Before we start on this chapter, I will show you the special "surprise" I've been telling you the past few chapters... They're concept arts for our main characters! Yup, I went my way and commissioned a bunch of artists to portray Ken, Leina, Hope, and Wesley. They've done a really great job in doing so and I truly appreciate their efforts. So props to them! But since FanFiction doesn't allow links, you need to type/copy it manually. So type imgur-.-com without the hyphens in your address bar and type/copy /a/6hUn4 after, so it looks like imgur-.-com/a/6hUn4. (Again, without the hyphens.)
So without further ado, enjoy this next installation of the story!
Sophia had already explored the Palm Hotel thoroughly, long when she was still inside The Reapers Game. She was doing a mission with her dear friend Auria and they ended up getting into the next level after eliminating a handful of Anomalies within the hotel. It was one of their greatest achievements.
"Auria… I swear I will find you someday."
*crash*
The deer fell backward after she absentmindedly bumped into another mammal walking towards her direction.
"Ow…" She picked herself up, "I'm so sorry! Let me help you get up…" She lent her hoof to the familiar hyena.
"…thanks. Sorry, I didn't see you there." He brushed his clothes after getting up rather coolly.
"…hey, didn't we meet you at the office earlier?"
"Oh… Yeah! You were with that fox, Ken, was it? Either way, it's a surprise meeting you here. I don't see your friends anywhere, though."
"They're out exploring this place on their own since it's their first time coming here. Two of them are going back to their hometown after all, so they wanted to spend their last times together."
"Um, shouldn't someone experienced be with them since it's their first time here?"
"They'll be fine. They're…strong, to say the least."
"Um, okay. Putting that aside, I assume some of them aren't from here according to your statement earlier?"
"Correction, all of them aren't originally from here."
"Whoa, that's cool. Who would've thought I'd get to see a foreigner. Oh, my name's Andy by the way."
"I'm Sophia. Nice to meet you, Andy. You seem like a cool person to hang out with."
"I, um… Thank you…That's the first time someone's said that to me, and I truly appreciate it." He smiled innocently.
"But you genuinely seem like a nice person, I can tell you that." She smiled back.
"Heh, thanks again. And you seem very mature for someone at your age."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." She winked, "Well, thanks for the conversation, Andy. See you around."
"Wait! Can I come with you?"
"If you want, then sure, why not."
"Thanks!" He caught up to her, "Where do you want to go?"
"Nowhere in particular. I was going to pass time by strolling around here until I met you."
"In that case, may interest you in some drinks at the bar? Non-alcoholic, of course."
"Quite the gentlemammal, aren't you?" She teased, "Sure, but I can't promise you that I won't drink some booze though."
"That's…not what I expected, but I'll take that as a yes. I'll lead the way." He smiled and started walking towards the direction of the hotel with Sophia following from behind.
"Do you wanna take a breather? We've been exploring for a while now..." Ken said defeatedly.
"But we haven't checked the pool yet! I've heard that it's gorgeous!" Hope pouted.
"Ugh, fine. But you better buy me something nice after. My legs are killing me…"
"Don't worry about it! Let's go!" Hope ran through the hotel corridors with Ken following from behind at a slower pace. Eventually, they arrived at the pool, Hope ignoring the fox's complaints.
The so-called 'pool' was located northwest of the resort. It was outdoors, naturally, but high walls separated it from the other sections, such as the casinos. On further inspection, it could also be described as a glorified mini waterpark; it had everything you could want, waterslides, a huge mechanical coconut that collects water before splashing it into the pool below. The most prominent feature of the pool was obviously the huge coconut as a lot of mammals were gathered below it, waiting for their impending satisfaction. And in some cases, pain.
"Wow..." Hope's eyes were filled with amazement.
"This is so cool... Look at that huge coconut!"
"This is better than I thought it would!" He started walking forward.
"Wait, Hope! Careful or you'll slip!" Ken warned, but he still kept walking in a trance-like state, "Ugh, why am I babysitting him..." He grumbled, reluctantly following the arctic fox.
By the time they went there, the coconut was almost full and ready to splash its contents below. Hope was still walking towards it, unaware he was inside the splash radius. The coconut soon flipped over and an immense amount of water fell into the pool below.
Ken gasped before running towards Hope, grabbing the fox and pulling him back to safety. Hope snapped out of his trance, immediately realizing the situation as he ran with Ken to avoid unnecessary wetness. By some miracle, not a single drop of water landed on them.
