First of all, sorry for the really slow pace and plot advance! This is one of the first stories I'm really trying to write from start to finish, and sometimes it's hard to decide if you're taking it too slow, or doing it too fast. However, I hope the pace is acceptable! I'm also trying to do not so long chapter-parts, though I think this one is a bit longer than the others. Anyway, I hope you like this one
Starring: @zyphon as Zyphon
@backtothewalkers as Heisenberg (Mentioned)
– I’d appreciate if you explained this shit right now. How is it even possible that you’re alive? I saw your body. Cut the shit lady. – Said Rock.
They were standing outside of the prison, in the island. A strong wind hovered over the place, and it was kind of cold. The weather at Steise Island wasn’t always the best. Rock pulled out a cigarette out of his pocket.
– Uh, do you mind? – He didn’t care about Brotato’s answer regardless.
– Nah, don’t worry. – Brotato appreciated Rock’s concern.
– Alright. Because if you did, I’d probably would’ve done it anyway. – Rock’s face was serious, he really didn’t give a shit about Brotato’s answer. He also took a lighter out of his pocket and turned the cigarette on. He started smoking afterwards.
– …Just as I’d expect from you. – He stopped for a second to look at the prison. – Well. Where should I start? – Said Brotato, turning back around to see Rock. He had many things to explain to him. However, he wasn’t sure if it’d be a good idea to do so.
– Why aren’t you concerned about Sos escaping? How did he escape anyway? And the most important one of them. How are you fucking alive to begin with? –
Rock wasn't gonna be patient.
– Well… Remember that time when my office exploded randomly? –
– Uh… yeah? Your assistant died that day. But you got out. –
– What? What assistant? –
– Your assistant… uh… don’t you remember him? –
– Not really… –
– We found his body a while after we found you. His face was burned, apparently. –
– Oh… – Brotato’s face had an uncomfortable look. – Oh! Shit. Did anyone else see it? Who found it? – He was legitimately concerned.
– Eh... Why is that a problem? I mean, aside from your assistant dying which you don’t specially look like you care about in the first place. –
– What? No. It wasn’t my assistant, it was me. –
Rock looked confused more than anything. – Did you take any drugs before all this? –
– No, no, I’m being serious. – Brotato was questioning himself. He was not sure if telling Rock would be a good idea. – Look. This is something I like to keep secret for the most part. It’d be dangerous if people knew about it. But… – He stopped. – …I do have a power. It’s the power of revival. –
– You… can’t die? – Rock was even more confused, but also incredulous.
Brotato made a long sigh. The secrecy was over now. – …I can die, but I’ll be brought back to life if certain conditions are met. –
– I’ve never heard of anyone with something like that. –
– That’s why it’s a secret. –
– Oh. – Rock wasn’t sure if he believed in Brotato’s words, but that definitely would explain some things in the past. Brotato’s office exploding was a clear example. – Which conditions have to be met? –
– When I die, my blood gets spread all over the place. If it makes contact with any kind of living creature or something organic, my body will receive signals to recover itself, no matter what kind of damage it is. All the blood will return to its place. –
– Hm. Thus the rats. –
– Yeah. I keep them around in case something happens to me. That’s why this prison is full of them. They react to my blood as a mouse would react to cheese. I guess they pass me their energy in some way, and I’m brought back to life thanks to them. They don’t get hurt in the process, so they can help me as many times as I need. –
– Sounds fun. –
– It is not. Coming back to life is painful, and you can’t really move for some time. If it happens during a battle, I’ll keep being killed until either my attacker gets tired of killing me, or discovers how to make me not revive. –
– But… what about your assistant? –
– He wasn’t my assistant. He was my …old body, I guess? If the damage is too big, my old body will get discarded. I don’t know if revival is a good choice of wording. It’s more of… changing bodies. A new body gets generated close to my old one. The face of the old one is removed when the transition is completed. –
– You sound really confident on how it works. – Rock thought Brotato was hiding something else. – How many times has this happened to you? –
– …Too many to count… definitely. –
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Sos got out of his bed. The receptionist was still asleep. He put on his pants and his shirt again. He wasn’t sure of where he left his hood or his backpack.
– <That was a hell of a night…> – He thought to himself. He was sure the receptionist thought the same. – <I guess the superdick really works.> –
He knew distracting himself wouldn’t be a good idea, but he was staying in the inn anyway, why not staying with some company? He walked towards the window and saw two people talking outside. One was an old man, and the other looked a lot younger. The wind was clearly powerful outside. Sos went to the bathroom and washed his face. He then looked directly at his own eyes. – <What I am gonna do next?> – He thought. He remembered killing Brotato with his bare hands. For a second, he doubted if he did the right thing. He then realized Brotato wasn’t going to die anyway. – <I guess I’m just playing my part in the acting.> – He also wasn’t sure of how his powers were activated back in the prison. It was supposed to have an energy-remover device of some kind, but it stopped working for whatever reason.
