Chapter 6: Bite of a Viper
"A Tale of Fallen Heroes (Pt.6)"
Chapter 6: Bite of a Viper
The three heroes practically flew over the treetops, bouncing from one to another, quickly. They bounded across the leaves, almost racing each other. The moonlit branches and greenery shone silver in the early morning. The sun was not up—nor would it be for a few more hours.
Bumblewing's heart was pounding, loudly. She was positive that Remmytail could hear it. The trio came to a stop and she tried to halt her ragged breathing. She couldn't help being apprehensive—they'd all been awake because of uneasy feelings that something bad was going to happen! So was this that something bad? She wasn't sure she wanted to find out.
She muffled a yelp as Remmytail suddenly snatched her around the waist--forcing her to a sudden stop in the foliage. He silently pointed ahead of their route to where a crowd of people stood---which he'd noticed due to his heightened senses.
After a few more moments, he indicated for Foxglove and Bumblewing to follow him. They watched his lithe figure slide across a thick branch--barely disturbing the leaves. The two friends followed suit. At last, they came as close to the campfire as they dared. Concealed, they sat there and watched the proceedings. The people below seemed to be waiting for something. Or rather, someone. They stood in an awkward semi-circle, facing the fire and looking around, anxiously. The three heroes stood in tense crouches, even more tense than the people in the clearing. This went on for twenty-or-so minutes before anything happened. Correction; before anything interesting happened.
From his position in the trees, Remmy saw a figure walking at a leisurely pace towards the conflicted crowd. He quietly nudged Foxglove and the bee heroine, motioning towards the newcomer. The man approached the people at a leisurely pace, like he had all the time in the world.
The man was tall and powerful-looking. His skin was tanned, but it was hard be certain in the fire-light. It was difficult to tell, but Rem could have sworn the man's hair purple and was in a high ponytail. He had a deadly shade of violet robes with almost poison-black armored-plating on his legs. He wore thick black calf-length boots---they looked almost military-grade. The rat hero wished he could have gotten a better look at the man, but for secrecy's sake he decided to remain in the foliage.
The hidden heroes watched as the mystery-man strode towards the crowd, who were barely noticing his presence. He finally made his way to a stop in front of the gathered people. He smirked and looked at each of their faces. He held his arms out in a mock-grand-gesture, almost sarcastically.
"Welcome, friends."
His voice had an eerie quality to it--like it could resonate without an echo. Or like he could speak matters of great volume and never have to raise it about a whisper. It felt like poisonous honey and goosebumps that just wouldn't go away.
"You all know why you're here," the powerful man drawled. "We have waited in the shadows for far too long. It is the nature of men to be at the top of the chain, to always succeed. We live in a world where it the choices are to be powerful or powerless. There is no in-between, not if you want to live." The man paused. "You're either the Most Powerful Man in the Room, or you're nothing," he spat. He sharply turned to the side and fixed each member of the crowd with a surveying stare. "This is your last chance," he spoke in a low, dangerous voice.
From his vantage point in the trees, Remmytail could see an even larger crowd, slowly walking through the underbrush. Their movements were almost too well-paced---too synchronized. It was unnatural. Rem felt queasy and felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end. His instincts told him to get out of there. But he couldn't. He couldn't look away, he needed to know who this man was and what was his plan.
"This is your last chance to join me," came the chilling voice in the clearing. "To join us."
The hazy figures appeared through the smog. They were practically surrounding the crowd near the fire, but they left enough space between them so as not to startle away the impressionable people.
"So what will it be?"
Some of the crowd looked weary and alarmed, but the majority looked decisive. The latter readily pledged their allegiance to the man silhouetted against the firelight. The few uneasy were obviously conflicted and uncomfortable.
The man in charge noticed these stragglers and lowered his head, acceptingly. He closed his eyes and turned away from the firelight, drowning his features in the darkness.
"Very well," came his toxic voice. "For those of you who don't wish to join our ranks, you may leave."
