Author’s Note/Disclaimer: I don’t own Cave Story, it belongs to Pixel.

So, not much to say about this chapter, really, other than, I’m a sick, sick individual with a gruesome imagination. Well, I must be to do the things I do to my favourite characters. Mwee hee hee. Anyway, here ya are, another chapter. Have fun. I know I did. Oh, and the chapter title is yet another joke. I’m such a bastard. Also, sorry this took so long. My writing hiatus went on a little longer than I’d expected.

Chapter Seven: Balrog’s Happy Frolic

He wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep for. He remembered rolling over to face away from Misery, but after that, nothing. At least, he figured with a snort, he had a bit more energy to continue doing nothing with.

Quote curled up into himself as his thoughts wandered back to what Misery had done to him. He still couldn’t figure out why she had done it, or why he had reacted to it the way he had.

The thing was, he knew nothing about sex. He and Curly had been built to resemble a boy and girl, but both of them lacked the defining parts. There had been no reason to program them with such knowledge they wouldn’t need.

He slowly unwrapped the bandages from his hands, the scrapes having been healed by Misery’s earlier spell. As he did so, he couldn’t help thinking that, despite the fact that he hated the witch, he almost wouldn’t mind trying it again. That thought disturbed him; just what was it she had done to him to make him think like this?

A sudden clinking pulled him from his thoughts, and he rolled over to see Misery staring down at him from beyond the bars of his cage. She pointed to the floor and he followed her motion to find his glasses lying next to him.

“You dropped those,” she said.

He didn’t reply as he picked them up and slid them onto his face. He blinked, noticed a small scratch on the left lens from where they had hit the floor, then stood and turned to face the witch.

“What do you want?” His words came without any real inflection. Quote wasn’t angry, but he really didn’t care what she wanted.

“The Doctor has called for you. Come with me.” Misery opened the door to Quote’s cell and motioned for the boy to exit. He would have tried to make a break for it if he had thought it would have done him any good. He was still tired, weak, and even now wasn’t fully used to his human body. It would do him no good to start running only to trip up when his legs didn’t do what he told them. So he walked slowly, allowing Misery to guide him to the room known as the King’s Table, where the Doctor waited.

“Hurry it up,” snapped the witch, prodding Quote in the back with her staff. He grimaced at the sudden pain, and forced himself to move faster, stumbling a little on the rough ground. This still wasn’t fast enough for Misery however, the witch grumbling in agitation.

After several more moments, she gave up and summoned a bubble casing around Quote, which lifted the machine turned young man from the ground and allowed her to float him quickly to their destination.

The sudden sensation made Quote feel ill, and he found himself wondering if Toroko had felt alike the time Misery had used this same spell on her. He pushed this thought aside, knowing it was useless to focus on the past now. Presently, he had to find some way to escape. He didn’t know what the Doctor wanted with him, but he was certain it could be nothing good.

As a robot, Quote had been able to process his situation and come up with a suitable course of action in seconds. As a human, he was no longer able to think at such high speeds, nor as clearly. It was a source of frustration to him, and it now prevented him from developing a plan.

He hadn’t been paying attention and was caught off guard when the bubble lifting him popped, dropping him roughly to the floor. Biting back a yelp, he rose quickly, looking up. The Doctor stood before him, a disturbing smile playing across his lips, the Demon Crown glinting upon his head.

Quote cast his gaze around the room, taking in his surroundings, looking for a way to escape. The room was large, cages full of trapped Mimigas lining the walls and hanging from the ceiling. Red flower vines grew and twisted on the floor, climbing up, towards the sunlight. He could see no way in through the floor, and though the walls were open to the air, Quote didn’t relish the idea of a fall from such a height.

Balrog was standing off to one side, the large, boxy thing’s expression unreadable. Quote found this a bit odd, since he was used to seeing Balrog wearing an idiotic grin, but he didn’t worry about it. He knew now he had no chance to get away. Misery still stood behind him, and Balrog could move faster than one would think for his size.

