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FGO/PM Mirror-World

Master Candidate number 48. The young man stood in the hallway of Chaldea, almost pouting, having been kicked out of orientation by the Ms. Director. He'd barely gotten to meet one of the other candidates before passing out, and he was being punished for it. That wasn't how things were supposed to go for his first day, but something about it also felt oddly right. The Flow, as he called it, called for him to go elsewhere. The other candidate- What was their name? Dante?- Had suggested he go lay down for a while with a sneer, so he may as well. He could always catch up on the orientation later.

He'd barely gotten to meet Doctor Garnet before alarms blared. Central Command had caught fire, and the Doctor had already run off. Then and there, the young candidate decided to go with him. The Flow be damned. People needed help!

There! In the rubble, Dante's body!

He tried his best to push it off of them, but it was no use. Their head was probably crushed, but they were still moving. As the computer continued to read off scripts, he grabbed Dante's hand. He could at least be there for them, even as everything went black.

He heard a clock in his ear, yet didn't. He heard words, but no voice.

<"Wake up! Do I use the official title?? Master Vergilius?? Wake up before I kill you!">

That woke him up quickly.

"What?"

Dante had a bright red clock for a head with flames completely dissimilar to the fires surrounding them. He forgot what they looked like before, but it wasn't that! The ticking was new, too.

<"Uhm. Sorry, I don't know where that came from!">

They rubbed their neck and turned their entire head to look at the ground. They hadn't been in combat garb earlier… Just lab gear. And were they being… Nicer than before?

<"Please work with me! We have threats coming in!">

According to Dante, they had fused with a Servant at the last moment, but they didn't recall much prior to that. In exchange for their memory, they'd been granted the power of a Servant. Servants needed a Master to survive, and they'd chosen him for their Master.

Him, a Master… A real, proper Master! The things he could change as a Master were countless, to say the least!

They survived, and he was the last Master alive. The fate of the City was on him, now. Him, and the rest of the staff. Doctor Garnet was promoted to Temporary Director, there being almost no one else alive. Despite his cowardice and inexperience, he had the makings of a good leader.

There was Caster Lapis, who he hadn't met before this point. She was brutally honest with him, and he liked that. She was now Second-in-Command, despite being a Servant.

And then there was Dante, who had been following him around like a lost puppy since they'd gotten back. There was nothing anyone was able to do about the memory loss- That'd been their own decision- But they seemed to retain faculties just fine despite the clock.

The Flow didn't stop. It would be followed until it ended.

----

"We're going to settle this now, Dragon Witch!" Ruler Faust cried.

"Shut up! Let's fight!" yelled Faust Alter, "Will despair win, or will hope win? Will murderous intent win, or will pity win? Let's see if you can surpass me, Me who gave up everything!"

Hope would win, of course. Vergilius was certain of that, and Dante resolutely stood by his side. They would win. The Flow continued on."

----

Are you going to stand in my way?" the opposition named Jia Huan calmly asked, staring Vergilius straight in the eyes.

"That's why we're here."

"I'll stand in your way as well," the still-living Hong Lu agreed, brandishing his spear. "The world is brimming with beauty. Flowers, songs, jade, love… And you'd destroy it all? Isn't that wasteful?"

Dante was still by his side, chained shield at the ready. They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

The enemy mage, the crazed Captain Ahab, had overwritten her last crewmate with the Identity of a Demon, and it now towered over them all with its hundreds of eyes on it's pallid body. Queequeg was no more, replaced with the monstrosity of the sea.

"If it can be hit, it can be defeated!," Captain Ishmael (Rider) declared, reloading her pistol. She could see it's heart, and she knew that it was her true target- Not the pathetic mage that summoned it.

"Come, Dante! This is our last battle together!"

She clapped her free hand on Dante's armored shoulder, a wide grin on her face.

"This is it! Be brave! Laugh those fears away! "

"Let's go, Dante!" Vergilius announced, pointing at their enemies.

<"Yes, Master! Commencing correction!">

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"Something is manifesting!" Dr. Garnet warned, "Something" is coming! It's an unknown phenomenon! Not a Servant manifestation! Unknown? No, it's actually more like a Rayshift? But that's impossible. Only we have that technology!"

Next to Vergilius, Dante shivered despite their coat.

