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Chapter Text

"Rue! Rue! Jade! Jade! Sage! Sage! Anyone! NO! no..."

---

Hunter needed to get out of the castle. He was ready for a mission, a fight, anything. Instead he was locked in the castle. He pulled out his scroll and looked at the picture the Captain of the Emerald Entrails, Willow maybe, had posted. He remembered how much fun he'd had. He hadn't had that much fun since his days on the streets, not since... Rue. Rue and Jade and Sage. They'd died, he'd let them die. He failed them, he failed his parents, he'd failed himself. 

"Tonight the foxes hunt the hounds

It's all over now

Before it has begun

We've already won!"

"We areeee Wild! 

We are like Young Volcanoes!"

Hunter shook the memory away. He didn't need a distraction, he needed a mission. Just as he thought he was going to go crazy he was summoned to the throne room.

---

"Emperor Belos, you summoned me?" Hunter said as he knelt before his Uncle.

"Yes I have a mission for you."

Hunter smiled at the floor.

"The Cave of Souls."

Hunter's smile dropped.

"What?" He asked hiding the unease he felt.

"I need you to go to the Cave of Souls and get the Soul Summoning Gem."

"No" The word sounded wrong even as he said it.

"No?" Emperor Belos turned around, but he didn't sound suprised.

"I-I can't go there, not today, not-not again not after..."

"I understand, but you must still attempt it... It would be a pity to replace you so soon to the Day of Unity. You are dismissed."

Hunter stood and walked away, he could feel his breath picking up, The Cave of Souls... 

"Rue!" Rue! "Jade!" Jade! "Sage!" Sage! "NO! NO! NO!" NO! No! no!

Hunter walked into his door. He wasn't sure how he'd made it to his room so fast, but as soon as he stepped inside he broke down, His palisman chirped out of worry, but he didn't care. He couldn't do this, not now, not soon. Never. Never again.

---

;Now I am traveling to the Cave of Souls to retrieve a famous artifact... The Soul Summoning Gem. I will return to m-'

Luz shot up and ran downstairs. 

"Eda where is the Cave of Souls? We need the Soul Summoning Gem!"

"Woah, kid hold up, The Cave of Souls? There is no breaking in there! The Criminal King couldn't even do it!"

"The who?"

"Oh, right you wouldn't know of him. He was some famous criminal that could steal almost anything."

"You could be better than him though..."

"Grab the gang, we are stealing a Soul Summoning Gem!"

.

---

"Tonight the foxes hunt the hounds..."

"Make some thunder make 'em wonder how ya got in!"

"You should be here..."

'I'm a survivor..'

"It's all over now..."

"Hit those ghost streets on two wheels..."

"Standing with your arm around me here..."

'Legends never die..'

---

The tears had finally stopped and Hunter had made it all the way to the cave before breaking down again. He couldn't do this. He could not do it. He'd rather die. 

"Make some thunder, make 'em wonder how you got in."

"I'm sorry Rue, and Jade, and Sage. Hold out 'till I get there- I-I- I'll see you in heaven and when we get kicked out we'll tear up Hell together..." Hunter cried into his arms, only now realizing he was squatting in a ball.

His palisman, Flapjack gave an encouraging chirp and Hunter stood.

"Time to face my gho- family..."

Chapter Text

Luz was jumping for joy as she told Amity about how she was going to find another piece of the puzzle that is getting her home.

The problem?

It was a suicide mission.

"Luz I love you, and I want you to be able to go home but..."

"You think it's to dangerous."

It wasn't a question.

"Well, I know your strong, believe me I know, but nobody can get in! I mean not even-"

"The Criminal King?"

"Yeah- wait how did you?"

"Eda said something about it. Who was the Criminal King?"

"No offence to Eda but whoever it was- the Criminal King was the best thief in the land, most wanted too."

"Oh..."

"Look, I love you and no matter what I'm with you but we need to be careful okay?"

"Okay."

---

Eda had been talking to Lilith for an hour and she still hadn't budged.

"Edalyn I am sorry but I am not letting you get yourself killed!"

"We'll be fine Lily! We just need some help!"

"Help? You need to go to therapy! Someone needs to talk some sense into you!"

"You can do that! On the way to the Cave of Souls!"

"Eda."

"Please Lily, it means a lot to the kid."

"Fine, but if we die I'm turning you into the ghost emperor's coven or whatever."

"Great! Lets go!"

---

Hunter was still contemplating whether or not he could face his ghosts when a complication arrived.

The Owl Lady and her human.

Not only that but all their friends too, just great.

Hunter didn't really want to deal with both his ghosts and the criminals so he headed to the cave.

Yes They don't see me, I don't have to deal with the criminals I just have to-

Hunter was pulled from his thoughts by the human calling his name.

"Hunter? Hunter is that you?"

Just great. 

Hunter really didn't want to deal with this so he decided to do the mature thing.

Ignore them and keep going.

This plan worked for about two seconds.

"Hey! Golden Brat! What do you think your doing?"

EVEN BETTER.

"Miss Clawthorn? I thought you had paperwork for the coven- oh right."

Hunter didn't enjoy much about the coven, but annoying Lilith, that was always a good way to deal with his emotions, right?

"Why you little-"

"Lilith? Lilith Clawthorn? Is that you." A ghost appeared at the entrance of the cave. She looked like she'd wrestled a griffin.

"D-Daisy." All color left Lilith's face. Fear.

"You left me Lilith. How could you leave me?"

"I-I- I'm sorry." Tears filled Lilith's eyes.

"Eda-"

"Amity-"

"King-"

"Willow-"

"Gus-"

"Lilith-"

"EDA-"

"AMITY-"

"LUZ-"

The ghosts sang out until all the criminals were in tears, begging for forgiveness, telling their families how much they miss them, how much they love them.

Apparently the human's father was dead and he was there now, Lilith had let her friend fall into a manticore pit, the owl lady lost a friend to the road, and the others were just missed people.

That's when Hunter heard them.

"Hunter-"

"Hunter?"

"Brother?"

"Is that you?"

"It's Jade"

"It's Rue." 

"It's-"

Hunter covered his ears, he couldn't listen to them anymore. They hated him, he'd let them die. He'd failed.

---

Luz was having a wonderful family reunion with her father when she noticed the golden guard- hunter, was covering his ears. She could her people saying his name but she couldn't see them.

They weren't saying anything bad, they didn't seem angry. Why was he blocking them out?

---

Amity watched the golden guard skeptically. It seemed like the figures she could hardly make out were driving him mad. Or maybe he just didn't like them?

It didn't matter, Luz was happy, she was happy. Everything was fine, it was going to be fine. It had to be fine.

---

Everything was definitely not fine.

Hunter wasn't ready for this, he was not ready for any of this.

He shouldn't have come here.

He shouldn't have gone to the throne room.

