THE ULTIMATE STRATEGY

The role swap part is that Sword gets kicked out of a faction instead of Medkit.

In this AU, Venomshank keeps Sword in Lost Temple for training. Sword does something that Venomshank considers an extreme dishonor and they get into an altercation where Sword escapes to crossroads. He meets Medkit who helps him get patched up and they are bestie friends !

Medkit in this scenario managed to get stationed in Crossroads before anything nasty brewed between him and Subspace, and still works for Blackrock. Of course he doesn’t completely like it but it gives him good money and he isn’t being actively hunted instead. He managed to move to crossroads in the first place because he is relatively prestigious, similar to Subspace, so it was kind of something to keep him pacified and not want to rebel.

Venomshank, steeped in regret, is searching for Sword, but doesn’t know what he will actually do once he has his hands on him. Sword is actively evading him, thinking that the next time they meet the deity will kill him for his insolence.