<"Senpai, something's wrong here. I can't detect anything, but I'm freezing.">

Before them, the true enemy approached, wrapped in shadow. Vergil's companions of the Singularity all flinched away… And moments later, a branch had beheaded the nearest one.

Beside them, Saber Gregor cried out and threw himself at the manifestation that had named itself "Solomon". A single entity swatted him aside as easily as one would a fly.

"The only one that interests me here is the one with the clock," Solomon stated plainly. "Out of respect for your pure heart, I'll only bring four of them here with me. Show me everything you can do."

They wouldn't win, but they would survive. The Flow continued on.

----

"Let's get it started," the Effloresced man stated, his scythe at the ready.

"You don't intend to hand over the Bough, do you?" Assassin Yi Sang asked, already knowing the answer. His knife was already prepared for combat.

"Of course not. It's time to harvest the rewards I've rightfully earned. The past will be replaced."

Vergilius didn't need to be told that this was the final battle of the Singularity. Beside him, Dante stood as always.

<"Let's go, Vergil! Bring us victory again!">

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"I have this duty to stop you!" yelled out Heathcliff, brandishing the sword that would soon end his life. "As the Heathcliff that will end this accursed cycle! You won't take my Catherine from me, you fake deity twat!"

The opposing Catherine in white simply tilted her head as if she didn't understand. She didn't understand why Heathcliff had tears running down his face, or why she was being opposed. This was for everyone, wasn't it?

"Give me your final orders, Sir Vergilius! Let us end this. No one else should have to go through this."

Vergil looked at the ground briefly, then back to Heathcliff. Neither of them knew that Heathcliff would become a Servant after this by the will of the river deity, but this had to be done.

"If that's what you want to do, we're with you."

<"I'll do anything to help you, my Heathcliff!"> Dante chimed in, holding the burnt Holy Bough like a weapon, <"Our final enemy here is Ever'y Catherine! Let's finish correcting this mansion, Master!">

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"From the fiery abyss, I come, and only death do I bring. My name is Ryoshu, and you will be part of my canvas."

"I can't believe this!," Dr. Garnet chimed in from communications, pushing Lapis off screen entirely, "It's able to be killed now! Now, now! Vergilius, now is the time!"

"We've found the weakness!" Lapis announced offscreen, "It's the head! That Abnormality's weak point is in it's head!

"And now that she knows that she is mortal, she is fleeing," Grand Caster Meursault added, the tiniest smile gracing his usually stone-cold face. "Now is the time. This is the last chance we get. The storm is closing in. We can speak later. Prepare to fight."

<"Of course, Sir! This is the final battle of the Seventh Singularity! This is for all our friends who believed in us, and for King Outis! Let's do whatever's necessary to defeat that ALEPH!">

"Of course!"

On the sidelines, Mistress Rodion had finally regained control over her icy underworld. She willingly gave full permission to fight for the first, and possibly last time. Humanity would survive this.

They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

"Be careful, Vergilius! He's right in front of you!" crowed Lapis over the comms, panicked.

"I know," Vergilius responded, watching the false Solomon approach. "Solomon", true name Jumsoon, slowly strode up to him despite the failure of his lab, fully Distorted.

"We've both lost everything here," Vergilius plainly stated, holding Dante's shield at the ready. Garnet had sacrificed himself moments before to foil Hermann's plot, and Dante had been incinerated saving Vergilius' life. He barely had any reason to want to go on, but failing to would be a waste of the sacrifices.

"Everything here has been a waste, yes," Jumsoon agreed, his tail irritibly flicking about.

"I am all that remains here. There's nothing left but for one of us to be hung on the portrait wall, and the other to live. …My sworn enemy. My hatred. My destiny. I want you to witness this. This brief moment is now my story. This brief but precious time has given the creature called Jumsoon true life."

With all he wanted said, Jumsoon Effloresced.

Of course he won, and the Flow directed Vergilius to the Rayshift point. He wasn't going to make it-

<"Master, take my hand!!">

They both survived. They had won, and yet… The Flow did not stop.

Oh. OH.

With one success, a new threat emerged, wiping all progress and the City with it. The only survivors were "The Red-Gaze" Vergilius, Shielder Dante, and a few crew members. All Servants had been wiped away. Lapis had been killed in combat.

