"just a few more days and the countdown will reach zero..." Pomni muttered to herself as she looked at the time ticking down second by second, the foreboding feeling in her gut swelling as she worried for what would happen when it zero out, from the information Zooble had gotten, the "heroes of the weapons" knew of when "the waves of calamity" hit. They were those heroes since they had the vassal weapons and legendary shield but she really couldn't help but feel that there was something more to this timer, it couldn't just be to inform them when the waves hit, since it didn't inform where they happened how would they go to that area to fight it (or avoid it)? So either they would be magically sent there or... They were lighting rods for the waves, attracting them to their exact location which meant that they were a danger to everyone and themselves because apocalypse followed them, fated to fight or die...
"Ugh... Could this just be a dream and I wake up in the circus right about now? I don't know what is more preferable..." Pomni said as she now didn't know what was better, be stuck in that place or this situation of being a hero fated to fight doomsday. Couldn't she just go back to having a boring 9 to 5 office work and come home unfulfilled instead? At least she had to only worry about rent back then
Deciding that she really needed to get her mind out of this stuff, Pomni decided to take a walk in look for a distraction for herself, maybe go on another hunting trip to make her mind worry about wild monsters attacking her instead of her own existential dread.
It was while doing that where she heard the sound of wood being split as she soon found the source in Zooble cutting down wood into smaller chunks for the group's camp fire. That was good, talking with someone could get her mind off those stuff
"Hey Zooble, I want to...Oh you have your triangle head on. I thought you would stick to the human one you got" Pomni commented as she noticed that the amalgam had that equipped when she approached them and was a bit surprised by the fact, she thought Zooble would never equip that piece again now that they had the power to have the closest to a semblance of normalcy between the group in the form of a normal human head
"Ah, well... I suppose..." Zooble responded as they looked in another direction, the tone in their voice as well as the expression their eyes formed were not the typical apathetic response Zooble usually gave, this was different, more... Saddened
"Zooble? Is there a problem?" Pomni asked, she knew it was rude to intrude on her friends problems but it was probably better to talk things out
"... I hate how uncomfortable it made me with myself, okay?" Zooble responded plainly as they looked away, fiddling with the decorative chest piece they had on absent minded
"Oh... You don't like the face? You find it ugly or something? Because I think it looks fine" Pomni said as to reassure Zooble since she didn't particularly find the face the amalgam possessed in human form particularly ugly or unpleasant, heck she probably looked worse when she was human even with makeup... And there she goes bringing back old insecurities from the grave when she was supposed to help out someone else with their own insecurities
"It isn't that... I don't know how to explain it, whenever I have a human part equipped, it feels nice and normal... but then suddenly I feel even worse in the body I have because of the rest of the parts" Zooble responded as they equipped a human hand as they looked at it, the sensation they felt when the windy breeze struck their skin in that form, the way they felt when something touched it, that was all... Normal, something they almost forgot about how it felt, but that just caused the rest of them to feel worse because it didn't feel normal, stepping on grass with plastic feet isn't the same as with a normal feet, having a arm covered in fur felt strange when the wind struck it, and so on and so forth with many more examples
"I can only equip one part, so the rest is still just a bunch of components mashed together... Sort like having one arm completely fine and healthy but the rest of your body is covered in third degree burns" Zooble said as that was probably the best way they could describe the feeling they got to anyone else, they didn't feel this way when they had any other random part together, but something about having a singular human part in their body while the rest was whatever made this a problem, maybe it was this feeling of normalcy that was the root of the problem, if everything else in their body felt abnormal then it was not really something to note but having something normal mixed in with the weird definitely was
"Hey, if what Gangle said about those Isekai are right, you might get the ability to equip more parts of the same set, you might achieve full human form one day" Pomni exclaimed as she tried to cheer up the amalgam, though she didn't know if stuff from animes and mangas Gangle saw could even apply here it was still something that brought a glimmer of hope for their situation, she was particularly hoping that it wouldn't take too long for that so they wouldn't need to live in isolation for longer
"I don't want to be the only one of us to get that..." Zooble murmured to themselves quietly, they didn't want to doubt Gangle's knowledge of the alleged genre they were in but considering how a lot of bad luck stuck them at times it felt like this time would be no different. So sure maybe they would unlock the ability to equip multiple parts of the same type but what about the rest of their friends that lacked such ability? If Zooble was the only one that could be human while the rest stayed monsters then... They would just become an outcast to their own group of outcasts, certainly jealousy would start to form and the others would treat them differently, for the worst probably
