Chapter Text
Falling. He was falling. The air whistled in his ears as he plummeted. A cry of his name was the last thing he heard before being lost to the darkness of the pit.
Nothing could have prepared him for the moment of impact.
He hit the ground with a sickening crack. The thud resounded in his pointed ears as white-hot agony ripped through every fiber of his being. He could feel his heart drive itself into his ribcage upon impact, his lungs suddenly devoid of air as his ribs cracked and splintered. His head split, the only thought in his skull was that of the anguish being inflicted on his body. The blood rushing from a gash running through his eyebrow rendered him almost incapable of sight, as he violently gasped in a shaky breath as soon as his abused lungs allowed it.
Through the haze of red, he could make out the grotesque angle of his leg. A scream of agony tried to make it past his lips, but nothing other than a rush of air came from his pain. His lip, bruised and bleeding, began to ache in earnest as he bit it harshly, trying to manage the excruciating reality of his situation
He couldn’t move. Titan, he couldn’t move.
The terror that overtook every cell of his wrought body almost caused him to black out then and there. His vision blurred as fear clouded every thought.
The harsh sound of crashing cleared the fog slightly. Hunter’s head shot up at the sound, immediately hissing in distress as his body protested the sudden movement.
They were fighting. Luz, Gus, Willow, and Amity. The people he was trying to protect no more than seconds ago. His friends. Titan, he had friends now, didn’t he? His inner dialogue was clipped, jumping from thought to thought faster than he could process.
Were they okay? Were they still fighting Uncle? He needed to help them, now.
Apparently trying to sit upright with at least four broken ribs was not the way to go about things.
A pained gasp was forced from his bleeding lips as he tried to heave himself upright. The bleeding wasn’t stopping. His stomach was sliced open, if you looked hard enough, he was sure you could see the organs lining his insides. Titan, he was going to die, wasn’t he
A manic giggle left his lips, he hissed as the breath leaving his lungs aggravated his bruised vocal cords. Of course, this was how it was going to happen.
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“Gus!” Hunter shouted desperately as rocks flew spiraling downwards from the ceiling. Propelling himself forward with a flash of magic, Flapjack gripped tightly in his gloved hand, Hunter pushed Gus out of the way of the tumbling rocks with all his might.
Hunter used his body to shield the younger boy from the remaining rocks. One crashed painfully on his shoulder. He closed his eyes tightly ignoring the sharp stab of pain that ricocheted throughout his body at the impact.
Magenta eyes widened as the sight of a rotting appendage grasped Hunter, clamping down painfully around his middle. A shriek of panic left his lips as he was ripped away from his spot positioned above Gus. Flapjack tumbled from his grip as Gus reached for him blindly, eyes wild with terror.
Suddenly being brought face to face with his former Uncle sent a shiver down Hunter’s spine. The boiling hatred that filled the man’s eyes was enough to send Hunter into a new spiral of panic. He desperately tried to tear at the green flesh gripping him, get away, get away, get away-
“Hunter.”
He froze. The rigidity of his body caused a flare of pain from where he was being suspended in air. Blazing blue eyes met the terrified wide stare of teary magenta.
“What are you doing, Hunter? After everything I’ve done for you? I just want to help you!”
Hunter shuddered as the sickening stench of rot reached his nose the closer his body was pulled to Belos.
“Y-your lying!” Hunter shouted desperately, beginning his futile struggle once more.
Rage made itself known on every feature of his Uncle’s face. Overtaking any false care he tried to convey previously.
“Insolent brat!” He snarled widely, the grip on the young grimwalker tightening painfully.
“I made you. You don’t get to disobey!” Belos hissed, the white of his teeth glared threateningly in the darkness of the cave.
“Hunter!”
The shout came from Luz, her terrified gaze met his as she slammed down a glyph on the hard ground below.
Belos dodged the attack of ice easily, managing to jostle the blonde boy in his grip harshly in the process. Hunter let out a gasp of pain. Willow, her braided hair flying widely as she hoisted herself upwards with her vines, commanded one to wrap around Belos’ wrist. As the two struggled, Luz was able to place another glyph under the monster-like appendage. A column of pointed ice shot from the ground, slicing through Belos’ arm. Hunter was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, a groan left his lips at the sudden impact.
Belos roared, taking a step backward while clutching his wounded arm.
“You godless heathens!” Belos snarled.