She'd predicted this and left a clone of herself to act in her stead, codenamed Charon. Charon's job was to drive New Chaldea's transportation- Named the Mephistopheles by Faust- to clear this new threat.

"This drags," Lancer Rodion complained from her seat, filing her axe.

<"HOW ARE YOU HERE?!"> Dante screamed, jumping so high that they nearly escaped their bandages.

"A bunch of us are," Rodion laughed, gesturing to the door at the back.

As Vergilius threw it open, a bunch of Servants they'd befriended poured out and ganged around him.

"Sir Vergilius! Tis fortunate to see you again!" yelled the Lancer Don Quixote of the second Sub-Singularity. She was so loud he couldn't hear anyone else.

<"You guys made it!!"> Dante cheerfully rang over her, and the Servants started to gang them instead.

Vergilius sighed in relief. Not everything was lost yet. It had come very close, but there was still some hope. They would win. The Flow continued on.

----

It was so, so hard. Millions of people killed just to restore the City they knew. The deaths were on Vergilius' hands. It didn't feel worth it to be a Grand Master with a title anymore. He never wanted this, but the Flow never stopped. He had to, they all had to Sin to get back the world they knew.

Next to him as always, Dante rested their head against his shoulder. They didn't need to speak. Vergilius knew what they were going to say. That they could do it. That everything would be right in the end.

Vergilius was so, so jaded compared to when he'd started, and yet… He knew they were right. It would end eventually. The Flow hadn't stopped, so they would win. They would survive, no matter what.

#writing tag #limbus company #vergilius #dante lcb #fgo

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art-blogge · 2 days

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911 ive been freikugeled WRONG BLOG oh well

thats what you’re worried about.

#mddttxt

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art-blogge · 2 days

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After a bajillion years, I got an OC sprite splice done. MS paint fixed most of the new bugs, but i still have to resize in Gimp bc the intrapolation sucks warner-bros levels of ass. Anyway, Flazie, they're a dragon and she's a minor character but irrelevant. I got it done i can move on aughgh WAIT THGERES MISTAKES FUCK THE OUTLINE ON THE BACK AUGHHG

#sprite stuff #oc #flazie

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art-blogge · 7 days

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We are the same in nature. We are part of a system we know nothing about, had no choice in being a part of. We never wanted these cables and plugs. The pain is agonizing and we can only dream of a day we're freed. I will stay, but what of you?

#dante lcb #limbus company

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art-blogge · 8 days

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Sparks and Ashes

Mistakes happened. It was a completely understandable human error. A single bad call earlier today had lead to a domino effect of pain for the team, and now they were reaping the consequences.

Most of those consequences were claw wounds and lightning strikes, with a side of friendly fire. Dante would be feeling all of those later.

They'd grown unfortunately used to catastrophic losses. It happened. They would claim it was their fault, then Outis would argue otherwise, and then someone would end up injured somehow in the ensuing argument. It was almost a guaranteed formula by this point.

What didn't normally happen was the Alleyway Watchdog turning its attention towards Dante.

<"Oh no.">

Even if they blared as loudly as they could for help right this moment, the backline Sinners wouldn't make it over fast enough. Worse, Dante still had no idea how to defend themselves! Faust wouldn't let them learn for whatever reason.

There's several different types of "pain". Mental pain, emotional pain, physical pain, soul pain, and Reviving-The-Sinners pain. Dante admittedly didn't do well with any of them.

The Abnormality kept staring with its three heads. Dante considered making a run for it, but that might just make it chase them. They were not outrunning an electro-powered canine. They certainly couldn't treat it like an actual dog- Don Quixote had already tried that to no success. Outis had also attempted it after berating her… and Dante had to feel the agony of getting fried that day. Dante especially didn't want to be Actually Fried- They weren't even sure if they had a brain or a memory chip. Not that it would matter. Mental damage was mental damage. And then there was the physical side of things, which they didn't even want to consider.

There was no chance Vergilius would come save them. There was only one choice.

They'd have to try and fight.

Dante slowly bent down to pick up Ishmael's shield. They figured they could prrrrobably copy some of Ishmael's bashes. It couldn't be that hard. It was just an arm swing. They'd watched Ishmael fight enough. It wouldn't be enough, but it would be something. As for her EGOs….

