Splat Force III: Bolton's Reign; Chapter 11

(Thx for the feature! It's good to be back!)

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W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! Today I'm back in business with a brand new Chapter of Splat Force III: Bolton's Reign!

Last week's cool-down gave me time to not only complete the planning stages of the second half of this epic story, but it also allowed me to reflect on everything up until this point, from the start of Splat Force: The Gifted up until now. And wow, what a journey it's been!

I'm curious to know what you all have thought of the entire journey thus far, so let me know what you think of it all in the comment section below (you don't have to if you don't want to but it would really do wonders)!

Now, onto this Chapter. I'm not going to say much about what's to come but time has ed since the last Chapter and the word is different to what it once was before.

So without further ado, let's get into this!

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(Previous Chapter)(Chapter Hub)

C H A P T E R  1 1 : N E W W O R L D O R D E R

1 Y E A R L A T E R . . .

Inkopolis City, the once colourful, peaceful city was now a lifeless, dangerous shell of its former self. Very few civilians roamed the streets as they did before the so-called salvation. Now, the streets were nearly empty with everyone staying safe inside their homes. Those who walked were always in fear of what could lurk around the corner and had to navigate around the city safely.

Also roamed the streets were the gifted, the once underdogs of the world, put to shame and feared because of their abilities. However, times have now changed. Now, the gifted roamed the streets freely and flamboyantly, finally out of the shadows. They wouldn't have gotten far if it wasn't for a certain individual.

To some, his name filled them was rejoiced and raved over. To others, it sent fear to their hearts. Nevertheless, his name and face were all over the city. From the mere mention to propaganda posters and graffiti. He was a well-known figure not just to Inkopolis City, but to everywhere and everyone across the globe.

However, it is said in the darkest of times there would always be light. Fortunately, there was light in the darkness. Unfortunately, the light was as dim as a worn-out torch.

Underneath the Splat Force warehouse, deep underground, was a large bunker. The bunker was the same squared shape as the base, only this time it was slimmer and was just one floor instead of having a second platform.

The bunker was like a small lounge. In the centre of the room was a large red sofa, which could fit three people onto it. To the left of it was a single chair. Behind the sofa was a large open area for training purposes. In the top right corner were a fridge and a freezer, which stood side by side. Up against the walls on the left-hand side were wooden wall bars to climb on. By each of the four corners were buckets which were used as miniature toilets.

The whole bunker was a mess: clothes were scattered, all of the furniture was collecting dust, there was litter scattered in the corners and every now and then the occasional insect would give a quick visit through tiny holes in the walls.

At the bottom left corner was a camera set up which showcased cameras from within the warehouse and outside of it going up until the streets. Next to it was a radar sensor which would go off if any movement outside the warehouse was made.

There was a radio playing next to one of the sofas. The music was soft, operatic and featured a small choir with violins, piano keys and harps. The music being played was a cover of the Off The Hook hit song, Into The Light. The song began to slowly fade out as the song concluded.

At the small training ground, both Emily Rogue and Magnus Lang were practising their combat training on one another. Magnus' red mohawk had grown longer but his sides remained mostly the same. It was taken care of, it looked tidy and clean whereas Emily's hair looked messy and dirty, as if she hadn't cleaned herself. They both spared with each other without warning anything other than boxers and bras, to not overheat whilst training.

Throughout the session, Magnus consistently remained on the defensive, moving quickly to avoid and block Emily's aggressive punches and kicks whereas the Inkling girl consistently stayed on the offensive, trying to catch Magnus off-guard.

Upon blocking her attacks, Magnus began to study Emily's movement. From what he saw, Emily preferred to rush into her attacks, trying to land punches around his chest and his throat with the occasional attempt at a kick to the groin. The Octoling now knew exactly how to handle her.

He grabbed ahold of one of Emily's thrown punches and using the split second of pause that he had, he used his open right hand to push against her chest, knocking her to the ground.

