Oleander walks up to a tree. "Fuck I don't have an axe"
Lock follows, "Yeah we do," Lock is holding her hatchet.
"Oh... true. I'm not sure if that's gonna be big enough though. We should find a smaller tree"
"I'm sure it's fine. Its a blade that goes through stuff, how different could it be?"
"It'll be a lot harder"
"Nahhh," Lock goes to swing at a tree as the hatchet is flung from her hands from the bounce back "...ok yeahhh"
Oleander chuckles. "Let's find a smaller tree"
"Ah so you?" Lock jokes.
Oleander chucklss. "I dont get it"
"I don't either," Lock shrugs and goes to find a smaller tree.
Oleander laughs and soon they find a younger tree. "Kill it"
Lock goes to strike the tree but it does nothing and Lock's hatchet bounces off. "What."
"Let me try." Oleander says, putting his hand out so she can hand it to him. She hands the hatchet over, and Oleander tries to strike the tree as well. It bounces off."What the hell?" Oleander looks at the hatchet's blade curiously, examining it. The blade is made of a black substance.
"Stupid tree," Lock goes to kick the tree but the tree moves to the side as Lock stumbles.
Oleander stares. "What the fuck just happened?" Oleander tries to put a hand on the tree curiously.
It moves again. Lock blinks at the tree, "You're seeing that too right?"
"... I am." He decides to deal with the hatchet later and figure out the tree first. He extends the hacket for Lock to take back and tries to chase the tree. The tree, which looks a lot like an Oaktapus from My Singing Monsters, turns and yells back at Oleander. Lock jumps slightly at the yell. Oleander is jumpscared and screams back. A large arm with red fur reaches down and picks up the small tree. There's a strong feeling of bad luck as the small tree disappears. A large red furred being in a dress with scrappy wings steps down from the trees. It's eyes look cruel and harsh. In it's fur is stuck black confetti mixed with some gold shavings. It stands around 7 feet and looks down at the two of them. A thin black halo rests above its head. A Magpie Divulgar.
Oleanders eyes widen and he looks to Lock. "RUN." And he begins running towards the house! Locks ears fold back as she starts running to the house as well. The magpie gives pursuit. Oleander opens to door to get Lock inside.
---
Cole steps outside as he stares at his reflection in the head of his pickaxe. The magpie stands in the yard, watching. It has a much more menacing look and is bigger than the ThingTaker. Luna walks out and freezes as soon as she sees Magpie
Cole giggles manically as he stares at it, "Good morning, there's two stops on this route! Death and retreating! Enjoy the ride!" Cole's tone is manic as he twirls his pickaxe in his hand and starts approaching it. Luna quietly unsheathes her claymore. The grass around them shrivels and turns black. The Magpie pulls a long, dark sword from it's halo.
"Erm, before you attack us, um, could we maybe not fight? I apologize on behalf of Lock and Oleander for trying to hurt you." Luna tries to reason, as frost forms around Cole's feet. He continues to stare at it, arcs crackling between his fingers.
The opal sword hums as the magpie scoffs with a harsh voice, "I didn't awake from my slumber to be disrespected." It raises its blade.
"What disrespect? I just asked for a peaceful end to this fight!" Luna says.
Cole unsheathes his opal sword with his free hand, now duel wielding the pickaxe and the opal sword. Cole cackles manically, "Fine, have it your way! First stop, Death!"
Luna sighs. "Fine. I'm sorry." She raises her ichor claymore in a defensive stance
"You tempt me with paradise," the magpie sneers before lunging at Cole with immense speed. It aims a jab for his gut. Cole blocks it with his pickaxe then aims a slash at it's face with the opal sword. The opal sword hits it's face and cracks as the humming weakens. There's a roll of thunder in the distance Luna rushes in and slashes at its torso with her ichor claymore, hoping it'll actually do something. Cole twirls the opal sword as he sheathes it and keeps a defensive stance with his pickaxe. The magpie pulls the sword back and rolls to the side to dodge Luna's slash. Sticks start rolling in the grass gathering in small piles. Frost quicky spreads to the sticks and forms bubbles around the piles as Cole strikes at the Magpie's side with his pickaxe.
Luna attempts to lunge at its other side with the claymore. The magpie is stabbed by the pick and slashed with the sword. There's a small bit of golden blood. The piles of sticks form to scarecrows that try to break free of the ice. The magpie grabs something from in their fur as the weapons suddenly phase through the magpie.
