“Now what’s so interesting about this ring….” 

Hidden away under the dark shadows cast out by the imperial castle’s roof Pinoki fidgets about with his stolen jewel 

“Surely it’s another warp gem,

But to where?

Ooh this so excited,”

Pinoki finally manages to slip it on his only hand

 The black gem instantly resonates with his latent shadow magic

“It’s also shado-yoowww!”

The little man suddenly gets yanked down into his shadow

…

…

♪

“aiiiieeeeeeee!!!”

“You are only making it worse for yourself,

Stay still.”

“eeeeyaaah!

Someone help me please!”

Boofff!

“I said shut up!

Don’t make this worse than it needs to be!”

…

Shwwoo♪

….??

(I got warped somewhere…

Where?) Pinoki pops up out of a lamp dimly lighting up a barren stone box 

I say box because there’s no visible door or window, just cold gray walls

Still somehow bloodcurdling screams pierce through the stone from elsewhere

(Don’t tell me this was a trap?) Pinoki immediately become frantic seeing no visible exit

He grabs up the singular lantern casting it’s light around to see if he maybe missed a door 

(Nothing…

Could I really have been made a fool of?

No don’t panic Pinoki, you still have the ring it can send you back…

But…

Wherever I end up, I’m sure they’ll be someone waiting for me..

It is a trap,

An inescapable one..

Ahhh I’m anxious right now

This is exhilarating!)

“aaaiiiieeeeee!!!!” Another shriek passes through the walls again

“hmmm?”

Pinoki edges towards the wall where the sound came through

Tapp♪

Tapp♪

(Hollow.

There is more room behind here…

Break the wall and risk alerting whomever is behind there?

Or can I….)

Pinoki pauses playing a few potential scenarios that could happen in his mind

“Shadow fist!”

Tuttt!♪

He summons the large fist giving a soft first hit on the wall

*Click*

One of bricks sinks back activating a magic mechanism that slides a small opening in the wall

(Yeeeeeee!

Luck is on my sideeee!)

The little man quickly scurries through into broader roo–

“–Wait a minute” Pinoki gasps out

(This is...

I’m in the cells below the asylum in Furlheim…)

“eeeyya~” 

A final spurt of a yelp wafts out from one of the jail rooms, Pinoki immediately slips into his shadow sneaking up to peer inside…

….

A body hangs now motionless on the wall their skin quickly hardening into stone from the head down

In front another person with a head of snakes stands patiently waiting for the process to complete

Bling♪

A small magic stone falls out the body’s chest ok completion, 

“Took longer than I would have liked,” the snake headed person picks it up, then pulls off the mask of snakes

(….!?

D..Dexter!?)

“hmm?” the order boss glances around the room suspiciously as if hearing Pinoki’s mental gasp

Seeing nothing he briskly strides out of the cell, footsteps making no sound…

…

…

(This has been going on all this time?

How could I have not noticed?)

Pinoki slithers out of the shadows to inspect the body, it’s skin hard and grey, ready to crumble to dust on the slightest touch 

It looks unnatural but natural in a sense, if you hadn’t seen what transpired, anyone would assume this was an old mummified or even fossilized corpse

(So this is how they deal with persons with evolved magic….

I–)

“–What are doing down here!?” Dexter’s voice hisses down Pinoki’s spine

“Aghahah.” He jumps stumbling into the corpse,

Jshhk♪

It immediately crumbles

“Pinoki?”

The man identifies him

“I thought you left here, 

How did you get in here?

(Let the chase begin)

“I know you have it, the Medusa requiem,

You turn people to stone and extract their magic,”

“That’s an insane statement to make…” Dexter replies somewhat stoically

“I shouldn’t be surprised since you have evolved magic as well,

Is anyone else with you?”

(He gauging the situation..

Trying to see if I’m with others before trying anything)

A sly smile cracks across his thin lips 

“I am alone, is that what you want to hear?