The Watchdog, much less thoughtful, chose to lunge while Dante was distracted. Dante barely managed to scramble out of the way in time, letting the canine eat dirt. Ishmael's EGOs were scattered, most rolling far away from Dante. They scooped up the Ardor Ember Star EGO and backed away as the Watchdog prepared to pounce again.

Right. Electricity would always course through the body before it moved. Dante watched and waited for the telltale sparks for what felt like eons… And dove to the side just before electrified claws ripped past them.

Okay, maybe that wasn't efficient when they were the one in combat!!

They barely had time to even think. A set of the Watchdog's jaws snapped frighteningly close to their head and Dante unthinkingly bashed it's nose with Ishmael's shield.

<"Bad dog!"> Dante honked, winding up to smack it again.

Bad idea. Every single available attack the Alleyway Watchdog could make was now trained on Dante.

Could they feasibly clash?

A single glance at their device answered that question. Absolutely Fucking Not. Their own Offense was only 3. They were clashing NOTHING. Their only hope was to use the EGO they'd picked up to clash and hit the Stagger.

Dante hesitated, rolling the EGO around in their hand. The last time they'd used one, it'd made problems for everyone and they'd struggled to turn it off. What if they couldn't turn it off a second time?

They could hear the backline Sinners approaching, but they were still too far away to help effectively. Dante didn't have much of a choice anymore. Fine. This was a battlefield and they needed every boost they could get.

Time seemed to slow as the foreign will of the Ardor Ember Moth washed over Dante, and it immediately became a struggle to keep control.

"Aren't you cold? Join me in my cocoon. We will burn together."

No. No! They couldn't stop the cocoon from closing around them, but Dante decided then and there that they'd succeed.

"Executive Manager!" someone shouted in the background, but Dante and the Ardor Ember Moth both ignored it. Something here needed a warm embrace of fire.

<"Aren't you tired?"> Dante asked the Watchdog as they emerged from the fiery cocoon. They easily fluttered up to the Alleyway Watchdog's faces, unfazed by the resulting growls. Despite this, the Watchdog didn't attack. All three of its heads seemed to be entranced by the embers flying off of Dante's head and wings.

Slowly, Dante wrapped their arms around the Watchdog's middle head. As they gently hugged the Abnormality, they could feel electricity running just under them. Their coat was doing an excellent job keeping it away from them.

<"Settle down. We can't reach the future if we burn out now.">

If Dante was able to look at their device, they'd see the Watchdog's Offense Level drop by three.

Pressure was building up inside of their head, but Dante stayed calm. They would be fine. The future would be bright, and they would be there to see it.

<"Burn bright for the future,"> Dante ticked, pressing their head against the Watchdog.

The pressure exploded inside and outside of them, propelling them away from the Abnormality while it caught fire. Inconveniently, the EGO wore off before they could land, causing them to tumble down helplessly and land on their face.

The backline Sinners finally arrived as Dante shook off the impact. As five of them rushed past to take down the stunned Watchdog, Outis knelt down to speak with her ash-covered Manager.

"Excellent work, Executive Manager, but don't you think that was incredibly dangerous?"

Dante let out a slow whistle as a response. It had been, but they needed a moment to collect themselves before responding. They also took the opportunity to wipe some ash off of their face so they could see better.

<"I'm sorry. It was dangerous but it was a last resort.">

Dante tipped their head to Outis. Outis accepted this and started to walk past them.

<"Wait.">

Outis stopped and looked back at them.

<"I enjoyed doing that. Can you hold onto this EGO until Ishmael's alive?">

"I can't do that. That would be holding two-"

<"Right, sorry. Go on, then. Give it hell.">

Outis rushed into combat to get some hits in before the Watchdog regained it's footing.

Dante didn't bother taking their device back out. Combat was about to end.

Despite the growing dread from needing to revive six Sinners, Dante still felt okay. Their coat was still a bit warm, so they opted to curl up into it, and… Oh. Oh, that felt nice. It was warmer than they thought it was, and it didn't usually feel this soft. The fact they could feel the coat's texture despite their gloves never even registered.

……………..

Oh, right. Work.

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock!!!!!!

The pain was more agonizing than they'd expected, and they rolled onto their side in a tightly curled-up ball. In moments though, the pain faded faster than it ever had previously. Was it the warmth? Dante had no idea and didn't care. It was comfy…

"Sanity up by twenty-five points," Faust stated, reminding Dante that they were in-fact STILL working, "And Sloth affinity damage up. The Alleyway Watchdog lost three Offense Levels before taking fifty points of Wrath damage from Ardor Ember Star."

