Chapter 2
A New Adventure
"No, not this again!" Susie roared. "Dammit Kris, where the f-!"
"I'm here!" Kris called out.
"Where? I can't see anything! And it feels like I'm buried in sand!"
"At least you can still shout," Kris yelled back.
Susie grunted and began digging in the direction of Kris' voice. It felt like she had been buried alive, but the freedom of movement and her ability to hear Kris clearly said that if they were buried, it was in a cave.
"Don't shut up! Keep talking, I'm coming to you!"
"Your bikini looks incredible on you!"
Susie blushed as she roared, "Don't get cocky just because you think we're alone!"
"Of course, it's the dragon who makes the bikini," Kris laughed, continuing their previous line of thought.
"Why the hell are you this vocal when no one else is around?"
"It's important to say the right words. And I guess people have just gotten used to me not speaking as much as I could."
"That's a habit that you should consider breaking," Susie huffed. She paused as she muttered to herself, "I know it would be great to hear you talk more often. It's a lot more fun when you're being yourself…"
"What was that last part?" Kris called out. "I couldn't hear if you had anything else to say!"
"Never mind!"
"Oh, I'm sorry if you couldn't hear me properly, Kris!" a cheery voice called out from somewhere in the Dark. "Let's see about getting you both out!"
A warm breeze washed over Susie and after a horrendous tearing sound, both she and Kris popped out of the sand. They were surrounded by rolling hills of purple sands under a black, stary sky and a dim, blue sun. Yeah, the Dark World never ceased to be weird and mesmerizingly beautiful. Susie and Kris heard the distant crashing of waves. They looked towards the sound of the sea and saw a horizon of crimson waters.
"Well, that was certainly a curious predicament to find you in," Ralsei said pleasantly, leading Kris over to Susie. "I wasn't expecting another Dark Fountain to open up again. I thought we were done with this business for good. At least I get to join you both now for your trip to the beach! By the way, how has it been?"
Susie planted her fists on her hips and growled, "Well, other than getting trapped here all of a sudden, it was going pretty good! Kris and I kicked butt during beach volleyball. Noelle and Cattie made a new sand statue out of Berdly. We got some swimming time in and were just about to finish a sweet sandcastle that I was going to absolutely DEMOLISH!... When this suddenly happened!" She threw up her hands in exasperation.
Kris gave Ralsei the thumbs up and agreed with Susie.
"Well, that is very frustrating that someone else rained on your fun day, but at least we can be on adventure together again!"
"Yeah, I guess there's a silver lining here. A fuzzy, silver lining," Susie laughed, pulling Ralsei in for a noogie.
He tried to escape but was quickly reeled in and ruffled against his will. It was then that Susie and Kris noticed more clearly how Ralsei was dressed. He wore his trademark green robes with the pink heart and his cute hat, but his robes were open to reveal a very furry chest and green swim trunks with more pink hearts. He was nothing if not consistent. He had swapped out his scarf for a towel.
It was then that Kris and Susie also took stock of how they were dressed. Susie wore a purple and black bikini with a lilac towel wrapped around her waist like a war skirt. She had grey, spiked floating strapped to her biceps. Her axe was strapped to her back.
"How does this not pull down my top?" she wondered out loud.
"Looks good on you!" Ralsei complimented.
Kris was covering up a nosebleed.
For their part, Kris was dressed in blue swim trunks and had their iconic pauldron, now made of surfboard. Kris was embarrassed to be showing off their bare chest. They tried to use their towel cape to cover up. It got Susie laughing. Their sword was also slung down their back.
"Kris is also looking good! I think we are ready. Where to first, Kris?"
Kris looked around and finally pointed up the nearest sandy hill. The three friends quickly climbed up the shifting slope and reached the top. Once there, they saw far more. The crashing, crimson waves blocked them from reaching a distant, orange island. The land was largely populated with shifting sand dunes. There were plenty of crumbling sandcastles in every direction. Not too far off was a crumbling shack that reminded Susie and Kris of the shady tackle shack back in the Light World.
Back in the old direction of Hometown were towering icebergs. To the south were large, craggy mountains with more red water tumbling down waterfalls and into the sea. The sand dunes were already moving, eliminating any roads that they might have easily found.
"Where do you think everyone else is at?" Susie mumbled.