"Don't just use the same punches and the same kicks over and over, the opponent could take advantage of it."

Magnus told her, causing Emily to groan. Whilst she was down, Magnus took his chance to end the battle by pinning her down, ending with her defeat.

Emily slowly began to lose it. She started punching and smacking him all across his body and wiggled around like a worm, grunting.

"GET OFF!"

She screamed.

Magnus stopped upon realizing that she was hurting her. He got up and offered his hand.

"I'm sorry..."

He whispered, realizing that he had crossed her line.

Emily glared at Magnus' eyes for a quick moment and sighed before taking his hand. Once she was up, she walked away from him.

"I have to use the bucket. Distract yourself with one of those audio logs you like doing so much!"

She replied, now in a grumpy mood.

Magnus watched her walk away with a small frown. It had been hard trying to train her, especially when the training session had to end soon. Today was no exception. Magnus leaned against a small, round wooden table by the separate red sofa. On top of it was a tape recorder that was filled with over a year of recordings.

Magnus started up a new tape and pressed play.

"Today is day number four hundred. It feels unreal that I'm saying this out loud, I didn't think that I would make it this far."

Magnus said, impressed with the progress.

"We are now on the second week of November, we only celebrated our second Halloween in these conditions only nine days ago, was it nine?"

"I'm gonna be honest, I've lost track!

Emily answered, failing to keep track of the date.

"Oh...Yeah, it was nine days ago!"

Magnus said, ing the date before going back to his tape.

"Our food resources ran out last night, Samantha and Ami have gone out to get more, they should be back in around an hour with some more. Who knows, maybe there is a chance that Commander Allen and Cosmo could be out there. Everyone calls me crazy but, you never know."

"If I were you I would just give up on the spot, they're not comin'..."

Emily said harshly as she stood up from her bucket.

Magnus chose to ignore her comments and continued.

"All this time of isolation has got me thinkin' about everythin' that has happened and everythin' that has come after..."

A R O U N D T H E W O R L D . . .

It wasn't just Inkopolis who suffered, every big city and country had fallen victim to Bolton's reign. Splatsvile was dead silent, the gifted roamed the streets like an army of robots, anyone who stepped out of line, or did anything bad would be either captured or killed. Anyone who wanted to stand by a market stand had to be ed by a gifted guard.

("It makes me think of all the lives that Bolton has affected through his reign. All the men, the woman and the children too. It makes me think of how their lives are affected.")

Octopolis, a refugee island for the Octolings, who were either treated harshly around the world or were veterans that had either been tossed aside or escaped the army over the years. Despite it being a haven for the Octolings, it was still overrun by the gifted.

("The worst thing is, some of this world's population were ready to accept them for who they were, but it was too late...")

Alterna, a historic snow land that had been separated from the rest of the world. However, it still managed to get caught in Bolton's crossfire.

("War is an inevitable thing for us. First the Great Turf War, then the Gifted Wars and now this. Nowhere on this planet is safe anymore, not even the most isolated places.")

Caspian Canyon, a large dehydrated desert southeast of the Splatlands, had its one civilization of Fuzzy Octarians. Just like the rest of the world, it was hit too, except they were managing to hold their own using military defences that they had created themselves.

("But there are those who fight back, those who remain optimistic and hopeful. I wish I was as optimistic as them. No matter how hard I try, I always end up fallin' short. How does Ami do it? Maybe she could give me a lesson on optimism soon...")

B A C K A T T H E B U N K E R . . .

"I just hope that the R.A.I.C or any other military defence have a big plan up their sleeves because right now, things aren't lookin' the brightest. I still have my fingers crossed that the Commanders to make their comeback and save us, but everyone has already lost their hope in it, all except me. Ami does too but she doesn't like bringing it up with everyone else. Hopefully, the tides could turn, it's unlikely but praying is worth a shot."

Magnus said with a frown on his face as he hovered his hand over the top button.

