Redemption: A Splat Force Story; Chapter 7

(Thx for the feature! Always nice! ^^)

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W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! I hope you all are feeling great today! If not, no need to worry as today, I would like to share with you all a much rather uplifting Chapter of Redemption: A Splat Force Story! Uplifting? R:ASFS? That combination is unheard of!

Last week's Chapter performed pretty well when compared to the other Chapters, and that's something I'm pleased about because of all the risks I took with it. I was scared that I was gonna blow it, but luckily that wasn't the case (I hope).

This week's Chapter will be a shorter, but energetic one as we finally see most of the characters having fun, the key word in that sentence being: "most". All whilst tensions build within the walls of the Shark Kingdom.

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

:warning: WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CHAPTER CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGERY, STRONG LANGUAGE, AND SOME SUGGESTIVE REFERENCES. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION! :warning:

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(Previous Chapter)(Chapter Hub)

C H A P T E R  7 : C A N ' T S L E E P

Back at the base, The General once again tried to call Rex Allen, he was on his fifty-sixth attempt and was still going know where. Of course, he still didn't get an answer.

"Damn it!"

He whispered to himself.

"Have you tried emailing him yet?"

One of the workers asked from his left.

"He blocked me. I'm using an alternate number to get him."

The General said.

"What about social media? Maybe Inkstagram?"

That same worker asked before listing a few social media platforms.

"Or Splatchat? WhatsSplat?"

"He doesn't have any of them."

The General replied with a sigh.

The worker then clicked his fingers upon thinking of another platform.

"Oh! What about InkTok?"

General Swannack looked at the workers. He was confused and his eyes were squinted.

"What the fuck is an InkTok?"

"It's an app in which kids either post weird dances or are groomed by adults. Sometimes it's both."

The worker explained.

General Swannack continued to stare at the worker, now looking more disturbed than confused.

"Can we shut that app down?"

The worker nodded, agreeing with his boss.

"Working on it right away!"

"Good!"

The General said before looking at the monitors to check back with the team.

"Sargent Gunn? Mr. Fisk? Status report?"

Outside, the bus had pulled into a small town of four houses and a large, vibrant dance floor with loads of benches. Music was playing loudly.

"It seems that we've arrived at our destination, though I'm not too sure what this place is about it seems loud."

Mr. Fisk commented. Looking at Jay, he saw an excited look on her face.

"Do you know anything about it?"

"Dance night! One of my personal favorites! Sometimes we go out and party the night away, just like the Splatfests over at Inkopolis. Do you guys still do that?"

She asked to get some comparison.

"They had to end because of Bolton's reign, though they might be brought back by an idol group called Siren's Flow, though that's just a rumor."

Sargent Gunn answered her.

"Wow, Bolton really was a dickhead, huh?"

She scoffed.

"Oh you have no idea.

Led replied as the team all got off the bus one by one.

Once out, everyone walked to where the benches were and sat down all except both Bruce, who couldn't fit, and Jay, who got left out, again, and decided to grab another seat to them.

"Iemand zin in een drankje?"

An Acid Squid asked whilst holding a list.

"Anyone wanting anything?"

Mr. Fisk asked. Everyone, except Shauna, Carson, and Bruce accepted the offer.

"Ten shot glasses, two for each, please."

After getting handed the money, the Acid Squid walked off to get the refreshments that were requested.

"I know I said yes to this, but why exactly are we getting drinks? Shouldn't we be focused on the mission?"

Led asked.

"Our ride doesn't come until the morning. We need to stay here for the night. Besides, this could be the last night of your life, don't you want to be free and happy, just for tonight?"

Sargent Gunn asked. Everyone else seemed to agree with him on that point.

Led gave in and though nobody saw it, he smirked under that mask.

"Alright, bring it on!"

After a minute, the Acid Squid returned with a black, circle plate with ten glasses. Everyone took turns taking two off before handing the plate back. On the count of three, everyone took their shots.

It wasn't long until everyone was in a good mood. Shauna and Carson were dancing together on the dance floor. For the first time during the entire journey, both Shauna and Carson were giggling and smiling away. On the sidelines, Sargent Gunn and Mr. Fisk were chuckling away at each other's conversations.

