In the brief time they shared together, their boss had already given them so much. The will to keep going. Easing a loneliness in their heart. Bringing them hope at their lowest point, then and now. They knew it would be selfish to hold on, to drag him with them and condemn him to the same disastrous fate.
Jongler and Battat traveled along the graveled pathway, connected by a handhold. The cool, humid tunnel was mostly devoid of objects, save for various small rocks strewn about. Their surroundings adopted a red sheen, due to Jongler's LED being the sole light source.
The thick tunnel walls were punctuated by cracks, providing glimpses to a deeper cave system hidden past the walls. Certain cracks provided barely a large enough opening for Battat to squeeze through, but he did not make any attempt to enter and explore them, since it would require breaking hand contact with Jongler, and losing the light.
With no other reasonable option forward, the two made their way down the larger, prominent straight shot to who-knew-where. The tunnel amplified the smallest of sounds, making audible the distant dripping water from within the labyrinth hidden behind the tunnel walls. Their own footfalls accompanied as a chorus of thunder.
The two coworkers remained silent. Dripping water and footsteps were their world's backdrop.
Jongler glanced down at Battat for a moment, observing the scarf they had snugly wrapped around his neck earlier. The cave temperature was cool enough that the scarf would be a comfortable garment. They felt satisfied with their foresight, proud they could be of use for their boss.
They unconsciously hummed a simple tune, filling the relative quietness. Its echoes hauntingly bounced along the walls, disappearing into the far unknown. The rebound sound indicated it would be a long walk before reaching the tunnel's end.
A scowl formed on Battat's face. "Could you not do that right now?"
The lack of a provided reason was no concern to Jongler. After all, Battat possessed good judgement and reliable decision making, which had gotten them this far already. Barring moral objections, they would follow pretty much any order he issued without question. "Yeh, youse got it, boss."
Water and footsteps ad infinitum.
And the warmth of their boss's hand.
They were grateful to have boss. They wanted to know more about him. They weren't skilled at small talk, but gave it their best shot.
"Didja finish all yer work at da office yet?" Jongler asked, eagerly anticipating a response.
Battat shot them an annoyed look. He rolled his eyes and returned to looking straight ahead into the distance.
Jongler wasn't sure why their boss ignored them. They tested the waters by asking a question with less focus on him and moreso on another subject.
"Whatcha think 'bout dat potential product collab wit our company 'n Card Kings?" Jongler asked, hoping boss would say something back this time.
Battat shot them another annoyed look. He looked like he was about to say something, before sighing and changing his mind, looking forward again. He shook his head dismissively.
With nothing else to do in the empty tunnel, Jongler tried asking one more question. "Doin' somethin' special fer bring yer kid ta work day comin' up soon?"
This time Battat shot a horrified look, with mouth agape. It provoked him enough to respond, though not the kind of response Jongler was hoping for. "Knock it off already!", he snapped. "Do you honestly think now is the appropriate time to be talking about work stuff? Just… please. Stop talking."
Jongler's high spirits were crushed upon hearing the new order. They weren't sure if the reason they had to stop talking was because they had said something wrong. They replied back with an "Okay…", feeling dejected.
Oops, Jongler thought. Boss ordered me not ta say anything, 'n I just did. I shoulda nodded my head insteada breaking da rule immediately.
They vowed not to talk for the entirety of the tunnel, to avoid annoying their boss any further.
Jongler redirected their focus to hopping, avoiding the larger rocks. A few times prior, upon initially entering the tunnel, they almost lost their balance, but managed to steady themselves before falling down. Hopping in and of itself wasn't too challenging, but coordinating that task along with handholding and keeping match with Battat's pace required a more concerted effort. They juggled the tasks to distract them from their sadness after being scolded by their boss.
Dripping water, footsteps, and an uncomfortable silence persisted. Battat was the first to break it. He let out a loud sigh. "Look."
Jongler turned their head to look at him, and listened intently.
"It's better not to talk in here as much as possible," Battat explained, voice strained like pulling teeth. "We have no idea what's in here. There could be dangerous things, and we don't have a way defend ourselves. Maybe there's nothing in here, but it's better to play it safe just in case. We should just stay silent and avoid bringing attention to us. That's kind of why I…" he trailed off, trying to choose the right words.
"So, uh. Anyways. Try to like, bounce as softly as you can, to make as little noise as-" Battat's advice abruptly halted.
Jongler was so engrossed with boss and his words that they weren't paying attention to what was in front of them. They lost their footing, tripping on a larger-than-normal rock and falling flat on their face. During their forward momentum, they let go of Battat's hand, which sent the little guy flying. With hand contact lost, the cave grew dark again.
Jongler heard a thud and their boss groaning in the distance. The cave walls transformed any noise into an echo, making it tricky to pinpoint exactly how far and in which direction he had landed.
"Where'd you go?" Battat complained.
No reply from Jongler. Only a softer chain of parroting "where'd you go"'s following suit.
"HELLO? I said where are you?" Battat sounded mostly frustrated but slightly worried.
Jongler was hesitant. Was it acceptable to reply back to him? But their boss told them not to talk, so they shouldn't say anything, and should continue not saying anything. He did ask them a question, which could imply that he wanted a response back, but they couldn't be absolutely certain. They didn't want to get yelled at for screwing up by failing to follow orders exactly. A very simple instruction, at that. Boss was speaking, which was technically breaking the rule, but he knew better than them, so the rule might only apply to Jongler and not him, for a reason beyond their comprehension.
