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dreamingoffairys · 6 years

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Underworkings: Chapter 3

hello hello it is i, ever, with an update for underworkings at last

i hope this chapter is worth the wait, i struggled on it because i wanted it to be good for you guys, since you’ve been waiting for so long. hopefully, it meets your expectations. <3

please leave a reply/reblog/tags or shoot me an ask and tell me what you think! enjoy!

(and if you’d rather read it on ao3, here’s the link.)

chapter 3: with nightfall

The moment the strange projection shouts “BEGIN!”, Sabertooth takes off running up the ramp. The makeshift stairs are made of different sized wooden slats that wind upward towards the strange, spherical maze.

Rufus leads the way, holding onto his hat as his hair flies out behind him. He’s followed by a determined Yukino, her stride wide as she takes the “steps” a few at a time. Behind her, Sting and Orga run at an almost equal pace, leaving Rogue to take up the rear.

Sting knows he shouldn’t look behind him to check on Rogue, but he can’t help himself. Once Orga gets ahead, he whips his head around to glance behind him. Dread fills his stomach at the sight of Rogue clearly struggling to keep up. Shadow magic leaks off of his body, giving him a bit of a speed boost as well as making his steps softer, decreasing the amount of weight he puts on his mangled leg. Sting swears under his breath and faces front again, not wanting to lose his speed. If Rogue falls behind a bit, he’ll manage to catch up. He always does...if he doesn’t, he’ll face a much worse fate than getting separated.

“Almost there!” Orga bellows, starting to sound excited. “Let’s kick some fucking ass, Sabertooth!”

“Most certainly!” Rufus replies with a slightly maniacal laugh, dashing forward even faster. Sting bites his lip and says nothing, instead staring at the back of Yukino’s head as she keeps pace with the rest of the team. What’s her story, Sting wonders? And why has Master Jiemma chosen her to be on the team? Sure, Minerva is gone, but this girl is new… She isn’t as strong as the other members, nor has she proved herself particularly useful so far. It’s almost like her being here is a fluke. But Master Jiemma doesn’t make mistakes... Sting feels his stomach twist again. He knows Jiemma’s sick in the head, but had he possibly put her on the team because he knew she’d lose, and he’d have a chance to show off his power and authority?

No. It couldn’t be. Jiemma wouldn’t risk tarnishing Sabertooth’s name so he could have his fun, would he…?

A shout of pain behind Sting jolts him out of his thoughts, causing him to skid to a halt and look behind him. To his shock and horror, Rogue has tripped and fallen, holding onto the side of the wooden slats with the tips of his fingers. “ROGUE!” Sting screams, not even caring how emotional it sounds, and rushes forward. He quickly pulls Rogue back onto the ramp, panting and looking at him as his throat tightens. “Are you okay? Did you hurt it more?”

“St-Sting…” Rogue whispers. “The others.”

Sting’s blood runs cold. He drops Rogue’s arm and takes a step back. “Next time, get up yourself. That was pretty pathetic.”

“Pretty sure I never asked for your help,” Rogue replies cooly, but Sting can see the gratitude in his eyes. “Next time, keep going and keep your hands off of me.”

“Can you two stop bickering like children?” Rufus snaps. “We are losing our lead every second you stand here dawdling like a bunch of buffoons!”

“Right, of course,” Sting averts his eyes. “Let’s keep going!” He glances at Rogue one last time, then turns and takes off for the top.