"I made things bad didn't I?" Pomni said as she scratched her arm, the whole ambient was filled with a awkward energy now just because she couldn't keep that big mouth shut to comment on something so meaningless. Zooble looked at the jester and sighed, knowing Pomni was probably thinking she was at fault for simply checking on them
"Nah, you just made me talk about it... Were you a therapist before the circus?" Zooble asked as Pomni definitely had some weird way to make people talk about their issues and comfort them so seemingly, a borderline super power if she was able to make them talk, the amalgam wondered if Pomni could even get through Jax's thick skull
"I was an accountant, but I might as well be one, god knows I could write a thesis about psychology from my time in that place" Pomni joked, but in all honesty she most definitely could write that book, though most of it was probably going to be about all the ways Caine almost made her have a complete mental breakdown
"Here's your food, some extra yummy mushroom soup! But watch out because it's hotty hot!" Gangle said cheerfully as a big grin was stamped on their mask, doing a little spin as if dancing as she placed down the soup close to Jax and pulling out a spoon dramatically, gently stirring circles on the soup as she left it inside the bowl
Jax's response was a slap to her face, making her mask fall and break on the ground, Gangle simply let out a sad little whimper as she got up and began leaving. Jax would be satisfied with being left alone again but something has been on his mind, plaguing it, not giving him ease and it involved the ribbon girl
"Hey Gangle, I heard you helped in that whole shit show of a rescue operation... Why did you help? Can't see how a wimpy crybaby would have the balls to participate" Jax asked as he looked at her with a side eye, his smile was smug but his eyes were filled with curiosity, wondering if Gangle would respond or not. See, ever since those idiots came to save his behind, there has been a lot of weird stuff going on in his head
"... I just thought about if the roles were reversed" the ribbon girl simply responded and for a moment Jax's expression was blank before a smug, almost satisfied smile appeared on it
"Oh, I get it now, you helped because I wouldn't. That makes sense, I would leave behind anyway" Jax said as all the pieces were finally getting together to form the full picture, she did it to feel morally superior to him, since she didn't want to be like him who would abandon any of them to their fate, she had to be better than him so she helped all so she could sleep well at night knowing she had bested him
"That's not it... I thought about if I was in your place, wounded, being dragged away by strangers with my life in their hands... I would be scared, really scared and would want my friends to come and help me, and you must have felt the same" Gangle explained as the whole situation Jax had found himself in creeped her out, sure she had always wished Jax would get some comeuppance for all he puts her and the others through, and she did write and draw him getting hurt in many ways before but she kept that to herself and her notebook, wishing for that to actually happen in reality was a different matter. Sure she felt a sense of satisfaction at first hearing the news because she thought karma got to him but when she put herself in his shoes she could see how scary that was and her human emphaty won over apathy towards Jax in this occasion
"... You think of me as your friend?" Jax asked, his usual snarky and sarcastic tone gone for a moment, definitely from sheer shock at such a possibility. Did he gave her Stockholm syndrome or something? He spent the better half of what he assumed to be at least a year or decade tormenting her, making her miserable daily and she thought of him as a friend? He must have screw her brains really hard from all the times he caused her to smack face at something to break her comedy mask
"... In all honesty, no, not for a lack of trying but it is really hard to not see you as just a big bully after all this time you spent making me suffer. But people are more complex than that, I know that, deep inside you're as vulnerable and sad as any of us" Gangle explained as there were a number of occasions where Gangle had hoped that she and Jax could just be friends rather than tormentor and the tormented, but after a while she just gave up because it was not worth the effort, she knew that Jax was pathetic, everyone in the circus was if she could be completely honest but he in particularly was probably the most pathetic one only behind herself
"You are really bad at reading people, ribbons, because what's on the outside is also what's inside" Jax commented with a annoyed look but all he got as a response was a giggle from Gangle, as she found it funny and sad how the rabbit was trying to diminish himself as this one dimensional character when both knew that people are much more than they seem on the outside
"You wear a mask Jax just the same as Ragatha or anybody else, and I know everything about masking, was doing that way before the circus, because of my job" Gangle said as she spent most of her life masking herself, but her job as shift manager quite literally required her to act differently from the rest of the employees, she had to motivate them to work on with a smile so she couldn't do that while looking chronically depressed outside, so everyday was just her pretending everything was fine when in fact it wasn't
"But if you actually want to be my friend, genuinely want to be friends with everyone else, you got to take that mask of a bully off. And trust me, I'm going to be arms wide, first one to embrace you" Gangle said as she gave him one last look, before walking away from there, leaving the rabbit to brew with the tidbits of that conversation, at least he knew more about Gangle but what she knew of him terrified him
Was he that easy to read? No, no no, clearly Gangle was wrong about him! He didn't wore a mask! This was who he was as a person! His true self in all it's glory!