The Doctor reached out a hand and grasped Quote’s arm, examining it. Quote pulled back, trying to wrench free from his grasp, but the Doctor tightened his grip, hurting Quote’s wrist. Date’s smile grew when this caused the young man to cry out in pain.

“So, you’re human now. I wonder…”

“Wonder what?” asked Quote. He didn’t want to be afraid of this man, didn’t want to show his fear, but he could feel the evil emanating from him and it made Quote shudder. It was all he could do to keep his voice from trembling. “What do you want with me?”

The Doctor just chuckled. “Balrog!”

“Yes sir?” The oversized box took quick strides to his master’s side.

“Strap this one down on the table.”

Quote wasn’t sure how he’d missed the table before. Date was standing next to it, the white marble stained with blood. He had a good idea what the Doctor used it for, but he had no desire to find out for sure firsthand.

He screamed in defiance and squirmed free from Balrog’s grasp as the boxy creature tried to pick him up. He was running scared now, not taking the time to think his actions through. All he knew was he had to get away somehow.

Several of the caged Mimigas looked up at the sudden commotion and watched in silence. Their expressions were empty, beaten. They knew the boy was doomed to capture, all their hopes for safety and freedom had been dashed long ago. Quote couldn’t help them now. He couldn’t even save himself.

The Doctor laughed. “Where are you running, boy? There’s nowhere you can go.”

Quote ignored him. How had they gotten in? There had to be a way out. There just had to be! But wherever it was, he couldn’t find it. Balrog chased him as he scrambled desperately around the room, searching for an exit.

The chase continued for several minutes before Quote began to tire, losing hope. He paused for a moment to catch his breath, but this turned out to be a mistake. As he turned around, he saw Balrog’s huge form falling towards him.

“Huzzah!”

With a loud crash, he smashed down on Quote, throwing him roughly to the floor. His head hit the hard rock ground with a sickening crunch. Stars burst in his vision before everything went dark.

X X X

His head ached as he slowly blinked his eyes open. He was unsure of how long he had been unconscious. Groaning, he tried to sit up, only to find his wrists and ankles strapped to the table he was laid out across. He tried to pull free, but the leather bands held fast. His vision was still blurry despite the glasses, and he blinked again to try to clear it. He wished he hadn’t.

The Doctor stood over him, an eerie grin on his face. In his hand he held a scalpel, and though Quote didn’t know what he intended to use it for, he knew he didn’t want to find out. He pulled against his restraints as hard as he could, but all he managed to do was hurt his wrists.

Date laughed, a dark, sinister sound, as he watched his captive’s helpless struggle. “It’s useless to fight, you know. Now, hold still and we’ll see what a robot turned human looks like from the inside.”

Quote stopped struggling, shocked into stillness as he realized what the Doctor was saying. He desperately cast his eyes around the room, pleading silently for someone, anyone, to help him. None of the caged mimigas would look at him; they were unable to help even if they wanted to. His gaze fell on Misery and she stared back at him for several seconds before also turning away. Balrog was nowhere to be seen. No one was coming to his rescue.

Quote jumped slightly as he felt the cool, sharp metal press against his bare chest, and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the moment when it would slice into his skin.

For the first couple of seconds, he almost didn’t feel the blade as it cut into him. He gritted his teeth as the pain suddenly struck and willed himself not to cry out. He didn’t want to give the Doctor the satisfaction of hearing him scream. As it was, he couldn’t stop the tears from welling in his eyes.

They did not go unnoticed by Date, and his smile grew as he drew the scalpel down, cutting a neat incision along the middle of Quote’s chest. Blood bubbled up from the thin, deep wound as Quote continued to clench his teeth. The pain was intense and tears ran freely down his face now, but still he did not scream.

The Doctor continued to make several more cuts before pulling back the loosened flesh, revealing Quote’s ribcage. The wounds bled freely, and the smell coupled with blood loss made Quote feel nauseated. The pain threatened to overwhelm him as he finally gave in, though his wails were weak. He could feel his heart beating feebly as it attempted to pump less and less blood through his body and knew that he was dying.

