SPLAT
Ricky completed his follow-through, his hand bursting through Lancelot's chest and crushing his heart, all while keeping his arm buried within the depths of his ribcage.
Power surged around his limb, his new little Mythic skill, No Longer Human, spiraling in eerie currents as it neutralized Lancelot's immortality.
Then, in an instant, everything shifted and Ricky suddenly found himself standing in a grove of trees.
"What the?" Ricky muttered, glancing around and just as quickly as he had sensed danger, it had vanished.
Lancelot slumped in his grip, dropping to his knees as a single golden tear slid down his cheek as his once-immortal gaze dulled, the very thing keeping him alive now allowing him to fade into nothing.
But Ricky couldn't care less about Lancelot's struggles or whatever turmoil flickered in his final moments as he was too busy furrowing his brows, scanning his new surroundings.
Immediately, the first thing Ricky did was summon his grimoire, attempting to open a gate, only for nothing to happen, as if magic itself wasn't allowed within this space.
"I made it~" Alexander, face planted next to Ricky, held up his paw and fist pumping into the air.
His groan made Ricky look around, initially thinking it came from the trees but as his gaze slowly drifted downward, he spotted the gerbil, face planted in the mud at the side.
"Alexander, you're here too?" Ricky asked, recalling that just moments ago, Alexander had been busy flanking the enemy Chimera's army on top of his trusty steed Bucephalus.
"Always." Alexander turned his face up, a resolute and meaningful expression on his face, one that would've meant more if it wasn't smeared with mud.
"You got a little….." Ricky said, gesturing toward his face as Alexander followed the motion, trying to wipe off the mud, but only succeeded in smearing it deeper into his fur.
"Nevermind." Ricky shook his head, turning back to the trees as Alexander started taking in the view.
It was then that Alexander's expression shifted to grim, slowly pushing himself to his little feet before surveying the towering, pristine trees around them.
"You know what this means, right?" Alexander said, his voice low, as he looked up at the abundance of life around him.
He knew only one being could create such beautiful trees and that could only mean one thing.
"Yeah, but let's make sure," Ricky said, understanding the context from the trees but wanting to fully grasp the situation.
He drew runes into the ground with his blade, the symbols glowing faintly as he focused, searching for any confirmation.
"Get up."
Ding
(Mythic Servant) Lancelot, the Cursed Paragon: Once the greatest knight of Camelot, Lancelot now roams as an undead legend, his shattered honor crawling beneath his flesh. His once-radiant armor is now a husk of decay, writhing with colonies of insects that feast upon his corpse yet endlessly restore his form.
Favorability: 0 (Uncommon Servant)
Abilities:
Swarmborn Regeneration: Lancelot's body is an unholy nest of carrion beetles, maggots, and flesh-weaving worms. Any wound he suffers is devoured and rebuilt by his swarm, making him nearly impossible to kill.
Blade of the Forsaken: His sword, Arondight, seethes with a cursed radiance, its edge carrying a mystical power that is capable of receiving any attack without taking damage and drains vitality from those it wounds.
Knight of Rot: Wherever he treads, his presence invites decay; armor rusts, weapons dull, and flesh weakens as the air grows thick with the scent of death.
Duelist's Damnation: Those who meet his gaze feel an irresistible compulsion to fight him, trapped in an endless duel where death is meaningless, and the swarm ensures the battle never ends.
[Warning: Mythic level and above will follow the user's command but will not reach their full potential unless their favorability is high enough]
"Ha~" Lancelot laughed, feeling the little strings of his being tugged by Ricky, who held him in a cold, unyielding grip, made the understanding that he had a new master all the more colder.
"Where are we?" Ricky almost commanded, his gaze fixed on Lancelot as the fallen warrior looked up at his new master, knowing he couldn't lie, yet a smile tugged at his lips.
"I do not know," Lancelot said, his words ringing with an unsettling truth, he truly had no idea where they were.
"What the f*ck do you mean you don't know? You brought me here!" Ricky scoffed, pushing Lancelot, his new undead servant, to the ground as the now uncommon servant chuckled, his eerie laugh filling the air.
"Merlyn merely told me to fight you with all my strength, and when you went for the killing blow, snap the stick he gave me in half." Lancelot mused, almost pleased at how annoyed Ricky looked in this moment as if his actions should at least give way to this much.
"So you just do what you're told and don't know anything else?" Ricky asked, genuinely curious at the realization pouring on his head like cold water.
He skipped the eventual back-and-forth where he'd ask one thing only for Lancelot to deny it, one where he would grow frustrated with the lack of answers and merely skipped through it all, summarizing it with one simple sentence.
"I am a knight, a soldier. Is there any reason I would know my liege's grand plan?" Lancelot's hollow, undead eyes fixed on Ricky, his voice stripped of anything but the cold certainty of his role.
Ricky stood there, silent, letting the words settle as there was no hesitation in them, no deceit, just absolute, unwavering truth.
That was the thing about Lancelot as he had never lied, not once.
And now, stripped of everything that once made him human, he had no reason to start.
It was almost unsettling.
Lancelot had once been the perfect knight; valiant, noble, loyal, with his only flaw being his lust, a weakness that had brought him into the hands of Guinevere's arms and his eventual ruin.