Or do you want everyone else to hear about your underhanded dealings with the Wu Ta–”

Shingsshkk!

–ang—whoah!” Pinoki ducks away avoiding an unsolicited scythe blade swinging at his throat

(Now the fun begins!)

“Thank you for all you have done for my city Pinoki, but you need to go now.”

“I am already gone thank you!” the little man crackles slipping into shadow once more 

“Ultralight!” Dexter flicks out a magic stone which explodes out blindingly bright light for three seconds that swallows up all shadows and pulling Pinoki out his, 

“Shit didn’t know that was possible, but I’m still gone!” the little man who had already made it to the cell door shuts it behind him

Whamm!

He races up out the dungeon, whilst Dexter wastes time pushing open the one sided jail door

Padnt! Padnt! Padnt!

Padnt! Padnt! Padnt!

His scurrying steps echo through the now abandoned halls of the asylum’s ground floor, 

All the people long since moved out since the dragon’s downfall

“There is no use trying to run away!” Dexter already closing the gap between them shouts

“Sorry but I’m not the fighting type, 

Catch me if you can!” the little man eyes gleam of thrill as he shouts back

BOOFF!

His shadowy fist yeets away the buildings front door as he leaps out into the open,

 The night still up and in the unlit interior of Furlheim city it’s even darker than ever

Phuuooow~~

The cold night wind slaps across the cheek of—

PHHWOO!!!

“uhngh!”

Pinoki gets yanked into the cold wind the moment he exists and pinned down on his stomach

“That’s enough running from you,” a familiar old woman steps down on his spine

“owwahhh!” 

“He must have used his shadows to sneak past you Pesadora,” Dexter sprints up

“Nevertheless  we caught him before things got out of…”

(Two on one?

Ok more interesting)

Pinoki sinks down into the lady’s shadow jeering up

“Who said you caught me!?”

“He is tricky” Dexter tosses out another ultralight magic stone illuminating the entire area briefly once more drawing Pinoki out

“Vacuum wind!” 

The old women yanks him back towards her with her magic

“Kill him or harvest his magic?” she pins Pinoki down once more

“You know if we keep-urgh doing this, I’ll eventually get away,

Magic stones are limi–aghhhhhhii!!”

Dexter rams down a blade into his leg,

“Try running again,” his face remains stoic

“nngh!” Pinoki grits his teeth,

(I was getting too into the moment shit!)

“Ok, ok, let’s talk things out.” Pinoki verbally submitting

“There is nothing to talk about,” the old woman steps off

“You are getting into our business which is something I don’t like,

My city just recovered from devastation, we have no room or need for insane people with their advantageous magic making a wreck of things again,”

“How we deal with them to keep order is none of your concern.” Dexter adds

“Well you can’t harm me,” Pinoki suddenly drops his cowardly tone going for a more bravado speech

“The entire Kingdom of Soterra’s will be after you, and we both know you won’t survive another wave of devastation.”

“Ha,” Pesadora snorts

“A kingdom full of insane people, ran by a queen who herself is insane,

We have ties to more powerful people, Soterra does not bother us,”

“If you mean the Wu Tang then they are already dealt with,” Pinoki bluffs

“No chance of that being true.” Dexter shakes his head disproving his statement 

“The Wu Tang is dynasty so big it would take years to conquer or ‘deal’ with them.”

“How do you think I go here?” Pinoki not letting the lie go just yet

“Look at my finger, does that ring looks familiar to you,” 

“Ring?” The pair of adults spot the black gem for the first time

“How did you get th–”

–Boom!

A rock come whizzing out of nowhere exploding in Dexter’s face though he reflexively guards himself with his chain scythes getting knocked away from the recoil

(Huh?

I didn’t plan that)

Pinoki rolls in the direction of the projectile

(Is someone else…)

“What the hell is going on here!” a young man charges up with an armful of rocks behind him sister

(Luck is on my side!!)

“Over here!” The little man yells

“Claude, Amelia, help!”