~~~Stanley~~~

No one visibly reacted to Daryl's... hateful statement? But it had the added effect of delaying the damage Stanley had been considering. Apparently, the guy already knew someone here... and really didn't like them.

Stanley could feel Daryl's soul, so he felt the loathing clearly enough. But he had to follow the man's gaze to find out which of the fancy robes was the one he hated.

It was the guy in the center. In the slightly bigger and fancier chair. Wearing a white robe that definitely belonged in a hippie drum circle rather than in this room. Though the glowing symbols helped a bit... also the fact that everyone else was wearing similar attire, if slightly more colorful.

There was also the small matter of Stanley's own ridiculous white suit...

Aside from that, the so-called Dale had a really punchable face. Stanley could see the smug superiority radiating off the man. He could only imagine how much worse it would be if he could feel the guy's actual soul.

A few of the enthroned glanced at Theodore when he took the one empty seat above, but no one spoke. They had an... usher? Or was this supposed to be a courtroom, which would make him a bailiff? Whatever they were called, that guy said loudly, "The council is in session. Be seated."

There was a collective noise of people sitting down, but Nate didn't sit. He didn't even move. The rest of the team followed his lead after some shuffling glances of their own.

"Take your seats," the bailiff said again.

Stanley already felt a bit left out, since he was technically already sitting down. Albeit in the air. Of course, he had a solution to the stupid request. He picked everyone back up and brought the chairs with them. High enough that they could look down on the council. Then he sat in a chair.

Nate smiled and waved the others toward the flying chairs, but he still didn't sit himself. He just stood on Stanley's invisible platform and studied the wizards.

Daryl also remained standing. "Seriously, Dale? What wild story did you spin to get these poor bastards to put you in charge?"

An expression flashed over Dale's face. Stanley was guessing... anger? He really hated not feeling their souls. It felt like he was flying blind... He hadn't even had the skill for that long, but now he couldn't imagine not having it.

"Unlike certain individuals present," Dale said, speaking finally. "Some of us have actual power and don’t need to hide behind someone who does."

"You..." Daryl took a step forward, furious... and Adrian put a hand on his arm. He stopped with a glance at his partner, then looked down at Princess, who had stopped growling toward the council. It looked like they were having a silent discussion, presumably through Princess and Cheesesteak. An interesting tactic...

Nate didn't join in or even look at the duo. He was still silently studying both the council and now the gathered crowd in the theatre stands. His soul was... intense. As if he were seeing far more than Stanley could comprehend... It was the first time Stanley had seen him like this, at least when they weren't in the middle of a life and death battle. Nate was taking his time to do... something.

It was enough to make Stanley nervous.

So he closed his eyes and focused everything on his mental touch. Well, almost everything. He was still trying to get his premonition to trigger without damage.

"Can we get on with this?" a voice said from the stage. "I know some of you enjoy the pomp and circumstance, but I have better things to do with my time." It sounded like Theo, which meant Theo might actually be a better person than Stanley had originally given him credit for.

"Very well," Dale's voice said from behind the impenetrable wall surrounding the stage. A wall Stanley was trying to find a way through. "Let us begin."

There was a shuffling sound, and someone cleared their throat. "In the interest of avoiding future conflict, we should discuss your underlings incursion into our..."

"No!" Nate growled, speaking for the first time. "Before anything, I want to know... where were you!?"

"Please hold your questions until..." the bailiff started.

"It's fine," Dale interrupted. "As for your question, Nathaniel Washington, we've been here since..."

"Your last name is Washington?" Stanley asked, opening his eyes to look at Nate. "How does he know that and I don't?"

"Because you probably never asked, idiot," Eve muttered under her breath.

"Where were you?" Nate ignored Stanley to question Dale again, and his soul was... annoyed at the interruption? Angry too. "Where were you when we were fighting for our lives!?"

"I told you..."

"Where were you when we were dying!?" Nate yelled... passionately? It was really weird. His soul didn't match his voice. Sure, he was upset, but his anger was a cold, calculating thing that didn't match the passion and grief in his voice. Stanley helped anyway by giving their barrier a good mental thump as punctuation to Nate's yell. Besides, he'd already really wanted to do that...