The outer circle of Tainted people opened up, guiding the way to the exit. With relieved features, the previously-uncertain people filed out of the clearing, gratefully. But they only got a few feet down the path before collapsing in the tall grass in pain, to the three hidden heroes' collective surprise.
The people on the ground writhed and screamed in the night, with no visible causes of ailments. The heroes in the greenery were tense in fear and adrenaline. Remmytail glanced to his left to see Bumblewing's jaw clench with her eyes shut tight in horror. He reached a hand out to her and tentatively clasped her wrist in a manner that was meant to be comforting. At his touch, her wide blue eyes flew open and locked gazes with his.
"We need to stop this," she murmured lowly, knowing that he'd be the only one who could catch her words.
"I know," he practically breathed back. "But we need to report this to the rest of the team, first."
"Rem," her voice broke. "There are innocent people, down there, suffering. I have to find a way to stop it!"
"I know, B, but only Ladybug can help them. We need to go back there and tell her and King Noir what we just saw."
"No," interjected Foxglove's whisper. "If we leave now, those people are going to die. We need to do something about it!"
"No, no! We can't! Just please," Remmytail pleaded with the other two. "Let's go get help and then we can come back and save them. If we leave now, we might make it in ti--!"
Foxglove leapt out of the tree with a war cry. Half a second later, Bumblewing was hot on his tail. Instincts practically on fire, Remmytail hesitated for a moment. He knew that King Noir and Ladybug needed to be aware of the situation. On the other hand, his other two friends had hot-headedly leapt into danger, with no backup or even a plan. The brunette male made a split-second decision and jumped down, mentally cursing as he went.
By the time he landed on his feet, the figures on the ground had figured out the heroes were attempting an ambush and were already fighting back. To his left, Foxglove was dueling four Tainted people with his pole. And to his right, he saw Bumblewing leaping every now and then to attack people from above.
Remmy barely had any time to catch his footing before he registered the oncoming fist making its way towards his face. Quick as a flash, he ducked his head and used his opponent's momentum against them, laying a few of his own quick-punches along their torso. The bombardment sent the Tainted man shooting backwards and into a few of his comrades. Not even a second later, more opponents obscured the rat hero's field of vision.
He didn't know how long he fought. How long his wrists ached and his fists swelled. He didn't know how long his adrenaline was pumping or how long the cut on his lip bled. All that he was aware of was the instinct to stay alive and to help his friends. Just to keep on fighting.
But all too soon, even that wasn't an option, anymore. The heroes were overwhelmed by the crowd of villians and were pinned to the ground, still struggling with every ounce of power they had.
Recognizing that the odds were not in their favor, Remmytail was the first to stop struggling. But his motives were far from giving up. He slowed his breathing and loosened his limbs, gathering what little forms of rest he could get, and saving his remaining energy for the possibility of a getaway escape. His brown eyes darted about the calming fray, looking for exits.
A figure moved and stooped in front of him--the mystery man. At this proximity, Rem could see the faint purple hues in the man's hair and the military-style ponytail keeping it out of his face. His amber eyes were narrow and unnerving. The rat hero gave a start of irrepressible adrenaline and fear. The man had snake-eyes.
The purple-haired man circled the three heroes, stopping in front of Bumblewing. He smirked as he regarded her struggling form. "This one's still fighting," his chuckled, darkly. "What a shame to still have hope in survival. It's pitiful."
"Leave her alone!"
The snake-man turned toward the voice. He stalked slowly to Foxglove, whose fight had been rekindled.
"You heroes are stupid," he sneered. "You have no common sense. Your heads are too clouded with self-conscious thoughts. You never stop to consider that you may not be the most powerful beings---you don't know when to quit. Well," He glanced to the side at Remmytail. "Some of you know when you're beat. Isn't that right, boy?"
"Y-you're Night Viper," Remmytail diverted the topic, although he was struggling to breathe under all the grips that held his throat. He saw the tears well in Bumblewing's eyes. He so desperately wanted to assure her that he hadn't given up, but that would reveal his only chance at their survival. He needed to keep everyone distracted.
