Chapter Text
The morning came by rather quickly for Builderman. His eyelids fluttered open as the sun rose and bathed his room in it's warmth glow. He slowly got up from his bed, yawning as he stood up and got ready to go about his day, wearing his usual roblox hoodie and jeans, as well as his hardhat. Leaving his room, he noticed the quietness of the morning, which meant he was the first to wake up, as most days. He went downstairs, sleep still clinging to his mind as he thought on whether should he make himself some tea or a coffee. Yet, as he reached the final step down, he paused at what he saw. With the sun easily giving light away in the main room, it wasn't difficult to tell who was laying before the fireplace. He quickly approached but held back on waking the demolitionist up, he noticed the blanket which was oh so clearly Dusekkar's, he's not sure what might have happened yesterday after he went to sleep.
Builderman's gaze softens as a sigh escapes him, it's too early in the morning to deal with this. Although, that doesn't change the fact that this sight makes him happy. He goes to the kitchen, preparing himself a cup of tea, and perhaps he'll make some tea for Taph as well. And exactly that he does, he goes back into the main room, sitting on the couch and setting both cups of tea on the table in front of him. He slightly shakes Taph awake, careful to not jostle him too much as to not startle him. "Taph? You 'ere with me bud?" He asks as Taph begins to stir awake, he sees the way the demolitionist tenses up as the first thing he sees is Builderman. "Hey, it's okay. I won't force anythin' out o' ya, at least not until ya wanna talk 'bout it with me." He tries to soothe, yet at Taph's hesitance he speaks up again. "I made you some tea, I'm sure you've gotten yerself sick with the cold air of being outside." He points towards the cup of tea on the table.
Taph seems to weigh his options, looking at Builderman with that unreadable look of his, that is until he looks down to fidget with his hands and he sees the blanket that had pooled on his lap. He visibly goes still, and Builderman's gaze grows tender, even though he's unsure of the conflict between Taph and Dusekkar, he knows that it's no light issue. His hand grasps Taph's shoulder to give him some feeling of being grounded. "Something wrong?" He prompts as Taph's head turns up to look at him. The demolitionist shakes his head simply before signing. "Sorry." Builderman can't help the shock that grazes his face at Taph's apology, he quickly shakes his head. "Why would you be sorry? You've done nothing wrong." He comforts as he tilts his head to the side in confusion.
Taph looks off to the side, as if too ashamed to look at Builderman, he then signs "I am a bother." as he takes the blanket off of him and sets it to the side. Builderman's brows furrow together as he takes in Taph's self deprecating words. "That's not true, pal. Who told you that?" He asks, but Taph doesn't indicate he will respond. Builderman tries to study the demolitionist's body language, catching the way Taph's head is turned towards the crumpled blanket besides him, how his limbs look rather stiff and muscles tense under his gaze. "Was it Dusekkar? I swear to God's above-" He came to the conclusion of it being the mage whom called Taph a bother, but he was cut off by the latter frantically shaking his head and crossing his arms in front of him in an X shape. Taph gave an exhale, he hesitated when signing "Complicated."
Builderman hummed in acknowledgement, he knew it was complicated, but he's not sure why would Taph deny it being Dusekkar. Maybe Builderman will need to talk to Dusekkar later, that is if the latter leaves his room once more. No point in trying to figure out now, not when he notices that Taph is covered in mud, had it rained last night? "Yer covered in mud, mate. You should go take a shower." He comments as he grabs his tea and takes a sip. Taph looks down at himself and nods, his shoulders relax slightly from their stiff position as he slowly gets up. He waves goodbye to Builderman as he leaves to probably go fo his room. Builderman waves back as he takes another sip of his tea.
He looks back at the blanket discarded on the side, his thoughts wander on yesterday, seeing Taph leave the cabin and Dusekkar shouting his name before noth decided to go into hiding. It's clear that they had a discussion, what was it about he's not sure. And judging from his interaction with Taph a few seconds ago, it was probably something that went deeper than a few insults. Could Dusekkar have lost his temper? That doesn't seem as likely, he knows the mage for his great patience and calm attitude, not for the type to lash out. Gods, all this thinking and it just feels like he's getting nowhere.
He decides to just continue drinking his tea for the better.