Dale felt it and glared at Stanley briefly before returning his gaze to Nate. "I understand your grief and deeply regret the loss of life... but we did what was necessary to preserve humanity. A lofty goal, and one I believe you share, do you not?"

"I..." Nate clenched his trembling hands into fists. "It's not a goal. I will keep my people alive!" He believed what he was saying, but was still... overacting? Was that what it was called? "You have power here. You could have saved so many more..."

"I'm sure you're familiar with the saying of putting on your own oxygen mask first. While I deeply regret the loss of every human life, we were simply in no position to help you." His voice sounded sincere... but Stanley wasn't buying it. Not without feeling his soul to confirm.

Stanley made his feelings known by giving their barrier another solid whack. The damn thing felt solid as fuck, but he really wanted to tear it down.

Nate panted, his chest heaving and fists clenching and unclenching, as if he were having trouble controlling his emotions... which he wasn't. "You could have done... something."

"The heroes who paid the ultimate price did not do so in vain," Dale said after another annoyed-looking glance Stanley's way. "Their sacrifices have given us a chance. They've given us the power to fight back. Together, we will win this war... though I would appreciate it if you could keep your underlings under better control."

Nate pretended to slowly calm down as his gaze followed Dale's glare back to Stanley. "I... well, Stanley isn't an underling. He pretty much does whatever he wants... no matter what I say." Nate sighed. "Him and his dog."

Dale looked at Stanley... sourly? "We need teamwork to survive, not wildcards. No matter how strong they might be. Or think they are... Stanley Cascade."

What was with using people's full names? Was that a power play? Or a knowledge thing? He knew Nate's full name, but who fucking cared? Stanley hit the barrier again.

Nate only shrugged, but his soul felt pleased. "Talk to him, but be nice to the dog... I recommend chicken."

"Yes... the beast lord," Dale said while staring at Stanley. Or at Caffeine. It was hard to tell. "A volatile weapon. One that might turn in your hand." It felt... rude. He was talking about Stanley, but not really to him. Or was he talking about Caffeine? That made no sense. Even Stanley knew he was the volatile one, not Caffeine.

"Can we work together, Stanley Cascade?"

Daryl's soul reacted strongly to the question. He was vehemently against it, but said nothing. It looked like the duo had picked up on something about what Nate was doing and now they were content to wait.

Stanley glared at the blank face of a man who was hiding both himself and his soul behind a barrier. He wasn't sure what Nate wanted or if he cared either way. "I don't see why not... assuming Caffeine likes you."

Nate smiled, but his soul wasn't happy. He was... upset. He was upset with Stanley... with his answer? He didn't want Stanley to work with them? That was fine. In fact, Stanley didn't like the idea either. Not just yet.

"There's just one important detail we need to deal with before that's going to happen," Stanley said, and drifted out of his seat to hover higher above Dale and company. "You are going to drop that shield and show me your souls. All of you. Right now."

There was always a chance they didn't know about his soul abilities, but considering the name dropping and mention of divination wizards before... they probably already knew. Besides, he really wanted a look at their souls, regardless.

Stanley had to question his assumption about what they knew when he got reactions from nearly the entire council at the statement. From widening eyes to shifting in their seats. Not just them, either. The entire audience did the same. Though only Dale spoke up. Quickly too. "Absolutely not."

Dale definitely knew about the soul stuff. Some of the others might know as well, but he definitely knew. And he really wanted to keep his own soul hidden.

"You have soul shields?" Nate asked innocently. "I didn't realize... but you know it's not that bad, right? Sure, he's a little loud, but it won't hurt you."

"Our shields, as you put it, are my greatest creation," Dale said, just a bit smugly. "I didn't create such a thing to avoid mere unpleasantness, but to protect the most vital parts of myself and our people. You would not be so cavalier about walking around unshielded if you knew how exposed you were."

"Oh, what do you know?" Nate asked, now with fake earnest curiosity.

Dale looked sideways at Stanley. "I know it is possible for someone to manipulate another person's soul." He paused, probably for exactly the reaction he got from everyone. A lot of gasps and whispers, along with some suddenly worried souls among Stanley's group. "Doing so could change a person. Fundamentally. So you can understand why I wouldn't risk such a thing. Of course, I'm sure Stanley has done nothing of the sort..."

