[Graduation Dungeon] Rikki

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He didn't even have time to see who was grabbing him before his world was thrust into darkness. He opened his mouth to shout but a nasty tasting cloth gagged him immediately. When he tried to struggle, he found his arms and legs bound together so that all he could do was flounder like a fish.

He was marched out of his room, that much he could tell, but after that it was just a serious of bumps and wiggling as he was carried for so long he couldn't even tell which direction was up. He didn't see anything until he was dumped unceremoniously onto the hard ground and the blindfold was loosened. By the time his eyes adjusted to the flickering light of flames the gnomes were no where to be seen. All that was left was a door and a decrepit banner that proclaimed:

Welcome to the Graduation Dungeon!  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

Quote:

You step into a room. It's a bare, plain room. By the time you reach the middle it warps and shifts, and you are left facing your greatest weakness. What is it and how do you deal with it?

With no where else to go he pushed through the door. If this was to be his final task in this school, the final test, he'd get it over with and he'd do it with a brave face.

The door opened into a broad, empty room. The walls were so dark they were nearly pitch black, absorbing all the light that touched them. The only thing he could see in the room stood in what appeared to be the very middle.

His stomach clenched. "What are you guys doing here?"

His parents were there, illuminated by the hot white glow of his father's bared tattoos. The tattoos he'd only seen once before in his life, but were obviously uncommonly similar to his own. Both wore steely steely expressions, but his father's wasn't so startling as his mothers. Her eyes were hardened with hatred, an emotion stronger than anything he'd seen glimmer across her features in a decade. It was like a shock to his system, making him feel unsteady and nauseous.

"It's your fault." They said in eerie unison.

"What?" Rikki said, starting forward. "I didn't-"

"It's your fault!" They snapped. "He's gone, and it is your fault. Tellervo will never return to us. We've lost a son and been left with a failure. You drove him away, but you could never fill his shoes."

Rikki was left feeling heavy, like gravity was forcing him to his knees. He managed to stay upright, but just barely. His knees shook."... What?" he whispered.

"You were too much for him to handle. Too needy, too clingy. You drove him away with your endless pestering, with your need to always be near him. You forced him to leave just to get away from you." The sound of their voices, speaking in perfect time with each other, was enough to send chills up his arms. Or perhaps that was the sudden onset of guilt. "What's worse," they said, sneering together, near perfect mirror images, "is that you're worthless. You won't accomplish anything. You can't accomplish anything. You'll live forever in the shadow of your lost brother, never able to fill the shoes he left behind ten years ago. You're not good enough."

Rikki clenched his fists and shook his head. He wouldn't let this get to him. He'd survived to adulthood with these facts riding on his coattails, and he'd survive again. He could ignore it.

"It's your fault, and you've disappointed us every second of every day since. You will never be Tellervo."

"No!" Rikki snapped through his teeth. "No, you're right. I won't be Tellervo. I'm not Tellervo. I don't get his grades, I'll never have his work ethic. I'm not interested in the family business like he was, and I won't take over like you want me to. But that does not make me a failure. I have made it through school. I didn't even think I would make it through my first year, but here I am, about to graduate. I have friends who care about me, a ghoulfriend willing to take the difficult path for me. I have control of my fear and skills I'd never thought I'd learn. I am fighting for a place in this world, and I will make it." He wasn't shouting, but he was riding the line. He was tired of this. Tired of not being the person his parents wanted him to be. They stared back at him with the same steely gazes, but didn't speak.

"I am sorry. I'm sorry Tell is gone, and that I'm not a good enough replacement. But his disappearance is not my fault. I didn't drive him away, I didn't ask him to go, and I sure as hell don't know where to look for him. It is not my jacking fault and I'm tired of feeling like it is. I just want to live without the weight of him on my shoulders for the rest of my life. I want to be able to miss him without feeling like I've failed you. I just want to miss him in peace."

He deflated as he ran out of words, as the build up of everything he'd wanted to say for years escaped. He was left feeling empty and light, but wasn't sure if it was a good feeling or not yet. Time would tell.

The light of his father's tattoos flickered briefly and then went out, and Rikki was plunged into darkness. Just on the other side of the room, where his parents had once stood in the way, he could see the outline of a door.  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

Quote:

You step into a room. It's a bare, plain room. By the time you reach the middle it warps and shifts, and you are left facing your greatest desire. What is it and how do you deal with it?