He shouldn't have met Kikimora.

He shouldn't have joined Belos.

He should have chose petrification. 

He shouldn't have gotten caught.

Well he really shouldn't be alive either so no matter what he was a failure.

He'd already let the people he cared about die and this was how he repaid them? Covering his ears? Ignoring them? Some friend he was.

He missed the days when things were simple.

Wake up, make breakfast, do his 'job', make lunch, train with his friends, maybe get into a fight, make dinner, go to the night market, some home, be happy. 

He missed the days before he met Belos, even if he was just a nobody, he was a nobody with people who could be somebodies. If he helped them didn't that mean something?

He missed playing the guitar by a campfire in the cave that he and Jade had made into a home. He missed Rue's singing. He missed Jades laughing. He wanted nothing more than to be in that cave again. He'd do anything for a second chance to make his friends smile. Anything at all. But what goes up must come down. Just like the boiling rain. He remembered being young and stupid. Running through the woods as the rain began, splashing through puddles when it poured. Hunter wanted to go home. He wanted to fix his mistakes, he knew how.

Get the stone. He needed to get the stone.

Chapter Text

Luz hugged her father again, squeezing him tightly. It'd been so long since she last saw him. She looked around at her friends, having there own reunions. Hunter had taken his hands off his ears and was now entering the cage.

Shoot

How could she have been so stupid! They needed to get that stone and here she was hanging out with her father, completely forgeting about her mother and Vee. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Um, guys, I know we're all happy to uh, see our loved ones? But anyways, we gotta get the stone.

"Oh, yeah, yeah Kid's right." Eda sighed.

---

"Hunter, are we going to get the Stone of Souls for real this time Sir. Hunter?" Rue said all bubbly

"Yeah Hunter are you gonna free us?" Sage asked.

"Of course he is Sage! He's my brother!"

"Well I'm sorry but didn't he ditch us last time Rue?"

"Well it was either that or give us no chance of escape!'

"We could have died!"

"We didn't!"

"We could h-"

"ENOUGH, both of you! Hunter was right to leave, sure he could've come back sooner, but he probably thought we were dead." Jade was screaming.

"You are dead." Hunter muttered.

"No we aren't." Rue protested and spun around in circles.

"Rue, I love you, you're my little sister, but I SAW you die, I- I watched you die."

"Oh, so Jade was right the whole time! You did think we were dead! No we're very alive, we're just stuck in the passages!" Sage said.

"Th- the passages?" Hunter hadn't thought of that. The old passages that they'd made to get around easily and escape getting caught by Jade and Sage's parents.

"You didn't check the passages for us?"

"No, but if you were alive I wouldn't see you- right?"

"Actually you just see the people you miss the most! You see more of us the farther you go!"

"Hurrah." Hunter said sarcastically.

"Well at least you know where we are now!"

"I guess that's fair."

---

Eda was happy, she had her kids, her sister and her friends, and apparently a golden guard that was in her way!

The Golden Guard, what was his name? Hunter! Yes Hunter was in her way.

There weren't many reasons to come here, actually only one, to get the stone. Why else would the Emperor have his right hand man come to the Cave of Souls.

"If we see The Golden Guard we can't let him have the stone got it?"

"Yes Eda."

"Ugh he makes me so mad."

"I know Eda but-"

"SAGE YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Hunter's annoying voice rang through the cave.

"Well we know where Hunter's at."

They sprinted through the cave until they could see Hunter, it was quite the site.

---

"Hunter I'm tired." Rue whined as they continued to walk through the cave.

"Then go to sleep. As soon as I get the stone I'll come find you guys!"

"Carry weird ghost me please."

"Why?"

"I don't want you to be lonely!"

"Jade and Sage are here."

"But I wanna hang out with you."

"I am NOT carrying you, you're fourteen!"

"Please." She made a pouty face and held her hands together.

"Are you gonna give up?"

"Nope!"

"Ugh, why are you so persistent?"

"I learned from the best."

"Congrats Jade, you've officially corrupted my sister."

Jade smirked. "Did I now?"

"Sure seems like it. Who else would she have got it from? Sage?"

Jade laughed and tilted her head back. She almost always did that when she laughed when they were kids.

"Yes Hunter, I'm certain I'm the only influence on Rue that made her so cocky."

"What does that mean." Hunter asked jokingly. 

Jade rolled her eyes. "Well it couldn't possibly be YOUR fault that YOUR little sister that always looked up to YOU and wanted YOU to teach her everything YOU knew became like this. Right?"

"YOU seem to be emphasizing everything that mentions ME."

Jade laughed again. She tilted her head back again.

Hunter thought for a moment, Jade didn't seem to have changed at all. How would she react when she found out he joined a coven, and the Emperor's Coven at that? What about when she finds out what he did? Would she ever forgive him? What about the others?

"Um, I- I need to tell- I need to tell you that- you see I- I kinda- well..." Hunter didn't know what to tell them first, or how to tell them. Would they call him a traitor? Would they even talk to him? Better to tell them than let them find out.

"Hunter? Hunter what is it?"

"I- I joined a coven- the Emperor's Coven." He stopped walking and looked at them, waiting for the angry rant, the loss of his friends. He waited for them to leave him to be the Golden Guard, to lose himself again.

"You did?"

Hunter nodded.

"Why?"

"I needed to- I needed a- I- I'm sorry." Hunter wanted to cry, he needed to cry, but he couldn't. he trained himself not to.

"Why are you sorry? I mean, I know we weren't exactly on good terms with well pretty much anyone in that coven, but we weren't exactly on good terms with anyone in general."

"Aren't you mad at me?"

"Not really, I mean sure, we hate 'em, but we don't hate you, it's about time an insane person joined that coven anyway, more fun."

"Yeah! Besides if you're in a position of authority we can get away with more stupid stuff because you love us and would never turn us in to be petrified!" Rue chimed in.

Hunter had to laugh at that, of course that's what Rue would think, she's Rue.

"Right, um I also kind of, sorta destroyed the house-cave?" Hunter said, but it sounded like a question.

"YOU WHAT?" All three of his friends shouted in unison.

"Alright, I made a few mistakes, we'll go over them all later, but these were the two main ones I wanted you to know about."

"Can we go back to you DESTROYING our home?" Sage asked in panic.

"Right- It was in a fit of anger. I thought you guys were dead and I destroyed it- kind of- The actual structure is fine we just- I just need to fix a few things inside and rehang the hammocks and it'll be as good as new! I'll get new lights, we can keep the stones that we can fall into our hammocks from, we'll get new clothes and bedding, we'll have a new start."

"What do you mean? Don't you have a job?" Sage pointed out

"Oh right that."

"What are you going to do?" Jade asked.

"Simple."

"Something simple?" Rue asked skeptically.

"Yes- quite."

"And what's that?" Sage muttered. 

"I quit."

