Misfits, Part VI: The Journey's End

“We all ready?” Buster flicked his cigarette butt away as he gazed into the stone hallway.
“Yes.”
“Yep!”
“Affirmative.”
“All right. You all just stay behind me, okay?” He began to walk, before his path was blocked by a scimitar.
“No. It's not okay.” Cathy glared him down and stepped past him. Buster scowled and shrugged and fell in behind with Sickle and Tangerine. The orange rock fell away into darkness almost immediately, at which Cathy paused briefly to perform some kind of motion, causing the whole tunnel to be illuminated as if by sunlight.
“Coool.” Tangerine observed.
“Didn't know you could do that.” Buster quietly put away the matches he'd pulled out.
With the tunnel illuminated, the end was visible not awfully far away, but much further away than the size of the peak would seem to allow spatially. As the tunnel widened out, they got a picture of the vastness of the hall it opened out on. The tiled floor gleamed immaculately as they stepped out onto it. At either side huge tables of food stretched down the length of the hall, the walls lined with various suits of armour. At the very end of the hall, easily a hundred feet away, sat a tall throne, in which was sat a figure in dark blue robes.
“So ye've made it, have yeh?” The voice rang with echo down to the party as they strode into the hall.
“Can we skip to the part where we kill you?” Buster asked, hand raised.
“Don't ye want to hear what I have to offer you?”
“Not really, no.” Cathy continued leading the march.
“We just want to go home.” Tangerine added.
“Home? What home?” The figure spat, he rose from his chair and began floating forward, his robes sweeping the floor, “You remember much of that war you left behind, Cathetal? Are ye even sure it happened?”
Cathy paused, “Well- There was... I had a falcon named Seraphim...” She shook her head vigorously, then glanced with a worried look to the faces of her fellow adventuters.
“Do you even remember what your home world's like, Buster? What did you even do in the one you just left?” Even as he grew closer, his features were obscured by the brim of his red wizard's hat.
“Like I remember every damn thing that happens to me.”
“Tanya, can ye even tell me a single damn thing about the world you're from, can ye?”
Sickle cocked her head to one side.
The robed figure shook his bearded head sadly, “Poor Tangerine there's the only one with much of a home to speak of. Not that there's anything waiting for her there. It's not her world.” He stopped moving, “No, you're all like me, I'm afraid. Forgotten. Abandoned. Misfits. They got bored of you, or tired, or they just didn't care. They mocked me something vicious, let me tell you. Got rid of me. Best thing the fuckers ever did for me, because d'you know why? I fell through the cracks of that shitehole world, so I did. Saw the truth. Saw the game of it, understood the system. And I worked around it. There's a power inside me beyond magic. It's the Truth.”
Buster looked from Cathy, to Tangerine, to Sickle. “Yeah, nobody knows what the fuck you're on about mate.”
“Don't you get it?” He sped up to them at lightning pace, “I found the Truth, and the Truth entered me. The Truth helped me understand, and it gave me power. It was all a game. You were a piece in a fucking game! And the players were consumed by games; but not yours. They didn't care enough about you to play for long or even at all, so either you stopped being or you never fucking was! You were fucking nothing until I brought you here!”
“I thought the fairy brought us here?” Tangerine probed.
“He might think he did, but I was pulling the bloody strings. D'you not see what I'm offering you here? A world! A home! You can rule with me!”
“At what cost?” Cathy's daylight shone brightly, “I will tread nowhere with innocents beneath my heels.”
“Yeah!” Tangerine added.
“Well put.”
Cathy slashed at the robed figure and it spun away, before fading away in a puff of smoke. “Did I mention that while I was out of the world, I gave myself a few extra levels?” The Overlord appeared once again on the throne, “Fucking youngsters. Can't trust them as underlings. Can't give them a new life. Don't appreciate nothing. You try to do something nice for them and they spit it back in your face. Isn't that so, Seamus?” A toad hopped from the armrest into the figure's lap. “Kill the misfits.” He said with a wave of his hand.
At this, the suits of armour that lined the hall clanked to life, suits in every shape and size and style from a dozen world. They marched on the group as the four stood back to back.
“I can explode these ones, right?”
“With extreme prejudice.” Cathy readied her sword.
“Mistress, please step back.”
“No! I'm fighting with you. We're fighting together, or neither of us are fighting!”
Sickle stood silent for a moment, “New parameters accepted.”
As the nearest suits drew into range, the group erupted. Sickle and Cathy laid out slicing blows, pushing outwards in opposite directions, Buster and Tangerine acting as human artillery. At every range armours began collapsing, exploding, and crumbling, none of them so much as landing a swing at the group. After mere seconds the four stood in the centre of a circle of broken metal, with hardly a sweat broken.