"Yours sincerely: Magnus Lang..."

As soon as Magnus ended the recording, he covered his face was both hands and slowly exhaled before putting both hands down. He glanced over to Emily who lay on the sofa, wrapped up in blankets and playing with a soft purple ball. He lightly smiled, feeling glad that she was occupied with something at least.

M E A N W H I L E A T C A S P I A N C A N Y O N . . .

A small resistance group were pacing around, trying to gather resources from their respective tents, whether that be food resources or ammo. Everyone was in a state of worry.

A group of armed men and women in matching black armour and grey padding dashed to the open bunker doors, a similar bunker to that of Damian's from Splatsvile. The leader led his men inside before him, alongside any refugees before climbing in himself, closing and locking the door.

From afar, standing on top of a sandy slope stood the silhouette of an Octoling who looked determined and focused on them. Who was this Octoling? What was he wanting to do with them? Only time will tell...

As soon as the Leader made his way into the base, he locked the iron door shut and barricaded it. The base was rectangular and made of steel. Up against the back wall was a large computer set up with monitors all around them. Both the left and right walls were covered with ammo and stationery. On the roof was a vent which led out to the surface to fill the base with fresh air. Fortunately, the vent was open for them to gain enough oxygen. Unfortunately, the vent was open...

On the computer was a message sent directly to them from an anonymous source.

"Sir, you might wanna see this!"

An Octoling Woman alerted her leader before taking him to the computer.

The leader began to read the message, sounding more and more worried by the second.

"We have heard of your recent activity and have decided to take action. Prepare to...F-Face the consequences?!"

Before he could process the message, the power went off completely, leaving the room in darkness. Some of the refugees began to scream before being quietened down by some of the soldiers.

The room was silent for half a minute to the point where they were able to hear even the smallest breath that came from their mouths. All of a sudden, movement was heard in the vents. Soldiers began to point their weapons at the vents above, waiting for the right moment to open fire.

After a minute, they lowered their guard, to their dismay. An Octolings slipped through the vent door in their Octo form and landed on the ground before emerging back into their Octoling form, managing to sneak past their defences. By the time anyone knew he was there, both of his hands had already started to spark with electricity...

Z A P ! ! !

The lights flashed on as the leader was attacked by a large bolt of lightning, killing him. The refugees began to scream with fear and huddle up with each as the soldiers began to fire.

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

Few soldiers missed due to their aim being mixed up with their fear. The soldiers who did aim at him correctly however would've killed him. But Led Volteer wasn't going down easily. The bullets were obliterated by the sparkling electricity.

Led looked to his left and saw three soldiers ready to shoot. Effortlessly, he shot a gust of electricity at them, knocking them back. The three soldiers were paralysed from Led's attack, unable to move their legs. Led turned to the five to his left. He leapt forward and struck at one.

S L A M , S L A M ! ! !

Two punches sent one soldier flying back into another against the wall. Three more stood before him. Led charged his electricity in seconds before blasting another lightning bolt at them, taking out two more and leaving the last one fearing for his life. He looked into the eyes of the soldier who slowly pointed his weapon to his chin...

B A N G ! ! !

The man's self-caused death did little to faze Led, who simply glared at him as his body fell to the ground. He then noticed that the two woman soldiers who he knocked to the wall were still alive and trying to get up. Led began to forge a sharp bolt of lightning from his hands. Once forged, he threw it at them like a spare. It penetrated both of their bodies. He raised his palm forward and watched them cry out in pain.

Back then, innocent screaming would've given him some sort of reaction, whether that be a reaction out of fear, sadness or hate. This time, however, he felt little to nothing. However, the little reaction he had inside was beginning to rise slowly. Wanting it to be halted as soon as possible, Led clenched his hand.

B O O M ! ! !