Sage- who was apparently drinking something- choked on his drink and spat it out, on Hunter.

"SAGE YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Hunter screamed, although confused by the fact he could feel it when in reality Sage was at least a mile or two away- probably by one of the reserves for food and water that they hid h=in the passages.

Everything turned upside down from there. 

Chapter Text

Eda had to laugh at the scene in front of her. A ghost-like girl around Luz's age had a sharp rock through her chest and was draped dramatically against the wall and giving a lesson about how to put meat on a sandwich properly. A ghost-like boy also around Luz's age was laid out on the ground singing some odd song about zombies. A ghost-like girl that looked about the same age as the golden guard was holding the golden guards cardinal palisman in staff form and swinging it at dangling upside down golden guard who was dodging and teasing her.

"What did we miss?" Luz asked in a whisper.

"I don't know but is it just me or is the golden guard-"

"Hunter."

"Fine, is it just me or is HUNTER... happy?"

"Thank you, and it's not just you. It's weird, he's having fun, is he allowed to have fun?"

"Is that Sage?" Amity asked cutting into their conversation.

"Who?"

"Sage, he- he's an old friend. Our parents got along so Ed and Em hung out with Jade the older one, and I hung out with Sage the younger one." Amity replied.

"Okay, so that covers the older girl and the younger boy, so who's the younger girl?" Eda asked.

"Maybe it's Rue?"

"Who's Rue?" Luz asked her voice cracking.

"I- um- I don't actually know we never met, Sage told me about her though- she has an older brother that's friends with Jade."

"Oh okay." Luz said letting out her breath.

"Well enough of the guessing game let's find out." Eda said and drew a sharp breath. "HEY GOLDIE! WHO ARE YOUR FRIENDS?"

That was enough to scare the golden guard, Hunter, and make him fall.

"Ouch."

"Hunter! Are you alright?" The older girl asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. Owl Lady?" The golden- Hunter- muttered.

"That's me!" Eda crowed and jumped off of the stone she had been standing on.

"Hello Owl Lady! My name's Jade! Nice to meet you." The older girl held out her hand and Eda shook it.

"Well hello there Jade!" Eda said and gave Hunter a smile that she hoped would annoy him.

"This is my little annoyance Sage and that's my vest friend's little annoyance Rue." Jade introduced the younger two before nodding to Hunter. "May I assume you've met?"

Hunter nodded and pushed himself to his feet.

"Say you wouldn't happen to know any embarrassing secrets about Hunter would you?" Luz asked as a mischievous grin started to form.

"Not that I can- Oh! Wait- Hunter do you remember how we met? You tried to kill my parents!" Jade laughed.

"I did not try to kill them, I was simply trying to make them go away in a forceful manner." Hunter protested.

"That's the nice way of putting it." Rue snorted.

"Oh yeah? Hey Rue remember the time you thought it would be fun to steal a microphone and sing in your secret hiding spot without realizing the microphone was still hooked up?" Hunter shot back.

"Ouch!" Rue said and jokingly held her gut.

"Oh! Remember the time Sage ate a three month year old sandwich that he'd been using as a pillow?" Jade said as she laughed.

"Yeah and all he said was, 'Oh! I forgot the gutter grease.'" Rue laughed.

Sage smiled. "That's not as funny as the time Jade 'accidentally' teleported Rue into a cave filled with random trash."

"Who said it was an accident?" Jade asked and raised a brow.

"Which time?" Rue said as she looked directly into Sages eyes, not blinking.

"Are you talking about your room?" Hunter muttered, causing Luz to double over in laughter.

"You wound me!" Sage exclaimed, putting his hand over him heart.

"You'll live." Hunter responded.

Sage grasped at his throat and fell over on the ground rolling on the stone. "I can't breath tell my story-" With that Sage stopped rolling around and dramatically stuck out his tongue.

"Oh no! Sage- my only brother- the one that used to jump on my bed right after I made it- He's dead!" jade dramatically put her hand on her forehead and continued, "It's all your fault Hunter, he's gone because of you!"

Sage was biting his lip now, Rue's face was red and her hand was over her mouth. Hunter just tried- to no avail- to frown.

"Hunter- you have slain my brother! Although I am grateful you must pay- with your life!" With that Jade 'lunged' at Hunter.

Suddenly Rue jumped in the way getting 'hit' by Jade.

"Oh no- my death is now on your hands Jade- Brother- avenge me- don't let this killer who has taken my life escape, for she is a foe." With that Rue 'died'.

Now Jade and Hunter were just staring at each other. 

---

Part of Hunter wanted to play along, part of him wanted to fall over laughing, part of him thought this was a huge waste of time, but this was fun, he missed having fun.

"HA! An arm of an arm and an eye for an eye! You killed my brother and your sister has paid in turn." Jade rambled as Hunter tried desperately not to laugh.

Hunter wanted to play along- but he wasn't sure what to do. Jade had the drama covered- Rue had already done the heroics- Sage was the motivator so Hunter was...

"Oh thanks for that I've been meaning to kill her off for a couple of weeks now." Hunter was the villain.

Apparently that's all Jade needed to break her trance. She started to laugh and continued to do so until Sage and Rue were as well. Hunter had started laughing at some point as well.

"This is like that one time Rue tried to put on a play to distract some coven guards while I stole their lunches." Sage said as he tried to stop laughing.

"When was that?" Jade- who had finally managed to calm down enough that she could actually breath- asked.

"When we were like six." Rue chimed in as she panted for breath.

"Whatever- I think it's more like the time a coven guard was about to arrest Rue so she pretended to die." Hunter muttered.

That caught the human off guard and she whispered something to her friends.

"Oh yeah, Rue pretended to die so you got 'angry' at the guard and started yelling at him." Sage continued.

"Which was followed by the coven guard apologizing like ninety times as Jade and I 'dragged away Rue's body' and sitting in an ally for fifteen minutes." Jade muttered.

"Then when you finally got back you had like five-hundred snail for my 'funeral'." Rue finished the story.

Sage snorted. "Don't worry, we all know if you had actually died there would have been like thirty funerals that were related to your's."

"What does that mean?" Rue snapped.

"It means we would've been breaking Hunter out of the Confirmatorium." Jade snickered.

"Hey!" Hunter punched Jade lightly on the arm.

"What! It's true!" Jade laughed.

Hunter scoffed. "I'm the Golden Guard!"

"And if Rue died you'd be the most feared murderer on the Isles!"

Hunter snickered. "Fair."

"That reminds me of the time we actually held a funeral for Hunter!" Rue exclaimed.

"Oh yeah." Sage muttered.

"Oh I remembered that- YOU BURIED ME!" Hunter growled.

"Yeah! Only for like two hours." Sage protested.

"YOU STILL BURIED ME! DON'T BURY PEOPLE!" Hunter yelled.