Finally, Team Sabertooth reaches the top of the ramp. In front of them lies the massive, complicated Sky Labyrinth. Walkways, platforms, and various other path-like pieces of concrete and metal snake and wind all around in a spherical shape. The gravity changes along with the twisting flooring, adding an extra element of difficulty to their challenge. “Shit,” Sting swears, looking around at the paths before them. How are they going to manage to solve this and beat out all the other guilds? Sting feels dizzy just from looking at it. He’s no good at puzzles, and he’s sure that many of the other teams love this kind of stuff. To Sting’s relief, a smirk spreads across Rufus’ face. “No need for expletives. This ‘challenge’ is quite simple. Not much of a challenge at all, to be frank.” “Eh?!” Orga whirls on him, looking annoyed and confused. “I don’t even know which way is the right way up!” “Like I noted before, this maze is quite simple, really.” Rufus spreads his arms out a bit, chuckling under his breath. Team Sabertooth watches in stunned silence as Rufus’ smirk only grows. “Perfection. I have located every other team in the maze. I have also memorized everything around us, and will continue to do so as we progress.” “W-Wow...” Yukino breathes in amazement. “That’s amazing, Rufus-sama! So powerful!” “Do not refer to me in that childish manner,” Rufus replies cooly. Ouch. Sting can’t help but to feel a bit bad for Yukino. She hasn’t ever interacted with the top mages of the guild in the year she’s been a member. She doesn’t know all that’s expected of them. She doesn't know that here, they keep their masks on, and they stick to the script no matter what. Most of all, she doesn't yet know that the longer they each don this twisted masquerade, the farther from their true selves they fall.

“The logical way to proceed would to be finding the center of this maze,” Rufus continues. “Perhaps we can locate it by deducing the one spot where gravity is uniform...”

“But what if it’s all messed up in the middle too, just to confuse us?” Orga asks, sounding irritated. “And how do you know finding the center will help?” Sting also puts Rufus’ sudden takeover of command to the test, afraid that Yukino or Rogue would do it if he didn’t. Although Sting doesn’t doubt their negotiation skills - Rogue more than Yukino in that regard - he knows neither of them are in a good place to do so. “The exit could be on the far end of the maze.” “The center means we are equidistant from all potential points,” Rufus folds his arms across his chest.

Rogue nods in agreement, siding with Rufus. “Fair point. We’ll have a higher chance of success that way.” “We still don’t know if the gravity will be normal in the center!” Orga exclaims. “This whole thing could be a bust if that one fact isn’t right!”

Starting to get anxious about the other teams gaining on them, Sting loses his temper. “Do you have a better idea?” he snaps, deciding it’s best to side with Rogue and Rufus, as they’re the “brains” of the team. “We’re wasting time!”

Orga opens his mouth to protest, then closes it again and looks away. Rufus starts to walk along one of the walkways, his stride confident and powerful. “Follow me. I believe I have located the center.”

Orga grumbles something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “pompous asshole” , but follows him anyways. The rest of Team Sabertooth follows suit, all keeping their eyes peeled for opposing teams. The pathways seem to wind on and on forever, nonsensical in every way. Sting feels more lost than he has in a long time without his nose to guide him, and feels very thankful for Rufus in this moment.

To Sting’s surprise, his acute hearing still works, something he finds out when he hears the sound of approaching footsteps. Rogue tenses, hearing it as well, and Rufus sighs. “Ah. We have some...unwelcome company.”

The enemy team’s eyes widen when they see Sabertooth approach them. “Oh shit! I-It’s Sabertooth!” Immediately, they all drop to their knees on the ground. Their bodies shake from head to toe, terrified of the guild towering above them. The sight makes Sting feel sick to his stomach. “J-Just go on by, Sabertooth! We d-don’t want to fight you!”

Sting swallows hard, their words cutting right through him. This is Sabertooth, striking so much fear into people that even in something that was just a game, they surrender rather than fight. Sting doesn’t blame them. He of all people knows how fucked up and relentless their guild really is. With that in mind, Sting realizes he has a sinking feeling about what is going to happen next.

Rufus and Orga approach two of the kneeling people, looming over them like fearsome beasts ready to strike down their prey. “A shame,” Rufus says, his voice laced with sadistic humor like poison. “We were hoping you would amuse us.” He looks at Sting with a smug smirk, signaling him to join them.

Completely on reflex, a blank-faced Sting steps forward with them and kicks one of the guys off of the edge. The three unknown mages scream as they plummet down through the maze, completely and totally betrayed by the almighty Sabertooth.