The lightning bolt exploded with electricity, killing both the women and a couple of the refugees. However, he still had a couple more chores to do before he considered himself done. Behind him, the three soldiers all groaned in pain, making him realize that they were still alive. Without looking, Led blasted a lightning bolt at them from his left hand, silencing them.

He was now left with the refugees, who were all huddled in the corner, trying to block themselves from any attack that Led would throw their way, even though it was useless to resist. Led's eyes sparked with electricity as he began to deal with the refugees.

5 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

Led blasted the bunker doors open using electricity, sending both wooden doors flying into the air as they caught fire. Led leapt out of the bunker. Upon reaching the surface, he was surrounded by the rest of the small civilization, all armed with ammo. There was even a tank that was ready to go.

"THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND FINAL WARNING, STAND DOWN NOW!"

The Woman in the tank screamed, doing very little to faze Led.

A second later, thousands of sparks emerged from Led's body, causing a mild earthquake in the area. The sudden power boost knocked back most of the soldiers. All that was left standing was the tank and Led.

B O O M ! ! !

Z A P , B O O M ! ! !

Both made their move at the same second, but the sheer power of the electricity came out on top, barely. Everyone was now except Led, who was on his hands and knees in agony. All that power took a lot out of him. Led pulled his mask down and whipped off the blood that dripped from his nose before pulling it back up.

Led got back onto his feet slowly and looked around him. He saw ruined tanks, fires, fried bodies and glass all over the floor. He knew that it was time for him to go as the job was now done. A black cloud formed in the sky above Led.

Z A P ! ! !

A bolt of lightning from the cloud struck Led with all of its power. When the dust settled, and when the black cloud started to fade away into the sky, Led was gone, leaving a scene of carnage behind him.

M E A N W H I L E E L S E W H E R E . . .

The Once Great Symbol was back to its former glory. Everything had been rebuilt and polished. There were no more mossy walls or mossy floors, no more ruins lying around, no more scorched marks on the walls. Suddenly, the same black cloud formed before the castle.

Z A P ! ! !

A lightning bolt struck on the pathway, with Led emerging from it, keeping his guard up as entered the castle ground. As he walked through the courtyard, he was greeted by two guards who stood by the door.

"I've come to report a mission."

Led told them before they could ask. Both of the guards wore black knight armour with a dark red helmet. They both nodded before letting Led through into the castle. Once inside, he was quickly led inside the throne room, which was a completely different room entirely.

The room was mostly dark with the only light source being faint torches on the walls. There was a dark red carpet which extended until the throne, which was engulfed by the darkness. Sitting on the throne was Bolton Vulcan, whose appearance was covered up by the shadows.

"It's done. We won't be bothered by the Razorback Clan anymore."

Led reported as the doors behind him closed with both of the guards standing behind him.

"Well done, Led. I knew I could count on you."

Bolton muttered calmly.

"I'm proud of how far you've come this past year, especially after what happened during your first mission..."

Led placed his hand over the right-hand side of his stomach and reminisced about that day.

"That was a long time ago, I haven't failed you since."

"For the longest time, yes, you're right."

Bolton said, pausing mid-sentence to make Led feel somewhat assured.

"However, it has come to my attention that your attempt to take down this former Splat Force Rookie yesterday proved to be unsuccessful. Care to explain why?"

Led was taken aback by both the change in topic and Bolton's voice as it had become suspiciously calmer. Did Bolton have plans for him?

"I-I..."

He stuttered quietly before taking a deep breath.

"He wasn't alone. He had help from a gifted Octoling. I'm can assure you that they will both be dealt with."

"You will!"

Bolton responded. His calmer voice started to slowly grow aggressive.

"And what is the talk about a gifted Octoling? Describe her now."

"She had long dark hair with green highlights, she had a turquoise crop-top and a green jacket. Her gifts were similar to yours."

He explained.

"But I assure you that I'll take them both down, no matter the cost!"

"Interesting..."

Bolton whispered before going silently for five seconds, leaving Led to dwell in his worry.

