FIC/VID: Losing it all on my own (Eridan♥Karkat)
Creators: insanoflex, the_foxy_gamer, chronidu
Title: Losing it all on my own
Rating: PG-13
Trigger Warnings (if applicable): mild violence
Summary: Karkat and Eridan have made a pact to help one another throughout the game, and Karkat decides to help Eridan out by visiting LOWAA...
The earth looked parched, like an unoiled hide left in the sun. Black clouds gathered on the horizon, but there was no whiff of moisture on the breeze, only the stale odor of decay. It was as though the life had been sucked out of the land like marrow from a bone. Dust blew through towers of broken marble unhindered, coating everything in a fine powder, including Karkat himself. He knelt down and grabbed a handful of soil and rubbed it between his fingers. It felt coarse, like sand.
The Land of Wrath and Angels was truly an unforgiving wasteland. Hardly surprising none of the others had volunteered to come and visit. He stood, and brushed the earth from his knees. He tented his eyes with a hand, and squinted up at the gauzy sky. The white hot sun was setting slowly, grudgingly giving way to night. Giant winged creatures hovered menacingly in the distance. Karkat swallowed. Something about this place turned his stomach.
He looked at his wrist watch, and tapped it twice to make with a fingernail to sure it was still working. It read eight o'clock exactly. He was sure Eridan had said to meet him at these coordinates. Had he read the map wrong? He reached into his back pocket for a piece of polished glass he was using as a loupe so he could decipher Eridan’s atrocious script, and a hand drawn map. Oblivious to his surroundings as he tried to determine his position, he was taken completely by surprise as he was shoved roughly to the ground.
He felt pressure on his chest and coughed, trying to expel the dust from his lungs. He tried to sit up, but something was pinning him down. Had one of those monsters decided to attack him? He scrubbed at his eyes frantically, and once he was convinced he could open them safely, he cracked his lids just enough to realize he was seeing Eridan's striped pant leg through the feathery veil of his lashes.
He opened his mouth to let Eridan know he didn't appreciate being tackled and stepped on, but something made him hold his tongue. A sense of dread washed over him, and his gaze slid slowly upwards, towards Eridan's back. For a split second, it appeared as though the troll had sprouted a set of massive leathery wings. Karkat widened his eyes in disbelief, but a closer inspection revealed the truth; the wings belonged to something Eridan was aiming Ahab's Crosshairs at.
"Stay down, Kar. Let me take care of this, and then we'll talk," Eridan drawled, sounding bored.
"Great bleeding anuses, what in the fuck is THAT thing?"
"An angel, obviously. The third one I've killed in an hour. These things never fuckin' learn, its annoyin'." A piercing whine emitted from Eridan's weapon seconds before a bright blue beam burst forth from the barrel, blowing an angry hole in the angel's chest. The creature crumpled to the ground, wailing like a banshee. Eridan took his foot off of Karkat's chest, and turned around, clutching his gun tightly. When their eyes met, Eridan’s face remained smooth aside from a wryly arched brow.
"Welcome to LOWAA, Kar. I'm amazed you finally got off your ass to come down here."
Karkat got to his feet slowly and wandered over to the angel's still smoking corpse, which was draped in some kind of hooded shroud. He squatted down next to it, and in a wild impulse of morbid curiosity, reached out to get a better look at it's face.
Eridan stopped his hand with the butt of his rifle, clicking his tongue. "Wouldn't do that if I were you."
As Karkat watched, Eridan moved aside a piece of singed fabric with the gun barrel, revealing a worm eaten jaw bone, picked completely clean of flesh. Karkat gagged and skittered awkwardly away from the body.
"That thing was flying a second ago," he spat, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “How could it already be this decomposed?”
"Listen Kar, it's almost dark and we're gonna have to find somewhere to hole up,” Eridan said, dismissing Karkat’s question. “These things get even worse at night, trust me." He pulled out a map identical to the one he'd made for Karkat, and checked it before refolding it and shoving it back in his pocket. "Looks like there's a church that’s mostly intact a few miles east, we'd better hurry." He walked over to where Karkat sat, and held a hand out to help the shorter troll up. Karkat nodded and allowed himself to be directed without a word, even though it made his skin crawl to follow Eridan's orders.
They made their way to their destination in silence until Karkat gasped at the sight of the giant cathedral’s bones in the distance. Realizing time was of the essence, they walked faster, and reached the massive arched entrance right as the sun was dipping below the horizon. Karkat wondered idly who’d erected these marvels of masonic craftsmanship only to let them fall into such a sorry state of disrepair. It made him sad. Everything about this place had a lonely, neglected feel to it.
