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"Why are we here?" Breadolphin asks for the fifth time, in the sanctity of a Discord voice call; presumably, so that whatever they might run into wouldn't be able to hear them through the ingame voice chat.
"We're eavesdropping," is the vague response he gets, for the fifth time, from Aaron.
At first, Breadolphin had been able to muscle through the anxiety that joining Aaron's game had given him. It was terrifying, to face that fucking thing again, but the gnawing guilt that ate away at him at the possibility of having left Aaron to die, of never seeing him again (just like directionz) and never having done anything to stop it, had overridden that.
This, on the other hand, is just plain stupid. It's like asking to die. They're walking directly into what looks like the most reckless, dangerous plan in the history of plans, and the only thing Breadolphin knows is three rules. Don't talk, don't shoot, don't get seen.
He'd never known Mountain Lab to be so goddamn scary.
There's no doubt, at least, that this server is up to its goddamn knees in blight; trying to leave had yielded no results. The longer Breadolphin spent staring at his screen, the harder it was to look away. He could all but feel the breeze against his clothes, the grass beneath his shoes.
"I'm not going any further." Aaron announces suddenly, his Soldier stopping in its tracks. "You did equip the Cloak and Dagger, right?"
"Yeah..." Breadolphin murmurs, confused- until the crux of the plan strikes him, and a wave of dread washes over him. "Please tell me I don't have to go in there alone."
"You're the only one of us who can without being seen. You got this." Aaron insists, his voice only a small comfort.
Breadolphin whispers a faint curse under his breath, fear and horror and a thousand other feelings punching through his chest as his Spy activates the cloak, and he begins trudging slowly through the innards of Mountain Lab.
Immediately, it was obvious where all the blighted were hiding away. They hadn't seen hide nor hair of any blighted players up until now; Breadolphin's nerves only worsen as he watches them all, stood stock-still, hands clasped together in... prayer?
"They're praying," he whispers. He doesn't know why. He knows, logically, that nobody in the game can hear him as long as he doesn't press V. He knows that this is a game. But he still whispers.
He hears Aaron sigh through his mic, tinny, suddenly feeling very far away. "They do that. Savior is... making them do it, I think. He thinks this thing is God."
"Who the fuck is 'Savior?'" Breadolphin hisses quietly.
"He's who we're here to watch." Aaron answers simply. "And, hopefully... catch him talking to someone. If I'm right, this explains so much."
God, fuck Aaron and his stupid 'save-the-world' complex. Breadolphin presses on without any external complaint.
He passes another group of blighted, finding that suddenly he's the one praying, desperate not to accidentally bump a single one, desperate for them to be stupid enough to not see a cloaked Spy on their team sneaking past. Not a single one takes note, distracted by whatever religious fervor 'Savior' has put into their heads.
The point is just up ahead. His focus on it is diverted a considerable amount by the abomination hanging from the ceiling, all contorted limbs and writhing flesh. It looks like a fucked-up Junji Ito imitation of GLaDOS. Hanging limply from its mouth is a Medic, with the trademark elongated fingers, motioning with its hands... talking!
"Is Savior a Medic?" he asks, barely louder than a murmur.
"Yes," Aaron answers immediately. Breadolphin can hear the squeak of his chair as he sits further upright, attention caught. "Do you see him? Can you hear him?"
"I see him. He's talking, I think. I can't hear anything, I'm going to have to go around."
"Be careful." Aaron stresses.
Breadolphin doesn't say anything in response. Nothing about any of this is careful. All he can do is keep hoping that his luck holds strong.
He sneaks further forward, able to feel the strain on his knees of staying low to the ground. The ramp is cool and hard under his shoes as he creeps down it, voices slowly becoming more and more audible. It suddenly occurs to Breadolphin that he doesn't really know how he's going to relay what's being said- he supposes he's just going to have to parrot every sentence, and Jesus, that's going to get nervewracking fast.
"...lighten them?"
"...exactly like... nearly got... YOUR side a'the deal..."
Breadolphin's eyes narrow. He knows that voice. Even before all this, he'd hear it from time to time, in that goddamn Sawmill server. This must be what Aaron meant.
"He's talking to SailerMan." Breadolphin reports in a whisper.
"I fucking knew it!" Aaron exclaims, almost loud enough to make Breadolphin jump. "I knew that shit was too good to be true! No way he just keeps fucking escaping like that! And how he fucking tricked us with PicNick, he made it act human, just like-"
"Keep it down," Breadolphin snaps, working his way closer and closer, just until he can make out most of what's being said.
"...really gotta keep a better leash on these freaks."
"They're not freaks," 'Savior' hums, sounding remarkably passive. "They're the souls I've saved. There's no need to be so demeaning."
"Right, right, sure." SailerMan says, in the sort of tone that implies he's not really listening or agreeing, just saying whatever will get him through the conversation the fastest. "You still gotta stop lettin' 'em get so close, y'know? It's great for my views, don't get me wrong... but I ain't plannin' on gettin' integrated any time soon, bro."
"Are you sure?" Savior asks, looming even closer to the faint figure of a Scout, shrouded in the shadows of the map. "I think you should reconsider... you, of all people, deserve to be saved the most."
SailerMan seems to be winding up for a particularly mouthy rebuttal, but that quickly fades away at the tail-end of Savior's sentence. "...what's dat s'posed to mean?"