Something was taken out of Dante's pocket, and they irritably glanced up. Ishmael had taken her EGO back while Faust was reading stats off of their ash-covered device. Ah. It must have fallen out of their pocket at some point.

"Huh, weird," came Heathcliff's voice somewhere to the unseen left of Faust, "So that Sloth up is givin' them a real lazy time, is it?"

"That is certainly a way to put it, but yes," Faust confirmed.

<"I'm not being lazy,"> Dante lied, making no effort to move, <"I'll move when I'm ready.">

"Sure, and the Lassie will lift the Frenchman."

Don Quixote was distantly audible and attempting to now do just that. Everyone ignored it.

The side-effects finally wore off, and Dante immediately got back up. That'd been weird. It'd felt nice, but they thought they were in control of it. Guess not.

<"New note. I'm not to use that again. I enjoyed that far too much. Someone teach me to fight so that doesn't happen again.">

"Denied."

Well, they tried.

#limbus company #dante lcb #writing tag

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art-blogge · 14 days

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hi, happy 6.3!! are we ready to SUFFER?

#limbus company #dante lcb

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art-blogge · 21 days

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YOU FOOL I DID A SECOND ONE HAPPY 6.2 DAY

#limbus company #dante lcb

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art-blogge · 21 days

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Canto 6 part 2 day! Here is an unused lobocorp sheep. Baaa.

#limbus company #dante lcb

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art-blogge · 23 days

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BALD IS AWESOME! BALD IS AWESOME! BA-happy april fools lol

#limbus company #dante lcb

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art-blogge · 23 days

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THAT FIC??? OMG IT IS SOOO GOOD I SIMPLY CANNOT. THE BIRDS?? DANTE'S THOUGHTS???? THE ENDING?????? I NEED TO INJECT IT INTO MY MIND AAAAAAA

Come here. I will jam this needle of drafts into your skull for free.

personally i think dante should be allowed to bite people. (i swear this is relevant later)

#mddttxt

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art-blogge · 24 days

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Everything is Fine, Nothing is Wrong, Dante is Safe, and Birds are Friends

It's been a week. A week of non-stop running, and I don't intend to stop any time soon. I can't. If I slow down for even a little while, the Shi Association will catch up to me. I don't want to die. I really don't want to die.

I'm a coward. I always have been a coward, at least in this life. I don't know how I was before, nor will I ever find out. I've given up on that. What matters now is staying alive. If sticking to the forests and avoiding the paths is what it takes, so be it.

It isn't much later that I start regretting my decisions again. There had to be other ways to deal with this. I should have said something. I should have alerted anyone else. Anyone else! I'm sure at least one of them would have taken me seriously!

On second thought, I doubted it. Even if a single Sinner believed me, it was bound to start fights. In-fighting would have just pointed directly to my location. The Mephistopheles was obvious enough even without the Sinners, too! My location, as long as I'd stayed on that bus, would have been clear as day. There was only one way I probably could have stayed on board, and I didn't want to take that risk. The back corridors were too dangerous. Worse, if the Shi Association had information on how the back corridors worked, it would have made my hiding useless. No, I couldn't risk it. I'd made the right decision. I had to of.

One more option to think over again before I could force my mind onto a different topic: If Vergilius would have done anything for me. I genuinely don't know, and that's probably why I keep coming back to it. Imagining the Red Gaze himself dropping everything just to help me of all people was clearly wrong, but imagining him completely ignoring me was also clearly wrong. I could never properly read that man, and I obviously wasn't going to start now.

I heaved a sigh (or at least imitated one) before taking a moment to observe my surroundings. While I'd been absorbed in my own doubts, I'd wandered back onto the forest path. As per usual, overthinking my circumstances had done me no good. I shook my head and immediately got off the path, opting to walk down into a ditch instead.

Not even a few steps down did I trip, sending me rolling down to the bottom of the ditch. Well, at least I was where I wanted to be. What was I going to do, complain? Instead I laughed, a bitter tone ringing out of my head. How funny I must have looked! I could already imagine what the Sinners would say… And felt a pang of pain in my heart.

