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OMG ITS HERE HOLY GOLY

The Hunted, Haunted and Forgotten - Part 3

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Pairing: Battle Maniac x fem!Reader

Word count: 7.6k

Summary: A hiking trip gone wrong (gone very wrong) (gone bloody)

A/N: TAKE IT TAKE IT BEFORE I MAKE IT EVEN LONGER SKDKSK no but fr this one was a real uphill climb in certain parts (i hope they don't show, yikes) but i also had like, sm fun? and couldn't stop writing basically?? it's very late now though so if there's any mistakes pls keep them safe over night, i'll go over it tmw one last time~

hope you have fun readingg<33

tags: @bri-in-ur-attic 💃🐰💛

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Part 3 - What is owed

The object on the shoulder of the Rabbit in front of you didn't just look like a hand, it was a hand. A Puppet hand, to be precise. The stark contrast between the dark leather of the jacket and the red of the scarf automatically drew your eyes to the macabre image. To the long, pale fingers, whose weathered, slightly yellowed surface made them look even more bone-like... You shuddered and struggled to tear yourself away from the sight.

Instead, you looked Red Scarf in the face again, boldly jutting out your chin and saying: "What guarantees me that you will keep your end of the bargain?"

"'We always repay what is owed'."

You cocked your head in Rabbit Girl's direction. You were very familiar with the motto of the "Sweepers", a former branch of the Stalker organization. At the moment, however, this guaranteed you about as much as a pinkie promise - which was absolutely nothing.

She returned your dark look with a cheeky grin. "...Or something like that."

But before you could give her a snappy retort, Red Scarf drew your attention again by reaching into his pant pocket. The next moment he briefly pulled something out that had a distinct golden gleam to it... A delicate chain...

Your jaw dropped.

He had your necklace on him this whole time?! Of course he had... Prick.

"So. Where to?", he asked after tucking it away again.

"...Path of the Pilgrim", you said through gritted teeth, "There's a tunnel past the Tomb Slums, on top of a hill. The hiding spot is marked by a large stone."

You waited with bated breath for their reaction...

And did your best to hide your relief when Buckethead only whistled and said: "Quite a stretch... Guess it really does make sense that you haven't got the money yet. You alone probably wouldn't even make it past Hobbler's Bridge."

You ignored the slight and looked back at the scarf wearer, who nodded at you soon after. "All right. Let's get going then." He turned to Rabbit Girl. "You stay here."

Her mouth fell open. "Wha- You're joking me!"

"It's your turn", Buckethead chimed in and shrugged, "It was me last time." With that, he disappeared inside the building.

"But-"

"Didn't you say you wanted to tell big brother about this? What if he comes back and you're not here?", argued Red Scarf.

"Well, true... I did say that...", she grumbled, but still sounded not entirely convinced.

In the meantime, you took advantage of their banter to continue examining the man in front of you - discreetly, of course.

Like his "brother", he was taller than you, but not by much; Buckethead still towered over all of you. Now that his back was to you, you noticed that he had his mask strapped to the back of his head, which - like Rabbit Girl's - was covered by a dark hood. His leather jacket also turned out to be a kind of tailcoat with a multitude of belts, to which he had attached a knife on his lower back - a discovery you were only too happy to keep at the back of your mind. Finally, the outfit was completed by wide, light-coloured trousers and the same kind of leather boots worn by his colleagues.

Though the most striking detail - apart from the scarf and the creepy hand anyway - was the device he wore on his left forearm. It looked like a harpoon...? But you weren't sure. And maybe that was for the best, actually, because you could really do without seeing it in action. For one thing was as certain as the Amen in a church: Whatever this was? It was dangerous.

And speaking of dangerous...

You flinched violently when there was suddenly a loud "Splat!" right beside you and the next thing you knew you were face-to-face with Buckethead.

"Ever heard of a door?!", burst out of you as you were clutching your chest.

He calmly shouldered his spear. "Yes. They're awfully inconvenient at times."

Meanwhile, Rabbit Girl still wasn't letting up.

"Wait, you said it was my turn... But I stayed here that time before you went to the Barren Swamps!" She pointed accusingly at Red Scarf. "So it's your turn now!"

After she finished, there was silence for a little while, until...

"No."

And with that, the scarf wearer turned around and began to walk towards the wrought-iron gate.

Rabbit Girl gasped in indignation, but in the end could do nothing more than puff out her cheeks and cross her arms while watching you cross the square.