Not long after Taph leaves for a well-deserved shower, Elliot comes down from the stairs with Seven in tow, both wave at Builderman as they head to the kitchen, probably to find something to eat. They both look less tense than other times in which it was nothing else than a cold remark or a harsh push—mostly on Elliot's part—so it feels refreshing to see their mood be lighter.
"You two look more united than ever." Builderman says as they approach the coach and sit without much trouble like other mornings. "I'd say we just tolerate each other more, doesn't mean I will forgive him for what he did to the pizzeria." Elliot mutters out under his breath and Seven merely chuckles nervously, taking a sip of his coffee. "No one else awake yet?" Elliot asks after a small minute or so of just staring at the fire. "Taph came back, he's taking a shower right now 'cause he was covered in mud." Builderman responds as Elliot hums lightly.
Seven's gaze falls on the blanket that was long forgotten on the floor, he notices the pattern and must have assumed that it belonged to the mage because he asks "Is that... Dusekkar's?" To which Builderman responds with a nod. "Yeah, I'm not sure for how long he's had it, but you can easily tell it's his." He adds as he goes to pick it up and set it on the couch armrest. "Has... uhm... Dusekkar talked to you...? Or Taph... about yesterday?" Seven asks as he eyes the blanket before looking back at his own coffee. "No, I'm sure he'll open up though, I just hope it ain't nothing too serious." Builderman answers calmly.
The morning was rather calm, but there was the underlying anxiety beneath their easy demeanors that told all of them about an upcoming match. Soon enough, more woke up. Chance—who came running down the stairs and tripped—Noob, and Shedletsky. Taph had come back and was sitting beside Builderman, vaguely answering questions from other survivors and ignoring many about Dusekkar, even though his eyes kept drifting towards the blanket on the armrest.
With each survivor awake, the tension seemed to grow, an indicator of an incoming match. "Both Guest and Two Time aren't up yet, should we go wake them" Elliot spoke up as he looked around for a bit before getting up. "I'll go wake up Guest." Builderman stated as he, too, stood up and headed towards the stairs.
They didn't even make it one step upstairs when the round had started all of a sudden.
They were all sent into what they had come to know as 'Horror Hotel' because of its decorations based on the killers they faced on the daily.
Builderman had spawned on the outside section of the map, and conveniently enough, he was not alone. He was next to Guest, who looked startled out of his mind, but what was more shocking, was the fact that the veteran was wearing a white and purple striped pajamas with a matching nightcap. "What the hell..." Guest mumbled as he got up from the floor, looking very disheveled, his nightcap having fallen off. "You alright, mate?" Builderman asks as he helps Guest get on his feet. "Uh... Yeah, I was just a bit startled since I was asleep..." He responds, to which Builderman chuckles. "I can tell." Guest merely rolls his eyes.
They both end up walking for a while, looking for more survivors and trying to figure out who the current killer might be.
Chance, Shedletsky, and Two Time end up spawning together in that weird and bloody kitchen of the Hotel. Two Time groans as they get up from the dirty floor "What's happening?" They ask and Shedletsky can't help but burst out laughing, Chance turns around to face the two and see what could be so funny, and is shocked to see Two Time wearing some sort of spawn-related pajamas. "You can't be seriously sleeping in that..." Shedletsky mutters out between barely concealed chuckles. "The mighty spawn has blessed me in my sleep." Two Time responds as they dust themselves off and adjust their sleep mask over their head.
"That's dedication. Weirdly so." Chance comments as he flips his coin. "Welp, time waits for nobody, so let's go!" Shedletsky says while raising his index finger and walking out the kitchen, both Chance and Two Time following close behind. They head out into what the large space that holds a stage and those odd walls. Both Shedletsky and Two Time start fixing up a generator while Chance keeps guard and continues flipping his coin—and continuing to stack weakness on himself.
Sadly, they're interrupted by a loud "You're mine!" voice in a thick british accent, and a bunny running up to them and jumping straight at Chance's face. "Ah!" Chance screamed as he lost his footing and fell to the ground, the bunny kicking at his head . Shedletsky and Two Time quickly left the generator behind and stood up, preparing their weapons as Chance took aim. "You bastard!" The gambler shouted as he wiped blood from his nose and shot his revolver without thinking twice. Miraculously, he did not miss, the bullet hitting Mafioso on his left arm. Shedletsky took this opportunity to strike with his sword, and he, too, successfully hit. "Yes!" Shedletsky cheered as Mafioso groaned in annoyance.