Date, unperturbed by all the blood, continued to poke around inside the young man’s chest, causing Quote to cry out and thrash involuntarily. He found this terribly amusing and did it again and again until Quote’s eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he slipped into unconsciousness.

Quote’s breathing was shallow and his pulse terribly weak; he’d lost far too much blood far too rapidly. The Doctor however was unaffected by his plight. He straightened up, wiping the blood from his hands. Having seen what he wanted, he turned to Misery.

“Heal him and lock him back up. I’ll think of something to do with him later. For now, I must perfect my latest creation.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Misery approached the table, sickened by the sight and smell of so much blood. Date left the room as she cast a powerful healing spell over the dying young man. His wounds closed up swiftly, leaving no physical evidence that they had ever been there, as the blood he had lost was quickly regenerated. Though he remained unconscious, the spell also counteracted the effects of the shock he had fallen into. When he came to, he might feel a remnant of pain, but he would otherwise be all right.

At least, physically, anyway.

Misery cleaned the remaining blood from Quote’s chest before encasing him in another bubble and warping him back to his cage.

X X X

All was still and silent, save for the chirping and rustle of feathers as birds shifted their positions on Balrog’s head. Neither Misery or the Doctor knew what the big box did when neither of them were using him for some devious plot, and he wasn’t about to tell them. If they knew, they would put an end to it.

The balcony was Balrog’s favourite place on the island, the only place where he could really escape from the harsh treatment he tended to receive from Misery. The large box was a simple creature, and he enjoyed simple pursuits, like he was doing now.

He continued to hold perfectly still, allowing birds to perch on his head and flippers. Balrog liked birds; their streamlined grace as they flew and their pretty songs. He wished he could be more like them, to have their freedom. He could fly, but not with as much grace, and since he had been tethered to the crown, he had been unable to go far. As far as singing went, he couldn’t to save his life.

No one should have been up there with him, so he was startled when his flock suddenly lifted into the air in agitation and soared off into the distance. Balrog turned to look behind him to find a surprising sight. A baby Sky Dragon had somehow snuck up on him.

He wasn’t afraid of it; even if it did intend him harm, a baby would have been no match for Balrog’s defences. The dragon seemed more curious than anything however, and the big box smiled at it.

“Are you lost?” he asked. He knew Sky Dragons made their homes in a series of caves located below the Egg Chamber that could only be accessed by creatures that could fly. To see one so young on the balcony, and alone, was strange. To see a baby at all now was odd, though. Balrog knew what the Doctor had done to the latest batch.

The dragon cocked its head as though it didn’t understand the question. A questioning growl rumbled deep in its throat. As far as it knew, it was still waiting for Quote to return.

“Ah, you don’t know how to talk yet,” said Balrog, still smiling. “Maybe I can teach you!”

The dragon perked up and lumbered to the big box happily. Nero wasn’t a shy dragon, and had no reason to distrust him. Plus, Nero really wanted to learn to talk. The dragon was frustrated by no one being able to understand it.

“Now,” and here Balrog touched a flipper to the side of his head, and looked sheepish. “Where do we begin?”

X X X

“My lord, was that really necessary?”

Misery really couldn’t understand why she felt like questioning the Doctor’s actions. Why should she care what he did to Quote? And yet, she did…

The Doctor had returned once more to the item he had been preparing now for days, and didn’t look away as he replied. “Was what necessary?”

“What you did to that boy. I could have told you that he was fully human, my lord.”

“You could have, but where would the fun have been in that?”

Misery didn’t reply, biting back the words she wanted to say, but knew she shouldn’t. Why did she care? It made no sense, she barely knew the boy, and not only had most of that time they had spent fighting each other, he had been a robot, too.