"You've led so many to enlightenment." Savior answers simply, with what sounds like a smile coloring his tone. "I wouldn't have nearly as many in the flock if it weren't for you. Truly, you are my most valuable friend."
Breadolphin can't stop his face from scrunching up into a sneer when SailerMan preens under Savior's praise. "...yeah, you're not so bad ya'self, y'know that? 'Specially when you stop talkin' all that religious bull-"
A fiery glare from Savior.
"...stuff," SailerMan tactically pivots, "And start really appreciatin' what you got. C'mon, Saves, if I wasn't makin' my content, gettin' all these people in the loop, most'a them wouldn't be runnin' right inta ya arms. You need me alive."
"You'd still be alive." Savior corrects softly.
"Uncontrolled, then, whatevah." SailerMan waves him off. From this distance, Breadolphin is just barely able to make out his eyes rolling, a faint movement.
A beat of quiet passes. In the wake of it, Breadolphin reports with no small amount of disgust, "I think they're, like... flirting or something."
"Seriously?" Aaron asks, a similar amount of repulsion dripping from his tone; before he pauses, makes a thoughtful 'hmm,' and continues, "...I guess they're a match made in Hell, huh?"
Savior speaks again before they can continue unwillingly basking in mutual nausea. "As long as your part of the deal remains upheld, there will be no issues."
"Ain't it great when we're on the same page?" SailerMan fires back with a smile, all teeth. "Seriously, though, y'think you could make 'em do somethin' new? Viewers're already gettin' bored of da same old format, y'know, the scary monster shows up and stretches its friggin' fingers or whatevah. I need somethin' real terrifyin'. Next upload's gotta be good."
Savior pauses, thinking for a moment, presumably. "...I do not know if my reach extends that far. After all, I am but a willing servant to God. He has the final say in what the saved do."
"Surely you can put in a good word for li'l old me?" SailerMan prods. "Give the... big guy upstairs or whatevah a poke, tell'em this'll benefit everybody. I get more money, you and him get more followahs, we're all happy!"
"I will see what can be done." Savior answers, amicable.
"You're da best," SailerMan replies, shooting dual finger pistols.
Savior draws in a ragged breath, clearly preparing to bring something else up-
-and a nearby blighted draws a little too close.
Breadolphin doesn't know how the fuck he didn't see it coming. Maybe he was so distracted by this revolting show of allegiance between two monsters that he just didn't clock the footsteps, maybe it really did sneak up on him, he's got no idea. He feels the exact moment it bumps into his equipped Black Rose, the only lucky thing about the situation being that it only bumped his knife, not his skin. But it's still enough to put him in the shimmer state, his model just barely visible.
"Fuck," Breadolphin hisses quietly, thoroughly freaking out as he immediately starts backpedaling away.
"Bread?" comes Aaron's immediate response, alarmed. "What's going on?"
"Something is amiss." Savior suddenly announces, tone flat, as the blighted's fingers begin stretching, preparing to sweep the room.
"The fuck's dat supposed t'mean?" SailerMan bites back.
"Language."
"Honest mistake. Seriously, though, whatcha talkin' about?"
"I... felt something. Something strange."
Breadolphin is still backpedaling, still trying to create as much distance as he can. The blighted is growing more agitated, grunting and moaning as it performs its own fucked-up version of a spycheck.
"Breadolphin? Are you still there? Are you okay?" Aaron sounds panicked, now, but Breadolphin feels like his jaws are glued shut, his brain screaming at him to stay silent.
He watches, while waiting for the Cloak and Dagger's Motion bar to refill, as the blighted slowly calms, its fingers retreating just too little to look normal.
"...perhaps it was nothing." Savior murmurs from the capture point room.
"You sure? Want me to go take a look?" SailerMan offers, oddly subservient. Breadolphin finds himself praying yet again that Savior doesn't take him up on it.
"No... no, that's quite alright."
"A'right. If you say so."
"I'm fucking done," Breadolphin whispers, making a straight B-line for the exit. "This is over. You got your fucking confirmation, I'm getting out of here."
"Okay. Okay, we can go." Aaron affirms, his Soldier still stationed right outside the last point on Mountain Lab. "Seriously, though, what happened? Are you good?"
"Fucking infected bumped me. Nearly got my ass caught, Savior felt it and everything. Jesus." Breadolphin exhales on the last word, heart threatening to beat right out of his chest. He got so fucking lucky. If it had been skin-on-skin...
Aaron seems to have the same train of thought, as he hurriedly asks, "Bumped? Did it... did it touch you?" The question is laced with sheer terror.
"No, no," Breadolphin rushes to reassure, "It just touched my knife. I'm good. I swear. Wouldn't still be talking if I wasn't, right?"
Aaron hesitates before he answers. "...yeah. Yeah. Fuck."
"Fuck indeed." Breadolphin can't help but let out a shaky laugh, still reeling. He almost fucking died. He almost got turned into one of those fucked-up abominations.
His hands are still shaking as they get back to the BLU Resupply Room, so much so that he almost swaps to Scout instead of Soldier. Aaron is quiet as they both set to damaging themselves, both manage to get their bodies to land beyond the map border. The 'click' of the Disconnect confirmation echoes like a shot in his head, and the dredges of residual panic still carves out a hollow spot in his chest for hours afterwards, no matter how much distance he tries to put between himself and the monitor.