"That... was close..." Hope said, gasping for air.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, sorry I acted so recklessly. I was so fascinated in all of these..."
"I understand, but for the sake of our clothes, please never do that again."
Hope chuckled, "Can't promise ya that."
"You're such a tease." Ken punched him playfully as he laughed it off. They turned their attention back to the pool and were met with the crowd cheering for the mammals that partook in the 'event'. It brought a smile to their faces.
Thinking he had seen enough pretty scenes, Wesley decided to head back to meet up with the others. He was on the eleventh floor at the time. Riding the elevator to the bottom floor, he stood there alone in silence.
He sighed deeply, "I wonder if my family's doing okay… Will they be happy seeing me back after days of absence? Or will they get mad at me like they always do? I guess I'll have to find out for myself. I just wish sis won't side with anyone when I come back. I admire her efforts, but it'd just make the situation worse. Maybe she'll finally-" The elevator rang before he could finish his thoughts. The door opened and he stepped outside, looking around for any sign of his friends.
"They probably haven't returned yet." He took out his phone to check the time; it was 2:25 PM, "There's still time left. Eh, I guess I'll go meet up with Leina." He put his phone away and started walking towards the backside of the resort where the casinos are lined up.
He opened one of the doors that led to the casino and found himself in a unique place. It was a complete contrast to the calm and cool lobby, this place had more of a flashy and retro feeling to it, similar to game arcades.
"Huh. So this is what a casino looks like. It's rather big as well…" He glanced around at his surroundings; a lot of mammals were flocking over various tables which had a variety of games going on respectively.
Fortunately, it only took him a small amount of effort to find Leina, the wolf standing with a crowd near the entrance. He was watching the others play but it seemed that his eyes were stuck at the spinner on the table. Wesley eventually pulled him out of the crowd, Leina snapping back to his senses after many failed attempts to get his attention.
"W-Wesley! What are you doing here!?" He seemed distressed at the situation.
"I was looking for you, duh. I tried to get your attention but somehow it never went through."
"Oh. I see. Well, here I am, I guess." He chuckled.
Wesley sighed, "In any case, let's look around some more. This is my first time being inside a real casino and I have to say, it's pretty overwhelming." They began walking through the rows of tables and machines.
"Really? I think it's mediocre. Not that I'm to judge, I've never been to one either until now."
"Eh, either way, let's just pass the time by doing something."
"What, do you wanna gamble? I don't think I have any money to spare, though…"
"I don't gamble. It's a stupid thing to do." He scoffed.
"Jeez, sorry." Leina rolled his eyes, "So what do you wanna do then?"
"I'm just waiting for the time to arrive. But I feel really angsty for some reason…"
"Still thinking about home?"
"…yeah. Every time I think about going back, I get really uneasy all of a sudden."
Leina stopped walking, his face taking on a more serious expression, "Wesley, I've said this already, but don't think too much about it. Remember that I'm here for you and if you have any troubles, then just come to me. I'll help you out as much as I can. I promise."
Wesley blinked surprisingly, "Leina, I…" He gritted his teeth for a moment before giving a long sigh, "…thanks. Thanks for supporting me, Leina. I really appreciate your concern." He smiled sincerely, "When I transferred to your school, you couldn't believe how nervous I was. I couldn't interact with anybody because of it and I ended up secluding myself every day. It didn't help that my parents are stricter than prison marshals and it really took a toll on my mental state. Well, until I met you, that is. So I thank you for that, Leina. You're a really good friend."
Leina hugged him immediately after he finished his conversation, "You're welcome."
"Uh… People are looking at us, Leina…"
"Don't worry about it! Let's get us something to drink, my treat!" He took Wesley's paw and dragged him away from the rest of the crowd.
"Heh, I'm really lucky to have him as a friend. I wonder what's going on his mind to make him a positive-thinker all the time…" Wesley thought to himself before chuckling over it, "I guess he's going to tell us sooner or later." He felt contented.
Ken and Hope decided to come back inside after exploring the pool area. They didn't go swimming which disappointed Hope a little, but he still felt quite satisfied. They took a seat on a large couch in the lobby, the pair engaging in conversation to pass the time.
"So, Hope, what do you think about The Palm Hotel so far?"
"It's amazing. I have no other words to describe it."
"Heh, totally expected that. I gotta say, this doesn't look like anything from my world. Though, I didn't go out that much. Still, this place is pretty darn neat. Far better than any other resort I've been to."
