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You have been warned.
To put it simply, The Scythe of Souls is to Phantom's Wrath what Danganronpa Killcross is to The Second RNW Killing Game (Hell Yeah). In other words, it is a novelization of Phantom's Wrath. If you need any information on the story, you may get answers on that page. The story is mostly lead by Moon Snail, but is being co-written by Jennifer. This is a third-person story. In other words, it's not written in the perspective of any characters. Kinda sad, but with how the story pans out, I don't think a first-person writing could work at all.
The story is still in progress. It has currently not caught up with the original roleplay.
Okay, with that out of the way, LET'S GFOOOOOOOOOO! *Does a backflip and knocks over a bookshelf, causing a domino effect that destroys the entire room*
Prologue
A wizard by the name of Bean was seeking hostile robots in the swamp, as he heard of a particularly dangerous one roaming around in the swamp. In spite of his thorough searching, he couldn't find it.
"Come on," sighed Bean, "I could've sworn there was one here."
As soon as he spoke, he heard a tree rustling nearby, and his heart sank. He was fully expecting to get ambushed by this creature. He knew he needed some help with this one. "Okay... Looks like I found it, Lucas," he whimpered, "I could use a bit of help with this one..."
He heard more rustling, and his brother was nowhere to be found. "Alright, Lucas, this isn't funny," he said. The rustling continued, and Bean grew even more worried. "Lucas, please, I need your help."
Unfortunately, Lucas still did not arrive, even as the movement in the trees intensified. Bean worried for himself and his brother. What if this thing killed Lucas? What if it was about to take him next? As the questions filled his mind, the noises started to get closer... and closer... Bean was desperate this time. He shouted "Lucas! I need you here right now!"
Unfortunately, all that responded was a shadowy figure, leaping out of the trees behind him. Bean turned around, and before he could fight back, the figure dug a scythe straight into his chest.
Shortly after, Lucas finally arrived. "Okay, Bean. I'm here now, no need to shout," he said, before failing to find his brother. "Really, Bean?" he sighed, "You demand my presence, and then hide as I arrive?" Lucas was still unaware of his brother's fate. After a few seconds, he started to worry. "Bean? Yoo-hoo? You can come out now..."
No response.
"Bean?"
Still no response.
"Bean!?" "BEAN!?!?"
Soon after Bean's mysterious death, another person arrived. Holly always found herself liking the swamp, but this visit was more bitter than her previous ones.
Her parents had recently died, and Holly was extremely saddened by it. In order to wash her worries away, she decided to go over to the swamp, and try to make the pain go away... for awhile.
The bushes rustled behind her, and made Holly look behind her. "Who's there?", she asked. It went downhill for Holly and her free will.
A shadowy figure appeared, similar to the one faced by Bean. Holly was first taken aback, but still talked to them. She expressed her woes of the deaths of her mother and father, and the figure decided to use this for their advantage.
"You poor, poor girl... I pity you greatly. I'll let you join me for to thing to pay back..."
They explained the details and after thinking about it, Holly answered "I agree."
"Perfect...."
Holly stood up high as a scythe was dug into her chest and killed her. Just like Bean. And she was glad with it.
Chapter 1: When the Moon is Fat
Day 1:
Moon Snail sat in his house, living his life as normal, before Freddy Freaker broke through his door.
"Frederick what the hell?" said Moon Snail. Freddy approached him with a letter in his hands. "I was told to send this to you," the gremlin said, "so here you go." Freddy handed him the letter and left, magically repairing the door on his way out. Moon Snail, obviously confused, opened the letter.
"Meet me at the swamp tomorrow. You'll see what happens."
Moon Snail didn't think much of this ominous letter, but thought nothing truly terrible could happen if he did so. He pocketed the letter and went through with the rest of his day.
Day 2:
It was the dead of night. Moon Snail did as the letter asked and arrived at the swamp. "So... I'm here. At the swamp," he announced, "What do you want?"
His question was answered by a clot of purple smoke, which faded away to reveal the shadowy figure.
"Ah, greetings," they stated formally, "I've been waiting for you, Moon Snail."
Moon Snail was unfamiliar with this character, but they did not intimidate him, as he's faced worse monsters in his time. He only asked a simple question, "New swamp who dis."
"My name is not important. You may call me Phantom."
"... Okay?"
"Now, I have called you here for one reason."
"What is it?"
"..."
"C'mon, don't leave me waiting."
"I need your soul."
This took Moon Snail by surprise, but didn't scare him. "Excuse me?" he hissed. Phantom chuckled, "With your soul in my grasp, my plan will be one step closer to completion. In addition, you will become my powerful minion." Moon Snail was still skeptical, and retorted "And how are you going to do that?"
Phantom did not say a word. They responded by pulling a scythe out of nowhere. This was enough to startle the Zangoose boy. "You fool," Phantom said ominously, "You will never be able to resist my wrath." Moon Snail started to backpedal, "G-get away from me!" Phantom brushed off this bargain. "You should be looking forward to this," they threatened, "I will give you more power than you could possibly imagine!"
"No, don't!"
But he couldn't stop them. Phantom sliced into Moon Snail, stealing his soul as they pulled it out. "Perfect," Phantom proudly said to themself, "You'll make for a useful troop."
Little My heard Moon Snail begging for his life, and entered the scene. "I heard screaming," she said, before learning exactly what happened. "Neeeeevermind," she whimpered, before backing out of the scene.
Phantom ignored her entrance, and channeled dark energy into Moon Snail's lifeless body. This brought him to life in a new, grotesque form. "Behold, your new strength," Phantom explained, "You can see now that your soul was a small price to pay, right?"
"Yes... this feels good," Moon Snail growled, "I am yours to command."
"Excellent..."