... Right?
In another side of the camp, Ragatha was preparing a few things, specifically items through the weapon's crafting system for later use, though one of the status help screens did say that crafting by hand was better to ensure more quality to the materials, it wasn't like she knew how or had the equipments for crafting by hand, so using the easy way would have to do for now
"Alright, so five more leaves and three mushrooms and... Ta-da! Another paste for treating wounds!" Ragatha commemorated as a small pot made of clay manifested in her hand in a shining glow, as she carefully placed it alongside half a dozen similar pots all lined up neatly next to each other "Thank god these things come in their own bottles"
"Now let's see, we got stuff to treat wounds, stuff for fever though is super bitter, back up comedy masks for Gangle but bandages need wool or spider webs to make which is hard to find, we still have some for the next few days but after that..." Ragatha said as she looked at her own inventory to see what they had and didn't have, absorbing the stuff Zooble had brought back was a good call as that allowed them access to the crafting recipes for that stuff, but Zooble had only brought stuff to help treat infected wounds and not something like a medicine book so they could only treat about two types of problems and then there was the issue of needed materials to craft the stuff, sure natural ingredients were easy to find but some stuff required items they couldn't get their hands on yet
"Well that's a worry for later, now I better start gathering some more materials and food for dinner" Ragatha said as she packed up the remains of what she crafted and went to the forest looking for materials and maybe a few monster to sneak in some exp, it never hurt to get a bit stronger. Though Pomni did say for her to chill for a bit on the whole thing about growing stronger to compensate feeling useless... But she wouldn't know that unless she levels up, surely Pomni wasn't keeping track of her levels, if she went from 8 to 9 how would the jester know if she didn't see the change in her status screen? The notification window only appeared for big events like going up multiple in a single instant or the entire group levelling up. Yeah, she could definitely be bold and break from being "grounded" since she was a daring dolly today, she would be back way before Pomni noticed her absence and she could come up with a excuse like saying a boar attacked her while getting berries
God did she feel naughty for doing so, but it was also devilishly tantalizing to do so. It was for the sake of the group so it was a good thing for her to do, at least she saw it that way. And so the doll walked out from the surrounding cave that had become the home of her and her monstrous friends as she dwelled into the nearby forests looking for both materials and creatures to defeat, she absent mindedly hummed tunes for herself as she stayed on the lookout for anything interesting
Jax moved through the cave, walking past the others as they slept after he nabbed any of the supplies these suckers hadn't placed in their inventories, moving with all the caution he could as to not make a sound so he doesn't wake them up and thus foil his plan.
He needed to get out of this frickin cave before he went insane, all he could do in there was introspect into himself and his actions as he was taken care by this posey of sentimental do-gooders so he had to leave before they infected his brain with their niceties. They were already getting to him, he was getting soft, if he doesn't escape soon he will probably start knitting sweaters for orphan puppies and shit like that. He soon saw the entrance to the cave or in this case, a exit.