"I'll bring you back a souvenir!", Buckethead called to her before you reached the exit.

At first you thought he was just making fun of her, but then came the grumpy reply: "You better make it something pretty this time...!"

He laughed softly as you finally stepped through the gate and plunged back into Malum District.

The tall buildings around you kept the cold wind at bay, but your nerves still made you shiver. After all, it wasn't every day you went for a walk with two dangerous criminals. And in a monster infested almost ghost town, at that...

You rubbed your arms and stared at Red Scarf's back. Your two companions had flanked you, him in front and Buckethead behind you. Most likely so they could always keep an eye on you - for better or worse... But be that as it may, it made you hyper-aware of your movements, which only added to the tension you were feeling.

No wonder you were already a nervous wreck when you reached the end of the street and saw the Red Lobster in front of you. The former inn had an exit that led directly to the other end of the district, so you weren't particularly surprised that you'd taken this route. What did surprise you quite a bit though, was that Red Scarf simply opened the door and nonchalantly walked inside. After all, this was well-known to be Carcass territory...

But as soon as you stepped through the door yourself - much more hesitantly, at that - you realized that the district gossip must have been mistaken in this specific instance. For the building was silent and deserted, not one single Carcass in sight. You exhaled in relief and allowed yourself to relax for a moment as you walked further in and looked over the railing, down into the hazy darkness of the main room.

The last time you had been here felt like it had happened in another life. And it very well could have been, judging by what you were now seeing.

As part of Malum, the Red Lobster Inn had always been a bit rough around the edges. A little shabby, a little dirty and very, very loud. A meeting place for those who just wanted to get drunk after work, but also for shady characters whose company was best avoided. Yet it had always been lively and popular. A good place to be, full of light and warmth and celebration.

So it was all the more jarring, almost violently so, to find it in its current state.

Furniture had been knocked over, if not fully destroyed, many of the glasses and bottles were now just piles of broken glass and in many places the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. The music and noise of the patrons had been replaced by the groaning and moaning of the old, weathered wood and the piercing squeak of the rusty chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. And instead of the dish of the day and the smoky fire in the fireplace, the air now smelled stale and musty, of wet wood, mould and a hint of decay. Nothing out of the ordinary these days, especially around here, but the cramped conditions only made the stench more pungent.

It was as if you were looking at an empty ribcage, the disembowelled corpse of the former Malum. And it made you shudder and feel terribly sad all at once.

But there wasn't much more time to dwell on your thoughts, you were on a mission after all. So the next moment, you followed Red Scarf down the stairs. Every time one of the steps creaked a little too loudly, you listened nervously into the silence, but still everything was quiet.

At least until you reached the bottom step.

Then, out of the corner of your eye, you noticed sudden movement, and before you knew it, the grotesquely distorted face of a Carcass emerged from the darkness behind the stairs.

Your heart skipped a beat.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still - before it continued at double speed as the monster immediately lunged at you. You had just enough time to reflexively throw up your arms to shield your body until-

You felt yourself being grabbed by the upper arm and pulled just in time out of reach of the razor-sharp claws. Not one second later, Buckethead's spear buried itself deep into the Carcass' torso, before slicing it in two with another flick of his arm.

Your heart was pounding in your throat as you stared wide-eyed at the blue blood that was already seeping into the wood of the steps. Everything had happened so fast that your brain was still struggling to process it all.

"Wanna tell me what just happened?", Red Scarf asked, letting go of your arm.

"A minor oversight. Guess we missed a straggler when we were rerouting traffic last time."

"You don't say..."

Their voices seemed to come from very far away. As soon as you became aware of that, you blinked quickly to get back to the here and now.

Which you succeeded in just as Buckethead shouldered his spear again and said: "What? It's not like it was that big a deal."

The nonchalance with which he dismissed your brush with death, combined with the reverberating shock, suddenly filled you with anger. "'Not that big a deal'? I almost died!"

"And you are very welcome."

The smirk in his voice was impossible to miss, and made you even angrier. "Do you know how many people- good people, have lost their lives because of 'minor oversights' like this one? Hm? Just because they took you by your word??"

You were sure that if you could see him without his mask now, he would roll his eyes, as he groaned: "Oh, cut the goody two-shoes crap. You're just mad because you almost pissed yourself just now."

You were fuming. But you knew there was no point in giving him another earful, so instead you just gave him a scathing look before turning and stomping after Red Scarf, who'd already gone ahead toward the exit.

