Chapter 1
74.
Mimis have 2 classifications, and both of those have their own advantages. Tameable ones numerically outnumber the Beasts. Some islands have numerous Tameable Mimis, they all peacefully exist with other creatures, eating fruits and lower species. On the other hand, Beasts have a furious nature. It's the survival of the fittest for them. Beast Mimis have 2 categories; the regular ones are abundant. The other category is called Giant Beasts, they are the ones that fight to be a king of a certain territory. King of the Sea, King of the Sky, and King of the Land. It's better to not intervene with their clashes since they can literally squash a Kemi.
As frightening as it may sound, there's an island where the King of the Land resides. Out of all the islands in the Deserted Isles, no one dares to approach this one. Unfortunately, the coordinates that the group has are the ones that are strictly off-limits for a Kemi who still wishes to live.
Progressing with overflowing emotions inside of each one of them, the Catgirls must do their best to keep things together. They may have successfully breached the Northern Region's system but failed to protect Lulu during the process. Strategically, it's advantageous for them if Eve stays in the Northern Region. This will extend their reach in terms of productivity since Eve can investigate further if she stays behind, while the rest of them will save Lulu and Pily. But seeing the current state of the group, Eve chose to be passionate rather than rational this time, joining the team in their voyage, hence the journey towards the Deserted Isles begins.
As the group voyages to the coordinates on the note, their journey gets tougher. Steering the ship for the first time made Celeste struggle a lot. Not to mention, Yuna is the one who should be helping her in navigating, but Yuna can barely stand up. It's been 3 days and Yuna hasn't taken any proper rest since the day Lulu disappeared. Only the calming syrup that Eve and Rubi created eases her mind for a few hours, allowing her to sleep during the effect.
"Everything will be fine, Lulu saved us all back then from the King of the Sea. I'm sure she can do more." Kita said as she approached Yuna.
Yuna is just blankly staring at the air while sitting in the corner of the room.
"Lulu is doing her best to be brave, waiting for us to arrive. We should be strong as well, for her…" Hana added.
Yuna is not responding to any words from Kita and Hana. There's no sign that Yuna is even listening to them.
"We'll try to give nyu some space, but please eat this time. Lulu will be mad if nyu skip meals." Kita said as she put the tray with a sandwich in front of Yuna.
Kita and Hana left the room after trying to reach out to Yuna. They are the ones that have talents, the group needs them in fending off any Beast Mimis from the sea.
Meanwhile, in the navigation team, Eve and Rubi are doing their best in assisting Celeste. Good thing Yuna taught Rubi basic knowledge about navigation. It's been the roughest experience for everyone this whole time. The group is underhanded, and at the same time mentally struggling with the circumstances. Raven is the only one that deals with the heavy duties since all of them already have tasks to accomplish. It will drain them both mentally and physically, only a matter of time before things get out of hand.
On the 5th day of their voyage, it looks like none of them can hold on for much longer. Even the smallest form of optimism is unbearable, fatigue is a big factor in preventing them from thinking straight. As they all automatically function just to survive, a sudden huge impact hits the ship.
"It came from the deck, let's go, Hana," Kita instructed.
"Hai," Hana replied as they both went outside.
The pitch-black clouds welcomed Kita and Hana, they could hardly see anything around them. As an unknown roar erupts from the dark, Kita and Hana prepare themselves for the attack. They've been successfully defending the ship with the small Beast Mimis. Ice and Water talent have been efficient in the sea. The question is if they can continue doing so.
A couple of moments later, the ship stopped moving. It looks like it's been entangled into something.
"I can't see a thing!" Kita complained she doesn't know where to start defending.
"Me too. It looks like our ship was caught by something." Hana added.
Since the navigation team can no longer control the ship, they also went outside carrying flashlights. The moment that they turned the flashlights on, the group saw big tentacles holding the ship. When they trace the body using the light, they finally witness what's been causing all the problems.