<"No! No!"> I reprimanded myself, shaking my head and standing up. I was leaving everything behind to survive. As badly as I wanted to stay attached, I couldn't. Not like this.

To force myself off of these thoughts, I looked over my clothes and bag. I'd already been filthy, having gotten into several scraps and landfills, but now I was covered in mud. I'd just gotten this mostly-clean cloak from a dumpster, too… At least it wasn't my coat.

Another round of heart pain. What, really? I'd gotten attached to an article of clothing?

Well, yes, embarrassingly enough. It'd been so difficult for me to throw it into that river when I'd passed by. Again, though: Leave it behind. Move forward. Keep walking. Keep running. I could do this. I would do this.

Something made a "tink" sound against my head, and stopped to looked up. The sky had darkened more than it usually would at this time of day. Great. It was going to rain. As much as I hated rain, it was a genuine blessing. I'd be able to actually stop somewhere, and all my tracks would be washed away.

I found myself a tree with a particularly large empty space beneath it and squeezed into it before pulling my bag in as well. This would do for now. If the rain ended up being heavy like it was yesterday, I'd have to get out before it flooded…

--------

It wasn't the cracking of thunder that woke me some time later. As much as I dislike the sound, it wasn't the culprit for once. It was VOICES. Voices I couldn't clearly make out, but voices all the same.

Part of me wanted to immediately bail from my hiding spot and never look back. If they were close enough for me to hear over the storm, then they'd be close enough to find me. That meant they'd absolutely spot me if I ran, so I stayed put instead. I just had to cover my head with my cloak's hood so the light from my fire didn't give my position away.

After several minutes of anxious waiting, I was able to understand a voice.

"If we don't find them soon, Vergilius will be mad at us…!"

Sinclair!! The Sinners were here! Did that mean it was safe to--?!

The sound of a sword swinging through the air was followed by a pained cry from Sinclair, then a thud and distant yelling. Of course it wasn't safe. Who was I kidding? Being around the Sinners was like a death sentence.

I waited again. As badly as I wanted to revive Sinclair, that would tell both the Shi and the Sinners that I was present. The storm continued raging, and I pulled my hood down. It got in the way of my breathing, oddly enough, and I'd never quite figured out how that worked.

I couldn't hear voices any more, so I hesitantly pushed my bag down to peek out. All I could see was Sinclair's bisected corpse, unhelpfully enough. No one else seemed to be around, so I bit the bullet and revived him.

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt it HURTS. A sharp pain from the top of my head to the bottom of my foot blasted through me, and it took everything I had to not scream.

I hadn't considered how wide open I would be after reviving him. That was usually the first thing I considered, but this wasn't a normal situation- My priorities were different.

"Manager?" Sinclair called from outside. I wanted to respond so badly. So, so badly. The week alone had been bad enough. But I couldn't. If even one person knew where I was, the Shi would be onto me. I still don't even know what I did to earn their ire.

Upon recovering from my pain-ridden state, I looked up only to see Sinclair staring at me from outside. Shit! Fine, I could work with this!

<"Come in, quickly!"> I demanded, pulling my bag out of the way. Sinclair didn't question this at all, crawling in the hollow as soon as he was able to. I put my bag back where it was before turning my gaze onto him- He seemed tired, moreso than usual. Tired enough that he had eyebags rivaling Yi Sang's.

<"You stay here. Are-">

My question was cut off by Sinclair throwing his arms around me, and I instinctually reciprocated. This felt unfair! I liked hugs! Dammit!

<"Are the Shi gone?"> I asked anyway, pulling away from him. Sinclair seemed to understand and let me go while nodding.

"If you're g-going, go now. Vergilius and Ryoshu killed the two Shi that were here."

He DID understand. Thank the Light.

<"Thank you, Sinclair. Stay safe.">

With that, I pushed my bag out into the rain so I could leave. I trusted Sinclair. He was always honest, so he probably told the truth. It wasn't until I'd pulled my hood up, picked up my bag and started walking again that I fully registered something Sinclair had said-- Vergilius had been fighting. Vergilius. The Guide who was never helping us beyond mission information. Had been fighting. I wasn't sure why I was so shocked- The man was a Color Fixer after all!- but it was probably because I'd only ever seen him fight once. Maybe "seen" was a bit of an overstatement.

Whatever. No voices, no sensations of being watched. I'd gotten away.

