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Chapter Text

201X

THE UNDERGROUND

TWO YEARS AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE 7th HUMAN

Day 1

All was silent in the sandstone tunnel, bar the sound of the desert wind blowing around near the entrance against the rocks and the wooden platforms beyond to the east, and the sounds of trickling water from the small pool to the west. The light of mid-afternoon from the swelterstone shone through the entrance and into the tunnel, illuminating the carved out features of the now abandoned mineshaft. For all the world knew at that moment, all was as it should’ve been… peaceful and quiet.

The silence was broken by the sound of rocks bouncing off of other rocks, with rocks falling down through a crack in the ceiling above only moments later. An audible gasp rang out amidst the crashing and bouncing of rocks from the crack, and shortly afterwards, a figure landed feet first down to where the light from the crack shone down onto the ground. On impact, his feet released a rippling wave of light-purple energy, cushioning the fall.

Taking a great sigh of relief, the figure got up to his feet, being shaken from having fallen from such a great distance. After dusting himself off, he looked up from where he had just fallen down from, it was more than evident that this was a one-way trip. He couldn’t go back up the way he had come just moments earlier, even if he did have climbing equipment on him. Dusting himself off, he steps back from the rays of light that shone down on him, and took a look around him at his surroundings.

From what he could tell, he was inside some kind of mineshaft. The way that the sandstone rocks around him had been carved out made it apparent that these structures were made artificially. To his left, he could see rays of light coming out from what looked like the exit to the mineshaft, with the accompanying sound of wind along with it. To his right, he could hear what sounded like water dripping into a pool.

Water… That was a good sign. Turning to his right, he carefully made over to where the sound was coming from, eventually coming across a small natural pool, which looked like it was being fed from a source above him, coming down in small trickles. Some parts of the pool were slowly spilling over, causing the clear liquid to drip down a sheer drop to his left. The sounds of what sounded like a river could be heard as he looked upwards, though the sound was distant enough where he couldn't tell how big it was. However big or small that river was, it was able to continously feed the pool, and through the darkness, the water looked clean enough to drink.

Kneeling down by the puddle, he grabbed a black water bottle from the pocket of his backpack, taking a good and long drink from the contents of the water bottle, before twisting the lid off of it and placing it on the ground. Placing the open water bottle beside the lid, with both hands in a cup shape, he scoops up some of the water from the pond and takes a drink of the cold liquid. Much to his surprise, the water from this pond was even cleaner than the water from his water bottle, more flavorful too in terms of water’s taste. How water from a natural source was even cleaner than water from a conventional tap was beyond him at this current moment, but he wasn’t going to say no to having a better source of refreshment.

Grabbing the water bottle, he dipped the whole thing into the pond, filling it up all the way to the top, and flushing out the old water that was in there in the process, Once that was done, he took a sip of the cold liquid, before filling the bottle back up again, and screwing the lid back on. Putting the water bottle back into the backpack pocket, he got back up onto his feet, and turned around towards the source of the light at the end of the mineshaft.

As he approached the exit of the mineshaft, the air began to grow dry and hot, like a desert was on the other side of the opening in the rocks. If the stories about Mt. Ebbot were to be believed, there were things down here that couldn’t be found on the surface. Adjusting the straps on his backpack, he stepped out into the light, bearing witness to the drastic change of surroundings around him.

Once he stepped outside and past the blinding change in light, he bore witness to a vast expanse of desert terrain, with rocky cliffs on all sides, and rocks, small grasses, and cacti peppered all around. The light of a giant sphere off in the distance to the north beamed down on him, as he stood at the exit to the mineshaft that he emerged from, acting like a sun all this way underground.

???: My eyes… Why is there a sun down here?

Trying to gauge his surroundings, Samuel, or just Sam for short, found himself in an environment he was totally unprepared for. Wearing a button-up flannel long-sleeved shirt, a pair of blue jeans with a black belt, black steel-toed work boots, a black backpack, and a small brown fabric bag tied around his belt, such clothing was unsuited for a desert environment. If he was going to do anything, staying here was not an option. Ahead of him lay a road in the sand that headed straight east; if there was a road, it meant there were people.

Samuel: Okay… I need to get moving… I’m not staying in a mineshaft all day.

After looking at his surroundings once more, and after checking back at the mineshaft he had just come from, he turned eastwards, and began moving down the road to wherever it would take him.

After some distance, Samuel reached a small bridge, which passed over a sandy area below. Ahead, there looked like there was a set of wooden stairs that led down to the area below. Samuel was half-way across the bridge when a sandy blob popped up out of nowhere in front of him, with a pair of derpy eyes and a sandy mouth visible on its features.

Samuel: AGH!

Practically jumping backwards in fear, the air around him seemed to freeze around him, his senses heightening as he focused on the creature that was wiggling ahead of him.

???: Wiggle Woggle~

Samuel: What the- what even are you?!

Getting back up on his feet, he steadied himself as he looked down at the sandy creature. 

Samuel's purple eyes lit up slightly, glowing a shade of light purple, a sign that he had activated his MAGIC, which he used to perform a CHECK on the creature in front of him.

* DUNEBUD - - ATK 8 DEF 7
* Looking for some fun.

Samuel: “Dunebud”...?
Samuel: So… This is a monster? So the stories are true… Mt. Ebbot is inhabited after all…

Dunebud: Gwob Gwub  

The next thing Samuel knew, several tumbleweeds appeared out of nowhere, being sent his way fast. Quickly he moved to dodge out of the way of the projectiles, all-be-it erratically.