They internally reached a compromise, a way to respond back without speaking any words. They envisioned their mouth was sealed shut and made a grunting sound. "Mmmmmmmm."
"Huh. What the" Battat couldn't form a complete thought, being so utterly confused.
Jongler, still on the ground, crawled steadily in the general direction they last heard Battat's voice. It was greatly upsetting, bringing back flashbacks to when they were crawling in the cliffs area, stranded. In the cave though, they actively chose to crawl as the ideal strategy, not wanting to bounce-crash into their boss or hop past him too quickly by mistake.
They continued crawling forward, until they heard Battat's voice again. He was complaining about something, his default mode. "What gives? Did the LED break from overuse already? We've only been in here a few minutes, there's no way."
The sound waves were coming from behind Jongler. They reasoned they crawled passed their boss, the two having missed each other's trajectories. They swiveled back around and followed the complaints to the source.
Battat kept talking. "Okay. Whatever. We'll just do the first plan, which was to follow along the tunnel wall. Also, uh, did you change gloves or something?"
Battat's voice was the closest it had sounded since the two had gotten separated. Jongler felt around the ground until they grabbed something lying flat, cylindrical and clothed.
"Hey, what in the- Don't just randomly grab my leg???"
"mmm" Jongler let go and reached further along and a bit higher. They clutched something smooth, covered in flat surfaces and long edges, pushing it to the ground with unintended force.
"Urgh. Seriously, watch it!"
Found Battat's head. They aimed a bit lower and to the side, clasping his shoulder. From there, they trailed along the length of the arm, producing a shudder from him, until they located his hand. They wrapped their digits around it, palms connecting. The red LED light returned, bringing boss back into vision.
Battat squinted, his eyes adjusting to the light. He faced towards Jongler and gave an unhappy greeting. "Why the heck didn't you just do that the first time?"
Jongler looked upon their displeased boss. One of his hands was holding theirs, as made obvious by the red light functioning. However, the opposite hand was holding something else, placing him in the middle of a handholding chain. They tilted their head around to get a better look at what resided in the opposite hand. It was…
Battat noticed Jongler looking past him. Wait. So if Jongler was on this side, holding this hand, then they couldn't possibly be on the other side, holding the other hand. Anxiously, Battat turned to look at the hand held by not-Jongler. His eyes grew saucer-plate large.
He was locked in a handhold with an arm made of shadow, starkly dark even in the red light. It was unknown what creature the arm was connected to, as the remainder of it was hidden in a cave alcove. Battat dropped the unknown hand like a hot coal, screaming in unison with Jongler. The two ran away like their lives depended on it, staggering awkwardly, forced to maintain hand contact to see which way they were going.
During the escape, Jongler, still screaming, effortlessly swept Battat off of his feet and wrapped him in one arm, while maintaining hand contact using their other arm. Battat's screaming went unabated by the transition, and he began flailing like he was making a midair snow angel. Jongler bounded away as fast as their leg could carry them. Gotta protect boss.
They ran and screamed until they were nearly out of breath. They had made a considerable distance with the creature that planted fear in both their hearts.
Gasping for air, Jongler slowed down until reaching an arbitrary stopping point, setting Battat on the ground, keeping a hand connected. Battat was panting just as heavily, despite being held for the end portion of the journey there. He rested his free hand on one knee, partially crouched, staring at a patch of ground.
Battat spoke gravely between gasps. "Holy shit. The heck was thing? Oh my god. Holy shit." As he caught his breath, he narrowed his eyes, considering an important detail he had overlooked. "Wait. Was that another person? Somebody like us? Or was that a monster that could kill us?"
He moved his free hand to his chin, considering this. "Maybe we should go back and check. Hrm. But maybe not. I'm not entirely sure what we should do."
He frowned and looked up at Jongler, as if awaiting for some input. No response from them, committed to upholding their vow of silence. Though, they didn't have any ideas to provide either, so the enforced rule held little impact.
"Hello? Hey." He derisively waved his free hand at Jongler. "Why aren't you saying anything?" His expression dropped upon reaching a realization, and he gave up on waving. "Oh. Right. Okay, let's see…" Battat returned the hand to his chin and looked away, lost in thought.
Jongler fondly watched their boss quietly muttering to himself, formulating some sort of plan, the next course of action. They were glad nothing bad had happened to him.
"Okay." Battat began in a confident tone while facing Jongler, decision made. He gestured wildly with his hands while speaking, dragging Jongler's along with it. "There's a good chance that that was a regular person. But there's also a good chance that was something that could murder us. For now, let's just keep going and think about it later. We can find help and tell them that someone's in here. Let the authorities deal with it instead. (If they even believe us…) And uh." He looked away from Jongler, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "Good work not talking. Keep it up. I'm, uh. Gonna start doing that too. The not-talking thing."
Dat makes sense ta me. Good idea, boss, is what Jongler would say out loud, fully genuine, if they weren't forbidden from talking.
The two kept going through the tunnel.
In the back of their mind, Jongler felt uneasy. They and Battat had gotten so turned around during the mayhem that it was unclear if they were heading deeper into the tunnel or going back the way they came. If the tunnel reached a dead-end, then they'd have no choice but to return to the potential danger when trying to leave.
