Three days into the camping trip, and Gumi, Lily, and kokone were both hungry and worn out. They hadn't properly eaten for an entire day, and their survival instincts were constantly in high gear. They refused to eat any of the expired food from back in the cabin, and they didn't trust the berries in the forest. Perhaps if Lily had done the most basic research before setting out into the forest for five days, she would have been able to recognize the fruits.

Nobody knew the time, and Lily failed to read the sun's place in the sky. From how hot and dry the day had become, you might not have known it stormed at all. It had to have been sometime in the afternoon, since there wasn't a shred of darkness in the sky.

Once they were sure the Indefinable Shadow Beasts were no longer following them, the trio stopped to sit down. They sat beneath a large tree that shaded them from the sun, giving them a much-needed coolness after hours of running. Oddly enough, they did not run into any woodland creatures on their trek. It didn't seem like the ISBs wanted anything to do with the animals. Such creatures did not need to consume other living beings, so nobody could say for certain what their motivation was.

"Never thought I'd see a demon with my own eyes," Lily drew a heavy breath and sat against the tree.

"Me neither, and that might not be the last of 'em!" Gumi added.

kokone had not said a word for the past hour. Her friends figured her fear had taken all the words right out of her. In actuality, she had worn her voice out from screaming so much, and did not want to worsen the pain in her throat.

"We're gonna be okay," Lily assured her friends. "We just gotta get some help. We'll all be out of these crazy woods in no time!"

Gumi and kokone wanted to believe their leader, they really did, but everything seemed so dire. Staying optimistic during such a time took a lot of effort they were not willing to give. There were only three of them, and they were unarmed and incapable of self-defense. If any creatures like the ISBs were to attack them again, they would not stand much of a chance. They needed to get out of the Execrated Forest and fast.

By the time the girls stood up from where they sat, the daylight was already beginning to dim. "We need to find shelter before it gets dark out," Lily told her crew of two. If fairytales and rumors were true, ghosts and demons were likely to be most active at night. Not to mention, they still had that wild cat to worry about.

"Do you think it was Ring that attacked us before?" asked Gumi on the subject of the wild cat.

"Not possible. She was bound to that cabin, remember?" Lily reasoned.

"Are you sure? Maybe she's bound to the whole entire forest. Or worse... the whole entire country!"

kokone shivered at Gumi's theory, but didn't make anything more than a peep. The soreness in her throat did not allow her to say much more than that.

Continuing down the beaten-up path that sat in the middle of the dirt, the travelers made their way to a clearing. The trees parted and the path guided them up a hill, where mountains and massive treetops could be seen in the distance. On top of the hill, something remarkable appeared. Gumi and Lily gasped in delight when they saw a tiny ranger cabin at the end of the path.

"A ranger cabin! I didn't know this forest had a ranger!" Gumi sped up to reach the front door.

"I didn't, either. I thought it was abandoned," Lily was puzzled, but did not want to taint their newfound good luck. With kokone following behind her, she hurried to the door with Gumi.

The cabin was much smaller than the one in the woods, but much less haunted. The living room had an unfinished ceiling with the rafters still visible. A stone fireplace, a tiny bed, and a large trunk made up the inside of the house. A tiny white roomba rested on top of the trunk, but did not look recently used. Aside from a bathroom, the cabin only had one room. It wasn't easy to get lost in there.

"Nobody's here..." Gumi said, hopelessly.

"There must be a radio or something. A ranger would have to communicate with someone at a station somewhere," Lily assumed, but did not entirely know how forest rangers worked.

The three girls split off to search the room for some piece of technology. If they had a means of communicating with the outside world, someone could come and rescue them. The only other option was to run frantically through the forest and hope to find the exit before an ISB caught them.

Not trusting the cabin to not be haunted, kokone stuck near the back of the room, wanting to stay close to the door in case she needed to make a run for it. Gumi checked the bathroom for much longer than she should have, and Lily went to analyze the trunk which the roomba sat on top of.

"Maybe the radio's in here?"

Wondering what could possibly be inside the trunk, Lily went to move the roomba from the top to look inside. She grasped it by the sides and lifted it up, and it turned out to be much lighter than she expected.

"Hey, don't touch me! Let me go!"

Lily shrieked and dropped the roomba back on top of the trunk. Did it just speak to her? It certainly sounded like a high-pitched feminine voice. It couldn't have come from the roomba, it wasn't possible.

Even Gumi and kokone heard it, and from where they stood in the room, they watched Lily with widened eyes. Not one of them took a step forward or even slightly moved from where they stood. Lily remained hunched over in front of the circular vacuum cleaner.

"That did not just happen. This roomba did not just speak to me," Lily kept her gaze forward and announced her disbelief.

"That's where you're wrong, pal! I totally did just speak to you! Mind where you put your hands next time, okay?"

Lily staggered back, but caught herself just in time. Gumi, still in shock, paced over to where Lily stood to see if she, too, was hearing it right. kokone, on the other hand, only inched herself closer to the door. The brunette was ready to run as soon as she needed to.

"Technology sure has gotten creepy," Lily tried to find a plausible explanation for how this vacuum cleaner could be capable of speech and voice recognition. The world was changing, after all, and such a machine in the 21st century was not completely out of the question.