"Oh, c'mon, don't be like that", Buckethead laughed behind you, "I was just joking around!"

But you studiously ignored him and soon stepped outside the building, where his colleague was waiting for you.

"You done?", he asked, slightly annoyed, as soon as Buckethead caught up with you.

With a mocking gesture, you pointed to the archway in front of you. "Lead the way."

Soon after, you emerged into the cold tunnel that led out of the residential area. The steps you had to walk down at the beginning were slippery and shone in the light of a single small lamp above your heads, which was replaced further ahead by torches attached to the tunnel walls. Your footsteps echoed eerily, but your goosebumps were only due to the sudden drop in temperature; you were still too upset to feel in any way frightened.

When the tunnel spat you out again, you found yourself in one of the stone towers right at the edge of the district. You tilted your head back. The tower had once consisted of several levels, all connected by stairs, ramps or ladders. Now they had all but collapsed and you had an unobstructed view of the cloudy sky above.

"Well. See you up top!"

No sooner had he finished than Buckethead used his spear to jump onto the first platform - which, unfortunately, impressed you quite a bit, much as you hated to admit it. He actually made it look like a piece of ca-

"Whoa!", you exclaimed, jerking back a few steps as Red Scarf suddenly stepped closer to you. Much closer. "Wha-What do you think you're doing??"

He raised his left arm with the strange contraption in response. "Helping you up? Or do you wanna climb."

Oooh, so it's a grappling hook, you thought for a brief moment before focusing on his words again.

"W-Well, I'll have you know", you began, jutting your chin out to hide your nervousness, "that I'm an excellent climber." You crossed your arms for further emphasis.

There was a moment of silence between you.

Then he said deadpan: "It will be dark by the time you get up there."

Your mouth dropped open in utter outrage. "No, it won't...! And I'll prove it. Watch!"

With that, you walked over to the wall, placed your foot on a protruding brick and started to climb.

Yes, perhaps it was stupid and childish of you to refuse his help, but you also didn't want to be patronized all the time. It was bad enough that you had already made a fool of yourself back in the Red Lobster, so this little climb needed to be a win!

'Will be dark', pah! Pompous, arrogant jerk..., you thought, and continued to pull yourself up, stone by stone...

Only to grab at nothing as the brick beneath your right foot suddenly crumbled away and you felt yourself losing balance. Your eyes widened. For a brief moment you flailed your arms wildly, trying to hold onto anything that might prevent your fall - then there was only air around you.

Fortunately, you hadn't climbed very far, so the impact wasn't as severe. Still, your backside took quite a beating, and the resulting bruise would probably last some time. Not to mention the mortification...

Your face was glowing. The thought of having to turn around to face the Rabbit made you wish you'd broken your neck. Though it was also this exactly that ultimately made you decide to not try again and surrender to your fate instead. After all, you'd had enough humiliation for one day...

So the next moment, you just hung your head in defeat and muttered: "All right, I'm coming..." before getting to your feet again.

You were grateful to the scarf wearer for refraining from making a (well-deserved) comment, though the fact that he hadn't moved an inch during your little stunt performance was already comment enough, honestly...

You strictly avoided looking at his mask as you stood next to him and sighed: "So. What do I have to do?"

He gave you a quick sideways glance (that made his ears bob funnily up and down for a moment) and then went back to fiddling with the device on his arm. "Absolutely nothing." Shortly thereafter, it seemed like he'd properly adjusted everything, so he continued: "Except hold still. Think you can manage that?"

You let out a contemptuous snort - which you soon regretted. For as soon as the Rabbit had wrapped his right arm around your waist and held you tightly against his body, you suddenly had absolutely no idea what to do with your own arms. At the same time, you felt heat shooting up your face, which was just the icing on the cake, really.

What the hell is wrong with me?!

Maybe you had hit your head after all...

Until said head was wiped completely clean as you suddenly shot off the ground. The accompanying jolt that went through your body gave you such a fright that your arm problem basically solved itself, as they automatically wrapped around the shoulders of the man next to you. Credit where credit was due: He was a good sport about it, even though you were clinging onto him as if your life depended on it - which it pretty much did, to be fair.