But that flaw was gone now since his transformation had purged him of desire, of doubt, of anything that might interfere with his duty.
Now, he was exactly what rulers dreamed of in a soldier, a man who did not question, a man who did not wonder.
A man who simply obeyed, watching the grand machinations of his master unfold only after they had already been set in motion, never before.
It made no sense and yet, on some level, it made perfect sense.
Sigh
"Fair enough." Ricky pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an annoyed sigh as he looked around.
It was obvious where they were, given the context of the situation they had been in before.
The space was surrounded by trees, evenly spaced out, so much so that it felt unnaturally perfect, bordering on creepy.
The symmetry of it all seemed off, like the trees were placed deliberately to give an eerie, unsettling vibe.
They seemed endless, the trees stretching forward in every direction, the horizon completely filled with the same sight.
Only when Ricky turned around did he notice a tree that grew taller than the rest, its massive form reaching toward the sky.
Its height was almost as magnificent as its appearance, standing out against the otherwise uniform grove like a towering sentinel.
However, instead of speaking further, Ricky simply scrolled through his system window and pulled out a whistle as he stared at it for a moment, as if weighing the decision, before raising it to his lips.
(Epic Item) Insightful Whistle: When blown, sheds insight onto the current situation in which you find yourself stuck in.
Ricky hadn't only looked at the skills he once had but his eyes grazed items that had been lodged in his system for a while now and decided to just use them rather than to let them rot away as he blew on the whistle.
'This is the realm of the mother goddess Gaea, created and catered to her entire being, she resides in the big tree at the center of the realm.'
"No sh*t, I could f*cking guess that much." Ricky muttered, tossing the whistle back into the system space since it was literally obvious for anyone who had been paying attention to the applied context of the situation.
Ricky was suspicious at first, but when he saw Alexander's grave expression, everything easily pieced itself together, he had been sent to Gaea.
Since Ricky couldn't rely on his magic to escape, he found himself turning to his items and abilities.
His danger sense hadn't gone off at all, and he didn't feel threatened but still, that didn't mean he was eager to stay cooped up in this strange, endless grove of weirdly spaced trees.
(Epic Item) Exit: A seemingly ordinary Exit sign that, when activated in a hopeless or inescapable situation, will illuminate and point in the direction of the nearest escape route.
Holding up a big-ass exit sign, Ricky spun around, his gaze landing on the massive tree.
As soon as his eyes locked onto it and his sign was moved towards it, the sign lit up, casting a bright, almost blinding glow that seemed to draw him toward it.
Sigh
"Of course." Ricky sighed, putting the sign down and as he did, the trees ahead of him began to shift, morphing into a direct pathway that led straight to the massive tree.
"Well, let's go to the big f*cking tree." Ricky gestured, his tone dripping with annoyance.
But as he began walking, Alexander warily crawled up his body and perched himself on Ricky's shoulder, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Ricky, we mustn't play into her hand-"
"Listen, Alexander, even if I wasn't so goddamn tired of this motherf*cker Merlyn leading me around by the goddamn collar, and how I just wanted answers to know what made him such a cunt" Ricky muttered, turning to the gerbil who remained silent, his tiny eyes wide but expression unreadable.
"My magic doesn't work here for some reason, and that stupidly big tree is the only way out." Ricky gestured, showing Alexander the sign that only lit up when pointing toward the massive tree.
"I do not know what to do," Ricky admitted, his frustration mounting since everything that led up to this was beyond his level of comprehension.
"I'm genuinely scrambling to take hold of a situation I thought I had under control in the first place. So, if you have any ideas, or some insight, or hell, can just tell me how to get out of here, I'm all ears." Ricky was literally out of his element now, right when things were starting to get good. Just when he was about to take full control of the situation, it all changed.
"What about you, Lancelot? Got any bright ideas of where we are?" Ricky flicked his hand to the side, his arm dramatically sweeping toward the undead servant, Alexander following his motion with a curious glance.
"No." Ricky and Lancelot both said at the exact same time, their voices echoing in unison.
The undead servant turned to Ricky, surprised that he already knew what he was going to say as he sat there, watching as his new master laughed in his face, at the absurdity of the situation settling in.
"F*cking hell man, f*cking hell~" Ricky exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair because he was at a complete loss.
Up until now, Ricky had finally realized that he was getting a little too full of himself.
He was convinced that, despite the odds, he was holding his own against Merlyn, the master manipulator who had always seemed two steps ahead.
Like with Dracula.
Ricky had fought tooth and nail, pushed his limits, and believed he was slowly unraveling the mystery.
With each encounter, he had grown more confident, thinking that he was in control of the situation.
But that illusion shattered as he trekked toward Camelot, determined to finally put an end to it all.
What he found, instead, was a place completely unexpected, something beyond his comprehension, beyond his magic's reach.
As he stood there, in a place he had never seen before nor desired to be, it hit him like a punch to the gut.
The bitter truth: he had no idea what was going on.
This moment was different, this encounter was different.
It wasn't like the usual confusion he dealt with, where he could at least grasp a few pieces of the puzzle.
Normally, Ricky would stumble his way through situations, instinctively picking up on key elements and gathering fragments of information.
He would walk into a scenario, not completely blind, and, if he was lucky, get a little stronger along the way.