By coincidence, Tommy Turnbull was also in the swamp, and heard the commotion. He ran in to find out exactly what happened. "What the heck!?" he exclaimed as he saw Moon Snail's new form, "Moon Snail!?!?"
Phantom turned to him and glared menacingly. "W-What’s going on?" Tommy responded, "What did you do to my friend?"
"... Don't you see? I improved upon him."
"Why?"
"It's all part of the plan."
Phantom's ambiguity frustrated Tommy. "Alright buddy," he snapped, "tell me what your plan is."
Phantom refused to say anything about their plan, further frustrating the Turnbull. "Well then, let my friend go!" he said with more anger.
"That's enough!" Phantom shouted, "I've already grown tired of your presence. Moon Snail, get him."
The corrupted Zangoose boy approached Tommy. Tommy whined, "Moon Snail! Snap out of it!"
"Snap out of it? Ha! You wouldn't know a blessing if it was dangled in front of your face!"
"M-Moon Snail..."
"Now, this once, I'll give you a choice. Either you can kneel and accept this gift, or flee at once, and tell no one."
Tommy was frightened, but intrigued. "W-What’s the gift...?"
Phantom stepped in to elaborate, "The same one I presented your friend with. Indescribable power and intellect... only at the cost of your soul."
"My soul!? Yeah, no!" Tommy refuted, before thinking about it. "Or... maybe I should take it... Tommy just make up your mind!" He conflicted with himself. In the end, he took the gamble. "Fine! I’ll take up the offer..."
"Wise choice."
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" Little My screamed as she returned, "ARE YOU REALLY GONNA FALL FOR SOME SICKOS TRAP?" Before she could stop the two, Phantom stabbed into Tommy with their scythe, and turned them into a phantom minion, just like they did with Moon Snail. "OH COME ON!" Little My screamed in frustration.
This grabbed Phantom's attention. They faced the mymble in the same way they faced Tommy. "So... you witnessed this all as well?"
"Um... y-yeah..." My whimpered.
"Hmm..." Phantom pondered, "Maybe I can turn you into a minion as well!"
"No! Never!" Little My responded.
"Then LEAVE. And tell NOBODY."
Little My growled at them, before departing, telling no one of Moon Snail and Tommy's fate.
Chapter 2: Awareness Rises
Day 4:
The day was normal at the Fire Lash Tavern. People were still having fun and drinks, and the atmosphere was as nice as ever. However, this changed when Flametail, the bartender, rose an important point. "Are we all collectively forgetting the fact that we haven't seen Moon Snail or Tommy in two days?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing. "Hold on, what?" exclaimed Gargoyowl. "Yep," Flametail responded, "they're completely missing."
"That's... worrying..."
Lemres, who was Moon Snail's boyfriend, was especially concerned. "I'm so worried about Moon..." he sighed, "he means so much to me." Freddy replied "I don't really care. Honestly, I hope he's dead." Lemres, without thinking, tried to punch him, but was quickly stopped by Gargoyowl. "Woah woah woah!" gasped Freddy, "Take it easy! I was just kidding!"
Afterwards, Sig stepped in and brought up "I heard a rumor that they went to the swamp at the time of their disappearance." This caught Gargoyowl's attention. "The swamp?" they asked, "Ohh... The swamp is always bad news..."
"Swamp? What swamp?" Flametail questioned.
"'The Swamp'," Sig answered, "It was never given a proper name because they were lazy."
Flametail gasped. "You mean the swamp!?"
"Yes. THE Swamp."
"Oh god, oh god, oh god... They might be dead!"
"N-no... they can't be!" Lemres shouted, "I'm gonna go look for them. I got to get them back!" Everyone was shocked by Lemres' decision. "Lemres, don't!" Gargoyowl warned, "You could very easily die out there!" But Lemres did not listen. "I don't care," Lemres replied, "Moon means everything to me, and if it's possible, I'm getting him back."
With his claim, Lemres left the tavern. "Welp, there he goes..." Sig sighed. "I call dibs on his wallet!" Freddy greedily exclaimed.
Everyone worried for hours. They knew the dangers that the swamp holds. Knowing the news of a gruesome deaths of a fellow wizard and a teenage girl, everyone thought Lemres had no chance out there. A few hours later, everyone's worrying was interrupted by a broadcast that appeared globally.
"I've come to make an announcement!"
On the tavern's small TV, a familiar sight shined into everyone's eyes. It was Dr. Eggman standing in front of a blue background. Nobody fully understood the circumstances, but everyone felt like they knew what would happen. Deja vu, if you will.
Eggman continued, "Shadow the Hedgehog is a bitch-ass motherfucker! He pissed on my fucking wife! That's right, he took his hedgehog fucking quilly dick out..." As the tavern goers watched, they heard the panics of a young child watching outside, as if she also knew something terrible would happen.
"... And he pissed on my fucking wife, and he said his dick was 'this big' and I said 'that's disgusting!"
Shadow the Hedgehog was also in the tavern. He watched the doctor's announcement with glee, taking pride in provoking Eggman's pettiness.
"So I'm making a call-out post on my Twitter Dot Com: Shadow the hedgehog, you've got a small dick! It's the size of this walnut except way smaller!"
The video cut to a shot of outer space. It was clear to everyone that shit was about to go down.
"And guess what? Here's what my dong looks like!"
The walnut that Eggman used to describe Shadow's genitals exploded into a nasty shape.
"That's right, baby! All points, no quills, no pillows! Look at that, it looks like two balls and a bong!"
The supposed dick started to glow blue. Something terrible was about to happen...
"He fucked my wife, so guess what!? I'm gonna fuck the earth! THAT'S RIGHT, THIS IS WHAT YOU GET: MY SUPER LASER PISS!!!"
The dick shot out a massive blue laser. It soared across the earth, but seemingly missed.