As he got out, he took a deep breath, freedom is his now, he would run as far away as he could from here even if that risked opening the wound in his stomach, he didn't care about if that would kill him as that was better than having these horrible feelings of affection. Heck, maybe he should find the nearest by village and burned it to the ground to get his grove back, kicking a puppy while he was at it
"Oh hey Jax!" A voice called him out as he froze in horror, slowly turning his head to see Kinger sitting there by a bonfire waving at him. Okay this was salvageable, kinger would probably forget he was here, maybe if he stood perfectly still and quiet the old man would think he was a tree
"Come down and sit down here, you're still recovering from that nasty wound ain't ya?" Kinger said as his hands went and grabbed Jax as the rabbit was surprised that the two floating limbs were able to pull him so easily as they dragged him close to kinger and made him sit down there
"What were you doing out here? Did you need to use the restroom? Because you would have to dig a whole first" Kinger asked as he tilted his head as he looked at Jax, not knowing he was trying to escape from this place and by extension Kinger and the others
"None of your business gramps, shouldn't you be in bed already by now?" Jax asked as he had expected the resident senior citizen of the group to had been the first asleep, though he should have already known Kinger wouldn't behave like a normal old man
"Oh, I guess I should it's just that the night sky is so beautiful to look at, it reminds me of eyes staring back at me" Kinger said as he looked up, the darken skies were like a body of shadows, while the stars were like hundreds of smalls eyes shining as they looked at him, with the moon being this big center eye that tore into the depths of his soul with its gaze... Wanting to talk about different classifications of bugs...
"Uh huh, hey kinger look a bug!" Jax said as he pointed at a random direction while lifting up his hammer to swing at Kinger and knock him out
"Where?!" Kinger said as he looked around the direction Jax pointed as the rabbit went and swung his heavy hammer towards Kinger's head, but the chess piece seemingly ducked down just in time as the momentum of the swing combined with the heavy head of his hammer made Jax twist and fall on the ground
"Wow good eye Jax, look at this little fella, definitely adding him to my collection" Kinger said as he held between his fingers a small green beatle, before he noticed Jax was on the floor, clutching his sides in pain as twisting that way and falling on the hard floor were not too good for a man still recovering, even if the wound had healed up mostly the flesh there was still very sensitive
"You okay there, you shouldn't be forcing yourself or else that wound will get worse" Kinger said as he reached out a hand towards Jax, but the rabbit just slapped it away as he got up to look at the chess piece with a look of indignation
"Oh shut it, why do you care? Why do any of you care anyways?" Jax asked but he didn't really want a answer, no response from this people would matter because it would be annoyingly sugarcoated, the only person who's opinion he could trust is Zooble because they were practically always brutally honest when they spoke but even then he would probably ignore it for audacity sake
"Because we care about you, you're our--"
"Friend? You were going to say Friend? Newsflash you old fart, I'm not you guys friend! I'm the bully, the asshole, the bad guy, the guy you all hate!" Jax shouted, how many times had he tried hammering in this point home to this old geezer? He lost count after a while, but he should get the message the others had already gotten, he was bad news! If a rabbit's feet brought on good fortune then he did the opposite, he was the most obnoxious, selfish, evil person to ever cross the digital tiles of that damn circus. He deserved a trip to hell, not compliments or condolences from people who allegedly cared for him because there was nobody left that he would gladly receive that from and the less of this sympathy he could only perceive as fake the better in his not so humble opinion
"Don't come with that fake sympathy to me, I know you forget literally everything so let me remind you. I been tormenting you and those idiots for what? Years now? And you still have the balls to believe I'm just some poor unfortunate victim of circumstances?" Jax said as he angrily stomped around, kicking dirty at the small campfire and putting it out as the only thing left shiny any form of light now was the moon. God did he hate Kinger almost as much as he did Ragatha, the chess piece incapability to hate him because of his forgetful nature was such a annoyance with his goals, Kinger acted like they were really friends, even when he threw knifes or snakes at him he would just act like none of that happened a few seconds after, his friendly attitude made him want to puke
