Chapter 7
119.
Closing into completing their quest, the group is currently facing a problem that they failed to prevent. Earlier that moment, everyone was pre-occupied; FeLinE was leading the residents away from the dungeon, Yuna was fending off other Nocturnal-Flying Kemis that wanted to visit Kita, Hana is the one that acted as Kita inside the room, while Lulu and Pily were the ones that created a commotion. Unfortunately for them, a short moment of rest led to Ruru escaping their sight. Now it's too late for the group as Ruru finds out the truth.
Ruru started to get more serious as he repeated his question, "I'll ask you one more time, where is the Night Queen? I thought she was just sleeping?"
"Aaa… Ano… She… She woke up a few minutes ago and went outside." Hana answered while stuttering.
"Is that so? What if I ask my fellas out there to search for her?" Ruru replied.
Hana is wordless, she fears that anything she says will be used against them. As Ruru walks closer to her, Hana carefully unlocks the doorknob.
"You know, we are already living comfortably here in Noctambulist Land. All of us are willing to do everything to keep it as it is, to live the life that we wanted." Ruru said while slowly approaching Hana. "I love your group, I really do! But my instincts are telling me something, I just hope your group isn't messing with the dungeon…" He added.
"Ha-Hai! I'll get Kita and prove it." Hana nervously said as she opened the door.
"This is your last chance, you got 10 minutes," Ruru seriously responded, letting Hana walk away.
With a fabricated reason, Hana hastily goes out while talking to her wristwatch, "We got less than 10 minutes, we need to leave this place now."
Upon receiving the report, the rest of the group leaves their places to meet up with Hana in the forest. They are trying to contact Kita but she is not responding, Hana then explains the situation that they are in. It is a dire one but the group cannot just leave Kita behind.
"What are we going to do now?" Lulu worriedly asked.
"Should we hide in my imaginary space?" Furo added.
"If we are missing for too long, they will turn their attention to Kita and search the dungeon," Yuna replied.
"FeLinE analyzed the situation and there are only 2 options for us; the first one is to lessen the casualties, all of nyu will go back to the realm while FeLinE waits for Kita, from that point, we will do our best to escape from them. The second one is to go back to that party, pretend that we are searching for Kita, and trust that she will get back in time." FeLinE:1000X suggested. None of those options guarantee success, both may lead to a chaotic turn. "Nyu must decide quickly, we don't have the luxury to think this thoroughly," FeLinE:1000X added.
Currently in a pinch, the group puts their trust in Kita as they all agree to the second option. They are the ones that created this plan, sticking to it until the end is the obvious choice. Leaving someone behind will never be an answer to take for them. With that, the group went back and did as FeLinE says, acting like they were searching for Kita.
On the other hand, Ruru and his friend named Barn, the Owlman earlier, are still in the ward. Since Badger Kemis normally has poor eyesight, Barn watches over the group and reports it to Ruru.
"They were missing for a few minutes but now I can see them again, it looks like they are indeed looking for Kita," Barn said.
"That's good to know then, I thought they would run off. It will be a hassle to search for them at this hour." Ruru responded. "Let's just hope they can clear things up before the other Kemis notice. Peace is better than chaos, but the rest of us might not agree with me if the group is up to something," he added.
Time is ticking and each one of the group is feeling every second that passes by, even Ruru is hoping for Kita to appear any moment right now. With only 2 minutes left, the group patiently waits at the bar.
"Kita will eventually show up, right?" Lulu asked, keeping her hopes high.
"It's hard to say, nyu saw how tricky that place is," Yuna answered, referring to the dungeon.
"But she's Kita, she appears whenever she is needed, like a main character in a story with ultra-thick plot armor," Lulu argued.
"Well, I can't argue with that," Yuna replied.
"And that's the reason why FeLinE thinks that some fairytales should have endings related to failure, it will slowly open the eyes of a child that not everything goes as planned and it's normal," FeLinE:1000X commented.
