Before nearing the outskirts of Horiz……
Tokito decided to transfer Berry into the chaos space before nearing the city limits.
“Sorry Berry, you stay in cha- I mean spatial home.” Tokito says jumping off Berry’s back along with Belace.
“Yup! Wouldn’t want any folk getin’ pretty ideas on that golden skin of yo’rs now, would we?”Belace cuts in.
Tokito begins the transfer, dark fogs envelops Berrys’ feet until it consumed him.
……
Expecting a dreary bleak abysmal space with nothing to do, Berry surprisingly found, the space nearly the complete opposite.
At first dark, the space brightens as stars explode into existence throughout the vastness. As if time sped up, stars burn out causing dust clouds and gas to bloom into new nebulae. There was no up or down, left or right, the cosmos expands then condenses upon itself, renewing in irregular flux of true chaos.
In the ever recreating universe, Berry ills to move as the pull of gravity lacked. The weightless directionless space nauseated every fiber of his being, but he calms observing from the distance three familiar figures approaching him.
“Hmph! If it isn’t the hairless behemoth. It’s about time our weirdo master threw your fat arse in here!” Alaula whineys. “I finally have someone else to talk to other than the squeaky mouse and the silent kit.” She complains, telling the Hiphon to follow. Not seeming to walk or swim, the mare, kit and guinea pig somehow lead Berry further into the chaotic space. Alaula clarifies what’s happened since last they met. “This place is terrible! The flickering stars keep me from beauty sleep and the sea here barely storms enough for me to race in! Worse than that, these pip squeaks are too young to discuss diddly, I’d have better conversation talking with the zombies than these brain dumb idiots! ”
Ele’ele flies onto Berry’s head, retorts, “You’re so mean she stag……this place isn’t really so bad. This one’s just grumpy from not having any tasty fruit from the forest and the raiders regular pleas for help.” Ele’ele and undead riding atop Alaulas flank, disapprove her claims.
Berrys’ mind puzzle, where’s this sea, his three companions must’ve truly gone mad from staying in this space too long. However, his thoughts misplace, crunch of gravel resounds beneath his feet and sand steadily gathers into path. Eventually, the trail of gathered sand leads the group to a golden beach splitting apart a dungeonisc foggy forest from a waving murky grey sea.
“My three friends, what’s all this? Where- no, how is this all existing ?” Berry ask as he walks to a seed that sat on the beach nearing the forest.
Alaula walks over to stand alongside him, “Neither ele’ele or the kit know why this environment came to be, but I have a theory. I believe this space is divided into two sections; one section for protecting masters items and the other is for living beings to sleep…. at least I think that was supposed to be the case originally. When I was placed here, this space was nothing but grey smoky emptiness. With nothing to do I fell asleep out of boredom. However in the darkness of rest, a powerful force desperately urged me to wake… no wait, that’s wrong. The space told me to wake….There’s something changing, but it isn't good. Can’t you feel it too? The air doesn’t taste right; that sea is liquefied mana, and the bloody ground beneath our feet is laced with gold! Too make matter worse this environment has somehow granted enough nutrition points for the chaotic Yggdrasil seed to grow an unstable forest with this kits dungeon -”
Screams for help suddenly yell from the forest depths interrupting Alaula’s theory.
“What was that?!” Berry asks in concern.
“Tsk! Those bloody raiders! Can’t get it in their thick skulls that there’s no way out of here without masters permission. The only thing good about this place is that this kits dungeon has trapped those troublemakers.” Alaula responds entering the foggy forest, “Come I’ll show you where they are.”
Following behind her, Berry, the undead kit, and ele’ele past the yggdrasil seed; traversing thickets of whispering trees and jagged slithering vines. After what felt like hours of roaming the endless mist of gloom and incoherent voices, the four tame cross an unsettling high barbed hedge, the cries and shouts for rescue can be heard clear from behind.