While most of Stanley's... friends had some reaction to the not-so-subtle idea he might have manipulated their souls, Eve was the worst. She went right to an almost full-blown panic... the crazy bitch. She literally hated him. Constantly threatened and insulted him, and now she thought he was manipulating her soul...

What did she think he was doing? Making her hate him? That just sounded weird... though Stanley had to admit he enjoyed pissing her off sometimes. Was he subconsciously influencing... no, her crazy was all her own. Though there was probably a skill for that—a soul skill.

"That's... a lot to think about," Nate said. Meanwhile, his soul held not even a hint of suspicion.

"I don't care," Stanley said. "You can go one at a time and watch carefully if you're worried, but I will see all of your souls or I will consider you my enemies."

Nate liked that a lot, even though he frowned and said, "Stanley, that's a little extreme, isn't..."

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"I'm with Stanley on this one," Daryl chimed in. "It's not like he can lie to anyone with that soul of his... so I say let him see what they are hiding." There was definitely some malicious intent in there... gleefully malicious, but he had the main point right.

Eve was staring intently and suspiciously at him, but Stanley ignored her. Zeke just looked worried as he watched the exchange, and the rest of the team felt like they weren't sure what to think.

"You may have built a reputation out there, Stanley Cascade, but throwing a tantrum will not help you in here. This is our sanctum. A place we have built with our blood, sweat, and tears. It will stand, even against you, so save your threats for someone else."

"It's not a threat," Stanley said. "It's a promise." He'd always wanted to say that... and he meant it, too.

"This is an odd way to go about gathering alliances, Nathaniel," Dale said. "We might have a problem if you can't control your mad dog."

That was just uncalled for; Caffeine wasn't a mad... Hey! I'm not a... dog.

Nate's soul was smiling and in no way matched his voice when he looked pleadingly at Stanley and said, "Let it go, Stanley. Look, Zeke's aura isn't burning anyone. They're obviously not undead."

"No..." Stanley said hesitantly while listening to Nate's soul and trying to figure out what the man actually wanted from him.

Nate liked the refusal, even as he frowned... Did he want a fight? Why? More importantly, why go about it like this? Why not just tell him to kick their asses and get it over with?

"I'm going to see your souls," Stanley growled, and gave the building a shake to punctuate his words. "One way or another." It was sturdy. It was obviously a sapient lair already, but it also might have been reinforced beyond that. He'd need to put a hole in it to really tell.

Stanley wasn't against the idea of using violence. He was all for anything that involved slapping around the smug bastard wearing a white bathrobe. Plus, he really hated not being able to feel their souls... He wasn't faking anything on that front.

"It's okay," Zeke said as he rushed to close the gap with golden light already shining from his hands.

He was a good kid, but Nate pulled him back. "Don't, Zeke. It's not safe when he's like this."

That one hurt. Stanley wouldn't do anything to the boy. Not again... Though he felt a little better when Zeke agreed with him. "He won't hurt..."

"I can't let you risk yourself," Nate said while holding onto him. "Just go, Stanley! You don't have to do this!" It felt comically obvious he was acting... but maybe it was because he could feel his soul?

"No," Stanley said. "I don't think I will..." Nate wanted a fight with the wizards... and he was going to get one. The only thing Stanley worried about now was that he might make Caffeine nervous, but for now the pug only sat calmly in his lap. A dead giveaway for anyone that knew him... so maybe their divination magic wasn't all that?

Stanley looked at the mostly relaxed Caffeine and thought about what it would mean if these wizards were traitors to humanity. It was the only explanation why they would so adamantly hide their souls. What if they were working with the skeletons? That might be the reason they were thriving here. What if they were working with the monsters who had hurt Caffeine before? The monsters who cut him. Who bled him. Who made him CRY!

Caffeine sat up in his lap.

Break

The invisible barrier around the council shattered into very visible shards of light. Like breaking glass that evaporated a moment later. Still, no souls registered.

"No!" Nate yelled. "Stop!" He was lying.

Dale smiled and drew a god-damned golden scepter from his bathrobe's sleeve. "You shouldn't have done that. Attacking the council is a death sentence."

