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Gideon"s footsteps echoed throughout the maze of mirrors. He was tense, fire licking up from his manacles as he fought to keep his flame form contained. He breathed a heavy, shaking breath, billowing smoke as his eyes darted around the mirrored walls.
He snapped around as a haunting cackle of laughter sounded from all around him, that disgustingly familiar voice sing songing out, "Oooooooh Gideoooooon! Not much longer now! You"ve almost found the way out! You"ll find your dear Kremy soon!"
Another cackle, "The question is, will it be in time, Gideon? Maybe I"m already sewing him up as a suitcase! Or maybe even a hat!"
Gideon snarled, "Chuckles! You bastard! This is between you and me! Let. Him. Go!"
His only answer was silence once again. Gideon roared in anger and smashed his hand into the nearest mirror, shattering the glass and sending shards in all directions as he burst into flames, his manacles whirring to life and heating his chains.
He whipped one chain around, slamming it into several mirrors, once again sending shards flying. He barely felt it as one sliced across his cheek bone, his attention turning to whipping around again, searching for the source of that voice.
"Tut, tut, tut, Gideon! We went through this once already! Breaking things won"t get you anywhere! Come on, Gideon! You killed me, so now you have to play my games!"
Chuckles laughter started to down pitch as it faded away once more.
Gideon yelled, turning and raising his fist as if to throw it into another mirror before he turned and ran down the hallway, yelling, "Kremy! Kremy! Where are ya, man!?"
He barely glanced at the other option at a fork, sprinting blindly without thought, only to end up at another dead end.
Gideon cried out again, face scrunched up in a snarl, before he was smacking his palm into the mirror of the dead end.
He yelped as he stumbled through the mirror, honking and laughter filling his ears as red and white flashed across his vision.
He righted himself, barely.
Breathing hard he whipped his head around, this way and that, taking in the room, only to stop on the figure at the center.
Chuckles grinned at him.
"Hello, Gideon! It took you quite awhile!" He flourished a hand above him as he stepped forward, "And looky here! Your gator friend all tied up as a present for you!"
Gideon"s gaze snapped up and his jaw dropped. There was Kremy, tied to a acrobat"s swing. The lizardfolk"s eyes were wide as he stared down at Gideon, though he said nothing, his jaws wrapped in colorful ribbons, keeping them shut. His clawed hands were clenched tightly around the ropes they were tied to.
Gideon clenched his jaw and looked to the clown before him, "You fucking piece of shit! I"ll kill you!"
He lunged for the clown with a roar, fist swinging down, only to miss as Chuckles ducked away, "Woah there! You were really coming in hot!"
"Come back here, you slippery clown bastard!" Gideon whipped out a chain, attempting to wrap it around Chuckles, who dove to the other side, only to end up meeting the other chain.
Gideon grinned in triumph as Chuckles let out a surprised yelp as the heated metal wrapped around him, searing flesh. Gideon"s vision swam for a second, green and purple. He could swear he could hear Kremy crying our before red and white danced across his vision with the honking of clown horns in his ears once more.
When he shook himself back into focus, noticing Chuckles had escaped and put distance between them once again, "Gideon! That wasn"t nice at all! It"s almost like you"re trying to kill me again, Gideon!"
Gideon let out a snarl and charged, fire blazing around him as he did so, "I am, you cursed clown demon!" He swung again, missing, and again. Miss.
Enraged he roared and the flames around him only flared up higher, searing and singeing Chuckle"s clothes and skin even more, "Gods damn it! When I get my hands on you-!"
Chuckles cackled and danced away, shaking a puffy glove finger at him, "No, no, no, Gideon! While that sounds fun, it doesn"t come yet! We have games to play!"
"I"ll play a game! It"s called "WhackaChuckles"! Now-" He swiped, trying to grab at the clown again, feeling the brush of silk as he just missed his suit, "Come! Here!"
Finally, he found purchase, grabbing ahold of a flailing arm and pulling with all his might to slam the clown into the floor. Gideon heard a whoosh of air and a wheeze from Chuckles as the a wave of dizziness once more hit Gideon, causing him to stumble, his vision swimming with purple, green, and blacks this time before being overtaken by the red and white of a circus tent and the honking of clown horns.
Chuckles groaned as he rolled to stand up only to be slammed back into the floor as Gideon pinned him, smashing a fist into his face. Gideon"s vision turned red with his fury as he finally got ahold of Chuckles, wailing into the clown with everything he had, flames rolling up his fists to add to the damage.