“Those raiders have been in that dungeon since the change, healing from the chaos seeds aura powering this forest. But I’m not sure how their fairing with the low level undead span in there -”Alaula stops as she feels the fading of weight from her flank. The undead kitten disappears in a plume of smoke. Troubled Alaula runs off, leaving Berry and ele’ele near the hedge.
“Awww! Master must’ve called it out! When will he let me out to play?! I want to fly!” Ele’ele bites onto a leaf annoyed. “Nnnngh. Oh! She stag forgot to mention this. But stay away from the dungeon hedge. It isn’t very strong, but it is a monster that will pull and lock you inside the dungeon. That’s the only reason those mean people haven’t hurt us yet. But if you see any escape, don’t hold back… I’ve flown over that dungeon, let’s just say it doesn’t look good.”
****
On the other side of the other side of the hedge a storm of panic ensues….
<Raiders POV>
I don’t know how long we’ve been in this goddamned forsaken maze. There’s no way to tell time here, the mist is too thick to see the sun or moon. For all I know it’s been hours, days, or even week, since any of us seen the boss. Our time pieces aren’t working either, so the chances of rescue are slim-
“Hey Kelvin! Get it together man,” Digins snaps me out of my inner monologue. “Come on pal. I know you’re hurtin’, but you’ve got to stay alert! These monsters and undead aren’t killing us out right, there’s no saying when that will change, you’re the eyes on the back of my head. Stay awake!”
Carrying Kelvin over his shoulder, Digins jostles him lightly getting rid of any sleepiness pervading his mind. Twisting his head Kelvin attempts to locate where they were. Pointless though, as no land marks could be verified as the fog and dead trees obstruct both raiders sight. Steering clear of any approaching ghost, both raiders yell hoping that one their crew would answer back. Alas echoes and howls of the dead made it nearly impossible for the two to hear any traces of their comrades (if their even still alive that is).
Marching on soil riddled with bones for what a ghastly long time, the two enter a clearing situated on a small lake. No monsters in sight, Digins sets Kelvin down against a tree for a break.
“This place makes no sense, even with my eyes planted firmly on the ground; I can’t seem to find my bearings. I can’t feel the earth under my feet, no matter how much I walk, I can’t find where I’m going. And these whispers are driving me nuts.” Digins expresses his paranoia. He snatches a bone from the ground, tosses it into the lake to see if it was safe of monsters. Finding no ripples rising to the surface Digins tears off his shirt, dips it into the water to bring to Kelvin to drink. “We’re in serious shit, if we can’t find the others soon and get out of here. Where is here anyhow?”After Digins finished feeding the water to Kelvin, he removes the make shift bandages from his comrades blown off arm and knee to wash.
While washing the blood ridden bandages, Kelvin debriefs their current status,“ This is the situation kid. We’ve been separated from half the crew, have little to no food, and the only water we have is the lake you’re washing my infected bandages in right now!” Kelvin scolds Digins getting him to stop momentarily. Continuing on, “From what you said, it sounds like we could be in a chaos well, spirit labyrinth, a hosted dungeon or a combination of the three. But whatever we are in doesn’t matter, it aint letting go of us without a fight. I’m too wounded to battle, so you’re going to leave me and find the rest of the crew.” Kelvin orders Digin.
Hearing that, Digin whose been redressing Kelvins wounds rebuttals in alarm, “No sir! You’ll be defenceless-”
“That’s an order! I’m the highest rank until we see boss again. So scrounge up as many people as you can and get your asses back here on the pronto!” Kelvin points the clearings exit. “And you make sure to stay alive, otherwise, your brother will cut off my other arm just too even me out. Now get! ” Kelvin orders on last time.
Before leaving, Digins drags Kelvin near the water for easy access, promising to return as fast as possible. He then runs from the clearing.
Laying alone down on the deadened black soil, if not for inconsistent murmurs and shaking trees, Kelvin almost felt at peace. But his repose is short lived as he hears bubbles ripple. Twisting his head slightly to the side, he sees a pair of yellow orbs float above the water, coming in his direction.