“Should have known. If you want something done right, you do it your bloody self.” He lazily aimed his index finger at the group, from which a pea-sized ball of fire flew.
Buster dove in front of the group with haste and grabbed the shot in its flight, crushing it in his hand. There was a very small explosion sound. “Too easy.”
The Overlord opened his palm and a blast of lightning arced from it to Buster's chest. “Yes. I quite agree.” Buster dropped like a stone.
“Buster!” Cathy rushed to his side, dropping to her knees to heal him.
“Guurgh.” Was his response.
“Stop hurting my friends!” Tangerine shouted.
“Okay.” The Overlord aimed a hand and Tangerine. Before the lightning reached her, Sickle had covered the ground and was between them. Electricity crackled around her frame for a moment and she fell to the floor.
“I said STOP HURTING MY FRIENDS!”
Nobody was quite certain what exactly Tangerine did in that moment, including Tangerine herself, but the observable result was the Overlord tumbling forward off his throne, and Tangerine was very tired.
“I'm... guys I'm just gonna have a little lie down with Sickle okay.” And she did.
“Hey Overlord! That Truth you've got in you, don't you reckon it kind of loathes being inside the bad guy?” Buster hollered as he slowly tried to get up from the floor with Cathy's help.
“I'm not the bad guy here! The Truth knows that! I'm just trying to help you people!” The Overlord tried getting up, but appeared to be slipping over his own robes on the polished floor.
Cathy steeled her gaze at the Overlord, “That's not what my paladin training is telling me. Sorry. You're evil now.”
“This Truth's got to know that bad guys never win, right? And I bet it would much prefer a host that always finds himself hopping from world to world. Give it plenty of reality to work with.” Buster managed to find his footing and stood, hunched over.
“What are you on about boy?” In frustration the Overlord waved his hands, and much of the length of his robe disappeared, allowing him to stand to his full height; a little under three feet, now that his hat had fallen off.
“I'm saying that Truth of yours would have a much better time of it if it decided to leave you in the dust and enter me.” Buster stood to his full height.
“Buster, what are you talking about? You have no idea what that could do to you!” Cathy pulled at his arm.
“She's right, whelp! Even a wizard must use all his mental power to stop from going mad. A foolish youngster like you can't handle the Truth!”
With his free hand, Buster reached out towards the gnome, “Trust me.”
The Overlord began to glow a soft blue, “No! No no no no no!” The glow left him and coalesced into a bolt of energy that flew into Buster's waiting hand.
“Now let's see about that power you mentioned.” He aimed a hand and lifted the gnome into the air, where he hung, kicking his legs fruitlessly. Invisibly shackles took his hands. “Now that problem's taken care of...” He turned his attention to Sickle and Tangerine, who both sat up groggily.
“Why's Buster look funny?”
“Just playing host to an ineffable cosmic entity, love. Nothing to worry about.”
“Buster, stop! Please for once take something seriously, this thing could drive you mad, or evil!” Cathy pleaded.
“Don't worry.” He closed his eyes for a few moments to think, then opened them again. Six shimmering blue portals appeared before them. He beckoned, and the gnome was pulled to his feet.
“Now what do we do with this one, eh?”
“I would suggest we execute him, but he looks too pathetic now.” Cathy folded her arms.
“He does not register as a threat.” Sickle confirmed.
“We could just leave him here. He said all he wanted was a home. Maybe he'll really find one, without all that power in him.” Tangerine offered.
“From the mouths of babes.” Buster smiled, “Thank the young lady, Patrick. She just spared your sorry life.”
“Thanks.” He mumbled.
“Buster you're talking strangely. I think it's taking you over!” Cathy prodded.
“I said to trust me.” With a motion of his arms Paddy O'Patrick dropped to the floor, and his wizard's clothes became civilian fare that would fit in with the people of this world. Buster stepped aside as Seamus hopped up to his master. “You're free to go.” They watched the gnome depart as he gave them resentful, uneasy looks.
“Now I told you not to worry because I know from experience that the Explosion Force does not like sharing its host body with anything. Just one last use of my cosmic power, then I let it off the leash.” In his hand appeared a pack of cigarettes, “Okay. Sic 'em, boy.”
There was the sound of an explosion from Buster's torso region, then a faint blue glow for just a moment.
“Yay, Buster's normal again.” Tangerine confirmed. Cathy looked him up and down, then appearing satisfied with her appraisal, hugged him.
“You idiotic boy!”
“Yeah.” He confessed.
“Heartwarming.” Sickle monotoned.