"Quick! Let's run!" Chance shouted as he limped away. Shedletsky followed. Mafioso quickly recovered and he ran after them, however, he did not see the cultist hiding behind a wall, whom had easily stabbed him in the back with their dagger, stunning him. Two Time's manic smile grew slightly, but they quickly got up from their crouching position and ran the opposite direction. Mafioso scowled at this, and upon recovering again, he began chasing Two Time.
Seven, Elliot, and Noob had luckily spawned together in a room that had a well in the middle, near a corner, there was a generator, and they began fixing it. All three of them began fixing it, although Noob kept messing up the wires, so they ended up deciding to keep watch. They kept looking over every corner, fear making them more aware of their surroundings. So when they alerted their fellow survivors of having heard the killer approaching, they didn't doubt them.
The three of them hid in ball pit, which had an oddly solid ground despite being a ball pit. And there, they saw whom they quickly recognized as Mafioso, running up to three sentinels. Chance was struck first, and Elliot, from afar, had to resist the urge to help, he knows that if Mafioso were to see him, he would target him for his support classification. However, it didn't seem like they needed much help, as both Chance and Shedletsky successfully landed their hits and began running away. Mafioso chased after them, out of their sight, and they were about to go and fix a generator left behind before Two Time—who was wearing odd pajamas with a spawn pattern—had suddenly ran past, and Mafioso chasing after them. It would have been comical weren't it for the fact that this is their lives they're risking.
"We have to go help them." Elliot says determined as he steps out of hiding. Seven seems to stutter out a few incomprehensible words of worry before following along nonetheless, Noob just gave an uneasy look as they followed out of fear of being left alone.
"Are you sure... I mean! I'm sure Two Time can deal with this by themselves..." Noob said in a shy manner as they kept looking around. "Of course, it is my duty to go help, and considering this place's weird limitations and restraints, Two Time won't be able to defend themselves twice for now." Elliot reasoned as he began sprinting where Mafioso and Two Time had run off to.
They had found themselves by the outside section, where Guest—who was also wearing pajamas and a nightcap—had just blocked a hit from Mafioso and quickly landed a punch right after.
On a corner of the outside section, was both Builderman and Two Time, a dispenser hidden behind a brick wall, but visible enough for others to see and not run past.
Their attentions are snapped back towards Guest as Mafioso calls his goons, and they manage to land their hits on the veteran—due to his drained stamina—before despawning. Elliot rushes to Guest, throwing a pizza—that thankfully had those magic healing properties—to him, which helped close some wounds left behind by those goons. Guest shot him a thumbs up as he charged towards Mafioso, pushing the debt collector back.
Where are the rest of the sentinels when needed?
Taph had been suddenly teleported, having lost his balance from the sudden change in scenery and fallen to the ground. He got back up and looked around, quickly noticing this to be Horror Hotel. He spawned in what seemed to be the gift shop room, if his judging by the structure and furniture were to be correct. He saw a generator, and was about to get up when his gaze had falled onto a certain someone, which made him freeze.
Dusekkar.
He quickly got up on his feet, trying to not look at the admin, and from few glances he stole, Dusekkar seemed frozen in place.
Taph simply ignored him and turned to the generator, opting to fix it rather than to suffer such an awkward moment.
He did not flinch when Dusekkar approached and crouched by the generator as well.
He did not miss a few wires because he kept looking back at Dusekkar.
And he did not worry when the mage had slightly shock himself with the wires.
He didn't.
No matter, because the generator was fixed in no time, and Taph quickly got up and began heading into the hall. Dusekkar followed after him, speaking up "Wait! Taph!" as he caught up to him. Taph stopped in his tracks, not wanting to turn and look at Dusekkar, so he was rather surprised when Dusekkar came and stood in front of him. "Taph... I..." The mage began, struggling to find his words, guilt was easily seen across his features, and regret tinted his voice. "Taph, my friend, I'd like to say how much I'm ashamed for treating you with no respect. I don't ask for forgiveness, I just want to apologize for my lack of consciousness yesterday." He spoke after taking a deep breath, a frown on his features.