The ride could only have lasted a few seconds, but when you were back on solid ground, you felt like you had aged years. Your legs shook so badly that you were reluctant to loosen the grip of your arms, so it made you all the more relieved that Red Scarf didn't let go of you either, at least not right away. It was doubtful, though, that this was him being considerate; it seemed more like he had completely forgotten that you were even there, as he waved his left arm through the air to disperse the small clouds of smoke rising from the apparatus.

"Damn it..."

"What's up?", asked Buckethead, whose presence you hadn't even noticed up until that point, even though he was standing right in front of you.

Heavens, you were absolutely out of it...

You quickly cleared your throat and pulled away from the man next to you, though you still felt quite shaky. However, neither of them took any notice. Least of all Red Scarf, who, as soon as he had his right arm back, went right back to tinkering with his grappling hook.

"I thought it would hold two people no problem", he muttered, distracted, "But seems like I'll still have to make some adjustments..."

Buckethead watched him work for a short while, then turned his grin in your direction. "Don't worry. That wasn't a veiled 'you're too heavy'. Just a veiled 'I wish I'd become a boring Technician'..."

There was a moment of silence.

Then Red Scarf retaliated with a swift kick at his colleague, who had to have seen it coming, however, because he quickly dodged it with a laugh. This was repeated a few more times until they finally stopped and tried to put each other in a headlock instead. At this point you turned away, a little weirded out by their playful antics and how much it made them seem like they were just two normal guys...

A thought you definitely had no use for, not now, not ever.

So you put your hands on your hips and said loudly: "W-Well, let's get a move on then, shall we?"

Once you were back on track, the Rabbits automatically flanked you again, which made you quite grateful. For as soon as you left the city walls behind and stepped onto Hobbler's Bridge, the real fun began, and you encountered Carcasses left and right. Especially on the well-worn path that snaked through the wilderness right behind it.

These ones were also mostly of the horribly disfigured, half-decomposed humanoid variety, but you also encountered quite a few animal Carcasses, mostly dogs, now that you were outside the city. Fortunately though, they were no match for your companions, who usually neutralized them before they could even become a problem in the first place, but that was only of limited comfort to you. One would think you'd be used to these abominations by now, but watching them from the safety of a rooftop was a far cry from seeing them charge at you at full speed - even if they never reached you, falling victim to either a spear or a saber (Red Scarf's weapon of choice) before they came even close. Still, it made your life flash before your eyes every single time, whether it was the first Carcass of the day or the tenth.

So your nerves were pretty much fried as you finally approached the Tomb Slums, but you also felt a spark of relief that the end of your journey was fast approaching...

A spark of relief that promptly made you a little careless again, resulting in you letting out a high-pitched squeal when suddenly something jumped out of the tall grass right next to you-

A toad, as it turned out. And promptly made Buckethead burst out laughing.

That even that made you flinch at first only added insult to injury and instantly made your cheeks grow all hot again. "Oh, fuck off!"

But your outburst only made him laugh even harder, so the next moment you just crossed your arms in a huff and walked away from him. You didn't get very far, however, until an arm was suddenly placed around your shoulders.

"You know", the Rabbit then began as you glared at his gloved hand, "I did have my doubts when we first met. About you not being a Stalker and all that. The way you were moving across the rooftops... Could've fooled me! But now? Well" He clicked his tongue. "Let's just say... I've never heard of a Stalker shitting themselves because of a frog before."

Buckethead cackled as you angrily pushed his arm off your shoulder.

"You worked at the junkyard, right?" asked Red Scarf, who was now also walking directly beside you, only to your left.

You gave him a quick look. "...I did."

The other two must have told him about it, which did alleviate the creepiness, but only to some extent. After all, it still meant that they had been talking about you prior to you showing up at their HQ this morning. And you didn't like that one bit...

Buckethead whistled. "Damn, your test results must have been abysmal..."

"What?", you asked, confused.

"That bad, huh? Ouch."

You were still frowning when you finally realized what he was talking about. "Oh. No, it's not- I never graduated. I never even attended any of the schools in the first place."

You were referring to the training facilities that the three largest and most influential factions of Krat had set up for educational purposes. The Rose Estate had been their model; once known as the Monad Charity House, it had started out as a charity organization for underprivileged children, but had soon become a renowned boarding school, training the next generation of Alchemists, Workshop Technicians and Stalkers - until its tragic end, anyway.

Before the great catastrophy, a completed education in one of those disciplines had basically been the key to open all doors. Now they were all locked and barred, and most graduates would probably trade in their diplomas for something edible without a second thought.

