...Much Like A...
Verum was already on her way to the massive castle that loomed over the town below. Blitzing past the sights that she had grown bored of, it was like an end was in sight. Granted, it was in sight. It's a massive castle for ######'s sake.
"Are you sure this is the right course?" The heroic doppelganger questioned as she floated next to the speeding Rodent. "Yep, Yep, Yep. I've always wanted to take down royalty." She replied as she summoned a rapier of light in her hand as she reached the massive wooden doors that stood in front of her.
The oozing guards who were stationed outside the castle didn't even see their attacker before they were splattered against the floor with a blinding solid wall of shadow. Verum took a few seconds to think of a way to break down the door in front of her as more guards rushed in to see what was happening.
"I could... Blow it up? No, I've done that too many times." She sighed, easily blocking a random guard's sword before kicking him away. She continued staring at the door, trying to come up with a new way to do things as she thought off more and more guards.
She thought about melting the door, but that seemed out of her range of abilities. Then she considered flattening the door. That seemed more her speed, if a bit outlandish. That's when she thought of the perfect way to bust down the door.
"The Truth is... I'm going to blow this door down." The Rodent called back to the approaching guards before taking a deep breath. With a comically wide grin, Verum exhaled a powerful gust of wind. It was like a tornado hit the door, sending it flying off its hinges and sending it flying back into some servants who were minding there own business.
Her heroic doppelganger looked at the sight with her mouth agape. Only in her wildest dreams could she pull something like that off, and to see herself do it by simply believing she could was almost frightening.
After having thought the rest of the guards off with little effort, Verum casually began strolling around the castle. Knocking things over and breaking everything she came across, she couldn't help but have fun with this.
After all, it's not every day you get to raid a castle (Despite the fact that it has happened enough times in this story). Anyways, Verum didn't even seem to care as she swatted away the remaining guards in her way.
"It's like they think they can stop me? I'm a god." She cackled, though only getting a disapproving head shake from her heroic counter part. "Gods don't do things like this. In fact, the only thing that's even remotely god like about you is your selfishness."
"Me? Selfish?" Verum mocked offence as a guard yelled at her to halt. Despite the warning, she just flicked her wrist and crushed the already dripping guard into a fine paste against the floor with another wall of shadow.
"See? I'm compassionate. I gave him a quick death." She cackled while playfully skipping down the halls.
It didn't take long before she came to the the throne room. What was once a lavish white marble carved room had instead become a sickly pantry of rotted black meats and melted sweets lining the room.
The smell was so pungent that even Verum felt queasy as she walked inside. "In my name... It fuckin' reeks... Does this Queen not clean? Hehe, that rhymed."
"Why clean a work space if it's just going to get messy again?" A distinctive twin toned voice replied as a feminine figure sat on the throne, snacking on what looked like gumdrops with meaty texture to them.
Verum's gaze quickly fell upon the starved looking woman in ragged royal white clothing stained in what looked like cake batter and blood. "So creepy... And familiar... Have we met?" The rodent asked as she walked closer, trying to avoid stepping on anything that looked squishy.
The Queen shook her head, though having the same thought in her head. "You're just a rodent waiting for table scraps... Much like another we knew. State your business, please." She asked with a bored smile.
"Oh... Uh... KABANG!" Verum yelled as she quickly pointed a finger gun at the Queen, blowing a large hole in her chest, along with the back of her candy coated throne. The queen looked surprised for a second before cackling.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... It's just... You actually thought that'd work?" She said as her voice split a bit more, one a calm and cold feminine and the other a playful and smug boyish tone.
Verum stared at her finger before looking at the "Queen" with a bit of confusion. She then fired a few more finger blasts of light at the Queen, tearing her body to bits. Suddenly, The Queen's body began to vibrate and jerk about before the remaining skin on her once beautiful face began to melt into a delicious pink bubble-gum colour.
"Enough games/Time to play..." The Queen began putting her head together with the remaining pieces of her hands. A sense of dread hit Verum. Not out of fear, but rather at just how durable this thing seemed to be.
"The Truth is... The Queen is dead!" Verum yelled with another finger blast. Only The Queen just laughed again, tugging and yanking out the once shining blonde curls of her hair out of it's gum like skin.
"Well of course/No shit. We ate her." The thing said with an icy sigh as the blast consumed them, seemingly erasing them as not even the chair was left.
But Verum was still on guard, summoning a sword of light and shadow as she crept over to the missing throne. Yet before she could make it to the ruined seat, a purple and pink rock candy claw suddenly ripped open her chest from behind.
Verum didn't even have time to turn around before she felt her body melt into nothing-
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[Loop 59]
"DON'T!!" She screamed in fear as she woke up from her doppelgangers kick. It felt like waking up from a nightmare. A nightmare she had to go back to.
"Ah... The wendigo and The Candyman. Two people obsessed with food... Only to end up a Main course with dessert. Crazy, innit?" The Feral Doppelganger said as she waved to Verum, who laid defeated on the ground.