“N-No!” one of the others shouts, getting halfway up off of the ground and scooting backwards, trying to get away. “Y-You monsters-!”

“Trying to get away?” Orga laughs gleefully. “We’ll help you out!” He throws his arms out, his fists exploding in lightning, and pushes the other two mages off the edge to join their guildmates.

“Pathetic,” Rufus sneers as they plummet down. “Weaklings like them do not even deserve to stand on the same ground as mages from Sabertooth.”

Sting turns back to face Rogue, wanting to check on him to make sure he’s feeling better now. He feels his breath leave him at the sight of his partner’s face. Rogue’s entire body is tense, his hands curled into fists, his one visible red eye flashing with rage. Rogue doesn’t say a word, but his message is abundantly clear: No one else is here to see. That was cruel and unnecessary.

Sting looks away quickly, heart racing from guilt. Rogue is right. Once again, Sting has fallen victim to the unrelenting pull of power, falling too far into his role that is meant to only be temporary. “Let’s move on.”

The team starts to move through the maze again, following behind Rufus, who keeps two fingers touching his temple. The walk is fairly quiet from there on out, until suddenly, the face near the center makes a strange sound. Its eyes flash red, and the whole maze begins to rotate.

“Secure yourselves!” Rufus shouts, holding onto his feathered hat and planting his feet.

“Aw, shit!” Orga swears, nearly falling over.

Sting feels himself starting to fall, but keeps his mouth shut. Screaming won’t do anything. No one in this guild would pity him, and if they did, they would suffer for it.

To his relief, a strong hand grabs his wrist, saving him from what seemed like certain death. Returning the favor from earlier, Rogue stands tall above him, his feet sunk into a shadow to keep himself from falling. But unlike the way Orga and Rufus tower over their foes, Rogue stands over Sting to protect him from all harm that may come his way, his intention nothing but to help because he cares. It warms Sting’s heart, and reminds him for a brief moment that even if all hope seems gone, even if he starts to fall too far into the role written for him...Rogue will never give up on him.

Near Rogue, somehow managing to stay upright, Yukino pulls a key out of her clothes and points it up to the sky. “Open, Gate of the Scales!” The key glows with a golden light, and Yukino finishes with a flourish and a cry of, “LIBRA!”

The light flashes even brighter, and a woman appears before them. Sting takes in her strange outfit, including a veil over her face, and is puzzled by the golden scales she holds in each hand.

“Libra, switch the gravity so we’re pulled onto the platform!” Yukino says, her voice soft but still commanding. The dark-haired spirit swings her arms, and Sting feels his body fall sideways towards the platform instead of down. Rogue’s hand purposefully slips from his wrist, the Shadow Dragon Slayer pulling his feet out from shadow so the magic doesn’t push him all the way under. Beside them, Orga hits the ground with a loud “oof!”, and Rufus straightens himself back to full height.

The Memory Make Mage turns to Yukino, eyes narrowed and shoulders squared. “Why did you not mention your gravity magic from the start?” he snaps. “We need not run towards the center with that kind of power on our hands!”

Yukino’s face flushes with shame as she looks away from him, her hands shaking a bit. Sting feels a small pang of sympathy; she saved them, and received no thanks for doing so. The second that thought crosses Sting’s mind, he shoves it away again.

No one is ever thanked in Sabertooth. No one is ever kind. He turns away from her, not wanting to be the one to have to scold her for that oversight, to be the bearer of bad news about the harshness of reality. Beside him, Rogue smiles gratefully at Yukino. Sting doesn’t turn around to see if the girl returns the gesture.

The maze stops rotating after what seems like ages, and all of the Sabertooth mages breathe a sigh of relief. Wanting to waste no time, Rufus points towards the center the moment it stops. “Celestial Spirit! Direct our gravity towards the center of this contraption!”

Libra looks at Yukino for confirmation. “Does he speak your bidding?”

Yukino nods slowly, her fear and embarrassment having washed away now, replaced by a cold and unflinching expression. “Yes, Libra. For now, do as he says.”