The supervillain laughed, maniacally. "Took you long enough."
Rem felt his air supply dwindling. "H-how...?" He let his question trail off, hoping that Night Viper would interpret his question in some way that might reveal his plans.
"Ah," the viper villain smirked. "You want to know how my Tainted followers came to be."
The brunette man nodded, feeling like he was mentally grasping at straws. Luckily for him, Night Viper was an arrogant and boastful man.
"I don't see the harm in telling you since you're going to die, anyway. Look around you," the man indicated the crowd with wide arms. "What do they all have in common?"
The people stood stalk-still. There were men, women, and even children. They had costumes of every shape and color. Others had gray or sickly green skin and glowing eyes. They all had the same expression, of emptiness and blind trust in their leader. They varied so much, it was hard to see what they all shared. Until one looked at their feet....
"An--anklet," Remmytail choked out.
Night Viper cackled. "Yes! The stone snakes are the sources of their power. The vipers wrap around their feet---forming an anklet---a snakelet, if you will." He mimicked a pout. "I can tell you're a smart man with a rare sense of intuition. It's a pity that I have to kill you."
"Why not just Taint us, instead?" came Bumblewing's taunting voice. Remmytail proudly looked over at her and at her mischievous blue eyes, still shining even in the face of adversity.
The villain slunk closer to her, walking with a sickeningly smooth gait. "Because, Sweet Cheeks, you all are liabilities," he shrugged. "Even better, I have something else in store for you."
"You wanna know what I have in store for you, Scaley Butt?" Foxglove yelled out. "Mirage!!"
There was a blinding flash and the sound of a struggle. Momentarily blinded, Remmy felt his assailants being flung from his body and a hand gripped his own, pulling him up. He gasped and filled his lungs with air. Lightheaded, he leant against the person next to him for support.
"Are you okay, Rem?!" came the frantic whisper.
"Yeah," he gasped in air. "Thanks, B."
"Don't thank me, yet. We haven't even gotten out of here! Can you stand?"
"Yes, I think so."
Remmytail tested his footing and was relieved to find himself upright, on his own. At last, the light from Foxglove's mirage faded and was replaced with exact copies of himself, Remmytail, and the bee heroine. The brown-haired man quickly blinked his eyes and tried to shake off the shock of the scenario. Foxglove must have been trying to confuse their attackers.
He felt a slim hand clasp his own and looked down to see the raven-haired girl. "I don't want to lose you," Bumblewing murmured under her breath. "Stay with me?"
Rem felt his dimple rise as he smiled, softly. He brought her hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. "Until the very end."
"Looks like it's coming sooner for you, then!" came a nasal voice, behind the pair.
The two whipped around to see a woman with wings for arms charging at them. Hands still interlocked, Remmytail and the bee heroine dodged her attack. After immediately straightening up, the man lunged forward and latched onto the bird-woman's ankle and yanked down. The option caused her wings to be jolted painfully to the side and made her lose her height in the air. She fell in a heap on the ground. But she wasn't there for long. She kicked out at Bumblewing's feet, knocking them underneath her and consequently bringing her down. She jumped on top of the fallen heroine and punched her cheek before Remmy let out an enraged yell and bodily lifted her off of the beautiful woman.
"You think you can contain me?!" the bird-woman shrieked. She bit down on his hand and broke from his hold. She swiftly turned around and delivered a perfectly-executed throat-punch. Once the brunette man choked and was coughing on the ground, she knocked him over and placed a heavy foot on his throat---effectively cutting off his air supply.
"Come on, Rat Boy," she taunted. "You're such a smart man, you should know this. I'm a bird," she said as if explaining it to a particularly dull person. "Do you know what birds do? They hunt rats."
"Then you should know," came a dark and angry voice behind her. "That foxes kill birds."