Kris suggested they make their way to the shack and see if there was anyone there who knew anything. The Dark World normally had a few helpful denizens who could provide insights and advice on where to go next. If they had seen any of the others, there was a very good chance that they would help. Otherwise, the Fun Gang would have to start tearing up each sand hill to try and find the rest of their friends.
"Alright, let's do what we can to get there," Susie said uncertainly.
They took their time getting down the hill so they didn't turn any ankles. It felt cold and lonely, unlike the fun day they had been having. Susie pulled Kris and Ralsei close to warm up. It felt better to have them closer too. She needed some comfort after having such a fun day torn right out of her claws.
When they had made their way over a few hills, they encountered three strange enemies. Zombie-like creatures covered in seaweed, or made of seaweed, lumbered towards them, groaning hungrily.
"Dammit… Looks like we've wandered into a horror movie Kris," Susie grumbled.
"Hurray! Enemies are just friends we haven't made yet," Ralsei said with a smile.
"We haven't forgotten, Ralsei," Susie said, rolling her eyes and unslinging her axe.
Kris checked the new enemies' stats and found their name: Reefers.
Susie snickered, "Seriously? We're fighting guys like this?"
"It explains the unique smell," Ralsei said, pinching his nose.
Kris ordered Ralsei to make some brownies. The Dark Prince quickly whipped them up right out of the air and sand.
"What!? You mean you could have made baked goods like that this whole time?" Susie demanded, frustrated.
"They don't taste nearly as good as cauldron baked cakes and brownies," Ralsei lamented.
Kris meanwhile hurled the brownies at the Reefers. They all bounded for the brownies, cramming them into their mouths. They blushed at the taste and groaned contentedly. They were ready to be spared. However, they still had a chance to attack. They shot out spears of seaweed that the heroes easily dodged and danced out of the way of. Kris, Susie, and Ralsei each snapped their fingers and pointed encouragingly at the Reefers, sparing them. They sparkled and departed, leaving behind 72 Dark Dollars.
"I wonder if taking this money is legal," Ralsei wondered.
Susie hurriedly gathered up the loot, saying, "Cash is cash!"
They continued their way, working hard to traverse the shifting sands and encountering twelve more Reefers. They didn't battle or spare any other enemies, though Kris kept spying strange figures on the rolling horizon that ducked out of the way before they could get a good bead on them. An ominous atmosphere settled over the friends. They felt eyes from all different directions.
"We should just go and fight them!" Susie snarled. "Screw making friends with people who don't even have the courtesy to come and challenge you! Dammit! Come down here!"
But no matter how much she raged, their silent observers remained aloof.
After a while of walking and breezing their way through encounters with the Reefers, Kris began stealing more glances at Susie. They had already found her irresistible in her bikini back on the back in the Light World, but here she was something else. Seeing her finely sculpted form complemented by the spiked floaties, the new bikini, and the surprisingly appropriate towel for a war skirt made Susie the picture-perfect barbarian on vacation.
Susie eventually noticed, and blushing she asked, "Like what you see from up front, nerd?"
Kris smiled and nodded. She bashfully tucked strands of hair back.
Ralsei noticed and beamed, "I'm so happy that you two are still together! It would be a real shame to break up after everything you've been through, especially the last time we were on a quest toget-"
"Alright, enough of that!" Susie snarled. That was a very personal moment between her and Kris. One they had reenacted more than a few times since.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't make you embarrassed," Ralsei apologized. "What about you, Kris? Did I make you embarrassed as well?"
Kris blushed pink and tried to pass it off as nothing. Susie noticed and gave him a playful shove. They were both being such dorks! She had to tell herself there was a time and place for such things. However, she was liking what she was seeing from the back. She wasn't going to tease Kris about wanting to keep their shirt on while at the beach, but she personally thought they had much more to be confident about.
Baby steps towards becoming better. One adventure at a time.
They eventually reached the hill where the ramshackle shop crowned the shivering sands. They hurried up the slipping slope and eventually reached the battered door. There was no way this place was going to be anywhere near as cozy or as mysterious as Seam's. Their assumptions were proven correct when they shouldered their way inside and took in the place.
Immediately, all three noticed a pervasive dampness in the air. The whole place smelled of seaweed and could even taste in on their tongues.
"Yuck! I wish I had some mints," Susie grumbled.
"I might have something," Ralsei said. "Oops! Sorry, it's just pocket lint."
"That will do."
"Hey!" the prince yelped as Susie snatched up the lint and popped it into her mouth.