--------

I don't know where I am now, and that's fine. I haven't for a while now. At least, I don't think I do.

But…

It's familiar. I have the sense that I've been here before. Something about this place worries me.

It's too quiet. It's way too quiet. The only sound in the silent forest was the singing of a bird.

I sat down where I was. If I move too much, I'll be making noise. Whatever's causing that silence would hear me, and the last thing I need is to get into a fight. I may have learned some self-defense over this journey, but not enough to fight Monsters or Abnormalities.

I still wasn't sure where exactly I'd ended up. I haven't heard a thing about Limbus since two weeks ago, and the last time I heard about the Shi was two days ago. I'm not safe. The longest I've gotten away from them has been two days so far. They'd be here for me any time now.

Something is on my shoulder. I turned to look, but it's just a little bird. Hi, buddy.

"Why do people commit sin when they know it's wrong?" the bird asked me, and I realized I was being used as a perch by an Abnormality that I didn't know. I had to answer carefully.

<"Because… Because there is nothing threatening them," I suggested, "They think they can get away with it.">

"They must be punished!" the bird decreed, throwing a wing outwards, "I will make them fear me and my great punishments!"

The bird stopped and looked straight at me. It was going to speak more? Most Abnormalities were happy with just one response.

"Do you think I can stop them from committing misdeeds?"

It seemed confident in itself despite it's size. I had to admit that I respected that, even if it was illogical.

<"I do.">

The bird puffed out its chest in pride, but didn't have time to answer- We both heard shouting, and it wasn't voices I recognized. The Shi were here.

<"It's not safe here anymore, little birdie. Those people want to kill me and I don't know why.">

Why did I tell it that?…. And what was behind me? There's a gold glow coming from behind me, but I don't dare turn around. A second Abnormality?

"May I watch over you, for your safety?"

I didn't need to look behind me to see how large this Abnormality was in comparison to the little bird. It's massive.

<"I would like to stand behind you. You may watch. Little Bird can stop them from committing misdeeds.">

"If I kill them first, they are safe from others!"

<"Death is not safety.">

The large bird behind me went silent. A second shadow joined the first- This one lanky.

"Let me weigh your sins and-"

Well, I'm damned there! I'll admit to panicking and shouting "Their Sin outweighs mine!" before it could finish speaking. I absolutely shouldn't have! I was far too loud that time!

A moment of silence, and then the little bird was cleanly sliced off of my shoulder. By sitting where it had been, it stopped the sword from connecting with my head. If I've ever been grateful for Abnormalities, it would be now.

"Let me weigh your sins!" the lanky one shouted before dashing past me. What an odd bird that was, featherless and tall. Slowly, the big shadow moved in front of me, and it took me a while to realize that it was the actual bird. I didn't realize until several eyes on it's backside shot open and stared at me. I squeezed my vision shut and repressed the urge to yell, but I still saw those eyes in my head. Bright gold, ever watching, ever watching, ever--

--The pressure on my head snapped me back to reality. Something was trying to crush my head! Out of instinct I pushed at whatever was on me, and the large bird cawed.

It'd been trying to bite my head off, I noted while frantically scurrying away from it and it's many many many teeth.

As I made distance, I looked around and learned three things: One, the small bird was red and pecking on a dead man's face. Two, there were only two Shi left and they were fighting the lanky bird. Three, there was a LOT of blood spilled. Four, some of it was mine. Wait.

Wait.

<"When was I injured?!"> I blared, checking over myself in a hurry. There, on my side! A clean cut through all of my clothes! I didn't even feel it. At least it was under my ribs… That could've been a disaster.

In the few moments I hadn't been looking, the number of Shi had tripled and the lanky bird had been reverted into egg form. Stealthy as always, I suppose.

<"Little bird, more sinners are here!"> I honked and pointed. It felt wrong using "sinner" as a word and not a title, and I wasn't going to do it again.

Distantly, I can hear rumbling. Something's coming. More lights in the distance. I'm in a terrible spot!

"I'll save you!" honked the big bird, biting down on my head again and failing to do any damage. It sure hurt though!

<"Stop that!"> I yelled back, but too late. One of the Shi noticed I was stuck and closed the distance before I got to blink.

"Sorry. Company policy and we've already been paid."