But here, now, when it came to understanding Merlyn's true intentions, Ricky had nothing.
For the first time in a long while, there was no clarity, no hint of a solution, no way to turn the tables.
It was as if he had been playing a game, thinking he understood the rules, only to realize the game itself was something entirely different.
And worse, Merlyn had never given him the tools to understand it as he was standing at the edge of something far greater and more complex than anything he'd faced before, and all his bravado, everything he had relied on, seemed utterly useless in this moment.
Normally, that wouldn't bother him since it never had before.
He'd been up against stronger, smarter people in the past, the kind of people who schemed behind his back, set traps in his path, tried to outthink him at every turn.
But every time, he'd managed to scrape through, find an opening, claw his way to the top and like a good cockroach, everytime something smashed at him, he would crawl out.
Given enough time, Ricky's strength, resilience, and his sheer hateful audacity had always been enough.
But Merlyn was different.
It wasn't just that he was ahead of Ricky, it wasn't even the fact that he could anticipate his every move.
No, this was something else entirely.
It was as if Merlyn had played this game a thousand times before, like every possible scenario had already been played out in his mind, and Ricky's every move was a part of a script Merlyn had written long ago.
It was as if everytime Ricky was just getting a handle on the situation, Merlyn would yank the floor under him and force him back into place.
That infuriated him, it enraged him and not in the usual way.
This time, it was a helpless rage, one that made Ricky feel powerless, as if he were trapped in a cycle he couldn't break.
It was like they were playing a twisted guessing game, Ricky holding up numbers behind his back, and Merlyn calling out the right answer every damn time.
If this were anyone else, Ricky would've sworn they were cheating, using mirrors or some kind of trick to gain the advantage.
But there was no trick, Merlyn wasn't playing dirty, he just understood Ricky.
He understood which numbers he favored and which ones he would use and sure, there were one or two instances where Ricky would win, but Merlyn always seemed to catch on, figuring out the pattern and guessing correctly the next time.
Merlyn was simply smarter and more experienced than Ricky, having lived for far longer and faced countless opponents who had tested and pushed him to his limits in ways Ricky had never even come close to experiencing.
And Ricky was just, Ricky.
To Merlyn he was a simple man, and simple men were the easiest to predict.
It was a hard truth to swallow, but it was undeniable since Ricky wasn't some brilliant strategist who could see the world from fifteen different perspectives.
Hell, he was just now starting to think ahead, and it showed as he didn't have a master plan, only a simple recourse.
He wasn't thinking five steps ahead, he was just barely starting to think one step ahead.
He was powerful, influential, and special.
But when it came to outsmarting someone like Merlyn, none of that mattered and at the end of the day, Ricky was a little narrow-minded.
Sure, he was growing out of it but not fast enough to make a difference and right now, that made him feel completely out of touch with the situation.
Like he was wandering in the dark, trying to figure out which way to turn when the path had already been laid out for him and Merlyn had already seen it all.
The only thing keeping Ricky afloat, the only thing stopping him from sinking into the abyss of uncertainty, was his strength, his raw power, his system.
That was it.
And that realization was terrifying.
It made his skin crawl but more than that, it forced him to confront something he had been avoiding for far too long: Ricky Luciano wasn't untouchable.
He had always relied on his strength, his system, and just his lust to overcome it all.
But now, in the face of Merlyn's brilliance, Ricky realized that wasn't enough anymore.
If he didn't start thinking beyond just muscle and his system, if he didn't start understanding the bigger picture, he was going to lose.
And worse, he didn't even know if it was already too late.
"I'm sorry, Alexander, I truly am, but I need to know what the hell is going on," Ricky said, looking down at Alexander, who clenched his paws tightly.
"I can't keep thinking I'm above all of this because I'm not. F*ck, I wish I was though" Ricky muttered, grappling with the harsh truth that he had no idea what was going on anymore and desperately needed some context.
"I gotta play this game, and to do that, I need to know what works," Ricky sighed, the weight of the realization settling in.
It was a tough pill to swallow, but he knew he had to walk into the tiger's mouth to truly understand how sharp its teeth were.
"I understand."
Those two words were the hardest Alexander had ever spoken since his arrival in this new life.
No one could ever truly comprehend the depth of the trauma Gaea had inflicted on him, but those words were enough to push him forward.
As Ricky began to move, the silence was broken only by the faint sound of leaves rustling.
Slowly, figures emerged from the shadows of the towering trees, their green eyes watching with a curious, almost predatory intensity.
They observed Ricky's every move as if they were studying him, waiting for something, or perhaps, someone.
"Aye, you gonna just sit there like a dumbass, or are you going to hurry up already?" Ricky called back to Lancelot, who was still on his knees, frozen in the same position Ricky had left him in, crushed, his immortality nullified, only to be brought back as an unwilling servant.
Lancelot's eyes flickered briefly, his undead state struggling with the tension of his new role, but he pushed himself up with a groan, moving slowly as he followed Ricky's command.
The resentment was evident in his stiff movements, but there was no hesitation as he had his orders now, and despite his discomfort, there was no choice but to obey.
"You must be vigilant Ricky, Gaea is not one to be trifled with." Alexander explained, his breath somewhat hastening at the sheer surroundings as Ricky's eyes briefly scanned the scenery.