Four long tentacles, a big squid head with one eye in the middle and numerous fangs in the center of the tentacles. This Giant Beast is called a Krakquad, it's three times bigger than their ship. Almost the same height as the King of the Sea.
"This time we are legitimately done for…" Hana said.
"Without Lulu, there's no way we can stop that thing…" Kita added.
"QUEEEEK!" The giant Krakquad screech as it slowly squishes the ship.
Kita and Hana are trying their best to freeze its tentacles, but the Giant Beast is just too much to handle. Its enormous strength breaks their combo before they can fully freeze up the Krakquad.
"This is not working…" Eve muttered.
"Wha… What should we do?" Celeste asked while trembling in fear.
"Prepare the boats, maybe we can still survive if we manage to escape," Eve replied. Celeste and Rubi immediately move as Eve stays to light up the place.
"I'll check on Yuna," Raven responded.
While the surrounding is in utter chaos, Yuna is still zoned out. The loud crashes of the ship do not bother her. It looks like Yuna won't even move from her spot. On the other hand, while Raven is on her way to Yuna, a cabinet fell on her, pinning Raven along the way.
"This is not helping! You stupid piece of wood…" Raven complained while trying her best to escape the situation.
75.
The havoc continues as the ship is getting obliterated. The Krakquad tilts the ship, lifting it from the sea. Everything inside of the ship is in disarray, the commotion makes the Runecrystal fall from Yuna's bag as it finally glows brightly.
"What's happening…" Yuna said as she finally snapped back to reality. Upon seeing the Runecrystal, she crawled towards it to grab the Rune. The moment that she held it, Yuna glows brightly as well, she is finally fusing with the Runecrystal.
Going back to the ship's deck, everyone is still struggling. A barrel hit Kita due to the instability of the ship. "Kita! Are nyu alright?" Hana worriedly asked.
"I'm… I'm fine…" Kita responded while aching from the pain.
Moments later, Rubi and Celeste made it back. "The boat is ready," Rubi reported.
"Where's Yuna and Raven?" Eve asked.
"Aaa.. I'll go and check them!" Celeste answered while panicking.
"We'll meet nyu at the boat, we have to leave now," Eve told Celeste. "Hana and Kita! Proceed to the emergency boat!" She instructed.
Kita and Hana were about to do as Eve said but the Krakquad split the ship in half. Creating a huge gap between Kita, Hana, and the rest of the group. "Eveee!" Hana shouted while assisting Kita.
When everything is doomed and dire, a powerful talent finally unleashes. With overflowing emotions in her head, Yuna levitates as she also lifts everyone using telekinesis. It turns out, the scholars are right, Yuna's talent is lifting objects, or even Kemis, according to her will.
"ARE WE FLYING? WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Kita shouted.
"Is… Is that Yuna?" Hana asked.
Yuna comes out of the ship, levitating with Raven and Celeste. It looks like she is completely out of control.
"Her eyes are glowing bright violet…" Eve mentioned.
"She finally did it, she unlocked her talent…" Rubi added.
"I didn't know that this is what I signed up for!" Celeste nervously said.
"At least it saved me from that cabinet…" Raven commented while catching her breath.
"Yuna! Get us out of hereee!" Kita screamed.
Despite being in an uncontrollable state, Yuna heard Kita's voice. She flies everyone to the emergency boat that was prepared earlier, escaping the fangs of the Krakquad. The moment that they are all aboard the small boat, Yuna passes out as the Giant Beast continues to devour their ship.
"There's no time to waste, paddle faster!" Eve instructed.
Adrenaline is the only thing that keeps everyone going. Their survival instincts kick in as they completely ignore their fatigue. At this point, they don't have any trajectory to where they are heading. The important matter is to escape, they'll figure out the next step if they even manage to live after this encounter.