"T-That... T-That actually hurt... W-What the hell!? I-I'M A GOD, IT SHOULDN'T HURT!?" Verum muttered in a panic. It was the first time she had felt anything close to death, even in the times she'd actually died.
"The Wendigo is a threat in all cases. Even I do not know the extent of her power." The heroic one added. "What does that even mean?" The rodent questioned. The feral one took a long sigh, knowing it was time for her to lore dump.
But since I am sure you have heard enough lore dumps in one lifetime, and since Ennu isn't here to take over, I'll just summarise it as; Wendigos can injure the soul. Whenever they kill and eat someone, they leave behind only the remains of their soul in a fractured state.
So basically, Verum actually got inflicted with true damage. Much like what a certain Paladin could do in her prime. Why else do you think she was capable of bringing down gods? The paladin, not the Candified Wendigo.
"W-Wait so... I can actually die? Like, no rewinds?"
The feral one shrugged at Verum's question. "The Truth is... We don't know." She laughed, patting Verum on the head mockingly.
"W-Well... How did we beat her the first time?" Verum questioned. She had the vague memories of who she once was, but the two seemed to know what actually happened. Though the heroic one let out a calm snicker as she sat next to herself.
"We didn't. The Wendigo was never much of a threat in the loops we had. So, we just left her to whoever was our focus point for the plan."
"And I don't think turning them into a gummy deer will work again." The feral one chimed in.
"Then all hope is lost... I won't die to some... Some BEAST." Verum seemed rather defeated. Even if it was her first brush with true death, it genuinely scared her at the thought of actually dying. Something the two noted with a bit of glee.
Even still, the doppelgangers knew they'd have to help themselves out, so decided to drop a tid-bit of information that Verum seemed to have forgotten. "Hey Feral me," The Heroic one said as she faced her other half. "The chains that started this whole mess seemed rather familiar, didn't they?"
"Huh? Did they?" She Questioned before getting a hard nudge by the heroic one. "Are you doing a bit or just plain stupid?"
"Bit of both. What can I say, I cause Pandemonium wherever I go."
Verum stared at her other halves with confusion. After all, she only had bits and pieces of there memories. "If you two are implying something, can you just tell me? I'm not you anymore."
"Fine..." The two grumbled in unison. "Remember how Lucy is looking for her heart? Well, if that priestess had given the ghost that watch, who's to say she doesn't have the heart?"
"oh."
And so, Verum ran off back to the church with a new purpose and once inside, she met up with Sunny. "You didn't beat the Queen?" The Priestess asked as she stared at the imposing statue of her goddess.
__________
Verum seemed a bit confused as she crept up beside her. "I... Thought the watch was what let you remember stuff?"
Sunny just let out an annoyed sigh as she stood up and faced the rodent. "It's not important, Rodent. If you can't beat the Queen, then give me back my watch."
Verum got defensive rather quickly, getting uncomfortably close to the priestess. "I've had a rough day. So, if you have a heart lyin' 'round here, could ya hand it over?"
"No." The Priestess spoke rather flatly, seeming fed up with this entire thing. So Verum resorted to her favourite tactic. Staring deeply into her eyes, the rodent whispered the simple truth she wanted. "The Truth is... You told me where the demon's heart is."
"No."
"Exactly- Wait... You uh... You're meant to tell me where the heart is?" Verum questioned with a puzzled look. It was the first time she had actually failed at using her power. Sure it was limited to a degree in the loop, but not to the extent that mind control would fail. It was like the mouse was immune to her Truth.
The feral one on the other hand, realised the actual truth to the situation rather quickly. Appearing in front of Sunny with a stare, looking her over before turning back with a mocking grin.
"The heart is right in front of ya." She motioned at The Mouse Demi-Human's chest like a prize, grinning a bit more. The Heroic one seemed surprised, having thought the priestess would have kept it on hand and not inside.
Verum let out a bored sigh as she rested a hand on Sunny's shoulder. "I can't believe you'd make me do this... But I want you to know, I think we'd have made a nice couple."
"Verum! Don't do anything rash!"
"Go on... Show her what we do to mice."
Both of her doppelgangers watched in silence, each hoping they'd get their way, while Verum summoned a gigantic sword of light that hovered just above Sunny's head. The young priestess's eyes widened. Rapidly hitting and tugging at Verum to try and free herself as the thin string of shadow that held it slowly broke.
Before finally.
Snap
The floor caved beneath their feet, sending the two crashing to the ground. As the dust finally cleared, Verum looked at the split remains of who she considered her first love. Sunny's body almost resembled a beautiful flower of gore. With a beating golden heart at its centre like a core.
A brief moment of hesitation overcame the rodent, but she dismissed it as she grasped The Overlord's heart. Feeling the pulsating energy in it like an electrified current.
"So... What now?" Verum questioned with a sigh as she now faced the feral one.
"Now we go deer hunting."