"Uh huh."
"She is someone who basks in the schemes of multiple realities, she does not do anything for a reason." Alexander warned, his tone forbidding as they drew closer and closer to the towering tree.
"Uh huh."
"If we are in her path, there is a reason for everyone, including you that-"
"Uh huh," Ricky muttered monotonously, his words coming across half-hazardly but he wasn't that he was annoyed with Alexander, far from it.
His attention was simply pulled elsewhere, beckoned by the looming treeline.
He saw the figures, slowly appearing within view that weren't even trying to hide but the moment he truly laid eyes on them, his pants immediately tightened.
A slow procession of busty druid babes emerged from the literal woodwork, stepping into the light with a hypnotic grace.
Their bodies were imbued with the raw essence of procreating life, curves sculpted by nature itself.
Their eyes wide, innocent, untouched, never knowing the weight of desire, never feeling anyone or anything take them over, break them in, pound into them repeatedly.
And now, they were looking at Ricky, with those same curious eyes.
"Forward." Alexander's paw tapped Ricky's cheek, nudging him ahead.
Ricky's eyes, however, stayed locked on the figures before him, trailing their movements like a man entranced
"They look like plants but they have curves, human curves, it really just prones the question-"
"Do not have sex with Gaea's druids," Alexander monotonously warned, his deadpan expression cutting through the air like a blade.
Ricky barely registered the words, his biggest weakness, any man's weakness, being the voluptuous, untouched women that just literally materialized around him as his gaze flickered from one to the next, drinking in their soft, fertile curves,
"I'm only a man-"
"True, but you could be more."
Alexander's words cut through the haze, snapping Ricky's focus forward as he forced himself to move, deliberately avoiding the druids as they pressed against the trees in curiosity.
Of course, his depraved mind twisted it instantly, because to him, it looked like they were grinding against the bark, their wide, innocent eyes filled with something dangerously inviting.
In reality, they were simply observing as Ricky was only the second half-human, half-fairy they had ever seen.
Exhaling sharply, he steeled himself, pushing through the temptation as he approached the enormous tree ahead.
But before he could take in its towering presence, his attention was stolen by something else entirely, orbs.
Dozens of them, maybe hundreds, just dangling from its branches, swaying gently, heavy with something unknown.
In these orbs were nothing of any substance a normal tree would normally produce, only reflections.
Suspended from their branches, countless shimmering orbs held shifting images, each one a fragment of an event.
As Ricky drew closer, they sharpened in his eyes, morphing into memories almost, at least to him.
Some showed the beginning of life, like women bringing children into the world, their faces contorted in the throes of birth.
Others depicted devastation, like men setting villages ablaze, their laughter swallowed by the rising inferno.
It was all disjointed, like scattered pieces of a puzzle yet to be assembled.
One orb, in particular, caught Ricky's attention since at first, it seemed pretty mundane, a boy stooping to pick up a fallen apple.
But within the same flickering moment, a woman drove a knife into a man's throat.
Unrelated at first glance, but the longer Ricky watched, the more the threads of cause and effect began to intertwine.
Every minor action rippled outward, setting off a chain reaction, spiraling into something far greater.
Until, at last, the fragmented visions coalesced into a single, harrowing truth, a city engulfed in flames.
"Funny, isn't it?" A wistful voice drifted through the air, its tone carrying the weight of ages.
From the towering, overbearing tree, a figure slowly emerged, not one of the alluring druids, but something far more primal, almost hideous.
Her form was tangled in nature itself, unkempt hair patted with dirt, twisted with roots and budding moss, as if she had never known the touch of civilization, only nature.
Yet, beneath the wild mess of her hair, two piercing green eyes gleamed, peering through the tangled strands with an unsettling intensity.
"It is funny how the chain of events, from a boy picking up a simple apple to a woman slitting the throat of her rapist, lead to such a brutal ending, isn't it?" Gaea's voice, contrary to her rather unpleasant appearance, carried the pure, melodic quality of an angel.
Her eyes, mesmerizing and ethereal, turned toward the burning city in the distance, the flames casting shadows that flickered across her face.
Despite the wild, tangled mess of her form, there was an undeniable grace in the way she spoke, a haunting beauty that was so clear to all that heard.
"How those little things led up to what you humans would call the burning of Carthage," Gaea chuckled softly, her gaze shifting toward the distant flames, her eyes glinting with a knowing sorrow.
There was a strange warmth in her voice, as though she found some cruel satisfaction in the tragic irony unfolding before them.
"Or perhaps you are not interested in the fates that do not lead up to you," Gaea mused, her voice soft yet laced with a knowing edge as she began to walk slowly over to a particular orb, its surface shimmering as if it were pulling her in.
"Perhaps only the things that relate to you and your little group are more interesting?" Gaea's words hung in the air, each syllable deliberate as she paused in front of the orb, her fingers gently tracing the air around it as though she could feel the threads of destiny woven within.
"Uh, I guess," Ricky said, crossing his arms and eyeing the strange woman, his gaze flicking back to Alexander, who was glaring at her with an intensity that could burn through stone but his breath was slowly straining.
"What about this?" Gaea smiled slightly, her fingers delicately holding up the orb.