"Except I'm not going to piss on the earth; I'm gonna go higher! I'M PISSING ON THE MOOOOOOOON!!!!!"
The laser pierced into the moon, and the moon blew in half. Everyone stared in shock.
"How do you like that, Obama!? I PISSED ON THE MOON YOU IDIOT!!!"
As the citizens continued to watch the moon's new form, they turn back to the broadcast to find a rapidly falling timer.
"YOU HAVE 23 HOURS BEFORE THE PISS DRRRRROPLLLLLETS HIT THE FUCKING EARTH! NOW GET OUT OF MY FUCKING SIGHT, BEFORE I PISS ON YOU TOO!"
Everyone was in shock. Would this be more severe than the current problems they face right now? Were Bean, Holly, Moon Snail and Tommy just the start? Despite this, Shadow still grinned, pointing at the TV and saying "I still pissed on your wife!"
Many days passed. Nothing came of Eggman's threat, and Lemres still had not returned. Nobody knew what happened to the warlock, or even if he was still alive, until...
Day 9:
"Wake up, Gargoyowl..."
Gargoyowl was resting at their home. A strange figure was urgently begging them to awaken.
"Wake up..."
With this second demand, the statue did wake. They eyed upon a shadowy figure. This was unlike the one faced by the victims, however. She had lavender eyes, a green staff, and more angelic wings than the latter.
"Gargoyowl, I need your help," she begged. Gargoyowl did not recognize the figure. "Who... are you?", they asked. "My name is not important," they replied, "You may call me 'The Druid'."
"... What do you need of me?"
"I must warn you of a terrible danger."
"Okay..."
"And I need you to warn everyone else."
"Why not tell everyone yourself?"
"I fear they will not trust me as much as they trust you."
"Makes sense, I guess..."
"A few days ago, one of your friends mysteriously vanished. Nobody knows what happened... except for me..."
The Druid placed a flashback in the mind of Gargoyowl. It was of Lemres dashing across a beach, clearly tired. "Geez," he panted, "How far away is this swamp!?" Just then, he saw a familiar figure wearing a familiar purple hat. "Moon!" Lemres exclaimed joyfully, "You're alive!"
The figure turned around to face him. While he looked like Moon Snail, he did not look the same. Lemres was in shock, as if he did not fully recognize him. Moon Snail lunged at the warlock, but he quickly dodged out of the way.
"W-what's going on!?" Lemres panicked, "What happened to you, Moon!?"
"The Moon Snail you know of is dead," cackled Moon Snail, "And you will be too, soon."
"No! You can't be the real him! Where is Moon Snail!?"
"He's gone! The Phantom has put me in his place!"
"Ph-Phantom!? Who is Phantom!?"
Moon Snail simply smirked. "You'll see soon enough!"
The two then fought. In spite of Lemres' efforts, Moon Snail eventually came out on top. With Lemres defeated, Phantom arrived, making themself public for the first time. "Ah... well done, Moon Snail," they said. Lemres was scared for his life. "What's going on!?" he cried, "Where is Moon Snail!?"
"Isn't it obvious, pathetic wizard? Your little boyfriend is under my control now."
Lemres was on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe that this monster, this horrible, bladed fiend, could possibly be the Moon Snail he knows and loved. "W... wh... what do you mean!? What did you do to him!?!?"
"Heh. Watch and learn."
With a slash of their scythe, Lemres fell, lifeless and without his soul. "The deed is done," Moon Snail chuckled. "Not yet," argued Phantom, "There is one more step. Remember?"
Just like with Moon Snail and Tommy, Phantom channeled dark energy into Lemres' corpse, changing his form into a more grotesque counterpart. "Welcome to the dark side, Lemres."
Lemres was taken back by this event. "This new power is indescribable," he stated in awe, "I will never look to the light ever again." Moon Snail approached him. "Ah, Lemmy... It's wonderful to see you turn to the dark side." The Zangoose boy looked over him. "Hmm... You're even cuter in this new form!"
Lemres did not have a blood flow in his current form, but if he did, he would definitely be blushing. "Heh... you too, sweetie..." he said. "Alright, alright!" sighed Phantom, "When you two are done flirting, I've got more work for you to do. Now, where's that lemon boy?"
The flashback finished, and Gargoyowl was in shock. "... No... That can't be what happened..."
"Unfortunately, it is," Druid responded, "I saw it with my own two eyes."
"So this is what happened to Moon Snail and Tommy?"
"I assume so. That was Moon Snail who attacked him, wasn't it?"
"A part of me hopes it wasn't, but it must've been."
A horrible feeling hit Gargoyowl. If Moon Snail was taken by Phantom, and he disappeared with Tommy, then... "... If that's what happened to Moon Snail and Lemres, I don't want to see what happened to poor little Tommy..."
"That's the past." Druid said, trying to divert Gargoyowl's attention. "What's important, now, is the future. We need to make sure that everyone is ready for Phantom. We can't let them get any stronger."
"You're right. Come with me. We need to warn the others before it's too late!"
Chapter 3: The Rebellion's Beginning
Day 10:
After hearing about the disappearances, Sora, a former student from Hope's Peak Academy, visited the swamp hoping to find out what happened. "I have a feeling.... that something isn’t right," she pondered, before Druid appeared behind her. "...What are you doing here?" said Druid.
Sora wasn't expecting this strange figure to appear, but felt a bit of security in her presence. "Well, I’ve heard about some people going missing around here," she replied, "and I went to investigate myself."
"Fair enough, but it's not safe here."
"Well, I can understand why...but I want to know why they went missing."
"I can't fully confirm... but I think I know exactly what happened."
Sora listened closely to Druid, as Druid stated "Have you heard of Phantom?"