Foxglove appeared, looking dangerous. He pulled the woman off of his friend and kneed her in the gut to knock out her breath.
She staggered, swaying slightly but looking murderous. "You wanna dance, pretty boy?!" she practically screeched.
"Oh yeah, I'm the master of dance battles. Waltz, tango, Irish folk, you name it." He lifted his pole-flute and grinned, darkly. "Bring it on, Birdie."
The woman halted for a bit, looking confused at his wording. At her hesitation, Foxglove took his chance and gripped her arm, vaulted her into the air, and used his pole to bat her away from the scene and into a tree. They trio watched as she crashed head-first into the trunk and lay limply in the branches, above. Remmytail was certain that she wouldn't be getting out of that predicament any time soon.
Seeing that Foxglove had already moved on and was dueling someone else, the rat hero slid to Bumblewing's side. He gently touched her cheek, wishing he could heal it, himself. "A-are you okay?" His hands matched his shaky voice.
The blue-eyed girl patted his shoulder. "I'm fine. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't take any hits?"
He cradled her head and brought her closer to his lean chest. "I'd prefer if you didn't take any," he spoke lowly with his lips nearly pressed against her ear.
She sat back on her heels and looked him in the eye. "You don't get a say in the matter, I'm afraid." With that, she winked and ran off into the thick of the battle.
Remmytail took a quick moment to survey his surroundings. Bumble and Foxglove were in the biggest part of the battle and had each other's backs, so he didn't think he was needed there. However, his heightened vision allowed him to see a few Tainted people on the edge of the clearing, trying to escape. He couldn't have that happen.
The rat hero launched himself in front of their paths. "Where did you think you're going?" He deadpanned.
A man who wore all red armor and had glowing yellow eyes grimaced. "I knew I smelled a rat."
"Seriously?" Rem lifted an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be an insult? Even Flower, back there, has better insults than that."
The man growled, animaliscally. He and his buddies charged at the hero, who dodged them easily. "Multitude!"
He guided his smaller clones into the small crowd of deserters, knocking them down with every kick to the ankle that each made. Once they were all down, he released his power-transformation, uniting to his larger form of himself and went to join his friends.
Someone pulled him backward, aggressively, making him fall to the ground. He grimaced and looked up to see a man with bird wings instead of arms. He groaned, realizing that he must have been related to the bird-woman.
"Look, man," Remmytail looked the man dead in the eyes, from his place on the floor with his arms crossed. "I'm so tired of all these tactical moves, so, sorry for this." He full-on kicked the bird-man in the stomach. The man shot back several feet and the rat hero groaned in relief.
He was about to get up when he heard it. The blood curdling, heart-wrenching, horrified and pain-filled scream. Heart pounding, he spun around and looked for the source. He felt all the blood drain from his face. He felt like he was going to puke. There, convulsing on the ground, was Bumblewing.
Forgetting that he was in the midst of the battle, Remmytail sprinted to her side. "What is it?!" he was crying. "Where are you hurt?!"
"My leg!" her voice was ripped and broken from her scream. The stunning girl shrieked, tears streaming down her face. "My leg!!"
Eyes wide with terror, the man scanned her legs until he found the source of her ailment. A pool of blood had formed right below her achilles heel, from a puncture in her boot. He gingerly removed the shoe as best as he could, but the girl still cried and writhed in pain. He felt his breath freeze and a tight knot formed in his chest. There, visible on her ankle were two circular puncture marks. A snake bite.
Barely a second after realizing this, he felt Bumblewing tense in his arms. "Rem!" she screamed.
"I know!" he tried to console her. "It's a snake bite, I know. I'm going to get yo--!" He cut himself off with a muffled yell as he felt the sudden sharp pain behind his knee.
He cried out after the shock was over and he fell to the ground, still cradling the girl's head against his chest. He faintly registered Foxglove's pained outburst as he too was bitten by the venomous viper. The beaten and bruised orange-clad hero fell to the floor, not eight feet away from the other two writhing heroes.