Samuel: HOLY S-
Samuel: Hey! Stop trying to attack me! I'm not trying to hurt you!

Dunebud: Awoooo~

Samuel: English must not be this thing’s strongsuit… What am I supposed to do???

Focusing on the Dunebud, soon an idea comes to fruition. Deciding to take a risk, Samuel begins to move closer to the creature, erratically dodging out of the way of more barrages of tumbleweeds. Once he was right up close, he shook the Dunebud vigorously.

Dunebud: Awawa~
The Dunebud sounded happy in response to being shaked.

Samuel: Wait, you actually liked that?
Samuel: Why???
Samuel: Okay… What if I do… this?

Next, Samuel patted the Dunebud on it’s top, around where a small plant was growing out of it’s lump.

Dunebud: Oo??

Samuel: See, I'm not trying to hurt you.

Dunebud: " heHe~ "
Sounding content, the Dunebud slithered away swiftly.

Once the Dunebud was gone, Samuel couldn’t help but stand there confused. Immediately afterwards however, he took a huge sigh of relief.

Samuel: What the hell even was that? Thank god it wasn't trying to kill me… or at least I think it wasn’t… I just hope all Monsters aren't like that…

Wiping sweat off of his forehead, and then brushing aside his acajou-colored hair, he checked his surroundings to see if the coast was clear. Once he was satisfied to see that it was, Samuel quickly set off to the east once again, following the road to wherever it's destination was to.

First, he went down the flight of stairs that he saw earlier, where there was an old and crumpled box with styrofoam packing peanuts inside. On the box, he could barely make out the letters “UGPS”. Nothing was notable with the box, so he quickly went back up the stairs and kept moving.

Next, he reached a natural bridge. While crossing over it, he stopped at a sign with the same UGPS abbreviation on it. Attached to the sign was a pole, with a worn golden bell hanging from it. If Samuel could guess, he thought it was for some kind of postal service, if that’s what the “PS” in UGPS stood for. Though, what this postal service was doing out here in the middle of nowhere was beyond him. Deciding not to tempt fate, he kept on moving.

Afterwards, he reached a plain where he reached what looked like the ruins of brick houses. There was clear evidence of wear and tear, as well as a lot of sand being blasted against the walls of the structures that still stood. He couldn’t tell how old these buildings were, but it was clear that these buildings had fallen into disrepair and ruin long before he ever got here. Moving past the ruins of several buildings, he reached several wooden bridges, which he quickly crossed over.

Then, he came across a giant fan that was built into the side of a cliff.

Samuel: Why is there a giant fan here? Who would even need this???

He noticed that there was a lever on the side of the fan, which most likely would be for turning it on. However he had no reason to turn on a fan of that size, so he decided to keep on moving.

After some more distance’s walk heading north, Samuel came across a clearing, with a large tree right in the middle, surrounded by grass. A shadow was crawling down from the tree, thanks to the sun-like object that was in the cave ceiling above. With all of the walking and dodging that he had done earlier, a rest felt like the best thing Samuel could do at this moment. Taking off his backpack and putting it up against the tree, Samuel turned around and leaned back against the trunk, letting out a sigh of relief, being able to finally be out of the sun-like object which had been pestering him this afternoon.

Sitting there in the shade of the tree, Samuel grabbed the water bottle from the pocket of the backpack, taking a good sip from the contents. The water was still nice and cold, funnily enough, as Samuel would’ve expected the water to start warming up from being in the desert heat, especially with how the water bottle was colored black.

The sound of the desert wind continued to howl on by, with the occasional sounds of other things such as rocks, plants, and other objects could be heard around him. This place was definitely alive, if the Dunebud that Samuel had encountered earlier wasn’t any indication enough that this place had life in it, this would’ve all but confirmed it. To think that the warnings he had heard when he was younger were well warranted…

In the back of his mind, Samuel was wondering why then did he come here in the first place?

Samuel: …
Samuel: No... you needed to leave as fast as you could... you wouldn't have known…
Samuel: I need to keep moving. I need to find someplace that’s cool before the heat starts getting to me.

Taking one more drink from the water bottle, he puts it back in the pocket of his backpack. Standing up with the backpack in one hand, he pulls the straps around his shoulders, and once it’s firmly secured, he turns to his left, eastwards, to where the road continues onwards.

The road eastwards continued on, with a turn up ahead towards the south becoming apparent. When he reaches the turn, he stops, having noticed something up on the cliff-face to his left. Looking upwards, he notices four chutes embedded into the side of the cliff-face, each of them being large enough to fit a person. Each of the chutes are dented, and have desert plant life growing out of them. The accumulated dust in each of the chutes suggests that they haven’t been used for a long time. Though, what would they be used for? The chutes lead directly to a sheer cliff-face, which also has a wooden bridge built into the side of the same cliff.

After looking over the chutes and judging that they didn’t pose any danger to him, Samuel turned around towards the south, only to be caught by surprise by what he sees down the road.

On the opposite end of the road to him is… a humanoid fox-like monster, who has beige fur and long, wavy ginger hair with tiny patches of grey. The hair, while tied into a ponytail, was blowing in the wind gracefully. The monster was wearing a long white kimono with red trims, a red sash around her waist, and white boots around her feet. She was holding onto a long red staff, which was adorned with a yellow bell and two red ribbons. The bell made a slight jingling sound in part due to the desert breeze, and also because of the staff shaking slightly in the monster’s paw.

The fox monster stared back at Samuel with her red eyes, being just as surprised to see him as he was with her.