Jay was at the front, dancing mindlessly away. Melissa noticed that Led wasn't having as much fun as the others. She invited him over to the dance floor, to which he shook his head. She frowned for a moment, making Led feel somewhat bad. He rolled his eyes before ing in, making Melissa happy. They danced together, holding each other in their arms as they spun around each other and quick-stepped all over the floor.

Watching from afar, Bruce saw how happy everyone was, especially the Acid Squids. He saw how peaceful they were and how they still tried to be entertained even whilst in the blink of war. Something else came to his mind, his brother, Salazar, was gonna take over the land and kill them. It pained Bruce to think about what could become of that place, a place so full of life suddenly taken away, he knew how it felt, and he knew what it felt like being on the hated end of the stick. He didn't want it to happen again. He ran up to the water before leaping into the air.

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

He landed back at the small, wet sand island above the Shark Kingdom. Without wasting any more time, he dove back in and upon being let into the castle, met with his brother.

"You have nerve, Nanaue."

"Salazar! Please listen! Acid Squid are friend, not enemy!"

Bruce tried to convince him, but his brother wasn't having any of it. He scoffed and rolled his eyes as Bruce tried to explain his stance.

"Acid Squid mean no harm! They peaceful!"

"Acid Squid try hurt us! I took care of them."

He said whilst holding out the front lobe of one of the invaders.

"They not peaceful. They want war!"

"Salazar, please listen! Not all Acid Squid bad! Some Acid Squid good!"

Bruce begged.

Instead of cutting him off again, King Salazar leaped off the throne and stood directly in front of his older brother.

"They threaten me."

"What about our people? Do you consider them?"

He asked. Despite what the kingdom thought of Bruce, he ironically showed more worry about them than his beloved brother.

"Who are you to talk about people? My people hate you after you kill father. They wish they could kill you. I wish I kill you."

He whispered.

"Come back again, and I kill you, Nanaue! GUA-"

"Don't bother calling guards. I leave now..."

A distraught Bruce mumbled before leaving the throne room, still unable to stop things peacefully. There was only one other option now: war.

B A C K W I T H T H E T E A M . . .

Now, the parties had settled down. Music still played but on a lower volume. Shauna, Carson, and Jay had all gone to bed. The only ones still awake now were Sargent Gunn, Mr. Fisk, Led, and Melissa.

Mr. Fisk stood outside the small area, leaning against the tree whilst smoking a cigarette. His friend crossed paths with him. After a greeting, he stood to Mr. Fisk's right.

"Do you have any spare?"

He asked before getting handed a cigarette.

"Knock yourself out, Jacob."

Vincent muttered as he handed Jacob the lighter. The two began to speak not as colleagues, but as friends.

"Are the team asleep?"

"Everyone except Volteer and Mind-Reader, oh and Hammerhead as well, the General said that he's gone to the Shark Kingdom to try and talk sense into his brother, though I don't really see a point as to why he would try again. King Salazar is too ignorant."

Jacob answered.

"Mind-Reader went to look for Volteer. Apparently, she saw him leave. Anyways, enough about them, what about you?"

"That bus journey has been on my mind. It's keeping me awake."

Vincent answered. He looked down at the soil below him as he went into detail.

"Talking about Ritchie made me feel weird. I never really discussed him with anyone other than you, weirdly enough, and talking to him around complete strangers made me feel weird, I can't really describe it."

"I know that feeling."

Jacob said whilst taking another puff from the cigarette.

"Is what happened back in that jail cell another thing you wish to speak about? Yeah, groomers are terrible people who should be punished, but I've never seen you act so quickly. I didn't recognize you back there."

Vincent inhaled the smoke for a long five seconds. When he puffed it out, he was ready to talk again.

"Around the time Ritchie was killed, my family made friends with a student that he taught when he had to substitute a lesson. I believe her name was Jordan Lance. Now, Jordan was a bright girl, loud, but bright. She often visited the Inkopolis Union Center in her spare time, well before it went down. Not long after, she developed gifts, supersonic screeches, deafening, the same kind of screech that made Rex Allen deaf."

He said whilst adding some detail in there to give Jacob the proper idea.