"Go after the former Rookie, leave the girl. I'll take care of her myself..."

"Understood! I won't fail you again, my lord!"

Led exclaimed before kneeling.

"I know you won't. You know what's at stake, or rather who's at stake..."

He whispered ominously.

Led stood up once more and walked out of the throne room, determined to find the former Rookie. The guards led him out of the castle grounds. Once out, he kept his guard up, which proved to be useful for him...

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

B A N G , B A N G , B A N G ! ! !

Led put an electric barrier around himself as soon as he noticed the first missed shots. He turned to face where the firing was coming from. Once it was over, he dropped the barrier and stared at the shooters, his body flowing with electricity...

M E A N W H I L E A T S P L A T S V I L E . . .

Damian kneeled in front of his younger brother outside of his old bunker whilst Anadia watched from afar with pride for the younger Batson brother.

"Alright, let's see what you've got, Avery!"

Damian told him, waiting to see what Anadia had taught him.

("Hi! My name is Avery! How are you?")

Avery asked his brother through sign language, putting a large smile on his face.

Damian laughed out loud with happiness for his brother, excited that he is now able to communicate without moving his head.

"Hahaha! Nice one, Avery!"

He exclaimed before he glanced to Anadia, who smiled and nodded at him.

"This is awesome! What is he saying?"

"He is saying that his name is Avery and he wants to know how you are."

She explained as she approached the two brothers.

"Oh! I'm doing great seeing you like this!"

He answered, trying to do sign language but failing.

"I might need some lessons."

"Me and Avery would be happy to lend you a hand!"

Anadia offered. She then noticed that Avery was trying to reach out to his brother.

"Oh, I think he wants something?"

As soon as Damian turned around, Avery started doing more signs.

("Can I have some Ice Cream?")

Damian quickly turned to Anadia, looking for answers.

"Oh...He's asking for some Ice Cream."

She answered with a monotone voice before giggling.

Damian went into a small fit of laughter before standing up onto his feet.

"Okay, just this once, little guy!"

He responded, wanting to award Avery for his efforts. He ran off into the city. Seconds later, he ran back holding three Ice Creams, a whipped cream cone with a flake in his left hand and a strawberry and mint cone in the right hand.

("Thank you!")

Avery communicated with an excited look on his face.

"He said thank you!"

Anadia clarified as she was handed her strawberry Ice Cream.

"And thank you! I was not expecting this!"

"Well you know how I like my surprise!"

He responded cheekily as he took a bite out of his mint Ice Cream. Suddenly, his smartwatch began to vibrate.

"Oh, I'll be right back! I'm getting a transmission."

"That's Okay! You go and do that, I'll stay with Avery."

Anadia told him.

Damian walked away from his loved ones before finally answering the call.

"Hey, I'm kinda in the middle of something right now so-"

"I do apologise but Emperor Bolton insisted."

The messenger informed.

"A couple of minutes ago at the Once Great Symbol, there was a small incident with Led and a couple of assassins. Emperor Bolton requests that you deal with the bodies of the latter, and he wants it to be done asap."

Damian frowned, not wanting to leave them again but feeling that he had no choice.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few!"

He responded before ending the transmission. As soon as it was done, the Speedster sighed heavily. He turned around and approached Anadia and Avery, quickly downing his Ice Cream within seconds.

"I'm really sorry but I have to go, Bolton needs me for something."

"Oh..."

Anadia muttered sorrowfully.

"When do you think you'll be back?"

"I don't know, usually when Bolton needs me for body clean up then he might need me for other stuff."

He responded as his brother ran over to him. Damian kneeled before him as the two of them hugged.

"I love you, Avery. Stay safe and be good for Anadia, okay?"

The two brothers pulled out of the hug and Avery nodded.

("I love you too. I hope to see you again!")

Damian glanced over to Anadia.

"He said he loves you too and that he hopes to see you again."

She told him.

"I second that."