But it was okay. They had boss with them. He probably knew they were going the right way. Though, he did seem awfully sweaty. Probably a coincidence. Just sweating from the earlier encounter, and not for any other reason.
Without Battat's chatter, the realm of dripping water and pronounced footfalls reclaimed its place of power.
The monotonous scenery made it difficult to discern if real progress was being made, and made time lose meaning. It was like walking in place on a treadmill, endlessly, no destination in mind.
Eventually, a pinpoint of bright white light came to view. It steadily expanded taller, and a bit wider, as they traveled closer to it. It was the light of comparatively lesser dark.
Jongler felt their boss tugging away, trying to retrieve his arm. Jongler didn't react. They only loosened their grip after he stopped walking and started karate chopping their hand, allowing him to hastily return his arms to his sides.
Jongler's LED light turned back off, blanketing their surroundings in darkness, while simultaneously allowing the lesser dark to paint a gentle trail along the ground. It extended from the exit and blended seamlessly into it, becoming one. The lesser dark's light gradually grew in intensity with each passing hop and step. Whether it was the exit or the entrance was unclear, but it was a welcome sight regardless.
Other than that unexplainable shadowy hand creature, nothing else noteworthy had occurred. It wouldn't take much more traveling and they would be able to escape the accursed tunnel. The two moved as individual units, approaching closer to the end.
Jongler resisted the urge to comment on how close the exit was, faithfully following their boss's earlier order, not making a peep.
"Finally, I'm so tired of this stupid tunnel." Battat blurted out, exasperated.
He broke his own rule again. The rule that only Jongler had the self-control to adhere to.
Now, so close to the exit, during the most critical stretch of tunnel, he tempted fate with his voice. It took a few seconds for Battat to process that the rule should apply to him too.
3, 2, 1. Realization dawned on his face. He let out a small "oop" of a gasp, and covered up his mouth, as if to disguise an illicit deed.
Jongler felt untroubled, as none of the other times Battat spoke up had caused issue.
Without warning, the earth rumbled, jostling rock shards from unseen heights to pelt the ground around them. The two were startled but managed to remain upright until the rumbling stopped.
Deafening screeches rang out, followed by the ground and walls moaning and creaking. Reverberations of faraway stone crashing and cracking apart. Horrific voices wailed and laughed, and mingled together with other unintelligible noises.
A harsh reminder that this was a nightmare world. Jongler was terrified by the unknown horrors that could be making their way there.
"Book it!!!", Battat commanded at the top of his lungs. A reasonable, self-explanatory request, given the circumstances.
Battat had a slight head start, Jongler hesitating before booking it. They were not very far behind, a few more jumps from catching up. They made large but precise leaps, knowing one wrong step would be catastrophic.
They wouldn't mess up. They refused to mess up. They were too close to the exit to afford making another screw-up.
The earth lurched forward for Jongler only, and they careened into it, knocking the breath out of them.
Confusion, replaced by fear, and a growing horror.
For once, Jongler knew they didn't mess up. They did not carelessly tip over, like a clumsy fool.
Something large had grabbed them. It started dragging them away from the light, back into the depths of the tunnel.
It was painful. The buttons on their chest were being compressed and scraped, and it was overloading their senses.
Amidst the pain, they choked out a plea.
While being dragged away, they scrabbled at the ground, desperate to find purchase, their smooth hands uselessly sliding against pebbles and stone.
Fate granted them boon's anchor, and they managed to wrap one of their arms around a sizeable rock fused to the cave floor. They clung to it with all their strength.
Tilting their head up, they reached their other arm towards their boss, to signal that they needed help.
He was standing near the exit, unmoving, like a statue. His hexagonal head and angular body were silhouetted black, haloed by an otherworldly light, the light of lesser dark. He stood there, frozen in place, at the cusp of a decision that would alter his life forever.
Dammit. He knew the tunnel was a deathtrap from the minute they entered it. Every decision, every strategy, it was always cursed, no matter what he chose to do. He wanted to go back in time, and fix every mistake he made that day, one-by-one.
He ran away as fast as his legs could carry him, as if abandoning his problems altogether. Just run away and deal with it all later. Pretend nothing bad had ever happened.
He was so close to the exit. Only a few feet away, and at least his current problem would be solved. One task marked off of a neverending list of worries.
"BOSS!" It was a strangled, heartrending cry that froze Battat on the spot. It sent an ache through his soul. Jongler's voice, crying for help.
He spun around and saw them. A pit formed in his stomach upon witnessing the horror. An enormous shadowy hand of some creature was wrapped around Jongler's leg. Its arm receded into the depths of the tunnel and was taking Jongler along with it. Something big enough to drag someone as big as them. There would be no chance of Battat being able to help.
Jongler was clinging to a rock, with one arm outreached towards Battat.
The damned closet that brought them there. Battat felt dizzy, his vision blurring the world in twain. His mind traced backwards through the day's events, until reaching the beginning. He relived through an alternate version of them.
In the meeting room, Tenna did not confiscate their phones, nor did he gleefully collect them in a wicker basket like he had a personal vendetta against the device. Battat and Jongler experienced no trepidation upon entering the supply closet, easily navigating the unlit room with their phones' built-in flashlights, searching for any trace of the marker guy. Perhaps if they found the markers too, they would receive additional praise.