Chapter Text

Day 1

Mid-Afternoon

It had been a normal day in the Dunes when Ceroba left the Estate that afternoon to go on a walk. She had expected that today would continue to be normal here in this part of the Underground, which would give her plenty of time to be alone with her thoughts. However, within an instant, all of that changed.

When she came around the corner in the road that led westwards towards the clearing with the tree, she had not expected to see a human child standing there at the corner ahead of her. In that moment, time seemed to freeze for her, and with it came a return of memories that she had believed she had moved on from long ago. Of all the people she encountered today, a human was the last person she was expecting to see.

She could gauge that the human was about 15 years old, judging by his appearance. At first glance, it appeared that this human was well prepared for being here in the Underground, but on closer examination, Ceroba could tell that he did not look as prepared as he initially looked. The backpack he was sporting did not look full, and other than a small brown fabric bag that was tied around his belt, he looked completely lacking for anything for being out here in the Dunes. Something was not adding up from the get-go, though knowing what had happened to the humans who had come before, this was par for the course. However, even from this distance, Ceroba could tell that something was off, though what it was eluded her.

Before she could have any more time to give the human a look over while they were distracted with looking up at the chutes in the cliffs above him, the human turned around and immediately made eye contact with her, freezing up as he was caught by surprise at her presence. The composed and stoic expression that Ceroba was trying to maintain immediately began to crack under the pressure of just being looked back at by the human.

As the two of them engaged in their surprised staredown, both of them didn’t move an inch, as it became clear that neither of them was feeling confident enough to approach or withdraw from the scene. The tension began to build in the air, with the two growing increasingly more nervous as they stood there, unmoving.

Ceroba: Okay Ceroba, take a deep breath and try to talk to him. We can’t be standing here out in the desert heat all day.

Taking a deep breath, Ceroba straightened herself and locked her gaze with the human once again. However before she could try to start up a conversation, she was beaten to the punch.

Samuel: H-hello?

Ceroba: cautiously Hey there… I wasn’t trying to startle you…

She could pick up that he looked conflicted in response to Ceroba’s words. Judging by the way he was regarding her, it was most likely that he had encountered another monster before her. Most likely he had encountered one of the monsters that were common around in the Dunes, most likely a Dunebud, since those things were everywhere west of Oasis Valley. It made her wonder how many monsters he would’ve encountered up until this point, since he would’ve had to come quite a ways out to end up here in the Dunes.

Though, she could tell that he was nervous enough where it was like this was the first time he had seen a monster that didn’t act similarly to an animal. Something wasn’t adding up, which only added to her sense of unease. She needed to find a way to de-escalate this situation, since this was a poor way to start off an encounter like this.

Ceroba: Hey, I’m sorry for scaring you like that. I was just as surprised to see you too…

The human’s expression started to shift. While he still looked nervous, he was considering lowering his guard. It dawned on Ceroba that he had most likely been attacked before, hence the reason why he appeared as hesitant as he did. Not wanting to let off the wrong impression, Ceroba unsummoned her staff, with the staff’s bell making a faint jingling sound as it dissipated into nothingness. Seeing the staff disappear into the wind, the human’s expression began to shift again, with it becoming more apparent that he was more willing to lower his guard.

Ceroba: I’m not wanting to hurt you, I’d just like to talk, if you’re willing…

Before the human could say anything, he visibly winced in pain. Ceroba could immediately tell that something was wrong, most likely he was reacting to the desert heat. Given the clothes that he was wearing, which were completely unsuited for such an environment, standing out in the sun, being blasted by the swelterstone straight on was not helping.

Holding onto his knees, the human suddenly begins sinking downwards towards the ground, eventually ending up in a sitting position, which all but confirmed that he was suffering some kind of heat exhaustion.

Ceroba: Hey, are you doing alright?!

Cautiously Ceroba approached the human, with it becoming apparent that he was not faking any of his actions. This was serious, and it was clear that he needed some help.

After getting to right beside the human, Ceroba got down on both knees so she could look at him at the same eye level. She could tell that this was one hundred percent heat exhaustion, as he was sweating and showing signs of dizziness. No doubt that being as nervous as he was wasn’t helping him any bit.

Ceroba: Don’t try anything sudden, you’re dealing with heat exhaustion. Do you have any water on you??

The human immediately moved one of his arms back towards the backpack that was secure around his shoulders, pulling out a black water bottle. Without any hesitation, he opened the lid and started taking a drink from the contents.

Ceroba: Alright, good. Just relax and try not to move too much. You need to get water in your system.

After taking a good long drink from the water bottle, the human let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head afterwards to try clearing the delirium he was currently experiencing.

Samuel: muttering Sorry…

Ceroba: You don’t need to apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong. Just take a moment and relax, alright?

Samuel: Okay…

Remaining at his side, Ceroba watched as the human began cooling down, especially with him being out of the direct rays of the swelterstone, which was being obscured by the cliff-faces above them. During that time, the human took more sips from the water bottle, and unbuttoned his flannel long-sleeved shirt, revealing a grey undershirt underneath, trying to cool himself down some more.

Ceroba: Are you feeling any better?

Samuel: Sort of…

Ceroba: It’s better to feel slightly better than not feel better at all.
Ceroba: I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier, I wasn’t wanting to come off as threatening, so I apologize.
Ceroba: Let me introduce myself. My name is Ceroba. What’s your name?

Samuel: My name is Samuel.

Ceroba: Well it’s nice to meet you Samuel.
Ceroba: If I may ask, when did you come down to the Underground?

