Splat Force II: Allegiance; Chapter 18

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W E L C O M E ! ! !

This is Nomad! This series doesn't need much introduction, but screw it imma do one anyway! Welcome back to yet another chapter of Splat Force II: Allegiance!

The amount of love that the past couple of chapters have gotten have amazed me (even if it had to do with an accidental rule break in the feature page lmao). So much so that I hit a milestone, I'll mention it later.

As mentioned last week, this chapter will be more laid back than the past two and I've stuck to that promise (kinda). It will be focused on...actually, you'll see for yourself.

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 8 : B A C K O N T R A C K

It was early in the morning, the sun was only barely rising into the sky. Trees and bushes flowed in the soft and gentle breeze. At Baxter Village, Bolton walked into his old home. He refused to look at the blown down wall.

He looked at an old photo frame of him and his family. He tiny yet sweet smile began to form on his face.

"Soon, my sweet love."

He whispered as he looked at Helena in the photo. He gently stroked the picture using his left hand.

Bolton turned left and walked into the bedroom that was in front of knocked over cribs. Inside was a room that was barely damaged during the original Baxter Village raid. However, it wasn't in perfect condition as moss and mold had ruined the room over time.

Bolton walked to the right-hand drawer and opened it to find a flower necklace. The necklace was made from Lilys and Sunflowers. He lifted the necklace and smelt it, even after all of these years, it still smelt the same.

He walked out of the house and turned to his left to face Melissa, who had been told to come with him.

"I've brought you here for a reason, my child. The past month, you've always said that you have been unable to connect with her despite being able to cast spiritual projections of a fallen loved one. To be honest, I don't believe you anymore."

He muttered, making Melissa scared on the inside.

"I want you to reach into her old necklace. If you are unable to at least feel her then you are of no use to me."

The last seven words sent fear down to Melissa's heart. She didn't know what he could've possibly meant. That alone terrified her. She took the flower necklace from Bolton's hand and looked at it. She turned around, letting a tear fall, not wanting Bolton to see it. She closed her eyes and began to think.

Whilst looking into the necklace, she rediscovered some old memories, memories from when she was only a kid. In the memories, she saw Bolton himself showing her a flower necklace that he had made for his daughter. She opened her eyes and gasped.

"Well?"

Bolton asked coldly from behind her.

Melissa turned around, looking surprised.

"I didn't find her but I saw something else, an old memory from when I was only three years old. It was about you showing me a necklace you made for your daughter. I'm not sure why I got that if it's Helena's."

"Look again!"

Bolton ordered abruptly.

Melissa turned back around and closed her eyes. This time, she felt something else, something cold, something angry. Upon reaching further into it, she found her. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned around and faced Bolton, who had his head tilted.

"I got her!"

She panted.

A smile small formed on Bolton's face.

"Her salvation shall begin."

He whispered. Melissa turned around and silently shed two tears.

M E A N W H I L E A T R E E F R O A D . . .

Ami sat alone in the front room, wearing her red zekko hoodie. She was watching a cartoon series on TV about people who possess elements, which was something that she ironically enjoyed watching despite all the suffering that she and several individuals had gone through due to gifts.

It was the late morning, all of the children had gone to school, including Platinum, and everyone else in the neighbourhood was either sleeping or doing morning chores. Ami was constantly checking her watch, awaiting the time that she had left until her next therapy appointment.

She started to Drift and how much she missed him. She thought that she wouldn't see him again after what went down a month prior. However, that train of thought was halted.

K N O C K , K N O C K , K N O C K ! ! !

The knocking from the door made her jump. Ami got up from the sofa and walked out of the living room and towards the front door. After opening, a massive smile formed on her face.

"Drift!"

She exclaimed before instantly pulling him in for a hug.

The tired red-haired Inkling gently leaned against his best friends body, feeling cosy and warm. After a near minute of silent hugging. They pulled out of the hug, Ami kissing Drift's forehead before letting him in.

She led him to the living room and sat him down on the sofa to her right.

"You look tired, are you okay, Drift?"

"I'm okay now that I'm with you!"

Drift replied, giving Ami the happiest smile that he had given in a long time.

"I've spent the entire night and morning running through Infantry Forest, not stopping for breaks. In addition, I also made many super jumps. I knew you would be here which is why I've come."

The two stared at each other, having a battle of smiles. Ami was quick to notice the small white streak that was in his hair.

"I love that white thing in your hair. It suits you!"

Despite not liking it, due to him knowing what it represented, he felt happy that someone liked it, even if they didn't know what it meant.

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome!"

Ami said before switching to a more interesting topic.

"So, where exactly have you been all this time?"