Libra turns back to Rufus. “As you wish.” She moves her arms in a swirling motion, and a gravity field surges around the team. Everyone braces themselves, and then they plummet together down towards the center.

Sting shifts his stance in mid-air, Rogue moving alongside him. The two of them land fairly smoothly, save Rogue wobbling on his wounded leg. As the rest of the team hits the ground around them, Sting starts to survey their surroundings. The area of the maze they’re in now is a miniature, grassy piece of land dotted with buildings, ruins, and trees. A river runs through the ground, pouring down from a very artificial looking waterfall.

“I sense no one close around us,” Rufus says with a smirk. “We are currently in the lead.”

“If this is the right way…” Orga grumbles, cracking his neck.

Sting looks around and finds no clear indicator of where to go. All around them, the terrain and buildings look pretty much the same, with no patterns standing out. “Which way now?” Sting asks his team. “There doesn’t seem to be a specific path.”

“That is true,” Rufus sighs, examining the region around them as well. “I see nothing out of the ordinary.”

“It’s pretty weird that there’s a mini town inside of this damn maze, though.” Orga places his hands on his hips. “There’s even a fucking waterfall! How damn extra do these guys need to be?”

“Likely, the maze is different and intriguing to confuse us on purpose.” Rogue finally speaks up, trying to dust off his cape. He joins the others in scanning for clues, then sighs and lets his shoulders slump. “Unfortunately, I don’t smell anything out of the ordinary either.”

“Neither do I,” Sting takes a step closer to Rogue. “But maybe we could like...listen for something?”

“Listen?” Rogue frowns, raising an eyebrow at Sting from behind his bangs. “What is there to listen for?”

“I hear...water?” Sting says hopefully, only to have everyone give him a death glare. Sting groans and holds his head, “Look, I know there’s a river over there, but what I’m hearing seems bigger than just a little river. I swear I’m not fucking around, okay?!”

Rogue holds out a hand, “Silence, everyone.” He scrunches up his face in concentration and closes his eyes, listening intently. “Yes...yes, Sting’s right. There’s a bigger body of water up ahead somewhere.”

“Why’s that important?” Orga shoots the dragon slayers a sour look. “We’re acting like a bunch of cowards! We aren’t toddlers having playtime, we’re Sabertooth mages, and this is the Grand Magic Games! We can’t fuck this up!”

A chill floods through the group. There’s an underlying message in Orga’s words, more than just being determined to win. No, he’s reminding them all of their fate if they fail, how they’ll be diminished to crying children on their knees in front of a tyrant, a force too powerful and terrifying to be reckoned with, far too cruel to listen to their pleas of mercy.

Rogue, the first person to find the courage to speak up, begins to think aloud, “It’s possible they’re trying to use the water as a way to make travel more difficult. That would indeed make a challenge for mages without water magic, the ability to build bridges, or to cross in some other way.”

“Hmm...I appreciate that unique way of thinking, Rogue.” Rufus adjusts his hat on his head. “Perhaps you are right, and we must think the way the creators of this elaborate maze thought when they created this challenge.”

Before anyone else can comment, Sting starts to take off, his heart pounding. Now that the idea of failure has been implanted into his head, he feels a fire of dread planted inside of his heart, spurring him towards the finish, to victory. “Then let’s go!”

The others run after him, not willing to try and reason with Sting when he’s this resolute. Besides, at this point, Orga knows there’s no point in arguing. Everyone else agrees this is the path to take, after all. Whether that agreement was formed out of desperation and the fear of losing or formed because of deep thought and reasoning, nobody quite knows. But either way, they haveno other leads, so this isthe path they haveto follow...no matter if it leads them to a grim fate.

After running for what seems like hours, Team Sabertooth comes across a large body of water. In the center, a winding stone path snakes across the surface, leading them towards an unknown destination.