His scepter flashed with white light, mirrored by an arcane-looking magic circle covering the stage, and a new barrier replaced the broken one. "Surrender now, dog, and I will commute your sentence. Killing you would be a waste when you can still be useful to the fight."

Death sentence, but he would commute it? If he surrendered? Surrendered!?

Break

Dale smiled even wider as another barrier appeared before the first had even finished evaporating.

"We shouldn't do this," Theo shouted over the growing commotion. A few other voices among the council joined in the protest. Green, yellow, and orange robes, respectively.

"Silence," Dale said, and his voice boomed through the theatre. Quiet followed, and he continued, "I'll handle this personally." He said it so confidently... then raised his little scepter. The loser didn't even have a crown. How sad was that?

More symbols lit up around the entire room. Magic circles, some square things, and plenty of pentagram-looking stuff with sharp angles. All of them sent streaks of light toward Stanley. All of them failed to trigger his premonition in the slightest, and none of it reached him before he'd moved Caffeine away.

Debuff Gained: [Gravitational Singularity]

Debuff Gained: [Air Compression]

Debuff Gained: [Blinding Light]

Debuff Gained: [Constricting Chains]

More followed, but the chains grabbed Stanley's attention the most. Some very unpleasant memories rose at the sight of that debuff, but unlike last time, these chains were nothing.

BREAK

Debuff Removed: [Constricting Chains]

The chains evaporated, along with a small explosion where the presumably linked symbol collapsed and vanished. He went after the rest of them; the task made slightly harder with the blinding light filling his eyes. Harder, but not impossible.

It also hurt. Not a lot, but enough that it was getting annoying. Though he was glad about moving Caffeine out of the way... a single spell shot toward the pug.

You fucking... Caffeine ate the spell almost casually. Okay... I guess I don't need to... No. Fuck this guy. Stanley ignored the spells hitting him and set his gaze on Dale. Time to...

"Stop this!" Nate yelled while his soul said the opposite. "We shouldn't be killing each other!" Only... he actually meant that last part. He didn't want Stanley to kill them? Then what was the fucking point of starting a fight!?

"Relax," Dale said in a sudden lull between his never-ending spells. "I will release him when he surrenders."

Stanley wanted to take a deep breath; maybe do some meditating to calm down, but he literally couldn't move enough to take a single breath. So many spells wrapped around him... digging into his suit... into his flesh.

Instead, he looked at Dale. More specifically, at the scepter in his hand... one it looked like he was using to trigger the magic.

Nate wanted them alive, but it wouldn't kill Dale to lose a hand. Or two. Besides, Zeke's aura was still going.

Cut

This time, a symbol flared and died, only it was on the bastard's robe.

Cut

Cut

Cut

More of the shiny white patterns on that stupid robe flared and burned out with each attack, and Stanley could see Dale's eyes widening with the loss of each one. Had he really thought defending was all Stanley could do?

It was slightly surprising that no one else had attacked him yet; the rest of the council only watched the fight. Sure, a few of them were casting spells, but most of those looked like personal protection effects... so Stanley left them alone in return.

The audience was a slightly different story. Most of them remained in their seats, with no whisper from their souls.

Cut

Cut

Cut

Finally, after an unknown number of attempts, a hand fell to the stage with a golden scepter still clutched in the dismembered limb. Best of all, Stanley finally felt Dale's soul. It was full of gleeful anticipation... at least for a moment. Then the idiot realized he was down by one hand and shrieked in pain.

Then he got stupid.

"He'll kill us all!" Dale screamed. "Destroy him!"

Half of them protested, while the other half attacked.

The magic pelting Stanley increased by magnitudes, and far less of it was restraining this time around. Now they wanted him dead.

He activated Still Mind, and in the slow-time of the skill, he struck back. Or at least he tried to. He blocked some spells, redirected others, and shattered even more. Yet the magic came on even faster than he could handle it. He had more time to take it all in, but not enough to stop everything.

One of the spells dragged him down to the floor, and he didn't even think about Nate and the others until he saw the ring of light appear around him... and them. He didn't see it with his eyes; it was little more than a white thread hanging in the air.