"I don’t believe so....the only ‘phantom’ I can say is probably one is Midako Sannōji. Ugh. That guy tried to kill me and my friends once..."
"Oh, this one is worse... This 'Phantom' not only tries to kill people, but they even steals their souls and turns them into mindless slaves."
Sora was shocked. "W-WHAT!?" she exclaimed. Even after she went through a horrible killing game, she never thought she'd encounter anything quite like this. "I saw one of their victims..." Druid continued shamefully, "it wasn't pretty." With this information, Sora knew she was in quite a predicament. "Oh man....this is bad, really really bad... I gotta warn the world of this man. Well, thanks for telling me....what’s your name?"
Druid was still not willing to reveal herself. "I do not want to reveal it right now," she said, "For now, you may call me 'The Druid'."
"Well then, Druid...I’m Sora."
"Pleased to meet you, Sora."
"Well then, I’m gonna warn my friends," Sora announced, "We had a nice talk though."
"Well, goodbye. And stay safe."
Sora stated "See you around, I guess," before departing to warn everyone she knew. Druid remembered that she had to warn Gargoyowl's acquaintances as well. As she thought, she turned around to find a certain... someone.
"YOU."
Out of nowhere, Druid found herself face-to-face with the very monster she tried to warn everyone about. Phantom. "You thought you could expose me behind my back? Oh, my sweet summer child..." Phantom chuckled. "I'll..." Druid stuttered, "I'll be going now!" With that, she teleported away before they could claim her soul as well. Phantom was frustrated, but tried to stay strong. "...Coward... I'll enjoy killing you the first chance I get."
"Um..."
Phantom was taken off-guard. They turned around to find a young, purple woman, known as Shope. "What are..." they stammered, "What are you doing here!?" Shope explained, "Well, I was trying to find out about those two people who disappeared." Phantom chuckled, "You fool... You should've known the answer would arrive in a way you wouldn't have liked!" as they approached the noob, with their scythe out...
Day 11:
Fire Lash Tavern never felt the same, with everyone panicking over the disappearances. One day, suddenly, Lucas broke through the door with his boyfriend, Robin. As everyone stared in confusion, the archer proclaimed "GIVE ME A DRINK, BARTENDER!" Robin tried to keep him under control after his grief. "No, just no," Robin sighed, "Don't actually give him anoth-"
Flametail stopped them both. "Look, before I give either of you anything..." he said, "who are you, and what are you doing here?" Lucas was too preoccupied with his grief to answer him. "Why should you even care?" he hiccuped, "Just gimme a-" Before Lucas could demand a drink, Freddy interrupted with "I think I know them. They're Lucas and Robin. I think Luke is mad because his brother just disappeared at random."
"Hmm... just like Moon and Tommy?" Flametail asked. Lucas was growing frustrated as he was held back. "JUST GIMME ANOTHE-". Freddy finally countered with "Dude, you're not even of legal drinking age." Lucas paused. "...I'm not?" Robin continued "Yeah, you're 19."
"Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"I told you 5 times, my dude."
Suddenly, Gargoyowl flew in. "Everyone! EVERYONE!" they shouted. Everyone went silent, before Freddy asked "What?" Gargoyowl announced "I just found out what's behind those disappearances." Sora, who was also in the tavern, responded with "So you've met the Druid, too?" Gargoyowl nodded.
Everyone else was confused. "Druid?" asked Flametail, "Who's Druid?" Sora answered "She kinda looked like Phantom...but she looked a bit more welcoming and friendly than them." This still didn't answer much, as nobody else knew about Phantom. "Who's Phantom" Sig asked. "Yeah. Phantom is... well..." Gargoyowl said, not knowing how to explain them, "I don't know who they are. But they're behind all of the disappearances."
Dr. Eggman stepped in. "What? What did Phantom do? Did Phantom fuck my wife too!?" Gargoyowl sighed, responding "No no no. I have no idea what you're talking about. But you see... The Druid showed me everything." "So?" Lucas asked, "What did Phantom do, anyway?" Sora explained "All I know is they probably turned Moon Snail, Tommy and Lemres into slaves."
"WHAT!?" erupted everyone in the pub.
"Yeah. Phantom is going around, stealing people's souls and turning their victims into mind slaves," Gargoyowl stated. Despite all of this, Freddy was skeptical. "So how do we know that you're not bluffing?" Gargoyowl started to explain "Well-" before Tommy entered the scene. "I exist now!"
Everyone panicked. Tommy cackled at everyone, before Phantom made their first public appearance. "Heh heh heh..." they snarked, "I'd like to thank that little wizard for telling me where you are." "Phantom!" Sora exclaimed. She knew this was the one who Druid explained to her. "DID YOU FUCK MY WIFE!?" Eggman accused. "No??? What???? The hell?????" Phantom stammered, before giving the word, "Anyway... Get them!"
With this command, Moon Snail and Lemres joined the picture, and chaos started to go down. "Moon Snail!?" Flametail cried, "What did they do to you!?" "Shut it, Flames!" Moon Snail snapped back, "Prepare to die!" Tommy cackled, "Ah hahahahaha! Doesn’t it feel nice...?" For once, Freddy had a sense of right. "Somebody, give me two dollars. NOW!" he ordered, hoping to use his godly powers for good this time. Unfortunately, nobody had enough to give him. The phantom minions started to tear apart the tavern. "God, what do we do!?" Gargoyowl panicked. Sora exclaimed, "Run! Get away before Phantom can steal your soul!"
But then... a portal opened from behind the taverngoers. From the portal, the Druid stepped out. "Quickly! There's not much time left!" she ordered. "Druid!" Sora exclaimed joyfully, "Oh man, I’m so glad your here!" Phantom was not as pleased with her. "No! Not you again! Get her! Now!" Lemres went through with the order, shooting a blast of lightning at Druid, before the spell is intercepted by Flametail. "Crap! Wrong target!" Phantom pouted. Everyone took the opportunity to escape, but Sora mentioned "What about Flametail!? We just can’t leave him behind!"