Rikki pushed through the new door and found himself in a room nearly identical to the last. For a moment he was afraid he'd get to the center and find his parents again, but instead as he walked forward the black walls shifted, became lighter, more welcoming. Windows cropped up along one wall, overlooking the city as the dull Halloween sun set behind the towering buildings.

The room was comfortably furnished. There were pieces he recognized, like his couch back in his dorm, and Danny's pillows piled high on the window seat. Other things, like the photos on the walls, were things he'd never seen before. He stepped forward to examine one that looked like Danny and him at a park, but was distracted by a loud shout from Danny.

"She's so cute!"

Rikki spun and nearly fell on his a** in shock. He'd expected to see Danny talking to him, and she was, but.. well... not him him. Rikki was looking at Danny talking to another version of himself. If the slightly more pronounced crows feet at the corners of his eyes and shorter hair were anything to go by, he was looking at an older version of himself.

They both looked exhausted. Older-Rikki was wearing nothing but a pair of sweats and a t-shirt so stretched and worn it was obviously left over from younger days. He was pretty sure Danny was wearing of his shirts and his old blue hoodie was draped around her shoulders. She was craddling something in her arms.

"Shhh," Older-him murmured. "She's sleeping. We probably shouldn't wake her."

"But I wanna play with her," Danny whined.

"I know, but she needs a lot of sleep. She'll wake up soon," Older-him assured her.

Rikki - present-Rikki - stepped closer, infinitely curious about the swaddle of blankets held protectively by his ghoulfriend. He stood on his toes and looked down, and almost shouted.

There, in a sea of pink, was a chubby little face. It's - her - eyes were screwed shut, and her mouth was open and puffing soft little baby breaths. Her tiny fists were clenched near he cheeks. She had his dark skin and hair, and just when Rikki was certain Danny was holding a grim reaper baby - his grim reaper baby - in her arms, he noticed two tiny stubs on her forehead. A little flame, just barely flickering like a candle, washed her face in a warm glow from where it sat atop her left horn.

He felt like he couldn't breathe, there was too much weight. Too much pressure in this room. Something hot spilled down his cheeks and when he lifted his fingers they came back dampened with tears. This wasn't sadness, though. He didn't feel regret, or shame.

Rikki was purely, unbelievably happy.

Older-Rikki wrapped an arm around Danny and pulled her close so he could kiss her temple. Then he carefully took the baby from Danny and carried her across the room to where a dark wooden crib stood, already drowning in blankets and stuffed toys. He lowered her into it so slowly Rikki could see the strain and concern on his own face.

It hit him then that neither of them really knew what they were doing. They were older, but they were no more prepared for this than Rikki was today. But as he watched them look down on the small sleeping form of their child, he could tell it wouldn't matter. They'd be the best parents they could be, better than either of their own.

He took a few steps backwards, memorizing this scene, then turned around and headed out of the nearest door. He wanted to move on so that he could actually reach this point in his life.  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

Quote:

The room you step into shifts and spins. When it settles, something tells you you're in the Human World. What will you do? Will you harvest Fear the Halloween or Horseman way? Will you perform Tricks or Treats? You have full run of the Human World now. What will you do?

He'd expected another room like the last two, something that revealed itself as he explored it. Instead, the world shifted out from underneath him as he stepped through the door, causing him to stumble. When he righted himself he absolutely was not in Halloween anymore.

When he looked around he could tell he was on a street, but everything looked neater - cleaner? - than anywhere near the school. The buildings weren't slanted and menacing. The vehicle or two that sped past him were sleek and advanced looking and sent him stumbling a little closer to the safety of the buildings.

Even the light seemed different. The sun was setting, but it was somehow more intense than any noon-time sunlight in Halloween.

It was almost like... the human world?

He looked around in wonder, keeping his distance from anyone he passed and looking down. There were no monsters or undeads walking the street here, and though he may mimic a human he could tell he still didn't fit in. Humans just looked so... simple.

He'd been wandering along for a few minutes when there was suddenly a horrible screech that made him duck down with his hands over his head. It was immediately followed by a horrifying crash-crunch-grind of metal collapsing, and when he looked up he could make out the mangled remains of what must have been two of the human vehicles tangled together until he couldn't discern one from the other. Smoke rose in thick black plumes and a small fire cast an eerie glow over the entire scene.