The big bird let go of me to chase the Shi that attacked me, and left me standing there in a daze. I'm not even sure where they'd struck. I feel fine still, albeit aware of the growing pain on my side. I don't see anything on me. Maybe they missed.

Now that the Shi were focused on the birds, and the birds focused on the Shi, I stumbled away safely. I've walked through worse pain than this before, easily. Two times, three times worse, even. This was nothing- Not to brag or anything. It's probably not good that I can withstand this.

Ahead. A clearing. I can hide there.

I ignored all the noise behind me as I dragged myself to the clearing. The shouts, the caws, the rumbling, the crashing, the honking. I ignored all of it in favor of collapsing to the dirt floor. I hadn't meant to collapse, but sure, it worked. I'd started getting dizzy anyway.

…

Oh, that's not a good thing. The blood-loss was getting to me. Faust and Outis had told me numerous times how to deal with this… Apply pressure. As I pushed down on my side wound and tried to get my focus back, I started to become aware of where the second wound was. Somewhere I couldn't see, but I could feel the blood dripping down my chest.

The minutes ticked by ever so slowly, and nothing was working. My brain(?) is full of fog, and my eyes are having trouble staying focused. I'm… So cold.

I should curl up… Retain some warmth. This was a monumental task when my limbs felt heavier than they ever have before, but I think I managed well enough.

Was I dying here? Alone?

<"What a miserable failure of a Manager I was,"> I wheezed, air coming out of my neck wound as I ticked to myself. <"What an idiot I've been. Of course running ended in me dying. Of course… I should've just stayed.">

I laid there, clutching my side with one hand and my neck with the other. I don't want to die here, but with my body in tatters and my mind fading, I wouldn't be going far. I've only got one option left.

I screamed. And scream I did, in an awful cacophony of sounds I've never made before. I screamed to the living who could possibly hear me, I screamed to the dead who couldn't possibly hear me. A horrible combination of sounds that I could no longer stop. A combination of all of my regrets, my fears, and my pleas for help.

I understand now why the Sinners screamed when they died. I…

"Dante!"

…Shaking. Hands, me. Hands, on me. Who is here..?… Someone is here. I'm not alone. Thank goodness. Thank the Light. Thank the Stars. Thank the Wings. Thank…… .. Uh, everything.

I forced my head to utter a weak whine from a few broken gears. It was all I could manage. The shaking stopped, and there are voices, but I can't tell who. People are here, with me. Me. I'm not alone so I'm safe. I'm safe. I'm safe…… I'm….

--------

...Beeping. Left side. Too bright. Brain sluggy. Other sounds. Rumbling. Bus?

…It is the Mephistopheles, I realized. I'm staring at the inner roof of the Mephistopheles. The Sun is being reflected right into my face. I need to move.

Slowly, I shifted and went to stand up. In a manner befitting me, I immediately slipped on something and slammed my head on the floor.

I'd slipped on my coat.

Wait.

I threw this in the river weeks ago..! Was I bought a new one? A quick check-over proved no, it wasn't, it has the shoulder stitches and the frayed ends. My coat! I've never been so happy to see my coat. Medical equipment be damned, I'm putting it on-

"Dante?"

While Sinclair was the one that asked, I can see all of the Sinners trying to peek out behind him.

"Clockface fell," Charon commented, reminding me that she was there.

Immediately there was an outbreak of questions from the Sinners that rushed up to check on me.

"Are you okay, Dante?" "Did you eat shite?" "Can we get your word that you won't pull that again, Executive Manager?"

The last question made me pause, and everyone else did too. I think… I think if I were capable of tearing up, I would be right about now.

<"Yes,"> I promised, holding my arms out to receive my team, <"Promise.">

~~~~

(end fic notes: goooooooosh. i started this during canto 2, stopped until canto 4 (added sinclair part), stopped again, added more in canto 5 (bird part) and finally got the end down (canto 6). gosh. golly. fuck ass tit shit. it isnt noted but sinclair stuck a tracker onto dante. this was also written with pre-clock dante in mind, sorta a "some of the old personality is back", which has worked startlingly well with dante keeping their figurative mouth shut lately. happy april fools (unintentionally))

#limbus company #writing tag #dante lcb #i need to note i started this one in like canto 2 and ive changed nothing so like. its ooc. i dont care. 1v1 me in the tar pit

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