Druid responded "...You're right! We gotta save him too!" and ran for him. But before she could save him, Phantom took his soul as well. "Another one of us!" Tommy greeted. "Yes..." Flametail rose to state, "I am yours to command, master." "Then get these cretins," Phantom ordered, "That's your first mission." Hastily, Druid picked up everyone who hadn't escaped yet, ran through the portal, and closed it. The phantom minions had a moment of frustration, before Phantom exclaimed "We can't just let them get away!" "...We just did, though," Flametail responded. "You know what I mean," Phantom responded, "We need to search this land for them!"
Everyone left the portal, into a wide, expansive forest known as "Ebony Leopard Woods". They narrowly escaped, but took sacrifices with them. "Great," Robin sighed, "Now we don't have any shelter." Sora suggested "We could always build one," before Lucas asked "Does anyone here know how to cut down trees?" Nobody could, but Gargoyowl realized "Wait, the forest? What if..." Everyone waited for them to continue. "We might be able to find Moomin and Snufkin. Maybe they can let us stay with them for the time. They'll understand, right?"
"That might work," said Freddy, "But we need to stay here for now. It'd be too dangerous to move right now."
On the ground they landed on, the group rested. Sora, however, knew that they couldn't just rest. "Y'know..." Everyone focused their attention to her. "What if we started a group dedicated to fighting this menace?" Everyone agreed that it would be a great idea. "Yeah!" said Druid, "But what should we call it?" "Umm..." Sora thought, "How about... The Rebellion?"
"Not bad," Sig agreed, "It's simple, and to the point. It'll get us going." Everyone agreed to form "The Rebellion". Another shadow-cloaked figure overheard them. "The Rebellion?" she said to herself, "That's a great idea! Maybe I could find some members for them!" After saying this, the figure took off in flight.
A little bit away from the newly founded Rebellion, a teenage girl and her pet bunny ran through the forest. The girl was known as Iroha Nijiue, who, like Sora, was a former Hope's Peak Academy student, and went through the same Killing Game as her. Iroha was the SHSL (Super High School Level) Painter, and was particularly concerned with her missing girlfriend, Tamara Turnbull.
"Tammy? Tammy, are you here?", Iroha called. Starring down at her pet, she said to the bunny "Lops, Tammy's been missing for over 11 days! I'm so scared for her...."
Lops gave her owner a look that said "If you're gonna stop, you won't find Tamara!". Iroha looked back and said "You're right! I can't leave Tammy behind! Let's go, Lops.
Then Iroha and Lops ran off, continuing their quest to find Tamara.
Chapter 4: Building Up
Day 15:
Meanwhile, back at the swamp, Shope's disappearance had caught her girlfriend, an emo girl by the name of Soren, totally off-guard, and after 5 days of learning music on her guitar to cope and being deep in despair, she said she had enough and asked her friend Reece to go looking for Shope.
"Ugh, it's been 5 days since she disappeared, Reece. Where could have she gone?", she asked her friend.
Reece, being the good friend he was, tried to cheer his friend up by saying, "Here, maybe read this fanfic and you'll feel better!". Instead, rage boiled inside of Soren and the two started to argue.
"A fanfic won't help me feel better Reece! Only finding Shope will!"
"Well I don't know where she is!"
"GODDAMNIT!"
"Hey hey! I hate to see you guys fight!"
Turning around, both friends looked at the shadowy figure. Unlike the victims of phantomization or the Rebellion members, this one was much smaller, had tiny - possibly still developing - wings, and a rounded staff.
"What are you doing here?", the figure asked, tilting her head. "We are looking for my friend's girlfriend, Shope.", Reece answered back.
"I think I saw her! Red glasses, purple vest?"
"You really did see her!", Soren exclaimed happily.
"Well, the bad news is that... she was taken by this awful creature called Phantom! He had a biiiiiig scythe and attacks people with it!"
"Phantom!?", Soren and Reece exclaimed. "So this guy is evil, you say?", Reece countered her, purple eyes suspicious.
"Yes! They've been stealing souls for weeks! But there's a group in the forest called the Rebellion, led by the Druid! They set to stop Phantom in their tracks, and I wanna join them!"
Reece turned over to Soren and stated, "Welp Soren, looks like we have another adventure on our hands!"
"Oh yeah, what's your name?", Soren asked the figure.
"My name's Tien, you two?"
"I'm Soren.", Soren answered while Reece answered, "Well I'm Reece, but you can call me TheFanFicFinder as well."
"Well then, Soren and Reece" said Tien, "I just have one question..."
"Ask away!" Reece responded.
"Once I help you find your missing friend will you help me find the rainbow puppies?"
"Rainbow puppies...?" Soren asked in a confused matter. She agreed to it, however. "Yeah, sure, I guess."
"Wait, Soren!" Reece exclaimed, "This could be very dangerous!" Soren, however, was determined to find Shope. "This is the only way I can find Shope, Reece! I must take it!"
"Okay then. Let's do this!"
Tien was excited to take part in this journey. "Yay! Our adventure begins!" "One question, Tien," asked Reece, "How long will it take for us to get to the rebellion?"
As the three conversed, Druid was watching them. She was worried about Tien, initially thinking she was Phantom. "That's not... That's not Phantom... is it? ...No, it can't be them."
"I don't know!" answered Tien, "It'll take as long as it has to be!" "I don't care how long it'll take!" shouted Soren, "I just wanna see Shope again!" Reece agreed. "Yeah, we have to find her!" "Well then!" exclaimed Tien, "Let's go!"