"WE HAD TO! IT WAS WORTH IT ANYWAY! WE GOT LIKE TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND SNAILS OFF THE STUFF WE STOLE!" Sage argued.

"Stuff you stole?" Amity asked and death glared Hunter.

"Yeah." Sage nodded and smiled.

"The Golden Guard's gonna get you if you keep talking." Eda mocked.

"Remember that time I killed The Owl Lady?" Hunter asked.

"No. I remember the time you killed a coven guard though." Jade responded.

"Which time?" Hunter asked.

"Most of them." Jade responded and started to continue through the cave.

---

Luz couldn't believe her ears. Hunter had killed a coven guard, when? Where? How?

Hunter had just ran after Jade, soon followed by Rue and Sage.

Amity, Gus and Willow were having a conversation but Luz couldn't focus on words.

Who was Hunter? A criminal? A hero? A good guy gone bad? Plot twist!

She had to know more so she followed suit chasing after the golden guard and his friends, hoping her friends and her amazing girlfriend would be right behind her.

Chapter Text

"BRAT!" Hunter called as Rue sprinted to take the lead.

"NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH! YOU CAN'T EVEN CATCH ME! HA!" Rye called back.

"WAIT FOR MEEEE!" Sage screamed racing to keep up.

Jade just groaned. I'm too old for this.

Hunter seemed to have the same thought because he slowed down.

"How do you put up with them?"

Jade cackled. "You think I know?"

The Owl woman and her group of children were gaining on them, but they didn't care. It was impossible to tell time in the cave, but Hunter looked about ready to collapse from exhaustion. 

"HEY GOLDIE!" the Owl woman called from behind.

Hunter ignored them, clearly not pleased with the nickname.

"HUNTER!" Luz called out.

---

Luz ran up to Hunter and tried to start a conversation with him. He ignored her for most of the time, but he finally broke and asked her why she was so insistent on talking to him. He sounded tired.

"Because Apparently you aren't who I thought you were."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Go away human."

"So Rue's your sister."

"Yes."

"Were you once a criminal?"

Hunter was silent.

"YOU WERE!"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Why do you care?"

"Because I learned something new about you! Plus I want to know, If you were a criminal, then why'd you join the emperors coven?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"I can try!"

"No."

"AWWW Come on!"

"Leave me alone."

"No."

"Ugh."

"HUNTER! I FOUND A SPIDER!" Rue called from farther down the tunnel.

"What kind?"

"A massive one!"

"Cool."

"COME LOOK AT IT!"

"I'm coming!"

Hunter turned back to Luz and scowled. "Goodbye, human."

---

Hunter sprinted to catch up to his sister, who had in fact found a massive spider.

"What should I name it?" She asked.

"Uh, I don't know."

"Liar! You have the best names!"

"Ugh, fine, how about... Tiana?"

"Yes!"

Hunter laughed and continue walking, only to find a fork in the path. He swallowed hard.

This is where it all went wrong, Hunter thought. All because I chose the wrong path.

He stepped away from the path he'd chosen last time, refusing to make that mistake again. If he'd learned anything in the years he'd spent avoiding this place, it was that the obvious path was wrong. He stared at his feet, took a deep breath, and ran straight for the cave wall.

Chapter Text

Luz screamed as she watched Hunter sprint for the wall. Why would he do that. Better question where did he go?

Hunter was missing now, it was almost as though the cave wall had swallowed him instead of impaling him. Hunter's weird ghost family ran through the wall too, and Luz was tempted to follow. 

"Hey guys?" Luz called as her friends made their way toward her. "Hunter just ran through the cave wall."

She pointed to where he had disappeared and then gestured to his footprints. 

"So he's dead then?" Lilith asked, not sounding too sad about it.

"No, he disappeared! He didn't die."

"So what, you want us to walk into the cave wall and hope we don't get impaled or something?" Eda asked.

"Pretty much." 

"Of course you do."

"Well I think it sounds like there's an illusion!" Gus said, bubbling with energy. 

"Right, but are we going to put our lives at risk because of a thought?" Lilith asked.

All she got was a lot of blank stares.

"Of course we are," Lilith grumbled.

"Alright on the count of three, we all run for the wall, got it?" Luz asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, one, two.."

She took a deep breath. She needed a lot of self-assurance before she charged a cave wall.

"THREE!"

---

Hunter was glad he didn't die.

He was not glad that he was now covered in a strange sticky substance, that just so happened to be yellow.

Disgusting, he thought, pulling himself from the strange goo filled pit he'd landed in. Just my luck.

"Hey Hunter, you good?" Jade asked.

"I'm covered in yellow goo."

"So?"

"Yellow is my least favorite color."

"OH yeah! Ha ha."

"Ugh."

"Wait, aren't you the Golden Guard?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well... What do you wear?"

"Golden armor."

"And what is gold?"

Hunter stared at Jade, trying to figure out what she was talking about, luckily, he was saved from looking stupid by Rue.

"Shiny yellow!"

"Exactly."

Hunter groaned, but was smiling. That's exactly what he thought when he was first given the armor, and he practically begged Belos to give him any other color of armor, because seriously, yellow was the worst.

Hunter was about to say something when there was a big SPLAT from behind him. He whisked around to find the human and her friends covered in the same disgusting, yellow goo he was in, only they were farther from the edge of the goo pit then him. That's too bad.

"Ugh! What is this?" the human- what was her name again?- Luz?- asked, trying, and failing to pull her arm out of the pit. "It's so gross."

The Owl Lady laughed. "You can see a bunch of horrifying creatures, and the thing that bothers you most is some goo?"

Luz rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Hunter turned beck to Jade who offered him her ghost hand, which he actually could grab, and she helped him out of the pit.

"Thanks," he said, forcing himself to stand.

"No problem, but now you owe me. If I ever get stuck in a goo pit, you have to help me out, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Would you help me too?" Rue asked, dodging Sage as he lunged at her.

"Yes."

"And me?" Sage asked.

"No."

"Ouch." Sage grabbed at his chest. "You wound me Hunter."

"Good." Hunter smiled.

"No! Not good! That's cruel! From now on I will call you The King of Cruelty."

Jade snorted. "That's not what he's the king of."

"Yes it is!" Sage insisted. "Don't worry though, you're still the queen!"

Hunter laughed as Jade scowled. "Whatever."

---

Luz tried swimming through the goo, then she asked Amity if she could use the goo to make an abomination, which also didn't work. No one was having any luck getting out of the substance,  except for Hunter, who was laughing.

He wasn't laughing at her, or her friends, but he was laughing about something the younger boy had said. The older girl- Jade- punched him and he took off down a passage way. Not good.

"We need to get out of here before Hunter gets the gem." Luz said, inching toward the edge of the pit slowly.

"Agreed," Amity said.

"I'm out!" 

Everyone turned to face Willow, who sat perched on top of a very large flower.