"The events that unfolded after your friend Rocco asked you to come with him, but you refused." Gaea watched as Ricky's expression darkened, the air around him growing tense as his eyes turned sharp, filled with a dangerous edge.
"How you instead went to the circus with the woman known as Maria, where you would meet your friends Chores and Barko," Gaea continued, her voice light but laced with a knowing quality as she let the orb hover in front of Ricky, the images inside shifting to show those fateful moments.
"But was it not funny, the two friends you gained in the future, resulting from the deaths of your current ones?" Gaea mused, her voice filled with a twisted amusement as she gestured toward the orb before Ricky, where the images began to shift again.
"Rocco, I don't think this is a good idea."
The words echoed from the orb, seeping into Ricky's mind like poison, each syllable twisting the knife deeper.
His face contorted, growing more deranged at the sight, as his hands slowly tightened around the ebony blade and shield, the weight of the moment sinking in.
"Oh come on Eddy, grow some hair on yer balls and shut up." Rocco's voice, so familiar, so distant, rippled through Ricky's consciousness like a wave of déjà vu that slammed into him with brutal clarity.
Ricky stood frozen, his eyes dark and unsettling as he watched the orb flicker, revealing Xarus, disguised as Draucla as he ruthlessly slaughtered Rocco.
Watching Edward gaze up at the night sky, his body wracked with new wounds that caused his blood to flow out like a raging river.
How his blood pooled on the pavement around him, creating a disturbing scene in the dimly lit alley as only one word coursed through his mind.
"I suppose you could say that fate is sort of like give and take." Gaea mused, her gaze fixed on the orb as she caressed it gently.
"Fate gave you two friends, and then took back the two you had. Balance." Gaea continued, her tone serene, almost detached.
"Because life is, in itself, a balancing act-"
"I can see why Alexander hates you," Ricky snapped, cutting her off as his voice was sharp, filled with just an obscene amount of hateful anger.
"Cause, man, right now I really f*cking hate you." Ricky's eyes burned with fury as he pointed the ebony blade at her, the weight of the weapon in his hand seeming to echo the gravity of his words.
"I get teleported here, and when I come without any malice like I usually have, you show me the sight of my two friends dying?" Ricky laughed, thinking she would at least try to make a good first impression only to see how deranged she truly was.
"Are you f*cking serious?" Ricky's voice cracked with disbelief, his eyes locked onto Gaea as he struggled to grasp the weight of her actions.
She smiled softly, unbothered by his fury, and began to walk toward him, her steps deliberate and calm, as if the storm in Ricky's heart meant little to her.
Slowly, without a hint of fear, Gaea walked until the tip of Ricky's sword rested against her neck as she placed the orb gently on the edge of his blade, balancing it carefully so it wouldn't fall.
"Oh, Ricky." Gaea murmured, her voice soft yet unsettling.
"Life is not just beautiful. It is cruel." Gaea spoke in ciphers, words only she could decipher, as she gazed down at the orb, then glanced over at Alexander.
His eyes burned with fury at the way she was handling Ricky, the blatant disrespect but Gaea didn't seem to care as her smile was almost serene, as if she were above it all.
"But cruelty gives way to hope, hope to salvation, and salvation is finally here," Gaea said, her voice carrying a cryptic weight.
She turned away from Ricky and slowly walked back to her place beneath the towering tree, her movements graceful yet deliberate.
She paused for a moment, standing in the shadows of the ancient bark. Her eyes flicked to Ricky and Alexander as she awaited an answer.
"Now," Gaea mused, her tone shifting to one of curiosity.
"How may I help you?" Gaea's words lingered in the air, heavy with the implication that whatever they sought, it would come at a cost.
"Don't tell me you don't know, because I know for goddamn sure you know why we ended up here," Ricky said, his voice growing more agitated as his grip tightened on the ebony blade as his eyes never left Gaea as she sat herself down, her movements calm and deliberate.
"Of course, you came here because of the olive branch I gave Merlyn when he finally saw the error of his ways and was ready to apologize." Gaea replied, her voice laced with amusement.
"But he merely used it to bring you to me." Gaea chuckled softly, and as she did, the earth beneath her responded.
Roots twisted and wound themselves together, pulling from the ground to form a throne, one made of gnarled wood and living vines and Gaea gracefully lowered herself into it, as if this was her rightful place.
"But like everyone else, he finally made his choice and must live with the fate that comes with putting all your effort into one single choice," Gaea said, her tone soft but firm, as if acknowledging an inevitable truth as she shifted slightly in her root-formed throne, eyes scanning Ricky with a thoughtful expression.
"But that's not why you're here. You're here because you're curious, fed up, and want to understand why you ever crossed his path and in truth, crossed mine." Gaea continued, rolling the dice and moving the next piece as if it were her term in this wide array of a game and Ricky looked at the board with a hateful frown.
"If I ask, are you just going to tell me, or are you going to keep talking in riddles?" Ricky asked, annoyed at all the riddles and cryptic nonsense.
He was tired of jumping through literal hoops, and he sure as hell wasn't going to settle for metaphorical ones.
"I suppose I'll speak bluntly, just this once," Gaea said, her voice steady, though her gaze slowly fixed on Alexander, as if daring him to make a move.
"For an old friend's sake."