He barely noticed when the clown went limp, smashing into him a few more times before Gideon pushed himself up and stumbled away, looking up at the swing, "Krem-"
He froze as he stared at Chuckles, now on the swing where Kremy once was, swinging happily above the floor, grinning down at Gideon, "Oh Gideon. Gideon. Gideon. Gideon."
Chuckles cackled, "You poor, insolate fool! Haven"t you learned, the eyes play tricks?"
Gideon stared at him with wide eyes, chest heaving though breath starting to pick up pace, "What...? What... How?! What did you do!? Where"s Kremy!?"
Chuckles threw back his head and laughed, "More like what did you do, Gideon! And he"s much closer than you think! I"ve never had roasted alligator before, have you?"
Gideon"s brows furrowed and he frowned before his eyes widened again and he whipped around so fast he stumbled.
Behind him, crumpled and brunt on the floor, lay Kremy. The gator was still, eerily so.
Gideon could hear the blood rushing in his ears, feel the pound of his heart as he stood frozen before he cried out, rushing to drop to the floor beside Kremy.
His hands hovered over his friend, his best friend.
Gideon gasped as his hands trembled. He had done this. He had done this to Kremy. Abruptly, all his flames died down in an instant, though he dared not touch Kremy again.
He gasped as his chest tightened, frantically searching for any signs of life as he stared down at his Kremy"s broken form. The gator"s chest wasn"t moving and finally Gideon grasped at him, pulling Kremy up so his chest to was to Gideon"s ear as he tried to listen through his own sobs.
"Kremy, Kremy! I"m so sorry, Kremy! Please, I didn"t mean to! Kremy, please!"
He couldn"t calm himself to listen, shaking and fumbling as he tried to find any signs of life. The gator didn"t once stir, not even a wheeze of pain.
He finally gave up, pulling Kremy"s limp form into his chest and curling around it, rocking back and forth all the while.
He was tricked. He had killed his best friend. The person he was trying to save.
He had beaten his best friend to death. Burned away his flesh. Broken his bones.
His breathing was coming in gasping, pants now, tears feeling like cuts being bore down his face.
He hugged Kremy tighter, only distantly noticing the shouts before the cackling that had been filling his ears went silent.
Hands were suddenly on him, pulling at Kremy, trying to take him away.
He snapped to attention with a wheezed snarl, gaze landing on Gricko who continued to pull at him, mouth moving, but Gideon could hear nothing, but his own heartbeat.
He finally released his hold, watching as Gricko leaned over Kremy, blue wispy magic alighting around the goblin as he crouched over the gator.
Gideon watched, feeling as if he was floating. He could hear nothing, but buzzing, like bees were filling his head.
Suddenly a voice echoed through his mind as yellow eyes filled his vision, "Gideon. Can you hear me now? You need to come back, Gideon. We need to know what happened."
Gideon merely blinked at Frost. "I killed him, Frosty. I killed him. I beat him and burnt him."
A wave of horror broke through the numbness a sob following in it"s wake, "I didn"t mean to, Frosty. I... I thought he... I thought he was Chuckles. I saw Chuckles."
Finally his gaze met the tabaxi"s who stared passively back, "I swear I"d never have hurt him, Frosty. But I did! I did! I killed him!"
Gideon curled into himself, yelling now, "I thought it was Chuckles! But it wasn"t and now I"ve killed my best friend!"
A furry paw landed on his shoulder and Gideon"s eyes snapped up to meet Frost"s gaze once more, "It was not your fault, Gideon. Your mind was preyed upon. It was Chuckles who did this. He wanted to make you hurt."
Gideon stared, silent for several beats before his brow furrowed and his eyes darkened. "You"re right, Frosty. And he did."
His gaze moved to Gricko, still crouched over Kremy, several spirits around him. The gator still had not moved.
Gideon"s face scrunched, his lip trembling as tears started to pour from his eyes once more as he met Frost"s steady gaze, "That bastard tricked me. I"m gonna kill him."
He was heaving breaths now, flames licking back to life as he surged to his feet, roaring as his eyes turned once again to Kremy"s lifeless form, "I"m gonna burn that bastard back to Hell where that monster belongs!"
Before he pushed out a shuttering breath, stumbled over to Kremy and fell to his knees, breaking into sobs as Gricko met his eyes...
and shook his head.