"Yeah, let's get a move on," sighed Reece, as he turned on Gorillaz music for himself to listen to. "I hope we can find Druid soon..." Soren said, "I need to know where my girlfriend is!" "We'll find her soon, Soren!" Tien reassured, as did Reece. "Yeah don’t worry!" Druid continued to watch. "...They... know about us?" she asked herself. Tien overheard Druid's voice. "I...think I hear the Druid in the distance!" she announced.
"Really? Oh please please please let her be here...I need to know where Shope is!" Soren said. "What if it's some creep stalking us, and not Druid?" Reece asked skeptically. "Creep!?" Druid shouted, accidentally loud enough for the three to hear. "That's her!" Tien exclaimed joyfully, "Come on! I know where the voice is coming from!" The kid started to fly. "Hold my hand!" she said, holding her hands out for Soren and Reece. "Okay, let's go," sighed Reece, "But if it's a creep, then I'm outta here."
Soren and Reece took hold of Tien's hands, and flew with them to where Druid was watching from. "Oh! Um... hello," greeted Druid, "You're not with... with them, are you?" "Them?" asked Reece. "Who's them?" Soren also asked. "Oh, you know..." Druid replied, as she imitated scythe motions, "The Phantom..." "I don't think so!" answered Reece, "You're not a creep, right?" Druid uncomfortably replied "No! Not at all!"
"Well then, I'm TheFanFicFinder, or Reece. Nice to meet you."
Soren explained her motives to Druid. "Well...I think Phantom kidnapped my girlfriend." Druid responded "Oh dear..."
"I'm so worried for her..." Soren said, letting loose a tear, "Shope..." Reece tried to reassure her. "Hey," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "We are going to find her." Soren was still worried, but felt a little bit comforted. "T-thanks, Reece..."
Tien was excited to finally meet her. "So you're the Druid!?" she gleamed, "Nice to meet you! I'm Tien!" "Yes, that's me," Druid replied, "Nice to meet you, Tien." She turned to Soren. "Anyway, I don't know what happened to Shope... But I heard she mysteriously disappeared too, and that... that doesn't give me hope." Soren gritted her teeth. "If Phantom took her I will snap their neck like a toothpick."
"Well... I'm starting a group dedicated to stopping Phantom, and I could take you to them. Would you be okay with that?" Druid replied. "The rebellion, right?" asked Tien. Druid was surprised. "You know about the Rebellion!?"
"Yeah!"
"Yes, that would be the rebellion."
"I want to meet them!" said Reece. "We were just looking to find the Rebellion!" Soren continued. "It would be an honor, Miss Druid!" Tien finished with. "Good, good!" Druid responded, "We've been in need of new members." She opened a portal to the Rebellion's location. The four entered the portal, and met with the rebellion.
"Hello Druid, who are these three?", Gargoyowl asked. The Druid answered with "These are Tien, Soren and Reece. They say that they were looking for the Rebellion."
"Nice to meet you three.", Sora said. "I'm Sora."
"Nice to meet you all as well! By the way, is there any WiFi in this forest?", Reece said, and then asked, in reply. "... this is a forest.", Robin replied to Reece's question. Soren face palmed and said "You could just use data, y'know."
Suddenly, the bushes nearby rustled, causing everyone to panic a bit, praying that it wasn't a Phantom minion. What they did see, though, was a Pikachu with a detectives hat on.
"Is that a... Pikachu?" Tien said. The Pikachu seemed to be frustrated. "Ugh.. And that's why you can't trust a forest to be the safest place for walking," he grunted. Everyone was shocked by him talking. "A talking pikachu!" Reece exclaimed. "Wait... Pokémon are real?" Lucas asked, "And they can talk?" The Pikachu picked up his hat and put it back on. "Well, this is awkw-" he said as he turned around. Upon realizing the people behind him were not Pokémon, he was just as surprised as they were. "Wait, you can understand me?!" "Yeah! It's great!" replied Soren.
The Pikachu was ecstatic about this. "I thought Tim was the only one! Hah, finally I can be heard!" he cheered, "If only I had something to celebrate this, preferably strong, black coffee.." "Well then," said Tien, "What's your name? Mine's Tien!"
"Well, it's what I basically repeat 24/7, Pikachu. Nice to meet you guys!"
"Hello, Pikachu!" Druid replied. "So, are you aware of the Phantom stuff going on recently?" asked Gargoyowl. "Phantom stuff?" Pikachu replied, "The only Phantom I know are gengars. Word of advice, don't trust them. They might be smiling, but I know what they've done." Freddy butted in with "Ah yes. Gengar. Can't trust 'em. I'd give an example, but I left my Family Guy-style cutaway gags at home." "This Phantom is much, much worse!" Tien warned, "they turn innocent people into their own mindless slaves!" Pikachu said "What?! Oh, great.. And just when things couldn't get more chaotic."
Soren stepped in to invite Pikachu. "We’re the Rebellion, trying to stop them... wanna join us?" "Last time I saw them, they completely trashed up the tavern we were at, and even took the bartender!" Lucas filled him in on. Soren continued with "I think they took my girlfriend!"
"They what?!" Pikachu yelled, "They took your girlfriend, and ruined a tavern? If they stole any coffee-" "What is it with you and coffee?" Reece interrupted. Pikachu was frustrated by that. "Hey, I can quit anytime I want," he proclaimed, "These are just choices I make!" Eggman drunkedly grumbled "I just wanted a goddamn drink-", he hiccuped before finishing, "and now I'm stuck in this fucking forest with no drink!!!" "We’ll make sure we get Shope and the others back," Sora said, "but we need more people to join us."