"First things first, are we gonna f*cking fight?" Ricky asked, spreading his arms wide as if to emphasize his point.
"Let's just get it out of the way now, 'cause I don't wanna have some long-ass conversation with you only to find out you've got a rage boner for me too." Ricky sighed, clearly frustrated at having been attacked not once, not twice, but three times already, four if you count the branch itself but he didn't.
"I'm seriously done with people just randomly attacking me today. It's already been three times." Ricky sighed, Gaea observing this quietly and smiling before returning her gaze back to Alexander who noticed her noticing.
Noticing him noticing her noticing, she noticed and gave a knowing smile, affirming his knowing with a knowing glance.
"No, as of now, I have no reason to interfere with the Otherworld. Even if Merlyn succeeds, it won't change anything," Gaea said with a soft laugh, her amusement clear as she slowly turned her gaze toward Ricky.
"My turn." Gaea's words stirred something deep within Alexander, a memory of his beloved mother swirling up from the depths of his mind.
Remembering that godforsaken garden and the times when his mother was still whole, when he would used to say-
"Your turn?" Ricky echoed, the words crashing into Alexander like a wave, his breath escaping in a heavy exhale as the past weirdly played out once more.
Through it all, Gaea stood by, watching with a calm, unbothered smile, as if she were leading them both around on a leash, guiding their every move.
"Of course, did you think that everything was free?" Gaea asked, her tone almost teasing, as her eyes gleamed with knowing.
"Life is give and take, after all." Gaea's words whispered, almost into Alexander's ears, her voice a soft, haunting melody that seemed to reverberate deep within him.
His breath grew heavy, each inhale a struggle, and with a sharp pang, he clutched at his chest, his heart seeming to beat painfully out of sync.
The weight of her words, the weight of his memories, pressed down on him, and slowly, his knees gave way as he clutched his chest.
Alexander tried to say something but it felt like even that was a choir, he tried to grab forth his spear, to stab himself, but he failed to do even that.
"Honestly, that's fair." Ricky muttered, crossing his arms and seemingly unaware of it all and focused on his own situation.
"Now, when did you meet Alexander?" Gaea asked, her words deliberately chosen.
"Five years ago. Why is Merlyn such a cunt?" Ricky replied bluntly, his tone genuine, then added another question without hesitation.
For someone who didn't want to play any more games, to rise above, Ricky had unknowingly stepped into another one, a game that Gaea was carefully laying out with breadcrumbs.
It was a game that had once left Alexander breathless, so much so that any mention of it now nearly robbed him of his breath entirely.
"Because he wants to use you to revive his beloved little toy, Arthur Pendragon." Gaea chuckled, stating the obvious without any aforementioned of the fact.
"How did you revive Alexander?" Gaea wondered, tapping her seat of the throne as Ricky frowned.
"I got this dead gerbil body, and he just appeared in it," Ricky said, watching her be satisfied with that answer.
"Is my family safe? Like my kids and women?" Ricky immediately asked, his eyes fixed on Gaea, who responded with a warm, knowing smile as if he had lured right onto her trap card.
"No," Gaea spoke with such warmth that it ignited a flare of anger within Ricky, causing him to tense as she continued.
However it wasn't known if she was saying know to both or one specific portion, clearly stating only a single word that could allude to one or the other.
"When did Bucephalus join him? Was it immediate, or did it happen later?" Gaea mused, her fingers idly tracing the edge of her throne as Ricky's eyes narrowed, pulsing with a dangerous intensity.
"The later." Ricky replied, his voice steady but tinged with a quiet intensity. Gaea smiled at his answer, but as she prepared to continue the conversation, Ricky stepped forward, his presence commanding her attention.
"Is something gonna happen to my kids?" Ricky asked, his breath actually leaving his lungs at the very words having it come from his mouth but Gaea shrugged.
"I do not know-"
"How the f*ck do you not know?" Ricky asked with a sarcastic laugh, gesturing to the orbs around her, assuming they spoke of the future.
"You cannot decipher what fate has in store, only read what it allows," Gaea responded knowingly, her words holding a weight of truth.
But it wasn't that it was a lie, it was the uncertainty, the raw ambiguity that gnawed at Ricky as something felt off.
Before Gaea could ask another question, Ricky's impatience surged as his need to know, to understand, overtook him, forcing him to act before the uncertainty in his heart could settle.
"Was there a mole?" Ricky asked, his voice tinged with doubt.
He was sure the mole would have joined him when he entered Otherworld, but now he questioned everything, wondering if his assumptions had been wrong all along.
"Yes." Gaea confirmed, watching as Ricky's shock washed over him as his eyes widened, and he seemed to process the information, becoming increasingly agitated.
"F*ck, WHO WAS IT?!" Ricky shouted, his frustration bubbling over all while Gaea chuckled softly, amused by the outburst.
"It was Cedric."
"ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?!" Ricky roared, his rage spiraling as red and black clashed together, swirling around his will in a furious storm.
Huff
"Calm down, Ricky, she's doing this on purpose-" Alexander huffed, his eyes shuttering as he tried to reign in himself to warn Ricky but he was overwhelmed.
"HE WAS RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE, HE WAS RIGHT NEAR MY FAMILY-" Ricky shouted, his words choking in his throat as a sudden thought struck him.
