Imprisonment

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Imprisonment was a major lore event that occurred on December 28, 2022. It is the conclusion to the God Killer's mission and the beginning of the Imprisonment Arc & Post-Imprisonment Arc, and later, the Revolution Arc. It is also the first canon appearance of the location Tartarus.

## **The Beginning**

Techno calls for the only available member of the GK for a meeting in their shared compound. He waits for Agent outside, the entrance already opened for convenience's sake. They both make their way in, shutting the Redstone door behind them; they don't say a word to each other. They enter a room at the end of the hall, closing the door quietly. They both snake around the table to their respective seats, and only then do they start talking. Agent speaks first, asking why the meeting was called in the first place. Techno brings up the imprisonment and how they've put it off for long enough, lamenting that not *everyone* could've attended. Agent nods in understanding, deciding to let Techno finish whatever thing that they wanted to say.

Techno continues, revealing that he made a breakthrough the other day. Found a weakness. He'd found C!Ex's physical body. Agent takes a moment to process it and then replies. He starts to ask about how Techno found it, but instead, he starts questioning the implications and if they could even pull it off. And if it's still even there. Techno says that he's sure it's there and that it'll be fine. He then adds that he's seen it sleep. They wait to say anything for a while until Agent suggests they leave. Techno leads the way. (Which is unfortunate because he is still currently blind) They travel to spawn and down the dirt path that leads to Slime's cave and C!exs base. (Ignore how scuffed the locating of places was, me and levi suck at directions er) Where they both take precautions to stay relatively unharmed. They down gapples and enter the cave, weapons drawn. C!Ex turns to face them and demands to know who they are. C!Ex's kids run to hide in a barrel.

He asks them to leave. Techno replies, "Or what? " C!Ex says that if anything were to happen to him, people would help him; he has allies and connections. His allies would hunt them down. Techno spits back that he's not afraid of numbers. He has help too. He directs attention to Agent, and C!Ex says, "He hasn't even said anything." Which is true.

They corner him, C!Ex putting up the tiniest fight imaginable. He equips his trident, although it doesn't faze the two. C!Ex, in a frenzy, says they can't do anything to him as he is a God and can do anything he puts his mind to. Techno says that that amount of power is dangerous. Agent decides to speak. He calls C!Ex a false God. Saying that they could because he wasn't a true God. C!Ex says it'll never work if they're here for revenge, to make him feel guilty for what he's done. " We're not here for revenge. " Techno corrects. They know that he won't feel guilty. It's too late for that anyway; they're here to imprison him. He simply says they're giving him the consequences for his actions. C!Ex sneers, assuming that they'll just kill him. " Death is too much of a mercy for you. " Agent snaps.

That catches C!Ex's attention because death usually would be the worst thing that could have happened to you. C!Ex acts bold, but he's pressed against the stone wall of his cave, with weapons pointed at him and people he's not familiar with telling him that they're going to hurt him " It'll be something worse. " Techno adds. C!Ex doesn't quite believe it. Techno reminds him of Pandora; truthfully, his fate is nearly identical to it - with a twist. He's scared. C!Ex doesn't plea, just tells them that nothin' they say or do can get him to come with them. Don't know why he was so sure; he's up against the Blood God and a Merc. Agent crouches down and tells him that if he doesn't come with them, he'll go after everyone C!Ex holds dear. " I promise you that. " C!Ex then complies, putting up a front. He says he'll play their little game. The two lead C!Ex out of his cave, and he walks between them. Techno leads them while Agent flanks. They travel all the way to where coincidentally, the GK's compound is. They make their way down the ravine, where a dingy pit in the ground is visible.

## **Tartarus**

There's barely any light. C!Ex laughs, " That's it? " He sneers, staring down the pit. " That's all you could come up with? " He doesn't know what awaits him down there. Agent tells him to listen; there's a faint roar and the sound of a heartbeat - Techno tells him to start walking. He takes a tentative step forward, and soon down in the depths of the pit, there's only a wooden doorway. Agent and Techno watch him as he opens the door. He's greeted by a cage suspended in the air by chains and a warden searching for him. He's forced into the cell, chains binding him by the wrists. They were right about the punishment being worse than death; a single rattle of the chains could kill him.

Time works differently, too, with one day outside translating to one year inside. C!Ex, using telepathy, delivers threats and screams of promised vengeance to them. He states bitterly that people already know that he's here. It ceases to matter. Agent starts for the exit; first, he says they're done. Techno remains to deliver one final message to C!Ex. " Vox populi vox Dei. " ( Roughly translating to " The voice of the people is the voice of a God. " which is ironic if you know the whole passage. It was misused in this context. ) Crying is heard from inside the cell.

## **Post-Imprisonment**

Agent plugs the pit opening with wool, preventing C!Ex from contacting anyone from outside. Techno and he return to the compound, a job well done. They enter and linger in the halls. Techno says that the missions' over, Agent doesn't have to keep to his contract anymore; it's expired. An unusually somber Agent replies that he knows. " you goin' to switch sides if this goes badly ?" Calling back to their first meeting, with Agent saying that he would. " Depends," Techno says that he thought so - they're both getting sentimental. The group had become so used to each other it'd be hard to imagine one of them being gone. They both admit that they've enjoyed working together. Before Agent collects his things to leave, Techno asks him for a final thing. He wants Agent to kill him, it'd undo his blindness. Agent's unsure, even with Techno holding a totem, " You swear that thing works? " Techno reassures him that he's done this a thousand times before. Agent finally complies and kills Techno, bringing back his vision. They banter for a bit, Agent asks Techno to tell Crumb that he left. Maybe Venus, too, if they ever find them. Because he won't be there to say goodbye personally. Before he leaves, Techno asks if Agent needs supplies and stuff like that. Agent doesn't say anything; he's hesitant. He finally says that he'll be fine. ( Haha, bunker. ) Agent stops at the door, Techno wishing him well. Or not. " Take care - or don't; it's not my problem." He leaves Techno alone in the compound.