"I've basically been a nomad for the past month. Wondering around from place to place. I did have a good food resource tho, there were lots of fish to eat which I'll be honest isn't my first choice if I ever had to pick a meal but it was better than starving I suppose."

He answered with a small chuckle.

"A couple of days ago I found this place called Bohan Village. It's a place by a cliffside. It's the place where my adopted parents changed my appearance to be more like them, hence the white streak. Whilst I was there, I met an Octoling named Blue. Turns out, she is my biological sister."

Ami gasped after hearing about Blue.

"You have a sister?!"

"Yeah."

Drift answered, feeling ever so slightly happy.

"I was amazed when I found out. At the same time, I was worried because I didn't want Bolton trying to corrupt her as he corrupted me for that time."

"I don't blame you. If my dad was an evil man who wanted to take me over, the last thing I would want would be Samantha being taken over."

She said, making Drift feel better about it.

"Did you talk to her about it?"

"No. As soon as I found out I kept my distance, I don't want her to be involved with my life. I know that sounds harsh but, I don't want her going through what I went through."

He answered.

"I understand..."

Ami whispered.

"Is there anyone else that you want to keep out of your life, for obvious reasons."

"No. But there is someone I need to let back in who I've unfairly kicked out."

He answered, catching Ami's interest.

"He's an Octoling from College who had a crush on me. He confessed to me on the night it all went down. Wanting to get away from all the madness and stress, I said yes and we quickly became a thing. Looking back, I feel like I was using him as a way of separating my main life and I was hoping to feel normal but...I don't know, Ami. I'm not sure if my feelings for him were real or if it was fake. I broke up with him that same night straight after running away from you."

"Have you spoke to him since?"

Ami asked, sparking an idea.

"No, I probably hurt him that night..."

He sighed.

"I think you should speak with him again. Try and reconnect and bond with him. Who knows, maybe those feelings you have are real."

She told him.

"I when I shut Samantha out of my life, I thought that I had lost her forever. It turns out that she needed me just as much as I needed her, maybe that's the same with you and this Octoling. If I were to recommend a place I would say the Fried Marlin at Inkopolis Mall."

Drift closed his eyes and thought about what Ami had said. Maybe she was right, maybe Magnus did want to speak with him as much as he did with Magnus.

"Thank you, Ami..."

He whispered before yawning.

"You need sleep, here."

Ami said before sitting up on the sofa and straightening her legs.

Drift gave his friend another smile before he laid down against her lap, leaned his head against her stomach and falling asleep quickly as Ami gently stroked his red hair.

Shortly afterwards, she got out her phone and started to text Alyssa:

'Alyssa, you are not going to believe this, Drift is back!'

Not even a minute later, she got a response:

'Awesome! I am so happy to hear that! Me and Rex should be back by tonight, we did travel a long way away from the Jet so bare with us!'

Ami liked the message before putting the phone down and going back to stroking Drift's hair.

L A T E R T H A T A F T E R N O O N . . .

K N O C K , K N O C K , K N O C K ! ! !

Drift waited outside of a ginger brick house after knocking on the door. Seconds later, an Octoling with mohawked bright red hair opened up to see him.

"D-Drift?"

"Hey Magnus...I know it must be weird seeing me after what happened but-"

Drift was quickly interrupted by Magnus instantly hugging him. He was taken by surprise but he was glad that things were going more smoothly than he thought they would.

"I'm glad you're okay!"

He whispered before pulling out of the hug.

"Wanna come in, it's just me! College isn't on today."

Magnus offered.

"No, I'm good. Wanna come out for a bit, there is a lot to discuss and I want to reconnect with you after last month."

Drift offered. Magnus gave him a small smile and nodded.

1 0 M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

The two young men were in the corner of a subway train. Hardly anyone else was on that day, only one Octoling who wasn't completely far from them but was far enough for Drift and Magnus to have a conversation.

"Wait a second, Bolton is your dad?!"

"Yeah, it's odd..."

Drift replied with a sigh.

"It all became clear to me, you know with the gifts and the red hair and all that. How did I not see this coming?"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up!"

Magnus said.

"If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have thought the same thing, even if you share gifts and hair...Okay, that's not helping!"

"It's okay, Magnus. After that, I shut everyone out, even you. I feel stupid about that."

Drift said.

"Hey, it's alright. Tell you what, how about I take you somewhere to cheer you up?"

Magnus offered.

The red-haired Inkling gave him a strange.

"Go where?"

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

"Magnus, why did you sign us up for a private Turf War match?"

Drift asked as he and Magnus stood alone in a waiting room.

"Well, I know you like Turf War, and I like Turf War so I thought that maybe we could do some Turf War, you know?"