The sight of a large sharp trendel shooting from Belos’s arm straight at Willow wiped all rational thought from his mind. Heaving himself upward with more speed than ever in his entire life, he propelled himself forward just in time to hear the sickening shrink of skin being torn open.
He could smell the blood first. The overwhelming stench of iron. He couldn’t feel it yet, small mercies and all that. The adrenaline pumping through his veins must be preventing it then, he concluded.
“......ter! Hunter please!!”
Willow’s strangled gasp was what pulled him from his stupor. Clutching the newly gaping wound on his stomach, he hacked loudly, bright blood spurted from his lips as he heaved.
Bright tears were flowing freely from her face fogging her glasses, he didn’t even realize he had fallen into her.
“I…I’m alright Captain.” He whispered weakly. Trying his best to smile up at her from his position in her arms.
Willow sobbed, “No you’re not! We need to get you to a healer now. Hunter, stay awake please!!”
He didn’t realize he had started to shut his eyes before she uttered her last sentence frantically. Forcing himself to sit up slightly he leaned on his elbows.
He needed to stay focused. Focused Hunter Titan damn it all. It didn’t matter if the blood loss was making him woozy, he knew what a fatal wound felt like. His time as the Golden Guard taught him that much, this wouldn’t kill him immediately. He could still fight.
Heaving himself from Willow’s arms he stood on shaky legs; Willow desperately tried to support him. “I’ll be fine Capitan, we need to focus on my Un- Belos right now.”
The fight was raging just inches away from them. Gus had made hundreds of copies of himself in an attempt to confuse and disorient Belos, while Luz launched attacks with her glyphs and Amity sent abomination after abomination after the man.
“It’s kind of hard to focus on the fight when you are bleeding out in front of me!!” Willow shouted loudly, putting a firm hand on his stomach in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
“Watch out!”
A loud scream interrupted them, as a rock that Belos had launched came barreling toward them. Hunter, barely able to stand, did the only thing he could think of in the heat of the moment. He pushed Willow out of the way as he, himself was hit square in the chest. It knocked the air from his lungs and his wound screamed as he was pushed back right to the edge of the cliff. His boot, slick from his blood, could not keep him steady as he was sent hurtling into the pit below.
Nothing but the fading screams of his friends could be heard as he descended into the darkness.
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It was too dark to see anything clearly, the blood in his eyes not making it any easier. He couldn’t get his body to cooperate with him, the pain in… everywhere prevented him from moving even an inch.
After what seemed like hours (although it was probably nothing more than a few minutes) Hunter was able to drag himself into a semblance of a sitting position. Every curse he had heard in his sixteen years of life rattled through his brain as the pain mounted at the movement. Blood oozed slowly from his stomach and spilled onto the rough ground beneath him. His breaths coming in short, painful gasps, became more and more labored by the second.
Oh, dear Titan.
He was dying. He was fucking dying.
And his friends. Titan, his friends, were up there fighting for their lives. Facing off against the strongest magic user the Boiling Isles had ever seen. He needed to help them. He would do anything to make sure they were safe.
They were the first people to truly care for him. Luz with her never-ending optimism and excessive ranting about those books she loved so much. Gus and his careless naivety. It was refreshing, someone who helped him without wanting something in return. Captain and her fierce strength and protectiveness. Always willing to offer a gentle helping hand. Even Amity and her brash sarcasm and undeniable love for her friends.
Squinting slightly as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the pit, he could make out a faint glow of something in the distance.
A small flicker of hope flared in his chest, but it didn’t last long. Moving in this state was near impossible. Walking was out of the question, so with what little strength he had left, he began to crawl forward.
It was a pathetic sight, he was sure, but he clenched his teeth and heaved himself closer to the glowing light. As the teen inched closer he could make out the sight of a small round disk emanating light lying on the ground.
After what seemed like years in Hunter’s pain-ridden brain, he finally made his way over to the disk.
Picking up the small object with shaky hands, he examined it. It was a small, dull blue thing. A crescent moon presented proudly in the middle and was still currently producing an immense amount of light that hurt his already aching head.
Turning the disk around he found it no different on the back. The small amount of hope that had crawled its way into his chest was immediately crushed. A fucking disk was all it was. A disk. No good that does Hunter while he’s bleeding out in a pitch-black pit.
A sound reminiscent of a child's laugh made Hunter startle, his pointed ears pinning themselves to his head as he searched frantically for the source of the voice.
“Whatcha doin’ down there?”