"At least it keeps them optimistic, their perspective will eventually change when they grow older, so I guess that's fair," Hana responded.
"This conversation is quite weird, are we still talking about Kita or we are just diverting ourselves at this point," Furo joined the chatter.
"Chuu~ their conversations often lead to something far from the topic, and it's fun to watch!" Pily replied.
Since the first day of their journey, Kita usually somehow clutches this sort of situation, but sadly for them, tonight is a different story. As the waiting period crosses 15 minutes, Ruru and Barn approach the group.
"We've waited long enough, I'm sorry to say this but your group needs to come with us. Please cooperate and don't make this hard any further." Ruru told the group.
Every time someone is invited to the interrogation room, it automatically means that they are suspected of violating the rule of the town. Because of that, low chatters can be heard from the crowd as they all express their reactions.
There's no way for the group to escape the place since the residents are surrounding them. To avoid escalating the situation, the group followed Ruru toward the interrogation room. Ruru is the appointed chief of the town, giving him the right to seek the truth before letting the crowd decide what to do to the violators. Ruru may be a forgiving Kemi, but he does not speak for the entirety of the town.
120.
Inside the interrogation room, Ruru starts to ask the group about their real motive in visiting the realm. The group knows that lying will only cause them more problems, not to mention, the Kemis also have the right to know the situation of every realm. If they fear change, then the problem with the Forbidden Rune might convince Ruru.
The discussion started with one of the group's goals, saving other Kemis from being corrupted. Everything was going smoothly thanks to the shreds of evidence that they presented, but it all went downhill when the group admitted their plan about the Mystical Runekey inside the dungeon. The intention was indeed genuine and helpful, though they are still breaking the only rule in the realm. Now it's time for the chief to weigh in on the violation.
"Look guys, y'all are cool with me, even Barn is with us," Ruru said as Barn nodded from the back. "The problem is chief, after chief, after chief, regardless of the problem, the residents never let anyone break the rule without being punished. We believe that staying in our comfort zone will keep us safe," he explained.
"Preventing changes will harm your realm soon!" Yuna argued.
"It's hard to argue with them since it's been working for years. A friend of mine once crossed the dungeon. He got exiled from the town and I never heard anything about him ever since." Barn said.
"That doesn't seem that bad, I mean we are outsiders, getting exiled from this town is not a problem to us," Hana responded.
"Weeeell… The punishment for outsiders is different from the locals. The residents get exiled from the town, keeping them away from the dungeon. That won't work on outsiders because it doesn't guarantee they will do as we say." Ruru said.
"Sooo what's the punishment for outsiders?" Furo asked.
"They… They get thrown into the Cavern of Darkness…" Ruru answered.
"It's a place where Nocturnal Beast Mimis live, they are carnivorous and will eat anything," Barn added.
"That's messed up…" Yuna commented while the rest of the group nervously gulped.
"So, what's your decision?" FeLinE:1000X asked straightforwardly.
The discussion was cut when someone knocked on the door. When Barn opened it, they saw two tall Nightmonkeyman carrying Kita unconsciously, "We found her sleeping by the entrance of the dungeon. We caught her red-handed." The Nightmonkeyman reported.
The group can hear the crowd madly yelling outside, "Throw them out! Throw them out!"
"I'm sorry guys, we could have fabricated a reason, but the public caught Kita. I can't do anything from this point." Ruru apologized to the group.
In that instant, the crowd swarms the room to capture the rest of the group. They tie the hands of each one of them as they escort Kita's group to the Cavern of Darkness. Battling their way out of this mess will only be a waste of their energy, the group no longer argues with the situation.
There's a dirt wall that separates the 2 places; the town and the outskirts where the Cavern of Darkness is connected. This wall is not just an ordinary one, it was crafted by the ancestors of the place to keep them safe. When a Kemi steps on the stone plate, the dirt wall goes down, and it automatically goes back up when no one is stepping on the stone plate.