He looked at his companion guiltily, studying the grim set of his features and purposeful stride. He’d really screwed this up, hadn’t he? He started to say something, but stopped dead in his tracks, awed by the illumination filtering in through the massive windows lining the cathedral’s crumbling nave. Some of the stained glass had remained intact, and rays of colored light were outlined by sparkling dust particles suspended in the air.
Eridan, clearly uncomfortable after such a long silence, snorted and said, “You know, Kar, you’re gonna laugh, but the light in here makes it look like you have a ring around your head, it’s weird.”
Karkat frowned, unsure what to make of the strange comment, and decided to ignore it. “So what’s our next move, idiot? Now we’re stuck here, there’s no convenient exit strategy I can see.”
Eridan looked wounded, but answered evenly. “Well i hate to say this, but the transportalizer is pretty far away from our location.” He pulled out the map he’d looked at earlier and spread it out on a lighted portion of the floor. “See, we’re here, and the transportalizer pad is up here, so we’ll have to spend the night inside and hope they leave us alone.” He looked up from the creased paper with a sour grimace. “I’ll stay awake, Kar, you should get some rest. I’m better at this angel slayin stuff than any of you losers could ever be so there’s no point in you takin any watch at all.”
Something about Eridan’s tone bothered Karkat. He felt himself reach for the seadweller’s hand instinctively, and was surprised when Eridan didn’t immediately jerk away from the sudden contact.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Karkat said. “The angels are just game constructs, they aren’t real enemies. You’re probably not even supposed to be able to kill them, I don’t know why the hell you choose to stay here and fight useless battles, it’s infuriating!” He was shocked by the heat in his voice.
“I stay because I dont have a fuckin choice, Kar,” Eridan retorted angrily. “None of you morons get it yet, but Ive learned things here. From them. The Lord of all Angels is coming, Kar, and I am the only one who can do anything about it.” The words echoed loudly in Karkat’s ears, making him wince.
“That’s just ridiculous, you pompous fucktard.” Karkat said, lowering his voice, and hoping Eridan would follow suit. “You’re going to listen to a bunch of crazy shit monsters tell you? What about your fucking destiny, Eridan, huh? What about all those cheeky land dwellers daring to walk around unharmed?”
“Childish fantasies. Nobody wastes a second thinking about duty, so why should I? I...” Eridan stopped talking and cocked his head, as if listening to something Karkat couldn’t hear.
“What the fuck is it now, Eridan?” Karkat asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.
“It’s time for me to go.” He stood, and started walking towards the entrance of the church.
Karkat followed, close on his heels. “But where? What’s going on, what the fuck just happened back there? Are you listening to me?” He clapped a hand on Eridan’s shoulder and spun him around. Eridan, furious, slapped him hard across the face.
Karkat recoiled and touched his stinging cheek with dismay. “What was that for, you fucking asshole? Now I know why the others wont bother with you, you’re beyond help! I cant believe I let myself get dragged into this...”
“I’m gonna be straight with you Kar, since you came here when nobody else would.” He gestured to the space around them. “Take a look around. We aren’t alone.”
Karkat started to mock Eridan for trying to scare him, but the dread he felt earlier began a slow creep up his spine, and he clamped his lips shut. He turned his head slowly to the left. The pews were full of winged freaks. He quickly looked to the right too, hoping for an way out, but immediately regretted it. It was a mirror image of the other side of the hall. How had they gotten in here without making a sound? Karkat’s knees turned to jelly, and he crumpled to the floor.
Eridan stood his ground, with his arms crossed defiantly and a sneer on his lips. “These are my family now, Kar. I’m done with you bastards abandonin me whenever you feel like it. We got nothing to go home to, and I’m sick of your pathetic little games. You and Sol and Vriska and all you idiots think you’re so smart, that you can win. All you can do is delay the inevitable.”
Karkat stared in disbelief at Eridan’s insane ranting, speechless for once in his life.
“I dont want your fuckin pity anymore. I have a new purpose now. All a that whinin and cryin about landwellers never changed a thing, and these angels have real power, things they can teach me! Not fake fuckin wands and bullshit promises. You all can waste your time tryin to play fair, if you want. I’m takin a shortcut.” He turned and walked away, leaving Karkat kneeling in the aisle alone.
Karkat tried to follow, to get Eridan to see reason, but the angels were suddenly there, clawing at him with their cold fingernails, carving red lines in his arms.
He swore at Eridan’s back, but he made him a silent promise, too. If he got out of this alive, he’d try and prevent all of this. He’d be the one thing Eridan could count on. No matter what.