"I'm a fucking jackass! Simple as that! Every day I make everything in my power to make you all hate me... And you guys still helped me? Why?Why?" Jax asked as he clenched his hands at his chest, years of dedication sewing hate between his circus mates, restless hours of dedication to being the baddest he could be, the gullying task of acquiring resources and setting up down right diabolical pranks and schemes. And yet, instead of being abandoned to die alone or even executed by his victims, he instead received help from them? Now that they weren't in the circus anymore and could hurt him as much as they wanted to they decide to be nice to him? It wasn't just bafflingly, it was maddening for Jax
"I don't get it... I don't understand any of it... Have those others also lost their minds like you?" Jax said while clenching his arms around his head utterly confused. Clouds moved through the sky, covering the moon that was the only light source left, leaving the two in a perfect blend of soft darkness, as Kinger's posture adjusted itself to be more well composed and straighten than his usual hunchback one
"... You say that but you aren't a bad guy Jax, you're just afraid and traumatized just like us" Kinger replied, something about his voice sounded off to Jax, there was a serene sense of calm to it that his normal voice didn't have but he ignored that for the most part
"I'm really not" Jax said as he would vividly deny be the same as this sorry bunch of people
"Oh I'm sure, my brain might be a bunch of static electricity and mush at this point but I remember that when you got there in the circus, you were just like everyone else" Kinger said as he knew Jax had been a good person before, sure from what he could remember Jax was a bit of a prick even before he got worse but he was the charming type that knew when and where to make a joke or sarcastic remark when it was appropriate, plus he seemed so scared and confused when he first appeared in the circus, almost like a scared puppy or child
"Also if you're a bad guy, why did you always helped carry Wyrmly around? I remember you always went back to pick him up in your arms when we were caught in a chase or in those events Caine didn't design for worms in mind" kinger pointed out as Jax was always helping that poor lad Wyrmly, he really got screw over by the character model he got, having a tail as your only limb must have been hard, but thankfully Jax was always there for him, carrying him in the arms bridal style or around his neck like one of them fancy fluffy scarfs. Those two were always together like glue, they were truly... Were they best friends or boyfriends? He didn't remember right now, he remembered that Dobby always joked about the two being a thing but he wasn't sure, he might be misinterpreting some things... Who did Jax gave chocolates to in the valentine adventure?
"... W-w-what?" Jax heart skipped a beat and went into flat line at the mention of that name as it hit like knifes to his heart, Kinger barely remembered his name or what he was, he shouldn't remember that, not something from so far back
"Or that time you helped Flooffie getting her saxophone back from that rat king in the Hoarding Hooligans Hijinks adventure" Kinger gave another example, man did he miss Flooffie's musical performances, everyone in the circus loved to listen to that soothing jazz after a hard adventure, that girl had talent to be able to play that instrument with just four chunky fingers
"How did you..." Jax's legs were shaking in fear as he was in shock, that adventure was so far back, Caine used actual PNGs for some of the assets, like the cape and crown of the rat king, no way Kinger could remember that
"Or when you and Ragatha baked those cookies for those poor NPCs in Orphan Island which was a horrible name by Caine, that whole adventure kinda sucked" Kinger reminisced, definitely not one of Caine's best work, you would expect something cool from a adventure called Disaster of the Dino Dynamo! But the whole adventure fell flat, maybe it would have been more fun if the Dino Dynamo in question didn't get stuck in between the ground because of collision bugs
"Stop that!" Jax shouted but his cries were unheard as the chess piece continued
"Or when you were giving Kaufmo actual criticism on his jokes and how to improve? I mean you could have been less crude and snarky about it because I think he thought you were being sarcastic rather than honest. I never really understood his jokes so I don't know if they were good or bad but--"
"Stop! Stop! Stop talking you fuck! How do you remember that?! You don't remember things, you forget them! That's your whole stick! That's your character!" Jax shouted from the top of his lungs while pulling at his ears, he didn't give a fuck if this woke up the others he just wanted Kinger to stop talking about the past. He didn't understand, Kinger's brain has the same consistency of gravy, he was a forgetful, paranoid, mentally unstable old man that should be in a loony bin, years without even remembering the color of his gloves and now all of the sudden he was bringing out all of this embarrassing baggage out to convince him he was a person? What gives?! How was this happening?!