When the door slammed shut, they didn't panic at all, and simply phoned the front desk and awaited for their fellow coworkers to unlock the door and let them out. They received some justifiable heckling during the phone call, but the temporary shame was worth the price of being rescued from the confined space.
The door opened, granting the false blessing of light. No coworkers awaited on the other side, ready to heckle the two further. Instead, the light evaporated, along with the wishful daydream. Battat returned to reality, trapped again in the nightmare world.
He was caught between two awful choices. On the surface level, it was one good choice and one bad choice: freedom and certain death.
Battat barely knew his assigned coworker. He had no obligation to save them. Freedom was the obvious, correct choice, and returning back for them was the idiotic, illogical one. The only thing holding him back was the guilt of abandoning them.
After weighing both choices, there was only one possible conclusion.
I have to run for the exit.
He didn't want to leave Jongler behind, but there was no point in dooming them both. He could return with help later. Surely they would understand, after he returned back with help.
He found himself trying to justify it.
Wasn't it their fault anyways? They're the one who tripped and got caught. They should have been more careful.
They have several more times the strength I do. I'm not strong enough to help them, even if I wanted to. It's easier to run away.
He ultimately chose to make a break for the exit. He ran forward.
Huh. That's funny, he thought.
It surprised him too when he found his own body involuntarily carrying him towards their direction, cementing his fate. When his mind caught up to his body, he ran with full force, committing, scarf trailing behind.
Upon reaching Jongler, he clasped both of his hands around theirs, and pulled with all his might, digging his heels into the ground.
It was the least of both their concerns, but strangely, Jongler's LED light did not switch on. The struggle remained purely illuminated by the exit's light, which seemed so far away now.
Battat's strength could not overcome the staggering force. The combination of Jongler's hold on the rock and Battat's pulling was not enough. Even though the attempt was futile, Battat stubbornly refused to let go.
A few moments ago, Battat was standing near the exit, unmoving, like a statue. It was only for a moment. But that moment was an eternity for Jongler.
Their arm was extended towards boss, hoping he would understand.
I don't wanna get pulled into da tunnel.
I don't… I don't wanna die.
Please hear me. Please come back fer me.
Survival was the forefront goal in their mind. It wasn't their only wish though.
After prolonged isolation at work without any friends to call their own, it wore away at their emotional state, until they were a shell, empty and numb. They felt like an outcast, even among their fellow blue ties, who got along well with each other, but not them.
They grew accustomed to being alone. They would sit by themselves, overhearing laughter and talking, and would pretend they were there too, partaking in it.
In their little loneliness, they found themselves craving something they could never possess. Trying to act normal with others, emulating their actions to fit in, but failing each time they tried to reach out. Silently praying that they would find someone who could tolerate them for who they were, screw-ups and all.
Today they experienced it. A taste of companionship. They embraced it as it flourished in their heart. They couldn't handle losing it after finally acquiring it.
They knew it was selfish to ask their boss for another favor, to risk his life for theirs. They knew it, they knew it. Still, they pleaded, still, they reached out, to their only possible salvation.
He was haloed in an ethereal light.
Why… why is boss is just standin' there?
Why ain't he comin' to save me?
Did… did I do somethin' wrong…?
They thought boss was kind when they first met because he cared for their well-being. It felt warm and genuine.
But somewhere along the line, they must have said or done something wrong, and now he hated them. Boss wasn't coming to save them. They didn't deserve to be saved.
Their heart felt heavy. They closed their strange new eye, drowning in a sea of sorrow and letting it envelop them. It was hard to breathe, it was suffocating. Unable to endure it, they succumbed to the abyss.
Before becoming fully lost, they felt a tug. They opened their eye again.
Their mind must have been playing tricks on them. Boss was tugging at them, his small hands wrapped tightly around theirs. He was pulling with all his might.
It was no use though. The strength of the creature pulling Jongler did not waver, but each passing moment eroded at their remaining strength. They couldn't hold onto the rock anymore, too exhausted. Their arm slipped, granting tug-o'-war victory to the darkness. Their boss fell over, still holding on, as the creature dragged them both along the cave floor.
The darkness pulled the two of them further from the exit, the light rapidly shrinking.
Unbeknownst to Jongler, a myriad of smaller shadowed hands sprouted from distant walls, and slithered towards the two, poised to grab.
It was as if Jongler had sensed the additional impending danger, but in reality, they had arrived to their decision when they saw their boss struggling with all of his might.
In the brief time they shared together, their boss had already given them so much. The will to keep going. Easing a loneliness in their heart. Bringing them hope at their lowest point, then and now. They knew it would be selfish to hold on, to drag him with them and condemn him to the same disastrous fate.
Their boss was using both of his hands to cling tightly to one of Jongler's. To push him away, one of his hands would have to be pried off. They readied their free arm to remove his hand.
Before shoving his hand away, they wanted to apologize. They wanted to say "I'm sorry," one that conveyed multiple meanings.
I'm sorry fer what I'm 'bout to do. I'm sorry fer all da mistakes I made 'fore, 'n screwin' up so much. I'm sorry fer annoyin' ya. I'm sorry fer breakin' da no-talkin's rule.