“Well...here goes nothing!” Sting cries, then barrels forward down the path before anyone can say a word. He hears his teammates swearing at him, crying out and questioning this course of action that directly contradicts their whole point in coming here. But Sting doesn’t care. That fire burns brighter in his stomach, the flames starting to grow so tall they’re licking inside his throat, heating his lungs, as if every breath he lets out he exhales smoke. If only that fire was for something good, like love, or friendship, or courage…

No. Instead it is fueled by fear clawing at his heart...the fear of having his fate sealed by a single mistake. No matter how fucked up, broken, and hellish Sabertooth is, it remains his only option. He would have no freedom outside those walls. No one would stand up for him, take him in. No, not him...not a cruel, murderous shell of a human. Not this...fictional being he has become, so absorbed into Jiemma’s world of darkness that he has become one of his demons. Sabertooth...his worst nightmare...but also his only hope.

Or perhaps...it isn’t.

His footsteps hit against the stone, the sound ringing in his ears. This is no time for intrusive thoughts, for considering that other, oddly tempting option...the idea that flicks and fades over time, but always comes back to him… The forbidden fruit…the sweet kiss of…

Death.

He could do it, right now. He could leap into the water and let himself sink. He could use his own magic to consume himself in painful, biting light. He could fall to the ground and refuse to move, and let himself fade away into nothing.

It would be so easy to die. He would finally be at peace, free from Jiemma’s iron grasp. There would be no failure and no success… Maybe this way, he could be free from the voices in his head, the crushing expectations of those around him, and his own self-loathing.

All he has to do...is give up.

“STING!"

The ringing in his ears stops, replaced by the crash of the waves against the stones, and the sound of Rogue’s labored breathing. He feels Rogue’s hand holding him by the back of his jacket, preventing him from moving any further.

“Sting...you need to stop for a moment. We need a moment to breathe...if this is the right way, we’re still winning. It’s okay. We can stop.”

“No-” Sting can hardly find his voice, the sound more of a shaky breath instead of a word.

Rogue takes Sting’s face in his hands, looking him dead in the eyes. “Sting. Breathe.”

Sting suddenly becomes aware of how damn quiet and tense the air is. Slowly he turns his head, Rogue’s hands falling back down to his sides. Rufus, Orga, and Yukino are staring at them, their gazes making Sting feel like he is burning. Rufus’ mouth, slightly open in shock. Orga’s eyebrows, lifted in confusion and surprise. Yukino’s eyes, swirling with some odd sort of sympathy.

Rage fills Sting’s chest, the fire that for a brief moment simmered down now rising back to full. He takes a step towards Rogue, his skin hot, his breathing quickening once again. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” Look what you’ve done, Rogue…! Now they’re not going to trust us. They could say something to Jiemma, and he could get the wrong idea...

Rogue’s glare pierces through Sting like ice, freezing the fire inside of him. “I will do what it takes to ensure victory, Sting Eucliffe.” He turns on his heel and starts to walk down the stone path again, his cape swishing behind him.

“...I have no idea what just happened,” Orga admits.

“It does not matter,” Rufus pushes past Sting. “We must move forward again.”

Sting watches as the team leaves him behind, walking towards their fate. He takes a deep breath, then finds the strength to move again. What was he thinking? If he left this world, if he gave into that voice in his mind...he would leave Rogue here alone, suffering in this eternal prison of nightmares. What’s to say people meet again in death, anyways? If Rogue followed him to the grave, there’s a chance all it would do is waste their lives.

Although, Sting thinks to himself, in a way our lives have already been wasted.

In front of him, the team skids to a halt. Sting looks up and notices that the sky here is clearly painted on. He’s able to see lines and clockwork amongst the clouds. He lowers his line of sight, expecting more of that strange sky, and finds instead complete and total relief.

Before them lies a wooden door encircled in rock, standing upon a platform of stone. In front of the door, the game’s mascot Mato waits to greet them, bouncing slightly in place. But perhaps the most pleasing sight of it all is the giant sign: bright green, light blue, red, orange letters placed upon a sparkling green and gold star.

Unable to help himself, Sting’s legs crumble under his own weight as he falls to his knees before the door that will lead him to salvation.

For today...he is safe.

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