"... I don't know honestly, maybe having a actual functioning body with a new fresh brain is part of it, and there's so little overstimulation of colors and sounds here compared to the circus I guess my mind can actually concentrate" Kinger explained the possible reasons for it, he was aware the dark calmed his mind but the fact of the matter is that now there was more than just darkness as a factor here since he had a new body that felt things differently from his digital one and the environment was much more calm
"I don't remember everything, but from what I do, I remember you were a nice fella, sure you were mischievous but you keep things light, and Ragatha even enjoyed some of the pranks you pulled on her" Kinger said as he missed those more light-hearted jokes and pranks era for Jax, heck, Ragatha was actually quite fond of most of them, like the time Jax trapped her in a giant jello pudding because it was absolutely delightful to eat her way out of it. He wondered how this past Jax would have done with Kaufmo, the two would probably be a unstoppable comedy duo
"Now let's see, it was... After Wyrmly's abstracted that you started acting really mean, but I get it, you two were very close... and then there was some three adventures where you were awful and then... My wife... everything gets very blurry after being honest... I miss her" Kinger said with a distant look into his eyes as he stared off into the dark horizon for a moment, he could almost hear her voice being faintly carried by the wind, calling for him, wanting him to join her in wherever may she be
"... I miss her too" Jax admitted, though he didn't have the same familial relationship Ragatha had with the chess couple because that doll had serious mommy issues from what Jax could tell, Queenie treated everyone there in the circus as family, even Caine. She reminded him of his own mom a bit, though without the southern accent with just a tad more childish enthusiasm, she and Wyrmly were the only things that put him at ease in that place, to lose them one after another back to back didn't really help. He missed those days...
"I don't know your train of logic for why you act like this but making everyone hating isn't really helpful or healthy you know?" Kinger said as that was obviously a very problematic coping method, making yourself the constant target for everyone's hatred would probably crumble the soul of many other men, he was actually kind of impressed by Jax's mental fortitude to keep on for this long and not abstracting
"Is easier for everyone that way... If they hate me, they would have something else to focus on other than the futility of it all you know? And hey, it worked didn't it? Took a lot longer for someone to go into the cellar after I started" Jax argued as his lightning rod strategy seemed to be working just fine, after all that made Ragatha have someone to look better to by comparison and he made her be helpful to the others by making situations she could either help out or comfort them about, Gangle didn't focus on her self issues as much since she busied herself drawing manga about him getting hit by lightning or something, and Zooble... Well they hadn't abstracted yet so he was probably doing something right with his bullying towards them
"You can drop the act you know? Nobody would be mad at you for not being a horrible person every waking moment of the day" Kinger argued since he was certain everyone else in the cast would like Jax more if he didn't behave like this evil jerk on purpose, breaking the facade and allow them to see a Jax that wasn't actively planning a way to mess with them might actually alleviate group tension and allow for better relationships to blossom between the crew
"I can't, I have been like this for too long now, I actually began to like it you know? It's so empowering being the bad guy and it's so much easier being a character rather than a person..." Jax said as it has truly been a long while he had been playing the role of antagonist and he found enjoyment in it, his parents would be disappointed in him for actually getting enjoyment from hurting others, sure it was wacky cartoony stunts most of the time but if you consider NPCs as living beings then he also committed a genocide with no regrets about it, sure in a nihilistic point of view nothing matters so why not have fun? That's what he has been doing in the shit show that was that dumb circus... But he wasn't in the circus now was he? A new world was also a new beginning for him and these suckers he was stuck with. But new stuff are scary, he wasn't ready to be a different type of Jax than what he was now, it was more safe and comfortable to just stay in this role he assigned himself as than try a new one
"You don't need to be a character. Being human doesn't make you weak, it's our greatest strength" Kinger said as he placed a hand in Jax's shoulder, the clouds covering the pale moon dispersed and as the moonlight basked the camp once again, kinger blinked a couple of times before looking around half confused as he seemingly noticed Jax's presence like they weren't talking before
"... Oh hey Jax, when did you get here?" Kinger asked innocently as it seemed he has reset back into old crazy nut job, and Jax didn't know if he should feel happy or sad about after the talk the two just had