The few people that had littered the sidewalks before raced in a panic towards the site, phones out and voices shrill. He skirted around them as he approached, staying out of the way of freaked out men searching for survivors. They dragged a body out of one part of the wreckage and laid it gently on the asphalt before running back for others.

He crept closer to the body just as the faint sound of sirens blared in the distance. It was a woman, pale and bloodied. Her short dark hair fanned out on the asphalt around her like a halo and her muddy green eyes were squinted at him, watching his every move. Her breath came in short, quick wheezes, obviously painful and difficult. Rikki got on his knees and knelt closer, and she reached out feebly and grabbed at the fabric of his jacket, leaving blood splatters.

She was dying.

For a moment he wondered why she didn't just dissipate. Reform whole and healthy. But she was a human and he knew she couldn't. This would be the permanent end for her. He furrowed his brows as he watched her face contort in agony for a moment. When she relaxed it was on a breathless sigh that sent a strange blue fog into the air.

Rikki reached out on instinct and ran his fingers through it, and the woman let out a pained gasp. The tendrils of the fog curled around his fingers and he could feel the energy thrumming through it.

She was dying. He was taking her fear, her energy.

His hands shook at the realization, but he pulled harder, gently shushing her cries. This is what he was supposed to do, his whole purpose.

"Just let go," he murmured quietly as tears streamed down her face. She screwed her eyes shot tight, but she let go, and Rikki was able to tug the remaining fear free easily. The tendrils of it snaked up his arm, along his tattoos, making them glow a brilliant blue before fading back to normal.

He glanced up and everyone was still too busy and frantic, hadn't even noticed him. The sirens were louder as huge vehicles pulled up to the scene. Rikki stood and backed away quickly on shaky legs. He collapsed through the first door he passed, trying to get away from anyone that might approach.  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

Quote:

You enter a circular room. A fine, clean mist covers the ground. The clatter of steel and iron can be heard as a large figure emerges from the mist. Some may be jolted with recognition. Others may marvel at how large and foreboding the figure is.

The large, Green Knight plants itself in your way. Beyond it you can see something glimmering, something you want really badly: your diploma.

A large, shadowy javelin suddenly appears between your feet as you try to step forward.

"HALT. YOU SHALL NOT PASS."

Of course it was going to end with a fight. You ready yourself and prepare for combat!

"Of course," Rikki threw his hands up in exasperation. He shouldn't have expected anything less than a battle. Looking up at the towering knight before him, though, he couldn't help but wish it as something a little... easier.

He summoned his chains and swung them through the air, readying himself.  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

Ignore, I misread  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

Ignore, I misread  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He swung his chains at the knight's helmet, hoping that would be a weak enough spot. Even as his blades clanged loudly against the knight's armor it swung out with his polearm and caught Rikki in the shoulder. He grunted and leaped back, but the knight was so tall he'd have to get in closer to get another controlled hit in.

HP: 45/50  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He hovered on the edges of the fog for a moment before determining he couldn't avoid it. He rushed forward and slammed his chains into the body of the knight and took the resulting counterattack with a wince.

HP: 40/50  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He was quickly determining that the knight was slower due to his size. That made it easier for Rikki to get in, attack, and get out with minimal damage.

Minimal, but not no damage entirely.

HP: 35/50  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He rushed in to try landing a final attack, but the knight shifted and dodged faster than Rikki had expected and his chains sailed right past his opponent.  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

As he tried to back pedal away from the knight it took it's hulking fist and slammed it into his chest. Rikki went flying back until he skidded across the floor at the edge of the room, wheezing as his lungs struggled to regain their composure.

HP: 25/50  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He rose to his feet and dashed in again, because it was the only option. He whipped his chains across the knight's arms and dodged out of the way of another punch, but into the swing of the pole arm.

Still better than the punch.

HP: 20/50  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He aimed for the helmet again this time. Always go with what worked previously. Usually it works again.

HP: 15/50  

[DarkHeartedSorrow]

He whipped his chains into the Knight's legs, hoping that aiming low would help him avoid getting hit again. No such luck, however, as he was slapped with the pole arm again with an audible crack.

HP: 10/50