"Great! Can you get us out now?" Eda asked.

"Already on it!"

A moment later they were all charging down the passage way that Hunter had gone down.

That was a huge mistake.

Chapter Text

The screams wouldn't stop.

The pain wouldn't stop.

The gem wouldn't stop.

Flashes of light filled the room with horrors beyond Hunter's imagination. Rue was gone, Jade was gone, Sage was gone. He was fading away. Panic rushed through him as he clawed at the bars that kept him caged like an animal. 

"What did you do to them?" His voice carried as more lights flashed in his eyes. He growled. "Where am I? Where are my friends?"

There was a bitter laugh on the other side of the bars but Hunter couldn't see who was laughing, the lights were making him nauseous.

"Why are you laughing?" Hunter yelled, kicking the bars so hard they rattled. 

Something hot touched his skin and he howled. His hands thrashed as he searched for the source of the pain. A sat of hands reached out, and claws ate at Hunters skin as he struggled to get away from it. A loud snarl came from somewhere behind him and teeth sank into his arm. 

Hunter screamed, desperate to get the beast away from him.

"Let me out!"

A cruel laugh came from behind the light again and fury ran through Hunter's veins. 

"What kind of monster are you?" he snapped, clawing at the next of the beast. "What kind of monster laughs as a child dies?"

"A child?" The person speaking scoffed. "You're no child."

Another surge of pain exploded in Hunter's arm as the beast bit at his hand.

"Where are they?" Hunter demanded as blood trickled down his arm. "What did you do? Where are they?"

"I did nothing!" the villainous voice bit back. "You're the one who got greedy! They died because of you! They died in the cave!"

The beast bit Hunter's shoulder and he fought back a scream. 

"Who are you? What are you?"

"I'm someone you don't want to cross," the voice responded. "I'm someone who could free you from your cage."

"Prove it," Hunter hissed. 

The beast released him, leaving him to slump against the cage wall.

"Do you believe me now?" 

A pained laugh bubbled from Hunter's throat. "You got a whistle or something?"

"Something like that."

"Let me out."

"So rude," the voice said. "Right after I stopped your pain too."

Hunter growled. "You caused it."

"I suppose that's true."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want to make a deal."

Hunter laughed. "You locked me in a cage with a beast that completely destroyed my arm, and you want to make a deal? You're horrible at bargaining, you know that?"

"Would you rather die?"

"Maybe."

"Oh, well that's to bad."

Whoever it was whistled and the beast attacked again, pinning Hunter down and ripping his cloak. Hunter screamed as the beast bit his side and tried pushing it away. The beast slashed at his face, cutting the skin off his left cheek.

"Stop!" Hunter called, feeling his blood pool underneath him. "Please! Agh! Make it stop! It's going to kill me."

There was a laugh, but it was followed by a whistle and the beast got off of him. Hunter groaned. He was in a lot of pain and he'd suffered from a lot of blood loss.

"Help me," Hunter said, his voice raw from screaming. "Please, gah- please just help me."

"If you consider my deal, I'll help you."

"What is it?"

"Work for me until I achieve my goal. If you do that, then I'll set you free, no strings attached."

Hunter let out a small laugh that quickly became a pained groan. "You want me to work for you for what might be the rest of my life, really?" He took a shallow breath. "Do I look stupid?"

"So you won't consider it?"

"No- I'll consider it, I probably won't accept, but I will consider it."

There was a sigh. "What a pity, I really didn't want it to come to this."

By time Hunter realized what he meant it was too late, the beast was gnawing at his skin, forcing him to yelp.

"Gah- Okay! Okay, it's a deal just-"

"Hmm?"

"Gah- Please!"

"I thought you didn't want to accept."

"Do I really have a choice?"

"You do." There was a whistle and the beast's teeth sank deeper into Hunter's skin.

"I want to accept!" Hunter yelled. 

"Do you?"

The beast's teeth sank in deeper.

"Yes!"

The beast released him, allowing him a chance to take a shaky, deep breath.

"Don't lie to me." The voice was sharp now. "You're lucky I'm giving you this chance boy."

Hunter coughed. "Right, okay, right."

"That's a lot of blood."

"Yeah, right, it is, it is."

"Poor thing." Hunter heard the door creak open and he was scooped up. "We better get you patched up."

"Yeah, uh-huh."

Hunter passed out at some point while being carried.

---

Hunter woke up back in the cave as the human stared at him.

"Hunter? You're awake!"

Hunter took a deep breath, trying to figure out where he was.

"Get up, we need to go, now."

Hunter shook his head. "I'm bleeding."

"Huh?"

"I was attacked."

"Yeah well there's a witch hunter here and I don't think you want to die do you?"

Hunter looked around. "Where?"

"What do you mean where? He's right- GET DOWN!"

The human collapsed to her knees and covered her face. She screamed.

"He hit me!"

"What? There's no one-"

Reality settled in ask Hunter pushed himself against the cave wall. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" the human barked.

"It isn't real," Hunter said through dark laughs.

---

"What did I do?" Hunter asked one of the coven guards.

"Hm?"

"Why is everyone mad at me?"

"Because you're the youngest."

"So?"

"So you need more attention."

"Not true."

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah."

"Then why are you worried about people being mad at you?"

"I don't know."

"Then go away."

Hunter stopped walking, allowing the guard to continue on without him.

He sighed and headed to his room. He'd filled it with little knick-knacks that didn't add up to a lot. All he could do was relive his miserable life through his memories, wishing he'd done something differently.

"I could've saved them," he whispered to no one. "Instead I destroyed everything."

---

Hunter gasped as the Owl Lady pulled him back to the present.

"You good kid?" she asked, fighting off some weird horned-snake-with-wings. 

"Not really," Hunter admitted, turning to find a new beast in store.

It took him a second to recognize it. It was the same beast that had been locked in the cage with him. Titan he hated that thing. He swallowed hard.

"Hunter?" Lilith's voice was the last thing he wanted to hear. 

"What?" Hunter demanded, looking over at her.

Lilith's face didn't look as annoying as he remembered as she nodded to him.

"Make it pay."

---

Hunter didn't know if Lilith knew about the beast, but she definitely knew about the bite marks it had left on him.

The only time Lilith had shown him any mercy back in the coven was when she first saw the bite marks on his arm while they were training. They never spoke about it, but Hunter had been glad to have someone else know about it, even if it was one of his least favorite people in the coven.

Now wasn't the time to think about that though. Hunter needed to focus on not dying.

"What is causing this?" Amity asked.

"The stupid gem!" Hunter yelled back. "It brings your fears to life and it makes you relive terrible memories!"

"Well that explains why you're fighting a monster that looks ready to eat you," the Owl Lady said, swinging her staff.

"You don't say!" Hunter took a step back, or he tried to, only to find himself surrounded by glass, with only the beast to keep him company. Lovely.