I'm sorry we might nevah see each other again.
There wasn't enough time to clarify everything they felt sorry for, so the simple two-word statement would have to suffice. Filled with resolve, they firmly sandwiched one of Battat's hands between theirs. The light turned back on, staining the world red.
They were interrupted by a shriek of agony coming from the direction of the shadowed arm. The hand halted its advance and began to writhe, though it retained its hold. Thin plumes of steam streaked from it, the hand being stung where the red light overlapped with it.
The multitude of smaller hands were kept at bay by the light, repelled as if there was a physical barrier.
Leaving no time to comprehend what had just occurred, a far-off melody cut through the void. It made contact with the monstrous hand, slicing a gash into it, causing enough damage to loosen its prey, releasing them with a hiss. It was followed by a flurry of gunfire, causing the smaller hands to retreat.
The shrieking of creatures, the banging of a gun, the zipping of bullets through the air, Jongler and Battat were thrust into the middle of a battlefield. The former was stuck in a trance, unable to handle the immense auditory overload. The latter stood up, tugging at them with only one hand connected.
Jongler looked up at their boss, seeing his features clearly for the first time since the hand monster attacked. There was no hint of anger or malice in there, like they had feared. It was overflowing with concern. That, and the tug, conveyed without words what Battat was thinking. We have to go now.
They snapped out of their shock, lifting themselves off the ground. Still holding hands, the two rushed towards the tunnel exit, stumbling together in a bizarre three-legged race, with freedom's light growing stronger.
The sudden shift in light was blinding, but even as they left the tunnel, they refused to let go each other, still racing onward as far as they could to distance themselves from the danger.
At the top of a flaxen-yellow knoll, they tripped on a nothing, causing their descent down the slope. Somewhere during the chaotic tumble, their hands unglued, and their bodies unceremoniously landed prone in a gleaming golden oat field. They laid there stupefied, sprawled on the sprawling fields.
A peaceful breeze blew through the field. The air was fresh, compared to the stale, stagnant air of the cliffs area and the tunnel. The sky was equally as dark as the cliffs area, but the field glistened as if shining under moonlight. Weird birds made whirring chirps, like a summer's day, and insects buzzed, like a summer's night.
Battat's reward for escaping the tunnel was a mouthful of dirt and oat plants. He lifted up his head and rejected the reward by spitting it out. Tired, he let gravity pull his head back down.
God, he really needed a nap. Adrenaline wouldn't allow it, still strongly coursing through his veins. His rapidly beating heart gradually returned to equilibrium. Thinking was too much effort, so he let his mind go blank, trying to rest.
As the adrenaline wore off, pains and aches took its place. He lamented how he was never afforded a true moment of comfort or peace. He tried to push himself off the ground, but gave up when he felt his shoulders throbbing, a result from earlier's pulling.
He flipped over like a pancake, gave the empty sky a good staredown, then sat upright, observing his surroundings. Jongler was there next to him. They popped up, also sitting upright, a shower of loose oat plants flying off their upper body.
With their backs faced towards the tunnel, they both sat at the edge of a long oatfield, which extended out into the horizon. The field was surrounded on either side by massive blue-leafed trees with comparatively skinny silver trunks.
Off to the left, far away and high above the canopy of trees, extended a tall, steep, slate-colored cliff. Halfway up it was a majestic waterfall, filling a blue lake. Its silver-sanded shore was surrounded by a meadow. The topmost part of the cliff was masked by fog.
Fields, trees, and cliffs, constituting of a nature one note off-beat from reality.
Other than for the paycheck, Battat never found himself thinking this before, but he wished he was back at the office, trapped at his cubicle of all places. It was boring, but safer at the office. Well, maybe not necessarily safer, that place was falling apart and its structural integrity was questionable at best. STILL.
Far away from civilization, far away from help. Battat felt stressed and unconsciously brought a hand towards his forehead. He stopped moving it when excruciating pain shot through his shoulder. Palm upward, he examined the side of the arm that was dragged along the tunnel floor. It was covered in scrapes and bruises.
For the breadth of the tunnel, it was impossible to distinguish colors from each other under the glow of Jongler's red LED, as it only provided various shades of red, black, and white. Out in the field, colors returned to their normal crispness, and subtle colors changes contrasted clearly.
Green on green. Deep green scratches oozed against a lighter solid green. In a slow enough motion to avoid aggravating his shoulder, he used the tip of a finger from his opposite arm to delicately brush the wound where it was darkest. It stung slightly. He upturned the hand and observed a bead of dark green blood trickling down his fingertip. His hand looked fake, the color looked fake, but otherwise, the wound and its pain were irrefutable.
His wounds and aches were painful. It was real, and not a dream. He was sitting in a field in the middle of nowhere. A monster had almost killed him. His body felt strange and unfamiliar. An artificial, unnatural, shrunken form. Everything hurt. His world was shrinking, closing in, growing darker, spiraling deeper, unraveling, twisting, squeezing tighter, constricting into a singularity that threatened to consume him
The world snapped back into usual magnitude's focus.
Jongler's hand was resting gently on his shoulder. "Thanks fer comin' back fer me."
He stared at them with bugged eyes. He couldn't read their face at all, but heard the gratitude in their voice. Hearing it brought him shame and remorse.