"My family."
It was like everything clicked into place in that moment, a direct chain of thought that spiraled into a singular realization.
What would make Ricky a true threat to Camelot"?
There was only one thing that could push him to such a degree, one motive that would really drive Ricky to insanity as that memory finally gave way to one single fact.
"Merlyn really is going after my kids, isn't he?" Ricky suddenly realized, piecing it all together as his gaze darted around.
"This is why I'm here, isn't it?" Ricky muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the forest, the weight of it all hitting him and Gaea merely fed into it.
"That's how he's going to get me to destroy Camelot, he's going to kill my kids." Ricky laughed in disbelief, the sound hollow, as if it didn't even belong to him as he turned to Gaea, seeking answers, only to find her gazing back at him solemnly.
"Unfortunately, it won't stop at your family," Gaea hinted, her words sinking in and immediately making Ricky think of Lucky, Chores, Barko, his mind racing with the thought that Merlyn would target anyone he cared about.
Without a second thought, Ricky ripped the exit sign from the system, holding it up like a weapon, his eyes flashing with rage.
He immediately bolted towards it, the need to act overtaking everything else as he dashed for the nearby treeline.
"Ricky-"
Ricky tuned out Gaea in that moment, dashing towards the treeline, holding up his exit sign that lit up at the far treeline.
"Ricky." Gaea voiced again, watching Ricky appear from the same side he ran off into as Ricky looked around.
It was as if the trees themselves formed a labyrinth, trapping Ricky in a maze he could never hope to escape.
Every turn led him back to the same spot, the pocket dimension tightening around him like an inescapable grip, a world crafted by Gaea where the laws bent to her will.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ricky emerged from the clearing, only to see Gaea standing there, watching him with an unsettling calm.
Her gaze was unwavering, and the Ebony Artifacts, once dormant, now seemed to stir, as if they too had grown tired of this endless game.
'There is no use in talking anymore; you must fight.' The Ebony Shield scoffed, its tone dripping with disdain as it saw the situation as futile.
'How do you expect this 'Ricky Luciano' to actually defeat our creator's master?' The Ebony Crown chimed in, its voice laced with mockery, fully convinced that the idea was pointless.
The Ebony Blade, however, remained silent, its eyes fixed on the unfolding scene, a rare seriousness in its gaze.
'Quiet, let him sort this out himself,' The Ebony Blade finally spoke, its voice low and commanding, shutting down the others before they could offer their opinions further.
'OKAY!' The Ebony Chalice cheered, agreeing with the Ebony Blade and dancing around his eldest sibling who watched the situation play out closely.
"You still haven't answered my questions." Gaea smiled, her gaze fixed on Ricky, who had demanded so much of her, yet she had yet to receive anything in return.
Her expression was serene, almost playful, as she waited for him to make his next move.
"Do you think I f*cking care about your questions-"
"Do you think I care if you want to leave?" Gaea interrupted Ricky, her tone laced with a quiet authority, her eyes narrowing as she subtly implied the consequences of his silence.
"Fine, ask." Ricky replied, his voice tight with barely contained frustration, veins standing out in his neck as he locked eyes with her.
Gaea smiled warmly at his reluctant submission, a sense of satisfaction radiating from her.
"How did you manage to steal Alexander's soul from Hades?" Gaea asked genuinely, her curiosity piqued.
She had never been able to do such a thing herself but even then, her dull tone betrayed her intrigue as Ricky looked at her, confusion spreading across his face.
"I don't know." Ricky replied, shrugging as if the answer was as much a mystery to him as it was to her.
"He just appeared one day."
"Hmmmmmm." Gaea hummed since weirdly enough, she was quite satisfied with this nonexistent answer.
"Can Alexander transform into his human form?"
"No."
"I see, and my last question: do you think that if you leave right now, anything will change?" Gaea finally asked, watching Ricky raise his gaze to her.
"Of course I-"
"The second you left to fight in Camelot was the second you handed over their lives to that unbalanced fate." Gaea said as if it weren't trivial in the least, leaning back in her seat.
"You prepared, but by the time you make it out of here, by the time you make it out of Otherworld, it will have already come to pass. Their fate will have already been decided." Gaea chuckled, almost laughing at Ricky's situation that he couldn't possibly know.
"What does that even mean?!" Ricky yelled, unable to hold his frustration back as Gaea smiled warmly at his outburst.
"It means that leaving here, leaving Otherworld, and finally returning to New York will change nothing." Gaea said matter of factly, since that was the honest truth.
"By the time you get back, whatever was meant to happen will have already happened." Gaea revealed, telling Ricky of his fate that had been so carefully crafted by the world and choices around him.
"The pieces, the men, the undead you set into motion, they'll carry out your orders. And it will be by their hands that your children's fate is sealed." Gaea's voice was calm, almost pitying.
As the words left her lips, the sharp edge of the sword was pressed to her throat, its cold metal a stark contrast to the warmth of her smile.
"How do I stop it-" Ricky's eyes were dangerous, watching her smile curl higher and yet, drawing him closer.
"The chains of fate are already moving-"
"Stop! Don't listen to her, Ricky, she's lying!" Alexander's voice cut through the tension, his roar reverberating in Ricky's ear.