Samuel: Maybe a few hours ago? I fell down into an abandoned mineshaft to the… west of here.

Ceroba perked up in surprise in reaction to that information. She didn’t know that there was a passageway to the surface that connected into those mineshafts.

Ceroba: Abandoned mineshaft? You came down from the Old Mines?

Samuel: Yeah? It was a very sheer drop. It wasn’t the kind of drop that you’d want to take normally.

Ceroba: Yet you did, and without any climbing equipment on top of that. How did you manage to come down from such a great height unharmed?

Samuel: somewhat pridefully I used magic… It wasn’t easy, but I managed to soften the impact after scaling down the chasm.

Before Ceroba could react to that information, Samuel's eyes started glowing a faint light purple, and flexing out one of his feet outwards, ripples of purple energy began radiating outwards from his foot. The ripples of energy scattered around grains of sand away from his foot in all directions, like a fan was being pushed against the ground. Samuel's expression looked prideful, appearing happy to show such a trick off to anyone.

Ceroba: Human Magic… I’ve only heard what it’s capable of doing in history books…

That was a blatant lie, and Ceroba hated that she had to tell such a lie. However, given the current situation, she couldn’t just blurt out to Samuel what she had witnessed years ago, especially given that he still looked uneasy in general.

Samuel: etched with a hint of resentment Not many people use it on the surface…

Ceroba at that moment felt uneasy. She could tell what Samuel was feeling emotionally, but from what specifically she couldn’t pick up. Observing the changes in his expression, the tonal shifts in his voice, his bodily movements; all of it indicated that something was wrong. It was more than the case of a human child being in over their head in the Underground, this was something much different. Something was nagging at his mind, and whatever it was was being made worse by being in an extremely foreign place, and having to deal with interacting with Monsterkind. Plus, it was clear that Samuel was trying to hide whatever was going on, which only added to Ceroba’s unease, and additionally reminded her of what happened last time…

The rippling energy coming from Samuel’s foot ceased, with there being no need for him to show off his ability to use magic to Ceroba anymore. Taking another drink from his water bottle, he quirks up as he notices the look of unease on Ceroba’s face.

Samuel: Are you okay miss? I… didn’t do something wrong, right?

Ceroba: Wha-
Ceroba: No no it’s fine, you didn’t do anything wrong, I promise. I was just thinking about something here.

Samuel looked relieved at being told that, which only made Ceroba more uneasy. Something was not adding up about this kid, and she was becoming only more uncertain about what was wrong with him.

Ceroba: Hey, I know this may come off as sudden, but I need you to listen to me.

Samuel: Okay…? What is it?

Ceroba: Being out here in the desert heat isn’t good for you, and it’s going to get late out soon. I’d like it if you would come with me back to my home for the night. It isn’t too far from here, and you look like you could use some rest.

Samuel perked up in surprise at Ceroba's offer, his expression finally becoming less nervous, much to her relief.

Samuel: You mean that?

Ceroba: Of course I mean that. I’m not just going to let someone stay out here in the desert by themselves.

Samuel’s expression brightened up in response to Ceroba’s words, with it being obvious to her that that was something he was wanting to hear. Putting the water bottle back into the pocket of the backpack, Samuels attempts to stand up, but stumbles a bit as he’s doing so. Ceroba grabs his hand to steady him as he helps him to his feet.

Ceroba: Easy there, you’re still dealing with some heat exhaustion.

Samuel: Sorry…

Ceroba: Again, don’t apologize. You don’t need to apologize for anything that you didn’t cause.
Ceroba: Would you mind if I carried your backpack for you?

Samuel: Sure… I don’t mind…

Grabbing the straps of the backpack, Samuel took off his backpack, and passed it up to Ceroba, who grabbed it and put one of the straps around her shoulder. The backpack wasn’t too terribly heavy for Ceroba whatsoever, which only reinforced that Samuel hadn’t packed too much stuff inside of the backpack before he had come down here. She would need to take a look inside of the backpack later then they got back to the estate.

Before Ceroba could say anything else, she could feel the air around begin to slowly turn icey cold, making her fur begin to stand up on end, making her senses go immediately on alert. She quickly turned her head around to see where the source of this change in the air was coming from, but she didn’t see or sense anything else. Samuel could feel the change in the air too, as he looked around at his surroundings on his own. Despite being beaten down by the heat of the swelterstone above, the air only continued to grow colder and colder, until it was like standing out in a blizzard.

Before anything else could happen, Ceroba felt her feet slip, despite the fact that she was standing perfectly still just a moment before. Quickly, the feeling of slipping shifted to that of sliding against the ground, and before she could try to steady herself, she felt herself slamming into something, with the entire right side of her body, up from her leg up to her shoulder being hit with an icey paralysis that coursed all-throughout the point of impact. Falling to one knee, Ceroba attempted to summon her staff into her left paw to no avail, with her magic suddenly becoming completely unresponsive, much to her utter dismay.

She didn’t sense anything, no attack or anything. One moment she was just fine, and the next moment she was brought down to her knees and struggling to move. Before she could figure out what was happening, she could hear the sound of panicked breathing right beside her. Turning her head around and looking down over her shoulder, she could see Samuel right up against her body, his head pressed against her right shoulder blade, and his left arm and part of his chest up against her back and side. Actively struggling to pull away from Ceroba despite his best attempts, his expression and breathing started to become increasingly more panicked.

Samuel: I can’t- I can’t let go! I’m stuck! Help! Help…!