Magnus answered, feeling bad at the possibility of Drift not approving.

"If you wanna go somewhere else them feel free, I don't mind going anywhere."

Not wanting him to feel bad, he smiled at him. Although it wasn't a full-on genuine smile, he at least wanted to give him some happiness.

"No, no. It's fine!"

He assured him.

Not long after, it was finally time for them to play. The selected colours that Magnus chose for them were red and green. They were given tiny bracelets to put on their pinky to change their Ink colour temporarily until the end of the match.

Drift had mixed feelings about his temporary green hair. A part of him liked that he was able to get Bolton's colours mostly off him but at the same time, it wasn't going to last forever. But still, it was a nice feeling to be back in his old shoes again.

Minutes and finally they were off at it at The Reef, a place they very much enjoyed being at. For the first two minutes of the match, they both managed to cover their respective sides of the map. There were some splats from each side, the majority of them being from Drift, however, there were times that Magnus managed to score some, mostly due to Drift being distracted.

Once the final minute hit, the mohawked Octoling fired his Splattershot Jr, making him a bright red ink trail before he turned into his Octo form and swam through, sneaking into his enemy's turf.

He approached the bright, silver bridge that stood in the centre of The Reef and saw that most of the turf on the other side was covered with enemy ink, he smirked as he began to enter the enemies land.

Magnus approached the bridge with caution and made sure to check each of his surroundings until it became clear to him that everything was fine and that nobody was around. He took several steps onto the bridge, inking as he went, feeling confident that it wasn't a splat trap.

W O O O O O - P O P ! ! !

A Suction Bomb flew at him and stuck in front of him. Magnus used the spare second he had until the bomb detonated to quickly swim out of there with his Ink. However, swimming directly back still wasn't the wisest idea.

B O O M ! ! !

Another Suction Bomb was thrown forward, the sound was masked by the other's explosion, and landed in the Magnus' path. Luckily, he used the second to jump off the bridge and onto the grass below. Without hesitation, he quickly ran under the bridge and inked the ground underneath him and towards the opposite side of the bridge. However, this moment of peace didn't last very long...

B A N G ! ! !

Drift ed him below the bridge with a fully charged shot with his Splatterscope giving him an escape trail. Instead of trying to swim away, Magnus stayed behind and readied to take down his opponent.

Drift readied his Suction Bombs, a smirk on his face as well. He threw the bombs forward as Magnus made his approach.

B O O M , B O O M , B O O M ! ! !

Magnus went into his Octo form and swam forward, sneaking past Drift. Upon coming out from the ink below, he threw a Splat Bomb and readied his Splattershot.

B O O M ! ! !

B A N G ! ! !

The Inkling was knocked back and fell to the ground, shifting his body around to face his Magnus, who was standing above him.

F W E E E E E E E T ! ! !

The match announcer's whistle blew loudly. And just like that, the game was over.

The two of them laughed at each other, Magnus especially feeling prideful.

"Amazing!"

Drift exclaimed as Magnus helped him up.

"You've improved a lot since we've last did this!"

The two of them chuckled before Magnus helped Drift up.

"Thanks, Drift! I'm not sure if I would've done well without you!"

He said. The two laugh some more as they both tightly hug each other.

M E A N W H I L E W I T H A M I . . .

"We have officially reached the end of your course, Ami. How do you feel?"

Mrs Todd asked, feeling happy that her therapy sessions had worked.

"Honestly, I think I'm in a much better place. I've had a lot of help on the way through my sister and Alyssa. Thank you for this!"

Ami answered. Unlike her first therapy appointment, she was sat up and making eye with her.

"I'm glad that I was able to help!"

She said with a smile.

"If you ever need help again, feel free to come back for more."

"I'll make sure of it!"

Ami said as she stood up and walked up to her councillor before giving her a handshake. Just as she was about to leave the room, Ami turned around and have Mrs Todd one last look.

"I know that it's ironic how I'm now giving the advice but I think you should try and reach out to your brother. I know you can't fully take in the words from a patient but talking to him could help find closure. It helped with me and Samantha, I hope that it can help with you!"

Mrs Todd gave her a bittersweet smile as she walked out of the room. After checking out at the main reception, Ami walked out of the building and got out her phone and called Alyssa. After nearly ten seconds she picked up.

"Hello Ami! How did it go?"

"It went great!"

She answered.

"Thank you for g me on for this, it really helped!"

"I'm glad it did."

Alyssa said, feeling happy for the Inkling girl.

"I'm glad that we all helped. Sorry for changing the topic so quickly but, how has Drift been since he came back?"

