Feathers and Eggs

Chapter Twenty-two

Grian pushed Iskall backward, preparing himself to attack. "Run! Find Mumbo if you can. If things get rough, get out of he-" the winged man was cut off as he dodged a punch to his face from Chleo. Iskall nodded and scrambled off.

"Leave him. He'll leave soon enough when he figures out it's impossible for him to find their mustache friend. We're here for Poultry Man fellas!" The Npc called out as he stood amused, watching the fighting. Well then, this is a bit of a pickle isn't it? Grian thought in exasperation. Quick fists were coming at him from numerous angles, and it became harder and harder for him to keep up with his blocks and dodges. He backflipped from an incoming throw of a pufferfish and into a clearer area. The villains glared at him, and slowly started to close in around him.

I have got to find a way to take them all out at once or else I'll never get out of this in one piece! Come on, think... There must be some way to- Grian glanced above him and grinned. "I almost forgot!" He pushed off the ground and flew straight up in the air, heading for the hole in the roof once more. Below him, there was furious yelling.

"Get down here, coward!"

"Don't let him escape!"

"Where is he going?!"

Grian chuckled to himself as he landed on the roof without caution. He could feel it bend under his pressure. "Huh, I really thought it would cave in by just landing hard on it. I suppose I could jump up and down or something," he said aloud to himself. The short man began to jump as hard as he could on the roof.

Inside of the warehouse, Npc Grian finally caught on to what the other was doing. "What on ear-? Wait a minute... You idiots! Find something to hide under! He's trying to make the roof collapse!" At that very moment, Grian jumped one final time and the roof suddenly disappeared under his feet as he went falling through the air. He spread his wings and flew out of harm's way, but most of the villains beneath him weren't so lucky. Some were able to dive out of harm's way but became stuck. Many others, however, were knocked unconscious by debris. I really hope I didn't kill anyone. I mean, that's absolutely the last thing I need on my record if I even survive all of this.

When his feet touched the ground and the dust had cleared, he found himself to be the only one standing and well. "Psh. Who knew it would be that easy? Thought an Npc of myself would have more brains than to fall for something like that," Grian whispered amused to himself. He was starting to walk away when the ground began to violently shake, throwing the winged man off his balance and onto the floor. A large heap of rubble in front of him where Npc Grian had been was splitting open, and slowly but surely a decent sized rustic house emerged with two robotic arms and legs with it. It towered over Grian and cast a large shadow that seemed to swallow him whole. From one of the windows, an excited Npc Grian waved rapidly to his creator, laughing hysterically. An outside speaker on the house cackled along with the Npc's voice. "Hahahahahaha! Look what I've got! Isn't she the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? Sadly, I had to add the metallic stuff for function's sake, but the rest of my house is breathtaking! You should feel honored that you're about to be crushed by it!"

One of the giant metal arms raised and a fist began to plummet toward Grian. "Uh oh!" was all he could say before he dove off and landed on his stomach out of the way of the fist. Behind him, there was an intense boom and fragments of the floor hit the back of his head. Before he could catch a breath, the other fist was aiming right toward him, so Grian swiftly got to his feet and just barely slipped away from where he would have been a pancake. The speaker on the house boomed with the maniacal laughter of the Npc inside, who was obviously enjoying watching the show.

"A little slow, aren't we, Grian? Maybe that's why you couldn't save your Evo friends either! I really enjoyed watching them become a shadow of their former selves, and the best thing was when you defeated them with your own hands! I'm glad they could feel how I felt every waking moment I spent in that stupid closet. I'm never going back again. I'll make sure that you can't put me back, either. My partner in all this didn't want me to kill you, but I won't allow anyone to tell me what to do ever again. Say 'goodbye'!" The Npc grinned darkly, the intensity in his black eyes drawing fear from Grian.

The giant rustic house groaned as it moved toward the green-eyed man, large feet threatening to stomp him at every turn. "Npc Grian, you need to stop! You can't keep hurting people just because I hurt you!" Grian shouted desperately, trying to reason with his creation. One of the giant hands curled it's fingers and flicked Grian halfway across the giant warehouse room, where he crashed into a pile of roof rubble and random debris. The man fell onto his stomach, flat on the floor in pain, as more laughter came from the rustic house.

"Oh Grian, Grian, Grian. I don't think you realize your situation. You're alone, with only a few dumb eggs and a pair of wings against a giant house that can move. One of your friends is probably either lost in the warehouse or abandoned you. Your other friend's life is in our hands. No one likes you. No one can trust you. You'd do us all a favor if you allowed my house to end you right here and right now. Just give up," the black-eyed counterpart cooed. Grian slowly got to his feet, holding his side. He tried to fly into the air, but found that his wings had broken after he was flicked. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting through the pain he felt. "I... I won't give up. You know it's not in me to quit so easily. I didn't quit when I was building you, when I had to defend myself against my Evo friends, or when I pursued you to this city. What makes you think I'm just going to let you win?" Grian said, forcing himself to smirk despite the piercing ache in his side.

The Npc glowered, then the rustic house walked toward Grian, intent on crushing him once and for all. Here's to a lucky throw, Grian thought before using what strength he had to launch an emergency egg from the pouch he wore. It landed just beneath the moving house's foot as it was taking a step, causing it to slip and topple over with a loud crash. Inside the house, there was screeching that still blasted through the outside speakers, alerting Grian that the Npc was still alive. He hobbled over to the house, fighting to not pass out.

Upon entering through a broken window on the side of the house, Grian was greeted with the scene of an Npc shrieking as his legs were trapped between furniture that had crushed the lookalike when the house fell. I almost feel bad for him. He looks like a wild animal caught in a trap. Finally realizing that he would not be able to escape this time, Npc Grian looked toward his creator with a face devoid of any emotion, reminding Grian of the days when his Npc was just a mindless, strange rustic house lover. "Come on, Grian. If you help me, you and I could build a rustic house. Let's leave and do that right now! Now is always a good time for me to build with you. What do you say?" Npc Grian took on a softer, monotone voice as his black eyes stared into Grian's. Grian frowned. I don't want to destroy him, but after all he's done...

Npc Grian could sense that he was not being persuasive enough, so he raised both of his arms in a straightforward position, wide open toward Grian. "How about a hug, Grian? You made me, so I at least wanted to tell you 'goodbye'. Please hug me, and never stop building rustic houses." Grian's eyes welled with tears at this, feeling his heart break a little for his creation that he knew had to be destroyed. "Alright, Npc Grian. Who knows, maybe there's a rustic house waiting for you after this life," Grian choked out. He embraced his doppleganger into a loving hug, silent tears falling down his face. "You've been very bad, Npc Grian... but I'll miss you."

"Yes. I will miss you, too, Grian," the Npc responded as he used one arm to reach behind his own back. He pulled out a metal rod and aimed it toward the back of the man he was hugging, allowing a small, malicious grin to form on his face.