"Ah," came the toxic voice of Night Viper. In his peripheral vision, Remmytail could see the villain taking slow and measured steps toward them. "You've met my little pets. As you've probably guessed, the vipers don't just Taint my followers. No, their bites are also extremely deadly. In fact, they're twice as powerful as your King Noir's Cataclysm, and they are more than twice as slow and corrosive."
He regarded the heroes on the ground with another glance. "Hmmm, which one of you was bitten first?" He leaned forward. "Let me see....ah! The girl," he sneered. "Yes, she should be exhibiting the second-stage effects in a few moments." The man paused. "There it is!" he gloated.
Sure enough, the rat hero heard the wrenched and even more agonized scream that tore from Bumblewing's inert figure. Remmytail painstakingly turned to look down at the girl against his chest. To his horror, the brunette male saw the patches of gray spreading across her skin. They looked like burns, but underneath her skin---the poison had worked its way into her main bloodstream.
Rem lifted his head long enough to look at Night Viper. "What are the symptoms?!" he demanded. He tried not to let too much fear color his voice as he yelled again. "What are the stages?!"
For a moment, the villain looked dumbfounded. At last, he relented, looking bored. "The first is uncontrollable pain and the loss of all body functions. The second is internal burning and corrosiveness---which turns the skin a dark gray. And the third and final stage is when the venom makes its way into the heart and burns it. The people can't actually feel this and will mostly be left unable move. It's like the calm before the storm. Or the 'death', in this case."
Remmytail could feel the burning of his own bloodstream---it felt like it was suddenly replaced with the most vile acid. He wanted to scream, but for the sake of the uncontrollably writhing girl in his hold, he buried the pain deep down. Already, he movements were slowing down and her feverish screaming was fading. Splotched of gray had appeared on her face---she was in the final stages of the bite's effects. Rem couldn't help but think that she was still the most gorgeous girl he'd ever laid eyes on.
He shifted her form up closer to him. He lightly brushed her bangs from her sweat-plastered and bruised face. "H-hey," his voice croaked. He tried again. "Hey, Beautiful."
Her limp form shook for a second as she strained to move her head backward, desperate to see him. "Rem," she whispered. Her tear-stained cheeks were a deep ash color now. She choked back another cry, still visibly in pain.
"Shh," the brunette man comforted her as best as he could. "I'm right here."
When her cries didn't cease, Remmytail tilted her chin up. The small effort was pure agony, but he didn't let it phase him. He kissed the top of her head. "I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you," he confessed, at last. "Or, from the moment that you pushed me out of the way from Muteineer." He amended.
Dried tears clumped Bumble's eyelashes together. "R-really?" her voice was incredibly weak, now.
"Yes."
"I fell for you when--" she broke off with a single sob. She cleared her throat. "I fell in love with you after our third battle, when you stayed behind to make sure that the little boy would be safe and to make sure he wouldn't be bullied for getting Tainted."
Remmy remembered that. The little boy had been his best friend's younger brother. He'd always cared for him.
"Kiera," the girl's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked down at Bumblewing in question. She smiled sadly. "My name is Liu Kiera. Someone might as well know, and I'm glad that it's you."
Kiera. The name hit Remmytail harder than he expected. Not her. No, not her, too. Liu Keira. He already had to lose Bumblewing, his hero friend and his love. But now he had to die, knowing that it was his civilian best friend who he had been fighting alongside with, all that time. And he, Colby, was going to lose her. Twice.
Tears flooded his vision and the broken sob escaped from his chest. The pain from the venom was torturous, but the pain from this revelation was so much worse.
Bumbl---Keira hugged closer too Remmy, asking what was wrong and if she could help.
He stopped crying. "I-it's nothing, I j-just---," he hesitated. "I just would have liked to kiss you one last time."
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Colby didn't need to be asked twice. He leant down and pressed his lips to the ravenette's. She tasted like the peaches from her father's tree that they had eaten as children. He could taste the salt from her tears that had fallen on her lips.