"Do you think we could go here again sometimes?"
"Of course! Why not, I mean. A little refreshment wouldn't hurt once in awhile." Ken laughed, "Though, I'm getting short on cash… I wonder if I can find a job around here."
"Oh yeah, you don't have a source of income, right? I still have my parents to send me money every month, but in your case, it's… Uh…"
"Complicated, I know. That's why I need to find some part-time jobs soon."
"I have something you might be interested in…" The conversation continued.
Meanwhile, Sophia and Andy had already visited the bar and were now returning back to the others.
"Man, I couldn't believe they wouldn't let me drink alcohol there!"
"It's probably because you're a frickin' high-schooler, hello? Why do you even want to drink alcohol, of all things?"
"Eugh, what a massive letdown. Well at least I could drink something."
"And there goes my question. Anyways, where are we going?"
"Back to my friends. We decided to meet up again at three and it's…" She glanced at her watch, "almost three. A bit early but since I don't have anything to I thought I'd just go back, wait and relax." She stretched her arms, "What about you? Are you going somewhere else?"
"Err, I actually stay here. Well, for the time being, at least. I'm looking for a permanent home to live in but haven't found any so far."
"I think there are plenty of flats you can rent in Savannah Central."
"I've considered it, but the thing is that I work here, in Sahara Square. So living in one district just to get up and work in another isn't exactly effective, you know?"
"Huh. I see. Still, do you wanna come with me? You can introduce yourself to the others."
"Don't mind if I do." He winked.
They headed back to the main lobby but only saw the backs of two familiar foxes on a large, decorative sofa.
Sophia slinked up behind them, placing her muzzle close to Ken's ear, "You're here early." She said teasingly.
Ken sprang out from the couch startlingly, "Good God, don't surprise me like that…"
"Talk about overreacting." Hope chuckled.
"I wasn't even trying…"
"Well, uh, don't sneak up on people in general or something. I get scared easily from those." Ken took a deep sigh, "But you're early as well. And… wait, Andy? What are you doing here!?"
"Haha, hey. I bumped into her outside. Literally. Nice to see you again, Ken." Andy said nonchalantly.
"Do you know this guy?" Hope asked.
"Yeah, we met not too long ago in Camel Cabbies. He's a pretty cool dude."
"Huh. Nice to meet you then. The name's Hope."
"Andy. And likewise. It's pretty rare to see foxes around here."
"Yeah, I've noticed that. Not that it matters. Anyways, we only need to wait for Leina and Wesley before going back, right?" Ken spoke up.
"That's the plan, yes. It's almost time, so we should be seeing them soon."
"You're going already?"
"Yeah, sorry. Two of our friends are going back to their…err, hometown tonight, so we need to get prepared."
"Aww, and I was thinking of letting you guys stay here for the night."
"Wait, you would!?" Hope was suddenly excited.
Andy chuckled mischievously, "Of course! But I guess not, since you have something else to do."
"Aren't you going to run out of money if you ordered more rooms for us?" Sophia asked suspiciously.
"W-well, I kinda accidentally ordered a suite for me instead of a normal one…"
"You… What?" They all stared in disbelief.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm an idiot and blah blah blah. I get that a lot."
"…you make my account balance look like nothing… And I'm running out of money." Ken seemed appalled.
"That's what working gets you, buddy." He winked.
"Jobs aside, I think they're coming." Hope said as the others followed where his gaze landed. A raccoon and a wolf were walking happily over to their direction.
"We're back!" Leina cheered.
"You two seem unusually chipper. Did you play something interesting?"
"Nah, we only talked with each other, right, Wesley?"
"…Right." He coughed, "I suppose all of us here? And…you?" His gaze landed on Andy.
"Hey there! My name's Andy." He grinned.
"I assume you know one of us here?"
"Oh, no, I've only met Ken and Sophia earlier."
"I see. Nice to meet you, I'm Wesley, and this is Leina."
"Hi! Pleasure meeting you!"
"I see. You have a lot of friends, huh, Ken?" He smirked at the fox.
Ken giggled, "You can say that. I'm glad for it."
"So…" Hope stood up and stretched his arms, "I guess we should get going soon?"
Ken briefly glanced at his phone to check the time; it was a little past three, "It seems so. Don't wanna risk ourselves by staying here too long."
"Alright, I'm gonna go call our cabs outside. Come out when you're ready." Sophia said before rushing out from the lobby.