Eventually, they reached the Cavern of Darkness where Nocturnal Beast Mimis live. These creatures are aggressive in nature, and for the record, no Kemis ever survived this place. The residents opened the dirt wall, pushed Kita's group inside, and then closed it again. The crowd cheers as the dirt wall goes up again, locking the violators to the outskirts.
Looking around the place, daylight barely shines on the place. The Cavern of Darkness is like a giant cave but with some holes in the ceiling, that's the only passage that lightens the place. There are some trees inside of it, and huge boulders as well, these are the terrains where the Beast Mimis hide. Luckily for them, it's already daytime. The group must find a way out before the night comes out.
Afraid of making even the slightest noise, the group sat down from where they were standing as fatigue finally hit them. Even exhausted from everything that's happening, Hana approaches Kita to heal her burned marks, it's evident that Kita has been through a lot. After ensuring that there are no further injuries, Hana takes some rest together with everyone.
Ironically, the place is meant to be dangerous and scary, but the group was able to relax way more in the Cavern of Darkness compared to when they were in the town. No loud music, no Kemis partying, just a silent atmosphere in the Cavern. They are aware that this peaceful time won't last long, but panicking will only make things worse. Staying calm and collected is also key to surviving.
3 hours passed by, and the group woke up from their slumber. It's 8 a.m. as of now, and the group still has plenty of time to plan their escape. Kita then started asking questions since she was unconscious during the chaos.
When everything was cleared up, Kita said, "I'm sorry I failed to get back in time. I was being careful with this thing," she put out a ball of ice covered in the waterproof leaf.
"What's that?" Lulu curiously asked.
Kita chuckles as she says, "It's the Mystical Runekey, our 2nd one~"
"NYU DID IT!" The rest of the group gladly responded.
"It wasn't easy tho I did make it. Too bad we are stuck here now." Kita replied.
"That's fine! I mean, the Nocturnal Kemis doesn't know that we already have that. Everything will stay the same for them when we return to our realm. The only problem now is getting out of here." Yuna said. She is suddenly optimistic about their chances.
"Getting the artifact solved half of our problems, FeLinE agrees with Yuna," FeLinE:1000X added.
"We already survived the Island of the Beast Mimis, I'm sure we can pull it out once more," Hana mentioned.
"Listening to them kinda boosts my morale, it makes me fired up," Furo commented.
"Chuu~ that's why I love this group," Pily replied.
"I want to shout but I don't want to wake up the Beast Mimis, let's just cheer in our minds," Lulu suggested while the rest chuckled.
121.
After a quick meal, the group stretches up as they prepare themselves for another challenge. Since it's still safe to wander around, they used this opportunity to scan the place. Creating recognizable marks will help them memorize the area faster. As per the geological structure of the place; the trees inside the Cavern of Darkness are too small, and the lack of direct daylight prevents them from growing taller, even so, there still might be Nocturnal Beast Mimis resting in those trees. At first glance, going out through the holes in the ceiling seems like a viable option, Yuna can levitate along with everyone. But when Yuna checks the ceiling, the holes are too narrow for a Kemi to fit in. That may also be the reason why the Nocturnal Beasts Mimis couldn't get out. The Cavern is also too thick, breaking the ceiling to widen the holes will take a lot of time. Even though they manage to create a way out in time, it is still not a good idea because it will also free the Beast Mimis that may terrorize the town.
After an hour of studying the place, they regroup by the entrance. "I did not see any exit while we were roaming," Kita reported.
"FeLinE thinks that there is no other way out besides the entrance. Beast Mimis should have already been out there if there's another way." FeLinE:1000X said, rationalizing the situation.
"I hate to admit it but that's most probably true. We must look at it from a different angle." Yuna responded.
"Can't nyu create an imaginary space from a point and then exit to the other side of it?" Hana asked Furo.