She didn’t have time to really dwell on her feelings when the Doctor turned to her, smiling cruelly. In his hands he held a sparkling red crystal. It pulsed with its own inner light, something about it bothered the witch, and not much could get to her anymore in many long years.

“Behold, the fruits of my research, the Red Crystal,” said Date, still holding it aloft. “I have concentrated the powers of the red flowers into this crystal, but it will work on more than just mimigas. Humans, for one.”

Misery said nothing for several moments, unsure of the Doctor’s intentions. What purpose did he have to frenzy humans as well as mimigas? Were the mimigas not powerful enough for him? She didn’t want to anger her master, but she had to know.

“Are frenzied humans that much stronger than the mimigas?”

The Doctor shrugged. “How would I know? But wouldn’t it be so much easier to control the world’s population with this?”

Date let his hand fall, and the crystal remained in the air, orbiting his the man. As Misery watched it, an idea came unbidden to her mind. She didn’t want to suggest it, but the Doctor had already noticed.

“Is there something you would like to say?”

The witch couldn’t keep it from him now. “I thought perhaps we could test how strong a frenzied human is compared to a mimiga. Unless of course, you had other plans for the boy?”

The Doctor shook his head. “That is a good idea. Fetch the boy and a mimiga, and we shall find out which is stronger.”

X X X

“Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!”

The dragon bounced about, quite pleased with its new word. Though it was a young dragon, its voice was decidedly feminine. Nero was a girl.

Balrog laughed and jumped about with her, shouting huzzah right along. The two carried on for several moments before Nero tired herself out and flopped to the ground.

The dragon was a quick study, and already knew enough words to be able to speak simple sentences. It hadn’t occurred to Balrog to ask her why she was here, though. If he had, he may have learned of Kazuma’s fate, and also could have told the dragon to quit waiting for Quote. The boxy creature really didn’t think the robot turned human had much chance of escape given the current state of things.

“Wanna play!” cheered Nero after a few moments of rest. She picked herself up from the ground and swatted Balrog playfully with her tail before running away, encouraging the box to chase her.

“Hey!” Balrog protested, and the chase was on.

X X X

The Doctor stood off to a corner as Misery warped the combatants into the room, the Red Crystal still orbiting his body. He wore a malicious grin as he watched the two. The mimiga Misery had chosen was huddling in a corner, as far from the Doctor as he could get.

With the next raising of her staff, Quote was brought into the room and dumped unceremoniously onto the floor. He groaned, picking himself up from the ground, blinking tiredly. He still hadn’t fully recovered from what Date had done to him earlier, even with the aid of Misery’s spell.

The witch moved off to stand with Date as the mimiga, recognizing Quote despite the fact that he had still been a robot last time he had seen him, ran to the boy’s side.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, recognizing that Quote wasn’t at his best even though he looked fine physically. The mimiga’s animal instincts hadn’t been completely dulled by his previously uneventful life.

The boy didn’t reply right away. He had only just come to moments before Misery’s spell had pulled him away from his cell to dump him here. His head ached terribly, so he replied by simply shaking it slowly. The slightest sound set off jackhammers in his brain.

The two didn’t get much of a chance to converse, the Doctor setting the Red Crystal upon them. “What’s that?” was all Jack had time to ask before it began to circle him.

Quote looked up in time to see Jack begin to change. He had seen the rage overtake mimigas several times before, but it never ceased to frighten him. Ignoring the pain in his head and body, he picked himself up and scrambled away from the newly born monster, adrenaline kicking in to clear his head a little.

He didn’t get far before the crystal caught up to him, and began to circle him as it had Jack. Quote had seen what it did to the mimiga, but he didn’t know what it would do to him. He didn’t really know what the crystal was, he just knew that anything the Doctor created that could do that to a mimiga was bad news. Quote couldn’t get away, though. It was impossible to outrun the crystal, to escape its power. The change overtook him, he had no chance to fight it off in his current state even if there had been one.

