Polynya

“Your mother stresses you.”

“She does.”

Tesla laughs softly. “What will you do about it?”

Kodai opens one eye and tries to look back at her. “What do you mean?”

“Will she always control you?”

“No,” he subvocalizes. “I will be in control one day.”

And just saying that makes him feel petty for thinking of things in such a black and white way. Is it better to be controlled and powerful or be the one controlling those with power? Aren’t the outcomes similar, the chance for demise intertwined?

Tesla keeps massaging his back and Kodai gives in to her.

He relaxes more than he’s relaxed in years, putty in her hands. Minutes pass, minutes in which he is lost in the ocean of his past trying to focus on a single notion of what he is, what he is meant to be, why it matters, and how things may turn out.

His whirlwind of thoughts eventually leave, yet the feeling of euphoria remains. The urge to turn to Tesla and pull her into him waxes and wanes.

Kodai does his best to suppress it. The spark of something entirely alien to him looms on the horizon, to be visited at another time.

Chapter 22: FeeTwix “Turncoat” Fajer

The Mitherfickers are leveling up nicely, Ryuk thinks as he checks the team’s stats.

Ryuk Matsuzaki Level 18 Ballistics Mage

HP: 569/583              

ATK: 112         

MATK: 142

DEF: 88

MDF: 67

LUCK: 14

FeeTwix Fajer Level 20 Berserker Mystic

HP: 446/789                 

ATK: 161         

MATK: 29

DEF: 85

MDF: 43

LUCK: 13

Hiccup Level 17 Shield Thief

HP: 800/814                 

ATK: 108           

MATK: 16

DEF: 226

MDF: 103

LUCK: 28        

Zaena Morozon Level 19 Brawler Assassin

HP: 619/735                 

ATK: 205         

MATK: 9

DEF: 113

MDF: 43

LUCK: 14      

Fat Tony’s Go Juice, or whatever the hell the stuff that boosted their EXP was called, is definitely worth its weight in rupees. Ryuk has leveled up twice, although he hasn’t learned any new skills. He has, however, moved to level two with both his Spit Fire and his Splash Back skills.

“Viewers are surging!” FeeTwix calls out, his voice echoing down a long corridor.

“Fick, Twixy, I think you just woke my dead cousin Spew Gorge up.”

“I thought it was Spew George,” Zaena says.

Hiccup stops and considers this. “Yeah, it was George that died, not Gorge. Good catch, Liz. You may come in handy when I’m older and unable to properly clean my grundle or speak coherently.”

“Grundle?”

“I’ll tell you what it means when you’re older, Marbles.”

“Can we reach four million in the next five minutes?” FeeTwix asks the mirror in his hand. “I feel a boss battle coming on … Hey! Now that I have your attention, I wanted to remind all of you that Spider-Man Middle School Dance is out now! A prequel to Spider-Man Origins, which itself was a prequel to Spider-Man College Doob, an alternative universe Spidey flick about a stoner Peter Parker and his number one gal, Mary Jane. Heh, I liked that one! So be sure to catch Spider-Man Middle School Dance this weekend and get caught up on the backstory to the backstory!”

“The backstory to the backstory?” Ryuk shakes his head incredulously. “I can’t believe they’re doing another Spider-Man. I think the last one came out in 2074.”

“Yup,” FeeTwix says, “that was Spider-Man College Doob.”

“Why would a man want anything to do with a spider?” Zaena asks.

“Taste-wise, I’m more of a fuzzy caterpillar guy. Joking. Just ‘cause I’m a fickin’ goblin doesn’t mean I eat bugs. But I do eat fuzzy caterpillars. Because they are nutritious. Fick you, Liz, for judging me.”

“You’d like Spider-Gwen, Hiccup,” FeeTwix tells the goblin. “Definitely a babe. She was, how would you say in goblinese, a steaming sack of hotness?”

Hiccup grumbles. “The only goblin word I’ve told any of you about is drumpf, which means something that smells worse than shit. We don’t classify fickin’ sacks by their hotness. Now, coldness is another story, but not hotness.”

“Pretty sure Jatla is a steaming sack of coldness.”

“Cut Jatla a break, Marbles, and really, don’t quit your day job. You ain’t funny – Hey!”

Wolf barks and pushes past Hiccup.

“He senses something ahead,” FeeTwix says as his double-bladed sword materializes. Wolf barks again, more high-pitched this time, as if he’s scared.

“Let’s go!” Zaena charges ahead with her four blades drawn. She slides to a halt once she gets to the end of the tunnel.

“What is it?” Ryuk says as he catches up with her. “Whoa!”