For the first time, Alexander found the strength to breathe, his body shaking as if struggling to draw air as he pushed through the panic, mustering the willpower to rise to his feet.
"What?" Ricky asked, his gaze fixed on Alexander, noticing how his chest heaved, the labored breaths betraying the internal chaos.
Alexander's face was pale, the strain of the moment taking its toll, but he still stood, steadying himself despite the panic gripping his heart.
"She's lying~" Alexander gasped, his voice strained but urgent.
"If they were dead, or knew if they were to die, she would've told you already. She's cruel in that way." Alexander's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, his breaths sharp and uneven as he glanced up at Gaea, who smiled wickedly in response.
"The reason she is speaking in such a way is because they are fine-"
Huff
Huff
Ricky's eyes flickered to Alexander, watching as the color drained from his face as he stepped back, instinctively shielding his friend from Gaea's gaze.
"Hey, Alexander, what's wrong?" Ricky asked, concern filling his voice as he positioned himself between Alexander and the goddess, his trust in him unwavering and believing his words more than this vile womans.
"I-I don't know," Alexander gasped, his voice trembling since he had never suffered from such tribulations in his life.
"I've never felt a pain like this in my chest." fAlexander struggled to catch his breath, the overwhelming sensation of panic unfamiliar and suffocating.
Ricky, recognizing the signs all too well, stepped closer, his presence steady and grounding as he knew exactly how to handle moments like this.
"Just breathe, man. Breathe." Ricky said, guiding him through the motions as he stayed by his side, fully aware that bringing Alexander here had indirectly led to this moment.
Uncaring that the goddess of life was observing this very fact, the least he could do now was stop and help him through it.
"Like this, look." Ricky's hands cradled the gerbil gently, while his other hand rested over his own heart, steadying his own breath as he encouraged Alexander to follow suit, to which he did.
He focused on his own slow, deliberate breaths, guiding Alexander to mirror the rhythm with one breath at a time.
"You mustn't take her words at face value, Ricky-argh!" Alexander gasped, clutching his chest, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
Strangely enough, these pained words of dissuasion actually relaxed Ricky as he realized he had become too enthralled and hot-headed, his emotions driving him without clear thought before he had to regain himself.
"Aye, relax, just chill," Ricky said, gently stopping Alexander from speaking as he sighed, glancing over his shoulder at Gaea, who was watching them intently, yet saying nothing.
"She does that." Alexander continued, his voice strained as he lightly hit his forehead against Ricky's palm, sweat pouring down his face.
"She lures you with truths, only to twist them." Alexander breath hitched as the panic surged once again, his inner resolve pushing against it and making the pressure feel ten times worse.
"Right, f*ck you're right." Ricky sighed, looking over his shoulder at Gaea, actually relieved that Alexander had seen through her words.
"Damn, I can't believe I fell for it, again." Ricky muttered, his frustration growing as he realized everything had gone sideways after Gaea revealed Merlyn's true intentions.
But just because Ricky realized it was all just one big game, a bigger picture, didn't mean he could suddenly play by his own rules.
That's not how things worked.
You couldn't just pick up the pieces and change the game just because you knew you were a pawn.
Only when the game was truly over could new players be decided and until then, he was stuck, caught in the web, unable to shift the tides until fate had its say.
You play the game until it's over, or you play until your piece becomes something bigger, something that can dictate the game itself.
It's not about simply surviving the moves, it's about evolving within the game, finding the right moment to step out of the shadows and take control.
Only then does the real power shift.
"Aye, where's the exit?" Ricky asked, his eyes locked on the goddess as his gaze flicked back to Alexander since he wasn't sure how much longer his friend could hold on.
In truth, even though he was being played so easily, Ricky still wanted to keep playing, to continue pushing forward, even though he was at a loss.
You didn't get good at games by winning; you got good by losing, by failing over and over again, learning from every mistake, every misstep.
It was the only way to truly understand the strategy, the rhythm, the way things shifted with each move.
Ricky knew this fact probably better than anyone else since he'd spent his whole life learning the art of failure.
But he eventually learned, the hard way most of the time, that in each failure, each defeat, was just a step toward something bigger, something better.
But this was different.
He wanted to keep going, to keep pushing, to try one more move, to outwit, outplay, and ultimately come out on top.
But as much as he wanted to dive back into the game, as much as he craved the feeling of control, his eyes kept flicking back to Alexander.
In this moment, Alexander's well-being took precedence over everything else.
"This is the exit," Gaea said, her voice calm and unsettling, as she also gestured toward Lancelot.
He had a million questions swirling in his mind but chose to remain silent, compelled to walk toward the opening.
Ricky positioned himself between Gaea and Alexander, shielding him from her gaze, his every step deliberate as he moved past her as Lancelot followed closely, his eyes still questioning but lips sealed.
ust as they reached the edge of the tree line, Gaea's voice cut through the tension with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"But remember," Gaea said, her tone sweet with a hint of menace.
"If you leave now, you will never win against him."
Author's Note: Just to say, I ain't a genius and I'm kinda of an idiot so the smart characters I make are really only as smart as my mind which ain't a lot so just bare with me. Writing characters like Gaea and Merlyn hurts my f*cking brain cause I acutally gotta think if at all.