Hunter wasn't sure what exactly he expected. He hated tight spaces, especially when he had to share them. He swallowed hard.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered, lunging at the beast.

The beast turned to dust and he slammed into a person. 

He was in a cell.

"Where-"

"It's Hunter right?"

Hunter turned to find a coven guard staring at him.

"Uh- yeah?"

The guard unlocked the cell and pushed away the person who Hunter had ran into. The guard pulled Hunter's hands behind his back and guided he through a bunch of dark passageways to a room that was dimly lit, but Hunter could still see the blood-stained floor and the red on the wall. He look a step back.

"Enter," the guard said, shoving him into the room and freeing his hands before slamming the door shut.

"Hey!" Hunter yelled, pounding on the door. "Hey, let me out!"

A hand dragged him back, forcing him to the ground, and he found himself staring up at a coven head he could hardly recognize.

"Who-"

A loud snapping sound cut him off and he realized the room was full of strange devices he'd never seen before, or he might have, he couldn't remember.

"Answer me honestly and no one gets hurt, okay?"

Hunter nodded and looked around the room again.

"Where's the key?"

Hunter's eyes widened, he remembered this. He'd been caught by a coven guard and one of the old coven heads interrogated him for hours.

Then he saw a younger version of himself and he wasn't reliving the memory anymore, he was watching it.

"Where is it?" 

"What key?" the younger Hunter asked, earning himself a slap across the face.

"Where is it?"

"I guess the better question for me to have asked is which key? I know where a lot of them are."

The coven head howled and pulled the young Hunter up by his collar.

"The one that opens the door to the castle record room you little thief."

The young Hunter grinned. "Well I'd assume a competent coven head would have it, but if it were missing I bet it would be worth a lot on the black market."

The coven head  screamed and dragged young Hunter to one of the devices and he laughed.

"What are you going to do? Slap me?"

The coven head slammed him against a bench and managed to force him onto it. Hunter growled as he was tied to the bench.

"Much better," the coven head decided. "Now tell me who did you sell it to?"

"I never said I sold it, I said I could have."

The coven head returned carrying a pale of water and a rag. "Tell me where it is."

"Well if it's that important to you, then I guess I'll tell you. I did sell it."

The coven head laughed. "Of course you did. Now tell me, to whom?"

Hunter sighed. "I'm not a snitch."

The coven head sighed and dunked the rag in water, not even bothering to ring it out.

"Last chance."

Hunter shrugged and the coven guard pressed the rag over his mouth and nose making it impossible to breath. Hunter didn't react at first, but as the seconds became a minute, and time continued to stretch on he began to squirm.

"What's wrong?"

Hunter tugged at the ropes and tried to get a breath, much to the coven head's amusement.

After a moment, the rag was finally removed.

"Wasn't that fun?"

Hunter gasped for breath as he looked at the coven head.

"Now tell me, who has the key."

"I don't know."

"So you want to have more fun?"

Hunter shook his head frantically. "I swear- I don't know."

"You sold it."

"To some guy in a cloak!"

"Who?"

"I. Don't. Know."

The coven head cut away the ropes and forced Hunter to his knees.

"Who?"

"I don't know!"

The coven head grabbed Hunter's neck and forced his face into the water, and when Hunter was finally given the chance to take a breath, the coven head wore an amused smile.

"The guard will return you to your sell shortly, until then stay here." 

---

The scene faded away and Hunter fell to his knees, shaking his head. 

Titan there was something wrong with this place. 

He needed to get away from that cave.

He needed to get rid of the cause of his misery.

He needed to destroy the stone.

Chapter Text

Hunter forced his way through horror after horror, needing to get to the gem. He didn't care who wanted it, he didn't care why they wanted it. The thing was cursed. It needed to be destroyed.

He was getting close, the bright glow was already in sight, but he couldn't bring himself to step into the cavern it sat in. He could sense the gem pulsing in preparation. It was going to make him relive his worst memory of all, and he wanted some idea of what that was before he dealt with it. 

What could it be? Hours of torture? His parents death? Would it be him snapping? Would he have to witness the aftermath of his own rage? What could he possibly face that would make it so hard to take the stone?

He took a deep breath. It didn't matter, not when all he had to do was destroy the stone and he'd get his sister back. He'd get his family back.

He entered the cavern.

---

"I am Rue Scelus! I can not be stopped!" Rue pumped her fist and charged at Hunter.

"I am Sage Sanctus! I can be stopped!" Sage said, tackling Rue, who easily brushed him off and continued toward Hunter.

Hunter grinned, quickly dodging Rue and returned to hanging up a hammock. He and Jade had been hard at work making themselves a new home. Hunter was glad that Sage and Jade had managed to run away from their awful parents, they seemed happier. Especially Jade, who was busy cooking a stew over the fire pit. It was an amazing idea to use a massive cave for their house, it was easily accessible to them, and they could easily sneak into town and steal things. 

When Hunter looked at Rue again she and Sage were sparring with old walking sticks. He laughed.

"Food's done!" Jade hollered.

Everyone made their way to the kitchen at sat down, making sure to thank Jade for the food before devouring it. Hunter was especially grateful for the nice, home cooked meal. He and Rue normally wound up eating whatever canned atrocities they could find for a cheap price. 

Hunter collected the dishes and told Rue and Sage to get dressed for bed. They were going to have an early start the next day, and those children needed sleep. With the two of them out of the way, Hunter quickly did the dishes and wrapped up some chores. Jade was hanging curtains when Hunter made it to the massive cavern that was now the living room. They'd hung some hammocks and swings around the room, and there were shelves of books everywhere. Hunter planned to read every one of them.

"What heist will it be tomorrow?" Jade asked, taking a seat on one of the swings.

Hunter shrugged. "Steal something important, sell it at the night market, you know how it goes."

Jade laughed. "Do I? Sage and I haven't gone on nearly as many missions as you and Rue."

Hunter sighed. "Do you want to do this?"

"Is it really a choice."

"It's always a choice."

Jade nodded. "This is the life I chose Hunter. This is the life I have to live."

"Only if you want to."

"I do."

Hunter sensed the doubt that radiated off of her, but there was fire in her eyes, and he knew there was no changing her mind.

"Alright. See you in the morning then."

---

Hunter blinked back to reality. He was halfway through the cavern and he was nearing the gem. The memory hadn't been as bad as he thought.

He stepped forward, all his worries started to fade away.

Then the world was gone again and he was falling, and falling, and still falling.

---

"Fire! Fire!"

Hunter hit the ground and frantically looked around to see what was happening. 

The first thing he noticed was a cabin on fire, screams broke out everywhere because of it. There were Coven Guards watching it burn, and a smaller version of Hunter was trashing against one of their grasps as he tried to make his way to the cabin.

"STAY BACK KID!" the guard ordered, pushing the young Hunter to the ground.