Pikachu was interested in the offer. "Well, what if I told you I'm a detective?" he responded, "I can help you find this Phantom guy and their slaves!" "Wonderful! You can help me find Shope!" cheered Soren. "I guess that the Rebellion is growing now," Sora stated, "Y’know, I’m a bit hungry, do you think we could find a place to eat?" "Oh, did you say food? I am starving," replied Pikachu, "It's crazy how much walking can make you hungry." Reece, growing tired of his wi-fi withdrawl, pleaded "Can we please go to a place that has Wi-fi!?" Tien remembered seeing a restaurant while flying with Soren and Reece. "I think there's a place we can eat at..." she mentioned to the other members. "Great!" said Pikachu, "Do they serve coffee?"
"I have no clue. I can... show you all the way if you're dire enough."
"Pikachu," Reece said, "I think you're addicted." "It's not an addiction!" Pikachu snapped back, more miffed than before, "Why do people keep saying that!?" Before they could argue, Robin told Tien "That would help, Tien. I don't wanna be lost here for much longer." "Well then, I’ll show you guys how to get there!" Tien announced, starting to fly again, "Follow me!"
Tien flew in the direction of the restaurant that she saw. "Hey, wait up!" Pikachu alarmed. The Rebellion then ran to follow Tien to the restaurant.
Chapter 5: Trouble in Random City
The Banana Wasp was a small restaurant in a town nearby Ebony Leopard Woods. While small, it was widely visited by locals and travelers. Tien has been lucky enough to see the place during flight and led the rest of the Rebellion there.
"Well, here we are!" proclaimed Tien. Everyone was starving from their residence in the forest. "I'm so hungry!" said Reece, followed by Soren stating "We all can’t run on an empty stomach, so let’s eat!", and Lucas mentions "I hope they have shrimp here."
As everyone walked to the building, Druid noticed that Gargoyowl was not moving. "Gargoyowl?" she asked, "You going?" Gargoyowl simply shook their head and explained "I don't need to eat." "Oh, I got an idea!" Tien exclaimed to them, "Gargoyowl, you should check if Phantom and his minions appear!" Sora agreed, "That's... pretty useful," while Reece encouraged "Yeah! Good idea, Tien!" "Thanks!" Tien gleefully replied, "Now let's eat!" She entered the building before anyone else.
Soren couldn't wait. "Let's go!" she said, "I'm starving!" Reece, as usual, was more concerned about his wi-fi problem. "Is there Wi-Fi here?" he asked. Soren responded, "Yes, yes Reece." Eggman, still drunk after his run-in at the tavern, exclaimed "They better gimme summa that gonja sandwich!" Everyone was confused by this statement. Sig questioned, "What the hell are you even talking about?" Robin shrugged off Eggman's statement and said "Let's not delay any longer."
Everyone else entered the building. Pikachu climbed onto the counter and asked the cashier "Excuse me, do any of you sell coffee?" Reece, still concerned, offhandedly yelled "SEE ADDICTION!" Eggman burst through the door and yelled "SUSTENANCE ME, BITCH!" at the top of his lungs.
Sora was still alert, despite being in a generally safe place. "Well, I don't see Phantom anywhere around here," she sighed, "that's good." Pikachu was still not sure of who Phantom was. "Who's that guy?" he asked. "To sum it up," Reece answered, "they're a crazy asshole who likes to take over people's bodies." Soren elaborated, "They're evil, and they're hypnotizing people to be their slaves." Pikachu was unamused. "Oh, geez," he growled, "people like them are the worst." "Here," Freddy said, while picking up a newspaper and pointing to Phantom's face on it, "That freak." "I knew it!" Pikachu reacted, "They kind of look like a Gengar if you squint your eyes and look at it a few feet away." Reece sighed "I think it's just the caffeine getting to your head, Pikachu." Soren stood up for Pikachu and said "Reece, can you just leave Pikachu alone with his love for coffee?"
Druid took the newspaper Freddy was holding, and checked up on recent news involving Phantom. She read "Most recent victims after the tavern incident include Hugh Jazz, Garfielf, and..." before seeing a familiar name. "What is it?" Lucas asked, concerned by her silence. "...Let's not talk about it," she replied, trying to keep the mood high. Soren was especially concerned. "Is it... her?" she whimpered. "No! No!" Druid panicked, before tossing the newspaper away, "It's not her! Don't worry about it..." Soren was not convinced. She picked up the newspaper to find out what was going on. Before she read the article, Eggman noticed a story involving a familiar fox on the back. "What the fuck!? Why does Tails have all the fucking weed!?" he exclaimed, "WHY DOES HE HAVE THE WEED!?" Ignoring the weird man, Soren saw the truth.
"...Jennifer Shope."
Soren's eyes were filled with a combination of rage and regret. Reece glared angrily at Druid and snarled "Druid, why didn't you tell us!?" Druid couldn't answer besides a simple "I... I didn't know!" "SHE'S GONE!" Soren cried while tossing the newspaper at the ground, "My girlfriend is GONE thanks to that MONSTER! I'LL KILL THEM!" Soren broke down in tears, and Reece tried to comfort her. "Soren, we are going to save her," Reece promised before giving her a hug. Pikachu also put his hand on Soren's shoulder and reassured "Hey, kid... We'll get Shope back. And you know what we're gonna do?" Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of shattering glass could be heard.
From outside Banana Wasp, Gargoyowl heard the glass. "They're in danger!" they proclaimed to themself. They attempted to fly into the restaurant, before a phantom minion appeared in front of them. "Forget about it..." Phantom Holly threatened, "the life of your friends is meaningless, as is yours." Gargoyowl was frustrated. "I have no time for you," they politely threatened, "Please move out of the way, before things get bloody." Phantom Holly did not move, and instead grabbed their head. "Trust me," she said, "it's going to get bloody."