I wasn't actually going to go back for you, Battat thought but didn't dare speak. I was ready to abandon you. I wasn't even able to help you, something else in the tunnel saved us. You shouldn't be thanking me at all. You shouldn't be putting your faith in me. I suck bad at this.
He gritted his teeth in anticipation of the shoulder pain and whacked their arm away.
"Don't be dense." He glared at them and growled. "I'd be screwed if I didn't come back for you. If you went missing, they'd question me at the police station since I was the last person seen with you. I'd have no way to explain any of this without you as a witness. Also."
He pointed at them, bracing for more shoulder pain, grimacing. "I need you around so I can get out of here. Like if I get stuck at the bottom of another ravine." He tried to casually rub at the side of his neck, completely forgetting that the scarf was there. He dropped the arm instead, avoiding eye contact. "That's all there is to it."
He waited for Jongler to respond, ready for a Got it, boss, or something similar. They were certainly taking their sweet time. Did they instantly forget that the no-talking rule only applied to the tunnel?
Out of his peripheral, he caught sight of Jongler shifting to stare at something past him. It reminded him of the situation with the tunnel's first shadowed hand. He examined their face. Whatever it was, it held their full attention.
Apprehensively, he turned to face the same direction they did. Then tilted his head up to meet it. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Oh shit.
A tall humanoid creature made of void, loomed above the two of them from their spots on the ground. In no doubt in Battat's mind, it was the shadow monster from the tunnel, which had arrived to finish them off.
Unable to rise, and unable to tear their gazes away, they both scrambled, transfixed by the monster. They crawled backwards, screaming their lungs out. Battat was adjacent with Jongler, crawling backwards with them in sync. Fear took priority over the physical pain in his arms.
The shadow monster walked at them, keeping pace, frantically waving its hands in front of its chest and shaking its head side-to-side in a manner Battat interpreted as threatening.
They stopped backwards-crawling when their backs pressed against a tree trunk, but they didn't stop screaming. They were hugging each other and screaming now. The shadow monster continued to loom above them, altering its hand motion to have open palms repeatedly lowering. It was scary. Oh god. We're so dead. Battat and Jongler kept screaming. It dropped its arms to its sides. It was still scary, so they kept screaming.
When it was clear the screaming wouldn't stop, the shadow figure pulled out a shadow-enveloped saxophone from thin air, and played a short, familiar riff on it at a profile angle. It pointed at itself several times and then the instrument several times, to prove a point of some sort.
Their screams quieted down, changing into a questioning intonation, before tapering off into silence. They held each other in quiet contemplation. The melody was the same one they heard before being rescued from the tunnel creature.
Battat translated the shadow person's attempts at communication. "You're… Not here to hurt us?"
Like magic, it pocketed the saxophone. It gave a thumbs up and nodded enthusiastically.
Battat acknowledged he could have worded the question better, since shaking its head no would convey the same thing as nodding, muddying the communication attempt. It wasn't making any move to attack them, and was standing a few arm's lengths away, so it seemed okay.
Battat remained cautious but felt calm enough to act more like his typical self. He separated himself from the Jongler hug by pushing them off, groaning from the exertion, both emotional and physical.
"And that was you playing music in the tunnel?" he interrogated. "You scared the hand monster off?"
The shadow gave more thumbs up and nodding.
"Okay… That's… great and all? Thanks for that. I guess." Battat's voice dripped with ingratitude. "But look, you can't just sneak up on us like that! Next time, say something ahead of time or-"
Battat flinched upon moving his arm when trying to point at the shadow in indignation. He grabbed his shoulder with his other arm. Which was also injured, causing him double the pain. He groaned. He kept forgetting he couldn't gesture his arms like normal.
"Youse okay, boss?" Jongler asked in a voice laced with concern. They hovered their hands near him, not daring to touch, as if the act would shatter him like fragile glass.
The shadow person took notice of the display. It held up one finger, indicating to wait for a moment, and dug through its pockets in search of something. Unable to find anything, it scratched at its head thoughtfully. Its tail subtly twitched then swished, and not long after, its face lit up.
It ran off in a flash and scampered up a silver tree trunk, disappearing into the massive canopy. When it reappeared in front of them, it was holding two somethings, one in each hand.
It crouched next to them, presenting two pink-cubed fruits that glittered like crystals. The two curiously took a look at the fruit and then the shadow guy, not making any assumptions of what it wanted from them. When the two didn't react, it switched from crouching to sitting cross-legged, getting more comfortable.
The shadow balanced one of the fruits on its tail and held the other one. It pointed at Battat and Jongler with its free hand, tilted it head back, and mimed the act of eating while dramatically lowering the fruit down until it disappeared out of their view. It stacked the "eaten" fruit on top of the other one on its tail, making a show of rubbing its belly in a circular motion. Placing a hand on its shoulder, it rubbed it like it was in pain, then hovered its hand along the length of the arm several times. It made an OK hand gesture, then pumped the "injured" arm, flexing it. It finished off with pointing at them.
As a backup measure in case the miming couldn't be understood clearly, it followed up with signing.
Battat translated. "If we eat that, it'll heal our injuries?"
The shadow nodded. Battat returned a skeptical look.
The tail of the shadow flicked and tossed the fruits upward, and its hands skillfully caught them as they fell back down. It leaned forward and dropped one fruit in each of their laps, then leaned back.