Due to the strong pull of the current, they barely made any distance from the Giant Beast. The Krakquad noticed the group's movement, and because of that, it raged even more. Using one of its tentacles, the Giant Beast tried to squash the small boat. Hitting the sea with a huge impact, enough to create large waves and strong blasts of wind. Their boat stands no chance in this immense catastrophe, it crashes as the group flies toward the unknown. Horrifyingly, a tragedy ended their rescue mission.
As the nightmare ends, the star's bright light once again shines at the UniPaws. Kita is lying by the shore, completely blacked out from the Krakquad encounter. Moments later, Kita opened her eyes as she suffered from massive pain.
"Whe-Where am I…" Kita said as she sat up and looked around. "Where are the others…" She added upon realizing that she couldn't see anyone.
Even with just a little bit of strength to move, Kita stood up and started her search. The first thing that came to her mind was to find the others. Checking her injuries is not her priority at the moment.
In two hours, Kita tried her best to search the surrounding area, but unfortunately, she did not see anyone around the shore. "This… This is not looking good…" Kita said while catching her breath. She realized that she must gather something that will keep her hydrated. That way, she can save others more effectively.
There are a lot of questions that should be answered but she must survive first. With that idea in mind, Kita bravely enters the forest of the unknown island. As she slowly limps into the forest, a Kemi can be seen miles away. It's Hana, sleeping on the grass.
"Hana!" Kita shouted as she immediately approached her.
Hana opened her eyes and saw Kita. She nearly moves into tears during that moment. "Kita!" Hana answered as she stood up and hugged Kita. "I'm glad that nyu are alright!" She added.
"I'm happy to see nyu too. Have nyu seen anyone else?" Kita replied.
"Sadly, no… There was a Beast Mimi on the shore that's why I hid here. I don't have the strength to search for others as of now…" Hana answered.
"It's fine. They are tough Kemis, I'm sure they'll manage to survive, like us!" Kita responded.
"I'm worried about Yuna, she already passed out before we even crashed on this island," Hana added.
"Don't worry, we'll look for her. We'll find everyone soon." Kita said. "Anyway, where are we?" She added.
"I don't have a clue. It looks like Riverania but it isn't." Hana replied.
"It's also impossible for us to end up there since we were heading in the other direction. Let's check the area first, maybe we can find some fruits or something." Kita suggested.
"Hai, I can heal your wounds once I regain my strength," Hana said.
"Don't worry about it, nyu know I'm immortal!" Kita responded as they both chuckled.
After a short reunion with each other, Kita and Hana begin their journey inside the forest. As they carefully look around, it looks like there were plenty of Beast Mimis around. Luckily they are small and not that aggressive, though they probably shouldn't startle them. Beast Mimis can still attack if they feel threatened by the other creatures.
Kita and Hana have been through a lot of hardships together. Having each other's side is what keeps them going. Even with distinct differences, it does not stop them from working as one. With the situation given, they must save the other Kemis by themselves.
76.
Wild vines, tall trees, and plants that they have never seen, an island where Beast Mimis live. Wandering in the unknown territory is a new experience for Kita and Hana, despite being a traveler. Back then, they were at least aware of where they were at, or what the place was called, even if it was a foreign land. This time, both of them are entirely clueless and concerned about their whereabouts. But the question is, are they truly lost?
The island is filled with Beast Mimis, Kita and Hana are managing to survive since the place is abundant with fruit. Only rare types of Beasts could eat fruits, it's the Tameable ones who can eat plenty of them.
The day is slowly coming to an end, and as the afternoon comes, Kita and Hana decide to camp in a cave they saw nearby. Just like their experience in Riverania, they must build their shelter before the star completely settles. Hana builds their tent while Kita gathers the needed materials. Good thing there are still fish in a nearby river, they cannot fully rely on fruits alone every single day.
As they sit down in front of the fire while cooking their fish. Kita could not stop thinking, she then asked Hana a similar question when they were at the maid cafe, "Are we… Are we still doing the right thing?"
"This question again?" Hana replied.
"I just feel bad for putting others in danger, especially our friends," Kita responded.