Back inside the Banana Wasp, Phantom Moon Snail, who had crashed through the glass, surveyed the surrounding area, involving the Rebellion members. "Nothing here really looks tasty...", he started before eyeing the cashier, "...except you.", he finished. "Get away from me freak!", the cashier. Tien, particularly freaked out, stammered "V-Vore?", with both Pikachu and Reece answering with confusion.
Then, Phantom came into the restaurant, with their army behind them. Soren spotted her phantomized girlfriend, and exclaimed "Shope!?".
"So this is the Rebellion... how pathetic.", they said to the mere 11 Rebellion members inside the building. "You call us pathetic!? You rely on slaves to fight instead of yourself!", Pikachu retorted.
"You like what I did to her, Soren?", Phantom asked the girl before hearing the detective's words. "What did... you just call me?", they threatened Pikachu. With no second thought, they ran to steal his soul. "Look out!", Soren screamed, slide-kicking him away. Pikachu groaned in response, but did thank her for getting his away from the scythe.
"Phantom! Release Shope now!", Soren demanded. Now that she knew where the one she loved was, Soren wouldn't back down. Climbing on a table and grabbing an empty glass, Reece yelled "Hey Phantom!", he threw the glass at them. "Give us back Shope, you fuckhead!".
"Ow! What the hell?", Phantom responded to the thrown glass. "I want my girlfriend back!", Soren cried. "I got a better idea...", Phantom said, going to chase Soren for her soul. As her first reaction, she ran off to escape, as Phantom Shope just watched, and sighed. "Get away from her!", Freddy demanded before being tackled by Phantom Lemres.
Rubbing his checks, Pikachu said "Come on, you got this...", and electrocuted Phantom. In shock, Druid was able to open up a portal for them to escape. Phantom Shope approached Soren and whispered "It's me. I'm still on your side, so go!". "B-But Shope...", Soren stammered. "Go!", she said back.
However, Reece was to angry to just run away. He exclaimed "Screw it. I'm killing this bastard now.", and pulled out his sword. "Don't do it Reece!", Soren screamed. Pikachu continued with "You'll be turned into one of their mindless slaves!". Phantom Shope mentally promised that she would make sure he escaped.
"Like a mosquito to a bug swatter...", Phantom mummered. "Come on shithead, let's tussle!", Reece screamed as he went to hit Phantom. They however, dodged and were ready to hit Reece with their scythe. However, Phantom Shope exclaimed "Watch out?", and pushed Reece out of the way.
"What!?" Phantom shouted, with a mixture of confusion and rage, "You're my minion! What are you doing!?" Phantom Shope turned to them and muttered "Saving my friend." "Worthless little freak..." Phantom growled.
"Come on, Reece!" Soren demanded, "Shope saved your life!" Reece got up and said "Thank you, Shope!" before running with the Rebellion. "Ugh... What is it with you and brainwashing people?" Pikachu snapped at Phantom, "It's really creepy!"
Phantom Shope was as angry at Phantom as they were at her. "If you don’t want me around, I can leave and join them!" she pointed out. "Go on if you so desire..." Phantom beckoned, "But I will take away your power." Phantom Shope wanted a more definitive answer from them. "Well, it’s your decision! Keep me if you want!" Soren begged to herself for Phantom to release her. To her dismay, Phantom decided to keep a hold of her. "Hhmph, fine. I'll keep you," they scoffed, "but your life hangs on a thread." Phantom opened a portal for them and their minions to leave. Before parting ways, Phantom left the Rebellion with a warning; "We'll meet again," they threatened, "And it won't be easy for you guys."
Phantom Holly got the signal, and stopped fighting Gargoyowl. "I am not sparing you," she explained, "I am simply preoccupied. Your life's end will be delayed." She turned around and bolted for the portal. Phantom Shope stood as the other minions left with Phantom. "Bye, Soren..." she whispered to her girlfriend, "I promise I'll help you beat them." Soren replied "I hope you'll do fine, my love." The two share a hug before Phantom Shope joins with Phantom. Before Phantom left, Pikachu yelled "You can take your scythe and shove it, pal!"
Soren was saddened. "There she goes," she sighed. "Hmph, bunch of jerks," Pikachu lamented, "Well, at least Shope is alright... kind of." "Well, somehow Phantom must've not fully corrupted her," Soren pointed out, "Hopefully, she'll make it out alive." Druid was at a loss for what to do. "Now what?" she pondered, knowing there are few safe places left as this attack indicated. Gargoyowl rejoined with the Rebellion. "Is everything alright?" they asked, "I couldn't come in to help you guys." "Besides being sad that my girlfriend is with Phantom, yes," Soren responded. Druid brightened the mood by saying "At least they didn't leave with any extra minions."
Tien was hopeful. "With enough training, we could take them down!" Reece wasn't. "Yeah, but what if Phantom takes all of us? What will happen to the world?" "We won't let that happen," Druid retorted. "We are the Rebellion, after all," Sora continued, "We must stay strong! Fight hard! And most importantly... stick together. Alone we can’t defeat him by ourselves. We must be a team."
The other 11 members looked smiled after Sora finished her speech. It seemed that they might actually win with her encouragement. "Maybe if we get more recruits we could win!", Tien cheered. It seemed that on cue, a young, totally blue girl walked into the scene. Spotting the Rebellion, the girl optimistically waved and greeted "Hello! I'm Charlotte! You guys?".
Soren smiled in response to Charlotte and answered "I'm Soren, and we are the Rebellion.". "The Rebellion? Is that like a party group?", Charlotte asked. "Actually, we're out to defeat Phantom." "Phantom? Who's that? Sounds kinda nice..."
"Wrong. They steal souls."
"Really? They could be nice, but because I can't find my way back to Clamburg, I'll join!"
(Adding Charlotte from Making Fiends here! Can't wait for the story to continue! Jennifer out!)