Battat merely gawked at his, but Jongler wasted no time in picking theirs up with both hands.
"Thanks. Ain't real sure howda eat it doh." Jongler pressed the fruit against their face where an approximate mouth would be, nothing happening.
"What the- Don't just eat it!" Battat threw his hands in the air. Shoulder ow. "We have no idea if it's safe!!"
"Aw, but it looks so tasty…" tilting their head in disappointment.
The shadow focused its attention on Battat, pointing at him. It repeated the mime of eating, rubbing its belly, then pointing at him.
"No way! I'm not eating some random fruit from a strange tree!" He crossed his pained arms in tantrum, with a scowl on his face.
Elbow resting in hand, it tapped a finger on its mouth, pondering. It moved the tapping hand to its pocket and pulled out a third identical fruit. It made a show of eating it and gave a double thumbs up.
"That still doesn't mean anything! All that means is that it's safe for YOU to eat it!" Battat yelled.
It rests two arms on its hips. Eyeless, the shadow stared holes into Battat, gazing with a fierce intensity. Unnerved but obstinate, he kept his arms crossed and turned his head away, endeavoring to appear aloof instead of nervous.
The shadow leaned in closer to him. He leaned back into the tree but maintained the same pose. The shadow leaned in even closer. He couldn't lean any further away and started sweating bullets. The shadow was inches away from his face and staring him down. Battat was no longer scowling but instead panicking, but he didn't relent, keeping his arms crossed and back pressed against the tree.
The shadow picked up the cubed fruit from Battat's lap and held it like a bomb. Battat's pupils rapidly fluttered, but otherwise he didn't react.
Swiftly, the shadow pressed the fruit against his mouth. Caught off guard, Battat fell to the ground while resisting, the shadow pushing the fruit against his face. It pushed its other hand against his chest to keep him from escaping.
Battat helplessly muffled in protest, unable to speak as that would allow the fruit entry. He pushed at the shadow ineffectively, arms too pained and weak.
He turned to Jongler for help, though instantly deflated when he saw they weren't paying attention to the scuffle at all. They were just. Pretend-eating the fruit, endearingly pushing it against their face over and over again. Oh my god. Why the hell did I go back for them?
Battat half-surrendered, which was enough of a window of opportunity to grant the shadow victory. The fruit slid into his mouth and down his gullet. Its nectar tasted overly sweet, like a sugar cube. The shadow released its hold on Battat, goal achieved.
He shot upright, gasping for air like he was dying and grabbed at his throat like he was just poisoned. Humiliated and enraged, he went off on it.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! You're awful. Evil! I almost choked to death! Just stab me with a knife if you're gonna kill me, it's way faster! Holy hells."
The shadow, unaffected by the yelling, pointed at its shoulder.
Battat stopped ranting, gesturing arms floating in place. He lowered them and tested his shoulders by rolling them. They felt fantastic, aches gone. He looked at his wounds. They were gone, completely healed.
Oh. It wasn't lying about the fruit.
He'd never admit to being in the wrong, and refused to be thankful. He scooched back to sit and lean against the tree, crossing his arms in defeat, pouting. He wanted to be angry but was feeling great physically.
The shadow sat closer to Jongler and began to mime.
It pointed at them. It made the motion of eating, rubbed its belly, pointed at its mouth, then formed an X with two fingers, shaking its head.
You can't eat like a normal person.
It made a move to grab one of Jongler's arms with its own, but paused before contact. Tilting its head once towards the spot where its outreached arm was close to touching theirs, it patted its chest with its opposite arm, then alternated between giving a thumbs up or thumbs down. It gazed into their eye, seeking permission.
Jongler gave a small nod. The shadow went on with the explanation.
It pointed at them, then grabbed one of their hands, guiding it to the buttons on their chest. It pointed at two specific ones.
You have to press certain buttons in combination.
It traced a circle along the circumference of the top of its head, then placed two hands in a praying gesture at the top. It opened its hands up, wrists connected, like a blossoming flower.
After pressing the correct buttons, the top of your head will open up.
It borrowed Jongler's fruit and dramatically lowered it from the top of its head and then behind until it disappeared out of view. It rubbed its belly and gave a thumbs up.
You drop the fruit into the opening of your head. That's how you eat.
"I, uh, thinks I gets it," they remarked. "But I's pressed dese buttons before an' nuthin' happened."
The shadow crossed its arms and nodded its head knowingly.
Right.
Using two index fingers, it erratically tapped at various spots on its chest like a control panel was there. It then tapped the top of its wrist a few times, brought the tapping hand to the elbow of the other arm, and rapped its free fingers along its cheek, signaling impatience. It held one hand up flat and made two spiraling motions before stilling it. Then it formed an X with two fingers, shaking its head.
You can press all of the buttons you want, but nothing will happen.
It pointed at Jongler, tapped its temple with a single finger, and massaged the sides of its temples like it was in deep thought, concentrating. It followed by tapping at the sides of its eyes with its index fingers, then extending them forward, like lines of eyesight.
You have to visualize what you want to occur.
It made slow, deliberate taps on an invisible panel on its chest.
Then you have to tap the buttons in the correct sequence.
It held one hand flat and made two spiraling motions, then stilled it. It gave a thumbs up and nodded its head.