They had pulled a couple of tables together, and were sat on them facing one another. They had retrieved the kobold wizard from Paddy's dungeon, and he'd briefly thanked them before stepping through the portal Buster had made to his home world. Now they'd waiting for sunset, when Pinball returned to them, striding into the hall.
“Hey guys, sorry again about the whole fighting you thing-”
“Just go.” Buster said, pointing to the portal that led back to his world, a world of heroes.
“Yes sir.” He scooted on through the shimmering doorway with a short, lazy wave to the group.
“So I guess this is goodbye.” Cathy said as they sat watching the portals glow and shine.
“I don't wanna leave you guys behind...” Tangerine moaned.
“You have a family to get back to, kid.” Buster got up and took off his jacket, then presented it to her, “Here. Something to remember me by.”
“You mean it?” She said, her huge eyes full of excitement.
“Yeah. I'm sure I'll find another one soon enough.”
“Thank you thank you!” Tangerine wrapped Buster's midsection in a hug, and he gently returned the favour. Full of excitement she pulled on the jacket, the sleeves too long for her and the torso covering her thighs, “Do I look cool.”
“Absolutely, kid.” Buster confirmed.
“You'll grow into the look.” Cathy added, and Tangerine rushed over to hug her too.
“Goodby Miss Cathy.”
“Goodbye Tangerine.” She smiled down benevolently.
Finally Tangerine walked up to Sickle and hugged her tight, “Goodbye Miss Sickle.”
“What do you mean; goodbye?” Sickle looked down with robotic confusion.
“Aren't you going home?”
“I will go where my Mistress goes.” Sickle announced.
“Yay! I can't wait for Kanton and Saishe to meet you!” Tangerine took Sickle by the hand and started leading her towards her portal.
“We will be a big, happy family.” Sickle confirmed with warmth.
“Goodbye, you two. May you live happy lives.” Cathy waved as they prepared to go.
“I'll try to visit sometime.” Buster smiled.
“Goodbye, Cathetal. Goodbye, Buster.” Sickle waved.
“Goodbye!” Tangerine shouted before walking slowly through the portal, her eyes on Buster and Cathy.
“Just us two, then.” Cathy sighed.
“It's been exceedingly pleasant.” Buster offered Cathy his hand.
“Indeed it has.” She shook, and got up to head for her portal.
“Thanks again, by the way, for making sure I didn't die and stuff.”
Cathy paused and turned back to him, “Oh, it was nothing. Thank you for your contribution. It was good to be on a team with you.”
“Yeah.” He agreed.
Cathy turned and took another step before turning back around, “Before I go, what was it like having the Truth in you?”
“To be honest I don't remember much of it, it was all a blur. I felt big. Like I wasn't just in the universe, I was over it and around it.”
“Huh. Well, uh, goodbye, Buster.”
“Goodbye, Cathetal.” He watched as she turned around and strode off to her portal.
“Actually, now that you mention it,” Buster coughed, and Cathy turned around to listen, “While I had the Truth in me, I found out that the guy wasn't lying, about where you're from. There really isn't much of a war to go back to anymore. I'm not sure if there ever was. I tried my best, but I'm not sure if you'd even recognise what's past that door.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose there's nowhere else for me to go, really. It's worth a try. Thanks, for trying.”
“Right.” He watched her walk up to the portal, and steel herself to step through.
“Actually, before I go,” She turned her head to him, “Is your name really Buster?”
“Oh, sod this.” He dashed the distance between them, took her wrist with one hand and her cheek with the other and pulled her into a kiss.
“Took you long enough!” She complained as they pulled away.
He nodded towards his own portal, “Fancy coming for a walk with me?”
“Where does it go, then?” She asked as they walked up to it hand in hand.
“I've no idea, love.”
“Fun. And don't think just because I let you kiss me we're fine. You are going to have to make some changes, Buster.” She took the packet of cigarettes out of his hand and threw it through one of the portals, “Starting with those.”
He cupped a protective hand over the one he'd just placed in his mouth, “One last fag.” He pleaded, and lit it, taking a drag. He gestured to the portal, “Could be anything through there, you know. There are worlds where buildings tower into the sky and everyone rides around in metal chariots that pull themselves.”
“I've seen stranger.” Cathy smiled.
“Have you ever seen a magic cat?”
“No. Have you?”
“Fought one. Turned me into a sodding cat.” She raised an eyebrow, “I got better.”
“Shall we see what's on the other side then?”
“Hang on.” He sucked hard on the cigarette, then dropped it to the floor and crushed it under his boot. “Brand new world, brand new day, brand new me.”
“Are we ready?”
“Yeah.”
“All right. Just stay behind me.” She pulled ahead and turned to smile at him playfully as she pulled him through the portal with her.