But in his mental touch and in his domain, it had substance and weight. A wide, flat blade that hovered in a circle around them...

It appeared along with an array of symbols surrounding the area where the wizards had wanted them to sit... where all of his friends and Caffeine were now standing. You fucking...

Stanley didn't see the blade move. Only his domain told him it had... that, and the flash of pain when it cut through his head... through all of them... then he was falling while everything went dark...

Skill Level Up: Premonition

Caffeine appeared a step away, standing tall enough to hold a blinding white ring of magic between his teeth. Cutting magic that even now strained and sizzled as it tried to close the circle.

He'd stopped it... and was holding it back.

Stanley felt a moment of excitement and glee at realizing what his premonition had just done... but only a moment. Because an instant later, he saw the blood dripping from Caffeine's jaws as the pug slid backwards, his claws leaving trenches in the wooden floor.

Caffeine growled as he slid back, and everything stuttered to a vibrating stop beneath the sound of his angry growl. The people. The deadly magic. The air itself. Everything stopped.

It was plenty of time to take it all in. Plenty of time to stare at the falling drops of Caffeine's blood as each crimson orb vibrated in midair, glistening with the reflected light of so much magic.

Magic that really was some bullshit. Some deadly bullshit.

Stanley stared at that frozen blood as a new and terrible realization settled over him. He'd lost... he'd picked a fight and lost. Caffeine had saved everyone. Again.

A new feeling followed on the heels of that thought... wrath.

They will all die now.

It didn't matter what Nate wanted anymore. It was too late for all of them. They were the enemy, and they had to die.

Still Mind ended under the weight of his wrath, and Stanley unleashed the storm.

That was when everything went... strange.

Caffeine's jaws slammed shut, shattering the ring of light into shards. Then his jaws opened back up, and the ring put itself back together as reality twisted in a horrifying and terrible sensation.

A rewinding...

The storm crawled back into Stanley, his murderous anger withdrew, and Still Mind reactivated... right as a voice shouted, "Stop!"

Stanley lost Still Mind and blinked in absolute confusion as he abruptly found himself back in the air where he'd been before, hovering above the stage with everyone else amid the fight with... the wizards?

Only... no one was attacking... Not only were they not attacking, but he could feel their souls. All of them.

They felt as terrible as he was feeling... as terrible as every single soul was feeling...

He caught his friends right as they started falling, more out of instinct than anything else, and then just struggled to understand what had happened. He was so angry a moment ago... but now he wasn't? He was about to kill the wizards a moment ago... only now the storm was absent. He was in the... past?

It was the only explanation that seemed to make sense. They all just traveled backwards in time. Only... Caffeine still stood on the floor below. Right where he had been before...

Or had his premonition seen farther than he'd thought?

"What..." Dale gasped, drawing Stanley's gaze and pulling him away from his speculation. Then the bastard dry-heaved and growled, "What did you do!?"

The council members were all back in their seats. As if they'd never joined the fight. Which they hadn't... had they?

Dale was looking to his right and directing the venom in his soul toward the wizard sitting beside him. An older man in a purple robe.

Purple-robe was doing much better than everyone else, but he wasn't unaffected. There was no nausea coming from his soul, only an all-consuming weariness as he slumped in his chair.

"Stand down," Purple gasped out. "All of you, stand down." It seemed unnecessary. None of the souls still in the room felt like they wanted to fight. Well, there was one.

"I had him!" Dale growled while clutching what should have been his stump of a wrist... Cheating time travel.

"No," Purple wheezed. "You killed us all. Your future led only to our end."

"No!" Dale yelled, struggling to stand before falling to the floor, gagging.

Caffeine hopped into Stanley's lap and licked his nose with a small whine.

"Good boy," Stanley whispered as his hands came up without conscious thought to pet the pug. "Very... good boy." His thoughts remained as tumultuous as everyone's souls felt. They'd time-traveled. Literally went back in time. All of them. With maybe the exception of Caffeine...

Just how damn powerful were these fucking wizards!?

Too powerful. They had to die.

That time travel had fucked him up, but he still had some fight in him... enough that he could finish this. Enough to end the threat for good.

"Don't kill them!" So, of course, Nate protested.