Even through the thick leather of his mask, you could feel the Rabbit's bewildered gaze on you. "Why?? You can't tell me you've always wanted to work at the junkyard."

No. And I also never wanted to play housekeeper for my father, but after my mother died, he was so broken that he couldn't even feed himself, so I didn't really have a choice in that matter either...

"Because I didn't want to?", you simply said.

At that moment, the three of you entered a torch-lit tunnel that, as far as you could remember, led right into the heart of the Tomb Slums. Its narrowness forced your companions to return to their original positions, which was why you heard Buckethead reply from behind you:

"'Didn't want to"?? That has to be one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. You don't want to eat cheese, or clean your room. Or be on corpse disposal duty, but you didn't simply not want to go to training school. Especially if you were from around here, that was basically a free ticket out of this shithole! Besides, didn't your friends go??"

Your felt your temple twitch.

But before you could even open your mouth, he continued: "All right, I can understand not wanting to bore yourself to death by sitting through Technician or Alchemist training, I will give you that. But you'd have to be the weirdest kid ever to turn down the chance to become a Stalker, seriously. I mean, who doesn't want to learn how to fight and defend themselves against all sorts of enemies? Does it get any cooler than that?? And you got paid for it even!"

"Well, I've done rather well without your 'cool' training so far, haven't I?", you retorted snippily.

"Yeah", Buckethead snorted, "because you've been hiding. But as you can see, that rarely works out in the long run."

You were just about to angrily ask him whose damn fault that was, when you stepped out of the tunnel...

And right into the middle of the Tomb Slums' welcoming committee.

The small village (if you could still call it that) truly lived up to its name now: Most of the shacks had been destroyed and the few that remained looked more like wooden skeletons than buildings someone had once lived in. Even if the Tomb Slums had never been a bastion of hope and joy, the Krat catastrophe had left quite a mark on this place as well - especially regarding its inhabitants who were now charging toward you from all directions.

But while they were a respectable number, in the end they also didn't stand a single chance against your companions, who seemed to have the time of their lives, slashing and hacking their way through their ranks. Hence it wasn't long before the last of the Carcasses went down and you could emerge from the shelter of the tunnel.

When you rejoined the two men, Buckethead was crouched beside a body and seemed to be studying it intently, while Red Scarf was examining a torn Wanted poster - adorned with the four faces of the Rabbits, of course. He sheathed his weapon when he noticed your presence, then pointed to a stone building at the far back of the village, nestled against the high cliff behind it.

"We'll take the elevator up."

You had no idea what he was talking about, but nodded and followed him regardless. After that it wasn't long before you had entered the building in question and, sure enough, came to a stop in front of an elevator. A rather unsafe looking elevator. You warily eyed the simple wooden platform attached to a pair of rusty chains, involuntarily wondering when it had last been in use...

But when Red Scarf calmly stepped forward, you simply swallowed your doubts. Buckethead followed soon after, prompting his colleague to pull a lever and set the elevator into motion.

Apparently, the tall Rabbit had all but forgotten your argument from earlier, which was fine by you; after all, you weren't here to justify your life choices, especially not in front of them. In fact, you would have preferred it if the three of you had really only spoken the bare minimum to each other on this journey, to prevent exactly what had happened in the end: You suddenly feeling a pang of unease at the thought of what lay ahead...

They're bad people, you reminded yourself, They're bad people and they'll get what's coming to them, so no need to feel guilty about it. They only have themselves to blame...

"Thoughts?"

You quickly blinked yourself back into reality. "H-Huh?"

"I got it from one of the Carcasses, as a little souvenir for sis. But now... I'm not so sure anymore. Do you think it's too gaudy?"

You looked down in confusion at the old brooch Buckethead was holding in front of your face. You were at a loss for words. "I... It's quite... bloody, no...?"

"True...", he hummed thoughtfully, "She would appreciate that at least..."

He contemplated for a little while longer, then shrugged and slipped the brooch into a little pouch fixed on his thigh. You were still stunned when the elevator finally rattled to a stop and spat you out into a little cabin.

The first thing you noticed when you stepped outside was that the sky was suddenly filled with gray clouds again.

Only fitting..., you thought grimly, but immediately regretted it, because, once again, this only resulted in an unpleasant tug in the pit of your stomach, They're bad people, they're bad people, they're bad people...

The wind blew even stronger up here, making the leafless trees look as if they were reaching for the clouds with trembling, bony fingers. The grass, too, was brown and withered, even though it had rained almost every day in recent times.