"…hey, can I have your phone number?"
"Uh, sure!" Both of them synced their numbers, "It was nice meeting you guys here. It really livened up my mood today. So thanks for that." He scratched his head.
"You too! It was fun talking to you."
"Heh, thanks. Oh, I better get some rest before my shift comes up."
"You're working?" Leina wondered.
"Yeah. Overnight stocker at Crawlmart. Not the best one, I know, but it's something."
"Neato." He remarked.
"Well, I'll see you next time. See ya!" He finally jogged away.
"What an interesting fellow…" Wesley thought out loud as he sees the hyena going into the elevator.
"Yeah, I like him already." Leina giggled.
"We should meet up with Sophia. Let's go!" Ken said as they headed towards the entrance. They saw Sophia directly in front of it.
"We're here."
"Ah, good timing. They're already on their way here, so it shouldn't take too long."
All of them waited for their respective vehicles and in several minutes a new set of cabs arrived in front of the hotel lobby. They rode the same order as before and took off towards the station while having numerous chats mostly about Andy and the two friends' departure. They arrived at the station soon after and they left their vehicles while saying goodbyes to the drivers before entering the building.
Departing from the train at Metro Station, they left the station and headed to Ken's flat at Troop Street. Ken briefly checked the time on his phone; it was almost four o'clock.
"So, Wesley, where will you do the ritual again?" Hope asked from behind.
"Wherever works, I think."
"You think?"
"I've only done this once with Leina and the results were… Disastrous, to say the least."
"Um… Shouldn't you be away from us when performing it, then?"
"I guess…"
"Wait," Leina interjected, "didn't everyone disappear before that massive earthquake struck the café?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah. I completely forgot about that."
"That still doesn't assure us, though…"
"I'm betting it'll be fine. Don't worry Hope, Ken and Sophia will be there if anything happens, right?"
"Uh… Of course!" He glanced at Sophia.
"I'll make sure nothing bad happens." She was certain.
Hope sighed, "I trust you guys."
All of them laughed, Hope joining them soon after. They quickened their pace before finally arriving at the apartment building. Entering, they made a beeline towards the elevator and rode it immediately. The bell rang, signalling they've arrived at the sixth floor and they poured out from it and headed towards the nearest door, room 601. Ken unlocked the door and they all went inside.
"You should pack up all your things." Ken said as he sat comfortably on his bed while the others picked their most preferable spot.
"On it!" Leina said eagerly. The two then took their time to gather all of their belonging and stuffed them into their bulky backpacks.
"Hey, Ken…" Sophia sat next to him, "Have you ever wondered what'll happen if you… You know… Do the ritual with them?" She spoke softly.
"I… No, I've never thought about that, actually… Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was thinking of a way to bring us back to the human world using your friends' method."
"That's absurd! We can't possibly go back that way. It's… Not right. And we don't even know if it'd work or not."
She sighed, "I guess you're right. Let's just hope there won't be anything bad happening soon." She said to which he nodded in agreement.
"We're done!" Leina shouted from the other side.
"Sorry for the wait." Both of them approached the rest of the group.
"Are you ready?" Ken looked solemn.
"Yeah. I'll… I'll miss you." Leina hugged him by surprise.
"H-hey… It's okay, I'll miss you too…" He hugged back before releasing.
"I guess this is goodbye then." Wesley smirked.
Ken chuckled, "Yeah. I'll see you around."
"Bye, you two! I had a lot of fun hanging out with you!" Hope waved eagerly.
"It was short-lived, but we had our moments. Goodbye!" Sophia said proudly.
Leina and Wesley looked at each other for a moment and they both nodded before taking out their paper scraps from their wallets. Holding the head, Leina mended his own with Wesley's bottom part of the doll. They closed their eyes and slowly chanted inside their heads:
Other worlds, we bring you ourselves. Hear us, we beg of you.
Other worlds, we bring you ourselves. Hear us, we beg of you.
Other worlds, we bring you ourselves. Hear us, we beg of you.
They opened their eyes.
No one was there.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a streak of light blinded their vision, rendering them useless. And then everything went blank.
And that marks the end of this arc. You might be wondering what'll happen with the siblings and why did I leave their story that way. Well, let's just say they'll appear again very shortly. Either way, tell me about the story so far! Did you like it? Do you have thoughts on how to improve? Leave all of your thoughts for me, I'll gladly read them. But anyways, as always, I will see you in the next chapter. Good night!