When they drew apart, he could see her skin had gotten even more ashen. She didn't have long left. Kiera's eyes were hooded, now. She fought to stay conscious.
"What's your name?" she asked, her voice still more quiet. "Who are you?"
Remmytail considered how to answer. At last, he spoke. "No one of importance, you don't know my civilian identity," he lied. How could he bestow such a burden to the dying beauty? It would kill her sooner to find out that he, Colby, was in reality her best friend, and was the same man that was dying right next to her.
"I don't believe that for a second," she spoke, softly. "You're everything to me."
She was losing control of her body, she couldn't keep her head up, anymore. Remmy caught her up in his arms, determined that she would remain comfortable. But even he could barely feel his arms. His time was limited, too.
"I love you," he said, suddenly. He needed her to know it. He needed her to know that she was never going to be alone, even in death.
"I love you, too." The words were even quieter than before, but he caught them. Tears streamed from his cheeks as he laid them both back against the clearing floor.
He took her hand with what little strength remained. His voice cracked and his body was on fire, but he still persisted. "Will you stay with me?"
A ghost of a smile graced Keira's lips. "Until the very end."
They laid there, in their last moments. Gathered together, hand-in-hand, they finally rested.
No one should have to suffer alone. No one should have to die a painful death. And no one should especially watch their two best friends die in front of their eyes. But Foxglove did. He endured it. He suffered in silence as his friends confessed their love for each other. He gritted his teeth to stop the scream that bubbled inside him as the venom burned his insides. He quietly cried as he watched his friends die in each other's arms. He did it all, because he knew no one else could.
Kiro was strong, and not just as his superhero persona, Foxglove. He was strong. Sometimes, a little too strong, as she often liked to tell him.
She always told him that he took on too much. That he needed to rest. But he never told her that if he didn't take on it all, someone else would have to. And there was no one else who could carry burdens as much or as well as Chen Kiro. So he did it all in silence. Just as he silently laid on the forest floor, mere feet away from the cold forms of his best friends, and watched the early morning light come in. He waited for his demise.
A chuckle resonated to his left. He knew at once that it was the vile villain, Night Viper.
"With these false heroes out of the way," the man spoke to his followers. "We can seize their miraculouses and use them to persuade the rest of the world." He laughed, but it was cut short. "What's this?" he asked them, sounding furious.
Foxglove heard his footsteps come nearer. Soon enough, Night Viper was standing in front of him. His amber snake's eyes were blazing with anger. "Why aren't you dead yet?" he ground out.
"Ever heard of the 'human spirit', Sunshine?" Kiro tried to laugh, but his gravelly voice was too broken. "Turns out it's pretty hard to kill."
"Why you--!"
"--Who's there?!"
Kiro's eyes widened. He knew that voice. Gathering what little strength he had, he took a deep breath. "LADYBUG!!" he yelled out. "It's Night Vi--!"
The villain grabbed ahold of his throat and squeezed. The man's touch against the fox hero's skin was unbearable---he screamed out in pain, hoping that his friend would hear. Because if he was going to die today, he at least wanted someone to take out his murderer.
"You think you're so funny, don't you, Little Fox?" Night Viper looked dangerously down at the hero he was strangling. "Do you have any last words?"
"Yeah," he wheezed out. "I hope she whoops your scaly butt."
The viper villain threw Foxglove away from him. The hero crashed against a tree with a scream of unimaginable pain. Through the muffled ringing in his ears, he was able to discern two words.
"Finish him."
The first rays of the morning light burst through the foliage. The warm colors danced across the sky, calming the man, even as he was about to face his end. He focused his steadily clouding eyes at the prominent purple hue over the village. Purple always was her favorite color.
He barely registered the sting of the viper's bite on his calf. He didn't care anymore. Why? Because the sky was purple. He exhaled deeply, finally at rest, and welcomed death with open arms.
Goodbye, Madeline, My Love, was the last thought in his head.
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