"It's alright! He told me about an Octoling with who he had got into a relationship with. He told me that he broke up with him the same night they got together, which was when he found out about you know. He's only gone out to see if he really feels how he feels."

She explained.

"I knew it!"

Alyssa whispered under her breath.

"I'm happy for him! I have to go now, me and Rex are about to get onto the Jet. I'll make sure to tell him about your progress. Bye, Ami!"

"Goodbye!"

She replied as the call ended.

L A T E R T H A T E V E N I N G . . .

The two young men walked onto the fourth floor of Inkopolis Mall and approached the Fried Marlin.

"Damn, we really are going here, huh. You know, the only time I've come here was with my family back in the day and we all had stomach aches for the rest of the night."

Magnus said as he began to ramble on once again.

"Yeah, but since that incident back then, services have changed and now it's one of the best restaurants in Inkopolis!"

Drift assured him, giving him a pat on the back.

"I suppose so."

Magnus said as they both walked into the fancy restaurant.

Inside was a wide room with a glorious red carpet with gold accents. The tables and seats were made from smooth dark wood. On top were white cloths that gently flew with the breeze that came from the large open windows.

The young men walked up to the counter. It was surprising how short of a wait it was.

"Hey, my name is Magnus Lang, I booked a place here with Drift-"

"I've got you down on table twenty-two."

The woman informed with a happy face.

"What may we get you?"

"Would I be able to get some fish fingers for myself?"

Magnus asked before looking at Drift.

"What about you?"

"I think I'll have some mashed potatoes."

Drift answered.

"Alright, do you want any dessert with it?"

The woman asked.

"Uh, I think I'll take a small pie. What about you?"

Magnus asked as he turned to Drift.

"I'm good, thanks."

He answered.

"That's fine! In total, this should cost fifteen cash. Five from you and ten from you."

She said. The two of them paid, Magnus paying extra due to his desert.

"Have a lovely meal!"

They both walked out onto the balcony and sat down on table twenty-two. It was sunset, which meant that they were blessed with a beautiful view.

"My cod, that is outstanding!"

Magnus exclaimed excitedly.

Drift smiled at Magnus being happy. On the inside, he felt something for him, something that he wished he felt a month back.

"It really is!"

The two took their seats opposite each other and smiled at one another.

"Today has been a good one, I must say."

Magnus said, starting a conversation between the two.

"Yeah definitely, I needed this day to properly sort things out."

Drift replied.

"I am here for you Drift, don't forget that."

Magnus assured him, putting a smile on his face.

A F E W M I N U T E S L A T E R . . .

"Bon Appetite!"

A man said as he handed the two young men their food.

"Thanks!"

Drift said before getting into his mash potato.

The two went on with their meals, Magnus managed to quickly take down his fish fingers with ease whilst Drift took his time with the mashed potato. By the time Drift was finished, Magnus had managed to take down his pie.

They were both focused on their meal that they didn't talk as much as they wanted to during it. Drift stood up from his seat and leaned against the balcony.

"Drift, are you okay?"

Magnus asked as he got up from his seat and approached the Inkling.

"I'm sorry, Magnus. I haven't been truly honest about everything."

Drift answered, making Magnus feel confused.

"Wh-What? What do you mean, Drift?"

Magnus asked as he leaned against the balcony and looked at him.

"I haven't been truly honest about what I did when I wasn't with you are at College."

He answered before going on to explain.

"Two years ago, Bolton found me and went after me. I only found out later that he was only doing this to lure out my adopted father. We were chased out into Infantry Forest. A month later, we found a weapon we thought would take Bolton down. Minutes later, my dad was by my dad. I know it sounds weird but you know what I'm on about. A couple of months later I ed the Splat Force to carry his legacy."

"The Splat Force..."

Magnus whispered.

"Wait, that's the gear you were wearing during that viral video. That wasn't fake gear?!"

"You're right..."

Drift answered.

"Over time, Ami became mentally better and ed as well. I left around a month back when I found out that Bolton was...you know. The point is, I said what I said to you on that call because I wasn't sure if my feelings for you were true. I was scared in case they were in case you would've fallen into my life, which meant you would've fallen into all of this. That's why I broke up that night. I couldn't bare the thought of it. Looking back, I was an idiot. I know for a fact that my feelings for you are actually true. I'm sorry for hurting you..."

Magnus teared up and gently held Drift's left hand.

"I forgive you, Drift."

He whispered. Drift looked at his Octoling boyfriend before hugging him.

M E A N W H I L E W I T H B O L T O N . . .