"The hell? Also Gold blood.... shit." Luna gets back away from the Magpie. The frost doesn't crack or budge as Cole dashes backwards as the handle of his pickaxe lengthens to a scythe. Erika Furudo moment. There's a crack of lightning as they can faintly see a spiderweb-like structure above. The magpie runs at Cole as it seems partly transparent. Cole glances up then rolls to the side as he dodges the magpie then aims a strike at the magpie's side. Luna watches with her sword up raised. Cole's hit phases through the magpie. The magpie makes a swipe through Cole as it barely misses trying to snatch anything that feels like Cole's soul. Cole returns to a defensive stance as he stares at it with a manic smile. The magpie runs at Cole again and snatches what looks like Cole's soul. Cole coughs out black smoke and falls to one knee.
"Oh shit!" Luna rushes in and tries to slash at the Magpie. The magpie looks normal again as the sword strikes. The magpie trapa the soul in a pendant it holds as Cole coughs out black smoke again. Luna continues her slashing onslaught, the magpie blocking with its sword. Cole glares at the magpie.
"Go ahead and put it on... I dare you." Cole coughs out black smoke as soon as he's done speaking.
Luna keeps attacking looking for any weakpoints on its body. "You say you want a trip to paradise, then please allow me to take you there!" She growls. The magpie glares at Cole a moment while blocking with the sword, keeping the pendant tightly in hand.
"Fine...have it your way," Cole coughs out black smoke as green and black tissue spreads from the pendent, "I'll kill you, even if it means losing my soul." Cole starts having a coughing fit as he falls to both of his knees. Luna is just continuing, trying to stall or whatever for Cole's sake. He's protected her countless times, it's finally time for her to repay the favor. The magpie keeps ahold of the pendant and snarls. It aims a jab at Luna's hand. The green and black tissue continues to spread up the magpie's arm as it feels boiling tar make contact with it's skin. Luna rolls out of the way of the jab, noticing the tissue. The magpie grits its teath and continues to fight on. It aims a slash at Luna's head. She continues to roll out of the way of the slashes. 'Just gotta keep stalling' rolls through her mind.
The green and black tissue spreads across its chest, down it's legs and across to it's other arm as Cole's coughing starts getting worse. Oleander walks outside and shoots the magpie in the face, it stumbles and drops the sword, beginning to claw at the tissue.
"Nice shot!" Luna returns to her slash attacks on the Magpie! The tissue tears as the tar leaks through. The tar heals the tissue, which continues to spreads up the magpie's neck and starts covering its face. The magpie screeches as it stumbles back more. It's now trying to claw at its own face. Luna steps back and watches the Magpie. No more slashing, mostly cuz she's winded.
"Cole are you okay??" Oleander asks in concern. Lock hesitantly steps out. The tissue becomes untearable as tar starts pouring down the magpie's mouth and nose. Cole's coughing slows as he extends a hand for the pendant, which the magpie drops as it grabs its own throat. It's coughing, trying to breathe, but coughing only makes the tar spread.
Luna goes to grab the pendant and give it to Cole. "Here ya go." Cole grabs the pendant and tries to crush it in his hand. The magpie is still standing as it coughs. The pendant is broken and the soul is released. Cole snatches his soul and slams it back into his chest as he takes a deep breath and stops coughing. The tar starts boiling as the tissue gets tighter and tighter on the magpie's skin. "I'm starting to think when it said 'tempt me with paradise', it did not think it would go this way." Luna chuckles, but oh Gods.
Cole stands up and chuckles, "It's experiencing hell before it gets paradise"
"Good. Glad you're alright though Cole."
"...is it still alive?" Cole blinks at the magpie as it gurgles.
"Yeah probably, just suffering."
"....let me just" Cole walks over to it and plunges his hand into it's chest and reaches around for a soul. He finds a soul that feels strange, he grabs it and rips it out. Luna watches from afar. The magpie falls limp on the ground. Its body turns into a pool of gold blood, there's a handful of unused pendants within the pool. The soul is made of black glitter, like a snowglobe. Cole looks at the soul and blinks, "Who the hell makes a soul like this?"
"I mean it is a Divulgar, so souls might be weird and shit." Luna says. Cole starts to slowly take a bite of the soul. It tastes like birthday cake. "Um. Learn anything about it?" Luna doesn't know what to ask.
"..tastes good," Cole shrugs and takes another bite.
"What does a magpie soul taste like?"
Cole swallows hard and smiles, "Birthday cake!"
"...hm. Remember Dr. Batter? He smelled like birthday cake too." Luna says, thinking. Lock is a bit weirded out by Cole eating a soul.