"She was tossed out of her home only weeks later. After a month, she broke bad and started robbing banks to get money for herself until the Splat Force took her down. Whilst in prison, she was groomed by disgusting grown men into doing their bidding until she one day became them, until Terrador broke her out, alongside everyone else. Not even a month later, she was killed in a battle against the Splat Force. The fact that such an innocent young girl could be radicalized by those pedophiles is beyond horrific. I wish I could've been there to save her and Ritchie..."

Jacob knew what it felt like to lose people that he either loved or looked after, especially after doing the job for a couple of decades. All he could do was give Vincent some encouragement.

"You're a hero, Vince. Nothing about you will ever change that."

He said. Vincent looked at his friend and lightly smiled.

Into the trees behind the dance floor, Led sat alone on a wooden log, facing the woods ahead.

"Led? Are you okay?"

Melissa asked from behind as she approached him.

Led turned his head and let out a sigh of relief upon realizing that it was Melissa.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I can't sleep, though, not without seeing him."

He replied as Melissa sat down to his left.

"I get that."

She whispered. The two remained silent as they stared out into space, taking in the moment they had together. Out of the blue, Led stuttered something.

"Yes, Led?"

"I-I-"

He uttered. Led glanced at Melissa for a brief second, she gave him a very warm smile to encourage him to get it out. He shut his eyes for a short moment before spitting it out.

"I-I-I...I love you, Melissa Sabrina. I really love you. I love you more than anything else in the world. I don't know where I'd be right now without you, Mel. I just love you so fucking much!"

Melissa was overwhelmed. Her mouth had dropped and she couldn't find the words to express herself. Melissa grabbed onto Led's mask, pulled it down at went for the kiss. As the pair of them kissed, they wrapped their arms around each other, stroking each other's backs and hair.

After almost a minute, the kiss finally ended with the pair of them slowly pulling out, touching foreheads.

"I love you too..."

Melissa whispered.

That was the single most happiest moment in Led's life. For the first time in years, he felt free, Melissa made him feel free, she made him feel loved. The two got carried away by their love. They helped each take off their clothes before sharing an increasingly intimate moment. Their laughs echoed through the woods and they shared the night together.

I N T H E M O R N I N G . . .

Contrasting with the loud, raving night, the morning was quiet and empty. By now, everyone had gotten out of their sleeping bags, with Jay having to borrow one from a deceased member of the team. The remaining team were all quick to notice the lack of two .

"Where's Volteer and Mind-Reader?"

Sargent Gunn asked, looking all around the village.

After almost a minute of looking, Carson noticed the pair of them emerge from the trees.

"Over there!"

Both of them looked exhausted, their clothes loose and creased. They were both sleep-deprived. Mr. Fisk smirked, knowing exactly what the pair of them were up to.

"I'm not gonna bother asking what you two were doing last night because I'm pretty sure everyone can guess and be correct just by looking at you."

"Damn! You two really did that!"

Jay exclaimed loudly, causing a small scene.

"Shut the fuck up, Jason!"

Led replied, accidentally dead-naming her.

Jay! Sorry, it's still new information."

Jay gave him a smile and a thumbs up, not seeming all that bothered about it. As the team came back together, Mr. Fisk began to discuss what was next.

"Okay, listen up. Our ride is just ahead of us. Once we go in, there is no coming back. We'll be on our way to the Great Hammerhead City. When we're there, we lay low until our ride to the direction of the Shark Kingdom arrives and then the rest should be history."

He informed everyone. He then glanced at Led.

"Do try not to cause a scene when getting on, Volteer."

"Okay, I give up!"

Led whispered to himself with his eyes shut before getting to what he said about getting on the ride.

"Also, I've been preparing myself for this boat ride all night, I think I'm ready!"

"Oh, you might want to know something about this boat ride."

Mr. Fisk said. He paused for a moment before confirming to Led the worst possible news.

"We're taking a submarine."

Even with his mask up, everyone could see Led's mouth drop and shiver along with the rest of his body. His eyes were wide open. It felt like his heart had stopped.

"W-What...?"

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 reaching the seventh Chapter of Redemption: A Splat Force Story! It's hard to believe that we're now entering the final three Chapters, time really flies by, huh? I hope you all enjoyed the upbeat, fun nature of this Chapter, especially after the depressing last Chapter. In next week's Chapter, the team will set off toward the Great Hammerhead City, and also towards the Shark Kingdom. The Showdown is coming up real soon, folks, so stay tuned for that! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

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