Chapter Text

Day 1

Mid-Afternoon

The cold, icey paralysis coursed across the entirety of the right side of Ceroba’s body, causing it to go numb across the entirety of the area where she was making contact with Samuel’s body. It was hard to move anything on that side of her body, if not because Samuel was pressed up against her so much, but because the coldness was that intense where it started to make her shudder.

Looking back over her shoulder, she could see Samuel still pressed up against her, his head against her right shoulder, and his left arm & torso against her back and side. She could feel him trying to pull away from her with all of his strength, but he was unsuccessful in his attempts. Visible panic was etched on his face, his breathing becoming increasingly more panicked and ragged the longer he couldn’t pull away from her.

Much to Ceroba’s dismay too, her attempts to try to pull away from the icey cold force that was keeping them stuck proved just as unsuccessful.

Samuel: I c-can’t l-let go… help! Help! P-please!

Samuel’s eyes clenched closed as fear began to continue to build up in him.

Ceroba: H-hey, I’m here! Try to relax!

Ceroba found that her voice had had it’s stoic tone break apart, being replaced with hints of genuine fear. Her attempts to try to keep calm and strong were falling apart almost immediately, much to her clear resentment.

The way Samuel and her bodies were positioned made it hard to move, especially with Ceroba down on one knee, but she moved her left arm around her waist towards Samuel, outstretching her paw towards him.

Ceroba: T-take my paw!

A trembling hand soon clenched her paw, and she reciprocated the gesture in return.

Ceroba: T-that's it… I’m here… just try to breathe with me, it’s going to be o-okay…

She resented the fact that her voice was trembling, all thanks to the shuddering that was inflicting her body. She knew she needed to keep it together, especially now of all times.

Ceroba: Just b-breathe… try to calm down… can you do that f-for me Samuel?

Samuel: O-kay-y-y… 

Samuel: I’m s-scared-d-d…

Samuel looked utterly terrified. It was clear that the 15-year old was totally unprepared for anything of this magnitude, which couldn’t be helped given the abruptness and severity of this moment.

Ceroba: I know… I a-am too. We can fight through this, w-we just need to stay strong, together. Take a deep breath…

His breathing began to slow down, but the shuddering in his body continued, part cold paralysis, other part fright. Ceroba squeezed her paw around Samuel’s hand in response, trying to calm him down as much as possible.
He looked like he wanted to say something, but was too frightened to make the words come out of his mouth. Ceroba knew she needed to handle this delicately, because it was clear he was unraveling right before her eyes, which only added to her sense of unease.

Ceroba: O-okay, I need you to listen to me Samuel. We need to t-try getting somewhere where we can get some help to get uns-stuck. I need to know when you’re ready to try to stand up with me, o-okay?

Samuel: O-okay… just… give m-me a moment p-please…

Samuel began trying to shift his legs, but only his right one was proving to be the most cooperative at the moment. Ceroba found that her left leg was the most cooperative, but her right was the one she needed to use if she had any hope of bringing the two of them up onto their feet.

Ceroba: Okay S-samuel… we’re going to need to use our arms here to try to b-balance ourselves as we try to get up. I’m going to start moving my right leg to try to get myself up, I need you to try using your legs to pull yourself up with me, a-alright?

Samuel: O-okay miss…

Samuel uneasily let go of his grip around Ceroba’s paw, moving his right arm out to his side and pointing it sideways to try to balance himself. Ceroba did the same with her left arm to try to balance herself, while making sure the backpack strap around her left shoulder didn’t slip off in the process. She shifted her right leg around so she could use her foot to pivot herself up when the two were ready.

Ceroba: On the count of t-three, we’re going to try standing up together. R-ready?

Samuel: …r-ready…

Ceroba: Okay… on the c-count of three…

Ceroba: One… t-two… three!

Carefully Ceroba used her right foot to lift her right leg, while slowly sliding back her left leg to compensate for her movements. Samuel began adjusting his legs as Ceroba slowly began to rise up from being on one knee. Leaning forward slightly, Ceroba soon was able to pull right leg underneath her, shakingly rising to stand on both feet straightly. Samuel soon was standing on both two feet shortly afterwards.

Now that the two were both standing straight up, they found that keeping it that way would be more troublesome than they initially suspected. Thanks to Samuel’s left side being pressed again Ceroba’s shoulder blade and right side, trying to walk while in such an awkward position would be difficult. Samuel’s left leg was out of commission, and Ceroba’s right leg was partially paralyzed from the knee up. If they were going to try to start walking, they’d need to keep themselves balanced while walking at an angle.

Combine that with the fact that the act of standing was difficult with their legs shaking from the cold paralysis, and trying to move eastwards was going to prove itself to be a challenge.

Ceroba: We’re g-going to need to take this slowly… it’s going to be a long walk for us from h-here to my home in this state. We just need to take it nice and slowly, and try to keep ourselves b-balanced. If we fall over, we’re going to have a hard time getting b-back up, o-okay?

Samuel: Okay… I’ll t-try my b-best…

Ceroba: Alright, j-just move with me and try to keep yourself s-straight. Ready?

Samuel: R-ready…

Slowly the two turned themselves until they were facing southwards. They need to start down the road before the turn that led eastwards. Ceroba knew that the road was a straight shot east all the way to Oasis Valley, and the Estate wasn’t far after that. If there was anyone she would trust to help her out, it would be her husband, and maybe even their daughter too.

