Whaaa-? My esteemed purr-tner in crime, :linkmelodystar:, a fan of Undertale and Deltarune? Whatever gave you that idea, you all are crazy!
The three heroes of light wandered through the dark halls, wary of the many traps and foes that had been in their way so far. Their wandering had taken them to an ominous corridor with a lone, heavy door at the end. “Kim? I don’t like it in here...” Allistar, the caring but timid goat mage whimpered, huddling close to his friends. The brave and kind fighter, Kim, smiled back at him. “It’s all right, Allistar. We’ve been through worse together, and we’ll make it through this too! Right, Xandere?” He winked at the stoic warrior who was bringing up the rear. A short “Hmmph.” was the response. The trio approached the jail door and could heard a vague sobbing that sounded more and more like cackling the longer they listened…
“BOO HOO, BOO HOO, UEE HEE HEE. SO LONELY, LONELY I BE… “ Kim lifted up the goat boy so both could could peer through the barred windows, but both only saw darkness. “BUT LO, THREE VISITORS STANDING INSIDE?” The imprisoned stranger spoke up, apparently having noticed the team. “WHO ARE YOU FEW?” “Aaah!” Scared, Allistar jumped down and hid behind his friend, Xandere instinctively stepping forward with his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Nice to meet you.” The heroic cat decided to break the ice and defuse the tension. “I’m Allistar, this is Kim and he’s Xand- “ The warrior cart brusquely interrupted. “What the heck are you doing in there? “I AM INNOCENT, INNOCENT. I JUST WANTED TO PLAY A GAME, GAME.” The prisoner giggled. “BUT THE BORING KINGS FOUND SUCH FUN TO BE A TROUBLE. AS PUNISHMENT, THEY CRAVED TO IMPRISON MY BODY. BUT I’M FAST, FAST, CLEVER, CLEVER. THEY LOST THE CHACE, AND LOCKED UP THEIR ENTIRE RACE, BUILDING A PRISON AROUND THE WHOLE WORLD. NOW I’M THE ONLY FREE ONE!!” Kim, Xandere and Allistar shared a confused look from the figure’s ramblings. “Huh? Free? But you’re clearly the one behind bars…” Allistar asked the question on everybody’s lips. “THINGS DON’T SEEM SUCH FROM HERE, LIGHTNERS!” Sounded the maniacal reply. Scoffing, Xandere turned around and started leaving. “Sounds like you don’t need help.” The stranger grinned in their cell. “THAT IS UN-SO. I GROW LONELY IN MY LITTLE FREEDOM.” The swordsman turned around. “Hm?” “SHALL YOU PLAY A GAME WITH ME, ME…? I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FREE! FIND THE KEY, I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FREE! THE KEY IS HIDDEN FROM THE EYES. THE YOUNG SHOPKEEPER KNOWS A SECRET...”
The trio leave the castle, quite confused by their eccentric encounter. “Young shopkeeper?” Kim pondered out loud. “I mean I really want to help… whoever that was, but who do you think they meant?” The boy wizard eagerly jumped up and down. “Oh! Oh! What about Ashleam! She has a shop and had a mysterious friend who was put in prison!” “You’re right! That must be it!” The hero of light snapped his fingers. “Good thinking, Allistar! Now, to Ashleam’s Shop!” “Heeee~” The goat boy smiled proudly and blushed a little. Xandere just grunted and followed.
The feline shopkeep happily greeted her favourite customers, but quickly turned melancholy when asked about the prisoner, which she revealed was called Peppevil. In fact, Ashleam used to be a performer alongside Peppevil and even her girlfriend. But then her fellow jester learned something that had her go crazy, driving her to increasingly dangerous and disruptive acts until the king was forced to imprison her and Ashleam retired from performing for a quieter career. The salescat decided that perhaps it was best if that Peppevil was dealt with once and for all, instead of letting her stew in her madness alone. She handed the heroes a ornate golden key, and wished them the best of luck.
The prisoner the gang now knew was called Peppevil instinctively sensed their approach, with the method of her release. “UEE HEE HEE! THE KEY, THE KEY! A MARVELOUS FUN IS ABOUT TO BREAK FREE! WON’T YOU LET YOURSELVES OUTSIDE?” Kim, Allistar and Xandere shared a look of DETERMINATION. They slid the key into the massive gate, found a smaller portal swinging open, and entered…
The most peculiar figure was standing in the empty cell: a red panda girl in purple jester garb, golden bells jingling as she jumped in excitement and a maniacal grin or her face. The walls had a surreal striped pattern painted on them not unlike a carousel. “H-hello? You are Peppevil, right?” Allistar nervously spoke up.
“UEE HEE! VISITORS, VISITORS! NOW WE CAN PLAY, PLAY! THEN, AFTER YOU, I CAN PLAY WITH EVERYONE ELSE, TOO!” The insane harlequin cackled loudly. Xander scoffed in his usual fashion and Kim seemed a bit apprehensive, but Allistar, in his innocence, seemed interested. “Oh, I love games~! What game do you want to play?” “OH, IT'S JUST A SIMPLE NUMBERS GAME.” Peppevil giggled. “WHEN YOUR HP DROPS TO 0, YOU LOSE!” The heroic kitten pulled his goat friend away just in time for a large scythe to drop in front of his snout, missing him by mere inches. “Aaah!” Xandere grinned eagerly and became unusually verbose, for his standards at least. “So that's the kind of game you want to play, huh...? Then, let me warn you… You're dealing with a couple of sharks…” “UEE HEE HEE! SHARK-TO-SHARK! I WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY!” The jester’s cackling was so intense the trio feared her face was going to explode. “NOW, NOW!! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!”
“UEEE-HAAA-HA-HA-HAAAAAA!!!"
Kim (as Kris) and Allistar (as Ralsei) are :iconMelodyStar:'s characters Xander (aka Xandere, replacing Susie) is a character owned by us both While Pepper Cayenne (aka Peppevil, filling in for Jevil) is mine Art by https://www.deviantart.com/clarakerber