Taph just stared, he'd not expected for Dusekkar to be sorry, and he was happy at first, but for whatever reason a feeling of insecurity had rushed into him, sudden and foreign, not truly natural and his. He began to doubt. He did not believe Dusekkar's words, even when they bled with honesty and sorrow. So he simply turned his head to the side, not looking back at Dusekkar, even when his eyes kept drifting and saw the look of despair that adorned his face.
He was about to reply with signs when suddenly someone crashed into him and caused him to fall with said someone as the air was pushed out of his lungs. He looked down and saw Chance sprawled on the floor, soon enough, Shedletsky came running right behind, although he did not crash into anyone and fall.
"Chance! You okay?" Shedletsky asks as he pulls the gambler to his feet. Dusekkar approaches Taph and offers him a silent hand. The demolitionist takes it without sparing him a look. "Sorry Taph, I didn't see you, my bad." Chance spoke up as he fixed his fedora and glasses. Taph simply signed: "No issue." before slightly stepping away from Dusekkar. "Y'all okay? Like- You know... since yesterday..." Shedletsky spoke up as he pointed at Taph and Dusekkar. The former simply turned away, and the latter's expression seemed to turn a bit sad at that. Shedletsky hummed in understanding at their lack of answer through words but instead of body language.
"Alright then, uhh, let's just go for now." Shedletsky said awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. "Uh, you need any help Chance?" He asked as he noticed the gambler slightly limping. "Ah, if you don't mind helping me..." Chance responded with a nervous grin as Shedletsky placed an arm under his and helped him stand.
The group began heading into the outdoor field, not having much of an objective in mind other than finding a generator to fix or a medkit for Chance.
Those plans were thrown out the window the second they went outside.
Mafioso had just charged with a sword towards Guest, successfully landing a hit and inflicting Guest with a burning effect. "Argh!" Guest screamed in a panic as the fire melted his skin and muscles, the air turning into the disgusting smell of burning flesh. It quickly wore off after 10 infinitely long seconds, Mafioso was about to land a punch on the veteran when a bullet suddenly hit him on the side of his leg. Guest scrambled off as Shedletsky surged forward towards the debt collector, Dusekkar casted a spell upon the swordsman for double protection.
Both Guest and Chance had ran towards the dispenser, relieved of it's healing properties, although slow, but still worth it. Taph had set two tripwires around the dispenser as well as thrown a subspace tripmine just in case. Two Time decided to start approaching the Killer, keeping a crouched posture as they readied their dagger just for the right moment, and Builderman went to build a sentry close by the battlefield that was going on, anything to survive.
Shedletsky had managed to land a successful strike, slashing across Mafioso's chest, just in time as the spell Dusekkar casted had wore off. "You won't live to see the next day." He spoke as the sword stunned him but not for long, and the debt collector began running towards Builderman, whom had yet to finish building the sentry, and couldn't abandon mid-build. Panic settled over the survivors until Mafioso was suddenly stunned by Two Time stabbing him, the cultist smiled as they ran away. Builderman had just enough time to finish building the sentry and get away. Mafioso was slowed down by the sentry's constant hits, he growled as he punched it to the ground in fury.
He was clearly angry, and it was shown oh so clearly when he had ran after the cultist once again, Mafioso was raging, and the match was far from over considering the generators still undone. He was about to follow Two Time into the kitchen room before he suddenly changed his strategy and ran for the dispenser on the right corner. Chance was startled, and he quickly pulled out his revolver, he grinned while taking aim, putting his faith in lady luck. Sadly for him, his gun exploded both in his hand and in his face, the explosion making him scream as it deeply injured his muscles, and the stacking weakness from flipping his coin non-stop causing him inevitable death. Mafioso grinned, one down.
The debt collector surged forward in another rush, sword in hand as he approached the veteran. Guest, shocked by Chance's sudden death, didn't have enough time to react and was inflicted, once again, by burning. He screamed in agony, and Elliot rushed towards the killer and Guest, running as fast as he could, but he was too late, Mafioso had landed a punch right in Guest's face, killing him. The minimum wage worker cursed under his breath and began running back. Mafioso was about to go after him, but the tripwire and tripmine near the dispenser had caused him to stumble slightly as the bright pink light blinded him temporarily—from afar, Taph cheered—however, it did not stop him. He ran after Elliot, easily catching up with the pizza delivery guy and punching him right in between the shoulder and neck.