"NO! Hunter yelled back, once again lunging toward the burning building.

"IT'S ON FIRE!" The guard yanked Hunter back. "YOU'LL DIE!"

"NO!" Hunter yelled again, pressing forward. "No my family's in there!"

The guard wrapped his arms around the young, screaming Hunter.

"You can't go in."

Hunter continued to scream and thrash and kick and pull, but the guard didn't let go.

There was a loud thud a moment later and young Hunter was screaming Rue's name as she ran out of the building. She couldn't have been older than five.

The day my parents died, Hunter thought as he watched the scene in front of him. It haunted his dreams. He closed his eyes. He had been powerless that day. It was the first time he'd ever realized what power really was.

Power wasn't something you were given. 

Power wasn't magic.

Power was the fear that enabled you to work hard.

A fear that one day you'll end up like the person you hate most.

The person who destroyed everything.

Hunter's eyes examined the house, but the house wasn't what caught his attention this time. In all the times he replayed the day in his head he'd never noticed it.

The pair of horrid glowing blue eyes watching the scene from behind a mask.

A horrible person holding the torch that started it all.

Hunter forced himself back to reality, finding himself running for the stone. He held his staff over his head and swung.

The gem shattered as it hit the cave wall, erasing everything. Hunter picked up a shard.

"Thanks for the memories," Hunter said, biting down a pained laugh.

He was going to help his friends.

He was going to return to the castle.

And he was going to raise Hell.

Chapter Text

Hunter stormed toward the cave exit. The human was following behind him with her friends,but right then, he couldn't care less. He and his Uncle were going to have a talk, a really short, anger-induced talk.

"Hunter?" Luz called from behind him. "Where are you going buddy? You just uh- broke the thing you're supposed to take to Belos right?"

"Don't worry about it," Hunter grumbled as he stepped out of the cave into the wooded area surrounding it. "I have to go talk with him."

"About your sister?"

"About everything."

Flapjack turned into a staff and Hunter quickly flew off, checking behind him to see if he was being followed. He wasn't. Hunter wasn't exactly sure what he was about to go do, but he knew having an escape plan wasn't a bad idea, but in order to pull one off he'd need help, and he knew exactly who to ask.

---

"Should we follow him?" Luz asked as Hunter disappeared in the distance.

"I don't think that's a good idea Luz." Eda started to trek through the forest towards the owl house.

"But, what if he's in danger. I mean he did just destroy the stone and I don't think Belos will like that. Plus he used to be a criminal! Maybe we can bug him for details."

"As fun as it would be to bug the Royal brat, we should probably go," Lilith cut in.

"The Royal Brat?" Luz prompted.

"Yeah, what does that mean?" Gus asked as he and Willow joined the rest of the group.

Amity and Luz looked at Eda for clarification but she just shrugged and stared at her sister.

Lilith sighed. "Yes, the Royal Brat. Belos' nephew."

"WHAT?"

Luz wasn't sure who screamed the loudest but she was pretty sure it was a tie between Amity and Eda.

"Did you not already know that? I thought it was public information but maybe not"

"Clearly not," Eda corrected.

"Though it does explain a lot," Willow said. "Like why he's in the coven at such a young age and why he is so protective of Emperor Belos."

"That's true," Luz said, "but why doesn't he tell anyone?"

"Maybe because he doesn't want anyone to think of him as the Emperor's nephew instead of as his own person?" Lilith shrugged.

"I guess, but I still think we should follow him."

Eda shook her head. "Well at least if we die it won't be to a creature we meet in the forest."

Lilith sighed. "You can't be serious."

"Everyone who's in raise your hand!"

"Oh dear titan, you're serious."

---

"Rue, Jade, Sage!" Hunter yelled his friends' names as he cleared some rocks from the end of a tunnel. "Hey I'm going to get you out of here."

"You do that Hunter!" Rue yelled from the other side. 

"And if we can help wit anything let us know!" Jade yelled

"Actually I do need help, but not with this." Hunter jumped out off the way of some falling rocks. "Remember our castle escape route?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to need you to help me with it."

"Really!" Sage's voice made him seem excited. "We get to escape from the castle? Like the old days? For real?"

Hunter laughed. "For real Sage."

"Can I bring my KNiFe?"

"Who's bringing a what to where?"

Hunter turned to find Luz, the Owl Lady, and their friends staring at him, seemingly concerned.

"Nothing," Hunter said.

"Riiiight." Luz crossed her arms. "Would you like some help or what?"

"Yeah, sure." Hunter pointed to a couple places with his hands. "I need to moved all this to make and opening for them to get through."

"Sounds like a plan." The owl lady stepped forward and started moving the stones. "Now what's this about a knife?"

A small laugh came from inside the tunnels. 

"Looks like we're going to find out."

 

Chapter Text

"Hunter!" Rue was the first to climb out from the small area that Hunter and the Owl people had cleared and the first thing she did was tackle hug her older brother. "I've missed you."

Hunter, who was now laying on the ground covered in dirt, returned the hug. "Missed you too."

The human looked at them with narrowed eyes.

"What's with the look?" Hunter asked as the human observed them.

"What are you doing?"

"Hugging?"

"Yeah but i didn't think witches knew what that was until I came along."

"Our dad used to hug us all the time!" Rue stood up. "Actually I don't remember him not hugging us."

Hunter nodded.

"Really?" The human seemed surprised.

"Yeah, really," Sage said as he climbed out of the hole. "The first time we hung out Rue gave me a hug and I freaked out because I was so confused."

"Yeah, she loves hugging people," Jade agreed following her little brother.

"Especially my super awesome older brother." Rue said.

"Ah sarcasm," Hunter grumbled.

" Who could she ever get that from?"  Jade smirked.

"You."

"Yes, but no," Jade said.

"But yes."

"But no."

"But why?"

"Have you met yourself?"

"Yeah, definitely. Once I split myself in half and I had a super long conversation with myself. It was really eye opening and it made me re-evaluate all my decisions in life. Maybe I'll do it again sometime for a little more self-reflection which is certainly my biggest concern right now."

"Uh-huh, and you say she's sarcastic because of me."

"shut up."

"No."

"Can we leave now?"

"Where to?"

"Castle."

"Fine, but you aren't living this down."

"Yes I am."

"In your dreams maybe."

The golden brat and the older girl bickered the whole way to the castle. After they finished discussing sarcasm they argued about who cooked better, who was better at hand to hand combat and who was more likely to die in an explosion. They didn't spend to much time on the last one though since they agreed they'd both die in an explosion.

Eda still didn't understand kids.

"Why are we going to the castle?" Eda asked as another debate began.

"Explosions!" Sage yelled back at her.

"Explosions?" Luz repeated.

"And knifes," Rue added.

"Knifes?"

"And revenge," Jade chimed in.