Title: Losing it all on my own
Rating: PG-13
Trigger Warnings (if applicable): mild violence
Summary: Karkat and Eridan have made a pact to help one another throughout the game, and Karkat decides to help Eridan out by visiting LOWAA...
Click to viewThe earth looked parched, like an unoiled hide left in the sun. Black clouds gathered on the horizon, but there was no whiff of moisture on the breeze, only the stale odor of decay. It was as though the life had been sucked out of the land like marrow from a bone. Dust blew through towers of broken marble unhindered, coating everything in a fine powder, including Karkat himself. He knelt down and grabbed a handful of soil and rubbed it between his fingers. It felt coarse, like sand.
The Land of Wrath and Angels was truly an unforgiving wasteland. Hardly surprising none of the others had volunteered to come and visit. He stood, and brushed the earth from his knees. He tented his eyes with a hand, and squinted up at the gauzy sky. The white hot sun was setting slowly, grudgingly giving way to night. Giant winged creatures hovered menacingly in the distance. Karkat swallowed. Something about this place turned his stomach.
He looked at his wrist watch, and tapped it twice to make with a fingernail to sure it was still working. It read eight o'clock exactly. He was sure Eridan had said to meet him at these coordinates. Had he read the map wrong? He reached into his back pocket for a piece of polished glass he was using as a loupe so he could decipher Eridan’s atrocious script, and a hand drawn map. Oblivious to his surroundings as he tried to determine his position, he was taken completely by surprise as he was shoved roughly to the ground.
He felt pressure on his chest and coughed, trying to expel the dust from his lungs. He tried to sit up, but something was pinning him down. Had one of those monsters decided to attack him? He scrubbed at his eyes frantically, and once he was convinced he could open them safely, he cracked his lids just enough to realize he was seeing Eridan's striped pant leg through the feathery veil of his lashes.
He opened his mouth to let Eridan know he didn't appreciate being tackled and stepped on, but something made him hold his tongue. A sense of dread washed over him, and his gaze slid slowly upwards, towards Eridan's back. For a split second, it appeared as though the troll had sprouted a set of massive leathery wings. Karkat widened his eyes in disbelief, but a closer inspection revealed the truth; the wings belonged to something Eridan was aiming Ahab's Crosshairs at.
"Stay down, Kar. Let me take care of this, and then we'll talk," Eridan drawled, sounding bored.
"Great bleeding anuses, what in the fuck is THAT thing?"
"An angel, obviously. The third one I've killed in an hour. These things never fuckin' learn, its annoyin'." A piercing whine emitted from Eridan's weapon seconds before a bright blue beam burst forth from the barrel, blowing an angry hole in the angel's chest. The creature crumpled to the ground, wailing like a banshee. Eridan took his foot off of Karkat's chest, and turned around, clutching his gun tightly. When their eyes met, Eridan’s face remained smooth aside from a wryly arched brow.
"Welcome to LOWAA, Kar. I'm amazed you finally got off your ass to come down here."
Karkat got to his feet slowly and wandered over to the angel's still smoking corpse, which was draped in some kind of hooded shroud. He squatted down next to it, and in a wild impulse of morbid curiosity, reached out to get a better look at it's face.
Eridan stopped his hand with the butt of his rifle, clicking his tongue. "Wouldn't do that if I were you."
As Karkat watched, Eridan moved aside a piece of singed fabric with the gun barrel, revealing a worm eaten jaw bone, picked completely clean of flesh. Karkat gagged and skittered awkwardly away from the body.
"That thing was flying a second ago," he spat, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “How could it already be this decomposed?”
"Listen Kar, it's almost dark and we're gonna have to find somewhere to hole up,” Eridan said, dismissing Karkat’s question. “These things get even worse at night, trust me." He pulled out a map identical to the one he'd made for Karkat, and checked it before refolding it and shoving it back in his pocket. "Looks like there's a church that’s mostly intact a few miles east, we'd better hurry." He walked over to where Karkat sat, and held a hand out to help the shorter troll up. Karkat nodded and allowed himself to be directed without a word, even though it made his skin crawl to follow Eridan's orders.
They made their way to their destination in silence until Karkat gasped at the sight of the giant cathedral’s bones in the distance. Realizing time was of the essence, they walked faster, and reached the massive arched entrance right as the sun was dipping below the horizon. Karkat wondered idly who’d erected these marvels of masonic craftsmanship only to let them fall into such a sorry state of disrepair. It made him sad. Everything about this place had a lonely, neglected feel to it.