As if even the ground itself was poisoned. Dead...

Red Scarf turned his head towards you, pointing in the direction of a sloping path to your left. "Down here, I presume?"

"Y-Yes", you croaked, before clearing your throat and repeating it in a firmer voice.

He nodded and you continued on. Again you felt tense, again you shivered. With every step your heart seemed to beat faster and faster, and you involuntarily listened into the wilderness, trying to hear something else over the rustling of the wind in the bushes...

But all was silent. Strangely silent... It unsettled you. Where had the Carcasses gone that were supposed to be up here? Could it be that they'd all moved elsewhere, away from here...? But that would mean...

That would mean that your plan had failed before it had even really started. Though paradoxically, you felt both disappointment at the thought but also quite a bit of relief. And this time you let it happen and didn't fight it. Because maybe, in the end, it was for the best. Maybe it had saved you from the biggest stupidity of your life, something you would have regretted forever. Maybe...

You arrived at a crossroads. The path either went straight ahead, or branched off to the right, down a small slope. In the meantime, it had started to drizzle again. The sound of the raindrops mingled with the howling of the wind and the distant cawing of a few crows.

"Right", you said as Red Scarf turned to you, "The tunnel's below."

On the way down, you dodged a few bear traps, the sight of which had you swallowing hard. The sheer size of them made your relief grow. You didn't even want to imagine what the beast they were supposed to trap must look like...

The tunnel in question was man-made and not very long, after all it only connected the two areas to the left and right of the main path. Still, it was quite dark inside so it took a while for your eyes to adjust.

"You said there's a big stone?", asked Red Scarf.

You had just opened your mouth when suddenly you heard something that made your blood run cold. Your companions stopped as well and seemed to prick up their ears.

At first it sounded like a boulder rolling down a mountain. A rumbling so deep and heavy that it seemed to cause vibrations in the air. Your breathing was quick and shallow, and your eyes wide open and focused solely on the bright rectangle opposite you, which so far only showed wet rock and grass...

Until it didn't.

Your heart stopped beating as a shadow moved into view. It was so big that it filled the entire rectangle, and at first you thought that it couldn't possibly fit into the tunnel - which soon proved to be just wishful thinking, however.

For no sooner had the Carcass bear noticed you than it let out a deafening roar and charged towards you.

Over the ringing in your ears, you vaguely heard Buckethead curse loudly before you concentrated only on running. Back outside, you ran up the slope so fast that you slipped on the wet stone, but just managed to stay on your feet and make it back to the main path soon after. It took everything in you to stop then and not just keep running; but even if you weren't completely out of danger yet, it seemed to at least have been averted, as the Rabbits were doing a good job of keeping the bear distracted. For the moment, at least.

The huge Carcass looked even more terrifying than you had imagined. Its whole body seemed half rotten and covered in veiny growths. They had burst open in places, caking what little fur it had left with blue pus and blood. The same toxic mixture dripped from its mouth and the other orifices of its face, which was basically just bare skull bone by this point. Though its skeletal body made the immense size even more impressive.

Just as you turned around to watch the fight, the colossus swiped at Buckethead with its huge paw, slamming him away and against a rock as if he were nothing more than a pesky fly. You heard the Rabbit let out a low groan, but already he was up again and threw himself back into the fray. It was as he had said: A trained Stalker was used to taking a beating.

Red Scarf, meanwhile, had drawn his saber and was basically skipping around the Carcass, occasionally going on the attack and inflicting wound after wound. This only made it more aggressive, however, eventually driving it to stand up on its hind legs and thrash around wildly. It forced the scarf wearer to retreat, but he was already back the instant the bear dropped back onto its front legs.

They move like rabbits..., you thought for a moment, fascinated, as you watched the two men leap around their opponent.

And then you felt both hot and cold as you noticed another thing: Their strategy seemed to work.

The realization immediately made your emotions descend into chaos, for this had been anything but planned.

Up until now your plan had worked out perfectly: Lure the Rabbits to this place and make them fight the bear. So far so good. Of course, it would have been best if they had all come along, but the actual composition of your group had also been something you could've worked with. Because with the two male Rabbits biting the dust, only Rabbit Girl would've remained, and you'd figured that you'd at least have a small chance, one versus one. Especially with the element of surprise on your side.