"I can't, my talent is like this Cavern, the entrance is also the exit. Another downside of it is when it's open, then it's open, meaning everyone and everything can go in and out while it's open." Furo answered.
"That also means hiding there is not a hundred percent safe," Lulu commented.
"Chuu~ this is getting tough," Pily added.
"FeLinE thinks that there are no recommended courses of action. Only an unexpected external factor can save us from this point." FeLinE:1000X said.
"Nyu also said that before…" Kita replied.
"Exactly like I mentioned, this is just like when we were at the Island of the Beast Mimis," Hana responded.
"How can you all stay calm at times like this? I mean we could die, right?" Furo questioned.
"I don't know, for some reason, I'm not nervous. Usually, I freak out when things are dire, but my guts are telling me something." Kita answered.
"And we trust Kita's guts!" Lulu responded, and after a short second of pause she then added, "Because we don't have a choice!"
"It sounds illogical but we've been doing this since day 1. I actually stopped counting how many times we have done this." Hana also commented.
"Let's all just sit by the entrance and wait," FeLinE:1000X suggested.
"Wait what? Are we being serious right now?" Furo asked while others followed FeLinE. "Oy! This is not a good time for jokes!" He added while following the group.
Doing exactly as FeLinE says, the group spends their time leisurely. Everyone minds their own business while Furo is still freaking out by the circumstances, he cannot believe what's happening, nor why the Catgirls are acting this way. "They have probably given up, maybe they already accepted our faith!" Furo tells himself while sitting in the corner, watching the Catgirls from a small distance.
A lot of hours pass by and the daylight is slowly coming to an end. The afternoon takes over and Furo worries even more, on the other hand, the Catgirls are starting to get a little bit nervous as well. The silent Cavern slowly changes as random crackles and howls echo from the depths of the place. Something must happen before the Beast Mimis attack the Kemis.
"Maybe there's a Giant Beast Mimi here, that will definitely save our butts from these Beast Mimis," Kita said.
"Yeah! I can tell them to protect us." Lulu added.
"But what if there's no Giant Beast Mimi here?" Furo questioned.
"We are pretty much doomed then," Yuna answered.
All of a sudden, the dirt wall slowly goes down. Everyone was confused at the moment, but they wasted no time and took the opportunity. Yuna carried the group using her talent, levitating toward the opening dirt wall. It did not fully submerge because the dirt wall rose back as soon as the group exited the cave. They immediately looked to the left side where the stone plates were placed, and in that instant, the group saw a Kemi riding a motorcycle, it was Raven who triggered the stone plates.
"Zup, miss me?" Raven asked.
"RAVEN!" The group gladly said as they ran and hugged Raven.
"I guess miracles do happen with this group…" Furo commented in surprise as he watched the Catgirls celebrate.
"Chuu~ I told you, it's like they are destined for something. That's why they somehow survive dire situations." Pily replied.
"I TOLD NYU MY GUTS WERE NEVER WRONG!" Kita bragged.
"We got lucky again!" Lulu responded while the Catgirls laughed.
"When we were thrown into the Cavern, FeLinE saw a Kemi heading to our place with extreme speed. FeLinE was not sure if it was an ally, but if it was, then it was probably Raven riding a motorcycle." FeLinE:1000X said.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Furo questioned.
"FeLinE did, Yuna and Hana knew it. Kita, Lulu, and nyu were sleeping at that time," FeLinE:1000X answered.
"Then how come, Kita and Lulu, were also confident? I would understand if it were only the three of nyu." Furo added to his question.
"They were just like that." FeLinE shortly answered.
"To be fair, even the 3 of us were still unsure about it. Though seeing Kita that way made us a little bit more confident about our chances." Yuna explained while Kita chuckled as she scratched her head.
"By the way, I'm sorry if it took too long. I was having a hard time figuring out how to open that wall. Anyway, should we go home?" Raven said.
"Hai!" The rest of them excitedly responded.
End of Chapter 7