Elliot grunted as he surged forward, pain blooming where he had been hit. Mafioso stopped in his tracks, shouting "You're mine!" as he opened his cloak, and from within it, jumped out a bunny, it was quick on its legs and quickly catching up to Elliot, it jumped at his head and kicked him right in the face before going back to Mafioso and hiding beneath the cloak once again. Elliot was slightly slow on his feet, the kick to the face having disoriented him slightly, and Mafioso was fast on his feet. However, Shedletsky was running from the side, sword in hand and ready to strike, Dusekkar, from afar, casting another spell on the swordsman once again. Sadly for them, Mafioso saw him and dodged right out of the way, ignoring Shedletsky in favor of killing Elliot.
Elliot ran to the hall from where he, Seven, and Noob came from, Mafioso hot on his heels. Two Time was crouching behind a wall, dagger in their hand and ready to strike, and just as Mafioso passed, they struck forward, but even then, they missed. Mafioso had seen them, seen the glint of their dagger, and easily avoided being hit again. Elliot was cornered, without escape, and Mafioso right there.
Just as the Mafia man charged forward with his sword in hand, Seven had run into the way between the two, blocking Mafioso's hit from reaching Elliot. "Run!" Seven screamed as his body burned and blood seeped out. Elliot nodded and ran away, Mafioso seethed at this and instantly punched Seven, landing one hit and then another when the ex-exploiter tried to escape. With another death, the timer extended, which was bad for the survivors, but good for the killer.
Mafioso went back outside, looking around he saw Noob looking lost, an easy kill. He quickly approached them and got rid of them in no time. He grinned as he spoke "Maybe it's time to ragequit, eh?" He teased as he threw Noob's body on the ground. From far away, he spotted Builderman building another sentry, Mafioso grinned as he rushed towards him, punching right across the head and using his sword to land a hit right after, applying a burning effect, and then landing another successful punch, killing the builder in little to no time.
He ran to the kitchen, where he noticed Two Time crouching yet again. He pretended to not see them, he saw them tense before lunging forward with their dagger ready, but Mafioso had sidestepped just in time, punching the cultist on the back, their eyes growing wide before running away into the Play Area. Mafioso ran after them, but a tripwire and tripmine placed right on the entrance caused him to be disoriented for a few seconds. He did not stop, he didn't need to delay. So he continued chasing, following Two Time closely, and from the ball pit stairs, the magic pumpkin had casted a spell directed towards Mafioso, slowing him down slightly. Shedletsky—who was hidden behind a conveniently placed wall—had ran towards Mafioso, sword ready, but even then, Mafioso had landed a hit, even if the swordsman had hit him too.
Elliot, who was watching from the Play Room, had ran to them, throwing a pizza in Shedletsky's direction before running back, but he was not fast enough. Mafioso's bunny had ran at him again, kicking Elliot in the gut and slowing him down just enough time for Mafioso charge at him with his sword in hand, slashing the pizza delivery guy across his chest, and burning him. Elliot died from the fire.
Only four left to go.
With the main healer out of the way, it was not so difficult to get the rest. Cornering Shedletsky in the Theater Room and punching him to death, then chasing the cultist right into where they had set their so called 'spawn' in the Synthwave Room, killing them once and finishing them twice. Only two left. Should be pretty easy to get rid of them. Two useless supports.
Dusekkar and Taph were awkwardly walking along, they had ran away from the Play Room and went straight into the kitchen when Mafioso had begun chasing after them. Dusekkar slightly regretted not running to help Shedletsky, but now it's too late. He and Taph were now in the outside field, were most had fallen. Taph had begun setting another tripwire to the entrance of the first hall, and throwing another subspace into the mix before carefully stepping in between the arms that tried to grab at anything. Dusekkar followed close behind. "The odds are against us, we are not as powerful as sentinels, and can't defend like other supports or assist like some." Dusekkar commented as Taph set another tripwire on the entrance that led to the kitchen, hoping that would be helpful enough.
The demolitionist stepped back, turning to face Dusekkar, the tension in the air seemed to grow, and the awkwardness from the moment only making it worse. The mage fidgeted with his staff slightly, not meeting Taph's gaze. The demolitionist wanted to say something, to express those unnatural feelings of unease and simply the wrongness of it all, how foreign they felt. How he wanted to forgive Dusekkar, but his mind just seemed to be against his own idea, almost like a parasite trying to control him.