"Tastes like sugar. What do you all keep in your pockets, Ralsei?"
As Ralsei began cataloging everything he kept on hand for their journeys, Kris checked out the rest of the store. It was lined and filled with rotting shelves where expired goods were shoved haphazardly into every available space. The walls were covered in nets, fishing rods, wires, lures, and more. There were some expensive surfboards up as well, though a few had large bite marks on them. Lit lanterns hung from the ceiling, giving off a low light.
At the far end of the tackle shop was a high bar where another Reefer leaned against a cash register. It looked up at them with dull, red eyes and slowly waved.
"Hi there.,. Oh… Please excuse me…" the Reefer said, in a low, masculine voice. He shambled to the side and retrieved an apron and lethargically slipped it over his head. "There… Now I'm ready… To serve you. You may call me… Seaweed Head."
"A little too on the nose, don't you think?" Ralsei whispered.
"The smell says he's something else," Susie said, poking around the shelves.
Kris approached and introduced themselves and their party before saying, "We're looking for our friends. Have you seen any other Lightners by chance?"
Seaweed Head nodded slowly. "Yes… I have… And because you spared… The other Reefers… I'll be happy to do business with you…"
A screen appeared on the counter, communicating to Kris all of the options that were available. They could get some Salty Crackers to restore a little lost health. They could also get Mud Cakes, also salty, to restore more health if needed. Susie looked over Kris' shoulder and said, "Hmm, cake sounds amazing."
"Even if it's mud cake?" Ralsei asked, stunned.
"Eh, you take what you can get. I've had plenty of them in the past, but never with salt before! That might be great!"
Kris also noticed that there were Seaweed Strands for sale that could be used to repair broken materials or bind them together to create new tools. Considering that Malius was probably not within easy reaching distance anytime soon or at all, having this could be useful if they found anything that needed repairs.
They made a few purchases of Salty Crackers, Mud Cakes, and Seaweed Strands. As they handed over the Dark Dollars and collected their goodies, stuffing them into Ralsei's pockets, Kris pressed for information on the other Lightners.
"Oh… That's easy… I saw The Dude's men taking one away… To his grand castle… That would be to the south of us… Another was taken prisoner… Out to the Crimson Deep Keep…"
Kris figured that was the structure that was far out in the sea.
"Are we going to do a prison break?" Susie asked eagerly.
"Hurray, we're in a new land and one of the first things we're going to do is break the law," Ralsei muttered.
"It's all to help our friends!" she protested.
"There was a third…" Seaweed Head mused. "Yes… I heard about them… From some friends… They found the Lightner… Trapped in a sand sculpture…"
Kris asked where that was.
"That was… To the west…"
"Dammit! We might have passed by already," Susie said. "How far away are these places?"
Just as Seaweed Head was about to respond, the roof was torn clean off the shack. A mighty roar filled the air and the heroes had to stop their ears. They looked up and found a gigantic crimson wave hovering in mid crash just above them. Surfing the suspended tide was a tall, blue figure. They looked human, just like Kris! They had wavy, black hair and were bare chested. They wore bright pink swim trunks and had a bastard sword slung down their back.
"Righteous!" the newcomer laughed, their hand raised high in the air. Magic radiated off them, holding the broken roof in the air. "After all this time, I've finally got you three heroes!"
"Who the hell are you?" Susie shouted at the surfer.
"He's The Dude," Seaweed mumbled.
"I'm The Dude!" the surfer agreed excitedly. "And you three are the heroes I've heard so much about! Constantly saving the Light and Dark Worlds, like bro! Don't you have any other hobbies?"
"What's it to you?" Susie snarled. "I'm guessing that you are the one responsible for us coming here!"
"You are totally tubularly correct, dudette!"
"Can I cut him down already?" Susie deadpanned to Kris.
Ralsei tried to stay Susie as she unslung her axe, and hurriedly asked, "How are you doing this? We haven't seen a Dark Fountain!"
"Come on Four-Eyes! You're just not looking hard enough!" The Dude threw the broken roof aside and with another gestured clawed away the shop's wall. In the distance stood a massive sandcastle that reached up to the heavens. From its topmost tower spewed a brand-new fountain. "There! Now you've seen it nerd! The question I have is what are you going to do about it? Hmmmm?"
Kris flipped the bird at The Dude and told him to get to the point or get lost.