"Revenge???"

"Murder."

"HUNTER? WHAT KIND OF CONTRIBUTION WAS THAT? EVERYTHING ELSE WAS BAD ENOUGH!"

"Sorry. We are going to go make some one wish they had died a painful and slow death instead of having to loose all natural abilities that all people have."

"You're going to torture someone?" King asked.

"To put it lightly, yes."

"Should we concerned?" Eda asked

"Yes."

"We're here!" Jade called as they landed near the castle. "Now we just need to get in."

"I could go through the front, but I'll stay with you. We can take the back way dressed as scouts." Hunter pointed to an enterence.

"How do you propose we do that?" Lilith asked.

"Easy," Hunter said, "We steal uniforms."

"From who?"

"Kikimora, WHO DO YOU THINK?" Hunter whisper shouted. "THE GUARDS GENIUS."

"You really do like sarcasm."

"Yeah, I know."

"Are we actually doing this?" Eda asked as they snuck through the back  in their disguises. "and did you really just attack those guards golden brat?"

"My name is Hunter, and yes to both questions."

"Why?"

"It's a long story. Now remember, getting in was the easy part. Getting out won't be nearly as smooth."

"Smooth?" A wretched voice chimed in from ahead of them.

Kikimora's horrible grin was the last thing Hunter wanted to see.

"What isn't going to be smooth?"

Chapter Text

"None of your buisness." Hunter crossed his arms. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you and these Guards are conspiring." Kikimorra scowled.

"We aren't Conspiring we are simply discussing security. We heard someone was going to attempt to break out today and the Golden Guard here wanted to ensure that didn't happen." Sage sounded like a guard.

"We're you now?" Kikimorra narrowed her eye. "Well since you returned I'm sure the Emperor would like to see you."

Hunter nodded. "He probably would, but that's a bit difficult to do when your in my way."

"Tell me Golden Guard, why didn't you come into the castle through the front entrance?"

"I thought I saw something. It was a false alarm, but since I was already over here it was easier to just enter from over here."

Kikimorra clenched her fist. "I-"

"That’s it!" Jade lurched forward and knocked Kikimorra to the ground. "No one asked for your opinion."

Kiki scoffed. "I will be telling the emperor about this!"

Jade removed her mask, revealing an extremely unsettling smile. "Are you really? Or are you going to burn?"

Jade pulled Kiki off the ground with one hand and pulled a knife from her belt. "Well?"

Kikimorra was clearly at a loss for words and Hunter smirked.

---

"Should we do something?" Luz whispered to Eda.

"I'm not- I don't know."

"Today just keeps getting better and better," Lilith grumbled from behind them.

"OH FORGET THIS!" Rue yelled, ripping off her disguise. "BEAT HER UP JADE."

Kikimorra screamed, but one punch from Jade and she was out cold.

---

Hunter wasn't sure how to react to the chaos that errupted after Jade punched Kikimorra. 

He could hear people rushing toward them, and Rue was cackling like there was no tomorrow.

"We need to go,"  Hunter warned. "Now."

Everyone followed him down a series of hallways until the reached a training room. It smelled like sweat, blood, tears, and burning bodies.

It was not supposed to smell like burning bodies.

"Ugh." Rue covered her nose. "It smells bad. Not like a normal bad. Like a 'this smell makes me want to vomit five times then faceplant in it so I dont have to smell it anymore' kind of bad"

Hunter looked at his sister in disgust. "That’s-just-ew."

"That’s what I'm saying!"

"I think Hunter is referimg to your very descriptive way of stating it." Jade shuddered.

"Nooooo, really? I would never habe guessed."

"She is definitely your sister."

Hunter smiled. "I know."

---

"I hate to interrupt," Lilith chimed in. "But can we please get out of here. It makes me fell sick."

Luz was glad Lilith said something. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold in her lunch.

Hunter nodded and led them out another door. Which led them to a room that smelled worse.

---

Hunter looked around the room and did everything he could to not throw up.

He really did not like the sight of dead people.

Especially when they were on fire.

Chapter Text

"New plan!" Hunter yelled, leading the group towards the tower he had been so desperate to escape not long before. "We need to leave. Now."

The group followed without question, which he appreciated. Within moments, they were packed into his room and he began shoving his things into bags. Rue and Sage each took one. Jade took two. "We can leave through the window," Hunter said. "Rue can ride with me, if some of you would let-"

"Sage can ride with me," Amity said. "Which just leaves Jade."

"I can help with that." Willow smiled.

They all mounted their staffs. "Let's go!"

Hunter and Rue left first, but the others weren't far behind. As they flew over the castle, flames overtook the top floors.

"What happened?" Gus asked.

"We didn't do anything." Jade looked back at Sage. "Did you?"

"Nope."

"I hate to interrupt," Lilith said, "but where are we going."

"Don't worry," Hunter called over his shoulder. "I know a place."

---

Seeing the cave again stung.

Hunter knew he'd messed it up after they were gone, but he never really got the chance to see it after. He'd passed out and when he woke up he was in that cage. Sighing, he made his way to where their hammocks were supposed to be hung.

"It's not as bad as it could be," Jade said. "All we need to do is re-shelf all the books, rehang the hammocks, and clean up around our campfire spot."

"Easier said than done." Hunter picked up one of the hammocks. "These things are old and ripped. We need new ones,  and with no-one here, those book probably got destroyed by rain runoff."

"So we rebuild." She shrugged. "New books, new hammocks, new campfire."

A slight smiles tugged at his lips. "We still have to clean all this up though."

"The four of us can do that in no time! You're still the King! You know how to make things desirable, even if it's just a bunch of junk."

"So what exactly is your plan?"

"We put all of this into bags and we take it to the market. You get people to buy it, and we buy better things with the money we get!"

"That is definitely a plan."

"You don't like it?"

"Well, it's just... I haven't done that in a long time, and the coven guards are probably looking for me."

"Hunter."

"Do you really think I still have it in me?"

"Hunter, you convinced me to run away from home and become a criminal. I think you need to give yourself more credit. Besides, what's that thing you always say? Old habits last forever?"

"Old habits die hard," Hunter corrected her. "Alright, we can try it."

Jade smiled and waved over Rue and Sage, telling them her plan.

Hunter smiled. Maybe she's right. Maybe I am still the King.

---

Watching Hunter annoyed Eda.

She'd met this kid, he'd nearly gotten her killed, and yet there he was, smiling and talking to his family.

Well, part of his family.

She had finally began to warm up to him, especially since the others had told them about their criminal past, but he was still Belos' nephew. That was not someone she could ever trust.

Still, she couldn't help but watch as he introduced them to Flapjack. His little sister jumped on his back and he spun her around until she wasn't able to walk straight. It almost looked perfect. It was perfect actually. It reminded her of Lily when they were kids. They'd turned out okay, hadn't they?