"I'm not technology, silly! I'm a girl!"

Gumi and Lily looked at each other in fright and bewilderment, then they looked back at the roomba. They had to admit, this wasn't the strangest thing they had seen in the forest. A talking machine was not too absurd as far as they were concerned.

"Wh-what's your name?" Lily asked, unsure of why that was the first thought that came to mind.

"I'm Cocorobo! At least, that's what my logo says! I was just Coco, but then I went and got myself turned into a vacuum cleaner! Pretty wild, huh?"

Lily could not form the words to express her amazement. Wild cats, vengeful spirits, killer shadows, now talking cleaning equipment? What next?

"Who are you, anyway? Maybe we can help each other out!" the roomba offered.

Unsure of whether or not to give the machine their personal information, Lily looked to Gumi for guidance. Gumi did not seem to mind, so the blonde told her everything.

"We were just going on a camping trip, then everything went pear-shaped. Our friends are missing and those demon things are after us!"

"We also got trapped in a haunted cabin by some girl named Ring. She looked like Miku!" Gumi added.

"Demon things? You mean the ISBs?" asked Cocorobo.

"The what now?"

"Indefinable Shadow Beasts. They're a lot like me, and Ring, too. Cursed prisoners of the forest who disgraced the gods that made it. It's a long and involved story, so lemme give you the reader's digest version. This forest has a curse on it, which I assume you knew but you were too eager to test it out for yourselves and ended up trapped in here. The reason it's cursed is because it holds the sacred Fountain of Diolacov!"

"Excuse me, could you run that by me again?"

"The Fountain of Diolacov is a majestic fountain that the Vocaloid gods created as a means of curing all ailments. It lies in the heart of the forest, and if you take a swim in it, you'll be cured of any sickness or pain!"

"That still doesn't explain why you're a vacuum cleaner."

"Curiosity got the best of me, I'm afraid. I went out searching for the fountain, and the ISBs got me. Like that Ring girl you mentioned, they imprisoned me here. They trapped me inside this stupid roomba and I've been here ever since! If you can bring me to the fountain, I might be able to become a human again!"

All this information was too much for kokone. She stepped closer and closer to the door, keeping her back pressed against the wooden wall. She was about to leave and forget all she had seen, but then something clicked. Literally.

The ground opened up beneath kokone, revealing a small trapdoor she had activated. As she lost her footing and fell into the trap, she tried to scream, but her hoarse voice wouldn't allow it. Lily and Gumi did not notice their friend fall into the pit, wherever it led. As soon as kokone was gone, the trapdoor closed behind her, as if it never opened in the first place.

"What do you say? Will you help me? I've been stuck like this for so long! I miss being able to eat things besides dust!" Cocorobo pleaded.

Gumi and Lily looked to each other for their opinion. "What do you think?" Lily asked her green-haired best friend.

"Can we trust you?" Gumi leered at the roomba, getting uncomfortably close to her.

"Of course you can! What's the worst I can do? Suck you up? I'm a freaking electric dustpan for crying out loud!"

"Let's help her out," Lily finally said. "Think of it. This fountain sounds like the stuff of legends! Wouldn't it be great to see it with our own eyes?"

Lily's ambitious nature shined through once again. She did want to help Cocorobo, but she also wanted to see this Fountain of Diolacov for herself. To bear witness to a sacred gift with extraordinary power was a once in a lifetime opportunity. On top of it, she got to help someone in need, so that was a nice bonus.

"You're right. She doesn't seeeem evil," Gumi stood up straight.

"I assure you, I am not. I really just want to be a human again," Cocorobo sighed.

"That settles it. Escaping the forest can wait. For now, we have a fountain to find. You hear that, kokonut?" Lily turned to see if kokone had been paying attention, but did not see anyone behind her. "kokone?"

Gumi and Lily looked around, trying to figure out where their campmate had gone. The cabin only had one room and a bathroom, so she couldn't have gone far. Gumi checked the bathroom, but no kokone.

"She probably ran off. What a coward," Lily grumbled. It wasn't uncharacteristic of kokone to run at the sight of something frightening, and seeing something as unsettling as a talking roomba probably startled her. Without her, Gumi and Lily were on their own.

"What now?" asked Gumi after looking out the nearest window to see if kokone was outside.

"We have another lost friend to find. Maybe Cocorobo can help us when she gets back in her human body," Lily thought out loud. "Coco, do you have a problem with me carrying you?"

"Not at all! I only freaked out before because you caught me by surprise. I was sleeping!"

Of course, it was impossible to tell when an object without a face was sleeping or not.

Outside, the sun was beginning to go down. The cold blue hue fell over the land, and it would be dark soon. Gumi rushed over to the window when she saw something out the corner of her eye. Lily did not seem interested at first, but she turned when she saw a look of worry in her best friend's face.

"What's wrong, Gumgum?"

"Come look."

Lily maneuvered over to the window and stood beside Gumi, looking out at the landscape. From the direction they came from, a few orbs of blackness were floating in from within the trees. They had bright red eyes and their forms shifted whenever they moved. They were the Indefinable Shadow Beasts.