Ceroba put her left leg forward, dragging along her right leg afterwards. Samuel pushed his right leg along awkwardly, trying to have it where they could walk together as safely as possible. Using their left and right arms respectfully, they kept each other balanced as they began moving to the turn in the road. As they moved, they got exposed to the desert heat from the swelterstone once again. Ceroba realized that she needed to make sure that Samuel didn’t start coming down with heat exhaustion again during this process of walking their way to her home.

The only saving grace that there was is that Ceroba could use her body in this case to shield Samuel from being hit directly with the rays of the swelterstone, which would reduce the chances of him coming down with heat exhaustion.

Once they reached the turn, they turned themselves so that they were facing eastwards at roughly a 45 degree angle. It would be for the best for them to move at that angle, given that Samuel was only working on one leg, and much more prone to the heat than Ceroba was.

Ceroba: Alright, you r-ready to keep moving?

Samuel: Y-yes…

Ceroba nodded her head down at Samuel. Ceroba put her left leg forward again, with Samuel doing the same with his right leg while Ceroba compensated with her half-strength right leg afterwards. Keeping themselves balanced, they slowly began moving their way down the road heading east, repeating the same motion over and over, taking each step gently and precisely, so as to not risk falling over.

They first passed by some inactive mining equipment that was coming out of one side of the cliff walls above them. The conveyor belts on the machine were unmoving, the internals of the machine not turned on. Ceroba wondered if it was a day off for the miners at the East Mines.

One of the entrances to the mines was straight ahead of them, but mysteriously, she heard no noises coming from the mineshafts to the outside. It only added to Ceroba’s curiosity if the mines were even open today. Usually the mine was pretty active, especially in the few years since…

She decided she didn’t want to think about the past at that moment, she needed to focus on what was happening in front of her right now, and that meant getting Samuel and her to someone that could help them out of this situation.

With every step, Ceroba fought against the cold paralysis and the accompanying shuddering across the right side of her body. The combination of feeling the swelterstone heat and the ice cold touch of Samuel and her being stuck together was making the process of keeping moving that much more difficult. Samuel surprisingly was being just as resilient as her, as he was able to keep moving while dealing with the same thing. There was something about him that was letting him keep moving forward in spite of it all, even if his emotional state didn’t reflect his current actions.

Eventually, Ceroba caught sight of the playground that was to the west of Oasis Valley, an indication that they were getting closer to home. However, before she could think anything, much to her surprise, she heard some voices yelling from up ahead down the road.

??? 1: CEROBA?!

??? 2: MOM?!

The voices that Ceroba heard were unmistakable, which filled her with some sense of hope for getting out of this situation in one piece.

Two figures began running up towards her and Samuel, who stopped their slow trek as the two ran up to them with a clear sense of worry and panic. They stopped right before the two, visibly shocked at the sight before them as they realized the severity of the situation.

On the left was a purple fox monster with greying lavender hair, wearing a short green kimono with a yellow trim and shortened sleeves, brown pants, green shoes, and his signature pair of circular goggles with green lenses. That was her husband, Chujin Ketsukane.

On the right was a shorter brown fox monster with dark brown hair, wearing a multi-shaded red kimono with pale yellow trims. Around her neck and attached to her ponytail were small golden bells, which jingled passively in the wind. In addition, she was wearing grey pants and red & pale yellow boots. That was her daughter, Kanako Ketsukane.

…

…

…

Chujin was hoping to find Ceroba while she was out on her walk today. What he hadn’t had expected was to find her limping along the road home, with a backpack around her left shoulder and a human of all people stuck up against her on her right side. In that moment, he couldn’t help but feel highly uneasy, especially seeing his wife in such visible distress. However, seeing a human in just as much distress as her was the only thing that prevented old habits from resurfacing from the depths.

Chujin at a glance to his left could tell that Kanako was tensing up at seeing the site in front of her, but luckily she wasn’t panicking too much at seeing her mother in such a state, especially with a human.

Chujin: Ceroba?! What happened?!

Ceroba: C-chujin p-please… we n-need h-help…

He hadn’t expected Ceroba's voice to come out with such tones of fear and unease, though judging by the fact she was visibly trembling and clearly struggling to stand up straight alongside the human, the problem was clearly very serious.

He noticed at that moment that the human, whose head was pressed up against Ceroba’s right shoulder and waist was looking slightly pale, with sweat starting to trickle down their face slowly in the swelterstone heat.

Questions began mounting up in Chujin’s mind, but he knew now wasn’t the time to ask all of those. He needed to figure out what was happening and how Kanako and him could help. It was clear that the two were in very poor shape, judging by the shuddering in the borders and the trembling in their legs, and just at a glance alone he could tell that the two were not making contact with one another voluntarily.

Carefully the two decided to approach, keeping enough distance where they wouldn’t make contact with something that they weren’t expecting. Getting in front of his wife, Chujin carefully took a look at what was happening with her and the human, trying to keep his composure as he did so.

Chujin: concerned tone   What’s going on? Talk to me here Ceroba.

Ceroba: W-we’re s-stuck together… we can’t pull apart from each other, s-something is keeping us pressed up a-against each other… it’s c-cold…

Kanako came around Ceroba’s right side and came face to face with the human that was trembling against her. Chujin could see that she was looking at the human with her bright blue eyes with a combination of skepticism and concern. The human looked back at her with his light purple eyes with uncertainty and fright.

Ceroba: P-please… it’s getting harder to try to keep o-ourselves balanced…

Chujin: Okay, just try to relax dear, it’s going to be okay. Kanako, you stay there, I’m going to see if I can get the two free from behind.