"... I was just coming back from a trip to the woods to empty the tank, ignore me..." Jax said dismissively as he waved at the chess piece before entering the cave, the smile in his face cracked as his eyes started to tear up, when he got back to the wretched bed he was trying to escape, he laid back to stare at the ceiling as he began to cry softly, left to think alone by himself, that gosh darn chess piece must have passed his madness to him because he opened himself too much while Kinger struck every single cord that still hurts in his mind and soul
God, how did he hate feeling his own heart beating
Canon shorts - Before I lost you and myself
In the digital realm where the show never ends and circus theatrics are common as air, returning from a adventure was a group of people who were currently returning to their sleeping quarters after exhausting themselves in such a laboring task meant to entertain them, in particular two were far behind the others, one by choice to stay close to his pal and the other by obligation since he didn't have legs and thus had to crawl along the floor
"Well that was definitely an adventure... Why the heck was most NPCs talking about mayonnaise?" A fuzzy looking worm, with a stripe pattern of light orange and light green, with heterochromic eyes, having one being a lilac color and the other a baby blue named Wyrmly by Caine's random name generator commented as he crawled on the ground, by his side was his best friend, the lilac rabbit with pinkish red overalls and yellow eyes and teeth everyone knew as Jax's
"A.i. generated dialogue is my guess, but don't worry, I know there's one last exciting thing for the day" Jax promised as he gave the worm a wink, the fuzzy worm looked at the tall rabbit and Jax replied by looking at him with a mischievous enthusiasm
"Ohhhh... And what would that be my friend?" Wyrmly asked as he sent a equally mischievous look at Jax, who replied with a chuckle, one of his friend's pranks was exactly what he needed to get his mood up
"Remember that obstacle race Caine made, in particular those balloons that puffed up whoever popped one?" Jax asked as Wyrmly was reminded of that particular adventure, he absolutely despised it because their gracious host forgot that he had no legs to run and thus could only move around like a snake or worm, which meant that he didn't have what it took to make it far, especially while having to avoid various obstacles
"You mean the ones he completely ripped off from Super Mario world, down to the big white letter on them? You got some of those?" Wyrmly said as he looked at Jax with curiosity on what he planned to do with those things and more importantly who he was going to use them against
"Correct my crawling pal, let's just say dollface had her pillow's stuffing replaced and knowing her habit of just throwing herself hard at her--" Jax was interrupted by three loud pops followed by a girlie scream, the rabbit and worm looked at each other smiling as they went to where the sound had came from... Ragatha's room. As they opened the door thanks to the keys Jax had acquired somehow, they were greeted to the sight of Ragatha with her entire body with the exception of her head and limbs round as circle, flailing around her limbs panicking as her head bonked the ceiling when it attempted to go up
"How's the weather up there dolly? Something interesting happening in the ceiling? Hehe" Jax commented as he watched the doll's movement cease as she tried to readjust herself in the air, being able to move just enough that she could stare at the two people in her door
"Geez, I thought ragdolls were filled with cotton not helium" Wyrmly added sarcastically as he and Jax softly chuckled, meanwhile Ragatha's expression changed into a angry foul since now she knew who was responsible for this
"Jax! Wyrmly! You two are so screwed unless you get Caine to fix me right away!" The ragdoll shouted at them, wondering how the heck did they get those damn balloons and when did they change her pillow's stuffing since it would have to be during the morning but unless Jax moved from the center area to her room in less than 15 minutes there was no way he managed to swap it out
"Nah, I think our gracious warden should get a little rest after such a tiring day of making adventures" Jax commented since Caine would be too busy planning tomorrow's adventure to notice or hear anything amiss so once again he escaped free from consequences
"Yeah, how selfish of you Ragatha, then again you do have a inflated sense of self" Wyrmly jokingly said as he did a small movement with his tail to emulate a dismissive wave of the hand, Jax laughing with him at the joke
"When I tell Queenie about this you both will get what's coming!" Ragatha threatened, but it was very hard to take her seriously in this state, as she kicked and flail her limbs around angrily while floating in place
"Oh no, we won't be allowed to eat desert for the next two weeks! Whatever will we do?" Jax responded sarcastically as he dramatically placed a hand to his forehead, acting like that was some huge grievance
"See you tomorrow, Nagatha!" Wyrmly said as he waved his tail while Jax slammed the door shut, both walking off chuckling as they could still hear the muffled shouts Ragatha was making, even hearing at least one censored swear word
[Author's Notes]
Hi, sorry for taking so long to make a new chapter, school decided that free time should be a privilege and so the teachers have been passing a bunch of homework and exams
Decided to name the player that looks like a worm on string toy as Wyrmly and made him Jax's partner in crime... Platonic? Romantic? It's up to you guys to decide
Floofie is the name I came up for the player that looks like a pink cyclops covered in fur
Next chapter is the wave and it might take a while to come out since I have to plan the fights that occur there