After some minutes, the receptionist started waking up. – Hm…? Sos? Where are you? – She was too tired to talk. She looked at the bathroom, and the other rooms, but Sos was nowhere to be found.
– <That was a hell of a night…> – She thought to herself.
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– Alright… So what should I say to Tom? – Asked Rock.
– Look, if we’re gonna do this somehow, it has to look like I’m really dead. – Said Brotato. – Told him you found my body, and that it was too late. You tried waking me up, but I was dead already. – He thought about the next part. – Tell him you’re going after Sos. And tell him that even though he needs to establish some form of security on The Capital, he doesn’t need to send help to you to find Sos. –
– So we’re doing this alone. – Said Rock.
– Yeah. That’s the best way I can think of. If we’re too many, Sos will feel us when we get significantly close to him. He is just like him, in that sense. He can feel the energy in some way, I guess. –
– But, whenever I start feeling his energy, he will also start feeling mine. –
– Yeah, but he won’t feel mine. – Brotato smiled. – My energy only manifests itself when I’m dead. But during my lifetime, I don’t show any kind of energy. That’s why you’ll detect where Sos is, and I’ll come after him. I’m sure Sos will react to your energy, so he may either run in the opposite direction or try to come after you. But would he really risk coming after someone who’s potentially as powerful as him? – Brotato seemed really sure of his words.
– I guess you’re right…? However, if he runs in the opposite direction, how will you get to him fast enough before he escapes? –
– Well… You can’t really get out of Steise Lands if you don’t pass through the Offices. They’re all around Steise Lands. Like some kind of barrier. He is probably going to The Capital, so there’s only one way he can take. I expect the Offices to hold him for a while. Our system is pretty fucked up, to be fair. I’m sure they’ll lose his papers or whatever. There’s no way he’s using his real name or appeareance, and they don’t care much about travelers. So yeah. I’m sure they’ll hold him in the Offices. I’m also sure they have people with energy over there, so Sos will feel overwhelmed by all those strange feelings. However, he’ll feel even more energy if you come close, so that’s why only I have to go. –
– Alright. So he will stay at the Offices for a while, and you’ll get to the Offices before he can go. You'll grab him there. –
– Yeah, I guess that’s the plan. Also, I need you to be close enough to the Capital, but far enough that Sos can’t feel your energy coming. –
– So I’m the backup? –
– Uh… Kind of. –
– …Okay… Got it. – Rock looked anxious over something.
– Uh. You look strange. What is it? –
– I just… I’m not sure if I should say it. –
– C’mon dude, I trusted you with my secret, you can tell me what’s up. –
– Okay… Uh… – Rock grabbed his gun’s holster. – Can I… uh… Can I kill you? –
He didn't give a fuck about Brotato's answer.
– ...W-What? – <He’s got to be fucking kidding me.> Thought Brotato.
– It’s a win-win! I can see how your revival happens! – Said Rock.
– What do I win? I have to win something, otherwise, it’s just a win-nothing! – Responded Brotato.
– You’ll get to… uh… – Rock stopped for a second. – You’ll get to appreciate life more when you’re reviving! – He then grabbed his gun and shot Brotato in the head while smiling. Brotato felt the shot quickly but painfully.
– You… fucking… piece of… – Brotato fell to the ground drop-dead. Rock stared directly at him. – Oh. It’s not as fun as I expected. – He said. He then hid his gun again.
– <Alright… It should happen any moment now.> – Thought Rock. He then started hearing rats close to the place. They came closer to Brotato’s body. Once one was close enough, it started licking the blood on the grass. A weird meat-ish sound was heard by Rock for some seconds. – <Gross.> – He thought. Brotato’s head started recovering. It didn’t look like it had been shot just some seconds ago. The shot now looked like a mosquito bite. And then it didn’t look like anything. Just skin, unharmed skin. The lifeless body now opened its eyes. Rock smiled awkwardly.
– I fucking hate you so much. – Said Brotato.
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Zyphon woke up by the sound of the telephone. He had fallen asleep on his desk again. – I understand Tom now... – He was a blonde guy, kinda skinny but nothing too noticeable. He also had a scar on his right cheek.
– Hello…? – He answered the phone.
– Hello… Uh… We… we need the police to come here to the Olivia Farms real quick… There was a fight here a while ago… it took a while to turn off the fire… but now that it’s gone… we found a… – The person at the other side of the line stopped and swallowed. – We found a... body… –
– A… body? –
– It’s… Heisenberg. –
Zyphon was surprised. Heisenberg was dead?
– Alright miss… Don’t worry… We’ll… we’ll go there as soon as possible. –
– …Thanks. – Said the person at the phone.
She hanged up. <I gotta tell Jake about this.> Thought Zyphon.