He was about to sign when suddenly Mafioso had ran towards them from the kitchen, easily grabbing the tripwire from the ground and snapping it in two, landing a punch to Dusekkar's arm—since the mage had been the one closer towards the kitchen entrance—and quickly running towards them. Taph wasted no time as he grabbed Dusekkar's wrist and pulled him along to the outside section, however, with the killer hot on his heels, the tripmine went off, disorienting both Taph and Mafioso, but the latter was quick to recover.
Taph's balance was still lost on him when Mafioso had rushed forward and slashed him across the chest, a silent gasp escaping him as the pain was burning like the feeling of fire against his flesh. He tripped back, his footing uneven as he ungracefully fell, but even then, he was caught by Dusekkar, who did not mind the fire. "Taph!" Dusekkar exclaimed with worry as he held Taph close, pulling him to rest upon his lap and chest. "Taph, my friend, do not fret, I'll help you as much as I can." He tried to reassure, even though he knew he was merely spilling empty promises, there was no salvation.
"How tragic," Mafioso spoke as he readied his fist, pulling his sleeves up and adjusting the brass knuckles in his hand "such weak foes with a strong connection to each other, I pity you both, sadly, this has to end." Mafioso continued as he slowly approached the pair. "You shan't harm him, I won't allow it, even if it means I've ought to suffer in his place." Dusekkar spoke up as he pulled Taph closer, pulling himself up along with the demolitionist and standing in front of him, his arm extended as if to protect him.
"Then you both shall die." Was the only thing Mafioso said before landing a punch right in Dusekkar's gut, a sick grin gracing his lips. "Run! Do not look back, friend, you must prevail!" Dusekkar shouted as he blocked Mafioso's way. Taph, on unsteady feet, ran far away, going into the second hall and out of Mafioso's sight. This only served to anger the Mafia man further. "You may think you're smart, but you're nothing more than a hopeless lover." Mafioso spoke with a scowl as he landed a punch right to the mage's head, killing him.
Taph ran without looking back, he knows Dusekkar is dead, he knows he sacrificed himself, and he knows he won't survive. Dusekkar gave his life in exchange for him to survive just a little longer. A waste if you were to ask anyone. But he did it either way.
Dusekkar, the mage who always values efficiency over emotions, he sacrificed himself for Taph.
Could that mean something? Could it be that... No, no time to think about his feelings, not when he knows that Mafioso is after him.
Taph settles in the ball pit, at least there he could run one way if Mafioso were to show up on the other. He throws a subspace tripmine in the center of the pit, and only manages to set one tripwire before he sees Mafioso rapidly approaching. He steps away, careful as the Mafia man approaches from one way. "What an odd... nest..." Mafioso comments as he studies the tripwire in front of him. Taph doesn't visibly react, but deep down, he knows he's doomed. "Not one for for talking, eh?" Mafioso teases as he grabs at the tripwire and snaps it. Taph takes one step back, and suddenly sprints away. Mafioso doesn't cross the ball pit, he just chases after Taph.
They run across the Play Room, and through the Gift Shop, into the first hall. Taph is running in a straight line, and Mafioso takes this opportunity to let his bunny catch up to the demolitionist "You're mine!" he shouts. Taph, unsuspecting, turns around just in time to see the bunny, he grabs it as it jumps to his face, but that doesn't deter its attack as it kicks right at Taph's throat. The demolitionist lets go of the bunny as it runs back towards Mafioso, his hands fly to his throat, trying to soothe the pain to no avail. "Wrong move." Mafioso comments as he slowly approaches Taph. The latter is about to turn into a sprint, but he was not fast enough as the Mafia man charged at him with sword in hand. A silent gasp escapes him as the sword is buried right in his stomach, he coughs up blood as the blade is painfully twisted and fire seems to consume him. "Your humanoid property has no chance against mine." Mafioso mutters out as he pulls the sword out and Taph falls to the ground, fire burning at his clothes, and blood pooling beneath him. "You were a weak opponent, just like your partner." Mafioso mutters out as he fixes his fedora. Taph's eyes widen at that, but his body can't hold itself together any longer.
The pain fades away and his vision fades to black.