"Oh, testy, huh? Well, that fits for a teenage human after all. Glad I grew quickly out of my angsty phase! Maybe you will too if you live long enough!" The Dude laughed, throwing the wall aside next.
Kris narrowed their crimson eyes at the surfer. It was so strange after all this time to see another human in person. In a world of monsters, odd body types were the norm. Kris was the standout freak, but they had long accepted that, especially now that they had so many friends. The Dude was an intruder on that happy world Kris had made with Susie and Ralsei.
As if reading their thoughts, The Dude mocked them. "What? Haven't seen a fine, studly specimen like this?" He began flexing his pecks, making them dance as he struck different poses. "If you're going to spend your time with monsters, Kris my dude, then you should aim for something much higher! Sealing fountains is good and all, but where is your legacy? An adopted freak playing pretend with their little friends, fooling themselves into believing that these monsters actually love them!
"Trust me, my dude, nothing could be further from the truth."
The old fears and nasty thoughts came back to Kris, assaulting their mind. They felt a hot flush creeping up their back and neck, bringing an uncomfortable prickling feeling.
Susie had had enough of this. She picked up a large jar of hardtack and hurled it right at The Dude. He slapped it lazily out of the way.
"Don't interrupt me when I'm taunt-!"
"Shut the hell up!" Susie roared. "You wanna fight? Then come down here and we'll rock your world, dude!"
"Sure thing, bro!" With that, The Dude made his wave crash down on the shop. The heroes were smashed hard by the water and thrown throughout the waterlogged store. They crashed brutally against the shelves and walls. They struggled to hold their breaths and then the water receded. They heard The Dude laughing as he rode off.
"If y'all want a real chance to beat me, earn way into my castle, dudes! Stay righteous!"
"Oh, I'm going to kill him," Susie muttered darkly, getting up from the drenched, wooden floor.
"Sorry Seaweed Head, we got your shop all ruined," Ralsei called out apologetically.
"What are you saying sorry for? It was The Dude who smashed up the place?" Susie said angrily. "He's the one to blame!"
"He might not have done it if we hadn't been here," Ralsei said,
"Kris, what do you think?" Susie demanded.
Kris indicated that it would be wise to first repair the shop and then start looking for all their friends. If they brought everyone together, breaking into the castle would be a breeze. Since they were in the Dark World, their friends should have all assumed their Dark World egos along with all their powers. The Dude wouldn't stand a chance and they could thrash him then and make the surfer bro pay for all the damages.
"I like the way you're thinking," Susie said.
"Um Kris, about what The Dude was saying," Ralsei said timidly, coming over to help Kris make their way through all the flotsam. "You're not an adopted freak. I mean, you were adopted, but you are more than just a title or social status. You are our friend, a hero, a good brother and son, along with all the fun qualities that make you, well, you!"
"He's right," Susie agreed, joining them. She took Kris' hand. "And I love you for it."
The two simultaneously realized the kind of affection they were showing in public and turned away from each other, blushing.
"So… You're going to help… Repair my store?" Seaweed Head asked.
"Yup! That's what we're going to do right now!" Susie said, a little too forcefully, and marched off.
The four got right to work gathering up all the rubble. They needed everything they could recover so they could patch up the dingy store with the Seaweed Strands. The owner had more than enough to spare, and everything soon started coming together. Moving the roof was difficult, but when Susie got under it, she managed to easily lift it over her head.
But before she did, Susie pulled Kris underneath and whispered, "Sorry for getting weird back there. It's easy enough around people we know… I'm just not the kind of person who likes to shout out her relationship status from the top of the house." She grinned, acknowledging the position of being under the roof.
Kris smiled. "I know. Thank you."
They shared a quick kiss before Susie pushed and hauled the broken roof over to the shop. Soon, everything was put back together. The heroes could not bring themselves to say that it had been repaired, because the place looked even more awful than before. However, Seaweed Head was very happy with the results.
He told them, "Thanks… For that! I'll give you three…. A permanent discount rate… If you continue shopping with me… Also… you'll need some… Equipment."
Seaweed Head put together an excavation kit, complete with shovels and a bucket. He also prepared a bag for them that could magically hold everything without it becoming cumbersome. It was even larger than the sack the gang normally had to work with. Even though they were the ones who had helped him, it felt like they were the ones getting the far better deal.
Once everything was done, they bade goodbye to Seaweed Head and followed his instructions towards the site where they hoped to find one of their friends trapped in a sand sculpture.