"I know that nyu are upset about everything that is happening. Sure, we create problems. Well, nyu particularly created tons of it. But still, we helped a lot of Kemis along the way. We cannot avoid conflicts, therefore, we just have to be responsible for our actions." Hana said.
"Do nyu think things would be different if we stayed in our tribe instead?" Kita questioned.
"Of course it will, at least for us. But knowing that Evil Mimis are circulating, everyone else might still do the same thing. Maiko might still try to unite the tribes upon encountering the Evil Mimi. Princess Grace might still be dealing with Evil Mimis and Runes. The maids might be struggling with their cafe as Mae and Mittsy help them. Raven will find a way to leave Hideo's contract. Eve and Rubi might still investigate the origin of the Evil Mimis. Celeste will voyage on a ship soon. And lastly, I'm sure Lulu and Yuna will eventually leave their tribe, even if we didn't meet them. What I'm trying to say is that they are also responsible for their actions, just like us." Hana answered.
Kita took a while to absorb Hana's message. "Thank nyu… I kinda needed to hear that…" Kita sincerely thanked Hana.
"If nyu did not pull me out of my princess status in our tribe, I might be living a life that I don't want. And because of that, I thank nyu as well." Hana returns the sincerity as they peacefully eat their meal.
A long cold night welcomes Kita and Hana. The campfire and also the bushes that they gathered are the only things that keep them warm. These difficult times will test their fortitude, though having someone to rely on will surely lessen the burden.
Another day rises, Good thing Kita and Hana manage to regain their spirits again. Hana treats both of their wounds before they move out. Since they are in a dangerous environment, they formulated a plan. During the day, they'll try their best to find others while gathering some food. When the light seems to settle, they will go back to their base and call it a day. Splitting up is not a good idea because there are too many unknown factors to consider. Studying the environment of the island while searching the place, hoping that they will find the others as soon as they can, the two of them must learn the ropes around the island in order to survive.
Starting right from scratch, Kita and Hana begin their search. Without any tools or equipment to back them up, they create distinct marks which will tell them that they've been there already. Using their combined talent, they made an ice shaped like a cone with a pointy edge, they use it to carve an X mark on the trees, sometimes on boulders as well.
Hours pass by, and the two of them are carefully exploring the place thoroughly. The island is surprisingly way bigger than they thought. Since Kita and Hana can effectively use their talents now, they can fend off the Beast Mimis easily. They don't have to run like they used to do in Snowy Mountain. Though they still keep it minimal, repelling the Beasts is better than fully engaging them. It saves them energy, and at the same time lessens problems for them in the long run.
The afternoon comes and there is still no sign of other Kemis. It looks like Kita and Hana are the only ones on this island. But they cannot draw conclusions immediately because they haven't explored the whole island yet. For now, it's time for them to go back to their base.
Upon reaching the camp, Kita said, "I guess we were not lucky today."
"At least we made progress. We can explore other areas tomorrow." Hana responded.
"True, I bet others are doing that as well. We should be observant of their signs too." Kita replied.
"I agree, great minds think alike~" Hana claimed since she was the one who thought about creating marks along the way.
"Hai, hai, nyu are indeed smart." Kita sarcastically reacted. A sudden silence occurred and Kita noticed something about their base. "By the way, don't nyu think this cave is a bit odd?" She mentioned.
"What do nyu mean?" Hana asked.
"The way it was carved, it looks like something crashed here," Kita answered.
"Now that nyu mentioned, it does look like more of a small pit rather than a cave," Hana responded.
"We already spent the night here, but we haven't thoroughly checked what's inside this cave," Kita added.
"I don't like your tone, that tone is the way nyu say things before nyu do something," Hana said.
"Oh c'mon! Let's check it out! At least we can make sure no Beast Mimis are lurking while we sleep. We can sleep better if we feel secure." Kita said, trying to persuade Hana.
"Alright fine, let's get this over with…" Hana replied.
"Nyatta!" Kita responded.
End of Chapter 1