"C-Coco... we got a bit of a problem here."

Lily turned back to Cocorobo, but Gumi kept watching as the ISBs moved closer to the cabin. There were at least twenty of them, but she didn't bother counting. She knew there were a lot, and that was a lot more than she was willing to deal with.

"You wouldn't happen to know how to deal with those Indefinable Shadow Beasts, would you?" Gumi asked their mechanical friend.

"Oh shoot."

Having sensed the movements of living creatures, the ISBs moved closer and closer to the ranger cabin. They knew Gumi and Lily were inside, and they were not about to let them escape. These lost souls knew nothing more than to bring other living souls down with them. They would not let their targets escape from the Execrated Forest.

"Is there anything, ANYTHING AT ALL, you can tell us about these creatures that might make them more... beatable?" Lily asked Cocorobo in a panic.

"Well, they're kinda stupid and animalistic. If one of you distracts them, they'll probably go after that one person. That's too dangerous, though."

Gumi sighed and banged her fist against the window. She looked down somberly at the floor, then returned to looking at the beasts that roamed about outside. They were waiting for the girls to come out. They were hunting them, and they had their prey cornered.

"Lily," Gumi knew what needed to be done. "I'm going out to distract them. You take Cocorobo and escape."

"What? Gumi, no!"

Lily ran over to her friend and took her by the arms, flipping her around to face her.

"You can't do that! Let me go out and distract them, I-"

Gumi pushed her finger against Lily's lip, quieting her down.

"I said what I said, buddy. I'm going to distract them, and that's final. You've been our leader since the beginning, so I'm trusting you to get Cocorobo to safety. Not to mention, I trust myself to survive much more than I trust you on your own."

Lily wanted to laugh at this subtle shade, but she was too moved by Gumi's suggestion of self-sacrifice to. Tears were starting to come down from her eyes, and she threw her arms around Gumi and wrapped her in a big hug. With tears in her own eyes, Gumi returned the hug and held Lily tight.

"Gumi, I... I..." Lily tried to speak, but could not form the words. Her best friend was about to throw herself into immediate danger for her to get away. She did not want to let this happen, but there was no other way.

"You love me?" Gumi jokingly finished Lily's sentence. "I love you too, pal. That's why I'm doing this."

"Y-yeah. That's what I meant, I think."

When Gumi and Lily pulled apart from their hug, Gumi looked over to the front door and chuckled.

"I'll be back. Don't worry, it takes a lot more than a couple shadows to get rid of me."

Bidding Lily farewell, Gumi strutted over to the door, with confidence in her every step. She slowly dragged it open and prepared to step outside.

"See you around, bestie," Gumi gave a dramatic bow before heading outside and shutting the door behind her. As soon as she walked into the evening air, she threw her arms above her and brought the attention to herself. "Hey, you ugly monster things! Over here! Come and get me!"

"Gumi, you marvelous buffoon..." Lily snickered from inside the cabin, wiping the tears from her eyes and watching Gumi from the window.

"Come and get me! Come on! My legs are faster than your... air. Come on!"

Gumi took off running into the forest, and the ISBs followed behind her. Every one of them now had their target locked. They wanted to catch Gumi. They wanted to make her one of them.

While Gumi led the Indefinable Shadow Beasts away, Lily rushed over to the trunk and lifted Cocorobo. The monsters were distracted, and if she didn't take this chance to get away, Gumi's heroic sacrifice would have been for nothing.

"I hope I can run fast enough. If they see me, they might stop chasing Gumi to come after us," Lily said to Cocorobo as she carried her to the front door.

"How much do you weigh?" asked Cocorobo without any warning.

Lily was appalled. How could her new friend ask such a question, especially out of the blue like that?

"What kind of question is that?"

"You look skinny. I might be able to carry you, actually!" Cocorobo said as Lily brought her outside and started in the opposite direction of which Gumi ran.

"What do you mean?"

"Quickly, before any of them come back. Climb on top of me!"

"Excuse me, what?"

"Climb on top of me, I promise! I'm certain I can handle your weight!"

"You are out of your mind. You are absolutely out of your mind," Lily said aloud, but did exactly as the roomba instructed.

Lily set Cocorobo down on the grassy path, then, trying to hold her body up, stepped onto Cocorobo and held onto the sides of her.

"Hang on tight. This is gonna be a ride to remember."

"What?!"

Anticipating what would happen next, Lily clung onto the underside of Cocorobo, gripping the bottom of the roomba as tightly as possible. With whatever force Coco was capable of giving, she tried her best to hang onto Lily. Once the preparations were cleared, she took off.

Giving a burst of energy, Cocorobo turned herself on and kicked it into high gear. She launched herself across the forest, with Lily on top of her, and flew away from the cabin at full speed. Lily screamed as the sudden flight through the air took her by surprise. She didn't expect this to actually work.

"Don't worry, I got you! Just hang on and enjoy the ride!" Cocorobo called up to Lily, keeping a straight flight pattern through the trees. She zipped through the forest at full speed, leaving the ISBs in the dust. Her destination: the Fountain of Diolacov.