Misery and the Doctor watched silently as the two monsters turned on each other, all rational thought gone from their minds, and began to savage each other. The witch found it difficult to watch the battle, the two frenzied creatures tearing into each other with the distinct urge to kill, splattering blood everywhere. Regardless of what everyone may think of her, she wasn’t much for violence.

It was pretty clear right from the beginning that Quote held the upper hand. It was difficult to say if perhaps, despite his frenzied state, he was still subconsciously able to access his fighting prowess, but his overall size was enough. The size of the frenzied creature seemed to rely on the size of the creature being frenzied, and Quote was at least a foot taller than the average mimiga. Size, strength and sheer fighting ability were on his side.

With a powerful two-fisted smash, the beast that had been Quote drove his mimiga rival to the floor before he snapped his jaws around Jack’s throat. He ignored the blood that filled his mouth as his fangs, newly acquired from the frenzying, sliced through skin and severed major arteries.

Jack, severely if not fatally wounded, still fought back, trying to dislodge the larger monster by bringing up his hind legs and gouging deep wounds across Quote’s chest with his claws. Quote reacted by drawing back, but his jaws remained shut, tearing out a good chunk of Jack’s throat in the process.

Jack seemed a little started, and gave a small gurgling cough as blood splattered to the floor from the wound. He toppled over, dead, a moment later reverting back to his normal form.

Quote, angered by the injuries inflicted upon him and without an opponent, now turned his gaze upon Misery and the Doctor. Spitting out his mouthful of Jack’s throat, he growled his anger and began to charge.

“Can’t be having with that, now can we?” said the Doctor. He raised his hand and Quote was slammed backwards into a wall by an invisible force. The raging monster remained pinned until, after a moment or two, he calmed down and began to shrink back to his normal form, the power of the red crystal wearing off.

The Doctor released his hold and Quote slumped to the floor, bleeding badly, breathing hard and barely conscious. He was only dimly aware of Jack’s still form lying not far from him in a growing pool of his own blood. He knew he had killed the mimiga, he could still taste the blood in his mouth. It made him gag, and it was all he could do to keep from vomiting.

Quote couldn’t believe what had just happene3d. What had the Doctor done to be able to turn humans into raging animals as easily as the mimigas? What had once seemed an incredibly difficult mission now seemed nigh on impossible. With this new power, how could Date possibly be stopped?

He was barely aware of the Doctor ordering Misery to take care of him yet again as he raised a trembling, bloodstained hand before his eyes, staring at it as though wondering what it was. How many lives had been snuffed out by his hands? How many more were destined to fall?

The Doctor had already left, planning how he could use this to destroy Curly and her resistance once and for all, before Misery approached Quote. The boy didn’t even react as she touched a hand to his shoulder, another healing spell washing over him. It wasn’t as effective as the previous one, Misery only being able to use the spell a limited number of times in a day before needing to rest. It was enough to ensure he wouldn’t bleed to death, however.

“I…I killed him…didn’t I?” Quote’s voice was small and cracked, and Misery could hear the very slight hint of madness around the edges. She couldn’t explain why it caused her to react as she did, her chest constricting in pain. She ignored it.

“Come along.” Still holding his shoulder, she cast her teleport spell, almost instantly moving herself and Quote back to his cell. She surprised herself by knowing and caring that he was tired by the way he could barely keep his eyes open.

“Misery?” The question was so soft, she almost didn’t hear him. “How did you get cursed to the crown?”

The witch turned away, and he could hear bitterness in her voice as she replied. “I’m the one who had it made.”

“Why?”

Misery wondered if the lack of an accusatory tone in his voice was because he was truly curious, or if he was just too tired to add one. No one had ever asked her reasons before, however. Most just assumed she had been trying to usurp power. There would be no harm in telling Quote the truth.

The witch sat down next to him and began talking. “Regardless of what people seem to think, long ago, I wasn’t so bitter and evil. I actually gave a damn about what happened to this island, my home and my family. When my uncle went crazy, his power ravaged the kingdom an almost destroyed us all. No one could stop him

“I thought that perhaps I could by convincing him to create an item that would allow the bearer to control his power. When he agreed, I thought I had succeeded, but I was wrong. Instead, he created that crown and cursed me to it before my mother stepped in and banished him to the bowels of the island.