Damian smiled gracefully before saying his goodbyes to Anadia. The two of them shared a kiss on the lips and hugged.

"I love you, Anadia Amana. Take care of Avery for me, no matter what happens!"

"Oh stop sounding ominous!"

She exclaimed, causing Damian to laugh.

The two pulled out of the hug and smiled at one another.

"I'll see you on the other side, okay?"

He told her. Before he took off, he looked down at his brother, he was waving at him.

"See you soon!"

Damian slowly began to jog like a normal Octoling, looking back at the two special Octolings in his life. Once they were both out of view, his speed gradually began to speed up until eventually, he had reached his full speed.

B A C K A T T H E B U N K E R . . .

Magnus stood in the top right corner of the room next to the fridge, holding his phone against his left ear.

"Your mother and I just miss you, son."

His father said over the phone. Unlike his wife and son, he had a different accent that separated him from the rest of the family.

"Yeah, I know, Dad. I miss you too."

Magnus responded.

"Just promise me that you stay away from the gifted, don't even go near the big packed areas like the Plaza or the Square. It's too dangerous and I don't want you getting hurt."

His dad told him, making Magnus feel more guilty about everything as if he didn't feel guilty enough.

"I know Dad! I've just been in this same underground restaurant bunker for the past year. Luckily we haven't run out of food just yet but we are still holdin' on!"

Magnus lied, which brought even more pain to his heart. Emily rolled her eyes at Magnus' lie whilst still lying on the sofa.

"That's good to hear!"

He responded.

"Me and your mother have to barricade the walls and doors again, the wood has gotten loose. I'll talk to you in a bit, okay?"

"Okay, that's good. Stay safe, okay?"

Magnus told them as the call ended. He let out a heavy, stressful sigh.

"Why don't you just tell them the truth?"

Emily suggested.

"It's not as simple as you think."

Magnus responded, sounding monotone.

Emily leaned up and looked over at Magnus, who came to her. The two of them now wore their pyjamas.

"Why not? It was easy tellin' my Mum about it."

"Well your family never had a history with wars, outside of you and your dad. Whereas mine goes way back to the Great Turf War. My ancestors, alongside the Octarians, lost their land to the Inklings and since then have been involved with multiple conflicts Generation by generation they fell through conflict until one generation, it all came to an end and we got to live in peace."

Magnus explained, not wanting to go into very explicit detail.

"Both my grandparents were veterans who got to settle down with a family. If they found out that their son is now involved in a war, they'll freak out...I don't want them to go through all of it, especially not now during these times..."

The room stayed silent for seconds on end as they both took in what was said.

"You know, I never wanted to be twisted into my Dad's legacy, it was kinda forced upon me. My Mum and Dad stopped talkin' to each other before he died, I guess that's why she was easier on me when she found out. All she said was stay safe or don't be like your dad. It's kind of a pain in the ass you know?"

"I suppose to you. But maybe she just wants you to be fine and steady. You ed not long after your Dad died, after all, she could see that as a bizarre coping tool."

Magnus explained to her, only managing to guess the situation.

"I suggest talkin' to her about it one day, find some closure between the pair of you."

The idea of simply talking to her didn't sit right with the arrogant Inkling girl and despite not having gifts, Magnus was still able to sense it.

"When would that work...?"

Emily groaned as she looked away.

B E E P , B E E P , B E E P ! ! !

The motion detector alarm went off. Magnus rushed over to the camera set up and looked through each of the cameras until he saw two Inklings girls approaching the warehouse entrance, the taller one holding a small bag of food.

"They're back!"

Magnus announced to Emily, who sat up upon hearing the news.

Only a minute later, both of the Stewart Sisters entered the bunker, both wearing their casual clothing, Ami with her red hoodie and bobble hat and Samantha with a black leather jacket and short leggings. They both looked saddened.

"We've only managed to find a small load."

Samantha said with a frown as she placed the bunker key down next to the radio to the right of Emily.