Then something will happen.
The shadow summarized the process.
It tapped its temple again.
Think it.
It guided Jongler's hand to two specific buttons in sequence.
Then press these two buttons in order.
It placed the fruit in their palm and guided their hand to the top of their head. It opened a closed fist.
Then drop the fruit at the opening.
The shadow returned Jongler's arm to their side and gave them some space.
It signed something.
It's like a TV. You can press all the buttons you want, but nothing will happen until the power gets turned on. In this case, it's the brain.
It then uncurled a fist, extending its digits to form a flat upturned palm.
You try it out now.
"Okay…" they responded back with uncertainty.
Battat watched on. How does this creature know all this? Wonder if something's actually going to happen.
He watched as Jongler nervously hovered their hand near their button panel. They took an extended amount of time holding it there, just thinking. They pressed two buttons. In response, a hole at the top of their head appeared, stretching open like it was made of rubber, the LED mysteriously vanishing.
Battat felt his stomach churn from the unnatural sight.
They dropped the fruit in there. The opening closed back up with an elastic snap. A lump slid through and down the length, like a snake taking a gulp, followed by the head compressing, before bouncing back to its normal shape, lump gone.
Battat turned away and suppressed the urge to gag. When the sickness passed, he turned back to see how Jongler was doing.
They were gently brushing their gloves against the buttons on their chest, amazed. They were previously covered in scratches from being dragged along the cave floor, but now they gleamed with smooth polish. The fruit miraculously healed them.
"It don't hurt so much no more. Thank ya!" Jongler shook its hand with both of theirs.
It smiled back and patted their shoulder with its free hand. It moved it to the handshake, forming a hand sandwich, and stood up, pulling Jongler up with it.
The shadow turned to face Battat, leaning down and extending out a hand, offering to help him stand up. He gave it a mistrustful side-eye, then looked at Jongler, who seemed much cheerier and healthier.
Battat sighed. All the shadow creature did so far was save their lives and heal their injuries. He shouldn't be behaving like a petulant child with the one person who might have the knowledge to help them both get home.
He accepted the help of the creature that came from the unknown and took its hand in his.
problem: idk how to write dialogue exchanges
solution: forbid Jongler to speak for half of it
big brain move
/hj
I thought the jongtat was progressing too quick but you said in part 2 yes jongtat so I was like okay sure more jongtat yes
I have a lot of things I could overexplain about lore shit, but then it'd be even longer than the actual writing lol. Like I'm down to do it, but I also trust you who's reading it to have a big enough brain to interpret, and make connections, so maybe I not say anything.
(ty for reading btw, it's so many word, I'm grateful and I love you. Your attention span is ginormous, bigger than mine most likely. On the off-chance you didn't read because it's too long, then totally understandable lol, and I relate with you)
At the minimum, I did want to explain what the tunnel is in the Light World.
At some point in time after deciding there was going to be an evil tunnel leading between the cliffs area and the actual Dark World, I forgot that officemikerune's Chapter 1's Dark World(s) took place in 2 different rooms (the storage room and the break room). I thought it was just the storage room only.
So was like "shit there's no Great Door in this scenario I'm writing, that's a huge plothole, I fucked up." BUT I thought about it, and I think that no Great Door can still make lore sense! trust
I don't think there is actually a door between the break room and the storage room. There's actually a huge gap in the wall covered in boxes and stuff because it was cheaper than repairing the broken wall. You'd have to move them all of the way if you really wanted to make your way through, so it's actually pretty effective as a barrier.
It would look pretty bad from the break room side. Probably Battat has seen the discolored wall before but didn't make much of it (he doesn't get paid enough to care about that). Because he never connected the dots, he had no reason to think there was actually a way out of the storage room and was banging on the one door they entered instead of looking around. Jongler had the right idea to search around, they just had no idea there was a broken wall somewhere. Not that it would matter much, since there's just another Dark World in the break room.
The tunnel in the Light World is 2 cardboard boxes turned to their sides with their lids open. The bottoms are close to touching, and that gap forms the tunnel itself. The boxes are next to the broken wall.
If there's actually a door/Great Door between the storage room and break room in plue lore, then oops lol. I'm just as clueless there was another door like Battat and Jongler then.
In that case, then when they emerge from the exit, then they are still in the cliffs area, rather than reaching the oat field then rolling down a slope.
(The gleaming oat field is the shiny hardwood floor. Thinking about maybe there should just be a carpet or throw rug instead, since fibers=grass, but idk what color then.)
The tunnel's counterpart in Deltarune would be that section where you have to run from Lancer's spade attacks before reaching Castle Town. Since there's no Castle Town in omr(?), they end up in break room Dark World instead.
HOGLY MOLY SMOEKS MORE WRIRINGS
i was gonna read this last night but i knew that if i did that then i wouldn't reach the end because i'd end up passing out from excitement LOL
also about the door to the storage room to the breakroom. i lowk.. never thought about that... but this is pretty good.!!!!!! thank you for keeping me updated on this i was absolutely looking forward to what you created until now
i think most of this is actually what i envisioned to happen in mikerune up until meeting pluey. i like the bit where he teaches/gets them to eat in order to heal. so cute. so cute!! so cute!!!
this is amazings oka... thank you for writing theee...i like them a lot. must share with the team now...