But then Red Scarf had shown you your necklace, which had made everything much easier. From then on, it had no longer been necessary to return to the Town Hall after this treasure hunt. All you'd had to do was to loot his corpse. Easy.

Provided the bear actually killed him - which seemed increasingly unlikely the longer you watched their fight below.

You were so nervous now that you chewed on your lower lip until you tasted blood.

You might have regretted your plan in the end, true, but you definitely weren't too keen on having to explain to the Rabbits why you hadn't told them about the giant, unmissable Carcass bear roaming around this place. You could lie of course, say you'd had no idea, but something told you that Red Scarf wouldn't let you get away with that. No, you rather pictured yourself getting impaled by his saber the second you would try to lie again...

So, eventually, you opted for the third option: Fleeing the scene.

Or you tried to, at least.

Because you had barely turned around when you were suddenly face-to-face with the missing Carcasses.

You were only able to utter a loud "Oh, fuck...!" before the first one let out a terrifying snarl and then charged towards you-

Only to fall to the ground soon after as you pulled your knife from its neck. Something you would have liked to do every single time one of these monsters had gotten a little too close for comfort today. But then it would have been revealed that you had received combat training after all, so you'd had no other choice but to force yourself to ignore the weight of the knife scabbard under your jacket and the itching in your fingers, and had instead play the defenseless damsel in distress.

Nevertheless, you were, of course, not particularly experienced in combat. The last time you had had to use your knife was quite a while ago. You had also never been very strong or fast, but it was certainly enough to go up against some Carcasses. The only problem was not to get overwhelmed by their numbers, but even that could be avoided by always making sure to fight them in narrow spaces where they couldn't crowd you.

It was rather dicey though, that this also pushed you back towards the slope, but fortunately you only had to deal with one last monster at this point.

At least that's what you thought. Until you struck that one down as well, only to suddenly hear rapid footsteps behind you-

And then turned around and raised your knife just in time before you were attacked again. Steel met steel, and with such force that you were thrown against the rock behind you. The impact took your breath away for a moment and made you see stars. But your opponent didn't give you a moment's rest. Again your weapons clashed, again sparks flew, only this time he didn't let up but instead pushed his entire body weight against you.

"Well, well, well", Red Scarf hissed, "Would you look at that. I gotta say, you fight surprisingly well for someone with no training!"

Doing your best not to show how scared you were, you looked at him defiantly. "I never said I couldn't fight, that was all y-"

You cut yourself off as he increased the pressure on his saber and you had to use all your strength to keep him at a distance.

"Just like you 'never said' anything about that bear hanging around here, right? What a funny coincidence..."

Each word was laced with venom and sent shiver after shiver down your spine. At the same time, you began to sweat, though not only from fear, but also because his anger seemed to boil the air between you.

"I-I didn't know that-"

He laughed. It was the first time you heard him laugh, and it sounded so hard and cold and just plain insane that it made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

"And you think I'm going to buy that?? No... No, that's not how this works. See, I think this is exactly what you were banking on. And do you know why that is? Hm? Because this whole deal was just too good to be true."

You let out a small gasp as he leaned even further in. By now you were so close that his breath would have brushed your face if not for his mask.

"Yeah, that's right, I knew from the start that there was something not quite right about all this", he rasped, "That there probably was no hiding spot, no money. I knew we couldn't trust you. But I kept quiet and played along, in the hopes of being there when the whole thing would eventually blow up in your face, and you would get what you rightfully deserve for every goddamn lie that ever crossed those pretty lips of yours. Or better yet..."

Your hands and arms trembled like aspen leaves as you desperately tried to push back against his weapon, while your flight instinct all but screamed at you to get away from him.

"...In the hopes of bringing you to justice myself."

Him. This was him. The man behind the seemingly calm and calculated exterior. All danger and violence and rage. Judge and executioner. Death to those who wronged him.

In your mind you already saw yourself lying in their "Liar's Coffin", rotting away until the vermin would eat through the wood. So at first, you didn't even notice how the crushing weight on top of you disappeared all of a sudden. Only when you found yourself on the ground the next moment, your legs having buckled beneath you, did the realization slowly seep through, and give you a spark of hope...

That was immediately snuffed out, however, when you suddenly felt cold steel under your chin. You dared not take a breath, let alone move a single muscle, as the Rabbit slowly lifted your head with his saber, forcing you to face him again.

"It's been a while since I put anyone six feet under...", he mused.

