Deathwish, Part 14: Pure Evil

Part 1: Cinderfell
Part 2: Deal With a Vorpal
Part 3: Calmsquare Cantina
Part 4: The Wailing Chamber
Part 5: Grector Smash
Part 6: Rebmauk
Part 7: Chantim
Part 8: Homesick
Part 9: Traitorous Humans
Part 10: Journalistic Integrity
Part 11: Crime and Punishment
Part 12: Breakdown
Part 13: Redeye

Alicia tripped backwards. She scrambled to her feet, and tried to run. But every time she looked back, he was slightly closer. He was clearly just toying with her. She was about to try a desperate attack against the shadowy foe when Chantim appeared, grabbing Alicia and running at mind shattering speeds. Building, then hills, then trees all bent and contorted by her as she found herself in a new place seconds later, Chantim breathing heavily. Chantim waved his staff, and a confused Dapper was back. “Wha...? Chantim, what is-”

Chantim spoke dramatically, despite his obvious fatigue. “Dapper. I require your services, and many others, to destroy this menace once and for all. Redeye cannot be allowed to live another day. Are you ready?”

Dapper stood up straight at attention. “Always ready, sir! But sir? What services can I really offer? I’m… still feeling some faint memories of getting positively diced.”

Chantim grabbed Dapper by the neck, as Dapper turned pitch black and began to contort. “Not a worry. Redeye is doomed now that I have… this!”

To Alicia’s shock, Dapper was now an umbrella, currently closed and dark as night itself. Redeye was close and closing in as Chantim quickly opened the umbrella in front of him and Alicia like a shield. The canopy turned transparent as Redeye could be seen readying another attack. Alicia closed her eyes as the beams of light flew at them, but they never connected.

The umbrella made from Dapper effortlessly deflected them, which seemed to intrigue Redeye more than infuriate him. More beams followed, and just when Alicia thought the tide of battle was turning, Redeye was gone again.

Chantim closed the umbrella, grunting. “He’ll be back… but I already have every Vorpal in the area on high alert, and have requested some more powerful Vorpal warriors be brought in.”

Alicia looked at Chantim, intrigued. “More powerful? You mean, more powerful than you?”

Chantim laughed. “Oh, you are very, very, confused… not quite as ignorant as most humans, but still hopelessly ill informed. There are far more powerful Vorpals than I. I hold a leadership role, and thus are blessed with some extra strength, but I am not a warrior, nor am I one of the most powerful of Vorpals.”

A strange voice spoke from behind Chantim. It was low and distorted, sounding even less human than most Vorpals. “Interesting, but not unexpected.”

Chantim spun around just in time to get skewered by multiple beams of light, umbrella shield failing to be opened in time to protect him. Chantim fell as he turned to dust, dropping his umbrella as it was the only thing that remained. Alicia beheld Redeye, now closer than he had been before. She tried to talk with it, her voice shaking. “W-why are you doing this?”

Redeye looked at Alicia, smile slowly growing as his eyes burned with hatred. “Vorpals must be purged, and well… murder is a passion of mine. My question is, why exactly are you doing this? Speaking with Vorpals, acting like they aren’t evil…”

Alicia grabbed the umbrella, now retracted as the canopy was folded around the pole. “Because… Vorpals aren’t pure evil! YOU ARE!”

She swung at Redeye, and surprisingly the umbrella extended as she swung, whipping her opponent as he stumbled back just slightly, smile vanished. He rolled his head around as he cracked his neck, mumbling in irritation. “You really don’t want to agitate someone like me…”

Alicia yelped as the umbrella opened of its own accord. “What the… what is this-”

She held on for dear life as the canopy spun to life, slanted edges creating a strange kind of propeller that carried the umbrella into the sky, her along with it. “D-D-DAPPER! What is this!?”

To her surprise, Dapper responded, disembodied voice coming from no discernible direction. “I’m running, by jove! That maniac is going to kill us! I’m not so dense as to misunderstand that you, unlike me, only have but one life to lose!”

Alicia looked down. Monstrous forms were surrounding Redeye, but he was successfully fighting them off without slowing down. Vorpals fell one after another, a giant cloud of black ash swirling around Redeye as he cut through the horde in a murderous dance. It was simultaneously incredible and horrifying that such overwhelming power even existed. But Alicia could see more vague silhouettes of massive Vorpals heading right towards Redeye on the horizon, some roaring in anger at the apparent intruder to their domain.

The umbrella slowly descended, dropping off Alicia as the umbrella changed back into Dapper, rolling his shoulder. “Jeez… that was a bit strenuous. To hold such an unusual shape while carrying someone for so long. But… oh! Look, back at a bridge! Imagine that!”

Alicia turned around. As Dapper had said, they were at the end of a bridge. The din of battle was still in the distance, as Redeye killed indiscriminately and Vorpals attempted to put him down. “Oh… so we are.”

The two began walking, Dapper still acting a bit confused. “So… wait, what were we doing?”

Alicia grabbed her head, a headache suddenly building up before vanishing again. “I need… ugh, I need to get out of the Inverse. But I think you need to stay here, Dapper. At least for now.”

Dapper fiddled with his hat, spinning it on one finger in a carefree manner. “But why? It’s already fuzzy, given I believe I died a lot recently… but I feel like I barely explored anything in the Outverse. Surely, there is more to see, is there not?”

“You can’t go back. You are unstable, and your mind deteriorates the longer you are outside the Inverse. It pains me to say it, but I need to make more preparations before you can stay longer. I need… I don’t know! Why is there so little information on Vorpals!?”

Dapper shrugged. “I don’t know. I always thought there was plenty of information available. If I ever have a quandary, I seek out Oracle, Guilderling… there are plenty of sources.”

“Guilderling? Wait, nevermind… you gave me an idea! I just need to keep doing what I’m doing!”

“Hmm? And that is…?”

“Talking with Vorpals! I need to rest up, get some equipment, and run more expeditions! All the information I could ever need is right here, in the Inverse!”

Alicia was sure Dapper would agree that this was a fantastic idea. He would say that they could meet up again, and explore the Inverse together. Eventually, Alicia could figure out a way for humans to stay in the Inverse for extended periods, and for Vorpals to do the same in the Outverse. Everything would be perfect.

But when he didn’t answer, Alicia turned around to see him decapitated, and falling off the bridge as a malevolent Redeye stood behind where he had been standing. Redeye wore that horrible smile as he addressed Alicia. "You really shouldn't be here, you know..."

Alicia ran. She reached the door, fumbling with her stolen key for several torturous seconds before successfully starting the opening sequence. She heard footsteps, and spun around.

There was no one there. She slipped through the still opening Gateway, not wanting to wait around to see if Redeye would return.

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