Chujin walked around behind both Ceroba and the human, getting a good look at where the two were making contact with each other. From what Chujin could see, there seemed to be some kind of whitish hue of where the two were touching each other, but he couldn’t exactly make out what it was, but regardless, he felt uneasy looking over it in detail.

Chujin: concerned tone Did you try using magic to try freeing yourselves?

Ceroba: M-my m-magic isn’t w-working Chujin… Samuel’s i-isn’t working either…

Concern immediately showed itself on Chujin’s face when he heard his wife's comment. A monster being unable to use their magic was unheard of, given that monsters were made of magic. The fact that Ceroba couldn’t use her magic right now was a grave sign that things were even worse than they appeared. If what was keeping the two stuck together was nullifying their magic, they needed to be separated immediately before it caused Ceroba even worse harm than this already was.

Chujin: Okay… I’m going to try to separate you two with my magic. Try to keep yourselves balanced so you don’t fall over, okay?

Ceroba: G-got it…

Samuel: O-okay…

Kanako: To Samuel Just… just take it easy, alright? My dad’s going to help you out!

Chujin in his right paw summoned a dark brown staff with the Founder’s Crest, which included a bell and a green ribbon, similarly to Ceroba’s iconic staff. The crest began to start glowing as Chujin began channeling his magic through the staff towards where Ceroba and Samuel were pressed up against each other.

Chujin: Keep still for me please… Kanako, step to the side…

Kanako carefully sidestepped her way away from Samuel and to behind him on his right, being out of the way when the two would hopefully be separated after Chujin used his magic. Concentrating on the spot where the two were touching, a stream of magic was sent from the staff right at the point of contact, attempting to break the white hue and separate the two.

Immediately, Chujin could feel a renewed sense of unease as he began attempting to break apart the bond that was keeping the two attached, like raw emotion was coming from the hue and being reflected back into him. Fighting the sense of unease, he kept trying to pry away at the bond, while Ceroba and Samuel kept working to keep themselves balanced all the while.

Despite his best efforts, and pouring a good amount of magic into trying to pry them apart, it soon proved that the magic was completely ineffective in trying to break the bond. Chujin stopped the stream of magic coming from the staff, lowering the head of staff downwards in defeat. The white hue still remained there unchanging, while Ceroba and Samuel were still stuck together, shuddering as they kept their balance.

Chujin: Okay, this isn’t good. The magic didn’t do a thing. I’m going to try prying at the spot where you two are stuck to one another with my staff, alright?

Ceroba: O-okay Chujin-jin… be c-careful…

Chujin rotated the staff around so that the blunt end of the staff was facing upwards. Grasping the staff with both paws, he began walking his way towards the two, trying to see where would be the best point to try to pry the staff between them so he could try pulling them apart.

However, before he could get close enough, suddenly the air around him began to grow icey cold, making his fur stand up on end. Kanako felt it too and visibly shuddered, turning around to try to see where the sudden cold front was coming from. Chujin turned around to try to see where it was coming from, not being able to see the visible looks of horror that appeared on Ceroba and Samuel’s faces.

Ceroba: C-CHUJIN! KANAKO! R-RUN!

Before the two had any chance to react fully to Ceroba’s outburst, they suddenly felt their feet sliding and then slipping across the sand. Simultaneously, Chujin and Kanako slammed into Ceroba and Samuel hard, with cold paralysis shooting up their bodies at the points of impact; Chujin’s staff was knocked out of his hands on impact and dissipated into nothingness shortly afterwards. The collision was added with an audible scream of pain that came crying out as everyone hit each other.

The four actively struggled to keep themselves steady and on their feet as now Chujin and Kanako were now having to be suddenly adjusted to having the icey paralysis coursing through parts of their bodies.
Chujin had his back touching Ceroba’s and Samuel’s back, leaving the entirety of his back coursing with the paralysis and accompanying shuddering. His legs were luckily still responsive to his movements, allowing him to be able to better stand. Meanwhile his head was being squished against the backpack that Ceroba had around her left shoulder.

Kanako had her back against Samuel’s right shoulder, which pressed him further towards Ceroba. Kanako’s right leg was touching up against Samuel’s right leg, which put both of those legs out of action, and left Samuel unable to move his legs period due to the paralysis rendering them unresponsive.

If the situation was not worse already, Samuel was being actively squished between Ceroba, Chujin, and Kanako, and was already beginning to struggle to breathe normally, growing more pale now that was being squished in the non-consensual fox pile.

Samuel: …h-help… help… I c-can’t breathe s-straight… p-please!

…

…

…

This day could not get any worse. First being stuck together with Samuel out in the middle of the Dunes, but now her husband and daughter had been roped into this sick twisted game that this unseen force was playing with them. More of her body was in pain, paralyzed, and cold than ever, and even her stoic demeanor was cracking under the pressure of all of this misery that she was dealing with. If it couldn’t be worse, Samuel’s desperate cries for help were whimpering out behind her, combined with the groaning and sounds of pain coming from Chujin and Kanako.

Ceroba: t-tch… e-everyone…!

The words were struggling to come out of her mouth as the amount of pain and discomfort continued to mount, but she was determined to be able to convey to everyone else how they could get out of this situation.

Turning her head around to the right, she tried getting the best look at Samuel, Kanako, and Chujin, who were all struggling with the dramatic change in positioning.

Ceroba: S-samuel, l-listen to me! Try k-keeping your head up so you can breathe easier! C-chujin! Kanako! Try keeping y-yourselves balanced and don’t lean b-back if you can!