He looked at his companion guiltily, studying the grim set of his features and purposeful stride. He’d really screwed this up, hadn’t he? He started to say something, but stopped dead in his tracks, awed by the illumination filtering in through the massive windows lining the cathedral’s crumbling nave. Some of the stained glass had remained intact, and rays of colored light were outlined by sparkling dust particles suspended in the air.
Eridan, clearly uncomfortable after such a long silence, snorted and said, “You know, Kar, you’re gonna laugh, but the light in here makes it look like you have a ring around your head, it’s weird.”
Karkat frowned, unsure what to make of the strange comment, and decided to ignore it. “So what’s our next move, idiot? Now we’re stuck here, there’s no convenient exit strategy I can see.”
Eridan looked wounded, but answered evenly. “Well i hate to say this, but the transportalizer is pretty far away from our location.” He pulled out the map he’d looked at earlier and spread it out on a lighted portion of the floor. “See, we’re here, and the transportalizer pad is up here, so we’ll have to spend the night inside and hope they leave us alone.” He looked up from the creased paper with a sour grimace. “I’ll stay awake, Kar, you should get some rest. I’m better at this angel slayin stuff than any of you losers could ever be so there’s no point in you takin any watch at all.”
Something about Eridan’s tone bothered Karkat. He felt himself reach for the seadweller’s hand instinctively, and was surprised when Eridan didn’t immediately jerk away from the sudden contact.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Karkat said. “The angels are just game constructs, they aren’t real enemies. You’re probably not even supposed to be able to kill them, I don’t know why the hell you choose to stay here and fight useless battles, it’s infuriating!” He was shocked by the heat in his voice.
“I stay because I dont have a fuckin choice, Kar,” Eridan retorted angrily. “None of you morons get it yet, but Ive learned things here. From them. The Lord of all Angels is coming, Kar, and I am the only one who can do anything about it.” The words echoed loudly in Karkat’s ears, making him wince.
“That’s just ridiculous, you pompous fucktard.” Karkat said, lowering his voice, and hoping Eridan would follow suit. “You’re going to listen to a bunch of crazy shit monsters tell you? What about your fucking destiny, Eridan, huh? What about all those cheeky land dwellers daring to walk around unharmed?”
“Childish fantasies. Nobody wastes a second thinking about duty, so why should I? I...” Eridan stopped talking and cocked his head, as if listening to something Karkat couldn’t hear.
“What the fuck is it now, Eridan?” Karkat asked, a hint of annoyance creeping into his voice.
“It’s time for me to go.” He stood, and started walking towards the entrance of the church.
Karkat followed, close on his heels. “But where? What’s going on, what the fuck just happened back there? Are you listening to me?” He clapped a hand on Eridan’s shoulder and spun him around. Eridan, furious, slapped him hard across the face.
Karkat recoiled and touched his stinging cheek with dismay. “What was that for, you fucking asshole? Now I know why the others wont bother with you, you’re beyond help! I cant believe I let myself get dragged into this...”
“I’m gonna be straight with you Kar, since you came here when nobody else would.” He gestured to the space around them. “Take a look around. We aren’t alone.”
Karkat started to mock Eridan for trying to scare him, but the dread he felt earlier began a slow creep up his spine, and he clamped his lips shut. He turned his head slowly to the left. The pews were full of winged freaks. He quickly looked to the right too, hoping for an way out, but immediately regretted it. It was a mirror image of the other side of the hall. How had they gotten in here without making a sound? Karkat’s knees turned to jelly, and he crumpled to the floor.
Eridan stood his ground, with his arms crossed defiantly and a sneer on his lips. “These are my family now, Kar. I’m done with you bastards abandonin me whenever you feel like it. We got nothing to go home to, and I’m sick of your pathetic little games. You and Sol and Vriska and all you idiots think you’re so smart, that you can win. All you can do is delay the inevitable.”
Karkat stared in disbelief at Eridan’s insane ranting, speechless for once in his life.
“I dont want your fuckin pity anymore. I have a new purpose now. All a that whinin and cryin about landwellers never changed a thing, and these angels have real power, things they can teach me! Not fake fuckin wands and bullshit promises. You all can waste your time tryin to play fair, if you want. I’m takin a shortcut.” He turned and walked away, leaving Karkat kneeling in the aisle alone.
Karkat tried to follow, to get Eridan to see reason, but the angels were suddenly there, clawing at him with their cold fingernails, carving red lines in his arms.
He swore at Eridan’s back, but he made him a silent promise, too. If he got out of this alive, he’d try and prevent all of this. He’d be the one thing Eridan could count on. No matter what.