All you could do was give him one last pleading look, before-

Somewhere behind him there was a sudden cheer, followed by Buckethead's excited voice: "Guys! Guys, I think I found it!" He whistled, impressed. "Bloody hell, you weren't exaggerating, girlie. That's some heavy loot right there..."

After his voice had faded, the whole world seemed to hold its breath.

Then you cracked a smile and said: "Guess my memory's not that spotty after all, huh?"

+++

The way back was much quieter, both in regards to the Carcasses, that, naturally, didn't give you any trouble this time around, and also to you and Red Scarf.

Buckethead on the other hand, was talking enough for the three of you, and couldn't stop expressing his excitement about your lucrative haul. Which had indeed been in the tunnel, buried behind a large stone, just as the instructions had said, and consisted of a beautifully decorated box and, of course, the proud sum inside.

You would have loved to have seen Red Scarf's face the moment his colleague had informed you of his find, but, alas, had simply had to settle for watching him turn around and walk away without a word. As if he hadn't just held the tip of his blade to your neck mere seconds ago...

Though your indignation over this had been quite short-lived, courtesy of the discovery you had made shortly afterwards, just as he had disappeared back into the tunnel.

A discovery that now occupied all your thoughts and made you move as if you were in trance.

Fittingly, the drizzle had turned into steady rain by now, but you only noticed it in passing, if at all. Just like the few times Buckethead said something to you (only to simply continue monologuing when he got no response), or the entire rest of your way back, for that matter. You only became aware of reality again when, after some time, you arrived back at the tower right outside the district. But even then, your body was still moving on its own, and you began to climb down before your two companions had even made a move. Though if they thought this behavior of yours strange, they didn't show it.

Descending the tower was much less of an issue for you, as you simply had to drop from platform to platform. Therefore, it didn't take very long for you to rejoin the others on the ground, and the three of you could enter Malum together.

"Ah, home sweet home!", Buckethead exclaimed, spreading his arms out as if to embrace the whole district.

Red Scarf, meanwhile, had put his hands on his hips, but had turned his head towards the Red Lobster Inn as he addressed you: "We'll finalize the deal as soon as our fourth group member returns. He should arrive before sundown, so I suggest we go back to the Town Hall and-"

"Sure. I don't care."

His head didn't move an inch as you walked past him into the building, but you were sure that he didn't take his eyes off you for one second. Still, it had been the truth; you really didn't care, neither about whether you would go back to the Town Hall or not, nor what the Rabbit thought of you. It was actually quite hard for you to care about anything at all at the moment...

Rabbit Girl was completely beside herself when you returned with your find not long after - and even more so when Buckethead presented her with the "souvenir" he had pocketed for her. As soon as she held the brooch in her hands, her anger seemed like nothing more than a distant memory. Instead, she proceeded to pester you with all sorts of questions as you finally entered the Town Hall building.

You paused near the entrance while the others walked past you and spread out across the room.

Your gaze briefly darted here and there, over grimy walls, crooked picture frames and the dirty floor, but you couldn't really find it in yourself to look around properly.

So when Red Scarf told you to make yourself comfortable, you quickly replied: "Do you have a bathroom?"

He paused for a moment, then pointed to a door on the opposite side that seemed to lead deeper into the building. "Down the corridor, first door on the left."

You nodded and followed his directions. Once you were out of sight, your feet moved faster and faster, until you reached your destination and almost broke down its door in the process. After letting it fall into the lock behind you and shutting out the excited chatter of the Rabbits, you took a deep breath; something you felt like you had not done in ages. Without further ado, you also closed your eyes and rested your forehead against the cool wood in front of you, waiting for the throbbing in your ears to subside.

Then you moistened your dry lips, plucked up all your courage and stepped in front of the mirror. Your hands shook as you placed them on the sink below and hung your head for a few seconds.

But it was no use. Simply ignoring the whole thing wouldn't make it go away either...

So, finally, you slowly raised your hands to unbutton your jacket collar, and leaned forward once the job was done. Then you stretched your neck and tilted your head to get a better look at the underside of your chin - more specifically, at the small cut there, which reopened and bled again once you brushed over it with your fingers.

You only realized that you were crying when your tears began to mix with the blue of your blood, like fresh paint on a blank canvas...

***

hehe🤭🤭

thank you sm for readinggg, i hope you enjoyed it!! feedback is welcome and very much appreciated♥️

#lies of p x reader #black rabbit brotherhood x reader #B.R.B MY LOVE

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