“So, that’s what happened. Are you happy now?”

Quote didn’t reply for a long time, and Misery almost thought he had fallen asleep when he opened his eyes again. Slowly, he moved over until he was lying beside the witch. Her eyes widened in surprise as he lifted his head and placed it in her lap, a small sad smile crossing his face.

“I don’t need your pity,” snarled Misery, but she didn’t attempt to move him. In fact, she reached over to pick up the threadbare cloth that masqueraded as a blanket. Quote’s smile became content as she pulled it around his shoulders and started to run her hand through his hair.

She didn’t really know why she was even still there. This boy had caused her no end of trouble, she hated him, and yet here she was, being almost nurturing to him. She had to admit there was something she wanted from him, but this time she didn’t want to just take it. She also wasn’t about to play nice just to get it, either.

When Misery came to that realisation, she couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t cared for another in so many years, she hadn’t thought herself capable anymore. She wasn’t sure she should be upset or happy about the fact that, had she not turned Quote human in the first place, this probably never would have happened.

It startled her when Quote sat up. She thought he had finally fallen asleep. He fixed her with a look she could only describe as semiconscious, and held it for so long Misery began to wonder if he were just moving in his sleep.

She was not prepared for what he did next. Quote moved forward faster than she had expected, and before she had a chance to react, he had pressed his lips hard against hers. Eyes wide, Misery’s first instinct was to push him away, but she ignored that and let the boy do what he wished.

He backed off after a moment and stared at the floor. He couldn’t explain why he had done that, all he knew was that he had wanted to. “Misery…”

“Yes?”

“What…what did you…what was that you did to me earlier?”

The witch couldn’t help smirking. “Why, did you want to do it again?”

He nodded. “I don’t understand why, though…”

“Aren’t you a bad boy? Well, perhaps I should explain…”

X X X

Dragons had exceptional hearing, and Nero could still take notice of Balrog counting even from the other side of the balcony. Having bored of tag quickly, the large box had suggested a game of hide and seek. Nero had never heard of the game before, but once she had it explained to her, she quickly agreed to play.

It was the young dragon’s turn to hide this round, and it seemed as though she had found the perfect spot. A small, temporary shelter stood in the middle of the path to the citadel, and because it was so obvious, she guessed Balrog would never think to check it.

Nero hadn’t considered her size, or the size of the doorway however, as she tried to wriggle her way in. The entrance was much too small for her to fit through, and though the building was only temporary, it was still fairly solidly built. The baby dragon was soon stuck.

Nero didn’t notice Balrog’s cry of, “Ready or not, here I come!” over her own distressed whining as she tried to free herself from the entranceway. Her cries continued to grow louder the more stuck she became, and they quickly drew her game playing friend to her.

“Hey, hey, calm down!” Balrog touched a flipper to Nero’s side in an attempt to calm the distraught dragon. “Stop thrashing around and I’ll help you out of there.”

It was easier said than done. Nero had wedged herself into the door pretty good, and Balrog’s flippers weren’t so useful in such situations. After several moments of pushing, pulling and squirming, however, Nero was free. Though in the process, she had managed to knock in a bit of the flooring, revealing a tunnel to another, long sealed section of the island. She didn’t really understand why it upset her friend.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Balrog didn’t say anything right away, staring down into the hole as though he expected some terrible demon to jump out and eat his face. “Hell is open again. I don’t think that’s good… I have to tell Misery…”

Nero’s face fell. “You go away?”

“for a little while.” And here Balrog flashed the baby dragon a large smile. “But don’t worry, I’ll come see you again, okay?”

“Okay!”

With that, Balrog turned and trundled off back into the interior of the island, leaving the dragon by herself again, intent on telling Misery about Hell’s reopening.