"What did you find?"

Emily asked, wanting to take a quick sneak peek at the food but was too comfortable in her own space.

"Only Lettuce, Grapes and a small Seanwich."

Ami answered as the two sisters began to hand out the food, Magnus taking the Lettuce, Ami taking the Seanwich and Samantha with the grapes. Emily turned down the food.

"So, what have you two been up to?"

"Training. That and recording audio logs. I can't believe we're now on day four hundred, that's insane!"

Magnus answered.

"Four Hundred days yet nothing has changed..."

Samantha sighed, contrasting Magnus' mildly hopeful manor.

"Every day has just been nothing but death and destruction, there is hardly any light out there!"

"Samantha, you don't fully know that yet! There could be people out there willing to plot against Bolton."

Ami replied, trying to speak some light into her.

"Ami, I listen to the news every day, all I can hear is the same old news of people getting killed off by Bolton. I hate to sound so negative and down in the dumps but even if there is a rebellion going on, what are they gonna do?!"

Samantha exclaimed. As much as the team hated t it it, she had a point.

"None of us can stand up to Bolton if we wanted to. we shouldn't, he would kill us all instantly! The last thing I want is for more of us to die!"

"Look! I get it! If we fight back then we risk dyin' an unneeded death! But if we don't do somethin' then we'll be stuck down here forever!"

Magnus responded, adding his thoughts into the equation. Meanwhile, Emily watched from afar as tensions between the team slowly rise.

"I'm sorry, Magnus, but we might be better off down here than up there! Have you even heard what's going on up there with the Splat Force?!"

Samantha asked as both Magnus and Ami remained silent.

"Bolton has been tracking down former Splat Force and slaying them! If we try and live up on the surface right now then it won't be long until we're dead!"

"You're right, Samantha...But we can't just lose hope right now, Commander Allen and Cosmo are counting on us!"

He said, causing Samantha to roll her eyes with frustration.

"They're gone, Magnus! Not even Rex and Alyssa stood a chance up there!"

She exclaimed.

"If they were alive then they would've come for us by now!"

"You don't know that!"

Magnus yelled back.

"I-I'm sorry, Magnus, but they're gone. I'm sorry that this is all upsetting to you but they're not coming back!"

Samantha exclaimed. Deep inside, she wished that Magnus was right but due to the circumstances, it seemed unlikely.

"Guys! Please don't fight each other!"

Ami exclaimed, only for her voice to be lost between both her sister's and the Octoling's.

Whilst the arguments were heating up, Emily sat in the corner holding her hands against her ears, not liking the noise. She silently moaned to herself. Ami noticed what was happening with Emily, causing her to get heated.

"Guys! Emily is going to break if you don't stop now!"

She yelled, causing both Samantha and Magnus to settle down. They both took notice of the sensitive Inkling and realized what they were doing.

"I-I'm sorry, Magnus..."

Samantha muttered gently.

"So am I..."

The Octoling responded.

Ami slowly approached Emily and sat next to her.

"Hey, are you-"

She asked whilst reaching for her arm. As soon as she made with her, Emily bolted out of her chair, grabbed the key from the table and ran out of the bunker, screaming whilst holding her ears.

"Emily!"

It was too late, Emily was gone. Both Samantha and Magnus felt horrible for the argument that they just had and felt even worse for making Emily cry.

"Ami, I'm so sorry..."

Samantha whispered to her worried sister. Ami stared at the front door, paranoid about what could end up happening to her friend.

T O  B E  C O N T I N U E D . . .

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T H X  F O R  R E A D I N G ! ! !

Thx for reading the eleventh Chapter of Splat Force III: Bolton's Reign! Wow, it feels good to be back in business after last week's cool-down, and there is only so much more to come! Next week's Chapter is going to be a bit more of a light-hearted Chapter, well light-hearted when compared to the rest of the second half, so stay tuned for that! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

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