Samuel raised his head up to the sky far as he could as instructed, trying his best to breathe while being put under the crush of the fox pile. His face was becoming more pale, but it was apparent that he was fighting through this as best as he could. 

Ceroba: We can’t j-just stay here…! We need to k-keep moving before anything e-else bad happens…!

Kanako was visibly struggling to keep herself calm, as her body was starting to become slightly goopy due to emotions building, and her fur was starting to shift a paler color, a clear indication that she was getting stressed. However much to her relief, it was clear that Kanako was keeping herself together despite everything happening around her.

Kanako: O-okay mom!

Chujin: W-we’re not far from Oasis Valley, we need to t-try making our way there…

Ceroba: O-okay, we need to move carefully… Try k-keeping yourself balanced… Chujin, you  and m-me should try w-walking f-forward, Kanako… k-keep the back stable…

Chujin: A-alright, let’s try turning ourselves around… ready?

Kanako: R-ready…

Samuel: groans of pain

Ceroba: Okay, l-let’s go…!

Carefully the group turned themselves around so that Chujin was facing due east, and Ceroba’s left leg was beside him so that she could use her legs to awkwardly sidestep in tandem with Chujin. Kanako had her left leg ready to be used to keep the back stable, and was making sure her body wouldn’t get all wobbling during the hard trek ahead. Meanwhile Samuel’s legs were dragging across the sandy road, as they were now completely unresponsive.

Chujin: Alright, l-let’s get moving… let’s go…

Slowly the four began to walk awkwardly forward, trying to keep the entire group balanced while dealing with the constant shuddering and cold paralysis. Every movement of the legs felt like a challenge as Ceroba, Chujin, and Kanako carefully moved themselves along the sandy road, while Samuel’s legs were being dragged along with them. Meanwhile, the audible noises of Samuel struggling to breathe and his groans of pain continued as they pressed onwards. The three were being careful not to make the crush worse on him, though with how they could only do so little to pull away from him, trying to lessen the pain proved difficult.

After what felt like forever, the four closed in on the outskirts of Oasis Valley, a peaceful settlement out in the Dunes. However, when the four got there, it was more than just peaceful, it was silent. Much to the surprise of the three Ketsukane’s, the place was essentially a ghost town. Nobody was out in the streets, in front of their houses, or even around the oasis pool in the center of town. A feeling of unease immediately began to mount as they looked around their surroundings in disbelief at the state of affairs in town.

Ceroba: What h-happened??? Where is e-everyone???

Chujin: I d-don’t know… there were people here when we l-left town to come find you…

There wasn’t any sign of anyone around, not even any sign of dust around the place to indicate a worse case scenario. It was like everyone had up and vanished from the town.

However, just as everything seemed to be more hopeless, a weird feeling came over each of the four, like a warm summer breeze coming from the north of them, one that emanated a sense of hope amidst their current circumstances. Ceroba, Chujin, and Kanako turned their heads as best as they could northwards, knowing that the only thing that was up that way was their family home. They could feel in their minds the urge to try to get home to find any hope of safety that they could grasp.

Ceroba: T-the estate… we n-need to go to t-the e-estate…

Samuel: weakly p-please… h-help…

Chujin: We need t-to move… now! Come on!

Kanako: O-okay mom! Okay d-dad!

Trusting the gut feeling that had formed in their heads, the group turned towards the road that led up towards the Ketsukane Estate. Moving with all the speed that they could manage while trying to keep balanced, they began to slowly inch their way forward up the road towards the Estate. Eventually the group made it the front gate to the estate grounds, which much to Chujin and Kanako’s surprise was wide open, however they elected not to question it now, as everyone was starting to feel absolutely terrible with the shuddering and numbness that they were dealing with.

Entering past the gates and into the grounds of the estate, the feeling of home hit them immediately. As they inched their way along the stone path that led from the front gate to the front entrance of the estate, they were hit with the smells and sights of home. The smell of flowers from garden beds, sakura coming from the sakura trees planted across the grounds, freshly cut grass, cool lake water, all mixing together to form a sense of homeliness out in the desert. It would be more relieving to be back home, if it were not for the fact that the family was having to return home under such stressful circumstances.

The gut feeling in all of them only grew stronger and stronger as they moved their way through the estate grounds and up to the stairs that lead into the estate proper. Chujin and Ceroba managed to successfully pull everyone up the stairs, with Kanako using her one good leg to bring herself and Samuel up along with them. Ceroba used her leg to reach for the door, using her foot to slide it open all the way. The group pulled themselves together for one last push as they managed to get inside of the estate, using all of the energy that they could muster to push themselves forward into the front lobby.

Once the four managed to get inside of the front lobby and onto the green and yellow rug in the center of the room, they all felt a feeling of relief washing over them like a cascade of energy. Suddenly, all at once, the coldness utterly vanished from their bodies, and the hold over all of them disappeared in an instant. Just like that, they were separated from one another at last.

However, just as they thought that they were safe, they were hit with a wave of sudden weakness, causing everyone to quiver, shake, and stagger as their bodies tried processing what was happening to them. At that moment, Ceroba, Chuijn, and Kanako didn’t notice that Samuel was looking deathly pale in his face, and struggling to breathe as he stood there shaking. His legs buckled and he began to fall backwards towards the floor.

Samuel: very weakly I’m s-sorry…

Just before he hit the ground, he was just barely caught by Ceroba, who swooped herself around in the nick of time. Before she could say anything, the human in her arms lost consciousness as he let out weak, raspy breaths.

Ceroba: N-no! Samuel, stay with u-us, please!