a shatter … except the diamonds." He snarled. "Arrogant Putas."
"I did not expect the concept of death to be this relatable." Amity muttered. "... Really says a lot about our lives." She looked to her. "So, want to see how long we have together?"
"I …" Luz turned to death. ".. Would it even matter if I saw it?"
"You'd be surprised. Sometimes you can extend the time, sometimes you can shorten it … other times, you end up causing your time." Death answered. "My only concern is whether or not you enjoyed the path you made."
"..." Luz looked down at her hands … clenching them. "I'll tell you when it's all said and done."
"Good answer." They smirked. "Just make sure not to brush me too often. Your group has absurd luck, not an endless amount of it."
"Noted." Willow said. "I'd rather go out on my own time, not when an hourglass says I need to go."
"Guys, we need to hurry." Gus huffed. "My illusion won't hold forever … where's Hunter?"
"He's right here…Hunter?" Vee turned to the boy with scars….frozen in terror.
"I … found my glass …" Hunter was gazing at an hourglass … a nearly empty one. "I'm … I …"
"You know just as much as me how bullshit Oracle magic is." Lucci spoke up. "This…this doesn't determine anything. We changed the future once, and by titan we can do it again." Weird for Lucci to be this nice to Hunter…weird in a good way.
"If you wish to do so, better to do it on the mortal plane, and not here." The wolf took out their knives, and sliced open a portal. "Try not to come to Endsville too often, or around Mandy for that matter. That's guaranteed to shorten your life span by a decade."
"Yeah, we understand." Luz smiled. "Thanks for everything, this is probably the most help we've gotten in a while." And from DEATH to reiterate.
"No problem. My job is to guide souls, not attack….just don't cross me and we'll be good."
"Mew." Ghost glared at the wolf from Amity's shoulder.
"Don't think that doesn't apply to you, Palisman. Five hundred years of experience isn't everything."