Both Bolton and Melissa walked into an abandoned church at the edge of Pulpo City. There was debris everywhere that he looked, chairs and tables had been knocked over. It was the type of place that young teenagers would stay for the night if it was for a dare. The only source of light came from the open wall that had been taken down only earlier that day by Bruce.

Bolton walked to the end of the room, holding his blade in one hand and Helena's necklace in the other. At the end of the room was a painting of a religious figure that had been used as a border. Behind the border was a staircase that led down into a small hexagonal room. In the middle of the room was a red hexagon symbol that had all of the lines connect.

Led and Bruce stood up after their leader entered the room and walked over to him.

"Everything is ready."

Led told him.

Bolton walked past him and placed the necklace onto the centre of the hexagon.

"Good. Get into positions. It's time for her salvation to begin!"

He said. Led stood on the left side of the room, Bruce stood at the back of the room and Bolton and Melissa stood on the right side.

"Melissa, call out to her now."

Despite having to follow orders, she didn't want to. She knew the risks of what could happen.

"Bolton, what if she fully doesn't come back. This is the Book Of The Dammed we are on about it could-"

"Melissa, do what I say!"

Bolton ordered, sounding more aggressive.

Melissa was getting more horrified, all she wanted to do was teach him the downsides since all he did was look at the positives.

"But Bolton, what if she may not be the same person that you-"

"I DON'T CARE IF SHE IS NOT THE SAME, I JUST WANT HER BACK!"

He roared, both fists igniting with flames, his blade lit up alongside his hands.

She was horrified. At this moment, she knew that nothing she said would change anything now, especially since it could one day lead to her death. Hesitantly, she closed her eyes and reached out to Helena's spirit.

From across the room, Led could see her tear up. Although he didn't show it on the outside, even felt that what he was doing was wrong. To him, it felt like all of this was in poor taste.

Bolton walked forward towards the necklace. He raised his blade and pointed to tip towards the palm of his left hand before slicing it open. He growled as the heat of the blade burned the surface of his hand. Now that his own blood was on the necklace. It was finally able to begin.

"Led, every time I finish the speaking, I want you to hit the necklace with lightning."

Bolton ordered to which Led nodded. At long last, the resurrection had finally begun. Bolton took out his sheets of paper and began to read.

"Κάνω τα πάνω σου, τα καλώ σου παραπάνω, σου δίνω αυτό το δώρο, Μου φέρε τη ζωή σε αντάλλαγμα"

Z A P ! ! !

Within seconds after Bolton read the words out, Led struck the necklace with lightning. It wasn't a long lightning strike as it only lasted for a second.

"Κάνω τα πάνω σου, τα καλώ σου παραπάνω, σου δίνω αυτό το δώρο, Μου φέρε τη ζωή σε αντάλλαγμα"

Z A P ! ! !

Another lightning strike shot out from Led's hand. He gave it his all, even tho part of him was telling him not to.

"Κάνω τα πάνω σου, τα καλώ σου παραπάνω, σου δίνω αυτό το δώρο, Μου φέρε τη ζωή σε αντάλλαγμα"

Z A P ! ! !

After that last strike of lightning, the red hexagon in lit up. In addition, Helena's necklace also lit up. The sheets of paper from the Book Of The Dammed levitated into the air before turning into ash. Melissa lost connection to Helena's spirit. Suddenly a large strike of lightning crashed through the church and the roof of the hexagonal room. Any power in Pulpo City temporally shut down. The sound echoed not just through out Pulpo City, but it also reached Inkopolis.

The light was so bright that everyone had to cover their face, including Led who normally was able to tolerate a large amount of light. Seconds later after the dust was settled, Bolton uncovered his face. He noticed someone laying in the hexagon sideways.

It was an Inkling with long dark hair and green highlights. She had no clothes on. Bolton carefully approached the Inkling who was slowly waking up. He was trembling for the first time in almost two decades. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"H-Hela?"

The Inkling's dark green eyes slowly looked up at him. She had no emotion on her face. Her skin was pale and fragile.

"Bolton..."

She whispered. Bolton, who was on the verge of tears, fell to his knees next to her and gently hugged her. His body was shivering.

Melissa slowly walked towards Led, who was looking down at the ground. Melissa sensed his aura, which was conflicted for the first time since he reunited with his parents. She took one look at Bolton and whispered to herself.

"What have we done...?"

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 this chapter of Splat Force II: Allegiance! Oh boy, are things heating up now. I just want to quickly have a moment to thank you all for helping me reach 1000 followers. I will make a separate post for it after the story concludes but wow, it's amazing how far I have come! The penultimate chapter is next week. With only two chapters left, who knows what could happen now! I hope ya'll stay tuned to see how it will all unfold! Until next time, stay safe out there! ^^

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